It’s been a month since the luncheonette has opened, and I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be holding a Wonton & Dumpling Workshop this Saturday, December 8. I know, it’s a busy time of year as we all gear up for the holidays, but it will be fun! and you get to eat dumplings too! There will be a folding demo before you sit and fold your own to take home; all the while chatting with new-found friends in our dumpling circle. A demo of boiling and steam-frying, followed by luuuuunch, of you guessed it, wontons and dumplings! Can you think of a better way to spend a few hours on Saturday? Link for sign up here.

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For 4 months, Hubby stopped taking his 10mg of Lipitor, and instead drank a glass of kombucha tea every day with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

To make it more palatable, I experimented with a second fermentation, adding a little blueberry pomegranate juice to the strained kombucha and leaving it for another 2-4 days on the counter in air-tight bottles. The yeast in the kombucha feeds off the sugar in the juice, naturally carbonating in the process.

The result is something that reminds me of pink champagne, dry, bubbly and effervescent. So guess what? Drumroll please…

Kombucha tea DID lower Hubby’s cholesterol. Here are the numbers:

Doc said, no more pills, just keep doing what you’re doing! Other than drinking kombucha, nothing had changed. Hubby still ran 10k 3 times a week, ate what he normally ate, just drinking kombucha made all the difference.

Cheers!

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Henry was our first, and he wasn’t too happy when Rocco came along. It took 3 weeks before I could trust putting them together without a barrier.

Rocco would follow Henry around, and life seemed good. Here, they are doing tricks for my daughter’s class visit.

They hung out, snuggled and slept together.

They would roam around the cottage together, picking wild raspberries and blackberries.

But as Rocco caught up in size, he started to challenge Henry.

To look at them sleeping together, you would think they were best of friends.

But this is not nice. Henry’s ears were constant targets. Rocco became bolder, I’ve even tried to out boss him, but as he matured into his second year, the fighting worsened. It was time, the last few scuffles had left them both staggering and limping away in pain. 120-pound fighting pigs is pretty scary, especially now that they have tusks. It’s a matter of time before someone loses an eye or worse!

So I found Rocco a forever home at Ralphy’s Retreat in Norfolk county. A pig sanctuary within Bella Misty Meadows run by the kind and caring Kara Burrows. Here, he will make new friends and I think be much happier, and maybe even find himself a girlfriend.

It’s been much quieter here without Rocco, Henry did notice his brother was missing, but he didn’t appear sad. He still ate his supper, and went to bed. Now that Rocco’s gone, Henry’s got the whole bed to himself…filling Rocco’s side with my folding chair, sticks, plastic bags, leaves, odd shoe…

Now he can eat in peace and enjoy one-on-one attention, just like old times.

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The cost is $45 if you want to come and watch and eat homemade pizza, and an additional $55 (materials fee) if you want to build one to take home. Materials include what you will need to make the top part (1 grow bed, hydration pebbles, hose/valve/fittings), you just need to provide the bottom half when you get home (fish tank, fish, pump).

The workshop will be held at Hubby’s downtown studio at Richmond & Spadina on Sunday May 11, 2014, from 2:00-4:30pm. We will show you how to make your own mini aquaponic system like this (but only with 1 top grow bed).

If you can’t make it we understand, but if you are able to join us (I’ll be making pizza too to really entice you), then visit Eventbrite to get your tickets. Hubby and I look forward to meeting other fellow aquapons!

Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for upcoming workshops and cooking classes on topics such as: sprouts & micro greens, mushroom inoculation, basement aquaponics, food styling and photography for bloggers, dumplings, stirfy 101, home canning, lacto-fermentation)

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Don’t be fooled by the lack of colour, just like it’s cousin kale, cauliflower is one of the healthiest vegetables with many health benefits. If you’re looking for a low carb alternative to rice this is it. Best thing is, a cup of cauliflower is only 30 calories! I can eat as much as I want!

Preparation is simple. Start with a medium-sized head of cauliflower. Trim off any brown bits.

Rinse and pat dry. You don’t want excess water or you’ll have soggy “rice”.

Cut into pieces and pulse in your food processor.

Careful not to over pulse, or it will become cauliflower purée.

Look at this fine fluffy texture. It’s very similar to couscous because I pulsed a little too much.

Wilt over medium heat in a non-stick pan, no oil is necessary if you are making a plain rice. Stir occasionally to cook evenly. Once softened (about 10 minutes), the cauliflower will look and feel like fluffy rice (or couscous).

Here I added leftover tomato meat sauce for a sort of spanish fried rice.

