Ginger Tea recipe

Ginger is one of my favorite flavors - I love its warm spicy flavor no matter where I find it - as a kid, I loved gingerbread, ginger ale, and ginger candy. As I got older, I discovered new ways to enjoy this fantastic rhizome - Thai dishes, Japanese stir-fries, and Moosewood Restaurant's yummy ginger-miso dressing (I'll post that recipe too, I promise).

Beyond ginger's obvious culinary delights, ginger is also a fantastic traditional remedy. I've been drinking lots of it lately, and have found that it helps with inflammatory stuff (like the arthritis in my back and those naughty monthly cramps), as well as helping to clear chest congestion when we caught that nasty cold a while back.

Ginger's use as a traditional medicinal goes back more than 2,000 years, so there is a wealth of information on its uses. I encourage you to do your own research and decide if ginger is right for you.

For starters, here's what WebMD has to say about ginger.

One thing you need to know: If you have a chronic health condition or if you're on prescription medications, DO check with your healthcare professional before ingesting ginger in quantities greater than that used for culinary purposes. Ginger interacts with many different medications, and it acts as a blood thinner too.

Following is how I prepare my ginger tea:

• You'll need about 9 ounces of fresh ginger for 3 quarts of water, or 13 ounces of ginger for 4 quarts of water.
• Refrigerate what you don't drink immediately, and consume within 24 hours of making.
• For best results, ginger tea should be drunk warm.
• Re-heat carefully - do not allow ginger tea to boil.

Peel ginger.

Cut into chunks.

Pulse-chop in food processor into tiny bits. You can also chop it with a knife if you don't have a food processor. The idea is to get it as finely chopped as possible.

Close-up of afore-mentioned tiny bits.

This is a 3-quart pot, filled with water and brought to a boil. Add chopped ginger and re-heat, just shy of a boil.

Turn heat off. Cover ginger tea. Allow to steep 2-3 hours.

Pour ginger tea through strainer.

Press chopped ginger with back of spoon to extract all the yummy gingery goodness.

I like to add a generous splash of almond milk to my ginger tea - the ginger tea is very strong and spicy, so the almond milk helps tone it down a bit and make it more of a "special treat" drink than a medicinal sort of thing.

Cough & Cold Tea Recipe (kitchen remedies 02)

thyme

 

A pernicious bug has been making its way throughout the greater Olympia area lately, so I thought I'd post our current cough and cold soothing strategy.

1. Raw organic apple cider vinegar - a teaspoon in water 3 x day - is really helpful for boosting the immune system.
2. Gargling with warm salt water at the very first sign of a scratchy throat can be enough to stop it in its tracks. Try 1 tsp. salt in 8 oz. of warm water. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sore-throat/DS00526/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies
3. My standard go-to remedy has, for years, been our trusty sinus infection essential oil blend.
 

Here is our newly-developed recipe for a cough & cold tea blend. The tea recipe was inspired partly by Rosemary Gladstar's excellent book, Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide: 33 Healing Herbs to Know, Grow, and Use, and partly by my friend Tess' cough syrup recipe. Drinking the tea & steaming your head with the sinus blend will deliver a 1-2 punch.

Chris' Cough & Cold Tea
(all ingredients are dried, I measure by weight)

1 part ginger root (warming, decongesting, used for colds and flus, respiratory congestion and sore throat)
1 part cinnamon powder (warming, antiviral, antifungal, improves circulation, clears congestion)
1 part thyme leaf (fights infection, treats coughs, helps sore throats)
1 part marshmallow root (soothes inflamed respiratory tissues, lubricates & moisturizes lungs)
1/2 part catnip (to help bring fever down)

Combine all in a screw-top jar and mix well.

To use: Steep 4 tbsp. in 1 quart of boiling water, covered, for 45 minutes. Strain and press herbs. Add honey to taste. (I added quite a bit - 1/4-1/3 cup of honey to 1 quart of tea...it wound up tasting a LOT like those Hot Tamales candies I was so addicted to as a child, lol.)

Dosage: adults: 3-4 cups per day, kids 7-12: 1-2 oz/4 x day

catnip

 

Images are from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery.

Everyday Split Pea Soup

Saturday, September 22, 2012 was the first day of Autumn here in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as The First Day of Soup Season. (doing a happy dance, because I love a big warm bowl of homemade soup!)

In honor of this first full week of Autumn, I'm posting one of our family's favorite soup recipes, Everyday Split Pea Soup, from one of my most favoritest cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special.

This is an easy soup to prep and cook; if you're cooking for a crowd, it doubles easily - just make sure you're using a really big soup pot (8-10 quarts). I like to add a splash of liquid smoke and 6-8 whole cloves, which kicks up the "smoked ham" flavor a notch or two.

DO make sure the peas are fully cooked before you add the miso - miso is ruined by overheating, so to be on the safe side, I turn off the heat before I add the miso.

