Ingredients:
heirloom wheat tortilla (see my recipe) or if you wish you may use
Alvarado Street Bakery organic sprouted wheat tortillas
grass fed bison (I use North Star Bison)
sour cream (organic/ grass fed – I use Wallaby sour cream)
roma or heirloom tomatoes
red onions
cheddar cheese (organic/grass fed)
anaheim chili peppers
lettuce (I prefer butter head lettuce)
guacamole (see my next post)
spices added to the meat while cooking: cumin, paprika, chili powder, coriander, cayenne
Ingredients:
two small avocados
one small red onion
1 fresh lemon or lime
1 teaspoon garlic (I prefer elephant garlic)
2 tomatoes (I prefer roma or heirloom)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Bison Chili
1/2 pound grass-fed/organic bison or beef
1 can or jar tomatoes in puree 28 oz
2 cans red kidney beans
1 red onion – chopped
1 anaheim chile pepper (or pepper of choice)- chopped
Spices: paprika, turmeric, cumin and cayenne
cilantro – for garnish
Put meat, onions, and anaheim in skillet and break apart meat with spatula.
Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Add tomatoes and chop them in the pan using spatula. Add beans and spices.
Cook for 5-10 minutes.
Serve – add cilantro for garnish
Avocado Pudding
I just made this for my family.
It was very simple:
Avocados (2 small)
Fair trade organic Rapunzel powdered chocolate (2 tablespoons)
1 banana
Coconut Secret (Raw low glycemic sweetener), a raw coconut nectar, organic sugar or organic honey (1 teaspoon).
Blend all ingredients until smooth
If it is too thick, add spring water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring thoroughly.
If it is too thin, add more avocado.
Make delicious homemade mayo in 5 minutes!
Well, I did it! I made my own mayonnaise. It turned out really delicious! I am surprised by the taste and flavor.
It really wasn’t too difficult either.
1 egg yolk (pasteurized, organic, pasture raised) *Note: The important thing to know when using raw eggs, is that you make sure they are pasteurized.
1 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons squeezed lemon
1 tablespoon organic brown rice (or organic white vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
real salt
Directions:
Add all dry ingredients together then add egg yolk, 1/2 of the vinegar, and 1 teaspoon lemon.
Whisk until frothy.
Then add 1/8 cup of oil mixture SLOWLY while whisking until thickened. As it thickens, you can SLOWLY add more oil (another 1/8 cup) whisking until thick. Do this until all the oil is gone.
Note: If your mayonnaise does not thicken, then it is likely that you added the oil too quickly.
After mayonnaise is thick, add the remaining lemon and vinegar and whisk a little more.
Refrigerate. Use within 5 days.
I am so happy with this mayo. It tastes so good.
If the ingredients are good, then the final result will usually be good as well.
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Butter (grass-fed/organic)
6 oz. Organic Parmesan cheese (organic)
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream (organic)
3 Tablespoons Sour Cream (organic – I prefer Walaby’s)
Elephant Garlic (2-3 cloves)
1 Leek
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Tarragon
Fresh Basil
Arrowroot Powder (if needed)
Melt butter and cook with 1 chopped leek in skillet.
Add heavy whipping cream and cook on low.
Slowly add Parmesan cheese until melted.
Then add tarragon and nutmeg
*If the sauce is not thick enough for you, you can add arrowroot 1 teaspoon at a time. Cook on low and stir.
Then add 3 tablespoons sour cream, and elephant garlic (2 small cloves). Gently heat for less than a minute.
Serve over rice or pasta.
Add fresh basil
Enjoy.
*Note the photo does not include the tarragon or basil as we didn’t have any on hand at the time. 🙂
What is Baking Soda?
Question: What is baking soda?
Answer: Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), commonly known as baking soda, is a time-honored odor absorber and acid neutralizer. Baking soda can be found as a naturally occurring compound, but is more frequently manufactured from other naturally derived materials, like trona ore. Baking soda can be produced by the reaction of carbon dioxide and soda ash, a naturally occurring mineral.
Question: Does your Baking Soda contain any GMO ingredients?
Answer: It depends on your definition of GMO – and which brand of Baking Soda you’re referring to. To my knowledge there is not an “organic” baking soda.
Arm and Hammer makes sodium bicarbonate by mining trona ore from Green River, Wyoming. This method uses carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide is often made from GMO fertilizer… A small point.. but the answer to the question would be, possibly. http://www.tourwyoming.com/discover-sweetwater/industry.html
Answer: If you use Bob’s Red Mill or another company who simply uses pure sodium bicarbonate naturally found in the earth, then no.
Let’s start by explaining the four ways in which baking soda can be made.
1. In 1846, Austin Church, a Connecticut physician, and John Dwight, a farmer from Massachusetts, established a factory in New York to manufacture baking soda. Dr. Church’s son, John, owned a mill called the Vulcan Spice Mills. Vulcan, the Roman god of forge and fire, was represented by an arm and hammer, and the new baking soda company adopted the arm and hammer logo as its own. Today, the Arm & Hammer brand of baking soda is among the most widely recognized brand names.
Named after Nicolas Leblanc, the French chemist who invented it, the Leblanc process was the earliest means of manufacturing soda ash (Na 2 CO 3 ), from which sodium bicarbonate is made. Sodium chloride (table salt) was heated with sulfuric acid, producing sodium sulfate and hydrochloric acid. The sodium sulfate was then heated with coal and limestone to form sodium carbonate, or soda ash.
2. In the late 1800s, another method of producing soda ash was devised by Ernest Solvay, a Belgian chemical engineer. The Solvay method was soon adapted in the United States, where it replaced the Leblanc process. In the Solvay process, carbon dioxide and ammonia are passed into a concentrated solution of sodium chloride. Crude sodium bicarbonate precipitates out and is heated to form soda ash, which is then further treated and refined to form sodium bicarbonate of United States Pharnacopoeia (U.S.P.) purity.
