lotus-life

Crepes are pretty easy to make (especially if you don't mind what they look like), though they take some time, since they are cooked a one-at-a-time. They are also a very handy use of ‘discarded’ starter (what you need to take out before feeding). They keep well for a few days in the fridge, and can be served almost ANY WAY. For a sweet treat, spread/fill with jam, berries, whipped cream, syrup, chocolate, honey, cinnamon and sugar, etc. For savory, optionally omit the sweetener in the crep...

Kale is really good for you. You knew that, of course; but have you tried [cooking with] it? My daughter and I love kale. The boys in the house could do without it. But since I am the one shopping and cooking, I say tough luck. There are several varieties of kale, but I prefer the Lacinato or “Dinosaur" variety, as I personally think it's the easiest to prepare. When prepping kale, wash the leaves individually, front and back, checking for anything clinging to the backs. Kale has a tough ste...

Quick, easy, tasty, convenient and versatile! Also, dairy free/vegan. :) Crumpets are somewhere between a pancake and an english muffin. Make extra and put them in the fridge or freezer, as they are best toasted. With a little extra honey and added cinnamon, they are a lovely morning treat. Without the cinnamon, they can be eaten anytime, any way! This recipe is based on the one from Cultures for Health. Note: You will need ‘special equipment’ for these. I bought these metal english muffin r...

This tasty and flexible muffin recipe is adapted from The Basic Sourdough Muffin recipe on the Cultures for Health site. They have lots of air pockets from the sourdough and soda, and a lovely chewiness/elasticity. Nice crust on top. Yum. Ingredients: ½ cup sourdough starter 1½ cups white or whole wheat flour, or a combination up to ½ cup water, as needed (depending on wetness of starter) ½ cup (1 stick) melted butter 2 eggs 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon soda ½ cup sugar (evaporated cane juic...

Here is a sourdough pancake recipe [mostly] from What's Cooking America, perfect for using up starter (you might want to bulk up your starter just for this). The batter is a little goopy, so tricky to get onto the griddle without making a mess--but worth it! The texture is excellent. I made these pancakes recently with 3 cups starter and two eggs, and bumped up the other ingredients by about half. I had plenty left over for the freezer. Pop them in the toaster (or just let them thaw) and they...

Quinoa is a cheap, nutritious, easy-to-cook pantry staple. It was an important crop of the ancient Incas, and has been a staple in South America for thousands of years. These days, it is widely available in North America. Hooray! High in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, quinoa is technically a seed (not a grain). However, it easily takes over for grains in my kitchen. It comes in red and the more common, plain ‘white’—my family prefers the white. I often make it to go with dinner (unde...

Are there lentils in your pantry? Have you cooked them yet? They are so easy, so versatile, so tasty and so good for you. What are you waiting for? My favorite lentil for everyday cooking is the French Green Lentil, which has a lovely blue-green mottled look when dry. It is a little more expensive than the standard brown or green lentils, but still very economical. When cooked, these lentils appear more like a faded black-bean (brown-grey?) and can indeed be substituted in most places you wo...

Along with cleaning out my pantry, breakfast is one of the first big challenges I tackled. What would we do without our old favorite standby, cold breakfast cereal with coconut-almond milk? I started with overnight-soaked oatmeal (“porridge"), and also started serving more (pastured!) eggs. Granola was still an option, but I ditched the nut milk, since it has all kinds of extra stuff in it. Going back to cow’s milk, I found that there are at least a couple of brands at Whole Foods that are...