Healthy Recipes 360

Vegetarian Lentil Soup

admin — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:40:41 +0000

Lentil soup is a hearty, thick soup and is very popular with family and friends. Many lentil soup recipes call for adding a ham bone or pork or other meat. This is a vegetarian version that has no animal products or animal fat. It uses a little bit of olive oil but that is a good, healthy fat.

This is a hearty, delicious and healthy soup recipe that is sure to be a favortie with friends and family. It is low in fat and high in satisfying flavor.

Vegetarian Lentil Soup Ingredients:

1 lb dry green lentils (about 2 1/4 cups)
9 cups water
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 med carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

You want to cook the different ingredients in stages and gradually add them to the soup. First you cook the lentils by themselves in water, only. Cook the onions and tomatoes separately over sautéed garlic before adding to the soup. After the lentils have cooked by themselves, add the celery and carrots, and then the cooked onions and tomatoes. It is important to do it this way. If you add all the ingredients to the soup all at once, the lentils won’t have the proper texture and it will have a completely different flavor. Add the seasonings except for the salt into the water while cooking the lentils. Add the salt to taste towards the end when adding the final ingredients.

Add lentils to a large cooking pot and sort through them to remove any stones or damaged seeds. Soak lentils in water for 1 hour. Afterwards, rinse the lentils and then strain them. Next, add water, bay leaves, basil, oregano and pepper. Use 1 quart of water per cup of dry lentils. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Cook the lentils over a low flame for a couple of hours before adding vegetables. The low flame is needed to slow-cook the lentils and will prevent the soup from burning.

After a couple of hours, check the lentils. They should be soft – not crunchy or chewy. Add chopped celery and carrots to the pot and continue cooking.

Next, add olive oil to a deep frying pan and sauté the chopped garlic for a couple of minutes over a medium flame. Keep the flame low enough to prevent olive oil from smoking. Add the chopped onions before the garlic becomes browned. Cook the onions for a couple of minutes until they are soft and translucent. You don’t want the onions to be browned, either. Next, add the chopped tomatoes in the frying pan with the onions. Cook about 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down.

Add the cooked onions and tomatoes to the pot and cook for another 1 1/2 hours to complete the cooking and to marry up all the flavors. The carrots and celery should be cooked but not so much that they become mushy. Serve hot. Total cooking time: about 4 hours.

Shown below is a photo of all the ingredients. Starting in the back and going left to right: pepper, salt, olive oil, basil, oregano, celery, onion, tomatoes, carrots, bay leaves, garlic and dry green lentils.

First, sort through the lentils and pull out any damaged seeds. Sprinkle a few into a large cooking pot. This makes it easy to spot them and pick them out – a little at a time.

I’ve tried other ways of doing this, emptying all of them on a flat surface and sorting through them that way and waiting until after soaking them and pulling them out that way, but this way is the fastest way to sort through them that I have figured out.

Simply pick out the bad ones. They are easy to remove this way. After sorting this small amount, dump them into a clean bowl and repeat step 1 and 2 until you have sorted through all the lentils.

Rinse the lentils a few times to clean them. Use a strainer.

Add enough water to cover the lentils a few inches and set aside and allow to soak for one hour.

After one hour, pour out the soaking water over a strainer like the earler step and then carefully measure 9 cups of water and add to the cooking pot with the lentils.

Stir in the basil, oregano and pepper and then add the bay leaves.

Cover the pot and then bring to a boil. Turn down the flame to low and simmer over a low flame for two hours, covered, stirring occasionally.

Now start cutting all the vegetables. Start by peeling and slicing the carrots.

Next, cut the celery. They go in with the carrots so I’ll keep these in a bowl and set aside for now.

Next, chop the tomatoes. Place them in a bowl and set aside until later.

Tip: We made this soup with home grown, vine ripened tomatoes. Use fresh, ripe, natually sweet tomatoes for the best tasting soup you will ever eat. If you buy tomatoes from the store, it won’t hurt if they are a little soft just before they go bad. That’s when they are the best for the soup.

Now chop the onion.

Finally, chop the garlic and set it aside for now. Please see note above. Set the timer to know when to start cooking the garlic in olive oil.

After two hours check the lentils to make sure they are cooked. At this time add the carrots and celery to the soup.

Stir in the vegetables.

After adding the carrots and celery it will be time to cook the onions and tomatoes. Start by adding some olive oil to a large pan.

Next add the chopped garlic. Cook the garlic in olive oil for a few minutes until just before it starts to brown. Keep the flame low enough to keep the olive oil from smoking.

Add the chopped onions and continue cooking.

Lower the flame to keep the olive oil from smoking. Cook until soft and translucent.

After about 8 to 10 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes.

Cook the onions and tomatoes for about 20 minutes over a medium-low flame until the tomatoes change color to a reddish-orange. The tomatoes should be completely broken down.

Next add the cooked onions and tomatoes to the soup.

Stir everything and then add salt. Cover the pot and allow to cook for another hour and a half.

Taste the soup after about an hour and a half. This last bit of cooking is to marry up all the flavors and for tenderizing the carrots and celery.

Serve hot. This is a healthy, delicious soup that will be a big hit with family and friends.

Hot & Spicy Chili Pepper and Steak Burrito

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 08:12:08 +0000

If you have a craving for something hot and spicy, then this is the perfect recipe! It’s a hot and spicy burrito with grilled steak and 5 different chili peppers – and not just any chili peppers! It uses serranos, habaneros and jalapeños to supply the hotness plus it has Anaheim peppers and mini peppers for added flavor. It’s pretty hot, but its good!

This recipe is similar to the steak fajitas recipe elsewhere in this website. The main difference is that this recipe calls for skirt steak instead of flat iron steak. Try to get a good cut of lean meat — preferably grass-fed beef. If it isn’t so lean, then spend the time and trim away all the fat you can manage. You want the steak to be really lean for two reasons. First, it makes for better flavor and second, it is healthier with less fat.

The hot & spicy burrito is also prepared with guacamole. The recipe for guacamole can be found in the sauces and dressings section of this website.

Hot & Spicy Burrito Ingredients:

2 lb lean skirt steak, sliced into thin strips
12 serrano peppers, cut lengthwise thin strips
12 mini peppers, cut lengthwise thin strips
6 habanero peppers, cut lengthwise thin strips
4 jalapeño peppers, cut lengthwise thin strips
2 Anaheim peppers, cut lengthwise thin strips

Marinade:

Juice from 2 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (include the stems)

Misc:

flour tortillas
guacamole
salsa

1. Marinate the skirt steak:

Trim all the fat off the skirt steak and cut into thin strips about 2-3 inches in length. Add marinade ingredients to a bowl, stir and add sliced skirt steak pieces. Allow to marinate for about 4 hours or even overnight. Meanwhile, slice peppers and onions lengthwise into thin strips (about 1/8 – 1/4 inch slices). Add to a large bowl and toss the sliced peppers to mix them up.

