Sunday Morning Indulgence

I like to make myself a little treat on Sunday mornings, when everything is quiet in the house. I promise I don't usually eat ice cream for breakfast (really!).

I don't have measurements or a real recipe for this treat, because you shouldn't have to think on Sunday mornings.  So here's a pictorial:

Pull out your French press and add a spoonful or so of cocoa powder and lots more spoonsful of coarse ground coffee.  I use decaf and still get a buzz, but use whatever you want.    

Add boiling water and let sit for a while.  Not sure how long.  You shouldn't have to use timers on Sunday morning.  

This is the best part.  Now scoop a little scoop of vanilla ice cream into a glass or mug and pour the cocoa coffee over it.  Enjoy and then try to talk yourself out of a second cup.

Birthday Drinks

Last weekend was my birthday and, as a result, I'm now the proud owner of a Soda Stream water carbonater.

It's taken me a little while to write about this because it's a little overwhelming.  With the ability to carbonate anything, how can I possibly choose?!  Here are the drinks I've made so far:

• My first carbonating endeavor was simple, just plain carbonated filtered water.  I'm still marveling at the money (and bottles/cans) we'd save this summer by not buying La Croix.  

• Next I added fresh lemon juice and a little maple syrup (my usual lemonade).  Of course, it's even better carbonated.

• My first fail was a honey and rose water soda.  The idea is good, but the execution was flawed.  And the result...chunky {shudder}.  I'll need to work on this one.

• My favorite drink: TX grapefruit syrup (that's a jam that failed to set) with fresh mint and carbonated water. Amazing!

• Also good: Strongly brewed mango ceylon tea (decaf for me), fresh lemon, mint, sugar syrup and carbonated water.  It's sweet tea soda.

• My latest experiments are with rosemary syrup and lavender syrup.  Rosemary and grapefruit with fresh mint are perfect together: citrus-y tart with floral notes from the rosemary and bright mint!  

I can't wait to until my herb garden isn't covered in snow and I can play with fresh lemon verbena, basil and stevia!  And you don't really need a Soda Stream to make these drinks- any carbonated water will do.

Making these syrups is really easy- First, make a big batch of sugar syrup (Heat 1 part water and 1 part evaporated cane juice to boiling.  Cook a minute or two and make sure sugar is all dissolved.  Cool.).  Then flavor small batches of the syrup with each herb/spice.  If you're trying something new, I recommend simmering 1/2 cup sugar syrup with 1 Tbsp. of the dried herb for just a minute or two.  Then cool and strain into an air-tight container.  Store in the refrigerator.

Lucky Ducky

I'm feeling pretty lucky right now.  We had a fantastic Christmas with family we love, delicious food and way too many gifts.  Christmas Eve included a candlelight dinner with homemade tamales and eggnog.  

If you're like us and not drinking dairy eggnog, but not wild about tons of soy either, you'll LOVE this recipe. 

Soy-free, Dairy-free Eggnog

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1/2 cup unsweetened Mimicreme (cashew & almond creme)

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Bigger pinch of ground nutmeg

Blend all this together in a blender or shake it up really good in a sealed jar.  Serve in a frosty cold mug with a pinch of nutmeg on top- Yum!

I knew I wanted to serve cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, so the night before I whipped up some of my favorite gluten free cinnamon rolls and refrigerated them in the pan, ready to go in the oven the next day.  Here's a tip to add to the recipe, though: when rolling up the dough, just put the whole log in the freezer for an hour or so to firm it up nicely. It makes slicing the rolls a breeze!  

I hate to brag, but these were crazy good.  I used the orange glaze from the orange scone recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance for a little something special.  But really, these don't need frosting.  But I guess I don't need cinnamon rolls.  

We all got some great presents this year.  My favorites?  A reverse osmosis water filter for the kitchen, CSI game for the Wii, tickets to see Snoop Dogg and tons of my favorite pens!

Billie Cat's favorite (only) present is a new bed.  

Unfortunately for Billie Cat, Hannah Dog also loves this present. 

My Favorite Teas

This past weekend I had a bit of an adventure with all the freezing rain and ice in Minnesota. I was at a friend's house in Minneapolis celebrating her birthday until about midnight and then left to go home.  Surprise!  Freezing rain and the iciest conditions I've ever seen!  

