Yule

Happy New Year !

Sound odd ? Not really. Today is The Winter Solstice and the beginning of the Solar Year. In our household it is one of the Winter Holidays, and it is usually celebrated on the eve of the event with decorations and a special meal amongst other things.

 Food is a part of most celebrations in some way. It is universal  in language. The participants may not understand the event celebrated in full , but they know when something smells and tastes good ! We had a meal with things that were in some way representative of the sun , the returning light  and I will share the pictures and recipes. It's going to be a big cooking week for me here with Solstice, Christmas Eve and Christmas  ! Good thing is I can make it nourishing !

Let's start with Soaked Sun Bread

Soaked Sun Bread

2 – 2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 stick butter, melted
3 tablespoons buttermilk

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons sugar( I used Splenda)
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon (optional)
 Mix yeast and milk. Let stand until foamy. Stir in eggs, sugar, 2 cups flour, butter, salt and lemon. Mix well, adding flour as necessary to form a dough.Knead on a floured surface for 8 – 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.Place dough in greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1-2 hours. Punch down dough, knead gently, and divide into two portions. With one portion, form a round flat ball to make the sun’s face. Use a knife to carve eyes and a mouth. Use a bit of dough from the second half to form a nose and eyes and mouth
Divide the rest of the second half into six portions.Shape into a rope, cut rope into smaller sections to form spirals and place around the edge of the face.
Cover the sun and allow to rise again in a warm place for about an hour.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the sun bread for about twenty minutes or until lightly brown. Cool slightly before slicing.( we don't slice him, but kind of rip off pieces !)

Then bring on dinner ! We had  apple Maple glazed ham, spiced red cabbage ( red ball like the new born sun) sweet potatoes with maple butter ( orange like the sun and it goes well with ham) and orange cranberry sauce ( again, orange and red like the sun at different times of the day). All seasoned with herbs and spices that are "firey", like the sun itself.

Crockpot Rotkohl (German Red Cabbage)
1 medium/large red cabbage, shredded
1 med sweet onion, diced
2 med (or 1 large) apple, granny smith or other sour kind, peeled, cored and diced
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp honey
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp mulling spice, in a cheesecloth bag or tea steeper
1 c. water
1 tbsp butter
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 lb bacon, diced (optional)

   1. If using bacon, cook until crispy and drain on a paper towel. Then use the bacon grease to saute the onion.
   2. If not using bacon, saute the onion in the butter until translucent.
   3. Add rest of ingredients into crockpot, set on low for 6 hours.
   4. If you’re going to use a stock pot or dutch oven for this, the cooking time would be between 1 and 2 hours, depending on amount you make.
   5. Remove spice bag before serving. This seems self-explanatory and yet…maybe it’s just me.

Smoked Ham with Maple Apple Glaze
3 to 4 pound, semi-boneless cold smoked ham
1 to 2 large tart baking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup pure maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 325º F.

Rinse the ham well with cold water and pat dry.  Place in a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to comfortably hold the ham, and cover tightly with foil.Bake the ham until completely heated through, about 20 minutes per pound.  About 10 minutes before the ham is done, melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until it begins to foam.  Saute the apples in the butter until tender and golden, about 5 minutes, and add the maple syrup.  Increase the heat slightly and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the syrup begins to thicken.  Remove from the heat and set aside.Remove the ham from the oven and increase the temperature to 350º F.  Carefully pour the juices from the ham into the skillet with the apple/maple syrup mixture and stir to combine.  Spoon the glaze back over the ham and return to the oven.  Bake, uncovered, for an additional 15 to 20 minutes to glaze the ham, basting it every 5 minutes.Remove the ham to a cutting board and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes before carving; reserve the glaze from the pan.  Carve, spoon the glaze over the slices and serve.

 Cranberry-Orange Sauce

    12 oz fresh or frozen Cranberries
    1 lg. organic Navel Orange
    1/2 Cup  Sugar or Sucanat ( I used Splenda)
    1 tsp. ground Cinnamon
    1/8 tsp. ground Cloves

    Rinse cranberries, and discard any spoiled ones. Finely grate or zest the orange peel. Cut orange into quarters, and add to a blender, along with the orange zest. Pour in enough water to make 1 cup, and blend until roughly chopped. (You don’t want a smooth puree; keep it “pulpy.”)
 Pour juice into a saucepan, along with sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour in cranberries, and return to a boil. Stir over medium heat for 8-10 min. Be careful!! Cranberries start popping & will splatter!! (When not stirring, you can partially cover the pot with a lid, to allow steam to escape, but keep some of the splatter inside.)

    When most of the cranberries have popped, and the liquid has started to thicken, remove from heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Pour into jars to store or into a serving dish. Refrigerate or freeze if not serving immediately.

