REAL food recipes
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This is a very old recipe. My sister shared it with me. The combination of the apples and vegetables and addition of the sour in the vinegar is delicious. It is easy and quick to make, and it’s particularly nice in the wintertime. If you store fresh foods, apples, onions and cabbage will be available, even in the dead of winter. Himmel und Erde means “Heaven and Earth.”
Wash, core and cut apples into chunks.
Peel and coarsely chop onions.
Cut cabbage into small chunks.
Melt the butter on medium-low heat in a cast iron skillet.
Add the prepared apples, onions and cabbage.
Saute, stirring often, until everything is almost tender.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Add the vinegar and oil and stir together gently.
This may be served as a side dish, but is also very nice over cooked brown rice with some Tamari.
Swiss Chard, and other leafy greens, have high levels of oxalates which can cause problems by forming stones in our body, especially in our kidneys. Since oxalates are water soluble, the blanching of leafy greens like swiss chard, spinach and beet greens is recommended before eating. I’ve tried to research whether dehydrating removes oxalates and have not found any evidence that it does. I would suspect that since only H2O is evaporated from the vegetable, the oxalates would be even more concentrated in the dried greens. Can a healthy person consume small amounts of high oxalic foods without problems? Probably.
Wash, drain and dry the swiss chard. Remove the center rib of the chard and cut the leaves into approximately 4″ pieces. Blanch in boiling water for a minute. Drain the chard and discard the water. Lay the leaves in a single layer on a parchment covered cookie sheet and place in oven which has been heated to 150 degrees. Check the progress every hour until the leaves are dry and crumble easily. When they are completely cool, store in an airtight container for use in soups and stews throughout the winter.
Ease your potato craving with this GAPS friendly breakfast favorite! It is smoky and savory all in one delicious bite! GAPS diet restrictions don’t allow you to have potatoes, though celery root (used in this recipe) is an amazing alternative. You might find that you like this better then original hash browns!
Since potatoes are usually a breakfast thing at my house, I wanted to create something unique with breakfast flavors. That is when I thought of celery root bacon hash browns! Celery root makes a good stable alternative to potatoes. When you are shredding the celery root, the smell will be strong, but don’t let that stop you from making these. When celery root is cooked, the texture, taste and smell resemble potatoes. The bacon really adds a nice flavor that helps cover up the “vegetable” taste of the celery root.
I designed the recipe so the celery root hash browns can be kept in the freezer for an easy breakfast. I pre-cooked them and then froze them into squares. So, when breakfast or lunch comes around, all you have to do is pop one out and put it on the stove or a baking sheet until golden brown!
Dice your bacon and add to the skillet.
Dice your onion and add to the same skillet.
Add the 4 TBS of fat to the skillet and brown everything together.
Wash the outside of your celery root.
Cut the skin off of the celery root. Save the skin for your chicken or vegetable stock!
Quarter the celery root to fit into your Cuisinart.
Use your Cuisinart (thick shredder side) to shred the celery root. You can also use a normal grater.
Add the celery root to the skillet and cook down for a few minutes.
Scoop the mixture out of the skillet and press down onto a baking sheet (I only used 1/2 of baking sheet. The flat sheet makes it easier to cut on than a baking pan).
Freeze for about 1 hour until hardened and cut it into squares.
Separate the squares with a knife or spatula.
Store in a container or plastic bag layered with parchment paper.
To Prepare:
Heat up a skillet. No extra fat needed!
Add your frozen hash brown and cook until golden brown.
or
Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Place your hash browns on the baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Eat!
Lots of eggplant? Too many summer squash? Here is a quick and easy dish with a classic French twist. Slow cooked veggies with tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers makes a great side to any roasted meat or alone with a slice of crusty bread. Also, a great dish when you are on the go.
Place diced eggplant and zucchini in an colander and salt it. Let veggies drain for an hour. In a cast iron pan, saute bell pepper and onion. Place in a slow cooker. In same pan, saute egg plant and zucchini until golden brown. Place cooked veggies in slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, basil, thyme, and rosemary. Season with salt an pepper to taste. Cook for 6 hours. Serve with roast beef, lamb, or alone with a crusty loaf of bread.
Kohlrabi (or German turnip) is actually of the cabbage family and is a good source of fiber, Vitamins C and B6, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, and Phosphorus. It’s also gluten-free and GAPS and Paleo legal. We call these Baby Fries because they’re only a couple inches long.
Preheat oven to 450º. Peal & chop kohlrabi bulbs. Be sure to really peel them well or you will end up with tough fries.
If your oil is solid, melt it, then pour over fries and toss to coat. Lay the fries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Generously sprinkle seasoning over fries.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
A great side dish that goes well with any hearty meat dish. Use a mixture of red and green cabbage to brighten your plate.
Heat a cast iron skillet with oil or butter. Add cabbage to pan until cabbages start to wilt. Salt and pepper to taste. Add vingar and rapadura to dress cabbage. Toss in raisins and caraway, serve immediately.
Pairs excellently with German Sauerbraten and potato dumplings.
A fast, easy, delicious side dish, can use many kinds of veggies though brussel sprouts are featured.
Cut your veggies into similar sized pieces. I quartered the brussel sprouts.
