Purple Power Mush - To nourish and sustain you for hours...

PURPLE POWER MUSH

This is a very delicious and nutritious hot cereal and another of my mom's creations. All the darker pigments of these nutrient-packed grains mean there are more beneficial antioxidants for your body. When you have this for breakfast, it will keep you full for a long time. Purple Power Mush is much lower in carbs that traditional breakfast cereals, white cream of wheat, instant oatmeal, etc... This is not a gluten-free recipe however.

It is very easy to prepare. Shop online for these unique ingredients and keep them in your pantry for other uses as well as for this recipe. I like to mix all these beautiful grains together with my hands, just for fun.

When it comes time for making a batch of hot cereal, decide if you want to first sprout your grains before cooking, or freshly grind the grains and cook immediately.

Research the benefits of sprouting grains before consuming them, to motivate you to plan ahead and sprout these babies!

Even though this post is wordy - this is REALLY EASY to make.


PURPLE POWER MUSH Recipe:

Ingredients:

Whole-Grain Hot Cereal Base (not grain flours):

2 c. Black or red quinoa
2 c. Forbidden black rice
2 c. Sweet black rice
2 c. Black barley
2 c. Red barley
2 c. Red Wehani rice
2 c. Brown teff
2 c. Amaranth
2 c. Wild rice
2 c. Dark rye
2 c. Spelt


When Cooking the Hot Cereal:

1 1/2 c. Whole-Grain Hot Cereal Base (above)
2 T. Kasha buckwheat (or toasted buckwheat flour)
2 T. Poppy seeds
Purified water, as needed
BioSalt or sea salt, to taste

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Method:


Whole-Grain Hot Cereal Base:

This is a bulk mix you make ahead of time to store for future hot breakfasts.

Mix together all the grains in the hot cereal base above. All these grains are left whole.

Transfer to an air-tight container for storage. Store in a cool, dark place. For longer term storage, keep in the refrigerator of freezer.

Note that the buckwheat and poppy seeds are not added to the premix.



When Preparing the Hot Cereal:

You can make this hot cereal 2 different ways:

1. You can sprout the 1 1/2 c. whole grains before you cook the mush (more nutritious).

2. You can freshly grind 1 1/2 c. of the whole grain mix before cooking the mush (quicker).

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1. The sprouted version:


Sprout the grains:

Plan about 48 hours in advance to allow for sprouting time.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the whole grain mix above and add 2 T. poppy seeds. Pour the mixture into a sprouting jar. Rinse the mix and then soak in water overnight.

Drain in the morning. Keep rinsing and draining about 3 to 4 times a day, for about 48 hours. You can do less time if you choose.

The sprouted grains can be kept in the refrigerator a few days if needed.



To cook the grains:

Place the sprouted grains and 3 c. purified water in a high-powered blender or food processor. Roughly grind the grains. Do not puree.

Transfer to a cook pot on the stove. Add another 1 c. water and  1 t. sea salt or BioSalt, to taste (BioSalt recipe on this blog).

Bring just to a boil, while stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until it is the texture you want. you may need to add more water.

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2. The un-sprouted version: 


Grind the un-sprouted grains:

Measure out 1 1/2 c. of the whole grain mix and pass through a wheat grinder or high-powered blender (VitaMix or BlendTec). You may also grind it in smaller batches in a spice/coffee mill (Krupps is a great brand). AFTER grinding, add 2 T. Kasha buckwheat or toasted buckwheat flour and 2 T. poppy seeds.



 To cook the cereal:

Transfer the ground flour mix into a medium sized pot. Pour in 4 cups of purified water, while stirring to prevent lumps. Add 1 t. sea salt or BioSalt, to taste (BioSalt recipe on this blog).

Bring it just to a boil on the stove-top, stir occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and simmer about 30-60 minutes, until it is creamy and cooked through. You may need to add more water.

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To Serve:

Serve individual bowls with a dab of organic butter, or drizzle with "GOLDEN OIL" (recipe on this blog) and sweeten to taste (*agave/glycerine nectar, raw honey, real maple syrup, agave, or an IMO syrup for a sugar-free option). Pour over milk of choice (Nut milk, seed milk, coconut milk, or organic dairy milk).

I also like to sprinkle with organic raisins and ground cinnamon and sometimes ground ginger and cardamom, to taste.