The cauliflower flavour is pleasantly mild and hardly noticeable under a curry or stir fry. I like to keep a container of cooked plain cauliflower rice in the fridge, ready to heat up with any meal during the week. You can also store it raw in the freezer for future use.

If you’re cutting out rice for whatever reason, try this! It’s a pretty darn good substitute.

Cauliflower Rice

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

A low-carb alternative to rice!

By: Jill Chen

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• One medium head of cauliflower

Instructions

1. Trim cauliflower into smaller chunks of florets.
2. Pulse in food processor, being careful not to over process,
3. In a non-stick pan, heat cauliflower rice over medium heat. Stirring occasionally.
4. When it's wilted, soft and fluffy, it's ready. Use anywhere in place of rice.

3.2.2429

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Salted ducks eggs is quite simply, duck eggs preserved in a salt water brine for 30-40 days. The white is REALLY salty, but the yolk inside is a prized delicacy. During the chinese mid-autumn festival, tins of moon cake (the salted egg yolks inside represent a full moon) are exchanged and shared between family and friends. The yolk can also be used in stir fries creating a tasty coating on bitter melon, or steamed with egg and pork (a traditional favourite which I will post one day soon!). The best way to eat salt duck eggs is boiled, scraping the salty contents into a bowl of plain rice or congee.

Brined for 30 days and boiled, the centre hasn’t quite changed texture.

The egg above could’ve gone another week longer. What you’re after is an oil, grainy, crumbly texture which you can see in the darker outside yolk. The colour should also be deep bright orange, but it isn’t here. Maybe because the ducks haven’t been able to forage on grass. Duck eggs are typically used because of their high fat content. I suppose you could try chicken eggs, but it may not be the same.

Yum. Perfection.

Stella’s first egg on left, beside it is her second egg, a few days later.

Stella, our Cayuga duck laid her first egg on January 2o at 9 months old. I was expecting a totally black egg, but it came out a deep olive green. Each subsequent egg got a little bigger, now they barely fit in an egg carton. She also surprised us with her egg production, giving us between 5-6 eggs a week, which is better than some chickens.

Stella and her brother Harry were the Cayuga ducklings that were first “hired” to power our duckaponics system last summer. Now, in addition to helping us grow vegetables, she also provides gorgeous XXXL duck eggs.

The only downside is that Harry, started beating up the chickens. He’s been extra protective since Stella’s been laying, biting and pulling feathers off the poor hens in attempt to keep them away from food, water and nest.

Begin by washing a dozen duck eggs. I love the natural black scribbles on the end of each egg.

Make your brine by dissolving 1 cup of sea salt into 4 cups of boiling water. Let cool to room temperature before filling glass container, be sure to cover the eggs.

To keep the eggs from floating to the top, a plastic sandwich bag filled with plain water, is sealed and place on top of the eggs to weigh them down. Cover with lid, and leave out on your counter for 30 days.

After 30 days, take one out and boil it for 15 minutes, then cut through to check the yolk inside. Take eggs out of brine when ready, rinse and store in the fridge for up to a month.

You can also purchase salted duck eggs in most asian grocery stores. They commonly come whole, uncooked, encased in black dirt which you just wash off prior to using, or packaged with just the raw yolks.

Don’t forget to label your eggs to keep track of the time.

Chinese Salted Duck Eggs

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

By: Jill Chen

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 dozen raw duck eggs
• 1 cup sea salt
• 4 cups boiled water
• glass container with lid

Instructions

1. Dissolve salt in 4 cups of boiled water. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Wash eggs and carefully place in clean jar.
3. Fill and cover with brine. Cover with air-tight lid and wait 30 days. No refrigeration needed, keep away from full sun.
4. Test after 30 days by boiling for 15 minutes. Cut in half and examine yolk. The white will be really salty, and can be eaten with plain rice or congee.
5. Also really good diced, mixed with fresh raw tofu and a dash of sesame oil. Eaten as as a cold accompaniment to rice or congee.
6. Store eggs raw, or cooked in refrigerator afterwards. Brine may be reused for next batch.

Notes

Be sure to label your jars or create a calendar alert for 30 days.

3.2.2310

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This recipe makes enough nut butter for one large bunch, or two smaller bunches of kale. If you like more coating on your kale, then add extra nut butter.

Give your kale a quick rinse (or not, I don’t always), and pick off the leaves into smaller pieces, discarding the stem. If you do rinse, be sure to use a salad spinner to get most of the water out.

The centre stalk can be replanted in the garden, or stuck in my basement aquaponics grow bed where it will continue to grow.

