These delicious pork ribs are slow cooked in the oven but can easily be put in a smoker instead and then finished on the grill.  Use fresh and organic spices for the best flavor and natural benefits.

Ingredients:

2 racks baby back pork ribs

1 tbsp New Mexico Chili Powder (or other favorite chili powder)

1 tbsp Ancho Chili Powder

1 tsp Rapadura or Maple Sugar (Turbinado also works)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic granules (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

1/2 tsp Texas Red Dog Chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne (optional, for an extra kick)

1/4 tsp celery salt

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt (course)

1 tsp ground black pepper (white or mixed peppercorns also a good option)

Finish with your favorite BBQ sauce.  We used Annie’s Naturals Organic Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce (Gluten Free)

To Prepare:

Prepare ribs if your butcher has not by rinsing and removing the silver skin and if necessary cut the racks into two pieces for ease of handling.   This blog has a video that shows how http://nibblemethis.blogspot.com/2009/04/bbq-pork-loin-back-ribs.html

Dry the meat with a lint free towel.  Place meat side down in a roasting pan and apply rub liberally to both sides of the ribs placing them back in the roasting pan meat side down and cover pan with foil.

Allow to rest for 30 minutes with rub.

Place in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 4 hours.  Ribs are done when the bone is starting to show or you can see if the ribs easily fold with a pair of tongs.

Serve dry or to finish wet:

Take them out and place on the grill meat side up and apply sauce, allow to cook 2 minutes then flip.  Cover bottom with sauce and allow to cook another 2 minutes before flipping once again and putting more sauce on the meat side and cooking another 2 minutes then pull off the grill and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

To prepare totally on the grill put the grill on a low heat and place the ribs meat side down away from direct heat.  Close the grill and allow to cook for 3 to 4 hours and test as above.  To finish the wet method see above.

If you don’t have a grill and want to finish them wet in the oven that’s easy.  Put sauce on the bottom of the ribs with meat side down and put oven at 350 degrees.  Cook about 5 minutes then flip and cover the top with sauce and cook another 5 minutes.

Always allow the ribs to rest 5 to 10 minutes  before eating so the juices can settle and you don’t burn yourself. =)

Happy BBQing!

Yesterday I pulled out the never before used bread machine that my Great Aunt Ann so generously gave to me a couple of years ago. I had a bread machine before and loved it but going gluten free I never thought I could use it. Then I realized not only does it have a gluten free setting but there are various products out there that work in bread machines.

Now, there are better ways to make gluten free bread, certainly more cost efficient and healthier (real sourdough). Unfortunately for me I am new to this so this is now my bread of choice until I can get to the next level.

Trying to keep my son on a gluten-free diet is a challenge with his father wanting regular bread and the our son wanting to do everything daddy does. So I had hopes for this bread though not a lot of expectation as I’ve really been disappointed before with cardboard, super dry, and lead like ‘breads’ that I worked really hard to make.

Following the directions on my bread maker I put the wet ingredients in first including some raw milk instead of some of the water. I heated up the filtered water (1 cup) to melt 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil (I doubled the fat on the package directions). While that cooled to be just warm I beat together 2 eggs and mixed with 3/4 cup of milk then slowly mixed in the warm water making sure not to scramble the eggs.

All the wet ingredients went in first, per the bread maker’s direction, then I added the flour mixture from the package. Lastly I made a well in the flower and added the yeast. Then I followed the directions to put it on the setting for gluten free. I chose medium crust but with gluten free bread I think that’s too dark. It was still good but next time I will go with light and never with dark.

While it was kneading I scraped down the sides with a rubber spatula then left it alone to do it’s thing. I let the bread cool overnight on a wire rack and this morning my son and I enjoyed a most delicious piece of bread than I’ve had in over a year! I could cry.

The brand we used was Gluten-Free Pantry Sandwich Bread and it is very tasty and I would recommend it especially for your first efforts making gluten free bread. I do not like not being able to control some ingredients and I’d rather use local, really raw honey instead of sugar but this is a fantastic solution for us for now. Once I am able I will begin experimenting with some recipes and maybe even a sourdough which would be really worth some tears.

Thank you, Aunt Ann for a give that keeps on giving!

