PEA SPROUTS AND MUSHROOMS

Sprouted or germinated food has been around for centuries. In the past, most grains were eaten in the partially germinated form. Modern farming techniques prevent grains from germinating before they hit the table. The process of germinating seeds produces vitamin C and increases vitamin B and carotene content. In addition, sprouting neutralizes phytic acid, a substance that is in the bran of all grains which inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.

Pea Sprouts are germinating green peas which contain a good amount of calcium, carotene, vitamin B and C. Sally Fallon warns against the over consumption of raw sprouts in her book Nourishing Traditions. However, in this recipe the pea sprouts are lightly steamed which neutralizes their irritating substances.

Mushrooms contain a substantial amount of B vitamins, selenium, copper and other trace minerals. Additionally, researchers have discovered they contain antibacterial and other medicinal substances, including anti-tumor compounds. 

INGREDIENTS

• 8 cups pea sprouts
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup thinly sliced leek (white and pale green parts)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons organic butter or ghee
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter or ghee in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add leek; cover and cook until leek is soft but not brown, stirring often, about 7 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add pea sprouts and cook until sprouts just begin to wilt (tossing often) for about 3 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

DAAL

I love to curl up with a steaming bowl of daal--it is such a comfort food! You take lentils and add in the numerous health benefits from ginger, peppers, cilantro and turmeric, and you have a meal that is packed full of protein, excellent for your heart and nourishes your brain. Lentils are chock full of protein and cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber and have twice as much iron as other legumes. They are high in most B vitamins, including folate, which is especially important for women of childbearing age because folate reduces the risk of birth defects. Another important upshot of lentils is that they are cheap, cheap, cheap! Plus, they can be stored for a long period of time and are easy to make.

Now, you may remember from a previous post what I said about using whey for soaking grains and legumes. Nutritionists mean well when they say to eat a diet rich in whole grains. However, phytic acid found in grains and legumes combines with vital minerals and leads to mineral deficiencies, bone loss and digestive pain and complications. Soaking the grains or legumes in warm water and whey begins to break down and neutralize the phytic acid, so the negative consequence of phytic acid can be avoided.

I have a picture to the left of a paste I made that I keep on hand when I am making daal and other spicy dishes. You can make it yourself by blending a ratio of 1 tablespoon minced ginger, 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1 teaspoon chili paste, along with a little oil if needed. Depending on where you are located, you may be able to buy this mixture at your local grocery store. Try to purchase a product that has as few preservatives as possible. Not only will the product be healthier, but it should taste cleaner (not bitter or sour).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cup red lentils (if this is your first time using red lentils, please note that they look orange)
• warm filtered water
• 2 tablespoons whey (this is a great time to use the whey you made!) or lemon juice (if you don't have whey)
  
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 cup ghee or organic unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon ginger, garlic, chili paste
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cover lentils with water and mix in whey or lemon juice. Let this sit for about 7-9 hours in a warm place.

After they have soaked, drain and rinse the lentils and put them in a pot. Add water until there is about an inch of water covering the lentils. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the top (your stomach will thank you). Add the turmeric and garlic, ginger, chili paste and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and beat with a whisk until the soup is thick and creamy. Fold in cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Top with a bit of your homemade yogurt if you would like!

"CURDS AND WHEY"

Many people are familiar with this childhood nursery rhyme, “Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey”. Curds is actually cottage cheese. In this recipe we are going to turn our homemade yogurt into spreadable yogurt cheese and whey. You can also use commercial organic yogurt with live active cultures for this recipe. Separating whey from yogurt is a good skill to have as we will be using whey to make lacto-fermented vegetables and as a soaking agent for beans and grains. Whey aids in digestion, contains many minerals and keeps muscles, joints and ligaments young and pliable.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of yogurt (You can use more if you would like, however this is a good amount to start with for your first time)
• You will also need a very clean kitchen cloth, Quart Mason jar and a rubber band

DIRECTIONS
Push the center of the towel into the Mason jar and secure the towel to the jar with the rubber band. Spoon your yogurt into the jar, making sure that there are two inches or more of free room at the bottom of the jar. You should be able to see the whey begin to drip into the bottom of the jar almost immediately. Let it sit for about seven hours. The amount of whey that is at the bottom of this picture is after the yogurt sat for about three hours. Keep the whey in a small Mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.

After the whey has dripped out, remove the towel from the jar and invert it over a container so that the cheese easily falls into it. The cheese should be solid, yet soft, and can be mixed with herbs and spices and spread onto crackers, tortillas, bagels, etc.

Here I mixed the cheese with a teaspoon of chives, a teaspoon of parsley and a teaspoon of dill and some freshly ground pepper. I then spread it over a delicious gluten free bagel from Mariposa Bakery in Oakland. The cheese can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a month.

HOMEMADE YOGURT

“Life and death begins in the colon”. Treat your colon well by eating lots of food high in good bacteria. Not only can this help with digestion, but it can improve immune function, allergies, prevent cancer and osteoporosis and improve your overall well-being. Yogurt is full of probiotics, which literally means ''for life,'' and refers to living organisms found in the live active cultures in yogurt. Yogurt also provides a dose of animal protein (about 9 grams per 6-ounce serving), plus several other nutrients such as calcium, vitamin B-2, B-12, potassium and magnesium. Many people who are lactase-deficient find that they can tolerate yogurt as the live active cultures aid in lactose digestion. Making your own yogurt at home can be enjoyable and simple with this easy recipe. If you are allergic to the casein in cow’s milk, try making this recipe with goat’s milk.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Quart organic cow or goats milk
• ¼ cup of store bought organic yogurt as a starter (make sure that it contains “live active cultures”
• Extras: Maple syrup, vanilla extract, honey, blackstrap molasses (homemade yogurt is not as tart and may not need a sweetener)
• You will need a heavy bottom pan, thermometer and canning jars

DIRECTIONS

Heat the milk to 180 degrees F. The milk should not boil, but it will bubble a bit around the edges of the pan. Keep the milk at this temperature for 30 minutes, while whisking to ensure that the no milk burns on the bottom of the pan.

After the milk has been heating for 30 minutes at 180 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and let cool to 110 degrees F. This will take about 30 minutes. You want to ensure that the temperature is lower than 120 degrees F before you add the starter, or the enzymes will be destroyed.

Once the milk has cooled, whisk in your starter and your sweetener. You may want to experiment with this as everyone’s tastes are different. I recommend a teaspoon of vanilla extract or a tablespoon of honey, molasses or maple syrup.

Pour your mixture into your canning jars and place in the oven on a baking sheet or pan. If you have a gas stove, the pilot light should be enough heat for the yogurt to ferment. Let it sit for 6-8 hours to ferment. If you like a tarter yogurt, you can let it sit for 10 hours. Then transfer to the fridge and let chill. Enjoy when ready! Serve with sliced fruit, nuts and seeds for breakfast or a snack. Mix with mashed roasted vegetables or cucumber and mint for a savory dip. Let me know ideas you come up with!

***If you do not have a gas stove, heat your oven on the lowest setting for the hour that you are preparing the yogurt. Turn it off while you are pouring your mixture into the canning jars. Place the jars in the oven along with a bowl of boiling water. That should keep the appropriate temperature for the yogurt to ferment.

ALMONDS

Almonds are a super food. They are a good source of protein (6 grams per one ounce) and contain dietary fiber, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, iron and vitamin E. One ounce of almonds provides about 7.4 grams of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E, 50 percent of the RDA.

Raw almonds are hard to digest without soaking as they have a high amount of enzyme inhibitors. These inhibitors can strain your digestive system and cause cramping. Often the fragile fats oxidize after commercial roasting, causing a rancid flavor. Not only does it taste unpleasant, but internal oxidation is what we are trying to avoid!

Soaking nuts and seeds in salt water is a traditional method of preparation. In the past, indigenous cultures, such as the Aztecs, soaked their nuts and seeds in ocean water and let them dry in the sun.

This process neutralizes enzyme inhibitors, and also helps to encourage the production of beneficial enzymes. These enzymes increase many vitamins, especially B vitamins, which play an important role in stress management. It also makes these nuts much easier to digest and the nutrients will be more easily absorbed.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups raw almonds, preferably skinless
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 5 cups filtered water to cover 

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve salt in water and pour over the almonds. Leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours, or overnight.

Then drain in a colander and spread on a stainless steel pan. Place in a warm oven (no warmer than 150 degrees) for 12 -24 hours, turning occasionally, until thoroughly dry and crisp.

Store in an airtight container.

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Recipe Index

Breakfast

• Cinnamon Dutch Apple Babies
• Ginger Maple Pumpkin Butter
• Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Snacks

• Almonds
• Beet, Pesto and Goat Cheese Crostini
• Guacamole and Brown Rice Tortilla Chips
• Ras el Hanout Spiced Crackers
• Sweet and Savory Popcorn

Fish, Chicken and Meat

• Grilled Halibut with Chimichurri Sauce
• Lamb Meatballs with Roasted Grapes and Yogurt Dill Sauce 
• Seared Lamb Chops
• Sunday Night Roast Chicken

Soups and Salads

• Almost Sopa de Ajo
• Autumn Squash Salad
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Coconut Chicken Soup
• Farro Minestrone Soup
• Golden Beet and Sweet Potato Soup
  
• Lebanese Vegetable Soup

Veggies, Grains and Legumes

• Broccoli Rabe
• Latkes
• Orzo with Asparagus, Mascarpone and Chives
• Pea Sprouts and Mushrooms
• Polenta Pizza with Pesto, Gorgonzola,Pear and Chives
• Quinoa with Pesto and Fresh Cheese
• Roasted Radishes
  
• Slow Cooked Beans
• Spiced Coconut Forbidden Rice

Traditional Foods

• Curds and Whey (Fresh Cheese and Whey)
• Homemade Yogurt
• Lacto-fermented (Pickled) Lemon Cucumbers
• Preserved Lemons
• Tomato Jam

Dessert

• Balsamic Pears with Honey Black Pepper Cream
• Five Spice Banana Cream  
• Ice Cream Truffles
• Strawberry Balsamic Sorbet
• Vanilla Bean and Gurer Payesh (Rice Pudding)