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quornflour
texaskilletFiled under: Clever Chickadees, food and beverage, gluten free, low calorie, penny saver, raw, texaskillet, vegan, vegetarian | Tags: Clever Chickadees, food, food and beverage, gluten free, low calorie, meal, penny saver, raw, sprouting, texaskillet, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
I said I would come back with the next installment of the sprouting adventure and well… here I am.
The sprouting of the lentils went well, but they are a lot less “sprouty” than the Quinoa, which is just something of interest that I noted.
With the lentils I combined them with a chop salad that I picked up at a local Italian restaurant. I was going for the; add raw to some raw and some meat proteins.
Kind of my M.O. at this point.
So here’s a photo of the biznasssss about 10 hours into it, loooook how cute they are!
And then the finished product after 24 hours, momma mia these are hesitant.
Of course it is, soak for 8-12 hours and then sprout for 2 days!
And here is a photo of the partially homemade and partially restaurant bought salad.
It made a delicious and satisfying meal, but what I did figure out is that lentils make my stomach a little uncomfortable.
Next up: Sunflower seeds for that ever popular Vitamin D. I think I will make a spread out of that for cucumber dipping. J
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, food and beverage, gluten free, inspiration, kid friendly, low calorie, penny saver, raw, side dish, texaskillet, vegan, vegetarian | Tags: Clever Chickadees, food, gluten free, inspiration, kid friendly, low calorie, penny saver, raw, side dish, texaskillet, vegan, vegetarian
On my journey to eating more raw food, I read some good stuff about sprouting.
It went a little something like this:
GROW ORGANIC SPROUTS, cuz it’s fun and good for YOU!
Sprouts are a superfood and may be the most nutritious food on mother earth and are not expensive in the least. You can sprout lots of things. Nearly any type of seed, grain, bean or legume. Some favorites to sprout are: alfalfa, broccoli, clover, fenugreek, lentil, mung bean, mustard, quinoa and sunflower. Sunflower sprouts are one of the few plant sources which provide vitamin D for the vegans and vegetarians. I like that since I am always low on vit. D in the extraordinarily drab fall and winter of the PNW. I blame this on being a relocated Texan. J
For my first adventure in sprouting I decided to go with something that I had on hand. I had no packaging left since I had already transferred it to a storage container so I didn’t even know if it was organic or seasoned or … ?
Who cares I say!!! It’s an experiment after all. The thing about experiments is that you go into a thing knowing that it might not work so your disappointment is not all that huge when it doesn’t.
All you need:
- Jar with lid. I prefer the Mason type so that you have the ring and the seal portion that are separate. You won’t need the seal portion for this, just the ring.
-
Some screen, or cheese cloth or any material that you can drain water through and keep other stuff out.
- You could potentially poke holes in the seal portion of the Mason jar lid, but that seems wasteful.
- I personally used a window screen that I had stored in the garage after my oldest son cut a hole in it for some unknown teenage rot brain reason. Woot.
- Quinoa (in this episode)
- Water
- Clock
To start, put the desired amount of quinoa in the jar. Place your screen over the opening and screw on the ring. Rinse the quinoa in the jar a few times, then fill the water past the level of the quinoa.
Let the quinoa soak for three hours.
After the three hours has passed, drain the liquid through the screen and then set the jar back on the counter for another 8 hours. Of course you’ll see sprouting action within about one to two hours and you can decide just how sprouted you want them before you serve them up.
After 8 hours you will see something like this:
I like the full sprout of 8 hours. You might wonder how to serve this lovely sprout. I’ll give you my dish. I used it like a spaghetti noodle. In the RAW cooking world, you can’t warm anything to over 115 degrees. Otherwise it is considered cooked. So, I warmed a pot of water to 110 degrees, turned off the heat and then plunged the quinoa in for a warm water bath.
Then I took my RAW sauce consisting of fresh tomato, basil, avocado, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper from the blender (not cooked) put that on top and then added my one cooked item, vegans and vegetarians: close your ears, hot Italian sausage. I ain’t gonna lie, it was good.
