Food | The Organic Sister

Skillet Tostadas

May 26, 2010 By TheOrganicSister

I’ve found that the fewer dishes we use in food prep the better, so I’m all over “skillet” meals right now (which aren’t always made in a skillet, but should always be made in one pan).

I found this recipe in my Anyone Can Cook* cookbook. (Yes, I have a cookbook named Anyone Can Cook; yes, I always think of Ratatouille when I see it; yes, I’ve proven them wrong a few times.) It’s a pretty rad little book, as it explains everything. And it has pretty pictures. The skillet tostadas in their picture looked way yummier than mine, but I love this recipe because it can be done as simply as I prefer and it’s easy to modify it to our personal health standards.

Easy Skillet Tostadas

8 oz sustainable, pastured ground beef, pork, chicken or turkey
1/2 cup chopped onions (1 medium)
1 15-oz can light red kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans (whole or refried)
1/3 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheese
8-16 tostada shells
Seasonal toppings: Shredded or baby greens, diced tomato, sour cream, avocado, black olives, etc

In a 10 inch skillet cook the ground meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat and stir in the beans, salsa, and cheese and heat until the cheese is melted and the beans are hot.
Slather the shells with sour cream, divide the mixture between them and add your favorite toppings.

Depending on availability of sustainable meats, we might make ours vegetarian. We add whatever sounds good and they are super yummy. The biggest problem is finding healthy tostada shells. You can always make your own by frying organic corn shells. Or you can cheat, which we’ve had to do.

The number of shells depends on how much of the beans/meat mixture you use and how high you pile on the veggies. We usually end up making plenty with this recipe.

Have any other one-skillet recipes for me?

*This is an affiliate link through Amazon. Anything you purchase using this link sends a small portion of the price to us, at no additional cost to you.

Filed Under: Organic Health Tagged With: food, locavore, Real Food, summer recipes, vegetarian

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Pancakes

April 26, 2010 By TheOrganicSister

I’ve been really off my gluten-free diet lately, but I shared this gluten-free oatmeal pancake recipe with Sara recently and thought I should share it with you guys, as well.

This recipe is not only for those with gluten-sensitivity, it is also for you Real Foodies and Weston A. Pricer’s who know the benefits of soaking grains and pastured eggs.

Oats are technically gluten-free but will affect some gluten-sensitive or celiac folk, mostly because of cross-contamination in processing. There are certified gluten-free oats, such as Bob’s Red Mill, if you are extremely sensitive but I use regular oats with no problem.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Pancakes

4 cups whole oats, ground (preferably not the quick cook kind)
4 cups plain yogurt (I’ve also used whole raw milk)
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2-4 tablespoons local raw honey (optional)
Olive oil or butter for cooking (optional)

I grind my oats in the blender. You can also use a food processor. You want it ground as fine as you can get it.

Mix the oats in the yogurt or milk and let it soak overnight (from 12-24 hours).
Add the butter, eggs, sea salt, baking soda and optional honey and mix very well.
Cook over a medium-low heat. I like to cook them in a bit of olive oil or butter for a slightly crispier edge or you can use a griddle. The temperature seems to vary depending on the pan, so experiment with yours. Oatmeal pancakes do cook slower, and are easy to burn with a gooey center, so take your time!

Thanks to Amy for giving me this recipe months ago! She also told me you can substitute the butter for coconut oil and the milk for water plus 2 T whey, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, but it will affect the taste.

Usually these turn out fluffy and light; sometimes not. I think it depends on how finely the oats are ground, and how long or in what they were soaked (using alternatives to yogurt tends to affect the results the most). They also work well as sandwich bread or hamburger buns, too! I don’t feel they save well for longer than a few days; they tend to get denser as they age.

As I’ve said, I’ve been off my gluten-free diet lately. Have any yummy recipes to get me back on track?

Filed Under: Organic Health Tagged With: breakfast recipes, food, gluten-free, locavore, recipes

Sweet Potato Chili and Gluten-Free Cornbread

January 30, 2010 By TheOrganicSister

1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans (or any other beans)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium diced yellow onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, to taste
up to 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
Three 15 oz cans of Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted tomatoes with green chilies
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced very small
Approximately 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, more only if needed

Crock Pot Version:

Soak the beans overnight. In the morning, cook the onion and garlic with the olive oil. Then throw everything in a crock pot on low for the day.