ALSO - when adding miso to soup, the best way is to scoop a cup or so of soup/broth into a bowl, and mix miso into that, then add the miso/soup mixture to the main pot of soup - miso is glumpy (one of my favorite technical terms, lol), and might not mix in thoroughly with the split pea soup if just added as a big lump.

I apologize for the lack of pictures - the batch I made this weekend went so fast I didn't have a chance to get the camera out! (I'll add a pic to this post next time we have this soup - don't worry - you won't have long to wait!) Enjoy!

½ ounce dried mushrooms, softened in 1 cup boiling water (I usually use shiitake))**
2 cups dried split peas (1 pound)
8 cups water
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried marjoram
6-8 whole cloves (optional, C.H. addition)
½ tsp. liquid smoke, or to taste (optional, C.H. addition)
2 cups chopped onions
1-1/2 cups peeled and diced carrots
1-1/2 cups chopped celery (include some leafy tops)
2 cups diced potatoes
¼ to 1/3 cup light miso
1 tsp. salt
 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

**To soften mushrooms, place in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, and set aside for about 20 minutes.**

In a large covered soup pot on high heat, combine the split peas, water, bay leaves, marjoram, onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes (and cloves and liquid smoke, if using). When the soup begins to boil, stir well, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and continue to cook.

Meanwhile, remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid and discard any hard stems. Slice or chop the softened mushrooms and add them to the soup. Strain the soaking liquid to remove any sediment or dirt, and add the clear liquid to the soup pot.

After the soup has simmered for about 30 minutes, stir it well. Maintain on low heat with occasional stirring or place the pot on a heat diffuser to prevent sticking and cook for another 20 minutes, until the split peas are very soft and the soup becomes "creamy" when stirred. Discard the bay leaves (and cloves, if you added them). Stir in 1/4 cup of the miso, the salt, and pepper. Add more miso to taste and serve.

Note: If you plan to serve the soup later, set it aside to cool a bit, and then refrigerate it. Reheat gently before serving, stirring often to prevent scorching.

Recipe: Wheat/corn/dairy-free Hot Pockets

My goofy youngest childebeast scarfs a ham & vegan mozz hot pocket.

Our wheat/corn/dairy-free family has been playing with making our own version of the ever-popular hot pocket sandwiches, and we are getting pretty good at these, so we thought we'd share what we've learned so far. This is a pretty straightforward recipe, but it does get a little longish, so I'll keep the editorializing to a minimum.

Some tips:

• You'll need a kitchen scale to measure some of the dough ingredients.
• Prepare your fillings before you start the dough.
• You'll need two cookie sheets or jelly roll pans, or something flat on which to bake your delicious creations.
• Parchment paper helps, especially if you have aluminum pans.
• You'll need a flat greased surface to assemble your hot pockets - a wood carving board works well.

The basics of the recipe:
GF dough + mayo sauce + filling of your choice (julienned lunch meats, grated cheese, sauteed chopped veggies are all good) = happy tummies

Inside the ham and vegan mozz hot pocket...

Dough: This is the current version of our ever-evolving bread dough mix. If you want to eat this as regular bread, just pop the mixed dough into a greased bread pan, cover and let rise for an hour or so, then bake @ 375F for about 30-40 minutes.

You'll notice that some of the ingredients are measured by weight - I do this because I mix up a half-dozen batches of the dry ingredients ahead of time and store each batch in a zip lock bag, and it's faster/more accurate to measure by weight. If you'd like to do the same - just combine all of the dry ingredients EXCEPT the yeast, and store in a zip lock bag - then add the yeast just before you mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

7.9 oz. white rice flour
6.3 oz. tapioca starch
11 grams guar gum
2 tbsp. ground flax
1 oz. sugar
3/8 cup coconut flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. GF baking powder
1 tbsp. yeast

Combine all and mix well.

In the bowl of a heavy duty mixer, combine the following:
1 egg
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups warm water (should be warm enough to activate the yeast, but not too hot or it will kill the yeast - test the water on your wrist)

Add dry ingredients and mix on slow for a moment or two to incorporate the dry ingredients, then mix on high for 3 minutes.

Work with greased hands, on a greased work surface (I used margarine on my hands and wood carving board) You'll have to re-grease the surface and your hands as you work.

Turn out the whole batch of dough onto the work surface and shape into an evenly shaped square or rectangle. Use a greased knife to divide the dough into 16 equal portions.

Working one at a time, roll each dough portion into a thick log, about 3-4 inches long. Pat the log flat into a rectangle, about 8" long x 5" wide.

Imagine a smaller rectangle centered on your dough rectangle, with a margin of about 3/4" all the way around. Place about 3 tbsp. of filling on one half of the smaller rectangle. I start with 1-1/2 tsp. of mayo sauce, then add meat or veg, then the cheese.

Next, fold over the other half of the dough. Work slowly and carefully, as the dough is very fragile. Gently lift the empty side of the rectangle and fold it over the filling. Roll the bottom dough edge up and over the otp dough edge and press together gently. Lift the hot pocket off the work surface and use both of your hands to gently press the whole thing together.

