01.31.12
While our friend Christen was here, she made fresh salsa and gaucamole with us! It’s super easy, really tasty, and lots of fun for everyone!
So here’s what you do for the salsa…
In a mixing bowl combine the following ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped small
1-2 finely chopped jalapeno peppers
2 very finely chopped habanero peppers
2 large slicing tomatoes, chopped small
Fresh cilantro cut into very small pieces
Salt to taste
There’s really no rule as to how much of everything you add. Just mix, taste, and add a little more of this or that until it agrees with your taste buds! 
Now for the guacamole…
In a mixing bowl combine the following ingredients:
2 avocados – mush them up with a fork
1/4 – 1/2 of a red onion, diced very fine
3 sprigs of fresh cilantro, cut very tiny!
1/2 of a lime, juiced
A little chopped jalapeno pepper
Salt to taste
And just like the salsa, be creative! Do what you like to it to make it perfect…
Since we are not able to have salad dressings on our Candida diet, we have been using fresh tomatoes and avocados with every meal. Some of us were doubtful about putting the salsa and guacamole all over our salad… at first! It was DELICIOUS and we have decided to do it often.
If you do decide to create your own Mexican salad, add a little cooked brown rice for more deliciousness.
01.29.12
Apple-Berry Crisp
Serves 10
I posted this recipe on day 13, but wanted to share the yummier version we created this week! This recipe has the original oatmeal crust from our first recipe, but still includes the delicious crumb topping from our second recipe. Of course we made a few other changes along the way for further improvement .
To prepare the crust:
Melt 1/2 cup butter and pour into the bottom of a 9×13 in pan.
Mix together 3-4 cups cooked oatmeal (we used steel cut oats) with 3/4 TBSP Agave syrup, and cinnamon to taste.
Spread in the bottom of the pan.
Bake @ 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until slightly crispy on top.
For filling, mix together the following ingredients:
2 TBSP lemon juice
3-4 TBSP melted butter
6 drops liquid Stevia (vanilla creme flavored)
1 TBSP Agave Syrup
3 oz Apple Juice
Cinnamon
1/4 cup (slightly heaped) Tapioca Flour
Prepare the fruit in a separate, large bowl.
6 cups apples (a slightly tart but sweet apple works best), peeled and finely chopped
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Pour the filling mixture over the fruit and stir until thoroughly mixed.
For crumb topping mix together:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups finely ground nuts (we use pecans)
1 cup Teff flour
3/4 TBSP Agave Syrup
6 drops liquid vanilla creme stevia
Pour the fruit filling mixture over the baked crust and sprinkle crumbs evenly on top. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 degrees for about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer.
01.21.12
Spanish Paella
32 oz short grain rice (we used brown basmati)
4-5 single chicken breasts, cut up (we eliminated this)
3 red peppers
3 tomatoes
3/4 of a lemon, juiced (optional)
Garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley (Either dried or fresh from the garden )
Brown the chicken breasts in olive oil in a large pot. Add 12 cups of water, and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, saute tomatoes and garlic in olive oil in another large pot. Stir in dry rice, cooked chicken pieces, 9 cups of the chicken stock, red peppers, lemon juice, and seasonings. Boil for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes more. Check to see if all of the water is absorbed. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Note: The cooking time is not very accurate. We had to let it cook for additional time until the rice absorbed all of the liquid.
01.19.12
Crock Pot Beef Stew
Layer the following ingredients in the bottom of a large greased crock pot:
3 lbs stew meat
4 large carrots, sliced
5 medium potatoes, sliced (we eliminated this)
2 onions, sliced
10 oz frozen green beans
1 cup frozen peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup (we eliminated this)
1 can cream of celery soup (we eliminated this)
1 jar gravy (we eliminated this)
Cook 5-6 hours on high, or 10-12 hours on low.
Note: We did 1 1/2 of the original recipe to feed 10 people (our grandmother is with us for four months). In place of the soups and gravy, we thawed the stew meat by placing it in a pot and adding just enough water to cover the meat. We later poured this water over the layers of meat and vegetables, in place of the creamy liquids. We also added salt and tapioca flour (to thicken the stew) just before serving. It was delicious – unanimously voted the best meal on the diet so far!!! I think it has to do with the fact that it includes MEAT!!!
01.15.12
This is day 13 of our Candida diet. We miss gluten, and we miss dairy, and we miss most of our favorite fresh fruits. But I think we all miss SUGAR the most!!! Why is it so hard to go without sugar? Probably because everything seems to have some sugar in it no matter how small the amount. We decided to put our ideas together and cook up something sweet. Since we are allowed to have a small amount of honey, agave, or stevia each week, we took a little of this, and a little of that, and… perfection! We came up with something that everyone LOVES. We look forward to Saturdays now. Our mom works wonders with health food. She played the main part in cooking up this delicious recipe, and I know we are all grateful!
The first version of this recipe started with our everyday breakfast (oatmeal!) for the crust, and included a fruity filling with ground nuts on top. Delicious, right?! It was really VERY good, and you would not have guessed it had an oatmeal crust. But this second version is really yummy with the crumb topping!
Apple-Berry Crisp
Mix together the following ingredients in a large bowl:
6.5 cups apples, peeled and chopped (a slightly tart but sweet apple works best)
3.5 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
1/4 cup tapioca flour
Stir together the following ingredients and pour over the fruit mixture:
3 TBSP melted butter
8 drops liquid stevia (we used vanilla creme flavored liquid stevia)
1 TBSP agave syrup
2 TBSP lemon juice
Pour into a oiled (olive oil) 9×13″ pan (we used a glass pan).