A delightful crust-free quiche is a great and easy to heat up breakfast.  Serve it with some pastured, nitrate/nitrite free bacon and some organic fruit.  It also makes a great brunch, lunch or even dinner item when paired with some salad.

At our home this is a protein and fat packed, nutrient dense, quick go-to food for breakfast.  I make a couple of quiches and I send them to work with my husband who enjoys them cold for breakfast or as a part of his lunch. The recipe is really easy to double for two quiches that will last all week.  After it cools I cut it into servings and store a few in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.

The combinations are truly endless but sometimes I really enjoy the simple quiche the best.

Prep time 10 minutes. Cook time approx 35 minutes. Makes 1-9 inch quiche.

4 large pastured eggs
2 large pastured egg yolks
1/2 cup cream (pastured, raw cream is best)
1/2 cup raw milk (pastured from a local farmer)
1 cup shredded raw cheddar cheese
1 tbsp melted Virgin Coconut oil or organic ghee
1 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt
Ground Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375° F

Start by whisking the eggs, pepper and salt briskly until yolk and whites are fully combined.  The yolk is the most nutritious part of the egg so I always add an additional egg yolk or two when possible.  In pastries this may not work so be cautious.

Whisk in the cream and milk next.  Add the oil or ghee slowly so not to scramble the eggs if the oil is hot (or let it cool first but not congeal).  Put the whisk away and use a silicon rubber spatula to mix in the cheese, but save a handful to top the quiche. Now is also the time to add other optional ingredients.  Once combined put into a greased (with butter or coconut oil) Pyrex or ceramic pie dish (oven safe of course!). Top with cheese and bake for 35 minutes. Ovens and baking dishes vary so check your quiche after 25 minutes. You will know when it’s done because it should be set but still a bit wiggly (not loose) when you pull it out. Usually there is a slightly golden color to the edges.

Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting or the quiche will not be set and it will be a mess.

The combinations you can make for your quiche are endless but remember that any additional ingredients will displace the custard and may cause overflow. The quiche will rise quite a bit in the oven so allow enough space at the top of the backing dish and for added insurance place on top of a lipped sheet tray in case of spills. The milk can be reduced by 1/4 cup to make room for things like chopped spinach (remove all excess water or the quiche will come out with an unpleasant mushy feel), all natural pastured pork sausage (browned before adding), grilled vegetables or other items. The addition of about a tablespoon of freshly chopped herbs can be heavenly including parsley, thyme, oregano or basil. Dried herbs will also suit but remember a little goes a long way and a cant tsp of one dried herb is all you will need.

Quiches can be a great way to use up some left overs too. If you had extra bacon from Sunday breakfast you can add that (a delicious topping when added over the cheese). If you made grilled vegetables, or oven roasted vegetables and potatoes these are fantastic when cut into bite sized pieces. Allow to get to room temperature before you make your quiche or the cooking time will be increased and the eggs may burn before the thicker vegetables are warmed up.

For a Texan twist go with inspiration from a Tex-Mex favorite, breakfast tacos.  In a pan brown Chorizo and natural sausage together with some diced onions and peppers of choice. For the brave some garden fresh serrano chiles are fantatic. Use a creamy cheese like Monterey Jack intead of the cheddar and serve with a dollop of Cilantro Crème fraiche to help cool the mouth off and provide some probiotics for healthy digestion.

A simple to make, nutrient filled potato salad that is similar to other ‘southern’ recipes but with my own unique twists and style and much healthier ingredients. I recommend using Creme Fraiche along with fresh Mayonnaise. This is of course a high carbohydrate dish but adding the good quality saturated fats along with probiotics will ease digestion and make this holiday treat more nutritious.

This is a treat for us not only because of the high carbohydrate content of the potatoes but also because it takes some time and time to prepare. It is totally worth it though and is one of my favorite “comfort foods” reminding me of a childhood long past. My father always made potato salad and he used some unhealthy ingredients including “Miracle Whip”. I remember he’d use half a jar and was always very upset if we didn’t have any. One year he had only regular mayonnaise and I told him to pour some of the corn syrup liquid from the pickles into the potato salad and that did the trick. Miracle Whip is just extra corn syrupy mayonnaise… yuck! =) If you are a previous Miracle Whip fan or are serving those that are try adding a touch of sugar to the lemon juice (1 tsp rapadura or maple sugar should work).

