Making whey

I did this yesterday and it worked!

The cream cheese was delicious - I added a little salt.

From Wellness Mama

Whey and Cream Cheese Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

How to make whey for fermenting vegetables and other foods and get probiotic cream cheese!

Author: Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Fermented

Serves: 4+

Ingredients

• One 32-ounce container of full fat organic PLAIN yogurt
• Cheesecloth or thin dish towel
• medium-size bowl
• string or rubber bands

Instructions

1. Pour the yogurt into cheesecloth or thin towel. You can pour the whole container, or just use half if you don't need much whey. Make sure the towel is thin, as it will absorb too much of the whey if it is a very absorbent towel.
2. Pull the ends of the towel up and secure with string or a rubber band.
3. Tie the towel with yogurt in it to a cabinet handle above the bowl.
4. Leave it alone overnight to drip.
5. In the morning, if the dripping has stopped, pour the liquid in the bowl (this is the whey... yay!) into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to six months.
6. The "yogurt" left in the towel is actually cream cheese now. Put in its own container and use as you would store bought cream cheese.
7. Use the whey for homemade salsas, sauerkraut, fermented veggies or pickles and more. (all recipes to come soon.... just waiting on the garden to start producing!)

Fermented Salsa

I'm trying this today!

From Nourishing Days

Lacto-Fermented Salsa

makes 1/2 gallon of salsa

Recipe Notes: I use a food processor because it really speeds things up. You certainly don’t need to – simply chop everything up to your liking and continue with recipe. Also I like to store mine in 1/2 gallon jars instead of quarts to save on refrigerator space. Fermented salsa is salty, so don’t be alarmed. The salt and they whey are what will preserve it and give it those wonderful probiotics.

• 1 large onion or a large bunch of green onions, cut into large chunks
• 3 small bell peppers, cored and cut into large chunks
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves (unchopped)
• 2.5 pounds roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons coarse celtic sea salt (I only added 1 Tbs and it seems quite salty)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1/2 cup whey
• 1/4-1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Combine onion, bell peppers, garlic, and cilantro in food processor. Pulse 3-5 times until coarsely chopped. (At this point if the lovely smells coming from this combination don’t make you swoon then I don’t understand you.) Add 1/3 of the tomatoes and pulse 2-3 times until room is made for additional tomatoes. Repeat with another one third of tomatoes. Finally, add the last of the tomatoes and pulse an additional 3-5 times.
2. Pour contents of food processor into large bowl. Add the lemon juice, sea salt, cayenne powder, and whey. Stir well and allow to sit a few minutes while you prep your containers.
3. Wash two quart jars or one 1/2 gallon jar well with soap and hot water. Do the same for a food funnel and jar lids. Ladle the salsa into jars, leaving 2-3 inches of head space. Add water to submerge the salsa.
4. Close lid tightly and leave at room temperature for a few days, until bubbly and fermented. During this process the solid vegetables may separate from the liquid. Simply stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until redisbursed and submerged under the liquid. Transfer to cold storage. Should keep for months.

soft sugar cookies

I made these today, and they were great!


Award winning sugar cookies

recipe from Allrecipes

NGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup shortening 2/3 cup butter 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
3.	Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Addictive tomato soup

(I moved this recipe over from my old food blog - sogoodsoeasy.blogspot.com )

"My new favorite addictive taste"

That was Reid's response to this easy soup I put together a few years ago

There's no exact recipe

Here's what I did:

Sauteed in olive oil: half a large onion, a small pepper and three cloves of garlic - all chopped.

While cooking, added hot pepper flakes (generous pinch), dried basil (about 1/2 tsp) and dried oregano (about 1/4 tsp).



Poured in 2 cans chopped tomatoes and 1 can chicken broth





Added pepper to taste plus a couple teaspoons sugar (I used brown)

Simmered 15-20 minutes

Took off heat and stirred in 1/2 cup cream

Simmered 15 to 20 minutes

Perfect with crusty fermented european bread

Soft Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookes

I have made these cookies 2 times already this fall and they are a hit!  They stay soft and make the BEST breakfast the next day!

Soft Glazed Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree {canned pumpkin}
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

for the glaze-
3 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside. In a large bowl, stir butter, oil, pumpkin, sugars, vanilla and eggs together until incorporated and smooth. Slowly mix in all dry ingredients until completely incorporated. Scoop onto prepared baking sheet using 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop and flatten to 1/2 inch thick using the bottom of a glass. If the dough is sticking to the glass, press the bottom of the glass in granulated sugar before flattening. Bake 8-9 minutes.

While cookies bake, stir all ingredients together for glaze until smooth.

Once cookies are finished baking, cool 3 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons glaze over each warm cookie. Let glaze harden 2-3 hours before serving. OR eat them warm with lots of runny glaze :)

Pumpkin pie spice Recipe 
(in case you live in Ghana and can't find any)
from the kitchen

How To Make Pumpkin Pie Spice

Makes 2 1/3 tablespoons

Adapted from The Contemporary Encyclopedia of Herbs & Spices by Tony Hill

What You Need

Ingredients1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Equipment
Measuring spoons, bowl, whisk or spoon

Instructions

1. Measure: Measure out all ingredients in the order listed (to ensure you don't double up or leave one out) into a small bowl.
2. Mix: Whisk or stir to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 year

Quick white chicken chili

I created this quick easy version based on the ingredients I can find here in Ghana

Simmer a chicken breast in chicken stock (I use the "Better than Boullion" brand we brought from the US) seasoned with medium chopped onion, 2 sliced garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and any herb that sounds good.

Remove chicken. Strain broth. These can be refrigerated until you are ready to make the chili.

To make the Chili:

Saute about 1/4 cup chopped onion in a little oil. Add 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/2 tsp oregano. Sauté for a few minutes. Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken breasts). Drain and rinse one can baked beans and add to broth. Chop chicken breast and add to soup.

Serve topped with grated cheese and chopped tomatoes.


This was so good - I will definitely double it next time - or triple.

And I might try adding some veggies - some pumpkin?

Sweet and sour sauce

Wow! Sweet and Sour Sauce

Reid loves this and I figure out a way to make it in Ghana - most ingredients are easy to find - especially nice fresh pineapple and juice. I made a 1/4 recipe to test it out and it served us both with some leftovers. I simmered a little cooked (tough) chicken in the sauce for 10 minutes and it was nice and tender.

This recipe is from Allrecipes

Rated:  Submitted By: Nana Nat Photo By: Sam Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 6

"This is a quick sweet-and-sour sauce you can serve over meat, vegetables, rice, pasta, or any combination thereof!"

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups water 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 cup ketchup 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, undrained (I used fresh pineapple and juice) 2/3 cup distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon steak sauce 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper hot sauce (I left this out) 3 tablespoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Stir water, sugar, ketchup, pineapple, vinegar, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, steak sauce, and hot sauce together in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove 1/2 cup of the sauce to a small bowl; whisk cornstarch into the sauce in the bowl. Bring the sauce in the saucepan to a boil, stir the sauce with the cornstarch into the boiling sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using.