Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Purple Sweet Potatoes

The winter solstice for us is the beginning point of our year so this year our celebration included buying a 40 pound case of organic purple sweet potatoes. We spent the rainy day pressure cooking and bagging them for freezing. For those of you who might be interested in our process, we’ve posted a few pictures.
We like the flavor of these much better than the orange flesh varieties, and there's a big nutrition bonus in this variety, they are very high in cancer fighting antioxidants. Almost anytime you see this beautiful dark purple color in a vegetable or fruit such as beets, red cabbage, blueberries, concord grapes, goji berries, blackberries, etc., it means it’s loaded with antioxidants.
40 pound case of organic purple sweet potatoes.

Potatoes before washing: notice the produce code starts with the number 9 meaning these are organically grown.

After washing in a 10% salt water solution and scrubbing the skin with a brush, then rinsing afterward. Salt water removes any pesticide residue and kills other organic toxins like E. coli and salmonella.

We cut the potatoes in half, then quarters, then cube for pressure cooking.

Cubes ready to cook.

Into the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water, cook at high pressure for 6 minutes, quick pressure release.

Drain the potatoes retaining the wonderful tasting, antioxidant rich "pot liquor" to drink later. We let the potatoes cool in a pan, then spoon into freezer storage bags, about 2 cups per bag. We plan to eat one bag of these between us every two days.

Solstice project complete. Two months worth of purple sweet potato superfood bound for the freezer.

This is our reward: Gorgeous deep purple sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple syrup, home made pumpkin pie spice, and pecan pieces sprinkled on top, yum!

Friday, May 8, 2015

Dijon-Roasted Purple Potatoes

These wonderful potatoes are oil free crispy baked jewels! You can substitute any kind of potato but the baking time may need to be adjusted.

Dijon-Roasted Purple Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 pounds purple potatoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vegan Worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:


Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Wash the potatoes, halve them length-wise and cut each half into 4 or more long wedges like steak fries, soak wedges in cold water with about a teaspoon salt for 10-15 minutes, drain and rinse, then pat dry. In a bowl whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, vegan Worchestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes with the Dijon mixture, then evenly spread on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned and the tines of a fork easily go through the potatoes.

Kim & Mike's Homemade Ketchup

We went through several tries to develop this near perfect ketchup recipe which is much healthier for you than store bought because there's no added bulk sugar, plus it tastes really good. The sweetness comes from our own home made date syrup. 


Kim & Mike's Homemade Ketchup

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can of organic, diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. paprika
dash of black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. date syrup (recipe below)
1 6 oz. can organic tomato paste

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to a small food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Keeps in the refrigerator for about 1 week.


Date Syrup



Ingredients:

1 cup (packed) pitted dates (we love Barhi or Medjool)
1 cup filtered water

Blend ingredients until smooth, store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or freeze.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Super Muesli with Super Chocolate Oat Milk

Mike and I have developed a great filling, full of energy breakfast that we eat every day. This is the most anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, nutrient rich meal on the planet and it's not expensive to make. It’s from ingredients you can find in any grocery store and make at home ahead of time. We each eat 1/2 cup of the Muesli and about a cup of Oat Milk each day, and we also add ground flax or chia seeds or hemp seeds to the cereal before adding the milk for an extra omega-3 boost. We also top the muesli with 1 cup of fresh or thawed frozen berries. We use a combination of sweet cherries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and pomegranate ariels. Here are the recipes:

—————————————————

Super Homemade Muesli

8 cups dry rolled oats
1 oz. pecan pieces*
1 oz. walnut pieces*
4 oz. dried fruit such as raisins, goji berries, dates, currants or figs, cut into bite sized pieces if necessary

Put all ingredients into a large bowl or covered jar and stir or shake to mix thoroughly. May be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

*Substitute any raw nut/seed you like for the walnuts and/or pecans.

—————————————————

Super Chocolate Oat Milk

1 cup dry quick cooking or rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup date syrup
3 cups filtered water

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Shake well before using.

Makes about 1 quart

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Kim's Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise

This recipe is the closest we've gotten to store bought vegan mayo in taste and texture. The great part about this recipe is that there is no added oil. The cashews and tofu make a smooth, creamy consistency and the chia seeds or the xanthan gum makes it thicker.

Xanthan gum can be purchased at health food stores and many larger grocery stores these days. Bob's Red Mill and others manufacture it and it's usually available in the baking goods section or buy it at online Amazon.com.

This recipe makes about 1 pint of mayo.

Ingredients
1 12 ounce package soft silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashews (about 2 ounces)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon granulated onion powder
1 Tbsp. chia seeds (or 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum), optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Instructions

Drain water from tofu and place it and all other ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend at highest speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Seal tightly and keep refrigerated. Stir before each use.
SaveSave