I bought the marrow bones, meaty bones and knuckle bone from Anderson Farm last weekend and made the Nourishing Traditions Beef Stock (page 122). It wasn't as daunting as I had expected. You want to know something? That large pot sat on my stove at a low temp for TWO DAYS! I loved the process and watching the different stages of this mess of gelatinous goop develop. Not to mention the fact that my mom's dog, Daisy, was drooling for hours and hours at the smell. We gave her the bone marrow and left over meat from the meaty bones and we remarked that, by eating this, she would probably revert back to being puppy and jump out of her 15-year-old arthritic body. What a lucky dog she is!
I strained the goopy goop after two days and, what do you know, it turned into beef broth! Broth that no one can ever purchase at a store. A life-giving, super-powered, primitive broth with all the good stuff our bodies need. It's so much like gold to me that I'm afraid to use it up - how can I possibly ever let myself run out of this stuff?
Chicken stock is next on my list (but not this weekend). Maybe I'll purchase one of Sweetland Farm's stew chickens, which, by the way, I saw alive pecking in the dirt just several weekends ago. Now they've been sacrificed for the greater good.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Grass Fed Beef Cheesy Enchiladas
I know, I'm getting caught up on my posts and recipes from this last week. My mom and I ate these enchiladas for several days worth of lunches and they are still some left in the fridge. YUM, YUM, YUM and easy! The recipe is vague (except the sauce) because I pretty much wing it every time.
Grass Fed Beef Cheesy Enchiladas
Red Enchilada Sauce (from Nourishing Traditions, page 156 - I omit the chilies because I want my munchkin to eat it too)
Sprouted corn tortillas (Food for Life brand from Lakewinds or you can get them online)
Sweetland Farm ground beef, browned
chopped onions
sliced green onions
sour cream (lots)
Castle Rock white cheddar, shredded (we used about 10 oz)
sea salt
pepper
all-purpose seasoning (I've been using Kirkland Organic Seasoning Blend)
Brown the ground beef with onions. Let cool slightly. Mix together shredded cheese, sour cream green onions and seasonings. Be liberal on the sour cream. I ran short this last time and it was as creamy, but you also don't want to add too much or the enchiladas won't hold together and they'll be runny.
Mix beef mixture into cheese/sour cream mixture. Slightly heat corn tortillas or they might break when you roll them. Butter a large casserole or 9 x13 pan and spread a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Load up your pan with stuffed tortillas and top with sauce, leaving some of the edges of the tortillas exposed so they get crunchy. Add more cheese on top of the sauce. Bake for a while at 350 - at least 35 - 45 minutes, until brown and bubbly.
Grass Fed Beef Cheesy Enchiladas
Red Enchilada Sauce (from Nourishing Traditions, page 156 - I omit the chilies because I want my munchkin to eat it too)
Sprouted corn tortillas (Food for Life brand from Lakewinds or you can get them online)
Sweetland Farm ground beef, browned
chopped onions
sliced green onions
sour cream (lots)
Castle Rock white cheddar, shredded (we used about 10 oz)
sea salt
pepper
all-purpose seasoning (I've been using Kirkland Organic Seasoning Blend)
Brown the ground beef with onions. Let cool slightly. Mix together shredded cheese, sour cream green onions and seasonings. Be liberal on the sour cream. I ran short this last time and it was as creamy, but you also don't want to add too much or the enchiladas won't hold together and they'll be runny.
Mix beef mixture into cheese/sour cream mixture. Slightly heat corn tortillas or they might break when you roll them. Butter a large casserole or 9 x13 pan and spread a small amount of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Load up your pan with stuffed tortillas and top with sauce, leaving some of the edges of the tortillas exposed so they get crunchy. Add more cheese on top of the sauce. Bake for a while at 350 - at least 35 - 45 minutes, until brown and bubbly.
Smoked Anderson Farm Porkchops
We made pork chops from Anderson Farm last weekend. While we were sitting down to eat, two deer walked through our back yard - only happens once or twice a year here in the city. A deer was also in our back yard the following day.
I can't report all of the details of how to smoke/grill the pork chops because my husband did that part and I wasn't paying attention. Here's what we generally did:
Marinate the pork chops in honey/soy sauce mixture. Way more honey than soy sauce. Marinate both sides for at least 2-4 hours.
Grill at high heat to sear both sides and lock in the juice. Low temp/smoke the rest of the way (hubby smoked on the grill this time). These were the best pork chops we had ever tasted - very juicy and tender.
I can't report all of the details of how to smoke/grill the pork chops because my husband did that part and I wasn't paying attention. Here's what we generally did:
Marinate the pork chops in honey/soy sauce mixture. Way more honey than soy sauce. Marinate both sides for at least 2-4 hours.
Grill at high heat to sear both sides and lock in the juice. Low temp/smoke the rest of the way (hubby smoked on the grill this time). These were the best pork chops we had ever tasted - very juicy and tender.
Grilled Sprouted Flour Pizza!
I've been making pizza crust from Summer's Sprouted Wheat Flour in the oven, which is delicious. But last summer, I made grilled pizza all the time and I wanted to try it with sprouted flour this year. It turned out wonderfully! I was a little worried about the dough being too tough and dry or too wet to manage on the grill. I used the same recipe I used last summer, and substituted the bread flour with sprouted flour. My recipe and technique is below.
Grilled Pizza Dough (adapted from Cook's Illustrated, "Summer Grilling")
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for oiling)
1 c water at room temp
2 c sprouted flour, plus a few tablespoons to add
2 tsp rapadura (honey would also work)
1 /14 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dry yeast
Combine oil and water in liquid measuring cup. In food processor fitted with plastic dough blade or metal blade, process flour, sugar, salt and yeast until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine running, slowly add liquid through feed tube; continue to process until dough forms tacky, elastic ball that clears the sides of workbowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. If dough ball does not form, add more flour 1 tbsp at a time and process until dough ball forms. Coat a medium bowl with olive oil and transfer dough to bowl and press down to flatten surface; cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (In my case, my dough wasn't doubling after 2 hours, so I turned on the oven and set my bowl on the stove for another 30 minutes - it was just enough warmth to get it to rise to the right size.)
When dough has doubled, press down gently to deflate; turn dough onto floured work surface (I used regular spelt flour for this - I didn't necessarily want to add more sprouted wheat to my dough in case it would get tough.) Divide into 2 or 4 pieces, depending on how big you want your pizzas to be. Press dough rounds with hand to flatten, cover loosely with plastic wrap (or dish towel) and let rest for about 15 minutes (you can skip this part if you are short on time).
Roll out your dough with a rolling pin and stretch it to be at least 1/4 inch or less in thickness. HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART of this recipe. Put a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on a large cookie sheet and oil it. Transfer your pizza crust to a cookie sheet and brush the top of the dough with more olive oil. After your grill is heated to 350 degrees, take the dough on parchment paper and turn it over onto the grill grate. Remove the paper and brush olive oil onto the dough facing up. Cook for at least 10 minutes. Flip the dough over when it looks browned and starting to get crusty. Cook at least another 10 minutes. Now add your toppings (see below). We like our crust to be firm and crispy, so I kept it on the grill a little longer. I have finished our pizza off in the oven or you can do it on the grill, but the toppings won't get brown - just melty. If you finish it in the oven, crank up the temp to 425 degrees so your toppings melt and get really brown and bubbly. You can then broil it if the cheese needs more browning.
Toppings we used last night
Tom made an alfredo-type sauce:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. spelt flour
1 1/2 c. milk (thanks, Sweetland!)
sea salt
garlic, pressed
pepper
white pepper
organic seasoning
Melt butter, add flour and whisk until incorporated and bubbly. Add milk slowly while whisking - sauce gets thick quickly. Add your other ingredients. If sauce gets too thick, add a little more milk. It should be fairly thick to add as a topping for pizza.
