Creamy Italian Dressing

Salad dressings are something I am passionate about.  To me, it stands as the gateway in the big picture of a food change.  You must know; even the healthiest of store bought bottles are incredibly unhealthy.  Greens should be eaten regularly, and served with ample fat to utilize the fat-soluble vitamins.  So, say buh bye to fat free dressings and makeover your fridge with jars of homemade. 

Last week in class we focused on dark leafy greens.  These winter greens are no longer common place on our tables.  It takes time to learn to enjoy something we have been estranged from for so long, but we made some good headway.  I didn’t take a poll or anything.  I just gather from the comments that the Creamy Italian was the class’s favorite dressing and tat soi was the class’s favorite winter green. 

Tat Soi is a true winter green as it can withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit and has been harvested from under snow.  Tat soi is often found in Asian cuisine and is a member of the brassica family.  It has a very faint mustard-like flavor and slightly sweet.  With a spoon-like shape, the leaves appear remarkably delicate and are delicious in a raw salad. If you want to give tat soi a try (and live in the Mesa area) shoot me an email and I will get you the latest order form from The Backyard Farmer.

I will be putting out a new schedule soon…8 weeks this time, a couple new classes and they will be held on Saturday mornings.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon shallot

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/3 cup homemade mayo

Blend in all ingredients in blender.

Great on romaine, leaf lettuce and water cress.

Creamy Italian salad toppings; cucumber, red onion, tomato, pine nuts, parmesan cheese.


I am sharing this post on Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday

All About Green's Teaser

My baby loves greens, he snitches them out of my bowl when I am not looking.  I am not claiming ANY baby could love greens, but how would you know if you never try.  I admit, it took me a while to acquire the taste for the tougher, chewy, bitter, winter greens.  Now that I have arrived, I would like to share with you how I got from there to here.  All it takes is a few good recipes and some well grown greens to get started.

Why do you want to love greens?  Because of their value in good health.  Antioxidants, calcium, iron, vitamin C, folate, vitamin K, phosphorus, manganese, not to mention the fiber and all the unknown nutrients.

This Friday I am bringing out those greens that are often overlooked.  We will be tasting them in different applications and learning how important it is to skip the bottled dressing.  Click HERE to sign up for the class. Following is a recipe to get you started using those valuable greens.

Sautéed Beet Greens

3 tablespoons butter

Greens from 6 fresh beets, washed, dried and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons chopped shallot

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 roma tomato, chopped

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

In a large pan heat butter, add greens and shallot. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until the greens are tender but still bright green.  In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper, pour over the greens and toss well. Sprinkle tomatoes and almonds on top and serve.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday

Soaking 101 Teaser

Isn’t it interesting that virtually all preindustrialized people fermented grain with starters, soured milk, whey, lime and more?  Why did they do it?  Where did it get lost?  As we know at the beginning of the 1900’s the food industry began it’s road to convince food.  Milling wheat into white flour seemed like a great idea at the time; white fluffy baked goods, easy to store and transport without problems of rancidity and infestation.  We are full-circle back to where we started; learning how to use whole grains again.  People are getting sick from gluten, have allergies up the wahzoo and believe eliminating grains is the answer.

When studying this traditional method I googled “pellagra” to get more info on what it is.

Wikipedia: “The traditional food preparation method of corn (maize), nixtamalization, by native New World cultivators who had domesticated corn required treatment of the grain with lime, an alkali. It has now been shown that the lime treatment makes niacin nutritionally available and reduces the chance of developing pellagra. When corn cultivation was adopted worldwide, this preparation method was not accepted because the benefit was not understood. The original cultivators, often heavily dependent on corn, did not suffer from pellagra. Pellagra became common only when corn became a staple that was eaten without the traditional treatment.”

Ah ha!

This week’s class is all about getting started with soaking in your kitchen.  For details on how you can get registered go HERE

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays.

Meat Reduction Tips

My vegetarian-ish concept stems from 4 places. 1)Spiritual. Email me if you are interested in my compilation of scripture and prophetic quotes on the divine counsel we have been given to take care of our bodies. 2) Factory farming. Watch Food Inc. to get the big picture on factory farming, then resolve to eat less meat for the betterment of your health and planet. 3)Too much protein. The greatest amount of growth occurs in infants. Human milk, the most perfect food for infants is less than 20% protein. 4) Vegetables. Meals made with lots of meat leave little room on the plate for other important foods.

Meat reduction tips

1. Stretch ground or shredded meat with beans, grains and vegetables
2. Make a meal out of side dishes
3. Use small amounts of flavorful meat
4. Use fish in place of meat
5. Use less meat than the recipe calls for
6. Make more soup and casserole meals and less typical American “separate” meals.
7. Create a meat placeholder
8. Avoid soy substitutes

Do you want to be inspired?  Check out what other classes I am currently offering.

