nacho cheeze sauce

1.5 cups soaked cashews (soaked & drained)
1/2 tsp salt
2  tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup water (more if you want a thinner sauce)
nutritional yeast (2-3 heaping Tb)
1-3 dried chipotle pepper(s)

Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender until you reach your desired consistency.  This "cheeze sauce" is great for tacos, or drizzled over roasted veggies/potatoes.  Actually - we love it for pretty much everything.

glory to Cafe Gratitude for the ingredient list!  I am not sure of the amounts for the nutritional yeast & peppers, but this is my best guess, based on overall taste!!

Winkie Juice - natural healing tonic!

- A Natural Antibiotic: antiviral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-parasitical concoction!  Great for travel & living overseas, since you can find all these ingredients pretty easily.  Hope this helps!! 

1 part fresh chopped garlic
1 part fresh chopped Onion
1 part fresh grated Ginger Root
1 part fresh grated Horseradish Root
1 part fresh chopped Cayenne Peppers or any peppers available.
Apple Cider Vinegar (Raw Unfiltered Unbleached Non-distilled)

Fill a glass jar 3/4 of the way full with equal parts by volume of the above fresh chopped and grated herbs (or use a food processor). Then fill jar to the top with raw apple cider vinegar. Close and shake vigorously.  Shake at least once a day for two weeks, and then filter the mixture through a clean piece of cloth or filter, bottle and label. Make sure that when you make this tonic that you shake it every time you walk by it, a minimum of once per day. Remember that all the herbs and vegetables should be fresh (and organically grown if possible) and use dried herbs only in an emergency.  You don't have to wait for the concoction to ferment, if you are sick right now.  We have used this in tea, added honey, etc.

glory to Winkie Pratney, an amazing evangelist from New Zealand. 

pumpkin puree

To make your own Pumpkin Puree
Choose a nice pumpkin from your local pumpkin patch, or grow your own!! *Sugar Pie, Baby Bear or Cheese Pumpkins work the best for making fresh puree. A 5-7 pound pumpkin will make 2 pies easily. Wash your pumpkin and cut in half (lengthwise). Remove all the seeds & stringy fibers with a spoon or canning lid. Place face down on a baking sheet with a lip (add about 1/2 cup water). Bake at 350F (177C) for 45-75 minutes (depending on the size) until it can be easily pierced with a knife/fork. Remove from the oven and cool long enough so that you can scoop out the pumpkin flesh without burning yourself OR remove skin with a knife while still on the baking sheet. Blend in a blender or food processor until very smooth. We like to strain the excess liquid with a cheesecloth or collander. Freeze or can for future use, or use right away!

dumplings over soup/stew

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 T butter
1 cup milk

Mix flour, salt & baking powder in a bowl. Bring butter & milk to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add milk mixture to your dry ingredients and stir with a fork or knead by hand 2-3 times until mixture comes together. Divide dough into 14-16 puffy dumplings, and roll into a rough ball. Gently lay the formed dumplings on the surface of your stew or soup. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. They are rich & fluffy when done! Serve immediately.

EZ pizza dough

Makes enough for two med sized pizzas. Double it if you want extra dough!

3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
seasonings: black pepper, sage, basil, etc (to taste)

Stir dry ingredients, including yeast. Add water and olive oil and combine well. Knead everything into a ball. Lightly oil the dough and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise 1-2 hours. It should double in size. Later dump onto a floured counter, and divide into balls for your pizzas. Roll out to your desired thickness and place on a baking sheet that is sprinkled with cornmeal. Add toppings and bake for about 10-15 minutes until crisp & blistered.

wheat bread rolls

This batch of rolls wasn't as "wheaty" as I would have liked - but wheat flour here in China changes each time I buy it. My next purchase of wheat flour was much darker. Oh well!

