Lacto-Fermented Oatmeal

     Oats, just like any other grain, need to be fermented to break down the anti-nutrients, or phytates, that they contain. Oats also have gluten which,  like wheat, needs to be fermented to partially break it down before it enters your system. Without fermenting, oatmeal is a marginally nutritious breakfast that drains your energy and leaves you hungry an hour or two later. But with fermenting, oatmeal becomes a powerhouse meal that will digest well, keep you satisfied and full way beyond lunch time, and give you lasting energy throughout the day! Not to mention, the taste of fermented oats is far superior! All you need is a little bit of whey, the liquid in yogurt. Once you have this ingredient, you can ferment almost anything! Or you can also use plain yogurt as well, if you don't have any whey.

 Lacto-Fermented Oatmeal (breakfast porridge)

From Nourishing traditions

Ingredients:

2 cups oats, rolled or cracked
2 cups warm filtered water plus 4 TBSP whey, yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups filtered water

Directions:

 Mix oats with warm water mixture, cover and leave in a warm place overnight (7 to 24 hours). Bring
an additional 2 cups of water to a boil with sea salt. Add soaked oats , reduce heat, cover, and simmer several minutes. Remove from heat, and let stand for a few minutes. Serve with plenty of butter or
cream and a natural sweetener like rapadura, date sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar or raw honey.


 

Chocolate Coconut Milk Icecream

This homemade icecream is really simple, no icecream maker needed. Just mix together a few ingredients, let it freeze for a few hours, and voila! Homemade, decadent, dairy-free icecream.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream 

(Inspired by Julia MacDonald)

 Makes 4 servings


Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup, for vegans)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. (Originally, I tried whisking them together in a bowl, but the blender was much more effective!)

Adjust the flavor to your taste, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Place in the freezer for 4-6 hours, or until firm.

Cacao No-Bake Cookies

     These cookies are a delicious and healthy way to satisfy that sweet tooth that demands attention on occasion! Sweetened with pure maple syrup, one of the better choices as far as sweeteners go, these cookies also have the added health benefits from cacao, which has been shown to fight free radicals (cancer-causing cells) among other things. A Cancer-fighting cookie? Can't beat that!

Cacao No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:

⅔ C maple syrup

¼ C Coconut oil

5 TB Cacao powder (Cocoa works too)

1 tsp Cinnamon

½ C unsweetened Almond Butter or peanut butter

1 C rolled oats

1 tsp Vanilla

¼ C Unsweetened Coconut (optional)

Directions:

Combine maple syrup, oil, cacao, and cinnamon, and heat over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in almond butter, oats, vanilla, and coconut until well blended. Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut....the word might bring up feelings of nostalgia, excitement, or even fear for you. But for me, it brings PASSION.  Sauerkraut is one of the first foods I learned to ferment, and it is still one of my favorite fermented foods, and one of the most healthy foods I have ever made. There are numerous health benefits of sauerkraut, which you can easily read about with a quick internet search. The main benefit being the digestion-promoting lactobacilli that it contains. This is the "good bacteria" that your body needs to digest food properly. Also, more than 70% of our immune system is contained in our digestive tract, another reason to keep your digestion moving and flowing with ease. Which is what this simple dish does. Added to each meal, this food will give you a boost in energy, help digest your meal, and add a richness of flavor you will learn to love.

So, what is sauerkraut? Nothing but cabbage and salt, left on your counter for a few days. Easy, right? Right. Really. If you're new to fermenting, this is the ideal place to start.

Traditional Sauerkraut

 

Adapted from Nourishing Traditions

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients:

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded

1 Tbsp sea salt

1 Tbsp caraway seeds (optional)

4 Tbsp whey (or another 1 TBSP salt)

Directions:

In a bowl, mix cabbage with caraway seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer for 5 minutes to release juices. Let sit for 5 minutes, then pound 5 more minutes. (Or let it sit for 15 minutes without any pounding.) Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover and keep at room temperature for about 3 days then transfer to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but it improves with age.

