megaptera
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Post by megaptera on Jan 6, 2013 22:05:17 GMT -5
Great thread! I love cooking from scratch. Not only meals, but other stuff as well such as mayonnaise, crackers, bread (in a machine, I'm lazy ) yogurt, etc. I usually find recipes on blogs. If I'm allowed, I can post links to my favorites tomorrow. Using organic ingredients isn't as important to me as buying local. (But a lot of it is organic anyways.) I shop 2-3 local farmers markets during the spring/summer/fall and we get beef, meat chickens, eggs and most dairy from local farms. For anyone interested in the evils of Monsanto and their genetically modified food, the documentary "Food, Inc." is excellent IMO. Have a great week! PS. Not sure why the editor changed "crackers" into "saltines" in the above sentence, but apparently it shows up if I put quotes around it....
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Jan 6, 2013 22:16:18 GMT -5
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 6, 2013 22:17:28 GMT -5
I don't know how easy it would be to find organic dried beans, but you can buy the dried ones, cook them, then freeze them in 1 cup servings and use them with the same convenience you'd have with canned beans. I've never used dried beans before, I grew up using canned. I've heard they have to soak for hours to be the right consistency, is that true?
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 6, 2013 22:17:45 GMT -5
Lol, "cracker" is apparently mostly a racist term (against white people) so it's censored Have you seen what happens when you talk about Julia Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins? What kind of "crackers" do you make? I make cheese ones, and have a recipe for graham "crackers" but haven't made those yet.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 6, 2013 22:24:29 GMT -5
I don't know how easy it would be to find organic dried beans, but you can buy the dried ones, cook them, then freeze them in 1 cup servings and use them with the same convenience you'd have with canned beans. I've never used dried beans before, I grew up using canned. I've heard they have to soak for hours to be the right consistency, is that true? There are a few ways to do it. You can soak them overnight/a couple days, then boil them (which is what I do--soak them overnight, water about an inch over the beans. You can the water and change it out part way through the soak. Then, with fresh water in a pot, cook the beans at a slow boil until they start to split, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour). You can do a "quick" method where you just rinse them and go straight to boiling them (but I've read that you'll have more of the "gas" issues this way). Finally, you can cook them in the crockpot, but DON'T cook kidney beans that way (something about heating them up slowly can cause them to be toxic or something--anyway, they have to be done faster).
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jan 6, 2013 22:28:46 GMT -5
I don't know how easy it would be to find organic dried beans, but you can buy the dried ones, cook them, then freeze them in 1 cup servings and use them with the same convenience you'd have with canned beans. I've never used dried beans before, I grew up using canned. I've heard they have to soak for hours to be the right consistency, is that true? Chiver! Soak a pound of beans overnight (8 to 24 hours) on the countertop in a brine of 2 quarts of water and 2 tsp salt (1 tsp for every quart of water, stirred or whisked to dissolve). In the morning (or next evening), drain away the soaking liquid and put the beans in a pot with plenty of fresh water. Add a piece of dried seaweed (nori or kombu, from the Asian section of your grocer, it really helps with digestibility), bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, anywhere from 30 to 75 (or more) minutes, depending on the size and the age of the bean. Stop cooking them a little before they're done if you're going to use them in recipes (they will cook again in your soup or stew or whatever). When cooled divide into portions (1 or 2 cups, depending on what you use most for your recipes) and freeze. Done! It's not that hard and you avoid the BPA in cans.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 6, 2013 22:31:38 GMT -5
thanks, apple. sounds pretty easy. like I said, just something I've never tried before
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 6, 2013 22:36:00 GMT -5
You're welcome Thanks, kittensaver for the extra tips--I had no idea about the seaweed.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jan 6, 2013 22:36:52 GMT -5
You're welcome Thanks, kittensaver for the extra tips--I had no idea about the seaweed. The seaweed REALLY helps - trust me
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 6, 2013 22:59:27 GMT -5
They had some at Grocery Outlet last time I was there, I'll have to see if they still have some tomorrow (I just bought bags of beans this last week, will cook them once I clean a little more from the freezer).
