Sunday, February 2, 2014

Let's get to the basics

This post lists a few of my must have foodies in the kitchen.

When I get home from the market, part of the process is to clean the veggies and fruits before putting them away. They have been in transit from the fields and need a nice bath. I clean out both sides of my sink, fill the sides up with water and throw the kids in the tub. When they are cleaned I leave them to dry on my dish drainer or towel on the counter. They wait their turn until it's time to find their home.





Top shelf: apple cider vinegar, ghee (butter), balsamic vinegar, coconut milk, 
home made kraut and almond butter
Middle shelf: leftovers for lunch, fresh eggs and hard boiled egg
Bottom shelf: mushrooms, sliced and mixed olives, hot peppers, breakfast wraps for the week.


Top shelf: brussel sprouts, spinach, dill, coriander (cilantro)
Bottom: broccoli, fennel, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini, green pepper


Lemons, garlic, ginger, avocado, herbamare, pepper, sea salt


oranges, grapefruit, apples, dates


eggplant, onion
               Not shown: Olive oil, coconut oil and reserved bacon fat, spices and dried herbs, cashews and almonds


Fresh eggs/hardboiled eggs
Always have these on hand. You will need them in many recipes and especially for breakfast meals. Hard boiled eggs are a perfect snack at work, school or play.

Almond Butter and Cashew Butter
Either one of these are so simple to make. Add almonds or cashews in a food processor. Add 1 Tbls of olive oil. Blend for 3 min. Stop and scrape sides. Continue to blend until you hear the processor change it's tune. You will see the butter start to form in the bottom of the container. Blend to the consistency you like. It's fantastic to scoop out of the jar for that sweet-tooth (Mr. Marty!). As I said in my previous post we have these kind of nuts on hand at work and home. They have great healthful fats and it's a nice stabilizer to curb your appetite between meals. Only a little palmful is all you need. NOT THE WHOLE JAR! (hehe)

Side note: You can make your own almond flour too by blending the almonds to a fine consistancy. It's when you continue blending when the butter starts to form.

See the following directions as you scroll through the photos. I am a visual person. If I can see it...I can make it!

Cauli-Rice - Instead of white or brown rice. Oh, man this is fantastic! Super simple and you can make ahead and toss in the fridge for another meal. Super light and blends well with whatever dish you are making.



Clean and dry a head of cauliflower.


Chop in small chunks and toss in food processor.




Pulse the cauliflower in the processor until it looks like little rice bits.


Add 1 Tbls coconut oil to the pan and heat. Add cauli-rice and mix.


Pour juice of 1 squeezed lemon and 1/4 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) on to rice.


Toss ingredients together and heat through about 5 min or so.



Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite dish.

Kraut
This is a great addition to your morning breakfast. Just a 1/4 cup is all you need. You can add this kraut to any meal you see fit. Your belly will be happy and so will your taste buds.



Super easy! I have made a lot of different versions of Kraut all having similar ingredients. I have nailed it down to this simple way. What you will need is a head of cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, dill, sea salt, peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, distilled or boiled filtered (cooled) water, glass jars with a plastic lid, and a baking pan (to catch the juice that may escape through the lid seal). I will show photos of just the cabbage. You can do the same with the carrots and cauliflower if you choose to use them. Also, add whatever spices you want. Switch it up a bit!

                                        Slice the cabbage in thin strips and cut them in 1/2.




Place the cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle 2 Tbls sea salt on top. Massage and mix together the salt and cabbage. They really like each other. The cabbage will start to break down a bit. That is what you are going for. It may create some juice too. If it does, that is awesome! When the cabbage looks ready then you can move on to the next phase. (really it's how you like it) I massage it for about 3-4 min.




In a clean and sterile jar with lid, put in 1 tsp of pepper flakes and pepper corns, 2-3 sprigs of fresh dill, 2 cloves garlic peeled and cut in 1/2. Pour in a 1/2 cup of the water to jar.




Place the cabbage in the glass jar with the other spices. Pack it down and add more. Pack it down and add more. 



When it reaches the top 1/2 inch from the top, pour in the water very slowly. The water will fill in the the grooves as it reaches the top. 


Take a cabbage leaf and press it down so the liquid is covering it. This will keep the sliced cabbage from wanting to float to the top.





Put the jar in a baking pan to catch any liquid that may spill out. Don't worry if it does. That is good stuff happening in there! Leave it alone for about 5 days. Check on it by lifting the cabbage leaf up with clean hands. Taste a bit and see how you like it. I usually give my kraut about 7 days. If you want it to break down more, leave it be for another couple of days. When you are ready, pull off the cabbage leaf and discard. Place the jar in the fridge and store it there for months. You will eat it fast so don't worry! I usually like to make up about 4-5 jars at a time. Sometimes I don't have time for that and only make a jar at a time. So whatever floats your boat just have fun. Once you make this a few times, it gets quicker and quicker to create. Make sure all the equipment you are using is clean when preparing this, even your hands. You want the live action to have a great start.

                                     

Tapenade
Easy as 1, 2, 3! Add Sliced green and black olives, a few sprigs of coriander (cilantro) or parsley, and 3 Tbls coconut cream in a food processor. Take them for a spin!







I hope these recipes help you out. Some other items I have on hand are arrowroot powder, coconut flour, almond flour. I can make my own almond flour here in Tunisia as explained above. The arrowroot powder and coconut flour I have to bring with me.

Enjoy!

Gluten free and Paleo friendly meal

2 comments:

  1. This is so awesome Bridged! Thanks so much! I feel like printing out every page of your blog to keep handy on my kitchen counter so I can easily refer to all your wonderful recipes! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Soukeina! I am glad you are enjoying it. :)

    ReplyDelete