Home Made Jam

Yesterday I made cherry jam and blueberry jam.  This is not the jam your mother (or grandmother) used to make when she picked 24 quarts of blueberries and made 15 jars of jelly to store in the root cellar.  This is just one jar (or two smaller jars) to keep in the fridge until it’s gone.  Then you make another jar.

There is no sugar.  There is no pectin.  There is nothing but fruit and honey.  Well, and a little lemon juice in certain kinds.

You can make this a sweet as you like by just adding more honey.  John likes the cherry to be very tart, but I make the blueberry sweeter for me.

I don’t like cherry jam at all and John doesn’t like blueberry jam at all, so I can match those two to our taste.  If I make strawberry, well, a war breaks out.  I like it sweet and he likes it tart.  So I don’t make that very often.  Or I make two jars and label them “sweet” or “tart.”

You can use fresh, frozen, or canned fruit.  I made the cherry out of canned cherries because I’m lazy and did not want to stand there pitting cherries for 20 minutes.  Besides, I had canned cherries and no fresh ones.  I had a few blue berries in the freezer left over from spring.  And I bought a pint at Lucky’s because they were on sale.  If you use canned fruit, pour off the liquid.

Sterilizing Jars

Place as many jars as you need — just one for this recipe — and the lid and ring in a deep saucepan.  Make sure the jar is sitting upright.  Cover completely with water and bring to a rolling boil.  Let boil for 5 minutes and turn off burner.  Lift the jar and ring out of the water with tongs and set upright on a clean kitchen towel to dry.  Let the jar completely cool before pouring in the jam.

Tart Cherry Jam - 1 pint

Ingredients

2 cups cherries (canned and drained, frozen and thawed, or fresh and pitted)

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice (I use RealLemon, but most cooks say use fresh lemon juice)

Directions

Place cherries in a medium saucepan and mash them with a potato masher.  If you are using canned or frozen fruit check for random pits.

Add honey and lemon juice and mix well

Bring to boil over medium high heat.

Boil for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking.

When it starts to thicken you can test for doneness by dipping a spoonful into a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.  If it turns to the consistency of jelly, it is done.

Pour into sterilized jar and tighten lid.

Let set at room temperature until cool enough to handle, then transfer to fridge.  After a few minutes you will heal a loud pop and this just means the lid has sealed.  You don’t need to do anything about that.  Just wait til the jar is cool enough to handle.

This will keep in the fridge for weeks.

Sweet Blueberry Jam

I increase honey to 1/2 cup.  Everything else is the same.

The Earl of Sandwich Strikes Again

I have been making grain-free bread for a while, but it just wasn’t right for sandwiches.  The one I made I found on Against All Grains and it is made from cashew nuts.  It is very good for bread and butter, french toast, and peanut butter sandwiches.  But we just didn’t like it for sandwiches.  It has a hint of sweet and clashes with salami and BLT.

So I went on a quest for another grain free sandwich recipe and could not find one that was both easy and non sweet.  So I did some research, read up on different types of flours, and read about 100 sandwich bread recipes and compared the differences.

Finally I came up with the recipe below and it came out perfect!  It is the right texture, has no sweetness to it and it is savory enough for salami.  win win.

Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups  almond flour

3/4 cup arrowroot powder

1/4 cup flax meal (I often just omit this as I don't always have it on hand.)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)

1/4 cup coconut oil - melted

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

Grease a 7 1/2“ x 3 1/2“ loaf pan (Get as close to this size pan as you can or the bread will not get tall enough for sandwiches.)

Sift together, almond flour, arrowroot powder, flax meal, salt and baking soda — set aside

In a large bowl large beat eggs until frothy

Stir coconut oil and vinegar into egg mix until well combined

Gradually add dry ingredients into egg mixture and mix well.  Scrape sides of bowl at least once.

Pour mixture into greased loaf pan

Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of loaf - optional

Bake for about 40 minutes.  Until toothpick inserted at top of loaf come out clean

Let set in pan for 5 minutes then turn bread out to cool on wire rack

Cut into sandwich size slices

Do you know the muffin man? er I mean woman?