Anderson Farm beef kielbasa (grilled from the night before and sliced thinly)
Caramelized onions and mushrooms
Fresh mozzarella
Organic Valley mozzarella
Shredded Parmesan
dried basil
We also made, for the second night in a row, our green beans:
Steamed organic green beans
sea salt
grated Parmesan cheese
cream
butter
pepper
heat until melded together.
I was really impressed that the dough held up on the grill and it was a nice firm, crunchy consistency. While we ate our dinner, I was remarking to myself how blessed we are to sit here and eat this wonderfully good food!
Grilled Pizza Dough (adapted from Cook's Illustrated, "Summer Grilling")
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for oiling)
1 c water at room temp
2 c sprouted flour, plus a few tablespoons to add
2 tsp rapadura (honey would also work)
1 /14 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dry yeast
Combine oil and water in liquid measuring cup. In food processor fitted with plastic dough blade or metal blade, process flour, sugar, salt and yeast until combined, about 5 seconds. With machine running, slowly add liquid through feed tube; continue to process until dough forms tacky, elastic ball that clears the sides of workbowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. If dough ball does not form, add more flour 1 tbsp at a time and process until dough ball forms. Coat a medium bowl with olive oil and transfer dough to bowl and press down to flatten surface; cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (In my case, my dough wasn't doubling after 2 hours, so I turned on the oven and set my bowl on the stove for another 30 minutes - it was just enough warmth to get it to rise to the right size.)
When dough has doubled, press down gently to deflate; turn dough onto floured work surface (I used regular spelt flour for this - I didn't necessarily want to add more sprouted wheat to my dough in case it would get tough.) Divide into 2 or 4 pieces, depending on how big you want your pizzas to be. Press dough rounds with hand to flatten, cover loosely with plastic wrap (or dish towel) and let rest for about 15 minutes (you can skip this part if you are short on time).
Roll out your dough with a rolling pin and stretch it to be at least 1/4 inch or less in thickness. HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART of this recipe. Put a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on a large cookie sheet and oil it. Transfer your pizza crust to a cookie sheet and brush the top of the dough with more olive oil. After your grill is heated to 350 degrees, take the dough on parchment paper and turn it over onto the grill grate. Remove the paper and brush olive oil onto the dough facing up. Cook for at least 10 minutes. Flip the dough over when it looks browned and starting to get crusty. Cook at least another 10 minutes. Now add your toppings (see below). We like our crust to be firm and crispy, so I kept it on the grill a little longer. I have finished our pizza off in the oven or you can do it on the grill, but the toppings won't get brown - just melty. If you finish it in the oven, crank up the temp to 425 degrees so your toppings melt and get really brown and bubbly. You can then broil it if the cheese needs more browning.
Toppings we used last night
Tom made an alfredo-type sauce:
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. spelt flour
1 1/2 c. milk (thanks, Sweetland!)
sea salt
garlic, pressed
pepper
white pepper
organic seasoning
Melt butter, add flour and whisk until incorporated and bubbly. Add milk slowly while whisking - sauce gets thick quickly. Add your other ingredients. If sauce gets too thick, add a little more milk. It should be fairly thick to add as a topping for pizza.
Anderson Farm beef kielbasa (grilled from the night before and sliced thinly)
Caramelized onions and mushrooms
Fresh mozzarella
Organic Valley mozzarella
Shredded Parmesan
dried basil
We also made, for the second night in a row, our green beans:
Steamed organic green beans
sea salt
grated Parmesan cheese
cream
butter
pepper
heat until melded together.
