Seder Dinner

Our Bible study group held a Passover Seder dinner last night, in lieu of our normal reading/discussion.  We have been meeting for the past eight months now, every Tuesday evening, and are dangerously close to making it through the entire New and Old Testaments.  We have talked in great length about the Exile and the Last Supper, so it seemed only fitting, the week of Passover, to honor the tradition of a Seder dinner.  Ours was a Christian version of the ceremony, which made it very meaningful and appropriate with the upcoming events we will be celebrating this weekend.

Everyone did their part to make it very special.  The food was awesome and the company was even better.  Thanks to Kristen, Laura, Abby, Cheryl, and Heath for an unforgettable experience!!!

So, I was in charge of supplying the leg of lamb, the grain, and the dark green for our dinner.  No problem.  I was able to score an extra leg of lamb from Parker Farms in my last CSA delivery, thank goodness, because I don't like buying meat from anyone else!  I marinated it for several hours in a garlic-spiked yogurt marinade, which tenderized the meat and gave it a wonderful flavor.  Then I grilled it to medium and served it with a Kale Mint Pesto (the dark green requirement) and a Mango Chutney spiced with curry, cumin, and fennel seeds. Lastly, I made what I call "Tonya's Brown Rice", which is based on a recipe in Nourishing Traditions.  It's laced with cardamom seeds giving it a sweet, unique flavor.  Delish!

I hope you find inspiration from these recipes for your Passover and/or Easter dinners.  If you are looking for a church to celebrate Easter or attend Good Friday services at, please consider Living Water Christian Church in Parkville.  Services begin on Friday night at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  Brunch will be served beginning 30 minutes prior to each service.  You can also worship online where all of the services are recorded and ready for playback.  

Happy Passover!

Grilled Garlic-Corriander Leg of Lamb with Mango Chutney and Kale Mint Pesto
Technically, yogurt is dairy and to be authentic it should not be used for a Seder dinner.  It really just marinates in it and is rubbed off before grilling.  The meat comes out so tender.

1 cup plain yogurt
3 gloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground coriader
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
salt and pepper
2 -3 lb. leg of lamb, bone-in
Mango Chutney, recipe follows
Kale Mint Pesto, recipe follows

Smash and peel the garlic and discard the skins.  Sprinkle a small amount of kosher salt on the cloves and begin smashing with your knife.  You want to hold your chef's knife at a 45 degree angle, smash and then scrape the blade across the cutting board towards you.  The salt will serve as an abrasive to help turn the cloves into a paste. 

Wish together the yogurt, garlic paste, coriander, grapeseed oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Put the leg of lamb in a large zip lock back and pour the yogurt mixture over it.  Seal.  Massage the marinade into the lamb.  Place in the refrigerator overnight or at least several hours.

Remove the lamb 1-2 hours prior to cooking so it comes to room temperature.  Preheat grill to high (450 degrees if you have a temperature guage).  Brush some oil on the rack so the meat does not stick.  Wipe all of the yogurt off of the lamb when it's time to go on.  Use a paper towl to ensure it's completely dry.  Salt and pepper.  Place the lamb on the grill and close the lid.  Grill one one side for 10 minutes and flip.  Grill another 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium so the temperature is more like 350.  Continue to grill until the meat has an internal temperature of 145 degrees for medium, 135 for medium rare.  It will take around 45 minutes.  Try to keep the lid closed as much as possible, but do check it occasionally to make sure the outside is not burning.

Once the meat is to the desired doneness, remove it from the grill and cover it with aluminum foil on a baking sheet or plate for at least 15 minutes.  To serve, make long cuts as close to the bone as you can get all around the leg.  Then slice crosswise in thin slices.  Serve with Mango Chutney and Kale and Mint Pesto (recipes follow).

Kale Mint Pesto
This makes a lot of pesto.  It will freeze very well, though, especially if you freeze it in small portions (ice cube trays work perfect).  This can be used in so many ways.  Have it drizzled over meat, pasta, veggies, soup, bread, crackers...you get the idea.  It will enhance the flavor of any meal.  I like mine more on the thick side, as opposed to very "runny".  Add more olive oil if you want it to actually drizzle.

1 bunch kale
1 cup mint leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (busted - this is dairy and not "allowed" at Passover dinner)
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup oilive oil

De-stem kale and rinse well.  Steam the kale slightly so that it is just cooked, but still bright green in color.  Rinse under cold water so it is completely cool.  Add everything except olive oil to a food processer.  Process until everything is chopped up very, very fine.  Slowly add the olive oil while the food process is running.  Stop to scrap down the sides and continue processing until the desired consistency is reached. 

