Category Archives: Nourishing Traditional Recipes

Wise Tradition Beginner Video Series

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salad-fruit-soup

Healthy meals start with fresh ingredients from a source you can trust. Use whole foods and get curious about how your food is produced. Learn how to make bone broth for fabulous soups and stews. If possible, grow some of your own food.

Yeah, yeah, I know I am on holiday. But I just couldn’t help but post these links to a new series of videos for newcomers to the Weston A Price Foundation done by Sarah Pope. If you are having trouble deciding which video to watch first, I would recommend Tips for Limited Time and Limited Budget. I did a vary similar posting to this video a while back. One note about the video. We are fortunate that grassfed beef can be really inexpensive here in Kamloops. Just ask the rancher for an animal that has always been on pasture. You will have to buy the whole animal from the rancher and send the animal to a local butcher such as, Kam Lake View Meats. If cost is an issue, split the meat with your friends and family.

Here is the letter from Sally Fallon Morell giving this early Christmas present to newcomers to nourishing traditional foods:

We are pleased to announce that the Wise Traditions Beginner Video Series is now complete and available for viewing by clicking the “Videos” tab in the header of the Weston A Price Foundation website!

This 12-part series covers all aspects of Traditional Food Preparation and is an ideal starting place for the visual learner who is new to the teachings of Dr Price. Please feel free to use these lessons to introduce your friends and family to the the travels and research of Dr Price (see video #2) and the basic techniques of Traditional Cooking. Send someone a link to all or just one particular video. Thanks for sharing this information with anyone you can.

Note that beneath each video is a complete transcript which can be immediately translated into any language right on the WAPF website by clicking the “select a language” pulldown menu in the left margin.

Lessons include:
1.   Homemade Baby Formula
2 .  Introduction to Traditional Eating
3.   Traditional Fats and Sacred Foods
4.   Journey Back to the Kitchen
5.   Pantry Intervention
6.   Natural Sweeteners
7.   Salad Dressings and Sauces
8.   Fermented Foods and Beverages
9.   Proper Preparation of Grains and Legumes
10.  Stocks and Soups
11.  Healthy Snacks
12.  Tips for Limited Time and Limited Budget

We’d like to thank Sarah Pope, chapter leader and board member, for her good work on these videos.

Best wishes,
Sally Fallon Morell

 

Chocolate Mousse Pie

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chocolate-pie

Here is Erika proudly displaying her Chocolate Mousse Pie.

This recipe is based on Choconot Mousse Pie from Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler. This is a raw vegan cookbook. The Weston A Price Foundation does not consider vegan diets healthy. If you would like to read more about the WAPF views on vegetarianism, please take the Vegetarian Tour.

Nevertheless, this cookbook has some excellent recipes for nut based desserts which is helpful for people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. My sister got me this book when I first started the SCD/GAPS. I was having problems making desserts for special occasions. Desserts became a breeze after reading this book and learning her technique for raw desserts!

One more note on nuts. Some people find nuts difficult to digest, even when the nuts are properly prepared by soaking and dehydrating. If you are one of these people, be careful with nuts and only eat them for special occasions.

Crust
1c soaked and dried almonds or walnuts
4 softened organic dates, pitted
1T organic vanilla extract
1T organic coconut oil
2tsp organic cinnamon
pinch sea salt

Pre-soak the whole almonds or walnuts in lightly salted water overnight. In the morning drain off the water and dehydrate the nuts until completely dried. (Make a large quantity of nuts and store the soaked and dried nuts in the freezer for quick use.)

Pour boiling water over the dates and let the dates soften. When the dates are cool, remove the pits. (Soak the dates for the filling at the same time.)

In a food processor, grind the nuts into a fine meal. Add the dates and blend into a soft paste with the nuts. Add vanilla extract, coconut oil, cinnamon and sea salt. Continue to blend until a ball of crust is formed. Remove the crust and press into the bottom of a pie pan. I use a beautiful stoneware pie pan for this dessert but any pretty pie pan will work.