If the dough has come apart anywhere, press it back together.

Place on cookie sheet and finish assembling the rest of the hot pockets.

Bake at 375F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. As ovens do vary, watch your hot pockets carefully the first time you make this. Make note of any adjustments needed for time or temperature.

Veggie hot pockets. This pic shows how I rolled up the bottom layer of dough to meet with the dough folded over the filling.

Filling notes:
For carnivores only:
A 6 or 7 oz. package of lunchmeats cut into 8 equal portions is plenty for half a batch of hot pockets. Once divided, the portions of meat might need further chopping to faciliate the hot pocket experience.

Mayo sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tsp. Grey Poupon dijon mustard (or to taste)

Mix well.

Sauteed veggie filling:
1/2 cup minced onions
2 cups chopped mushrooms
4 handfuls of arugula

Saute in liquid from marinated artichoke hearts. When mixture cools, toss with 1/2 lb. of shredded cheese for filling. Makes enough for 8 hot pockets.

DIY vegan mozzarella that melts – makes 1.5 pounds (from Jenn Shagrin's amazing book, Veganize This!)  (I used 1 lb. for our full batch of hot pockets, and have 1/2 pound leftover for something else tasty!)

1-1/2 12-oz pkgs. silken soft tofu (18 oz total)
1 cup vegan buttermilk (1 cup almond milk + 1 tbsp. flaxseed oil + 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, stir well, then set aside)
½ tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. rice vinegar
4 tsp. agar powder (available online or from Asian markets)

Place tofu, vegan buttermilk, salt, garlic powder, and rice vinegar in a blender or food processor, and blend at high speed until completely liquid. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan, stir in agar powder, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat and pour immediately into a baking dish. Smooth the top of the mixture, then place in refrigerator for a few hours until completely set. Use as any cheese. Keeps covered in fridge for up to eight days.


Bon appetit!

Wheat- and Corn-free Brownies

Remember that wheat and corn-free four flour bean mix recipe I posted a while back? Here's how I use this mix to make the tastiest brownies. I apologize for the lack of a photo - as soon as I make another batch, I'll get a pic and upload it.

When baking with wheat- and corn-free flours, I have the best results when I use stoneware baking pans. Mine are from The Pampered Chef, and are treasured components of my kitchen equipment.

Makes 16 large brownies

1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups four flour bean mix
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Use a medium saucepan on low heat to melt the butter and chocolate.
3. Remove from heat; stir in sugar.
4. Add eggs and vanilla beat lightly just until combined.
5. Stir in flour and nuts.
6. Spread batter in pan.
7. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes. Cool. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Delicious (and easy peasy) Daikon Salad

I’ve been promising this recipe to the nice gentleman who works at Hong Phat, my favorite local Asian market. I find the most wonderful food at Hong Phat – a ton of wheat- & corn-free noodles to choose from, scads of tasty fresh produce like snow peas, jicama, green onions, basil, AND daikon radishes.

For those of us who were brought up on cute little round red radishes, the daikon radish is the Godzilla of radishes, but not in a nuclear catastrophe-inspired demolition kind of way. The daikon radish is just plain big. Real big. Godzilla-type big, if you get my meaning.

There are a couple different varieties I’ve found in our local Asian markets – Hong Phat carries the long cylindrical daikons, maybe 3-4 inches in diameter, and anywhere from 1 to 3 feet (!!!) long sometimes, while Arirang carries a shorter, chunkier version, maybe 6-8 inches in diameter, and 10-12 inches long. Daikon radishes at both stores have white skin, and usually a small amount of green at the top.

Daikon radish is great peeled and cut into chunks for snacking (just ask Oofie – he LOVES him some daikon, lol), and is also terrific in stir-fries and soups. Daikon is also delicious in salads – the easy recipe below features daikon as the main ingredient, but I also make an Asian coleslaw, with shredded cabbage, carrots, daikon, and chopped green onions, topped with Moosewood’s Ginger Miso Dressing.

This recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special, a book which I highly recommend to everyone who likes food, especially soups & salads. Daily Special is packed with fabulous and tasty recipes, and is one of my most-referred-to cookbooks.

Don't be tempted to take a short cut and omit pouring the hot oil over the scallions/green onions- that's what really makes this dish so yummy!

Pilwun’s Daikon Salad, p. 282, Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special

Serves: 6-8

Prep time: 10 minutes

Draining time: 30 minutes

2 pounds daikon

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1 carrot

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

dash of dark sesame oil

3 scallions or green onions

2 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil

Trim the ends of the daikon, peel, and coarsely grate it. (A food processor makes this go so much faster!)

In a colander set into a larger bowl, toss the grated daikon with the salt. Set aside to drain for 20-30 minutes, until about a cup of liquid has collected in the bowl. (Squeezing some of the liquid out of the daikon from time to time will speed up the process.)

Meanwhile, peel and coarsely grate the carrot and place it in a serving bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil and set aside. When the daikon is well drained, stir it into the carrots. Add the vinegar mixture and toss well.