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Mango Chutney
This recipe was inspired by a recipe in Modern Spice written by Monica Bhide.  I ordered this book last summer, put it on the shelf, and kind of forgot about it (completely typical).  Heidi over at 101cookbooks.com featured Monica on her blog, which is what prompted me to order the book.  You can read all about her and her book in that article.  This chutney so good.  I believe I will making more from this book soon!

2 1/2 cups diced mango (2-3 mangos)
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup palm sugar (or honey)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (I used Sri Lankan)
2 dried chilies, broken into pieces
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (or orange or pineapple juice)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Combine the mangos, raisins, ginger, and palm sugar in a medium sized bowl and mix well.  In a 4 qt. saucepan, heat the oil over medium.  Add the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, curry powder, and chiles.  When they begin to sizzle, add the mango mixture and cook until the sugar is dissolved (2-3 minutes).  Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to a gentle simmer for 20-30 minutes until the sauce is thickened.  Give it a good stir to break up the mangos bit and then cool.  Transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator. 

Makes a little over 1 cup.

Tonya's Brown Rice (Oven)
This makes cooking rice sooooo easy.  The oven will do all of the work for you and it will come out perfect every time!  It is still based on the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, as is the pressure cooker version.  It will take a little over an hour from start to finish, so allow yourself time.  It will make a lot of rice, though, so you can freeze the leftovers in ziplock bags for quick meals in the future.

2 cups short grain brown rice, rinsed
2 tablespoon coconut oil
3 cardamom pods
4 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add coconut oil to a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Open the cardamom pods and add the seeds to the oil.  Add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Toast the rice for a few minutes and then add the chicken stock.  Bring to a boil for 10 minutes and then transfer to a casserole dish with a lid.  Cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil over it.  Top it with the lid.  Bake for 45 minutes and then remove from oven and quickly remove the lid and foil to see if the liquid is absorbed.  If not, continue baking in 5 minute increments until pretty much all of the liquid is absorbed.  You just don't want it to be puddled anywhere.  Once it is finished, allow the dish to sit for 15 minutes covered.  Remove the lid and fluff with a fork.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

What I did with my Door to Door Organic box this week....

Quite a few of us now at IMX=Pilates have signed up with Door to Door Organics and couldn't be happier.  We formed a co-op, which entitles us each to a discount (yeah!).  I thought it would be fun to post each week what I did or plan to do with everything in my box. 

Since this my first post on this topic I will take a moment to introduce Door to Door Organics for those who are not familiar with this service.  DTD delivers fresh, organic produce to your door on a weekly or bi-weekly basis in the Kansas City area.  There are different sized boxes ranging from very small ("bitty") to large and you can choose to receive either a combination of fruits and vegetables or fruit only/vegetable only.  They have a ton of other items to add on, such as, meat, pantry items, Bread of Life bakery items, etc. and that list grows every week.  All organic.  They offer many local items, too, which is a list that continues to grow, as well.  Plainly stated, it rocks.  If you are in Kansas City area, you need to check them out and here's why:

1.  It's a great variety of the best looking and best tasting produce you can find.  You will NOT find this at your grocery store.  I even prefer it over (gasp!) Whole Foods.
2.  It's delivered.  You don't have to chase this stuff all over the city.  Heck, unless you join a co-op you don't even have to leave your house!
3.  You can tell DTD your preferences and even substitute up to 3 things in each box if you don't care to receive certain things.
4.  The people are so awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!  I met the area manager, Shane, at the Metropolitan Lawn and Garden Show in February and hung out with them in their booth passing out info about our cooking classes.  We are going to do the same thing every Wednesday we can at the 119 Green Market starting in May at 119th and Roe in Overland Park.  They're so fun!  Come out and meet them (and us)!
5.  It's so affordable.  Seriously, I get a medium combo box for $33.60 plus tax.  That's the co-op price (co-op = at least four people delivering to the same location).  Think about your office, church, school....anywhere you can get four people to deliver at one location.  Even if you don't join a co-op, it's still cheap.  I paid around $36 plus tax before.

So, go to http://kc.doortodoororganics.com/ to find out more. Signing up is so easy! 

Now for the good stuff.  What you can do with your beautiful bounty!  Like I said, I get a medium sized box, so for this week here is what I received: 

2 lb Yams
1 lb Leeks
1 ea. Green Leaf Lettuce
3 ea. Red Bell Peppers - Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
1 ea. Collards
1 ea. Celery - Snacks
1 ea. Cauliflower
1 ea. Carrots with Tops - Brown Rice Sushi/Smoothies
1 ea. Beets with Tops - Salad
4 ea. Navel Oranges - Salads
2 ea. Mangoes
2 ea. Grapefruit
6 ea. Danjou Pears
6 ea. Braeburn Apples
1 ea. Avocado

And here is what I made....

