Herbed Cashew Cheese

This is an absolutely fabulous cheesy spread to put on your wild yeast (unleavened) bread.  Just dip in and spread several tablespoons on your bread and enjoy pure satisfaction.  Or, you can add some vegetables on top and make into a sandwich.  I discovered this Herbed Cashew Cheese from my daughter at Little House of Veggies.   She makes some fabulous creations in her kitchen and they are kid tested too!!  I just taught a class on unleavened bread last night and we sampled the Herbed Cashew Cheese, a Paprika (Cashew) Cheese Ball and an Artichoke Dip on our fresh baked No-Knead Sourdough Bread, San Francisco Style Sourdough & a Sandwich Soft Sourdough Bread.  Look for my post in a few weeks with instructions on how to make your own wild yeast & how to make these fabulous healthy breads.  You will find the health information very interesting and see how beautiful and delicious these loaves turn out.

Herbed Cashew Cheese

Printable Recipe

3 cups raw unsalted cashews

1 cup water or less (start with ½ cup and add more as needed)

About 1 tsp probiotic powder (5 capsules, broken open)

Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours and rinse well.  Place cashews in a food processor or blender with the water and the probiotic powder.  Mix until very smooth.  Do not add more water than you need to make smooth. Place the cheese in bowl  with lid and allow to ferment overnight on counter .  In the morning add the following: 

Juice of 1 lemon

2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

Large handful (about ¾ cup) chopped parsley

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 TBS nutritional yeast flakes

½ tsp sea salt

Cracked black pepper

Mix everything well and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Use within 5-7 days.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Many of you have purchased a Perfect Pickler and created your own easy Kimchi in just 4 days.  Below is a delicious Kimchi Fried Rice recipe that I think you are going to absolutely love!  With sesame oil, onions, brown rice, sea salt & Kimchi, it is so delicious!  For those of you who haven't discovered the Perfect Pickler yet, click here to see my post and how to make Kimchi.  I hope you will give it a try and let me know how it turns out.  This is a great recipe to use your kimchi and enjoy a traditional korean dish.  With two Korean brothers, I will definitely be making this for them.

 Kimchi Fried Rice – Kimchi Bokumbap)

Serves 4

Printable Recipe

1 - 2 TBS toasted sesame oil

1 ½ cups finely chopped onion

Pinch of coarse salt

2 cups kimchi (the older the better), coarsely chopped

¼ cup kimchi brine

4 cups day-old cooked rice at room temperature.

Garnish with sliced scallion or chives & sesame seeds

Directions:

Sauté the onion with salt in the oil for a few minutes to soften.  Add the kimchi and juice and cook another minute.  Add the rice and mix well, cook about 5 minutes.  Serve garnished with sliced scallions & sesame seeds.

ByJean-Georges Vongerichten, the Kimchi Chronicles

Perfect Brown Rice

Printable Recipe

 

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 tsp olive oil or coconut oil

2 cups filtered water

Fix brown rice by cooking in olive oil or coconut oil until lightly browned.  Quickly pour 2 cups water all at once and put on lid.  Bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 40 minutes until all water is absorbed.

Sauerkraut, Kimchi & Tropical Fruit - OH MY!!

 I taught a super fun class tonight at the Bosch Kitchen Center.  It was a hands-on class where everyone made their very own Kimchi with the Perfect Pickler.  Everyone learned how to make Kimchi , Sauerkraut, Fermented Tropical Fruit, Herbed Cashew Cheese, Paprika Cheese Ball, Almond Yogurt and Almond Milk.  Everyone also learned how to make Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokumbap) YUMMY!! I will post pictures & recipes for all of these in the next couple of weeks.  Below are recipes for Sauerkraut, Kimchi & the Tropical Fruit Mix.  The Perfect Pickler is an amazing tool that makes fermenting vegetables and fruits fail proof.  To read more on the benefits of cultured/fermented vegetables, fruits and nuts, CLICK HERE.

Everyday Kimchi- Makes 2 quarts

Printable Recipe

3/4 pounds Napa cabbage (buy a pound, save a couple outer leaves) Cut into 1” pieces.

1/2 pound Daikon radish ( or mix of daikon and carrot) peeled, julienne slices or shredded)

3 large scallions, trimmed and cut into thin, slanted slices

Fresh garlic, 2 TBS minced

Fresh ginger, 2 TBS peeled and minced

Korean chile flakes, 1  to 3 TBS to taste. (You can adjust after fermenting)

Brine:

2 cups water to 1 rounded TBS. sea salt

Cut cabbage into 1” squares.  Add remaining  ingredients and pack into jar.  Leave 3” space at at top of jar.  Add whole cabbage leaves on top of Kimchi mixture.  Place brine overflow cup on top of mixture and carefully add brine until you just cover the top of the mixture by quarter inch or so.  You now have extra air space for expansion.  

