by Melanie Dearing | Mar 11, 2016 | Beverages, Cultured Creations, Recipes
I have enjoyed getting back into making kefir. When I first made kefir I used non dairy heavy coconut cream in the can from Trader Joe’s. You can learn how by watching an easy video at Cultured Food Life. When using non dairy milk you still must add about a quarter cup of whole milk in order to feed the kefir grains.
Orange Dreamsicle Kefir
Author: Melanie Dearing
Course: Cultured Creations
Cuisine: Recipe
- A little less than 1 quart whole organic or raw milk
- 3 to 4 live kefir grains
- 1 orange (peeled and cut into large chucks - save 1 slice for garnish if desired)
- 2 Tbsp. monk fruit and/or chicory root sweetener
- Place a little less than 1 quart of milk in glass quart mason jar (leave 1 inch at top open for expansion)
- Add kefir grains.
- Place lid on jar and set in cool dark place for 24 hours.
- Remove kefir grains (you can place them in a fresh jar to start your next batch).
- Add orange chucks and small piece of orange peel.
- Place lid on jar and set in cool dark place for another 24 hours.
- Remove lid and add sweetener
- Blend well (I use a Nutri-bullet or Vita-Mix)
- Garnish with orange slice (optional)
3.5.3226
by Melanie Dearing | Feb 17, 2016 | Beverages, Recipes
Smoothies are one of the simplest ways to provide a variety of healthy nutrients into your system. It is especially helpful if you or someone you know has a hard time eating enough vegetables. I also believe that because the blending process breaks down the food particles so small, it is easier for your body to digest and more quickly absorb the nutrients. Plus you retain all the great fiber from whatever produce you use. In addition to all that, smoothies can easily be tailored to each individuals personal taste preferences and physical needs. They are fast and easy to make and fast and easy to drink. There really is no down side here. Smoothies should be a regular part of your morning routine. I am going to list options for this very generic recipe. You decide what works best for you. (The best smoothie: Is any smoothie you will drink – just watch to be sure to limit the amount of sugars in the fruit). There are a multitude of books written on smoothie recipes. These steps are the easiest I have found to help the average person just get started and make a habit of drinking a smoothie daily.
Paleo Smoothies Made Simple
Author: Melanie Dearing
Course: Beverages
Cuisine: recipes
- Step 1:
- Choose the type of blender you will use (I use a NutriBullet or a Vitamix blender). There are so many good products on the market, you have lots to choose from. Find one that fits your budget and is easy for you to use.
- Step 2:
- Be sure you dedicate at least ½ of your smoothie to organic dark green leafy vegetables. Easy examples here are kale and or spinach (there is also Swiss chard and arugula, I find them a little bitter). I recently found a delicious red kale that I love. A quick, easy tip here to keep these from going bad before you get a chance to use them up: I buy the largest containers of organic spinach or kale. I bring them home, wash and dry them well (a salad spinner works well) and immediately bag them in smaller portions and freeze them. Once they are frozen, I smash the contents in the bag into small pieces to condense the space they take up. I can use them then for smoothies, eggs, soups, casseroles…….
- Step 3:
- Choose a creamy thickener like avocado or frozen banana (watch the sugar with the bananas) or even a spoonful of healthy nut butter with no sugar (avoid peanut butter). I like using frozen bananas. It is easy to store them and they give the consistency of ice cream.
- Step 4:
- Choose organic fruit of choice. Remember those darker berries are the best; blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries. Costco has a wonderful selection of frozen organic fruits (and veggies). Again, I find it helpful to buy the large bags and repack them into smaller smoothie size bags to use more easily. This can save time in the morning, especially if you have a favorite mix or blend. You can venture into other fruits like pineapple and mangos as well.
- • Optional:
- Now is the time of many, many optional add- ins. There are lots of great green powders on the market (I like Green Superfoods) or other superfood powders like Mangosteen, Goji, Acai, Marqui Berry, etc… You can also add unsweetened shredded coconut, raw hemp seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds, chia seeds, cashews, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, etc…. This is where you can experiment and create your own special favorite flavors. I try to keep a variety of these items on hand. I use many of these items to make power balls (see recipe under Sweet Treats) and I also use them in non-dairy coconut yogurt.
- Step 5:
- Place your chosen ingredients into blender with ¼ cup filtered water or unsweetened non-dairy milk (coconut milk, almond milk, hemp milk) of choice and blend until smooth. Drink immediately for best results
- Place your chosen ingredients into blender with ¼ cup filtered water or unsweetened non-dairy milk (coconut milk, almond milk, hemp milk) of choice and blend until smooth. Drink immediately for best results.
3.5.3226
by Melanie Dearing | Feb 12, 2016 | Beverages, Recipes
There is a wonderful beverage called “Bullet Proof Coffee” and I wanted to give you the true original site that you can go to here Original Bulletproof. That entire website has been one that as exploded since I first came across it and you can go here to see for yourself Bullet proof site. His line of products, including cookbooks is growing every day. I was impressed but I knew that I had my own financial limits. As you can see, many of the items were a little out of my budget, so I just had to do what I could with what I could afford. So I buy organic coffee I can afford and brew it in my Bunn coffee maker. I pour the pot of coffee into a large, slender pitcher and use a hand held immersion blender to froth the coffee ingredients. I do have a Vita-Mix which can also be used, but requires more set up and clean up.
I mix in about 2 – 3 Tbsp. of unsalted grass-fed butter or ghee, about 2-3 Tbsp. of organic coconut oil (or brain octane from bulletproof), and about 1 Tbsp. of Monk Fruit and Chicory Root for sweetener and mix with immersion blender for about 10 seconds. That creates a lovely frothy top and it is delicious. For a Christmas gift I was given some true Bulletproof Brain Octane and I am very impressed. Again, research and explore for yourself, but I do love this every morning (so does the rest of my family and any guests that come to visit). There is even a real Bullet Proof Coffee shop in California. Who knows, there may be a whole chain of shops coming soon. I need one in my front yard.
