We're big fans of mayonnaise around here, but not of soy. Take a look at the label on any store bought mayo and you'll see that soy is the main attraction. Despite what you may have been told, soy is not a health food! Quite the contrary, in fact! So, homemade mayo it is! It's pretty easy, and definitely worth it. I love that I can let you kids slather your artichokes leaves in it with abandon! And with the addition of liquid whey (which we get from straining our homemade yogurt), it can last for up to two months in the fridge.
* You want your ingredients to be at room temperature, so set them out ahead of time.
Ingredients
2 Egg yolks, (from local, pastured chickens only - never eat store bought eggs raw!)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp liquid whey, optional
1 cup vegetable oil*
* You can use any combination of oils. We've tried grapeseed, flax, olive, sesame, coconut, and sunflower. Find a combination that works for you. Olive oil and flax are strong, so try sesame, grapeseed, or sunflower if you want a more mild flavor. Coconut is solid at room temperature, so don't use more than half coconut so it will still be spreadable. Do not use soy or canola oils, or you might as well buy mayo at the store!
Directions
1. Put egg yolks in a one quart canning jar, or any tall jar that your stick blender will fit in to all the way to the bottom.
2. Add the the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the oil! Use your stick blender to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
3. Continue to blend the ingredients while you add the oil a little, tiny bit at a time. Add oil, blend, add oil, blend, etc. This process will take you a few minutes, and about halfway through the mixture will suddenly turn thick - like mayonnaise! Keep adding oil and blending until you've used up all the oil.
4. Now you have mayonnaise! Leave your jar of mayo out on the counter for seven hours and the whey will start to lacto-ferment, making your mayonnaise probiotic - bonus! With the addition of liquid whey, your mayo will last one to two months in the fridge. Without the whey, you need to use it up in two weeks.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Bite-Size Maple Meringues
The egg whites have really been adding up around here since we started making our own mayonnaise. I keep them in the fridge in a one cup glass pyrex dish with a lid and a reusable label. I keep a tally on the label of how many egg whites are inside as I add them. When we get to six, we can make meringues! I found this recipe in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, but I modified the method and the cooking time a bit.
Ingredients
6 Egg whites
Pinch of sea salt
3 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1/4 Cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add in each subsequent ingredient, beating constantly with each addition.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a spoon to put bite size blobs of meringue on the cookie sheet, or you can use a pastry bag. You should have enough for about fifty.
4. Put the cookie sheets both in the oven. Leave the oven door cracked by putting a wooden spoon between the door and the oven. Bake for two hours, checking meringues on both sheets after one and a half hours. They should be crispy. The meringues on the bottom rack will probably finish first.
Ingredients
6 Egg whites
Pinch of sea salt
3 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1/4 Cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp Vanilla
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add in each subsequent ingredient, beating constantly with each addition.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a spoon to put bite size blobs of meringue on the cookie sheet, or you can use a pastry bag. You should have enough for about fifty.
4. Put the cookie sheets both in the oven. Leave the oven door cracked by putting a wooden spoon between the door and the oven. Bake for two hours, checking meringues on both sheets after one and a half hours. They should be crispy. The meringues on the bottom rack will probably finish first.
Non-Alcoholic Egg Nog
It's just us on this one, kiddos! Daddy doesn't do egg nog, but it just isn't Christmas without it. This is the first egg nog recipe I've ever tried and I love it so much and I'm so satisfied with the healthfulness of the ingredients that there's no need to look any further. I found the recipe here and modified it to meet our needs and tastes.
Ingredients
3 eggs yolks (from local, pastured chickens only - do not eat store bought eggs raw!)
1/4 cup grade B maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Nutmeg, to taste
Ground cloves, to taste
Splash of vanilla
1 Tbsp whey (optional)
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup non-homogenized whole milk (from pastured cows)
1 cup cream (from pastured cows)
Directions
1. Put the egg yolks in a one quart mason jar and blend them with a stick blender until thick.
2. Add the syrup, salt, spices, vanilla, whey, and lemon juice and blend some more.
3. Add the milk and cream and blend some more!
4. Store the egg nog in the mason jar in the fridge and shake it up before serving. Try not to drink it all at once!
MOM TIP
Save your egg whites for Meringues!
