Tuesday, May 19, 2015

My wonderful, super healthy weed soup!



I think it a shame that nettle is counted as a weed. Every little nettle I spot makes me so happy, especially in spring time when the fresh young shoots are mild tasting and packed with nutrition. I pick buckets full and dehydrate for availability all through the year. I brew nettle tea and add nettle in sourdough bread and smoothies to increase nutritional values in the food we eat. In spring I make nettle soup. You can make it vegan or with bone broth, you can make it super simple or delicately complex. Todays variety is somewhere in between and is often asked for by all my children for dinner.

Recipe:

4 tbsp real butter
2 onions
2 potatoes, finely diced
1 litter of nettle leaves
3-4 garlic boats
1 tsp red pepper powder
1 pinch cayenne
0,5 tsp fennel powder
1,5 litters of broth or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp arrowroot + cold water to stir it out
4 tbsp (large) non pastured soured cream (I lift the fat of the top of the jar of milk on my kitchen counter and leave it out to sour. Tastes like creme fraiche. If you are doing a vegan version add a squeeze of lemon for that sharp sour taste.)

Blanch onion on low heat then add the rest of the ingredients exempt arrow root and soured cream. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. 

Blitz the soup before you add the remaining ingredients. 

Serve with hardboiled eggs and sourdough bread. 



Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Sprouted Granola clusters by Veronika Bazika







































Being one of that first big group of people who started reacting uncomfortably to what they ate I faced the fact of suffering from intolerances just a few years before they became mainstream, medically acknowledged and more, lets say, catered for. This led me on a path of learning nutrition and exploring food for myself. At first it felt like there was nothing at all I could eat, then suddenly a whole new world of tasty and nutritious, I like to say gourmet, but not in the expensive picky way, of food opened. I´ve been through many different trend diets before wholesome, clean, living, and traditionally prepared food became my food-style of choice. It´s sort of a combination of all that agrees best with my digestion and heals it. And so, from a long time moving forward I have, of course, kept my favourites from the different trends I have visited. This is one of those "diamond recipes" I created during my raw food days and have been kindly asked by Gry to share with you. It is perfect as breakfast with home-made yoghurt or coconut milk, or as a snack or energy booster, and it also keeps for very long when kept in an airtight container. 

Recipe:

1 part sprouted buckwheat
1 part soaked seeds (here I´ve used sunflower and pumpkin seeds)
1/2 part gluten free oats
1/2 part soaked nuts (my favourites are hazelnuts or almonds, or both)
cinnamon
honey to taste 

This recipe requires a bit of preparation. 

Buckwheat:
I sprout the buckwheat by leaving it over night in water, changing the water a few times during the evening before I go to bed. Then next morning I transfer them into a plastic colander and cover with a towel. (Do not use a metal colander as the sprouts don't like it.) I then rinse them once a day till they reach approximately 0.5 cm. This usually happens on day three. 

Nuts and Seeds:
For the nuts and seeds I soak them separated as such because I like to blitz the nuts for longer. I have the nuts and seeds respectively in a plastic bowl with water, salt and 1 tbs apple cider vinegar (can be skipped) and leave covered over night. Rinse well.

Oats:
Can be deactivated by soaking using same procedure as nuts and seeds adding 1 tbs flour like spelt or rye. This will change the consistency of the granola a bit, but not uncomfortably much. (I´ll admit I don´t often do this, even though I know it is so much better for nutrient absorption.)

Making your granola:

Blitz nuts using a kitchen machine till they have a desired size, ad seeds and blitz for a bit longer. (Or do them separate, its all about personal preference.) I then hand toss the mixture together with the buckwheat, oats and cinnamon before I add just enough honey to make it sticky. You can easily vary this recipe by adding raisins bits of apple or a mashed banana. (The banana will also bind your mixture like the honey does.)  I then dehydrate the mixture spread over several sheets until dry. If using the oven keep it on low-ish heat. Try maybe 160 degrees celsius and keep an eye on it tossing it every now and then until it turns a golden colour. 

All my recipes are experiments of texture and flavour and as such I rarely keep to measurements, but I do note my favourite combinations of ingredients so not to forget them in the future. Feel free to experiment here. And I hope you enjoy it as much as we do in our house!

written by: Veronika Bazika



Thursday, March 26, 2015

Banana and almond crackers

















Til ære for Jane som holder bloggen Veganmisjonen, så kjører vi veggis-løpet i dag. Hun stakk nemlig av med seieren som årets matblogger i samme kategori som jeg også var finalist!