I was really impressed that the dough held up on the grill and it was a nice firm, crunchy consistency. While we ate our dinner, I was remarking to myself how blessed we are to sit here and eat this wonderfully good food!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Anderson Farm Visit This Weekend
This weekend, we attended the Anderson Farm Open House (pictures at right). Lynn loves to cook and also offers cooking classes at the farm. Like Sweetland Farm, Randy and Lynn are completely dedicated to raising chemical-free animals who are free to range and seem very happy! On our way to the farm yesterday, we categorized the cows we saw as "happy cows" who were freely grazing on grass and those who were "sad cows" and were penned up in a feed lot.
Needless to say, we bought LOTS of meat and Anderson yesterday - a 1/4 hog (included pork chops, ribs, hams, pork roast, bacon, pork sausage), beef kielbasa, ground beef and more. We ate the bacon this morning and it was so completely different than other bacon you can purchase - delicious! I also purchased several types of beef bones as I'm going to attempt to make my own beef broth today. I'll let you know how it goes - for some reason, I'm a little nervous about it.
Needless to say, we bought LOTS of meat and Anderson yesterday - a 1/4 hog (included pork chops, ribs, hams, pork roast, bacon, pork sausage), beef kielbasa, ground beef and more. We ate the bacon this morning and it was so completely different than other bacon you can purchase - delicious! I also purchased several types of beef bones as I'm going to attempt to make my own beef broth today. I'll let you know how it goes - for some reason, I'm a little nervous about it.
Sweetland Farm Visit Last Week
Last weekend my son and I made a visit to Sweetland Farm in Menonomie, WI (link and pictures at right) and yesterday our whole family visited Anderson Farm in Arkansaw, WI (link and pictures are also at right). Getting to know these farmers is part of the whole picture for me. You see first-hand what the animals are eating, how they are being treated and the overall dedication of these farmers to provide good food.
Sweetland Farm is an amazing place. Check out their farm store sometime - they sell milk, cream, buttermilk, yogurt, eggs, home-made kombucha, olive oil, celtic sea salt, Organic Valley butter, pure maple syrup, grass-fed ground beef and...soon chicken again (see the little chicks at right). Sweetland eggs are the best I have ever eaten. When you crack one open, the deep orange color reminds you of how much omega 3 is sitting in these things!
I'm part of a local group that takes turns picking up bi-weekly orders for everyone so we can share the cost of the gas. Karen and Dave have a list of the Twin Cities driving share groups and maybe you would consider joining one near you.
Sweetland Farm is an amazing place. Check out their farm store sometime - they sell milk, cream, buttermilk, yogurt, eggs, home-made kombucha, olive oil, celtic sea salt, Organic Valley butter, pure maple syrup, grass-fed ground beef and...soon chicken again (see the little chicks at right). Sweetland eggs are the best I have ever eaten. When you crack one open, the deep orange color reminds you of how much omega 3 is sitting in these things!
I'm part of a local group that takes turns picking up bi-weekly orders for everyone so we can share the cost of the gas. Karen and Dave have a list of the Twin Cities driving share groups and maybe you would consider joining one near you.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Pot Roast to Die For
Today, I made Thousand Hills pot roast. I have a recipe from Eat Fat to Lose Fat by Mary Enig that is wonderful. You may copy my adaptation from below. While this was an EXCELLENT meal, I have a huge problem with one of my ingredients: I have yet to make beef broth from Nourishing Traditions, so I had to punt with what I had left in my pantry. I used Pacific "ORGANIC" Beef Broth - well, never mind the term "organic" in this product - it was full of fake ingredients, including autolyzed yeast extract. I'm seriously disgusted with the food industry and am in amazement that companies can continue to put this crap in food. Anyway, if you have to use a store-bought beef broth, choose Health Valley (blessed by Sally Fallon). I have beef broth on my cooking to do list in the very near future.
