Freedom for Real Food

Joel Salatin has some witty quotes.  This is one of my favorites:

"We don't need a law against McDonald's or a law against slaughterhouse abuse -- we ask for too much salvation by legislation.  All we need to do is empower individuals with the right philosophy and the right information to opt out en masse."

On Friday, March 15, HB 1536 will be heard by the Arkansas House Agriculture Committee to allow unpasteurized milk and incidental sales from the farm.

Even if you do not drink unpasteurized milk or live in Arkansas, please take action for the sake of food freedom.

Go to the hearing (9am Room 138 Arkansas House) or simply email the committee members*.  Let your voice be heard for food freedom.  We don't need salvation by legislation.  Keep the government out of our food.

-Julie

*Copy and paste the committee member email addresses into a new email.  My email said: As a drinker of raw milk, a supporter of food freedom, and mother of 3 small children, I ask that you support HB 1536.

randy.alexander@arkansashouse.org;matthew.shepherd@arkansashouse.org; nate.steel@arkansashouse.org; ewmccrary@sbcglobal.net;jcedwardslaw@aol.com; Stephen.Meeks@arkansashouse.org; greg@gregleding.com; l_jean@sbcglobal.net;homer.lenderman@arkansashouse.org; kelley@kelleylinck.com; Jon.Eubanks@arkansashouse.org;davidlbranscum@hotmail.com; Sheilla.Lampkin@arkansashouse.org; jamesratliff3468@yahoo.com;jeremy@growing45.com; tt4rep@att.net; douglasforarkansas@yahoo.com; stephen.magie@arkansashouse.org;joe.jett@arkansashouse.org; bob@bobballinger.com; dan-douglas@sbcglobal.net 

Nourishing Meals: Pizza, Kale, Liver and Steak

HB here. I hosted a little get together tonight in honor of my son learning to read.  The kiddos each made their own pizzas and had a ball! I got brave and decided to try this pizza crust recipe. The dough did need just a smidge of white flour when it was time to knead it (maybe  1/2 a cup). I have tried many wheat crust recipes and I have to say that this one is the best I've tried. You can easily do this in a Kitchenaid stand mixer or a Bosch. It is definitely doable by hand, but will be messy because the dough is more wet than a bread dough would be. You can see in the pic above that I rolled the crust fairly thin and I think this was definitely a good move. Be sure to sprinkle corn meal on your pan before baking.

Monday night, I decided to take the bull by the horns and cook up some beef liver. Oh yes I did. I have Julia Child to thank. I can't post the recipe tonight, but I will soon. It was super simple and I made some of the best potatoes I have ever eaten to go with it (another Julia recipe that I will post asap). I also fixed a couple different salads with lettuce and kale from Kellogg Valley Farm. The kale salad is similar to the kale salad at the salad bar at Whole Foods. Here is the recipe as best I can figure:

Kale Salad
4 cups fresh kale (I remove stems) torn into bite size pieces
1/2 cup (more or less) EVOO
2-4 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 generous dashes red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons chili powder
real salt, season to taste

Combine the above ingredients and stir well. Correct seasonings as you like. This salad keeps for 24 hours in the fridge. It is so yum mixed with a traditional lettuce salad and topped with blue cheese dressing. I also like to eat this salad as is and top it with a handful of crumbled goat cheese.

And, last night, I fixed steaks. They were Kansas City Strip steaks from Falling Sky Farm and they were delicious. Recipe:

Steaks in the Skillet
2- 1" thick steaks
salt, pepper, any other seasonings you like (I used Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning Mix)
8 tablespoons butter, divided

Heat oven to 500. Generously season steaks on both sides. Pat dry beforehand if you are feeling ambitious. Heat skillet with four tablespoons butter till butter is nearly smoky. Saute steaks on both sides for 3-4 minutes each. Transfer steaks and skillet to hot oven. Bake for about 7-8 minutes, turning steaks halfway through baking. Check for doneness. Ours were very pink in the middle and nice and crisp on the outside (i.e. almost perfect!). Remove to a large plate, dot with remaining butter, tent with foil 5-10 minutes. I encourage you to really play with this recipe till you perfect it. I have also used this method to cook flatiron steaks and they turn out great every time. The key is to check for the right amount of doneness and not overcook the meat.

What's cooking at your house this week? I'd love to hear.

Reader's Question: Where to Get Eggs?

Frequently I (Julie) am asked, "Where can I find pastured eggs?"  Today I received such a question and typed out a fast response then decided to post it here.  I'd love to hear in the comments where you source your eggs.  This is the time of year when it can be a challenge to find a good egg.

