Wellness

My New Find – Macadamia Nut Oil

by ladypbwiggins

Many of you know I make my own vegan butter. Last week I was standing in the grocery store getting oil to make more. I use coconut oil but I wanted to try another mild oil. I have used grapeseed, almond, olive and sunflower seed oil. Almond and olive oil had been the best so far. I looked at all those choices and read the descriptions. About two oils in I read this oil has a “butter-y, mild nutty flavor. Butter-y was the keyword. So I decided to try it. It was Macadamia nut oil. I thought it would taste strongly like macadamia. It did not. My butter tasted wonderful. I used it this morning to fry some potatoes. It has a high smoke point and it put grapeseed to shame. It got hot really fast and required me to pay attention. I am sold. This is my new go to oil for stir-frying, frying and grilling.

I got excited about my new find and then that other person in me rose up and said, “But is it healthy?”  I went to my computer and discovered it is very healthy and has uses beyond cooking. It is used for skin care, makeup, sunblock, hair care, and eating. Coconut oil has just found a an “alternative to olive oil” partner because I use it for my hair, skin and cooking.

I read some reports on the benefits of macadamia nut oil and they get quite technical. Suffice it to say, it is an intense moisturizer and has powerful antioxidant properties.

Peanut Oil?

by ladypbwiggins

A few weeks ago a friend who is in the psychology field told me she had gone to a workshop where they were told peanut oil was bad for brain health. In doing my research I have found study after study that says it does benefit the brain and entire nervous system.

What have you students of foods and oils found?

Does peanut oil hinder or aid good brain health?

Grocery Bill Going DOWN?

by ladypbwiggins

I know I haven’t been posting much lately but I have been busy. I am adding new plants to my garden. I finally had to breakdown and clean the above ground bed my husband built before he got sick. While I was away at the hospitals, a neighbor’s cat decided it would make a great litter box. I started that process but I haven’t finished.

Awaiting completion of that job is the organic potting mix and spinach. When the spinach is moved I can plant the Thai Chili pepper that I bought. I will then have three hot peppers, jalapeno, fish and Thai Chili. The yellow and green bell peppers have fruit and more blossoms. I bought an heirloom tomato plant to add to the already fruitful Ace tomato plant.

Grocery bill going ⇓.

Do you know how much non-GMO, organic, heirloom tomatoes cost? I am determined to eat as much non-GMO vegetables and fruit as possible. My budget requires me to grow as much as I can. Garlic and Tumeric are next on my list.

Jalapeno blossoms
Tomato plant flourishing and “Fish” Pepper plant in the background growing

Green and Yellow peppers

When Seasons Change

by ladypbwiggins

When Seasons change

Sheds Was and Now

Exposes  nakedness

Vulnerable

Only Thick mental skin

Protects from the hawkish, wintery pain

Longing for Then and When

Alone until

Spring springs

Clothed in

Sun fed breezes

Blowing healing to Mind, Body and Soul

A new Now

When seasons change.

Garden update

by ladypbwiggins

It is growing fast. The tomato plant is taking over the pot and is blossoming. I might have tomatoes this spring. Awesome. Because of this, I need to transplant the peppers and the onions. So much for plants providing pest protection for each other. If my tomato cost is reduced by a large bounty I won’t complain about a few minutes of transplant work.

My next project is to plant tumeric and ginger root. They are so expensive. I will also be adding some different peppers and lettuce when I get another container. I am liking my homemade hot sauce and ketchup.

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Homemade Apple Butter

by ladypbwiggins

I love homemade apple butter. It brings back warm, loving,memories of hot biscuits on Sunday morning at my grandmother Modear’s  breakfast table. Thinking about it is as comforting as big hugs. Over the years since leaving home, I have not found GOOD apple butter. Some didn’t even have that smooth texture much less the remembered taste. One day I saw a jar in the Polly’s Pies Restaurant. It looked right. I picked it up to give it a try and all the disappointing memories popped up. I decided to try making my own and put it back on the shelf. I searched for a recipe and found it in Fannie Farmer cookbook that I have owned for over 30 years.

I did make a few adjustments. I don’t typically use white sugar but I had about 1/2 cup left from a bag my daughter-in-law bought on her last visit. I supplemented with agave. I also added a red delicious apple to the granny smiths apples. I didn’t simmer until smooth because it took too long. I let it cool about 10 minutes and then put it in the blender. I blended it until smooth, less than a minute.