On a hot Texas summer day there is nothing like some BBQ food with cold potato salad and cole slaw on the side. It is also great because we can prepare it ahead of time and it’s ready to serve right out of the fridge.

Serves 8

3 lbs organic russet potatoes (peeled & cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 hard boiled egg diced
1 small red onion diced
3 ribs celery diced
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Creme Fraiche
1/4 cup chopped herbs (fresh basil & thyme)
1/8 tsp mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped sweet Bubbies pickles (optional)
1 tsp celery salt (optional, in place of one tsp salt)
2 tsp Real Celtic Sea Salt
Pepper to taste

Preparation

Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks about 1 inch square but accuracy doesn’t matter just make sure the the size is fairly uniform so the potatoes cook at the same speed. If you have big chunks and small chunks the big ones will still be raw when the small ones are done. If you finish cooking the big ones the small ones will fall apart and taste water logged. Sometimes I use red potatoes for this and I leave some with the skin on.

Place the pieces in a pot of cold/room temperature water until submerged. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for approx 10 minutes and check a larger chunk with a fork. the fork should slide easily but not make it fall apart.

Drain thoroughly into a coriander and then place in a bowl to cool. This recipe works best with cold potatoes so after they reach room temperature I place them in the refrigerator.

All the other ingredients can be prepared while waiting for the potatoes to cool and placed in the refrigerator. Dice or chop the boiled egg, pickles, onion, celery and place in the fridge. Mince up the fresh herbs and mix into the mayonnaise, Crème fraiche, mustard, salt and pepper and lemon juice then cover and put into the fridge to meld the flavors.

When the potatoes are cooled completely mix all the ingredients together but do not over mix. Maintain the chunks for ideal mouth feel and texture. Mayo mashed potatoes aren’t very appealing to most. Place in the fridge again, covered, to meld the flavors and take out right before serving or packing in the picnic cooler.

Garnish with some reserved fresh herbs for delightful color.

This versatile sauce makes every dinner an adventure.

Now that you know how to make a healthy and tasty mayonnaise in a snap you can use that mayo to make Aioli.  Aioli is a traditional French sauce using oil and garlic, with some lemon juice and it is made pretty much as you would mayonnaise except adding the garlic.  I prefer to make a couple of batch of mayonnaise instead and then flavor what I want and need for this week’s menu.  There are different types of Aioli in different parts of Europe including an Allioli in Italy that is a bit different but delicious spread on garlic bread.  I will have to try it on some gluten free bread sometime.

Aioli is great served with fish and crab but it is also a tasty sauce for sandwiches, burgers, and chicken.  What is wonderful about it is you can change it up and add different flavors and have an entirely different experience and a different dish.  Ingredients like tamari (naturally fermented) and horseradish add a delicious flavor as a dip with Asian style tempura fried mushrooms.  You can also add horseradish and a bit of cayenne and serve on a grilled chicken breast sandwich with lettuce and tomato fresh from the garden… mmm my favorite!

Basic Aioli

1 cup Naturally Texan Mayonnaise
3 to 6 fresh garlic cloves, minced*
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Real Celtic Sea Salt and fresh ground organic pepper to taste

In a non-reactive mixing bowl (glass is best), mix the ingredients together until incorporated.  Cover and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes however this sauce tastes best a few hours later or the next day when the flavors have had time to meld and saturate the mayonnaise.

*Do not use sprouted garlic or garlic that has gone green.  It will be terribly bitter.  The size of the cloves and your taste for garlic dictate how many to use.  Also what you are serving it with.  If it’s a delicate fish or crab you wouldn’t want to over power it but if you are just using it as a condiment on burgers then for me, the more the better. I love garlic.

Mix it up:

Texan style chipotle Aioli -

Add 1 tbsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce and 1 tsp raw honey (from a local farmer is possible, if not see the brand I like at Amazon.com YS Royal Jelly/Honey Bee – Raw Honey, 22 oz gel
)

Enjoy!

healthy and delicious

Why spend a fortune on the unhealthy, and not very tasty, mayo from the store when you can make your own using healthy oils and ingredients.  Mayo has been changing at the grocery store. I think to try and entice people like me back into buying it again.  However, despite all the fancy labels claiming “Olive Oil” or “Organic” mayo all the brands i see are still mostly unhealthy and definitely not tasty soybean oil and other nasty ingredients like corn syrup.