Options for finding pastured eggs in central Arkansas:

1. I get mine through a "farm share."  I think I've told you about picking up my veggies once a week.  I also get a dozen eggs.    I can't remember what I paid for the egg share, but I think it averages out to be about $4.50/doz.  The good thing about buying an "egg share" is that you've got first dibs on eggs...which are sometimes hard to find this time of year.  (Because the days are shorter and temps are lower, the girls just aren't as productive....)

2.  You can buy from an on-line farmers' market like this one (pick up Saturday) or this one and pick up is Wednesday.

3. Find a neighbor who raises chickens.

4.  I saw today at Whole Foods organic eggs from chickens on pasture.

The key to healthy eggs is for the hens to have access to real bugs and green grass...this is where the good vitamins and minerals are.  The egg cartons that say "free range" or "cage free" are probably from chickens squished into a nasty smelling warehouse.  This article gives more details.

Related Links:
Apples to Apples or Eggs to Eggs - Not All Eggs Are Created Equal - This is an article I wrote to try to convince you to take the time to find a quality egg source AND to pay more for quality protein.

Where Do You Get Your Eggs? - Lisa Lipe wrote this egg-celent and informative article on the importance of knowing your grower and finding a quality source for eggs.

Probiotics Workshop in Conway

My good friend, Diane Loftness, is teaching a probiotics workshop.  Diane is well versed on traditional foods as she and her husband lived in Africa for several years.  Their family has experienced healing on the GAPS diet and she has a wealth of knowledge on natural living.  If you are curious about making probiotic foods in your kitchen, sign up for this workshop!   - Julie

You are invited to a workshop on making probiotics foods for your family on Saturday, February 9th from 9-11 am.  This is an opportunity taste a variety of lacto-fermented foods and to learn to ecoomically add probiotic, nutrient-dense food to your diet.

We will be making lacto-fermented sauerkraut and perhaps carrots, as well as making kombucha, and water kefir.  We will also make lacto-fermented condiments like mayonaise, ketchup, and mustard.

This workshop will be at the home of Mari Beth Wheeler in Conway.  There will be a limit of 15 participants. Cost is $25, non-refundable, in advance to hold your spot.  Please email Mari Beth or Diane if you would like to participate.

Diane Loftness - dloftness AT gmail.com  (501) 470-4097
Mari Beth Wheeler - mbwfirstgrade AT yahoo.com (501) 392-7120

Another Real Food Baby

Last Friday, my husband and I welcomed our third child into the family, a son, weighing in at a whopping 10 pounds, 10 ounces.  We named him Schaeffer Allen Majors.

If you want more details, click on over to my personal blog.

-Julie

Thermography Opportunity

Because my mother has had breast cancer twice, my ob/gyn started recommending mammograms every other year when I was 35 years old.  In addition, due to dense and cystic breasts, I have had 2 diagnostic mammograms. At only 46 years of age, I have had more mammograms than I am comfortable with and have become more and more convinced that this is putting me at a greater risk for breast cancer.

I initially learned about thermal imaging for breast cancer detection from Dr. Mercola.  Thermal imaging is an FDA approved adjunct to mammograms in which infrared technology is used to detect areas of rapidly growing cells or inflammation.  According to proponents, thermal imaging can detect breast cancer 8 to 10 years earlier than mammograms.  Unfortunately, it is not currently covered by insurance plans and there is not yet a provider in Little Rock.

A few months ago, I decided it would be worth my effort and expense to have thermal breast imaging instead of additional mammograms.  I asked thermal imaging technicians; Ron and Jeanine Jarvis of Body Scan for Health in Rogers, Arkansas; to come to Little Rock to do a weekend of thermal imaging which was hosted by Dr. John Vincent at the Wellness Revolution. 

In November, Geanine Jarvis performed my first thermal imaging scan.  I chose to have full body imaging, rather than just breast imaging.  I was a little nervous and didn't quite know what to expect.  My husband went with me to provide support (and to get to see neat technology - a big plus for him).  Geanine made me feel very comfortable. 

I spent 15 minutes in a cool (not cold) room in my hospital gown to get my body temperature right for the imaging.  Then Geanine and my husband sat at a desk with a computer screen.  I stood behind them with the thermal camera pointed at me.  Geanine watched the screen and gave me directions about which areas of my body to uncover and how to stand.  She was able to do that without turning to look at me (much more private than what I expected).  Also, unlike mammograms, there is no contact involved in thermal imaging.  We were all able to watch the images on the screen.

Geanine recorded the images so they could be sent to a physician's group to be read by a doctor.  Approximately 2 weeks later I received a report along with copies of the images and recommendations.  One recommendation was to get a 3 month follow up on my breast imaging so a baseline can be established.  If there is no change in the patterns in my breasts after my follow-up, then I can continue with annual imaging. 

