2 Simple Salad Dressings/Dips

You can use either of these two recipes as dressing for a simple salad or dip for wings or veggies.

Dairy-Free Ranch

(A lactose intolerant friend created and shared this recipe with me.) 

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup unsweetened original almond milk
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Adobo Criollo seasoning (MSG free)
• 1 tbsp. fresh dill
• 1/2 tbsp. dry parsley

Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar, cap, and give a good shake! That's it. Enjoy!

Sesame Soy

• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp. agave nectar
• 1/2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar, cap, and shake, shake, shake!!

-Anjelica

Alfalfa Sprouts

Finished sprouts!

Sprouts are so delicious aren't they?  I absolutely love to top off just about anything with some sprouts.  Sandwiches, salads, soups, the possibilities are endless!  Sprouts are also amazingly good for you.  They contain tons of protein, enzymes, vitamins and amino acids that our bodies need.

This is not my image, but I just found it floating around on the internet.

One negative side to sprouts is that they can be pretty expensive.  This might be due to the fact that they don't last very long.  I'm not really sure, because they are so easy to make from super inexpensive seeds, beans or legumes.  Different types of sprouts have different nutrients, although the general benefits discussed above are the same.  They also have different uses.  For example, we like to sprout lentils and use them in salads, cook them up in soups, and add them to bread for an extra protein and vitamin boost.  The much more delicate alfalfa sprouts are delicious raw on salads and sandwiches.

Two tablespoons of seeds.

Soaking the sprouting seeds.

According to Sprout People, alfalfa sprouts contain Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Carotene, Chlorophyll, Amino Acids, Trace Elements, and 35% protein. These little guys pack a lot of punch, huh?

All the materials

Often people will tell you that you need special equipment to make your own sprouts.  This is not true.  As long as you have a large (quart size) mason jar and some cheesecloth, you are good to go.  You also need water and alfalfa seeds (or broccoli or radish) made especially for sprouting.

Day 1 After Soaking

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5: Morning

Day 5: Afternoon. Ready to Eat.

Materials Needed:

Alfalfa Sprouting Seeds

Mason Jar or Sprouting Jar

Cheesecloth or Strainer Lid (if using a mason jar) 

Filtered Water

Directions:

1. Add 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds to a large mason jar or sprouting jar.  

2. Add filtered water to cover and let soak for 8 hours or overnight.  

3. Secure cheese cloth to the top of the mason jar and rinse and drain. 

4. Place jar upside down at a 45 degree angle if possible to drain on a bowl or plate.  

5. Rinse and drain two to three times per day for three to five days.  

6. When sprouts have grown to the point that they are filling up your jar, put them in a sunny area for a few       hours to facilitate formation of chlorophyll.

7. When the leaves turn green they are ready to be put into cold storage or eaten.  

8. Sprouts need to be eaten within a few days.

Note: it is also a good idea to skim the seeds off of the sprout.  This helps to keep mold from growing.  Just put finished sprouts in a bowl and fill it up with filtered water.  The seeds should float to the top and you can just skim them off.  This does sound slightly easier and less time consuming than it actually is.  

One of my absolute favorite sandwiches is just hummus, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and sprouts on whatever bread you like.  Yummy!  Do you make your own sprouts? Why or why not?

-Donna

Simple things you should make at home instead of buying packaged

Today I am going to talk about some simple foods you can make at home instead of buying overly processed packaged foods.  Or the alternative over priced processed packaged foods.  It's all processed guys.  This may seem like it is all over the place, because I am just going to share with you as many things as I can think of that we just make ourselves in this house.  Some of these things may take a little more time to do, but none of the recipes that I am going to share are at all complicated.  We'll save those for later.  Perhaps I can even do a similar post about my homemade household products in the future.  For now, lets keep it simple with some of the things I use most often.

Isn't my psycho tortilla maker so adorable?

First up: salad dressings!  

They are seriously so easy to make that I don't even see the point in buying them in the store.  For those creamy dressing lovers out there, we use this vegan ranch dressing which I love.  In fact, ranch dressing is my favorite even though I don't eat it very often because it is normally super processed chemical junk.  However, in all my years of trying to duplicate my favorite type of ranch, I have never been able to find one (vegan or otherwise) that tastes as good to me as this one.  (Side note: I am not a vegan, but I am a vegetarian and most of what I eat at home is at least dairy-free.)