Slice the scallions thinly on the diagonal and mound them on top of the salad. Heat the vegetable oil until smoking and immediately pour it over the scallions – this will make a sizzling sound. Toss well.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Gluten-free Naan - easy AND tasty!!!

Waaaay back in January, I posted a recipe for the flour mix we use to make pizza. I have great news, especially if you're a fan of Indian food. This flour mix works REALLY well for making naan, a tender, very tasty leavened flat bread.

finished naan, ready for devouring!

Here's how we did it, loosely based on Bette Hagman's Pita Bread recipe found on page 193 of The Gluten-free Gourmet Bakes Bread.

The following makes about 20 individual naan breads - enough for two adults, two teenagers, and a hungry naan-crazed 8 year old boy.

You'll need 1-2 cookie sheets, butter or margarine, waxed paper, and a sheet or two of baker's parchment paper if your cookie sheets are aluminum like mine. Use the butter or margarine to grease the cookie sheets. You will also need a pastry brush, about 1/2 cup of butter/margarine mixed with 1-2 Tbsp. minced or pressed garlic if you want garlic naan, or no garlic if you want plain naan, and a shaker of salt.

Dry ingredients - combine in bowl of heavy-duty mixer using paddle:
6 cups French bread/pizza mix <--I've been making mine without the egg replacer, and just upping the egg content in the wet ingredients - it's working well for us. 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Almond meal or coconut flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt
4-1/2 Tbsp. sugar

Wet ingredients:

5 eggs

In a bowl, combine and set aside to foam:
2-1/1 Tbsp. dry yeast granules
1-1/2 cups warm (not hot) water
2 tsp. sugar

In another bowl, combine to melt shortening/coconut oil:
3/8 cup shortening or virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup hot water

----

Add eggs, foamed yeast mixture, and melted shortening/coconut oil/water mixture to dry ingredients and blend. Set mixer on high speed and beat for 3-1/2 minutes.

While you're waiting for the naan dough to mix up, tear off a few sheets of waxed paper and grease them, using the butter or margarine. You'll want the waxed paper sheets to be about 20-24" long - big enough for you to lay on 3-4 naans to rise.

Once the dough is thoroughly mixed, grab 2 tsp. of butter/margarine and rub it all over your hands. The dough is very soft and sticky, which makes for a tender finished bread, but it's a mess to work with if your hands aren't adequately greased. I found that I needed to re-grease my hands before I started working with each new piece of dough.

Use a rubber spatula to scoop out a small handful of dough, about the size of a duck egg, and form it into a thick cylinder, about 5-6 inches long. Lay the dough cylinder onto a cookie sheet (or one of the pieces of greased waxed paper, once you fill up your cookie sheets) and gently pat it into a flat, elongated teardrop shape, about 10-12 inches long, and about 5-6 inches at the widest point. Continue forming individual naan breads until all the dough is used up. Allow naan to rise for about an hour.

naan, rising

Preheat oven to 450-500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use the pastry brush to brush a thin layer of garlic butter over the top of each naan, and then sprinkle a bit of salt over the top of that. Bake naan for 5-7 minutes, watching carefully near the end of the baking period. You want the tops to be golden brown. Use a spatula to remove naan from cookie sheet to a piece of paper towel to cool.

I found that the greased waxed paper worked great for the rising naan - and you should be able to re-use the parchment paper for the whole batch - just (very carefully) flip the waxed paper over and the naan should come away from the waxed paper easily. You might also try picking up each individual naan bread and laying it onto the cookie sheet. Whichever method you use, don't forget to brush on the (garlic) butter and sprinkle the salt!

This naan is best enjoyed immediately (preferably with a big plate of rice & veggies masala) but can also be re-heated using a toaster set to the lowest setting.

Ginger Wasabi Kale Chips (easy, raw, vegan, tasty!)

I am a complete potato chip junkie...something about that crisp salty tasty snacky goodness gets me every time...but at 150 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving of Lay's Classic Potato Chips, and knowing how easy it is (at least for me. ACK!!!) to scarf down about 8 servings at a time, regular potato chips are something I need to avoid. Imagine my delight when I found that kale chips satisfy that urge for a salty munchie!

This recipe is really easy - all you need is:

• a dehydrator (I love my 9-tray Excalibur)
• a bunch of fresh kale
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. wasabi powder
• fresh ginger, about 1" knob, washed and peeled
• 1/4-1/3 cup miso

1. Wash the kale and shake it dry.
2. Pull the leaves off the kale stems and tear leaves into bite-sized pieces (about 2-3" diameter or so)
3. Place torn kale leaves into a large bowl.
4. Grate ginger over kale leaves.
5. Sprinkle a small amount of wasabi powder over kale leaves.
6. Scoop miso onto kale leaves.
7. Use your hands to mush the miso onto all of the kale leaves, mixing well and distributing ginger and wasabi as evenly as possible.
8. Lay seasoned kale leaves onto mesh dehydrator trays, spreading apart in a single layer (you'll probably need 2-3 dehydrator trays to dry all of the leaves).
9. Dehydrate at 105 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-5 hours, or until completely dry.
10. Store in an airtight container.

