Recipes « Surviving the Middle Class Crash

Recipes

Have a scrumptious organic recipe you would like to share? This is the place!

8 Responses to “Recipes”

Barbara Peterson Says:

March 26, 2008 at 1:56 am
This is my own recipe I call Apple Cornbread Delight. It is sugar-free!

Tools & Ingredients:

1 small flat Pyrex dish with lid
1 stick butter
Sliced cornbread
Agave syrup
H2O
Gravenstein apple (or equivalent sweet apple)

Instructions:

Slice butter cube thinly and place 1/3 to 1/2 cube on bottom of Pyrex dish.

Put 2 TBS H2O on the butter.

Slice apple in thin to medium slices and place on top of butter/H2O.

Sprinkle a liberal amount of Agave on the apples.

Place the cornbread on top of this.

Sprinkle more Agave on the cornbread.

Place some more butter slices around the sides.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Uncover for the last 5 minutes.

Enjoy!
Kathryn Smith Says:

March 29, 2008 at 10:13 am
WATERCRESS RECIPES FOR THE MOST GOURMET TASTES!

If you want to get watercress in the most tasty and even gourmet way possible, here is a recipe which is a knock-out. It’s beautiful enough visually to serve at a wedding, is easy to make for guests, and is so tasty (more than just tasty) as to please the most seasoned gourmet. Here it is:

SALMON ON A BED OF GREENS WITH MANGO SALSA
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:B68RgXDo_c8J:www.medical-health-network.com/Eat_Well–beta-carotene–Salmon_on_a_Bed_of_Greens_with_Mango_Salsa–2396.html

HERE ARE SOME MORE WATERCRESS RECIPES WHICH LOOK REALLY GOOD. INCLUDES ETHNIC AND TRADITIONAL CUISINE ALIKE:

http://www.watercress.com/

Watercress is a liver cleanser, stimulates bile flow which breaks down fats and cholesterols, is high in chlorophyll, and as an acrid-tasting herb may be helpful in clearing out the sinuses and lungs during allergic moments.

Watercress absorbs everything in its environment, including pesticides and environmental toxins, says master herbalist Christopher Hobbs:

BE SURE TO USE ORGANIC WATERCRESS!If not available, then arugula makes a good substitute taste-wise, though herbally it has very different effects from the watercress.
Kathryn Smith Says:

March 29, 2008 at 10:22 am
ITALIAN-STYLE BAKED FENNEL

I had the good fortune of trying out this dish at an Italian cafe/restaurant and liked it so much that I decided I had to create my own version. The original version had no tomatoes and used three sharper cheeses than the goat gouda I have selected here. I like the goat gouda because of the creamy taste and the fact that goat’s milk has half the fat content of cow’s milk, plus shorter-chain lipids (fats) which are more readily digested than the bovine equivalent. If anyone doesn’t like fennel bulb, they might find themselves converted by this recipe, as my husband did.

1 large fennel bulb, sliced (about 6 cups)
2 cups shredded goat gouda (about 1/4 pound)
1 dry pint cherry tomatoes
sprinkling of dried basil and oregano leaves
dash of pepper

1)Preheat oven 350 degrees.

2) Using grape seed oil or sunflower oil, which have a high smoking point and are much healthier for cooking than any other oil, grease a large casserole dish. (Available at Whole Foods and Healthfood store groceries, inexpensively).

3) Wash and cut the fennel from the bulb all the way up the stems, including leaves and all. The bulb will be cut up a la onion ring style.

3) Toss in the cherry tomatoes (no chopping needed!)and mix together.

4) Grate the cheese and toss over the top.

5) Sprinkle herbs and pepper over the top, to taste.

6) Bake about 45 minutes or until tender. Serve and enjoy.

Makes two large maindish servings, a few more side dish servings, and may also be served with elbow macaroni. I prefer the taste all by itself.
Kathryn Smith Says:

March 29, 2008 at 10:43 am
GLUTEN-FREE BAKED FOODS

I served my gluten-free chocolate chip cookies at a party attended by people who don’t even eat gluten-free food. All present commented on how good these cookies are, and nobody noticed that they are wheat-free. In fact, they were surprised to find out.

I have had many compliments on my gluten-free muffins and cakes as well. Again, most present don’t notice the difference between my gluten-free baked goods and a regular wheat-containing recipe. My cakes come out light and fluffy, and my chocolate chip cookies are a command performance. And I never use a gluten-free mix, for reasons discussed below.

MY SECRET IN GLUTEN-FREE BAKING is to add an extra egg to a regular wheat flour recipe, to hold the batter together and lighten the texture. Some cake recipes may require two extra eggs: Use your judgement. The more eggs, the lighter the texture and the thinner the batter.

I use white or brown rice flour. I also use finely-grated nuts from my food processor or blender, when possible. I mix the ground nuts in a 1:1 ratio with the rice flour. Where the chocolate chip cookies are concerned these ground nuts make a real difference in the taste and texture alike. But the recipe is still quite good without the ground nuts.

You can buy ground almonds quite inexpensively from Trader Joe’s, about $5 per pound. Of course, ground walnuts are always less expensive. Ground hazelnuts or filberts add a distinctive flavor which is a classic in German baking, and mixes beautifully with chocolate as the Germans do.

