CRACKERS

Everyone's heard of sourdough bread. But have you ever tried a sourdough cracker? Yes, believe it or not, crackers don't just come from a box! Not only do these crackers taste great, you're getting all the nutritional and digestive benefits of fermentation. When you make your own crackers, you can also avoid the MSG, cheap vegetable oils, and preservatives the store bought kind usually contain. What more do you need to know? Get baking!

SOURDOUGH CRACKERS

1 cup sourdough culture

1/4 cup room temperature organic lard, coconut oil, or butter

1 cup organic spelt flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

organic extra virgin olive oil

more salt for finishing

Method: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and the lard and cut it in with a pastry cutter. Stir in the culture and then begin to knead the dough, adding as much flour as necessary to make a stiff dough. Place the dough in a bowl and cover the bowl with a lid to prevent it from drying out. Leave the dough at room temperature for at least 7 hours.

Preheat oven to 350*. Take a third of the dough and roll it out on a piece of parchment, flouring as necessary. Roll it with a rolling pin until it is very thin. Brush the dough with some olive oil and sprinkle liberally with some salt. Cut the dough with a pizza cutter or knife, and then transfer the paper to a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Repeat.

If some of the inner pieces are thick and not crispy, return them to the oven for a bit longer. Dough can also be frozen after resting overnight so you can make crackers whenever the mood strikes!

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LOADED LASAGNA

When you only make lasagna about once a year, you've got to do it right. It isn't the time for gluten free noodles or "lite" cheese. What it is time for is homemade noodles and ricotta made from your farm-fresh whole raw milk.

HOMEMADE RICOTTA CHEESE

8 cups organic whole milk

4 cups organic cream

2 tsp sea salt

6 Tbsp organic lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Method: Bring the milk, cream and salt to a full boil in pot set over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour milk into a sieve lined with cheese cloth and drain until you achieve the consistency you like.

 EGG PASTA

2 cups organic unbleached flour

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

3 large organic eggs

3 tsp ev olive oil

a bit of water as necessary

Method: Combine the flour and the salt in a bowl, make a well in the middle, and add the egg and olive oil. Using your fingers, lightly work in the egg. When it is well combined, press the mixture to form dough. Add more water if necessary at this point. Turn it out onto a floured counter and begin to knead for about 5-10 minutes, until it feels smooth and supple. Put it in a bowl and cover with a plate so it can rest for at least half an hour before rolling it out with a pasta machine.

BEEF LASAGNA

1 batch homemade ricotta

1 batch homemade pasta

1 1/2 jars organic pasta sauce, or homemade - 

make it a bit watery because noodles need to soak up some liquid

1 1/2 large blocks organic mozzarella, grated

2 pounds organic grass-fed ground beef

1 organic onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups cooked greens -

(I used frozen lamb's quarters but spinach or chard works well too)

10 organic mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp ev olive oil

Method: Preheat oven to 350*. Heat a large cast iron pan over medium heat. Drizzle with some olive oil and sauce the onion, beef and mushrooms until the meat is no longer pink. 

Spread some tomato sauce onto the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place 3 strips of lasagna noodles in bottom of pan, spread with sauce, sprinkle with some chopped greens, beef mixture, ricotta, and cheese. Repeat two more times. Final layer is just noodles, sauce and mozzarella. Sprinkle with ground pepper and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.

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THE UNCOOL SUPERFOOD

Yes, I'm talking about liver.  As a culture we prize the muscle meat from animals and eating the organ  meats has fallen out of fashion, well that is until now. Organ meats are all the rage in certain circles, and for good reason.  Organ meats have many more nutrients than meat (like 10-100 times)- they are very rich in iron, phosphorus, zinc, vitamins A , D, B6 and B12, and special fats for the brain. If you are in the market for a serious nutrient boost in your diet, go for liver. Just make sure you buy liver that comes from pastured and organic animals as they are more nutritious than meats from feedlots.

My go to liver recipe is a classic chicken liver pate. It tastes great on toasted bread, crackers, in sandwiches, or spread on celery sticks.  The best part is you can freeze it in small mason jars so you always have some on hand, because this superfood is best consumed once a week.

 CHICKEN LIVER PATE

1 pound organic/pastured chicken livers

1 pound organic mushrooms, finely chopped

1 organic onion, chopped

1/4 cup organic butter

1 cup white wine or homemade chicken stock

1 tsp organic dry mustard

4 cloves organic garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp organic lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh organic parsley

2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

2-3 Tbsp organic butter, softened

sea salt to taste

Method: Soak the liver in a bit of water and lemon juice or vinegar for 1-2 hours. Drain liver and saute with the mushrooms and onion in the butter until browned. Add the wine, herbs and garlic and cook until liquid evaporates. Allow to cool, then puree in a food processor with the remaining butter, season to taste with salt. Refrigerate and serve.