Muffins are a versatile treat.  You can use them for a snack, breakfast on the run, dessert, or a dinner roll with the right meal.  Using the Fruit muffin recipe, simply cut the honey in half and leave out the fruit and vanilla, you will have a plain muffin which is great with chili or soup.  Anything you would normally serve corn bread with, this is a good substitute.

I am planning to have some friends over for a tasting party (don’t you dare call them guinea pigs) because I need second and third opinions about how this food I’m making really tastes.  So, I am making what I can ahead of time to put in the freezer.

Today was muffin day at my house.  I make up tons of them in a variety of flavors and put them in the freezer so we always have choices.  I have made strawberry and cherry in the past.  Today I made Pumpkin, Pumpkin Pecan, and Blueberry.

The recipes are quite different because of the difference in pumpkin puree and chopped fruit or berries.  You can use any kind of fruit or berries--even canned ones.  Make sure the pieces of fruit are about the size of peas or, you guessed it, blueberries.  You don't need the lemon juice except for blueberries, strawberries, and sweet cherries.

Fruit Muffins

2 1/2 cups almond flour

2 Tablespoons coconut flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup honey

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

4 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice (for blueberries, strawberries, and sweet cherries - omit otherwise)

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tablespoon coconut milk

1 cup finely chopped fruit or berries (don’t chop blueberries, but do chop strawberries and cherries.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Line muffin tins with cupcake papers

Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Using the whisk on a stand mixer, mix on high the honey, oil, eggs, lemon juice,coconut milk and vanilla.  Blend on high until frothy and smooth.

Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on high until well incorporated and smooth.  Scrape the bowl at least once and resume mixing. Make sure you don’t have any lumps.  Break them up with a fork if you see lumps.  Remove bowl from mixer stand.

Gently fold in chopped fruit or berries.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let sit in pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups almond flour

3 Tablespoons coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup honey

2 large eggs at room temperature

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 cup coconut milk

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line muffin pan with cupcake papers

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix pumpkin, honey, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla and coconut milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high until well combined.

Slowly add dry ingredients mixing on high until well combined.  Scrap sides of bowl at least once.

Remove bowl from stand and gently fold in nuts if using.

Spoon batter until each cup is 3/4 full.

Bake for 24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let sit in pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Goin' Crackers

Today I made three different flavors of crackers.  We can’t eat potato chips, corn chips, or even pretzels.  And certainly not popcorn.  Makes for finding savory snacks for movie night a real stumper.  I don’t particularly like the veggie chips you can buy at the grocery.  They are often too sweet for me.

So, I turned to Against All Grains (http://againstallgrain.com/2012/04/20/savory-and-sweet-crackers-with-almond-flour/) and as usual, Danielle did not fail me.  I started a few weeks ago by making her crackers, but very quickly found I could change it up and make a variety of different kinds.  I can even leave them plain for use in soup and chilli.  yay!

You can make these any flavor you want.  With the variations I’ve listed below the recipe, you can see how to alter similar veggies for the garlic and similar spices.  Adjust the amount of water based on the juicyness of the veggies you use.  Play around with stuff you like and see what happens.  Always watch while they bake to make sure you are not over baking them.

Although I would never suggest trying to sneak food into a movie theatre, until they get some grain free options, we have no real choice.  However, if you get caught, I don't know you.

The kinds I made are:  Sesame Garlic, Onion Dill, and Tomato Basil.  All turned out delicious.

Sesame Garlic Crackers

1 cup almond flour

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 or 4 good sized cloves)  If you use the pre-minced kind that comes in a jar (which I sometimes do), you will need to measure it out onto a paper towel and absorb some of the liquid.

2 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon raw sunflower seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place all ingredients in the food processor.  Process for about 15  seconds until thoroughly combined.  Dough will be very sticky.  Add a few more sesame seeds and pulse just a couple of times to chop.

Scrape the dough out of the food processor bowl and make it into a ball.  Flatten just a little onto a large sheet of parchment paper.  You cannot do this on a floured surface or in a pasta machine, it is too sticky.  Put another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.