That'll teach me to not check the weather before going out.  I scraped the car and tried to drive a couple blocks, but even at about 5 mph I was sliding all over the place.  Not one to risk my life or precious new car, I turned around (very, very slowly) and headed back to the party.  

Luckily several friends offered to put me up for the night.  I opted to walk the 15 blocks to sleep in an actual bed.  It was ridiculous trying to walk there- We were sliding all over the place!  I didn't pick up my feet the entire walk and there were several close calls, shrieks and a little bit of crawling.  But we made it.  

And although it was a little thing, I was so comforted to drink a cup of my favorite tea when we got to my friends' house.  I'm not too picky about tea- it just needs to be decaf.  But to have my very favorite tea after such a cold, wet and slippery night was just delicious.  

This got me thinking about my favorite teas (that and the fact that it's freezing cold in the house right now), so I thought I'd share them with you.  

My favorite tea?  Yogi Tea's Rooibos Chai.  It's my bedtime ritual to enjoy a cup of this.  Sometimes it's my morning ritual, too.  I love that it's calming and spicy and tastes fantastic with a splash of almond milk.  

Other favorites, in order of favorite-ness:

Yogi Lemon Ginger- Other lemon ginger teas are also good, but I think this is the best.  I like to add a little extra lemon and honey.  Perfect for sore throats, upset stomach or just a delightful cup of tea.

Yogi Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut- This is a dessert tea.  It's sweet and has a fantastic vanilla flavor.  It's also really good with some almond milk added, but doesn't need anything!

Peppermint Tea- I really prefer the Traditional Medicines brand, but Yogi Tea peppermint is okay, too.  The TM brand is so refreshing and pure and I can steep it forever and it never gets overpowering.  This tea is great for settling my stomach and also pretty invigorating.  

Choice Organic Decaf Mango Ceylon- This is the only true tea that I drink (from the camellia sinensis plant).  I love the fruity, but not acidic, flavor of this black tea.  I just steep it a couple of minutes and it's perfect.  Right now I have a batch of kombucha brewing that is based on this tea- Yum!  

What are your favorite teas?

Cozy

Hooray for Fall.  Hooray for chilly weather.  Hooray for hot chocolate with Dandies marshmallows!

My Current Obsession

If you've had any sort of contact with me in the past 3 weeks (Facebook, Twitter, blog, passing conversation, spying on me, etc.), then you probably know what I'm going to write about here.  What else could it be?

Wine Slushies, of course!

Until a couple of weeks ago, I never even attempted to make any type of blended ice-based beverage.  I have a KitchenAid food processor and an immersion blender, but no real ice-crushing blender type thing.  I'm not sure what I imagined would happen if I tried to put ice in my food processor.  Maybe it would explode the plastic bowl?  Shoot out the top?  Break the blades?

But on an especially hot day I decided to risk my food processor's fate and now my drink menu will never be the same.  I made a mint, lime and white wine slushie and it was the best thing ever.  And I don't even like wine.

I really have nothing against wine, it's just that it usually doesn't taste good to me.  And I don't drink to get all sloshed anyways, so I've never seen the point of drinking it.  I'd rather drink some lemonade or a ginger ale (Cooking with wine is another story.  I most definitely see the point in that).  Plus, I don't know enough about wine to get all snobby about it, so I feel a little lost when picking it out.  Luckily the little liquor store across from Mississippi Market only carries one variety of organic white wine, so I don't have to pick which one is best suited to meld with delicate slushie flavors.  I just get my slushie supply and some N/A beer for Mike and get out of there.

Back to the slushies.  So far I've made some rockin' variations on my original flavor and most of the fresh ingredients have come from my garden.  Mint, lemon verbena, strawberries, these all make amazing slushie flavors.  I've also done my own little frappaccino type thing, but I really like the wine/fruit/herb flavored ones best.  So go to your blender, processor, grinder, or wooden mallet and crush some ice.  It's time for a slushie.

Strawberry Wine Slushie
1 cup very ripe strawberries
2 very full cups of ice cubes
2 Tbsp. evaporated cane juice/sugar
1/2 cup white wine

Put the strawberries, ice cubes and sugar in your food processor/blender.

Turn it on a setting so high that it looks and sounds like you left your hand and probably some rocks in there.  Keep blending until it's very smooth.  Add the wine and blend again.  Pour into a super fancy glass, like a canning jar.  Go sit outside and watch the squirrels steal all the seed you just put out for the birds.