I hope you have fun with this sprouting thing should you decide to try it and look for follow up posts. I also think that kids will dig this since they seem to like to watch things transition (plus it’s super easy). Right now I have lentils on the counter, I’ll be back with a post on those. J
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, dinner, easy meals, food and beverage, gluten free, kid friendly, lunch, meat, recipe, texaskillet | Tags: chicken, Clever Chickadees, cooking, dinner, gluten free, kid friendly, penny saver, recipe, snack, texaskillet
OMG, yummmmmmm!
Simple. So good.
You’ll need:
Buttermilk
Cornflour (again, no wheat)
Franklin’s hot sauce or whatever kind of buffalo hot sauce you like
Butter
Chicken strips
Frying oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
First, get your buttermilk, cornflour into separate bowls. Then get your raw chicken strips ready on a platter of their own. Next pour all of the buffalo sauce into a bowl and add one stick of melted butter to that bowl (whisk together).
Get your dutch oven or frying pot of choice and heat your frying oil of choice (Can’t go wrong with Wesson) to 375 degrees.
When your oil is hot enough, dredge the chicken strips through the buttermilk, then the cornflour and then place in the pot. These do not take very long to fry up and usually are done when the outside is crispy and golden to medium brown. This is usually accurate for chicken strips that were fully defrosted and at room temperature. You’ll want to use your meat thermometer to be sure, or just cut one open when the first batch comes out and eyeball it if you feel up to it.
When you pull the chicken strips from the hot oil, place them on the cooling sheet (mine suspends over the sink so I don’t waste paper towels). After they have dripped off for 30 seconds or so toss them in your buffalo sauce mixture and then place back on the rack.
My kids love these, except the youngest who just gets the pre-buffalo sauced chicken strips. There are never any left over, but then again that might not be saying much if you knew how many people can be in my household at one time. J
Hint: serve these up with hushpuppies!
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, gluten free, kid friendly, penny saver, recipe, side dish, snack, texaskillet, vegetarian | Tags: Clever Chickadees, cooking, fried, gluten free, kid friendly, penny saver, recipe, texaskillet
Not sure how many of you have ever had the pleasure of making hushpuppies.
Not sure it matters, what matters is that you give it a try. There is something comforting about making these little corny balls of tastiness.
Next time you are having a fish fry or even spicy buffalo chicken strips (recipe to follow) then you may want to give these a go.
There are about five million ways to make these, but I like the below the best… this may be because I am a savory person. Of course I also don’t have to tell you that adding bacon to these would be magical.
You’ll need:
1 cup cornmeal (I use Bob’s Red Mill cornflour, no wheat). J
1 t. baking powder
¾ t. salt
1 beaten egg
¾ cup milk
3 T. onion mix (my favorite)
And your preferred frying oil. Filled up to half of whatever pot you want to use. I use my dutch oven on the stove top, but if you are a serious fryer you may have something special… like a fryer.
First combine the cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Beat the egg and milk together separately and then stir into your cornflour mixture. Add your onions. Using whatever onion mix you want or just keeping it simple with white or yellow onions. Heat 3″ deep of oil in your chosen pot. Drop batter by the tablespoonful into the hot oil when it has reached 375 degrees. Fry 4 or 5 at a time for about 3 minutes each, flipping each one at 1.5 minutes. They should be brown and crispy when you remove them. I like to put a cooling rack over the sink and put them there to drain and cool.
Now for a topping… well… forget about it. One word. BUTTER.
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, dessert, food and beverage, gluten free, kid friendly, raw, recipe, snack, texaskillet, vegan, vegetarian | Tags: clever chickadee, food, nuts, snack, spread, texaskillet
Well… that is it. I got tired of looking for raw nut butter that was not made by some brand I didn’t trust.
So I decided it was time to make it myself. Yay!!!