1.  Brown Rice Sushi - Used carrots, collard greens, and avocado.  Click here for the recipe!  Doesn't it look yummy....

2.  Roasted Beet Salad - Used green lettuce, leeks, beets and their tops, and oranges.  Click here for Roasted Beets and here for Basic Vinaigrette.  Toss with lettuce, chopped beet greens, finely sliced leeks, and orange segments.  Top with feta cheese and toasted walnuts.  I eat this every day for lunch!  This week I added some herbed quinoa, too, because I had leftovers from dinner Monday night.  Here's a salad we actually had for dinner with roasted beets, pitted nicoise olives, and ricotta salata cubes.  I think there were some sunflower seeds, too, if I remember correctly.  The little hand in the upper left corner is EJ going for some cheese.  I could have cropped it out, but it's too cute.

3.  Baked Sweet Potato Fries - Used sweet potatoes (aka "yams" - yes, I know there is a difference).  Here's how I made them:  Line a 12x18 baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place it in the oven and preheat it to 500 degrees.  Meanwhile, wash and dry 1 lb. sweet potatoes.  Trim the ends.  Cut the potatoes into long, thin strips, 1/4 - 1/2 in. wide.  Toss the strips in a large bowl with 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, kosher salt, and pepper.  Take the sheet out of the oven and spread the potatoes in a single layer.  They should sizzle.  Reduce the heat to 450 degrees and put the pan back in.  Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and run an offset spatula under the fries to unstick them from the foil.  Return to the oven and bake another 5-10 minutes until crisp.  Yum!  Serve with homemade ketchup.

4.  Roasted Red Pepper Sauce - Used all three red peppers, and leeks.  Plus celery and carrots for dippers.  This was so good and so easy!  Turn the oven broiler on high.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Remove stem and seeds from bell peppers and cut into quarters.  Lay the pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet, skin side up.  Broil for 5-10 minutes or until skin is charred.  Remove from oven and place peppers in a paper or plastic food bag.  Allow to cool.  Meanwhile, saute leeks and 6 cloves of garlic in a tablespoon of grapeseed oil over medium heat.  When peppers are cooled, remove the skin and add to a blender or food processer.  Add the leeks and garlic, a splash of balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  Slowly add 1/3 cup olive oil with the blender on until fully combined and thickened.  Add salt and pepper, as needed.  We had this tossed with whole wheat orzo and cubes of ricotta salata for dinner then used the leftovers to dip celery and carrots in:

That leaves me with the fruit and the cauliflower.  I totally missed the cut-off last Sunday to make substitutions; otherwise, I would have subbed out the cauliflower.  It's not my fave, but I don't hate it.  I am going to give this mock potato salad a go on elanaspantry.com.  And the fruit?  Well, some of the pieces went to church to serve on Sunday morning.   The rest we just ate throughout the week on their own.  Except the apples.  No one got to enjoy the apples, except this mess...

Real Sophisticated Hor d'oerves

At the risk of never being invited to another social event that includes food again, I am going to confess that I am a bit particular about what I eat.  People who know me well (or not so well) know this about me.  It seems like any discussion around the food being served is either preceded or followed up by "I'm sure it's not healthy" or "it's probably not as good as yours" or (my favorite) "Can you eat this?".  Yes, I can eat it.  And, you're right, processed Velveeta cheese is not healthy.  Besides it not being healthy, unless you are catering to eighth graders, it's completely unsophisticated.  How awkward!  Ok, I would never be that rude towards hospitality.  I love comfort foods and, truth be told, if a bowl of melted Velveeta cheese was in the vicinity right now, I would probably eat it.  But I would never serve it.  I want my hor d'oerves to be unforgettable, but not because my guest's bodies revolt against them for three days.

Tonya and I taught a class last Thursday with the simple request of "hor d'oerves".  My favorite!  I have been known to turn a holiday dinner or two into hor d'oerves only, because they are so fun.  You can get creative and your guests don't walk away feeling as if they swallowed a brick.  So, we turned to The Real Food Daily Cookbook: Really Fresh, Really Good, Really Vegetarian for some fun and delicious recipes:  Lentil-Walnut Pate (served with Elana Amsterdam's Sesame Crackers) and Brown Rice Sushi.  These hor d'oerves are filled with wholesome ingredients and are so impressive both visually and in taste (I will upload images soon!).  Real Food Daily may use some ingredients that you are not familiar with, but I would encourage you to be adventurous.  The first forty pages contains a lot of detail around these ingredients and it can be used as a useful handbook for delving into, well like it says, really fresh, really good, really vegetarian food.

Party on!

