Making Almond Milk.

Sweet Almond Milk

 Nothing is quite like a cool glass of smooth sweet almond milk.  Made from alkaline almonds, it contributes to a healthy pH balance in the body, facilitating digestion and overall well-being.  A boon for those with lactose-intolerance, or for people wanting to avoid the acid-producing effects of dairy products, almond milk can be used in recipes where cow's milk is called for.  Its nutritional profile is superior to that of  milk, and contains none of the antibiotics, steroids, and hormones found in dairy products.

Almonds before soaking and sprouting

Almonds after soaking and sprouting

Almonds in water

Soaked almonds plumped and ready to use

You'll need:  1/2 cup of soaked and sprouted almonds, 2 cups of water.

Almonds and water in blender

 Method:  Place almonds in blender; add 4 cups of water and process at low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed. 

A Blender-full of Sweet Almond Milk

Blend for 1-2 minutes, depending on the strength of your blender. 

Almond milk and pulp

Strain milk through fine-mesh sieve, in a nut bag or through several layers of cheese cloth.

Ready for the Refrigerator

Pour into containers, and store in fridge for up to 1 week. 

Almond Milk and Soaked Almonds

Reserve almond pulp for other uses: used fresh, it can be added to cookie or muffin mixes, cake batter or incorporated into veggie patties; it also can be dehydrated and ground into almond flour, or sweetened with maple syrup or agave, it is easily dehydrated and added to granola.

AMAZING ALMONDS

Almonds are a wonderful addition to any diet. Each small seed contains a large concentration of nutrients and healthy fiber.  About 1/5 of their weight is protein. 

The almond is actually a member of the plum family and is a close cousin to the apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, and plum.  Rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, almonds are a source of sustainable energy.  Almonds contain nutrients from the B-complex group -- riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, pantothenic acid, vitamin B-6, and folates. These vitamins act as co-factors for enzymes during cellular substrate metabolism.  Almonds also are an excellent source of vitamin E which is a powerful lipid soluble antioxidant required for maintaining the integrity of cell membrane of mucus membranes and skin.  It provides protection from harmful oxygen free radicals. Almonds are a reliable source of mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Oleic and palmitoleic acids in almonds assist in lowering LDL ("bad" cholesterol)  and increase HDL ("good" cholesterol), promoting a healthy blood lipid profile.  Recent research studies suggest that foods rich in monounsaturated fatty acids help prevent coronary artery disease and strokes. Also, almonds alkalinize the blood, and help balance the acidity in many of the foods we eat. In addition, almonds are a prolific source of minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium.

Also almonds are gluten-free and lactose-free, making them a healthy alternative for people with celiac disorder or allergic reactions to milk, wheat, and gluten.  Although allergists often classify the almond as a tree nut (and it is possible to be allergic to almonds)  many people who are able to eat peaches or the other foods in the prunus botanical family can enjoy almonds without an adverse reaction, benefiting from their high-integrity nutrition.    

Almonds, like all seeds and nuts, can be made even more healthful with soaking and sprouting. The almond has an enzyme-prohibiting compound in its skin which slows digestion, but it is broken down and wicked away during the soaking process.  Since almonds are dense nuts, they should be soaked for 6 - 12 hours. Drained and rinsed, almonds can be stored in the fridge for at least a week.  Plump with fresh water, the almonds sprout (begin the germination process) which increases the bio-availability of nutrients and facilitates their digestibility as metabolic change at a cellular level initiates the breakdown of complex compounds into their more simple components. Soaked and sprouted almonds have a light, delicately sweet flavor, a slightly crunchy texture and an easily digested matrix of enzymes, vitamins, and minerals.

Coming soon:  Making Almond Milk   

Spicy Teff-Stuffed Mushrooms

Spicy Teff-stuffed Mushrooms

These tasty mushroom are about as easy as an appetizer gets to prepare and to eat! Red pepper, ginger root, tamari and nutty teff add an interesting blend of flavors and a contrast of texture to entertain the mouth. Serve these delicious mushrooms with a plate of fresh basil leaves for wrapping and wedges of fresh lemon for spritzing, and you have the ultimate in finger food. Alternately, these make a great side dish to enhance the taste and variety of a Sunday brunch or light supper.

You'll need: 10 - 12 baby or button mushrooms, 1 tablespoon teff seed, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon tamari sauce, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger root, 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon finely minced basil, 1/4 teaspoon each dried thyme, summer savory and oregano, whole fresh basil, lemon wedges

The Marinade: Whisk olive oil together with tamari and lemon juice.  Mix in crushed and chopped garlic clove, chili pepper flakes, finely chopped ginger root and dried herbs.

The Mushrooms: Lightly rinse and wipe small mushrooms. Remove stems from caps.

White Button Mushrooms are ideal for miniature appetizers

Place the stems and caps in marinade, coating them well. Allow to sit in marinade for at least 20 minutes (or overnight) in fridge.

Place mushrooms in Marinade and Coat well

 The Stuffing: Remove the mushrooms from the marinade, and set caps, cavity-side up, on a baking sheet. Chop stems in very small pieces, and set 1/4 of them aside, returning remainder of chopped stems to the marinade. 

Lightly grind or crack teff seed

Lightly grind the teff seed in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, and put into the marinade. Add finely minced fresh basil leaves, and stir all ingredients together.

Using a spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous portion of teff-mushroom stem marinade, and top each cap with a sprinkling of reserved stems. 

 Baby Mushroom Caps are A Perfect Match for Tiny Teff

To Cook:

Bake in a moderate oven, at 375 degrees, until mushroom

caps are juicy, and cooked to your preference.The teff will soften and swell, but will retain a delightful crunch, its nutty texture complementing the soft, chewy mushroom caps.

Crispy and Chewy, Spicy and Sweetly Savory

To Serve: Place mushroom caps on a small plate with fresh basil leaves and lemon wedges.

With Zesty Lemon Wedge & Fresh Basil Leaves

To Eat: Spritz a teff-stuffed mushroom cap with fresh lemon juice and wrap in a basil leaf.  Pop into your mouth, and enjoy.  Alternately, you could serve these spicy appetizers on pieces of brown bread, or simply eat with a knife and fork.

Teff's Nutritional Profile

Nutrition Facts Serving Size	approx. 1/4 cup (45g)
Amount Per Serving Calories 160	Fat Cal. 10
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.0g	2%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 5mg	0%
Potassium 220mg
Total Carb. 32g	11%
Dietary Fiber 6g	24%
Sugars 0g

Teff: An Ancient Grain for Contemporary Cuisine

Teff is one of my favorite grains to cook, and to eat.  It is a tiny, tiny grain about the size of a poppy seed and has a mild, nutty flavor with a slightly sweet taste. An well-known organic chef describes it as "reminiscent of chocolate, hazelnuts, and molasses" (Leslie Cerier. Gluten-free Recipes for the Conscious Cook, p. 21)  The grain comes in a variety of colors, from white and red to dark brown, and the lighter the seed, the milder the flavor.  

Field of Teff

Described as eco-friendly, Teff grows well in a wide variety of farming conditions from arid to very wet or marginal land. This ancient grain clearly is a better choice for the environment than many chemical-dependent modern hybrid grains. Indigenous to the hills of Ethiopia and Eritrea, teff can withstand high heat, and bright sunlight, thriving in unpredictable and difficult climates. The heritage grain traces its history back thousands of years to the  ancient civilizations of Abyssinia.  I’ve been told that the word ‘teff’ means  ‘lost’ , the grain being so small that if it is ever dropped, it  is lost and gone.

• Three thousand grains of teff weigh one gram

  
The semi-nomadic peoples of the regions were able to easily carry enough seed in their peregrinations  to sow adequate crops to feed their community. Today  teff still comprises the staple grain of the cuisine of modern Ethiopian and Eritrean, and ex-patriot communities world-wide. For most people, a taste of teff is truly 'love at first bite'. Like all other grains, teff's nutrients concentrate in the germ and the bran.  Because of its tiny size, the germ and the bran make up almost the whole grain. Since teff is too small to hull or  refine, it maintains its nutritional integrity as a whole grain in whatever form it is found. 

Tiny grains of Teff

 Since it is a nutritional powerhouse, people with special dietary considerations and many professional athletes enjoy including Teff in their diets. Not only does this ancient grain have a delicious flavor, but also it is gluten-free, and provides the body with readily available, easily-digested protein and high quality complex carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and fiber. 

An 8-ounce serving of teff seed

An eight-ounce serving of teff  provides 32% of the RDA for calcium, 80% RDA for iron, and contains 28 grams of protein. Teff is low in fat (4 grams per 8-ounce serving), high in fiber (36 grams per 8-ounce serving), and is a good source of niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese, boron, phosphorous and potassium.  

Grinding Teff into Whole Grain Flour

Ground into flour, teff is extraordinarily versatile.   In Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisines, it is used to make traditional large flat sour dough called injera.This bread is cooked on one side, and full of air-bubble holes on the other, much like an English crumpet. Injera has a nutty, tangy taste that complements most flavors, particularly the exotic spices of  this African cuisine. A variety of spicy entrées, and a wat or thick vegetable stew are served on top of the bread. 