Ron and Geanine are returning to Little Rock on Feb. 1st to do follow-ups and first time imaging.  Breast imaging is $199.  Imaging for other body parts or full body varies.  If you are interested in making an appointment or finding out more, please e-mail your phone number to me, Lisa Lipe (lisa8 AT sbcglobal DOT net).  I would be glad to provide additional information and/or schedule you for an imaging appointment.  Spaces are very limited so contact me as soon as possible.

Lisa

Party Food for Real Food Lovers

My husband was slated to bring "a salad" type of hor d'ourve to his daytime office party.  Being that I am GREAT with child and don't wanna be standing in the kitchen, I made a super easy appetizer for him to take: olives.

They're red and green, festive right?  Those colors are for the season...right?

And because I was feeling all Martha Stewart-ish, I decided to arrange them all fancy and in a spiffy Pyrex dish.  Just kidding.

 These would have been cuter but a bit more time consuming.

If you're going to a more intimate party and are willing to spend a bit more for appetizers, or just want to impress, salmon roe is a tasty nutritious treat.  Below we ate Ikura from Vital Choice on a cracker with cream cheese and green onions.

Other types of caviar can be found at Whole Foods (Call ahead to check for availability; I wouldn't make a special trip because it is not always in stock.  Ask about it at the deli.)

-Julie

Other ideas posted here before:

-Quick Party Snacks

-Quick!  I have to bring real food!

Warm Winter Salad with Arugula, Beets, and Sweet Potatoes

I wanna slap myself.  This salad was so good.  It was a combination of this recipe and this one.  Most of the ingredients are in season and can be found locally.

This is how I made it for 2 dinner sized portions.  Yes, it is a bit time consuming but oh-so-delicious and worth it, if it is the main course.  Grocery list is at the bottom of my tutorial recipe.

Preheat oven to 400*.

Beets

Remove greens from one bunch of beets, saving greens - they are a powerhouse of nutrition!  Use vegetable peeler to remove rough outer skin from beets.  You could also use a paring knife.  Chop beets into equal sizes, mine were roughly 3/4 inches, cubed.  Put beet cubes in a bowl and pour 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over them, sprinkling some kosher salt on them.

Sweet Potatoes

Peel 2 small sweet potatoes or one large one then chop into equal sized cubes.  It helps if they are the same size as the beets so that everything roasts at the same rate.  Add the sweet potatoes to the bowl of beets and stir them around in the olive oil, add more oil if necessary to coat the potatoes.  I had 2 small sweet potatoes that I'd previously roasted in the fridge so I just re-heated them the last 10 minutes with the beets.

Roast beets and sweet potatoes 20-30 minutes in 400* oven, stirring once or twice.  I used parchment paper on my cookie sheet so that clean up would be faster.  If you don't have green onions (see below) you could also roast some onions during this step - red or sweet onions would be my preference.

Walnuts

In the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, make room for toasting some nuts to sprinkle on the salad.  I used a generous 1/2 cup of walnuts, but pecans or hazelnuts would be yum.  Just scoot the veggies enough the side to make enough room for the nuts to get toasty brown.  Watch them - they will burn quickly!

[You could roast veggies and toast nuts a day or so in advance, just reheat the veggies before serving.]

When everything is roasted, pull it out of the oven to cool.  After 5-10 minutes, shred some parmesan cheese on the veggies.  My portion of cheese was quite small (there's a cheese eating mouse in the family!)  At least 2 ounces of cheese would be nice and of course you can omit it completely.  If you omit the cheese, you will probably want to add salt to the dressing.

While things are getting roasted, turn your attention to the greens from the beets you saved.  Start a pot of water boiling on the stove.  Rinse the dirt from the greens and remove woody stems (I fold the leaf and cut the stem out with a knife).  Give it a rough chop.  When the water has come to a boil, toss in a bit of salt (1/2 teaspoon?) then your greens.  Set the timer for one minute then pour greens into a strainer.  Once the majority of the water has drained off the greens, transfer wilted greens to a bowl and pour a bit of dressing over them, recipe below.

In a measuring cup, whisk the dressing together:

1/2 orange, squeezed (or 2+ ounces orange juice or omit completely and just add more vinegar)

2-3 ounces of balsamic vinegar - or other tasty vinegar

1-2 T honey, depending on your sweet tooth

1 T mustard, I used spicy

3+ ounces olive oil

In a large serving bowl, rough chop giant handful or more of arugula.  Add 2-3 green onions, chopped.  Then add your warm beets, sweet potatoes, and walnuts.  Toss the remaining salad dressing on top.  Add more parmesan cheese if you'd like.

