Pindi Chana
Spicy chickpea curry simmered in a tomato base with whole spices, potatoes and onions..
Canned garbanzo beans work well here- try to use an organic brand that comes in a glass jar or a non-BPA lined can.
Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch dice and sauté in ghee over medium-low heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add diced onion, whole cardamom, cloves, slit red chilies, bay leaf, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, curry leaves and cinnamon. Sauté until spices are fragrant and onions are golden brown, about 7 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes, garbanzos, turmeric, paprika and ginger and 1/2 cup of filtered water. Cover and simmer over low heat until beans are tender, about 30-45 minutes.
Serve topped with minced onion and accompanied with grilled flat bread.
Chocolate Cherry Scones with Clotted Cream
Organic soaked wheat and malted barley flour, pastured butter, cacao nibs, fresh cherries and raw cream..
Pour fresh raw cream into a pan and let stand overnight. Heat the milk very slowly until the surface begins to wrinkle, and then continue to heat 1 hour over low heat. Do not let it boil, or you’ll have to start over.
Transfer the pan to a cool spot and allow to sit overnight. In the morning, skim the clotted cream from the surface and refrigerate until ready to use.
Soak 1 /12 cups of organic whole wheat flour in filtered water and homemade whey overnight. Just before preparing, stir in 1/2 of malted barley flour and pour into a glass mixing bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt and then cut in 4 tablespoons pastured butter. Make a well in the center of the mixture, then add 3/4 cup whole milk, a cup of chocolate cups and a cup of coarsely chopped, fresh pitted cherries.
Work by hand into a soft, slightly wet dough. Drop heaping tablesponsful of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a 375 degree oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Serve warm with clotted cream.
Sprouted Wheat Salad
An all organic, raw, living salad of sprouted wheat berries, heirloom tomatoes, green onions, Anaheim peppers and garlic dressed with coarse salt and pepper, olive oil and basil hydrosol, with herbs and field greens..
Raw foods have profoundly higher nutritional value and are full of the life-sustaining enzymes that are lost when foods are cooked.
“Sprouts are a tremendous source of (plant) digestive enzymes. Enzymes act as biological catalysts needed for the complete digestion of protein, carbohydrates & fats. The physiology of vitamins, minerals and trace elements is also dependent on enzyme activity.”
“Being eaten whilst extremely young, “alive” and rapidly developing, sprouts have been acclaimed as the “most enzyme-rich food on the planet”.
Its really easy to sprout wheat..
Use 1 part organic wheat berries to 3 parts filtered water. Soak berries overnight, then drain thoroughly, rinse and drain again. Set on counter, away from direct light. I use a glass jar with a screen lid, but you could just as easily use cheesecloth and a rubber band.
Continue to rinse and drain 3 times a day for 2-3 days or until the sprouted reach 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length. Keep sprouts refrigerated and use within 2 days.
Ham and Eggs Redux
Poached pastured duck egg on a thick slice of uncured, local ham with chili con queso and a grilled pepper..
Duck eggs have something like three times the vitamin B12 and twice the vitamin B6 and vitamin A of chicken eggs and are somewhat richer in taste as well. Skip the drive-through, poach an egg, grab a pepper from your garden and grill that with some real ham & see just how good you feel today!
“USDA’s proposed program could be compared to afinely crafted blueprint for a concrete blimp.”
This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays
Pickled Watermelon Radishes
There is some evidence that pickled vegetables help promote digestive health and lower cholesterol. Health benefits aside, pickling is a really easy and delicious way of preserving the season’s bounty for months to come..
The basic ratio (Ruhlman) for a pickling brine is 20:1, that is, 20 ounces of water (filtered) to 1 ounce of kosher salt. To this you may add antimicrobial spices such as garlic, cloves or mustard and (optionally) a little non-refined sugar.
Bring the brine to a boil then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Mix in a few ounces of the liquid from a previous batch (if available) to intensify the flavor and color.
Pack the radishes into a clean jar and weight down (I’m using a bag of dried beans), then cover with brine and seal.
Keep at room temperature for about 1 week (or 3 days if you add whey) before transferring to the refrigerator.
While you don’t have to go through all the meticulous sterilizing that canning requires, it is important to use clean utensils and to use at least a 20:1 brine ratio. Properly pickled, your radishes will have a ph of around 4.6 and will keep for several months.
Breakfast Burritos
“A chicken that in addition to grain has access to pasture and a natural diet of grasses, forbs, and insects produces eggs that are higher in nutrients. Pastured eggs have been found to contain less fat, less cholesterol, twice as much vitamin E, 40-62% more vitamin A and up to four times as much omega-3 fatty acids compared to the standard values reported by the USDA for commercial eggs. Pastured eggs also typically contain higher levels of carotenoids such as lutein and zexanthin.
The other great thing about pastured eggs is the taste! As soon as you crack one open you can tell-that deeply colored yolk carries with it an enhanced nutritional value, and a better, richer flavor.” LocalHarvest
Pastured eggs, chorizo, fresh peppers, onions and cilantro wrapped up in an organic paprika/cayenne tortilla..
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," Hippocrates.
Dice Spanish chorizo, red bell and pickled jalapeno peppers, slice green onions. Sauté in pastured butter with a little Mexican oregano over medium-low heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat fresh tortillas on a dry comal or skillet.
Crack eggs directly into pan with vegetables- rather than sticking, they should float over the thinnest of layers of butter and fat rendered from the sausage.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the eggs onto themselves several times, allowing them to spread back out in between times until set, about 4 minutes.
Arrange mixture in the center of a tortilla (I’ve spread a little chili con queso on mine), fold the edges inward then roll up like a fat cigar. Pico de gallo makes a great side.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays
