Ginger Fennel Cranberry Sauce

I have gone cranberry crazy this holiday, having such fun creating many different recipes for this incredibly healthy and delicious food.  Cranberry sauce is one of those great dishes that can be made in a variety of ways.  Since I am always looking for a way to give my food a digestive boost, I thought fennel might be a delicious addition along with fresh ginger, and I must admit I was quite right. See below for the recipe with some variations. I hope you have as much fun as I did.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup of water, orange juice or pineapple juice (I used water in my recipe)

1 cup of raw sugar (less is good if you prefer it to be less sweet - a few drops of stevia also work well with bitter foods, so I often use 1/2 cup of sugar and a couple drops of stevia). If you want to use raw honey it is best to add it after the cranberries have been cooked. Maple sugar is also a treat. 

1/4 cup finely minced ginger

1 cup finely minced fennel

1 tbsp zest of orange peel

* I used 3 drops of doTerra Wild Orange Essential Oil. (Your batch will still be great if you do not have essential oils). If you do want to order doTerra, go HERE.

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Cool and serve immediately or chill. 

Other ingredients you may love: cinnamon, jalapeno (seeded and minced), chili flakes, or cayenne.

YUM!

Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats

 

There is really nothing like a scrumptious bowl of hot cereal almost any time of day, but especially on a cool morning. Personally, I love a bowl of steel cuts oats for lunch or an afternoon snack. Now, you can have gluten free steel cut oats from Bob's Red Mill. In this recipe I added a chopped apple and a few dates. Then I topped my steaming bowl with my holiday cranberry sauce flavored with doTerra's Wild Orange Essential Oil. OMG! I can hardly wait for tomorrow to make it again. 

Steel Cut Oats a la Cranberry Sauce

Gluten Free - Dairy Free

Ingredients

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Steel Cut Oats

3 cups of water

¼ tsp of salt

Bring water to a boil. Add oats and salt. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 10-20 minutes (depending on how chewy you like your cereal). Stir occasionally.

Additional fun, and yummy foods to add to the oats while they are cooking, or use as toppings. In this recipe I added a chopped red delicious apple and 3 dates. The walnuts were soaked and rinsed and then chopped and topped before serving.

1.     Chopped apple

2.     Raisins

3.     Dates

4.     Walnuts (soak first and add on top)

5.     Coconut oil or butter

6.     Cinnamon

7.     Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

4 cups of fresh cranberries

1-cup of sugar

1 ¼ cup water

zest of one orange peel

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

(optional: chopped ginger or fennel)

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. 

The Products I Love

I love telling people about the products I use, because it makes a huge difference. I use what I find to be the best, so you will often see some of my recipe reflect a brand. I am learning to bake more and experiment with gluten free cooking and backing. So, you will see a lot with Bob's Red Mill products. They have such an incredible variety, made with impeccable integrity, which means delicious taste and texture.  I am also experimenting with non-dairy milks and creamers. NutPods has just come into my life. It is fantastic! Not over flavored or too sweet; great product. 
 

Cranberry Corn Bread

Cranberry Corn Bread

(gluten free-dairy free)

There can't be anyone in the world that does not like corn bread. That said, I am often disappointed when I am served a huge piece of fluffy yellow stuff called corn bread, which does not taste like corn at all. I find myself smothering it with butter just to satisfy something in me that was yearning for that great corn flavor. Well, I must admit, I was more than pleasantly surprised when I tried Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Corn Meal. It not only tasted like corn, but the texture was to live for. Seriously, this is the best I have ever tried; hearty, flavorful and gluten free! I had the butter out and ready, but did not even need it. This is a first. 

Ingredients

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Corn Meal

1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour

1 cup NutPod Coconut Milk/Creamer

1 egg (beaten)

¼ butter or coconut oil

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

¾ cup cranberry sauce (see recipe below)

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately, then blend them together. Do not over mix. Baste baking dish with coconut oil and place mixture in baking dish.  Drop a few tablespoons of the cranberry sauce around the top of the corn bread mixture. Blend and swirl around with a butter knife.

Bake mixture for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

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: a chunk of ginger or fennel)

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. 

The Products I Love

I love telling people about the products I use, because it makes a huge difference. I use what I find to be the best, so you will often see some of my recipe reflect a brand. I am learning to bake more and experiment with gluten free cooking and backing. So, you will see a lot with Bob's Red Mill products. They have such an incredible variety, made with impeccable integrity, which means delicious taste and texture.  I am also experimenting with non-dairy milks and creamers. NutPods has just come into my life. It is fantastic! Not over flavored or too sweet; great product. 

