A MESSAGE FROM PEGGY

A group of dignitaries from Senegal visiting our plant.

There are lots of great food bloggers on the net these days. I thoroughly enjoy all the information and entertainment — learning and laughing — at real life experiences of families trying to take better care of themselves through real food and less toxic environments. I hope you will check out some of my favorites under Peggy’s Picks.

We enjoyed hosting a group of dignitaries from Senegal in West Africa on April 10th. Working in conjunction with Tuskegee and Auburn Universities, and the USDA , they are touring rural agricultural/manufacturing businesses to glean new ideas to take home for their own communities. It was a great visit and a very inquisitive group. I love reaching out and meeting folks, even if they speak French and I speak Alabama. Thank goodness for a great and humorous interpreter!

I have a small garden beginning to emerge – tomatoes, squash, melons, and herbs. My first garden in over four years. I’m so excited to be growing some of our food again. Seeing seeds shooting forth that first hint of green is nothing less than thrilling for me. My friend runs a dairy goat farm. In need of whey for some canning I’m enjoying making fresh goat cheese again, especially with all the fresh vegetables coming into season. They pair so well. I’ve included my easy cheese recipe in case you have access to fresh raw goat milk in your neighborhood.

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• 1 unbaked sprouted pie crust
  (see recipe at www.organicsproutedflour.net)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sprouted flour (your choice)
• 1 slightly beaten egg, preferably pastured
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3–4 cups chopped apples

Mix sour cream, flour, salt, vanilla, egg and apples together. Pour into pie crust; bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. During this time prepare the topping:

• ½ cup coconut sap sugar
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sprouted flour (your choice)
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix topping ingredients well. Will be crumbly. Remove pie from oven after 25 minutes. Cover with topping and bake an additional 20 minutes.

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Adapted from Jose Mendin’s recipe, Pubbelly Restaurant, Miami Beach, FL
(Makes 6–8 servings)

Black Beans:

• 1 pound sprouted black beans
• 6 thick bacon slices, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

Fried Plantain and Mojo

• Lard
• 1 plantain, cut into ½" cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• ½ cup olive oil

Sofrito

• 7 garlic cloves
• 2 shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons roasted red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Hot cooked sprouted brown rice

1. Prepare Beans: Place beans in a large Dutch oven; add filtered water to depth of 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 1 hour. Drain.
2. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, 8–10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels; reserve drippings in Dutch oven.
3. Add onion, 3 garlic cloves, and red bell pepper to hot drippings; cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or until tender.
4. Add stock, next 3 ingredients, and beans; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 hours or until beans are tender.
5. Meanwhile, prepare Plantain: Melt lard to depth of 1 inch in a 10" cast–iron skillet; heat to 340 degrees. Fry plantain 2–3 minutes or until golden.
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Prepare Mojo: Stir together 2 garlic cloves and next 3 ingredients. Heat ½ cup olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat 2 3 minutes; whisk into juice mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Prepare Sofrito: Pulse 7 garlic cloves and next 3 ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped. Saute garlic mixture in 1 tablespoon hot olive oil (or coconut oil) in a medium saucepan over medium–high heat 5–7 minutes. Add paprika and next 3 ingredients; sauté 1 minute.
9. Spoon desired amount hot cooked sprouted brown rice onto individual serving plates. Top each with 1 cup black bean mixture and 1 tablespoon Sofrito. Drizzle each with a tablespoon Mojo. Sprinkle with bacon and plantain cubes.

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(Makes 1 dozen)

• 2 cups sprouted flour (your choice)
• 1 cup maple sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup whole buttermilk
• 3 large eggs, preferably pastured
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup butter, melted
• Orange Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
2. Whisk together buttermilk and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in melted butter. Spoon batter into a lightly greased 12–cup muffin pan, filling three–fourths full.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pan to a wire rack and drizzle with Orange Glaze.

Orange Glaze

• 1 cup powdered rapadura
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

Stir together rapadura, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon orange juice. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 teaspoon at a time, for desired consistency.

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Utensils needed: large glass or plastic bowl, large plate to cover bowl, large piece of cheesecloth or thin tea towel, large mesh colander, and a small bucket or large bowl that colander will fit in but leave lots of room in bottom for draining the cheese, long–handled spoon or dowel and pitcher.

(Makes about 1 pound of cheese)

• 2 quarts fresh raw goat milk
• 2 teaspoons vegetable or animal rennet
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

1. Pour goat milk in clean bowl. Add rennet and stir thoroughly (about 1-2 minutes). Cover bowl with lid or large plate. Place on counter away from direct heat for 24 hours.
2. After 24 hours remove plate. Spoon off whey from milk that has now separated and thickened, (I use the whey for lacto–fermented canning and mayonnaise) leaving only the milk solids in the bowl.
3. Place large piece of cheesecloth or thin tea towel inside colander. Place colander inside small bucket or bowl. Pour milk solids into the colander. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sea salt and stir well. Place plate on top of colander to cover. Place colander in bucket on counter away from direct heat for 24 hours.
4. After 24 hours remove plate. Scrape cheese from sides of colander into center of cheesecloth or tea towel. Gather ends of cheesecloth and tie into a knot, leaving thickened cheese in a ball in bottom of cheesecloth.
5. Hang cheesecloth on a hook above your sink or run a large dowel through the knotted cheesecloth and hang it over the top of a pitcher and let your cheese continue to drain for 12 to 24 hours, depending on how dry or creamy you prefer your cheese to be.
6. Remove cheese from cheesecloth and store in refrigerator in glass container. Will keep for up to 2 weeks.

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Check out the list of bloggers at www.RealFood Media.com and sign up to receive their posts – an endless source of healthy information and tasty recipes. Well informed and willing to share.

www.realfoodfreaks.com – one of my favorites

www.beyondthepeel.com – fabulous recipes

For general information on sprouting benefits and grain nutrition:

Healthy Eating Politics
Every Nutrient.com
EveryNutrient.com

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