* See this post for the agave/glycerine nectar recipe:
http://kitchencheetahs.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-best-agave-nectar-ever-with-new.html


See the pretty grains...

Amaranth

Black Barley

Brown Teff

Dark Rye

Forbidden Black Rice

Red Barley

Red Wehani Rice

Spelt

Sweet Black Rice

Wild Rice

Black Quinoa

Red Quinoa

Enjoy!

Leila

Essene Raisin Bread - Easy to make at home.

Organic Essene Raisin Bread

Essene bread is unleavened bread that is moist, sweet, and strangely addicting. It is perfect with real salted butter slathered on top. OR - load it up with my mom's recipe for "REALLY BUTTER". I will have to post that recipe later. She created it when she was off dairy for a long time, and she sooo missed butter. It tastes amazing.

My mom created this bread recipe when my children were younger and she served it to them with a generous helping of her REALLY BUTTER. They would beg her to make more. So did I.

It is very affordable to make this bread yourself, as it is a bit pricey at the health food store - IF you can find it. It is an easy recipe to make and the only thing I might change is to add a little sea salt or BioSalt ...If I were especially daring.

Note that sprouted wheat is much more nutritious than wheat flour of any kind. You could sprout spelt or Kamut instead, if you choose. Please make sure you use organic raisins, you don't want little pesticide-ridden morsels wreaking havoc with your health. Right?



ORGANIC ESSENE RAISIN BREAD Recipe:

6 cups organic wheat (not ground)
4 to 6 cups organic raisins

 Method:

First sprout the wheat by soaking the 6 cups wheat overnight. Drain and rinse periodically for 2 days, until the wheat has sprouted.

Grind the drained sprouted wheat in a food processor along with  2 to 3 cups organic raisins.

Scrape out the sticky wheat mixture onto a silicone mat and knead in 2 to 3 cups more raisins.

Shape dough into four 8-inch loaves about 2 to 2 1/2 inches thick.

Place loaves on oiled pans (coconut oil).

Bake in a 225 degree F oven for 4 hours, switching oven racks halfway through baking.

Let cool and store air-tight in the refrigerator.

Sprouting the wheat...

Grinding the wheat...

Kneading the wheat...

Does this remind you of the story of THE LITTLE RED HEN?

I hope you enjoy the fruits of your labors my friends,

Leila.

Wake up your taste buds with this Perfectly Seasoned Quinoa recipe

Perfect Seasoned Quinoa

Cooked Quinoa

This is a flavorful and healthy gluten-free side dish created by my mom. Use as a great replacement for white rice, pasta or Bulgar... You will want to make this again and again.

Soaking and then sprouting the quinoa heightens it's nutritional value and removes all of the quinoa's bitterness and enzyme inhibitors you can sometimes taste. This also makes the quinoa very easily digested and its vitamins and minerals more absorbable. If you don't want to make time to barely sprout the quinoa, just soak it a little while and then rinse very well. This will remove much of the bitter saponins (soapy-tasting) from the quinoa.  A lot of people don't know about soaking and rinsing quinoa, and then they often dislike the bitterness of it as a result. I like to place the quinoa in a large fine-mesh strainer immersed in a large bowl of water. This makes it very easy to rinse and drain. You can even let it sprout overnight this way.



PERFECT SEASONED QUINOA Recipe:

1 c. barely sprouted quinoa (or regular quinoa, soaked and rinsed if in a hurry)
1 c. purified water

Seasoning Mixture:

1 T Tamari soy sauce (it's gluten-free)
1 T. olive oil or "GREEN OIL" (recipe on this blog)
1 T. UDO'S OIL or "GOLDEN OIL" (recipe on this blog)
Several drops orange essential oil, to taste
1 drop lemon essential oil
BioSalt to taste (recipe on this blog)


Method:


To sprout the quinoa:

First place the quinoa into a large fine-meshed strainer. Fill a large bowl with water and place the strainer inside, so that the quinoa is fully immersed. Soak the quinoa 30 minutes to remove the bitter saponins. The water will become discolored. Rinse the quinoa, then soak again overnight. Rinse and drain. With the drained quinoa still in the strainer, place back over the now empty bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. In about 6 hours it will have sprouted short tails.

