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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Chocolate French Silk Pie

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Kendahl

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

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Kendahl

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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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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Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Waffles with Blackberry Sauce

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Kendahl

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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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 →

REAL FOOD 101: How to Make Whey (and “Cream Cheese”)

Posted on March 16, 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.)

Whey is incredibly useful when making lacto-fermented drinks (such as beet kvass), condiments (such as mayonnaise), and vegetables (such as these dilly carrot sticks) at home.

I have mentioned in several recipes that I use whey. Have you ever bought yogurt from the store and there is a little liquid on the top before you stir it all together? That’s whey. However, it’s only a teaspoon or so if you pour it off. You will need more than that to make ketchup on a regular basis!

So if you want to make whey, then it’s best to use my method below. Plus, when you make whey my way you get “cream cheese”*, too. (That’s a bonus for those of you taking the Whole Grains E-course and you’re learning to make your own bagels. That’s a match made in heaven.) 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 →

Cheese and Vegetable Chowder with Fresh Herbs

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Kendahl

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In these colder months, I love warming bowls of creamy soup speckled with finely chopped root vegetables, fresh herbs, and sprinkled with fresh parsley. This soup is heaven served with a piece or two of sourdough bread with a little grass-fed butter.

I might even say this is my favorite soup (barring the wild mushroom soup I ate at Zingerman’s in Michigan a few years ago). Every time I make it I savor each bite and eat slowly and happily. So pull up a CSA box and get a-food-processing. This one is worth it. Continue reading →