Health Potion: Turkey Stock

This may not be a post about No Bake Christmas Treats, but I'm into it and people still eat whole chickens and turkeys on Xmas so this is what you get! Plus, I've decided everyone should be buying bone in meat/whole chickens all the time anyways. It's cheaper, more resourceful, and you get to make the following nectar of life!

These photos are from Thanksgiving (I know it's been a while, but I've been down under in Aus and a bit off the grid from the intrawebs).  I did this twice during November (two feasts) and it seriously yields so much more meat. This is me scavenging all the extra meat halfway through making the stock. You just simply can't get it all by conventional carving. Think a couple extra pounds of turkey. Win #1.

In my pot was just the carcass, water, apple cider vinegar, and various herbs (bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, garlic).

All the meat taken off to the best of my ability, then it's back in for the bones! 

I got 3 delicious jars of Turkey stock out of one massive heritage bird carcass. I'm known to slurp a whole  jar after it 'gels' in the fridge (minimal calories, just a little protein/water/nutrients) and becomes delicious turkey jelly! It's also good for cooking veggies, or for soup and other things. Win #2 and #3.

I took some of it and made a grain free gravy simply by boiling (reducing) it down until it was as thick as gravy and it was delicious.

That's a lot of extra turkey! And it's oozing with way more flavor and delicious dark meat. (Don't be afraid of the fat if it's free range, then it's got vitamins not chemicals!)

Now onto the health benefits and the process:

Health: Bones in animals are considered organs believe it or not, putting them in the same category as the REAL superfoods (no not kale/goji berries which we can't even digest and absorb that well) like free range super nutrient dense animal organs like liver, heart, and nutrient dense free range fat (lard/tallow).  Kale may go right through you, but the fat soluble vitamins in animal fat get absorbed quite easily.

Inedible bones and connective tissue contain lots of goodies like collagen, glucosamine chondroitin (yes you don't need to pay $30 a month for the supplement to fix your achy joints), and other minerals.  Win #4 You just have to cook the crap out of them to extract them. Thus, we have soup stock.

The bone marrow (my favorite) is also fatty and delicious and nutrient dense along with the stock, which is actually very low calorie since after chilling all the fat floats to the top.  If your animal was free range, slurp it up or spread it on some sweet potatoes and roast veggies, but if not I'd throw it away because that's where the animals most likely store all those gross antibiotics and chemicals.  

Process: DON'T follow the conventional stock recipes/process! They do not recommend cooking times long enough for excellent nutrient extraction, just enough for good enough flavor.

Simply take your bones or carcass (best flavor after being roasted normally for the meat, but either works) and cover with enough water in a pot/dutch oven/slow cooker (maybe some wine if you have some, I always use mine once it's been open for a few days). Bring to a boil and then simmer for the appropriate time (fish bones 30min+, poultry 3-4 hours+, ruminants like beef 8 hours+). You can go almost as long as you want, just not long enough to make the bones soggy/break up and hard to deal with. These resources are the best.  Strain when finished and store in glass jars.  The fat layer on top will prevent bacterial growth and eating is optional.

Mark's Daily Apple

Balanced Bites

You can use this same idea to braise meat, I.E. with lamb shanks or short ribs that require long slow cooking. Just cook long enough for the meat, remove and put the bones back in for the time required to make stock, and then optionally boil it down to a sauce for the meat, adding in veggies/herbs/tomato sauce/lime juice at the end for even more flavor. Works especially well with Ham Hocks.

And yes this is different from what you buy in the store, with little to no sodium, and you can freeze it for later use as well!

Also worth mentioning, I came across the Four Pillar of Healthy World Cuisine, one of which is simply eating meat cooked with the bone in! So stop paying a premium for less healthy boneless skinless breasts that lack the nutrients the bone provides and the skin contains!

Noodle Tutorial and New Japanese Favorites

It's time for a noodle tutorial. Salads, soups, and stir fry's...

Available at your local Whole Foods! 0 calories, shelf stable until opened, clear, noodl-y, a bit crunchy raw, soft when heated. Nutrients and fiber... (Ingredients=Kelp)

Rinse before use

Shirataki Noodles! Also mostly fiber, made of Mountain Yams (turned into a flour first). Not the sweet kind, more like a daikon or turnip and turned into noodles! More likely only at your Asian grocer, possibly just labeled yam noodles.

I like buying them in these little packages, and then untying the little bundles after rinsing... Soft and noodly from the start! (Ingredients=Yam Flour)

First in a salad, both kinds mixed with some fresh veggies

Tossed with delicious Ginger-Yuzu (Citron juice)-Garlic Dressing

And some Steamed Sesame Squash and Raw Sushi Salmon (Wild BC amazingness of course, couldn't not take a bite before the photo...)

