salad creations with cousin Amy Sabrina,  2010

Salad eaten in Amsterdam while taking a break from tooling around the city on our bicycles returning from our trip to Israel, summer, 2010.

Salads for every taste:

Add your favorite lettuce, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, sardines,

mackerel, avocado, raw pumpkin seeds, feta cheese or any other imaginings.

Salad dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1 clove of garlic minced

salt to taste

Jicama Salad By BodyEcology.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped purple onion
• 1 tsp Hawaiian Sea Salt
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 cups chopped jicama
• I chopped red pepper
• I bunch chopped cilantro
• 1 chopped avocado
• ½ tsp each of turmeric and cumin and cayenne

Process:

Place chopped onion in a mixing bowl. Add juice of 2 limes and 1 tsp of sea salt to the onions and mash with a fork. Then, add chopped jicama, red pepper, cilantro and the avocado. Mix together with turmeric, cayenne, and dash cumin, and more lime if needed. Mash the mixture with a fork just a little and then let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours so that all the juices can mingle before eating.

Serve this with homemade crackers, atop your favorite salad, blended with cultured vegetables

Sylvia’s Famous Peanut Butter or Almond Butter Cookies

7 ingredients total

1 jar crunchy peanut butter or crunchy unsalted almond butter (I use Trader Joe’s)

1 stick butter

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup honey

2 cups flour — I use all gluten free flour — any combination works — rice, garbanzo, mesquite, amaranth, almond meal, coconut — is making these cookies gluten free, be sure to use a combination of these whole grain flours — not more than 1/2 cup of each

2 Tbsp. organic vanilla flavoring

Melt butter on stove and leave sit until last.

Blend all ingredients together and stir in the butter at the end. Drop by teasponfuls onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. I like less cooked cookies. If you like them more done, bake them for 7-10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cultured Butter & Cultured Buttermilk

Prep Time: 2 minutes (but requires overnight rest)
Make time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 1 cup of cultured butter, and 1 cup of cultured buttermilk

You can easily scale this recipe up or down. Use twice as much milk as the amount of butter you’re wanting to make, and figure 3 tablespoons of yogurt for every cup of milk.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh whipping cream/heavy cream (see instructions before measuring)
6 tablespoons yogurt or creme fraiche (make sure the packaging says it contains live cultures)
Finishing salt (like Maldon’s, or gray sea salt) (optional)

Instructions:
Give the carton of cream a good shake. If you’re using unhomogenized milk, give it a really good shake. Measure the cream into a spotlessly clean glass or ceramic-glazed bowl (no porous plastic – it can harbor dangerous pathogens). Peer into the carton, and if you see any creamy solids clinging to the sides, use a long spoon to scrape some into the bowl.

Stir in the yogurt and very gently whisk to incorporate into the milk (gently — you don’t want to start the churning process).

Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm location (60-70°F). Let rest overnight (12 to 18 hours).

The milk mixture will thicken. Give the bowl a gentle shake. The liquid will sway, not slosh or splash, when it’s ready.

Pour the liquid into a mixing bowl (use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer) and whip on medium-low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium.*

The milk mixture will proceed through several stages: first, it forms a glossy whipping cream, followed by a thicky, grainy stage. Finally, the butter solids will break from the liquid. There will be clumps of butter and lots of liquid in the bowl. You’ll know it when it happens — stop at this point.

Gather the clumps of solid and move them to another clean bowl (reserve the liquid in the mixing bowl). If you’re going to be using all of the butter at once, you’re finished – enjoy! If you’re going to be storing the butter, or if you want to add salt, go to the next step.

Here’s the fun part. Knead, mash, schmoosh the butter in the bowl so as to strain as much liquid from the solids as possible. Use clean hands or a large, sturdy wooden spoon for this.

Add the liquid from the schmooshing bowl to the liquid in the mixing bowl. This is your cultured buttermilk! Pour into a tightly-sealing bottle or bowl and place in the fridge. Use for drinking or baking.

One final step with the butter: to prolong storage, you must remove as much of the buttermilk as possible. Rinse the butter in cold water and continue kneading. Rinse and knead until the water squeezed from the butter runs clear. If using salt, knead in the salt, then store the butter in a covered dish in the fridge. It also freezes well.

*Note:  I use my stand mixer to make butter for one simple reason. When the solids break from the liquids, it happens instantaneously and, to put it bluntly, it’s a volcanic situation: buttermilk will spray everywhere. With a stand mixer, you can cover the bowl to minimize the splatter. I wrap cling wrap around the attachment head and then drape it all around the bowl, taping it down. With double-sided tape. You’ve been warned.