Leftover crumbs can be sprinkled onto a salad for extra flavor.
I will be experimenting with different flavors, and will post here the results.

Have fun, and bon appetit!

Gluten-free WAFFLES!!!

One of my most favorite foods EVER is waffles. I'm not sure why - maybe it's because the little square holes hold butter and syrup so nicely, and then again, maybe it's the fabulous contrast between crusty outside and light and fluffy inside. The original version of this recipe is in Bette Hagman's book, The Gluten-free Gourmet. I've changed it up a bit, and I always try to make lots of extra waffles, so we can freeze some for "instant breakfasts."

3 cups Four Flour Bean Mix (or you can use 1-1/2 cups rice flour + 3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour + 3/4 cup potato starch flour)
3/4 tsp. salt
8 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tbsp. sugar
5 eggs
3/8 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 cups milk or nondairy liquid

Measure dry ingredients, mix together, and set aside. Pre-heat waffle iron.

Beat eggs, oil, and milk in a mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients and fold in gently with spoon. Don't overbeat.

Bake on waffle iron and serve.

To freeze, place a single layer of cooked waffles on a rack and place in freezer. Once frozen, waffles may be stored in a freezer zip-seal bag. To re-heat, pop waffles in the toaster.

Kitchen Remedies

EDIT 10.09.12: As a strong medicinal herb, comfrey has been the subject of much recent controversy, centered on its actions on the liver. James Green, author of The Herbal Medicine Makers Handbook, suggests that comfrey root not be taken internally by young children, pregnant women, or people with manifest liver disease. While comfrey has a long history of being helpful with coughs, I am no longer including comfrey root in my cough syrup preparations. I encourage you to conduct your own research on this issue.



Coping with a cold or sinus infection on top of multiple food allergies can be a real challenge - most children's cough syrups we've encountered contain at least one of Archer's allergens/intolerances (usually corn syrup and/or red food coloring). And stuff that comes in capsule or pill form frequently contains corn starch (often listed as "modified food starch") as a filler. Commercial cough syrups without corn syrup can be very helpful in the short-term, but at $8-10 per 10 oz. bottle, if you need to take cough syrup for more than a day or two, it can get pricey.


Following are a few simple recipes that we have used for years to feel better fast. The recipes for Tess' Garlic Syrup & Tess' Cough Syrup both came from my dear friend Tess Fox, who shared them with me. Tess is not only trained in reflexology, herbalism, and energy work, she's also an accomplished bellydancer, who leads and teaches Troupe O-Wa here in Olympia.

Disclaimer: this information is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness, and you are STRONGLY encouraged to rely on the advice of your personal medical professional.

You are ALSO STRONGLY encouraged to use your best judgement and common sense. Essential oils and herbs can be quite effective, however you should NOT deviate from the recipe measurements given OR the dosage of a particular remedy. (e.g. don't "double" or "triple" the measurement or dose of something, just because it's made with herbs or essential oils - I encourage you to approach these remedies with the same amount of diligent caution as you would any conventional cold remedy.)

Raw, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon in a cup of water, 2-3 times a day, is a terrific immune system booster anytime you're feeling like you're starting to pick up a bug. It's so diluted in the water that it's not really that bad to chug down.

I make a blend of essential oils for sinus infections; we've been using this blend for a few years now, and I find it's much more effective for treating these buggers than antibiotics. The essential oils have antibiotic/antiviral properties and work really well. I put this blend together based on information from the Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Worwood.

Here's the recipe:
9 parts tea tree essential oil
9 parts lavender essential oil
6 parts eucalyptus essential oil
6 parts peppermint essential oil
15 parts rose geranium essential oil

I use disposable pipettes to measure the essential oils, using a different pipette for each essential oil. I usually measure in milliliters; a 2 ounce bottle is plenty big to hold a batch of this blend, as measured in mls. Make sure the bottle is colored glass - essential oils are light-sensitive. If the bottle does not have a dropper lid, an orifice-reducer is very helpful when it comes to dispensing the blend, one drop at a time.

To use: Use no more than 3 drops in a bowl of steaming water for one minute (I usually count 10 inhalations). Cover your head with a towel to keep the steam on your face. Steam your head 2-4 times a day. You do not want to overdose on this stuff - it'll do a serious number on your sinuses.

Make sure your e.o.'s are from a reputable source. My favorite supplier of essential oils is Essential Oil University, but I also like to order from Liberty Natural. EDIT: 3.5.13: Alas! Essential Oil University is no longer - my new favorite supplier of essential oils is Eden Botanicals.