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twinmama85
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Post by twinmama85 on Jan 6, 2013 23:19:17 GMT -5
Wow! I am so glad this board is taking off ;D Like I said, it doesn't have to be just about organic..it can be basically homemaking at its finest! I have cooked beans before but I didn't do it right...I only soaked them and didn't boil them long enough, so they were kinda hard (think undercooked pasta) so this time, I am going to soak them overnight and boil them. I am making a copy cat pasta fagoli (sp?) from The Olive Garden and after reading about BPA in cans, and the only can that doesn't use BPA (Eden's Organics, which they don't sell at my store) I decided I would do it the healthier way and just do the beans alone. They aren't organic beans (they didn't have any) but I am going to look into em anyway.
It was kind of nice seeing that they are bringing more organic foods at my commissary, although their organic meat is laughable! Its 12oz frozen chub that is pasture fed and feed fed @ $4.99! Craziness!
Found a recipe for wheat bread tonight, it was for a breadmaker, but I am comfortable enough that I knew how to add the ingredients. They are in the loaf pans rising, so I am hoping they don't "brick" like my last batch. ;D
Its truly amazing all the homemade things you can make!I started this homemaking approach by making bread, then I started making my own laundry detergent. My son Cameron has eczema REALLY bad and so I had to use the free & clear...that crap never worked and was expensive. So, I decided to research and I make my own now, just 3 ingredients: borax, washing soda, and fels naptha. Ever since I started using it, his eczema has been kept at bay, gets the pee smell out and cleans really well, using only 1TBSP per load, hot or cold water! And it costs me roughly $8 for 6months supply (I do laundry almost daily)
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 6, 2013 23:39:23 GMT -5
Don't worry about the spelling of fagioli -- you'll get censored anyway I've made my own soap, but right now I use soap nuts--liking them so far and no longer have to do an extra long rinse, so saving some water. Are you on Pinterest? It's not for everyone, but you can get some great ideas from there. (hint, select "food" or "DIY and crafts", then click on a picture if it looks interesting, then click on it again to go to the website it links to. They've been pretty good about blocking things where the links are bad, but sometimes you can google search just the discription under the picture and you can find stuff that way if you don't want to click on the link). I got to some really neat sites that way. One is a blog called six sisters--they have a great lightly breaded sweet and sour chicken (although I haven't tried their homemade sweet and sour sauce, a poster on another board said it wasn't the greatest so they used their own, which they gave me. Let me know if anyone wants it, I used it on pork instead of chicken and it was really good). I think someone on Smart Spending sent me to onceamonthmom.com there are some great recipes there to freeze as well (wish I had found these back when redwagon was looking for freezer recipes!) I make an oatmeal chia smoothie I've posted a link to in a couple places, but it's really good (made one tonight to take to work tomorrow). I like the texture and love the fact that it stays thick without ice and watering down. I'm always mixing up the juices, milks, fruits, and yogurt flavors, they've all turned out good so far! www.theyummylife.com/Oatmeal_Smoothies
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 23:42:46 GMT -5
I heard soap nuts do nothing for stains?
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 6, 2013 23:43:24 GMT -5
yanno, I'm going to see if I can get that filter taken out for this board....somehow I don't see the political opinions and rants that come up over on P&M making their way over here.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 6, 2013 23:44:08 GMT -5
I heard soap nuts do nothing for stains? I've never had luck with stains with anything I've used (tide, all, etc). I always pre-treat no matter what I use, comes out fine.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Jan 6, 2013 23:47:37 GMT -5
This is a good thread for me as well. I've been reading this thread on and off all day.
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twinmama85
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Post by twinmama85 on Jan 6, 2013 23:57:43 GMT -5
Don't worry about the spelling of homosexualioli -- you'll get censored anyway I've made my own soap, but right now I use soap nuts--liking them so far and no longer have to do an extra long rinse, so saving some water. Are you on Pinterest? It's not for everyone, but you can get some great ideas from there. (hint, select "food" or "DIY and crafts", then click on a picture if it looks interesting, then click on it again to go to the website it links to. They've been pretty good about blocking things where the links are bad, but sometimes you can google search just the discription under the picture and you can find stuff that way if you don't want to click on the link). I got to some really neat sites that way. One is a blog called six sisters--they have a great lightly breaded sweet and sour chicken (although I haven't tried their homemade sweet and sour sauce, a poster on another board said it wasn't the greatest so they used their own, which they gave me. Let me know if anyone wants it, I used it on pork instead of chicken and it was really good). I think someone on Smart Spending sent me to onceamonthmom.com there are some great recipes there to freeze as well (wish I had found these back when redwagon was looking for freezer recipes!) I make an oatmeal chia smoothie I've posted a link to in a couple places, but it's really good (made one tonight to take to work tomorrow). I like the texture and love the fact that it stays thick without ice and watering down. I'm always mixing up the juices, milks, fruits, and yogurt flavors, they've all turned out good so far! www.theyummylife.com/Oatmeal_SmoothiesI've seen soap nuts before but so far I like the stuff I am using..I AM ADDICTED TO PINTEREST lol. I use miracle cleaner...1 part hydrogen peroxide and 1 part blue dawn soap. My kids went crazy with sharpie on my walls and carpet and I was able to get it out of my carpet with no stains and I use it for really bad stains on clothing, works pretty well.
