Butternut Squash Lasagna

I love winter squash season, a lot of the recipes that are made from winter squash are so hearty and they can totally make a meal out of it without adding meat or other starches. Today I was in the mood for lasagna and came across a recipe from The Woks of Life. This is definitely a big hit at our dinner table tonight.

I am experimenting something new as well. I have left the butternut squash skin on before baking, and the skin was so soft that it mashed very well. That can give you extra fiber to your meal. 

Ingredients

* 2 ½ lbs butternut squash, seeded and diced into ½-inch pieces (about 8 cups)

* olive oil

* salt and pepper to taste

* 2 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

* 4 cups/handfuls chopped kale

* 4 tablespoons butter

* 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped

* ¼ cup flour

* 4 cups milk

* 12 sheets cooked lasagna noodles

* 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

* 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 450°F. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, toss butternut squash in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender and golden, tossing the squash after 10 minutes to promote even cooking.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté until caramelized, about 10 minutes.  Add the kale and sauté until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Pour out of the skillet and set aside.

3) Put the skillet back over medium heat and add the butter and rosemary. When the butter is melted, stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it bubble slowly over medium low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Take the roasted squash out of the oven and mash it roughly with a fork. Stir it into the sauce.

4) Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. In a 13 x 9 buttered baking dish, add a thin layer of sauce. Add noodles to the bottom of the baking dish, ensuring that they’re not touching each other. Add another thin layer of sauce, followed by a layer of mushrooms and kale, and then a sprinkling of 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and 2/3 cup mozzarella. Repeat for 3 layers, always making sure the noodles are thoroughly moistened by the butternut squash sauce.

5) Bake for 40 minutes. Let lasagna stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

  

Slow cook beef short ribs

Mr. S's parents are in town. To be able to impress them with food and be able to entertain them at the same time, I chose to cook a meal with the slow cooker.  Digging through my freezer, I saw some beef ribs from the quarter grass fed cow share I got from last year.  From my experience, thick cut short ribs taste the best when they are cook in the slow cooker.

*My freezer after picking up the quarter grass-fed cow.

Ingredients

*1/3 cup flour 

*1 teaspoon salt 

*1/4 teaspoon pepper 

*2 1/2 lbs boneless beef short ribs 

*1 cup homemade beef broth 

*3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

*3/4 cup organic brown sugar 

*1/4 cup chili sauce 

*2 tablespoons organic katsup 

*2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce 

*2 tablespoons minced garlic 

*1 teaspoon chili powder 

*1 cup chopped organic onion 

Directions: 

1) Put flour, salt and pepper in a bag. Add ribs and shake to coat. Brown ribs in a large skillet. 

2) In a small bowl, whisk the rest of the ingredients.  Place ribs and chopped onion in the slow cooker and pour sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours or high for 5 hours.

3) When done, pour sauce in a sauce pan then skim the fat and simmer to a thick sauce. Serve ribs with thicken sauce. Enjoy!

Zucchini bread

My co-worker Kiwi G gave me a gaint zucchini for zucchini bread.  As you know, small to medium size zucchini is good for salads or saute, but if the zucchini gets too big, it won't taste as good, so you use them for bread. 

**Recipe yield 2 loafs

Ingredients
*3 1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
*1 1/2 teaspoon salt
*2 teaspoon baking soda
*1 teaspoon nutmeg 
*1 teaspoon cinnamon
*1/2 cup organic butter, melted
*1 cup raw honey
*4 farm fresh eggs
*1/3 cup water
*2 cup zucchini, puree
*1 teaspoon lemon juice
*1 cup organic walnut
*1 cup organic dried cranberry

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan, and set aside. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and set aside.
2) In a large bowl, using a electric mixer to combine melted butter, honey, eggs, water, zucchini, lemon juice and mix until combined. Add the reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until well incorporated, about 10 seconds. Stir in walnuts and dried cranberry.
3) Pour batter into buttered pans. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan on a wire rack. Invert bread to unmold; reinvert, and let cool completely on rack.

Whole wheat walnut banana bread with honey and coconut oil

A couple days ago I have made a banana bread with all natural ingredients, using honey instead of sugar, and butter instead of oil. Tonight, I made a little twist, I used coconut oil and the banana bread still tasted very good.  Mr. S cannot taste any difference, but I think I could taste the deliciousness of coconut in the bread. Yum!!!