Filling
1c softened organic dates, pitted
4 organic avocados, soft
1T organic coconut oil
1T organic vanilla extract
2/3c organic cocoa powder
1 organic banana, chopped into rounds (optional)
2-4T organic maple syrup (optional)

In a food processor, blend the dates into a soft paste. Add the avocados, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add the maple syrup, if you want a sweeter pie. Add the cocoa powder and blend until very smooth.

Place the rounds of banana over the crust. Pour the filling over the banana rounds and the crust. I like making a swirly pattern for the top. Refrigerate and serve when cooled. Don’t tell the children about the avocados until they have tried the pie first!

Birthday Cheesecake

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This recipe uses a water bath and produces a soft creamy cheesecake. It is very hard to overcook this cheesecake so it is a good recipe for beginners. You will need a very large glass baking tray to hold the hot water. The baking pan for the cheesecake needs to be able to fit into the glass baking tray. I like using a stoneware baking pan for water bath cheesecakes. The cheesecake does not have to be removed from the pan and is served in a beautiful stoneware baking pan.

1T organic butter
1 pound homemade yoghurt cheese or organic cream cheese
2/3c local raw honey
1 organic lemon, finely grated peel
1T organic vanilla extract
5 pastured eggs
1/2c raw cream

Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter a 10-12″ baking pan.

In a food processor, combine until smooth the yoghurt cheese, honey, lemon peel and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time and then the cream. Blend until smooth. Pour the batter into the baking pan.

Fill the large glass baking tray with very hot water out of the tap. Do not use boiling water. Place the baking pan into the water bath. The water should be 2/3 the way up the baking pan. Carefully transfer the water bath to the oven. Cook for 55-60 minutes.

The edge of the cheesecake should be firm and the middle should be jiggly. Turn off the oven and leave the door of the oven partly open. Let the cheesecake cool for 30 minutes before removing. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Allow the cheesecake to cool another 30 minutes on the counter. The cheesecake can be refrigerated at this point. It will be ready to serve in a few hours.

If you would like a stronger flavor, allow the cheesecake to sit in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

Vanilla Colostrum Shake

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Colostrum is the first milk of any lactating animal. For cows, the first five milkings are considered colostrum.

Colostrum is a superfood. It is becoming the new “must have” supplement, especially for athletes and people interested in life extension. You can find colostrum in dried powder or in capsule form, but the best way to consume colostrum is fresh from a cow in your local area.

Colostrum from a local cow is better because the cow is making immune factors for the local environment. Traditionally, when a cow gave birth, the whole family would be lined up and everyone would get an equal share of this precious food. Even though this food was available only once a year, the family’s immunity would be positively affected all year round.

If you would like to learn more about the health benefits of colostrum please read Cooking with Colostrum.

1c ice from filtered water
3c raw colostrum
2 raw pastured egg yolks
1T local raw honey
1tsp organic vanilla extract (optional)

Many people that are new to colostrum find its taste usual. This recipe will help make colostrum delicious, even for children. In a food processor, chop up the ice into fine pieces. Add the colostrum, egg yolks, honey and vanilla extract and blend until creamy smooth. Make sure that there is lots of room in the food processor because the shake will foam up twice to three times its original volume.

Apricot Chutney

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At this time of year apricots are falling off the trees all over Kamloops. This bounty can be frozen, or my favorite, dried. When I came back from Gardengate I had so much fruit and one of my dehydrators was broken. Can you believe it? The dehydrator has a computer chip which I cannot repair. I have never fermented apricots before but decided to try. This recipe is based on a Fruit Chutney recipe from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. The chutney is good on steak, pork chops or even tongue.

9c fresh organic apricots
1c organic raisins or dried cherries
2c filtered water
4 organic lemons, grated rind and fresh juice
1/4c whey
2T sea salt
1T organic whole cumin, freshly ground
1T organic green whole peppercorns, freshly ground
1T organic fennel seeds
1T organic coriander seeds
1tsp organic thyme, dried
1tsp organic red pepper flakes

Mix water, lemon juice, lemon rind, whey, sea salt and spices together. The whole spices will soften during fermentation. Add the apricots and dried fruit. Use a one gallon crock or two 2L wide-mouth mason jars. Press down gently so the liquid completely covers the fruit. With my one gallon crock I use a glass plate and granite stone to hold the fruit down below the top of the liquid. With the wide-month mason jars try to find those old glass mason jar tops and use a small granite stone. Leave at room temperature for about two days. The chutney should be bubbly at that point. Transfer the chutney to the fridge. Fruit chutneys should be eaten within two months.

