How to make self-rising flour

Self rising flour

1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1-1/2 t. baking powder

Microwave Popcorn

Microwave Popcorn

1 Tbsp. EVOO
1/2 t. salt
1/3 cup popcorn

Place all in 1 paper bag and microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Source:

Blender Guacamole

Blender Guacamole

1 avacado
1/2 + 1 squeeze of another one lime juice
1 bunch cilantro (cut off 1/2 inch of stem)
1/4 tsp. salt or add a little more
1/2 jalapeno or 1 to 2 serrano green pepper

Put all in blender and add 1/2 cup water and blend

Optional: add tomatoes (keep water to 1/4 c.)

Source: Sue Whitney

Body ecology diet-Sea Vegetables

Root vegetables:
Daikon
Burdock

Immune strengthening food
shitake mushroom
miso soup

Sea Vegetables
Herbmare (A. vogel)-mineral salt
Hiziki (eden)
Kombu
Pacific wakame (emerald cove)
Dulse flakes (Maine sea vegetable)  (I wasn't able to find this in flakes but I have this in small pieces, I really like it!!)
Nori sheet (what they use to wrap seaweed)

Tex-Mex Enchilada Casserole

Tex-Mex Enchilada Casserole

YIELD: SERVES 6-8

Don't let the poblano chile scare you! If I can find it in my small-town grocery store, you can find it, too. Poblanos are fairly mild and longer and more slender than a bell pepper. Just do it. You'll be happy at the flavor it imparts. Oh, and also? Don't be turned off by the long list of ingredients. This comes together quickly and perfectly. By the way, I have not tried freezing this ahead of time, but I think it would probably fare pretty well as a freezer meal. Also (and I promise this is the last thing), it stands a good chance of being spectacular as a meatless dish if you omit the ground meat (or conversely, subbing in cooked chicken for the meat).

INGREDIENTS

• 14 corn tortillas cut into thirds
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 large poblano chile, diced
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons chile powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9X13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Arrange the cut tortillas in a single layer on two large, rimmed baking sheets. Bake the tortillas until slightly crisp, about 15 minutes.
3. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef or turkey with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper breaking the meat up into bite-sized pieces. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Scrape the meat onto a plate and wipe the skillet clean (you may need to drain off excess grease from the meat depending on the fat content).
4. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil and stir in the onion, bell pepper, poblano, corn and garlic. Cook until the veggies are softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir the flour, chile powder, cumin and coriander into the vegetable mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, whisking constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
5. Line the bottom of the greased baking pan with 1/3 of the baked tortillas. Layer with 1/3 of the meat and then 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture and then sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses. Repeat that process again twice more ending with the cheeses.
6. Bake the casserole until hot and bubbly, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Recipe Source: Mels Kitchen Cafe
(adapted from Cuisine at Home October 2012 (cut out significant amount of butter/oil, changed the meat mixture and a few other spices and added cilantro)

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Granola Cookies

Quinoa Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Granola Cookies

YIELD: MAKES 3-4 DOZEN COOKIES

When measuring the cooked and cooled quinoa, don't mash and compress it into the measuring cup. Spoon it into the cup and lightly press so it stays fluffy.

Also, keep in mind these cookies freeze amazingly well after being baked and cooled.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup solid coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (cooked only in water, not broth) - see note above
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, silpat liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the oil and honey with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the flour, salt and baking soda until just combined and a few streaks of dry flour remain. Add the oats, quinoa, flax, chia seeds, almonds, cherries or cranberries and chocolate chips and mix by hand gently (so the dough stays nice and fluffy) until the ingredients are pretty evenly mixed.
3. Use a spoon or cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 2-3 tablespoon-sized portions. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the bottoms are browned but the insides are still nice and soft. If you want a thinner cookie (instead of puffy), flatten slightly before baking.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
(sent to me by a reader, Brynn A. (she created the recipe to healthify normal chocolate chip cookies and also so her mother has something nutritious and snacky to take while horseback riding)

Fermented Water Kefir

Fermented water kefir

3 1/2 c. warm water
3 1/2 T sugar (dissolve sugar in jar)

Then add
1/4 c. grains (when water has cooled to room temperature)
1/8 t. Redmond sea salt
1/2 to 1 t. organic maple syrup
7-8 raisins
(optional: rinsed off egg shell or liquid mineral drops)

Put napkin with rubber band to top of it to keep out bugs
Let it sit out of direct sunlight for 2 days (48hrs)

Strain out grains and raisins (can eat raisins if you like)

To that water add flavor-DoTerra Lemon oil 1-2 drops
Add tight lid and screw lid top

Leave out 1 more day

Then enjoy

(If you don't want to make kefir keep the grains in the fridge in sugar water (water + 3.5 T sugar)
with tight lid on top.)