Lentil Walnut Pate
This recipe is adapted from Real Food Daily .  The saltiness of the miso and the tanginess of the umeboshi paste both pair well with the earthy lentil/walnut combination. 

3/4 cup dried lentils
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 tsp dried
3 tablespoons yellow miso
1 1/2 tablespoons umeboshi paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup Tofutti (tofu sour cream)

Rinse the lentils in a fine mesh strainer.  Combine them with the 3 cups of water, onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaf in a medium sized sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  Strain the beans saving the cooking liquid for another use (soup, maybe?).  Remove the bay leaf and cool.

Add the toasted walnuts to a food processer and process until a paste forms, scraping the sides as needed.  Add the lentil mixture and process until smooth.  Add the basil, thyme, miso, umeboshi paste, and pepper and mix until combined.

Line a bowl or mold with plastic wrap leaving a 3 inch overhang.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl, smoothing and packing the top with a rubber spatula.  Cover with the extra plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, uncover the pate and invert it onto a serving platter.  Remove the plastic wrap entirely and spread the top with sour cream.  Serve with sesame crackers (recipe follows).

Sesame Crackers
Adapted from Elana's Pantry .  These little crackers are highly addictive, but are great to have around for a snack.  Make sure and roll them out thin.

3 cups almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cup brown sesame seeds
2 eggs, whisked
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium sized bowl combine the almond flour, salt, and sesame seeds.  In a small bowl combine the eggs and coconut oil.  Add the wet ingredients to the dried and stir until well combined. 

Line two large baking sheets (12x16) with parchment paper.  Cut the dough in half and place one on each baking sheet.  Start with the first pan slightly pressing the dough to get it started before rolling it.  Cover it with a piece of parchment paper the same size of the pan and roll the dough out to cover the entire pan.  Remove the top piece of parchment paper and repeat with the second pan.  Score the dough into 2 inch squares and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Allow the crackers to cool on the pan and then break them apart.  Store in an uncovered bowl at room temperature for up to a week.

Brown Rice Sushi
There is a little bit of work involved in making the different components, but much of it can be done in advance.  The final rolls go together in a snap and it is well worth it.  All of these are adapted from Real Food Daily. 

6 cups brown sushi rice (recipe follows)
6 nori sheets
6 collard green leaves, lightly steamed for 2 minutes
1/4 cup umeboshi paste
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
4 ounces marinated tempeh (recipe follows)
1 avocado, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
1 large carrot, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips, and lightly steamed for 3 minutes
3 green onions cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1/4 cup pickled daikon radish
Lemon-Ginger Dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Assembling the sushi:
Lay one nori sheet on top of a bambo mat (shiny side down).  Turn the sheet so one of the longest sides is closest to you.  Spread 1 cup of rice on the sheet leaving a 1/2 inch border on the long side furthest from you.  Spread 2 teaspoons of umeboshi paste in one horizontal line and top with one collard green leaf.  Now arrange horizontal strips of the remaining ingredients in the following order (1/6 of each ingredient per roll):

tempeh
carrots
cucumber
green onion
sesame seeds
green onion
daikon radish

Starting with the end closest to you, start rolling the bamboo mat, gripping tightly.  Moisten the nori at the opposite end and seal with the final roll.  With a sharp knife slice each roll into 8 equal pieces.  Sprinkle with more sesame seeds and serve with dipping sauce.

Brown Sushi Rice:
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice
1 cup uncooked sweet brown rice
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine vinegar)

Rinse both types of rice well.  Add the water and rice to a 4 1/2 quart pressure cooker and lock the lid in place.  Over high heat, raise the pressure to high.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow pressure to decrease before taking the lid off.  Combine the rice and the vinegars in a large bowl. 

Marinated Tempeh:
1/4 cup tamari
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh garlic
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
4 ounces tempeh
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Combine the tamari, water, garlic, mustard, and sesame oil in an 8 inch baking pan.  Slice the tempeh in half horizontally and add to the marinate coating it well.  Marinate for 1 hour, turning half way through.

Preheat the broiler.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush with coconut oil.  Lay the tempeh on the baking sheet in a single layer.  Do not throw out the marinate.  Broil the tempeh for 5 minutes and turn.  Brush the top with the reserved marinate and broil for 5 more minutes. Cool completely.

Lemon-Ginger Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup tamari
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

Whisk all ingredients and serve on the side with sushi.