2. Cooking the steak:

Grill the steak on a gas grill. Arrange the grill grates by laying them one on top of the other in a staggered fashion so the spaces between the grates are narrow to keep the meat from falling through. Use grilling tongs to turn the meat. Place cooked meat into a bowl when cooked.

3. Cooking the peppers and adding the cooked steak:

Add a few drops of cooking oil to a large skillet and add about half of the sliced peppers to the skillet and heat over a medium-high flame. Toss the sliced peppers with the grilling tongs until about three-quarters cooked. Add in some of the grilled meat and continue tossing the meat and peppers until the peppers are just a bit crunchy (not quite soft and translucent).

4. Serving:

Add some of the cooked mixture to a hot flour tortilla and garnish with guacamole and salsa. Roll the tortilla around the ingredients and enjoy! Serve immediately. Optional: serve with brown rice and refried beans. Thrilling!

Shown below is a photo of all the ingredients. Starting in the back and going left to right: ground cumin, skirt steak, olive oil, habanero peppers, limes, Anaheim peppers, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, mini peppers, garlic and serrano peppers.

First, prepare the marinade so you can get the meat marinating. You want to marinate it for at least 4 hours. You can marinate it until the next day if you want. Start by selecting a small bunch of fresh cilantro. Chop it up and include some of the stems.

The preparation of the meat is similar to the steak fajitas recipe elsewhere in this website. It uses the same marinade and you grill the steak on an outdoor gas grill. The only difference here is that we’re using skirt steak here instead of flat iron steak.

Next, chop the jalapeño pepper and 4 cloves of garlic.

You can use a chopper or a chef’s knife for the job.

Add the cilantro, olive oil, jalapeño pepper and garlic to a bowl.

Next, add fresh squeezed lime juice. I use a lime juicer because it’s fast, but you can use a regular glass citrus juicer if you want.

Add the ground cumin …

Now stir everything to mix it all together. We are ready to add the meat to the marinade.

Cut the meat into thin strips about 2-3 inches in length. Skirt steak is perfect for this because you just follow the grain. You want small, bite-sized pieces.

Add the skirt steak to the marinade and mix everything together so that the marinade covers all the meat. Cover and place in the refrigerator. Marinate the meat for at least 4 hours or even overnight.

Next, slice all the chili peppers. Start with the Anaheim peppers if you want. First cut off the ends.

Next, split each pepper in half lengthwise like the photo below. Remove the ribs and seeds for these peppers. Just scrape them out with your fingers. It’s really easy.

Now, slice each pepper lengthwise in thin strips – about 1/4 inch.

You’ll do this with all the peppers, basically. Slice them all lengthwise like this. Slice the smaller peppers in thinner slices than the big ones.

Slice the jalapeños next. Start by cutting off the ends just like the Anaheim peppers.

Split each one in half lengthwise.

Split them all first.

Now cut them all up lengthwise into thin slices.

All the jalapeños are sliced up.

Next, do the same thing with the habaneros. These are small peppers, so you’ll make the slices thinner than the others.

Slice up all the habaneros.

Next, slice the serrano peppers.

Just like the other peppers, start by cutting off the ends and slice them lengthwise in thin strips.

Now all the serranos are sliced up.

Finally, slice up the mini peppers.

Either cut off or pinch off the stems and slice each one in half lengthwise, first, and then into thin slices just like all the other chili peppers.

Now all the mini peppers are sliced up. It doesn’t take too long. It goes fast with a chef’s knife or a Santoku knife like the one shown. You’ll get the hang of it.

Now, put all the sliced chili peppers into a bowl and toss them real good to mix them up.

When the steak has finished marinating, cook it on a gas grill using tongs to turn the meat. Stack the grills one on top of the other with the top one turned upside down over the other. Arrange the grill bars in a staggered fashion this way to close the gaps so the meat doesn’t fall through the grates.

Place the cooked meat in a bowl and set aside for now.

Place about half of the sliced chili peppers into a large skillet with a few drops of cooking oil to keep them from burning and sticking. Heat over a medium-high flame for about 3 to 5 minutes, tossing frequently with the tongs. It’s like stir-frying. You want it to cook fast over high heat, but you have to keep tossing it.

When the chili peppers are about 3/4ths cooked, add some of the cooked steak.

Keep tossing until the vegetables are done. You don’t want to overcook the peppers. They should be just slightly crunchy and definitely not soft and translucent.

Now everything is cooked. We’re ready to make the burritos.

Place some cooked steak and peppers onto a large flour tortilla.

Add salsa and guacamole. Believe it or not, I use mild salsa because it has a better flavor. You can also add salt to taste if you like.

Note: Prepare the guacamole ahead of time with the guacamole recipe found in the sauces and dressings section of this website.

Fold the tortilla over on one end like the photo below.

Now fold each side over to make a wrap with one end open. That’s a burrito.

Serve immediately. Optionally, serve with brown rice and refried beans. It’s healthy and it’s good!

Man, this is hot stuff! Whoa!!!

Scientists Under Attack – Genetic Engineering in the Magnetic Field of Money – New Documentary

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:14:03 +0000

A shocking new documentary, Scientists Under Attack – Genetic Engineering in the Magnetic Field of Money, exposes the attack on scientists who speak out against genetically modified foods (GMOs). It is produced by DENKmal-Film of Germany (website: www.denkmal-film.com). An English translation version is in process. The film is scheduled for released in theaters March 10, 2011.

Watch trailer

This film by the German film-maker Bertram Verhaag is a political thriller. It is a story of two scientists, Dr Arpad Pusztai and Dr Ignacio Chapela, whose research on GMO foods and crops showed negative findings. The two scientists were vilified and intimidated and their careers derailed when their research was shown to be unfavorable to Big Food.

The attack on scientists is very well structured by the biotech industry. It’s systematic. It’s worldwide. It’s very coordinated. It’s part of the way they do business – Jeffrey Smith, author of the book: Seeds of Deception

The movie is a tale about big agribusiness, GMOs and freedom of speech and the attempts by the biotech industry to suppress and discredit scientists and their research.

Quickest Vegetable Soup Recipe

admin — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 03:58:24 +0000

This is the quickest vegetable soup recipe that I know. It is delicious and low in fat, yet very fast and easy to make. Most soups take a lot of time to make and usually you wind up making enough to feed a small army. You can make a half-batch of this recipe if you like (all the photos I shot were a half-batch).

