Blueberry Jam

Nothing says summer in NY like blueberry picking! Now I must say, blueberry picking is not my favorite thing but I do enjoy the benefits. It just seems to take forever to fill those buckets. But it is peaceful and quiet, unless my kids get bored and start running up and down the aisles...or hubby decides to start throwing "accidentally picked" green berries at me. So I had a plan this year. Due to a death in the family I had to take a trip to California for a couple days. So hubby took time off work to hang with the kids. I thought it would be great if he took them blueberry picking. I'd hate it if we missed blueberry season while I was in Cali ;) But after giving him directions 4 times and telling him friends he could call for help, he never found the place. Alas, my plan didn't work. He gave up and took the kids to the park.
This last weekend we picked 50 lbs of blueberries. When we got home I realized I still had 5 gallon size bags from last year =/ Not sure how that happened. Sooo....blueberry jam it is! I'm not an expert jelly/jam maker but I have made it many times over the years and this is the easiest I've ever made! So get out there and pick some blueberries and make this!

This made almost 4 pints of blueberry jam. Feel free to increase or decrease as needed. Some like to do it in half pint jars...not me, we go through a lot of jelly/jam and I don't want to be constantly going to get a new jar.

Blueberry Jam
by Amanda @ Natural and Organic Lifestyle

4 lbs blueberries
2 1/4 cup organic sugar
1 cup water
4 sterilized pint jars and lids, keep warm while making jam

Wash and pick through blueberries, removing stems and leaves. Place in a large stainless steel pot. With a potato masher, crush the blueberries. They don't have to be completely crushed, just mush about a layer of them leaving some whole. Add water. Cook over medium heat, simmering until berries are tender. Add sugar and stir well. Boil rapidly, stirring often, until it reaches the jelling point.

Jelling point can be determined many ways, do your research. But I like to use a thermometer to keep an eye on it until it's almost there. At sea level the jelling point is around 220 degrees F. Before it hits 220, I place a small plate in the freezer. Once the temp gets close I pull the plate out and put a small spoonful of jam on it and place back in the freezer for a few minutes. To avoid overcooking you may want to remove the pot from heat while you wait to check it. When you pull it out, run your finger through the middle. If it runs right back together, you need to cook longer. If it slowly runs back together it will be a soft mold. For a harder mold you want it to not come back together but leave the line down the middle.

Once you've reached the jelling point, spoon jam into warm pint jars leaving 1/4 inch head space and put lids on. Process for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fresh Mozzarella Pesto Grilled Cheese

This is a great variation on the standard grilled cheese. I love grilled cheese but sometimes I want something more. This hits the spot! It's a quick easy dinner and comfort food at it's best!

Fresh Mozzarella Pesto Grilled Cheese
2 slices organic sourdough bread
2 TB garlic scape pesto or any other pesto
2 slices fresh mozzarella
2 tb organic butter

Butter both sides of your bread and warm in a pan. Carefully spread pesto on the inside of each piece. Lay cheese on top of one piece and top with other piece of bread. Grill until cheese is melty. Serve with some tomato soup with shredded Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Garlic Scape Pesto

I had some garlic scapes from our CSA share. I had been using them in various dishes in place of garlic or onions. I came across a recipe for a grilled cheese with pesto and thought, hmmm, I could make pesto with the garlic scapes! I used this for a sandwich spread so I didn't make it too liquidy like you would for pasta. So if you want to through it on some pasta, add more olive oil. We warned this is a spicy pesto. If you don't want spicy you can sub basil for a traditional pesto or parsley for a twist. If you are using basil or parsley add a clove or two of garlic.

Garlic Scape Pesto
1 cup garlic scapes (about 6 or 7) chopped into small pieces, flowers removed
1/3 cup organic cashews, or you can use pine nuts (I can't get organic pine nuts)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, organic (approx. 3/4 cup if you want it for pasta sauce)
1/2 ts good salt
pepper to taste
Shredded Parmesan to taste (I used a couple TB)

Put scapes and nuts in the food processor and process until smooth-ish. Drizzle olive oil in until well combined and smooth. Remove from processor and stir in salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Spread on your sandwich bread and enjoy!

Great Rewards

Homemade almond butter

Making your own almond butter is so easy. Buy almonds in bulk and you'll save tons of money compared to jars of almond butter. I like to add a little salt and maple syrup or honey, but that's totally optional. Enjoy some almond butter in a sandwich, with apples, or anywhere you'd use other nut or seed butters.

Raw almond butter

2 cups raw organic almonds
pinch of real salt, or to taste (optional)
1-2 tb maple syrup or honey, or to taste (optional)

Place almonds in food processor. Note: if you keep them frozen, thaw them first. Process in food processor, scraping down sides as needed. Once it gets past the floury stage and starts getting paste-like, add the salt and sweetener. Process until smooth and creamy. This usually takes about 10 minutes, then you have fresh raw almond butter to enjoy!

