Every Kiss Begins with Kaye's Salsa

Well, I'd sure kiss someone if he made this salsa for me.  A lot.  This salsa--from my sister's mother-in-law--is most delicious.  I may say that it's my favorite.  I wouldn't be lying.  Life is better with this salsa in it.  The recipe says to leave it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors develop, which is understandably necessary, but I just know that I can only do this if my salsa somehow lasts into the evening.  Good thing it's a large recipe (you may want to half it or can some).  Also, you can use fresh tomatoes.  Grab a spoon!  I mean, some chips...

4 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bunch green onion with tops, chopped
1, 7 oz. can green chiles
2, 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
2 tsp. dried chiles*
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Mix together and refrigerate overnight to let flavors blend. (I also use the immersion blender on it a little since I like a smoother salsa.)



*Kaye's note: The dried chiles are found in the Mexican food section.  They are generally labeled New Mexico or California chiles.  You can use regular chili powder, but I [Kaye] like the dried best.

Banana Bread Sourdough Pancakes

Well, I have been absent for quite a while. I have been busy with having a babe, homeschooling, studying and... learning sourdough techniques! I took classes online. I read. I watched YouTube videos. I still didn't get it. I labeled myself a "sourdough failure." I kinda became depressed about it. Really. I'm weird, I know. Click here to see why it was so important to me. Finally, some local homeschoolers offered a class. Why not? I gave it a try. It clicked! Hooray! So, I've been trying to make as much of my wheat-foods soured as possible. The other day, I made pancakes. I happened to notice that I had some very ripe bananas. I decided to add them to the batter, along with some spices and make banana bread pancakes. They were so good. I may have bragged about them. Others may have asked for the recipe. Thus my return to my long neglected blog. So, without further ado...

Banana bread sourdough pancakes

(note: This makes a LOT of pancakes. I have lots of kids. All with ravenous appetites.)

3 cups leaven (This is your starter. There are a million methods for starting your own starter. The easiest way is to ask your friends if they have some to share. If not, you can purchase one or make your own. Sorry, I can't post a link right now. Make sure you have built it up the night before. Mine is a mixture of wheat and rye, but you can use any flour you want. This even works with gluten free flours such as brown rice or buckwheat.)

3 eggs

6 Tbsp. sweetener of your choice (I use sucanat.)

6 Tbsp. coconut or other oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

3/4 tsp. ginger

3/4 tsp. cloves

Mix all the ingredients together and cook on a hot, lightly greased griddle. You know the rest, right? Flip them and such? Yeah, I figured. Enjoy!

The Yummiest Quesadillas Ever

I'm not even kidding. I first had these quesadillas at a local health food cafe. I thought I was going to die right there. Although the cafe has many delicious items on its menu, I never order any of them. Just this quesadilla. So, I thought I would try to duplicate their recipe. And duplicate, I did. You will love me forever if you make these. See? Like this. You will make this face at me...

Unless you're allergic to pine nuts. Then you will hate me.

This is one of those non-specific recipes, too. Sorry.

The Yummiest Quesadillas Ever

Whole grain tortillas (sprouted is best)
Shredded cheese (the cafe uses mozzarella, I used white cheddar, you can use what you want)
Black beans (cooked)
Brown rice (cooked)
Corn
Pesto (this is what makes these things so heavenly)

Put one (or two) tortillas on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with some cheese.

Broil just until cheese is melted. Top with the rest of the ingredients. Finish with more cheese.

Broil until that cheese is melted. Put another tortilla on top. Broil again until warm and crispy. Cut with a pizza cutter and serve.

You won't regret it.

Black beans

I have been making a lot of black beans lately. I LOVE them on everything, especially quesadillas and taco salads. Mmmm...

3 c. black beans
9 c. water
3 T. raw apple cider vinegar

Soak the beans in the apple cider vinegar and water overnight. The apple cider vinegar helps to break down the phytic acid in the beans, allowing them to be more digestible and also more nutritious! Be sure to put a towel over your bowl so you don't get any fruitflies in your beans. They like apple cider vinegar.

