I am very sorry for my delay in posting! Luckily, I think the technical difficulties are finally over and I have added kombucha pictures and am ready to tell about my latest Sunday Chef recipe which is simply scrambled eggs and veggies. The catch is that they actually taste delicious together.  And I say veggies loosely because I just use whatever I happen have in the fridge that will cook up nicely.

This time I had used broccoli, asparagus, and mushrooms, then topped the dish with freshly diced tomatoes. YUM! To start, I usually mix 2-3 eggs in a small bowl with a splash of milk and dash of salt and pepper. I melt butter in two small pans and saute the veggies in one and cook the scrambled eggs in another.

I have tried combining them by sauteing the veggies then adding the eggs and scrambling them in the same pan. This works and tastes fine, but the outcome of the eggs isn’t quite as nice looking. So I now cook them separately, then add the veggies to the scrambled eggs and mix them once everything is done. If I have cheese on hand, I might sprinkle some of that on at this time so it melts a little.

Then you can top the eggs and veggies with anything you like such as freshly chopped herbs, salsa, etc. In a pinch, this can also make for a great lunch or dinner :)

So you can imagine what I’m sipping right now as I write this post! I am very thankful that my first attempt at kombucha was successful. After letting the kombucha brew/set for about 10 days (without moving it), I removed the large mother scoby (pictured left), with clean hands and no rings, and placed it in a small mason jar with enough kombucha to cover it.

I also removed my new “baby” scoby which grew from the mother and placed it in a separate jar of kombucha. My baby scoby looks like a cute little pancake (pictured right)!

After doing this and straining the kombucha (straining is not necessary, but I preferred it), I still had plenty left to enjoy (pictured above). It tastes pretty sweet still, like sweet tea, but unfortunately mine has lost the fizz. I had covered it tightly in mason jars, but I actually need flip-top bottles in order to keep in the fizz.

I am going to try EZ Cap bottles for my next batch which are recommended on other kombucha making websites. I actually met a woman at a recent health event who even puts frozen raspberries in the kombucha before bottling it for some extra flavor- yum!

Now it’s time to explore some of the health benefits of this wonderful fermented drink! Kombucha helps detoxify the liver and is also said to prevent and possibly fight cancer (this is mostly from personal experiences people describe than scientific testing). Either way, I’m truly hopeful that it does prevent it by ridding toxins from the body and I certainly don’t trust anyone profiting in the cancer “industry” that may knock it anyway.

In addition, kombucha is “live” and contains probiotics which can help with digestion. What a great benefit since digestion is of the utmost importance to the body! In addition, there are anti-oxidants in it that help to boost the immune system. I can’t say no to all this goodness, especially since it tastes delicious and has the refreshing, fizzy carbonation I crave (well, the next batch will anyway), especially in the summer!

These week’s Sunday Chef post is a little different! I am trying my hand for the first time at homemade kombucha. I have purchased bottled kombucha from health stores in the past (and they come in a variety of wonderful flavors), but they are pretty pricey for a small amount. A member of Nourishing Ways West MI (a chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation) gave me a kombucha mushroom or SCOBY- Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast to start my first batch, although they can also be purchased online.

The recipe I used stated to bring 4 cups of distilled or filtered water to boil in a stainless steal pan. I then added 1 1/3  cups white sugar and let it boil for 5 minutes. I then turned off the heat and then added 3 bags of black tea and three of green tea. I covered the pot and let the tea steep for 40 minutes before removing the bags.

While the tea cooled slightly, I added 3 quarts of cold water to a gallon mason jar and then poured in the tea. Once it was about room temperature, I added the kombucha mushroom with clean hands and no rings (darker side down) and then covered it with a cloth and rubberband.

I will let it sit for about 10 days in a dim room while the tea ferments and becomes more sour than sweet. If I were to wait 14 days, all of the sugar would be gone. Also, another mushroom will grow on top of the one I began with. The New Homemaker (where you can find a great deal of information on making kombucha) stated that once the new mushroom is at least 1/8″ thick, the kombucha is done. I”ll report back next week on the final kombucha, the mushroom removal and storage, and of course, the health benefits!

Today’s recipe is for easy homemade granola and it’s the perfect healthy snack or topping for a yummy fruit and yogurt parfait. I found the recipe in the April magazine issue of Body + Soul, but also located it at their website. I actually cut the recipe into approximate thirds (that was a little hard to do!), but it certainly made enough for me as it pretty well covered my whole baking sheet.

The ingredients needed for the full recipe are:

• 6 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 1/4 cups chopped nuts of your choice (I used walnuts because they are my favorite!)
• 1/3 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup seeds (I omitted these)
• 3/4 Tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 Tsp salt
• 1 cup dried fruit (optional)

To start, mix the first five ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites and salt with a whisk until bubbly. Then add in the honey and oil to the eggs and mix well. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until well combined. Spread the granola flat onto two baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees for twenty minutes.

After twenty minutes, flip the granola with a spatula and then bake for another ten minutes or until golden brown. Cool the granola on the pan and then transfer to a bowl once cool. At this point you can add the dried fruit if desired.

If you want to get extra creative with your granola, I also located some tips for different combinations and flavors you can check out.

I learned this weekend’s recipe at the Wise Traditions 2009 conference and it is a super quick & easy salad dressing that is also pretty! I think it would be particularly good on a spinach salad with mozzarella cheese, dried fruit, and walnuts (but I’ll have to wait ’til tomorrow to try that!). It is a tangy dressing and you can substitute any flavor of jam that you want. I just happen to love raspberries!