So with this recipe you can make it fast plus you can make it in small batches. Those are two big plus points … and another plus is that it is healthy! We try to use all organic ingredients – organic broth, organic basil and oregano, organic carrots, green beans and cabbage.

The secret to this recipe is that you start with vegetable broth and beef broth. They come in handy 32-oz containers. That’s what saves the time. We only use organic broths because we want to make sure they are healthy to begin with. You simply add in fresh vegetables. It only takes a few minutes to chop them. Using fresh vegetables always ensures you’re getting good food. That’s important.

Ingredients:

4 carrots, sliced
2 large stalks celery, sliced
2 cups sliced cabbage
4 garlic cloves, minced or 3/4 tsp crushed garlic
4 cups beef broth
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
2 tbsp tomato paste or 4 tbsp tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
*1 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced zucchini

* Amount of salt depends on whether or not the broth is a low sodium variety.

Add broth to a medium sized saucepan and heat over a medium flame. Add tomato paste (or tomato sauce) and stir until dissolved. Next, add cabbage, carrots, celery and green beans. Stir in minced garlic (or crushed garlic) and then add seasonings – basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Stir thoroughly and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add diced zucchini and cook for another 15 minutes or so until all the vegetables are cooked. Serve hot.

Shown below is a photo of the ingredients. Starting in the back row and moving left to right: pepper, salt, crushed garlic, organic beef broth, organic vegetable broth, oregano, basil, sliced celery, sliced cabbage, diced zucchini, tomato paste, frozen green beans, carrots.

Note: In these photos I’m making a half-batch.

Start by adding the broth to a pan.

Next, add the tomato paste and stir it in real good to dissolve it. Make sure it is completely dissolved before proceeding.

Add the sliced cabbage …

Add the celery and sliced carrots …

Add the green beans …

Add in the crushed garlic …

Add the seasonings …

Note: Be careful when adding the salt. The amount will depend on whether or not the broth you are using is a a low-sodium variety.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 15 minutes …

Now add the zucchini … we cook for awhile before adding the zucchini because we don’t want to overcook it.

Cook for another 15 minutes or so and you’re done!

Serve hot. This is really good soup. It’s quick and easy and you can make it in small batches, plus it’s healthy.

Low Fat Chili Con Carne (Killer Chili)

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:12:06 +0000

There’s nothing like homemade chili! It seems like everyone has his or her own special recipe so this is my version. You can cook it up on the stove in a couple of hours. You first need to have some cooked pinto beans. You can cook them the day before and keep them in the refrigerator or soak them the night before and cook the beans and the chili all in one day. They take about 3 hours to cook after soaking all night.

Everything in this recipe is healthy. I use grass-fed ground beef. It’s the best quality beef you can obtain. Some chili recipes call for kidney beans, but this one uses pinto beans.

This recipe uses 3 different kinds of chili peppers – Anaheim, serrano and sweet mini-peppers. The Anaheim peppers are very mild and the serrano peppers provide all the hotness. You can substitute jalapeño peppers for the serrano peppers if you want. Jalapeño peppers are not quite as hot, but will work. The nice thing about cooking with peppers is that it seems no matter how you combine them, you can taste all the individual flavors.

This is actually low fat chili. When you cook the ground beef you separate all the fat and then blot the cooked meat with a paper towel to remove as much fat as possible. You will use a little bit of vegetable oil to sauté the garlic, but you can use high quality oil which should be good fat. Be sure to buy non-hydrogenated cooking oil and one that is preferably organic and not made from GMO foods.

You can also vary the flavor by varying the brand of chili powder. I tried a “chili lime” chili powder recently. It was good. The tart lime flavor really added a nice touch.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
28 oz can diced tomatoes
3 cups cooked pinto beans
1 lg onion, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 large Anaheim peppers, chopped
2 serrano chili peppers, finely chopped (or jalapeño peppers)
1 1/4 cups asst sweet peppers, chopped (mild chili peppers or mini-peppers)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Cook the ground meat in a skillet, and then tip the pan to drain off the fat. Blot the ground meat with a paper towel to remove the remaining fat and then add the can of diced tomatoes. Stir them together and then cook over a low flame.

Meanwhile, add the vegetable oil to a large cooking pot and then lightly sauté the garlic over a medium flame (do not brown). Next, add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent (also do not brown). Next, add the chopped tomatoes and cook the vegetables for about 15 or 20 minutes over a medium low flame until the tomatoes are broken down.

When the vegetables are done, add the cooked ground meat and diced tomatoes to the pot along with the assorted chopped peppers. Stir everything together and then add the seasonings – chili powder, ground cumin and salt. Finally, add the cooked pinto beans, cover and simmer over a low flame for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cook until the chili is of uniform consistency and all the peppers are cooked.

Vary the hotness by varying the peppers. Two serrano peppers are good for a start for most people’s taste. Cooking will reduce the hotness a bit. Serrano peppers (or jalapeño peppers) are the hot ones, the Anaheim peppers are mild and the sweet peppers have no hotness.

Shown below are all the ingredients to make chili. Going from left to right and starting in the back row: chili powder, cooked pinto beans, salt, ground cumin, organic canola oil, onion, tomatoes, can of diced tomatoes, one pound of grass-fed ground beef, fresh garlic cloves, Anaheim peppers, serrano peppers and sweet mini peppers.

Start by splitting each garlic clove to make it easy to peel them.

Finely chop the garlic cloves and add them to a large cooking pot …

Next, chop the onion. Start by cutting it in half.

Peel the onion halves and then make about 4 or 5 vertical cuts on one of the halves. Keep one end attached without cutting through.

Next, make 2 or 3 horizontal slices and keep the same end attached as in the vertical cuts.

Finally, make vertical cross-cuts spaced about 1/4 inch apart. Start at the cut end and work your way to the attached end. When you get to the last piece, lay it on its side and chop the remainder.

That’s the fastest way to chop an onion. You can swap the order of the cuts if you want – horizontal slices first, followed by the vertical cuts.

Now add a little oil to the cooking pot with the chopped garlic and sauté over a medium flame. Don’t brown it, just lightly cook it …

Note: Normally I would sauté garlic and onions in a skillet, but we need to cook the ground beef in the skillet at the same time the vegetables are cooking. There’s no point in cooking with 2 skillets plus a pot, so we will use the pot to cook the vegetables. It will cook the same as a large skillet.

While the garlic is cooking, add the ground beef to a skillet and start cooking it.

Add the onions to the sauteéd garlic just before it starts to brown and stir it quickly to cool it off a bit. Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent (also not brown).

While the onions are cooking, chop the tomatoes – they go in next. Start by halving them and removing the hard stem ends.