My Weekend

I had an amazing experience this past weekend in sort of an unexpected way.  Friday was my husband, Heath's, birthday so we dropped the kids off with Granny and headed to The Elm's Resort and Spa in Excelsior Springs for a weekend filled with massages, facials, and cat naps.  Excelsior Springs is only 35 minutes away from Parkville, but it is unfamiliar territory for us.  Like any "tourist", I perused the Elm's website to see what there was to do in the area and one place in particular caught my attention (to say the least):

VanTill Farms/Rayville Bakery
13986 Hwy C
Rayville, Missouri 64084
Phone: 816.776.2720
Website: http://www.vantillfarms.com/
The Van Till family's farming operation is bringing back the "good old days" in taste, nutrition, and the enjoyment of food. Food, wine and hospitality are available on this working farm.

They had me at "taste, nutrition, and the enjoyment of food".  I clicked on their website and grew even more excited.  Picture this:  farm, winery, heated garden patio enclosed in a greenhouse (that's where you dine), massive brick oven, organic ingredients grown right on their farm, homemade jellies, fresh wood-fired bread, cheese, and salami all surrounded by a manicured farmscape.  Did I mention this is only 35 minutes away from Parkville?!  Not only did I want to go there (or live there, whatever), I wanted them to be my friends. So, without hesitation, I shot off an email telling them I would be visting over the weekend and would love to have the opportunity to meet them.  Gosh, these things do not occur to me as sounding obnoxious until I am retelling them!  Oh well, Cliff VanTill graciously replied and welcomed us.

We were there on Friday night when they serve wood-fired pizza straight from their brick oven, which is located on the garden patio with the diners.  Fun.  They offer six varieties of their own wine, including Chambourcin, Norton, Vignoles, Chardonel, Sweet Red, and Sweet White.  The Sweet Red was popular among the patrons, but we really enjoyed the Norton along with our Mediterranean pizza.  It was quite delicious, especially for two people who are not typically fond of Missouri wine!

It was a busy night for the VanTill's, so we weren't able to talk with them, as we had hoped.  Cliff invited us back on Saturday morning, though, when his wife, Debbie, would be there and they wouldn't be serving food.  Heath and I returned and had a marvelous time.  As soon as Debbie pulled out her Peter Reinhart cookbooks and Nourishing Traditions book, I knew we would have a lot to talk about.  And we did talk a lot.  We toured their greenhouses and learned how they sold their fresh baked bread at the San Francisco farmer's market before relocating to Missouri in 2001.  I got some tips on making artisan bread, which I am anxious to play with, and Heath picked up some inspiration in the greenhouses for his garden.  Their dreams and ideas for VanTill Farms are incredible and after getting to know them just a little, I believe every one of those dreams will come true if the good Lord's willing.  Their free spirits are so refreshing in a time where conformity seems to be the easiest thing to do even though in the back of your head you know you should question more.

As much as I want to transcribe the entire three hours with the VanTill's right here, right now, I do want to talk about the recipe I am featuring.  The recipe is a smoothie inspired by one that Debbie and I collaborated to make on Saturday morning.  You see, I was talking about almond flour (shocker, I know) and where I buy it from since I cannot seem to grind it fine enough to just make it myself from whole almonds.  They happened to have grown almonds in California, so they are familiar with almond meal.  We went to "experiement" in the kitchen with their commercial BlendTec to see how it stood up to the test.  Short story is it passed and now I want a BlendTec.  We decided to make smoothies with the ground almonds while we had the smoothie machine out, so we went searching for ingredients.  I told her about the smoothies I make for my 23 month old, EJ, every single day: whole milk, coconut milk, homemade yogurt, banana and some other fruit, carrot and some type of green, like spinach, a good fat (ground flaxseed/flax oil, chia seeds or ground almonds, as examples), and then stevia to sweeten.  We ended up with cream, frozen strawberries, raw zucchini, ground almonds, and stevia to sweeten it.  It was divine.  Pretty much tasted like strawberry ice cream.  I'm changing up the recipe a little to use coconut milk in place of cream, since I don't always have cream on hand, but it will be every bit as good.  Trust me.

So, why did I say I had an amazing experience in an "unexpected" way?  As much inspiration as we got from the VanTill's about food and gardening you can multiply that by about a thousand to equal the inspiration we got about parenting.  We walked away from them feeling rejuvenated as parents and understood some things in a completely different light.  While the spa treatments were nice and we were able to get some R&R, I think our soul's really came out on top this trip.  That was a little unexpected.  In a good way, of course.

P.S.  Saturday afternoon the VanTill's fired up the brick oven again and offered baskets of wood-fired bread, cheese, and salami along with wine or non-alchoholic sangria (house made).  Then that evening they had a special garden patio dinner.  Unfortunately, we were not able to partake in either of these things, as we had facials and massages scheduled.  Next time.  One more thing, they are forming a new church with some friends and are holding services right there on the patio garden.  How cool is that?