Coconut Curry Soup

Last summer I moved from eating any old meat in moderation to eating mostly wild game and pastured meat only sparingly.  Without knowing, that is when I wrote my Vegetarian-ish Teaser.  Flavors abound in fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, while grains and beans add bulk to meals and give us sustained energy.  Through these past 6 months I have made lots of changes that all happened little by little.  It takes some creativity and a good resolve, but eating meat sparingly is O so doable.

Traditional American fare has become a plate of separates; large portion of meat with a starch and sometimes a small amount of vegetables.  When I eat American now, I just reverse the sequence with a large portion of veggies with a starch and sometimes a small amount of meat.  Simple.  It took my husband a little bit to accept this approach, his plate doesn’t always have the same proportions, but he is learning that a meal does not have to be centered around a large portion of meat to be satisfying.

This concept is a whole lot easier when we make more casseroles and soups because using less meat is not quite as noticeable.  This soup is meatless, though could very well have meat added for beginners.  The use of real chicken stock gives great flavor and lots of nutrition

Lemon grass is one of my favorite herbs.  It is hard to find so I am trying to grow my own.  Look at Asian Food Markets, the dried pieces from the grocery store is not the same.  I have also used 2 drops of lemon grass essential oil in a tablespoon of coconut milk added at the end of cooking with good results. 

I got the idea for this soup from Wildflower Bread Company.  Sadly, it is not on their regular weekly rotation.  With so much flavor,  a nice creamy smooth texture and small, soft bits for added interest, who could miss the meat? 

One 14-ounce can coconut milk

2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer portion removed tender portion only, chopped very fine

2 tablespoons grated ginger

2 teaspoons lime zest

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 onion, finely minced

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 quart chicken stock

16 ounces tomato sauce

2 teaspoons salt

3 carrots, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon Thai red curry paste or cayenne to taste

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

In a large pot, combine coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger and lime zest, simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate pan, sauté onions in coconut oil until soft.  Add garlic, then remove from heat.  Puree onions and garlic with curry powder, chicken stock and tomato sauce.  Add blended mixture, salt, carrots, celery, tomatoes and red pepper to simmering coconut milk, stir to combine.  Simmer until vegetables are tender, 8 minutes or pressure on high for one minute.  Stir in curry paste, lime juice, cilantro and serve.

links; Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Slow Food Tips

I had a great time with the ladies who attended class last week. We had a lot of great discussion on what we can do to improve our relationships with food. To summarize, here are 8 tips:

1. Grow/raise your own food.
2. Buy your groceries from a farmer.
3. Spend more on food and less on health care.
4. Get your household involved in meal preparation.
5. Take longer to eat less.
6. Talk between bites.
7. Pay attention to when you are no longer hungry and don't wait until you feel full.
8. Most importantly cook from scratch, no matter what you make, you will be better off than heating up premade food.  Cooking from scratch repairs the broken relationship we have with food.  If you start with whole foods, all you have to think about is preparing them into a meal, not if they are healthy or not.  No guilt.

Michael Pollan said it best in his book In Defense of Food “In order to eat well we need to invest more time, effort and resources in providing for our sustenance, to dust off a word, than most of us do today.”

For a complete list of classes click HERE.

Creamy Vegetable-Chicken Soup

THIS is what I mean by slow food.

Onions, carrots, celery, garlic and parsley are all things you can get in season right now.  I can buy them all from local farmers who use organic farming practices.

Nutrient dense, homemade chicken stock simmered with real vegetables and contains real chicken flavors without the chicken.  Nothing beats that delicious, lip smacking gelatin from a true bone broth.

Homemade noodles add such an amazing effect.  Here is a recipe for those so inclined.  If you are not up to making homemade noodles yet, soak some barley the day before and use that instead.  Barley is just as nourishing, but homemade noodles are so lovely.  The third option being brown rice pasta as brown rice is lower in phytates than other whole grains.

For kefir cream, just culture real cream with milk kefir grains and strain for a nice, thick, rich soured cream.  We love cream around here, fresh whipped cream makes anything a treat.  It is hard to find raw cream in my area.  The dairy where I get my raw milk does not have a real cream separator, so it is not pure cream and does not whip up.  I use Trader Joes brand, which is one of the only ones around that doesn’t ultra pasteurized and doesn’t add extra -- stuff.  Read the label, it should just be pure cream.

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups chopped carrots

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups noodles or soaked barley

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup kefir cream (or sour cream)

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Sautee onion, carrots and celery in butter until softened.  Add garlic, salt pepper and stock.  Simmer gently for 20 minutes.  Add noodles and peas, simmer 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir a small amount of stock into kefir cream to loosen up and add cream to soup, add parsley and serve.  Don’t rush through, take your time and enjoy.

