vegan spinach dip

this is so simple, i cant believe i haven't tried it before. next time i'm going to do it with raw spinach and it will be even better!

1-2 cloves garlic
10 oz frozen spinach
3 T mayo (use vegan if you want it to be)
1 avocado chopped up
1/4 c nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste

blend the garlic in the food processor first then add the rest of the stuff. serve with corn chips, veggies, or crackers

some talk about kombucha

after a couple years of experimenting i think i'm finally getting the hang of flavoring kombucha. you want to know the secret?? i've read hundreds of posts on making kombucha, looked through every website know to the fermenting world and i never got this recommendation, yet it sat in front of me the whole time. two words, FRESH and PUREE. it's right there on the back of my gt's bottles!

i've been doing lots of experimenting lately with flavors. i got a new scoby from a friend and i have to say it works a hell of a lot better than my homegrown one so i don't know if i can recommend growing your own anymore unless you absolutely cant get anything else. in fact, i will even send you one, just email me, k? anyway, flavors. . .now that i have a faster producing mother. . . i bought all kind of bottled juice and they never seemed to come out right. i made an awesome one with fresh pressed apple juice and ginger last year but i don't have my juicer anymore so i thought . . . how about puree, in fact the strawberry and mango gt"s lists puree on their labels, hmmm . . .
here's some combo's i've tried
-leftover breakfast smoothie: banana, mango, strawberry, with fresh oj. that one rocked.
-grapes blended to a juicy puree
-strawberry/plum puree with a bit of raw honey (and yes it came out just fine with the honey)
-a blend of fresh squeezed oj and lemon juice with grated ginger

all these will be chunky unless you strain them or have one of those super blenders. i suggest you strain them after fermentation because lots of flavor comes out of the pulp while it sits around.

so go experiment! happy fermenting!

buckwheat pancakes (aka the best whole grain gf pancakes!)

i found this recipe somewhere online, jotted it down and now i cant find it to link here but while looking for it i found this: soaked buckwheat pancakes. i cant wait to try them soaked but i have to get some more buckwheat first.

i KNOW these are good because danny likes them and he is pretty picky. he says they taste just like regular pancakes. i used fresh flour ground in my coffee mill and half almond milk half water with a tablespoon of vinegar for the liquid.

1 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 t baking soda
2/3 t baking powder
dash of salt
mix together, set aside

1 cup liquid, see my comment above (the original recipe called for 1 1/4 so add more if it seems dry)
1 T oil
1 egg separated
separate the yolk and white. add the yolk to the rest of the wet and hn stir into the dry, set aside. beat the white till stiff and then gently fold into the rest. do it gentle or you"ll loose your fluffiness.
cook like regular pancakes, i'll assume you know how to do that ;)

My thai peanut sauce

I *really* love thai peanut noodles! I especially love making it at home because I can put way more sauce on than they'd ever give you in a restaurant ;)

We usually put this over gluten free noodles with lightly steamed broccoli, kim chi, raw red peppers, and chicken. We also use it as a dip for spring rolls. And when there's leftovers the kids dip veggies in it.

I'd say its about medium spiciness. But we like spicy so, adjust if you don't like it hot. Also if your not fond of coconut milk you could leave that out and thin with water of chicken broth. I don't think the taste of it is overwhelming though.

In a food processor:
First chop 3 cloves garlic
Then add the rest and process well
3/4 c natural peanut butter
Juice of one lime
1/4 c full fat coconut milk
2 1/2 T tamari (if you can do wheat use nama shoyu because you won't be heating the sauce)
1 T hot sesame oil
1 T hot sauce (franks is our fave)
1 T raw apple cider vinegar
1 T raw honey
A big handful of cilantro, probably 1/4 of a bunch that you'd get at the store

Chop 4 green onions to sprinkle on top


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My secret granola recipe

I guess its not really secret but it's just kinda different than most granola recipes. I tried forever to make a granola that clumped together without using crap-loads of sugar. They just never seemed to come out like the store bought kind, until I tried this... Nut butter. The nut butter (I usually use peanut) mixed with honey and oil makes a nice sticky goo that clumps the granola perfectly :)

You can use different kinds of nut butters but let me tell you, the peanut butter is good! My husband isn't fond of PB and he loves this granola. There's almost a cup in here but it really doesn't overwhelm the taste at all. This is going to make a gallon. Because its kind of a pain to make it, not hard but time consuming so I like to get it over with. It doesn't last very long anyway. Try mixing up the flavors too, just keep the ratios the same.