Mojito Wine Slushie
Idea totally stolen from the Hummus Place in NYC

2 very full cups ice
Juice from 1 lime
A big handful of mint
2-3 Tbsp. evaporated cane juice/sugar
1 cup white wine

Put the ice, lime juice, mint and sugar in the blender or food processor and blend it up until totally smooth and very green.  Add the wine and blend briefly (this last step has potential to overflow the food processor if it's too liquidy).  Sip it slowly if you possibly can or you'll get a serious brain freeze and a big fat buzzzzzzz.

Vanilla Bean Soda

Chocolate is one of my favorite food groups, but I love a good vanilla flavor.  I'm pretty picky about my vanilla, though.  (No surprise there).  I hate vanilla flavored foods, especially ice cream, that have weak flavor or weird aftertastes.  I need straight-up pure vanilla bean flavor.  I want to see bean flecks in my vanilla concoctions.

A while back I was the lucky recipient of some vanilla bean samples from work- One from Indonesia and one from Papua New Guinea.  I opted to use the Papua New Guinea beans in my vanilla bean soda experiment because they smelled the best to me.  Plus, it gives me a chance to kick a shout out to my cousin and her family that are living there!  Hi Conners!

I wanted to make a vanilla bean soda because:
#1: I'm hooked on the "Dry" brand vanilla sodas at the Co-op.
#2: I love a really simple soda recipe
#3: My friend Sarah is obsessed with vanilla

So I gave it a whirl and really like the results!  It's richer in color and flavor than the Dry Soda and a bit less fizzy.  And, of course, it tastes yeasty since the carbonation comes from natural fermentation rather than charging with CO2.

Vanilla Bean Soda

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
4 quarts water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup raisins
1/8 tsp. champagne yeast

Place vanilla bean and scrapings in a large pot with 2 quarts of the water, sugar and raisins.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally to keep sugar dissolved.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Then strain the brew into another pot and add the remaining 2 quarts of water.  Discard vanilla and raisins or think of a creative use for them.

In a little cup, stir the yeast up with a bit of water.  Make sure the brew is no hotter than lukewarm (wait longer if it's too warm) and then add the yeast/water.  Stir well and dispense into heavy-duty seal-able bottles.  Set aside in a warm place to carbonate.

*This took about a week in our 60 degree (F) house.  In the summer it will probably take about 24-36 hours.    Just check every day or so to make sure things don't get explosive!  Refrigerate when desired carbonation level is reached.


Want other soda recipes?  I'll try to post more of ours that we've done in the past (and future!).
Cherry Ginger
Mulberry Root Beer

Cranberry Fun!

Friday I scored several free bags of slightly mushy Wisconsin cranberries from the co-op.  I initially had cranberry jam/jelly in mind, but I still have way too much jam to make any more.  Yet.

So instead I threw together an improvised cranberry ginger soda and a batch of gluten free cranberry-ginger-walnut muffins.  I LOVE how pretty the cranberry soda looks and after a few days, I'll let you know how it tastes.  You'll notice that we re-used a Fentiman's bottle this time- It's because we got a bottle capper!  We always thought the bottle cappers would be really expensive or complicated, but it means that we can bottle smaller sized bottles to give away and that we can re-use bottles instead of ever buying new ones.  So it will definitely save us money in the long run.

The muffins turned out pretty tasty.  They're not strongly flavored with any one thing, but a combo of citrus, nuts, cranberries and ginger.  Oh, and they're as sweet as cupcakes because I pretty much just swapped a few ingredients from my stand-by GF cupcake recipe!


Cranberry Muffins
1 cup millet flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1.5 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup nondairy milk
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.  Whisk together the millet flour, rice flour, starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger.  In a separate bowl whisk together the oil, sugars, vanilla, OJ, milk and zest. Add the liquid/sugar mixture to the flour and stir until thoroughly combined.  Fold in cranberries and walnuts.  Spoon batter into liners until about 3/4 full. Bake about 20 minutes or until the cakes are solid and golden colored.  Allow to cool a couple minutes in the pan, then remove from muffin tin to cool completely.  Store in an air-tight container once they are fully cooled.

Gallery of meals

Shameful! No blog post in a week!

Here are my excuses, in no particular order:

• My stepsons are back in school, with all that entails.
• I taught 3 canning classes last week
• I haven't done much cooking really

So here's a few of the things I have eaten in the last week or two... I'll blog about salsa canning tomorrow!