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.

Cranberry Orange Turmeric Ginger Smoothie

This smoothie recipe rocks. It is full of rich nutrients with a refreshing and vibrant taste. Fresh cranberries are super potent and yet rather tart, so the grapes (full of resveratrol) and the banana and orange juice sweeten it up just enough. 

The orange juice is full of vitamin C and electrolytes, the turmeric is powerful for inflammation and the ginger aides in digestion. Sunflower sprouts are known to be one of the most healthy foods you can eat. Their watery flavor balances this super sweet/tart/sour flavor into a refreshing vibrant flavor. Finish with pepper? You bet. Fresh ground pepper makes the turmeric more potent and gives this smoothie a new identify. Experiment as you like.

Orange Cranberry Smoothie

1 cup +           fresh orange juice

½  cup             raw cranberries

½ cup              red grapes

1                      banana

1 sm chunk    fresh ginger

1 sm chunk    fresh turmeric

handful of fresh sunflower sprouts

1 scoop protein powder of choice (unflavored is best. A vanilla or stevia flavored powder will make it quite sweet. If it is too sweet you may want to leave out the grapes or the banana. It will all be good no matter what with these awesome ingredients.

Fresh ground pepper to finish!

Directions:

Squeeze the juice from 2 oranges and then blend all the ingredients until smooth. Add ice and blend some more. Sprinkle fresh ground pepper on the top!

*I use plain unsweetened whey protein powder

Optional powder supplements:

ImmuneTree Colostrum 6

Collagen

MSM

Vitamin C

Coconut oil

Whey protein powder

Rich & Delicious Blended Veggie Soup

These are easy warm veggie soups with poached eggs or just cultured veggies.

Here is another 'oh so easy' veggie soup that will keep colds and flu away. This is how what I created the other evening when cleaning out my veggie bin of my fridge.  I took whatever veggies I had in my fridge that were crying to be eaten, and threw them in a couple cups of water in a sauce-pan. I added some onion and garlic, of course, and let it slow cook until the veggies were soft. You can do the same with any left over veggies or those just purchased from the store or out of your garden. Here are the ingredients that created the one you see here.

Handfuls of:

Cauliflower

Pumpkin

Beet

Carrot

Onion

Garlic

String Beans

When the veggies became soft,  I let it cool down a bit and prepared my vita mix to receive this bountiful variety of veggies. Once in the blender and slightly smooth, I added in some miso and a big scoop of butter. Coconut oil will do as well to provide a creamy consistency. Avocado would also work. Use whatever veggies you have. Just add the onion and garlic, slow cook and blend. A warm winter soup will warm your soul.

I added poached eggs from my friends farm, which provided a nourishing and satisfying lunch for me.  I find this to be such an easy way to enjoy a variety of veggies at one sitting! YUM.

Powerful Immune Building Soup

This simple and delicious immune building soup could be enjoyed everyday to keep the bugs away. Boost your immunity with onions, garlic, turmeric, ginger, rosemary and miso.

 This is my powerhouse for the fall and winter!

Years ago when my immune system was completely compromised I was in search for the most powerful immune building foods I could find. One dish that remains a staple for me is onions and garlic. I put a couple of onions in a small sauce pan with several cloves of garlic. I like to add a tablespoon of coconut or olive oil, but it is not necessary. A little salt and pepper also go a long way. Let it slow cook until the onions and garlic are soft. When they are finished, store in the fridge and enjoy a couple tablespoons a day with your meals.  

Here is a previous Blog post on the onion and garlic recipe described above.

This new soup pictured above was created after watching The Truth About Cancer Series. I wanted something powerful, that was easy and delicious. It is equally as simple as just cooking onions and garlic, but includes more immune building foods – plus it is DELICIOUS and perfect for winter comfort. All you have to do is put the ingredients listed below, with exception of the miso, into a pan of water and cook them until soft. When the veggies are soft and slightly cooled, add the miso and blend until creamy.  Add some coconut oil if you like.

2 cups        water
1 onion    rough chopped
4 cloves    garlic (peeled)

1 inch +    piece of fresh turmeric
1 inch +     piece of fresh ginger
1 tsp          rosemary (minced)
2 tbsp       miso of choice

Garnish with lots of fresh ground pepper, which makes the turmeric more powerful!