Ingredients
*1 1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
*1/2 cup organic oat
*1/3 cup organic flaxseed
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
*2 farm fresh eggs
*3 over ripe banana, mashed
*1/2 cup organic coconut oil, melted
*1/2 cup raw honey
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla
*1 cup chopped organic walnut

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan, and set aside. Whisk together the flour, oat, flaxseed, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in a medium bowl, and set aside.
2) In a large bowl, using a electric mixer to combine eggs, banana, melted cocount oil , honey, vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until well incorporated, about 10 seconds. Stir in walnuts.
3) Pour batter into buttered pan. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan on a wire rack. Invert bread to unmold; reinvert, and let cool completely on rack.

Whole wheat honey banana bread with walnut

Homemade banana bread is the best breakfast and dessert.  This time, I tried to use all natural ingredients and the result was impressive! 

Ingredients
*1 1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
*1/2 cup organic oat
*1/3 cup flaxseed
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1/4 teaspoon baking soda
*1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
*2 farm fresh eggs
*3 over ripe banana, mashed
*1/2 cup organic butter, melted
*1/2 cup raw honey
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla
*1 cup chopped organic walnut

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan, and set aside. Whisk together the flours, oat, flaxseed, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and set aside.
2) In a large bowl, using a electric mixer to combine eggs, banana, melted butter, honey, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until well incorporated, about 10 seconds. Stir in walnuts.
3) Pour batter into buttered pan. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan on a wire rack. Invert bread to unmold; reinvert, and let cool completely on rack.

Chocolate Beet Cakes with Sweet Greek Yogurt

I just started to eat beets about a year ago. I remember I got beets from the farm share and didn't know what to do with them. I usually try a new vegetable by cooking them into something so the vegetable flavor won't be too strong by itself. After looking at all the beets recipes, I decided to try using beets to make cakes and it was delicious! Even Mr. S loved it. Now, I would eat beets on salads and anything with beets.  I made red valvet cake by using beets instead of food coloring.  This time, I added some chocolate in the cake and it is as delicious as the original beet cake. 

Ingredients 

*1 cup whole wheat flour 

*2/3 cup cocoa powder 

*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*1/8 teaspoon fine salt

*3 large farm eggs

*1 1/4 cups sugar 

*1 cup canola oil

* 1/2 pound organic red beets, boiled, peeled, finely grated

*1/2 cup yogurt

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line an 18-muffin tin with foil cups.

2) Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in one bowl

and the remaining ingredients in another. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Fill each muffin cup half full with the mixture.

3) Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a mini-cake

comes out clean and the mini-cakes start to pull away from the sides of the tin. Cool before serving. Add sweet Greek yogurt(See below for recipe) on top of the cake.

 

Sweet Greek Yogurt:

Ingredients 

*2 cups unsweetened Greek yogurt

*1/4 cup honey

 Directions

1) Combine yogurt and honey in a mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon so they are just combined. Serve with beet cakes.

Falafel with Avocado Spread

Eating falafel always reminds me of the trip through Egypt and Jordan that Mr. S and I took a while ago. This recipe is a healthier version of traditional falafel which I pan fried instead of deep fried.  But don't worry, it still tastes as delicious!

Ingredients
 Patties: 

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained 

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

1/4 cup finely crushed baked tortilla chips (about 3/4 ounce) 

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions 
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro 

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 large egg white 

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

Spread: 

1/4 cup mashed peeled avocado 

2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato 

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion 

2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream 

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

Direction:

1. To prepare patties, place pinto beans in a medium bowl; partially mash with a fork. Add cheese and next 5 ingredients (through egg white); stir until well combined. Shape bean mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) oval patties.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until patties are browned and thoroughly heated.
3. To prepare spread, combine avocado and next 5 ingredients (through salt), stirring well. 
4. You can place the spread and falafel in pita bread or any bread that you prefer.

Black Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa

I am a big meat eater, but this black bean burger was so easy to make and very delicious.  I got the ciabatta bread for the burger for a twist.  If you want to make a mini-version, you can also use dinner rolls.

Ingredients

*2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 

*3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided

*3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 

*1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 

*2 teaspoons ground cumin 

*1 teaspoon dried oregano 

*1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

*1/2 medium jalapeño pepper, finely chopped 

*2 large egg whites 

*Cooking spray

*1 1/4 cups chopped peeled mango (about 1 medium)

*3 tablespoons chopped shallots

*1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

*1 avocado, peeled and chopped 

*1 garlic clove, minced

*6 ciabatta bread, lightly toasted
*6 green leaf lettuce leaves

Direction

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro and the next 7 ingredients (through egg whites). Shape bean mixture into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Arrange patties on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, carefully turning once.

3. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, mango, and the next 4 ingredients (through minced garlic) in a medium bowl. Place a patty on bottom half of each hamburger bun; top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 1/3 cup salsa, and top half of bun.

Grass fed rib steak with mushroom vodka cream sauce

If you get grass fed steak, remember the cooking time is always less than normal steak due to the lower fat content. I found this recipe from Healthy Green Kitchen. The vodka cream sauce enhanced the flavor of the steak and the perfect cooking time makes the steak very juicy.




Steak:
Ingredients
*1 rib-eye steak, preferably grass-fed
*olive oil
*coarse sea salt

Direction
1) Preheat gas grill to medium-high (or prepare charcoal grill for cooking over moderate direct heat).
2) Pat steak dry. Rub with olive oil and then season both sides with course salt.
3) Grill steak for approximately 4-6 minutes on each side, until thermometer registers about 120°F for rare (fyi I never check the temperature).
4) Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5-10 minutes, tented with foil, before slicing (the internal temperature will rise a few degrees while steak stands). Serve with vodka cream sauce.

Vodka Cream Sauce
*3 tablespoons organic butter, divided
*1 small onion, peeled and chopped
*1 cup clean organic button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
*1/2 cup organic chicken stock, preferably homemade
*course sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
*1/4 cup vodka
*1/4 cup raw or organic cream (or whole milk)

Preparation:
1) Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.
2) Add mushrooms and cook for another minute or two.
3) Remove pan from heat and pour in the vodka.
4) Return pan to heat and allow flame to burn off the alcohol, if desired.
5) Add stock to pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6) Turn heat to low and whisk in the remaining one tablespoon of butter and the cream.
7)Keep at a simmer until ready to serve, adding a little additional stock or cream to thin it out or thicken it, if necessary.

Mr. S Birthday Feast 2012- Maple-Gingerbread Pots de Crème

After a nice dinner, of course we would have a nice dessert. This is my first time making a cream buree type dessert, and it is quite challenging to make. My biggest challenge was the center wasn't solid after baking for 1 hour in the water bath. I let it cook a little longer and then let it cool down. The center became more solid after it cooled down. I am planning to make this again and definitely will report on my progress.


Ingredients
*1/2 cup maple syrup
*2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
*2 large egg yolks
*1 3/4 cups half-and-half
*1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
*Dash of salt
*Dash of ground nutmeg
*Dash of ground cloves, optional
*2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
*1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
3. Combine half-and-half and remaining ingredients in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until mixture reaches 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Reduce temperature to medium, and cook until mixture thickens slightly (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Divide mixture evenly among 8 (4-ounce) ramekins or custard cups. Place ramekins in a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until center barely moves when ramekins are touched. Remove the ramekins from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill 4 hours.

Mr. S Birthday Feast 2012- Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

Instead of roasting the butternut squash or turning it into soup. I decided to make it in risotto. If you have saffron at home, this is be the perfect chance to add saffron to bring out the overall flavor of the dish.


Ingredients
*1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*salt and freshly ground black pepper
*6 cups homemade chicken stock
*6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
*2 ounces pancetta, diced
*1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
*1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
*1/2 cup dry white wine
*1 teaspoon saffron threads
*1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.
4. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

Mr. S Birthday Feast 2012- Chicken-Orzo Soup

Since I have limited time to make the meal, I decided to make a very easy and hearty soup- Chicken Orzo Soup! It only took me 20 minutes to make and most of the time was spent prepping the ingredients.


Ingredients
*4 cups homemade chicken broth, divided
*1/2 cup uncooked orzo
*2 teaspoons olive oil
*2/3 cup coarsely chopped carrot
*1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
*1/2 cup chopped onion
*3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
*1 1/4 cups water
*3 fresh parsley sprigs
*1 fresh thyme sprig
*4 cups fresh baby spinach
*1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Bring 1 3/4 cups broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add orzo; cook 10 minutes or until done. Drain.
2. While orzo cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add carrot, celery, onion, and chicken; cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 2 1/4 cups broth, 1 1/4 cups water, parsley, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Discard herb sprigs. Add orzo, spinach, juice, salt, and pepper; simmer 1 minute.