But I busted my crock pot. So I did this instead:

1. Soak the beans overnight. Wake up late and scramble to throw them in a large pot, covering them with extra water and cook them on medium until they’re soft. The water should be mostly gone by now; if not, drain most of it out. Or you can buy a can or two of beans, if you prefer.

2. In a small pan, add the olive oil and onions; cook until tender, then add the garlic and other spices and cook for another minute or so. Throw those all in the large pot of beans.

3. Add the tomatoes and sweet potatoes. (Note: The smaller you dice the sweet potatoes the less you’ll taste them, making it more likely your 10 year old will approve of their inclusion in his chili. Also, the faster they will cook.)

4. Add enough broth to get the consistency you’d like. Cook until the sweet potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes if diced small).

Gluten-Free Skillet Cornbread

This is a traditional recipe, grainier because it lacks any flour. In the original recipe, it lacked any sweetener but what fun is that?

2 cups 100% organic cornmeal
2 cups whole milk or buttermilk
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons organic shortening (butter might also work)

1. Around the time you start the beans (or several hours before you start the chili), mix the cornmeal and milk or buttermilk and let it sit. This seems to soften the grain a bit, making it a lighter texture. You could even soak the cornmeal overnight.

2. Once the sweet potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the shortening in a 9 inch cast iron skillet and place it in the oven to melt it.

3. Add the salt, baking soda, eggs and honey to the batter and mix well.

4. When the shortening is melted, spread it as evenly as possible around the pan and pour the batter into the skillet. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until top is golden brown and a fork comes out clean. Top with lots of homemade butter!

Filed Under: Organic Health Tagged With: food, gluten-free, locavore, vegetarian, Winter Recipes

Happy Kids Make Healthy Choices

November 11, 2009 By TheOrganicSister

Between Halloween and the upcoming holidays, my thoughts are currently revolving around food and dietary choices and instinctual eating, especially in regards to Zeb.

We do not restrict his diet in any way. Nope, not even a little bit.

We shop at all-natural stores and fill the house with whole foods. But when we grocery shop I take him to a chain grocery store if he requests and buy whatever he wishes. He experiments and he makes healthy choices based on his own findings.

Last month he wanted sugary cereal; the antithesis of every mother’s whole foods wish list. For three weeks he picked out boxes of cereal, from Cinnamon Toast Crunch to Trix. They were his breakfast and snack choices. Except the last box of Trix still sits abandoned in our cupboard and he’s back to eating whole foods.
Halloween candy was enjoyed by all of us. He chose to give most of it to the Halloween Fairy in exchange for a Lego she left. But she always leaves the candy behind too and it’s still sitting there, untouched.

Zeb loves to have a “fruit bowl” on hand when he’s playing games or building Legos.

A couple weeks ago he craved ice cream, so I purchased half a pint just for him. He had half a bowl and hasn’t touched the container since. At parties or holidays he rarely has more than a bite of ice cream or cake.
His doctor has told him to avoid corn of any kind (from HFCS to chips). At first this annoyed him (he loves tortilla chips) but slowly he decided to stop eating it. He says he feels better and his throat isn’t so congested in the mornings.

Currently, his favorite foods are artichokes, pomegranates, raw cheese and milk, mangoes, gluten-free spaghetti, carrots, green smoothies, pizza and kiwis.

Is he the anomaly? The exception to the Sugar-Is-Addictive rule?

No. At least I don’t think so.

Monkey Platters are a fave: A tray with crackers, cheese, fruit and other snacks readily available for munching make snacks easy and self-serving.

Kids make healthy choices when they are allowed to experiment and listen to their bodies. I’ve seen this in Zeb and many, many other kids. Yes, some foods have addictive qualities, especially refined sugars. But I’m a firm believer in the emotional addictiveness of food, over the physical.