An evening of fun and games took place, and then it was time for desert- gingerbread and home made eggnog

Soaked Flour Gingerbread

Combine and soak overnight
1 Cup Buttermilk or Kefir
2 ½ C Freshly Ground Spelt or White Wheat Flour
Next day  add
¼ lb Butter or Coconut Oil
¾ C Sucanat ( I used Splenda)
2 Eggs
¾ C Molasses
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Powdered Ginger
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch Cloves

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9 x 9 baking dish.   Bake in an oven preheated to 350 ° F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake’s center comes out clean

Egg Nog

    6 beaten egg yolks
    2 1/4 cups whole milk
    1/3 cup  sugar ( I used Splenda)
    1 tsp vanilla
    1 cup whipping cream
    2 Tbsp  sugar
    Ground nutmeg (optional)

 1) In a medium pot, mix the egg yolks, milk and the 1/3 cup sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just coats a metal spoon . Remove from heat. Place pot in a sink or bowl of ice water and stir for 2 minutes to cool mixture off a little. Stir in vanilla. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours.
2) When you're ready to serve:
Beat the whipping cream and 2 Tbsp of sugar  until soft peaks form.
3) Transfer the chilled egg/milk/sugar mixture to a punch bowl. Fold in the whipped cream. Serve immediately. Sprinkle each serving with nutmeg. If you find it a little too thick or too sweet, simply stir in a bit of milk to thin it out.

Happy New Year !

Improvement on a holiday classic

Getting better and better ! Friday I managed 1,367 steps without aid and yesterday I was strong enough to make a swipe with the vacuum cleaner and actually lift a bag of groceries to the counter. Both moves proved a lot more physically challenging than I ever thought they could be , but I did them. Things will get easier. Today I am going to try to get outside and all the way to the car. It will be the first time I wave been out of the house since the injury, which was the weekend before Thanksgiving.

All this time at home has given me opportunities to play with new recipes and techniques ,  and it has been very rewarding. One of these was an opportunity to make a fruitcake that is better and better for you. Yes, I know. At the mere mention of the word fruitcake most people make jokes  or worse. Poor Fruitcake ! What is commercially sold as fruitcake in most places today is kind of a lab experiment with tar based colored , jellied fruit. Real fruitcake is lighter, delicious and filled with dried fruits and nuts. It is to savor ! I came across this recipe that combines good fruitcake with real gingerbread and does it using the soaked flour and nuts method. It was so good, Nick asked for seconds

Meg's Gingerbread Fruitcake

(From Keeper of the Home   )
The night before you'd like to make the cake, combine:

    * 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
    * 1 cup buttermilk
    * 1/2 cup melted butter

Let sit on the counter, covered tightly overnight.  The next day you'll need:
  * 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    * 3 teaspoons ground ginger
    * 2 teaspoons dry mustard
    * 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    * 2 teaspoons ground allspice
    * 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
    * 1/2 cup Rapadura or Sucanat( I used Splenda)
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1 1/2 cups Blackstrap  molasses ( it's a whole bottle)
    * 2 large eggs, beaten
    * 1 T vanilla extract
    * 3 cups dried unsulphured fruit, finely chopped - apricots, cherries, cranberries, raisins, figs, dates, apples
    * 1 cup chopped nuts (it's best if they have been soaked and dehydrated first) I used walnuts

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2)Spray cake pans with Pam ( I prefer this to butter and flour)

3) Mix the eggs, Sugar, molasses, and vanilla together until creamy.
4) Gradually add the soaked flour mixture, beating until combined.
5) Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir until just blended.
6) Gently fold in the dried fruit and nuts.
7) Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8) Place pan on rack and let cool.

We had this with a scoop of vanilla Ice Cream- YUM !!! ( I have to ask Santa for some colored plates- white is horrible to photograph !)

Advent Begins

The other day I stumbled onto a blog that was devoted to cooking or crafts for each of the Catholic Saint feast days, and I was inspired and entertained. This woman is a GENIUS ! Anyone who could turn Catholicism into something kid friendly is an incredibly talented person ! I kept reading  and got inspired to do something similar in our household during the season of Advent. We are a mixed faith household and there is a constant effort to create and include things from our diverse paths  without insulting the others. We both believe that the season of Advent is important to observe. Christmas should not be a month - there is a season of patience and anticipation before and then a lingering glow for a short time before we start anew. Most every symbol used in modern Christmas celebrations are of Pagan origin , so there is ample opportunity for both of our faith traditions. ( Did you know that there is no evidence of Jesus being born in December, but strong evidence that the event occurred in September ? December 25 th was chosen in an attempt to eradicate the observance of Saturnalia ). History aside, instead of feeling like someone is trying to block out your own faith tradition, I see all of this historical evidence as proof that people throughout the ages in all cultures have celebrated this time of year as extraordinary. Let  the celebration begin !

