Now that fresh basil is more plentiful–I’ve got a lot already in the garden–let’s make good use of it by preparing this quick, flavorful oil. Remember that preparing ahead when you have time (the weekend?) makes eating well  EASIER when you are busy.  This delicious oil keeps in the fridge a week or so and is very convenient for dressing boiled eggs, salads, pasta, steamed vegetables, grains, and breads.  It is reminicient of pesto (see recipe here) but a lot easier!  All you need is a blender.

Also, if you are using it for salad dressing, just add 1 Tbsp. of this oil per 1 cup of salad vegetables and toss.  Then drizzle 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for each Tbsp. of oil and toss again. 

1 cup fresh basil leaves (not packed but not loose either)
Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt

Place basil leaves, salt, and garlic in the blender container.  Pour enough olive oil over them to just cover  (about 1/2 cup).  Blend until really smooth.  Place in glass jar and cap.  Ready for use immediately.  Keep refrigerated.

This is a gelatin dessert that is light and not too sweet–perfect for warmer weather.  Read through the directions carefully before beginning since there are several steps and some could be confusing and some require extra time for chilling.

I like serving this gelled dessert with strawberries which are a low sugar fruit.   It is made with organic, pure pineapple juice (bottled, not made from concentrate–found in health food stores).   Best to keep the portion size small as too much fructose, even if it is from whole fruit or whole fruit juice, is not a good thing.  It can contribute to a fatty liver and who wants that? 

Also, the gelatin won’t set if you add fresh pineapple juice or pineapple fruit to it–the pineapple has to be heated (canned or pasteurized) to deactivate the enzyme that prevents gelatin from working.  One other note, you could use organic whipping cream instead of the coconut whipped cream.  The recipe for coconut whipped cream is here. 

Serves 4
1 Tbsp. of gelatin (I use Great Lakes–be sure to get their gelatin as the collagen they sell won’t gel.  You could use Knox but Great Lakes is much better quality.)
1/4 cup cold water
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. organic cane sugar
2 cups organic, made from fresh fruit not concentrate, pure pineapple juice
1/8 tsp. sea salt
zest from 1 orange or 1 tsp. orange extract
coconut whipped cream made from 1 can of classic coconut milk (follow link above for recipe).

Soak the gelatin in the water in a cup and stir to dissolve.  Set aside.
Combine the egg yolks, sugar, juice, and salt in a sauce pan.  Use an immersion blender to blend (or a hand electric mixer).  Stir constantly over low heat until it simmers but do not boil it–as soon as you see some steam start to rise from the mixture take it off the heat and add the dissolved gelatin.  Stir very well. Add the orange extract or zest and stir again.   Pour half of this mixture into a small pyrex baking dish that you just rinsed with cold water–pour all of the rinse water out but do not dry the dish as this wetness will help remove the dessert when you serve it. (Remember, you are making 4 servings so that your dish should be the right size for later dividing into 4 servings–you could use any glass container you have as long as it has a flat bottom.)  Leave the remaining half of the mixture in the sauce pan. 

Note:  Your final product will have 2 layers–one plain and the other creamy with the whipped coconut cream folded into it.  Cover and refrigerate both  halves of the mixture.  You want the half in the pyrex dish to set or gel plain while the other half in the pan needs to be combined with the whipped coconut cream later–as soon as it starts to gel.  It may take an hour or two for the latter to start to gel so keep an eye on it.  As soon as it thickens enough to mound a little on a spoon, remove the pan from the refrigerator and fold in all but 1/4 cup of the whipped coconut cream.  Save the  1/4  cup of  whipped coconut cream in the refrigerator to dollop on top of the final product later.

The other half of the mixture in the dish in the refrigerator is likely close to set.  As soon as it jiggles like jello, remove from the fridge and spoon the creamy mixture on top and use a spatula to evenly spread it.   Cover and return to the refrigerator so that the top layer gels more.  It should be ready to serve in an hour or so.  Right before serving, top each portion with the remaining whipped coconut cream and strawberries if desired.

