Raw Milk Kefir and Fermenting Class Feb. 6

Right here in Orem, Thurs. night, 6:30 Feb. 6, I will be teaching my Raw Milk Kefir and Fermenting class at the Real Foods Market on 800 N. 400 West north of the Sonic Burger place. 

 I have lots of foods to taste and some sourdough, kefir and  kombucha starts to sell.  I will demonstrate how to ferment some favorite vegetables and will have tastes. 

 Raw Milk Kefir is the best superfood on the planet and I will show you how easy it is to make every day.  Sourdough bread is easy too once you get a starter and keep it fed.  This is the new food fad wave of the future that is as old as our ancestors.  

Ground Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

This pan cooked recipe is good with any of the cooked pulse recipes I have and will post here on this blog.  

You will need 1 peeled, chopped carrot, 1/4 onion chopped, 1/2 lb. ground beef, 2-3 mushrooms, 1 stalk celery chopped and 2-3 cloves fresh garlic.  Start with frying the beef first in a little fat then add the vegetables and simmer with a lid on the pan. For flavor, add a tablespoon or so of beef broth (your own beef bone broth).  Salt and season it to your liking. 

 Add this hot food to the cooked pulse for a very satisfying, nutritious meal, and don't forget to serve some home made sauerkraut or fermented vegetable pickles.   

A Simple Plant Protein Pulse

Pictured above, are the dry ingredients for a simple pulse, one that tastes good and is easy to cook and is a whole lot more nutritious than those dried noodle packages.  In the red dish is crushed yellow split peas, the legume.  The yellow dish has some plain white rice ( the grain).  In the white dish are some whole flax seeds.  These are combined to complement each other's amino acids to get a more complete protein.  The flax seeds add much needed omega 3 beneficial fatty acids.  Coconut oil is just the most perfect fat you can eat and it tastes good.  

This recipe does not call for soaking as the phytic acid on both the rice and peas were on the bran or covering and that has been discarded.  

For 1-2 servings
mix dry 4 TBS white rice, 2 TBS crushed yellow split peas, 1/2 tsp. Real Salt, 1/2 tsp. whole flax seeds and 1 tsp. coconut oil.  

In a pot with a lid, add to dry mixture 1 cup plus 1/4  water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cook low and slow for about 30 -35 minutes.  Stir occasionally. 

This is a meal by itself but you can add some seasoning like garlic or onion powder or some chopped vegetables.  For a sweet meal, add some honey, or raisins and some milk for added protein.  

The dry mix can be prepared in zip lock bags and taken with you for a meal somewhere else.  I keep a few packages in my car and hand them out to those on the street corners who are asking for food.  Instructions are in the bag also.  Pictured below is the cooked plant protein pulse.

  

In Praise of Pulse

I have been preparing and cooking pulses lately and find them very satisfying on several levels.  I am an O blood type  and high protein meals suit me just fine but....when I do too much meat and vegetables I can get constipated still.  Adding into my diet some cooked pulses everyday, seems to keep things moving very nicely and I get the necessary nutrition from the pulse if processed correctly.  

Picture shows cooked grains; amaranth, quinoa and flax seeds, then cooked adzuki beans and walnuts.  All are pulse foods.

What is a pulse?  It is cooked legumes like beans, lentils peas and peanuts but in combinations.  Legumes/pulses have high amounts of plant protein but are lacking in one....one essential amino acid; methionine.  So, if you combine 1 or more legumes with 1 or more grains you get a better balanced plant protein.  The grains, wheat, spelt, quinoa, rice, corn, millet amaranth, etc also have proteins but are lacking in lysine which the legumes have and the grain has higher methionine.  

Vegetarians have been "combining" for years to get the protein they need from plants.  Poor populations also "combine" because legume and grain foods have been less expensive and readily available.   Vegetarian and vegan diets are not optimal healthy diets in the long run....and taken to an extreme can actually harm health.  From the Blood Type Diet, by Dr. Dadamo, blood type As have the best chance to succeed with a vegetarian diet if it contains some animal products, than Os or Bs who thrive on high protein; meat (Os &Bs) and milk( Bs) based diets. 

