Since I am about one quarter Italian, I tend to like the delicious foods of my ancestors.  I also enjoy any sunshine I please, since between my Italian skin and taking fermented cod liver oil, I never burn!  But today I am going to focus on one of the central foods of Italian cuisine: fresh pasta.

I love to see fresh pasta made in glossy magazines and gourmet food television programs.  But I always considered it out of my reach, or at least on par with something really difficult and time-consuming to make like croissants or something.  Oh how wrong I was, and happy to be!

In only a few minutes time, you can have fresh pasta ready to eat, and all without any special equipment.

For example, I still haven’t bought a pasta roller attachment for my mixer, though you certainly can.  In fact, I intend to get one soon.  However, you really only need two tools to make pasta: a rolling pin for flattening the dough and a pizza cutter for cutting into shapes.  This method is easy and approachable.

Now you can enjoy freshly made pasta, either made with eggs and eaten immediately or soaked overnight for maximum nutrition to boot!

Plus, the soaked pasta is very versatile: you can use it immediately after you roll it or dry it on racks on the counter for dried pasta that will keep for several weeks.  I like to throw fresh pasta into soups and stews as I make lunch or dinner, and I like to make enough pasta dough to also stock up on dried pasta for the pantry.

The other pasta recipe below includes egg, which I find makes a more tender pasta.  Since you don’t soak it overnight, I recommend at least using very freshly ground flour, if not sprouted flour to maximize digestibility.

Equipment Needed:

• large mixing bowl, kitchen towel, dinner plate (optional), large dehydrator (optional)
• pizza cutter OR pastry scraper OR good knife
• rolling pin and cooling racks (optional; for drying)

Pasta is very simple to make, and has been generally made with any flour and any liquid that was seasonally available.  Below I have shared my two favorite recipes, one soaked version made with water and vinegar and one made with freshly ground flour and several eggs.

I recommend using the soaked pasta recipe for basic shapes and drying in large batches so you have pasta on hand that isn’t store-bought.  As for the egg pasta, I recommend using that recipe for using immediately, or even adding finely chopped fresh herbs as they are in season.

Homemade Soaked Pasta Dough

3 1/2 cups freshly ground flour, preferably kamut (buy whole grains here)
1 cup water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or whey (buy apple cider vinegar here, how to make whey here)

1. In a large bowl, pour in the flour and make a well in the center.
2. Pour in the water and the apple cider vinegar and work into a dough with your hands or by stirring with a short wooden spoon (for better leverage).
3. After the dough comes together, cover with a towel and a kitchen plate and let soak 12-24 hours.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes or so until the surface of the dough becomes smooth.  Press with your hands to flatten as much as possible into a large rectangular shape.  Then roll out to 1/8-inch thick.
5. Using a pizza roller, knife, or pastry scraper, cut the pasta into whatever shapes you like.  (I did half squares and half fettuccine.)
6. Using a spatula you can transfer this pasta to cooling racks to help with the drying pasta.  Alternately, you can also leave them on the floured surface to dry that way (though it may take a little longer).  When dried, they may curl up a bit, but this is normal.  Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Homemade Fresh Egg Pasta Dough

3 1/2 cups sprouted flour (buy sprouted flour here, how to make sprouted flour)
7 eggs

1. In a large bowl, pour in the flour and make a well in the center.
2. Crack the eggs and put them into the well in the flour.  Working from the center, stir gently to combine the flour into the dough gradually until it comes completely together.
3. Next, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or so until the surface of the dough becomes smooth.  Press with your hands to flatten as much as possible into a large rectangular shape.  Then roll out to 1/8-inch thick.
4. Using a pizza roller, knife, or pastry scraper, cut the pasta into whatever shapes you like.  Use immediately, by cooking in salted, boiling water for 3-5 minutes or until tender.

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Allergy-Free Wednesday.

Today I have the privilege of interviewing my longtime followed and now friend, Jenny McGruther of Nourished Kitchen.  Everything on Nourished Kitchen is immaculate, rustic, gorgeous, and personally attended to by Jenny.  It is that kind of approach that makes it so easy to trust her, both when it comes to interview answers and her e-courses.

Right now Jenny has her class Get Cultured! on sale for $147, which is a $50 savings.  However, if you use the coupon code “SAUERKRAUT”, then you can also get an additional $50 off through May 22.  So don’t delay: this class is guaranteed to be worth it, and you won’t see this price again!  Click here to see the Get Cultured! class information.