Tess' cough syrup: (herbs are dried, not powdered)

1 ounce marshmallow root

1 ounce comfrey root (EDIT 10.09.12 - see notes at top of post)

1 ounce thyme

1/2 ounce licorice

1/4 ounce cinnamon bark

1/2 ounce hops

1/2 ounce catnip

1/6 ounce dried ginger

Put all ingredients into glass or enamel pot. Top with one quart of distilled water. Simmer down to one pint (reduce by 1/2). You can measure the depth with a chopstick. (Of course, you have to remember to do this when you first put it on the stove, LOL) Strain liquid and put liquid into a pan. Add 2 pounds of honey and simmer for five minutes. If scum forms, skim scum off surface.

Store in glass jar in the refrigerator. Take one tablespoon every 2-3 hours.

Tess’ garlic syrup – good for sore throat, cough, heart, high blood pressure, nervous disorders, colds, viral things

wide-mouth gallon jar

1 lb. peeled minced garlic
1 quart apple cider vinegar

1 quart distilled water

--

1 cup vegetable glycerine

1 cup honey

Combine garlic, apple cider vinegar and distilled water in wide-mouth gallon jar. Cover and let stand in warm place for 4-7 days – shake a few times each day. At the end of that time, add one cup of glycerine and let it stand for another day. Strain and filter mixture through a muslin or linen cloth, giving a good squeeze. Add one cup of honey, stir until thoroughly mixed – store in cool cupboard, not fridge. Shake well before dispensing. Take 1 tbsp. 3 x daily with/after meals.

My mom shared the following recipe with me, as the majority of commercial electrolyte drinks contain ingredients that Archer can’t ingest.

Citrus Sports Drink (electrolyte drink)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ cup boiling water

½ cup fresh orange juice, preferably pulp-free

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

7 cups cold water, preferably filtered

1. In a glass pitcher or jug, combine sugar and salt. Pour in boiling water; stir to dissolve sugar and salt.
2. Add orange juice, lemon juice, and cold water; stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 week. Stir before serving. Makes 8 (one-cup) servings.

For a lime version, omit orange juice, increase lemon juice by 2 tablespoons, and add 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice.

Chris’ edits:

I used a combination of lemon, lime, and tangerine juices – figuring ¾ cup of citrus juice per recipe. I juiced everything I had, and wound up with about 6 cups of juice. This is enough to make 8 batches of the drink. I’m going to mix the sugar, salt, boiling water, and juice, then divide it into canning jars and freeze it, one batch of concentrate per jar. Then all I need to do is take a jar out of the freezer, add 7 cups of cold water, and viola! electrolyte drink. Here are the measurements if you want to do the same:

2-2/3 cups granulated sugar

4 tsp. salt

4 cups boiling water

6 cups citrus juice

Combine per above directions, omitting the 7 cups of water. Divide evenly among 8 freezer jars, and freeze.

Lemon Bars! (yes, no wheat, no corn, ALL good!)

Now that you've made up a batch of Four Flour Bean Mix and a batch of corn-free baking powder, you're all set to make Lemon Bars. Enjoy!

Lemon Squares, from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook [Recipe doubled. CH]

12 tablespoons butter or margarine

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups of Four Flour Bean Mix plus 1-1/2 teaspoons guar gum

4 eggs

1-1/2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons Four Flour Bean Mix

½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

6 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9” x 13” baking pan.
2. Beat butter for 30 seconds; add the ½ cup sugar and the ½ teaspoon salt, beating till fluffy. Stir in the 2 cups of flour. Pat dough onto bottom of pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, beat eggs; add remaining 1-1/2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, lemon peel, lemon juice, and baking powder. Beat 3 minutes or till slightly thickened. Pour over baked layer.
4. Bake in a 350° oven 25 to 30 minutes longer or till light golden brown around edges and center is set. Cool. Cut into squares. Makes 32.

Wheat- & Corn-Free Pancakes!!!

3.15.11 EDIT: Added picture of pancakes, cooking up on the griddle. Yep. They were delicious!

Happy Saturday!

No, I didn't forget. I'm finishing up those mixed media paper art charms - they are thisclosetodone - just need to seal them, then I'll post pics and how-to's as fast as I can.

In the meantime, I'll keep posting my favorite wheat- and corn-free recipes.

Following is the BEST recipe for wheat- and corn-free pancakes I've found - from Special Diet Celebrations, by Carol Fenster. (I found Special Diet Celebrations at our local library - when I checked on Amazon for the book just now, it appears that the second edition has been renamed Gluten-Free Celebrations: Memorable Meals without Wheat - and couldn't find the book under either title on Carol's main website, though she has a number of other books on gluten-free cooking.)

GF BEST Pancakes

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup garfava flour
• ½ cup potato starch
• ½ cup tapioca flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp vanilla (omit this if you’re using vanilla yogurt)
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Whisk egg and yogurt in bowl. Add remaining ingredients and blend, just until mixed. Cook over medium heat.

* You can also replace the garfava flour, potato starch & tapioca flour with 2 cups of the Four Flour Bean Mix.