Coconut Strawberry Smoothie

This can be done a thousand differnet ways.  Use any kind of milk in place of the coconut milk and same goes for the strawberries.  Any kind of frozen fruit will do.  Zucchini works well in smoothies, because it is so mild in flavor.  Spinach or some other type of mild green is also good.

1 cup coconut milk
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 small zucchini, diced
1/4 cup ground almonds
stevia to sweeten

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  For a thicker smoothie, add 1 cup crushed ice and blend until smooth.

Makes 2 servings

Simple Classics Re-made REAL

We have had a glimmer of spring in Kansas City this week, just warm enough to finally melt all of the snow and remind us that new beginnings are just around the corner.  Farmers markets will be opening soon and before I know it asparagus and strawberries will kindly take their place on my salad for lunch. 

While I yearn for this glorious transition, I must admit that I will miss the hearty comfort food that winter is always good for.  You know, the kind that is repeated in every church cookbook year after year, church after church, most of which include ingredients that I do not cook with any longer.  So, in the spirit of one last run on winter's comfort foods, I bring to you three recipes that should be familiar, but made with fresh and real ingredients instead of processed junk.

I have to sell my mom out here, she used cream of mushroom soup in everything she made when we were growing up.  If she didn't use that, she used cream of chicken soup.  And, if she didn't use that, then it was surely cream of celery soup.  Apparently since the soup aisle is still in the grocery store, people are still using that stuff.  Don't be fooled by labels, such as, "low sodium" or "low fat".  Who cares?  It's gross.  Here are the ingredients:  Water, Mushroom, Vegetable Oil (Corn and/or Cottonseed and/or Canola), Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Contains less than 2% of: Cream (Milk), Salt, Dried Whey (Milk), Natural Sea Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Soy Protein Concentrate, Yeast Extract, Spice Extract, Dehydrated Garlic.  If you are really concerned about eating healthy, those labels mean nothing.  There isn't anything in that can of soup that is working for your body and to make matters worse, it doesn't even taste good.  Does anyone ever eat it on it's own???  Eww!  Why not make your own mushroom soup using real food that tastes good as the ingredients.  Guess what?  That is healthy. 

The best part about making your own mushroom soup is you can use it in your favorite recipes and the taste will be out of this world.  What kind of recipes?  Chicken and Rice casserole? Tator Tot Casserole?  I'm feeling very nostalgic.  I picked Tator Tot Casserole, only with a twist.  Rather than actually using tator tots, I got the same taste and crunch by dicing and roasting potatoes in the oven before topping my hamburger (grass-fed, of course) with them.  While it's not exactly the same without the tator tots, I think it's still something you will enjoy as a close alternative.  I prefer to brown my hamburger while my potatoes are roasting in the oven just for the sake of time.  The classic recipe has you bake the hamburger in the oven from raw.

 

I cannot talk about comfort foods without including a dessert.  Keeping in line with throwback food, I must tell you about my favorite cookies.  This one is kind of a no brainer, because the original recipe is so simple.  It just has three ingredients.  I'm referring to flourless peanut butter cookies.  The ones with the cross pattern pressed into them with the back of a fork.  One cup of peanut butter, one cup of white sugar, and one egg.  Mix, drop, press, bake.  That's the basic recipe.  So, how can I make this better?  1.  Make my own nut butter and use a little coconut oil and my sweetner of choice, raw honey.  2.  Replace the white sugar with palm sugar and reduce it by half.  3.  Add bittersweet, organic chocolate chips (I said I wanted to make it better).  The result?  Yum.  My family loved them and I felt really good about giving them to them.  I chose to make a nut butter out of unsalted peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds.  You can't get anything like that from the store.  A nice healthy dose of good fats and protein along with a low glycemic impacting sweetener and an egg.  No gluten and you're in complete control of your ingredients.  Now that's comfort!

Roasted Potato Casserole (similar to Tator Tot Casserole)

I used a mix of purple and red potatoes, because I received purple potatoes in my Door to Door Organics box this week.  You can use whatever you have on hand, even sweet potatoes are good here.  I actually prefer sweet potatoes, but my family prefers white.

1 lbs. potatoes, chopped fairly small

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup mushroom soup (recipe below)

1/2 cup greek yogurt

3-4 slices provolone cheese

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degees.  Toss potatoes, 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, salt and pepper together and spread out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 25 minutes, stirring the potatoes around on the baking sheet half way through.  Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees.

While the potatoes are roasting add the remaining grapeseed oil to a skillet and heat over medium. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  Add the garlic and cook for just another minute longer.  Remove from heat.  Add mushroom soup and yogurt to the pan and stir until everything is incorporated.

Transfer meat mixture into a casserole dish.  Top with the slices of provolone.  Now spread the roasted potatoes on top of the cheese and spread evenly.  Bake for 15-20 minute or until bubbly.  Allow to cool before serving.