Blackberries and borage flowers from the garden. The blackberries have been fat this year!

Tonight: polenta cakes with a quick ratatouille and baked tofu on top. Gotta use up that basil!

Tomato "au jous". I'm calling it that because I dipped my sandwich in it and it was freakin' amazing. Fake ham sandwich with lots of Veganaise on baguette, soaked in tomato/basil/garlic juices.

Baked seitan in the style of SusanV's "ribz" and smothered in a thrown together barbecue sauce. Served over a finely chopped garden kale salad with cherry tomatoes and homemade ranch. Hell yes.

Apple, kale, parsley, mint, ginger, lemon juice. Yum! So green and refreshing!

Seasons Change, and So Do Drinks

I the wintertime I keep my thirst quenched with a steady stream of herbal tea, rooibos chai, hot chocolate and water. In the spring I switch to a bit more water and herbal tea with the occasional sparkling water or rootbeer when its warm.

But on this first day of Summer, I thought I'd give you a list of some of my favorite homemade summertime beverages. Plus, my poor sweetie is at work on Father's Day and our boys are at their mom's. And there's nothing that cheers Mike up like a tasty drink. So here goes:

1. The Summertime Staple Lemonade.

Basically not a warm day goes by that I don't sip down one of these. It's not super sweet or super lemony. Most would say that it's kinda watery. But that's what keeps it thirst-quenching and slightly healthier than Minute-Maid! Just take a big quart sized canning jar, add a splash (2-3 Tbsp.) of lemon juice and the same amount of pure maple syrup. Then fill the rest with room temp. filtered water. Stir and enjoy! I use Santa Cruz organic bottled lemon juice for this. Before you shake your head in disappointment at my using bottled lemon juice, just know that there are no preservatives added and that this is darn tastly lemon juice. And Santa Cruz puts out plenty of coupons. As for the maple syrup- I buy Anderson's grade B maple syrup from Cumberland, WI by the gallon from the Co-op. Sure, it's an investment. But it's great always having plenty of

syrup for lemonade!

2. Homemade Soda and Root Beer.

Mike's known for his crazy brews (Cherry Ginger) (Peach Fizz) (Maple Rhubarb) (Mulberry Root Beer)! The summertime brings us a plethora of slightly bruised or damaged fruits from the co-op and we take full advantage of them by turning them into soda (or jam!). Later today or maybe tomorrow we'll have some Peach/Nectarine Brew ready. The warm kitchen temperature this time of year is great for fermentation. The start-up costs for homebrewing soda are minimal, so visit your local homebrew shop for some bottles and get started!

3. Cold Press Mocha.

I'm not a big regular 'ol coffee drinker, but I LOVE espresso and related drinks. Except that I don't drink caffeine, so I depend on the availability of decaf. A few days ago, my co-worker had the most delightful looking iced coffee beverage. The kind of drink you can't help but stare at longingly, with its crushed ice and dark "I'm filled with chocolate" coloring. He offered me a sip and I was hooked. This drink was the invention of a talented Mississippi Market barista improvising when our espresso machine needed repairing: 2 shots cold press coffee, chocolate syrup, rice milk, crushed ice. So simple and so delicious! So make a decaf version of cold press at home by steeping 1 cup of coarse ground decaf coffee in a quart of water. Refrigerate for about 12 hours. Strain and store refrigerated and covered. As for the chocolate syrup: I use this recipe.

4. Iced Herbal Tea

Okay, this should probably be called Herby-Water rather than tea. It's lightly flavored, not strong, and very refreshing. I like to use dried lemon verbena from last year's garden, lavender, and fresh mint. I pour about a quart of boiling water over a handful of lemon verbena and a Tbsp. or so of lavender, then add another quart of room temp water. Then I toss in about 6 mint leaves and put the whole pitcher in the fridge, covered. Once the tea is chilled, pour through a strainer as you serve! I usually just keep adding more water as I empty the pitcher to prolong the drink.

Drink up!

Here....Lassi.....

In the world of easy breakfasts, a lassi is definitely in my top 10 favorites.  A lassi is an South Asian blended drink made from yogurt, water, spices, and/or fruits.  Like a yogurt smoothie, only thinner and it can be savory or sweet.  

