Festive Rice

Today was yet another great Food Not Bombs day at Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick. We made a delicious vegetable stew and festive rice. I hope you enjoy. This makes a lot!

Ingredients:
3 cups of rice
6 cups of water
4 pints of cherry tomatoes halved
1 can of refried beans
1 can of organic (to avoid GMOs) sweet corn
2 bunches of chives, finely chopped
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 8 oz packages of edamame, shelled

Boil the rice and water. Simmer for about 10 minutes. When rice is near tender, add remaining ingredients. Stir well and voila.

Honey Mustard Vinagrette

This lovely salad dressing is a great accompaniment to any green such as arugula, kale, mustard greens, or spring mix.

I use a former salad dressing bottle to store this vinagrette.

Ingredients:
3/4 c olive oil
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 T honey
1 T mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
1/2 tsp crushed dried thyme
1/2 tsp crushed dried basil

Combine all ingredients in a pyrex measuring cup. Add to a glass bottle with a lid and shake it up!

Gluten Free Bread

Gluten free yeast breads are actually quicker to make than wheat based yeast breads because they only require the dough to rise once instead of twice. This bread is a great alternative to the usual suspects (the gluten free breads sold in grocery stores out in the world).

Ingredients:
1 lb gluten free flour blend (1/2 rice, 1/4 sorghum, 1/4 arrowroot)
1 packet of dry yeast
1 2/3 c buttermilk (or add the juice of 1/2 a lemon to whole milk)
1 T sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 c olive oil

Grease a 9" x 5" pyrex glass or metal bread pan with butter or oil. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently. When milk is warm (test a drop or 2 on your inner wrist), add to a large bowl containing the dry yeast. Let sit 5 minutes. Next beat the egs, oil and sugar together. Slowly add to the milk and yeast mixture and stir well. Sift together the remaining dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients. Mix well until you have a large ball of dough. Place into the bread pan, cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place (at least 70˚F) for about 1 hour.

Bake loaf for 1 hour in a 350˚F oven. After the first 15 minutes of baking, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the bread to avoid burning the top. The bread is done when tapping on the crust yields a hollow sound. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve as is or toasted.

Makes 1 large loaf.

Chocolate Cake

This is a super easy cake to make from scratch. Be not intimidated. This recipe makes one 8" x 8" cake or 12 cupcakes. I line my Teflon cake pan with parchment paper. (There is some debate about whether or not Teflon is safe for baking and cooking.)

Ingredients:
1 c gluten free flour blend
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp espresso powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c yogurt, kefir or buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line an 8 x 8" baking pan with parchment paper or place cupcake cups in a muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Taco Dip

This is the 2nd in a series of what I'm calling RECESSion meals. They are meals or dishes that you make Sunday night (or Monday morning if you're unemployed at the moment) and you eat for the whole week. (This may sound boring, I know! But this is a response to the idea of eating well and gluten free on a budget)

This dip can be served with eggs, warm corn tortillas, corn chips, or over a green salad.

Ingredients:1 T olive oil
1 can refried beans
1/2 lb cheddar or monterey jack cheese
1 jar of salsa
1 8 oz container of sour cream (or greek yogurt)
6 leaves of red leaf lettuce (thinly sliced)
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
3/4 c organic frozen corn
1 can sliced black olives
1 tsp salt

In a heavy skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add diced onions and garlic. After about 5 minutes when they are translucent, add the beans and salt. Stir occasionally over medium heat for 10 minutes.

In a 9" x 11" pan, begin the layering process. Start with salsa, add olives, sour cream, corn, the warm bean mixture, cheese, and finally the lettuce.

The Lovely Rose Hip

Rose hips are lovely. They are a great source of vitamin C. You can make an infusion with them or simply grab a small handful and eat them like dried fruit.

ROSE HIP INFUSION

1 oz dried rose hips
1 quart boiling water
1 quart mason jar with a lid

Boil water. Place rose hips in a quart mason jar. Pour water over the rose hips. Cap jar with lid and let sit for 4 hours at room temperature. Separate plant material with a sieve or colander and enjoy.

Coffee Liquor

Give Kahlua a run for its money with this coffee liquor recipe. Yes, you can make your own!

Tools:
8 oz glass jar with a lid

Ingredients:
~ 1/2 c whole coffee beans (to fill jar 3/4 full)
~3/4 c vodka (to fill the jar)
8 oz of your choice of milk (I use hemp milk)
3 T agave or honey

Place beans in a glass jar and fill with vodka. Secure lid tightly, label jar with date and name and let sit in a cupboard for 1 month. After the month is up strain liquid into a larger glass bottle (16oz). Add milk and agave syrup. Secure lid and shake gently until well blended. Chill for a few hours and serve. Store any unused portion in the refrigerator.

