Good Eating: Eggplant Kiku & Sprout Salad

"Kiku is a Persian or Arabic dish that has many variations.  It came to Spain during the Moorish invasions where it took the form of the Spanish tortilla or Spanish omelet, with potatoes as a filling." (p.440 Nourishing Traditions)

The ingredients for Eggplant Kiku are:

• 2 eggplants
• sea salt
• 2 onions
• extra virgin olive oil
• 6 eggs
• 3 cloves of garlic
• juice of one lemon
• pepper 
• paprika

Without copying the recipe verbatim from my Nourishing Traditions cook book, I'll give you a brief layout of the recipe.

The first and most time consuming step is to salt the peeled and cubed eggplant.  Let it sit, draining in a colander for an hour or so.

Next, after the hour is up, rinse and drain the eggplant well and...

saute it in olive oil until soft.  When it's soft, mash it with a potato masher or something like that in another bowl.  (I forgot to take this pic... pardon that)

In the same pan you sauteed the eggplant, saute the onions until they look yummy (transparent and browning) then add the mashed eggplants and the garlic.

(Also forgot this picture...eek!) - Beat the eggs with some salt, the pepper, lemon juice and the paprika, add it all to the eggplant/onion/garlic mixture.

Next, pour the mixture into an oiled baking dish (I used a 9x13 baking dish) and bake for 30 minutes or so in a 375*F oven until its just browning on top.  Take it out of the oven, serve it up however you would like!

I served mine with a sprout salad using freshly sprouted sprout, and a homemade sesame ginger dressing (interested in the recipe? Leave a comment to let me know!), garnished with garden fresh tomatoes and freshly ground pepper.  In the picture above, I sprinkled my husbands with Parmesan cheese!  Every bite was delicious!  Try it and let me know what you think about it!

Happy cooking!

While I Was On The Farm With My Mom...

Yes!  Those are chicken feet!  Excellent for making rich chicken broth!  Chicken feet broth is full of nutrients like collagen, glucosamine chondroitin, gelatin, minerals and much more!  All things that our bodies absolutely need!  I prepared these two pairs of feet myself, which is far from where I came from ( as you may know, I spent lots of years eating a vegan and/or vegetarian diet ).  That all changed when I started feeling like I wasn't getting ALL the nutrients my body needed in order to do what it needs to do to reproduce, and pretty much... function well.

As a quick side note, an awesome blog called Nourished Kitchen has a wonderful recipe for making stock from chicken feet.  Check it out!

My mom lives in a small town called Calimesa where if you buy a house, it will probably be an older one with some property.  Her property is just under a half an acre and she has ducks, a goat, lots of chickens, a goose, dogs, cats, fish, a bird, and her gardening.  I know this is relatively small compared to the country, but for the city, it's great!  We eat the eggs and now, for the health benefits of eating organic, pastured meats, the chickens, and soon the ducks!  So that is what we did today!  We butchered two chickens, well, one rooster and one hen.  It was very humane and quite interesting!  Here is a video snip of the "crime scene" where the killing and feathering was already done and my mom is TCBing ( Taking Care of Business ).  If you have a weak stomach or are an animal rights activist, do not watch as you will have lots to complain about...  Following the video, I will put up a picture of the forming eggs that were taken out of the hen... super, super interesting if the video is too much for you.

That is my mom.  She is such a wonderful lady.  She is a cancer survivor from age 13 when she had to have her right leg amputated.  She finds lots of strength in things like what we "city" folk call farming.  I, on the other hand, try to find all of my strength in Jesus, when I get myself out of the way.
Here is a photo of the egg development progression inside of a hen.  All of these came from one hen and there were more attached on the inside that didn't come out.  Fascinating if you ask me!

Sorry, I had to make the picture huge!

So that was an interesting event huh?!  Butchering chickens ( Humanely! And for our food!) has now been qualified as quality time with my momma!  Thank You Lord for the life You gave us and for the food You provide!

Sincerely,
Candace

Let's Talk About Lacto-Fermentation For A Second...

For many, the question may be, "What in the world is lacto- fermentation?!"  And for some, lacto-fermentation is old news.  Old news is right.  Actually, it has been around for over 2,000 years!  People of old times knew how to preserve fruits and vegetables without the need of nice big refrigerators or freezers.  They understood the chemical changes that would take place under certain acidic conditions and how those conditions would hold nutritional values as well as keep the food preserved.  What happens during the lacto-fermentation process is, "the starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit convert to lactic acid by means of friendly lactic acid  producing bacteria.  This produces not only a tangy, delicious product, but it also preserves it" (The Nourishing Gourmet).

To further explain the process, a wonderful little book called "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, explains it well,

"The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anticarcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine.”
(pg 89)

Also from her book, she explains how lacto-fermented foods are found all over the world, from Europe with their sauerkraut, Korea and their kimchi (delicious!), Russia and Poland with pickled green tomatoes, peppers, and lettuces, Japan and China both with their pickled vegetables such as cabbage, turnip, eggplant, cucumber, onion, squash, and carrot, all the way to America with our many relishes.

The results however, aren't always predictable which is why mass produced "pickled" or "fermented" foods do not have the same health benefits as homemade fermented delicacies.  Companies who strive for uniform products have to pasteurize (which kills much of the beneficial bacteria), and they have to use lots of vinegar (achieving close to the same flavor but not even close to the same nutrition levels).  

Now, with that small summary, and I mean small - there is a ton of information out there, why not try it for yourself?  You could save money and invest in the overall nutrition of yourself as well as your loved ones.

Later, I will follow up with some recipes I have been working on myself.

Until then,

Happy, happy healthy cooking!!

Ahhh Peanut Butter...

Why is Peanut Butter so addicting?!  I love it on dried fruit, fresh fruit, bread, tortillas, mixed with honey, maple syrup, and I could probably go on for an hour, but I'll spare you.  It's almost like my body wants peanut butter, not necessarily my taste buds.  And, I usually want it, lots of it, during the time when my body flips it's hormone production from estrogen to progesterone (aka PMS).

I did a little homework.  I actually googled why peanut butter is so addicting and I found out that it contains copper (mostly found in red meats), tryptophan and niacin (mostly found in chicken and fish),  protein, manganese, and folate.

Copper is important because it helps with arthritis, proper growth, connective tissues, brain stimulation, and so much more.   

Tryptophan is an amino acid that helps you sleep better and enhances moods.  Tryptophan is at work when larger amino acids tend to muscles when one exercises - hence the fact that working out makes people feel good.

Niacin is important for so many functions including but not at all limited to, blood circulation, digestion, helps in natural detox,  and can even slow the progression of HIV!

Protein, as so many know, is an essential nutrient in building bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood.

Manganese is a mineral that is an absolute for bone health as well as regulating blood sugar, healthy thyroid function, absorption of calcium, and much more!

Folate is vital in cell maintenance and repair,  DNA synthesis, formation of red and white blood cells,  inhibits colon cancer, and on and on.

So, craving peanut butter (all natural though - you don't want all that processing and sugar that comes with the other stuff) could be a way that your body is sweetly asking to replenish some of its much needed nutrients!  And as long as you are taking care of that vessel of yours, go ahead and have another spoon full (I am not a doctor though so if peanut butter does not do you well then by all means discontinue use)!