fermented

Over the past year, as I've been gaining knowledge about the benefits of eating clean, nourishing foods (such as grass-fed meats/dairy and organic produce), I also stumbled upon the world of fermented foods.  And when I say world, I really mean it!  There are so many different types of fermented foods out there!  It's amazing, and a bit overwhelming all at the same time.  

Before I learned about this so-called world, I had very little knowledge or awareness of its presence and its many benefits.  So, after I learned a little, I found myself wanting to know a ton more!  It all started when I realized that fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, are packed full of probiotics (aka, good bacteria) and that they've been around for thousands of years!  Now, I've read plenty of yogurt containers over lunch breaks to know that yogurt has good bacteria in it in the form of live cultures, but I was completely unaware of all of the other fermented foods that also contain those wonderful little bacteria.  

Now, in our society of anti-germ everything, many people have come to disgust, hate, and even fear the word bacteria.  We're told that it's bad, that we should avoid it, and that if we come in contact with it, we should kill it and get rid of it completely.  This information comes to us in the form of antibiotics, antibacterial soap, antibacterial hand-sanitizer, antibacterial cleaning products, the list goes on and on.  Don't get me wrong, there a lot of bad types of bacteria out there and they can be rather dangerous. However, at the same time, there are also a lot of good types of bacteria out there, and all of our killing of the bad, often times also kills the good.  

This killing of good bacteria ends up being very harmful for our guts (stomach/intestinal/digestive systems).  We need all of those good little bacteria to keep us healthy.  Not only do they fight off the bad guys, but they also help us to better digest food and absorb nutrients.  So, when you don't have a balanced gut (full of good bacteria), it's actually possible to eat really healthily, but not really benefit from it because your body may not be absorbing all of the nutrients from that food if it doesn't have the help of that good bacteria.

Yikes!  So, you may be wondering....what do I do about this?!?! 

Well, there are a couple options.  An easy one is that you can start taking probiotic (good bacteria) supplements.  You can get them at health food stores and they often pack thousands of helpful bacteria into a little capsule.  When we are away from home or out of our normal routine, we take Melaleuca's Florify Probiotic supplement.  (Contact me for more info about this.)  For those who are looking for an easy and quick way to build up your good bacteria defenses, a supplement may be a good option.  The other option, and this is the one that I prefer, is to incorporate probiotic-rich foods into your diet.

This is where fermented foods come in.  As I mentioned before, fermented foods are packed full of probiotics.  Not only that, but when foods are fermented, their nutrients actually become more readily available and more easily digestible for us.  They are also rather yummy!  If you are at all interested in diving in or even just getting your feet wet in the world of fermented foods and probiotics, I highly recommend the book Fermented Food for Health by Deirdre Rawlings.  She not only explains the benefits, traditions, and reasons behind fermented foods, but half of the book is filled with recipes and tips for how to incorporate fermented foods into your life.  It's highly educational, interesting, and mouth-watering! 

There are several fermented foods that I've started incorporating into our diets over the past few months.  The first is kombucha, a fermented tea drink.  It's bubbly and refreshing, and we absolutely love it, especially when it's infused with strawberries and rhubarb! 

The second is sourdough bread.  Now, I do believe that most of the good bacteria in sourdough are killed in the baking process, but you still get the nutritional benefits from the fermentation process, which helps to break down difficult to digest nutrients that are typically found in grains.  So, sourdough bread, made from a fermented sourdough starter, is easier to digest and more nutritious than other types of bread.

Fermented carrots have become another favorite of mine.  I tried making sauerkraut last fall, but I don't think it really turned out.  While waiting for it to ferment, I also realized that I wasn't really a fan of sauerkraut or even cabbage, so the idea of tasting my creation was never really appealing.  However, when I found a recipe for fermented ginger-carrots, I decided to take another shot at fermenting vegetables.  I figured that starting with favors that I already enjoy, was probably a good idea.  The result was great!  I love adding fermented carrots to salads!  They are ready to use, packed full of nutrients, and add a ton of flavor.  

The most recent fermented food that I've added to my list is milk kefir.  It's similar to plain yogurt in taste, but a mix between milk, sour cream, and yogurt for texture and consistency.  I use it in smoothies, over granola, in place of buttermilk, in place of sour cream (I mix it with a bit of yogurt to thicken it), and to make kefir cheese (which is very similar to cream cheese in texture and flavor).  It lasts far longer than milk and buttermilk and is a great way to keep dairy on hand!  I've become quite the fan! 

After the past ten months of this fermented journey, I must say that I will never turn back.  We are healthier than we've probably ever been and feel great.  I know there are a lot of factors that have made us healthier, but I know that the fermented foods that we regularly eat are definitely one of those factors.  

So, if you take anything away from my ramblings today, please take a little (or much) interest and curiosity in the world of fermented foods.  I think you'll enjoy the journey!

Here are a few resources for further reading:

lentils and tacos...together...

Our journey towards eating mostly grass-fed meats has forced me to get more creative with my dinner planning, as I mentioned in my post on beans.  We love eating grass-fed meats, but they are a bit more expensive and not always as convenient as conventionally-rasied meat.  With all of the venison that we have in our freezer, it's not often that I'm in need or want of beef.  However, I do sometimes find myself missing ground beef.  (We've been planning to grind venison, but don't have a grinder and just haven't gotten around to borrowing one...)  One of the things that I often used to use ground beef for was tacos.  I love making tacos.  I could eat them on a regular basis and probably not get bored.  So, when I found this recipe for Spiced Lentil Tacos, I decided to try it and ended up falling in love!  It's so yummy, so cheap, and so easy!  

