Buttery Biscuits In Under 15 Minutes

My corned beef had 8 minutes left to cook when I remembered that I had wanted to make rolls, corn bread or biscuits to go with it tonight.  I chose biscuits because they are SO fast, especially if you are all about the flavor and not so much about the looks.  Although...if you ask me, they look as good as they taste.

This is a tried and true Betty Crocker recipe (Baking Powder Bisuits).

2 c. flour (can use whole wheat)
1 tbsp. sugar (I used turbinado)
3 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. shortening (I use butter or coconut oil)
3/4 c. milk (I use raw cow's milk)

Preheat oven to 450*F.  Combine all but the milk in a large bowl.  Mash together with your hands until it resembles bread crumbs.  Add the milk and mix again with your hands to form a large ball.  Use a spoon or your hand to grab chunks of the dough.  Roll them in your hands and press each biscuit down onto a greased cookie sheet.  You can make these as big or small as you like.  They can touch while baking for a pull-apart effect or you can separate them for a golden edge all the way around.  I made 9 big ones.  The original recipe says it makes 12.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

By the time I put these in the oven and set the timer, I still had time to grab a platter, slice the corned beef and lay it all pretty over my root veggies and cabbage and set the table.  It worked out perfectly!

Fermenting Salsa, Pickles and Pears

Getting whey is very simple.  Just turn out a tub of good yogurt (preferably home made from raw cows milk, but Greek yogurt from the store is very good too) into a strainer lined with linen and let sit for a few hours (for home made) or longer for the store bought in the refrigerator.  It will look like this:

After it has strained transfer to separate containers.  The yogurt, if home made, is now the consistency of store bought yogurt.  If it is store bought, it will be about like cream cheese or even a fresh mozzarella ball.

You will use some of the whey to create these delicious snacks.

Cultured Salsa (I got the first 2 from my friend Kelly who emailed it from a blog)

4 medium tomatoes

2 small onions

1-2 green bell peppers, seeded

1 jalapeno, seeded

1 bunch, cilantro

juice of 2 lemons

(I added 3 cloves garlic)

1 tbsp. sea salt

4 tbsp. whey

1/4 c. pure water

Garlic Dill Cucumbers

4-5 pickling cucumbers (I used 2 normal cucumbers)

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp. fresh dill

1/8 tsp. red pepper flake

1 tbsp. sea salt

4 tbsp. whey

1-2 clean grape leaves for crunch (I left this out)

1 c. filtered water

Pear Chutney (From Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, "Fruit Chutney")

3 c. fresh pears

1/2 c. pure water

rind of 2 lemons

juice of 2 lemons

1/8 c. rapadura (I used turbanado)

2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 c. whey

1/2 c. pecans (I left this out)

1/2 c. raisins

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. red pepper flake (I used 1/8 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. dried peppercorn

1/2 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. fennel seed

1 tsp. coriander seed

Directions for all:  Wash all ingredients and utensils well.  Wash your hands well too.

Mince all veggies to the desired consistency.  Press down into a wide mouthed quart sized jar (with wood or plastic spoon).  Add water to cover.  Leave 1-2" head space.  Cover and leave at room temperature for 2-3 days.  Move to refrigerator.

Southwest Seasoning and All Purpose Seasoning

I have been told that these recipes are for Emeril's "BAM" seasonings.  My mom gave it to me years ago.  I love it on chicken, rice or to use as taco seasoning in meat dishes.

Southwest Seasoning
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. coriander
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (seems redundant and very spicy, so I leave this out)
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. oregano

All Purpose Season
2 1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. oregano
 tbsp. thyme (I'm not a fan of thyme so I occasionally substitute sage)
1 tbsp. cayenne (for a very SPICY experience)

Combine all (for the specific recipe) in a class jar.  Close tightly and shake well.  It will clump up if moisture gets into the jar.  Just stab it with a spoon.  I use a spoonful to dust my dishes with it, but you can put it in a shaker with a close-able lid.

Tilapia Tacos

I founds this recipe on www.food.com but took a few liberties with it.  You can find the original recipe here.