Carefully remove top sheet of parchment and cut into squares with a pizza cutter.

Carefully slide the parchment with dough onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with coarse ground salt.

Bake for 8 minutes.  Turn pan and bake 6 more minutes watching for browning.  Try not to let them get too brown or they get brittle.

Carefully slide parchment with crackers onto a cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes or so.  Break up crackers on cuts and let cool another half hour or so.

Store in air tight container.

These freeze well and can be actually eaten frozen.

Variations:

Onion Dill

Omit garlic and put in 2 tablespoons of very finely minced onion.  If you use dehydrated onion, rehydrate first by covering 2 tablespoons of dehydrated minced onion with water and let stand for 30 minutes.  Drain on paper towel before adding to dough.

Omit Sesame seeds and put in 2 teaspoons dried dill.  If you use fresh till, probably 1 teaspoon will be enough, chop if very finely.

Everything else is the same as Garlic Sesame.

Tomato Basil

Omit garlic and put in 8 grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half.

Omit water

Omit sesame seeds and put in 2 teaspoons dried basil.  If using fresh basil, chop very finely before adding.

You can probably cut the baking time in half for these, watch them carefully.

Everything else is the same.

You Can Fry Anything

You can fry anything.

Well, almost anything.  I have started making fried cauliflower since we can’t eat potatoes anymore. (Or at least I can’t and I’m the cook.)  So finding stuff to have as side dishes is tricky.  We can’t have rice or corn either.  It keeps me hopping to find something to go with everything.  No mac n cheese or pasta of any kind.  However, I did just purchase a pasta machine and am working on a recipe for grain-free pasta.  I’ll let you know when it’s ready.

We eat a lot of sweet potatoes, green beans (for some reason they are not legumes or at least not bad legumes), broccoli, cabbage dishes, carrots, and stuff like that.  So finding interesting ways to make them so they don’t get boring is a challenge.

Also, keep in mind that I'm only cooking for two.  Most recipes feed four or more people and we would just have too many left overs.  Many of the recipes can’t just be cut in half because of the ingredients and how they work with each other.  So I’ve had to adjust to make many things for two instead of four.

This recipe is for two people, but if you have more people, you can just add more of everything (except olive oil—because you don’t need more)until you have enough to feed everyone. 

Even people who don’t like cauliflower, like this stuff.  It is that good.  It keeps in the fridge well overnight or even one more day.  After two days, the cauliflower starts to get soggy.  I have not tried to freeze this, but I’m afraid the cauliflower would disintegrate like it does in vegetable soup if you freeze it.

Anyway, today is John’s birthday and he requested this dish along with steak with mushrooms and onion.  So,here is the recipe for 

Fried Cauliflower

Equipment

10” skillet with lid

Spatula

Garlic Peeler (optional)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 Head Cauliflower florets - sliced - I slice them about 1/2 inch thick

5 or 6 cloves fresh garlic - sliced - You can used minced, but we like to stab the pieces with our forks and just eat them.  Especially if they get really crispy.

2 Tablespoons pine nuts (pignolis)

Salt & Pepper

Directions

Heat a 10” skillet with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil spread evenly over the bottom.

Place cauliflower slices in one layer in the heated skillet

Fry the cauliflower for 5 minutes with the lid on.

Sprinkle the garlic pieces and pine nuts around over the cauliflower

Stir and cook another 5 minutes or so until the cauliflower is tender. Turning occasionally.

The pine nuts and garlics will get really brown and sort of crispy.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Makes two hearty servings.

Meat and Veggies

Sometimes I still do just the meats and veggies thing.  It is not boring when you don’t have to eat it every day.

Lucky’s had their pork roast on sale last week so we bought one.  All their meats are antibiotic free so this may be the best pork roast I’ve ever had. 

I put the roast in the crock pot with whatever vegetables I had laying around (brussels sprouts, onions, celery, mushrooms and carrots) with just some salt and pepper and let it cook all day.  It was delicious. 

We had cole slaw and home made pickled beets on the side.  And the last of the crepes with peaches, red raspberries and honey for dessert.

