Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Yogurt

Mmmmmm...nothing like a good bowl of yogurt. I disliked yogurt until adulthood, then along came Greek food and I loved tzatziki! Along came Elias and I started making yogurt myself. Homemade yogurt that I could sweeten to my personal (not sweet) level was a definite improvement.

I have made it with no incubator a couple times, but we bought one just for ease. It makes a quart at a time and we tend to make two to three batches a week.

Heat milk for 10 minutes or to an almost boil. Cool for a bit over an hour (until under 90 degrees). Add some plain yogurt with acidophilus ~1/3 cup. Stir gently until mostly combined and then incubate at 110 degrees for 4 to 10 hours until set. The longer the incubation the more tart the yogurt. We usually leave ours overnight.

I love how simple of a process it is, how inexpensive it makes my yogurt budget$ and how good for our health it is. We use yogurt in place of buttermilk or milk in lots of recipes; pancakes, biscuits, quick breads, even cookies. Bowls topped with fruit and granola are great healthy snacks. Tzatziki with pilaf is a favorite. Lemon lentil soup with a dollop is wonderfully creamy. Dips, spreads, frozen or on a warm fruit compote....yogurt!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Prickly Pear Season

I missed picking mesquite pods this year, again. We did decide to pick a couple of bags of prickly pears though. It is always a short (we are surrounded by prickly pear) and fun outing. Most people make syrup or jam out of them and then add them to tea or lemonade, pour over pancakes... I have done this in the past, but really don't need to have the sugar part of the syrup. I like the fruits just how they are!

This year we decided to just juice them using our juicer.






Always pick them with tongs (even if my teenager doesn't!) and paper bags work better than plastic. Wash them, again use tongs. Then we sliced them in half and sent them through the juicer, no peeling or anything.

After juicing I heated the juice up to a boil and then poured it into ice cube trays. We froze the juice and now use the ice cubes in tea or lemonade. I can also add them to hot cereals, marinades, dressings etc.


If you don't have a juicer, you can wash and then place them in a pot with water. Boil until mushy and run through cheesecloth. The juice isn't as strong, but is still wonderful!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Wellingtons

If you ask Craig what his favorite type of dinner is he will invariably say something with puff pastry. Over the years I have made Wellingtons with a number of different fillings, but find that Portabello mushrooms are the main ingredient. Sometimes they are stuffed with other veggies or a nut pesto or cheese. They have all turned out delicious! (I think shoe leather would even taste good if wrapped in puff pastry.)

Start by making a vegetable based coulis....I tend to use Red Peppers
Red bell peppers (or kale, spinach, tomato, squash)
Onion
Garlic
Vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until soft. Puree into a smooth liquid. This can be done ahead and reheated later when you plate the wellingtons.

Portabella Mushrooms
Roasted or steamed veggies (zucchini, bell peppers, etc)
Cheese or pesto or sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Garlic
Herbs (Basil, oregano, etc)
Salt and Pepper
Puff pastry, thawed
egg, beaten with a bit of water


Marinate the mushrooms with the vinegar, olive oil, garlic and herbs. Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until soft ~ 30-40 minutes.

Saute, roast or steam your other veggie. You can make a mix or pistachios with onion and mushrooms, steamed favorite veggie, simple marinara sauce. In this case I steamed zucchini.

Take a puff pastry sheet and cut it into squares ~ 5 inches. Place a mushroom cut in half on it. Add your cheese, sauces and veggies. Wrap pastry around trying to seal edges as much as possible. If your dough doesn't stretch it isn't thawed enough.

Using a knife take another piece of dough and cut slits in rows. This piece will provide a bit more structure and beautification. You can also cut a shape and place it on top...hearts, flowers.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place Wellingtons on cookie sheet and brush with the egg. Bake until nicely browned.

I usually make garlic mashed potatoes or a rice pilaf to go with this. I also serve it with some sort of green vegetable to compliment the red pepper sauce (asparagus is a favorite).

To serve: Place mashed potatoes/rice in the center of the plate. Add Wellington on top. Pour warm coulis around the Wellington structure and lay in a bit of your pretty vegetable. Enjoy!

Going even more natural! I clean with vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. Essential oils add a nice scent and I never really feel the need to use anything else. These products are inexpensive and keep things clean with just a bit of elbow grease. They have the added benefits of being eco-conscious and Kristin friendly.

I have always bought natural detergent for the laundry, but have recently discovered Soap Nuts. A more natural way to wash clothing. Soap nuts come off the Chinese Soapberry tree and contain saponin. They are very useful for laundry, but are gentle enough to make body soap, shampoo and other cleaning products with. We have now changed from the detergent to using soap nuts with a few drops of lavender oil. They seem to clean as well or better than the detergent. All in all I am happy with them and plan to keep using them. They are also relatively inexpensive and a good conversation piece!