My dad makes THE best barbecue sauce that is both tangy and spicy. He always gets rave reviews every time he serves it (which is pretty much whenever anyone eats dinner at their house). After several failed attempts to make my own barbecue sauce by mixing up various spices and sauces in the kitchen, I recently asked him for the recipe so that I could have my own stash of the stuff.
Of course, I decided to “real-foodify” (yes, I did just make up a word) it. Over brewed, or surplus kombucha adds the perfect tangy flavor in barbecue sauces. Yes, the good bacteria perish when they are cooked, but the flavor remains. Plus, you can always serve the meat with extra barbecue sauce that hasn’t been cooked, thereby serving up some probiotic goodness unbeknownst to your guests.
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined. Taste and add additional seasonings as required for your taste.
Pour into a 1/2 gallon mason jar. Cover and allow to sit out at room temperature for about 12 hours to allow the good bacteria to multiply. (You can skip this step and use it right away, but it definitely increases flavors.)
Divide and pour into smaller jars and store in the refrigerator.
Baste on your favorite meats before barbecuing and during. Serve more to dip on the side!
This will keep for up to a year in the refrigerator and the flavors only develop more and improve with age.
**If you don’t particularly enjoy spicy barbecue sauce, start with 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and increase to taste.
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This is a quick and easy breakfast to put together in the morning or even better made the night before and then finished in the morning. I make the gravy the night before along with starting some soaked biscuits then just have to reheat the gravy and finish the biscuits in the morning. To make this classic staple just make gluten free biscuits along with the gluten free version of the gravy.
To begin brown your sausage over medium heat in a large skillet breaking it apart it to small pieces.
Once the meat is brown, sprinkle the flour over the meat and drippings and then mix it in so that the flour absorb all the drippings (*Skip this step if you are making it gluten free*). Cook for 2-3 minutes to help get rid of of the flour taste.
Add the milk and cook over medium stirring frequently until it boils. Boil until thick. If you are going to reheat it you may want to leave it a little thinner than you would like as when you reheat it it will thicken even more.
Add salt and pepper to taste and you are done.
You can either serve right away or let it cool and then refrigerate.
Serve over your choice of fresh from the oven biscuits.
*To make this gluten free: after the meat is browned add the milk and bring to a boil. In a small bowl mix together 2-3 T of Tapioca or Arrowroot Starch with and equal amount of water. Mix this together well and when the milk boils slowly pour the starch slurry into the milk and stir until thick. Don’t add it all at once as you may not need it all.
Everyone loves taco night. But when you’re in the pinch of the weeknight bustle, it’s easy to be tempted by expensive instant mixes (with ingredients that make you shudder). Save time and money by storing this simple homemade mix in your cupboard — and make taco night everyone’s favorite again.
Combine ingredients in a jar. Shake to combine.
2-3 TB of mix = 1 instant package of taco seasoning.
To cook, add 2-3 TB of mix to 1lb of beans and/or ground meat.
NOTE: Not a fan of traditional tacos or want to avoid corn? Make a salad using lettuce, cheese, salsa, meat (beef, chicken, etc), beans, and guacamole.
TIP: To save money, we buy our spices in bulk from a local health food store.
Seriously. Why didn’t I think of this before? No slowly dripping oil in, only to not have it emulsify. This gives you mayo with a great consistency. If you are using your own pastured eggs, leave it on the counter. Refrigerating makes it firm. If you refrigerate, leave it out on your counter 15 minutes before mixing into anything so it has time to soften.
Food process until well blended.
A delightful and simple-to-make sauce that is wonderful with stir-fry, over fish or other seafood.
In a small saucepan, combine the ketchup, soy sauce (tamari) and Sucanat.
Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
Add the minced garlic and boil, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat.
A bold, yet sweet BBQ sauce. Want to burn? Add more Chili Powder and Mustard. To lessen the heat, decrease.
In a medium pan, heat coconut oil and sauté onions 10 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté another minute.
Add all other ingredients and simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Use a Hand Blender to blend ingredients while in the pot.
Buying enchilada sauce has been one of the last store-bought sauces found in our pantry, and I just couldn’t bear buying another jar. This recipe is quick, rich, and freezes really well. I’m freezing mine in pint-sized mason jars; the perfect amount for a pan o’ enchiladas (a very good freezer meal) and there may be some some to spare to make dressing for a tasty enchilada salad.