But before we get to all that, please enjoy this interview I had with Jenny yesterday.  I love what she has to say about the vitality of fermented and cultured foods!

Kendahl: What was the first ferment that you ever tried to make?  How did it go?  Did you succeed?

Jenny: The first fermented food I made was yogurt.  It was fun, very inexpensive and, in many ways, it opened a new world to me.  From there I began experimenting with true sour pickles, sauerkraut, beetroot relish and other fermented vegetables.  There was a bit of a learning curve, initially, with understanding how long I could let foods ferment so that they achieved the flavor I wanted.

Kendahl: Which lesson in the class are you most looking forward to?  Which are you most excited to share?

Jenny: Previous students have LOVED the workshops on cultured and wild fermented dairy.  My favorite, however, is the section on probiotic tonics.  Not only do we address the basics of kombucha, water kefir and kvass – but we also make homemade herbal tonics that combine both the medicinal benefits of herbs with the benefits of probiotics and fermented foods.

Kendahl: Why did you decide to create a class for how to ferment anything?

Jenny: I receive a ton of questions at Nourished Kitchen about fermented foods, proper fermentation, fermentation equipment and techniques.  There’s a lot of conflicting information out there, that leave newcomers to fermentation unsure.  This course was designed to really provide techniques and information in an easy format through videos, recipes and tutorials that people can return to time and time again.

Kendahl: What is your favorite fermented food to make, either for taste or for benefit (or both)!

Jenny: I love Moroccan preserved lemons.  I traveled to Morocco in college where I did volunteer work, and I stayed with a family who taught me fermented lemons (and a bit about curing olives, too).  The flavor of preserved lemons is unsurpassed – we use them on chicken and fish, mostly.  Also, lemons are rich in vitamin C and when they’re fermented they also become rich in beneficial bacteria, that combination makes them great for cold and flu season.

Kendahl: What strikes you as especially noteworthy when you think about our history of food fermentation?

Jenny: There are two things really. 

One, fermentation was pervasive.  That is, you find fermented foods across the globe in all societies, and while many of us think of fermentation as a way to preserve the harvest, it was also used in societies who had a reliable year-round supply of food where preservation would be rather unnecessary, yet they still fermented their foods. 

Secondly, in looking at the history of fermentation you’ll realize that there is no one “right” way to do things.  Fermentation techniques, equipment and foods used for fermentation varied from society to society (with a few commonalities).  Indeed, in looking at the history of fermentation, you’ll realize that there is no one right way to do things; rather, there’s many right ways to ferment foods.

Kendahl: Is fermenting hard to do?

Jenny: No.  Fermentation is pretty hands-off once you’ve gotten started; however, there’s a few things people need to be concerned about when preparing fermented foods whether that’s sauerkraut or kefir or yogurt or homemade sodas and herbal beers, etc.  So it’s important to be mindful (but not obsessive) about cleanliness, temperature regulation, quality of ingredients and the process of fermentation.

Kendahl: What is the one (read: most important) thing you hope your students will get out of this class?

Jenny: I want those who enroll in Get Cultured! to feel fully confident in how they ferment foods.  That is, when they’ve gone through the materials, I want them to feel equipped and confident to begin using fermentation successfully in their daily lives.  For some of the previous students, that means they’re serving fermented foods their family loves or their getting their kids and spouses to actually enjoy fermented vegetables, tonics and things like kefir.  Other students have turned what they learned in the class into commercial pursuits: selling fermented foods at farmers markets or in their restaurants. 

Click here to get Jenny’s Get Cultured! class for $100 off!  Normally $197, this class is on sale for $147 ($50 off), in addition to a special coupon code available to you, my dear readers, for another $50 off.  Use the code “SAUERKRAUT” to get this class for only $97!!

This handy sauce is perfect when you, ahem, run out of ideas for lunch or dinner.  I usually have some organic sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil in my pantry, and I wouldn’t be a self-respecting Italian if I didn’t have good parmigiano reggiano cheese in my fridge at all times.

So to make this sauce I really just need to grab some fresh basil from my garden or the farmer’s market and I’m good to go.  Plus, I love making this in the blender if I’m really short on time–it’s an even faster cleanup!I love how this sauce looks too, like Italian confetti tossed with pasta.  You can use a gluten-free pasta if you are avoiding gluten, or try your hand at making my soaked pasta dough recipe (recipe to come) and use fresh pasta.  It’s so delicious!