Pizza Crust recipe (wheat/corn/gluten-free)

Today's post will enable you to make PIZZA without wheat or corn! Both of the following recipes are from Bette Hagman's book, The Gluten-free Gourmet Bakes Bread. The first recipe is for French Bread/Pizza Mix; once you have this mixed up, it's a snap to prepare delicious pizza at home. As always, I've made a few modifications to the recipes to suit our family's needs as follows:

• use guar gum in place of xanthan gum (xanthan gum is produced using corn products, not OK for us)
• omit egg replacer in dry mix, substitute with an extra egg in the wet ingredients

French Bread/Pizza Mix, p. 190, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread, Bette Hagman

makes 12 cups of mix

• 7 cups white rice flour
• 5 cups tapioca flour
• ¼ cup guar gum (I found the best price on this at Barry Farms)
• 1 ounce unflavored gelatin (I buy gelatin in big cans at Cash & Carry, you can also use 4 7-gram packets)
• ¼ cup egg replacer (you can delete this ingredient and add an extra egg per single crust to the wet ingredients)
• ½ cup sugar

Stir together well or place in a plastic bag and tumble. (I use a plastic 1 gallon juice container.) Store on your pantry shelf, no need to refrigerate.

Seasoned Pizza Crust, p. 191, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread, Bette Hagman

To freeze for later use, bake for the first 10 minutes, coo, then wrap and freeze. To use, thaw completely, then top and bake.

CH Note: We use stoneware pizza pans for the best results – otherwise, the crust turns out soggy and limp. I got our stoneware from The Pampered Chef.

For 1 crust:

Dry Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups French Bread/Pizza M
• 3 tbsp. dry milk powder
• ¾ tsp. Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2-1/2 tsp. dry yeast granules

Wet Ingredients

• 1 egg (2 eggs if you omitted the egg replacer in the dry mix)
• 1-1/2 tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
• ½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp. warm water

Preheat oven to 400°F (375°F if using stoneware pan). Lightly grease baking sheet.

Blend dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Place wet ingredients in bowl of heavy-duty mixer and blend. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mix. Beat on high for 3-1/2 minutes.

Spoon dough onto prepared pan, and spread to within ½ inch of pan edges. Dough is really sticky and will be a challenge to work with initially.

Let crust rise about 10 minutes, then bake for 10-15 minutes while you prepare pizza toppings. Top crust with sauce, cheese, and additional toppings. Bake again for about 25 minutes. Lift crust with a spatula to see if it’s golden and done.

More Gluten-free & Corn-free tricks and tips

Here are two quick recipes to help you with cooking without wheat and corn. I rely heavily on both of these recipes.

The first is my tweaked-for-no-corn version of Bette Hagman's fabulous Four Flour Bean Mix. Add 3/4 tsp. of guar gum (or xanthan gum, if you don't have issues with corn) to each cup of this flour mix, and you'll be able to use this in most recipes calling for wheat flour. I've had great success using this flour mix to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars that are (cue hallelujah chorus) simply divine, and tasty quick biscuits to go with soup. Check this blog in the near future for these, and more, yummy recipes.


Four Flour Bean Mix, makes 9 cups

• 2 cups garbanzo flour (you can also use the more expensive garfava flour) - available from Barry Farm and from Bob's Red Mill
• 1 cup sorghum flour - also available from Barry Farm and from Bob's Red Mill
• 4-1/2 cups tapioca starch - I buy this at our local Asian grocery, also available from Barry Farm and Bob's Red Mill
• 1-1/2 cups potato starch - Another item I buy at our Asian grocery, also available from Barry Farm and Bob's Red Mill
• 7 teaspoons guar gum - as a slacker mom, I add in the guar gum when I make up the flour mix, so I don't have to remember to add it when I'm working with a recipe. Barry Farm and Bob's Red Mill both carry guar gum.

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. I use a clean and dry 1-gallon pitcher (with the lid on!!!) to blend my flour mix - I hold the lid on with one hand, and shake, rattle, and roll that pitcher until everything looks seriously mixed up. Store flour mix in a 1 gallon zip-seal bag in the cupboard.

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The second recipe is for no-corn-starch baking powder, an essential ingredient in the bread recipe I posted yesterday, as well as many others, including the aforementioned tasty quick biscuits. I found this recipe in The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook, written by Marjorie Hurt Jones, R.N.

No Corn Starch Baking Powder
The original version of this recipe makes 2 tablespoons - not nearly enough to have on hand for making up bread mixes, lots and lots of biscuits, and a few batches of cookies - so I tweaked it to make lots. Also - the original recipe calls for arrowroot flour - which is expensive compared to tapioca starch, so I just use tapioca starch instead, with pleasing results.

• 1/4 cup cream of tartar (I get mine from Cash & Carry, our local restaurant supply store - Barry Farm carries it as well.)
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/8 cup baking soda

A couple of caveats for this recipe:

• ALWAYS use fresh baking soda
• sift your ingredients well - two times through the sifter should be adequate
• store the finished baking powder in an airtight jar in the cupboard (I use a recycled jam jar & lid)

Wanna make more baking powder? The ratio is 2 parts cream of tartar, 2 parts tapioca starch, and 1 part baking soda.