I love finding new excuses to use my grinder attachment and my Kitchen Aid mixer. So fun!
Bonus: super simple squirrel
To start: Purchase as many oz’s as you want of any raw nut, I like to get mine at Trader Joe’s.
I know it may seem strange that I shop there given their love of whole wheat and all things Mango,
both of which I do not love, but hey, I am not the sort to hold a grudge.
-Bust out the mixer, add your grinder attachment
-SOAK your NUTS – This removes those nasty little phytates we talked about before
-Slowly feed in the nuts (you don’t want to clog your kitchen appliance)
-Take the shreds and then switch to regular mixer mode
(remove grinder, replace cap, insert mixing hand/hook/beater)
-Start mixing your shreds to a creamy consistency
-If you find that it is too dry, feel free to add some Olive Oil
(more nutty flavor and healthful monounsaturated fats; about 75%)
-Then if you like your nut butter ready to go out of the jar, you can add some Raw honey to the mix.
Last step: Find a sealable chalice suitable for your bounty and seal it up tight and store it in the fridge.
Hint: It is rumored that the upside down storage for nut butters makes it so all the oil is not at the top when you go to use it.
It is seriously that easy and way delicious.
Then all you need is some Udi’s GF bread and you are sooo soo ready for the best peanut butter toast EVER… oh and a cup of coffee. J
Filed under: baking, Clever Chickadees, dinner, food and beverage, gluten free, low calorie, lunch, meat, raw, recipe, side dish, texaskillet | Tags: chicken, clever chickadee, cooking, dinner, fish, food, meal, salmon, texaskillet
As I went through and made some changes to my current kitchen setup, I also embarked on my first mindfully 50% raw dinner.
It was fun to think about and really challenged my rutted out kitchen brain to just think of food a little differently.
I seriously knew the rice would be good, I knew the salmon would be good… I thought the cantaloupe and zucchini salad would be good…and it was. J
Tonight’s menu
Baked Salmon (for me) Baked Chicken (for him)
Garlic Red Rice
Cantaloupe and raw Zucchini salad (I did say earlier how much I like squash right?)
For the rice:
Rice cooker (my favorite kitchen appliance aside from the coffee pot)
One cup of Red Thai Rice (this goes by many names, but I like the stuff from Thailand carried at Whole Foods)
Crushed or minced garlic
Two cups of water
Put it all in the cooker and push GO
For the chicken and the salmon:
Cook to your preference.
I like to drizzle a little olive oil and use some of Tom Douglas’s Spicy Tokyo Rub.
YUM! It’s almost like you can’t mess it up.
For the C&Z salad:
SUPER simple, but a lovely, mildly sweet flavor which is also juicy and refreshing next to the cooked items.
Just split, separate your cantaloupe meat from the rind and cube into bite size pieces.
Then, cut the zucchini into strips the long way and then cut across the length to create smaller diced zucchini bits.
Mix and let permeate for a few minutes before serving.
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, craft, green, project, sewing, texaskillet | Tags: Clever Chickadees, clothing, craft, green, new, project, reuse, sew, sewing, texaskillet
If you don’t know because you didn’t see it and I didn’t talk to you about it, then guess what happens next?
If you guess correctly, I will send you something I made. I can’t tell you what that something will be since I never know what mood I’ll be in from day to darling rainy day.
Picture Hints:
Discuss. J
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, gluten free, inspiration, raw, recipe, texaskillet, vegan, vegetarian | Tags: breakfast, Clever Chickadees, dessert, easy meals, food, food and beverage, fruit, gluten free, kid friendly, low calorie, raw food, recipe, side dish, snack, texaskillet, vegan, vegetarian
Now that we are adults and we like to think that we are more sophisticated (not sure who we are trying to fool), we like to eat fancier food.
Or at least we like to pretend that we want to eat fancier food.
A few nights ago, on Thursday I went to a raw desserts preparation class (can’t really call it cooking). I learned a few things that were fairly interesting and I tried a few things that were pretty yummy.
