Friday, December 29, 2017

Easy Mayonnaise

http://www.inspiredtaste.net/25943/homemade-mayonnaise-recipe/


  • Tofu, silk or smooth. or whole eggs
  • Oil flax or olive.
  • Garlic raw pressed!
  • Mustard powder or ready made.
  • Vinegar seasoned or not not much is needed but it is essential.
  • Salt or Umi vinigar brine or soy sauce.
  • other spices?

Blend, jar and use with ham, eggs etc.


Thursday, November 16, 2017

Apple Butter sauce simplified






I could find only one recipe' without sugar.
But Wikipedia's apple butter page is very extensive.

  • A large box of apples cored and chopped inside a 5 gallon pot. Do not remove the peel! Skins and Peels have pectin in them. If you just cannot eat peel, blend them into the apple sauce. Bushel will fill a 5 gal pot if chipped enough. Then cook down to about 3.5 gallons. Or less if you keep simmering it and stirring it.
  • For apple butter, cook slowly as possible to keep it from burning. Evaporating most of the water. This can take all day.
To start the cooking add Apple-cider or apple-cider Vinegar a tiny over ¼ cup per expected finished quart. Five gallon pot of chopped apples made 14 quarts with one quart of vinegar. It is very tart made from summer apples! (One quart is 16 one quarter cups)

    After cooking add [always to taste!]
    1. Cinnamon
    2. Cloves
    3. Ginger
    4. Allspice !!
    5. Lemon juice and rind zest (optional)
  • Then add a 2 to 4 of boxes of pectin (optional) dissolved (the low sugar, Sure Jell pink box), stir and put in jars to cook under hot water to seal.

If you have enough energy you could blend it in strong machine for more buttery texture. But if chopped small enough it will be good enough.

Never use sugar with apples. If you think you need more sugar, go to a mental hospital before you kill your self.

Sugar is used as a preservative and helps make it more acid that is why the apples were simmered down more than apple sauce. But cider vinegar is a good acidifier. Apples have a natural pH of about 4.6, but it can't hurt to add a little more acid; like about one or two pints for the five gallon pot, that makes 3.5 gallon sauce (14 qts).

The real difference between apple sauce and the butter is that the butter has been evaporated more and ends up being sweater for longer storage.




5 gallon pot on 1/2 inch aluminum
plate on large burner



Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Chopping Onions the Right-way




no idea what kind of kniffe this is
The Usuba knife, or usuba bocho, is the heavier, professional chef’s version of a nakiri knife. It is virtually the same as a nakiri except the edge of the blade is only ground on one side. For right-handed chefs, the grind – the sharpened end of the knife where the blade begins to narrow, should be on the right side, and for a left-handed chef it should be on the left side. This allows the chef to create thinner slices than with a nakiri knife, and with less ease than the nakiri knife offers.


Usuba” literally means "thin blade" indicating its relative thinness compared to other knives, required for cutting through firm vegetables without cracking them.

Nakiri bōchō (translation: knife for cutting grees) 


NakiriKnife
Nakiri Japanese knife meant for slicing vegetables. It has a light, thin blade that is ideal for cutting delicate produce. This knife’s blade is straight so that long cuts can be made without having to move back and forth. The edge of the blade is not traditionaly "hallow ground" for easy sharpening but it does help to maintain a razor sharp edge. Nakiri knives in the style of Tokyo are rectangular, while Nakiri knives from Osaka have a curved blade.




Both kinds of Nakiri blades


Usuba blade

Granton edge for food release









Monday, August 7, 2017

Low calorie Brownies


http://bromabakery.com/2013/04/37-calorie-brownies-and-no-im-not.html



    • Yogurt Plain (non fat/non-Greek) about 1 cup (or coconut milk)
    • Cocoa powder ½ cup
    • Rolled oats ½ cup (or coconut flour ½ ? cup)
    • Stevia (or any stevia based sweetener)
    • Lemon juice (to taste)
    • egg 1
    • baking powder??
    • Salt?

    Blend, Bake, eat mass quantities!

Easy deep-dish pizza Pie








Forget the crust! It takes too much effort.
  • Mushrooms saute' with vinegar and Tamari...
  • Onions, Aubergine,
  • Grated Parmesan cheese! And what every other cheese you want: Feta, sharp cheddar, etc etc
  • Sliced Olives (they have these in a can so you don't have to work)
  • Basil and Oregano and possibly coriander
  • Garlic pressed
  • Tomato sauce

Through it all in a pan, heat, melt the cheese. Eat mass quantities!
If you have real oven you can bake it till it is dryer than my stove top oven pan.







