Caesar Salad with Avocado and Chickpeas and Kombucha Recipe

Rise and Shine Smoothie

Homemade Almond Milk

Vega One Chocolate 

Swiss Chard

Blackberries

Apple

Celery

Turmeric

Ginger

Ice

Blend & Enjoy!

Brewing Kombucha

Filtered Water

4-5 bags of Organic Oolong Tea

1 c. Organic Cane Sugar

Kombucha Scoby

1/2 c. kombucha from the previous batch

 Bring  approximately 3 c. of water to a boil and remove from heat 

add the tea bags

steep tea bags for 10-15 mins.

add sugar while tea is steeping and stir until dissolved 

this will make a concentrate

Let cool to room temperature then  pour the cooled tea and more filtered water into gallon jar leaving head space for your scoby and a 1/2 c. of previous kombucha batch

Also..leave space at the top of the jar to allow for breathing room after the scoby has been placed in the jar

Lay the Scoby on top and then pour 1/2 kombucha over it 

(Be sure that your new brew is room temp before adding your scoby or else it could kill your it)

Cover the opening with a cloth or paper towel that permits airflow and secure with rubber band

wrap the jar with a towel and place it in a quiet area so that it is not disturbed

I keep mine in the cupboard

Ferment for 7-14 days

Taste test until desired ferment is achieved

Then remove scoby and 1/2 c. of liquid for next batch and bottle the rest

After you bottle your kombucha you can add ginger and/or berries to flavor and help to make it fizzy

Let it ferment for 2-3 days more on the counter and then place in fridge & enjoy!

Be sure to sterilize all equipment and containers to keep your scoby healthy and mold free !

Second Ferment

I added fresh ginger and a blackberry to each bottle

Caesar Salad with Avocado and Chickpeas

romaine lettuce

diced tomato

diced avocado

chickpeas

Caesar Dressing

3/4 c. raw cashews

fresh or dried basil to taste

1 T. nutritional yeast

3-4 garlic cloves

1/4 t. Himalayan salt

1/4 water

1/4-1/3 c. lemon juice

1/4 t. dulse flakes

lots of cracked pepper

Blend in high speed blender like a Vita Mix until smooth & creamy  

add more water if needed for desired consistency

this dressing will thicken after it sits awhile

Fermented Goodies in Indiana & Gluten Free Delights!

After my diagnosis of Celiac Disease I have been working on treating intestinal permeability, among many other things.  One very helpful item for my protocol  is fermented foods.  Hidden Pond Farms is a small local business that makes raw fermented foods.

Two of my favorites are the Ginger Kombucha and KimChi.  You can order on line for home delivery by visiting their website.

Fermented foods feed the good bacteria in the gut & aid digestion.

  Fermented foods are highly beneficial for everyone because they give you natural probiotics, which are critical for immune health.

The Sweet Beet has a great article which tells of the benefits of ferments and links for making your own.

Hidden Pond Farm is located in Centerville, Indiana

Another items on my daily regimen is ginger.....so I decided to make ginger lemonade...

1 thumb of fresh ginger

2 c. of water

Blend in Vita Mix 

add lemon juice & liquid stevia to taste

ice 

Ginger is anti inflammatory, great for digestion, warming to the body and just plain taste good!

Whole Foods has a great article on the benefits of ginger, tells you how to store it and uses.

My teenage daughter is also gluten sensitive and carries the gene allele for Celiac, therefore we have been doing a lot more gluten free cooking & uncooking.  

On Friday we made a gluten free pizza using Bob's Red Mill Gluten free Pizza crust.

I created a new cheese sauce because of our varied food intolerance's &  sensitivities.

You may also make a raw crust for your pizza & use tomato slices instead of tomato sauce and any other toppings you prefer. Mariated mushrooms & Onions are good...just soak in Bragg's Liquid Amino's or Coconut Aminos for a soy free option.  I really enjoy using sweet onion bread

SWEET ONION BREAD

recipe from Raw on $10 a Day

I doubled my recipe and used sweet red onions instead of yellow/white

makes two trays of bread

Mix together in large bowl until seeds gel~

2c. ground golden flax seeds

2 c. water

2 t. salt

Add:

5 carrots chopped up in Vita Mix

4 large red onions sliced in Food processor

3 T. EV olive oil

mix together with hands until throughly amalgamated

dry on one side, flip and dry until desired doneness and cut up with kitchen scissors

my bread is moist but firm and delicious

RawTidbit's Cheese Sauce

In Vita-Mix:

1 c. coconut milk

1-2 T. extra virgin coconut oil

1/3 c. of dried onion flakes

3/4 c. nutritional yeast

3 cloves of garlic

dash of Himalayan Salt

1 T. toasted sesame oil

3/4 c. raw cashews

dash of tumeric

1 dried chili pepper

Blend  until smooth and creamy. Use on pizza, raw or lightly steamed cauliflower/broccoli or on any other dish you like.  May also be used as a dip or spread on roll ups.

 

We used Jovial crushed tomato's for the sauce.  Their tomato products are gluten free, vegan and sugar free!!......and delicious.

Dessert

Blueberry Soft Serve

In Vita Mix

1/4 c. of almond milk, coconut milk or water

small handful of spinach

Blend until soupy

add:

1/2 frozen banana

1/2-3/4 c. frozen blueberries

Blend until you get a soft serve consistency

and top with cacao nibs.

Enjoy!!

Celebrating my daughter's sweet 16 Birthday!!!

Stick Bugs, Bell Peppers, Cukes, Zukes & Kombucha!

This cool Stick Bug was on our front door!

  That is my teenage daughters hand next to it.  It was quite large and fun to watch.

We just had to have a picture.

A couple of weeks ago I received several 2nd bell peppers from my CSA.  I juiced some, ate some and dehydrated most of the overflow.  I just place them into my food processor after cleaning them.  This really saves time.

Into the dehydrator overnight!

I had 6 small jars of dried peppers to store!

They made the house smell wonderful.

My generous neighbor blessed me with this bowl of zukes and cukes.

I juiced most of them.

Rawdawg Rory had a great post on growing your own Scoby and I have had this in my fridge for several months waiting for the opportunity to grow my own.  When Rory posted his own adventure, I thought I'd get on with my own.

I used green tea and rapadura for mine.

This is day one July 29th, 2011.  I prepared my tea and waited to it to cool then poured my scoby baby into the mix, covered it up and waited......

Day 17~ August 14th.

I took several pictures from different angles.

You can see my scoby baby hanging down from the new scoby that is developing.

waiting.......... I'll post more pictures as this scoby develops.

It smells very acidic right now....and it looks healthy!

Peace & Hugs!

Kombucha

G.T.'s Kombucha is back on the shelves.G.T.'s is my favorite brand of Kombucha.
Kombucha is a fermented beverage that has beneficial bacteria..it supports the digestion, immune system, detox's the body, clears lactic acid out of the muscles (lactic acid is what makes the muscles sore, after a workout),  metabolism, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity, healthy skin anad hair..My favorite flavor is Ginger!
I found a great link ~instructions for making your own Kombucha at, "The Healthy Home Economist"
Cultures are available through, "Marilyn the kefir Lady" or "Laurel Farms"
I have ordered kefir grains from Marilyn and they were very healthy and productive.  I have not ordered from Laurel but they have a great reputation.
Let me know if you make your own kombucha or you give it a try.  I would like your feedback!

 follow the link above for all of the video instructions at, "The Healthy Home Economist"

here is the first in the series she offers