Equipment Needed:

• food processor or blender, rubber scraper
• quart jar, canning funnel, and storage lids

Quick Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese (find grass-fed cheeses here)
1 cup (small jar) sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups (2 large handfuls) fresh basil, removed from stems
up to 1/2 cup olive oil (buy good olive oil here)
salt and pepper to taste (buy organic pepper and unrefined sea salt here)

1. In a blender or a food processor, layer the cheese, tomatoes, and basil.  Process and blend until uniform and the basil chops up small.
2. Add olive oil in a thin stream as the machine runs, until you achieve the desired thickness of the sauce you like.
3. Serve with pasta, or store in a jar and use for dipping sourdough breads, pastas, or anything else you can think of!

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Fight Back Friday, Friday Food Flicks, Fresh Bites Friday, Weekend Gourmet, and Monday Mania.

Soft, smooth whipped chocolate pie filling is deliciously sandwiched between flaky pie crust and cool whipped cream.  Having a slice of this pie is like floating away in the sky for a few minutes.  Savor each bite, enjoying how the cool flavors melt on your tongue.

This pie is worth the effort to make, which honestly isn’t that hard.  Plus, I’ll take you through it step by step.  And the best part?  You don’t have to bake this pie, which is perfect for the hotter time of year when you don’t want to turn on that oven.

I also love to make this French silk pie when I have company over.  It is so rich and decadent that you can cut it into thin slices and serve several people from one recipe.  Just make sure there is enough milk to go around!

In fact, try serving this gorgeous pie with milk in wine goblets.  That could be a lot of fun, very posh!

Equipment Needed (for all recipes below):

• large mixing bowl, measuring cups & spoons, wooden spoon
• kitchen towel, dinner plate (optional) & dehydrator (optional)
• rolling pin, good knife, pie plate, cooling rack
• large saucepan, kitchen scale
• glass mixing bowls, whisk, rubber scraper, hand mixer
• stand mixer

Yogurt Dough Pie Crust

1 cup yogurt (buy yogurt starters here, how to make yogurt here)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (buy grass-fed butter here, how to make butter here)
3 1/2 cups freshly ground flour (buy whole grains here, how to prepare grains here)
1 teaspoon salt (buy unrefined sea salt here)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine yogurt and butter.  Add flour and salt, mixing with a wooden spoon until too difficult.  Use fingers to completely combine.
2. Cover with a towel and a dinner plate to keep dust and bugs out, but to allow it to breathe.  Let soak in a warm place for 12-24 hours (like in a dehydrator or on in your oven: turned off but with the light on).
3. The next morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
4. Remove the dough and roll out with sprouted flour or arrowroot powder to the desired shape and thickness.  Transfer dough round to a pie plate and trim the edges to fit the plate.  Pinch the edges into a pattern so they stick, or press down with a fork to adhere to the edge of the plate.
5. Using a double layer of aluminum foil, cover the dough in the pie plate completely.  Pour in enough pie weights or beans to cover the bottom of the pie plate and hold the foil down. 
6. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove the foil and beans to bake for another 5-6 minutes or until very lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Chocolate French Silk Pie

1 recipe Yogurt Dough Pie Crust, above
1 cup cream, plus 3 tablespoons set aside (find raw cream near you here)
6 ounces (1 cup) unsweetened chocolate (buy unsweetened chocolate here)
1/3 cup butter (buy grass-fed butter here)
3/4 cup whole cane sugar (buy whole cane sugar here)
2 egg yolks, whisked
1 tablespoon brewed coffee (buy organic coffee here, buy coffee substitute here)
1 teaspoon vanilla (buy good vanilla here)
1 recipe Sweetened Whipped Cream, below

