Posts Tagged ‘ kitchen ’

Recipe: Kale Salad

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Kale salad with cranberries and feta

Inspired by Frugal Kiwi’s quest for health* I’m working to include more vegetables in my diet. A couple of years ago a lovely woman named Pua introduced me to a kale salad that I fell in love with – and I don’t love kale. She shared the recipe with me in a “little of this, little of that” kind of way. I made a big batch of it today and noted the measurements so that I could share, but I totally recommend that you just eyeball it. The finished salad has a lovely earthy flavor and I find that I crave it. If I have it made in the fridge I keep going back for “just a bit more.” But there’s nothing wrong with snacking on kale all day, right? Kale Salad a dozen curly kale leaves 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos  1/2 very ripe avocado 1/4 cup each: sunflower seeds, pepitos, dried cranberries 1-2 tablespoons feta cheese Remove the stem from the kale leaves. Thoroughly wash and dry the leaves, then tear them into bite sized pieces. Place leaves in a big bowl along with the olive oil. Lomi – or...

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Recipe: Homemade BBQ Chips

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DIY Barbecue Chips

Even though we are diligently trying to eat a healthier diet in this household, I couldn’t help myself. I ordered a copy of Casey Barber’s Classic Snacks Made from Scratch. My husband picked up the book and said, ” Why did you get this? We don’t eat this stuff. Ooooh, Funyuns.” That’s why I got the book. Also: Hostess Cupcakes (chocolate and orange), Nacho Cheese Doritos, Tater Tots, and Cinnamon Pop-Tarts. Cinnamon Pop-Tarts! This book is chock full of recipes to replicate your favorite junk food. It may not be health food, but the homemade versions certainly have fewer ingredients than the store bought versions (and none that I can’t pronounce) and making them at home eliminates the packaging. I decided to try out the BBQ Potato Chips recipe from Barber’s book when my eldest son, home from college, requested hamburgers for dinner. My youngest sliced the potatoes (using the food processor) and mixed up the spices. I did the frying. I don’t do much deep frying; I was surprised at how little splattering and popping there was – unlike frying bacon. The resulting chips were slightly saltier than I liked, but they had the classic BBQ chip flavor...

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Recipe: Homemade Mayonnaise

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Recipe: Homemade Mayonnaise

I’ve been avoiding famous mayonnaise brands because they’re typically made from canola or soy oil, both products made from crops that are commonly genetically modified. I spent a small fortune on a “certified non-gmo” canola mayonnaise a couple of months ago, only to find it was terrible a really good replication of Miracle Whip. NOT what I was looking for. So I started making my own, experimenting a bit with different ingredients until I found a combination that tasted like the spread we’re used to. Depending on your equipment, it takes about 5-15 minutes, start to finish, so it’s not too time consuming, though there is a certain margin of error with the need to emulsify the ingredients. Out of the dozen or so batches I’ve made, all but one have emulsified into a nice thick spread. The one that didn’t emulsify? Was turned into a splendid salad dressing. Make your own mayonnaise 1 egg at room temperature 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg’s) 1 teaspoon water 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard (you’re making your own, right??) pinch of salt 1 cup grapeseed oil or extra light olive oil With an immersion blender (easiest method): Pour the oil...

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Homemade Granola

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Homemade Granola

Packaged cereal has become a breakfast staple in America, but we gave it up long ago. In fact, we stopped buying cereal regularly long before I before I began this whole sustainable quest of mine, mostly because even after two (expensive) bowls full of cereal, my boys were hungry again by mid-morning. It just didn’t stick with them. Instead, I make homemade granola and I do it without a recipe. That means no measuring. Which means I can throw together a batch really quickly. Here’s how I do it: Oil the bottom of a large roasting pan to prevent sticking. Fill the pan to the halfway point with rolled oats. Add “extra” ingredients like puffed millet, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or sesame seeds (whatever you have in the cupboard) so that the pan is about 3/4 full. Pour one-half to one cup of honey or maple syrup over the dry ingredients, stirring it in as you pour. Bake in an oven set between 300-350 (F) degrees. (The variable oven temperature allows you to cook the granola while you’ve got something else in the oven, making the most of your heat.) Stir every 10-15 minutes* for about an hour or...

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Homemade Gluten Free Cheese Crackers

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Homemade Gluten Free Cheese Crackers

  Fact: Cheez-Its are crap food. Fact: Cheez-Its aren’t even a food really. More like a food product. Fact: In spite of the fact that I haven’t eaten Cheez-Its in years, if I were stranded on a deserted island with only one kind of food, Cheez-Its would be right up there at the top of my wish list. So sue me. Awhile back (inspired by a recipe sent by Amanda from High Prairie Homestead) my sixteen-year-old son took it upon himself to try his hand at making homemade cheese crackers. He deemed them “awesome,” not to mention really easy to make. Trouble is, I follow a gluten free diet. And let me tell you: just smelling those homemade Cheez-It-like crackers just wasn’t cutting it. So I decided to attempt a gluten free version. The results? I would totally take these with me to a deserted island. Homemade Gluten Free Cheese Crackers makes roughly the equivalent of a small box of Cheez-Its (otherwise known as enough for me) ½ cup sorghum flour (plus more for rolling out dough) ¼ cup coconut flour 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 1 cup cheddar cheese (sharp or mild) ½ teaspoon...