Mushroom Soup

This soup makes a delicious lunch when topped with fresh parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and a piece of crusty bread on the side.  I like to freeze mine in one cup portions and use in recipes, such as casseroles, along with 1/2 cup greek yogurt. Any variety of mushrooms will do.  In fact, an assortment of wild mushrooms would be excellent.

16 ounces mushrooms (any variety)

1 onion

12 cloves of garlic (1 head)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

3 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or several stems of fresh)

1 egg plus 2 yolks

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Clean and finely chop mushrooms, onion, and garlic.  A food processor is helpful here, just do not over process it into a paste.  It will save you a step later on.  Add oil to a large stockpot and heat over medium.  Add the vegetables and cook until they begin to brown and soften.  Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and bring to a soft boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and, if the vegetables were not processed in the beginning blend with an immersion blender leaving it somewhat coarse in texture (i.e. not completely smooth). 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, egg yolks, and cheese.  Carefully and slowly (very carefully and very slowly!!) add one cup of the broth into the eggs whisking the entire time.  Now slowly add that into the larger pot, whisking the whole time and continuing to whisk until the soup is slightly thickened.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Makes 4-5 cups.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pumpkin Seed Cookies

This is an extremely versatile recipe.  I used a peanut/pumpkin seed butter enriched with flaxseeds for a basic, familiar cookie; however, I can imagine using almond butter, walnut butter, macadamia nut butter, or pecan butter.  I can also imagine using pure maple syrup in place of the honey or agave nectar.  I made a version using cashew butter, cocoa powder, ground espresso, and chopped macadamia nuts.  The possibilities are endless here, so use your imagination!

1 1/2 cups unsalted roasted organic peanuts

1/2 cup raw organic pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup whole flaxseeds

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon raw honey

pinch of sea salt

1 egg

1/2 cup palm sugar

1 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds in the bowl of a food processor.  Turn it on and process until smooth (5-10 minutes).  Add the coconut oil, honey, and salt.  Continue to process until desired consistency is reached.

Transfer nut butter to a medium sized bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until everything is well incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.

Drop dough onto parchment lined baking sheets (heaping tablespoon sized) leaving 1 inch in between each ball.  Lightly press each ball down with the palm of your hand.  Bake 10 or until the bottoms are lightly browned being careful not to overbake them.  Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes.  Remove from pan and finish cooling.

Makes 18 cookies.

Make Cottage Cheese Yourself

People often look surprised when I tell them I make my own yogurt and butter, but when I tell them I make cottage cheese they look downright confused.  "Huh?  I didn't know you could make cottage cheese" is the typical response.  Well, it has to come from somewhere.  It may as well be from me.  Why would I want to make my own cottage cheese, you ask?  Let's count the reasons.

1.  It tastes so much better than what you buy at the store, like little tiny bits of fresh mozzarella cheese.
2.  You can choose the milk you use, which is hopefully fresh from a local farm with pastured cows who are free of hormones or antibiotics.  Those dairy's never sell cottage cheese.
3.  You can control the salt.  Ever notice how much sodium is in store bought cottage cheese?
4.  Because it is like little tiny bits of fresh mozzarella cheese, you can use it recipes, such as, eggplant parmesan or lasagne and it's divine.
5.  It doesn't taste sour like cottage cheese from the store can taste.
6.  It's cool.
7.  The kiddo's love it.
8.  It will change your life.

Ok, so I'm running out of things, but I really wanted a long list.  Bottom line is that it is super easy to make your own cottage cheese and the taste is far superior to what you would buy at the store.  So, you want to know my response to the people who look confused when I tell them I make my own cottage cheese?  I say, "Huh?  I didn't know they even still sold cottage cheese at the store."

Homemade Cottage Cheese
This is Alton Brown's method; however, I reduced the salt because I think his is too salty.  You can also use half and half or heavy cream instead of the whole milk.  That is what Alton uses.  I always have whole milk on hand, so I just use it.  Save your whey to make bread, soak grains, or lacto-ferment vegetables Nourishing Traditions style!

1 gallon skim milk
3/4 cup organic vinegar (white distilled or white wine - nothing too strong in flavor)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
Equipment:  Candy thermometer and food processer (optional, but recommended)

1.  Pour the milk into a large stockpot and heat to 120 degrees over medium heat. 

Step 2:  Remove the pot from the heat and slowly pour in the vinegar while stirring.  Continue stirring for 1-2 minutes until the curds separate from the whey.  Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 3:  Line a fine meshed strainer with a tea towel (non fuzzy) and suspend it over a large bowl.  Pour the contents of the pot into the strainer so that the whey drains into the bowl and the curds are left in the tea towel.  Allow it to drain for 5 minutes.  (I know the picture below looks like a brain)

Step 4:  Gather the corners of the tea towel together and run the ball of curd under cold water until it is completely cooled.  Wring the water out so that the ball is dry.  Transfer to a food processer, add the salt, and pulse several times until it is broken up into small bits.

