Strawberry Berry Pie Filling

1 cooked 9-inch pie shell 
2 cups crushed mixed berries *blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, ect. 
1/2 c. cane juice crystals or sucanut or honey
2 T arrowroot powder
1 pt. fresh strawberries, tops removed

Fill pie shell with fresh whole strawberries. Boil crushed berries, sweetener and arrowroot together, stirring often, until transparent. Pour this syrup over all the berries in pie shell. Chill. OPTIONAL: Top with whipped coconut cream when serving.

Toothpaste

Mix together:

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup baking soda

5-8 drops of peppermint essential oil 

OPTIONAL: xylitol or stevia to sweeten

SUGGESTION: Store in a separate 4 oz. container for each member of your family. It is a mostly dry mix, so you wet your toothpaste and dip it in each time. 

Liquid Laundry Soap

LAUNDRY SOAP:  Easy to Make, Inexpensive, Non-Caustic  

1/3 bar Fells Naptha *or Ivory bar or Zote bar or Castile or any homemade bar soap you like

1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda *powdered sodium bicarbonate –to remove dirt & odors

1/2 cup Borax powder (a natural mineral sodium borate – a whitener & deodorizer)

2 gallon container to store it in and a ½ cup scoop for measuring

Optional:  If you want your soap to have a scent, you can add ½ to 1 oz. essential oil fragrance of your choice. Some people really like “orange” or "lavender" essential oil fragrance. Others like no scent.

Low Suds: It is an hE (high efficiency soap) and works in hE required washing machines, septics, etc. The”special” HE detergent is just another advertising mechanism to push consumers to buy “special soap” for unnecessarily high prices.

Another Alternative to purchased laundry soap:   http://www.laundrytree.com/about-soapnuts.html

Directions:

1.  Grate/chop finely the 1/3 bar soap and put in a large sauce pan.      

2.  Add 6 cups water and heat until the soap melts.

3.  Add 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/2 cup Borax. STIR til dissolved.                   

4.  Remove from the heat.

5.  Pour 4 cups HOT water into your storage container.

6.  Now add your liquid soap mixture and stir.

7.  Add 1 GALLON plus 6 cups of water and stir.

8.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will form a watery gel. . . similar to raw egg whites or slippery Jello.

9.  You use 1/2 cup per load.

Carrot, Apple, Lentil Curry Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 or 3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 T (korma) curry powder
6 to 8 medium carrots, chopped
3 apples (something tart and crisp), cored and chopped
2 cups red lentils
4 cups veggie or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: Greek yogurt for garnish, fresh lemon to squeeze into soup
OPTIONAL: crushed red pepper for more spice

Directions:
Pour lentils into a pot. Add water to cover plus one inch. Bring to boil. Then turn heat down to simmer. As lentils simmer spoon off the white foam at the the top of the water. Continue till white foam is gone. Simmer about 15 minutes till lentils are soft and falling apart.
While lentils are cooking: Heat 1 T oil in a stock pot. Add onions, celery and saute together till onions are translucent. Add garlic and curry. Saute for 2-3 more minutes.

Add carrots, apples and cook together for 5 minutes. Add lentils, stock and bring to a boil, then simmer till veggies are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender. Return soup to pot and simmer till ready to serve.

Garnish with a swirl of Greek yogurt and a squeeze of fresh lemon. 

Butternut Squash Red Curry

Ingredients:
1 pound beef stew meat *I use local grass fed beef that we buy from our farmer friend.
1 onion, chopped
1 T red curry paste *More or less depending on spice tolerance. Start with 1 tsp if you like mild.
1 tsp yellow curry *paste or powder
2 (16 oz) cans coconut milk
1 inch of ginger root, grated
1 or 2 star anise pods
salt and pepper to taste
1 T honey
1 butternut squash or baking pumpkin, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes

Directions:


Cook together for 3-4 minutes: olive oil, 1 chopped onion, and cubed beef/ stew meat

Add: coconut milk, red curry paste (more or less depending on your preference), 1 tsp yellow curry powder or paste, ginger, star anise, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 T honey . *I like to then throw this in the crock pot for the day so the meat gets very tender. Then I continue with the recipe about 20-30 minutes before dinner time.

Add: 1 peeled, cleaned and cubed butternut squash or baking pumpkin. (You may also add other veggies ie. potatoes, bean sprouts, broccoli, whatever you like. Don't add the veggies too soon or they will get mushy.)

Bring to boil, the turn down to simmer till meat is cooked and squash is tender. (About 20 minutes). Simmering for longer will develop richer flavors. 

Serve with lime, cilantro and green onion over rice, greens or eat as a soup.

Chorizo Seasoning

I used this chorizo seasoning to flavor one pound of local, grass-fed ground beef for tacos. It was delicious and better for us than any chorizo sausage I can find in the store.
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T paprika
1/4 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper *depending on spice preference
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper


Directions:
Use the above amounts based on one pound of ground meat (beef, lamb, turkey...ect). Simply multiply the above amounts per pound of meat.

Mix all ingredients together then mix into raw ground meat. Allow meat to sit in spice blend for 12 to 24 hours to soak up flavor. 

Cook and enjoy as you would use chorizo in any recipe.

Kimchi - Korean Sauerkraut

Adapted From: Nourishing Traditions

Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients:1 head Napa cabbage, cored and shredded (must use Napa for best results)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
(sometimes I used red onion instead)
1 cup carrots, grated
½ cup daikon radish, grated (optional)
1 handful of kale, chopped (optional)
1 T freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 t dried red pepper flakes (more or less depending on spice preference)
2 T salt
1 cup filtered water
Directions:
Mix veggies together in a large metal bowl or even a large pot would work. Don't use glass or ceramic or you may crack your bowl. Add ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. 

In a blender, combine water, salt and about 1 cup of the veggie mixture. Puree till smooth.

Mix liquid and veggies together. Stomp with a vegetable stomper for about 5 minutes. (use a potato masher, meat pounder or other kitchen gadget if you do not have a stomper) Divide mixture between 2 - quart mason jars or use a larger half gallon jar. Press veggies down with veggie stomper and make sure the veggies are covered with liquid. I often put a small (4oz) mason jar inside a wide-mouth mason jar to weigh the veggies down so that they are always covered with liquid. (glass baby food jars are the perfect size too)

Put the lids on your jars. Allow jars to sit in room temperature for 3-5 days. Bubbles should be forming and the mixture should not taste salty when it is fermented. Once fermented to your liking, move to cold storage (basement cellar) or refrigerator.