Asian Style Pickled Vegetables

When it’s high season at the farmers’ market I often buy way too many vegetables because everything is so beautiful and fresh. I like to preserve the excess veggies by fermenting them into healthy probiotic treats. Fermenting is simple and requires no special equipment although a few tools like Mason jar weights, Pickle Pebbles for example, and venting lids like Pickle Pipes or Stainless Steel Fermentation Lids will make it easier. Continue reading Asian Style Pickled Vegetables

Red Jalapeño Hot Sauce

Red Jalapeño Sauce
Red Jalapeño Sauce

The beautiful ripe red jalapeños at our farmers market inspired me to make yet another flavor of hot sauce. The heat level of the sauce will vary depending on the peppers. Mine was not as hot at the green jalapeño sauce I previously made. One pound of peppers makes approximately one pint of sauce. Continue reading Red Jalapeño Hot Sauce

Persimmon Chutney

Most years we harvest bushels of persimmons from our two trees. I dehydrate many, give many away, eat at lot of them fresh, and still end up with a freezer full of whole fruit. This unusual and yummy recipe combines our love of probiotic fermented foods with our love of spices. Ripe persimmons are so sweet that no additional sweetener is needed. Makes about a quart. Don’t have persimmons? Try substituting a different sweet tasting fruit. Continue reading Persimmon Chutney

Cranberry Chutney Recipe

Incorporating the old standard orange and cranberry sauce flavors, this raw fermented chutney is both probiotic and delicious. We ate half of the first batch  at one dinner and then put it on our breakfast the next day. It will keep over a month in the refrigerator, perhaps even longer, but we always eat it too quickly to find out. Makes about 1 quart. Continue reading Cranberry Chutney Recipe

Persimmon (or pumpkin) Pie Recipe

We have two large persimmon trees that usually produce bushels of fruit. The Fuyu type flat persimmons can be eaten when still firm, although they get sweeter when they are soft. The Hachiya type pointy persimmons, however, are astringent and can only be eaten when they are gushy soft. They are good dried, eaten fresh, in smoothies, and pureed. Excess fruit gets frozen whole–just put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen solid then store them in a gallon freezer bag. Frozen persimmons enable us to enjoy the fruit year round since they still make great tasting puree and smoothies and now this pie! The crust is gluten free and there is no added sweetener in the filling. Not into permissions? Substitute pureed pumpkin, winter squash or sweet potatoes and add honey to taste for a more traditional dish. Continue reading Persimmon (or pumpkin) Pie Recipe

Yogurt Coconut Panna Cotta Three Ways

Sometimes a really rich dessert is needed to complement a special meal and other times lighter fare is more appealing. This panna cotta can be made with a range of coconut products to produce creamier or lighter results. The Greek yogurt adds a bit of tanginess to the finished dish. Continue reading Yogurt Coconut Panna Cotta Three Ways

Jicama Salad

Jicama is reputed to be an excellent prebiotic and can be added to many types of salads or, if young and tender, peeled and eaten plain. I love to experiment with new salads and this one is perfect for the large, tough jicama sold where we live.  We ate it for dinner with slow baked burger patties. I used a food processor to grate the jicama and carrot and to thin slice the fresh pepper. Continue reading Jicama Salad

Sesame Sauce For Mixed Vegetables

This easy sauce turns simple mixed vegetables into something special. Start by sauteing mixed vegetables in a small amount of olive oil. If you are really in a hurry, you can microwave the vegetables in a a covered dish. If you like hot and spicy food use the chipotle chile variation instead of the smoked paprika. Continue reading Sesame Sauce For Mixed Vegetables