1. In a large saucepan, heat cream, chocolate, butter, and sugar together over medium heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth, about 5-10 minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. Prepare an ice water bath in a very large bowl that the saucepan will fit into, but won’t overflow into the saucepan.  Set aside.
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium glass mixing bowl.  Carefully pour half the chocolate mixture from the saucepan into the egg yolks in a thin, steady stream, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon to make sure the egg yolks don’t heat too quickly.  (This is called tempering, so the egg yolks won’t be shocked by the heat of the chocolate mixture.)
4. Using the rubber scraper, scrape the egg yolk and chocolate mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining chocolate mixture and return to the heat.  Heat the egg yolk and chocolate mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, wait until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, about 5 minutes.  Remove immediately from heat and scrape into a glass mixing bowl that will fit nicely into the ice water bath.  Set the glass bowl of chocolate mixture into the ice water bath.  Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of cream, the coffee, and the vanilla, stirring until mixed in.
5. Let chocolate mixture cool in the ice water bath for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  By the end of the 20 minutes, the chocolate mixture should be quite cooled and quite thick.
6. Remove the bowl of chocolate pie filling from the ice water bath, and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, until light-colored and fluffy.  Using a rubber scraper, transfer whipped chocolate into the cooled pie crust and spread out evenly. 
7. Make whipped cream (below), and spread over the top of the pie.  Chill for at least 2 hours, then serve!

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (find raw cream near you here)
1/2 cup whole cane sugar (buy whole cane sugar here)

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour in the cream and turn on.  Start on the slowest speed, but within the first minute of whipping the cream, gradually move up the speed to medium high, taking sure it doesn’t splatter.
2. After 5 minutes or so, check to see if the cream is thickened and forming soft peaks.  Add the sugar and mix for another minute.  Stop mixer and remove the whisk.  Spoon over the pie and spread in an even layer. 

This post is a part of Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Friday Food Flicks, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, The Mommy Club.

This post is part of a series.  You can buy the Volume One of the e-book containing several REAL FOOD 101 tutorials here: To buy the REAL FOOD 101 E-book: Traditional Foods, Traditionally Prepared, click here.  Full color photos, step by step tutorials, and more.  Only $14.

In Nourishing Traditions, there are separate recipes for pie crusts, crackers and various breads.  I love to try different recipes for those baked goods, to see which is my favorite, which is easiest, which works for a particular meal or pairing.

But this all-purpose yogurt dough is one of my favorites, because it is so versatile in and of itself.  I have personally made it into whole grain crackers, into a round for a pizza crust, and turned it into a pie plate for a flaky crust.  Plus, it’s a lot easier than any pie crust or pizza dough recipe I know!

I love learning the basics.  I find that having a solid foundation can mean all the difference when you are in the kitchen.  Whether you are learning a new nutritional fact, a new real food technique, or you’re improvising in the kitchen, that foundation can support you.

That’s why I am so passionate about my REAL FOOD 101 series.  I plan to keep it going until we’ve covered all the basics I can think of!  You can buy the first volume here. 

I particularly love that this recipe is soaked, rather than relying on sprouted flour.  Of course, sprouted flour is very handy when it comes to cookies and other confections that are not easily soaked overnight.  By soaking, the phytic acid is more readily neutralized, and I have noticed that my family has an easier time digesting it.

Equipment Needed:

• large mixing bowl, measuring cups & spoons, wooden spoon
• kitchen towel, dinner plate (optional) & dehydrator (optional)
• rolling pin & pizza cutter

Note: This recipe is extremely versatile.  Play with it and see what you can use it for.  I would like to try it as a chicken pot pie crust as well as quiche, as old-fashioned snickerdoodle cookies, and also to make hand pies with jam filling.  The possibilities are endless.

All-Purpose Yogurt Dough

1 cup yogurt (buy yogurt starters here, how to make yogurt here)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (buy grass-fed butter here, how to make butter here)
3 1/2 cups freshly ground flour (buy whole grains here, how to prepare grains here)
1 teaspoon salt (buy unrefined sea salt here)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine yogurt and butter.  Add flour and salt, mixing with a wooden spoon until too difficult.  Use fingers to completely combine.
2. Cover with a towel and a dinner plate to keep dust and bugs out, but to allow it to breathe.  Let soak in a warm place for 12-24 hours (like in a dehydrator or on in your oven: turned off but with the light on).
3. The next morning, remove the dough and roll out with sprouted flour or arrowroot powder to the desired shape and thickness.
4. For crackers, I roll 1/8-inch thick and bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until browned.  These crackers taste remarkably like cheese crackers, even though they contain no cheese!
5. For a pre-baked pie crust I use aluminum foil and pie weights or beans to bake at 450 for 8 minutes, then remove the foil and beans to bake for another 5-6 minutes or until very lightly browned.
6. For pizza crust I bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until set but not browned, then top with pizza toppings and bake according to the recipe you are using.