Walnut Maple Ice

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maple-ice-cream

This is homemade raw ice cream topped with organic walnuts and maple syrup.

Our cow, Olivia, has not been producing a lot of cream this year. A low cream Jersey cow is an oxymoron. We are wondering if Olivia is having metabolic trouble adjusting to the low nutrient quality of our pasture compared to the scientifically designed feed of a confinement dairy. We will watch over the next year to see if Olivia’s cream production increases as her gut flora adjusts to the new environment. We are guessing she will.

This recipe was inspired by this lack of cream and has turned out to be a new favorite summer dessert in our household.

4 cups raw whole milk
4 raw pastured egg yolks
1/4c raw local honey
2T organic vanilla extract
2T soaked and dried organic walnuts, chopped (optional)
1T organic maple syrup (optional)

Using a raw local honey is a great way to help your immune system if you have seasonal allergies. But the honey must be local and raw to be helpful. Blend the honey, egg yolks and vanilla together and then add the raw milk. Pour the ingredients into an ice cream maker or use a shallow container in the freezer. For information about ice cream makers and more cool summer recipes please see Cream, Cream and More Ice Cream Recipes. The egg yolks gives this ice cream a rich yellow color. When ready to serve, top with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. This dessert has a wonderful light favor, which is wonderful on a hot evening.

Creamy Spring Custard

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This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet.

Our household is seeing the renewing life of spring. Our fridge is full of fresh milk and pastured eggs. One part of local, seasonal eating is learning about all the wonderful meals and desserts that can use this seasonal bounty. This recipe is based on a Custard recipe from the 1979 edition of the Joy of Cooking. I have found the older editions of the Joy of Cooking better for traditional recipes. I was pleasantly surprised to read about instructions for using non-pasteurized milk in custard making. How times have changed.

The secret to a great custard is the amount of egg white in the recipe. If you include all the egg whites you get a firm egg-pie custard, almost like a sweet quiche. Firm custards take less time to set-up. If you want a very sauce-like custard remove all the egg white. This is my personal favorite type of custard. Sauce-like custards are creamy rich, like a pudding, and take a long cooking time to set-up. Actually, the sauce-like custard is a true pudding, unlike the modern ersatz pretender thickened with cornstarch. This pudding custard can stand alone or be dressed-up with fresh, seasonal fruit. This recipe with four whole eggs and four egg yolks is the middle-of-the-road custard.

4 pastured egg yolks
4 pastured whole eggs
2-4T local raw honey
3c raw or organic full fat milk
2tsp organic vanilla extract (optional)
1/2tsp organic whole nutmeg, freshly grated
Preheat the oven to 325F. In a bowl, lightly beat the whole eggs, egg yolks and honey until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla extract and nutmeg. Mix well but do not beat into a froth.

To make custard you will need at least six small glass oven safe custard bowls and a large glass oven safe baking tray. Pour the mixture into about six glass custard bowls. In the large glass baking tray, partly fill with hot water out of the tap. Do not use boiling water. Place each of the custard bowls into the water bath. The water should come up within about an 3/4 of an inch below the top of the glass bowls. Add more water if needed. The water bath is very important for a good custard consistence. Without the water the custard will overheat and cook too quickly. Carefully move the glass baking tray with all of the custard bowls into the oven. It will be heave. Cook for 45-60 minutes or until a knife will come out clean at the edge of the custard. Or just look at the custard and you will see a firmer area around the edge of the glass custard bowl.

The custard will continue to cook when it is removed from the oven. After about 10 minutes remove the custard from the water bath and cool on the counter. Later place the custard in the fridge and cool before serving. Some people like eating their custard warm so try both ways to find which way your family likes best. If the custard is not sweet enough for your taste, add a small amount of pure organic maple syrup or liquid raw honey to the top of the custard before serving. Simply divine.

Traveling Tip: If you are traveling and want to bring along a custard dessert, use the wide-mouth “salmon” mason jars instead of the glass oven safe custard bowls. After the custard has completely cooled in the fridge, secure the top with the mason jar lid or a Bernardin plastic storage lid. These mason jars stack well in a portable cooler and will be a wonderful surprise for the family at the end of the traveling day.

Sweet Potato Custard

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The secret of a tasty custard is fresh spices. I really like the organic spices from Mountain Rose Herbs. I always tried to use whole spices and grind them with a mortar and pestle just before use. I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and grate as needed. Since I am using organic ginger I grate skin and all. Sweet potatoes and yams are naturally very sweet and need very little sweetener to make a delicious dessert. This recipe is NOT safe for someone on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. This might be a good recipe to try during the reintroduction phase or replace the sweet potato with fresh whole pumpkin.

3c organic sweet potato or yam, pre-cooked by baking, and skinned
4-5 pastured eggs
1/4-1/3 raw local honey, adjust to sweetness of the sweet potato or yam
pinch of sea salt
2tsp organic ground cinnamon
2tsp organic ginger, freshly grated
1tsp organic allspice, freshly ground
1tsp organic cloves, freshly ground
1/2c whole organic cream (optional)
In a food processor, smooth out the sweet potato or yam into a paste. Add eggs, honey, sea salt and spices and taste for sweetness. Add extra honey if needed, but remember the custard will become sweeter after cooking. Add cream to smooth out the paste. It should be thick and creamy. Fill 6-8 oven safe glass custard cups and place into a large glass baking dish filled with warm water. Cook at 325F for 45 minutes until custard is slightly browned. Cool in the fridge and serve with fresh whipping cream.

Orange Ginger Dressing

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1 organic orange, freshly squeezed
1/2 organic lemon, freshly squeezed
1 clove organic garlic, finely freshly grated
2T organic ginger, finely freshly grated
2T raw cider vinegar
1tsp local raw honey (optional)
1T homemade whole seed mustard
1/2 organic extra virgin olive oil
Freshly squeeze the orange and lemon. Finely grate the peeled garlic clove and ginger. I usually keep organic ginger in the freezer and grate the ginger without peeling. Add the raw cider vinegar, whole seed mustard, and olive oil. Shake vigorously. I find using a small “salmon” canning jar the perfect size for salad dressings. Use a few tablespoons on a green salad.

Marrow Bones and Parsley Salad

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One of my favorite foods is beef and lamb marrow. Marrow is the soft fatty center of leg bones and is consider a delicacy. Marrow is also a super-food. Marrow is a special treat in our household. I remember when I first ate bone marrow, I couldn’t get enough. There was something in the fat that my body totally craved. I like eating my marrow all by itself with a bit of sea salt. The last time I cooked marrow we tried this recipe for Parsley Salad. The recipe is very good and might help someone new to bone marrow enjoy this nourishing food. I found this recipe in The Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson.

6-8 pastured beef, veal or lamb marrow bones
1c organic parsley, finely chopped
2T organic shallots or sweet onion, finely chopped
1/2 organic lemon, freshly squeezed
2T organic extra virgin olive oil
small amount of sea salt
Finely chopped the parsley and shallots. If you do not have shallot use sweet onions. (If your onions have a strong flavor, add a small amount of sea salt to the chopped onions and let sit for 30 minutes. The onions will taste sweeter.) Add the lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt. Mix well and let the salad sit until the marrow is cooked.

Place the marrow bones on a glass baking tray and sprinkle the marrow with sea salt. Bake at 375F for 20-30 minutes until done. Be careful not to overcook. If you do, the marrow will liquify and run out of the bones. Marrow should be eaten right out of the oven with small spoons and lots of napkins for greasy fingers. Spoon out a few tablespoons of Parsley Salad for each marrow bone. Get “primal” with your bones and eat all of the meat and connective tissue on the outside of the bones. Skip the glucosamine and eat your gristle! Remember to save any marrow fat for later use in soups or stews. This is a very special fat. Use the marrow bones in bone broth.