Recipe by Bill Hettig (Creator of the Perfect Pickler)

Savory Sauerkraut – 1 qt.

Printable Recipe 

2 - 1/4  lbs cabbage (finely shredded)

Save several round pieces of cabbage cut from top as well as a 1” square chunk to place on top of kraut.
1 TBS (scant) fine sea salt

1 tsp caraway seeds

Cut round pieces out of top of cabbage to use on top of kraut mixture.  Shred cabbage and add salt.  Work cabbage with hands until you start creating a nice brine. Use a wooden kraut masher to break up cell walls of cabbage and help to form brine.  Mix cabbage with caraway seeds.  Pack tightly into qt. jar until several inches from top.  Place cabbage rounds on top of kraut mixture and then place 1” square cabbage chunk (cut from center of cabbage) on top of cabbage rounds.   Place brine cup on top of cabbage chunk and seal lid.
Recipe by Bill Hettig (Creator of the Perfect Pickler)

Probiotic Vegetables with the Perfect Pickler & Giveaway

My new found love is the Perfect Pickler and I am so excited to give one away and share this amazing product!  See bottom of page for details and how to make my yummy probiotic carrots. There is also a video to watch that will show you how super easy they are to make.

I will be teaching two classes this month using the Perfect Pickler. These are hands-on classes where class members will be taking home their own Perfect Pickler filled with vegetables. I will be discussing all the health benefits.  We will be sampling a lot of different pickles with yummy Artisan Bread Panini Sandwiches.  The Artisan bread is fermented overnight and then baked in a 500 degree hearth oven called the La Cloche. Class 1 will be the probiotic carrots and class 2 will be Kimchi. We will also be learning to make Non-Dairy Almond Yogurt in Class 2.  I hope you can join us on April 11 & 25, 2012.

You fill the Perfect Pickler with just water, sea salt, vegetables and seasonings and watch the transformation take place.  "You can not purchase the nutrients found in fresh, cultured brine pickles for any amount of money, nor find more dynamic supplements.  Yet, these ingredients are inexpensive and lie within common vegetables and sea salt. We're not going back, we're coming around to the wisdom of our Elders:  make brine pickles a regular part of our daily diet." ~ Bill Hettig, creator of the Perfect Pickler.

Here's their bounty:

Vitamins:  Brine pickling creates additional vitamins as well as boosting them into highly absorbable
forms.

Minerals: Minerals from both sea salt and within plants become ionized (charged), becoming more absorbable.

Enzymes:  Dense concentrations are created and combine with vegetable-based enzymes to power up
digestion.  Enzymes pre-digest foods during the meal.

Microcultures:  Multiply by the billions.  These beneficial bacteria replenish our own resident cultures. As a probiotic they act to limit pathogenic bacteria as our very first line of immune defense.  Fresh brine pickles are both a tasty and healthy treat. 

Nowhere on this planet can you find better nutritional value than in making your own fresh brine pickles, like those made in the Perfect Pickler.  Our entire digestive tract -- from mouth to colon --benefits from ingesting daily amounts of fresh vegetable probiotics.  Each bite contains millions of friendly bacteria, the very same that reside in a healthy digestive tract.  Fresh pickles (probiotic vegetables) maintain and build upon our own colony of friendly bacteria.  

Recently, science has found these cultures to be our primary immune function; some say as much as 70 percent.Maintaining a healthy gut culture is the number one way to stay well and vital!!

Fresh pickles are a dynamic aid for hard-to-digest foods so common in this age of highly processed food.  Ancient cultures learned to combine pickles, relishes, salsas, chutneys and other ferments with their staple foods.  When you eat a little pickle with your meal these mighty organisms immediately start the digesting process in the mouth and all the way through to the colon.

Additional Benefits of Eating Brine Pickles (Probiotic Vegetables)

• Micro-cultures produce a complex of B vitamins and vitamin K. They preserve Vitamin C found in the veggies.
• Pickles kick-start digestion through salivation and enzyme production in the mouth. 
• Certain brine bacteria act as anticancer factors by preventing the formation of chemicals which are carcinogenic.
• Probiotic-rich pickles are beneficial while taking antibiotics.
• Micro-cultures develop healthy digestive tracts and immune function in the young.
• They make low-cost probiotics for daily consumption.
• They speed up bowel function by improving peristaltic action and reduce transit time of digested food.
• They play a role in protecting against the negative effects of radiation and toxic pollutants.
• Evidence is strong that an overgrowth of E. coli in the bowel may provoke a diabetic condition.  Resident microflora keep E. coli in check.
• They help control genito-urinary tract infections.
• They are an ideal treatment for diarrhea including rotavirus, Clostridium difficile and "traveler's diarrhea" especially pediatric diarrhea - one of the greatest killers of children throughout the world.