This post is a part of Simple Lives Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Friday Food Flicks, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, The Mommy Club.

I find nothing more satisfying than a large breakfast on the weekend.  The only problem was that I had never learned how to make hash browns from scratch.  We always just bought them, frozen, in bags from the grocery store.  When I did think of making them, all I could imagine was that you had to peel a potato and grate it like you would a block of cheese.  I had no interest in doing that!

But the call of fresh hash browns was enough for me to learn, especially since I have been eating more carbohydrates in an effort to raise my metabolism.  There’s a simple trick to getting really crispy hash browns, and I’ll share it with you today!

Hash browns, eggs, quiche, frittatas, toast, fresh juice, pancakes, waffles, fruit, you name it.  That my kind of breakfast!  Throw a little lacto-fermented ketchup on these babies and you’re good to go.  Plus, when you eat a big breakfast you get the benefit of extra energy and a roaring metabolism.  Win win!

PUFA and Conventional Potatoes:  Have you ever read the ingredient list on a bag of frozen potatoes?  From fries to tater tots to hash browns, the story is always the same: vegetable oil and potatoes.

Vegetable oils are industrial by-products.  We were never meant to consume canola, cottonseed, soybean, grapeseed, or other oils in the quantities that we do in processed foods. We were meant to have saturated fats, like coconut oil and butter.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are also the perfect mechanism to disrupt our omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid ratio balance.  Industrial vegetable oils are almost always PUFA, which are inherently unstable and may cause health problems.

Which brings me to: it’s a good thing hash brown are a lot easier to make than I thought!  Fry them up in ghee or expeller-pressed coconut oil.   Enjoy crispy potatoes with breakfast to raise your metabolism for the day, no PUFA in sight!

So What’s the Secret?  Squeezing out the water from the potatoes!  You have to press out the extra moisture from these shredded potatoes in order to get them really crispy.  It’s the same principle as squeezing the water out of zucchini for fritters, or patting meat dry so it can get a nice brown sear.

Equipment Needed:

• food processor, kitchen towel
• cast iron skillet, spatula

Note: Make sure you use expeller-pressed coconut oil for this recipe, since regular unrefined coconut oil will taste and smell like coconut.  Expelled-pressed coconut oil has a nice neutral taste, perfect for these savory kinds of dishes.  Alternately, you can use ghee, which won’t burn like butter when used for frying.

Crispy Hash Browns

6 large russet potatoes, peeled and halved to fit through feed tube of food processor
coconut oil or ghee (buy expeller-pressed coconut oil here, how to make ghee here)
salt and pepper to taste (buy unrefined sea salt and organic pepper here)

1. Lay out a large kitchen towel, and set aside.  In a food processor fitted with the large shredding disk, process potatoes until they are completely shredded.  Remove from the food processor and pile in the center of the kitchen towel.
2. Gather the corners of the towel together and twist to seal and grab firmly.  Over the kitchen sink, twist as hard as you can manage, squeezing out as much of the water from the shredded potatoes as possible.  Unwrap.
3. In a large cast iron skillet, melt ghee or coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Cook about half of the shredded potatoes in the skillet for 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.  Season generously with salt and pepper. 
4. Using a spatula, flip the potatoes over to brown on the other side.  Season the other side with salt and pepper as well, adding more ghee or coconut oil to the pan if needed.
5. When both sides are golden brown, remove from the skillet and serve.  You can save extra hash browns in the fridge, as they reheat very well.

This post is a part of Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday,  The Mommy Club, Simple Lives Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Friday Food Flicks, and Monday Mania.

This month has been one of my favorites so far this year.  I have seen incredible growth here at Our Nourishing Roots.  I have finished my REAL FOOD 101 E-book, which is a milestone I have been looking forward to for some time.

Plus, I feel like I’m bursting with ideas for recipes and discussions, which makes writing here so personally satisfying.  I’m just getting started, folks!

April has also marked an increase in energy and metabolism, thanks to my realization that carbs are helping me, and not the villain they are currently painted as in health circles.  Key to realizing this was reading Diet Recovery, which I cannot recommend enough.