On the dinner table, I kept the warm greens separately and served them on the bottom of the salad plate.  Don't ask why, it just seemed to make sense at the time.  I suppose you could toss everything all together in one big bowl.  

Grocery List

One bunch of beets, with greens

1-2 sweet potatoes

1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, etc.)

onions: 2-3 green (raw) or 1/2 red or sweet onion for roasting

parmesan cheese or other hard cheese, 2 ounces

arugula, giant handful or more

1/2 orange or 2 ounces juice

balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

1-2 T honey

1 T spicy mustard

5 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

-Julie

Green Tomato Salsa

I'm participating in the Arkansas Farmshare and in the last few weeks members been receiving green tomatoes.  What the heck is one to do with green tomatoes?  Yes, southerners, we can fry them.  But have you made green tomato salsa?

Thank you, culinary expert and friend HB, for giving me the courage to try it.  She made it first and let me taste.  She knows I hate to try a new recipe only to have it flop.  This one does not flop.  I promise.


Ingredients:
1/2 pound green tomatoes, about 2-3
2 serrano peppers or 1 jalapeño pepper*, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
, heaping
1/2 teaspoon salt

squeeze of lime or lemon juice
optional: 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine and get juices flowing.  Blend on low speed until a coarse puree is formed.  Pour into a dish, taste and add more salt or lime if desired.  Salsa can be thinned with a bit of water if desired.

For a milder salsa, remove the pepper seeds or reduce the number of peppers.

*I still have jalapeño peppers growing in my raised garden!
-Julie

Tips for Tasty Greens {+ Recipe!}

Even though I've been on a real food journey for 8+ years, eating greens has only been a recent thing.  Because they are packed full of vitamins and minerals I know I should be eating them.  Fall is the time of year to snag you some...order on-line, even.

That said (being a newbie here), please feel free to leave comments or email me with your tips for tasty greens.

Here are a few of my tips for tasty greens:

1. Wash them thoroughly.
This will sound like a no brainer for some (but I like to skip steps when I can.  This is a step that I've learned not to skip. *crunch*)  Because greens are grown close to the ground and often in sandy soil, usually you'll find traces of dirt on the leaves - especially if you're buying them from a farmer.  A salad spinner is a great tool for rinsing greens quickly, effectively and efficiently.

2.  Remove woody stems.
Pictured below is kale, but the same method can be used with other greens.  Fold the leaf in half and slice out the stem.  You could use your hand for this, but I like using a knife.  It can be time consuming, especially if you're stemming a huge batch.  For those who are texture sensitive, this is a worthwhile step.

3.  Cut or shred leaves in small bites.
This tip came to me last year after I proudly presented a pot of greens to a friend who had lived in Africa for 20+ years.  Their family ate greens almost everyday.  After her first bite my friend said, in a kind way, "Most people keep their greens in big pieces.  Eating greens is all about the texture." Once I started to shred the leaves it made a HUGE TEXTURE DIFFERENCE. (Shredding could be defined as in 1/2 inch slices then also a cut perpendicular.)  After she gave me that tip, I've been shredding ever since - it does make a difference.

4. Use a healthy, traditional fat - Saute your greens in bacon grease (from pastured pork), coconut oil, ghee, or butter.  As was hammered home to me last year at the WAPF conference, our bodies need healthy fat to assimilate vitamins and minerals.  If you're going through the motions to eat something healthy, be sure that your body can absorb these minerals - eat fat with every meal.  Plus, fat just tastes good!

5. Add salt, pepper and other spices of choice.
Don't be afraid to experiment with the flava!  I have a spice bottle of something like Ms. Dash (21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe's) that I like to add to my greens.  Also, if there is extra broth in my refrigerator, I have added a few tablespoons to the pan for flavor and moisture - not necessary but yumm-o.

6. Boil in salted water for a few minutes.
The recipe below calls for this method.  But as I mentioned above, I like to skip steps so I usually just saute my greens for a bit longer and they turn out just fine.

My husband's birthday was this weekend so we tried this recipe and loved it.  The coconut milk is not too pronounced.  Very delicious, actually.
-Julie

Braised Greens in Coconut milk
compliments of Katie Short of Farm Girl Natural Foods

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs cooking greens, stemmed and rough chopped
- 2 tbl olive oil (or bacon grease)
- 1 small onion, thinly chopped
- ¾ c coconut milk
- 1 tbl lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add greens and cook 2 mins; drain well and set aside
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 mins. Add reserved greens, coconut milk and lemon juice, stir well and simmer until tender, 5-7 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste.