Seasonal Foods: White Bean Salad

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White Bean Salad makes a nice winter meal and is good topped with homegrown sprouts.

This recipe is safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Even though some types of beans are allowed on the SCD, I have avoided eating beans for many years. Recently, I have tried to reintroduce a small amount of beans into my diet.?I have found that careful soaking and numerous washing of the beans has helped make eating beans possible.?If you are on the SCD and find beans difficult to digest you might find these methods useful.

Soaked, Cooked and Rinsed White Beans
2c dried organic white beans or cannelloni beans
6c-8c filtered water for soaking
Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover them with about 2-3 inches of water above the beans. Pour off the soaking water and rinse the beans very well. A large colander or sieve works well for rinsing. Pour the soaked beans into a large sauce pan and cover with fresh water. Have at least an inch of water above the soaked beans. Bring the soaked beans to a boil and simmer for two hours. After cooking, wash the cooked beans again in fresh, cold water until the cooked beans run clean.

White Bean Salad Dressing
2-3 organic garlic cloves, finely grated
1-2T local raw honey
1tsp sea salt
1tsp dried organic dill weed
1T Homemade Whole Seed Mustard or organic Dijon mustard
1c organic cider vinegar
1c organic extra virgin olive oil
Finely grate the garlic cloves and put into a mason jar. Add the honey, sea salt, dill weed, mustard, cider vinegar and olive oil. Shake well and set aside for later use.

White Bean Salad
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1-2c White Bean Salad Dressing
4c frozen organic green beans, chopped
5-6c cooked white beans, rinsed and drained
Finely slice the onion into thin rings. In a large bowl, add the onions to 1c of White Bean Dressing and stir well. Let the onions soak in the dressing for about an hour to soften them. During this time, lightly cook the green beans in a small amount of water for 5-10 minutes. Cook the green beans less for a crunchier salad. Drain the green beans and add them to onions and dressing and stir well. Add the drained white beans and stir well. Taste the salad and add extra dressing, if needed. Chill the bean salad before serving. Any remaining dressing can be used with any salad.

Coconut Coffee Creamer

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Here is a good non-dairy coffee creamer. If you can tolerate butter, the creamer tastes even better!

This recipe is for people that cannot tolerate dairy or for people having trouble finding raw milk.

Basic Date Coffee Creamer
This tasty, non-dairy coffee creamer recipe was given to me by Charlene Vandean. Here is her original recipe:

1/2c dates
1/2c water
2T vanilla extract
1 coconut milk, canned
Soften the dates in hot water and blend until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract and coconut milk and blend again. Store the paste in the fridge. Stir into coffee and enjoy.

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The coconut coffee creamer stores well in the fridge. The dates seem to emulsify the fats and water into a smooth paste.

Fatty Coconut Coffee Creamer
This recipe will be safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, GAPS or a modified paleo diet.

The additives in canned coconut milk can be a problem for some people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet so I have made a second recipe to avoid the additives in canned coconut milk. For someone with blood sugar issues, the extra fats will help slow down the sugars found in the dates. If someone is diabetic or pre-diabetic, remove the dates completely and just enjoy a fatty coffee!

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A Vitamix Blender will foam the coffee and creamer like a cappuchino.

8 organic medjool dates (optional)
3-4c boiling water
2T organic vanilla extract or crushed whole vanilla bean
1/4c organic pastured butter
1/4c organic coconut oil
1/4c organic coconut cream
In a small bowl soak the dates in hot water until very soft. Remove the pits and ends. In a Vitamix blender, puree the dates and some hot water until very smooth. Add the vanilla, butter, coconut oil and coconut cream and puree until very smooth. Add hot water slowly to get a smooth consistency. Store the paste in the fridge. I find the Vitamix Blender does a wonderful job of foaming up the coffee like a cappuccino.

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Adding butter to the coconut creamer gives a very dairy-like flavor to the coffee.

Ketogenic Coffee
I have been following the research on ketogenic diets for many years. My interest in the diet was its traditional use for seizure disorders. Before the development of anti-convulsive medication, the ketogenic diet was the first choice for treatment of epilepsy.

Now, the ketogenic diet is being used for diabetes and incurable cancers. Here is more information about ketogenic diets and ketogenic fasting. This recipe will help with ketogenic fasting.