Among my reading this for this month are some of my favorites that I’m sharing below:

• Zesty Shrimp Creole (GAPS-friendly):  I love the look of this recipe.  I haven’t made anything spicy in a while, so this has caught my eye.  Plus, I just love reading the funny things that Heather says over there.  “Ready, set, geaux!”  So funny!
• The Problem with Protein Powders: I have been avoiding unnatural protein powders for a while, mostly based off of my gut feeling that it just doesn’t make sense to have protein powder instead of real, whole foods.
• Homemade Bouillon:  This is seriously cool.  You probably saw me geeking out about on my Facebook page a while ago.  I love finding out what the original foods were that my childhood pseudo-foods were based off.  I remember seeing bouillon cubes in the pantry growing up, a spice powder pressed together laced with MSG.  But this is the real deal.
• Sunscreen: Your Best Friend on a Sunny Day, or Cancer in a Bottle?: my good friend Robin from college has also come to find real food and natural green living to be of the utmost importance to her.  I love it when a good friend “gets it”, you know?  Anyways, she takes on commercial sunscreen and does a fabulous job explaining why it doesn’t pay to cover yourself in SPF50+.
• What is a Healing Crisis?: It’s no secret that I love Cara’s blog and that we are friends in real life, and this post is one of the reasons I love to read her stuff.  A healing crisis was new to me until a few months ago, and then when this post went up I really started to understand it better.  What do you think?

This post is a part of Weekend Gourmet, Sunday School, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, and The Mommy Club, Simple Lives Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, and Friday Food Flicks.

These cookies are one of the best success stories I have had with a mainstream-recipe-turned-real-food-transformation.  The flavors work, the end result is chewy and crispy all at the same time, and they are perfect for any time of year.  I love the depth of flavor from the molasses, and the mineral content doesn’t hurt either.

I love virtually anything with molasses in it, like all those holiday cookies and cakes we see in the fall.  I’m sure these molasses crinkles would be amazing then, especially with a glass of eggnog.

But these cookies are also for spring and summertime; they taste amazing with a glass of lemonade, or as part of a spring brunch.  That’s my afternoon snack today!

This cookie recipe comes from a paper attached to University of Michigan M-shaped cookie cutter I bought in Ann Arbor in 2006.  How’s that for specific?  I made them as written several times before I had ever heard of Nourishing Traditions or real food.

But then I started making them with whole cane sugar and sprouted flour and I never went back!

Equipment Needed:

• stand mixer, rubber scraper, measuring cups & spoons
• cookie sheets or jelly roll pans, parchment paper, bowl & 1 tablespoon (1-inch) small ice cream scoop
• cooling rack & spatula

Molasses Crinkles

2 1/4 cups sprouted flour (buy sprouted flour here, how to make sprouted flour here)
2 teaspoons baking soda (buy aluminum-free baking soda here)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (buy organic spices here)
1 teaspoon dried ginger (buy organic spices here)
1/2 teaspoon cloves (buy organic spices here)
1/4 teaspoon salt (buy unrefined sea salt here)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened (buy grass-fed butter here, how to make butter here)
1 cup whole cane sugar (buy whole cane sugar here)
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (buy organic extracts here)

1/2 cup whole cane sugar (buy whole cane sugar here)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.  Whisk thoroughly, and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add molasses and egg, and mix until just combined.  Gradually add the flour mixture until the dough just comes together.  Do not overmix.
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but up to overnight.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put the sugar into a shallow bowl.  Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and scoop into balls with the ice cream scoop.  Roll between your palms to make smooth, uniform balls.  Dip the tops of the balls into the sugar and then place sugar-side up on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until almost set in the middle.  Remove parchment onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.  GO BLUE!

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Full Plate Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Friday Food Flicks, Weekend Gourmet, Sunday School, Fat Tuesday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

I have toyed with the idea of making Chicken Cordon Bleu at home, not just for a special occasion but for the family on a regular basis.  It is time-consuming to make traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu.  Stuffing the chicken with cheeses and ham?  Plus hoping it is cooked through?  Not very relaxing, either.

And so the casserole version was born!  It’s not that I’ll never make it the traditional way; I’m sure I will.  But this version is much easier, and real foodified to offer maximum nutritional benefit!

When I think of Chicken Cordon Bleu, I think of fancy dinners and getting dressed up, complete with jewelry and champagne.  I love going out once in a while, like for my anniversary or birthday.  But mostly we make our dinners at home.

I find this casserole to be especially quick to throw together if I make the rice and chicken ahead of time.  After all, it’s nice to have cooked rice and cooked chicken in the fridge, like to whip up some chicken salad, or to make a burrito.  Rice cooked in chicken stock is my favorite way to get those bone broth benefits!