The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Put them in your crock pot. I usually add water just until the beans are covered. Awesomely specific instructions, eh? Then, add:

3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 onion, diced
1/2 - 1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped (optional, also leave some seeds if you want more spice)
3-5 t. Real Salt depending on personal preference
1 t. ground pepper
1/4 t. cumin

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Delish.

Kefir!

I realized that I keep mentioning kefir, but many people don't know what it is. It is a cultured milk product. Which is a nice way of saying sour milk. That is not a bad thing, though. Cultured milk has wonderful health benefits. The main one is the probiotics, which restore essential flora to the gut and also helps balance yeast overgrowth. It has antifungal properties as well. It also has a plethera of vitamins and minerals. I drink it raw, either by itself or in smoothies, or I use it to soak my grains. Cooking does kill the enzymes, but does wonderful things to the grains, so I recommend trying to consume raw kefir in addition to cooking with it. I was going to take some pictures of my kefir, but then I found this video by Cultures for Health and thought it would be much better than my attempt to demonstrate. :)

Kefir is so easy and so good for you! Even those who are dairy sensetive can often have kefir with no troubles. However, you can make kefir out of non-dairy milks, too! The grains multiply and I have no shortage, so let me know if you want some! I hope I answered all of your questions.

Note: I use raw milk to make my kefir and it separates into the curds and whey overnight, though in the video they implied that it happens after a much longer time. Don't be surprised if this happens to you. It is fine and nothing to worry about!

Oatmeal Muffins

I love these muffins. I make them at least once a week. They are very versatile, too. This morning, I had some lovely rhubarb that I chopped and added along with some cinnamon. Mmmm. I have also used cranberries, dried cranberries, blueberries, and, of course, I even like them plain (especially with a little honey butter). I also sometimes play around with cinnamon and cloves, etc. Experiment and see what you like!

They are soaked, so be prepared to mix the grains and kefir (or whatever you choose to use) at least 7 hours (and up to 24 hours) before you want to bake them.

Oatmeal Muffins

2 cups oatmeal
1 cup whole grain flour
1 1/2 cups kefir (or other acid medium)
1/2 cup sucanat
2 eggs
2 tablespoons coconut or palm oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons salt
add whatever mix-ins you choose or not

Mix the whole grain flour, oatmeal and kefir (or other acid medium) and let sit overnight (or for at least 7 hours).

Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon into lightly greased muffin tins (or papered muffin tins), two thirds full. Bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Enjoy!

Soaked grains.

I have been quite absent lately. I am terribly sorry! I have been oh-so-busy. One of the things I have been busy doing is learning. Specifically, learning about soaking grains. (I am also trying to learn about sourdough. I've been unsuccessful in my sourdough making so far, but I'll keep you posted!) Anyway, here is a little article about soaking grains that explains why you would want to do such a thing. And you do want to do such a thing. The short version is this: By soaking the grains or flour in an acid medium (such as kefir, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar/water, lemon/water, etc.), you allow all the goodness that is in the grains to become available to your body. Grains are seeds, right? The Lord made seeds to have a built-in preservation so that they could store. (Did you know that they found wheat in the Egyptian tombs that was still good?) That built-in preservation (called phytic acid), unfortunately, continues to protect those nutrients and minerals even when in your body unless you do something to break it down so that those nutrients can be absorbed. That something is soaking or sprouting the grains. (But don't do both.) Many gluten intolerant people can actually handle the soaked or sprouted grains, because the process also pre-digests the gluten! Exciting stuff, right? Well, I think so anyway.

I have been taking some online courses from GNOWFGLINS (which stands for God's Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season. Sounds just like my kind of thing, huh?). Awesome stuff. I highly recommend you at least check out their site. They have great information and lots of videos for those of us who are extremely visual learners. :)

So, I just wanted to give you a little heads-up that I will be posting some new kinds of recipes as well! I hope you enjoy!