3-4c boiling water
1/3c organic coconut cream
1/3c organic coconut oil
1/3c organic pastured butter
In a Vitamix blender puree the coconut cream, coconut oil and butter. Slowly add the boiling water and blend to a creamy froth. The butter gives the coconut milk a very dairy-like flavor. Store in the fridge and gently re-warm before adding to coffee. Add more butter to each cup of coffee, if desired.

Seasonal Food: Walnut or Beef Dolma and Kefir Cucumber Sauce

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This is walnut and beef dolma just out of the oven. Two rows of dolma fit nicely into a bread pan.

2c walnuts, chopped or 2c pastured ground beef
1 organic onion, finely chopped
1/2c garden dill, chopped
1/2c garden mint, chopped
1/2c garden parsley, chopped
1tsp sea salt
1/2 organic lemon, juice
1/2 organic lemon peel, sliced thinly (optional)
60 garden grape leaves
1/4-1/2c extra virgin olive oil

The easiest way to gather the grape leaves from the garden is to use a pair of scissors. Choose leaves that are approximately the same size. Cut the leaf off the stem. Back in the kitchen, plunge the fresh grape leaves into very hot water for about 3 minutes to soften the leaves. Let the leaves cool for later use.

In a food processor mix together walnuts or beef, onions, herbs and lemon juice until you have a fairly smooth mixture that holds together well. Drizzle some extra olive oil, if desired.

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I find it easier to organize all the leaves with the vein side up before starting to roll the dolma.

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This is the walnut mixture.

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This is the beef mixture. You can mix the two together, if desired.

Preheat the oven 300?F. Take a glass bread pan and line with a layer of grape leaves. Drizzle some olive oil over the leaves. This is to ensure the rolls will not stick to the bottom of the bread pan. Layer with slices of lemon peel, if desired. The bread pan is ready for the rolls.

Take one grape leaf and turn it over so the veins are on the upper side. Place about one heaping teaspoon of walnut or beef mixture near the stem end of the leaf. Fold the end of the leaf up and both sides of the leaf together and roll the leaf from the stem side to the outer edge of the leaf. Roll tightly because the walnut or beef mixture will not absorb very much liquid.

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Put the grape leaf vein side up. Put about a heaping teaspoon of filling right beside the stem.

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Fold up the end of the leaf next to the stem and then each side evenly. Roll to the tip of the leaf.

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This is the dolma after being rolled. Put the dolma into the bread pan, leaf tip down.

Place each roll in the baking tray with all the rolls touching each other. This avoids the rolls from opening during cooking. After all the rolls are in the tray carefully press down all the rolls to remove air space. Drizzle more olive oil on top to keep the rolls moist during baking. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before serving. Walnut or beef dolma is good warm or cold with goat feta or dipped in a yogurt or Kefir sauce.

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Two rows of dolma fit nicely into a bread pan. Top with lemon peel and drizzle with olive oil. Press the dolma down evenly using the bottom of the second bread pan.

Kefir Cucumber Sauce

1c homemade Kefir
1c garden cucumber, thinly sliced
1tsp sea salt
1tsp dried organic dill or 1/4c garden dill

Mix all the ingredients together. Serve as a dipping sauce with walnut or beef dolma.

Making Sour Cabbage Rolls: Photo Essay

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Here are the sour cabbage rolls just before going into the oven. Please note I’m using an enamel Dutch oven.

This is a reprint of a July 12, 2010 post called Traditional Sour Cabbage Rolls. I have included pictures of how to make the cabbage rolls plus a few new tips.

At this time of year, I?m cleaning out my freezers for the summer months. I am always looking for recipes to use up frozen tomatoes, ground meats, organs and bones.

Sour Cabbage Rolls are a great food for cold winter days or even rainy summer weather. This recipe does not use brown rice so is safe for people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. If you would like, add 1/2c of raw brown rice to the recipe or 1/2c walnuts to give the dish a grainier texture. Note the optional organ meats. Try adding the organ meats to casserole type meals and see if anyone notices the change. Joette Calabrese, in Secret Spoonfuls: Confessions of a Sneaky Mom, recommends adding organ meats to increase the nutrient content of a meal.

Rolls?
1 head of sour cabbage
2lbs ground pastured beef
1lb ground pastured pork
1/2lb ground organ meats (optional)
1/2c walnuts, finely ground (optional)
2c finely chopped onions
4-6 cloves of garlic,?minced
1T paprika
1tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauce
3-4 frozen garden tomatoes, skins removed
2-3c bone broth, enough to cover cabbage rolls

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Cut the leaf in half and remove the large central vein in the middle with a knife. Chop the central vein into thin strips and place them at the bottom of the Dutch oven.