The Advent Calender Quilt I made many years ago- a tradition in our home !

Our Advent Calender was hung on the first, and I sat down to plan something I am calling the December Madness, which begins on Saturday. Why Saturday ? It's Bob's Birthday and I did not have all my ducks in a row to begin any sooner. Watch for daily details !

In the mean time, people still need to be fed and nourished. I am absolutely loving the  practice of soaking grains before cooking ! I think I have been looking for different dishes to play with this technique, as well as others of a more nourishing quality. The other night I served this stir fry  which features healthy veggies, soaked grains , better for  you kind of fat and plenty of protein.

Beef  and pepper stir fry on baby spinach and Soaked Rice 

1 tablespoon  coconut oil
1 pound steak sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 onion, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 small red bell pepper sliced in strips
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon corn starch
4 ounces raw baby spinach, about 8 cups loosely packed
Soaked brown rice, cooked

In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil. Stir-fry the beef, garlic and ginger over high heat just until the steak is partially browned and some pink remains, maybe 30 seconds to a minute. Add the onions and peppers; stir-fry until tender-crisp about 1 minute or so. Stir in the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Dissolve the cornstarch in  a small amount of water and pour over the meat and vegetables then stir in well. Cook very briefly just until the sauce thickens and coats everything. Serve over the raw spinach and brown rice. and peppers.

Sweet Sunday Soaked Rolls

Do you have one meal that is really difficult to plan for ? I sure do, and that would be Sunday breakfast !  Bob is a Cantor( song leader) for one congregation , and a singer/musician for a second one. The weeks that he sings with the second congregation Nick sings in the choir, and they have to be out the door by 7 am. With workdays he has the option of brown bagging breakfast and eating it later- this option disappears on Sundays and often lunch is not till 2. Breakfast has to be quick, substantial, sustainable  and healthy. We have tried numerous options , and while some things almost work, nothing seems to be "the" solution. A few years back , before weight loss, I would make home made cinnabons for Sundays. It made for a good lazy munch for late risers like me and a grab and go for Bob. Problem with the standard cinnabon sort of rolls is they are a carb nightmare filled with highly refined sugar and will send you on a blood sugar roller coaster for the rest of the day. Yet, there is something so completely comforting and wonderful about home made cinnamon rolls that you can get amnesia to this fact. Could they be made healthier ???

The answer is yes- with my invention of Soaked Flour Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cinnamon rolls !! They are not yet perfect, as  want to discover a healthier alternative for the brown sugar and powdered sugar, but these will definitely serve the bill for now !

Soaked flour Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
(or a simple way to make everyone in your house smile and drool)

Roll Dough:
 8-12 hrs before baking , mix together in a bowl:
1/3 cup keifer, plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 cup  All-Purpose Flour
1 1 /4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
cover with plastic and let sit on the counter at room temperature.

 The next morning , dissolve
1/4 cup warm water (not hot, about 110 degrees)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar

let it get foamy and then add to the soaked flour mix with
1-2 cups all purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup pumpkin puree, either fresh or canned
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Mix , adding additional white flour until you have a smooth, elastic, non sticky dough. Cover and let rise  till double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hrs. Meanwhile , gather ingredients for filling

Filling:
1 stick butter, softened
mix
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon each of allspice and ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves

Punch the dough down, roll into a rectangle. Smear softened butter on the dough and then sprinkle the sugar/spice mix. Roll up in a log and cut into desired roll sizes with dental floss. Place on a greased jelly roll pan , let rise till double and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, or till golden brown. Meanwhile, make the icing:

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
2-3 cups powdered sugar

While rolls are warn, frost . I store these in the fridge overnight, baked and frosted so that breakfast the next morning can be a grab and go for any timetable.

Soaked grains bread

I have been so pleased with the results of soaked grains that I could not wait to try making bread using this method. Home made bread is an aroma that could charm snakes, and if you get the basic technique down , a very tasty thing. Use quality  ingredients and it becomes very healthful and superior to anything you will find on the store shelves. So using those ingredients in a way that brings out their maximum potential has to be the very best of all possible worlds.  So what are we waiting for...let's get baking !


Whole grain  soaked bread

12 to 24 hrs before you plan on baking  place the following in a bowl:
2 cups water
2 tablespoons whey, cider vinegar or lemon juice ( I used whey)
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup multigrain cracked grains mix( sold as hot cereal)

Mix it up, cover the bowl and let it sit on the counter for up to 24 hrs.

