Easy Pesto

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 c fresh basil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 c ricotta cheese
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 3/4 c parsley
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese
• 1/3 c pine nuts
• about 8 ounces sprouted pasta, whole wheat pasta, or spaghetti squash

Fill small saucepan with water and boil. Peel garlic and add to boiling water, boil for 2 minutes. Place garlic and remaining ingredients beside pine nuts in a food processor. Blend. Lightly toast pine nuts. Add to pesto. Serve over pasta. - Susan L.

Hpw to Make Whey

The basic component of many cultured recipes is something called whey. It is also what I use to add to my base liquid when I pre-soak grains as recommended in Nourishing Traditions. If you are like me when I was fi rst beginning to research cultured foods, you probably have no idea what this magical stuff is or where to get it! After doing a bit of digging around I discovered that it is oh, so easy to make in your own home and get, as a byproduct, some cultured cream cheese out of the deal at the same time. Th e following are two simplified ways of making a batch of whey for your family.

If you have access to Raw Milk use the following instructions.

1/2 gallon of raw milk

1 tablespoon plain yogurt or 1 capsule probiotics (I used Tummy Tuneup).

Mix together and place in a glass jar on counter and cover with clean cloth and rubber band. Leave for 2 to 4 days until milk separates. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a large (non metal!) bowl. Dump milk/liquid into this and leave for 12 to 24 hours. Tie up corners of cheesecloth, loop over wooden spoon and hang over gallon glass jar until liquid (whey) stops dripping out of it.

For those of you who do not have access to Raw Milk use these directions.

1 quart of plain (preferably whole and organic) yogurt

Line a colander with cheese cloth and place over a large bowl. Dump yogurt into this and leave for 12 to 24 hours. Tie up corners of cheese cloth, loop over wooden spoon and hang over gallon glass jar until liquid (whey) stops dripping out of it. What is left in the cheese cloth can be salted to taste and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Th e liquid, which is your “whey”, can be put in a jar, tightly sealed and stored in the  refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Hope you enjoy experimenting with whey as much as I have!

—Steph L. Tallent

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2 tsp. Dry Minced

Onion

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1/2 tsp. Corn Starch,

Arrow Root Powder or

finely ground Flour

1/2 tsp. Instant Minced

Garlic or Powder

1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano

1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin

½ tsp. Crushed Red

Pepper, (Optional)

Paprika can be added for a nice red color (Optional)

1 lb. ground beef- browned and drained. Add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat & simmer 10 mins. This seasoning mix can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container. If larger amounts are desired replace “tsp” size with “cup” and mix accordingly.

—Stephanie J.

High Fiber Snack

3 C. Oatmeal

1 C. Coconut

1 C. Chopped Walnuts

1/4 tsp. Sea Salt

1 C. Raw Honey

1 C. Peanut Butter

1/2 C. Bran

Place oatmeal, coconut walnuts, bran and salt into a bowl: mix well. Mix peanut butter and honey separately. Combine the two mixtures. Pack in pan. Chill and cut into squares.

—Annie Z (Age 9)

Chai Tea

I LOVE Chai tea and was looking for a good recipe. A friend gave me one that I have modified, added to and made my own. I  love a cup on a cold morning. If you love Chai, I think you will like this!

4 Cups Water

4 T Loose Black Tea or

4 Tea Bags

3-4 T Evaporated Cane Juice or Rapadura

1 Toe of Fresh Ginger, grated or chopped

2-3 Cinnamon Sticks

8-10 Whole Cloves

1 tsp. Cardamom

1 tsp. Nutmeg

Pinch of Tumeric

Pinch of Black Pepper

1 tsp. Vanilla

Cream or Milk

Add water, Rapadura or other sweetener and spices to a 2-3qt pan and bring to a slow boil. After about 15-20 minutes, add  loose tea or tea bags and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a tight mesh strainer into a 4 cup measuring cup. Stir in vanilla. Some of your liquid may have boiled away. Add back enough hot water to make 4 cups of tea. Serve with 1/4 cup warm cream or milk in each cup. True Chai is creamy and sweet. You may use any sweetener you prefer, but I have found that adding a sweetener of your choice to your spices as they simmer helps to bring a  fuller body to the tea as opposed to adding stevia to unsweetened tea in your cup. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do! —Stephanie J.

Pancakes

Makes 16-20

2 cups freshly ground spelt, kamut or whole wheat flour

2 cups buttermilk, kefir or yogurt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons melted

butter

1tsp vanilla

Soak flour in buttermilk kefir or yogurt in a warm place for 12 to 24 hours. (Those with milk allergies may use 2 cups filtered water plus 2 tablespoons whey, lemon juice or vinegar in the place of buttermilk, kefir or yogurt.) Stir in other  ingredients and thin to desired consistency with water. Cook on a hot, oiled griddle or in a cast iron skillet. These pancakes  cook more slowly than either unsoaked whole grain flour or white flour pancakes. The texture will be chewy and the taste pleasantly and mildly sour. Serve with melted butter and maple, or sorghum syrup, raw honey, berry syrup or apricot butter. (Recipe Used from Nourishing Traditions. Book can be found on page 14)

Essential Oil Usage Ideas:

ATHLETE’S FOOT AND RINGWORM:

1 drop lavender

2 drops tea tree

Add 1 drop lavender and 2 drops tea tree oil to 1 teaspoon of any plain base or carrier oil like almond or olive. Stir gently to mix and apply with cotton swab.