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

I love slow cooking because I can come home with a delicious meal waiting for me. CC and I and some friends shared a pastured grass-fed cow again this year and I got a quarter cow from this local farmer.

This is what my second freezer look like with a quarter of beef.

Tonight, I made a recipe that is similar to a recipe that I made before, but this time I used less ingredients and the flavor is as good as that recipe.


Ingredients
*3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
*1-2 T steak rub
*black pepper to taste
*1-2 T olive oil
*1/4 cup water
*2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
*1 cup homemade beef stock
*1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
*1/2 cup tomato sauce (You can substitute one can diced tomatoes, drained well)


Direction
1) Trim the fat from the roast. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

2) Bring 1 cup beef broth to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce.

3) Place onions in bottom of slow cooker. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Set slow cooker to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender.

4) Remove meat from slow cooker and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from slow cooker and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Buttermilk Baked Chicken

I am not sure if I have mentioned, Mr. S and I just bought our first house! We are(or just I am) enjoying the kitchen a lot because the house has a gourmet kitchen. This weekend, Mr. S's parents came to visit us, so I decided to make a very good meal to impress them.

Making buttermilk chicken is very easy. I got this pastured chicken from a farm a while ago. The hardest part is to cut the whole chicken into pieces. I just used my creativity to cut the whole chicken into 10 pieces and then marinated it in buttermilk in the morning and then cooked it in the evening. The chicken was very juicy and tender. The skin was crispy despite baking instead of deep frying it.


Ingredients
* 2 cups buttermilk
* Juice of 1/2 lemon
* 1 tablespoon hot sauce
* 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
* 5 sprigs fresh thyme
* 3 cloves garlic, smashed
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 (3 pound) chicken cut into 10 pieces, rinsed and patted dry
* 2 cups crushed corn flakes
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Directions
1) Mix together buttermilk, lemon juice, hot sauce, onion, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Add chicken and coat with mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 12 hours.
2) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fit a sheet tray with a wire rack and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
3) Mix corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, and thyme together. Season with salt and pepper.
4) Remove chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and dredge through the corn flake-Parmesan mixture, pressing to help it adhere.
5) Place on the wire rack-fitted sheet tray and bake for 45 minutes until golden and crisp.

Black Bean Spare Ribs

I was in a mood again to cook a week of Chinese/South East Asian food. I was checking out different recipe websites to get some ideas and I decided to make some of my all time favorite dishes for a week. Today we had black bean spear ribs. Safeway had natural pork ribs on sale so it was perfect timing to make this dish!


Ingredients
*1 tablespoon oil
*1 1/2 pounds pork spare ribs, cut to 1-inch pieces
*1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
*2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
*1 medium-sized leek, thinly sliced
*Thinly sliced scallions, optional

Sauce
*3 tablespoons spicy black bean sauce
*2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
*1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
*1 teaspoon brown sugar
*1 teaspoon cornstarch
*1/2 cup water

Direction
1) Mix together ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
2) In a wok or frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spare ribs and stir-fry until brown on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and leeks and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Pour in sauce mixture. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes. Sauce should be reduced enough to coat the spare ribs. Transfer to serving plate, garnish with scallions, and serve with rice.

Quinoa with Chard and Bacon

Mr. S and I went to the Ballard Farmer's Market on Sunday and got a big butch of chard. Mr. S was hesitant to try chard, so I wanted to cook it as deliciously as possible. I saw the recipe of Red Chard and Rice on foodnetwork.com from Rachael Ray and thought Mr. S would like it because it has BACON in it.

I changed the rice to quinoa to increase the fiber and protein of this dish.


Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 to 4 slices bacon, or 1 (1/8-inch thick) slice of speck, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, grated
* 1 small bunch red chard, stemmed and chopped
* Freshly grated nutmeg
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or sweet paprika
* 1 cup quinoa
* 1 3/4 cups chicken stock or water

Directions
Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the bacon, cook 2 minutes, then add the garlic and stir 1 minute. Add the chard and season with a little nutmeg, salt, pepper, and paprika. When the chard is wilted add the quinoa and stir 1 minute more. Add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook 15 to 18 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and serve.

*Recipe from food network.



We had the quinoa dish with tri-tip steak from the grass fed cow share that we ordered last year. I bought a bottle of steak marinate from the store and marinated it over night. Then I baked it for around 30 minutes and seared it on a grill pan. It was very tasty, but next time I will try to make the marinade myself.