Pot Roast with Coconut Gravy & Veggies
(adapted from Eat Fat to Lose Fat by Mary Enig)
2 lbs grassfed chuck roast
1 c raw red wine vinegar (I used Eden)
1/2 c flour (I used spelt)
sea salt
pepper
pepper corns
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 tablespoons coconut oil (unrefined, organic - I used Wilderness Family Naturals) or you can use organic unfiltered olive oil
1 c red wine
2-3 c beef stock (use stock you make from Nourishing Traditions or Health Valley)
2 slivers of orange peel
1 lb carrots, cut or baby
1 lb potatoes, cut
1 quarted onion
2-3 stalks of celery
1 can of organic coconut milk
3 tblsp butter
1/8 c arrowroot powder
Tenderize the meat with a fork or jacquard utensil. Marinate beef in the red wine vinegar, in a bowl, on your counter for 2 hours. Remove from bowl and pat dry. Coat both sides with sea salt, pepper and flour. Place coconut oil or olive oil in a dutch oven pan and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and add the remaining flour. After incorporating the flour in the fat, add red wine and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the beef stock, orange peel, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns and return to a boil. Add roast, cover and place in a 300 degree oven. Cook for 2 hours, flip roast over and then add the carrots, potatoes, celery and onions. Cook for two more hours (check the tenderness). Remove all meat and veggies and set aside. Add can of coconut milk and simmer. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and peppercorns. Add butter and disolved arrowroot powder (disolve in water).
Yum!
Pot Roast with Coconut Gravy & Veggies
(adapted from Eat Fat to Lose Fat by Mary Enig)
2 lbs grassfed chuck roast
1 c raw red wine vinegar (I used Eden)
1/2 c flour (I used spelt)
sea salt
pepper
pepper corns
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, smashed
4 tablespoons coconut oil (unrefined, organic - I used Wilderness Family Naturals) or you can use organic unfiltered olive oil
1 c red wine
2-3 c beef stock (use stock you make from Nourishing Traditions or Health Valley)
2 slivers of orange peel
1 lb carrots, cut or baby
1 lb potatoes, cut
1 quarted onion
2-3 stalks of celery
1 can of organic coconut milk
3 tblsp butter
1/8 c arrowroot powder
Tenderize the meat with a fork or jacquard utensil. Marinate beef in the red wine vinegar, in a bowl, on your counter for 2 hours. Remove from bowl and pat dry. Coat both sides with sea salt, pepper and flour. Place coconut oil or olive oil in a dutch oven pan and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and add the remaining flour. After incorporating the flour in the fat, add red wine and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the beef stock, orange peel, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns and return to a boil. Add roast, cover and place in a 300 degree oven. Cook for 2 hours, flip roast over and then add the carrots, potatoes, celery and onions. Cook for two more hours (check the tenderness). Remove all meat and veggies and set aside. Add can of coconut milk and simmer. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and peppercorns. Add butter and disolved arrowroot powder (disolve in water).
Yum!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Dinner on May 12
I don't know how to begin my first blog, so I will start by sharing what I made for dinner tonight:
Homemade chicken "nuggets" with teriyaki dipping sauce and sweet corn.
Chicken:
- Free-range chicken breast
- Free-range eggs
- Sprouted flour
- Sprouted flour bread crumbs
- Butter and olive oil for frying
- Sea salt and pepper
Teryiaki Sauce:
- San-J natural low sodium soy sauce
- Rapadura
- grated ginger
- garlic
- arrowroot powder
Cascadian Farms sweet corn with gobs of butter and sea salt (not in season yet - can't wait!)
This was a weeknight meal and certainly nothing special, but I appreciate each and every bite of this wonderfully good quality food!
Homemade chicken "nuggets" with teriyaki dipping sauce and sweet corn.
Chicken:
- Free-range chicken breast
- Free-range eggs
- Sprouted flour
- Sprouted flour bread crumbs
- Butter and olive oil for frying
- Sea salt and pepper
Teryiaki Sauce:
- San-J natural low sodium soy sauce
- Rapadura
- grated ginger
- garlic
- arrowroot powder
Cascadian Farms sweet corn with gobs of butter and sea salt (not in season yet - can't wait!)
This was a weeknight meal and certainly nothing special, but I appreciate each and every bite of this wonderfully good quality food!
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