Crock Pot Banana Buckwheat

Place in crock pot:

2 cups buckwheat grits, uncooked

Sift together and mix in:
1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon

Then add:
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 cups liquid (I used a can of light coconut milk, 1/4 cup white grape juice, and 4 cups of water)
1 ripe banana, mashed

Stir well.

If desired, add raisins, currants or other dried fruit. I added about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of currants.

Cook on low overnight.

Pink Berry Rice Picnic Salad

One of the foods I've most missed was the "pink salad" my family traditionally makes for summer potlucks and picnics. So when my grandmother figured out how to make a version that was "safe" for everyone in the family's allergies and food intolerances, I had to make my own version too. Hers had crushed canned pineapple instead of the mandarins, and, since she had previously crushed frozen strawberries, she drained the pineapple and strawberry juice to thicken instead of using apple juice.

You could probably use any type of fruit and fruit juice, and the quantities don't have to be exact. If you use granulated sugar instead of honey, you may need to increase the amounts of both sugar and liquid, or if you have less than a half-cup of liquid, you may want to reduce the starch accordingly.

Approximate amounts:

1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons starch (I used Kuzu starch this time; tapioca flour or arrowroot powder should work just as well)
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup sliced fresh mandarin oranges (this was about 4 tiny oranges, with the segments separated and cut in half)
1 to 2 cups cooked rice (I used 2 cups of cooked brown rice for my version)

Later, you'll need:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon honey
Vanilla to taste, if desired.

Mix the fruit juice and honey in a small saucepan, stir in the starch, and heat slowly, stirring with a whisk to keep it from becoming lumpy, until thickened. Add the sliced fruit and mash with a potato masher or use an immersion blender until the fruit is mashed up to your taste.

Stir in the cooked rice and chill the fruit and rice mixture until it begins to set and is cool enough not to melt your whipped cream. :)

Whip the cream with the honey and vanilla. When the rice and fruit mixture is cool, gently fold in the whipped cream.

You can eat this right away, but the flavors will blend and the rice will soften nicely if you leave it in the refrigerator for a while before serving.

Serve chilled.

My kids loved this, and it's so much healthier than the version we used to make with flavored gelatin and artificial whipped topping. :) If you can have cottage cheese, it could probably be substituted for the rice, but we haven't found an excitotoxin-free version of cottage cheese yet.

Rabbit or Chicken Enchiladas

4 cups cooked rabbit meat, coarsely shredded (you can also use chicken or any other mild white meat in this recipe)
2 cups sour cream
Two 4 oz. cans diced green chilies
3 cans condensed cream of chicken soup (I used Pacific Natural Foods organic cream of chicken condensed soup)
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup chopped green onions
12 (8-inch) flour tortillas

Mix sour cream, green chilies, and chicken soup to make a sauce. Divide sauce in half. To one half, add rabbit & onions. Spoon rabbit mixture equally onto tortillas. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in a 9X13 inch casserole. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly, or heat in crock pot on high until piping hot). 

For a pot luck dish, I put a smaller amount of filling in each to divide it among about 16 tortillas, stack them in a double layer in a large crock pot with half the remaining sauce and cheese on each layer (I grated a little extra cheese), cut the enchiladas in half down the middle of the crock pot, and heat on high for 30 to 60 minutes or however long it takes to get them piping hot.

Serves 12+

 Variations: Feel free to add or subtract things to taste.  Last time I made this without the green onions,  added mushrooms and roasted tomatoes,  used only two boxes of soup concentrate,  and substituted salsa verde for the chiles. It's wonderful garnished with red salsa and a little cold sour cream and cheese.

Super-Simple Hummus

Zap 3 or 4 whole unpeeled garlic cloves in the microwave for about 20 seconds (or you can roast them in the oven, of course). Then simply pop them out of the peels for this recipe.

Combine in blender:

Garlic cloves
A 15-oz. can of garbanzo beans, including liquid (a 16-oz. can would be fine too, if that's what you have)
1/8 cup olive oil
2 to 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Blend until smooth. You may have to pulse it and stop occasionally to stir with a spoon to release a trapped air bubble, as this is very thick. You can add a bit more olive oil, plain yogurt or water if necessary to blend it.