The time of warm hearty foods is slowly drawing to it´s end for this winter and as the sun warms the air and melts the snow I crave fresh raw foods. Therefore I want to share with you this super simple but yet so rewarding raw food recipe. These crackers have been with me for years and we never grow tired of them. They are simply habitual and even hold status as weekend treat!

Recipe:

4-6 mature bananas
2 dl soaked almonds
2 tbsp linseeds 

Blend all ingredients using a vitamin or similar. Spread the mass out on a parallax sheet, alternatively two if you want really thin crackers. If you don't have a dehydrator use baking paper to make in the oven. (If you do not have a dehydrator I highly recommend them. They are great for a variety of things, like making flavoured nut mixes, green chips, preserving fruit and vegetables and of course making these fabulous crackers.) 

I use a spatula and spread the batter about 0.5 cm thick. Again with the spatula mark out little squares in your batter and leave to dehydrate until completely crisp. 57 degrees in dehydrator or oven. (42 degrees for raw food effect) Mine usually take 12 hours in the dehydrator. Shorter in the oven with higher temperature. 

Keep in airtight box for approximately 14 days.


translated by: Veronika Bazika

Friday, March 13, 2015

"Gullmelk" my version of golden milk




























The week before writing the original for this post I had a phone call from one of my followers. She had suffered from ME for six years and was wondering when my liver capsules would be for sale in the stores. She thanked me for my for informing me that drinking golden milk and following the nutritional and dietary recommendation's I write has greatly helped her. I love getting feedbacks like these, they make my day for weeks. This means the work I do really can, and also does, contribute to something good, and that makes it all worth it. But back to topic, had I heard of golden milk before? No! And this is the aspect I love about having direct contact with my readers, because I learn new thing too, from the people in my workshops or random emails and phone calls. 

When I looked up golden milk I realised that for years I have been drinking a similar yoga drink and so I was inspired to create my own version based on my view and knowledge on nutrition. I´ve named it Gullmelk, Norwegain for golden milk.

Turmeric is the key ingredient in golden milk. Turmeric is a miracle spice with long traditions from Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, especially associated to liver cleanse, infection treatment and pain relief. 

Science has identified the active miracle substance in turmeric and named it curcumin. You get optimal bio-availability for this compound when ingesting it along with black pepper. Black pepper increases the bio-availability with 2000%. Therefore I always make sure to add a good measure of black pepper whenever I use turmeric. 

Here is a list of some of the benefits of turmeric/curkumin:


  • strong antioxidant
  • detoxes the liver
  • regulates cholesterol
  • supports good digestion
  • strengthens the immune system
  • anti-inflammatory 
  • lowers high blood pressure
  • antiseptic
  • supports healing of neurological issues
  • helps clear skin problems
  • is claimed to protect from several types of cancer 

These are only a few of the amazing benefits of curcumin.





























Turmeric paste is the base for the Gullmelk recipe and is made like this:


1/2 c water

1/4 c turmeric, I buy this one!


Heat whiles constantly stirring for 7-9 minutes on low heat. You are looking for a thick paste consistency. If it dries up too much add a bit more water. Once finished keep in a jar with airtight lid in the fridge for up to two weeks.



This base will last for several batches of Gullmelk, should you not finish your paste in two weeks toss it and make a new. The intention is of course that you finish it before this time. You can also use the paste in all other different parts of your cooking, like in stews, soups, stocks and with rice. 



Gullmelk recipe:

1/2 to 1 tsp turmeric paste
2 dl fresh (raw) milk, almond milk, or coconut milk
1 tsp honney, maple sirup or stevia
1 tbsp gelatine (can be left out)
1 egg yolk
1 tsp cardamon (can be left out)
1 tsp cinnamon, Ceylon (can be left out)
1/2 to 1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp coconut oil or unpasteurised butter


Heat all ingredients while stirring till you see the coconut oil melt. You do not want to expose the raw milk or egg yolk for more heat then necessary.



Enjoy straight away! I find the flavour to be mild, warming and well suited for kids. You can of course leave out ingredients your children do not like, but try to keep  the turmeric and as much black pepper as possible.



Soothing and relaxing, Gullmelk is the perfect before bedtime drink. :)



PS! I use a non gelatinising gelatine. Should you want to use a gelatinising one resolve it in some boiling water before adding the rest of the ingredients. 


translated by: Veronika Bazika

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Fermented veggie juice. Top notch of healthy drinks in my world!




