Grilled Cheese with Cultured Vegetables & Soup

One day I had hardly any food in my fridge, but there was a loaf of Dave's Bread in the freezer. I seldom eat much bread, or cheese for that matter, but there was some aged cheddar that called out to me, along with a great batch of cultured veggies just living to be used in something creative. Grilled Cheese, yes! I assembled it and grilled it in Barlean's coconut oil. OMG! This was a better rich delight than a bowl of ice cream, and there was no sugar, which I seek to avoid.

Ingredients

2 slices of bread

two tbsp of cultured veggies or Sauerkraut

a couple slices of organic cheese (raw is best)

coconut oil

Directions

Preheat a skillet (with lid) to medium to high heat. Add a tbsp of coconut oil and warm. Place both pieces of bread open faced on cutting board. Arrange cheese on one piece of the bread. Then top the cultured veggies on top on the cheese. Add seasoning if you like.

Place the other piece of bread on top and place the whole sandwich in the hot skillet. You should hear a little sizzle sound. Put the lid on the top and cook on one side for just a couple minutes, checking often that yo do not have the head too high.

When the side down is golden brown, turn the sandwich carefully so that all the ingredients do not fall out. If necessary, put a little more coconut oil in the pan to that the new piece of bread can sizzle in the pan like the first one. Place the lid on top and turn off the heat. Let it sit for a few minutes until the cheese starts to melt and the bread is toasted to a golden brown.

Remove from the heat. Cut in half and enjoy alone or with a soup for a very fulfilling lunch.

Cranberry Cultured Veggies

Cranberry Cultured Veggies

Ingredients

4 cabbages (about 30 cups)

4 cups onions

1 cup grated ginger

1 cup chopped and seeded jalapeno

½ cup chopped mint leaves

2 tbsp. cinnamon

¼ cup salt (or salt to taste)

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

4 cups fresh cranberry

1-cup sugar

1 ¼ cup water

Rind of one orange

4-5 drops of doTerra Essential Oil – Wild Orange (optional)

(optional: chunk of ginger)

Directions: Cranberry Sauce

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.  You can also use raw cranberries, and a smaller amount of sugar in the cultured veggie mixture. I use cooked cranberry sauce because the finished fermentation is slightly sweeter, which is a yummy way to serve it with a traditional thanksgiving dinner.  It also ferments within about 5 days.

Directions for Cultured Veggies

Wash outer leaves of cabbages and save the outer leaves to build a canopy later for harvest (see below).

Wash and process all of the ingredients and combine into a fermentation jar, glass bowl or bucket.

Place the outer leaves from the canopy on top of the mixture. Make sure the mixture is completely covered. Then place a plate on top and a rock or weight. If you are using a rock, make sure you boil it first for about 6 minutes. Cover mixture with a lid or cloth and let site for several days.  If you want some great visual instructions on how to make cultured veggies, check out my course on “Cultured Veggies” HERE. You can view it online instantly.

When the fermentation is complete, place the veggies in jars, secure lids, and refrigerate.