Ingredients
3 eggs yolks (from local, pastured chickens only - do not eat store bought eggs raw!)
1/4 cup grade B maple syrup
Pinch of salt
Nutmeg, to taste
Ground cloves, to taste
Splash of vanilla
1 Tbsp whey (optional)
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup non-homogenized whole milk (from pastured cows)
1 cup cream (from pastured cows)
Directions
1. Put the egg yolks in a one quart mason jar and blend them with a stick blender until thick.
2. Add the syrup, salt, spices, vanilla, whey, and lemon juice and blend some more.
3. Add the milk and cream and blend some more!
4. Store the egg nog in the mason jar in the fridge and shake it up before serving. Try not to drink it all at once!
MOM TIP
Save your egg whites for Meringues!
Roast Chicken & Veggies
I roast a chicken for dinner once a week for two reasons. One, because it's economical. For under ten dollars we have enough chicken for two dinners. (Bonus: from the bones I can make nutritious stock that just can't be bought in a store, which I use literally every day.) Two, because it's EASY. Roast chicken night means I'm not spending a significant portion of my afternoon in the kitchen preparing dinner. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy cooking, but it's always nice to have a break. And while he following instructions don't make it SEEM easy, once you get he hang of it, it's a piece of cake.
It's important to buy quality chicken. I don't recommend going to the store and buying just any old chicken, however pastured chickens from the farmer's market cost upwards of twenty dollars for a three pound bird, so it's not economically feasible on a weekly basis. I usually compromise and buy Mary's chickens from Whole Foods. At $2.99 a pound, they're easier on my already stretched food budget (and occasionally they go on sale for .99 a pound and I can stock up!). Mary's chickens are rated 3 on the 5 step animal rating Standards. Not ideal, but better than Foster Farms.
Roasting a chicken is super easy, but I have a few mom tips to share with you to ensure that your bird turns out nice and juicy. First of all, you don't need a roasting pan, but it's helpful to have a roasting rack. Racks aren't terribly expensive and take up less storage space in your ktchen than a roasting pan. (I'm all about keeping unessesary items out of my kitchen!) I use it with a large casserole dish and it works just fine. Second of all, roasting a chicken takes a little plannng ahead, so make sure you start the process early enough or you'll be eating at midnight!
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
A few dabs of pastured butter (we use Kerrygold)
A few cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into pieces
Sea salt (I use Celtic sea salt)
Pepper (I like Trader Joe's lemon pepper that comes in a grinder)
Lemon or orange (optional)
Vegetables for roasting (potatoes, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, etc)
Directions
1. Take your chicken out of the fridge about two hours before you're going to cook it. (Save the neck and gizzards for your stock, or for yor pets!) place it on the rack breast side up. Ideally you want it to be room temperature before you put it in the oven. I take it out after lunch. I don't wash the chicken because if there are any germs on it they will be killed during cooking, and I don't want to splash germs all over the sink and countertops.
2. Pull up the skin of the chicken and shove plenty of butter underneath, along with the garlic. If you want nice, crispy skin (and who doesn't?!) melt some butter and brush it all over. Season with sea salt and peper. I like to apply lemon pepper generously. If citrus is in season, you can cut up an orange or a lemon and stick the pieces in the cavity along with some cloves of garlic. Chop up the veggies and arrange them underneath the chicken. They will roast in the juices while the chicken cooks.
3. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. You want the oven nice and hot because you're going to crisp up the skin first so it holds in the juices. Put the chicken and veggies in the oven for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, I like to turn the chicken over so the juices soak into the breast meat (or you can turn it over later). I shove a heavy duty wooden spoon into the cavity and use tongs to spin it around. Put the dish back in the oven and turn the temperature down to 325 degrees. You want to cook your chicken the rest of the way slowly. I always set the timer for another hour for an average size bird.
4. When the timer goes off, put a meat thermometer in the thigh making sure it's not touching a bone. If the thigh is 175, the breast will be done. If it's not done, put it back in the oven and check the temperature occassionally. Once you become experienced you'll be able to determine doneness by the loseness of the joints when you wiggle the drumstick. Don't overcook your chicken, it will be dry!