Thursday, August 3, 2017

Spearmint cooler





Any kind of fruit blended with fresh spearmint leaves and a little cold water. I used watermelon today. But grapes and peaches are the best. And don't expect peppermint to do the job it needs sugar. Spearmint is a milder flavor. Don't limit your self to only a few leaves, grab a large hand full!


On a very hot day that you need to keep drinking fluids, Cucumbers with a few grapes and spearmint, are even better than just fruit. Because too much fruit can give you too much sugar.   

Peaches are the best.




Monday, July 24, 2017

Creme de Soup


Cook then blend:
  • Cauliflower in place of potatoes (potatoes have way too much carbohydrate)
  • Cashews (for the creaminess) soaked overnight or boiling for 1 hour or cashew milk?
  • Mushrooms roasted or sauteed
  • Herbs: Sage or Rosemary or Thyme
  • Vinegar or lemon-lime juice
  • Garlic (roasted? Or maybe garlic infused olive oil?)
  • Nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor
  • Caramelized Shallots or Onions.
  • Vegys! (Your choice) Broccoli, Carrots, Kale !!
  • White Beans cooked fiber and protein...

http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2014/05/
hydrating-dreamy-raw-avo-coco-soup-video.html

Coconut Creme soup blended
  • Coconut (shredded will need soaking and or cooking)
  • Avocado (don't cook it)
  • Coconut water
  • salt and pepper.....?

Peanut Stew every thing is to taste!

  • coconut oil? (Or cooked shredded coconut?)
  • onion sauteed (or onion soup broth) or any vegy broth?
  • white beans cooked to very soft! (in place of starch!)
  • garlic (pressed)
  • fresh ginger minced
  • Smoked paprika (or any hot pepper)
  • Tomatoes (canned or fresh) ?
  • Tomato paste
  • Peanut butter (natural no sugar or oils added) make it w/home roasted ground Spanish peanut meal.
  • Butternut Squash (optional)
  • Bay leaves
  • Rosemary/ thyme
  • Vinegar
  • Coriander
  • Turmeric


Sunday, July 16, 2017

Carrot Ginger Soup

https://www.nuggetmarket.com/recipes/345/organic-carrot-ginger-soup/


Not just for cold weather!
Blended or not just cook the carrots and onions separately.
I steam the carrots. And caramelize the onions in a fry pan. (slowly cook onions over an irritating period of time, 30 to 60 minutes. And don't stir them too often, or they won't brown, balsamic vinegar helps)

How to Caramelize Onions By Elise Bauer https://vimeo.com/2917598




  • Onion (chopped)
  • Ginger (grated fresh) about 2tbsp
  • Curry ? (to taste)
  • Garlic (fresh)
  • Carrots, small package....(any carrots will do)
  • Limen juice (that's one or the other)
  • Cilantro ?
  • Chia seeds (optional) up to ½ cup per 3 cups liquid?
  • Greek yogurt (optional) or:
  • Coconut milk (optional)
  • Olive oil
  • Soy sauce or Umi vinegar or pink salt
  • Broth (optional, just enough to blend the cooked vegys in)

Buckwheat Crepes with Chocolate sauce


  • Eggs  (could be replaced with arrow root powder)
  • Flour (a spoon full for a couple eggs)  chick pea or coconut works also. Dont use wheat or rice flours.
  • Coconut milk (optional)
you don't need a nonstick pan, if you have a well oiled pan that is well seasoned.
  • Chocolate (melted bakers cacolate, or cocoa mixed with water) with coconut and stevia
If you don't use sugar these are very low carbohydrate and high protein.

The only way to make even lower in carbs, would to use coconut flour.

under side of crepe




The fine art of seasoning a pan

Saturday, July 8, 2017

The care and feeding of fry pans.




The high heat oil recommendations were wrong!!!

Oil high in omega-3 fatty acids – in particular, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Free radicals are actually what enable the polymerization. Flax seed oil has the lowest smoking temperature oil I have seen listed but it is highest in omega-3 fatty acids (57% ALA).

The polymerization process is initiated when something causes the release of free radicals in the oil. So the higher the free fatty acid content in the oil to begin with, the quicker it will break down and start polymerization. This is exactly what you want to season a pan.

I used synthetic steel wool made for polishing metal to remove the old seasoning. Then I used capsules fish oil because I refused to spend $15 for a pint of flax oil that would go rancid by the time I used it up.