There was enough roast left for lunch today and some to put in the freezer for another day.

Cole Slaw - I don’t really follow a recipe, but here is how I make it.

Shred some cabbage, carrots, and onions.  (However much you need.)

In a jar, shake together 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon coconut crystals (or sugar), 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (leave the mayo out for paleo), and salt and pepper to taste.  Keep shaking until all the crystals and salt are dissolved.

Pour over cabbage and toss.  Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

Pickled Beets - I don’t really use a recipe for this either, but this is how John’s mother told me to make them.

In a medium saucepan bring to a boil 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup sugar (or coconut crystals for Paleo).  Let it boil for a minute or so until all the sugar is dissolved.

While this boils, open two or there cans of beets, pour off the liquid and put them into sterilized canning jars.

Divide the vinegar mixture evenly into all the jars just to cover the beets.  Tighten lids and let set at room temperature until lids “pop.”  Then you can refrigerate indefinitely.  I have kept them as long as a year and they are fine.

These are the best pickled beets.

You can sterilize canning jars by setting  them into a deep pan (right side up), cover completely will water, and boil for 5 minutes.  Remove the jars with tongs onto a towel to dry.  You can throw the lids into the same boiling water.

My Idol

Before I go any farther, I think it is only fair to direct you to the woman who has been my inspiration to pursue more variety in my grain-free diet.

Just eating meats, veggies, fruits, and eggs can get boring really fast.  I tried some bread-like recipes from other web sites and they just did not turn out right.  Although some were “edible,” they were not good.  

The recipes I have tried from Danielle’s site always turn out perfect and are delicious.  She has inspired me to branch out on my own and try original recipes.  Her site is filled with information about the ingredients, equipment, nutrition, and everything else imaginable about the Paleo diet.

Check it out at:  http://againstallgrain.com/

She has written several books.  I bought the first one and am still working my way through it.  A lot of the information in it is on the web site, but she gives more detail in the books and it is very handy to have the reference work right in front of you when you suddenly discover you don’t have any arrow root powder.  She helps you with substitutions and alternative ingredients.  She has been doing this for many years and knows her stuff.

I highly recommend you buy her book if you want to seriously try a Paleo diet. She has links to buy the books on her web site.  http://againstallgrain.com/shop/

  Whenever I find a recipe online that I think sounds good, I always double check with Danielle to make sure the ingredients are compatible and that they will do what the recipe claims they will do.  

Ditto for if I want to make something original.  Often I  will take her recipe as a starting point and make changes to fit our tastes.  She encourages you to do this and will answer your questions if you can’t figure out what you should do.

She is currently on a book tour and you should go see her if she comes near you.

Dessert for Dinner

Dessert for dinner…

We had a huge breakfast and a very late big lunch, so we opted to skip dinner.  Instead I made crepes.  John had his with sliced fresh peaches, red raspberries and honey drizzled inside and out.  I had mine with coffee ice cream and dairy free chocolate sauce drizzled inside and out.  The ice cream started to melt before I got finished, so next time I will refrigerate the crepe before I build mine.  To say that they were delicious, is an understatement.  They were awesome.

You can serve these crepes wrapped around scrambled eggs and bacon, bananas and chocolate or honey, pretty much any fruit with a little honey would be delicious.  I tried making them for pigs in a blanket and I liked them, but John didn’t.  He said the crepes were too sweet for hot dogs even though I left out the vanilla.

They refrigerate for two or three days.  I have not tried to freeze them because we always eat them all in two days.  But I think if you bag them in freezer bags with waxed paper between each one they should be fine.  

Equipment you will need is a mixing bowl, a whisk, a crepe pan or small skillet preferably enamel-lined, wide spatula, waxed paper.

Here is the recipe.

Grain-free Crepes (Makes about 8 crepes)

6 large eggs

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

3 tablespoons coconut flour, sifted

2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon Tapioca Flour

1 teaspoon vanilla (omit for savory crepes)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Whisk the crepe ingredients together in a bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes so the coconut flour can absorb the liquid, then whisk again.

