Just Another Day In Paradise

Homemade mayonnaise in less than a minute

 

Ingredients:

1 egg, room temperature
1 1/2 cups olive oil or your choice of oil
3-5 tsp lemon juice 
1/2 tsp Sea salt 
1 tsp Dijon mustard 
2 Tbs apple cider vinegar or whey from kefir or yogurt

Add all ingredients to a wide mouth mason jar or this handy beaker and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Pulse about 15 times with an immersion hand blender and then blend on high until the mayonnaise is thick. 

Lacto-fermented cauliflower, carrots and celery medley

Ingredients:

1 large head of organic cauliflower cut up into pieces

1 bunch of organic celery, juliened

3 lb. bag of organic carrots, peeled and juliened

3 organic garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 cup whey

enough filtered water to fill the 1/2 gallon mason jar

Directions:

Toss the cauliflower, carrots, celery and garlic together in a large bowl. Fill a half gallon mason jar with the veggies, leaving an inch or so of room from top of the jar. Add the whey to the jar. In another half gallon jar filled with filtered water, dissolve the 2 teaspoons of sea salt to make a brine. When the salt has dissolved, add enough water to the veggie mixture, leaving an inch of head space in your jar as the brine and vegetables expand slightly during fermentation. Seal the jar with a lid, shake it to distribute the salt and set on your counter for at least 3 days and up to one week before transferring to cold storage. 

My cultured kitchen

Here is a tour of my kitchen. I have most of these bowls and jars in the cabinets and on whatever free counter space I can find. 

In the blue bowl I'm soaking flour with kefir to make pancakes for tomorrow's breakfast and in the yellow bowl I'm soaking red beans for tomorrow night's dinner. The small green bowl on top of the yellow bowl has a few rinsed egg shells which I put in the kefir water to give minerals to the grains. 

Next to our refrigerator I'm brewing espresso coffee grounds in a half gallon Ball mason jar in cold water to make the Perfect Iced Coffee. On the right I'm doing a second fermentation with blackberry syrup to make probiotic blackberry juice.

In this cabinet I'm making water kefir in the half gallon mason jar on the left, fermented kimchi in the middle mason jar and milk kefir in the quart size mason jar on the right.

Right next to my coffee maker I'm fermenting some kombucha tea. The SCOBY keeps growing more every week. I usually peel off the SCOBY baby and feed it to the chickens. They love it! ;-)

Here is my Yogourmet yogurt maker sitting n the counter next to my Kitchenaid.

Lacto-Fermented Kimchi recipe

Ingredients*

• 1 head Napa cabbage, cored and chopped
• 1 cup of juliened carrots
• 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped ginger
• 2 small sweet peppers, juliened
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup whey

Chop cabbage, carrots, ginger, peppers and garlic by hand. Combine all ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour while the salt helps pull the juices out of the veggies. Pound a few times with a potato masher to make sure it is getting juicy. Leave for another 1/2 hour if desired, or proceed.

Transfer ingredients to a clean quart-size, wide mouth jar. Press down firmly as you continue to fill the jas so that liquid comes to the top of the mixture.

Leave 1” space at the top of the jar. Put on lid and band and screw tightly.

Allow to ferment at room temperature for three to seven days. In the first 24 hours, open the jar and press down firmly on the ingredients a few times to make sure the brine is fully covering the mixture. It will continue to be released over time.

*This recipe was adapted from many different sources.

How to make your own probiotic (lacto-fermented) food

Begin with a jar of milk kefir. 

Set a stainless steel mesh strainer in a large glass bowl and line it with some cheesecloth and pour your kefir into the strainer.

Let it drip for a few hours. 

When it is has completely stopped dripping, pour the the liquid whey into a clean glass mason jar and store in the fridge. You can now use the whey to ferment salsa, salad dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, etc. You can also add it to bean dips, vegetable dip and even potato salad or pasta salad. Kefir whey is a wonderful way to add vitamins, enzymes, and probiotics to your diet. It will keep for about 6 months.

The white creamy stuff in the cheese cloth is kefir cheese. Add any herbs, spices or other ingredients or use it just as it is. It can be used in recipes as a substitute for sour cream, cottage cheese or cream cheese. It should keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Benefits of lacto-fermentation

Lacto-fermented roasted red pepper hummus

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained

juice from 1 lemon

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon chopped onion

4 teaspoons whey

In a food processor, puree all the ingredients. Process, using long pulses, until the mixture is fairly smooth, and slightly fluffy. Make sure to scrape the mixture off the sides of the food processor or blender in between pulses.

Transfer mixture into two 1 pint wide mouth jars. (I used 4 half pint jars) Place plastic lid on the jar tightly. Allow to ferment at room temperature for 3 days and then transfer to cold storage.

Serve at room temperature with crusty bread or pita chips.

You can read about the benefits of lacto-fermentation here. 

Lacto-fermented redneck caviar

1 can black eyed peas, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black olives, sliced

1 bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

4 teaspoons whey

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer mixture into two 1 pint wide mouth jars. (I used 4 half pint jars) Place plastic lid on the jar tightly. Allow to ferment at room temperature for 3 days and then transfer to cold storage.

