Sprouting Pics

Have no idea what this is in the first pic. I forgot to label it! Second pic is lentils. They sprouted so well!!!

Raw Banana Cinnamon Icecream & Homemade Almond Milk

I saw this super easy recipe on youtube and had to try it!

Here's the link:

Raw Banana Cinnamon Icecream

I think I should of let the banana's freeze a little bit longer so the icecream would of been thicker.  But, we all liked it!


We bought a bunch of mixed nuts from the Farmers Market and so I cracked a cup's worth of almonds to make almond milk for the icecream recipe.

Almond milk recipe:
1 cup of almonds (soak overnight. it helps to digest them better.)
3-4 cups of purified water
- You can add honey and vanilla to  the left over almond milk and then drink it:)

Blend in a blender.
 Strain the milk through a nut bag or painters strain bag to get the pulp out of the milk. You can use the almond pulp in crackers or cookies. Or maybe you can make almond butter with the pulp?  To make almond butter put almonds or pulp in food processor and add 3 tbs of olive oil, coconut oil, or palm oil. If it's not to the consistency of peanut butter and you would like it to be add a little more oil at a time until desired consistency.

Almond pulp.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Homemade sauerkraut is healthier for you than the store bought. Store bought version- after they culture it they then proceed to cook it thus killing the good bacteria(probiotics), and enzymes in it.

I love homemade sauerkraut! It has a crunch and I like that alot!

Here's a pic:
I used purple cabbage and green cabbage for this 1 gallon. As, you can see that at the bottom the water is reddish purple from the purple cabbage.

I tried a different sauerkraut recipe this time around although it's not too different from the previous ones that I posted before.

SAUERKRAUT:
 Makes 1 quart (I used to cabbages hence the gallon)

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1tbs caraway seeds (I didn't use these, didn't like them in the other recipe I used!)
1tbs sea salt
4tbs whey (page 87) (if not available, use an additional 1 tbs salt)

In a bowl, mix cabbage with caraway seeds(didn't use these), sea salt and whey. pound with a wooden pounder or meat pounder (I think I  used my fist) for about 10 minutes to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat  hammer  until juices come to the top of cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below top of  the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but improves with age. We started eating it day 3 and still have some left and I still haven't put it in the fridge and it is still really yummy:)

Taken from the book:
  Nourishing Traditions
The cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats
Revised second edition
 by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D

Raw Fudge & Homemade Peanut Butter

Hi, everyone! I thought I'd share a video on raw fudge with you that I found on youtube.

Raw Fudge Recipe


Here's what mine looked like after I made it and refrigerated it for awhile. It was pretty good!!!

I use homemade peanut butter. We had bought some unroasted peanuts from the Farmer's Market.
I shelled them then put them on a pan, drizzled organic pal oil on them then roasted them in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Then the next day I used the food processor to make peanut butter. I will include the link two two different videos on instructions on making it. I added more oil as I went along (when I thought I should add more).
Here's the links:

How To Make Peanut Butter

How To Make Homemade Peanut Butter


Homemade peanut butter in a peanut butter jar I kept (specifically so I could put the homemade in it)when I used up the store bought. Homemade is YUMMY!!!

Basic Lye Soap Recipe

I like this recipe alot!!!! It's a keeper!

First off, safety. Rubber gloves are recommended, however I personally don't use them. Second, keep white vinegar near by when working with lye, it will counteract and neutralize the lye if it splatters on you. Make sure to always have it handy. Third, do not use aluminum. Use either enamel coated pan or glass saucepan( I use a 2 quart glass pyrex measuring cup). Use a wooden spoon to stir. You can also use a plastic pitcher or plastic pan to mix lye. CAUTION: DO NOT breath in vapours from lye. Stand back while mixing lye with water. If using glass to mix it in, I set my saucepan in a plastic dish (plastic tub you get on the same isle as dish drainer/ silver ware tray)to be sure that if it shatters it won't be such a mess. I haven't had that happen but I know someone who has. Better to be cautious.

Soap making is very easy. This recipe is no heating and all that. There are people who make it that way but this recipe is less nerve wracking and turns out the same.

You will need:
12oz 100% lye (1 1/2c)
3pounds lard
3c water (cold)

The day before: Place 3 cups water in refrigerator.
Place lard in a flat bottom plastic dish pan and allow to come to room temperature overnight.

1. Place water in saucepan. Slowly pour lye in water while stirring with wooden spoon. Stir until crystal's are dissolved. It will be hot. DO not breath in vapours. Best done outside. Let sit 1 hour.