Put a cup of almonds (walnuts or cashews also work), with half a small onion into a food processor.

And let it whirr until mealy.

Add all the other ingredients: olive oil, soya sauce,  lemon juice, sesame oil and sugar, and blend until smooth.

Add some water, a tablespoon at a time to thin it down if necessary. It should be the consistency of hummus and spreadable, but not too wet, or it will take forever to dry in the oven. Thinned out even more, this nut butter is also great on salads, or creamy sauce for meat or fish.

Massage into the kale and coat all the leaves, make it even as possible or you’ll end up with a really salty bite.

It’s easier if you divide the kale and the nut butter into two large mixing bowls, and massage the contents of each really well.

Before you get your hands all messy and sticky, have two cookie sheets lined with parchment ready for baking. Spread out the mixed kale onto two cookie sheets, don’t worry if there are big chunks of nuts, it’s nice and adds more meat in every bite.

Bake for a few hours at 250•F, turning and spreading apart every half hour or so. Keep a close eye when the kale starts to dry out on the outer edges of the cookie sheet. Give it a toss and rearrange on cookie sheet, shifting browner pieces to the middle.

The wetter your kale is, the longer it will take. You could even turn off the oven and leave it in overnight to really dry out.

Watch it doesn’t burn or brown too much, or it will become bitter. When it’s dry and crispy, it’s done! Store kale jerky in large ziplock or airtight container. Will keep unrefrigerated for days (as long as it’s thoroughly dry), if it lasts that long.

A crispy, crunchy, chewy and healthy snack. Addictive and better than potato chips!

Kale Jerky, better than potato chips!

 

Print

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

90 mins

Total time

2 hours

 

One large bunch or two small bunches of kale will yield about 1-1/2 large ziplock bag of kale jerky.

By: Jill Chen

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch or two small bunches of kale
• 1 cup almonds (can substitute for cashews or walnuts)
• ½ small onion
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsps soy sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250*F and line two cookie sheets with parchment.
2. Wash, trim, spin dry kale, set aside.
3. Make nut butter by combining almonds and onion in food processor into a mealy texture.
4. Add rest of ingredients: olive oil, soya, lemon juice, sesame oil and sugar. Blend well into a creamy soft texture, adding water if necessary (one tablespoon at a time) to get desired consistency (like hummus).
5. Divide and work in two batches, working and massaging the nut butter evenly in the kale.
6. Once your kale is well coated, lay and spread evenly onto your two lined baking sheets, and bake for a few hours, turning occasionally so that it dries out more evening.

Notes

Baking/drying time will vary depending on how wet your kale mixture is. Just keep checking periodically so that it doesnt burn, or turn your oven temperature lower to 200•F.
Make sure all is dry before storing in ziplock bag or air-tight container. If it isn't, throw it back in the oven. Will keep a week unrefrigerated, or store in fridge if it's not entirely dry.

3.2.2310

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Over the course of the year, the most success I’ve had was with Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard. This versatile vegetable has been producing non-stop, sending up a never-ending supply of leafy greens, a perfect substitute for spinach. Collard greens and kale have also done well.

Screens are necessary to keep fish from jumping out. An automatic fish feeder hangs over the 100-gallon tank.

Once a week I would lug heavy 5-gallon buckets of water from the laundry room to top up the tanks, loss due to evaporation and plant uptake. I also went through a lot of water conditioner ($10 a bottle) to dechlorinate the water. As you can see in the above photo, Hubby so kindly rigged up a holding tank (black plastic storage container and garden hose) which I keep filled with a turn of a tap. After a day or two , the chlorine dissipates. Water from the holding tank is gravity fed into the fish tanks with an on and off valve. No more lugging water!  Thank you Hubby.

Daily maintenance means having a quick glance to see that the bell siphon is working properly, and water is flowing in and flowing out correctly. If the grow bed isn’t properly flooding and draining, the water will be dirtier than normal and smell a little fishy, a sign that something is not right.

Basil is also in constant supply. When they get too big and unruly, I snip and stick a sprig in the grow bed where it grows into another huge basil plant.

Aquaponics is a closed-loop soiless system, fish poop doesn’t contain essential minerals so you need to supplement. This is glacial rock dust. Without it, your leafy greens will not be so green and healthy. About once a week, a  few tablespoons mixed with water is added right into the grow bed. It’s also great in the garden to replenish the soil.