Homemade Sauerkraut

Making your own sauerkraut is SO easy! I wanted to make it for years but was scared. I tried to make it once a few years ago, wasn't the best recipe or procedure, and it got all moldy because I forgot about it. This recipe is pretty foolproof. According to Sally Fallon of Nourishing Traditions, to ensure consistently satisfactory results, you should add homemade whey (never use commercial concentrated whey or dried whey). Whey supplies lactobacilli and acts as an inoculant. Personally I've had great results whether I use whey or not, so that's totally up to you.

Ingredients:
1 head organic cabbage
1 TB real salt
4 TB homemade whey (optional)

Remove outer leaves of cabbage. Shred the cabbage, minus the core. I use they shredding disk in my food processor. You could shred by hand or slice really thin with a knife if you'd like. Place shredded cabbage in a big bowl. Toss with salt, and whey if you're using it. Pound it really good, you want to release the liquid. I usually start by pounding it with a potato masher, then I squeeze it really good with my hands (obviously wash them well first)...then I place a bowl or plate on top of the cabbage with weights on it and let it sit for a half hour or so to get more liquid out.
Like this:

Don't mind the tiny sliver of carrot that accidentally got mixed in from a batch with carrots =)

Take cabbage mixture and press it down into a sterilized quart jar. Use a wooden dowel or a rubber spatula to push it down really well so the liquid rises above the cabbage. The liquid must be above the cabbage, if it's not, keep pressing. If it really seams like your liquid won't rise anymore, you can add a little salt water (real salt with purified water). Put the lid on real tight. Leave jar at room temperature for atleast three days. I sometimes leave mine for up to 7 days. I usually taste it and see if I'd like it a little tangier. After the 3 days (or however long you let it ferment) put it in the fridge. It will last for a very long time. The beauty of fermented food is that if it goes bad, it's extremely obvious. It will smell so bad that nothing could make you want to eat it =)
The first batch of sauerkraut I made was SO exciting! After the fermenting time, I opened up the jar and took a bite. I kept yelling "I made sauerkraut!!!" The kids kind of thought I was nuts. They obviously just don't understand how expensive a jar of organic sauerkraut is! 

Raw Ranch Dressing

I love ranch dressing! I have not found an organic ranch dressing in the store that I actually liked. So a couple months ago I started making my own and I love it! It reminds me of my favorite ranch from a restaurant in California I used to work at. I compare all ranch dressings to that one!
Organic ingredients are always recommended.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk (I always make ranch immediately after making butter. A friend gave me a recipe for using kefir instead too, which is pretty yummy, if you can get raw organic kefir, or make it yourself)
1 ts garlic chives (regular chives would work great too), chopped
1/2 ts dried parsley
1/2 ts dried dill
1/2 ts garlic powder
1/2 ts onion flakes or onion powder
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of good salt (celtic or real salt) or more to taste
1/8 ts ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and let it sit in the fridge for atleast a half hour before using. Use within a week.
Enjoy!

Making Kimchi (Korean Sauerkraut)

Like I stated in a previous post, I've been fermenting like crazy lately. I don't know why I didn't try it earlier. It's so easy, and soooo good for you! Unfortunately I haven't had time to post anything about it yet. So I felt really bad when my  husband looked at me with a pouty face last night and said "How come your kimchi hasn't made it onto your blog yet?" So I said, "It's not like you ever read my blog!" He says, "You don't know that!" So here we go, let's see if he reads it and notices the kimchi =) Hubbie was Seabee in the Navy when we met. Before we met, he was in Korea for 7 months. In Korea they serve kimchi with everything, so he has a great love for kimchi. I've looked at it in the store and thought anyone would be crazy to actually eat that stuff, seriously looked gross to me. I would occasionally (ok, maybe it was only twice in the ten years we've been married) buy some kimchi for him but I refused to try it. I come to find out that most traditional kimchi is made with fish sauce, shrimp, or squid, none of which I care to eat. So when I started on this fermenting kick a few months ago, I saw a recipe in Sally Fallon's "Nourishing Traditions" for kimchi. There wasn't anything fishy in it so I thought I would give it a try for my awesome husband. Though, I find nothing wrong with the recipe, he says it is NOTHING like anything he ever had in Korea. To be fair, he says it's super yummy, just not kimchi. So after doing some research into what makes "real" kimchi, I found that kimchi is a regional thing in Korea. It's made different depending on where you are in Korea and what you can find locally. So I'm thinking, "Great, how the heck am I supposed to make a kimchi he'll like when it's different all over the country!?!?" Well, I lucked out and found a Korean ladies website (http://www.maangchi.com) and I veganized her kimchi recipe and tweaked it and hubby loved it!!! He said it wasn't "exactly" right due to the lack of fish sauce (bleh) but he was totally ok with that because he hates fish sauce (go figure how he ate so much kimchi in Korea, if he hates fish sauce???). I put fish sauce in a Thai Coconut Soup once and he almost vomited due to the fishy taste (it seriously wasn't that bad, he's just dramatic...haha let's see if he's reading this). But, as a huge pat on my back, he said (regarding my kimchi) "I would be happy never having any other kimchi ever again as long as I can have this one!" =) I agree that it's really yummy. But it is strong and spicy. For the sake of co-workers, never eat before going into a meeting and for the sake of your spouse, never eat before bed!

This picture is my current batch that has only fermented for a day. It will get darker as it ferments longer.