I also tried some stuff that was not what I would ever consider dessert. Cacao beans are not yummy, they passed those out for us to “snack” on during the class. I can honestly say that if I never ate another raw Cacao bean in my lifetime I would be okay with it. Bark like texture, bitter taste, not really a chocolate tone there. Hahaha!
Even the desserts that were made with Cacao and sweetened with honey or agave were not sweet enough. Unless of course you are hermit who hasn’t had table sugar or any dessert from the local French bakery, favorite coffee shop, neighbor kids birthday party, etc. I know that you are probably expected to enjoy this stuff after you have readjusted your palate. HarumpH!
So even though the photos I took with my phone (battery on the camera died in class) really blew in any kind of clarity department, I still wanted to share the recipe that I thought was spectacular and that I can’t wait to make at home and share with my friends. I promise to take pictures of my homemade attempt and come back and post them here. J
CHIA PUDDING w/Blueberry Cream
Needs for the Orange Cream chia pudding:
½ cup of Chia seeds (black for the best benefit to the female endocrine system, red for the male, and white for everyone)
2-3 oranges (3/4 cup of juice)
¾ cup of almond mylk
1-2 Tablespoons of raw honey or agave
2 Tablespoons of coconut butter, melted
Juice the oranges. Blend oranges, almond mylk, coconut butter and raw honey in blender pour into a bowl, then slowly shake in the chia seeds to said bowl, being sure to stir as you go so they don’t clump. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour until liquid is fully absorbed by the seeds.
Needs for the Blueberry Cream:
1 ½ cups blueberries
½ cup of cashews, soaked for 30 minutes or more (this removes the phytates– enzyme inhibitors that make nuts hard to digest)
¾ cup coconut water or pure water (if you use pure water, just add a little extra honey to the recipe)
2 Tablespoons raw honey or agave
3 Tablespoons coconut butter, melted
1 Tablespoon of Maca powder (From the Andes, this hardy root provides adaptogenic qualities and balances the system, increases strength and stamina and has shown to improve memory…and a whole bounty of other worth while effects)
2 Tablespoons of Lucuma powder (From South America, sweet, with a maple syrup flavor and high in beta-carotenes, iron, niacin, phosphorus, calcium and fiber)
½ tsp of vanilla powder (spendy stuff, see if you can find it in bulk and just buy what you need)
Pinch of Himalayan salt
Blend all ingredients in high power blender until smooth, layer alternately in a cup, bowl or service item of your choise with chia pudding.
Chill for a few minutes or enjoy right away.
I really thought this was the best thing of the night; I wanted more than just the little sample they gave us. Of course after the class we were given a survey to relay back to them our particular interests, what we thought went well and what we had been eating. Ahhh the journey to eating 51% raw food shall be interesting. How do I know this you may wonder? On the survey there was one question which asked specifically if I had eaten: dairy, meat or eggs in the last three months. Hahahahahah I had a good laugh at this and drew a line through them all.
I wonder if this counts and if I now have bad food Karma?
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, dinner, easy meals, food and beverage, gluten free, kid friendly, low calorie, penny saver, recipe, texaskillet, Thanksgiving - Fall and Winter Holiday Foods and Crafts, time saver, vegetarian | Tags: Clever Chickadees, cooking, dinner, easy meals, food, food and beverage, gluten free, kid friendly, low calorie, meal, penny saver, recipe, save and reheat, texaskillet, thanksgiving, time saver, vegetables, vegetarian
There is no better vegetable than squash type veggies. Yes I realize this is definitely a matter of opinion. I love Yellow squash and Butternut squash, and I even doublie love the Zucchini. Not that I have anything against the leafy greens and root veggies etc, etc.
Some of you may already be taking any opportunity to add veggies to stuff, but I am still working at it.
In so much as I actually have to stop and think about where I can squeeze in a few here or there and not have to change my intended menu.
