Favorite Recipes

These are some of my favorite recipes that I find myself going back to again and again. Some of them are from other websites and for those I just put in a link. (it will be in blue and you just click on the blue word) If I made modifications, which I do for many recipes, I consider it a reference and I'll link to the original, but put the recipe here.


Pumpkin Cheesecake 
from Learning Herbs

Crust:
1 cup ground nuts
1/2 c almond flour
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP honey or dropper of English Toffee stevia

Combine and press into pan.

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, room temperature
2 TBSP sour cream (I use kefir cream)
1+ TBSP honey, plus 3 droppers* Vanilla stevia, 1 dropper English Toffee stevia
2/3 c pureed pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the first three ingredients, then add in the others and stir. You can do this by hand, but using a stick blender or food processor is faster and easier. Pour this into the crust and bake 350 for an hour or until the middle is nearly solid. Cool 30 minutes, then refrigerate four hours until thoroughly chilled before serving.

Linda's Pumpkin Muffins,  original recipe HERE that uses honey instead of stevia

1 stick butter, melted (I put this in my Sun Oven as it's heating up), set aside to cool a bit, add at end.

1/2 can pumpkin, stir to smooth

6 eggs, beat into pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla (I make my own extract) add to above,

4 droppers (half way up the dropper) of English Toffee Stevia, add to above

4 droppers Vanilla Stevia, add to above.

      In a small bowl mix the dry ingredients all together:

1/2 c coconut flour (or 1/4 c almond flour, 1/4 c coconut flour)

1/2 tsp baking powder (original calls for baking soda, but I like the taste of baking powder better)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Combine the dry with the wet, then add in the melted butter. Mix thoroughly. Add nuts if desired (1/2 cup) and spoon into muffin cups. I use silicone muffin cups. Paper will stick when using coconut flour, so I don't recommend them. Bake 400 degrees for 15 - 19 min. Or until top is set and lightly browned. In the Sun Oven, it bakes at 300 - 350 for 45 min to 1-1/2 hrs depending. If you push on the top and they spring back, they're done. With the extra pumpkin, these are fairly moist.

Curtido

Or Spanish Kimchee from El Salvador

from https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/spanish-kimchi/

  (I have great respect for Donna Schwenk at culturedfoodlife.com and I post this with her kind permission. I looked at lots of Curtido recipes, but I like hers the best! I highly recommend you check out her website. I have no intention of going as deep as she does, and since she has such a great site, why should I duplicate it?)

¼ tsp Cutting Edge Cultures or ½ cup of kefir whey *** 

1 small head green cabbage

2 whole carrots

1 whole jalapeno, seeded cored and thinly slice

1 small onion

1 TBSP red pepper flakes

1 TBSP Mexican oregano

½ TBSP chili lime seasoning (Trader Joe's)

½ TBSP celtic sea salt

1. If using cutting Edge Starter Culture, place ½ cup water in a glass measuring cup. Then add the culture and stir until dissolved. Let the mixture sit while you chop your vegetables—anywhere between 5 and 15 min. If using kefir whey, add it when the recipe calls for culture in step 4.

***(I use 6 TBSP of juice left from using Bubbies live sauerkraut as my innoculator)

1. remove the outer leaves and the core from the cabbage, and shred or chop the rest. Place the cabbage in a large bowl.
2. shred or chop the carrots and onion, and add them to the bowl along with the jalapeno.
3. add vegetables to the bowl along with the red pepper flakes, oregano, chili lime salt, and celtic sea salt. Combine all ingredients.
4. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a half gallon glass or ceramic container that can be securely sealed and add the culture or kefir whey. (I use 2 quart jars so they will fit in my RV fridge.)
5. Press down firmly on the vegetables, then cover the vegetable with filtered water, leaving at least 2 inches of headroom at the top of the container. (I don't add any water, but I do add weights which help hold it all down under the liquid)
6. Seal the container and let it sit on your counter, out of direct sunlight, for 6 days.
7. Check the vegetables every day to make sure they stay fully submerged in water. If they have risen above the water, simply push them down so they are fully covered by the water. If any white yeast formed because the veggies rose above the water, do not worry. Remember, this isn't harmful. Just scoop out the vegetables that have molded and push the rest under the water. (I think this is Kahm yeast, but since I put weights in the jar, I can skip this step and just leave them alone for 6 days) 
8. After 6 days, place the vegetables in your refrigerator where they will last many months perfectly preserved. (except that you will likely eat them all up way before that!)

Kombucha Mustard Recipe

From Cultures for Health website

Ingredients

to ferment:

Whole mustard seeds, fill quart-sized jar ½ full

kombucha (to cover seeds)

¼ tsp sea salt

1 TBSP chili peppers, dried & chopped

To blend add:

1 TBSP Turmeric (adds yellow color plus nutrients)

1 TBSP honey or to taste

Use a glass container or crock (canning jars work well). Fill the container about half full of mustard seeds. Add sea salt to taste (about ¼ tsp per quart). Add well fermented kombucha tea to cove rthe seeds with about a half inch of liquid sitting on top of the seeds. Cover the container loosely. A loose lid, towel or paper coffee filter work well. Check the mustard seeds periodically and add more kombucha as necessary to keep them covered and moist. As the seeds absorb the kombucha they will swell and it is important to keep them sufficiently moist. In the first couple of hours I usually have to add more a couple of times. After a week or two the seeds will be soft and will pop when you bite them. At this point the seeds are ready for the blending stage but can continue to sit and ferment for up to a month if desired provided they are kept moist.

Once the seeds are sufficiently soft, use a food processor or blender (or stick blender) to blend the mixture to the desired consistency. More kombucha can be added to give the mustard a thinner consistency. Vinegar can also be added to increase the level of tang.

Customizing Your Mustard:

A number of herbs, spices and sweeteners can be added to create a custom taste.

Garlic cloves: can be added during the brewing process or the blending stage.

Chiles can be added during the brewing or blending stage.

Honey can be added during the blending stage

Turmeric adds a yellow color and can be added during blending

Your favorite herbs can be added during the brewing stage

Avocado Grasshoppers
https://raiasrecipes.com/2014/03/avocadograsshoppers.html
This is a favorite recipe that I take to potlucks and people really love them! The original recipe can be found HERE. The only change I make is that I cut down the honey and use stevia for at least half of it, and I also double the chocolate layer. Nobody seems to mind having a thicker chocolate layer! I find that using a food processor is the best way to do blend this.