Cut them the same way you did the onion, vertical cuts, horizontal cuts and then chop …

By the time the tomatoes are chopped the onions should be cooked …

Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent …

Now add the chopped tomatoes.

You should cook them for about 15 to 20 minutes until the tomatoes are completly broken down.

In the meantime, keep cooking the beef.

Next, chop all the peppers. I start with the Anaheim peppers. Start by cutting the ends …

Next, make a horzontal cut all the way down the pepper to cut it in half. Do this for each pepper.

Now we want to get rid of the ribs and seeds. Just pull them off by hand. They come off really easy.

Break off the good parts around the stems by hand.

Now slice each half lengthwise into about 4 or 5 slices each.

Then chop them into medium sized chunks.

Chop all the Anaheim peppers this way.

Next, we will chop up all the mini peppers.

Pull the stems off and cut each pepper into thin slices.

Then make cross cuts on the pile to finish chopping them.

Finally we will chop the seranno peppers.

Start by cutting off the stems.

Slice each pepper into thin slices.

Now finely chop all the slices.

Note: Always finely chop the hot peppers. You can coarse chop the Anaheim peppers and medium-fine chop the sweet peppers, but you will get the best texture if you finely chop the hot peppers. There won’t be any hot chewy surprises in the finished chili this way!

The tomatoes are almost done … wait until they are light yellowish orange in color.

Keep checking the meat. Use a metal spatula and keep chopping it up as you cook it.

When the ground meat is cooked, tip the pan up to drain all the fat off and spoon it out of the pan.

Use a paper towel to blot away as much fat as you can.

Place the skillet back on the burner and add the can of diced tomatoes. Heat over a medium flame while the tomatoes and onions are cooking in the pot.

Stir the diced tomatoes into the meat while cooking.

You’ve been bouncing back and forth between the meat in the skillet and the vegetables in the pot. Now the tomatoes are done and if you’ve timed it all right, the meat and diced tomatoes should have been cooking for about 10 to 12 minutes or so.

Add the cooked meat and diced tomatoes to the pot …

Followed by all the chopped peppers …

Next add the seasonings – chili powder, ground cumin and salt.

Stir everything up real good.

Keep stirring to mix everything together.

Finally, add the cooked pinto beans.

We will add about 3 cups of pinto beans to the pot.

Stir the beans in real good and then cover and cook over a LOW flame. Cover the pot and simmer over a low flame for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep checking the pot every 20 minutes or so and stir the chili with a wooden spoon. Adjust the flame as necessary to keep from burning. Just cook it over a low flame.

After a couple of hours the chili will thin out and all the flavors will be married up.

Serve hot. Delicious!

How to Make Water Kefir

admin — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:32:28 +0000

Water kefir is a delicious and easy-to-make probiotic drink that you can make yourself at home. I find this to be a very inexpensive way to culture your own probiotics. Just make them yourself from a live culture – like water kefir – and use the living culture to repeat the process over and over.

Ingredients you will need to make your own water kefir: dehydrated kefir grains, palm sugar, spring water, 2 qt mason jar and organic cane sugar.

Most of the websites that show how to make water kefir either sell the hydrated, living kefir grains from their websites or advise that you obtain the kefir grains from someone else who has a growing culture and can spare some kefir grains that have multiplied.

In this article, I will show you a different way. You can buy your own dehydrated water kefir grains on the Internet and then rehydrate them yourself. Rehydrating kefir grains will take just a few days and, following that, you can make regular, running batches of water kefir from them.

Kefir Grains

Kefir grains are a culture of bacteria and yeast similar to yogurt or milk kefir. They have a gelatinous texture and a translucent color. Kefir grains tend to multiply after making batches of water kefir. They consume sugar and give off carbon dioxide gas in the process (CO₂). The CO₂ becomes infused into the water kefir, carbonating it in the process. The fermentation process also creates a small amount of alcohol (less than 1%).

Kefir grains need care and attention, though. They don’t like chlorine and don’t do well when they come into contact with metal. Always use plastic utensils and a plastic strainer when rinsing them. Use bottled spring water (not distilled water). The kefir grains need some mineral content to properly grow. That’s the reason to use bottled spring water. I even rinse the kefir grains with bottled spring water after each batch of water kefir.

Kefir grains tend to grow best at room temperature. If stored in the refrigerator, their growth will slow down. Never store kefir grains outside sugar water, otherwise they can starve and die. Always make sure they have a fresh supply of sugar and fresh water.

Kefir water should culture at room temperature in 24 to 48 hours. After that time, the kefir grains should be rinsed with fresh spring water and a new batch started. If you want to store them for awhile, keep them in the refrigerator in a jar of spring water with sugar for up to a week, but no more, then rinse them and give them some fresh water and sugar.

If properly cared for, the kefir grains can be used over and over, indefinitely in batch after batch of water kefir.

Part I – Rehydrate Kefir Grains

I bought my dehydrated kefir grains from Amazon.com, but you can just as well buy them directly from the supplier. The product is available from the Cultures For Health website. They even offer a “starter kit” complete with an assortment of plastic strainers (http://www.culturesforhealth.com/water-kefir-starter-kit.html). I would go for the starter kit because it is reasonably priced and it can sometimes be hard to find a plastic strainer from a local store.

When you rehydrate kefir grains from the Cultures For Health packet, the instructions say to add 4 to 6 tbsp of sugar to 4 cups of water, stir until sugar is dissolved and then add the kefir grains. Wait for 3 to 4 days to allow the grains to plump up and then make the water kefir according to the recipe. In the photo below I am adding 5 tbsp of organic cane sugar to 4 cups of spring water.

Caution! Never use tap water because it will contain chlorine. Chlorine will kill the kefir grains. Only certain kinds of filtered water is safe. Generally speaking, water filtration systems using granulated charcoal or carbon blocks are inadequate. These kinds of filters only reduce, but do not eliminate chlorine. Certain kinds of reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration systems are safe to use, though.

Stir thoroughly to dissolve the sugar …

Empty the contents of the packet into the jar …

Place a folded paper towel, napkin or paper coffee filter over the top of the jar and secure it with a rubber band to keep out insects while the kefir grains rehydrate.

Caution: Never use an air-tight lid when making or storing water kefir. The fermentation process gives off carbon dioxide gas. This could cause an unsafe build-up of pressure and and may cause the glass jar to explode and cause damage and/or injury.

Shown below is a photo of the jar three days later. The kefir grains are plump and fully reydrated. Notice that the color of the water is lighter. That is because the kefir culture has consumed most of the sugar in the process. You can also taste the water after rehydrating. It should be slightly tangy and less sweet than it was at the start. These are both signs of a healthy, active culture.

Strain the kefir grains into a bowl with a plastic strainer.