The results were just as I remembered. Warm, creamy, comforting and safe; all those taste and feelings of Sunday morning breakfast at Modear’s. I made biscuits and it was Hmmmmm good!

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4 lbs tart apples

 ∗I added a real sweet red delicious apple for added sweetness

2 cups cider, cider vinegar or water

∗I used water to cover the apples and 1 c apple cider vinegar

Sugar

 ∗ I used 1/2 c sugar and 1/2 c of agave

Salt

2 tsps cinnamon

1 tsp  ground cloves

1/2 tsp allspice

Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

  ∗ I used the whole lemon except seeds

Cut the apples into pieces without peeling or coring them. Put them in a pot, cover with the cider, vinegar, or water and cook until soft. Put through a sieve or food mill. Measure. Add 1/2 cup sugar for each cup of apple pulp. The whole mixture, add a dash of salt and the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and lemon rind and juice. Cook, covered, over low hear until the sugar dissolves, taste and adjust the seasonings. Uncover and cook quickly, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until thick and smooth when a bit is spooned onto a cold plate. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal.

Tradition or Truth?

by ladypbwiggins

When I was a kid I asked my Sunday School teacher why did Herod kill all the children two years old and younger? If Jesus was a newborn, why didn’t he just kill newborns. I don’t remember her answer but I it must not have made sense to my young mind. I was persistent enough for an answer I could understand that it got me expelled from my class for being disruptive. I was keeping her from teaching her planned lesson.

That question remained until I research it for my self. Here is what I understand to be the reason he killed children as old as 2 years old.

If we think of this logically, whether they were coming from the Orient or Africa it took time to get to Jerusalem traveling by camel in a caravan. We don’t know how long they were in Jerusalem but it is conceivable that they did not see Herod on immediate arrival. After traveling a great distance it is likely they wanted to make themselves presentable, freshen up as it were, before they even went to request an audience. Then Herod had to grant it. Next Herod had to call the priests and scribes to get the information to give the wise men. The priests and scribes were sent away so he could ask the wise men in secret when they first saw the star. Then the wise men had to travel from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. That journey was 4.4 miles which took less than a day by camel caravan. Now we can speculate that it only took a few days for all of this. We can also speculate that they saw the star sooner than the birth night. But here is the clincher. In verse 16, we learn clearly that Herod made his decision to slay males 2 years old and under based on information gathered from the wise men. If it was the same night he was born that they left Jerusalem, why kill 2 year old males? Why not newborns? I believe they were not there on the night of his birth. Others have stated the same. I asked them why continue to promote the idea that they were present if we can see they weren’t. Tradition was their answer.

Tradition versus Truth: which is more important?

Matthew 2

  1. Yehoshuwa (Jesus)  was born during the reign of Herod the Great   Matt 2:1
  2. The wise men or magi saw the star in the east. (Were they in the east or the star east of them?  Matt 2:1
  3. The wise men went to Jerusalem to Herod to get the location of the child. Matt 2:2  Why didn’t they follow the star to Bethlehem? Apparently the star was not visible to them the entire trip. It made sense to go to the capital as it were to find the king. Could they have thought the child was the heir to the throne from the present king? Possibly.
  4. Herod sent for his priests to determine where the child would be born.  Matt 2:4-6 Why didn’t he know? Hadn’t at least heard the prophecy regarding the Messiah?
  5. He asked the magi when the star appeared. This gave Herod the first clue to when the child was born. Matt 2:7
  6. He sent them to Bethlehem based on the prophecy and instructed them to return to him with the exact location.  Matt 2:8
  7. The star reappeared to guide them to Yehoshuwa’s location  Matt 2:9
  8. The wise men entered the house where the young child and his mother were. Matt 2:11  House not stable.
  9. The wise men did not return to Herod and this angered him He gave orders to kill every child in Bethlehem, 2 years old and under, based on the time given to him by the wise men.  Matt 2:16

Matthew 2:16 (NKJV)
16  Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Continued Search for Gluten-free Sandwich Bread

by ladypbwiggins

I have tried several different recipes for gluten free bread. They all have been described as guaranteed sandwich bread. The first one I tried looked okay but crumbled when you sliced it. That was the result for several of them. I was about to give up and then I found the recipe using Teff flour online. This bread is gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan bread. I have no health need that actually requires this kind of bread but if I can find one that is gluten-free that tastes good and slices for good sandwiches, I am on board. I am interested in anything that reduces inflammation. Arthritis, you know.  🙂

