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Saturday, June 16, 2012

Blueberry, lemon, coconut, kefir cheese cake



We have just finished devouring this tasty little treat. Oh it is so nice! i highly recommend you give it ago. Now there are a few steps to making it that take time, but aren't difficult, and once you give it ago you, like me will wonder why you didn't try making it before. :)

Crust
2 cups of Almonds, or almond meal
3 tbs of melted butter.
1 cup of dates

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, until fine crumb had developed.
2. Press into a well greased spring pan. Refrigerate until firm.

First Layer.
2 cups of Lemon Kefir cheese. - Instructions below
1 cup of Sour cream - Instructions below
Juice of one lemon
3TB coconut oil.
Beans of 2 vanilla bean pods.

Mix all ingredients together in a blender or with a hand blender. Pour 3/4 of the mixture over the base. Put in the freezer to set.

Second layer.
1 1/2 cups of blueberries
Remain mixture.

Blend mixture with a blender. I used a hand blender. Pour over the first layer, and set back into the freezer to set.

Within two hours your cheese cake will be set and it's time to enjoy. At room temp it will be a little runny, but still very enjoyable. Best served slightly frozen.


Lemon Kefir Cheese
This product is easy to make. Simple take you kefir once ready, Add the peel of a whole lemon, and store in the fridge for a second ferment over night. The next day, simply strain and hang through cheese cloth, tea towel, nut bag or pillow case. Let drip for around 8 hours.

Sour cream
Using 500mls of cream, pour into a glass jar, and stir in 1/4 of a cup of Kefir.
Leave at room temp. for 24 hours. Stir at least once or twice.
Refrigerate.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Health Consultations

Are you looking for help with your health questions? Would you like someone to talk with about natural options that might be available? Looking for Nutritional Advice? Well we may be an answer for you. We offer Nutritional and Health support via email. We aim to get back to you with in 24 hours with a reply.

Our Philosophy on health is that the body has been designed in such a way that it wants to heal itself and in the case on many of our modern illnesses, if you give it what it needs it can heal. However there are some disorders that one is born with, or due to accident or surgery can not be completely healed. We however help support the body the best ways we can, with the aim to do no further harm to it.

My husband and I are both studying natural health, herbal medicine, Nutrition, and Naturopath medicine.

We ourselves are on the GAPS Diet, which is a therapeutic diet, aimed at healing the gut, and re populating the flora. It is useful in the treatment of many conditions and aliments, like autism, schizophrenia, dyslexia, IBS, Cronin's, Food allergies, Arthritis, and heaps more. I'm happy to give advise on this program, however I must say that I am not yet a qualified GAPS Consultant.

We our selves currently have 6 children and can share with you natural treatments for many common child hood issues. We ourselves are not Vaxer but are happy to treat Vaxers and non Vaxers a like. However knowing your child's Vaccination status helps us to better treat your families issues.

We understand that your health concerns as a very personal matter and will keep all information in strict confidence.

We are offer this service at no charge, however you do ask that you consider giving us a donatation if you find the information useful. Thanks again look forward to hearing from you.

Christina Mathewson - christinamathewson@yahoo.com.au
Ben Mathewson - bnmathewson@yahoo.co.uk
Add Health Consult to you subject area.






Lacto Fermented Tomato Sauce



‎3 cups tomato paste
1/4 cup whey
1tb sea salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
‎1/4 ts Cayenne Pepper
3 peeled crushed garlic
1/2 cup fish sauce.
Mix all together in a glass jar, leave about an inch from the lid, put lid on and leave on the bench for two days and then store in the fridge and ready to eat.

My family enjoy it, and find it very close to the store bought tomato sauce, but abit more tomatoie, so nexttime I think I might use 1 cup of condensed tomato soup for one of the cups of tomatoe paste. But them again, I might find I don't need to when we make our own tomato pasta.

*If you are Lactose intolerant or don't use milk products you could also use water kefir instead of the whey, as your activing culture.

No knead Bucket Method - Sour Dough Bread Products


Ingredients
3 cups of sour dough starter
6 cups of water
3 tbs salt
13 cups of plain flour
5 litre bucket.

Start by mixing your wet ingredient in the bucket adding the salt.
Once well combined start adding the flour.
Add the first 10 cups and mix well until all combine, then the remaining 3 cups one at a time.
Trying to get rid of any lumps of flour.
Can be easier if you use your hands.

This mixture is a sticky mix, that is how it's meant to be so don't panic and add more flour.

Loose put lid on so the dough can breathe and put in the fridge overnight, or at least 8 hours.
Then it's ready to use.