To Start:
The seasoned surface must be very smooth! Never put cold water in the hot pan, it may crack the plasticized oil surface.


  • 1) Season the pan with a very thin layer of oil runny enough to fill the tiny voids while hot, wipe off as much as possible. Heat aluminum pans slower than steel. Then heat until it smokes for a few minutes. When it stops smoking so much let the pan cool down.
  • 2) Take a coarse steel wool to it and basically remove the visible seasoning out of the pan face;
  • 3) Clean the pan thoroughly of the gray steel/seasoning residue with hot water and towel only (no soap);
  • 4) Re-season the pan for a second time; cool...
  • 5) Use fine steel wool to smooth out the pan face; and
  • 6) Clean thoroughly with hot water and no soap.
  • 7) Apply several more layers of very thin oil, baking on each layer. It will be very smooth.
  • 8) Then for ongoing care, never use soap or abrasives on the pan--just wipe it out with hot water and a towel--and if needed, use table salt or baking soda with a moist sponge as a scrubbing agent.

Use of Pan:
  • Use a lid to help steam the egg, if the oil is smoking hot remove from flame.
  • Soon as the white sets, begin to shake the egg loose
  • A thin, slotted, stainless spatula would be best bet with a fried egg in a stainless pan.
  • There's a reason short order cooks flip fried eggs by tossing them, instead of by spatula. If fried eggs are your life, it's a useful skill to learn ASAP. Practice on something easier, like old pancakes.
  • Do not use margarine to cook eggs as it is normally 50 % water.
  • Stainless steel won't season in the same way as carbon steel or cast iron. The same things that make it stainless are the things which prevent seasoning.

According to one article the trick to test the temperature is to drop a tiny bit of water in the pan, if it bubbles and glides along the pan the temperature is just right. If it instantly evaporates it is too hot. Add a little oil, If the oil smokes remove the pan from the heat before adding the eggs. Or medium low flame.

If you can't get the burnt on food off with a sponge after soaking, use salt or baking soda, and a tiny bit of water to scrub with. Do not ever use an abrasive scrubber and don't even think of using a dish washer!!!! Also soaking with borax and heating, will help loosen stuck on food, but that will take off a lot of the seasoning. Basically you have to re-season a pan every time you have to clean it!

I found naked aluminum pans for $15 with good handles (8 inch pan) but they need a seasoning just like the carbon steel pans (if you're going to cook eggs in them.) This also insulates the food from the aluminum.


But stainless steel is good for cooking vegetables without oil in liquid like tamari and vinegar. So why not pouched eggs?















Thursday, June 29, 2017

Injera fermented crepes

The secret to the texture is to not cook it
until there is a lot of fermentation happening.



Teff flour is way too expensive to use most of the time. So this can be made with other flours, like Buckwheat, Millet or Rye flour. Wheat, Rice and Maze are genetically denatured plants that we are addicted to. Don't use them!

Most people use Tefflon pans to make these. But if you add enough flour to the batter and the oil in the pan is hot enough, then it may not stick. And if you still have problems of it sticking, add eggs just before cooking. 

  • Flour of your choice Do not use eggs!! Injera should be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a traditional pancake.(see the video below)
  • Non-chlorinated Water, enough to make a thin batter.
  • Fermenting liquid from ripe KimChi or bread yeast not much is needed.
  • Set in a warm place for a couple days. Until it is bubbling with a strong but not bad odor.
  • Poor into a hot oiled skillet (that has been seasoned) very thinly.

How to make it not stick to the pan?
South Indian method of making Dosai/Dosa. You can use any type of Griddle such as non-stick, cast iron, stainless steel or even Hard Anodized. The trick lies in treating the griddle with oil and regulating the heat underneath. Take half Tsp of oil on a paper tissue/napkin, apply a thin layer of oil by rubbing/applying the oily tissue on the warm griddle. Now adjust the heat to medium high, (make sure that the Griddle is not too hot at any stage while cooking) sprinkle some water on the hot griddle, if the water evaporates instantly, it means that the griddle is hot. Now reduce the heat of the stove/ heater and pour the batter for the Crepe ( of any type/mix), it will never stick.


The old way is to use a black clay plate
 over a fire with a lot of oil built up on it.
And wait till the oil smokes before adding the wet batter.

injera on wikipedia




http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/ethiopian-bread-injera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasoning_(cookware)





cast iorn cooking:
http://www.scienceofcooking.com/cast_iron_cooking.htm

problems keeping injera from stickiing:
https://www.chowhound.com/post/injera-sticking-1059470