Although this method of producing baking soda ash is widely used, it is also problematic because the chemicals used in the process are pollutants and cause disposal problems.
3. (The most common method used today) Trona ore for Wyoming is used. If trona ore is used, it must first be mined. After it has been brought to the surface, the trona ore is transported to a variety of processing plants. There, the ore is refined into a slurry of sodium sesquicarbonate, an intermediate soda ash product that actually contains both soda ash (sodium carbonate) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) Next, the intermediate soda ash solution is put into a centrifuge, which separates the liquid from the crystals. The crystals are then dissolved in a bicarbonate solution (a soda ash solution made by the manufacturer) in a rotary dissolver, thereby becoming a saturated solution. This solution is filtered to remove any non-soluble materials and is then pumped through a feed tank to the top of a carbonating tower. Purified carbon dioxide is introduced into the bottom of the tower and held under pressure. As the saturated sodium solution moves through the tower, it cools and reacts with the carbon dioxide to form sodium bicarbonate crystals. These crystals are collected at the bottom of the tower and transferred to another centrifuge, where excess solution (filtrate) is filtered out. The crystals are then washed in a bicarbonate solution, forming a cake-like substance ready for drying. The filtrate that is removed from the centrifuge is recycled to the rotary dissolver, where it is used to saturate more intermediate soda ash crystals. The washed filter cake is then dried on either a continuous belt conveyor or in a vertical tube drier called a flash dryer. The theoretical yield from the process, according to the Church & Dwight Company, is between 90 and 95 percent, and the baking soda manufactured is more than 99 percent pure. A key step in the process occurs in the carbonating tower. Here, the saturated soda ash solution moves from the top of the tower downward. As it falls, the solution cools and reacts with carbon dioxide to form sodium bicarbonate crystals—baking soda. After filtering, washing, and drying, the crystals are sorted by particle size and packaged appropriately.
4. Natural Soda recovers sodium bicarbonate using a process known as solution mining. This involves pumping hot waterapproximately 1900 feet underground to dissolve the underlying nahcolite beds and return the bicarb saturated water to the surface. By reducing the temperature of the liquor, sodium bicarbonate is crystallized. Excess water is then removed by high speed centrifuging (spin drying). The resultant damp crystal mass is further dried, screened and packed in accordance with industry designated specifications, while maintaining stringent quality accreditation standards.
This is how Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda is made.Summary:
Ask the company where their baking soda was made. The two top places where baking soda is made are Colorado and Wyoming.
The baking soda made in Colorado is just pure sodium bicarbonate and doesn’t need to be processed like the baking soda made from Trona in Wyoming.
This is how Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda is made.Summary:
Ask the company where their baking soda was made. The two top places where baking soda is made are Colorado and Wyoming.
The baking soda made in Colorado is just pure sodium bicarbonate and doesn’t need to be processed like the baking soda made from Trona in Wyoming.
References:http://www.tomsofmaine.com/research/ingredients/ingredient-detail/sodium-bicarbonate-%28baking-soda%29
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Baking-Soda.html#ixzz2MTyXlatv
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Baking-Soda.html#ixzz2MTyXlatv
http://www.enotes.com/baking-soda-reference/baking-soda
http://naturalsoda.dublinblue.com/
A pretty good article: http://www.crunchybetty.com/the-great-baking-soda-anti-hoax
http://www.armandhammer.com/FAQ/BakingSoda.aspx
http://www.iherb.com/Bob-s-Red-Mill-Pure-Baking-Soda-Gluten-Free-16-oz-453-g/9852
http://naturalsoda.dublinblue.com/
A pretty good article: http://www.crunchybetty.com/the-great-baking-soda-anti-hoax
http://www.armandhammer.com/FAQ/BakingSoda.aspx
http://www.iherb.com/Bob-s-Red-Mill-Pure-Baking-Soda-Gluten-Free-16-oz-453-g/9852
So I just bought a new carbon steel wok and I am excited about playing around with it. I did a little research on the process of seasoning a wok and found the above video to be the most informative. However, if you are trying to avoid GMOs then it is important to know which oils to use.
Most likely GMO oils:
Canola
Soy
Corn
Cottonseed
Vegetable
My personal preferred oils are:
Rice Bran Oil
High heat Safflower
High heat Sunflower
It is important to use a cooking oil that has a high smoke point. Look at the chart here:
http://www.jonbarron.org/article/healthiest-cooking-oil-chart-smoke-points
Happy frying!
We made Creme Brulee!
8 organic egg yolks (I prefer to use duck eggs)
1/3 cup cane sugar ( prefer to use sucranat)
2 cups organic heavy creme
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 whole vanilla bean split in half lengthwise
1/4 cup cane sugar (for the caramelized tops)
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and cane sugar until it has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Set aside. Using a double boiler bring the cream to a gently simmer; do not boil. Remove the cream from heat, and slowly pour into egg mixture. Add vanilla.
Pour mixture into top of double boiler; the water should be simmering, not boiling. Cook, stirring frequently, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and fill individual serving containers, such as ramekins, custard cups, coffee cups, or edible serving cups with custard. The custard will thicken as it cools. Chill completely, at least 6 hours.
After it is chilled, sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of cane sugar over each custard, and caramelize. For best results, use the small, hand held torch to melt cane sugar.
Torch your heart until it melts. 🙂
A sweet happy Valentine’s Day!
Mango Sunrise Smoothie
Mango Sunrise Smoothie. Paradise in a glass.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup slightly thawed frozen mango
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp lime juice (juice of 1/2 a lime)
- 1/2 cup of water
Blend together until smooth.
From: organichousewives
Simply Cooking Real Food 