Homemade Sauerkraut Part II

It is time to report the progress of the Sauerkraut. I started the fermentation about 1 and a half weeks ago, you can find the recipe here. Due to the cold weather in Seattle, my house's temperature has been probably around 60 degrees, so the fermentation took a little longer than most of the books recommended. Honestly, I think the best way to know if the kraut is done is to taste it yourself. Also, some people might like it more sour and some people might like it more mild. I have my in home tasting judge Mr. S to ensure the quality meets our standards before bottling it.

I put a pot filled with water on top of a plate as a weight to create a brine.


The color of the brine and the cabbage got darker. It turned into light dark yellow.

I put some of the kraut juice into the bottle as well. Enjoy the delicious natural probiotics!

Kombucha Part II

After waiting for 10 days, finally the Kombucha is ready to enjoy. You can check out here to read how I started brewing Kombucha.

The weather in Seattle has been cold, so it took a longer time than the Sally Fallon's recommendation to wait for 7 days. I tasted it on Day 7 and it tasted sweet. So I waiting a couple more days and today, is the day that the Kombucha tasted like Synergy drinks(A Kombucha brand that you buy from the store).


You will see yeast in the tea. My friend used a cheese cloth to filter the Kombucha. I used a colander to drain the tea, and the tea is somewhat filtered. Then I bottled them into swing top bottles. I stored the bottle in a cool area of my house. When I am ready to drink them I will put them in the refrigerator.

Homemade Sauerkraut

I have been in a ‘homemade’ mood lately. First, it was the Kombucha, then the u-pick organic strawberries and waiting to make jam, and now, I am making sauerkraut. Last year, I attempted to make my own sauerkraut but it ended up too salty. This year, I want to try it again. I was waiting for the summer to come, so I could get some in season organic cabbage from the local farm. I got a box of Full Circle produce this week and it included cabbage.
Recipe is modified from Nourishing Tradition

Ingredients
1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tablespoon sea salt (I use Redmond Real Salt)

Tools
a meat hammer

Directions
1) In a bowl, mix cabbage with sea salt. Pound with a meat hammer for about 10 minutes to release juices.



2) Place the cabbage in a mixing bowl and press down using a weight on a plate until juices come to the top of the cabbage. Keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

I will report on how it turned out in 3 days. So excited!

Kombucha

Have you ever have Kombucha? Kombucha is a fermented tea drink using a Kombucha culture, SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast). When you add sugar in the tea, the SOCBY acts on sugar and tea to produce some acid, including gluceronic acid. According to Nourishing Tradition by Sally Fallon, Glucuronic acid is a potent detoxifying substance. This drink is originally from the Ural mountain region of Russia.

The one that you get from the store usually comes with different fruit flavors and it would cost around $3-4 per bottle. But brewing Kombucha is very easy and cheap! First, you will need a jar. I bought a one gallon jar off craigslist. Then I got my SCOBY from a friend. You can get the rest of the ingredients very easily. The last thing you need is a warm safe place, where you can put the Kombucha and forget about it for a week.

Sally Fallon also mentioned, it is best to use white sugar instead of honey or Repadura. Use organic black tea, instead of flavored tea, because it has the highest amount of glycuronic acid and non-organic teas are high in fluoride.



Recipe from Nourishing Tradition.

Ingredients
3 quarts filtered water
1 cup sugar
4 tea bags of organic black tea
1/2 cup kombucha from previous culture
1 kombucha SCOBY

Directions
1) Bring 3 quarts filtered water to boil. Add sugar and simmer until dissolved. Remove from heat, add the tea bags and allow the tea too steep until water has completely cooled.
2) Remove tea bags. Pour cooled liquid into a gallon jar and add 1/2 cup kombucha from the previous batch. Place the SCOBY on top of the liquid. Cover loosely with a cloth or towel and transfer to a warm, dark place away from contaminants and insects.
3) In about 7-10 days, the kombucha will be ready, depending on the temperature. It should be rather sour and possibly fizzy, with no taste of tea remaining. Transfer to covered glass containers and store in the refrigerator.
4) When the kombucha is ready, your SCOBY will have grown a second spongy pancake. This can be used to make other batches or given away to friends. Store the SCOBY in a glass or stainless steel container, never plastic. The SCOBY can be used dozens of times. But if the kombucha doesn't sour probably, or if there is mold growing on top, discard the SCOBY and the kombucha and order a new clean one.


I will report on the Kombucha end results.