I didn’t know about Teff flour. It is a grain used in Ethiopian cooking for baking and as a side dish. It’s color ranges from light to dark  brown. I used a brown teff because it is the one I found in my favorite market. Bob’s Red Mill Teff Flour

I am learning about different kinds of flours and their uses. My only experience with sorghum was syrup my great-grandfather bought from a friend in the country. I didn’t know it could be made into flour. The recipe is below. It makes two loaves.  Enjoy

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1 1/2 cups millet flour

1/2 cup teff flour

1 cup sorghum flour

1 cup cornstarch (double the potato starch if you can’t eat corn)

1 cup potato starch

1 cup tapioca flour

4 tsp xanthum gum

1 tbsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp active dry yeast (not rapid rise)

Add:

4 tsp olive oil

3 1/4 warm water (not hot)

I halved the recipe to make one loaf. I mixed the ingredients much like making regular wheat bread. The difference is, there is no need to knead the mixture.  I allowed it to rise about 50 -70 minutes sitting on top of a warm stove. I baked at 400 degrees for 10 minutes uncovered. I then baked covered it covered for 35-45 minutes. When it has baked completely, let it rest on a rack to cool a little.

As you may have noticed in the picture the bottom and sides were beautiful. The top cracked open. I don’t know why. It was delicious while warm. The next day the top and sides were hard and a little more difficult to slice. After three days it began to mold. I guess we don’t eat it fast enough. Refrigeration was not an option because it dried out the loaf.The source of the recipe suggested making bread crumbs, or croutons after the second day.  I should have done that.

I may try it again or I may just turn to flatbread for sandwiches.

To read the recipe and the full instructions aprovchar.danandsally.com

 

Teff Flour Cornbread

by ladypbwiggins

First of all what in the world is Teff Flour? Growing up in the southern United States the only flour you are usually familiar with is all purpose white flour. Unless you are from another country and it is common to your culture, you may not even realize there is another kind of flour. I discovered Teff flour when I was looking for a recipe for a gluten-free loaf of bread. That outcome is another post. Back to the cornbread.

I had made a Quinoa-lentil soup and I decided I needed cornbread to complete the meal. I looked in my pantry and discovered the types of flours I had purchased didn’t inspire me.  I checked my vegan and gluten free cookbooks for a four blend that would be satisfying. I was missing some ingredient. On my way home from church I had the thought use psyllium husk and Teff flour. The words of my friend Morgan came creeping into my thoughts. Write down your experiments and write your own cookbook. I don’t know about the cookbook but I tried my first true experiment: Teff Flour Cornbread

1 c Teff Flour

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Before Cooking
1 c Cornmeal

1 tbl psyllium husk

1 tbl baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbl coconut oil

1 – 2 tbl olive oil

2 eggs

nondairy milk as needed for desired consistency

Let sit for about 5 minutes so the psyllium husk can do its thing. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes

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After Cooking
It didn’t rise as high as I had hoped but it tasted good. The texture was true to cornbread and it was great with the soup. I call my first true experiment, my recipe a success. I will try more psyllium husk or baking powder next time. You are welcome to try it and modify. Let me know your results.

Teff Flour Cornbread and Quinoa-Lentil Soup

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What I’ve Been Up To

by ladypbwiggins

Like any scientific endeavor, food scientist must spend some time in research. I decided to save myself some time with making my own condiments. I know there have to be food techs out there that have published their findings. I found two that seemed promising. They were

Homemade Condiments: Artisan Recipes Using Fresh, Natural Ingredients
Homemade Condiments: Artisan Recipes Using Fresh, Natural Ingredients by Jessica Harlan
and
The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples
The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples by Miyoko Schinner

Unfortunately, the first one was out of stock. I purchased the second and I have been very pleased with the information contained in the book.

I have been interested in vegan and gluten-free cooking, so this book provided vegan options. In one place I can find instructions for condiments and sauces. There are explanations regarding seaweed, tempeh, and soup concentrates. I am most excited about the vegan cheese recipes. The instructions are clear.There are also recipes that use the items.

I also discovered another book that I will mention here but it deserves its own post. It is The Healthy Mind Cookbook. God knows my mind needs all the help I can get.