In a large pot, heat fat of choice over medium-high heat until melted. Meanwhile, whisk arrowroot powder in water until smooth. Add to fat. Add chili powder & stir for about half a minute. The arrowroot will get really gelatinous. Don’t let it scare you.
Whisk in all remaining ingredients except the salt in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in salt. Pour in prepared 1/2-pint or 1-pint mason jars & allow to cool. Fasten the lids and freeze until you’re ready to use.
The arrowroot gives this soup a great consistency…like what you would expect from a can. Super easy, too!
Melt butter, then stir in arrowroot and seasonings, stirring until bubbly. Slowly add milk and broth, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and use in recipes.
*Editor’s Note: This is a basic cream of chicken soup recipe. You can add other things like cheese, mushrooms or celery to create other “cream of” soup bases.
I love enchiladas. They are probably one of my favorite foods. I never realized how easy it was to make your own sauce at home, where you control the quality of the ingredients. You’ll never have to buy the canned stuff again!
Combine all ingredients, except vinegar, in an large soup pot. Enameled cast iron works well to keep the acid in the tomato from leaching a metallic flavor from the pot. Stir everything together and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and continue to cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and you’re ready to serve!
The sauce freezes very well. You can double, triple, or more the recipe and freeze. Make sure you leave enough room for it to expand as it freezes.
My mother always made the best “milk” gravy (of course!) I have taken her method and adapted it to a healthier lifestyle. I think she would be pleased. 🙂
At least 7 hours before you plan to make the gravy, or up to 12 hours ahead of time, combine the whole wheat flour with the kefir/milk mixture. Cover tightly and let sit on the kitchen counter.
On Turkey roasting day, put all of the giblets and the neck into a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer for at least one hour and then allow to cool. Drain. Chop the giblets and remove the meat from the neck. Reserve all of this for the gravy (unless you really want to put it in the stuffing, in which case, you can skip this step.)
When the Turkey is all done roasting, use a turkey baster to remove the liquid from the roasting pan and put it into a heavy-bottomed pan. I like to use a cast iron skillet for this. If you don’t have 3 cups of turkey broth, add some homemade poultry stock.
Bring the broth to a boil, and gradually stir in the flour/milk/kefir mixture with a wisk. Simmer for 1 minute. Add the 1/2 cup fresh milk and heat all together a little more. If your gravy is thicker than you like, just add in a little more milk or broth.
Add Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
If you wish, after it is all done, and you have it seasoned, you can sprinkle in a little ground poultry seasoning to taste.
That’s it! EASY
Serve this with turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. If there is extra, it is wonderful just poured warm over some nice fresh bread and eaten with a fork.
Another way to use up extra gravy is what I call “Thanksgiving Pie.” Just chop up some of the turkey meat, mix it with leftover stuffing, fill a pie plate with it, pour some gravy over it, and top with mashed potatoes. This may be covered tightly and frozen, or you can warm it up in the oven right away. We love this as a main dish, and it will keep frozen nicely for several weeks.
This lacto-fermented apple chutney is sweet, spicy, slightly tangy and a perfect compliment to raw cheddar, kefir, yogurt, poultry and more. It’s hard not to eat a whole bowl full of this stuff! Think of all the awesome probiotics you will get eating this lacto-fermented chutney.
Combine the water, lemon juice, salt and whey. Mix the combined liquids with the other ingredients and pack firmly into 2 - quart sized jars or 1 - half-gallon jar, leaving at least 1 inch of headspace at the top. The liquid should come to the top of the fruit. Add a little more water if necessary. (I usually layer apples, cranberries and pecans together in my food processor and let it do all the work.)
Cover and leave at room temperature for 48 hours (alternately, use a lacto-fermentation device that has an airlock system, such as those offered by Cultures for Health. You should see trapped bubbles around the sides, which is a sign of active fermentation.
Refrigerate and leave in the fridge another week before eating. Will keep for about 2 months in the refrigerator. Be sure to always use a clean utensil when dipping out of the jar and re-pack the fruit each time.
Tip: Use this lacto-fermented cranberry apple chutney as a “dressing” on top of shredded cabbage for a probiotic rich salad.
Homemade pizza sauce is not difficult to make and will save you a lot of money to make it yourself. Plus, you can make it as spicy or sweet as you want it. This recipe is for a conventional style pizza sauce, not too sweet and not too spicy. Make a large batch and freeze it in ice cube trays for easy access to small amounts of sauce to make quick snacks.
In a small saucepan combine all ingredients, feel free to add more red pepper flakes if you like it spicier. Slowly bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.