To prepare the quinoa:

In a medium sauce pan, pour 1 c. water and bring it to a boil.
Once boiling, add the quinoa.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes.
Fluff with a fork. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.

To season the quinoa:

Mix the Tamari, oils and essential oils together. Drizzle this oil mixture over the warm quinoa and toss together well, adding BioSalt to taste.

Serve.

Sprouted Quinoa

Note: You can use raw sprouted quinoa in many ways: As a base for taboulli and other salads, as a garnish or topping, on omelettes, in fruit smoothies and fresh vegetable juices or green drinks.



Enjoy, 

Leila

Easy Peasy Almond Squeezy - A quick recipe for almond milk

Speedy-Fast Almond Milk

This is a yummy almond milk from my mother's recipe archive. We often have pre-soaked almonds in a jar in the fridge, which makes preparing this delicious almond milk a 'breeze'. This recipe requires no straining, so it saves you time. This is not as smooth as my previous almond milk recipe, because of the almond fiber, but you gotta do what you gotta do...


QUICK ALMOND MILK Recipe:

Difficulty level: Easy Peasy Almond Squeezy
Yield: 1 quart

1 1/2 c. raw almonds
4 c. warm water
1-2 t. raw organic honey or organic agave nectar (use xylitol for a sugar-free version)
a few drops of real vanilla extract (or clear vanilla to keep the milk white)
a pinch of sea salt or BioSalt (recipe on this blog)
a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg


Method:

To prepare the almonds:

Rinse and soak 1 1/2 cups raw, shelled almonds in water for a total of 24 hours, rinsing every so often until the soaking water is no longer colored. Drain. The almonds will have expanded in size a bit. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge until use.

You can plan ahead and pre-soak the almonds and keep them in the refrigerator until needed.

For the whitest almond milk, peel off the brown skins, if you care to....I don't.


To make the almond milk:

In a high-powered blender, thoroughly puree the soaked almonds with 4 cups of warm water. While blending, add the sweetener of choice, vanilla, salt and nutmeg.

Taste and pour into a 1-quart jar with tight fitting lid. Keep chilled.



Note: 

If you only have a regular blender, puree the almonds in 2 batches, using 2 cups warm water per batch.


Enjoy! 

Leila

Better than Almond Breeze (Copy-Cat Recipe)

Smooth and Delicious Almond Milk

This is a recipe I created and demonstrated when I was teaching healthy cooking classes. This formulation tastes much better than the other almond milks out there (with the exception of my mom's). You may drink this as a beverage, or pour over breakfast cereals, and use as a healthy replacement for pasteurized commercial almond milk. You can also make a sweetened almond milk with out all the sugar that commercial almond milk has. A key to making good almond milk is to remember to add a touch of BioSalt, as it brings out the flavor.

Almond milk is an excellent choice for people who are health conscious, watching their dairy and sugar intake or are on low-carb or paleo diets. This is also great for people on cleansing raw-food diets.


ALMOND MILK Recipe:

Yield: 1 gallon

3 c. soaked raw almonds (see how to do this below)
purified water to make a total of 1 gallon
2 T. xylitol or Lakanto zero-cal granular sweetener
20 to 25 drops stevia glycerite (like NOW brand or the stevia glycerite recipe on this blog)
2 t. real vanilla extract
1/2 t. BioSalt (recipe on this blog)
1/2 t. almond extract, optional


Equipment Needed:

High-powered blender
Fine mesh cloth bag, for straining
1-gallon jug with tight-fitting lid, for almond milk storage


Method:

To soak the almonds:

Rinse and soak about 3 cups raw, shelled almonds in water for a total of 24 hours, rinsing every so often until the soaking water is no longer colored. Drain. The almonds will have expanded in size a bit. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge until use.


To make the almond milk:

Put 3 cups soaked almonds into a VitaMix or BlendTec blender and add enough purified water to reach the 6-cup line on the blender container. Secure lid tightly.

Puree the almonds very well on high speed.

Strain by pouring the almond slurry into a finely woven cloth bag, placed inside a large bowl. (Or you can put the cloth bag inside a strainer that is placed over a bowl.)

Wring out and squeeze the pulp in the cloth bag well.

Place the almond pulp back into the blender, add water and puree again. Pour back into the cloth bag and squeeze it as dry as you can.