Finally all tossed together with all my other favorite ingredients! They really make me feel like i'm eating wheat noodles/pasta. Quite amazing for the nutrition.

A little break from 'noodles', this is a Gluten Free Seasonal Fruit Bar from the Farmer's Market! Blueberries and Nectarines this time, with crunchy Quinoa Flakes and Apple Juice/Honey Sweetened.

Onto soup!

This 'Miso' was so much more.

It rivaled my favorite Ramen from Izakaya. That's a feat.

Topped with my favorite Kimchee available everywhere in Whistler!

Kale 'Ramen' Miso Soup

This is when they seriously start to act like noodles. Extra tender and full of the broth's flavor. This soup combo is now my go to version for miso!  I consider Enoki mushrooms in here just as good substitutes for noodles as well. 

• 2 Cups Water to 2T White Miso, 1T Ginger, 1T Garlic
• 1/2 Bunch Kale
• 1 Sheet Nori Sushi Seaweed
• Shirataki and Kelp Noodles
• Soft Boiled Egg+2 More Boiled Egg Whites
• Enoki Mushrooms
• 1 Package Plain Natto and 1 Block Tempeh (tempeh toasted first)
• Sushi Ginger, Kimchee to top

The flavors in this soup concoction are so good, and the contents bring them even higher. I am especially pleased with using Natto for the first time, it's almost like having slightly bitter not strong chewy miniature coffee beans in your soup! Soft Boiled Eggs and Nori Seaweed for the win of course...

My other new Japanese FAVORITE: Kabocha Squash. Yeah you guys eat your NORMAL fall pumpkins... I'll stick with Japanese. (and wait for Persimmons!)

 (Japanese Pumpkin)! Just slice to desired size, scoop the seeds, pop it in the oven w/ some cinnamon/cayenne/coconut oil if desired (at least do the coconut oil!), and enjoy, skin and all! Slightly less caloric then a sweet potato and more so than butternut squash.  40 min. to an hour at 400º. Dialed.

Remember when I said I was going to enjoy some Wild BC Salmon Burgers with a legit creamy dill dressing? Well I did it!

 Not fully accomplished yet, but the added dill dressing matched the taste of the salmon and the fresh dill in the herb salad mix! All mixed up, can't wait to use some tahini to make a more mixed up (Coconut Milk doesn't mix with oil so well) Creamy Dill Dressing (like Annie's Goddess gone dill...mmmm).

So Much Bungalow Munch-Cacao Nib Edition! and Super Lentil Soup

At first I thought I couldn't eat granola for breakfast on school days because it's less clean, has less protein, and usually more sugar and fat then oats, but I proved my self wrong and am stoked!

Clean Protein Munch

Since I'm inching away from soy which normally supplies extra protein, I came up with this. Unsweetened Almond Milk goes perfectly due to the nutty nature of the granola and makes the perfect amount of sugar from berries and granola with fat from granola. Just no need to add any extra nuts/seeds/nut butter. #1 Then the other key is protein from sprouted quinoa! Just sprinkle it in simple as that! Plus it makes a more seedy yet still roasted and delicious breakfast.

• 1/3c Bungalow Munch, 3t Sprouted Quinoa
• Pomegranate
• Almond Milk

To continue the stokage on eating granola for breakfast more often, Jeri has been experimenting with a Cacao Nib version of Bungalow Munch, and I got to test!

Cacao Nib Munch Part 1

The cacao nibs are mixed in just enough to give it a nice dark chocolate touch, not a bitter cacao nib sensation like if you try to eating them straight. They also seem mixed into the granola much better than if you just add them yourself, sort of becoming more infused? They turn an already delicious granola into what could be viewed as a chocolatey dessert treat, or a breakfast for chocolate lovers! It also pairs with this awesome coconut yogurt I'm finally trying perfectly for a chocolate coconut crunch fest. Such a creamy and crunchy bowl, not actually too sweet or dessert-y in my opinion. It isn't as sweet as one might expect, although I wouldn't mix it with sweetened milk/yogurt or any additional sweetener, it's just right! I still had to try it with banana rather than blueberries.