I am sure that many, many, many people use squash in their spaghetti sauce, but I thought I would share just one way of doing that very thing. I know you don’t think that there needs to be “ways” plural, to do this, however with squash there is the potential pitfall of sogginess to watch out for and avoid at all costs.
I also like to do it gluten free. YES that’s right gluten free. What could be better?
What you need:
- Your favorite homemade or store bought spaghetti sauce
- Two types of squash, preferably a yellow squash and a green zucchini
- PASTA JOY a gluten free brown rice pasta of your favorite shape or size
- A pat of butter, maybe two J
- Some type of ground meat if you want a meat sauce, otherwise just skip it (If you want this, just season, brown and add to the bowl)
Directions:
Boil your pasta, about seven minutes of boiling and then let it sit in the pot for three to six minutes then drain and rinse with hot water.
While that’s going, wash and slice or chop your squashy delights. Toss them in a skillet with a little butter until they start to get to that just right texture. Not to soggy, yuck.
Set those aside, while your sauce is coming to temperature. When the sauce is at temperature, put all your items in a serving bowl. Toss lightly so as not to mash anything or ruin the structural integrity of your squash. If you really want to add another note of deliciousness, toss in a little shredded parmesan. Yummmm! Put that on the table and watch it go. If you have kids, you may want to stick to the Yellow squash and dice instead of slice. Kids seem to be afraid of big green veggies. HAHA!
Filed under: Clever Chickadees, craft, green, inspiration, kid friendly, penny saver, sewing, texaskillet, time saver | Tags: Clever Chickadees, craft, green, inspiration, kid friendly, penny saver, quilt, sewing, texaskillet, time saver
It might be time to start a series of these. You know those people that invite you over and go to all the effort, pull out all the stops, prepare to entertain YOU.
Well those people deserve a gift, a small token of appreciation, something to show you know the effort they spent and love that they think you are worth it.
Here is a super simple project that is ALL DIY and lets you personalize or neutralize depending on how well you know the recipient.
Set of Dish OR Hand towels
All you need:
Sewing machine
Plain towels – I prefer the Costco 6 pack in white, but they sell a few other colors. Obviously this can be as lush or functional as you want.
FABRIC OF YOUR CHOICE! Yes you can totally do this with a fat quarter or scraps from your last quilting project, etc.
Thread
Scissors
Optional: measuring device. J
1st – Measure width of the towels of choice, feel free to eyeball it, LOVE that term.
2nd – Cut fabric to a ¼ inch Wider than your towel
3rd – Now cut fabric to get the desired height of the strip you will sew onto the towel
4th – This step is optional: Pin the fabric onto the towel with just 1/8 of an inch hanging over on the sides.
I say this is optional because I don’t do it. I prefer to just hold everything in place via finger pinning and go for it. Weeeee!
5th – Load your machine with thread that compliments your fabric. Load your bobbin with thread that compliments the towel.
6th – Set your stitch to zigzag and your stitch length to zero. This may be different for some machines, but it should be fairly similar. If you have a satin stitch, you can use that for a nice rounded look.
7th – Run the fabric and towel combo through the sewing machine slowly creating a thick tight zigzag border for your fabric.
8th – Tie off and snip any thread ends for extra security.
What you get in the end should look something like the below. I have fun with this since there are just SOOOO many wonderful fabrics out there. One year I made a whole families worth of gifts with these. It wasn’t super easy because I didn’t know them very well at the time and had to carefully consider what they might want hanging around in their kitchen. But I’ll be honest, that was part of the fun. I hope you enjoy this one and that your friends need towels. 😉 Of course you could just make some towels that will be so much more amazing than anything you’ll find in the store. It’s also a nice way to up-cycle some of those boring towels that you have lying around at the bottom of your linen closet. Oh and if you are nervous about the small ripple effect, just give it a wash and an iron before gifting. It will all work out!
Hint: Be sure to apply the strips to the same side of the same end of each towel. Note where the towel tag is. You don’t want that to be a focal point. YAY!
cleverchickadee 