Nutritious and Delicious Nut-Milks

Seeing as we can't have packaged food, that completely does away with non-dairy milks... right? WRONG! The simple and tasty solution to this dilemma is home-made, sugar-free, additive-free nut milk; almond, to be precise. What's so great about almonds, you ask? Well I'll tell ya! They're high in protein and dietary fiber, low in carbohydrates, and contain a respectable amount of calcium and iron. Oh yea, and they're delicious!

So what are we waiting for? Let's get at it.

 Soaking the nuts for at least four hours is very important for three reasons:

1.) to remove any mold spores that might be hitch-hiking

2.) the nuts are softened and therefore easier to blend

3.) if you're using raw, organic nuts (and I really hope you are), the soaking process wakes up those little almond tree babies and they actually begin to grow! That's right, there are live enzymes in there. All you have to do is activate them.

 Once the nuts have been softened and their enzymes awakened, rinse them two or three times with cold water. Then throw 'em in the old Vitamix (or any blender, really) with three times as much water and a pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

Then, give it a whirl! About a minute on high speed should do the trick.

Now, the best plan of action is to take a quart container, or something even larger, and settle your mesh bag inside it. Then, go ahead and pour the blend right in. You'll have to pick up the bag and squeeze the liquid out of it. It's kind of like milking a cow... but you're milking nuts.

You can save the pulp that's left over in your mesh bag to use for pulpies (pulp-cookies), which I will provide a recipe for next time. I keep mine in the freezer until I've accumulated four cups.

You'll want to pour the milk into a container with a tight fitting lid for easy and spill-free refrigeration. This nutty goodness should be used within five days, but use your judgement and your nose.

Our Daily Juice

Why do we juice? To supply the body with active enzymes. They're alive! Choosing alkalizing green vegetables helps to balance the body's pH. Juicing every day adds crazy amounts of nutrients to your diet. But remember: drinking vegetable juice on a daily basis does  NOT mean that you're allowed to skimp on the salads. The more live, green energy, the better!

The Omega juicer or Juice Cat, as I like to call it, is pretty much the top of the line. It can manage leafy greens, even wheat grass, just fine. Today I've chosen half a bunch of celery, a whole bunch of lacinato kale, half a cucumber, a piece of ginger root and some lemon (which further promotes healthy pH balance).

Don't forget to wash your veggies!

 I save the juice pulp for making flax crackers.

Thank you plant allies, for supporting our health. Thank you to those individuals who have helped to bring these vegetables to us. Thank you to all of the biotic and abiotic factors that have contributed. Thank you Mother Earth, and thank you Universal Energies. May our daily juice see us in good health and carry us far.  

Welcome to the Fairy Cabin

This being my first post and all, there are couple C. albicans guidelines I'd like to run through. If you're a seasoned veteran, this will all be old hat. 

• no grains - wheat, rice, barley, oats, etc... millet, amaranth, and quinoa are okay
• no fruits
• no starchy vegetables - potatoes, beets, parsnips, etc
• no sugar of any kind
• no yeast
• no mold
• no hydrogenated oils
• no mushrooms
• no alcohol
• no stimulants - coffee, black/green tea, mate, etc.
• no prepared/packaged foods
• ALL FOODS MUST BE ORGANIC

Enough with the formalities. Let's discuss food.

At the beginning of this righteous venture I didn't really have a "plan," just some flavor combinations in mind. So, here's what I was workin' with.

 Here we have some extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, millet, homemade vegetable broth, macadamia nuts that have been soaking for a couple hours (in order to get rid of mold spores and increase enzyme activity), and some coconut pulp from the milk that I made (you can use homemade coconut milk or coconut manna). Later I throw in some grape seed oil as well.

 K's vegetable selection for the evening: yellow cauliflower, rainbow chard, cucumber, radishes, green onion, and cabbage. We use some cilantro for garnish at the end.

 The flavorings: ginger root, lemon, bay leaves... Spice mix #1: coriander seed, fennel seed, black peppercorn, and cloves... Spice mix #2: mustard seed, cumin seed, and dried lemon grass. The pepper mill will also make an appearance.

 The weapon selection: mortar and pestle, small pot with lid, cast iron pan, santoku knife, cutting board,  wooden spoon, pyrex pie pan, teaspoon, colander, and Deanna's stainless steal pan (because one pan just wasn't enough).

 Always wash your veggies before eating them. Even though they are organic, they may still be carrying mold spores. So, get scrubbin'!

 You can save the ends of vegetable for broth instead of tossing them. Just put them in a bag in your freezer 'til you have enough.

Use teaspoon too peel ginger root, then mince.

 Cut cauliflower into medium florets.

 Chop and rinse that chard!

 This is what was eating.

 While pan is heating, mortar spice mix #1, then throw it in. Stir it around until the seeds begin to pop.

 Add sunflower seed oil and ginger. Stir. When ginger becomes fragrant, add cauliflower. Saute a couple minutes.

 Mix coconut pulp with water.

 Add coconut to cauliflower.

 Add bay leaves and stir.

 Cover pan. If you don't have a lid, use a plate!

 Place millet in pot with 4-5 times the amount of water. Add a pinch of salt and stir. Turn heat to high.

 Let millet boil for a couple minutes.

 Cover and turn heat to low.

 This is home made coconut milk, NOT cow milk, for additional moisture.

 Add chard and re-cover.

 Dice radishes small.

 Rinse mac nuts thoroughly (2-3times) and place in glass pie pan or what have you. Bake at 350 degrees. Check every once in a while.

 When chard has cooked down a bit, stir in. Add salt and re-cover. Cook 'til cauliflower is tender but not mushy and liquid has reduced by about half.

 Dice cucumber small. and add to radishes.

 Slice green onion thin and add to cucumber-radish mix.

 Add a squirt of lemon to cucumber-radish mix.

 Also add grape seed oil, black pepper, and salt.

 Throw what scraps you can't use for broth in the compost.

 Slice cabbage thin.

 Don't forget to wash it! 

 When millet has steam holes, turn it off and re-cover.

 Mortar spice mix #2 while second pan is heating.

 Add spices to hot pan.

 When seeds start to pop, add coconut oil and ginger.

When ginger becomes fragrant, add cabbage and stir.

 Add vegetable broth and salt.

 When mac nuts have begun to brown, take them out of the oven.

 When cool enough, mortar nuts.

 Add nuts to cucumber, radish, green onion mix. Serve cold. Refrigerate until ready.

 The millet will have absorbed all water and look dry but delicate when done. At this point, fluff with fork and re-cover until ready to serve.

 Roughly chop cilantro for garnish.

I like to lay down the millet first, then pile veggies on top, leaving the chutney, salsa, or salad and garnish for last.

I must admit that this was not the prettiest dish I have ever plated, but it was satisfying. My flavor-combining instincts were right on. It took K quite a while to guess that the secret ingredient was lemon grass!