Recipe:

5 medium sized beet roots
1 bunch celery stalks
1 squash
2 carrots
1 lemon
2 tbsp water kefir grains or 1 dl whey, alternatively 1 tsp salt


Juice all vegetables and transfer to a suitable glass jar. Add water kefir grains or whey, alternatively salt. Close the jar using an airtight lid and leave on the kitchen counter for a minimum of two days. I start drinking it after two days and leave the jar out until I finish it. It gets more sour the longer you leave it. To arrest, or slow the fermentation process, when applicable, remove water kefir grains and put your jar in the fridge at the time you find the flavour most enjoyable. 

If you use water kefir grains you will have to toss them after you finish your drink as this unfamiliar environment is too tough on them and they will faint from the hard work it takes to ferment vegetables.



My water kefir grains :)

translated by: Veronika Bazika

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Bone marrow pesto, traditional food right town to the bone wearing a modern tasty coat

































Recipe:

5 dl parsley leaves
2 dl bone marrow (reindeer, moose, cow or lamb)
Juice from half a lemon
1 dl of finely grated parmesan cheese
1 dl cold pressed olive oil
salt and pepper to taste 


Start out roasting your marrow bones. When the bones are cool enough to handle pick the marrow out, I use the topside of a narrow spoon, and have in a high edged container. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend using a stick blender (I recommend using one with a stainless steel end piece). You can of course adjust the recipe to your taste by adding more lemon, oil or spices. 

I keep this pesto in the fridge up to three days, it is possible it can stay fresh longer, but as organ foods tend to have short longevity I like it to be consumed while it´s fresh.

I have never tried this recipe with basilicum, so should you want to be the brave test bunny please inform me of your results!

translated by: Veronika Bazika




Thursday, February 12, 2015

Two scrumptious super nutritious waffles in less than five minutes!



Not long ago I promised my Norwegain followers on Instagram (@mynordicpantry) this recipe on two waffles containing all you need to go full speed from lunch to dinner and followed up with it on my norwegian blog, Fra Jord til Bord, not long after. Here it is translated for all of you who own a waffle iron. (And for those of you who don't, don´t worry, use your frying pan and make mini pancakes, no problem.)

Recipe:

 2-3 eggs
1 Tbsp coconut flour
2 Tbsp coconut oil, extra virgin
1 tsp coconut sugar, maple sirup, honey and/or stevia
1 pinsh salt
1 tsp cardamon
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix well using a fork and fry in a waffling iron or as small pancakes in a pan. It takes less than five minutes from beginning til end. 

If you wish to make it even more nutritious you can add a cork of THIS mineral solution or add a Tbsp dried powdered nettle. 

Ps: These dry out quickly so if you wish to keep them it is important you cower them well. Happily with a good layer of butter between. Unless you eat them straight away that is. 

xox
Gry
Translated by Veronika Bazika

Friday, February 6, 2015

My mother in laws super baking recipe







It is time I got to translate and share this wonderful recipe. It is one of my cornerstone recipes once given to me by my mother in law. We were having a shrimp dinner party and I wanted to serve a light, white, airy bread with the shrimps. As you might have noticed by now none of my sourdough breads fit this description. So I got this recipe, made some twists and tweaks to help digestibility of the finished result and oh my! I must warn you as this is an easily addictive recipe, at least to me. So mark; it is not a sourdough recipe and does not contain the same benefits as sourdough as such. What you do get by following this recipe is a nice light baked good that is more easily digestible than store bought and thus perfect when you want to treat yourself to that naughty treat of white, baked goods every now and then. This base recipe that can be modified into several different nice treats, like pizza base, buns, rolls or polar breads. Recipes for these will follow.

Base recipe:

1,1-1,2 kg fine spelt flour
150 grams real butter
6 dl water
2-3 ss raw apple cider vinegar (important)
2 tsp mineral salt
1 tsp raw cane sugar or honey
10-15 grams of fresh yeast, or one small corner (I never use dried)

Stir the yeast lump out in the water, add vinegar and cooled melted butter. Then add the rest of the ingredients and knead well. Do use a kitchen machine if you have one. The dough will feel quite firm, this I do on purpose due to the process in the next step. Flours react differently to fluids, if your dough feels loose adjust accordingly. Now leave the dough to rise for 8 hours. (Yes you read correct, eight hours!) In this time the sour environment created by the vinegar and salt will start deactivating the anti nutrients and make the bread more easily  digestible. The dough will also feel looser after this process. Ideally it will now appear "normal" due to the firm starting point. Now you are basically free to shape the dough into what ever you´d like it to be. 