The main salad dressing that we use in our house is a simple vinaigrette.  Since I make kombucha, I also keep a small container of kombucha that I let ferment all the way into a vinegar.  I use that for my homemade vinaigrette, but I have also been known to use raw apple cider vinegar.  I like to be able to taste the vinegar instead of the oil, so I add the same amount or each.  You can do it to your taste preferences.  This dressing can be stored in the fridge for about a week.  Probably longer, but it has never lasted that long for us.  Definitely use your own best judgement.  You can easily make this into an Italian dressing by adding some Italian seasonings.  Or substitute a different acid for the vinegar such as lemon juice.  The possibilities are endless.

Basic Garlic Vinaigrette:

3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp kombucha vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
 

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a glass container with a plastic lid and shake well.  Chill for a couple of hours to let the flavors develop.  Shake again before using.

Second: tortillas!  

In this house, we love wraps, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and everything else that could possibly be served on a tortilla.  A long time ago I turned over one of those convenient little packages of flour tortillas we were eating every week and low and behold, a bunch of junk.  So I gave hubby the mission of learning how to make flour tortillas.  (He is the baker in the family for the most part.  I just don't like cleaning up all that flour.)  After trying several different recipes from the internet, he finally found the perfect one here.  The only change he makes is that he uses 1/3 cup of coconut oil instead of the lard (obviously).  This is a bit more involved than store bought, but these tortillas keep well in the fridge and are so very worth it taste-wise.

He pretty much always makes these goofy faces.

We have also been known to make fish tacos around here occasionally.  For that we like to use corn tortillas which can be made like this.  If you have a tortilla press, great!  But if you are like us, just use the rolling pin and parchment paper method.    

Third: dried beans.  

I know, I know, this isn't all that exciting, but frankly if you use beans regularly (which you should) you should definitely consider making your own from dried for numerous reasons.  First, BPA lined cans.  We've all heard it before, but if you use canned stuff semi-regularly, why not try to cut down in simple ways?  Second, dried beans are SOOOOOO much cheaper.  Third, it is seriously so easy to just make a big batch of beans and then portion them out and throw them in the freezer.  Miss Content already touched on how she makes her beans in this post.  I do things a bit differently as my quick soak method involves boiling the beans for a minute, putting the lid on, turning off the heat, and walking away for 2 to 4 hours.  But the concept is the same and both work.  Or you could soak them overnight.  Then, depending on the type of beans you are making, either cook them in the crock pot or on the stove until they are done.  Make sure to let them cool completely before portioning them into ziplock bags and putting them in the freezer.  I like to portion two cups because that's slightly more than one can would be.  Trust me, the whole thing is totally hands off.  You just need to set a timer and go do other stuff.

Fourth: Smoothies and Popsicles.  

It's starting to get really hot here in Puerto Rico and the heat has me craving some nice cool treats.  It is also almost mango season, so one of my favorite fruits is going to be very abundant.  All year long, I cut up seasonal fruit and put it in the freezer for smoothies.  When we have a banana cross that line from tasty to gooey and gross, I usually throw it in the freezer too.  I have never really understood why smoothie stores and frappe stands (same thing, only in Puerto Rico) almost always add a bunch of sugar to already very sweet fruit.  So I just make my own without the added sugar.  Trust me, just try it and see if you like it.

Obviously we ate most of this mango, but this is what it looks like cut into chunks for freezing.

Pineapple, Mango, Coconut Smoothie        

Frozen pineapple
Frozen mango
Frozen banana
Homemade coconut milk, orange juice, or other liquid

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.  Check for desired consistency.  Add more liquid to thin or more fruit to thicken.  

Yum!

Homemade popsicles are another super simple summer treat.  Just blend or juice up your favorite fruit and add it to your popsicle molds.  Where can you go wrong?  I just ordered some super cute tie dyed silicone popsicle molds for this summer.  I'm not wasting any time.  

What kinds of things do you make instead of buying them?  Do you have any tricks for simplifying your homemade routine?

-Donna