Miso Soup #2

Here is a second Miso Soup recipe. I use Westbrae's Organic Mellow White Miso for this recipe but you can substitute any miso. Check out Miso Soup #1 for another version.

Ingredients
4 c. water
1 T olive oil
2 tsp kelp seaweed
1 carrot
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 scallion
2 T miso
2 T tiny cubes of silken tofu (optional)

Chop or slice all veggies. Fry garlic and shallots in olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add salt. Add carrots and seaweed. Cook for 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Before adding the miso, dissolve it using a few tablespoons of water. Add miso and scallions to soup mixture and stir. Serve hot.

Root Teas

Root teas like burdock, dandelion and marshmallow give us a sense of grounding and earthiness especially during the cold winter months. Burdock increases the secretion of bile to help digest fat. Marshmallow is a great mucilage and emollient, adding moisture to the digestive tract. Dandelion has a direct and toning effect on the liver. Read more about these 3 herbs:
http://matthewwoodherbs.com/
http://www.susunweed.com/

Tools:
1 quart mason jar with a lid

Ingredients:
1/2 oz of dandelion, marshmallow or burdock root
4 c. water

Place the root herbs in mason jar. Heat water to a rolling boil and pour into the jar. Fill completely with water and cap. Let infuse for 2-6 hours. Strain herbs and enjoy. If the infusion becomes cold, simply re-heat in a pan or in a coffee maker carafe.

Veggie Ziti

This is the 1st in a series of what I'm calling RECESSion meals. They are meals or dishes that you make Sunday night (or Monday morning if you're unemployed at the moment) and you eat for the whole week. (This may sound boring, I know! But this is a response to the idea of eating well and gluten free on a budget)

We'll make a veggie ziti but in 2 parts - 1 is straight up veggie, the other is an eggplant ziti so at least we have 2 flavors to choose from and we can alternate from day to day.

Ingredients:
12 oz Schar GF Ziti (or Tinkyada Ziti)
24 oz jar of tomato sauce (Classico tomato basil)
1 large eggplant
1 onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 zucchinis
2 carrots
5 shiitake mushrooms
1 lb mozzarella cheese (whole milk)- grated or roughly sliced
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Boil the pasta according to package directions, drain water. While the pasta is boiling cut up onions, garlic, mushrooms and veggies into cubes. Cut eggplant into rounds and sprinkle with sea salt. Next, in a large frying pan or dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until translucent. Add herbs and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more. Then remove 1/2 of the mixture and set aside. Then add eggplant and fry on both sides until they are a nice golden brown.

Have 2 pyrex baking dishes available: 7 x 11" and and 8 x 8". Pour a little tomato sauce in the bottom of both dishes. Add the garlic/onion/mushroom/herbs mixture to the 8 x 8 pan. Layer the ziti, eggplant, sauce, cheese until the dish is full.

In the 7 x 11 pan add ziti, carrots, zucchini, and the remaining garlic/onion mixture. Then add in the remaining mozzarella cheese and stir.

Place both pyrex dishes in the oven and cook for at least 1 hour. The dish should be very bubbly when ready. Serve with green salad.

©Joanne Sherrow, original recipe

Lemongrass Green Tea

Lemongrass is a lovely herb especially when used to add a delicate flavor to green tea.

Ingredients:
2 T lemongrass
1 T green tea
4 c water

Directions:
Place dried herbs in a 2 pint mason jar. Pour boiling water over the herbs and cap the jar. Infuse 1 hour, filter through a metal strainer and serve warm.

Cayenne Honey

This is a sweet medicine for sore throats.

Ingredients:
~1 T honey
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder

Stir both ingredients with a chopstick and take as a medicinal syrup as is or stir into a glass of warm water with lemon for extra hydration.

Rose Lemonade

Here is a nice recipe for sore throats.

Ingredients:
1/2 lemon squeezed
2 tsp honey
2 T dry organic rose petals
~1 pint of water

Heat water to almost boiling (I use a coffee maker for this purpose). In a heavy pint glass layer the ingredients. Cover with water. Wait 2 minutes. Strain mixture through a filter. Enjoy!

©2010 Joanne Sherrow, Original Recipe

Garlic "Flower"

This is an easy and delicious way to incorporate garlic into any meal. Garlic is an immune booster and a great ally for the winter cold season.

Ingredients:
1 head (or more) of garlic

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Place the whole garlic head(s) on a cookie sheet or pyrex dish and heat for 15-20 minutes until the garlic cloves become soft.

Sometimes the garlic will open slightly like a flower! Allow to cool 5 minutes and serve as a condiment with your meal. It's fun to pull off separate cloves and peel. They can also be spread on GF toast.