Tortilla Soup

I buy free range chickens in the fall at our farmers' market and freeze them for winter. They are tremendously different from supermarket chickens. I find that they have a lot less fat and a lot more flavor. Generally one chicken gives us at least 5 meals. I roast the chicken the first day, in a covered pan with potatoes and vegetables. The carcass goes into the slow cooker overnight with water to make stock. I strain the stock in the morning, put it back into the slow cooker, and add vegetables during the day to make soup. Here's the latest soup we made.

About 2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade with chicken pieces
1 onion, sliced fine
3 large carrots, diced
2 small crookneck squash, in small pieces
6 cloves garlic
dried chipotle pepper (either a whole pepper or about 1 tsp crushed pepper)
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp vegetable broth seasoning (I use Seitenbacher)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained, or 1/2 c dried black beans, cooked

Using some of the chicken fat from the degreased stock, or some olive oil, saute the onion, carrots, squash, and whole garlic cloves. Add cumin seed, crushed chipotle pepper (if whole is being used, just add it to the stock), and other seasonings. Add to stock. Add black beans. Cook about 30 minutes, or about 4 hours on low in slow cooker.

Serve with toppings of choice, such as:

• fresh cilantro
• grated cheese
• corn tortilla crisps (brush corn tortillas with oil, slice into strips and then in half, and bake for about 10 minutes at 425F, until slightly golden)
• pumpkin seed kernels
• diced avocado
• lime juice or lime wedges
  

Gluten-Free Month

I am trying an experimental gluten-free month to see if it has any impact. Since day 2, I've felt unusually uncongested.

I was really disappointed when I started to look at GF cookbooks. Most cooking isn't a problem, but baking, of course, relies entirely on wheat. Barley flour has gluten in it, so that's out. Ditto for rye. Most GF recipes use a combination of a grain flour and grain starches (such as cornstarch), which have very high glycemic indices. There are some recipes that use alternatives such as chickpea flour or almond flour.

I thought I did a fairly good job of balancing my diet before, but it is really surprising how often I would reach for something that contains wheat. There are many foods that I like to eat on something - and that something usually was a form of bread. Hummus, avocado, almond or peanut butter...

Thus far, I've tried 3 GF recipes. 2 were successful: some simple chickpea flour crackers, and some GF corn muffins. The pizza base recipe that I tried (cornmeal and millet flour) was an abysmal failure.

Overall, my assessment is that eating GF is not easy, but neither is it extremely difficult. Certainly dining out would be more difficult than eating at home. I find that taking all the wheat out of my meals means I eat a lot more vegetables - and, significantly - a LOT less sugar, because sugar tends to be in many things made with wheat.

If you have any favorite GF recipes, I'd love to try them!

What's the most difficult dietary change you've made?

Making Life Simpler

Life can be complicated. Schedules are crazy - while I know that neither of my parents ever kept a calendar, I can't function without mine - and I try to limit activities so that we all have some down time. So when I find an action that makes my life easier, I make it a habit!

Here are ten things I've done that simplify my life:

1. cooking oatmeal overnight in the slow cooker, so that busy school mornings don't also involve cooking. I have to use a timer to turn it on around 3am - all night cooking results in a crusty mess.
   
   
2. using small, ~8"x10" plastic cutting boards that can go in the dishwasher. We eat a lot of produce, and I prefer not to wash dishes every time I cut something. I have multiple cutting boards and several paring knives for this purpose.
   
   
3. minimizing cleaning solutions. I use vinegar and a dish detergent solution for kitchen and bathroom cleaning, baking soda for scouring. Easy, nearly free, and they take up a lot less space than all the stuff that the chemical manufacturers want to convince people are necessities.
   
   
4. handling paper once only - then filing, shredding, or recycling it - and minimizing incoming paper with e-bills and electronic bill payment.
   
   
5. the pantry and freezer. No need to run to the store in advance of a snowstorm or anything else - we can easily eat for two weeks without any grocery runs.
   
   
6. buying gifts ahead - when I see them at good prices. I hate going to the store to look for "a gift for (insert name)." So I don't do it. When I see something that is appropriate, I buy it - even if the occasion is nearly a year away.
   
   
7. masking tape in the kitchen. It's the all-purpose tape: adhesive, label material, etc.
   