• 55g Cacao Nib Bungalow Munch
• Blueberries
• 4oz So Delicious Coconut Yogurt

More soy-freedom for me, again I just don't have to add any extra source of fat since it provides enough. This may answer my dairy free, soy free yogurt dilemma! It tastes just like a coconut pudding dessert (Huapia) super caloric/high in fat but its actually only 7g of fat in an entire container. Just a real creamy coconut-y experience! the only downside to this stuff is its not the cheapest thing on the market but it's easily worth it every once in a while. #2 When I eat breakfasts like these with less protein I just pack a hardboiled egg white to snack on later for when I get hungry. Which I will fairly soon!

Whoa! Almond milk is almost as creamy as coconut but way more nutty and therefore has more pizazz than coconut, requiring less sweetener from the other accompaniments. Of course the banana compliments the cacao nibs (and nut milk) perfectly for banana-chocolatey nut experience. I also noticed that the cacao nib version stayed more crunchy overall despite my early nut milk addition since I had to bring it to school (unlike before when it got more like soggy cereal during transport).

• 55g Cacao Nib Bungalow Munch
• Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 1/2 Banana

Upgrade: Lentil Soup

I used to have this all the time, but now take it to new heights. Before, it was always the soup mix in less water then instructed, and add additional canned lentil mixes along with some fresh vegetables and a bit of spice. I dropped the canned part and added the water, but then upped the vegetables, herbs, and spices. It came out with so many yummy flavors! Basically use whatever vegetables seem good from the fridge/need to go (like always with soup). The fresh herb and spice combo is now dialed. The addition of almond oil is strong but tasty, so I may go a little lighter on that next time. #3 I just boiled the mix as instructed and added vegetables at the right times to cook them evenly, and then mixed in the spice combo and oil. The garnish makes it even tastier and more fancy. Phenomenal!

• Allesi Sicillian Lentil Soup Mix
• Star Anise, Carraway Seed, Fennel Seed Powder, Cumin
• Almond Oil and Olive Oil
• Carrots (Yellow/Orange), Zucchini Squash, Fennel
• Sliced Almonds
• Green Onion, Basil, Fennel Garnish

My All Time Best Overnight Oats-Coconut Infused, Rainy Day Soup, Garlic Herb Rice Dish Dinner

 Garlic Herb Tofu-Chard Rice Dish (mixed up)

I was going for a Cafe Del Sol inspired rice dish, and it came out quite nicely. Had some Rainbow Chard that needed to go, and then went with all the best herb related ingredients to mix in. Browned the tofu in herbs and olive oil and then added chard and some chicken broth to simmer until wilted. So many delicious flavors and ingredients! #1 Olives and Sun Dried Tomatoes are the best, especially paired with thyme, garlic, and hummus.

-Garlic Herb Tofu-Chard (Thyme, Tarragon, Parsley, Pepper, Garlic)

-SooFoo Brown Rice Mix (lentils and such)

-Steamed Rosemary Carrots

-Heirloom Tomato, Almonds, Olives, Cilantro, Green Onion

-Spinach Artichoke Hummus, Sundried Tomato

Unmixed!

Rainy Soup and Salad

 #2 Have to have soup on such a rainy day! It was raining so hard on my way home I picked up some Vegan Celery Soup w/ Parsley from Table Cafe, which didn't sound that amazing but I knew it would be good since everything they do is delicious.  I threw together a salad with some leftovers and Sweet Tahini Dressing and it all mixed up quite nicely (of course I tried everything in and out of the soup). The beans went the best. I love tahini dressings!
-Table Cafe Celery Soup w/ Parsley
-Brown Rice and Black Bean/Chicken Leftovers
-Salad w/ Heirloom Tomato, Plantain, Cilantro, Green Onion, Tahini Dressing
   -Tahini, Home Juiced Green Apple Juice

 Coconut Infused Oatmeal!!!

  Remember when I hinted at some Coconut-Infused Oatmeal? I'm SO GLAD I wasn't kidding! Probably the best overnight oats yet! No additional honey/maple/agave/stevia sweetener necessary, just the perfect amount of natural sugar from all the Delicious Coconut Kefir, fresh and dried fruit.  A crazy blend of coconut flavor, moist nuggets of dried fruit, crunchy nutty brazil nuts, mushy oats, and a mix of other sweet complimentary flavors from the different fruits. 

    This easily makes making Coconut Kefir worth doing a million more times. I could tell even just the coconut kefir and oats combo complimented each other amazingly.  The sweetness and combination of all the flavors left me experiencing a bomb lychee flavor too. 