NOTE: Studies on Pubmed, the government medical database, indicate that dogs fed a regular diet containing xanthan gum, which is often used in gluten-free mixes, resulted in enlarged livers. I suggest it’s important to minimize consumption of this heavy-duty gum which, after all, is used to hold cement together and to firm it up. I have checked the Pubmed website in regard to guar gum, which seems to be much more harmless, at least according to what I could turn up about the subject. But we never know what will be discovered years later, and gums are gums. I suggest avoidance, as extra precaution.

Gluten intolerance is chronically under-diagnosed and creates a medical syndrome, the technical term for a chain reaction throughout various bodily systems. An excellent educational source is clinical nutritionist Elizabeth Lipski’s booklet, “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. Discusses symptoms, causes, solutions, and medical testing alike. Very lay-friendly and short in format, yet very in-depth at the same time. Superb!
Barbara Peterson Says:

April 19, 2008 at 2:30 am
Unleavened Bread

I got this recipe from Penny. If you celebrate Passover, you will love it. Even if you don’t, you will love it.

1 cup flour (we use whole wheat)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tblspns olive oil or grapeola
1/4 cup water

Mix flour, salt, oil, and water

Knead on floured bread board

Place a small amount of flour on top and roll out flat

Turn over and roll out to desired thinness

Perforate with fork

Place on cookie sheet

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes

Enjoy!

Barb
Barbara Peterson Says:

May 13, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I am a little bit here, little bit there kind of cook, so it is difficult to share my recipes, but here goes. Here is one I call

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Chicken Soup

Grab a chicken from the yard, and do the dirty deed or have your husband do it.

Skin the chicken and clean out the insides, saving the innards for Oggie Dog’s Chicken Soup.

Grab a large pot with a lid, fill it with water, and put the cleaned chicken in it.

Bring the water to a boil, then simmer until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

Remove from heat and cool until it is cool enough to put in the fridge.

Place pot with the lid on it in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, skim the fat off the top of the soup.

Remove the chicken and debone it, placing the chicken back in the pot with the broth.

The bones go to Rita bird and the cats.

Bring the soup back to a boil, then simmer.

Put a couple of cups of rice into the soup.

Season to taste. I usually use salt, thyme, dill, sage, a pinch of marjoram, and dried wild celery.

Take whatever veggies you have handy such as carrots, green beans, blackeyed peas, green peas, corn, etc., and put them into the pot.

Simmer with the lid on until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally.

This is a fun recipe that makes a huge batch of soup suitable for freezing.

Barb
Barbara Peterson Says:

June 8, 2008 at 2:19 am
Well, it’s the third day and my Alfalfa seeds are sprouting. If you haven’t checked out the page on how to sprout alfalfa seeds easily and quickly, here is the link:

http://www.backyardnature.net/simple/alf-spr.htm

All it takes is a jar, a nylon stocking or small screen, and a jar ring or rubber band.

Place a couple of tablespoons of the seeds in the jar, put the stocking or screen on and secure with the ring or rubber band.

Fill the jar about 2/3 full of water overnight to soak the seeds.

The next day, pour the water out through the screen, and fill the jar again. Swish the water around to wash the seeds, then pour it out. Do this a couple of times to clean the seeds.

After you have poured the last bit of water out, shake the seeds around a bit so that they do not clump. You DO want them to stick to the sides of the jar.

Keep doing this every day and in less than a week you will have delicious alfalfa sprouts.

Barb
Barbara Peterson Says:

August 30, 2009 at 8:35 am
Raw Carrot Cake

This recipe comes from Raw Living Foods.

By Ursula Horiatis

(Makes 12 to 16 servings)

1 pound of carrots
2 cups pineapple
2 apples
2 1/2 cup soaked walnuts
2 cup soaked almond
2 1/2 cup pecans
2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dates
1 cup raisins
1/3 teaspoon pumpkin spice
3 tablespoons psyllium powder

Frosting:
1-2 cup soaked and blanched Almonds
1 cup dates
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch clove
1 Thai coconut (this is a young coconut, also called a Jelly coconut. It has a soft inside and can be found in Asian markets.)

For decoration:
1/2 cup miniature carrots or coarsely shredded normal sized carrots
12 to 16 mint leaves

Step 1

Put 1 cup raisins and 1 cup dates in the food processor, mix to a paste
Add soaked almonds and mix.
Then add 2 cup walnuts, 1 cup pecans and pumpkin seeds with remaining spices and mix to a paste.
Put all in a bowl.
Add 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup walnuts in food processor and shred to little chunks only (not too fine).
Add to dough in the bowl.

Cut carrots into chunks and shred in food processor until fine.
Add pineapple and apple chunks and mix with psyllium powder.
Add mixture to the dough in the bowl.
Now mix all together by hand and pour into a spring form.

Step 2: For Frosting

Put the remaining dates, blanched almonds and coconut meat from the Thai coconut into a blender, add coconut juice and mix to a cream. Spread the cream over the carrot cake and decorate with little carrot halves and mint leaves.

Alternative: If you can’t get a Thai coconut, use more blanched Almonds and water instead. It works as well. The cake will be ready to serve after at least 2 hours in the refrigerator and keeps fresh for up to 5 days if stored in the fridge.