For a few years now I’ve used a modified version of the Nourishing Traditions recipe combined with a Coconut Oil Mayonnaise recipe and the Blender Mayonnaise method out of Joy of Cooking to get the perfect blend.  A friend has recommended I try using Macadamia nut oil in place of the olive oil as it is supposed to be much healthier and produces a nice tasting, more neutral mayonnaise.  Whichever you choose remember that strong tasting oils are going to make a very strong tasting mayonnaise that may be quite unpleasant.  For that reason I will usually use half Expeller-Pressed Coconut oil with half “liquid” oils which I include a good quality Extra Virgin Olive oil (Bionaturae is my favorite) and sometime Organic Sesame Oil.  When I get some Macadamia nut oil i will try using that instead and see what we get.

I use farm fresh pastured eggs because they are healthier and fresh.  I reduce the risk of salmonella by carefully breaking open the egg so as to not touch the shell but really this is an exaggerated problem caused by the unhealthy condition of battery raised chickens.  A healthy chicken from a local farmer is not likely to have problematic eggs.

Here is the recipe I follow.

Approximately makes: 1 1/4 cups
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

• 1 whole pastured egg
• 2 pastured egg yolks
• 1 tsp whey (real whey recipe )
• 1 tablespoon organic mustard
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 1 tsp sucanat or organic maple syrup sugar (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Real Celtic Sea Salt (fine ground)
• 1/2 cup Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil (melted if solid)
• 1/2 cup Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Bionaturae is my favorite)

Recommended Tools: Good quality blender (preferably glass), with lid.  A silicon rubber spatula.  A pyrex glass measuring cup with easy pour spout. Measuring spoons.  Funnel with narrow spout.  Kitchen towel to limit splatter.  Glass container with lid to store finished mayonnaise.

The coconut oil may be solid so it needs to be melted and then mixed with the olive oil.  Put both in a large measuring cup (Pyrex 2 cup glass with easy pour spout is my choice).  Once combined allow to reach room temperature before making mayo.  Get out all other ingredients to sit at room temperature especially the eggs which must  not be cold when starting.

Using a good quality blender add the egg, egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and blend gently to mix.  Then add all the remaining ingredients except the oil and mix again briefly.  Put the lid on the blender without the inner piece and place the funnel in the center of the lid.  Use the towel between pouring of oil to minimize splatter by covering up lid and funnel.

Slowly pour a steady and fine stream of oil while blender is on.  Take a break every so often to allow the oil to work in if needed and turn off the blender periodically and use the rubber spatula to wipe down the sides of the blender to keep the mayonnaise at the bottom.  Put the lid back on with the funnel and continue blending with the oil stream.  It is a good idea to always keep a hand on the lid of the blender while it is opperating to prevent messy accidents if the lid blows off.

Do not keep pouring oil if it begins to pool on the top of the mayonnaise but blend for a bit until it disappears.  Continue adding the oil in a slow stream until it is all gone then continue blending until there is no oil on the surface of the mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise will start out very runny and slowly build up to a thicker consistency but this recipe requires refrigeration to see full thickness.  Because of the coconut oil the refrigerated mayonnaise will be much thicker at than room temperature

Turn off blender, and remove mayonnaise into glass container using the rubber spatula to scoop it out and work around the blades.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and put into the fridge.  With the addition of the natural whey it will keep several days.

Alternatives:

• Try using a high quality cold pressed Macadamia nut oil in place of the Olive Oil.
• Add some chopped basil for a tasty basil mayonnaise that is perfect for club sandwiches or potato salad.
• Add some naturally fermented tamari for an Asian twist.
• To make it superbly Texan try adding chopped cilantro and lime for a cooling effect and serve on your next Texas style jalepeno and Monteray Jack Cheese Burger.  (Recipe coming soon)

The possibilities are endless and this is a great mayonnaise to make creamy salad dressings by mixing with home cultured piima cream or sour cream.  Even my most fickle junk food junky relatives love this mayonnaise.