You can make your own sour cabbage, if you have time, or buy Kissel Cabbage from a store. Carefully peel the cabbage leaves off the head. You will need to cut through the heavy vein at the base of the stem to get the leaves off. After removing the leaves, cut the leaf in half and remove the large central vein in the middle with a knife. This vein gets in the way of forming the cabbage roll.

Use about 2-3 tablespoons of the raw meat filling and form into a oval shape. I find it easier to roll out all the meat balls before starting to make the cabbage rolls. This also tells me how many leaves I need to cut in two.

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After all the meat balls are made and all the leaves cut into two, lay out one half of a leaf with the stem side towards you.

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Place the meat ball on the edge of the half leaf and roll away from yourself towards the thin edge of the leaf.

Place the filling on the half leaf and start rolling from the vein end towards the edge of the leaf. Tuck in each end to close the roll. Do not over stuff the cabbage roll.

The rolls should be placed one at a time into a large Dutch Oven with the seam side down. (If you have an enamel Dutch Oven this is the time to use it, due to the acids in the tomatoes and sour cabbage.)

Make two or three layers of rolls for the best results. Top each layer with one or two hand crushed tomatoes. Pour as much bone broth as needed to completely cover the cabbage rolls. Bake uncovered at 300?F for two hours. The cabbage rolls taste even better the next day after the flavors meld together.

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Pick up the roll and tuck-in the central vein side first. This is the hardest part.

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Tuck-in the leaf edge side. Usually one poke with a finger will do the trick.

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Here is the finished cabbage roll ready to be placed in the Dutch oven.

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I cut up the central veins into thin pieces and place them at the bottom of the Dutch oven. The cabbage rolls are arranged on top. Once all the rolls are placed, I cover the rolls with the liquid.

Beef Omelette Pizza

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Here are two Beef Omelette Pizzas in the oven. I made these pizzas during the summer while I had fresh tomatoes from the garden. Use home-canned hot peppers, salsa, or olives during the winter. Make two pizzas so you can enjoy the pizza as a snack cold.

This recipe is safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. There will be enough sauce to make about four pizzas or you can use the sauce for another dish. Make the tomato sauce a day before making pizza so the flavor can improve.

Tomato Sauce
2 pounds frozen whole organic tomatoes
1T pastured lard, tallow or schmaltz
1T organic virgin olive oil
1tsp sea salt
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 cloves organic garlic, minced
2tsp organic thyme
1 organic bay leaf
If you have frozen tomatoes, let them thaw overnight on the counter and remove the extra water for a thicker sauce. Saute the onions and sea salt in the fat and olive oil until soft. Add the garlic, spices and tomatoes. Let simmer until sauce thickens. If you have time, let the sauce sit overnight in the fridge to improve the flavor.

Beef Filling
2-3T pastured lard, tallow or schmaltz
1T organic virgin olive oil
1-2tsp sea salt
1 large organic onion, chopped
1 pound pastured ground beef, crumbled
1-2T organic paprika
1-3 cloves organic garlic, minced
1 organic hot pepper, to taste (optional)
Melt the fat and olive oil together and saute the onions, crumbled beef and sea salt until browned. At the end of the cooking add the garlic and paprika. Make the beef filling just before making the pizza so it is still warm.

Toppings
1/2 pound raw organic cheese, grated
fresh organic tomatoes, sweet onions, hot peppers, etc

Omelette Base
1T pastured lard, tallow or schmaltz
1T organic virgin olive oil
7 pastured eggs, beaten well
This omelette base is for two 12″ pizzas. Heat up the fat and olive oil in two 12″ cast iron fry pans. Put half the fat and oil in each fry pan. Beat the eggs well in a bowl. When the fry pans are hot add half the beaten eggs to each fry pan. Reduce the heat and cover until the eggs are cooked through. Do not overcook.

Remove from heat and spread the tomato sauce on each omelette base. It is best to have your tomato sauce and filling warm when you put it on the omelette base. Top with cheese and any fresh vegetables you want. Put in a preheated oven at 300?F for 10-15 minutes. Do not overcook your raw cheese if you want the best results. Let the pizzas sit on the counter for a few minutes before serving. This pizza can be eaten as a delicious cold snack.

I prefer using cast iron fry pans to avoid the dangers of Teflon. If you are wondering why I love cast iron pans please read My Mother’s Dutch Oven.