Banana Pecan Granola

In a very big bowl:
12 c toasted oats ( toast on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 200)
2 c ground crispy (soaked and them dehydrated) pecans (I grind them in my food processor bc my kids don't like big chunks of nuts. You could just chop them if you like.
1 c chopped banana chips (sweetened)
1 c unsweetened coconut flakes

Melt in a saucepan on low:
1 c coconut oil
1 c honey
3/4 c peanut butter
1/2 t salt

Mix the wet into the dry, you might have to dig in and mix it with your hands to get it all spread out.

Toast on a cookie sheet in batches at 200 for 15 to 20 minutes. It will seem moist still when you take it out but it will get crunchy when cooled. It will be golden brown when it's done.

Ps... We buy pre-made almond milk right now but I used to make it and when I did I would use the leftover meal in my granola. You could substitute any nut meal for the pecans here.
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tamale heaven

ok just a warning, ive only ever eaten the tamales i made and one other time a friend made basically the same recipe. so i dont *really* know what they are supposed to taste like. they might not be traditional but i know these ones are DAMN good!

something to note also is that masa is a prepared corn flour, it has been treated with lime which produces the same result as soaking flours...better digestibility

soak your corn husks in water for 15 minutes. i used about 20 but it depends how you fill them

3 cups masa
3/4 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
mix together

3/4 cups shortening, i did two scoops refined coconut oil and a scoop palm oil
mix that in pretty good so theres no more big chunks of oil.

1 jar of salsa regular size
1 can of beans , i used black once and refried pinto once they were both good
1 pound of cooked ground beef
mix that in and add water or broth until it soft but still thick. kinda like playdough but maybe a little softer.

get out your husks and use the ones that are too small to wrap to be your ties. peel them into strips. put about 3 spoonfuls in and shape it so it will fit and roll easier. (sorry this part is hard to describe, if you dont get it there is a you tube vid :) ) fold the small end of the husk over the masa mixture and roll from one side. it should form a roll that is closed on one side and open on the other. tie it with a piece of husk.

for me the hardest part was to get them to all stand up while steaming. you cant let water get in the top. i put some pot tops in the pan to take up some space and hold the tamales up. steam them for a half hour to 45 minutes. they will start to poke up out of the top and be very firm when they arre done.

we put salsa or hot sauce on them or just ate them plain. i read some where that they freeze well too. and my kids loved making them and eating them!

creamy green winter soup

this soup is SO good! its thick and creamy even without any dairy added and the herbs give it a rich warm wintry taste. its pretty frugal and super nourishing. i was going to add this recipe to a carnival about soups over at the nourishing gourmet, i forgot as usual, but i figured i'd put it here anyway. i dont have many main dish recipes that can be written down easily since im always just throwing stuff in so i might as well take advantage.

remember as always, these measurments are estimated
1 3-4 pound roasting chicken or other chicken parts suitable for making stock
chopped chicken
2 quarts of stock
1/2 stick of butter
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 small potatoes, cubed
2 cups green cabbage, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary, 6-7 sprigs in a mortar and pestal
1 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons salt
yogurt for garnish

start with a roasting chicken, it could be left over if theres still enough meat left for the soup to have some chopped up in it. or it could be raw, you could use chicken breasts and pre-made chicken broth, but doing it yourself will be cheaper and WAY healthier. pre-made broth has no gelatin which just might be the most important part!

anyway, i like to simmer my stock for at least 10 hours to get all the good stuff out, but a couple will do the job if you dont have time. when its done strain it out and let the chicken cool so you can chop it up.

in a new pot melt a half stick of butter and saute 1 chopped onion and 1/2 c chopped celery until soft.

add stock, bring to a boil, add potatoes and let them boil 8-10 minutes then add cabbage and frozen spinach, chicken, and garlic. after its back to boiling again turn it down to a simmer.

add herbs, keep in mind these are roughly estimated so taste it and make sure it tastes good! i like to taste the thyme and salt and pepper the most and have the others blend into the background.

after its being simmering 10-15 minutes and the flavors have all come out blend it in a food processor, blender, or with an immersion blender until creamy and then throw it back into the pan.

we love to serve this soup with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream in the middle. the slight sourness makes it perfect.