CHEST AND SINUS CONGESTION:

2 drops lavender

2 drops tea tree

2 drops eucalyptus

Boil a pot of water and remove from the stove. While still steaming, add 2 drops eucalyptus, 2 drops lavender and 2 drops tea

tree. Cover bowl and head with towel and inhale for at least 3 minutes. KEEP EYES CLOSED.

To Ease Sinuses:

2 drops Eucalyptus

2 drops Peppermint

2 drops Tea Tree

Boil a pot of water and remove it from the stove. While it is still steaming, add 2 drops peppermint, 2 drops eucalyptus and 2

drops tea tree. Immediately cover the pot and head with a towel and inhale for 3 minutes. KEEP EYES CLOSED.

TO EASE COUGHS:

2 drops Eucalyptus

2 drops Lavender

Boil a pot of water and remove it from the stove. While it is still steaming, add 2 drops eucalyptus and 2 drops lavender. Immediately cover the pot and head with a towel and inhale for 3 minutes. KEEP EYES CLOSED.

TO EASE COUGHS THROUGHOUT THE DAY:

2 drops Eucalyptus

2 drops Lavender

Add 2 drops eucalyptus and 2 drops lavender to 4 teaspoons of any carrier or base oil like olive or almond and apply to the throat and chest (this will make enough for several applications).

TO COMBAT COLDS AND FLU – DAYTIME:

10 drops Eucalyptus

10 drops Lavender

10 drops Peppermint

10 drops Tea Tree

Add 2 drops eucalyptus, 2 drops lavender, 2 drops peppermint and 2 drops tea tree to an essential oil diffuser (found on page 27). Or boil a pot of water and remove it from the stove. While it is still steaming, add the essential oils. Immediately bend  over pot and inhale for 3 minutes. KEEP EYES CLOSED.

CULTURED SALSA RECIPE

4 medium/large tomatoes, peeled, seeded (I didn’t seed mine, too lazy) and diced

2 small onions, finely chopped

3/4 cup chopped chili pepper, hot or mild (I used frozen mild green chili from NM)

6 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp dried Mexican Oregano

1 tsp freshly ground cumin

small dash of cayenne

Juice of 2 lemons

1 tablespoon sea salt

4 Tbsp whey (unpasteurized ”live” whey)

1/4 cup filtered water

An easy, fast way to peel tomatoes is to quickly dunk them into a pot of boiling water. As it cools, the peels can easily be pulled off without it actually ”cooking” the tomato at all. I recommend “hot dunking” the tomatoes before doing anything else!

Mix all ingredients and place in quart-sized jars. I personally use old glass spaghetti sauce jars that have tightly fitting, screw-on lids. Since they cannot be recycled as canning jars they are perfect for cultured projects. Press down lightly with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer, adding more water if necessary to cover the vegetables.

The top of the vegetables should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

Will stay good in cold storage for up to 6 months. Can be eaten immediately but the longer it is left to culture the more the flavors develop. This is a great way to get that extra bacteria and good enzymes into salsa lovers. My man is from AZ and NM and considers himself an expert on high-quality, good-flavored salsa. He considers this to be some of the best he has ever had!

-Steph L. Tallent

Homemade Laundry Soap Powder

1 Lemongrass Body Bar, grated

2 cups of baking soda

2 cups of Borax

5 drops Lavender Essential Oil

5 drops Orange Essential Oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

5 drops Grapefruit Seed Crush

Grate a bar of Beeyoutiful’s Lemongrass Body Bar on the fine side of a cheese grater. (You can use any other ”white” soap bar that does not contain dyes or blue specks. The dyes can color your clothes over time.) Add the soap, baking soda, Borax and essential oils to a bowl or container that has a lid for storage and whisk them together.

I use 4-5 Tbsp of the dry powder for a large batch and let my washer start filling with water to dissolve the soap before I add my clothes. To each batch of laundry I also add 1/4 cup white vinegar to break down hard water and act as a fabric softener, and 5 drops of Grapefruit Seed Crush to disinfect.

This is a REALLY great, easy recipe to mix up and something even this busy mom can do to make our lifestyle more ”green”!

-Stephanie J.

Spicy Chicken With Quinoa

This is one of my family’s favorites! This spicy dish warms you up on a chilly evening and we think the leftovers are even better the next day.

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

5 Tbsp butter, divided

3 cups chicken broth

2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce

2 cups chopped green onions

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

1 Tbsp salt

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

Cooked quinoa (or brown rice)

Sour cream

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until tender. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, cayenne, and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate container, combine the salt, garlic powder, pepper, basil and cumin; mix well. Add chicken and toss to coat. In a skillet, sauté chicken in remaining butter until juices run clear. Add chicken to tomato sauce; simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over quinoa or rice. Top with sour cream.

-Candi D.