(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free)

This is our favorite Chicken & Dumplings Recipe adapted to be gluten free, dairy free, and soy free.  If you can eat dairy pastured butter/ghee and raw pastured milk are excellent in this recipe.  Always opt for organic vegetables, herbs and spices to avoid irradiation and toxins.  To make it ultra Texan add a kick of cayenne or chili powder to the dumplings and a few pinches of jalepeno pepper flakes to the soup base with the dried herbs.  The sky’s the limit!

Soup Base

3 – 4 quarts home-made chicken stock (pastured chicken stock recipe)

4 tbsp coconut oil (alternatively use pastured lard/tallow)

1 onion, diced

8 carrots, sliced

1 bunch celery, sliced

6 cloves garlic, diced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp ground pepper

2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp granulated garlic

Meat from 1 whole roasted chicken*

¼ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Real Celtic Sea Salt & Organic Fresh ground pepper to taste

Dumplings

2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix

¼ cup coconut oil (substitute pastured lard or tallow if desired)

¼ cup coconut milk (substitute pastured raw milk or butter milk if desired)

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

2 pastured eggs lightly beaten

Melt coconut oil (or pastured lard/tallow, or if not dairy free pastured butter/ghee are delicious additions) in a deep pot over medium/high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and sautee until slightly softened and onions are translucent. Add garlic and sautee a few more minutes more being careful not to brown. Add herbs, fresh ground pepper, and stir allowing the oils to release for a few minutes.

Add the chicken and stir to combine.* (see alternative method below)

Carefully add the chicken stock, at room temperature or heated. Stir and allow to come to a gentle simmer while making the dumpling mixture.

In a bowl combine salt, pepper and baking mix and combine. In a larger bowl mix lightly beaten eggs and half of coconut milk reserving some. Gently add melted, and cooled, coconut oil (or tallow/lard/butter/ghee) being careful to not scramble the eggs. Add the dry ingredients and stir carefully until it just comes together. Do not over mix. The dough should hold together but still be somewhat crumbly. If the dough is too dry add more coconut milk. Alternatively raw pastured milk works great in this recipe.

Any remaining coconut milk, including the remainder of the can, can be added to the soup base. Add the fresh parsley reserving some for garnish. Add Celtic Sea Salt and stir.

When the soup is gently simmering start adding the dumplings one small spoonful at a time being careful not to crowd the pan. Use another spoon to help scrap off the dumplings into the soup easily and quickly. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes at a gentle simmer, do not remove lid until 15 minutes are up.

Turn soup off, vent lid and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Soup will be plenty hot and the dumplings will have had time to set. Serve in soup bowls, add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with remaining parsley. Serve with your favorite gluten free sides. For those not on a dairy free diet you can add a dollop of crème fraiche if desired.

*Use a previously roasted chicken to make this a delicious and easy recipe. We recommend always planning your menus to save time. By preparing a meal of roasted chickens the day before you will have plenty of bones to make a stock that night and meat from one of the chickens for use in the soup. If you are using stock out of the freezer and are making this on delicious soup on short notice that’s ok! Just use 4 to 8 chicken thighs, salt and pepper them and sprinkle on your favorite spice maybe some a pinch of yellow curry on each and brown them on both sides in the pan before you add the onions.

We use the pastured chicken stock recipe from Nourishing Traditions and the Weston A Price Foundation website but with a few twists.

Pastured chickens are ultra nutritious and delicious but usually cost more than your average store bought poultry so we love recipes that help us utilize every last bit of goodness. Don’t throw away the bones when you make fried chicken, roasted chicken or other meals. Save them in the freezer and make a weekly batch of rich bone broth. Your family’s health and vitality will shine thanks to all the amazing, bio-available nutrients in a real bone broth and your family’s food budget can be stretched even further. In fact when trying to eat naturally on a budget we highly recommend utilizing many bone broths, and various rich soups to fill bellies in lean times.

If you can’t afford pastured chicken in these hard times ask your local farmers if they have any stewing birds. Roosters and other older chickens that are culled are often too chewy for roasting but make absolutely fantastic, rich, nutritious and robust bone broths and the meat once cooked for so long becomes tender and delicious.