Out of twenty tilapia from my original basement aquaponics post, we are now down to three fish. Some we ate, some were jumpers. I’ve learned that tilapia are better in large groups. No one is singled out and they all blend and hide amongst each other. As soon as the numbers go down, they get territorial and aggressive. Just like chickens, there is a pecking order. I’ve seen flanks and tails with bites missing. We are currently trying to mate the remaining three. No more fish dinners until they reproduce… if  successful, we’ll have a year’s supply of fish!

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Jars of sweetened organic green tea ferments for at least seven days.

For me, it’s been miraculous. I am pre-diabetic and need to watch what I eat. No rice – no pasta – no bread – no sweets – no joy. After indulging one night at the movies on a bag of M&M’s, my morning blood sugar reading was significantly lower than normal. A binge like that would’ve seen a sure spike and put me in a sleep-induced coma. Coincidence or was it the aqua fit classes? So I did it again (I love peanut M&M’s). There was a definite pattern. Whenever I drank kombucha, glucose readings were lower than when I didn’t.

The SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria & Yeast),
is a living rubbery mat that feeds off the sugar in the tea.

From what I can tell, there hasn’t been any medical studies on kombucha tea, except for one done on rats and ducks. Results showed a decrease in bad cholesterol and blood sugar. Again, it’s stuff off the internet, you can’t believe everything your read right? So Hubby is going to be my duck for three months. He will drink a wineglass of kombucha at every meal (lucky he likes it). If kombucha can lower the bad LDL cholesterol and raise the good HDL in ducks, then maybe it will work on Hubby too. Stay tuned for the lab results!

A baby scoby forms on the surface.
Layers can be split and shared to start new batches.

Maybe claims of treating arthritis, joint pain, high blood pressure, reducing grey hair and reversing the aging process is really true too? I’ll let you know in three months!

To make kombucha is very simple and takes very little time. I make two batches a week to keep up with demand. Don’t worry about those stringy brown bits, it’s yeast and tea.

Bring a gallon (16 cups) of water to a boil and dissolve a cup of sugar. Add eight green or black tea bags (I like green tea) and leave it in till the tea cools. Do NOT add to scoby unless it’s cooled, or the heat will kill it.

Like making kefir, cover with something breathable (like a coffee filter) for gas to escape and keep fruit flies out. Here you can see the different layers grown each week. If it gets too thick, peel it off and share, or discard the older layer on the bottom and keep the newer whiter layers.

Leave it undisturbed for 7-10 days. The more scoby, the sooner it’s ready. Have a sniff and spoon a taste. If it’s tangy, it’s done. For me the tarter the better. Internet says to test the PH for acidity (3), but the taste test works just fine. It also helps to write down the date so you don’t forget.

When the kombucha is done, pour through a sieve to catch any lumpy bits. It won’t kill you to swallow, but it is a bit of a shock to feel something slimy slurp through your throat. Make sure you leave about a cup in each jar. You need a little bit of the kombucha to start your next batch. If you don’t have any, you can use apple cider vinegar. The new batch needs to have an acidic environment to keep away mould. Add your cooled tea, pouring only to the widest part of the shoulder. You want to give the scoby maximum surface area to grow. Cover, and repeat process in a week or so.

Kombucha stored in convenient 500mL plastic beer bottles.

You can store the strained kombucha in the fridge, or keep tightly sealed at room temperature for a couple of days. This second fermentation is where you can flavour your kombucha by adding fruit juice or ginger. This will give you a more carbonated drink as the yeast in the kombucha will continue to ferment. Be careful not to over carbonate or your bottles will explode.

We prefer to keep it simple and enjoy it straight up. Cheers!

Brew Your Own Kombucha Tea

 

Print

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

By: Jill Chen

Serves: 1 gallon

Ingredients

• 1 gallon (16 cups) water
• 1 cup white sugar (don't use honey or brown sugar)
• 8 black or green tea bags (more if you like a stronger tea)
• 1 cup starter kombucha, or pasteurized apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Boil water, dissolve sugar and add tea.
2. Let it cool to room temperature, heat will kill the scoby.
3. Pour into jar with scoby and a cup of starter kombucha or apple cider vinegar.
4. Cover with breathable cover, secure with rubber band.
5. Let it ferment away from direct sunlight, for 7-10 days, depending on ambient temperature, times will vary. Check by tasting. The more sour, the better nutritionally.
6. Strain and store in airtight bottles if you want slight carbonation, or simply store in a juice pitcher.
7. For second fermentation and flavouring, add desire fruit juice, dried fruit or ginger and keep at room temperature for a few more days in an airtight container. Caution when opening as contents will be under pressure.

3.2.2265

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