Heat skillet (with a lid) on medium. Melt your butter (or whatever fat you’ve chosen).
Add your veggies and stir gently (just gently enough to not mangle them).
When I’m sure everything has been coated in butter, I cover it and reduce temp to med-low. Let it steam/cook/saute, whatever it’s doing under there that results in tender yumminess!
I check tenderness after about 7 minutes, but it’s not usually done yet. 🙂 When tender, add your sea salt and pepper.
Serve to happy family! 🙂
For quite some time I’ve been trying to come up with a recipe for my own “chili beans.” We like them best when I make chili, but until now, I’ve always had to purchase the beans in cans. Because of the dangers of BPA that is in the metal can linings, and the fact that I can use organic beans and soak them properly, I am very happy to report that no longer will I need to buy my chili beans at the supermarket! I had looked, many times, in cook books and on the internet trying to find a recipe, to no avail. Here is how I do it now. They are really delicious!
How to prepare the beans
For 8 pints of home-canned chili beans, you will need 2 pounds of dry kidney beans.
Sort and wash them well. Drain. Place in a large glass or stainless container and cover with water, at least half again as deep as the level of the beans. Add 2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Allow to soak for 24 hours. Drain. Rinse. Cover again, as before. Allow to soak for another 24 hours.
Drain and rinse. Cover well with clean water and bring to a boil. Boil gently for 30 minutes, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface.
When you fill your pint jars for canning, fill them only about 3/4 full of beans and top off with the cooking liquid or boiling water. Leave 1 inch head space at the top.
To make seasoning:
Combine all the seasonings and mix thoroughly. Store in an airtight glass jar.
Add 3 teaspoons of the seasoning mix to each jar and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Process in a pressure canner for 75 minutes at 11 pounds pressure.
If you are not familiar with canning, please don’t be afraid, but do consult an authoritative source on canning. I recommend this book: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
A versatile and perennial favorite! Wonderful in burritos, tacos, tostadas and as a dip for fresh vegetables or home-made chips. We make ours from home-canned pinto beans so that it is quick and convenient, eliminating the time-consuming careful soaking and cooking each time. Never again need you purchase refries in a can, running the risks associated with BPA metal can lining.
In a cast iron skillet, melt the lard on medium heat.
Pour in the jar of pinto beans, including the liquid. Add the salt and spices.
Using a metal potato masher, thoroughly mash, and continuously stir the beans.
When they are mashed to your liking, continue to stir and scrape the pan with a spatula, and cook the beans until they are as thick as you like, keeping in mind that as they cool, they will thicken.
Serve warm. May be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for later use.
Another advantage to this method is that you can buy your beans in bulk, thus saving money, and won’t have to worry that they will get too dried out during long storage.
A note about the home canned pinto beans ~ if you’ve never done this, it is very easy. You do need to have a pressure canner to process them. I soak my pinto beans for 2 days, changing water 3 times during that process. Then I simmer them for 30 minutes, skimming off the foam, fill the quart jars leaving 1 inch head space, cover with boiling water, and process for 90 minutes at 11 pounds pressure. Please do not attempt this without consulting a reliable book of instructions on home canning. I recommend the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.
Shhhhh! Don’t tell anyone. This dish, made using spaghetti squash, is a sure crowd-pleaser. Even for the squash haters among us. Garnished with raisins and cinnamon, it’s a delectable (healthy!) treat.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, combining well.
Pour into an 8×8 pan.
Bake until firm and set — 45-60 min.
NOTE: This is delicious for breakfast the next day!
Really one of my favorite salads. Surprisingly, many people don’t ever try fennel because they have no idea what to do with it, others only know how to braise it. Fennel has a delicate anise flavor which goes really well with the sweet apples. Add in a little bacon and you’ve got yourself one fancy-shmancy salad that’s difficult to stop eating.
Heat a heavy bottomed skillet on low heat. Cook the bacon until done to desired crispiness. It’s important to cook it on low to render out as much of the fat as possible. Remove the bacon and allow to cool before crumbling or dicing. Set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together the bacon fat, mustard and lemon juice. Add a dash of salt. Whisk until the vinaigrette turns pale and an emulsion forms. Set aside.
Cut off the root area of the fennel bulbs and trim off any protruding stems. You can reserve any of the foliage to use as a pretty and edible garnish. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise and then lay the halves down on the cutting board, cut side down. Thinly slice the bulbs from the top end to the root end. I cheated and used my food processor. Place into a large bowl.
Core and quarter the apples. Thinly slice. Place in large bowl along with fennel.
Drizzle prepared bacon vinaigrette over the apples and fennel. Toss to coat. Garnish with fennel foliage if desired. Serve at room temperature. Not too good refrigerated as the bacon fat solidifies. Ew.
Sweet and tart orange paired with fennel brings new life to an already favorite way to prepare Brussel sprouts. Simple and scrumptious.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the brussel sprouts lengthwise and discard any tough outer leaves or tough stems.
Place halved brussel sprouts in a 13×9 glass casserole dish. Drizzle over the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and half of the orange juice. Sprinkle with salt, fennel seeds and orange zest. Toss to coat.
Roast for about 35 minutes on the middle rack, stirring occasionally, or until slightly caramelized.
Remove the sprouts from the oven. Drizzle over reserved orange juice. Toss to coat.