• 1/2 cup cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup baking soda

Gluten-free Bread

A completed (and half-eaten) loaf of our bread.

2.3.11 EDIT: As you can see, I took pics and added them to this post.

First off, I apologize for the lack of accompanying picture with today's post. I have pics of this bread, honest...they're on the recently deceased hard drive, and I can't get at them just yet. If I can recover them, I'll add the pics to the post.

Acknowledgments: I found the original recipe for this bread in Bette Hagman's excellent book, The Gluten-free Gourmet Bakes Bread. I am sad to report that Bette passed away in 2007. Bette, you were THE guiding light for me during my early days of learning how to feed my family without wheat. Thank you so very much!

This bag contains all the dry ingredients (except yeast) needed to make 2 loaves of bread.

Here's how I handle bread-making at Casa de Hansen:
1. I use stoneware loaf pans to bake my bread in. They make a WORLD of difference in my kitchen when it comes to wheat-free cooking. I purchased my stoneware loaf pans through The Pampered Chef. I expect other brands of stoneware loaf pans will perform similarly, but as I have no experience with anything other than TPC pans, I can't say for sure.
2. I make two loaves of bread at a time for our family of four (two adults, 2 always-hungry kids).
3. I pre-measure the dry ingredients ahead of time (except the yeast!) and store them in the cupboard in gallon-size zip-seal bags. One bag will hold enough dry ingredients for two loaves. I usually do up 7 or 8 2-loaf bags at a time. With my pre-measured ingredients, it takes me about 5 minutes to mix up a loaf of bread. Then, all I need to do is let it rise and bake it. Easy peasy!

If I'm in the process of whipping up bread mixes, and run out of an ingredient,
I tape a little reminder to the bag.

As you can see, I typed up the list of dry ingredients (except yeast, which
needs to be stored in the fridge), along with their measurements. This way,
if I run out of something, I just highlight that ingredient
and tape the list to the bag. Easy peasy!

4. I wouldn't trade my kick-butt KitchenAid stand mixer for ANYTHING. You need serious horsepower when it comes to mixing up gluten-free doughs and batters, and this mixer can handle the job.
5. My little man doesn't do breadcrust (even though it's really good), so we cut the crust off, and pop it into a freezer bag along with the heel ends of the loaf. The bits and pieces of crust will grind up into breadcrumbs (for other recipes) using a food processor or a blender, or you can make a spiffy delicious bread pudding too! I'll post Bette's recipe for this another time, OK?
6. Baking with gluten-free flours is a bit different than baking with wheat - most noticeably, the consistency of the batters/doughs. This particular recipe is gooey sticky - more like a really thick cake batter than the typical bread dough we are all familiar with.

So here's the deal. My current-favorite bread recipe is the New French Bread on page 74 of The Gluten-free Gourmet Bakes Bread...and it calls for French Bread/Pizza Mix, which is on page 190 of the same book. I've tweaked the recipe so I have all of the required ingredients on one page, and so I can make up my 2-loaf bags...but...I use a small kitchen scale to measure many of the ingredients, since it goes faster for me. Annnnd, since I use a scale for the ingredients required in larger quantities, I don't have measuring cup measurements for you.

Ready? Here goes:

Bette's New French Bread, tweaked by Chris
dry ingredients:

• 15.8 oz. white rice flour (I find this, tapioca starch, and potato starch at our local Asian grocery stores)
• 12.6 oz. tapioca starch/flour
• 21 grams guar gum (we use guar gum because xanthan gum is made with corn, and we can't use corn)
• 16.4 grams unflavored gelatin
• 2 oz. sugar
• 3.2 oz. almond meal or coconut flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder (I make my own baking powder too, because almost all commercial brands contain corn starch - I'll post the recipe for that soon, OK?)

• 2 tbsp. yeast (if you're making up bread mixes ahead of time, don't include this - just add it to your dry ingredients right before you make your loaf)

wet ingredients:

• 6 large eggs (I omitted the egg replacer originally called for in Hagman's recipe, and just added another 2 eggs)
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (this helps make a better loaf)
• 6 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter/margarine
• 2 cups warm water (warm enough to activate yeast, but not too hot because it'll kill the yeast)(also - you may need to play with the water amount to suit your own cooking style. I found that adding the amount of water listed in the original recipe made it too soupy.)

Grease loaf pans.

Add yeast to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

With heavy-duty mixer on low speed, mix together eggs, vinegar, oil or butter, and warm water.

Add dry ingredients and scrape sides down. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.

Divide bread batter evenly between both loaf pans, and jiggle pans to settle batter. Cover lightly with waxed paper, and set aside in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Bake in pre-heated 375 degree F oven for about 40 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack to cool. Option: brush exterior of loaf with butter or margarine. If you want to slice your bread before it's fully cool, butter the sides of a serrated knife and cut very gently, without pressing down too much if possible. The butter keeps the hot bread from sticking to the cool metal of the knife.

Once cool, bread may be stored in a plastic bag.