2. Slowly drizzle lye water into lard while stirring constantly, (can be done indoors). After all the lye is added, continue stirring until pudding like consistency. May take 1/2 hour or more.

Let set over night. Cut into bars with thin knife. Should be able to turn out onto towel. If not firm enough yet, let set another day. Then let them set for two weeks until dry Turning every couple days.

NOTE: you can always use a mold instead of the plastic dish pan. After making this once I plan on getting a mold to use otherwise the edges are rough and I don't have time to shave the edges but might do that someday to try to make re-milled soap.

Also, some of the dry crystal's got on my skin and made me itch and when the soap had hardened and I touched it it made my skin itch but once it's been in water I had no problem and I like the soap alot! Just thought I'd share with ya in case that happens to someone else to encourage them not to quit making this:)


HAVE FUN!

Sprouting Seeds

Howdy! I thought I'd share this excerpt from a book I have because I am very interested in sprouting my own seeds:)


Taken from the book: Just in Case, How to be self sufficient when the unexpected happens. By Kathy Harrison

I consider sprouting seeds to be one of the cornerstones of the preparedness pantry. They are inexpensive, take up very little room, and do not need any fancy equipment to process. After a diet of canned and dried food, our bodies will crave something green and alive. Sprouts will fill the bill nicely. Sprouts add crunch to sandwiches and a vitamin boost to scrambled eggs and casseroles. They are tasty eaten right out of hand and make a terrific addition to a stir fry. I have even added a handful to bread batter with excellent results.

Sprouts contain vitamins,proteins, minerals, enzymes, and fiber. All of these may be in short supply if you are eating for any length of time out of storage(those who stockpile and there was a crisis for them to eat from their stockpile). If you have a bag of lentils in your pantry, you have what you need to get started.
Most although not all, seeds and beans are good for sprouting. The following list is of the best:

Alfalfa, Amaranth, Barley(hull-less), broccoli,
buckwheat, cabbage, clover, flax, lentils, oats(hull-less), peas, pumpkin, radish, rye, spelt, sunflower, & wheat.

Each sprout has a unique flavor. Lentils and alfalfa are mild, for example, while radish has a bite to it.

As is usually the case, you can purchase rather complicated equipment for sprouting. I have seen a couple of these, and while they look pretty impressive and do a fine job of sprouting seeds, I did not find that they did a better job than I was able to do with a few things I already had in my kitchen. I not only saved a bit of money, but also saved the space a sprouter would take up in my kitchen and that's just as important.

The equipment is as simple as a glass jar, a rubber band, a piece of cheesecloth, and some seeds.

Sort out any foreign matter from the seeds. Soak two tablespoons of seeds in warm water for an hour or two. Drain, then place in a quart jar. Secure piece of cheesecloth around the top with rubber band. Put the jar in a dark cabinet. Two or three times a day, rinse the seeds with warm water, and drain through cheese cloth. In two or three days you will have sprouts. If you leave them in the sun for a few hours, the sprouts will turn a lovely green and will increase their vitamin content. I have started to make my last rinse in very cold water, and the sprouts seem crisper. Harvest sprouts when they are about three times longer than the seed they came from.

There are a couple things to know. Tomato and potato seed sprouts should never be eaten, as they are poisonous. Do not use nay seeds that have been treated with fungicides or pesticides for agricultural use. Bean sprouts have the same protein-binding substance as beans, but they must be cooked for a couple of minutes to make it available.

The biggest challenge will be keeping your sprouts from going sour. You will know by the slimy texture and foul odor that a batch has gone bad and you will need to dispose of it. You really have to be diligent about rinsing you seeds. The problem is that the jar of seeds should be kept in a dark cabinet. I used to forget about them until it was too late I finally set up a system of rinsing my sprouts before each meal. After a few weeks it became a habit, and I rarely forget anymore.

I also had a problem of finding myself sprout deprived. Sometimes I wanted sprouts and they weren't quite ready. I solved that problem by staggering my sprouts, beginning a new batch every other day.

Sprouts will store in a perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator or any other very cool. dark spot for a few days. You shouldn't have to throw any out if you get into the habit of popping a few into whatever you are cooking.


Karla's note: they use sprouted seeds in Ezekiel bread. I was sent some Ezekiel bread recipes from my friend, Karen, so if any are interested in making your own let me know and I'd be happy to pass the recipes along:)


Videos on sprouting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoaIpZZfcFc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY2Ezu5GYMo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CVJ9e4SzBo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4n5p1rmTiw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udiZvl7tLt8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owPgJr3ESng

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-1V4vtV8Yo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqv65dhRgD4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUOu-3gsu6A

More videos on youtube.