5. Take the chicken out of the oven, cover it with a foil tent, and let it rest at least twenty minutes before you even think about cutting into it! Check your veggies at this point. If they're not fully cooked, put them back in the oven at 400 degreees while your bird rests. If they are fully cooked, turn the oven off and put the veggies back in to stay warm until dinner.
6. It's time to carve! If you want your family to love you even more than they already do, serve with corn bread or biscuits. (you can bake either of these things while your chicken is resting.). These are treats at our house, but they sure do hit the spot with roast chicken and veggies!
Mom Tip
* Whenever you chop up vegetables (except for potatoes) save the scraps in a container in the freezer. You'll use these when you make your stock and you won't have to use up perfectly good vegetables. I save carrot skins and ends, onion skins, celery parts, etc. all week long and make stock once a week.
* Put the citrus pieces down your garbage disposal after cooking the bird to freshen up your drain.
* After dinner, while the carcass is still warm, is the best time to havest the remaining meat off of your bird. If you refrigerate the carcass to do it later it's much more difficult. I usually get another two cups of meat that I then use in a recipe later in the week, or for chicken sandwiches throughout the week. Once the carcass is down to the bones, you can start your stock or put the bones in the freezer to make your stock at another time.
It's important to buy quality chicken. I don't recommend going to the store and buying just any old chicken, however pastured chickens from the farmer's market cost upwards of twenty dollars for a three pound bird, so it's not economically feasible on a weekly basis. I usually compromise and buy Mary's chickens from Whole Foods. At $2.99 a pound, they're easier on my already stretched food budget (and occasionally they go on sale for .99 a pound and I can stock up!). Mary's chickens are rated 3 on the 5 step animal rating Standards. Not ideal, but better than Foster Farms.
Roasting a chicken is super easy, but I have a few mom tips to share with you to ensure that your bird turns out nice and juicy. First of all, you don't need a roasting pan, but it's helpful to have a roasting rack. Racks aren't terribly expensive and take up less storage space in your ktchen than a roasting pan. (I'm all about keeping unessesary items out of my kitchen!) I use it with a large casserole dish and it works just fine. Second of all, roasting a chicken takes a little plannng ahead, so make sure you start the process early enough or you'll be eating at midnight!
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
A few dabs of pastured butter (we use Kerrygold)
A few cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into pieces
Sea salt (I use Celtic sea salt)
Pepper (I like Trader Joe's lemon pepper that comes in a grinder)
Lemon or orange (optional)
Vegetables for roasting (potatoes, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, etc)
Directions
1. Take your chicken out of the fridge about two hours before you're going to cook it. (Save the neck and gizzards for your stock, or for yor pets!) place it on the rack breast side up. Ideally you want it to be room temperature before you put it in the oven. I take it out after lunch. I don't wash the chicken because if there are any germs on it they will be killed during cooking, and I don't want to splash germs all over the sink and countertops.
2. Pull up the skin of the chicken and shove plenty of butter underneath, along with the garlic. If you want nice, crispy skin (and who doesn't?!) melt some butter and brush it all over. Season with sea salt and peper. I like to apply lemon pepper generously. If citrus is in season, you can cut up an orange or a lemon and stick the pieces in the cavity along with some cloves of garlic. Chop up the veggies and arrange them underneath the chicken. They will roast in the juices while the chicken cooks.
3. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. You want the oven nice and hot because you're going to crisp up the skin first so it holds in the juices. Put the chicken and veggies in the oven for 15 minutes. When the timer goes off, I like to turn the chicken over so the juices soak into the breast meat (or you can turn it over later). I shove a heavy duty wooden spoon into the cavity and use tongs to spin it around. Put the dish back in the oven and turn the temperature down to 325 degrees. You want to cook your chicken the rest of the way slowly. I always set the timer for another hour for an average size bird.
4. When the timer goes off, put a meat thermometer in the thigh making sure it's not touching a bone. If the thigh is 175, the breast will be done. If it's not done, put it back in the oven and check the temperature occassionally. Once you become experienced you'll be able to determine doneness by the loseness of the joints when you wiggle the drumstick. Don't overcook your chicken, it will be dry!
5. Take the chicken out of the oven, cover it with a foil tent, and let it rest at least twenty minutes before you even think about cutting into it! Check your veggies at this point. If they're not fully cooked, put them back in the oven at 400 degreees while your bird rests. If they are fully cooked, turn the oven off and put the veggies back in to stay warm until dinner.