Tilapia Tacos
1/2 c. Greek yogurt
1/2 c. mayo (you could just use 1 c. Greek yogurt and omit the mayo)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro (I just use a handful)
4 tbsp. Emeril's Southwest Seasoning, divided
1 lb. tilapia fish
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (an odorless coconut oil is a good option)
2 tbsp. lime juice
12 taco shells or tortillas (a good tortilla recipe can be found here)
Toppings: guacamole, pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce or cabbage, lime juice, salsa, diced, salted cucumbers, cheese, etc.

Combine the yogurt and mayo (if using) with the cilantro and 2 tbsp. of the southwest seasoning.  Set aside.  Combine the lime juice, oil, remaining seasoning and fish.  Allow to marinate for 10-20 minutes.  Cook the tilapia and marinade in a skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium heat for about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to a bowl and flake the fish.  Assemble the tacos as you wish.  In the picture I used store bought tacos (I was being lazy this week) layering the guacamole, yogurt sauce, lettuce, fish, salsa and then pico de gallo.  I forgot to grate the Monterey cheese that I got.  I would have put that under the salsa.  Enjoy!

Water Kefir

I was recently introduced to water kefir.  It's got some amazing properties.  It's probiotic, full of enzymes that aid in digestion and proper intestinal flora and PACKED with B vitamins.  Google it for more info.  You can also find many informative videos on YouTube with step by step instructions.

You will need:
1/4 c. water kefir grains
3/4 c. sugar (DO NOT USE HONEY)
Dried fruit such as dried mission figs (the best flavor), apples, raisins or apricots.  I'm not a fan of the apricot so much but people on youtube like it.
Clean half gallon (2 qt.) jar

In the jar, combine the kefir grains and sugar.  Add the dried fruit (2 whole figs and 4 apple slices are the best).  Add about 1.5 liters of fresh, pure water.  Cover tightly and shake gently for a few seconds.  Leave on the counter for 2-3 days.

In this picture I was experimenting with milk kefir cultures in the water with figs and apples.  The jar to the right has water kefire grains with apricots.  After 2-3 days (the longer you leave it, the more bubbly it becomes, like soda) use a plastic strainer lined with linen over top a glass bowl or jar.  Pour the kefir through the strainer and discard the dried fruit.  Rinse the kefir grains (for the water kefir) and put in a small glass jar with 1 tsp. of sugar and just covered with pure water.  Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use again.  For the water kefir using milk kefir starter, there will be no grains.  Just strain the liquid through the linen and strainer and discard all the rest.  Put the water kefir into clean jars in the refrigerator.  The longer you leave it undisturbed in the refrigerator the better it tastes.  So leave it in there for a week or so for best flavor.

If you are going at this thinking "water" or "juice", you may find yourself gagging and disgusted.  I had a friend who tried it and said it was so nasty (but she admittedly gags at anything new), but when you drink it thinking, "sparkling fruit juice" or "wine", that's exactly what it tastes like.  I can see myself ringing in the new year with a glass of this stuff.  My son and husband like it but my daughter doesn't.  So it's all about your own preferences.  It's pretty inexpensive to make, so it's worth experimenting with.

It's kind of the same concept of eating tofu.  When you go at it thinking, "meat substitute" it doesn't taste like meat so some people are disgusted.  But when you say it's cheese or bean curd, people accept it.  I think it's all in the mind....but I digress.  :)

You can find free kefir grains if you do a little searching.  I found my kefir grains while looking for farm fresh eggs at the farmers market.  I started talking to the lady about raw milk and she referred me to someone else who not only showed me where to get raw milk, she gave me the kefir grains for free.  You can also buy them online here or just google it.  Many people who sell them are making a living off of the land and have a lot of wisdom to share.  You might be surprised at the friendships that you can make.

Great Uses For Raw Milk: Butter and Buttermilk

After months of waiting, I have finally gained access to fresh, raw milk from one clean, happy cow who lives about 5 miles from my home.  She had a calf several months ago and we had to wait for the calf to be weened before we could get the milk again.  I got my first gallon yesterday.  It's so cool to see "bottled 02/07/2011" on the jug.