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twinmama85
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Post by twinmama85 on Jan 7, 2013 0:01:37 GMT -5
So I am eating this organic apple and can't believe the flavor of it! I am so used to the conventional apples that are just a little tart, but have no real flavor! How do you guys feel about raw feeding to cats? I have been trying to get my cat to eat the raw chicken hearts and thigh meat and he is so used to eating industrial food, I have no had much luck (I don't have a lot of time on my hands) If any of you like to use coupons, here is a coupon for Organic Valley butter $1/1 pastureperfectholidays.com/
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 7, 2013 10:02:47 GMT -5
We do a mixed household. DH is doing gluten free, dairy free, no cane sugar and limited soy. It's been expensive and DH is making choices where he needs organic vs. is ok with eating "regular" food. It's also time consuming. He shops at 3-4 stores now. In summer there's at least 1 Farmer's Market in there too. And then there's the processing time on the greens. He eats a ton of greens. He juices the stems so he strips them off. Because organic or not, he still rinses off everything. He shops at Health Hut, Fresh Market, Outpost (a local food co-op that's been around for 45+ years) and Woodman's (smallish Midwest grocery chain, I think.) There's another store he hits occasionally too but I can't think of their name.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jan 7, 2013 10:03:45 GMT -5
Oh, Bob's Red Mills does lots of grains. I think they ship too.
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megaptera
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Post by megaptera on Jan 7, 2013 15:19:39 GMT -5
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 7, 2013 15:26:58 GMT -5
Thank you!! ;D These are the cheese-its I make (I like them best with a mix of sharp cheddar and a pepperjack cheese--similar to the cayan pepper maybe ) www.agoldenafternoon.com/food/junkfood-remade-cheese-its/ I'll have to find the graham "cracker" one when I get home, no weird ingriedients IIRC.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Jan 7, 2013 15:31:41 GMT -5
I don't know how easy it would be to find organic dried beans, but you can buy the dried ones, cook them, then freeze them in 1 cup servings and use them with the same convenience you'd have with canned beans. I've never used dried beans before, I grew up using canned. I've heard they have to soak for hours to be the right consistency, is that true? I use a pressure cooker for my beans. I pick the beans (remove any dirt or stones) ,soak overnight, change the water in the morning and pressure cook for 20 - 30 minutes (or 4 whistles). I don't freeze them, since I make small batches and use them up in a few days. If you are not afraid of the pressure cooker, then this is an easy way.
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speechchick71
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Post by speechchick71 on Jan 7, 2013 17:50:51 GMT -5
I've been investigating the vegan diet...not necessarily organic but so much of that goes hand in hand. If you're on facebook, there is a girl who posts a TON of vegan recipes called Vegan Radiance. She has lost a good deal of weight by following that diet and started posting her journey. I have also been getting recipe ideas from www.101cookbooks.com/index.html. She has a nice variety of foods and all prepared from scratch. She has these bean filled dumplings that look divine but I can't seem to find wonton wrappers. Then again, I do often forget to look when I am at Publix. I used to cook a lot more often than I do now. My food prep seems to go to the extent of a salad or soup. I'm starting to try out new things so I am using both of those as a guide. I too have been concerned about all of the additives in foods. I work with special needs kids and have seen the incidence (of autism, especially) just go thru the roof. The exponential rise makes me lean more toward environmental causes than anything else and I would even include the use of wireless signals. I have no proof of anything but it seems that the rise in disorders has mirrored the rise in use of all these "new" things. Alone, they may not be harmful but when you put all of these things (BPA, food additives, wireless signals, other environmental things, etc) together, it seems like there is a definite affect. Maybe I should study that a little more, do a research project, and change the world!