Loaves are baked in a bread dish on 220 degrees in 30-40 minutes. 
Rolls need only 10 minutes in the oven, polarbreads even less

Like mentioned earlier, this is not our everyday bread and thus I choose to believe that the fatt in the recipe offer some protection for the carbs so they don´t produce too much acrylamide when exposed to the high oven temperature. Our every day bread is treated more gently on lower temperatures for a healthier outcome. For good measure I toss in a decilitre of water in the bottom of the oven to get a more even rise and nicer crust right at the beginning when baking. 

























Freshly made loaf


























Polarbreads




























Bread rolls ready for the oven

Ps: when making bread rolls, butter your hands well should the dough be very sticky 



translated  by: Veronika Bazika

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

How to make your own sourdough starter



I recently wrote an article in the Norwegain magazine Ren Mat (Clean Food) about sourdough and how you make your own sourdough starter. To those of my Norwegain readers there was a mistake done by the editor in the recipe. If you´ve read this article it needs 70 ml of water, not 7 dl. Using 7 dl. will make the starter into a starter soup! So now you know and in this post you will ofcours find the whole process with correct measurements. I hope this will inspire you to start baking with sourdough. It makes the baked goods more easily digestible and so much more exiting in taste.

Sourdough
Sourdough baking is food culture on its best terms. To bake with sourdought makes the baked goods more flavourful, nutritious and easier to digest. To bake in the traditional way with sourdoug is easy peasy, but requires something most people claim not to have enough of these days. Namely time. So why don´t reclaim time and make sourdough bread your next project? I guarantee you will never again look back when passing the bread section in the grocery store.  

Sourdough baking is in the wind. Here in Norway you find sourdough bread and sourdough buns in several well stocked groceries. Wether they are baked using the traditional method largely varies. Most breads are added sourdough culture to create flavour, some very few bakeries makes the bread in the old traditional way, by using the time required for the lacto-fermenting bacteria do their magic work, which is replaced in modern baking by the use of yeast and added wheat gluten. But bottom line is that there is a bit of sour-cheating happening.  

Historically we have baked and consumed bread very differently form how we do today. You find examples of sourdough baking all across the world in all cultures and on all contents. The grain problem of today is that most people eat grain products that are not treated in any way even resembling these old traditions.

Vi bake bread på modern hybridised grain strains that are farmed for their excellent baking properties, first and foremost. This means most baked goods are high on refined wheat flour, often with added gluten and high amounts of yeast. When baking with old traditional grain types, the baking properties won´t be as good in regards of the visual results. It is really hard to create fluffy light loaves using traditional sourdough. But you can create a bread with great taste that is way more heathy, nutritious and more easy to digest. 

If you let the sourdough work for a minimum of 8 hours a lot will happen to the grain. The gluten protein will get sectioned into smaller peptides and in this manner becomes pre-digested. In addition anti-nutrients like phytic acid will get neutralised. Anti-nutrients and enzyme inhibitors are natures defence. If we humans are to get nutritional value out of eating grains we have to trick the grains into letting their nutrients become readily available to us. Sourdough is the answer on how to do this, but it does as mentioned demand time, because the lacto-fermenting bacteria need a minimum of 8 hours, and happily as much as 48 hours to neutralise these harmful substances in the grain. Phytic acid has the property of binding minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron and thus keeps them from getting absorbed through our digestion. Grocery bread is thus a great recipe for mineral deficiency if your diet is based on these these of baked goods.

It is also good to know that yeast the way we know it today is a relatively modern invention and was commercialised as late as the 1870-s. This means that 150 years ago all bread was sourdough. What we know as bread today is everything but old cultural heritage as we are led to believe here in Norway at least. It is merely a bad replica with not much good to offer your health.  

Sourdough starter
To bake sourdough bread you need a sourdough starter that consists of natural yeast spores in the flour and lacto-fermenting bacteria. They work in synergy by transforming the carbohydrates in the grain to different organic acids, alcohol and carbon-dioxide. The bass gives rise to the bread and the alcohol evaporates when baked.

The specific bacteria and yeast in the sourdough starter must be preserved for further use and there are sourdough cultures that are several hundred years old in existence. Immigrants would bring their starters when they crossed great oceans and big planes. Literature tells how scandinavian immigrants in the states curled up around their jars of sourdough at night to keep it alive and potet during the coldest winter nights.