  #3 I accompanied this epic bowl with some Indian Tulsi Rose Tea w/ 1/2 scoop of Vanilla Plant Protein to get an extra 10 grams. I'm definitely going to repeat this as well as it turns tea into a nice Latté without milk and with some protein. Oh yeah, and that second "kombucha" bottle isn't extra tea (the other one is the protein tea), it's my own Kombucha Brew, labeled "P" for pomegranate! My first taste today and I am almost as stoked on it as I am on these oats. I didn't brew it too strong, so it tastes like delicious Black Tea Pomegranate Soda! With a hint of Kombucha.

-65g oats, 200g Coconut Kefir (or 1/4" above the oats initially)

-5 Brazil Nuts, Chopped

-Shredded Coconut, Dried Mango, Dried Pineapple

-Strawberry/Blueberries

Clean Up Eats: Grill Life, Cinnamon Berry Explosion/Lucky Charms

Today I enjoyed lunch in the Redwood Bark (newspaper) Room; definitely a nice work environment, although they need some quality computer desks for home! After eating a lot on the weekend including my own weight in Froyo, and then so many V-Day splurges, I tried to keep it a little cleaner recently. I was quite pleased as each meal was quite delicious while being really light and healthy.

 Sesame Mustard Tofu Kale Sesh

Is it weird that I like vegetables so much? I decided that tofu is totally legit made the right way eaten at the right time. #1 I thought I was over it and moved on to tempeh, but realized it's so much easier to digest b/c has no fiber, so if your eating a meal with plenty of hearty veggies already, tofu is a perfect addition. It's also dialed when turned crispy and golden brown around the edges with spices! BSprouts were awesome again with ground mustard seed, except lemon also, and mixed in with some of Stonewall Kitchen Wasabi Mustard. Buddha's Hand Zest and Tahini is good over everything! This meal packed a powerful bite with mustard/wasabi, lemon, and sesame! I've also been super down with purple cabbage, it tastes a little bit like Dijon Mustard on it's own and is SO crunchy.
-Tofu and Kale Saute (Gomasio, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Garlic, Lemon, Veggie Broth)
-Grilled B-Sprouts (Mustard Seed, Lemon, Sesame Oil, Olive Oil, Pepper, Sea Salt, Gomasio)
-Brown Rice, Purple Cabbage, Avocado, Tahini, Wasabi Mustard

Grilled Salmon and Vegetables

I might be entering a grilled food phase? Less liquidy food but just as much flavor! Like salad with the flavor of the dressing but a hot smokey crunchy clean sensation instead of soggy one.  This grilled salmon and vegetable combo again reminded me of my childhood family dinners at Benihana. It had a little bit of Mexican theme to it since it was a little spicy and enjoyed witha avo and salsa. The outside gained a nice crust from being cooked on high heat.  Kind of like a gourmet fish stick.  Brussel sprouts were epic, not only b/c I realized that they are really good no matter what, especially grilled, but also b/c I used ground mustard seed which adds a wasabi like flavor bite! So good I could eat a mountain of them! I mean I sort of did... #2 I started b. sprouts in the grill pan with garlic, olive oil, pepper, and mustard seed, then added the onions a little later, then the salmon and spices, and finally the mushrooms so that everything cooked together and finished around the same time. Some medium high heat at first to get the nice grilled flavor but then low heat and covered to make everything cooked through.
-Grilled Brussel Sprouts with Mustard Seed, Olive Oil, Pepper, Sea Salt
-Grilled Portobello Mushroom, Red Onion
-Grilled Salmon with Turmeric, Garlic and Onion Powder, and Chili Powder, on top of a bed of crunchy Purple Cabbage
-Brown Rice, Avocado, Salsa

Leftovers+Sesame Salt

Lunch was pretty sweet and delicious, basically just snagged some leftovers from dinner, and added a bit of brown rice, spice, and dressing. Sweet carrot lentil soup, brown rice balsamic salad and a little bit of grilled chicken all mixed up nicely into a good combo of salty yet sweet and creamy.
-Balsamic and Olive Oil, Sesame Salt
-Spring Mix and Grilled Chicken
-Brown Rice and Lentil Soup

Cinnamon Berry Explosion

No dedicated sweetener, much fats, or dried fruit, and not too much real fruit, but it was so good anyways!  A cinnamon and spice berry explosion! Think ginger bread. #3 Thank you spices and stevia extract! Prepared overnight style.
-55g oats, 180g soymilk, 4 drops stevia
-Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries
-Hazelnuts
-Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves

Cereal Discovery: Lucky Charms!!!