Vegan Kimchi
This recipe calls for 8-10 pounds of Napa cabbage. This makes about a gallon of kimchi. The first time I made it I used one large Napa cabbage which was about 4 or 5 lbs and it made a half gallon. So you can cut this recipe in half or whatever and it still works great! Organic ingredients are always recommended.

10 lbs Napa Cabbage (give or take a lb or 2)
1 Daikon Radish, peal and julienne
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 cup diced onion
2 tb minced ginger
1 head of garlic (not one clove, on entire head, peal all cloves)
3 tb crushed red pepper flakes (you can use less to make less spicy, or use more for super spicy)
3 cups filtered water
1/2 cup white rice flour
1 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos or organic soy sauce

Start by cutting up your cabbage. Cut off an inch or two on the core end and then slice length-wise into eighths (cut into quarters first and then cut each quarter in half). Slice into bite size pieces. Put all your cut up cabbage in a big basin or very large bowl, cover with cold water and soak for a few minutes. Drain. Toss with the 1 cup of salt. Let it sit for 90 minutes, tossing every 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a porridge to make your kimchi paste. Bring the 3 cups of water and 1/2 cup rice flour, well blended, to a light boil, just seeing bubbles rise, stirring often. Add 1/4 cup sugar and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until translucent. Set aside and let cool completely.

Once your porridge is cooled, place in a food processor the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, Braggs or soy sauce, and diced onion. Process and then mix into porridge in a big bowl. Toss in your daikon radish and green onions. Mix well and your kimchi paste is done.

Once your cabbage is done with the 90 minutes of salting, rinse 3 times to remove the salt.

Toss the cabbage with the kimchi paste and pack into glass jars pushing down with a wooden dowel or a rubber spatula to release any air and bring the liquid to the top. Leave atleast an inch head space, 2 inches would probably be better, it expands a lot. Place the lid on tightly and leave sitting at room temperature for 3 days. After the 3 days place in the refrigerator.

This is a time consuming recipe, but the actual hands on time really isn't that bad. Serve as a side dish or a small snack. I like to open the fridge and take a bite and then walk away, often =)

Enjoy!

Feels like forever...

We've had some good weather for hiking. Which usually means I'm lagging behind taking cool pictures =) I thought this hollowed out tree was really neat looking.

Feels like forever since I've posted and in reality it's only been two weeks! We've had birthdays, broken arms, everyday swim lessons for two weeks, everyday soccer camp for a week, the start of the baseball season, not to mention everyday stuff like trying to finish school for the school year, cooking, cleaning, housebreaking the puppy (NOT going well), and researching puppy training after said puppy broke the above mentioned arm....sigh. That reminds me to mention that vitamin C is not only good for when you're sick, but it's good to help aid in any healing in your body, including broken bones. Honestly, we've been lucky. With four kids, we've only had two broken arms, and they were both the same kid. Eek...reaching around to knock on every piece of wood I can find.

I have had no time to type new recipes unfortunately, though I have tons of pictures of them =) Not to mention I've been a fermenting fool! I have found the greatness and ease of fermenting and I can't stop fermenting everything! I think I have a problem, and my refrigerator would have to agree. Even though I've admitted I have a problem, I still couldn't stop myself from buying a head of organic cabbage at the grocery store a few days ago. I mean, come on, they don't always carry organic cabbage, I HAD to buy it right? Not only have I made sauerkraut, but I've also made a vegetarian kimchi (Korean sauerkraut, hubby was in Korea in the Navy), fermented salsa, different sauerkraut blends: cabbage carrot onion garlic, and cabbage jalapeno onion, and spicy sauerkraut with red pepper flakes, and cabbage onion garlic. I think that might be it. But, see, I really need to stop for awhile, my refrigerator can't handle any more jars! But you can look forward to some information and recipes on fermenting in the future!

As for tonight, for dinner I'm making Baked Chicken Parm Casserole Yum Yum! I'm trying it with a gluten free stuffing mix for the topping this time. I'm also about to whip up some Granola Bars. And...if I have time I want to try a raw date bar recipe I conjured up in my head...Hopefully it works!

Layered bean dip

I sometimes wonder if I"m part Mexican...I'm not...but I still wonder. I could eat Mexican food every.single.day. Seriously. Luckily my family loves it too....though they would not be cool with every day, but a couple times a week seems to work for everyone (with a secret stash of chips and salsa on hand for me). Here's a great bean dip that's wonderful for parties, or movie nights, or "dips for dinner" night, ha. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups organic pinto or black beans, cooked
2 cloves organic garlic
1/2 organic onion
1/2 ts good salt, or to taste
1/2 ts garlic powder
Handful cilantro
Toppings: (any or all)
1 cup shredded organic cheddar cheese
1/2 cup organic sour cream
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 tomato diced
sliced black olives

Process in a food processor: beans, garlic, onion, salt, garlic powder, and cilantro. Spoon mixture into a serving bowl. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Spread a layer of sour cream on top of cheese if desired. Sprinkle green onions, tomatoes, and olives on the very top. Bake for about 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees to warm through and melt cheese. Serve with organic tortilla chips!