Loaf
To make a Loaf of bread simply flour your hands and get out the desired amount for loaf, Place and lightly shape on an oiled pan for free form, trying not to remove too many air pockets, or put straight into an oiled loaf pan. No need to let rise but you can if wish. Whatever you have time for. I often put mine straight into the oven, and have never had a problem. Bake in a hot oven 220c-230c for 50 mins. turning the oven off and leave in the oven to cool for another 20 -30 minutes. Turn the loaf out and leave to cool completely. I have found with this loaf that it needs that cooling time to use finish the baking process all the way through.

Cinnamon Scrolls
Preheat the oven 220c-230c
Prepare baking pan/dish/pie dish, by add 1/4 cup of butter/coconut oil, and place in oven to melt.
Making sure to remove so you don't burn it.
Flour your work surface, then remove the desired amount to bread mix from the bucket.
slowly stretching the dough, in to a large rectangle shape. ( you can use a rolling pin but I have found slowly stretching and pressing the dough works just as well).
brush melted butter over the top of the dough, then sprinkle with a sweetener of your choice, brown sugar, raw, Rapadura, maple syrup, honey....
Then sprinkle with the desired amount of cinnamon, I like to add a little nutmeg as well.
Now if you have any extras that you like to add now is the time to do it, I have tried and like, cooked apples, pine nuts, sultana's, cashews, almonds, really what ever you like, dried apricots, coconut, cherries.etc
Slowly roll the dough over itself until you have made a log, which you then slice into your scrolls.
At this point you need to sprinkle some of your sweeteners to you butter mix in the pan. Brown sugar makes a toffee, you could use anything you like.
place the scrolls on there side, close together filling the pan.
Again you can let it rise if you wish or put in straight in the oven.
bake for 50 minutes, checking the middle ones of cooked through.
Now enjoy!

This dough will last 5 days, and can be used to may lots of bread creations, the imagination is the only limitation. However as the days go on the dough get sourer in flavour, so if you want to make sweet bread, it best to do so in the first few days of making it.

Recipe and Video demo can be found at www.gnowflins.com and highly recommend their sour dough e-course.


Blueberry Kefir Cake

Blueberry Kefir / Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients
125g Butter
1 Cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour
3ts baking powder- mix into flour.
3/4 Cup Yoghurt/kefir/butter milk (all work well, Whatever you have)
1 Cup of blueberries

Method
1. Preheat Oven to 180c. Grease Tin.
2. Using a mixer beater butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine.
4. Add half flour mix, and half yoghurt, mix until combine. Repeat with remaining flour and yoghurt.
5. Spread mixture into prepared pan, sprinkle with blueberries and press in a little.
6. Bake for 50 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. 7. Let cook in Pan befor turning out, and Sprinkle with icing Sugar.

* You can exchange the blueberries for any berries you would like.
**If you are out of Kefir then you can simply you yoghurt instead.

Ginger Carrots



4 cups of GratedCarrots, tightly packed
1Tb seasalt
1Table Spoon fresh grated ginger.
4Tbs whey (or an addintional Tbs of salt)

Method:
Mix all Ingredients in a bowl and pound with a wooden pounder, or food hammer to release juices.
Place in a one litre, wide mouth Jar, and press down firmly with pounder until the juices cover the Carrots.
Leave 3 cm between the top of the carrots and the top of the Jar.
Cover tightly and leave at room Temperature for three days before transferring to cold storage.

Ginger Carrots go well with rich food and spicy meats.

Making Whey!


Whey can be done several different ways, so depending on what dairy products you have one hand or what you are making with your Dairy depends on how you will make yours.

Very simply way is to leave raw, unpasteurised milk in a clean glass jar on the bench at room temperature for 1 -4 days, until it separates. You can also use Yoghurt, kefir, or buttermilk for this process, However you won't need to leave them to sour.
Then line a Large strainer over a bowl with Cheese Cloth, or a fresh clean dish/tea towel.
Sun drying kills any bacterial that might have been left behind from general washing, or Ironing will also kill anything growing or hiding.

Pour in the separated milk, yoghurt etc.
Cover and let stand at room temperature for several hours.
The Whey will begin to pass through the cloth, after a few hours gather the ends together and tie and Hang to allow the remaining whey to drip out, being careful not to squeeze.

When the Bag stops dripping you will have whey in your container and curds in your cloth.
Keep Whey in a clean Glass jar for up to a month.
Use it in Lacto-fermentation of vegetables, and Fruits.
Excess whey can be drunk for a great health boost, or added to cooking for soaking, anything that would use milk for.