I am giving away a Perfect Pickler through a random drawing next Wednesday 4/11/12.  Please leave a comment below and you will be entered into the drawing.  The Perfect Pickler Kit includes: Fermentation Lock, Special Wide Mouth Lid, Brine Overflow Cup, Gasket & O-Ring Set, Instruction Recipe Booklet & Celtic Sea Salt.  Good luck-I know you will love the Perfect Pickler!

 Probiotic Carrots with the Perfect Pickler
Makes 1 Qt.

About 5 medium  Carrots (I sliced them with the salad shooter and they were absolutely perfect)
2 cups brine (made with water and 1 Tbsp. Celtic Sea Salt)
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 large minced garlic
1 inch piece ginger (peeled & grated)


Slice carrots and put into 1 qt. mason wide mouth canning jar until you reach about 2 inches from top of jar.  In bowl mix 2 cups purified water and 1 Tbsp. Celtic Sea Salt.  Let salt dissolve and then add remaining ingredients.  Pour brine mixture into jar until you reach about 1/4 inch from the top of jar.  Add brine overflow cup so it floats in brine.  Place lid on by first twisting on jar counter clockwise until in clicks into place and then turning clockwise to seal. Add fermentation lock.  Be sure to add water to the fill mark on the fermentation lock.  Place jar in a bowl and place on counter for 4 days.  Be sure to mark the date you made the carrots so you will remember when to open them.  After 4 days take off lid and fermentation lock and replace with canning jar lid.  Place in refrigerator where flavor will continue to develop. Carrots will keep for months (if they aren't eaten before then). 

Smoky Tempeh Panini on Sprouted Wheat Bread

Panini Grills do something so... yummy to your sandwiches. It takes an ordinary sandwich and makes it special!  For this recipe I used Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Bread-Ezekiel 4:9 by Food for Life.  Different from most breads today, this unique bread is made from freshly sprouted live grains and contains no flour.  Sprouting the bread releases all of the vital nutrients stored in whole grains.  It not only significantly increases vitamins, but also causes a natural change that allows the protein and carbohydrates to be assimilated by the body more efficiently.  I also used some organic smoky fermented tempeh strips "fakin bakin" by Lightlife. ($1.00 off coupon below).  The 2 bread slices give you 8 grams of protein, the 1 1/2 pieces of tempeh strips give you 4 grams and the 2 tablespoons of hummus give you 1 for a total of 13 grams of protein. I spread each piece of bread with 1 tablespoon of jalapeno flavored hummus, added 1 1/2 slices of smoked tempeh strips, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, mushrooms, fresh jalapenos and after grilling added romaine lettuce.  YUMMY!   The paninis will cook in a matter of minutes, so watch them carefully.

$1.00 of Smoky Tempeh Strips

Smoky Tempeh Panini on Sprouted Wheat Bread

Printable Recipe

2 sandwiches

3 pieces of organic smoky tempeh strips (fakin' Bacon)-cooked & cut into 6 pieces

4 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted bread

4 tablespoons Smoked Jalapeno &  Garlic Hummus or your favorite hummus

8 slices of tomato

6 sliced mushrooms

2" piece of jalapeno sliced

8 medium size pieces of basil

4 romaine leaves sliced

1.) Cook smoky tempeh strips in pan until lightly crispy. 

2.)  Heat panini grill. 

3.)  Cut the 3 long pieces of tempeh in half to equal 6 slices.  You will use 3 of these slices for each of your sandwiches.

4.)  Spread each piece of bread with 1 tablespoon hummus.  Add 3 slices of smoky tempeh to one piece of bread, then 4 slices of tomato, followed by mushrooms, jalapeno & basil.  Put the other slice of bread on top of vegetables.  Repeat with other sandwich.

5.)  Place sandwiches in panini grill and cook for just a few minutes on medium high.  Watch carefully. 

6.)  After removing panini add fresh romaine lettuce and cut in half.  Serve with a big salad or soup.

General Tso's Tempeh & Ginger Cabbage

I love the ingredients in this sauce I created for General Tso's Tempeh this week.  I used dried red pepper, fresh ginger and sesame seeds to create a wonderful flavor. This dish is quick and easy.  The only thing that takes a bit of time is waiting for the brown rice to cook. Serve it with my Perfect Brown Rice & Ginger Cabbage.  I hope you will give this a try.  I think you will love it:)

General Tso's Tempeh
Printable Recipe
Serves 2
Marinade:
4 oz. (1/2 package) Westsoy Original Tempeh
1 tsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. agave

Marinade above ingredients for 15-20 minutes.  Remove tempeh reserving liquid.

Add marinaded tempeh with:

1/2-1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1 heaping Tbsp. ginger (minced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
1 tsp. raw, white sesame seeds

Put 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil in pan and heat slightly.  Add marinaded tempeh mixture.  Stir constantly until pieces of tempeh are slightly golden.  Add sauce below and leftover marinade to tempeh. Use between 1/2-1 cup salt-free vegetable broth depending on the thickness you desire. 