Six reasons why a lassi is a rockin' good drink for everyone

1.  You don't need much fruit- Even a 1/2 a mango or a couple of berries is enough.

2.  Out of milk?  No problem.  Water is traditionally used in this smoothie.

3.  Avoiding sugar?  Use unsweetened yogurt and just a smidge of agave nectar or stevia to sweeten it.

4.  No time?  Ha.  A lassi takes about 30 seconds to make.

5.  Don't really like yogurt?  Tough.  It's good for you and tastes awesome.

6.  Can't use soy or dairy yogurt?  Use coconut milk yogurt!  Yum!

Mango lassis are a staple in this house, especially in the last few weeks when mangos have been amazing and on sale.  But the organic Mexico-grown strawberries have been usually sweet and flavorful for this time of year (and on sale), so I picked some up.  Here's how I like to use them:

Strawberry Rose Lassi

1/2 cup plain, unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (Wildwood plain is my fave)

4-5 de-stemmed strawberries

1 cup unsweetened almond milk or water

1 tsp. rose water

a drizzle of agave nectar

Blend.  Taste.  Adjust rose water or agave nectar if needed.  A pinch of cardamom is super good in here, too!

Cherry Ginger Brew

I canned a lot of cherries when they were in season this past year, but didn't really think about how I might use them.  I didn't consider the fact that aside from eating them fresh or dried, I don't typically use cherries.  I rarely make fruit pies because I don't really dig fruit pies that much and I havn't mastered the gluten free pie crust yet.  So i'm sitting on about 7 pints of cherries and before I know it cherry season will be upon us once again.

So I decided to blow a quart of them on making cherry-ginger soda.  Check out this gorgeous color!  It's one of my best soda creations!

Cherry Ginger Brew

2.5-3 oz. fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 quart of canned cherries in light syrup or juice

1 quart water

3 tsp. natural cherry extract (Frontier Co-op makes a good one)

2 quarts water, room temperature

1/8 teaspoon granulated champagne yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

In a big saucepan, combine ginger, brown sugar, cherries with juice, 1 quart of water, and the cherry extract and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, then remove from heat and cool until only slightly warm.  

Strain cooled cherry mixture into a larger container.  We like to use a big food-grade bucket with a spigot at the bottom.  Add 2 quarts of room temperature water.  Using a tasting spoon, test the temperature of the cherry brew.  It should be slightly warm only.  Combine 1/4 cup of lukewarm water with the yeast and stir until dissolved.  Add the yeast water to the cherry brew and stir or shake to thoroughly combine.  

Dispense brew into sterilized glass bail-top bottles, leaving a few inches of headspace for carbonation.  Pack away into a dark place for 36-48 hours.  Be sure to carefully open one outdoors, pointing away from your face, after 36 hours.  The carbonation depends on your yeast, sugar and temperature, so you should always check them sooner rather than later.  

Hate to waste the leftover cherries and ginger?  Me too!  

Squeeze ALL liquid out and spread the cherries and ginger out on a baking sheet and bake at 200 for 60-90 minutes until dried.  Add them to your homemade granola!

Mmmm. Coconut Milk!

I'm back in business.

I know I'm on the mend when I have the energy to practice yoga, make a huge batch of pho, and bake cookies.  Ah, normalcy.

The pho was rockin'!  Lemongrass, onion, garlic, mushrooms and jalapenos simmered with some Edward & Sons "Not-Beef" bouillon.  Thai Kitchen wide rice noodles, cilantro, mung bean sprouts, mint, green onions, and lime juice.  Yum!

After eating a ridiculous amount of soup, I needed a sweet treat.  The past week I've been nibbling on peanut butter with chocolate chips sprinkled on top.  Tonight I felt up to some baking, so I whipped up some of the gluten free chocolate chip cookies from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan.  I enjoyed them with a little glass of So Delicious Coconut Milk.


I sampled some of this milk about a month ago and fell in love.  Alas, I had to wait until the Co-op could actually order the product before I could take some home.  But now it's here and it's on sale!

Now, don't get scared that this is like drinking coconut millk from a can.  This is a whole different story.  This milk isn't thick and doesn't have something like 56 grams of fat per cup.  It has 5 grams.  And it doesn't taste strongly coconut-y either.  It's very mild, but still rich and delicious.  

Dipping cookies in it is heavenly!

The kitten likes it, too.