6. It's time to carve! If you want your family to love you even more than they already do, serve with corn bread or biscuits. (you can bake either of these things while your chicken is resting.). These are treats at our house, but they sure do hit the spot with roast chicken and veggies!
Mom Tip
* Whenever you chop up vegetables (except for potatoes) save the scraps in a container in the freezer. You'll use these when you make your stock and you won't have to use up perfectly good vegetables. I save carrot skins and ends, onion skins, celery parts, etc. all week long and make stock once a week.
* Put the citrus pieces down your garbage disposal after cooking the bird to freshen up your drain.
* After dinner, while the carcass is still warm, is the best time to havest the remaining meat off of your bird. If you refrigerate the carcass to do it later it's much more difficult. I usually get another two cups of meat that I then use in a recipe later in the week, or for chicken sandwiches throughout the week. Once the carcass is down to the bones, you can start your stock or put the bones in the freezer to make your stock at another time.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Bacon Wrapped Sweet Potatoes
One of my favorite pastimes is reminding daddy to appreciate me. A very effective method of doing this is betting him that I'm the only wife he knows who wraps her husband's vegetables in bacon. Did I mention that daddy has a thing for bacon?
Dear children, if you're reading this then it's probably something like twenty years in the future... Soooo, approximately 2031. If, my darlings, "they" are still preaching a diet low in saturated fat in the year 2031, promise me that you will ignore, ignore, ignore! Not so sure? Watch this, or even better, watch this.
We eat plenty of saturated fat with every meal. Since I roast a chicken for dinner every Sunday and chicken is a lean meat, I like to serve side dishes that are high in saturated fat to accompany our bird and help us digest the nutrients in our vegetables. I found this recipe here, modified it slightly, and it became a fast favorite!
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
12 ounces uncured bacon, each slice cut into thirds
Ghee (or butter if you're short on ghee)
Maple syrup
Directions
1. Melt some ghee in a pan on medium heat and add some maple syrup, a small amount of each is all that's neccessary. You just need enough to coat the sweet potatoes. Throw the pieces of sweet potatoes in and stir them around, coating them with the ghee and syrup.
2. Wrap each bite in a piece of bacon and secure it with a toothpick.
3. Spread the bacon bites out in a casserole dish. Roast in a 375 degree oven for about an hour or until the bacon is crispy and the potatoes are fork tender.
MOM TIP
* If you have any other vegetables sitting around, you can throw them in the dish, too. Most recently I had a handful of brussel sprouts and pearl onions that needed to be used up, so I threw them in there, too.
* I roast these in the oven at the same time I'm roasting the chicken. When I take the chicken out and let it rest for twenty minutes, I crank the heat up a bit so that the bacon crisps.
Dear children, if you're reading this then it's probably something like twenty years in the future... Soooo, approximately 2031. If, my darlings, "they" are still preaching a diet low in saturated fat in the year 2031, promise me that you will ignore, ignore, ignore! Not so sure? Watch this, or even better, watch this.
We eat plenty of saturated fat with every meal. Since I roast a chicken for dinner every Sunday and chicken is a lean meat, I like to serve side dishes that are high in saturated fat to accompany our bird and help us digest the nutrients in our vegetables. I found this recipe here, modified it slightly, and it became a fast favorite!
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
12 ounces uncured bacon, each slice cut into thirds
Ghee (or butter if you're short on ghee)
Maple syrup
Directions
1. Melt some ghee in a pan on medium heat and add some maple syrup, a small amount of each is all that's neccessary. You just need enough to coat the sweet potatoes. Throw the pieces of sweet potatoes in and stir them around, coating them with the ghee and syrup.
2. Wrap each bite in a piece of bacon and secure it with a toothpick.
3. Spread the bacon bites out in a casserole dish. Roast in a 375 degree oven for about an hour or until the bacon is crispy and the potatoes are fork tender.
MOM TIP
* If you have any other vegetables sitting around, you can throw them in the dish, too. Most recently I had a handful of brussel sprouts and pearl onions that needed to be used up, so I threw them in there, too.
* I roast these in the oven at the same time I'm roasting the chicken. When I take the chicken out and let it rest for twenty minutes, I crank the heat up a bit so that the bacon crisps.
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