Home Made Whole Grain Crackers

Recipe from here. Take a look and be sure to read the comments for some great ideas.

My modified version:

The night before cream in a large bowl:

• 1 1/2 cup of plain whole yogurt
• 1/2 cup of butter, softened

Mix in:

• 3 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
• flavorings – caraway seeds, black pepper, habanero pepper, chipotle powder, sesame seeds, use your imagination

Cover and leave in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours (this is the “soaking” part). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using white flour to dust your surface and dough, roll your dough out thin. Cut into strips and then cut into squares.

Place your squares on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick with a fork. Bake for about 8 minutes and check, keep checking every two minutes until done. They should be browning slightly on the edges, when done. Take off of sheet and place on a cooling rack and enjoy!

Coconut Oil

I bought some coconut oil from iherb.com because I couldn’t find it in my stores.

It’s a fabulous cooking fat. If you’re worried about it having saturated fat, time to do some research and update your mindset.

Ways I’ve used it so far:

• for making curries. that’s a natural.
• in scrambled eggs and frittatas.
• for making popcorn. this is awesome. get your timing right; the fat will smoke.
• for”buttering” sweet corn. this, too, is awesome.
• I tried it in home made energy bars; it didn’t seem worth  it to me.

Coconut Oil, I’m glad you’re in my life…

Turkey Burgers with Mushrooms, Ginger, Sesame

I conceived this recipe  yesterday and made it for the first time. Best turkey burgers ever.

• 3 whole eggs
• 5 garlic cloves, microplaned
• thumb sized chunk of fresh ginger, microplaned
• double handful of fresh mushrooms, grated. you could chop or use the food processor; the grater worked great – so to speak.
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp sesame chili oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper

Put the above in a large bowl and whip together.  Add:

• Three lbs or so lean ground turkey

and squish together with your (clean) hands. Sure, you could use a spoon, but where’s the personal touch in that?

I measured out 1/3 lb patties (with the kitchen scale, any cook as good-looking and intelligent as you has a kitchen scale, right?) and put them on a medium heat grill for 8 minutes on one side; flipped for 6.

About 215 calories each and they taste awesome…

Buckwheat Treats

Recipe at The Organic Climber…

Split Pea Soup with Roasted Garlic and Chicken

I can’t eat canned split pea soup anymore. I don’t know why the soup companies think I need a teaspoon of salt in every serving, but they do, so I don’t eat their foods. I like my foods to have more complex flavors rather than just the burn of sodium chloride.

Last week at the supermarket I found Christopher Ranch Roasted Garlic – all ready to use, in a jar – easy-breezy as some of my cousins would say. We also picked up some split peas. Back home, I ran a recipe through my mind – one requirement was that there be lots of clean protein in the soup as these days, plain spit pea soup would be too carbohydrate-y for me. Here’s what I came up with, and it’s a keeper:

• Chop a big handful of roasted garlic. If you have to make your own, it will be well worth it and it’s easy.
• Chop a large onion and 3-4 carrots
• 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
• 2 Tbsp EVOO

In a soup pot or wok (I love my wok!), heat the EVOO, add the crushed red pepper and garlic, saute until the oils are released from the pepper. Add the onion and carrots and a little water, cover and simmer over medium heat for 6 minutes or so.

Homemade Coconut Milk

I guess I’ve found gold at Mark’s Daily Apple today. Here’s how to make home made coconut milk:

Contrary to popular opinion, coconut milk has to be made. It doesn’t occur naturally. Here’s how to do it at home:

2.5 ounces fresh grated coconut (finely grated – use a food processor if you have to)
1 1/2 cups hot (simmering) water

Pour water over coconut shavings. Let sit for five minutes, and then puree the mixture in a blender. Strain the puree through a cheesecloth or strainer, making sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. For thicker milk, use less water. Use the milk in any recipe that calls for it, or just drink it straight. Enjoy.

Primal Coconut Pudding

Again, from Mark’s Daily Apple. A quick dessert I can’t wait to try:

This incredibly easy pudding recipe is best served hot and fresh.

1 can coconut milk (or use an equal amount of homemade milk)
1 egg yolk
3 or 4 tablespoons almond flour
A bit of maple syrup or honey

Stir yolk, flour, and honey/syrup together to form a paste. Using a small pan, heat it over medium heat for one minute. Add the milk and turn the heat up. Once it starts boiling, stir continuously to get all the lumps out. Once it’s smooth, turn off the heat and serve. A few berries, nuts, or banana slices go well with this. Maybe add a drop or two of vanilla, or even a pinch of cinnamon.

Thai Coconut Soup

I got this from Mark’s Daily Apple. I love Thai food and coconut milk, so I can’t wait to make this:

It’s all too often that we forgo Thai food because rice, noodles, and peanuts figure so prominently in the cuisine. This soup recipe is Primal while retaining the Thai essence.

6 cups chicken stock
2-4 hot chiles (Thai, jalepeno, habanero, depending on your bravery), finely chopped and seeded (or not, again depending on your bravery)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice
4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Chicken (in strips), shrimp, or your favorite protein source

In a medium saucepan, combine broth, chiles, garlic, ginger, zest, lime juice, and 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and season with salt. Bring to a simmer and add mushrooms. After three minutes of simmering, add the meat and coconut milk. Cook the meat through, then add the spinach, letting it simmer until the spinach wilts. Add the cilantro and the remaining fish sauce. Serve and enjoy.

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Chicken and Bok Choy Coconut Curry

I love bok choy. Sure, it tastes pretty much like cabbage, but I like how it’s so green and leafy – more aesthetic to eat. Plus, cabbage comes in at a whopping 98 calories per pound, whereas bok choy is only 60-70 calories per pound – how sweet is that. Having said all that, I’m sure this would be just as good with cabbage – or even cauliflower – at the loss of some aesthetics.

Skinless chicken breast is a protein staple around here. The biggest challenge with skinless chicken breast is to keep it from getting dry and tough. This recipe definitely works for that.