Do the Almond Mash

Tonight's baking extravaganza all started when Mike wanted some chai tea.  We had just finished our gluten free spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and homemade bean/tofu balls.

"I wish we had some milk to go with our chai", he said.

So I got to work on making some almond milk for the chai (I must admit I was doing this mostly because I really wanted some almond milk chai, too!)

I just use my food processor to blend up the almonds and water to make almond milk (no fancy Vita-Mix for me...yet), so I have a good amount of almond pulp leftover when I strain the milk.

In the past I've usually used this pulp in cookies, but tonight I decided that muffins were in order.

Hence, the Banana Chocolate Almond muffins!

Banana Chocolate Almond Muffins 

2 medium bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup packed almond puree*

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup water

2 tsp. vanilla

 

1 1/3 cups brown rice flour

2/3 cups tapioca starch

2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. baking powder

 

1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

*This is the almond mash leftover after making and straining almond milk. 

 

Preheat oven to 350F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.  Mix together the banana mash, almond puree, oil, water, brown sugar, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, starch, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder.  Carefully stir about 1/3 of the flour mixture into the banana mixture.  Then add another 1/3 of the flour and stir.  Finally add the last of the flour and stir.  Fold in the chocolate chips. 

 

Spoon the batter into muffin tin liners- I like to fill these pretty full for 12 big muffins.  But if you like little muffins, you'd probably get about 16 of them.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from pan to cool.

Pineapple Punch for a Totally Sick Party!

I'm taking it easy today because I got hit hard with a cold last night.  I was sitting in a class at the co-op when I realized that all of a sudden I was breathing with my mouth gaping open and I could actually HEAR all the snot rushing to my sinuses.  I thought, "Wow, I'm really allergic to something in here".  But by the time I got home, my body hurt, I had a sinus headache, and my ears were throbbing.  

My first reaction?  Get out the microplane grater, because we're gonna need some ginger up in here!  I combined lots of ginger, big hunks of smashed garlic, cayenne pepper, and fresh squeezed lime juice with some broth and sipped it until bed time.  

I'm really lucky to have sick time available and a job flexible enough that I can take care of any urgent business from home.  I know many folks don't have the luxury of taking a day to heal, watch The Learning Channel, and sip herbal remedies.  I know my methods will support my immune system enough so that I will heal, but it's not instantaneious.  And I'm not a fan of symptom suppression.

I visited the {conventional Western} Dr.'s office a few weeks ago because I had a bad headache and fluid in my ears.  The Dr.'s first suggestion was to take pain killers and squirt Affrin up my nose.  She apologized that she didn't see a need to give me antibiotics.  I explained to her that all I needed to know is that I don't have an ear infection and I'd be on my way.  She looked confused, then looked at my file and said, "Oh, you're into homeopathy."  

Sort of.  Homeopathy is one modality within natural or complementary and alternative medicine, but it's not my favorite.  I'm more of a Western herb, food, and yoga type gal.  But she's right, I don't like taking drugs, especially over the counter and prescription ones.  And I don't like masking my symptoms with drugs so that I can't feel what my body is doing.  

After explaining that I wanted to feel anything going on in my ears and head so that I would know if my body was in balance, my Dr. said, "Hm.  I never thought about it that way before.  I like that."

Please, please, please tell me that most Dr.'s have at least considered this perspective. Alternating Dayquil and Nyquil will not cure my cold.  It'll make me feel great so that I can ignore what my body is telling me.  This habit can be dangerous, encourages disconnection from one's body, and should be reserved for those days when a person absolutely HAS to do something despite needing to heal.  Why is that not the norm?

Anyways, enough with the soapbox stuff.  I feel yucky and have watched too much "What Not to Wear" and "A Baby Story" with cold medicine commercials in between.  I had to get that out of my system.  

My drink of choice today is way too delicious to be medicinal- But it is!  The lovely Chelsea at the co-op suggested I pick up some Lakewood organic pineapple juice that is on sale since it is packed with vitamin C and minerals.  Great idea- This ginger will clear anything up!

Pineapple Ginger Drink

1 inch ginger root, peeled with the side of a spoon

1 cup organic pineapple juice

1 cup filtered water

Finely grate the ginger (add as much as you want!) and add to the pinneapple juice and water. Heat until steaming hot.  Drink up!  