Injera, a teff flour sour dough bread

 Instead of cutlery, pieces of injera are used to scoop up the various dishes, often from a central platter. 

Coming soon: An Excellent Appetizer 

"Teff-stuffed Mushrooms"

A Cabbage Casserole with Grilled Vegetables and Deep Fried Tofu

Piping hot from the oven and ready to serve

  A delightful one-dish meal, this cabbage casserole is chock-full of tasty deep fried tofu, grilled mushrooms and marinaded vegetables.  Easy to make, this recipe is a perfect choice for a chilly winter's day, keeping the cold at bay with its nutrient-rich ingredients and spicy flavor. 

Local organic ingredients

You'll need:  1 1/2 cups thinly sliced cabbage, 1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots, 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, 1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup cubed zucchini, 1 tablespoon lightly chopped garlic pearls or 1 garlic clove,  1/2 cup cubed deep fried tofu, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil,  1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger root, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon agave syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano and thyme, 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt.

cabbage noodles

The Noodles:  

Slice cabbage into long thin strips to resemble  noodles.  Coarsely grate  the carrots. Crush and lightly chop garlic pearls, or garlic clove. Stir together apple cider vinegar, agave syrup, and water.  Place vegetables in an oven-proof dish and pour over cabbage-carrot mixture.  Sprinkle with salt, dried oregano and thyme.

Cabbage and carrots ready for the oven

Cover dish and bake in moderate oven (350') for 20-30 minutes until cabbage is soft and slightly translucent.  Cabbage and carrot will become sweeter with baking.  Remove from oven and set aside while vegetables are grilling.

Marinaded vegetables ready for Grilling

The Vegetables: 
While cabbage is cooking, whisk lemon juice and olive oil together.  Add chopped ginger root and dried red chili pepper flakes. Add thinly sliced mushrooms, quartered cherry tomatoes, and cubed zucchini to the dressing.  Let vegetables marinade until cabbage is ready to remove from oven. Transfer vegetables to broiling pan, and grill until tomatoes are bubbling, and mushrooms are juicy. 

Deep Fried Tofu

The Tofu:
Cut deep fried tofu into small cubes.

Adding Tofu and Vegetables

To Assemble:
When grilled vegetables are ready, add them and the tofu to cabbage and carrot mix. Carefully stir ingredients together, cover and return to oven (350) for 5 minutes to blend flavors and heat through. 

A warming meal for a chilly winter's day

To Serve:
Enjoy this filling casserole on its own for a light lunch, or serve with a garden salad and brown bread for a more substantial supper.

The Great Green Salad with Avocado Rings

Sometimes there isn't anything nicer to eat than a great green salad, full of crunch and alive with flavour.This bowl of salad is bursting with nutrition, and a delightful dressing combination of cumin, cayenne and citrus spices up an already intriguing taste.  Garnish the salad bowl with pretty green avocado-cherry tomato rings, making a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue.

Great Greens with Avocado and Mandarin Orange

You'll need: 1 medium zucchini, 2 broccoli stalks, 1 small cucumber, 2 cups of mixed greens (napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, baby spinach) 1/2 cup soaked and sprouted sunflower seeds, 2 oranges, 2 avocados, 2 t cumin powder, 1 t coriander powder, 1 t dried oregano, 1 t dried thyme, 1/2 t summer savory, cayenne pepper to taste, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 T olive oil, cherry tomatoes, salt, black pepper.

Dried herbs in lemon-cumin dressing with Sunflower seeds

The Dressing:  In a serving bowl, whisk lemon juice and oil together with dried oregano, thyme, summer savory, and cayenne pepper.  Add sunflower seeds and mix well, allowing ingredients to marinade.

Add two diced oranges to the bowl.

     

 

Wash the zucchini, and grate into the dressing in bowl. Mix well.

Wash and pat dry romaine lettuce, napa cabbage and baby spinach. Stack 2 -3 of each kind of leaf, and roll them up into a cylinder.  Cut each roll once lengthwise, and then slice crosswise into thin  strips. Wash and dice the cucumber. Peel broccoli stalks and chop into small pieces.  Add mixed greens,cucumber, broccoli pieces, and avocado (see garnish below) to salad and toss ingredients together.

The Avocado Garnish: Cut the avocados in half width-wise and remove pit.  Peel each half, and carefully slice across the avocado to create rings.  Chop solid top and bottom avocado segments into cubes, and add these to the salad along with the mixed greens.  Spritz the rings with lemon juice and a twist of freshly-cracked black pepper. Cut cherry tomatoes into halves.

 
To Serve: Arrange the avocado rounds on top of the salad, placing a cheery tomato in the center of each round. Dust salad with a sprinkling of coriander powder.