Tag Archives: soaking

REAL FOOD 101: How to Make Fresh Pasta

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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.

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Chocolate French Silk Pie

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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.

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REAL FOOD 101: How to Make All-Purpose Yogurt Dough

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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!

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Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Waffles with Blackberry Sauce

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I almost died and went to chocolate-berry heaven this morning.  These waffles had crispy edges, soft centers, and were smothered in yellow grass-fed butter.  But then, then, I drizzled them with real maple syrup and homemade blackberry sauce.  Now that is a breakfast.

Plus, if you followed my chocolate-making craze from the last few months, you will know that I have been playing with cocoa butter.  So I happened to have some of my honey-sweetened GAPS chocolate chips on hand for these waffles.  Amazing.  (Of course, you can also try white chocolate chips in this recipe as well.)

I seriously cannot get over how delicious real food is.  Who needs grocery stores?!  Give me bulk co-ops and resource pages and local farms any day.

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REAL FOOD 101: How to Make Sprouted Whole Grain Flour

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(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.)

Look at those gorgeous sprouted spelt berries.  They’re alive!  And they are ready to be dehydrated to make sprouted flour.  I like to make sprouted flour every other week or so, and then use it for making bread, pancakes, biscuits, and other baked goods.

As you know, I am transitioning back into grains after doing the GAPS diet for 10 months.  So I have started sprouting my spelt berries again to make sprouted flour.  I’m also signing up for the Healthy Whole Grains E-course, so that I can troubleshoot some of the difficulties I have had working with sourdough, as well as gaining new access to soaking and sprouting tutorials and lots of recipes.

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FREE Webinar on How to Soak, Sprout, and Sourdough Grains

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I’ve been saying this for a few months now: I am really looking forward to reintroducing grains into my diet. Fortunately, Ann Marie over at CHEESESLAVE is hosting a FREE webinar on how to soak, sprout, and dehydrate grains.

Happily, I think that doing the GAPS diet for about 10 months successfully healed my gut!  So now I am preparing to take my grain grinder out of mothballs and take Ann Marie’s FREE WEBINAR on February 9th, 2012 at 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PST)! Continue reading →

Butternut Squash “Sweet Potato” Casserole with Pecan Crunch

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Naturally sweet squash blended with rich grass-fed butter, warming spices, vanilla, and a tangy swirl of sour cream, this simple side dish is perfect for a Thanksgiving banquet table.  It is far from the overly-sugared version we grew up with, covered with corn-syrup mini marshmallows.  Topped with gently sweetened pecans, this butternut bake is crispy on top and smooth in the middle.  Scoop it onto plates for a side dish that can beautifully round out the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and stuffing fare.

This tummy-friendly casserole is a delicious and less-starchy version of candied yams or sweet potato casserole.  Butternut squash is easier to digest, as well as providing many vitamins and nutrients during the wintertime when it is in season.  I also took care to sweeten it just so, making the flavors enhanced by the honey instead of overpowering it.

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White Cheddar and Chive Crackers (Grain-Free)

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These crackers are understated, perfect for pairing with herbed goat cheese or some lovely pate, but can definitely hold their own if eaten singly.  It seems almost vulgar to compare them to storebought cheese crackers, but I have to admit that this was how they were born.  I miss grabbing a handful of savory crackers from a box; it’s so satisfying and time-saving.

I get raw, grass-fed white cheddar cheese every month from my co-op, and I knew it would be perfect to add to a cracker recipe.  And then, oh!, adding some chives was just what I needed to round it out.  The flavors really come through and balance not only the flavor of the soaked and dehydrated sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, but also the texture: the smoothness of the cheese works against the crunchiness of the seeds, and the fresh garlic and chives add an aromatic aspect to round it all out.

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REAL FOOD 101: How to Soak, Sprout, and Dehydrate Nuts, Beans, and Seeds

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(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.)

Why do I go through the trouble of soaking nuts, beans, and seeds?  Answer: Personal experience with better digestion.  If there is one thing that is easier now that I am on GAPS, it’s that I only have to soak and dehydrate nuts, beans, and seeds, and not grains.  With grains you have to get out your grain grinder and make flour, but with nuts, beans, and seeds you can just store them whole for snacking, or food process them if you need nut or seed flour for a recipe.  But, in fairness, I do miss my sprouted flour dreadfully, so I admit that it’s worth getting the grain grinder out to have some if you can digest it well.  When I am done with GAPS, I am already looking forward to some sprouted grain goodies!

I have found that if I soak nuts, beans, and seeds, then dehydrate them to their crisy state again, I tend to handle them better.  It turns out that there is a good reason for this.  If you soak or sprout them, then you not only neutralize enzyme inhibitors, phytic acid, and lectins, you also have prepared the nut or seeds for optimal absorption for your body.  This is similar to sourdoughing grains for bread to make them more digestible.

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Maple Oatmeal with Coconut Sprinkles

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Waking up to a cold morning, putting on my slippers, and making a warm bowl of oatmeal is one of my favorite things to do this time of year.  And when you soak your oatmeal overnight, making breakfast in the morning can be simple and nourishing.  The only thing you need to do is to put your oats into some warm filtered water with a splash of yogurt, lemon juice, or whey.  Then you cover it with a towel and enjoy your oats the next morning as they cook up in no time.  That’s just another perk to soaking: it saves you time in the morning.