   
8. I don't dust on a regular basis. Seriously, what's the point? I sneeze less when I leave it alone, and it doesn't grow to infinite thickness. When it bothers me, I remove it with a damp rag. I think that happens about twice yearly.
   
   
9. reusable cloth bags for all shopping and gifts within our household. I do truly find it easier - not to mention easier on my conscience - to take my bags to the store than to have 20 flimsy plastic bags of heavy groceries to juggle and then recycle.
   
   
10. thinking of the store as a storage facility. I don't need to buy Item X now, because it is always available at the store should I need it - and the store has far more storage space than our house. Ditto for the library: I don't need to have this (book, CD, etc) in my house permanently, because the library will shelve it for me.

What tricks do you have to make your days easier?

Buckwheat Crepes with Various Fillings

Buckwheat flour is readily available at most natural foods stores. These can easily be made gluten- and dairy-free. We eat these for supper, but in smaller quantities, they could also be a snack or an appetizer, or even a dessert.

This is modified from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

For about 14 crepes:
1 c buckwheat flour
1/4 c all-purpose flour or other flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 to 4 eggs
About 1 1/2 c milk + water - at least 1/2 c milk (nondairy subs are fine)
1 tbsp canola oil

Whisk ingredients together to make a thin, pourable batter (adjust consistency as needed). Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to the lowest temperature and put an oven-proof plate in it to keep the crepes warm.

Heat a 10" skillet over medium heat, then add a small amount of butter or canola oil. Swirl to coat the pan and then immediately ladle in about 1/4 c batter. Swirl the pan to make a thin pancake. When it is dry on top, flip and cook the bottom briefly. Stack on the plate in the oven until all the crepes are cooked.

To eat: spread entire surface with filling and roll up.

Filling options:
Savory:
1. Spinach with or without cheese. Heat frozen, chopped spinach in a small pot, uncovered to evaporate excess moisture. Season as desired. Spread on crepe and top with grated or crumbled cheese of your choice (pepper Jack, goat, feta, swiss, etc), or sunflower seeds.

2. Spreadable cheese.

3. The pea-and-potato combination that is used in Indian samosas (recipes readily available online).

4. Other vegetables, chopped as needed, and steamed, with or without cheese, cubed, baked tofu, sauteed mushrooms, etc.

5. Cooked beans (with or without cream cheese), lentils, or leftover dahl.

6. Caramelized onions with or without vegetables as above.

7. Spinach with curry spices and cashew cream.

Sweet:
1. Cooked fruit/vegetables such as apples (e.g. homemade applesauce), cranberries and sweet potatoes, gingered sweet potatoes with or without pineapple, etc. Add nuts and/or cinnamon if desired.

2. Jam or cooked dried fruit, with or without nuts or cinnamon.

3. Cream cheese or tofu "cream" with any of the above, or cinnamon/sugar.

Black Bean Enchiladas

Modified from Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin

8 servings

Filling:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
other vegetables as available: corn, zucchini or yellow squash, spinach
1/2 pound dried black beans, sorted, rinsed, soaked, and cooked
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano

Sauce:
2 c salsa
1 c milk or 1 c tomato sauce, depending on the type of sauce you prefer
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano

16 corn tortillas
Neufchatel cheese, optional but very good
Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated, optional

Heat sauce ingredients. In separate pan, saute the vegetables in the olive oil. When tender, stir in the black beans and spices.

When ready to prepare enchiladas, microwave about 6 tortillas at a time between 2 plates to soften them for rolling.

Ladle a small amount of sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Spread about 1 tsp neufchatel cheese down the center of a tortilla, add the filling, roll, and place in baking dish. When dish is full, add more sauce on top of enchiladas, and top with a small amount of grated cheese, if desired. Additional enchiladas can be placed in another layer or in a different baking dish.

This can be prepared early in the day and refrigerated until dinner. When ready to cook, bake, covered, at 350F, for about 30-45 minutes, until steaming and cheese has melted.

Reusable Gift Bags

Last year I decided to turn various bits of fabric that were leftover from projects, and which had been taking up space in my craft corner for at least 5 years, into gift bags.

I love them.

No paper to buy, wrap, and trash. No tape. The gift bags fold and take up very little space when stored. The ones I've made are lined and have a nice weight to them; lining fabric can also be scrap fabric, or from something like an old sheet (the flat ones never wear out like the fitted ones do). Bags can be pieced to highlight particular fabrics as well.

I've tried several different methods, including these:
Simple bag with ribbon tie
Unlined Drawstring Bag
Lined drawstring bag

Making one bag, from cutting the fabric to completing the drawstring, takes about an hour. Wrapping a gift takes 10 seconds.

Do-It-Yourself Cleaners

Have you ever wondered what your great-grandmother used for cleaning her house before there was an entire row of products in the store? While they do clean, many of these products leave chemical and fragrance residues in your home - neither of which is necessary or desirable. For the price of one commercial cleaning product, you can clean your entire home for a few years!

In recent years, antimicrobial agents have been added to many products, from soaps to paint. Many scientists believe that overuse of these products has the potential to create more resistant bacteria. Additionally, many studies have shown that triclosan, a commonly used antimicrobial, accumulates in our environment, particularly in groundwater. An FDA panel reviewed studies on handwashing in 2005 and concluded that antibacterial soaps are no more effective than regular soaps.

Cleaning your house is as simple as locating a spray bottle and a few basic ingredients that you may already have. Always label your homemade cleaning containers with name and ingredients. Like all cleaners, these should be kept out of the reach of children. Many of these recipes use vinegar, so you should remember that vinegar and bleach should never be mixed.

All-purpose cleaners (I use the first two, choosing one based on what I'm cleaning - what could be easier than vinegar and dish detergent?):

• Vinegar and water mixed in equal amounts. This can also be used as a glass cleaner.

• Dish detergent diluted with water.
• 1 tbsp borax, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tsp dish detergent, and fill spray bottle to top with water.

Scouring agents:

• Baking soda, which can be mixed with some dish detergent for more cleaning power, or
• Vinegar and salt.

Air fresheners:

• Open the windows.

• Remove or clean the odor source.
• Simmer water with cinnamon or other spices on the stove.
• Mix a favorite essential oil with water in a small spray bottle.

Furniture cleaner:

Mix 1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice with 1/2 tsp olive oil. Use a soft cloth such as a flannel rag.

Laundry: Try your laundry without fabric softener or dryer sheets (I never use either). If there are many suds in the rinse water, try reducing the amount of laundry detergent in subsequent loads until the water is clean. If you have soft water, a small amount such as 2 Tbsp detergent might be enough for a large load of laundry.

Dishes: Look for phosphate-free dishwashing soap and dishwasher detergent. Dishwasher detergent can be mixed from washing soda and borax, but washing soda can be difficult to find.

One final tip: consider referencing the Materials Safety Data Sheet for any chemical that you use in your home or yard. Manufacturers are required to provide these; they can usually be found with an internet search such as "MSDS (product name)". The MSDS will list hazardous ingredients and particular concerns, toxicity, and recommended protective gear.

For additional information, including natural oven cleaners, metal polishes, and less toxic ways to limit ants and other pests, try these resources:

Book, probably available at your library:

Better Basics for the Home, Annie Berthold-Bond

Internet links:

Reduce.org

Care2

Michigan State Extension

Cards

My nephew's birthday is coming up and today my daughter and I sat down to make cards. I've made cards off and on for years, mostly on the computer. Since my daughter likes to use watercolors, it's companionable for us to work together at the spare table which is set up for projects. I got out a book we both enjoy (since I never had anything that could be termed art education), I Love to Draw, and drew a dragon (my first ever) lighting the candles on a birthday cake (that I could manage by myself). She made a watercolor of a cat. This was far more enjoyable than reading the best offerings (which are never really quite right) and waiting in line at a store. We have a supply of cardstock in rainbow colors and 5x7 envelopes, which fit perfectly when the cardstock is folded once to create a card. I estimated that a card + envelope runs about $0.15, and we reap the benefits of learning and creating our own designs.

Weather Studies

My daughter is keeping a weather log, tracking temperature, humidity, rainfall amount, and wind direction each day, as well as the time of observation. We made a remarkably easy weather vane from scrap materials: some non-recyclable plastic packaging material that would have otherwise been garbage, a used drinking straw, and old pencil, and a pin.

We used the plastic sheet instead of the manila file folder - it's weather-proof. We stuck the pencil into a clay pot full of soil so it can easily be moved for mowing the lawn. If the gusting midwestern winds blow it to pieces, we'll revise the design.

She loves being a scientist and going outside to the weather station with her clipboard! It's also good fraction practice, since the thermometer and humidity gauges have tenths and the rain gauge has eighths.