Children who are overly limited, told when to eat and what, those expected to be part of the Clean Plate Club, all grow up with befuddled messages around food. They confuse their bodies signals with the signals of their parents or culture.

But kids raised within the safety of healthy family end up with a healthy self-image. Kids who’s decisions and trials are supported learn to choose wisely at a young age. Children who’s parents do not attach guilt, blame or negative emotion to food learn to enjoy eating and will allow their bodies to naturally gravitate toward healthy foods.

Our bodies want healthy foods. But our emotions may tell us otherwise.

He likes green smoothies more than I do:
Half spinach and half citrus fruits with a bit of water.

All that is needed to instill a healthy relationship with food is Trust and guidance. Filling our homes with balanced, nutritious foods, creating family rituals of eating together in laughter and peace, showing appreciation for our meals and TRUSTING and SUPPORTING our children when they want to experiment with other routes.

A healthy, happy child (physically and emotionally) will and should experiment. And a healthy, happy child will always find what is best for them.

Hmm…

I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe we should worry less about what is going into their bellies, and more about what is going into their hearts.

Filed Under: Organic Health, Organic Parenting Tagged With: food, locavore, Real Food, trust

I just want to feel good.

October 25, 2009 By TheOrganicSister

It’s not something I’ve really blogged about because it’s been something I haven’t wanted to focus on myself. But it’s one of those constantly infiltrating facts in all I do.

I don’t feel good. Increasingly so over the past few months. And the excitement of moving has really drained me empty. I wake up exhausted, I spend my day with little energy, then I can’t fall asleep. No appetite, moody, body aches and pains. Not. Good. At. All.

Long story short: I do not want to spend a year or more traveling the country, meeting interesting people and experiencing new things or investigating possible new homes with no energy or not feeling well. So I went to my homeopath a couple weeks ago who did some tests and told me the following:

I have Adrenal Fatigue. I was actually told this a long time ago when I first stopped working and thought time would be enough to heal it. It wasn’t and it’s much worse than before.
My liver is not functioning as well as it should be. Wasn’t expecting this one.
I’m wheat, corn and gluten sensitive. This still makes me want to cry. I never knew I had a favorite food until I was told I should give up pasta.

These are the things I’m doing right now to help:

Iodine supplementation: Iodine deficiency is linked to adrenal fatigue. I’m using liquid iodine as a dermatological supplement. I rub it on my belly each night and it’s fully absorbed by morning.
Green smoothies: Half spinach and half citrus fruits, the blended greens are absorbed much better into my body. (The FIRST day I did a huge green smoothie and within hours I had the WORST detox migraine ever.)
Homeopathics: One for fatigue, one for adrenal support and one for a liver detoxification.
Other supplements: a daily vitamin and mineral complex, a B complex and fish oil.
A gluten- and corn-free diet.
More water. Um, I’m pretty certain the one or two glasses I manage to drink now aren’t enough.

Changing my diet has been the hardest, of course. I never realized just how many of our meals rely on gluten. Gluten-free grains don’t really excite me. And Justin and Zeb don’t want to be subjected to the same diet (Well, we’re already corn-free because of Zeb’s sensitivities. He self-moderates and chooses his own level of comfort in eating corn or corn products but in family meals we choose corn-free options.).

My first gluten-free meal left a lot to be desired. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. The GF bread was so dense the cheese wouldn’t melt and the soup was tasteless. However, I have found Tinkyada’s Brown Rice Pasta, which Justin now prefers over regular pasta and I’m compromising with corn tortilla’s because brown rice tortillas…leave something to be desired. But overall I think my success is going to rely on very few gluten-substitutes.

Once I’ve been gluten-free for awhile I’m going to give a slow-rise sourdough a try, as explained on Weston A Price’s website.

It hasn’t been easy. In fact, there have been at least a few moments of such complete frustration and anger over the matter. BUT after only three days, I woke up with energy and felt energetic all day! I can’t honestly recall the last day I felt so good. It didn’t last long but it’s been a huge motivation to keep going, even if rather slowly.

I just keep telling myself that it’s a choice and I’m choosing one day at a time. I can choose whatever I want and change my mind whenever I want.. And right now, I just want to feel good.