Organic Salad Dressing

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My friend Emma Cohen is here from Australia.  I say she is my friend like I have known her a long time.  Though I have only known her a short while she feels like one of those friends I have known my whole life.  She is a nurse in Australia, she believes in natural remedies and a holistic approach to medicine and is a health researcher.  She recently shared this recipe with me and I want to share it with you.  It is super good, good for you and really great tasting.  You need not refrigerate it or if you do know that the olive oil will go solid on you so allow time for it to go liquid again.  It is good unrefrigerated for couple weeks.


Emma's Grandmother's Oil and Vinegar Dressing:
Crush 3-4 cloves of garlic with a bit of Himalyaan rock salt (other rock salt is great she is just partial to this and so am I just don't use regular table salt) until it is quite liquid. Use a fork on a cutting board to achieve this or a mortar and pestle. 
Add into bottle or jar with lid. 
Add 2 teaspoons of seeded mustard an organic brand where you can see the seeds 
2 pinches of mixed herbs( I have a terrific Provence of basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender, & oregano )
1/2 squeezed lemon juice and fill 1/3 of the container with apple cider vinegar ( I use 1/2 cider and 1/2 Balsamic vinegar). 
Then fill up the rest of the container with olive oil or flaxseed oil, shake bottle and taste to get balance of oil/vinegar ratio correct to your taste.  
Use this dressing on lots of things other than salad, and keep out of sunlight.


Enjoy!

Kale Chips

Yet another thing I learned from my daughter.....how to make kale chips.  These are an easy way to satisfy the craving for crunchy, salty and repetitive bag diving we like to do when we eat chips.  I have taken them to football games and movies (best packed in crush proof container).  They are packed with vitamins and a healthy way to get your kids to eat something green.  The only thing about them when you are cooking them is to be careful not to burn them......they become a bit bitter and you might lose interest if they taste bad right off the bat.  Here is the recipe along with pictures for you to follow along.

Wash and pull stems off kale leaves.

1 tsp of olive oil and drizzle over kale pieces.

I love to use organic whenever affordable and possible so here I am using some pink rock salt from Australia that my friend brought me as a gift.  You can also get this spice at The Spice Shop in Austin on 6th Street close to Lamar.  Salt to taste.  Mix again with hands covering kale with salt.

Spread out onto a cookie sheet making sure they are not piled up on top of each other so that the air can get to all leaves.  Put in a 325 degree oven and bake for about 20 mins keeping a close eye not to burn.

The result will be yummy dark green chips light and crunchy that will last for days unless you get a snack attack and gobble them up in one sitting.
Enjoy.  Stay tuned for more great recipes from Madre's Kitchen.

Guest Post

                                         Guest Post on Reluctant Entertainer's Blog

Lamb Fillo Dough Pouches

You can decorate on a budget: Some plates, glasses & flowers from Wal Mart, table runner from Pier One,  container $8 thrift store find, $1 candle holders.

Well I have been wanting to work with Fillo for a long time and never got the nerve to do so until I saw a recipe in a magazine where they used it.  It did not look that difficult so decided to try it for my next dinner party, #4.  Being that it was the week after Easter I decided to use lamb.  Went to local butcher and got some prime chops as well as cuts from a leg.  I had him cut the meat into cubes so that I could kabob them.  I cooked them on the grill til just about done with onion and slices of orange wedges.  I applied a spice rub called Limnos Lamb Rub from the Savory Spice Shop in Austin, TX.  If you have never visited there you should.  It is a remarkable place and smells glorious inside.  The ladies there are best friends and are really knowledgable about all the spices there.

What I decided to do with the kabobs after cooking is what I think made the dinner so interesting.  I took them off the skewers and allowed them to cool just a bit so I could cut them into smaller pieces.  As they cooled I mixed together onion, mushrooms and coconut milk (plain) as a roux to pour over the lamb once placed in fillo dough......They say to keep the dough covered and you really should with a damp paper towel, but all the plastic covering is overkill and was too much to manage.....I just worked really fast and had everything prepared and ready to put inside the dough as they suggest on the box.   If you work quickly it is not a problem and I made 8 of these little pouches.  So I placed the layers down, about 4 sheets, then placed the cut lamb on sheets and covered with the roux mixture.  Then I just folded them up and placed on a porcelain cookie sheet.  I made larger ones for the men and smaller ones for the ladies.  I don't know what made me think of coconut milk but wanted to make the roux smooth and creamy so tried it.  I thought about the exotic spices I put on the meat.  It was like my mouth was telling my mind what to mix and put together.  It was delicious.

Someone commented at the table that they were amazed that I would be so brave to try something I have never fixed before and what if it didn't turn out......I replied that everyone at the table cares about me and would understand if we had to order pizza.  We did not have to order take out and it was all delicious.  My go to salad was the mango, red onion and cilantro (that is it, no dressing needed) which added a complimentary flare and freshness to the layered buttery dough with lamb.  Sometimes the spontaneous things in life are the ones that turn out best.  Don't be afraid to try things, trust your mouth's instincts to mix flavors and enjoy the process in the preparation knowing the gift of blessing others really is a gift back to you.

Candied Citrus Peel

I got these gorgeous Naval oranges yesterday and decided to try and make candied orange peel.  My daughter is running track and thought it might be a healthier alternative to candy or sweet treat.  I looked online for a recipe and they were not that hard to make.  So here they are.  You can do them with lemons and limes too.  We have a lemon and lime tree so I can't wait to try them with our home grown.

Once you peel the orange take the pieces, score them and using a spoon scrape out the pithe to where you can see the dots from the outside peel.  Looks like this. Don't worry if you can't get it all just try to get it thin.

Cut the peel into 1/4 inch strips and place them in a saucepan and cover with water place on high heat.

Bring to a boil and drain 3X until peels are translucent.   Then whisk together in a saucepan sugar and water.  I used golden raw sugar mixed with regular granulated sugar.....mostly cause I ran out. 

Prepare cookie trays with parchment and drying rack.

Bring mixture to a boil reaching temp of 220 or above careful not to boil over which it will rise up so reduce the heat a bit, add peels and maintain a simmer for 45 mins.

Next you strain the syrup, save for tea or pancakes, roll slices in sugar (here I used the raw sugar) and let dry for a few hours.  Place in a bowl for after school snack or in snack bags to through in lunches.

I hope you will enjoy these as much as we are.  

Recipe link here from Food Network