Equipment Needed:

• large glass bowl & kitchen towel
• large saucepan, wooden spoon, good knife & whisk
• large baking dish & cheese grater
• rolling pin

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (with gluten-free options)

3 cups brown rice, soaked in water & whey, and cooked in stock (buy organic rice here)
3 cups chicken, roasted and cut into 1-inch pieces (buy pastured chicken here)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (buy grass-fed cheese here)
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (buy grass-fed cheese here)
1 1/2 cups (about 8 oz) cubed ham, cut into 1/2-inch size (buy pastured pork here)

Béchamel Sauce:
4 tablespoons butter (buy grass-fed butter here)
1/4 cup sprouted or gluten-free flour, or arrowroot powder (make sprouted flour here, buy gluten-free flour here, buy arrowroot powder here)
1 cup chicken stock (how to make chicken stock)
1/2 cup cream, heated
salt to taste
dash nutmeg

3/4 cup homemade sour cream or yogurt (how to make yogurt)

Crumb Topping:
1 cup plain rice crackers (or homemade crackers or dried bread, how to make bread here)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika (buy organic spices here)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (buy organic spices here)
salt and pepper to taste (buy organic spices here)

1. Soak rice: In a large glass bowl put several cups of rice, water and a generous splash of whey together.  Use about 1 tablespoon of whey for each cup of rice, but it’s okay to eyeball it.  Mix with a wooden spoon, cover with a plate and a towel and let sit for 7 hours.  To cook, gently simmer in chicken stock until tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Cook chicken: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On a baking sheet or jelly roll pan, lay out chicken pieces and drizzle with melted butter, then season generously with salt and pepper.  Roast for 40 minutes.  Let cool completely, then remove from sheet and shred or cut into pieces.
3. Make Béchamel sauce: Heat cream and broth separately and set aside.  In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour, cooking for 2-3 minutes to make a roux and cook out the raw flour taste.  Then whisk in the broth and cream, stirring constantly and cook until very smooth and thickened.  Season with the salt and nutmeg.
4. Whisk the sour cream into the Béchamel sauce.  Set aside.
5. Make Crumb Topping: In a large bag, crush crackers or bread by rolling with a rolling pin until fine.  Pour into a bowl and mix with parsley, paprika, garlic powder, and salt.
6. In a large baking dish, start to layer ingredients: spread out the rice on the bottom of the pan, then the chicken, then the cheeses, then the ham, then the Béchamel and sour cream mixture.  Finally, sprinkle with crumb topping.
7. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the top is golden brown.  Let cool slightly and serve with veggies on the side.  Yum!

This post is a part of Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Full Plate Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Friday Food Flicks, Weekend Gourmet, and Sunday School.

Last week I got my hands on 5 pounds of organic lemons, and instead of looking at them on my counter I actually did something with them this time!

The acidity of the bright lemon juice cuts gently through the floral honey, creating a pleasantly refreshing drink as it warms up this time of year.  You can even stir up a batch and put your kids to work on a lemonade stand  

First of all, I had make good use of the organic aspect, so I zested all of the lemons and put the zest in doubled freezer bags to freeze.  Did you know that lemon zest keeps in the freezer really well?  Then when you need to add zest to a recipe, it’s right there in your freezer.  I hate when I have to go to the store for one measly lemon for zesting!

Then, I juiced all the lemons so that I would have enough lemon juice to freeze, to use for baking some lemon bars, and plenty of extra to make honey-sweetened lemonade!

Equipment Needed:

• zester, citrus juicer, and sharp knife
• large mixing bowl, whisk, half gallon pitcher or jar, and wooden spoon

Note: Citrus juice isn’t recommended on GAPS at first, but after some time, you should be able to tolerate it and make this lemonade.  Plus, there is only one cup of lemon juice for the entire pitcher, so it’s actually better to drink this lemonade than straight orange or grapefruit juice while on GAPS.

Honey-Sweetened Lemonade

2 quarts filtered water
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup raw honey (buy raw honey here)
pinch sea salt (buy unrefined salt here)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine water, lemon juice, and honey.  Whisk until honey is dissolved.  Pour carefully into the pitcher.
2. Add pinch of salt and stir with a wooden spoon.  Yum!

This post is a part of Fight Back Friday, Friday Food Flicks, Weekend Gourmet, and Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday.