Organic Health Food Recipes

This site is meant to supplement any of the many dozens of full blown recipe books available. It contains tips you seldom find in other recipe books on using the most nutritious crops fresh from the garden / farm. Only a few recipes are included. Use these tips to help work the most nutritious of foods into your favorite recipes and gradually improve the diet without upsetting your comfort level.

BREAKFAST
PANCAKES    SMOOTHY

WINTER SQUASH SOUP

VEGETABLES
GREENS    LEGUMES    OKRA    BEETS    RUTABAGA

DRINKS
WINTER SQUASH DRINK    SWEET POTATO DRINK

SUNFLOWER EMULSIFIER

MEATS
EGGS    BRAINS    COOKING TOUGH MEATS

FLAVORS
BUTTER SUBSTITUTE    TARTNESS

RICE

HEALTHY COOKING
FOOD DRYING
COOKING LINKS
FERMENTATION

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BREAKFAST:
 

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PANCAKES:
 

Soak the whole grain berries of spelt, kamut, wheat, oat, rice, buckwheat, corn, flax, etc. for 24 hours.
Drain and rinse.
Boil the berries until fully cooked.
Grind in blender with a sweet fruit.
Ferment for at least several hours with a sourdough starter.

Blend with egg yolk.
Whip and fold in egg whites.

Pour onto hot pan or griddle to cook.

The advantage of this method is that the grain is already thoroughly cooked. Most quick breads do not thoroughly cook the grain so they are difficult to digest.

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BREAKFAST SMOOTHY:
 
Use soaked, possibly fermented, and cooked wheat berries,
kamut, or spelt and possibly a small amount of
cooked sweet potato with the skin for flavor.
1 hard boiled egg

Cool

Blend until smooth with:
Fruit peelings
Fennel, coriander, anise, cardamom
Almond, peanut, walnut, pecan, and/or sunflower.

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WINTER SQUASH SOUP:
 
Cook winter squash with the skin

Cool

Blend until smooth with:
Fruit peelings
Fennel, coriander, anise, cardamom
Almond, peanut, walnut, pecan, and/or sunflower.

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VEGETABLES:
 

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GREENS:
 

Most high calcium greens have a bitter taste. 
A certain amount of bitterness is healthy in that it
stimulates the digestive system.

The best way to mask this bitterness is to mix greens with 
foods that are naturally high in proteins or oils. 
If mixed thoroughly, the proteins and oils will temporarily 
bond with the calcium and tannin to mask the bitterness. 
Give it at least 30 minutes of slow cooking after mixing 
for the bonding to complete.

Greens will taste better if they are boiled. 
Use as little water as possible. 
If greens are boiled, and there is excess water, the cooking water 
will contain calcium, so drink it or use it to cook something else. 
Unfortunately, the calcium in the water will curdle egg, milk, 
legume milk, etc. It may not be appropriate in every recipe.

After boiling, greens are excellant for casseroles, meatloaf, 
chili, soup, lentils, stuffings, pies, etc.

It is a great way to sneak healthy food into children's diets.
Healthy kids don't need much to make a difference and it is 
invaluable to start training the palette and acceptance early.


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LEGUMES:
 
Soak chickpea or white bean, or peas for 24 hours, 
then bake for a very nutty flavor.

Grinding legumes and mixing them with meat dishes such
as meat loaf, soup, chilli, etc. is a good way to 
obscure the flavor. This is useful for getting children 
to eat their vegetables.

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OKRA:
 
Raw okra is not slimy.
But the okra must be very fresh since it does not store well.
Do not eat the base of the pod because there a barbs on it.

If you do not want to eat okra raw, then it is often best to 
cook it whole. Do not overcook or it will become slimy.
Cooked whole okra is not anywhere near as slimy as cut okra. 

Cutting the okra before cooking makes it especially slimy. 
Of course, okra can be intentionally cut open to help 
thicken soups like gumbo. Add okra toward the end of cooking 
as it requires very little cooking. Cooking for more than a 
short time will dissipate the flavor. The cooking water of 
okra is also very soothing to the throat since it is 
mucilaginous and high in calcium. 

For drying and storage, remove the seeds and dry the pods. 
Unfortunately, the seeds are the most nutritious part.

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BEETS:
 
Leave on the roots and then soak in water overnight to 
reduce bitterness. Peel and decore the center which usually has a white streak 
and is often very bitter.

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RUTABAGA:
 
Rutabaga really does not store well. It is best served 
freshly harvested and freshly cooked.

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DRINKS:
 

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WINTER SQUASH DRINK:
 
When removing the seeds from winter squash, leave as much as 
possible of the loose tissue around the seeds. It is extremely
high in nutrients and very flavorful. Use a fork to tease the
seeds out of the surrounding tissue.
The cooking water from winter squash and this loose flesh 
makes a delicious sweet beverage. 
Serve cold or hot.

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SWEET POTATO DRINK:
 
Cook sweet potato with skin.
Drain off cooking water and allow to cool.
Makes a sweet soothing drink.

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SUNFLOWER EMULSIFIER:
 

Soak for 8 hours to reduce the enzyme inhibitors.
Sunflowers contain a compound that acts as an emulsifier.
Blend a little with soup stock and then stir back into the pot.
It will break up oils and fats and spread them evenly, providing
consistency of flavor.

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MEATS:
 

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EGGS:
 
The key to easily peeling hard boiled eggs is to peel them under cold water
as soon as they are finished cooking while they are still very hot.
Concentrate on peeling the inner membrane instead of the shell.
Also, start peeling from both ends of the egg until you find a spot 
where the membrane is loose enough to peel the middle easily.

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BRAINS:
 
Brains are consumed by cultures all over the world.
There are many dozens of recipes available on the Internet.
But if we look at brains from a nutritional viewpoint, brains
are best used like a highly perishable type of butter substitute 
or oil (since it is so high in DHA). 
From this perspective it is better to clean brains (and eyes),
grind or cut them up, and then freeze them in a way that allows
you to break off small pieces to be used every day to thicken
soups and sauces.
Small amounts of DHA on a daily basis is the best way to meet ones
daily needs for DHA.
Make sure the animal is from a herd that has a long history of 
being raised organically to avoid mad cow disease.

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COOKING TOUGH MEATS:
 

Pounding with a tenderizing mallet and then slicing is a good beginning. 
Then marinate for several hours.
In a temperate climate, the best local grown sources of protein enzymes 
for marinating are fig and honeydew melon.
The best sources of acids are vinegar, wine, acidic fruit, etc.
Many claim the best marinate is yogurt or buttermilk due to the 
low level of acid and the calcium having a chemical effect.
To avoid the use of dairy, the same can be acheived using cooked greens 
as a calcium source and a small amount of acidic fruit such as grape.
Fig adds a special flavor and a little enzyme.
Some herbs that go well with this combination are:
rosemary, thyme, marjoram, garlic, mustard, fennel, mint, or coriander. 
Then cook very slowly using a wet method.

Fine Cooking
Understanding Food

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FLAVORS:
 

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BUTTER SUBSTITUTE:
 

Mix pureed winter squash with cooked rice

Squash is a good butter substitute if you give the palette time to adjust. It is importsnt not to add any kind of seperated oil to the diet. The major source of cholesterol comes from when the liver converts excess oils and fats into cholesterol.

Yellow summer squash seeds - if yellow summer squash is allowed to ripen more fully than can be found in most grocery stores and yet not so much as to become tough, the seeds will develope a wonderfully buttery flavor.

Also see BRAINS

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TARTNESS:
 
Tartness is a wonderfull flavor which is very appealing 
for sauces. Good sources of tart flavor are some of the 
more wild fruits sold by One Green World and 
St. Lawrence Nursery.

Also, hibiscus.

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RICE:
 

To cook rice: 
Soak rice for 24 hours, then drain the water and rinse.
Cook at a low boil for at least 30 minutes once boiling begins.
Whole rice becomes sticky when the outer shell cracks and the inside
is exposed.
Completely turn off the heat to stop cooking the rice as soon as the 
outer shell cracks and allow the rice to soak in the remaining 
hot water.
This reduction in heat will also help to prevent the starch from
being activated and becoming sticky.
Pour off extra water as soon as rice reaches desired expansion
before excess exposure of the inside of the kernals.
Use the excess water to cook other foods since it will be high 
in vitamins and minerals.
Reducing the heat too soon will prevent the rice from becoming
fully cooked. 
Under cooking rice to keep it from becoming sticky makes 
it very indigestable. 
But if you need to freeze the rice, preventing the kernals from 
expanding beyond the initial cracking point, will help to 
resist the tendency to become sticky when frozen. 
Cooking the rice to unfreeze and reheat it can complete 
the expansion process.

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HEALTHY COOKING:
 

NOTE:
One of the most important points to remember about cooking
healthy, is to use low heat; just barely enough heat to 
destroy the inhibitors or sterilize if required. 
Never use high heat to cook food as this can denaturing proteins.  
And never use microwaves.

Water boils at sea level at 212 F at sea level.
Most enzyme inhibitors will be neutralized at that temperature over time.
Most bacteria will also be destroyed at that temperature. 

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FOOD DRYING:
 

How to Dry Foods by Deanna Delong
Gardenmaster Dehydrator - Territorial

University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

Village Earth

Village Earth

Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy

Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

Clemson University

Clemson University

Farm Gal

Farm Gal

Innotech - tunnel dryer

Low cost high tech food drying.

Practical Action Consulting

Solar Food Drying

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COOKING LINKS:
 

AZTEC GARDENS

A guide to the pre-Hispanic plants and foods of Mexico, with ancient recipes from Mesoamerica. A great resource for the teacher, student, amateur ethno botanist, chef, or anyone interested in the plants and foods of Mexico and Mesoamerica.

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FERMENTATION:
 

Most grains and legumes contain anti-nutrient enzyme inhibitors and phytates. For grains and legumes, soaking and low heat cooking only partially reduce anti-nutrients. Fermentation may also be required to reduce these anti-nutrients to acceptable levels. Research is showing potential for fermentation to also greatly reduce aflatoxin. The last resort is partial sproating. However, the longer grains sprout, the more complex proteins are broken down, which is usually not desirable.

For a more in depth discussion of nutrition, please refer to Nutrition Overview.

FERMENTATION LINKS:
FERMENTATION METHODS 

Back to Garden for Nutrition Index