Aussie Bites Remake

My daughter-in-law is half Australian, so when I saw Aussie Bites at Costco, I thought I'd better buy them.  My granddaughter loves them, and goes to the pantry whenever they come to visit.  So, I decided I needed to figure out how to make them myself without some of the yucky stuff that is in the store-bought ones.  Here's my go at it.....

Ingredients

4 cups oats, ground
1 cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup chopped sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped flax seeds
1/2 cup chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey

1 Tablespoon flax seed ground and then mixed well with 6 Tablespoons water  (I use my Magic Bullet to grind the seeds and then add the water and whirl them up again.  I got mine at Costco.)

Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Mix butter, coconut oil and honey in a small saucepan and melt together. Pour over dry ingredients.

Add flax & water mixture to everything else and mix well.

I use a 2 T measuring cup, dip it into water and then press the oat mixture firmly into the little cup. In order to get it to release, I use a paring or table knife to break the suction and then plop it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes in a 350* oven.

Makes about 36

They're really good. :-)

Dilly Carrots

This is the easiest ferment I've made.  So very simple and they taste great.  Sort of like pickles, only they're carrots!  They stay crisp and give the benefit of a probiotic food.  I use them in salads as well as eating them right out of the jar!

To make 1 quart of fermented carrots:

1 wide-mouth quart canning jar
1 pound of organic carrots
1 T whey
1 t dried dill weed or 1 T fresh
1 T sea salt
Filtered water

Slice the carrots into julienne strips.  I usually make them about 1/4-3/8 inch wide and a little thinner than that.

Pack them into the jar as you go, filling to an inch below the rim of the jar, and then add the whey, salt and dill weed.

Fill the jar with filtered water to cover the carrots, still within 1 inch of the top.  There needs to be room for the expansion of fermentation. DO NOT USE UNFILTERED CITY WATER!!!!  The junk in it will kill the fermentation process.  Best possible water choice, in my estimation, is untreated well water.

Cover tightly with a wide mouth canning lid, tip the jar back and forth to mix the liquid around.  Label the jar with the date and then set on your kitchen counter for 4 days or so.  The lid should get "tight" and dome up a bit as the fermentation progresses.

If you are worried about whether the fermentation actually worked or not, you'll be able to tell instantly if there was a problem.  If it didn't ferment properly, the smell will be nasty and nothing could convince you to eat it.  Simple rules of eating!  Smells bad?  Don't eat it!

Store in the fridge after the 4 days.  They'll keep for months, but mine get eaten far sooner than that!

Whey & "Cream Cheese"

In traditional cooking, whey has a huge role.  I use it all the time for soaking grains and legumes, and making fruit and vegetable ferments.

It's easy-peasy!

Using your home-made yogurt, or store bought plain with live cultures, scoop out about 2 cups and put in either a nut milk bag or several layers of cheesecloth.  Suspend the whole bundle over a jar and let it drip for several hours.  Voila!

The whey can be stored in the fridge for weeks, sometimes months.

The leftover milk solids are basically cream cheese, only better because it's cultured.  It can be used for spreads or dips, desserts, etc.  Herbs, chopped up fermented fruits or veggies, or dried fruit can be added to spice it up, or serve it with fresh berries!

24-Hour Yogurt

For those of us who have difficulty digesting lactose, this is a great way to be able to eat yogurt. However, if you deal with casein intolerance, this won't work for you, as it doesn't get rid of casein.

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon whole milk
Yogurt starter OR
Probiotic capsules to equal at least 25 billion OR
1/3 cup Yogurt from a previous batch

Heat the milk in a saucepan on the stove until it reaches 180*.
Use a candy or milk thermometer.
I heat it pretty fast and use a flat bottom whisk to keep the bottom from scorching.

I cool it quickly by floating a 6 quart pan in a big bowl of cold water and pouring the milk into the pan.  Using the thermometer, I cool it til it reaches 110*.

There are a lot of different ways to incubate the milk.  My method of choice is to use my Yogourmet yogurt maker with squatty half-gallon jars.

I put the yogurt starter or probiotic capsules or yogurt from a previous batch in the jar and then pour the milk over it, mixing it thoroughly.  I then put the lid on the jar and the jar in the yogurt maker.

Let it incubate for 24 hours and then refrigerate.

Another method I have used for incubation is to put the jar in the oven with either the pilot light on, or the electric light on.  I tested the oven to see if it would keep at about 110*.  If it was too warm, I propped the door open a little with a wooden spoon.  It worked great.  I had a double oven, so didn't have the problem of having no oven during the incubation period.

Some folk use a foam cooler with hot water in bottles and towels to insulate, or a heating pad under the jar that won't turn off automatically.

Multiple small bottles can also be used instead of one large one if using any of the non-yogurt maker options.

Greek Lentil Soup

This one is a copy-cat from a local bakery and cafe.  I had it a few times there, and just really enjoyed it.

How to:

4 cups green lentils, soaked in filtered water and 1 T raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or whey, for 12-24 hours.
2 quarts chicken broth 
1-2 quarts filtered water

Drain soaked lentils, add to a stock pot with 2 quarts chicken broth and 1-2 quarts filtered water (or all broth).  Adjust liquid during cooking.  The consistency of the soup should be loose, not dense.

Bring to a boil, skim the foam, reduce heat and bring to a simmer.  Total cooking time is 45-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, get the veggies ready:

Butter and olive oil for sauteeing
1 medium sweet onion, chopped & sauteed in butter and olive oil til almost carmelized
4 medium carrots, chopped & sauteed in butter and olive oil
1/2 - 8.5 oz. bottle of sundried tomatoes, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
4 garlic scapes, sliced & sauteed (or a head of minced garlic)
3-4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 t fresh oregano, chopped
1 T fresh peppermint, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the sauteed onions and carrots to the soup pot.
Add sundried tomatoes.
Continue to simmer until about 15 minutes til the end of cooking time.
Add the green onions, garlic scapes, spinach and fresh herbs and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
Adjust seasonings and serve.

Chicken Broth

Chicken broth is an essential for my kitchen.  I keep some in the fridge and some in the freezer and use it for more than chicken soup!  Just drinking it is great for the gut.  I use it in soups and stews and also in casseroles to keep things moist.

I cook at least one chicken a week, and when the carcass is bare, either because we ate it all, or because I boned it, I turn it into chicken broth.

This is how I do it:

First, I bake the chicken in a clay pot.  Hands down, this is the best way I have found to end up with moist and very flavorful chicken and a carcass that yields the most flavorful broth.  Baking does something to the bones that enhances the flavor.

Here's what I do:

Soak the clay pot according to manufacturers directions.
Add the chicken, giblets removed and the bird rinsed, to the clay pot.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add 2-3 cups of filtered or well water.
Bake at 375* for 2 - 2 1/4 hours.

Remove from oven and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Carve for a meal, or drain off the juice in the clay pot (save it in a container), and then bone the chicken when it's cooled down enough to handle.

Add the bones and skin to the cooking juices and store in the fridge until you're ready to make the broth.

My Broth Recipe

I like a simple broth, so I don't add anything to it other than the chicken bones, skin and cooking juices.  If you've had it in the fridge overnight, it will have jelled up beautifully.

Put all of it into a 6-8 quart pan and add water to within a couple of inches of the top of the pan.

Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer basically all day.  I usually start mine after breakfast and take it off the heat around dinner time.

Pour the broth through a stainless steel strainer into a big bowl or another pot, and let it drip until most of the liquid has drained.

Let the broth cool and then either jar it for the fridge, or pour it into freezer containers, and freeze.

Not only does this make a marvelous base for soups and stews, it is one of the healthiest foods out there.

Chicken soup fed to those who are sick to aid in healing is not a myth!

Hearty Lentil Soup

This is a staple!

4 cups green lentils
2 T raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice OR whey

3-4 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions or scallions
1 head of garlic, minced
Butter or coconut oil or olive oil to saute

2 quarts good chicken broth
Additional filtered water

2 teaspoons of curry powder, your choice of potency
1 Tablespoon of grey sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
Pepper to taste

2 cups cooked rice (optional)

Soak the lentils and vinegar, lemon juice or whey overnight or up to 24 hours in water to cover by a few inches.

Drain the lentils and then add them to a large soup pot.  Cover with the chicken broth and enough water to cover by 2-3 inches.  Or use all broth if you have it.  Bring to a boil and then skim the foam.

While the lentils are coming to a boil, saute the carrots then the onions in enough butter or oil to keep them loose and not stick to the pan.  As each are finished sauteing, add to the soup pot after you've skimmed the foam.  Heat the garlic in butter or oil, but be careful not to let it get too dark.  It can burn easily.  Add it to the soup pot.

Add the seasonings, and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Add the cooked rice, if using, stirring it in well.

 I serve mine with either cornbread or sourdough bread and a tossed salad.

Sourdough Bread

These are my recipes for sourdough bread.  I use a Bosch to knead my dough.  If you don't have a mixer that handles that task, it works by hand, too.  :-)  Just knead until the ball is smooth and elastic and not too dry.  A little harder to accomplish a damp dough by hand, but it still works.

To obtain a starter, ask around, ask online, and if you're local, ask me!

Whole Wheat Sourdough

2 cups active starter

5 cups lukewarm water

2 T sea salt

5 cups unbleached flour

8 or so cups whole wheat flour

Mix starter, water, salt, unbleached flour and 6 cups whole wheat flour together. Start your timer for 10 minutes. Add enough remaining whole wheat flour to make a soft dough while kneading in the Bosch. The dough needs to be not dry. Soft and pliable works best. Not so sticky that you can't handle it, but just on the edge of that. Continue to knead for the full 10 minutes.

Set to rise overnight in a covered bowl. In the morning, divide into 4 loaves, place in greased pans, spray with water and let rise until light.  Time depends on condition of the dough, the warmth of your kitchen, etc.  I usually figure a few hours.

Preheat oven to 450. Put loaves in, turn oven down to 400, spray with water again and do this as fast as you can so the oven doesn't cool down. :-)

Bake for about 25 minutes.

French Baguettes

2 cups active starter

3 cups water

2 T sea salt

3 cups whole wheat flour

6 +/- cups white flour

Same mixing instructions as above.

For rising, put into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise overnight. Divide into baguette loaves (4), spray with water and let rise for about 3 hours or until light.

Bake same as above.