Old fashioned goodness in a bowl..for Prince or Pauper TGGD

Today I am prepping for tomorrow's delivery and as the weather has changed to cooler temps. high 60's and drizzly mornings I am making slow cooked thick old fashioned soups..
Lentil with cumin and bay leaf,
a London Fog pea soup with barley ,
and a light partially blended tomato with basil

the rest of the menu is (all client's choices from a much larger menu)
Italian ( not GF) pasta with a zucchini-tomato sauce
Wilted greens with raisins and pine nuts (also a pasta "sauce")
Twice baked potatoes with sauteed spinach and Cheddar cheese
Grilled vegetable whole wheat tarts with yeasted crust
Brown rice pilau with almonds and raisins
Sauteed broccoli with walnuts
Oatmeal cookies with fresh ginger and raisins
fresh fruit crumble..caramelized fresh berries topped with a brown butter whole wheat short bread crumbs

Spiralinalak..a fermented pro-biotic that is non-dairy and is produced from a ferment of sprouted rye berries and twice filtered water. (prevents migraines and headaches and helps with digestion  developed in the 1950's by Ann Wigmore)..I add powdered spiralina (super food) to mine.
Also this weekend I am going to experiment on making Afghan sour dough flat breads..more to come on this.


The lentil soup ...it seems most people and countries identify with some form of this soup..a true comfort dish, this one is made without tomatoes ,very thick

The pea soup....a very traditional English  based recipe using both green split peas and yellow.
Yellow split peas are used a lot in the East End of London in the pie and mash shops and fish and chip shops they make Pease Pudding.. (a mash of cooked split peas, usually made with bacon)..very tasty and very much a working man's food.
When you visit London try these pie and mash shops, they are off the tourist maps but well worth a trip, with their green sauce which is a very thin parsley sauce but an integral part of the meal.


For both soups don't add any parsley or cilantro as this would be a negative influence on the flavor.

The Tomato soup is a lighter version of the HRH Prince Ernst of Hanover soup recipe is in TGGD

the split yellow and green peas

rinsed and  drained pearl barley

fresh basil for the tomato soup

the simmering tomato-basil soup

A London Fog Pea Souper

simmering lentil soup

3 day sprouts

sprouted rye for the ferment

Organic Blue Corn Meal..a sacred food..Photos UP

Blue Corn is sacred to the Native Americans and is used as a form of protection and rep. The Great Spirit in  ceremonies...it is a sweeter tasting corn and is used in their native breads and in corn mush..used for hard tack bread for long journeys.
It's power lies in the fact that it is blue ..the same color as the heart of the Thunderbird.
It is it's natural color, not a hybrid.
This next Monday I am making organic blue corn bread with either fresh jalapeno peppers or tempeh bakon ( my clients will order their choices)..I will post photos next week.
I believe that Blue Corn is still grown in small batches and not commercially produced ( not sure of this but I know I don't ever see the blue corn kernels much in the stores).


Corn, peppers,squashes and beans are the canvases that most of Native American meals were/are based on...along with any game or fish.

the corn meal batter made with eggs and rice milk

baked cornbread with tempeh bakon

with fresh jalapeno peppers and tempeh bakon

Because this corn bread is fat free I am sending it with maple-agave butter to spread..yummy

Compound salads and Dutch Apple Tarts May 1st..Photos

The salads are all prepped as are the greens, when making dressings for compound salads I always work on the ratio 2/3 acid to 1/3 extra virgin olive oil..this is because the base of the salad..couscous & lentils have already been cooked with added olive oil..thereby the extra acid helps in the digestion.
The acid in these  salads dressing has been fresh  blood orange and wild lemon juice and fresh whole satsuma kumquat from my garden..along with whole grain mustard, fresh cilantro, parsley, garden mint and peppermint.
I don't add any salt..clients can add their own at home.

When sauteing  collards, mustard and turnip green etc. I always Blanch them in boiling salted water first, drain then saute in olive oil.
When I saute and caramelize cauliflower and broccoli I don't pre-Blanch.

Here are the shots form this morning..also the Dutch apple pies look and smell great, enjoy

this is a spinach pasta "sauce", sauteed spinach, black olives, red onion, grated nutmeg, garlic, red wine and olive oil.

mixed greens with scallions

broccoli for caramelizing in hot olive oil with red pepper flakes

fennel, red onion  and fresh mint for the lentil salad

over stuffed 3 apple Dutch Apple pie made with whole wheat flour

couscous with own grown tomatoes, cilantro, scallions..salad

previous 2 salad dressings

own grown cilantro for salads

satsuma kumquat for salad dressing  and jams

the finished Dutch Apple Pies