 

Peach Fizz

Mike got a big bag of free Michigan peaches from the co-op a few days ago.  Actually a co-worker was going to take them home, but suggested that maybe Mike could take them and make soda out of them (and bring bottles back to the co-op, of course!).  So he cooked up a batch of peach soda- no spices or frills, just straight up peaches, sugar, and yeast.  

We sort of forgot about it after setting it aside in a box to ferment.  Usually 36 hours is plenty for a soda and I think this one got 2-3 days.  The carbonation is out of control!

As you can see, the glass is completely filled with foam.  What you can't see is my deck covered in peach soda.  

Despite its over-carbonated-ness, the flavor is amazing.  It's just as fruity and fizzy as that cheap Boone's Strawberry Hill you drank in 10th grade, but hopefully with less alcohol.  I love the simple peachiness of it and the color is beautiful!

Garlicky Goodness

Here's what's been going on in our kitchen lately:

When we bottle up soda, the kitten likes to try to attack the brew as it bubbles through the tubing!


This latest soda is Maple Rhubarb. It uses 1/2 maple syrup and 1/2 sugar to sweeten it and rhubarb to give it some tartness. As you can see, it has some serious carbonation after 36 hours! (The leaves are some mint and lavender I had in my glass- not part of the original recipe).

I was delighted to see these blue/purple potatoes are the cheapest potatoes at the co-op right now. They're local, organic, and crazily colored- You really can't beat that. I used some yogurt/mayo mix and last year's sweet pickles to whip up a potato salad. It was super good today after it had marinated overnight.
Today was the Sustainable Farming Association's Garlic Fest out at the Wright County Fairgrounds. Sure, I added some food miles onto this garlic by driving out there all by myself, but it was great talking to the folks that grew the garlic! I picked up the following:

• 2 heads Chesnok Red and 2 heads German Extra Hardy from Sunfresh Foods in Preston, MN. These guys are certified organic.
  
• 2 heads Chesnok Red and 1 head Russian Red from Coffman Garlic in West Concord, MN
• 2 heads Merrifield Rocambole and 2 heads Northern White from Hawk's Brain Garlic in Red Wing, MN
• 2 heads Armenian and 4 heads Music from Living Song Gardens in Crow River, MN
• 2 heads Polish Jenn and 1 head Polish White from StoneHouse Farm in Miltona, MN
• Garlic powder from Girardin Gourmet Gardens in Cannon Falls
  

I also scored a great deal on some little potatoes from Earthstar Farm in Hickston, WI. They're not yet certified organic, but working toward it.

Then on my way home I saw Apple Jack Orchards and decided to see if they had any apples yet. Sure enough, they had some early crop apples for super cheap. And they're Midwest Food Alliance Certified!



I can't wait to try all the different varieties!

Uh Oh

I think my Mulberry Root Beer is a little closer to Mulberry Beer. I just slammed one after a workout and now I'm feeling a bit tipsy. Our sodas always taste yeasty like beer, but never make you feel like you drank a beer- they just don't ferment long enough. Perhaps my kitchen is just too hot for making non-alcoholic beverages?

Good thing I chowed down on a big bowl of millet and eggplant/yellow squash/onion/tomato/kale with my "soda".

Drinking Local

Just about everytime an Eat Local Challenge comes up in public conversation, someone mentions upping their percentage of local beer or vodka to meet the challenge guidelines. It's true- we have a decent number of small breweries and even some hard liquor made nearby, I'm told. But I'd be hard pressed to name a single local alcoholic beverage.

The only alcohol in our house is a 2 oz. mini-bottle of tequila I use for making margarita cupcakes and some vanilla extract- neither of which are local. My partner is straight edge, so no alcohol for him. And me- I come from a long line of alcoholics (recovering, thank God) and keep my drinks to about one per year. So I won't be kicking back with a cold local brew anytime soon.

I will, however, be kicking back with a cold Mulberry Root Beer, though!

We started making our own root beer a few years ago. It's not hard to do and the supplies are pretty cheap. Northern Brewing on Grand Ave. has everything you'll need as far as equipment goes and the roots/herbs can be procured at your local co-op. There's a gazillion combinations you can use, but we thought it'd be fun to use up some mulberries in this one.