Caution! Never use a metal strainer, metal spoon or metal lid. Kefir grains do not like metal! Do not allow metal to come into contact with the living culture.

Shown below are the strained, rehydrated kefir grains ready to make water kefir.

Part II – Making Water Kefir

The following recipe for making water kefir – adapted from GreenMomZoe.

Basic Formula:

1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp kefir grains
1 cup water
some dried fruit

Working Recipe:

6 tbsp kefir grains
6 cups water
4 tbsp organic cane sugar
2 tbsp palm sugar
3 sun-dried unsulfured dried apricots
1 sun-dried unsulfured dried Calimyrna fig

Equipment Needed:

2 qt mason jar with plastic lid
plastic strainer
plastic measuring spoons
plastic spatula

Start by bringing together all the ingredients. You need a 2 qt Mason jar with 6 cups of bottled spring water, kefir grains, organic cane sugar, coconut palm sugar, sun dried, unsulfured apricots and sun dried, unsulfured Calimyrna figs. All of the ingredients are available from you local health food store.

Ingredients: Sun dried unsulfured apricots and figs, Mason jar with 6 cups of bottled spring water, organic cane sugar, palm sugar, kefir grains.

Shown below is the Mason jar with 6 cups of spring water.

Add 4 tbsp organic cane sugar. Note: Use plastic measuring spoon.

Next, add 2 tbsp palm sugar.

Stir thoroughly to dissolve the sugar. Note: Use a plastic spatula.

Add the kefir grains.

Then add 3 dried apricot halves and 1 Calimyrna fig.

Cover with a folded paper towel, napkin or paper coffee filter and secure with a rubber band to keep the insects out.

Shown below is the finished water kefir after 2 days (48 hours). The fermentation process could take between 24 and 48 hours depending on the conditions. You may find that after a few batches, some batches will be done in 48 hours, some in 36 hours and perhaps some will be done after 24 hours.

Get a bowl and a plastic strainer.

Empty the contents of the jar to strain everything. Separate the fruit from the kefir grains and discard.

Pour the strained water kefir into a clean Mason jar and close with a plastic lid. Plastic lids are available for Mason jars. Store in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, rinse the kefir grains after separating the spent fruit. Use bottled spring water to rinse them.

Shown below are the rinsed kefir grains ready for the next batch of water kefir. Repeat the previous steps to make the next batch.

Whole Grain Whole Wheat Bread – Two Loaves

admin — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:35:29 +0000

This is essentially the same recipe as a previous post for one loaf of whole grain whole wheat bread except that the amounts of the ingredients have been adjusted for two loaves instead of one. There is another difference in that the recipe for one loaf is for a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and this recipe uses two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pans. The pans are slightly smaller so the recipe is not double the amounts of the recipe for one loaf. This recipe has been adjusted to be in proportion to the smaller pans.

You might prefer baking two loaves at a time instead of one loaf because it takes just about the same amount of time and effort as it does for one loaf and baking two loaves doesn’t require any additional yeast. You use the same amount of yeast for two loaves as you do for one loaf.

There is another slight difference in this recipe. Instead of using only honey as the sweetener, you can also use maple syrup or agave nectar (you can also use the same variety of sweeteners for the one loaf recipe). Be sure to use real, natural maple syrup and not imitation maple syrup. By varying the sweetener, the flour and by using nut milk in place of cow’s milk, you can achieve different flavors.

Once again, make sure to select the best, most wholesome ingredients you can find. Use organic stone ground 100% whole grain whole wheat flour and make sure to buy whole grain whole wheat flour. Don’t be fooled into buying “whole wheat” unless it is whole grain with all the bran and everything else included in the flour. Make sure that the whole grain is included and nothing has been discarded during the milling of the flour. Nowadays, you have to read the food labels carefully and check to make sure you’re not being tricked by deceptive advertising.

The step by step instructions are basically the same as for the one loaf recipe only adjusted for 2 loaves.

Ingredients: Makes 2 Loaves – 8.5 x 4.5 inch pans

8 cups organic stone ground 100% whole grain whole wheat flour
1 pack (or 2 tsp) active dry yeast
2 1/3 cups warm water (110°F – 120°F)
3/4 cup milk (or nut milk)
1/2 cup sweetener (honey, maple syrup or agave nectar)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tsp salt

Mix warm water and honey in a large (6 to 8 quart) ceramic mixing bowl and then sprinkle in the yeast. The yeast will activate best between 110°F – 120°F and the sweetener will nourish the yeast by giving it a meal. Let this set for about 10 minutes to allow the yeast to get foamy at the top.

Next, add the milk and then stir it up with a wooden spoon and then add the flour a little at a time. Don’t add the oil or salt yet. They will be added after the next step. Start by adding about 4 cups of flour and then mix it into a thick batter. Stir in the flour and mix it together really good so all the lumps are gone. Then cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes until the dough is spongy and it has doubled in size.

After the dough has risen it should be spongy. Stir it up to deflate it and then add the oil and salt. Stir it in and add a little more flour. If you add the oil and salt too soon, it will inhibit the growth of the yeast. Salt can kill the yeast so you add the oil and salt after the yeast has had a good chance to get growing and multiplying after the first rise.

Add some more flour and keep stirring. Keep adding flour until the dough gets stiff and starts to pull away from the bowl and then turn it out on a floured board for kneading. Slowly and gently begin kneading the dough a little at a time at first. Only add a little bit of flour to the board at a time. Be careful not to add too much flour too fast. It should be pretty sticky at first and it will be sticking to your hands and on the bread board. Just lightly flour the board and the dough when it gets too sticky.

Knead the dough for about 30 minutes while continuing to add flour a little at a time on the bread board. You’re not really measuring the flour. The goal is to knead the dough for about 30 minutes (or even more – there is no set time). Thorough kneading will develop gluten and cause the dough to be smooth and elastic and allow the dough to rise properly. Insufficient kneading won’t make the dough stretchy enough to allow the dough to rise properly and you may end up baking a brick instead of a loaf of bread.

When the dough is stretchy and it no longer sticks to your hands or to the board after 2 or 3 kneads, then it is ready to rise for a second time. Add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil into the bowl and then place the ball of dough into the bowl and turn it over a couple of times so it is coated all over with oil to keep it from sticking to the bowl. Cover it with a towel again and let it rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size again. This is the second rise.

After the dough has risen, punch it down to de-gas it and deflate the dough. Get all the gas out of it. Turn the dough out onto the bread board and allow it to set for a minute or two while you grease each loaf pan.

Grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans with butter or vegetable oil. Then cut the dough into two equal halves. Shape each ball of dough into a log shape and place it into the loaf pan. It will help if you knead it a few times before shaping it. Pat it down real good in the loaf pan and allow them to rise one more time until it has doubled in size again. This is the third rise. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature, how well the yeast got started, how well the dough was kneaded and the quality of the flour.

Just before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes. Afterwards, pop the loaves out of the pans and set them aside and allow them to cool.

Please refer to the recipe for Whole Grain, Whole Wheat Bread (One Loaf) for the step by step photos …

Start by heating the water up on the stove in a small saucepan. While it is heating up, measure out 1/2 cup of maple syrup, honey or agave nectar in a large mixing bowl. A ceramic mixing bowl is best because it holds the heat better and helps the yeast grow.

Tip: Use tap water or filtered tap water or bottled spring water. Do not use distilled water because the yeast requires some minerals in the water to grow.

After a few minutes and long before the water begins to boil, add it to a measuring cup with a yeast thermometer. Measure out 2 1/3 cups of warm water. The temperature is just right when it is at 120°F because you’ll be adding it to the sweetener, which is cooler and it will bring the temperature down a little bit, but still between 110°F to 120°F. This is the ideal temperature range for the yeast to activate.

Tip: Use a good yeast thermometer that registers fast. You want it to be able to register up and down quickly so the water doesn’t have a chance to cool down.

When the water temperature is 120°F, add it to the bowl with the sweetener. Stir until the sweetener is dissolved and then lightly sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water. Allow to set for 10 minutes so the yeast starts multiplying and growing. The yeast will activate between 110°F – 120°F. I prefer the temperature to be at 120°F because by the time the sweetener is dissolved it will tend to cool it down a little. After 10 minutes the yeast should look foamy on the top of the water. This is called “proofing the yeast” because the foam is proof that the yeast is alive.

Tip: By kick-starting the yeast this way, the dough will rise quickly and it will be easy for you to make bread.

Add the milk and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Tip: For a non-dairy version, you can substitute almond milk instead of regular milk.

Add about 4 cups of flour and mix it into a batter. Don’t add the oil or salt yet.

Keep stirring the flour until there are no more lumps. It is now ready for the first rise.

Cover with a towel and let stand for about 30 minutes. All the rising should be done at room temperature – not too cold and not too hot.

After rising, the dough should be about double in size and it should have a spongy texture. This is the “sponge method” of making bread. The dough will be spongy and the first rise gives the yeast a chance to really get growing.

Stir it so the dough deflates and then add the oil and salt and stir everything to mix thoroughly.

Tip: Add the oil and salt after the yeast has had a chance to start multiplying and growing rapidly and after you have added some flour. Salt can kill the yeast. If you add the oil and salt too soon before the yeast has had a chance to get started, it can inhibit the growth of the yeast and the bread will not rise properly and you may wind up baking a brick.

Add some more flour a little at a time and keep stirring. When it becomes difficult to stir and it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, then it is time to transfer it to a floured bread board and start kneading.

Turn the dough out onto a floured bread board or counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough, also. As you knead the dough it will take up more flour and become less sticky and should gradually become smooth and stretchy.

Gradually knead the dough very gently at first and slowly add a little bit of flour at a time to the board or counter. You want to give it a chance to develop gluten and not add too much flour or add it too fast. If you add too much flour or add it too fast, the bread may turn out crumbly like cake. Kneading takes practice and patience.

Continue to knead the dough, pushing it out across the surface while pressing down. Kneading can take about 30 minutes or longer. The important thing is to have the right balance of water and flour. You want the dough to be very stretchy and smooth after a thorough kneading.

When the dough is smooth and stretchy and no longer sticks to your hands or to the counter after 2 or 3 kneads, it will be ready for a second rise. Form it up into a ball.

Add a little oil (about a teaspoon) to the bowl and then place the ball of dough into it. Turn it over a few times so it is completely coated with oil and won’t stick to the bowl.

Cover with a towel and allow to rise for about an hour. This is the second rise.

The dough should double in size after about an hour.

Punch it down to deflate the dough and get rid of all the gas.

Turn the dough out onto the board and let it stand for a minute or so.

While you are waiting, grease the 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pans with vegetable oil or a pat of butter. If the loaf pans are not the “non-stick” variety, then flour them also.

Knead the dough a few times to get rid of any seams or holes, then roll each one out into a log shape, patting the ends back inwards. Keep rolling and patting the ends back until the dough is log-shaped and fits into a regular loaf pan

Tip: You want to roll it out adequately enough to remove any air pockets that may be hiding in it, otherwise your baked loaf can have a big hole inside.

Place the prepared dough into the loaf pan. Pat it down real good in the pan.

The dough is ready for the third and final rise. Set it aside and allow to rise until it is a little more than double the size. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more.

Allow the dough it to rise until it is about 2 to 2 1/2 times the original size. The amount of time will vary depending on the temperature, how well the yeast reproduced and how thoroughly the dough was kneaded. It should take about an hour to rise. Just before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake in the oven at 350°F for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

After baking, remove from oven and pop each loaf out of the pan then set them aside and allow them to cool down. This can take about 1 /2 hours to cool completely.

The finished loaves of bread are ready to slice and serve. This is a very delicious recipe and is convenient to make when you bake two loaves at a time. Slice with a bread knife or with an electric knife to make straight, uniform slices.

Pesticides Cause Obesity and Cancer

admin — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:10:50 +0000

Pesticides are used by the U.S. food industry on crops to kill insects. Conventional growers use pesticides, but organic food producers do not use them. Exposure to foods grown with the use of pesticides has been linked to many health problems. Pesticides are harmful. It is much safer to buy organically grown food than conventionally grown food.

Pesticides are toxic chemicals and can lead to obesity and otherwise seriously damage your health. Although the government plays a role in protecting its citizens from pesticide exposure, it is no guarantee for our safety. People must still remain vigilant in how we select and prepare our food.

Pesticides should be avoided wherever possible. You need to protect yourself and your family from pesticides by avoiding foods that contain them or by removing the pesticides by washing and scrubbing whenever possible.

The EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating the use of pesticides. The EPA does recognize that pesticides are harmful and sets limits on the amount and types of pesticides that can be used in growing food and also sets limits on the amount of pesticides that can remain in the food when you buy it. Following are some quotes from the EPA website:

Laboratory studies show that pesticides can cause health problems, such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time.¹

Birth defects … nerve damage … cancer, and more. Certainly, it is important for people to be aware of pesticide contamination of the food we consume.

(The) EPA sets limits on how much of a pesticide may be used on food during growing and processing, and how much can remain on the food you buy.²

Although the EPA sets limits it still acknowledges there are pesticides that remain on the food we buy. It is clear that the government is aware that over our lifetimes, pesticides will accumulate in our bodies and potentially cause harm to our health.

