Crackers

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2011/03/homemade-ritz-crackers-recipe.html

I made half this batch today, minus the sugar. I used olive oil for the oil. It worked great. I rolled it out on my regular sized silpat, and it took up most of the space. Then I took my pastry wheel (first time using it even though I bought it like 5 years ago) and cut through it all. I poked each cracker with a fork too. I carefully moved the silpat onto a baking sheet. Then baked at 400 F for a while. I forgot to time it, I just checked it until it was starting to lightly brown in some spots.

I don't know how long these will keep for, which is why I only made half the batch. I wanted to use lard or coconut oil, or something more shelf stable so it will last longer. Maybe next time. Now I have crackers I feel ok giving to the baby.

After this I will try sourdough, perhaps, to break down the wheat a bit more. And after that, maybe a gluten free cracker that I can eat.

Shepherd's Pie III

This is a blend of two different recipes. I wanted to "hide" liver in this, so wanted it to have more of a gravy in it. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/775643/cottage-pie & http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/easy_shepherds_pie/

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb liver (presoaked in milk, then ground or chopped in processor, being careful not to make it a paste)
whatever vegetables. Celery, carrots, onion, pepper, green beans, other root veg, etc.
2 T gf flour (rice/potato/tapioca)
1-2 cups broth
1 T tomato paste
1 T worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

Get liver soaking in milk. It helps remove blood and some of the livery taste.

Boil 1.5-2 lb unpeeled potatoes.
Meanwhile, saute veggies in butter or coconut oil. Add beef and brown. (My cast iron worked well since there was adequate fat and I didn't push the beef around too much initially).

Add 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce, and 2 Tbsp gf flour blend (i like trader joes). Once flour is incorporated, add 1 cup broth. Once broth is heated, add liver to the saute pan. Let cook for 10 minutes. I think I added a second cup of broth too since it looked dry at some point.

When potatoes are done, mash with butter and milk (and s&p). Put it all in a 2 quart (minimum) casserole dish. Spread (plop) potatoes on top, and sprinkle cheese if desired. Bake until bubbly (20 min or so).

Coconut Fish Pie

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2013/04/coconut-fish-pie/

This was not pie-like at all. It was more like soup. The first night I served it, we ate it like soup and it was not as appetizing that way. When I served the leftovers, I served it over white rice. That improved the dish a lot.

I used cod for the fish. The flavors were all good, but the presentation could have been better. I would have preferred the fish whole with the mash on the side, for example.

Red Enchilada Sauce

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/08/red-enchilada-sauce/

This was a success! It worked well with gluten free flour too, I used the trader joes blend. It took more like 10 minutes. Also, I used coconut oil and it worked well.

Kimchi

So I made Kimchi. I followed this recipe: http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2013/03/shou-chings-moms-kimchi/

The napa cabbage I used was 3 lb. Daikon radish was a bit over 1 lb, and carrot also a bit over 1 lb. One bunch of green onion. Two cloves of garlic. And 1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger root (approx the same as the amount of garlic I used).

I did everything in the food processor, using the shredder attachment for radish and carrot, and the blade for the other stuff. I skipped the chili powder and instead put in 5 dried red "super chilies" to get pulverized with the other stuff by the blade. (The chilies are from a csa veggie box I got last fall. Each dried chili was about 2 inches long and narrow. They are pretty hot!)

Then I salted the cabbage as directed, but probably didn't put a whole teaspoon per layer. Then after everything was mixed I added a tiny bit more salt, just so it tasted "pleasantly salty".

I put it all into a 2 liter fido jar and left it to ferment 7 days on my counter (but it might have been 8 days..I forget exacly which day I made it!).

And that's all.

Notes for next time: push the carrot/daikon through the shredder next time so the shreds are bigger. They were a bit too fine the first time because I tried not to push them down much.

Canning Dried Pinto Beans

I had a bunch of dried pinto beans that a friend gave me and were sitting around unused. I thought I might try to pressure can them. The basic method is here: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/04/how-to-can-dry-beans.html. I skipped the boiling step (based on some reader comments about the final result being too soft). So I just soaked them overnight and them put them into pint mason jars, added hot water with 1 inch headspace, then put them in my instant pot cooker/canner for 75 minutes.

That is the first batch. I made 8 pints of it. I opened one of the pints to check softness and it seems to be a good texture and not too soft.

I am going to sprout the rest of the beans. I plan to pressure can half of them (after sprouting) just like described above. Then after that, I will try to ferment the rest and try to can that. I haven't figured out yet if I ferment the raw bean, or the cooked bean.

Update:
The sprouted beans turned out just fine too.

Chopped Liver Pate

So here is another recipe for pate I tried: http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2012/02/chopped-liver-pate/

I definitely like it better. I specifically bought refined coconut oil so there would be no coconut smell or taste. David is not excited about the cilantro so probably won't eat it, but he really liked the first liver batch so he can have that!