DINNER PARTY

     I guess you could say I am pretty excited spring is here. I can't stop barbequing! It also seems that we are nearing the end of our stash of pork because all I have left are the cuts that I've been saving for special occasions (like the ribs we bbq'd the other day). I've been excited to use one of our big shoulder roasts for souvlaki. The return of one of our friends who'd been away for 9 months seemed a good reason to celebrate and break into that roast. The minute the skewers hit the grill I was transported back to Greece, the smell filling me with memories of sitting in a seaside tavern enjoying souvlaki on the beach.

PORK SOUVLAKI

1 organic pastured pork shoulder roast, cut into 1"cubes

1 organic lemon

1/4 cup organic olive oil

1-2 Tbsp dried Greek oregano

2-3 cloves organic garlic, grated

sea salt and pepper

Method:  In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the salt and allow to marinate for no more than two hours. While the meat does it's thing, soak about 28 wooden skewers in warm water. When the time is up, salt the meat well and skewer it onto the sticks. You may want to salt them lightly once they are made too, as souvlaki tastes really good with salt. Light a charcoal BBQ, and when ready cook the souvlaki until the meat is no longer pink. Serve with Greek Lemon Potatoes and  Greek Salad.

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GREEK SALAD

"Maroulosalata"

1 large head organic romaine lettuce, cut into very thin strips

4 organic green onions, cut finely

1/2 bunch organic dill, chopped finely

1 package organic feta cheese

organic extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 organic lemon

sea salt and pepper

Method: In a large salad bowl combine the lettuce, onion, dill and feta.  Drizzle with some olive oil and the lemon juice. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Toss and serve.

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HARVESTING NETTLE

There is a small window of opportunity to harvest tender nettle leaves.  I was hesitant to harvest them too soon when the stalks were very short.  It seems I just narrowly escaped the point at which the plants start to produce seeds. It seems kind of odd to already be thinking ahead to next winter, but that is just what I had to do if I want to enjoy nettle tea when the snow flies. With gloves and scissors in hand, my son and I headed for the garden. Despite exercising extreme caution, we still felt the wrath of the nettle patch. I suffer gladly in exchange for a stockpile of this tea.  Nettle is energizing because it is packed full of protein, vitamins and minerals - there is no other plant that is denser in nutrition, not even blue-green algae. 

NETTLE INFUSION

30 g dried organic nettle leaves

1 litre water

Method: Boil the water.  Put the dried herb into a large Mason jar and fill to the top with the boiling water. Lid tightly and set aside to steep for at least four hours, or overnight.  To use, strain and enjoy or refrigerate for later. Drink 1-2 litres a week for vibrant health and well being.

RIBS with Maple BBQ Sauce

It's a long weekend so we had to BBQ.  I'd been saving two packages of ribs in the freezer for the perfect moment, and today seemed like the day.  I like ribs almost as much as I like bacon, and when you buy a whole pig there never seems to be enough of either. Slathered with this amazing Maple BBQ Sauce, I'd say we celebrated in style.

RIBS with Maple BBQ Sauce

4 racks organic, pastured pork ribs

1/3 cup Essence of Emeril seasoning

Sauce:

1/2 cup organic ketchup

1/3 cup local maple syrup

2 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

2 cloves organic garlic, shredded

1 organic onion, minced

4 Tbsp organic Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

Method:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Add Essence to both sides of the ribs and rub in well. Place in a large pan, cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Sauce: In a small pot, combine all the ingredients.  Bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the oven, brush with sauce and grill on a BBQ for about 5 minutes or until sauce starts to caramelize.  Serve hot.

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KUNDALINI YOGA: Meditation to Overcome Self Animosity

     Kundalini Yoga is my go to practice when I feel I need to re-connect with my highest wisdom, love, strength, and beauty....which is pretty often!  Actually, I generally alternate between a Hatha Yoga practice and Kundalini Yoga so that I get the best of both worlds.  What I highly recommend is that when you find a Kundalini Yoga Meditation that really resonates with you, practice it for 40 days.  It is said that it takes that long to make or break a habit.  Maybe this will be the one for you?

MEDITATION TO OVERCOME SELF-ANIMOSITY

Self-improvement is a good starting point in one's personal development.  It takes a lot to take responsibility of an aspect of yourself and work on confronting it.  Keep in mind though that there is a fine line between self-improvement and self-acceptance.  Instead of always trying to improve yourself, practice self-acceptance.  If you cannot accept yourself, you will never be able to accept anyone else either.  Nothing anyone else does will be good enough as long as you don't see yourself as good enough. Practice compassion for yourself, and you may discover that you are already perfectly imperfect just the way you are.

Practice this Kundalini Yoga Meditation to bring your back into your birthright - into the knowledge and experience of your Divine Self.  Practice for 3-11 minutes.

Tune in with the Adi Mantra before you begin any Kundalini Yoga Meditation