Ranger Cookie Bake-me-nots-Michelle Nielson

Ranger Cookie bake-me-nots

1/4 c. coconut oil
5-6 Tbsp. Real maple syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. rolled instant oats
3/4 c unsweetened fine shred coconut
3/4 c. almond flour (buy at Costco)

1/2 c. cornflakes (optional)

Makes about 25 half ounce treats

Instructions:
1-Measure all the ingredients except cornflakes into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

2-Mix with an electric hand mixer or blade attachment of a stand mixer until the ingredients are well combined and resemble cookie dough.

3-Add cornflakes and mix until combined.

4-Use a 1/2 oz. cookie scoop to scoop into small bowls on a tray.  Refrigerate.  After they are cold, tranfer them to a sealed container.  Serve refrigerated or frozen.

Tips:
This will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator and several month frozen.

Source: Michele Nielson (Eat, Drink, and be Green)

Orange Creamie Greenie

Orange Creamie Greenie

6 oz orange juice
2 oz. fresh orange (peel removed) or about half an orange
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. Chia seed or ground Chia seed
2 Tbsp. unsweetened fine-shred coconut (Bob's Red Mill or Let's do Organic) found in baking section
4 oz. baby organic spinach
3-6 ice cubes or more as desired

1. Place all the ingredients except the spinach and ice in your blender in the order listed.  Add half the spinach.
2. Blend briefly until the spinach is incorporated into the liquids.  Add the rest of the spinach and the ice.
3. Blend until everything is very smooth.  On a Blendtec I run the smoothie setting twice.  With a normal blender I run the blender for about 3 minutes.  How you do it will depend on your blender, but everything should be very smooth when you are done.  If it isn't cold enough, add more ice and blend again.
4. Drink within an hour of blending.

Makes 15-16 ounces.

Tips:
Baby organic spinach has a milder flavor than other baby spinach, that's why I recommend using it here.  Fresher spinach also has a milder flavor.  If you open your spinach and it has a strong spinach-y smell, you may want to try a newer package for your smoothie.

Coconut helps cancel the flavor of the spinach.  If your smoothie tastes like spinach instead of like vanilla and orange, add a little more coconut (but make sure it gets blended well.)

The chia seeds make the smoothie more creamy.  If they aren't getting blended to smooth in your blender, try using ground chia or pre-grinding your chia seed in a grain mill.

If you don't have a kitchen scale to weigh your spinach, try buying a 5-oz package and then using 4/5ths of the package.

Souce: Michelle Nielson- Eat, drink, and be green.

Dan Dan Style Noodle Bowl

Dan Dan Style Noodle Bowl

Noodles

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked noodles*
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil

Seasoned Meat

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil (peanut, vegetable)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1-5 tablespoons finely minced seeded jalapeno, Fresno or Serrano chili - to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 1 tablespoon tahini paste
• 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1-3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, or to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup finely diced sweet gherkins

Toppings

Ingredients:

• ½ English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup sliced green onions, whites and tops
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into sticks
• May try other vegetables of choice, like bok choy, steamed asparagus
• ¼ cup chopped peanuts

Method:

Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain, rinse with cold water; place in bowl and toss with 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil; set aside.

Heat peanut oil (or canola, vegetable oil) in wok or skillet. Add minced garlic, chopped chili peppers and ginger; stir fry 10-15 seconds; add ground pork and cook until meat is browned. Stir in tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, chili garlic sauce and remaining teaspoon sesame oil; add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in pickles.

Rinse noodles with hot water, drain and place in serving bowl. Add seasoned meat and sauce, toss if desired. Add toppings.

NOTE

More or less chopped chilies and chili paste may be added for personal taste preference and heat preferences. When eating spicy hot foods drink milk to cool the palate, its a natural cooler. Vegetables toppings may be tossed with noodles and meat or added on top as a garnish.

Serves 4-6

Traditionally made with a flat Asian noodle such as Asian Rice Noodles or Asian wheat noodles like Udon Noodles. Thin spaghetti, Linguini, or even Ramen noodles (without the spice packet) will work.

Source: Becky Low
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