For crumbs, mix together the following ingredients:
2 cups finely ground pecans (In a food processor, grind the nuts until they are moist and very fine)
1 cup teff flour
1 TBSP cinnamon, ground
1 stick butter, softened- using a pastry blender, work 1 TBSP agave syrup and 8 drops liquid vanilla creme flavored stevia into the soft butter.
Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until bubbly (If you use a glass pan, you will see the liquid bubbling at the bottom and up the sides of the pan).
I promise it takes much better than it sounds!!! (of course we have not had white sugar for 2 weeks though, and we only eat a small measure of agave and stevia once a week )
01.10.12
Lentil Casserole ~
Serves 5
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
Sage
Pepper
Thyme
Oregano
Basil
Combine all ingredients in lightly greased 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Add 2 sliced carrots, 2 cups sweet corn, and some celery, chopped small. Cook 30 more minutes.
Optional: Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and heat 5 more minutes until melted.
Note: We usually double the recipe to make two casseroles.
01.07.12
January 3rd marked the beginning of a 4 month challenge for our entire family. Due to a number of health problems that have been present among various ones for years, we decided to try eating a very strict diet that has already helped some of us in the past (It was the Candida diet that cleared up Timothy’s rash that he had from just a few weeks old, until he was 3).
One of the challenges of the Candida diet is finding a variety of recipes to use that taste good and that meet the given requirements . My goal is to share some of those recipes here, over the 120+ days of our diet.
Last night we had a recipe that we’ve really grown to enjoy (most of us anyway !) With a few minor changes, we were able to mix up a double batch of this delicious Black Bean Chili for supper. Probably the hardest part was eliminating the usual toppings that make it creamy, more flavorful, and of course just plain unhealthy…
Black Bean Chili
Serves 10
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (we left this out)
20 fresh mushrooms, quartered (we left this out)
4 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
12 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 cups fresh corn kernels (we left this out)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 Tablespoons chili powder
6 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons salt (or measure to taste)
Directions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, red bell peppers, jalapeno, mushrooms, tomatoes, and corn for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. (We usually saute the onions for a little while first, and then add the other ingredients) Season with black pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Stir in the black beans, chicken broth, and salt. Bring to a boil.
Remove 5 cups of the soup to food processor or blender. Puree and stir the bean mixture back into the soup. (We usually puree all of it). Serve hot by itself or over rice (We let it heat a little longer on the stove after we puree it – until it begins to bubble).
Note; Rather than the usual sour cream, crushed corn chips and cheese for topping, we used rice or fresh avacado chunks…and of course a good healthy salad on the side!!!
12.24.11
For Christmas this year, David and I decided to sell desserts to the people in our neighborhood. We chose 5 of our favorite recipes to offer: Frosty Peppermint Dessert; Coconut Cream Pie; Frozen Peanut-Butter Chocolate Pie; Sugared Nuts; and Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark. It was a huge success, and lots of fun! I really enjoyed working with David to calculate costs, call up neighbors, look for the best deals while shopping, and finally spend today (Christmas Eve) baking for our wonderful neighbors. It’s such a joy to work with siblings! And it’s a really neat opportunity to reach out to our neighbors, to be a light to them during the few minutes that we cross paths. We love these opportunities to bake for a special occasion, and it’s a neat way to learn new entrepreneurial skills, grow in our understanding of business concepts, learn important lessons, and make a little money in the process!
12.14.11
Two weeks ago I got to experiment with something I’ve always dreamed of doing – yes, I finally made my first candle!!!
I set aside some time to research different types of wax, wicks, fragrance, color, containers, etc. Our dear friends the Neelys make lovely jar candles to sell, so Jessica graciously offered me some tips and advice on where to start, what to use, etc. I did some further research and decided to use a natural wax! Since we have bee hives, I would like to be able to use our wax some day to make candles. But as our hives are still growing and there isn’t much wax to remove (we only have 2 hives at this time), I discovered a lovely alternative that I’m content to work with for a long time – palm wax! Natural palm wax makes a beautiful candle, that has a frosty outer appearance. It shimmers when you turn it in the light. I’m really happy with the candles I made from the kit I started off with. It included the basic tools I will need in the future, and enough supplies to make 6 votive candles – that was at my favorite craft store, Hobby Lobby, which offers a 40% off coupon you can print off online, like every other week!
For our Christmas party this year, I made a gift to contribute in the gift game we played. I bought a glass jar and chose my dye color, fragrance, wick, etc. I went with CranApple Spice fragrance and a cranberry color. one thing I’ve learned, is that you have to get your color right and then add more dye, because as the candle hardens it lightens up quite a bit. I used a wooden wick, which causes the candle to crackle when you burn it – a really nice added touch! Bethany quilled the little tag! My dad set aside an evening to make the candles with me. I’m always surprised at ALL the things he’s done. He seems to have experience with everything! Yes, he made quite a few candles growing up and has all sorts of neat helpful ideas – like simply using crayons you have on hand to color the candle with, rather than buying dye! Someday (soon!) we are going to make one of his favorite ice-cube candles together.
I’m really amazed at how easy candle making is, and such fun too! I’m going to enjoy this for a long time, and maybe sell them somewhere if I can find a place in town. I’m learning new things all the time and I can’t wait to try other shapes, colors, and fragrances!