Serve at room temperature with fritos or tostito scoops.

You can read about the benefits of lacto-fermentation here.

 

Going crazy over lacto-fermented foods...

From left to right:

mustard

raspberry preserves

roasted red peppers, or jalapeno peppers

hummus

mayonnaise

salsa

buttermilk ranch dressing

applesauce

whey

You can read all about the benefits of lacto-fermented foods here.

You can also get lots of lacto-fermented recipes from this great book:

Fermented homemade garden salsa

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 1/4 olive oil
• 4 Tbsp whey

Directions:

Chop all ingredients and combine in a bowl.  Add whey, olive oil and salt.  Stir well.  Put in jars leaving an inch of space at the top.  Make sure juices cover top of salsa, adding a bit of water if necessary.

Let set at room temperature for 2 days before placing in cool storage.

Kefir pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 kefir
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into kefir. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

Kefir smoothies

2 cups of kefir

2 cups frozen strawberries

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup fresh spinach

6 grape tomatoes

1/2 cup carrots

1/4 cup honey

or you can make kefir popsicles. These popsicles are actually really good. My kids have been eating 2 popsicles a day. Just don't tell them I put spinach and carrots in it. ;-)

How to make milk kefir- picture tutorial

Place kefir grains in a clean wire mouth glass jar.

For 2 tablespoons of grains add 2 cups of organic milk. Cover jar loosely, and allow to sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight for 12-24 hours.

After 12-24 hours, strain the kefir into a clean glass jar using a stainless steel strainer. 

You now have fresh kefir.

Place the grains back into the same jar and repeat steps.

Here are some of the known kefir health benefits:

1. Strongest natural remedy against any allergy
2. Strongest natural antibiotic without side effects
3. Treats liver disease
4. Treats gallbladder, dissolves gall bladder stones
5. Clears the body of salts, heavy metals, radionuclides, and alcoholic products
6. Cleans the body of chemical antibiotics
7. Treats kidney stones
8. Good bacteria in kefir are able to fight off pathogenic microorganisms
9. Lowers level of LDL cholesterol
10. Cleans the gastrointestinal tract
11. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
12. Treats gastritis
13. Treats pancreatitis
14. Treats ulcers
15. Prevents and treats colon cancer
16. Improves digestion
17. Improves the body functions
18. Improves the human immune system
19. Cures Candida
20. Cures hypertension
21. Stops growth of cancer cells
22. Speeds up healing process
23. Treats psoriasis
24. Treats eczema
25. Treats inflammatory diseases
26. Reduces size of tumors
27. Treats heart disease
28. Reverses calcination of blood vessels
29. Clears the blood vessels
30. Boosts the bodies energy
31. Natural “feel good” food
32. Treats lung infections
33. Normalizes metabolism thereby can be used as for weight loss
34. Cures acne
35. Has anti-oxidants and anti-aging properties
36. Nourishes hair
37. Treats the gum disease parodontosis
38. Lessens effects of medicines
39. Replenishes body of good bacteria after antibiotic
40. Balances the microflora of the body’s digestive system
41. Regulates blood pressure
42. Lowers blood sugar
43. Lowers blood lipid levels or cholesterol and fatty acids
44. Treats diarrhea
45. Treats constipation
46. Promotes bowel movement
47. Anti-stress properties
48. Treats sleeping disorders
49. Treats depression
50. Treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
51. Improves the brains neuro functions like reflexes, memory retention, attention, the five senses
52. Reduces flatulence
53. Lactic acid fermentation enhances the digestibility of milk based foods. People who cannot otherwise digest milk, can enjoy the vital calcium rich Kefir.
54. Treats yeast infection
55. Eliminates vaginal odors
56. Cures wrinkles
57. Treats arthritis
58. Treats colitis
59. Treats gout
60. Cures migranes
61. Treats rheumatism
62. Treats other stomach disorders
63. Detoxifies the body
64. Improves protein quality of milk, and enhances absorption and digestion
65. Good bacteria manufacture B vitamins such as B3, B6 and folic acid.
66. Aids in treating tuberculosis
67. Treats stomach cramps
68. Treats chronic intestine infections
69. Treats liver infections
70. Treats asthma
71. Treats bronchitis
72. Treats sclerosis
73. Treats anemia
74. Treats hepatitis
75. Healing effects on catarrh, digestive nodes, astral nodes, bilious complaints
76. Treats leaky gut syndrome
77. Prevents metastasis
78. Cures bad morning breath

 

Lacto-fermented cooking

Last week I was introduced to lacto fermententation by a dear friend. (I'm also making my own kefir, which is how I make the whey to lacto-ferment the food, but that's another post.) I have been having so much fun making all sorts of different foods. I love opening my refrigerator and seeing all those glass jars full of healthy and delicious food for my family. 

So far I have made lacto-fermented hummus,

lacto-fermented redneck caviar,

lacto-fermented ranch dressing

lacto-fermented cucumbers,

and lacto-fermented salsa.

I also made lacto-fermented apple sauce, but that was eaten the first day and lacto-fermented mayonnaise, which I used to make the dressing. This weekend I'm going to make some probiotic potato salad. 

More pictures to come soon. :-)