For more slow food recipes, check these out:

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Winter Roasted Side

Spinach, Fig and Prosciutto Pizza

Feel-Good Granola

Mayonnaise

this post is part of Real Food Wednesday's, and Whole Foods for the Holiday's

Slow Food Teaser

Slow food is the opposite of fast food, you don’t eat it on the run, in your car or in front of the TV.  It doesn’t come in a box with cooking instructions, nutrition labels or health claims.  And it is certainly not “enriched,” enhanced with “natural favors” or “reduced fat.”  It is food that you build a relationship with and then enjoy to the max in the end because it is more than just fuel, it is nourishment.

In our house the word “homemade” is used with high regard.  My four year old calls anything from our garden “homemade” and recognizes it as high value food.  For New Years Day breakfast I made homemade doughnuts and the kids were beside themselves with excitement that such a food could be made in our home.  How often would you eat doughnuts if every time you had to make the dough, roll them out, cut them, rise them, fry them, toss them in sugar and clean up?  Doughnuts are special occasion food, not everyday fair that is popped out by a machine by the thousands every day.  Picture the conference room of people who nibble bites thoughtlessly while shuffling papers and jotting down notes from the mid morning meeting, there is no joy in that.

Give “homemade” the reverence it deserves, it is an honor to prepare a meal from food that is fresh, raised with pure intent in your own community.  It is appreciated far past the time the last bite is swallowed…when you don’t get the flu aren’t prescribed blood pressure medicine and when you won’t die a miserable death from cancer.

Be Inspired to Cook

The new year is in full swing and it is the perfect time to work towards your goals.  With that, I am kicking off my first six weeks of cooking classes.  They will be held at my home in East Mesa.  Contact me via email (karabagley(at)gmail(dot)com to register.  No pre-payment required.  No children please.

These classes are directed towards a broad audience as the recipes and instruction are adaptable to the variable levels of budgets, time and health.  They are also largely accommodating to those in attendance through discussion.  Come, have fun, eat good food and be inspired to cook.

Slow Food

Stepping away from fast, cheap, in a box, with a health claim.

Friday, January 22 from 11 to 12 pm

$10 per person

Vegetarian-ish

Meat’s role as a condiment.

Friday, January 29 from 11 to 12 pm

$10 per person

Soaking 101

How to make it happen in your kitchen.

Friday, February 5 from 11 to 12 pm

$10 per person

All About Greens

Learn how to dress all your leafy salads.

Friday, February 12 from 11 to 12 pm

$15 per person

Homemade Tortillas

Because nothing compares.

Friday, February 19 from 11 to 12 pm

$15 per person

Get Cultured

The basics of kefir, yogurt and sourdough.

Friday, February 26 from 11 to 12 pm

$15 per person

this post is part of Real Food Wednesday.

Cooking Chart

Per many a request I have put together a quick reference cooking chart for grains and beans. The water ratios are for cooking, unsoaked at a gentle simmer on the stovetop, harder boil = more water. When grains and beans are soaked for 12-24 hours, half the water listed is used for soaking and the other half for cooking.  When pressure cooking reduce the water ¼ cup (per cup of grain) for both soaked and unsoaked. The times listed for pressure cooking are from the time the pressure builds up to high to the time the heat is turned off and reflect that of natural release in an insulated pot. If you are using a traditional stove top pressure cooker you may find you need to add a minute or two.

Although it is great for my stats and makes me feel like I am changing the world when you come to check back again and again, I would suggest printing this chart and keeping it in a handy place in your kitchen.

Grain	Ratio Grain: Water (unsoaked)	Cook Time (Minutes)
		Stovetop (soaked/unsoaked)	Pressure Cooker (soaked/unsoaked)
Amaranth	1:1.5	10/25	2/6
Barley, Pearled	1:2	20/50	4/10
Barley, Hulled	1:3	30/75	5/12
Buckwheat, Hulled	1:1.5	8/20	1/4
Kamut	1:2.5	35/75	6/15
Millet	1:2	12/30	3/8
Oats, Groats	1:2.5	15/45	4/10
Oats, Steel Cut	1:2	12/30	2/6
Quinoa, Red	1:2	8/20	2/5
Quinoa, White	1:2	6/15	1/4
Rice, Brown	1:2	20/45	7/14
Rye	1:2	20/45	6/12
Sorghum	1:2	10/25	2/6
Spelt	1:2	25/60	5/12
Teff	1:3	6/15	1/4
Wheat, Berries	1:3	25/60	6/12
Beans
Small (black, adzuki, anasazi)	1:2.5	1.5/3 hours	15/45
Medium (pinto, pink, cranberry)	1:3	2/4 hours	25/60
Large (lima, cannelloni, kidney)	1:3	2.5/5 hours	35/76
Extra large (scarlet runner, mortage lifter, fava)	1:3.5	3/6 hours	45/90