I decided to make butter and buttermilk with the cream.  With that I'm going to make buttermilk biscuits.  With 1 quart of the milk, I am going to make yogurt.  The yogurt should yield about 3 cups of whey, which I will make fermented pancakes with 2 cups and ferment some pickles and salsa with the rest.  The other 2 quarts of milk we will just drink or use in other recipes.

To make the butter and buttermilk, allow the cream to separate from the milk over night in the refrigerator.

Use a turkey baster to move the cream to a clean glass jar.  I love the Smuckers Peanut Butter jars.  Close the lid very tight so that it won't spill.

Now you can start shaking the jar.  Who needs a shake weight?  :)  Just about the time where you begin to think, "This lady is crazy!  I'm being punked!  It's not going to do anything in this jar!"...suddenly it will separate.  It takes about 30 minutes of shaking.  You could use a whisk or mixer but you should probably burn off the fat before eating by shaking for 30 minutes.  :)

About 15 minutes into shaking, it will become whipped cream.  At this point you can add sugar and put it on some strawberries or home made pumpkin pie.  Or, keep shaking for butter and buttermilk.

When you see that it has changed, strain the contents and separate them into clean glass jars.  Keep refrigerated.  You can salt the butter if you would like.

My mom has a great blog on making yogurt and cream cheese.  You can follow her recipe using some of the remaining milk in the jug.  I have a yogurt maker so I use that, but she has a great step by step on how to get the milk ready for the yogurt maker if you don't have yogurt cultures.  Here's my raw milk in a yogurt maker.

After making the yogurt, you can strain off the whey by using a clean linen over a strainer and clean glass bowl and let it sit for about 1-2 hours.  You can do it longer, but I'd put it in the fridge for longer periods.  The salsa and pickle recipes are from Nourishing Traditions.  I'll post them later this week.  Next week we will probably make ice cream!

Nearly Perfect Blood Type A Dinner Menue

The only ingredient in this dinner that is "avoid" for A blood is the orange juice concentrate. But the recipe is still well within the recommended 80/20 ratio of beneficial/avoid foods. Almost every ingredient is beneficial. Everything else is neutral.


Peppered Salmon with Roasted Root Vegetable (Better Homes and Gardens / Jan. 2011)
4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
2 small beets, peeled and coarsely chopped (they come in a bunch of 3 so I did all 3), reserve the greens for the 3rd recipe
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
4 skinless salmon fillets (4-5 oz. each)
1/2 tsp. black pepper (I don't measure, I just dust it on there)
1/4 c. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (or same amount fresh squeezed navel orange juice)
Chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 425*F. In a baking pan combine carrots and beets with half of the oil and salt. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir half way through. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm.

2. While veggies are roasting, sprinkle salmon with remaining salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in 12" skillet at medium heat. Cook salmon for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to vegetable platter and cover. Add juice concentrate and 2 tbsp. water to skillet. Simmer uncovered for about 1 minute. Spoon over salmon and veggies. Sprinkle green onions over fish.

Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts and Dried Cranberries (Vegetarian Times / Jan-Feb. 2011)
1/2 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. brussels sprouts, halved
2 shallots, halved and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. coarsely chopped dried cranberries
1 tbsp. agave syrup (or honey)
1 tbsp. walnut oil

1. Heat a large (cast iron if you have it) skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts and toast 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Wipe the pan and return to heat. Add olive oil and swirl pan to coat. Add sprouts and cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add shallots and garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Stir in cranberries, agave, and 1 c. water. Partially cover the skillet, reduce heat and simmer 5-7 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and sprouts are tender but not too soft. Transfer to serving bowl. Stir in walnut oil and toasted walnuts. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Garlicy Beet Greens (The brain of Holly Moulder / Jan. 2011)
Reserved beet greens from bunch of beets
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped, diced or pressed
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Snap the greens away from the stems. Rinse well. Chop into slightly larger than bite sized pieces. Leave water from rinsing on the greens so it can help them wilt as they cook. Just shake once so it's not dripping all over the place.

2. Heat a pot on medium heat. Add oil. Add garlic. Add greens. Toss the greens in the oil and garlic. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes. Toss half way through if desired. They are ready when they are tender but not too soft. Add salt and pepper.