The flavors are more mild in this recipe. I think I should soak in milk for all future recipes. Also, I cooked it on low heat (#4 on my burner) so the butter just simmered away and did not burn. I think the low heat helps keep the liver flavor milk, or so I have read.

Golompke Beef

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Golompke-Beef-and-Cabbage-Casserole/Detail.aspx

This recipe has a lot of room to improve. I used 2 week expired cole slaw mix, so there was a slight fermented taste to it. I used leftover trader joes tomato soup, poured over leftover rice. I also put in a trader joes onion dip packet into the ground beef. I would use canned tomatoes next time, and maybe work on the seasonings. Has potential, will make again.

Update: Made again with 1/2 head (of an enormous cabbage). I added 1 tsp salt, garlic pwder, and tarragon. I used 2 cups tomato sauce and a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes instead of the soup and water. The dish was great this time! I did not precook the rice and it needed the full 1h 15m of time to cook. Also it could use 1.5 lb ground beef when it is a larger amount of cabbage like I used here.

Quinoa Broccoli Casserole

http://pinchofyum.com/creamy-chicken-quinoa-broccoli-casserole

This was a lot of effort for a not that amazing result. I don't plan to make it again. I used oat flour to thicken which worked fine. It might have turned out better if it hadn't dried out in the cooling oven for an hour...but the flavor was pretty bland. I don't have the emeril essence stuff, so wasn't sure what to put in.

Spaghetti Sauce canning recipe

20 lbs roma tomatoes, stem area cut out
4 lb ground beef
1 lb sliced mushrooms (could have used 2 lb)
4 garlic cloves (could have done more)
2 huge onions (or 4 regular)
dried oregano, basil, thyme (two palm size amounts of each, ~1 inch diameter in palm)
salt- 4 palms (1 inch diam)
pepper - 1 palm


I did half of this recipe at once since I could only fit 10 lb in my biggest pot. I think 20 lb would fit in a 12 quart, but I only have an 8 qt pot.

Cut tomatoes in half, throw in pot with herbs. Let simmer for a few hours so some liquid can evaporate. Put through blender (for my blendtec I put it on level 5 for 10-20 seconds) in batches. Saute meat, mushrooms, cloves, and chopped onions (i did it one thing at a time and added to blended sauce when finished). Then sauce simmered for more time until thick and flavor was strong enough.

makes 14-16 pints. I can process 4 pints (wide mouthed or regular) in my 6 qt instant pot. I put in the rack, an inch or 2 or water, and push the steam button. Adjust time to 60 minutes for pints, 70 min for quarts (i did a quart on its side). Leave 1 inch head space, pour in hot liquid, put on lid and screw on band (not overly tight).

That's it. I did it over two days, with lots of down time and other stuff going on. It would have saved time if I had a bigger pot and a big pressure canner, but I have neither so made do!

Tostadas

I made this for my family in utah and they all raved.

tostadas
shredded chicken seasoned with taco seasoning (and extra dried chopped onion if you've got it). (could use shredded beef or pork too). I boiled chicken breasts, then shredded them with fork, then simmered a bit with seasoning.
guacamole
sour cream
caramelized sweet onions (cut in half and sliced)
cilantro
red onion, diced in small pieces
refried beans
olives
lettuce, cut into shreds
chedder cheese
queso fresco

This was a great meal. Spread refried beans, guacamole, and sour cream on the tostada first. Then put on other toppings as desired.  It was great!

Fermented Vegetables

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2014/08/the-number-1-way-to-improve-your-gut-health/

I am doing this method using Fido Jars that I have. I use filtered water so there is no chlorine. Or I will use water left out overnight (which allows chlorine to evap). I have celery going right now. Will update this post later.

Later. Celery did not work. It did not ferment. Just was very salty celery.

Now I am doing carrots.

Bacon Beef Liver Pate

http://autoimmune-paleo.com/bacon-beef-liver-pate-with-rosemary-and-thyme/

I made this with scented coconut oil, which was a mistake. Also I forgot the garlic. David really likes it. I don't like it as much...but I am able to tolerate it. I eat it with Jalapeno cheese Nut Thins so that there is more flavor to distract me from the pate:) It is pretty filling because of the fat, so it is nice in that way.

Scalloped potatoes

http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/scalloped-potatoes/

This needed an extra 20 minutes of baking. The potatoes were still too hard. Otherwise a tasty recipe. David likes this better when there is stuff in it to make it more interesting. I added some green onions, but could have done more. Also, use a 9x13 pan.

Katelyn Hall's Banana Bread

Notes: This is the banana bread to rule them all. This has replaced all other banana bread recipes that I've used in the past. Now if only I had a gf version:)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 1 bread pan or muffin tin with cooking spray.

Combine and mix until fluffy:
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c butter
2 eggs
2 T milk

Add dry ingredients and 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 or 3 bananas) (plus any walnuts/chocolate chips if you'd like) and mix until well blended:
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt

Fill either the bread pan with batter and cook for 50-60 minutes OR fill muffin tin 2/3 full and cook for 15-20 minutes. I also like to sprinkle sugar on top before baking. Enjoy!