1 ¼ cup water (warm)
2 ½ T oil
2 tsp salt
3 T + 1 tsp sugar
1/3 cup wheat flour (I think you can increase this amount & decrease the amount of white flour)
4 cups white flour
2 tsp yeast

Add wet ingredients first, and then sift dry ingredients together, slowly adding to wet mixture - knead well. Or you can add all ingredients (in this order) into a bread machine (on the dough cycle). Remove dough and shape into small oval-sized rolls. Bake at 375F on a baking sheet for 15-20 minutes depending on desired crustiness. Makes about 10 rolls.
glory to the Avera girls - Vanessa & Scout

pita bread

Soft round bread with a pocket inside! Makes 16 pita pockets! (cut in half)1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

Combine first 4 ingredients, then add 1 cup flour + yeast. Mix well. Add 2 cups flour and knead into a soft dough. You can also use a bread machine for this step! Then, Oil the top of the dough & cover while it rises for 1 hour (in a warm place). With a knife cut into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls. On a floured surface, roll into 7+ inch flat circles (not too thin). Set aside & cover with a towel. They will continue to rise! Bake (1-2 at a time) on a wire rack in the middle of the oven (500 degrees) for 3-4 minutes, until puffy and slightly browned. You want to take them out before they get too dry/browned. Remove & cover to soften & cool. Cut in half & fill as desired! (fill with any combo of: meat, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, hummus)

croutons

6-10 slices of bread, cubed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp garlic salt (optional)
1 tsp dried basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). In large saute pan, melt butter over med heat. Add fresh minced garlic and simmer for 1 minute. Add optional spices, and mix well. Add bread cubes and toss to coat. Spread cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp & browned. Check frequently to prevent burning. Let cool. Store croutons in a sealed container or ziploc bag. Serve over soups or salads. Yum!!

buttermilk biscuits

sift together
2 cups flour (white or wheat)
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

with a pastry blender or knives/fork, cut in finely:
1/2 cup shortening or butter

add
1 cup buttermilk (1 T vinegar + 1 cup milk)

Stir with a fork to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 8-10 times. Roll or pat to desired thickness (about 3/4") then cut into biscuits with round cookie cutter, glass or knife. Place on an ungreased baking sheet all together for soft sided biscuits or
about 1" apart for crusty-sided biscuits. Bake 425F for 12-15 minutes.
glory to Amy, mother of three, living in China too!

flour tortillas

4 cups flour
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 tsp vegetable oil
1.5-2 cups hot water

In a large bowl mix dry ingredients. Mix in oil, stir well. Gradually add hot water and stir...Add enough water to make a soft and warm dough that is not sticky. knead about 1 min. Divide
into 10-15 balls. Let rest 5 min - roll out and cook in pan on med heat. No oil needed in your pan.
glory to Amy: mother of three in China

corn tortilla crepes

Mix together with a whisk
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1/2 box of corn starch (about 8 oz)
1 tsp salt

To this add
1/4 cup plus 2 T+ corn meal/corn flour
1/4 cup of melted butter

Mix well: keep whisking or the corn starch may thicken too much. Pour a small amount into a hot skillet and cook like a crepe, just a few seconds till it bubbles. Cook both sides about 20-30 seconds each. Use as a tortilla and fill with yummy stuff, even enchilada makings. We've used them for Huevos Rancheros, burritos, etc. They are nice & soft. Freezes well or tasty plain (gluten-free!). Enjoy!!
glory to Aunt Gloreen & her yp.wife

beans!

This is a very simple way to make your very own beans if you can only find dried beans, or love making things from scratch! It's also a fun activity with young kids, as our girls love to sort & wash the beans, or peel the garlic cloves (I think they like the beans better when they get to help!!).

3-4 cups dried beans, sorted & washed
1-2 T salt
1 onion, chopped fine
6-10 cloves of garlic, chopped
large pressure cooker*
water
Combine all ingredients in the pressure cooker, and fill 2/3 full with water. Cover & seal. Heat over med heat until pressure is reached. Turn down to simmer for 30-40 minutes. Turn off heat and allow pressure to return back to normal. Open pressure cooker & taste your beans to see if they are soft enough. Some beans require longer if they are bigger in size. If so, continue cooking under pressure for 20-30 more minutes until they are soft. You can eat them as is, or use them to make refried beans, use in Huevos Rancheros, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, chili, etc.
*Please read the instructions for your pressure cooker, as each can be very different & sometimes dangerous

corn tortillas - GF

every recipe I have TRIED to make gluten-free corn tortillas has made me frustrated because they taste plain, crack easily, and require heaps of patience on my part. This recipe was an experiment, but it worked!! Xanthan gum is not very common, but its so important for this recipe! I hope you find some....
2 cups corn flour (masa harina)
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 tsp olive oil
1 egg

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water, egg & oil - mix until it becomes a doughy consistency. Form into a ball, and let stand covered for 30 minutes. You can also wrap it in saran wrap, to keep it moist. Then form into 5-8 balls and press individually between wax paper in a tortilla press. Brown each tortilla in a non-stick skillet (about 1 minute on each side) until lightly browned (no oil needed). Enjoy!!

sour cream @ home

We love sour cream. We can’t buy sour cream. What we can’t buy, we make.