Heat a crepe pan or small skillet with enameled surface over medium-high heat.  Melt a small amount (1/4 tsp) coconut oil in pan.  (Omit this if the crepe slides around too much.  I find it works better without oil in the pan.)

Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the hot pan, turning the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter thinly around the pan. Make sure the pan is fully covered.

Cook for 1 minute until the edges look done. Lift one side of the crepe and slide a spatula under the crepe and slowly flip it over. Cook on the second side for 20 seconds and turn out on a plate. Place a sheet of waxed paper on top.

Continue with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes on a plate with each separated with waxed paper.

They are fragile while cooking, but are pretty sturdy to work with once they cool.

To store, slide waxed paper and all into a gallon sized sip lock bag and put in the fridge.  They will keep well for two or three days.  Any longer than that and you will want to freeze them.

In the beginning...

In the beginning…

My herbalist, Weeds of Eden, wants me to open a paleo bakery and sell my baked goods.  I told them, “I am retired for a reason.”  That reason is to not work.  If I baked for money it would be work and, therefore, not fun.  I cook for fun and to make sure we are eating the healthiest food available.

About 6 months ago said herbalist convinced me that I needed to at least try a grain and potato free diet.  My blood sugar numbers are borderline andI really need to cut back on carbs.  So, I said ok and quit eating potatoes, pasta, cereal, bread, corn, and soy. 

This left me with meat, veggies, and fruit.  Every meal, every day 7 days a week 3 meals a day.  After a while, I simply could not face another lunch of chicken salad and tomatoes or another dinner of steak and green beans and a salad.  It was all good, but it was boring as dirt.  The only reason I kept doing it was because I was losing weight to the tune of about a pound a week.  That kept me going.

Then my husband’s health care professional convinced him that he would have fewer colitis flare ups if he cut out grains.  Since he seemed to be having flare ups every time we ate chinese (rice) or pasta, he agreed to give it a try.  He was already dairy-free and had been for a couple of years.

Well, that was the inspiration I needed to get my creative culinary butt in gear and learn to cook actual food.  It was daunting at first.  I had no idea how to begin to think about making bread without flour or yeast.  I could not even imagine pasta without semolina.  Fried chicken without corn flakes?  huh?  Meatloaf? not even.

But after much research and many failed attempts, I have finally managed to make interesting, exciting meals that are delicious.  I still on a rare occasion make something that we simply cannot eat, but not very often. (I won’t even post those recipes.)  9 out of 10 meals are delicious and we thoroughly enjoy eating them.

We are not completely 100% grain-free.  I do use mayonnaise occasionally which contains soy.  I found a recipe to make your own, but it only keeps for a few days in the fridge and the cost is prohibitive.  Which reminds me, cooking grain-free can be costly.  But when I look at the cost of diabetic medication, the cost of eating better seems minimal in comparison.

I cook a lot.  I mean a lot.  I cook 3 meals a day 7 days a week.  It is very time consuming, but as I mentioned before, I’m retired.  I will post recipes of whatever I’m making that day and will tell you what can be made in bulk and frozen or what needs to be eaten right away.  For example:  I make bread, donuts, muffins, crackers and cookies in bulk and put them in the freezer.  That way we have treats on hand.  But I make these delicious coconut chicken fingers that will not freeze well.  The breading falls off when they thaw and the chicken is tough.  They will keep overnight in the fridge and we can have them for lunch the next day.  But two days is too long, they get “soggy.”

I don’t recommend this diet for everyone.   But if you have diabetic, digestive, or blood pressure issues, you should check with your health care professional and see if the paleo diet is right for you.

Once you have decided to give it a try, do your research.  Read anything and everything you can about the paleo diet and then dive right in.  You can just google paleo diet, but until you get some basics, you won’t really know what you are looking for.

To get you started, try these:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/paleo-diet

http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/paleo-diet

http://ultimatepaleoguide.com/paleo-diet-food-list/

Or if you want to talk to an expert, I recommend Myron Hardesty at Weeds of Eden

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Weeds-of-Eden/147268065844