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jan 7, 2013 18:09:41 GMT -5
Twinmama - when I started down this road you're on, what I was looking for was the purest, most un-processed/un-adulterated, closest-to-nature food I could find. At the time, my motivation was recovery from the triple diagnosis of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivity. The best advice I got was: The farther away from its natural state the food is, the farther away from it you should be. The organic label is a good standard, but there are many farmers, ranchers and other food producers out there who provide wonderful, unadulterated products who don't have the time, money or political inclination to jump through all the regulatory hoops to get their products designated as "organic." That's why so many slow food/local foodie types recommend repeatedly that you get to know the local producers in your area. Many (if not most) of them are following natural, chemical-free practices in their food raising and harvesting, but just don't have the green organic sticker. I trust the folks in my farmer's market much more readily than I trust the organic label at Trader Joe's or Whole Paycheck. If you want to know how they grow and produce food, you can just ask them in person! Or even better, take a weekend day and visit their farm or ranch Here's a great website to get you started searching for local producers in your area: www.localharvest.org/And you're 100% right! "Real" food that hasn't been processed, added-to, chemicalized, preserved or otherwise adulterated tastes so much better! My extended family laughs at me about this, but I don't care. When they start in on me about "this is bunk because they use such tiny amounts of pesticides and the FDA says the level is safe - yadda, yadda, yadda" - my answer is: I eat organic and unsprayed foods because pesticides don't know when to stop killing.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jan 7, 2013 18:17:23 GMT -5
I too have been concerned about all of the additives in foods. I work with special needs kids and have seen the incidence (of autism, especially) just go thru the roof. The exponential rise makes me lean more toward environmental causes than anything else and I would even include the use of wireless signals. I have no proof of anything but it seems that the rise in disorders has mirrored the rise in use of all these "new" things. Alone, they may not be harmful but when you put all of these things (BPA, food additives, wireless signals, other environmental things, etc) together, it seems like there is a definite affect. Maybe I should study that a little more, do a research project, and change the world!
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Speechchick - I think you are spot-on. Western medicine recognizes damage to the human body in terms of acute and emergency exposure to chemicals and other environmental insults, but for whatever reason will not look at "accumulated" exposure or "toxic load." They live in a reductionist-model world, where it seems like every problem has to have a definitive answer. Western medicine is notorious for saying "it's all in your head" to patients for whom they can find no "reason" for their symptoms. "If we can't find a reason, the reason must not exist." So sad and so unnecessary to let people suffer like that.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jan 7, 2013 18:17:38 GMT -5
There is nothing like homegrown beef, chicken and pork. If you want to "see" the difference, just cook a store bought egg and a farm fresh egg side by side. Even if the farm egg is smaller, the yolk is bigger and yellower and puffier.
Speechchick--there is another blogger who does hers under "chocolatecoveredkatie"--she's vegan and has a lot of recipes on there. They're not all desserts but several are. I've tried a few as a confirmed carnivore (Grampa raised cattle, we were raised to support the industry), and I think they are awesome.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 7, 2013 18:31:09 GMT -5
thanks for the links, I'm totally checking all of them out.
speechchick - I find wonton wrappers in the produce department, in the cooler case with the tofu and shirataki noodles.
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speechchick71
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Post by speechchick71 on Jan 7, 2013 20:44:05 GMT -5
This is what I made for dinner today. I had a recipe for this previously but this one is close. I had to more than double the cayenne pepper though because I could hardly taste it. I'm not quite sure where I got this recipe, maybe from allrecipes.com.
Black Bean Pumpkin Soup 1tbsp olive oil 5 green onions (chopped) 1 red pepper 3 cloves of garlic 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp dried thyme 2 cans of black beans (I drained them but then added back some of the juice) 1 can of pumpkin 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can of veggie broth 1/2 c water 1/2 tsp salt (to taste) 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add white and light green parts of green onions, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes until soft. Stir in cumin and thyme; cook about 1 minute. Add beans, pumpkin, tomatoes (with juice), broth, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook for 10 min. Stir in salt and cayenne pepper. Top with dark green onions.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2013 20:47:19 GMT -5
I love meat, but vegan has a lot of good alternatives when going non dairy...
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