Method 1
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon cultured buttermilk

In a double boiler bring the fresh cream up to 180 degrees. Cool to room temp in a cold water bath. Add the buttermilk, cover, and let sit at room temp for 24-48 hours. Stir and refrigerate. The batch will keep approximately 3-4 weeks, refrigerated

Method 2
1 cup cream
1 1/2 cups pasteurized whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl over warm water. Raise the temperature of the mixture (68 degrees to 70 degrees F) and let it stand for 12-24 hours or until it is sufficiently sour and thick enough to cling firmly to a spoon. Keep in the refrigerator until you want to use it. For a richer heavier sour cream combine 2 cups of pasteurized heavy cream with 5 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk and incubate as before

Method 3
1/2 cup COLD real whipping cream (non-sweetened)
1 tsp. white vinegar

Stir together and serve chilled. For better texture refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

apple butter

2 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup honey
1 T + 1 tsp vinegar (apple cider vinegar for gluten-free)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Combine ingredients in large greased roast pan. Bake at 350F for 60-75 minutes or until thick. Stir every 20 minutes. Yum!
glory to Mari, fellow sugar-free fiend

haroset - Passover side-dish

8-10 large green apples
10-12 oz chopped pecans, almond and/or walnuts
1 ½ cups sweet wine (red)
1 T cinnamon
4 T sugar

Peel, core & coarsely chop apples. Add nuts, wine, cinnamon & sugar. If sweeter taste is desired, add more sugar. Stir and serve.

easy applesauce

8-10 sweet flavored apples
1/2 cup water
cinnamon to taste

Peel, core & slice apples. Add water, and cook in a pressure cooker for 20-30 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and mash (either with a fork, or blend in a food processor for smoother consistency). Add cinnamon to taste. No sugar needed (though you can add some if you want a sweeter taste)!

maple syrup

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp maple flavored extract
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine sugars & boiling water in a saucepan over med heat, stirring constantly for 3-5 minutes (or until sugars dissolve). let simmer, while stirring for another minute. turn off the heat, and stir in the maple & vanilla extracts. we store the syrup in a container in the fridge for later usage.
glory to Wycliffe cookbook

hummus

3 cloves garlic – crushed
3 cups cooked garbanzos (soaked overnight with 2T salt, then pressure cooked for 25 min)
2 T tahini/sesame paste
¾-to-1 tsp salt
6 T lemon juice

Optional: (I like all three options!)
cumin or cayenne
parsley or cilantro
2 green onions

Blend in a food processor and enjoy with pita bread!
glory to Kristen McNabb/Ganim, with some extra options

homemade yogurt

This is a really great way to make yogurt! There are endless possibilities of flavors, and you can cut back on the sugar too. After your first batch, you just use a tablespoon of your own homemade yogurt as your starter, instead of store-bought.

4 cups water, divided
1 1/2 T plain yogurt with active cultures (this is your starter)
1 3/4 cups dry milk powder

(you can also use 4 cups whole/non-fat/low-fat milk instead of the water & milk powder, its up to you)

Pour 2 cups of water into a sealable container (1 quart), and stir in the starter-yogurt until completely dissolved. Whisk in powdered milk until completely blended. Fill with remaining water, and stir. Close the lid, and set in a warm place for 12-15 hours. You can use your gas oven (turned off), or a heating pad/in a cupboard (around 110 degrees). Refrigerate & chill before serving. Makes about 4 cups!
glory to many who have gone before me: mom, Scout...and the Mirage Restaurant (my starter)
Yogurt is the result of milk that has fermented and coagulated because it's been invaded by friendly bacteria. This is accomplished naturally by keeping the milk at about 110°F for several hours. The end result is a creamy-textured yogurt with an astringent, slightly tart taste. You can flavor with fresh fruit, added sugar, or any creative addition.