REAL FOOD 101: How to Make Fresh Pasta

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Kendahl

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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Molasses Crinkles

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Kendahl

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!

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Skillet Cookie

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Kendahl

(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.)

Classic flavors of delicate white chocolate and the smooth crunch of macadamia nuts in a cookie remind me of my childhood. Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies, but I was always partial to the vanilla scented white chocolate confections as a child.

I also remember my mother putting chocolate chip cookie dough into a baking dish to make “cookie bars”. If it seemed easier to me then, then it’s definitely easier as a mom of two! Only now that I am committed to real food, I love baking the cookie dough in a cast iron skillet. Because I always have one or two on my stove, but also because my food becomes more iron-rich because of it.

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Pie Crust Two Ways: Grain-Free and Sprouted

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Kendahl

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When I was in high school, I went to a friend’s house for dinner. Her dad had made these beautiful bowls of pasta with tomato cream sauce and seafood. I said how good it looked and he said proudly, and without hesitation, “well, when you’ve got it, flaunt it!”

That still makes me laugh to this day! And it was really wonderful to see, because I have a tendency to sell myself short and think that I should be modest and self-deprecating. But that’s no fun, and it’s not true! I am really good at a few things, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so.

What I am so good at? Pie! A few weeks ago I made these Heart Tarts for my husband, and I used the sprouted flour pie dough recipe. Amazing! The grain-free pie dough is better for traditional pies, like apple, peach, pumpkin, or strawberry-rhubarb (I really need to make that one again!) Continue reading →

Irish Apple and Potato Cake

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Kendahl

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Sweet apple and satisfying potato combine with hints of bright lemon, warm nutmeg and cinnamon, and even caramel undertones from the whole cane sugar. Topped with a crumb topping that melts in your mouth, this cake does not need anything else. It’s perfect as is.

I am 1/4 Irish, and my grandmother is full Irish. I hear bits and pieces of her life as we talk on the phone, or I hear other family members retell stories of hers. I love that I look like my grandmother, and that I have parts of her in me from her laugh to her unapologetic love for her family. Continue reading →

Chocolate Mint Brownies

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Kendahl

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A few weeks ago I bought white flour, white powdered sugar, and granulated sugar for the first time in about two years. Usually when I cook for other (read: non-real-food) people I use whole wheat flour, whole cane sugar, raw honey, and other real food ingredients. So why in the world did I go to the regular supermarket and buy these bags of white pseudofoods?

Simple. I am a little more chilled out than I have been for the last two years. I know, I know. White sugar and white flour are killing us. But I think that making three pans of mint brownies for 200 people a few weeks ago was worth going to the store, buying commercial flour and sugar, and then enjoying every bite of the one brownie I ate with my friends during that event.

Of course, if I had been making the pan of brownies for my family, it would be a different story. I would have made the real foodified recipe below. But even with the white flour brownie, I could tell I was okay: GAPS really can heal your gut. I’ve come a long way, baby! Continue reading →

A Valentine’s Day Tradition: Heart Tarts

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Kendahl

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In line with reintroducing grains back into my diet, I have a recipe here that uses sprouted flour! You can also still sign up for my giveaway of the Healthy Whole Grains e-course here, or sign up for the class here.

Learning how to work with whole grains the same way our ancestors did is crucial to maintaining good health. With all the problems with gluten these days, learning sprouting, soaking and sourdoughing skills can really improve your health and digestion (and maybe even your food allergies).

These heart tarts are full of fresh cherries and surrounded by a brown, buttery, flaky crust flecked with sugar. The flavors all meld together into a perfect little package that you can hold in your hand and give to your love. Aw! Continue reading →

REAL FOOD 101: How to Make Sprouted Whole Grain Flour

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Kendahl

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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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