Is it difficult for you to make a great salad part of your daily diet?  Want to make it easier?  If so, take the time to prepare a variety of cultured and marinated vegetables ahead.  All you will have to do then to make an excellent salad is to prepare a bed of lettuce and/or other leafy greens.  Toss the greens with some good quality extra-virgin olive oil and  top with whatever combination of prepared veggies you have in the fridge.  Marinated veggies will keep in the fridge for at least a week and cultured veggies for a month or more, so  it’s well worth it. 

The carrot recipe below was inspired by Sally Fallon’s “ginger carrots” in Nourishing Traditions.  I changed it mainly with the addition of lemon juice.  I’ve made it without the ginger and instead used fresh chives and it was equally good.  And don’t forget the cultured cabbage (sauerkraut)–I always have some red cabbage sauerkraut in the fridge (see the recipe here).  I’ve also posted a zucchini relish that is cultured.  Remember that the cultured veggies are usually salty so that you likely won’t need to add salt to your salad.

I am including a few other ideas below in the way of marinated vegetables.  Marinating is quicker (fermenting takes a few days) because it does not involve fermentation by lactic acid-producing microorganisms.   I like having the red onions and the daikon radish available.  Be sure to spoon some of  the vinegar onto your salad with the veggies–the flavor is a nice variation.  Don’t forget to keep olives in stock too as they are another great addition to this type of salad.  Check out the marinated cauliflower recipe I posted previously.

Cultured Carrots

4 cups packed of grated organic carrots
1 Tbsp. sea salt
juice of 1 organic lemon
1-2 Tbsp. finely grated ginger root or 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Scrub the carrots very well– no need to peel them–and grate them into a medium-sized glass bowl.  Add the other ingredients and mix well.  If you really like ginger, use 2 Tbsp. instead of 1 Tbsp.  Pack  this mixture (with a spoon) into a wide-mouthed, quart-sized mason jar. For a weight, fill an 8- ounce  canning jar with water and put its lid on.  This small jar should fit into the mouth of a wide-mouthed mason jar.  Press the carrots down further by pushing down on the small jar–it will be sticking up out of the larger jar but that is ok.  Leave it there and cover the whole thing with cheese cloth held in place around the larger jar’s mouth with a rubber band. Keep  on your kitchen countertop out of direct sunlight for 3 days being sure to press down on the small jar every day to keep the carrots under the liquid–taste them each time to see how you like them.  You may prefer to ferment them 2 instead of 3 days–after fermentation, cap and keep them refrigerated

Marinated Red Onions

1 large red onion, chopped fine
1/2 to 1 cup organic, raw apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey

Mix 1/2 cup of the vinegar with the honey in a mason jar (either a pint or quart-sized).  Add the chopped onions and stir well.  If the onions are not totally submerged in vinegar once you press then down with  a fork, add more vinegar until they are.  Cap and refrigerate.  Marinate for at least 8 hours before serving.  Keep refrigerated.

Marinated Daikon Radish

1 medium daikon radish, scrubbed with vegetable brush, peeled if skin is     not smooth and white, and then sliced in 1/8 inch rounds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (the herb flavored varieties are good but plain is fine too)
1 tsp. honey, optional

If you are using honey, dissolve it in the vinegar in a bowl.  Add the radish slices and stir well to coat them.  Transfer to a pint-sized mason jar, cap, and refrigerate.  If convenient, give the jar a shake whenever you open your refrigerator to keep them evenly coated.  Ready to serve in 4 hours.  Keep refrigerated.

There’s lots of flexibility with this recipe but the basic ingredients, kale and cucumber, provide the texture contrast that is (in my mind) necessary when eating cooked greens served cold in a salad. The kale is lightly steamed to get the most nutrition out of it. (I have had tough kale served raw in salads in restaurants–terrible idea!) Let the onion, garlic, garbanzo beans, and herbs marinate ahead in order to blend the flavors. Cucumber and any other vegetable you add need to be crisp and crunchy so add them before serving to prevent them going limp.