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Use It Or Lose It

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Use It Or Lose It

I’ve been preserving my garden produce for years – I’d say at least 25 years or so. Only within the last few years, though, have I found a solution to using my canned goods in an organized manner, making sure that we had enough to last us until the next season or avoiding an excess of something that wasn’t a favorite. Prior to moving to an apple-less location (sob!) I made hundreds of pounds of apples into applesauce every year. This was by far my kids’ favorite pantry item, so it was easy for us to use it all up and then find ourselves without any for months on end. Or the opposite would happen: those six jars of pickled peppers that tasted fine but turned out mushy kept getting pushed to the back of the pantry, leaving us with canned peppers at the height of fresh pepper season. I found the solution in a copy of The Tightwad Gazette years ago. In it, the author shared her plan for making sure her preserved foods were used up before the next season’s glut of zucchini and green beans without depleting the stores too soon: A simple chart.   Once...

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Parents Need to Eat Too

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Parents Need to Eat Too

One thing I hear – a lot – when I talk about living a more conscious lifestyle is that, yes, that’s all fine and good. Until you have kids. Babies have a way of interrupting things, don’t they? Less time for yourself, less time for tackling things like recycling or gardening or even cooking. Well, take heart. Debbie Koenig may not be able to help with your recycling or gardening or any of the myriad other chores that often go by the wayside when you are raising kids. But cooking? She’s got you covered. Her book, Parents Need To Eat Too is filled with healthy, easy to make recipes that just might prevent you from falling into the fast food trap. My kids are teens now and do much of their own cooking. I’m beyond the oh-my-gosh-when-will-I-ever-sleep stage. And yet, thumbing through the review copy that the publisher sent, I found a ton of recipes that I’d actually make. Zucchini and Spinach Risotto? Why, yes please! And the fact that the meals are so easy to pull together means I’ll have time to spend in the garden growing some of the ingredients. I’ve got my eye on a few...

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In Praise of Napkin Rings

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In Praise of Napkin Rings

Napkin rings? What, am I Martha? Actually, no. Martha would be quite horrified at the table I set each night. And yet, I do use napkin rings. Once upon a time, it occurred to me that the cloth napkins we use daily probably don’t need to be washed daily. I mean, after ribs or pizza yes, certainly – we’re not gross – but some meals just don’t leave much beyond a crumb on our napkins. Those, I figured, we could use another night. My eldest gifted me with custom made napkin rings nearly ten years ago, and we’re still using them today. After dinner, we decide if our napkin needs to be washed or if it can be reused. If it can be reused without drawing the ire of the health department, it gets rolled back up and tucked into our personalized napkin ring and kept in a basket for the next night. Using cloth napkins has prevented countless paper napkins from entering the waste stream over the years. Washing napkins only when they actually need it has saved lots of time and plenty of water. Do you use cloth napkins? What about napkin rings?

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

Those little individual packets of taco seasoning mix? Expensive, plus you generate trash every time you use them. The big bulk bottles at Costco? Less expensive, but plastic. Happily, once you have the ingredients on hand, it takes just a few minutes to make your own. Buy your spices in bulk at the natural food store using your mini bags to tote them home – you’ve made some, right?? – and you’ll save on trips to the supermarket, avoid adding to the landfill, and save some cashola. Taco Seasoning 1/2 cup dried minced onions 1/2 cup chili powder 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons organic cornstarch 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) Measure ingredients into a glass jar. Screw on a lid and shake to mix ingredients thoroughly. That’s it. To use: Stir 2-3 tablespoons of taco seasoning into a pound or so of browned ground meat along with 2 cups of water. Simmer until liquid is absorbed.

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Guest Post: Take Control of Your Kitchen

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Guest Post: Take Control of Your Kitchen

Who couldn’t use a little more organization in their life? Today I have an expert on organization here to share some tips. Brette Sember is the author of The Organized Kitchen published by Adams Media. She writes the popular food blogs No Pot Cooking and Martha And Me. She is also the author of The Parchment Paper Cookbook and the upcoming The Muffin Tin Cook Book from Adams Media. Sember is a former attorney and author of more than 35 other books, as well as a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She lives in Buffalo, NY with her husband, two children, and two golden retrievers. You can follow her on Twitter @brettesember. The kitchen is one of the rooms in the home that produces the highest amount of waste. An organized kitchen allows you to use less and use what you have more responsibly. Learning to improve kitchen efficiency will not only save time and money, but will make you more likely to want to spend time cooking at home and making the most of this important space. Multiple Uses Creates Multiple Confusion Your kitchen is probably the most used room in your home, even if...

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Welcome

It’s one thing to think, “Hey, I’d love to be more self-sufficient!” and quite another to implement a lifestyle change that might require learning some new skills.

Attainable Sustainable is about bridging the gap between wanting change and making it happen without becoming overwhelmed. Nobody’s saying you have to go get a tractor and a cow. Attainable Sustainable is about discovering – one step at a time – how to make changes in your life to support a sustainable lifestyle.

The Author

Kris Bordessa has been gardening for most of her life. She's been authoring books and writing features for the past ten years or so. It's about time she combined the two, don't you think? [More about the author]