Lemongrass Chicken

We got this delicious recipe from our friend who's parents own a Thai restaurant. He was in the kitchen of the restaurant experimenting one day and came up with this delicious concoction. It is now one of our weekly favorites! It is super simple and amazingly flavorful. You start out with a basic Pad Thai sauce - buy a jar or make your own - it's so easy! The recipe is included below.  All it takes is one trip to the Oriental market for Tamarind paste and fish sauce if you don't have any on hand. And don't worry, they will keep for a long time in your fridge, so don't be afraid to make this one-time purchase. Add some fresh ginger, lemongrass, coconut milk, nuts, and voila! A super easy, delicious, Thai dinner at home. :)


Lemongrass Chicken
Serves 4

1 jar pad thai sauce (or homemade - recipe below)
1-2 lbs chicken breast or thighs cut in thin strips or chunks
1 stalk of lemongrass (or 3 drops lemongrass essential oil)
1 inch or so of a ginger root (or 2 drops ginger essential oil)
1/4 C coconut milk
1/2 C almonds or cashews
red pepper flakes - optional to add some heat
jasmine rice cooked

Cut the lemongrass into 1-1.5 inch pieces. Peel the ginger root and slice thinly.

 Heat some coconut oil over med heat and add chicken. Then add the pad thai sauce and coconut milk and stir. Next add lemongrass, ginger and almonds.

 Stir frequently to get the flavors blended.

 Serve over jasmine rice and Voila!

 Pad Thai Sauce

1- 1.5 TBSP tamarind paste
1/4 C chicken stock
3 TBSP fish sauce
1 TBSP soy sauce (I always use "Bragg Liquid Aminos" which is basically soy sauce but way healthier and non-GMO...soy is one of the most GMO'd ingredients.)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or chili sauce
3-4 TBSP brown sugar (I substituted some of it with honey)

Mix it all together in a bowl. I doubled it and saved half for the next time I make this dinner (which, like I said is every week). Or you can just use more and have more sauce. It's not as thick as the bottled sauce, so you could add some rice flour to thicken it up too if you want.

Sour Cream Chicken: Re-Invented!

This meal has been one of my top favorites for several decades now. I would commonly request it for my birthday dinner growing up. It's hard to beat that cheesy, sour cream-y sauce. But guess what folks: this meal just got even better. Sub out the normal cream of chicken soup and replace it with a delicious homemade version, and voila! This amazing meal becomes out of this world! (And much healthier!)

Sour Cream Chicken

*Serves 4.

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless free range chicken breasts
2½ cups free range chicken broth
1½ cups rice milk (or almond milk)
¾ cup rice flour
1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or on your own, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. parsley, etc)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese 
paprika

Directions  
 
1. Make your cream of chicken soup. Combine the chicken broth and ½ cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the remaining 1 cup milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan with the broth mixture over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit as it cools.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken breasts in a glass baking dish.

3. Combine the mixture with the sour cream and cheese.  Pour creamy mixture over the chicken evenly until it is completely covered. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 30 min. Serve over rice.

Enjoy! :)

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

Ever wanted to make your own Cream of Chicken soup? Well today is your lucky day! Let's face it, those cans of cream of chicken soup are chuck full of MSG, sodium, and tons of other preservatives and additives that are less than good for you. They're harmful to your body. But I have great news for you today. It's so easy to make your own! Plus, you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now! And this soup tastes really fresh and amazing. You'll love it in all of your favorite recipes!

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
(Adapted from Pinch of Yum)

*Makes the equivalent of about 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup. 

Ingredients:

2½ cups free range chicken broth
1½ cups rice milk (or almond milk)
¾ cup rice flour
1 tablespoon seasoning mix (or on your own, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. parsley, etc)
  
Directions:

1. Combine the chicken broth and ½ cup of the milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour and seasonings into the remaining 1 cup milk until a smooth, thick mixture forms.
3. Pour the flour and milk mixture into the saucepan with the broth mixture over low heat and stir continuously, whisking as the mixture simmers. Continue to simmer and stir/whisk until the mixture is smooth and thick, 5-10 minutes. The mixture will thicken a bit as it cools.

*Try it in this delicious recipe for Sour Cream Chicken!