Pesticides Contain Neurotoxins

Some pesticides contain neurotoxins act on the nervous system of insects. Basically, it’s chemical warfare against the bugs. These neurotoxins remain as residue on the foods that are sold in the U.S. and they accumulate in the body and cause nerve damage to people over time.

Pesticides Cause Obesity

Recent studies have revealed that chemicals in the environment cause obesity. Among these are chemical pesticides and chemicals in food containers. The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), used in plastic food containers and in the linings of canned foods, has been linked to obesity. These findings were discussed in 2007 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. You can have a hard time losing weight when pesticides are consumed.

Foods With The Most Pesticides

Some foods contain more pesticides than others. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes an annual “dirty dozen” list of the most contaminated foods. They estimate that consumers can reduce their exposure to pesticides by as much as 80% simply by consuming only the most healthy foods. One of the worst foods for pesticide contamination is coffee. This is because many of the coffee beans used to make conventionally grown coffee comes from countries that do not regulate the use of pesticides. This is a big reason to buy organic coffee. Two more are strawberries and peaches. Strawberries and peaches were also mentioned on a Dr Oz Show segment in 2010 among the worst foods contaminated with pesticides. You can view the current “dirty dozen” list of foods here at this web page.

Healthy Food Spray For Washing Produce

The Dr. Oz show aired a segment on pesticides where he showed a simple formula for a healthy food spray that you can make yourself from common household items that you can use to clean your fresh fruits and vegetables. Visit this web page for the formula.

Give Your Body a Fighting Chance

The body should be able to detoxify naturally and get rid of accumulated toxins by itself. As long as it is strong and healthy and not overwhelmed, it should be able handle some measure of toxicity. Toxins can accumulate in the body in many ways – not just from pesticides. One should always endeavor to follow a healthy eating plan. But when you take into account lifestyle factors like stress, smoking, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, junk food in addition to food additives and nutritionally empty or harmful substances like trans fats, refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup, harmful chemicals like BPA plus pesticides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), milk laced with rbST (rGBH – genetically-engineered bovine growth hormone), antibiotics and hormones in chicken and beef then one can understand that the body can soon face a losing battle. The point is to do whatever is in your power to give your body the best possible chance of being strong and healthy by making the most intelligent and most healthy choices.

Sources:
¹http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/food/risks.htm
²http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/food/govt.htm

Avoid Genetically Modified Foods

admin — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 07:42:45 +0000

In December, 2010 Dr. Mehmet Oz did a segment on the Dr. Oz Show about genetically modified foods. The subject of GMO foods or “Genetically Modified Organisms” is an important topic for the everyday person to understand because GMO ingredients are used in most processed foods.

Much of the corn, soy and canola grown in the United States is genetically modified. These three crops are used in many derivative ingredients such as HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) a sweetener found in “processed foods and beverages, including breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments” (source: Wikipedia). Ingredients made from the soybean is also widely used – soy oil, textured vegetable protein, animal feed, etc. Canola oil is a major ingredient in the food industry.

WATCH VIDEO

Are genetically engineered foods safe? Dr. Oz leads an investigation to find out. See how you can protect your family. Click here for more…

GMOs Are Unnatural

GMOs are not bred by natural means. Natural means of breeding, like cross-breeding, has been the only way to create new plant varieties until recently and has always involved organisms of the same species. GMOs, on the other hand, are made in the lab and is not limited to organisms within the same species. GMO foods are created by unnatural processes. Despite their wide distribution and consumption – mostly by an unsuspecting public – there have been no studies that track the long term effects on humans. GMO foods have been given a pass from the authorities here in the U.S. without sufficient study as to the possible health effects they may have on the human body or to possible genetic effects in the environment.

Avoid GMO Foods

When you shop for your food, be careful and read all the labels. Currently, there are no regulations that require food producers to label food products that contain GMOs. Any product containing corn, soy or canola food products (such as high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, soy oil or canola oil) can be considered to be genetically modified if they are not organic. The easiest way to avoid them is to buy organic foods. According to the USDA, they certify that organic foods are completely natural and are not permitted to be bio-engineered in any manner.

Consuming GMO Foods May Cause Obesity

Now there is even concern that GMO foods may be the cause of the obesity epidemic in America. In a video at the naturalnews.tv website, a solid argument is put forth that obesity in America may have actually been caused by GMO foods because obesity has been on the rise ever since GMO foods were first introduced into the American food supply in the mid 1990s. You can view the video at the naturalnews.tv website and judge for yourself.

Become Knowledgeable

At any rate, take the time to learn about GMO foods and make sure you are buying good, healthy, natural food – in as natural a state as you can manage. It is true that people lead very busy lives and it can sometimes be a struggle to buy healthy food and prepare it properly. But a lot is at stake. Your health is important and it is important to know about these things for you to stay strong and healthy.

Whole Grain Whole Wheat Bread – One Loaf

admin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:00:30 +0000

There’s nothing like fresh home made bread and it is not as difficult to make as you might think. When you make your own bread you can select the best, most wholesome ingredients. I like to use organic stone ground 100% whole grain whole wheat flour. Make sure to buy whole grain whole wheat flour because you will be assured that the whole grain will be included and nothing will be discarded in the milling process. Nowadays, when you buy “whole wheat” flour, the milling company will throw away the bran and the outer parts of the grain. Insist on 100% whole grain.

You can buy yeast in individual packets at your local supermarket but I find that it is expensive (about a buck and a half per packet – ouch!). I was able to buy a 2 lb bag of Red Star Active Dry Yeast for $3.89 from our local Costco store. Each packet is about 2 tsp of yeast so when you buy yeast in bulk you use 2 tsp when the recipe calls for 1 packet.

Ingredients: Makes 1 Loaf – 9 x 5 inch pan

4 1/2 – 5 cups organic stone ground 100% whole grain whole wheat flour
1 pack (or 2 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (120°F)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt

Heat up a pan of water in a small saucepan. Use tap water, filtered tap water or spring water. Do not use distilled water because the yeast requires some mineral content to grow. Pour heated water into a measuring cup and check temperature with yeast thermometer. When the temperature is at 120°F, add water to mixing bowl with the honey.

Mix the warm water until the honey dissolves and then lightly sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water. The yeast will activate best between 110°F – 120°F and the honey will kick start it by giving it a meal. By starting at 120°F, the water will cool down a few degrees while mixing it with the honey and will bring the temperature down into the ideal range. Let this set for about 10 minutes to allow the yeast to get foamy at the top. You want to make sure the yeast is alive, otherwise, if it doesn’t get foamy, the yeast is dead. This is called “proofing the yeast”.