Step 5:  Transfer to a bowl and, if you are eating it right away, stir in the milk or cream.  Otherwise, wait until right before serving to add it.  It will turn into a sticky glob after sitting in the refrigerator if you add the additional liquid. 

Makes 1 pint or 2 cups

Whole Wheat Mesquite Cornbread

Tonya and I are going to be taking a break from teaching classes this month (with the exception of one on 3/18), so we can spend some much needed time on a new website/blog.  While this one has served it's purpose, we have grand ideas for a really great and informative website and can't wait to unveil it.  I will continue posting new content on this one, mainly recipes, so we can build that part of our website up.  Hope you enjoy them!

I have wanted to experiment with mesquite flour since the first time I made Heidi Swanson's Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies from Super Natural Cooking.  Those are the cookies we made last week and I featured the recipe in my last post.  To quote myself, here is a little information about mesquite flour:

Mesquite flour - This is a fun ingredient. Mesquite flour (aka "mesquite meal") is simply pods from a mesquite tree finely ground into powder. Indigenous to desert regions, mesquite trees can be found from central Texas to Southeast California. Typically we think about mesquite flavoring when grilling meats. The soft, smoky aroma of mesquite flour, though, pairs perfectly with chocolate. The health benefits are incredible, too. It's full of fiber, protein, nutrients, and essential minerals, such as, magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium. Historically, mesquite was an integral part of Native American's diet. It is very low on the glycemic index and actually promotes balanced blood sugar. Add a spoonful to oatmeal or smoothies and you will feel fuller longer. Cross my heart. I like to purchase mine online from Barry Farms. One pound is $6.09 or you can purchase 5 pounds and receive a discount. If you don't think you'll use that much, go in with a few friends and split it up. FYI, Barry Farms has a recipe for a Mesquite Yellow Cake that I just saw and will be making very soon!

I can't reiterate enough how good mesquite flour is.  So different and unexpected.  Many people think the taste resembles cocoa and I can see that.  Not sweetened cocoa, though.  And it has a warm, almost cinnamon-y flavor, too, but it's not overly spicy.  I hesitate calling it sweet, because I just compared it to cocoa and cinnamon. It really is more of a smoky flavor, but it does have a slighty sweet element to it,too.  Are you intrigued?  I haven't made the yellow cake from Barry Farm's website that I promised I would make last week, but instead I made mesquite cornbread to go with some black bean and quinoa soup. 

I modified my usual whole wheat cornbread recipe (modified from Barefoot Contessa's recipe), to replace 25% of the whole wheat flour with mesquite flour.  That's about the right proportion.  Any more than 25% and the flavor becomes a tad strong.  The result was the best cornbread I have ever had.  I didn't think the original recipe could be topped, but I was wrong.  My family agreed, too.  My youngest son, who will turn 2 in April, has been gobbling it up all week and asking for more "cake".  It is extremely moist and a little on the sweet side, which is interesting since there is only 1/4 cup of honey for a huge amount of cornbread.  I think that's a good thing, though!  It was great with the soup, even better with an over easy egg and Chile de Arbol Sauce (also from Super Natural Cooking), exceptionally good with almond butter and honey, and if I had some fresh or frozen raspberries, I suspect making some type of raspberry sauce to drizzle it over it would make a wonderful dessert.  Next up may be some mesquite banana pancakes with pure maple syrup or maybe some type of mesquite scone with chocolate chips or raspberries. 

Whole Wheat Mesquite Cornbread

This makes a lot of cornbread, but it freezes well so don't be afraid.  You may be able to cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8x8 pan.  Just adjust the baking time.  If you don't have mesquite flour, just use all whole wheat.  You'll end up with something close to the original version of the recipe.  Whole spelt flour would work fine in place of the wheat if you want to go that route.

2 1/4 cup freshly ground wheat (or whole wheat pastry flour)

3/4 cup mesquite flour

1 cup coarsely ground cornmeal

2 tablespoons aluminum free baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups 1% milk

3 extra large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup coconut oil, slightly melted

1/4 cup raw honey

1/2 cup freshly grated manchego cheese, optional

Combine flours, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs, coconut oil, and honey.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and stir only until everything is combined.  Do not overmix.  Stir in the cheese, if using.  Allow the mixture to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 glass pan.  Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool slightly and serve with honey.