The four ingredients you will need are listed below:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp jam
• 1 Tbsp wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
• Pinch of salt (I omitted this because I somehow missed reading it until now!)

Mix all of the ingredients well in a small bowl using either an immersion blender or a fork (which I used to just quickly beat the mixture). This will help to make the dressing nice and creamy.

My latest favorite snack is cold, refreshing, and oh-so easy to make! I use my own plain homemade yogurt, but you could use plain Greek yogurt or any other kind you like (preferably organic).

I start with about 1 cup yogurt and stir about 1-1.5 Tsp raw honey in well. I then add frozen strawberries (from last summer :) ) and a few Tbsp granola. I currently have strawberry flavored granola from Whole Foods and it is absolutely delicious in this snack.

You could also try this with blueberries, blackberries, or any frozen or fresh fruit. I just prefer frozen to make the yogurt extra cold and refreshing, not to mention I need to use up my strawberries before I am picking them again in the next couple of months!

Around this time last year I had posted on how to make homemade, delicious vanilla ice cream. I had mentioned that a great sauce to go with it would be the Nourishing Tradition‘s raspberry sauce, but I hadn’t yet made it myself (although I was lucky enough to try it at the Wise Traditions conference in October over wonderful raw cheesecake).

The sauce is super easy, takes only minutes to prepare, and is extremely rewarding. You only need frozen raspberries, real maple syrup, and water to your desired consistency. I made a very small amount of sauce and used roughly 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, and 3 Tbsp water.

I used my Magic Bullet, but it struggled slightly due to the thick frozen raspberries so I would recommend using a food processor (as Nourishing Traditions suggests) to process the raspberries in with the maple syrup before adding the water, especially if you are going to make a large quantity.

One more thing to note is if you try the ice cream recipe, using arrowroot powder (which I left out of the recipe until this last ice cream batch) seems to leave a slight aftertaste, but I believe it helps with the texture and freezing of the ice cream. I personally don’t think I’ll use it again, mostly because the ice cream gets eaten up quick anyway. :)

So the “Sunday Chef” took the holiday off yesterday, but I’m hoping that today’s recipe will make up for it. :) I stumbled upon this banana chai smoothie last week and rounded up the ingredients at my recent trip to the grocery store. The recipe makes one serving and only takes about eight minutes. The few ingredients needed are listed below:

• 1 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 chai tea bag (read about chai tea benefits here)
• Ground Ginger (a pinch or to taste)
• Cinnamon (a pinch or to taste)
• 2-3 ice cubes

I first brought the water to a boil and removed it from the heat. I added the chai tea bag and let it steep for about 4 minutes (it was pretty strong). I then removed the tea bag and added the tea to my Magic bullet. I also added the milk, banana, cinnamon, and ginger and blended them all together. I then added the ice and let it process until mostly smooth.

I decided to use a fresh banana because the one from my freezer seemed unpeelable. Little did I know that waiting about 5-10 minutes will allow the peel to thaw enough to easily remove it. However, I was too late and had already blended in the fresh banana. The drink was delicious, but not as smoothie-like as I would have hoped and using the frozen banana would have made it perfect.

Still, I sprinkled more of the cinnamon on top and added some extra ice cubes to keep it cool and refreshing. I really recommend giving this recipe a shot and using the frozen banana to give it that frothy, smoothie texture. Hopefully you enjoy it if you have a chance to try it!

Since my basil plant has been growing extremely well, I’ve been trying to find more uses for it. I came across this site offering 10 uses for fresh basil and one of them was for homemade basil vinegar. The recipe reminded me of the basil vinegar my grandma used to make, so I hope this ends up tasting as good as hers.

The recipe only calls for 4 simple ingredients (I cut the recipe in half): 1 cup white wine vinegar, 5 basil leaves, 1 clove garlic, and one slice orange peel. I combined them all in a mason jar and closed it tightly. I then put it in a closed cupboard so it can sit in the dark for about 2 weeks.

Once the basil vinegar is ready to use, I will strain it and then use it for marinading, salad dressing, and on fish. I’m crossing my fingers it turns out good and will make sure to report back!

***Update*** This vinegar turned out wonderfully and I am excited to try making it with other herbs for different flavors. Hopefully I will have a chance to make some homemade pretzels to dip with my next batch!

I recently came across a great recipe on Healthfoodlover.com and decided to try it out today. It can be whipped up quickly and lasts for a week in a sealed container in the fridge. I served mine over eggs and toast (as suggested by Healthfoodlover), but I think it might also be good over steamed vegetables (such as asparagus) or used as a basic salad dressing.

The ingredients for this recipe are listed below:

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup flaxseed oil
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 lime juiced extra (I just substituted more bottled lime juice)
• 1/2 Tsp ground sea salt
• Ground pepper for seasoning
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped herbs (such as thyme, basil, or oregano)

To start, mix the 2 Tsp lime juice and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Set this aside, and mix the egg yolk and salt in a larger bowl. Add half of the cider/lime juice mixture and stir well. Next, use a whisk to stir while very slowly adding in the oils. Stirring in the oils slowly helps with the emulsion of the mayo.

Once all of the oil is stirred in, add the rest of the lime juice/vinegar as well as the combination of herbs of your choice. Use salt and pepper to taste and serve or refrigerate.