Serve with crackers, bread, chips, raw vegetables and/or whatever else you like to dip. :)

Feel free to tweak the amounts of seasonings, or to add your favorite flavor--sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives or fresh green herbs instead of the cumin might be tasty (though probably not all together. :) ). If your beans aren't already salted, you may want to increase the salt.

Quinoa Apple Salad

This recipe is modified from Martha Stewart's Curried Quinoa Apple Salad recipe.

Rinse 1 cup of dry quinoa well and cook with 2 cups of water. I bring it to a boil in a covered pot, then turn off the burner and leave the pot on the stove for about 20 minutes for perfectly cooked quinoa.

In a separate container mix together for the dressing:

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

2 to 3 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil

1 teaspoon curry powder (I use a nightshade free curry powder and heap the measurement a bit)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sweet spice (optional--this is a mixture with cinnamon, cardamom and other sweet spices by the same manufacturer that makes the curry powder I use; I will edit the post to add the name later)

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon diced shallot

Stir the dressing into the cooled cooked quinoa, add 1 diced apple (grannysmith or Gala apples are good in this recipe) and 2 tablespoons currants.

This recipe is excellent chilled. I usually make a double batch and keep it in the refrigerator for a ready-made quick snack.

So-Simple Oven-Fried Chicken

Here's our standby baked chicken method (I almost hesitate to call it a recipe because it's so simple). This amount of coating mixture will cover 10 to 16 thighs or 5-7 lbs. Just double or halve the amounts as needed for the quantity of chicken you're baking.

This is really easy--just pop it in the oven and ignore it for about an hour. It's pretty forgiving if you leave it in the oven, too, as long as you leave the skins on the chicken.

You can use the same recipe for boneless skinless chicken, but you'll need to reduce the baking time and watch carefully to make sure it's not getting too dry.

• Raw (thawed) bone-in chicken pieces with the skin on.


• 1/2 cup flour, any kind (I've used rice, whole wheat, or a combination of various alternative flours)


• 1 teaspoon RealSalt Organic Season Salt or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of your favorite seasoning mix.


• One or more large baking dish(es)

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Mix together flour with salt. Put flour mixture in a shallow dish wide enough to roll a piece of chicken. This should be enough for 10-16 pieces of chicken, or 5 to 7 lbs.

Take raw (thawed) chicken pieces (I use thighs) and rinse with cool water if desired. Let any excess water drip off and roll the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat.

Lay the pieces into a baking dish. (Use a rack or a broiler pan if you want to minimize fat content, but I usually just use a plain glass baking dish). Bake at 425° F for 40-60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180° F.

You might want to cut the meat off the bones and save the bones in the freezer to make bone broth later. I'll be posting a recipe for bone broth soon!

Chicken cooked this way is good chilled, or can be frozen and reheated. I usually bake up a huge batch and freeze some for later.

Soaked Oat Sourdough Pancakes

At least 6 hours before serving, or the night before, rinse 2 cups rolled oats and cover generously with water (I filled my measuring cup to a total volume of about 4 cups). Add a splash of lemon juice--a teaspoon to a tablespoon. Let soak. Refresh your sourdough starter by adding equal parts (by weight) of flour and water to make at least 2 cups total. I had about a cup of starter, and added 3/4 cup flour and a little over 1/2 cup of water to mine the night before.

According to Nourishing Traditions, soaking and culturing the grains denatures the antinutrient phytates in the grains and makes them more digestible.

You can leave out the honey if desired. I serve pancakes with no topping, so I usually add a bit of sweetener to the batter. I figure that 1/3 cup honey spread out over a few dozen pancakes will be less sugar than if we put maple syrup or honey on each pancake individually. :)

When ready to make the pancakes, drain and rinse the oats and put them into a large mixing bowl. Add and beat well:
1 and 1/2 cups sourdough starter
1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter/lard
1/3 cup honey (optional)
4 eggs

In a small dish, mix together:
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

While beating oat mixture, sprinkle baking soda over batter to mix in.

Fry over medium-low heat until bubbles on the surface pop but do not refill. Flip pancake and cook to desired level of brownness. Serve as is or top with yogurt, preserves, or butter and maple syrup.