Then the next day when you are ready to bake, place the soaked mix in your mixing bowl. In a seperate container combine

1/4 cup warm water ( baby bottle warm)
1 tablespoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon honey

Mix and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy. ( If this does not happen toss this mixture and repeat with new yeast). In yet another bowl, combine and mix well

1/3 cup melted coconut oil, melted butter or olive oil ( I used coconut)
1/3 c honey
2 teaspoons salt

add the contents of the smaller bowls to the soaked grains and add 1/3 cup of vital gluten ( skip this if you have a gluten intolerance) . Mix and add 2-3 cups of flour( I used white all purpose) until you have a smooth, elastic, non sticky dough. Tacky is fine, but sticky means add more flour.

Place in a greased bowl and cover.

Place bowl in a warm place( I like on top of my stove with the pilot lite for heat, in the oven or on top the fridge are other good places) and let rise to double in bulk- about 1 /2 hours.

Punch down, knead and place back in the bowl, covered to rise again.

Punch down and form into loaves. To do this divide the dough into two balls.

Using a rolling pin ,roll out each half to a rectangle

And then roll the rectangle up into a blanket roll, tuck under the ends and place in a greased loaf pan

 Let loaves rise for about 30 minutes, or to double in bulk. Do not let them rise longer , or your bread will collapse in the oven . This looks just about right .

 bake at 375 for 30 minutes.Try to keep children and husbands for insisting bread is done and ready to eat !

Turn out to cooling racks immediately, or your loaf will get soggy. Brush the entire surface with butter to get a soft, sliceable loaf ( skip the butter if you like a crusty loaf)

Cool for at least 30 minutes ( the hardest part of the whole process) and then slice

Allow hungry son to eat the bread , and grab a slice for yourself !

The verdict ? Soaking made for a dough that was a little easier to work with and had a more even rise. The smell was even better than non soaked flours and the taste was a lot more rich and mellow. Strange thing was it did not inspire a feeding frenzy ( as fresh bread sometimes can). It also made for very long term satiation . Nick and I each had a sandwich for lunch using this bread and were not in the least bit snacky or hungry until dinner, and that was late.

I don't think I will ever make any grain product with a different method again !

Nourishing while feeding

There is a real difference between eating to stop being hungry and nourishing ! From the current story of the guy who ate the twinkies and lost weight , to tales coming from famine times with people eating seaweed and shoe leather to survive, it is very easy to rid oneself of hunger in the form of your stomach growling . Eating to the purpose of nourishing the body is a little more difficult in this modern world. Crazy when you think about it- we have so many marvels in our modern society, but we have completely distanced our self from real nutrition. We have done this in favor of convenience, perceptions of sanitation and the incorrect belief that obesity is the root of all disease. Truth is malnutrition, not a number on a scale or tape measure, is the root of disease. Just like one can be fat and fit, one can also be overweight and healthy. A "proper" body weight is no assurance of real health either. The reason so much attention is devoted to that scale number is that when it is high , odds are good that you have been eating a diet that fills your stomach, does not nourish your body and depletes you of nutrients and you are ill. Plain and simple. And yet the "fix" for this high number often involves foods that will deplete you even further in the long term. Wouldn't it be more intelligent to focus first and foremost on nourishing the body so that balance resumes and real health results ? I think so. The way to do this is to eat real food- often including things that we have been brainwashed into believing are "
evil". This is my focus now  for myself and my family, and the results have been pretty tasty, nourishing and have completely removed any desire for snacks between meals. When you are nourished, there are no cravings. So what did yesterday look like  ?

Breakfast ( photo borrowed from the net)
Flax meal cereal
1/4 c flax meal
2 T homemade almond butter
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c boiling water

apple, coffee with cream and sugar(both real foods)

Lunch
leftover cabbage stir fry ( cabbage, kielbasa, onion, green pepper, butter)
Pumpkin mash ( baked pumpkin with butter and real maple syrup- again, real food)

Dinner
pecan crusted chicken thighs
green beans with panchetta,onions and dried cranberries in a vinegar butter sauce

(cider vinegar , which aids in the digestive process)
soaked brown rice with butter ( real food and better for your body)

Soaking brown rice- why ?
Grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds can all add great value and variety to the diet, yet they contain anti nutrients – particularly phytates and enzyme inhibitors – which detract from their nutritive value. Soaking, sprouting or fermenting grains removes the phytates and allows the body to digest the grains more efficiently. It also makes them very tender- brown rice comes out the consistency of white rice, and can be more agreeable to the tastebuds of children and picky eaters. So how do you do it ?

Brown Rice
1 c brown rice
2 1/4 c water
1 TBS plain nonfat yogurt

Put in container and let soak for 7 hrs, and then cook . I simply placed it all in my rice cooker and when it came time to cook I flipped the switch and let it cook. It was very delicious ! I intend of preparing all grains with this method now- brown rice is the quickest of them all. Other grains and should be soaked for 24 hrs, so it makes planning ahead a bit of a necessity. But isn't real , legitimate food worth it ?