Rinse out your blender container. Pour in some of the nut milk and add the xylitol, stevia, vanilla, BioSalt, and almond extract, if using. Blend a few seconds more.

Pour into a 1-gallon jug and add the rest of the almond milk that's left in the bowl and then add enough purified water to make a total of 1 gallon. Shake to blend.

Taste the almond milk for sweetness and salt. if it tastes flat, add a pinch more Biosalt.

Store in the refrigerator. Shake before use.



Variations:

For a sweeter almond milk add a total of 3 T. xylitol, and no more than 30 drops stevia glycerite. you may also add a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg, if desired.

For a creamier almond milk that doesn't separate as easily, add 1 t. guar gum and 2 t. liquid lecithin.

Squeezing the almond pulp dry in a cloth bag

Notes: 

Reserve the almond pulp for other uses or compost it.

You can freeze the almond pulp and add to foods to increase the fiber content. Try adding a little to hot cereals, baked goods, pancakes...

You may also dehydrate the almond pulp and then grind it finely, so that you can add it to gluten-free/paleo baking mixes, home made granola, etc...  If you are on a raw-food diet, dry the pulp at or below 110 degrees F.


Enjoy!

Leila

Home Made Nut Butters with Added Protein - Great for Low Carb Diets

Protein-Packed Nut Butter 

This is a cool recipe. This protein-enriched nut butter resists that oily separation, that can be messy and annoying, even when stored at room temperature. Nuts stay fresher longer when kept in the refrigerator however, so I recommend doing that.

This recipe uses no unhealthy hydrogenated fats or starches, which are usually used in commercial peanut butters to prevent separation. You can tweak the recipe to reflect your tastes. If you add the xylitol, you have a sugar-free nut butter (most peanut butters contain sugar too).

Try this recipe if you are eating a low-carb, low sugar diet, or high protein diet. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, using a vegetarian or vegan protein powder, will immensely enhance your needed protein consumption.


PROTEIN-PACKED NUT BUTTER RECIPE:

Difficulty level: Easy


1 1/3 c. Fresh roasted nut butter of choice (almond, cashew, peanut...)
1/2 c. Unflavored, unsweetened protein powder of choice
1/4 t. Powdered BioSalt (recipe on this blog), to taste
1 T. Powdered xylitol, optional
1/2 c. Coarsely ground roasted nuts, optional


Method:

In a seed or coffee mill, grind together the BioSalt and xylitol to make a fine powder. You may add some of the protein powder to this,
to make grinding easier. (A Krupps Seed mill is the best.)

In a food processor, place the room temperature nut butter, protein powder, and xylitol/BioSalt mixture. Process to blend well. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.

Blend the mixture until it makes a smooth paste.

If you like a chunky-style nut butter, add the coarsely ground nuts of choice and pulse the food processor to just mix in.

Transfer to a container with an air-tight lid and store until needed.


Variation:

In the finished nut butter, you can swirl in 1/2 cup commercially prepared xylitol-sweetened jam or jelly. Do not use a raw jam or freezer jam, or it will spoil. Grape jelly would be good, for example.


Note: 

You could add a touch of GOLDEN OIL (recipe on this blog), if the mixture seems a bit too thick. It will make the fat content of the nut butter even healthier.

Ruby Red Raw Beet & Apple Salad - Nourishing for your body

Raw Beet & Apple Salad

My mom used to make this for us when I was little, using beets from our garden. The sweet crisp apple compliments the earthy taste of the beet beautifully, and the lemon brings it all together.

This is a refreshing, detoxifying salad. Besides being high in fiber, the beets are known to be a blood and liver cleanser. A Dr. friend of mine recommends eating a raw beet a day for a week to cleanse and nourish the body. This is a delicious way to do that. And you know what they say about apples...



RAW BEET & APPLE SALAD Recipe:

1 large raw beet, grated
4 medium apples, cored and grated
zest of 1/2 organic lemon, optional
1/2 organic lemon, juiced


Method:

Mix the raw shredded beet and apples together. It should be about equal parts beet to apple.
Add the lemon zest, if using and fresh lemon juice. Toss well to mix.
Taste the salad, it should be a little tangy from the lemon juice, add more if its not.
Eat immediately or chill. This salad lasts a few days in the refrigerator.


Enjoy,

Leila