While you are waiting for the yeast to kick start, grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan loaf pan with butter then flour it with some of the whole grain whole wheat flour. Insist on whole grain whole wheat. Regular whole wheat is not whole grain because the milling company throws away all the bran and outer parts of the grain. With whole grain whole wheat, nothing is thrown away and you get everything.

Next, add the milk and then stir it up with a wooden spoon and then add the flour a little at a time. Don’t add the oil or salt yet. They will be added after the next step. Start by adding about 2 1/2 cups of flour and then mix it into a thick batter. Stir in the flour and mix it together really good so all the lumps are gone. Then cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes until the dough is spongy and it has doubled in size.

When you let the dough rise into a spongy texture before adding the rest of the flour and before turning it out on a board for kneading, it is called the “sponge method”. One advantage is that you can get 3 rises before baking. The extra rising helps develop the yeast and also helps make the dough stretchy. This is the first rise. All the rising should be done at room temperature – not too cold and not too hot.

Add some more flour and keep stirring. Keep adding flour until the dough gets stiff and starts to pull away from the bowl and then turn it out on a lightly floured board for kneading. Slowly and gently begin kneading the dough a little at a time at first. Only add a little bit of flour to the board at a time. Be careful not to add too much flour too fast. It should be pretty sticky at first and it will be sticking to your hands and on the bread board. Just lightly flour the board when it gets too sticky.

Knead the dough for a full 10 minutes while continuing to add flour a little at a time on the bread board. You’re not really measuring the flour. The rest will all be taken up a little at a time during the kneading so you will only add flour as necessary to achieve the desired dough consistency. You want the gluten to develop in the kneading process without adding too much flour. The goal is to knead the dough for anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes (or even more – there is no set time). If you add too much flour too fast, the bread will turn out crumbly like cake. Learning how to knead the dough takes patience and practice.

Thorough kneading will develop gluten and cause the dough to be smooth and elastic and allow the dough to rise properly. Insufficient kneading won’t make the dough stretchy enough to allow gas pockets to develop and you’ll wind up baking a brick instead of a loaf of bread. When the dough is stretchy and it no longer sticks to your hands or to the board after 2 or 3 kneads, then it is ready to rise for a second time.

Add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil into the bowl and then place the ball of dough into the bowl and turn it over a couple of times so it is coated all over with oil to keep it from sticking to the bowl. Cover it with a towel again and let it rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size again. This is the second rise.

After the dough has risen, punch it down to de-gas it and deflate the dough. Get all the gas out of it. Next, shape the dough into a log shape and place it into the floured loaf pan. It will help if you knead it a few times before shaping it. Pat it down real good in the loaf pan and allow to rise one more time until it has doubled in size again. This is the third rise. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature, how well the yeast got started, how well the dough was kneaded and the quality of the flour.

Just before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes. Afterwards, pop the loaf out of the pan and set it aside and allow it to cool.

Start by heating the water up on the stove in a small saucepan. While it is heating up, measure out 1/3 cup of honey in a large mixing bowl.

Tip: Use tap water or filtered tap water or bottled spring water. Do not use distilled water because the yeast requires some minerals in the water to grow.

After a few minutes and long before the water begins to boil, add it to a measuring cup with a yeast thermometer. Measure out a cup and a half. When the temperature is around 120°F, but not more, then the temperature is just right.

Tip: Use a good yeast thermometer that registers fast. You want it to be able to register up and down quickly so the water doesn’t have a chance to cool down.

When the water temperature is 120°F, add it to the bowl with the honey. Stir until the honey is dissolved and then lightly sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water. Allow to set for 10 minutes so the yeast starts multiplying and growing. The yeast will activate between 110°F – 120°F. Some people prefer the water temperature to be at 115°F but I prefer the temperature to be at 120°F because by the time the honey is dissolved it will tend to cool it down a bit. The honey provides nourishment for the yeast and allows it to start growing rapidly. After 10 minutes the yeast should look foamy on the top of the water. This is called “proofing the yeast” because the foam is proof that the yeast is alive. While you are waiting, grease a loaf pan with a pat of butter and flour it with some whole grain whole wheat flour.

Tip: By kick-starting the yeast this way, the dough will rise quickly and it will be easy for you to make bread.

Add the milk and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Tip: For a non-dairy version, you can substitute almond milk instead of regular milk.

Add about 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix it into a batter. Don’t add the oil or salt yet.

Keep stirring the flour until there are no more lumps. It is now ready for the first rise.

Cover with a towel and let stand for about 30 minutes. All the rising should be done at room temperature – not too cold and not too hot.

Stir it so the dough deflates and then add the oil and salt and stir everything to mix thoroughly.

The trick is to know when the dough is ready for kneading. You want it to be sticky like the photo below.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bread board or counter. It should start out as a sticky mass. As you knead the dough it will take up more flour and become less sticky and should gradually become smooth and stretchy.

Continue to knead the dough, pushing it out across the surface while pressing down. Kneading can take between 10 to 20 minutes or even 30 minutes or longer. The important thing is to have the right balance of water and flour. You want the dough to be very stretchy and smooth after a thorough kneading.

When the dough is smooth and stretchy and no longer sticks to your hands or to the counter after 2 or 3 kneads, it will be ready for a second rise. Form it up into a ball.

Add a little oil (about a teaspoon) to the bowl and then place the ball of dough into it. Turn it over a few times so it is completely coated with oil and won’t stick to the bowl.

Cover with a towel and allow to rise for about an hour. This is the second rise.

The dough should double in size after about an hour.

Punch it down to deflate the dough and get rid of all the gas.

Turn it out onto the board and let it stand for a minute or so.

Knead the dough a few times to get rid of any seams or holes, then roll it out into a log shape, patting the ends back inwards. Keep rolling and patting the ends back until the dough is log-shaped and fits into a regular loaf pan

Tip: You want to roll it out adequately enough to remove any air pockets that may be hiding in it, otherwise your baked loaf can have a big hole inside.

Place the prepared dough in a greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Pat it down real good in the pan.

The dough is ready for the third and final rise. Set it aside and allow to rise until it is a little more than double the size. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more.

Allow the dough it to rise until it is about 2 to 2 1/2 times the original size. The amount of time will vary depending on the temperature, how well the yeast reproduced and how thoroughly the dough was kneaded. It should take about an hour to rise. Before the dough has finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake in the oven at 350°F for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

After baking, remove from oven and tip it over gently to remove the bread from the pan. Set it aside and allow it to cool for a little while.

Here’s your finished loaf of bread. This is a very delicious recipe. You can’t find bread like this in a store and it’s easy to make. You can slice it with an electric knife or a bread knife to make nice, straight and uniform slices.