Some traditional combinations; dal (peas)+ rice, beans + corn, tofu (fermented soybean) +rice and  the American favorite, peanut butter + wheat bread. 

As an O blood type, I am always looking for ways to get legumes and grains into my diet without it causing sluggish bowel problems or weight gain that normal starchy foods cause.   Pulses properly prepared, solve both problems for me. 

I introduced the idea of combining for each blood type in an older post titled, "Plant Protein Pilaf".  I listed all the ingredients and proportions of legumes and grains that would be good for each blood type.  You might refer back to that post with a little effort.  It was a bit overwhelming for most people from what I heard back.  

My concept today is to make it a little less complicated and yet I expect the results to be just as satisfying.  

First ingredient in a good combination is rice it can also be wheat or spelt kernals.  I like basmati brown rice, but any rice will do.  Although, white rice will cook faster and has less nutrition. 
Next is a legume that you like or a couple of them. My latest mix uses crushed split peas, tiny green lentils and small navy beans.  The ratio is 2 to 1.  Two units of rice to 1 unit of combined legumes.  I choose legumes that are small or crush them so they will cook up about the same time as the rice, brown rice. (crushing; in a hand grain grinder, or powerful blender)
You can also combine within the grain part and add a little quinoa, amaranth, or millet.  You can also throw in seeds like chia or flax or walnuts. 

Soaking is the next very important step.  You must soak (chlorine-free) water, the rice with the legumes at least 8-12 hours, overnight.  The amount of water is usually  3 1/2 parts water to 1 part dry combined legumes. I like to use a bit more water than that.

 Soaking neutralizes the phytic acid on the grains, legumes and all seeds. Phytic acid is anti-nutrient.  It binds nutrients in the gut so you do not get them.  Water neutralized the acid. No need to pour off the water unless soaking goes longer than 12 hours.

Heat the soaked pulse in a pot with a tight lid up to almost boiling, reduce heat and secure lid and cook low and slow for almost an hour.  Stir a few times, add more water or broth (like my own bone broth) and add salt towards end of cooking.  A successfully cooked pulse will furnish the basis of a nice hot meal at the time, and the left over can be kept in the refrigerator for many days.  I can use some cooked pulse in the morning heated up with my eggs, or warmed with some honey and raisins and kefir, or lunch with some home canned salsa heated up with it, or evening meal with sauted vegetables and meat. 

 Cooked pulses are satisfying and nourishing and do not "bind" me up (just the opposite) and in moderation do not put on pounds.    

Jelled Cranberry, Grapefruit Salad

This is an old favorite which I think works well in the winter to help get more vitamin C and fresh food which helps with digestion.  My update on this old favorite is to use Bovine Gelatin instead of the regular non-flavored kind and to add some kefir and kombucha to add pro-biotic microbes. 

You will need all the ingredients in the picture.

2 TBS bovine gelatin dissolved in 1/2 cup pineapple juice. ( do this first)

In processor combine;
1 peeled carrot cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 small apple, cored and peeled
1 grapefruit peeled without seeds and membrane
1/4 or less of a red onion
1/4 cup pecans
Process, but not too much.  Scrape out and into a large bowl add 1 stalk celery finely chopped. (my processor leaves long strings from celery).

In a pan, heat up 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice and add 1/2 cup fresh pineapple. ( fresh pineapple has to be cooked otherwise it's enzymes will not let the gelatin set up)  Or use a small can of crushed pineapple.  When pineapple is very hot, add a bit of liquid to the soaked gelatin and stir and dissolve then pour that back into the rest of the hot fruit and juice.  Make sure it is completely dissolved.  

Pour this into the fruit/vegetable pulp and stir.  At this point you can add some sweetner like agave, stevia or sugar to taste. Also add 1/2 cup raw milk kefir or yogurt or sour cream and 1/3 cup kombucha if you have it.  I also add 2-3 drops of grapefruit essential oil.  Stir all and pour into setting dishes with covers and chill for 4 hours.  This salad keeps in the refrigerator for many days.