Mulberry Root Beer
1 quart mulberries, washed (sub any berry)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups cane sugar
1/4 cup date syrup (sub 1/4 cup raisins if you don't have this)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 Tbsp. sarsparilla
1 vanilla bean, scraped and the remaining pod
2 Tbsp. licorice root
2 star anise
1 Tbsp. juniper berries
2 gallons filtered water
1/4 tsp granulated ale yeast or champagne yeast

Stir together all fruits/herbs and 1 gallon of the filtered water in a large stockpot. Bring to a simmer and boil for 30 minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Prepare a strainer over another larger pot, carboy, or empty bulk peanut butter bucket. Strain the mulberry-spice liquid, gently pressing the mulberries to get the juice out. Discard strained solids. Add the remaining gallon of water to the jug and stir. Make sure the temperature is lukewarm- no hotter. Then stir the yeast with 1/4 cup of water in a little cup. Add to the jug and stir vigorously. Your brew is now ready to bottle.

It takes some strong bottles to package this up as the carbonation can get pretty fierce. I really recommend only using bail-top bottles designed for this purpose. These should be sterilized with hot water and soap before bottling. We use a spigot rigged up on an old 5 gallon bucket and put a plastic hose over the nozzle that attaches to a bottling wand. But you can get creative about how to get the soda into the bottle- just keep it sterile.

The soda needs to stay in a warmish place (no problem in summer) for a few days. Usually they take about 48 hours for the carbonation to build, but we check after 24 just in case. You might want to open them outside as they can be lots of fun to open- like champagne that's been shaken up.

Once you know they're at the right fizzy consistency, bring them into the basement or a refrigerator to stop the yeast and get those brews ready for drinking!

PS- I can't really guarantee how this brew will taste when finished because it's still sitting on the kitchen floor growing bubbles. But my temperature-test taste was rockin good- kindof like a spiced cherry vanilla soda.

FYI- yes, I cross posted this on the Eat Local Blog. Lazy, but necessary.

Grilling Time!

Tonight we celebrated Memorial day like most Americans- around the grill. I love grilling outside. Ever since I was a little girl, my dad has trained me to cook food properly on the grill. I remember feeling both terrified and thrilled when my dad would douse the charcoal in gasoline and throw in a match. WHoooosh! We would sit and talk or I would play until the flames died down. Then he'd grill some steaks (always marinated in teriyaki sauce) or maybe some red snapper.

Today I was kinda bummed out because we decided not to get the bright and shiny nice new (used) car that I LOVED. I know it was the right (read: frugal) decision, but I still stayed in my pajamas until noon and wallowed in my own pity. So the point of this is that I needed a good cooking assignment to cheer me up. Mike called to say he wanted to grill out and that was all the inspiration I needed.

Let's start with the veggies. I stuffed some button mushrooms with leftover Cashew Ricotta (from Veganomicon) and marinated some locally grown, organic asparagus in lemon juice, olive oil, coarsely ground salt and black pepper. These cooked up really fast on the grill and the mushrooms were the best. This is one case where I was thankful that the kids won't touch any type of fungus. More for us!


I wanted hotdogs, but didn't want to go to the store (although I ended up going anyways to get a great vacuum cleaner that Mike dumpstered at the Co-op), so I made some. These are loosely based on the Spicy Italian Sausages, but I cut the recipe in 1/4 and added a cup of mashed lima beans, omitted anything spicy, and added liquid smoke. They turned out a bit more moist and less dense- just what I was looking for! Since these have wheat, I marinated some tempeh in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tamari, and maple syrup for Mike.

I also baked some Southern Style GF Cornbread to go with my meal and with everyone else's desserts. You see, the great rift between myself and Mike & the boys is how we like our cornbread. I like mine savory- preferably with jalapeños, but I'll settle for green chilies. They like theirs as dessert with maple syrup.

The real star of the dinner was the Rhubarb Lemonade- thanks to my awesome friend Sarah.
She sent me this recipe from Food Network Canada (along with a SIGNED copy of Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan) last year, but I had just used the last of my rhubarb when I got the recipe. Now that the rhubarb is back, this was first on my list! It's really as simple as 6 1/2 cups water, 3/4 cup sugar, and 4 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb boiled until the rhubarb is soft, then strained. Then you add the juice of 1 lemon and chill. The super cute idea that I didn't get a chance to do tonight is to skewer some blueberries and freeze them to use as a garnish/stir stick for the lemonade!

This drink has a really unique flavor that only rhubarb lemonade could have- it's delicious! I also made some plain rhubarb sugar syrup at the same time, so look for that coming up soon.