Bam! Another discovery. Once again without a dedicated sweetener like honey/agave/maple syrup/jam/dried fruit. Went to sleep at 8 last night, and figured I'd auto-wake up early enough to make breakfast but still woke up at the usual 7... That meant act fast! Quick look at the nutrition on some plain cheerios and some non sweet vanilla galaxy granola and found the cheerios a hair better, pretty much dead equal though. It ended up tasting just like Lucky Charms! It was probably the sweetness from the kiwi, wheat cereal aspect of cheerios, #4 and liqorice-esk spice/extract. So pleased! Lucky charms are the best. All I have to do is add some crazy food coloring and it will nearly be the same.
-50g Plain Cheerios
-180g Soymilk
-1/2 Kiwi, Mixed Berries
-2 Ground Star Anise Petals, 1 cap-full Anise Extract

Valentine's Day Fun Treats at Breakfast Lunch and Dinner!

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I threw together some Lentil Soup  to contribute to the dinner the same as always except with Corn and Asparagus.  It made it a lot sweeter which was a nice change and everyone gave me mega compliments for it! Recipe from before. The key ingredients are Fennel Seed Powder, Star Anise, Almonds, and Carrots.  Accompanied by Spring Mix Salad with Balsamic and Olive Oil, some kind of large dark olives that were amazing, and a bit of grilled chicken. Of course it ended up being mixed into the soup...

Tag teamed it up with my mom in the kitchen to make these cookies (you probably could of guessed mine are the alternative looking heart shaped ones) in no time for a V-Day Celebration with my friends, too bad it's not mother's day!  We might of made them in under twenty minutes! #1 Tried out this vegan recipe with almost no tweaks, and it was so easy. Just made them Heart Shaped and:

-almond butter instead of peanut (allergies...)

-maple sugar (no sucanat/plain white sugar)

They were awesome! Basically banana-vanilla-chocolate-almond, so they tasted just like little chewy crunchy Nutella bites! Only healthier. My French friend Sandy brought heart shaped crepes (with special flower extract from France-delicious), so I had to enjoy my cookies wrapped in a crepe (since nutella-banana crepes are the best) and it was the awesome. Don't worry, those were the only two desserts I enjoyed, everything else was too unhealthy (crepes had little eggs and no butter).

Unexpected Stroopwafel!

 My math teacher had extra stroopwafels and offered to give me one! They were homemade and heart shaped. I have some stroopwafel experience given my Dutch father/entire side of the family, but these were fire! Thicker and smoother than store bought, and super butterscotchy.  I thought they were meant to be a double decker edition, but I realized after eating half that it was just two stuck together, and I planned on only eating half b/c it's more dessert than I should be eating, but there was no way I could do that so I went for the whole thing (both).  #2 My real lunch was nearly as good, the super thin sliced cucumbers made for a clean crunchy flavorful taste when combined with hummus, avocado, pastrami turkey, and quality Salsa! And nutty crunchy wheat berries as my grain.
-Stroopwafels
-Wheat Wrap, Diestel Pastrami Turkey
-Wheat Berries, Cucumber, Hummus, Avocado, Salsa

Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

I kept to my word on making this combo, totally worth it.  Not unhealthy as mint chip oatmeal actually would be.  Chocolate from Cacao Nibs, Mint from dried Spearmint, Green from Matcha Powder, and sweetened with Stevia Extract. That's how it's done! #3 It was just a tad minty since I made the oats over night style, the mint needs to be heated to truly unleash its power. It was still good enough though, with an epic bittersweet chocolatey creamy green tea flavor! I need to use some spearmint extract or actually cook my oatmeal. Also added in my cranberries the night before and they 'undried' so weren't quite as chewy. Could add more in the morning to get both textures. Hazelnuts might of also given a little more nutty bite, where as Pecans go better with more creamy combos.

-60g oats, 200g soymilk, 1 teaspoon matcha powder, 1/2 teaspoon spearmint

-Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cranberries

-Pecans, Cacao Nibs

Flavor for Days

How do you make vegetarian meals delicious?  Use the right ingredients and spices!

Lentil Soup and Salad

This Lentil Soup has pasta shells and fennel in it, and extra crunch from almonds.  It is bursting with flavor due to star anise, cumin, fennel seed powder, carraway seeds, and olive oil.  I used a Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette on the Salad.

Garbanzo Bean Salad

 Spinach Bolani, Hummus, and avocado are the tasty ingredients for this meal while the dressing adds all the flavor with lemon, fresh ground pepper, and olive oil.  Kiwi for dessert!
-Arugula, tomato, avocado, garbanzos
-Spinach Bolani and Hummus
-Lemon, Olive Oil, Ground Pepper Dressing

 A tender bowl of thick oats full of flavor from cooking in cinnamon, banana, and strawberries, topped with more strawberry, almond butter, dried cherries, and a lil' almond butter.