Sourdough bread has a lower GI
Living cultures has to be fed to be kept alive. The lacto-fermenting bacteria lives off of the starch in grains and transforms this into organic acids and other nutrients. A sourdough bread contains less starch and more protein than a grocery bread. In addition the minerals in the bread will be more easily absorbable because the anti nutrients and enzyme inhibitors are deactivated. The bread will thus have a lesser effect on your blood-sugar levels than grocery bread. The organic acids created in sourdough bread also makes the carbohydrates digest slower.

Here is how you make your own sourdough starter
It is quite easy to make a great sourdoug starter, mother or chef as it is also called. Here is one approach, and remember to use organic or biodynamic flour for best results:


* You will need: a bowl or jar, spoon and a kitchen towel to place over


Day 1
Mix: 100g wholegrain rye flour, 70 ml raisin water

You make raisin water by soaking a good handful of organic raisins in 2 dl cold water for 30 minutes. The raisins have lots of wild yeast spores on their shells and these will help speed the process of your starter. Your mixture should have a porridge like consistency, should it seem a bit dry simply add a bit more of the raisin water. This could happen as different grains absorb different amounts of fluid. 

Have the mixture in a glass jar with the lid placed loosely on top to let oxygen in. Leave the mixture on the kitchen counter 24 hours.

Day 2
Add: 100g fine spelt, 70 ml cold water (or a bit more should you need it to achieve the porridge like consistency)


Have the mixture over in a bowl (do not use steel, this will inhibit the grown of the lacto-fermenting bacteria). Leave the mixture covered on the kitchen counter 24 hours. 

Day 3
Add: 100g fine spelt, 70 ml cold water (or a bit more should you need it to achieve the porridge like consistency)


You will now see the dough double in size over the next 24 hours. Split the starter in two parts and toss one before you add more flour and water. 

Day 4
Add: 200g wholegrain rye flour if you wish to make wholegrain bread or 200g fine spelt flour if you want to bake fine lighter breads, 1,2 dl cold or room tempered water


When this mixture had bubbled up to double size your starter is ready! You now have a beautiful starter you can use to make sourdough bread or other baked sourdough goods.


Sourdough care

* you need a glass jar with lid, a wooden or plastic spoon

When baking with sourdough you have to make sure you always leave a bit of your starter on the side. This bit you will feed and nurture till next time you want to bake. Your starter needs some TLC once twice a week depending to stay alive and potent. Here is how: 

In a clean jar, have 2-6 tbs starter and mix in 1,5 dl wholegrain rye or spelt and 1 dl water. Mix with  a wooden or plastic spoon. Avoid the use of steel as lacto-fermenting bacteria does not thrive in contact with metal. Leave the mixture on the kitchen counter with the lid loosely placed on top till you see lovely bubbles and the mixture doubles in size. This can take two or this can take eight hours depending on the temperature in the room land potency of your starter. If you don't see any bubbles and the dough does not rise it is probably dead and you will have to start again. 

You can choose if you want to keep your starter on the kitchen counter or in the fridge in between baking. If you choose to keep it in room temperature it is important that you feed it every second day as described above.

Should you choose to keep it in the fridge, you must remember to feed it only once a week. The ideal time would then be the day before baking. Remember to take the starter over to a clean jar with lid every time you feed it. Many claim that the starter gets more potent when kept on the kitchen counter, in my experience it makes really good and potent breads when kept in the fridge also. You will self have to experience what works best for you. The intensity of the feeding cycle is thus dependent on how you choose to store your starter. Higher temperature equals more active yeast and bacteria, equals more frequent feeding to prevent it from becoming too sour. Feeding every second day is then optimal. If you keep it like this and do not bake often you will find you have to toss some of your starter every now and then. Or you can choose to keep this spare starter in the fridge and use in for instance waffles, pancakes and cakes.

If your sourdough starer to runny or you wish it to have a more sour flavour, reduce the amount of water you use when feeding and make a more solid starter.

Avoid closing the lid of the jar completely over the starter as the yeast needs oxygen to live and thrive, use for instance a mason jar without the rubber gasket and leave the lid loosely on top.

Living in the fridge is principally too cold for a starter but ideal should you go away for a few days or do not wish to bake that often. You can also freeze or dehydrate your starter to preserve it. The optimal storage temperature is somewhere between 12 and 16 degrees, but not everyone has this environment as an option in which case the kitchen counter and frequent feeding is the most optimal.

xox 
Gry

Translated by Veronika Bazika