Black Trumpet Charcuterie

My brother brought me some black trumpets from his property in French Village MO.  This was the first time I ever had them.  They were the most expensive free mushrooms ever, but worth every single penny!  The picture tells the rest of the story.

 

Trout Pico

Trout Pico

makes about 3-4 cups

2-3 lb. Steelhead trout filet

1/2 medium red onion

3-4" Anaheim pepper, seeds removed

6-8 garlic cloves

1 cob yellow corn

1 avocado, finely diced

1/2 large baked sweet potato, finely diced

1/4 lime juice

1 small tomato, finely diced

1 clementine, peeled, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Sprinkle trout with pepper and smoked salt.  Bake at 450 degrees fat side down for 15 minutes, or until tender and flaky.  While hot, flake the flesh from the fat, transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until ready to add to the dip.

Place chunks of the red onion, flesh of the Anaheim pepper, and the garlic cloves into a small processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Place in a mixing bowl.  Cut kernels from uncooked cob. Add corn, avocado, sweet potato, and lime juice to the mixing bowl.  Toss, cover, and refrigerate.  

Just before serving, add the tomato, cilantro, clementine, and trout to the mixing bowl and toss well. 

Serve with root chips or salt n pepper kettle chips.

Immune Booster Soup

Dozens of methods and ingredients can produce a delicious bowl of soup.  In my world, garlic and onion are non-negotiables but, beyond that, almost anything goes.  Veggie only? Meat-heavy? Noodles? Rice? YES.   Blended? Brothy? Chunky? YES.  Multi-pot, multi-step process? One big dump in one big pot? YES.  I like 'em all...I make 'em all! 

But the key to a hearty, extra-health-boosting soup is a broth chock full of grown goodness.  Combine a variety of the freshest plants you can find: roots, tubers, herbs, fungi, pods, bulbs, etc.  If you're a meat eater (as I am) the combination of a plant based broth with a long-simmered bone broth creates an even healthier base for an immune-boosting soup.

Sometimes I plan the ingredients, sometimes I use what I have on hand.  Sometimes, I freeze the random parts of vegetables that I'm not using in another dish for later use in a broth (potato skins, ends of carrots, celery tops, leafy green remains, beet greens, etc. etc. etc.)  

Today's Broth

• Smoked ham hocks
• Smoked pork neck bones
• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 twigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs tarragon
• 2-3 sprigs dill
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 1-2 T. turmeric
• 1 T. ground black pepper
• 3-4" piece ginger, sliced
• 4 Sancha Matcha tea bags
• "Discarded" veggie parts (potato skins, celery tops, collard green ends, carrot ends, etc...) 
  
• Water to cover everything

Boil for 2+ hours.  Remove chicken meat and reserve for soup. Drain broth and discard all remaining vegetable parts and bones.  Boil broth until reduced by about 1/3.

To the reduced broth, add the following:

Sautéed Caramelized Veggies

• Coconut oil 
• 50 cloves garlic, whole
• 2 medium onions, diced

Fresh Chopped Veggies

• 4 carrots, sliced
• 6 stalks celery, diced
• 1 XL sweet potato, diced
• 1 russet potato, diced
• 2-3 c. green beans
• 2 c. mushrooms, sliced

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-60 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Shade

Blueberry Shade

The daughter-in-law is a fan of a good Lemon Drop martini, so I keep lemon vodka on hand for her visits.  I concocted this alternative in her honor and...in her absence.

1 shot frozen lemon simple syrup 

    1/2 c. water

    1/2 c. sugar

    ~2 T. lemon juice

1 shot Absolut Citron, freezer cold

1 small handful frozen blueberries

This little monster packs a punch for lightweights like me, so keep that in mind.  It is VERY drinkable and a perfect balance of sweet, tart, and fruity.  ENJOY!! 

Blue Dejavu

The taste of this one transported me right back to the high school gym where I ate endless cartons of Dannon's Blueberry Yogurt...you remember, the ones that were full of sweet fruity goodness at the bottom?  Soooo good!

1 c. blueberries

1/2 c. vanilla yogurt

1/4 c. almond milk

That's all folks.  Simple and dessert-like deliciousness.

Green Wakey Wakey!

I prepare large batches of sandwich size baggies stuffed with freshly chopped ingredients, then freeze them so they are ready to go at a moment's notice.  

Today's baggie included about:

1 tightly packed handful Spinach 

1 generous pinch Cilantro leaves

3-4 slices or bite-size chunks of:

Apple

Cucumber

Mango

Avocado 

Place in blender then add these liquids and blend to your preferred consistency:

1/4 c. coconut milk yogurt 

1/4 c. almond milk

1/4 c. water

2 T. hydrated chia seeds

1 sweet n low (I know...but...)

This one was more flavorful than I expected!  It had a bright wake-up-the-palate flavor and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Irish Oatmeal Bread

This makes a large, hearty loaf with a crisp crust and tender interior.  A mild, nutty tasting bread that pairs well with soup and makes an excellent toast with honey butter. 

Add to a small bowl and let soak for 2 hours, stirring once:

1 c. McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oats

1 c. boiling water 

30 minutes before oats have finished soaking, place medium-size dutch oven and lid in a 375 degree oven and leave until dough is fully prepared.

When oats have soaked for 2 hours, stir in the following:

1/2 c. melted butter

1/4 c. full fat plain yogurt

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together:

2/3 c. stoneground whole wheat flour

1/3 c. almond flour

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. sea salt

In a glass measuring cup, mix together:

2/3 c. water

1 t. baking soda

1 T. vinegar

Make a well in the flour and alternately add oat mixture and water, using a fork to blend and form a sticky dough ball.

Add dough ball to hot dutch oven, cover, and bake at 375 for about 1 hour.  

Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  When bread is done, immediately remove loaf from the dutch oven to a cooling rack.

The bread slices well right out of the oven so there's no need to wait for that first taste!