I now use that basic recipe in place of taco meat when I'm out of good beef or want to make a cheap meal.  Basically, you cook the lentils kind of like you would taco meat.  Sauté some onions and garlic in oil, add the dry lentils, add the taco seasoning, add some broth and let simmer until lentils are soft, mash them up a bit, and ta-da!! 

Also, on the note of taco seasoning....I haven't bought a packet of store-bought seasoning in years.  I find that it's a lot easier to whip together some tacos if I just use the seasonings I have on hand.  It's also much cheaper and there are no mystery ingredients!  

Taco Seasoning Recipe (approximation would be better word....)

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander 

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried basil

hot spices, if you so desire, such as red pepper flakes, Tabasco, Siracha, jalapeños, chilies, etc.

This recipe is for a one pound batch of taco meat or lentils.  I always cook my meat or lentils with a chopped onion and some garlic to add flavor.  I also never really measure the proportions listed above, I just kind of guess.  Make it your own, experiment with the mixture.  Have fun with it! 

beans, beans, the musical fruit...

We eat a lot of beans in this house.  In soups, in salads, in tacos, on their own.  Partly because they are delicious and come in so many types, but also because they are cheap and a great source of protein!  As we have slowly made the switch to eating better produce (organic/local) and better meat (grass-fed/pasture-raised/free-range), I've tried to find ways to reduce our grocery budget in other ways so that we can afford better quality food overall.  One of those ways has been incorporating more beans into our meals.  I've found that I can buy better meat by buying/eating less meat and preparing more vegetarian meals.  In order to fill our bellies with those meals, they often contain beans.  

Beans in any form are cheap, which is lovely when you're working within a budget.  However, dried beans are by far the most economical way of purchasing beans.  While less convenient than canned, they are better for you because they don't contain BPA, which can't be said of their canned counterparts.  Cheap and healthier?!  Forget the convenience, both of those factors were enough to win me over!

Once I decided to make the switch to dried beans, I explored a few different options for preparing them.  My favorite so far (for convenience and ease) has been the slow-cooker.  It's a pretty slick process!  Rinse them, soak them, add seasonings, turn on the Crockpot, come back a few hours later, and ta-da -- you've got beans!!!  

I've always known that dried beans are cheaper, but this last week I took a few minutes to figure out just how much I saved.  I bought about 2.25 lbs of organic black beans at my co-op for $2.39/lb, which totaled about $5.28.  These dried beans produced about 14 cups of prepared beans.  That's more than 7 cans of store-bought prepared beans.  Without adding in the cost of the onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt (which would be a very minimal addition), the cost per "can" of my prepared beans would be $0.78.  The average cost of one can of non-organic black beans is about $1.00, and my beans were organic!  The savings to make non-organic dried beans would be even more.  

Dried beans give me a way to get organic beans into our bodies for less money and without BPA!  I personally find these benefits far out way the time it takes to make them!  

Slow-Cooker Dried Beans

2 lbs dried beans*

water

1 large onion, quartered

2 whole garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

1 tbs of salt (you may want to start with 1/2 tbs and go up from there)

Sort and rinse your beans.  This step is important because it's very possible that you will find dirt, rocks, or other debris in your beans.  Pour the rinsed beans into your slow-cooker and cover them with water.  The water should be 1-2 inches above the beans.  Let them soak for about 8 hours (I do this overnight).  The long soak is very important for the nutritional aspect of the beans.  Read more about this here.  

In the morning, add the onion, garlic, and bay leaves.  You may need to add extra water, if the beans have soaked too much of it up.  Your water should still be covering the beans.  Turn the slow-cooker on low and let it do it's thing for about 6 hours.   You may want to stir it once or twice, if you're home.  I find that this helps the beans cook more evenly (totally not necessary, though).  After about 6 hours, start testing the beans for softness.  You should eat 5-10 beans to see if they are all soft enough.  If any are still hard, then you should keep cooking them.  It's better to have a few mushy beans, then a few hard ones (trust me).  Once they are done, add the salt, stir, and let them soak it in for a few minutes.  Taste them again.  If they are to your liking, then turn off the slow-cooker and let them cool.

Take out the onion, garlic, and bay leaves, and put the beans into freezable storage containers.  I typically strain out 2 cups of beans, add some of the liquid back, and put them into quart-sized freezer bags, and lay them flat in the freezer.  Eventually, I'd like to find some glass containers that would work well for that amount of beans without being too bulky for my little freezer.  However, for now, freezer bags it is!  Freezer bags also thaw very quickly in a bowl/sink of water.  This is handy when you need them in a pinch.  

When you're ready to use them, just take them out of the freezer, let them thaw, then drain them like you would a can of beans from the store.  

*You can use any kind of beans (black, kidney, great northern, etc.) for this.  However, the time in the slow-cooker may vary from one type to another.  You may also find variations between brands of beans or even with your slow-cooker.  Play around with it.  Experiment!

How about you?  Do you have any cost-saving tips for getting good food into your family's bellies for less?!