Farmer Cheese - Using Milk Kefir



Ingredients
4 cups milk
1 cup Kefir/butter milk
2 tbs lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method
1. slowly heat milk in a sauce pan until it is almost boiling, there should be bubbles around and out side of the pan. Make sure it doesn't boil, but gets close.
2. remove from heat, add Kefir, and lemon juice, after a quick stir, set aside to cool for ten minutes.
3. cut curds with your spoon for utensils.
4. cover a strainer with cheese cloth/ or a tea towel, then pour cheese mix into the cheese cloth, tie ends together and allow to sit for 20 mintues, or until most of the whey has dripped out.
5. At this point open the cheese cloth and add your salt and any flavours that you would like, ie herbs, or fruit, and mix
6. Tie up again and hang so more of the whey can drip out.
7. When you are satisfied that all of the whey has been removed, untie and press into a mould refrigerate.
8. Tip cheese out of mould and serve. At this point savory cheese are nice to have drizzle of olive oil over the top. Or even sweet chilli sauce, Plum sauce. Whatever you like really!

Serve with crackers, vegetable sticks, fruit.

Enjoy your Farmers Cheese with friends!

Homemade Granola

6 Cups of rolled Oats
1/4 cup of whey or milk kefir
3/4 cup honey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup Raisins/ Dried Fruit

Method
1. Mix together all the ingredients except for raisins and coconut
2. Cover the bowl of sticky mixture, and let sit out on the counter overnight (sit for 7-30 hours)
3. Mix the oats mixture, and spread on to a large baking tray/pan
4. Bake at 140-160 for 15mins
5. Stir and bake for another 15 mins.
6. If the mixture has turned a light brown or golden then it's done. If not, then mix it again and put back into the over for another 15 minutes. Continue until done.
7. Pour the mix into a bowl, and mix in the raisins and cocnut. Let cool
8. Eat, Store, Eat. Serve with yoghurt, milk, Juice, Fresh Fruit, what ever you prefer.

* With this recipe add whatever your family likes. Dried Fruits, Nuts, Nutmeg. If you do add nuts, or other grains, be sure to add them at the start so they go through the soaking phrase. This is a great breakfast for those days when you really don't feel like preparing much, or you have a busy morning and need to get going, with out having to compromise the nutritional content.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

GAPS Coconut Treats



These coconut treats a Full Gaps legal. As my children are coming along for the right on this diet with us, from time to time I like to make some little treats for them to enjoy. As Full Gaps has so many yummy food, and treats that they we don't normally try, so in a creative moment I put this on together. I have used a Thermomix to put it together but you could use any food processor, or some times and a good knife.

Ingredients
One young coconut
300grams Blanched Almonds
200grams Dates
200grams crushed peanuts.

Open a young coconut and drain out the water, drink or set aside for another use. Remove all the flesh from the coconut, and put into the blender with Almonds and Dates. Blend until coming to together and slightly sticky, add a little warm water if needed. Line the inside of a slice tin with grease proof paper, and sprinkle with half the peanut mix. Press the mixture into the tray on top of the peanuts, cover with the remaining peanuts, and press in. Put in the freezer for an hour to set. Take out of tin and slice into bite size squares.

These little squares are packed full of goodness, and a tasty little treat for young and old. Here is one of my blessings enjoying it.

GAPS Grain Free Chicken Nuggets



Chicken Nuggets are a favorite in most household containing children, and our home is no different. Pre GAPS our children would have enjoyed these from either KFC or McDonalds. Since we haven't eaten any food like that for the last 48 days, this tasty little treat is something that they haven't enjoyed for a little while. So tonight I thought I would brave a grain free version on them. Oh boy these were tasty, and everyone agreed that they were way better than any we had brought at a takeaway shop!.


Garam Masala
Ingredients
2 cinnamon sticks
8 Cardamom pods
2 Tbs whole coriander seeds
1 Tbs whole cloves
1 Tbs Cumin seeds
1 Tbs Black pepper
2 bay leaves

Put all the ingredients into a blender, food processer, or Thermomix and grind to get a powder.

Chicken Nugget
Ingredient
1 kg of Chicken mince
1 egg
1 Onion
5 cloves of Garlic
1 TB Salt
1 Table spoon of Garam Masala
1 tsp. of Sweet Paprika
300gram of Almond meal/flour
Ghee, Lard, or coconut oil for frying.

Mix all the ingredients (except Almond meal and oil) together in a bowl. In another bowl have the almond meal ready for rolling the nuggets in. Using a heaped tsp of chicken mixture roll and then coat them in the almond flour, pressing into the nugget shape and setting aside on a tray. Once all the balls have been rolled and coated, heat a frying pan with your chosen oil, and fry until golden brown on both sides. lightly salt and serve.

My children have told me that is recipe is a new family favorite or ours. I think we will be eating this one for many years to come, even if we are not on GAPS anymore. :0)