Fermented Vegetables

It is very easy to make fermented vegetables. For hundreds of years – maybe thousands – people all over the world have made cultured foods part of their diet. We find sauerkraut in Germany, kimchi in Korea. natto and miso from Japan as well as pickles, yogurt, kefir, cheese and many other varieties from all over the world. Back in the days when there were no refrigerators, people’s survival depended on a way to preserve foods. Fermenting foods was a way to accomplish this.

The health benefits from cultured foods comes from live microorganisms, which the human body incorporates as gut bacteria. Healthy gut bacteria is necessary to help fend off bad bacteria. Too many foods in today’s world is lacking in good bacteria. If we don’t consume regular amounts of good bacteria, we are essentially giving the bad bacteria the advantage in our bodies.

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Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

Here is a recipe for a vegan version of cream of mushroom soup without dairy. This recipe uses shitake, maitake and crimini mushrooms with vegetable broth and vegetable boullion along with onion, garlic and spices. It takes about an hour and a half to make.

The brandy I used was Christian Brothers VS and the nutritional yeast flakes were made by KAL. Both of these are readily available in stores. The creamy texture comes from raw cashews and a blender.

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Asian Kale Chips

This is a recipe for Asian flavored kale chips. It is fairly low in calories, gluten free and dairy free. It is made in the same way as the Southwest Kale Chips posted here at the website (see recipe index). You will also need a big mixing bowl – about 8 quart capacity. This recipe uses raw almonds, but you can substitute with raw almond butter if preferred.

Asian kale chips are easy to make with a food processor and a dehydrator. Always try to find good quality organic ingredients whenever possible – especially the soy sauce and miso paste. These two items are made with fermented soy and soy is one of the big GMO crops. So make sure to select only organic miso paste and soy sauce to avoid GMO soy.

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Chlorella Berry Drink

Here is a quick and easy recipe for a chlorella green drink with berries. You will need chlorella powder, spirulina powder and black raspberry powder plus some bee pollen (keep in the freezer), some frozen organic blueberries, some raw organic honey and (optionally) some stevia extract if you don’t want to use too much honey.

The stevia extract we have been using comes from Trader Joe’s. It comes in one gram packets and it is fairly inexpensive. Chlorella and spirulina powder is very common and easy to find from health food suppliers. The black raspberry powder we use is Virgin Extracts Black Raspberry Extract Powder. It is made by FoodsSuper.com and is available from Amazon.com and other places.

We use Jarrow Formulas "Yaeyama Chlorella" (1 kg) and Starwest Botanicals Spirulina powder. We buy both of these from from VitaCost.com.

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. This recipe has a nice malty flavor because it uses dry malt extract (DME) which is available from a homebrew beer making store. Dry malt is malted barley that has been heated with water to convert the grain starch into fermentable sugars, then has all the water and grain removed. It adds a nice flavor to the cookies.

If desired, you can substitute 2 eggs for the two egg replacers.
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Madras Beef Curry

This is a spicy beef curry dish that is relatively easy to make. It can be made from good quality cuts of meat or cheaper cuts if desired. I have made it with skirt steak and sirloin steak cut into stew meat but it can also be made from cheaper cuts of meat like chuck steak.

I have even made this recipe with key limes in place of the lemon. They are very tart like lemons and they have their own unique flavor. You can also add half and half lemon juice with lime juice. You can try different combinations of lemon juice and key lime or lime juices to vary the taste.

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Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala can be prepared quickly and easily in about 10 minutes or so with simmer sauce either pre-prepared and available in a jar from a grocery store or from simmer sauce made from scratch. It is a mild curry sauce made with tomatoes.

The recipe for making tikka masala simmer sauce from scratch can be found at this website. Please check the “Sauces and Dressings” section on the Recipe Index Page (a link to the Recipe Index is located on the main navigation menu at the top of the page).

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Do it Yourself Moist Towelette

A moist towelette can come in handy on occasion where there is no access to a sink or other washing facility, especially when camping or in other outdoor areas. These are available commercially, but if you only need a few and you don’t want to buy a case of 1000 and you don’t want any of the commercial brands that use toxic hand sanitizers, then you can make a pretty good version of your own very quickly and easily with a paper towel, water, a little rubbing alcohol and a sandwich bag.

moist-towelette

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Vegetable Curry

Vegetable curry is made by sautéing ingredients in a pan and gradually adding them a little at a time, infusing flavor into the ingredients as they are added. Heat up a little vegetable oil and then lightly sauté the garlic. Next, add whole cumin seeds and allow them to brown very slightly (about a minute or so). Then add some chopped red onions. Cook for a few minutes and then add some tomato paste (and, optionally, some chopped, ripe tomato). To this mixture, add spices (coriander seed powder and turmeric) with a little water. This will make a curry paste that becomes the base for everything else added later.

Add the vegetables that need the longest cooking time first (carrots and green beans), followed by the chopped chili peppers a few minutes later. Next, add the delicate flavors that you don’t want to get cooked away too soon (fresh ginger and lime juice). The last vegetables added are the ones that need to be crunchy and not overcooked (cauliflower florets, broccoli florets and zuchchini). Don’t add too much water. Keep the water level low and turn the vegetables often to bring them into contact with the hot cooking water. Serve hot and fresh right away. ... Read More

Southwest Kale Chips

Crispy kale is a hugely popular snack with many varieties available in stores and with many recipes online. This recipe is a fairly low calorie snack and it is also vegan. There is no gluten or dairy. This recipe has a tangy, “cheesy”, southwestern flavor, with some spicy habanero chili pepper. It contains some nutritional yeast which gives it the cheesy flavor.

This crispy kale recipe is easy to make. You will need a food processor and a dehydrator. Try to use good quality organic ingredients whenever possible. Insist on organic miso paste to avoid GMO soy. You can adjust the spicy hot flavor by using more or less habanero pepper. Habaneros come in small sizes if less hotness is more desirable.

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