Serves 4

4-5 cups of kale, chopped fine, removing tough stems

1 cucumber sliced lengthwise and chopped in 1/4 inch pieces

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cup cooked chick peas

1/3 cup chopped olives, optional

1/4 cup total minced fresh herbs of your choice, I used dill and thyme and basil. Dried herbs can be used instead–1 tsp dill weed, 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper, optional

1/2 cup crumbled goat feta cheese, optional

1/4 cup chopped scallions or fresh chives, optional

salt, black pepper to taste

In a medium-sized salad bowl, place lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, onion, chickpeas, and herbs. Stir well and cover and place in refrigerator. This step can be done a few hours ahead or even overnight so that the onion and chickpeas especially have the chance to marinate.

An hour or so before serving, steam the kale in a vegetable steamer for 4-5 minutes over simmering water with the lid cracked a little. Keep your attention on them with an occasional stir so they do not overcook–taste every minute and as soon as they are slightly tender but not totally limp remove from steam and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Add these to the other mixture, stir well. Now add the cucumber and red pepper if desired. Salt and pepper to taste and serve. It’s good leftover but I much prefer it fresh.

Well, you could leave the potato out of this salad and it would still be delicious BUT using 1 medium-sized potato with a whole head of cauliflower will allow you to mimic potato salad better. The good news is that you are not only reducing your carbs by not using just potatoes as in a traditional potato salad, but you are adding more cruciferous vegetable to your diet. Unlike many salads this one stores well in the fridge for a couple of days. Make a big batch to last 3 days. The original recipe is from Dr Bruce Fife’s “Keto Cookery” but I changed it some. You could add a few boiled (and then mashed) eggs to it also.

1 large head of organic cauliflower, just the florets, cut into bit-sized pieces

1 medium-sized red potato, peeled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces

3 medium stalks of organic celery, chopped fine

1/4 cup finely minced red onion

2 medium-sized dill pickles, chopped

1 cup home-made mayonaisse

1 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard

1 Tbsp. organic apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup minced fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried dill weed

sea salt and black pepper to taste

In a large bowl mix the mayo, mustard, onion, pickles, vinegar, dill. Set aside so that the onion marinates while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place the potato cubes in a vegetable steamer and steam over water until tender. Remove from steam and rinse with cool water. Drain well. Add to the mayo mixture and stir well. Add the celery to the mixture and stir well. Set this mixture aside. If you are going to add boiled eggs, mash them and add them now.

Cut the cauliflower so that the tough inner parts are removed and discarded. You just want the florets–place them in the vegetable steamer and steam until tender. Be sure not to over or under cook or the texture of your salad will not be good. Once the water boils in the steamer reduce the heat and continue lightly steaming with the lid cracked slightly until you can pierce with a fork a floret without resistance–it should not be mushy! Remove from heat immediately (it will keep cooking if you leave over the hot water) and rinse with cool water. Drain well and add to the rest of the ingredients. Stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. Good served at room temperature or can be chilled first. A couple of hours in the fridge marinates the vegetables for more flavor so it is best to prepare ahead.

Too healthy-sounding for you? I promise this soup is yummy if you have a good broth. I prefer home-made chicken broth which is extra flavorful and that is what I used in this recipe. If you have some leftover millet grits, making this soup will be even quicker. In fact, if you have some leftover chicken, add that too!

Serves 4

1 large yellow onion, chopped fine

1/4 cup ghee or coconut oil (I used ghee)

2 cups broccoli floretes

1 quart chicken broth

2 cups cooked millet grits

1/4 cup chickpea miso, mashed and mixed well in 1/3 cup of water

sea salt to taste and black pepper if desired

Saute the onion in melted ghee or coconut oil in a medium-sized soup pot over medium heat. Give an occasional stir and saute for about 5 minutes until onions are tender. Layer the broccoli over the onions and cover the soup pot. Let the broccoli steam over the onions with heat on a low setting so onions don’t burn for about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the millet grits and mix well. Again, bring to a simmer to thoroughly heat the millet. Keep heating until the broccoli is tender but still bright green–if you overcook the broccoli it will be a drab green color. Remove from heat and add the miso paste. Stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.