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. ketchup (organic)
1 tsp. arrowroot powder
3 tsp. agave
2 tsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 - 1 cup salt-free vegetable broth

Serve over Perfect Brown Rice and garnish with sliced green onion. Sliced oranges also work well with this meal.

PERFECT BROWN RICE


1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
2 basil leaves (optional)

Cook 1 cup brown rice in 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil until light golden brown(about 5 minutes stirring constantly). Add 2 cups water and sliced basil leaves all at once. Bring back to a boil and then turn down to simmer for about 40 minutes.

Perfect brown rice. Season as desired. You can replace water with vegetable broth.
 
Cabbage with Ginger Dressing
 
1/2 head of cabbage (thinly sliced)
 
In blender mix:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2" piece of ginger
 
Pour ginger dressing over cabbage and mix well.

Asian Tempeh Salad with Sesame Lime Dressing

I created this beautiful Asian Tempeh Salad with Sesame Lime Dressing in hopes to duplicate a salad I love from the restaurant Pei Wei here in Utah.  I absolutely love this salad!! My hubby gave it a huge thumbs up when he had it for lunch today. This salad is extremely easy, fresh, light and nourishing.  If you haven't tried Gluten Free Rice Spirals they are very tasty and light, but you can use any type pasta.  I know you will love this gorgeous salad.  It is beautiful enough to serve everyday or on a special occasion with a delicious chocolate raspberry mousse (coming soon). I hope you give this main dish salad a try~I know you won't be disappointed.

What are the health benefits of tempeh?


The health benefits of tempeh are numerous. As opposed to many other soy foods (like tofu), tempeh is made from whole soybeans and possesses all the health benefits of soybeans. Also the tempeh fermentation changes the properties of the soybeans. Tempeh is easy to digest and is used in preventive and curative natural medicine because of the production of antibacterial agents during fermentation, which act against certain pathogens .

     Tempeh also provides valuable proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, B vitamins, minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, fiber and iron  .  Tempeh is a great choice for people who have difficulty digesting plant-based high-protein foods like beans and legumes or soy foods such as tofu. The process of fermentation makes the soybeans softer, since enzymes produced by the mold predigests a large portion of the basic nutrients. The Rhizopus molds produce an enzyme phytase which breaks down phytates, thereby increasing the absorption of minerals such as zinc, iron and calcium.

The fermentation process greatly reduces the oligosaccharides that make beans hard to digest for some people. Studies have shown tempeh to be essentially non-flatulent and producing no more gas than non-legume food.  Indonesians who eat tempeh as a regular part of their diet recognize it as a medicine for dysentery and rarely fall victim to the intestinal diseases to which they are constantly exposed.

Asian Tempeh Salad with Sesame Lime Dressing
Printable Recipe

4 oz. Original Tempeh (Westsoy)
2 Tbsp. Shoyu (soy sauce) or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
2 Tbsp. sweetner of choice
3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
1Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup filtered water
2 cups Gluten Free Rice Spirals (or your favorite pasta)
1 lemon (juiced)
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced yellow squash
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 large bunch red leaf lettuce (washed & chopped)
Flat-leaf parsley (chopped for garnish)

1.  Cut tempeh into cubes, then marinate in a mixture of shoyu and agave for 15 minutes.  Squeeze out excess liquid, reserving it, and roll the nuggets in the arrowroot powder.  Keep rolling nuggets until all the arrowroot powder has been incorporated by the Tempeh.

2. Heat 1 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the tempeh over medium heat until light golden brown.  Watch very carefully not to over brown, turning each square of tempeh over, and then over again until done.   Add 1/4 cup water plus the left over shoyu and agave liquid from Step 1, and cook until absorbed, stirring occasionally.  Set aside.

3.  Bring the pasta water to a boil.  Boil the pasta for 8 minutes (look at box directions).  Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water.  Sprinkle pasta with juice of 1 lemon. Mix carefully not to break pasta noodles.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.

4.  Remove Tempeh from frying pan and add onions and saute 1 minute.  Then add the carrot, celery and yellow squash. Saute for a few minutes. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5.  Mix tempeh with your carrot, celery and yellow squash mixture.

TO SERVE:

Arrange 2 plates with 1/2-1 bunch of red lettuce.  On top of each bed of lettuce put 1/2 of the pasta.  On top of the pasta spoon over the Tempeh/Vegetable mixture.  Garnish with chopped parsley.  Serve with Sesame Lime Dressing on the side.

SESAME LIME DRESSING

3 Tbsp. lime juice (about 2 limes)
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Shoyu (soy sauce) or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 tsp. agave
1 tsp. sesame oil

Combine and shake well.