From the soup addict!

Celery Root Soup with Granny Smith Apples
Recipe from The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen

Tal Ronnen’s Celery Root Soup
Photo: Linda Long
This is the most popular soup I make—people go crazy for it. I first made it for a supper club I started at my friend Ko’s jazz place in L.A. Throwing in some diced apple at the end adds a surprise tartness, and dots of chive oil give it a sleek, dramatic finish.

Ingredients:
Serves 6

* Sea salt
* 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 medium celery roots , peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 2 stalks celery , chopped
* 1 large onion , chopped
* 2 quarts faux chicken or vegetable broth (try Better than Bouillon brand)
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 cup thick Cashew Cream
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple , very finely diced
* Chive oil

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke. This will create a nonstick effect.

Add the celery root, celery, and onion and sauté for 6 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft but not brown. Add the stock and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the Cashew Cream and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, cover the lid with a towel (the hot liquid tends to erupt), and blend on high. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls. Place a spoonful of the diced apple in the center of each serving, drizzle the Chive Oil around the apple, and serve.

Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing

by Tori Ritchie

yield: Makes about 3 1/2 cups

It makes a great side dish, but this salad is even better as a pizza topping. Brush the with olive oil and sprinkle it with sea salt.

Ingredients

* 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

* 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

* 4 cups (packed) baby arugula

* 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Arianna’s Pesto Recipe

5 cups fresh chopped basil (tightly packed)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. brown rice miso
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts or almonds

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Recipe of the Week
by BodyEcology.com

Creamy Kale Soup
By, Gina LaVerde
Ingredients
2 bunches chopped kale leaves
1 bunch chopped collard greens
1 large chopped butternut squash
2 cloves chopped garlic
4 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp Celtic sea salt
Coconut oil to taste
Water for boiling
Process
Add kale, collards, garlic and squash to a 4 qt pot. Cover with water and boil.
Reduce heat and add herbs, nutmeg and sea salt. Simmer for 5-10 minutes then
turn off heat. Add a few tablespoons of coconut oil. Next, use an immersion
blender to puree your soup or add soup to your high-speed blender to make
creamy.

Enjoy this with a side of cultured vegetables for optimum health and mineral
absorption.

This is a delicious, mineral rich soup that is also low in oxalates.

Yummy cheese sandwich                       Sylvia and Tim’s co-creation

2 slices of your favorite bread (I use Ezekial sprouted bread lightly toasted)

2-3 slices Dubliner Irish cheddar cheese or your favorite type

1 handful of sunflower sprouts

1 thinly sliced persian cucumber or seedless English cucumber

1-2 tsp. whole mustard with seeds or your favorite mustard

1/2 organic avocado

6 cherry tomatoes sliced in half or 1/2 tomato sliced thinly

Spread one slice of bread with avocado, then put mustard on top followed by tomato halves or slices.

On the other piece of bread, put the cheese, followed by the cucumber slices and the sprouts on top.

Marry the two pieces of bread and voila. All of your meat loving friends will ask you for a bite.

Thick, hearty and utterly delicious and healthful, too!

Cauliflower Soup with Tandoori Yogurt from Canyon Ranch – I have changed some of the ingredients to fit my philosophy!

Ingredients 1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 4 cups chopped fresh cauliflower 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions 1/3 cup fresh leeks, sliced thin, white part only 1/4 cup peeled and chopped carrots 3 tablespoons chopped celery 1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 5 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt 1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Tandoori Yogurt:
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
1 teaspoon chopped fresh scallions
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, sauté cauliflower, onions, leeks, carrots and celery, Aleppo pepper (or paprika) and garlic in olive oil until caramelized, about 25 minutes.  Increase heat to high, add water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.  Season with salt and vinegar.
2. Cool slightly and transfer mixture into a blender container.  Puree until very smooth.
3.  In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for Tandoori Yogurt and mix until smooth.
4. Serve 3/4 cup soup topped with 2 teaspoons Tandoori Yogurt.

Serving Information
Makes 8 (3/4-cup) servings

Cook’s Note:

This soup can easily be made vegan by omitting the Tandoori Yogurt.

 

Sedona’ Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups raw walnuts

sea salt

8 pitted medjool dates

1/3 c. unsweetened cacoa or carob

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. water

Place walnuts and salt in processor until ground

Add dates and cocoa powder and vanilla until stuck together

Add water.

You may also want to add 2 Tbsp. coconut butter and 1 Tbsp. cacao nibs

Decorate with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or kiwi slices.