How To: Make Cream Cheese and Whey

I use whey quite a bit now and have been asked where I get it. I make it and you can too! Easy!

You can start with raw milk, or you can also use plain yogurt.

If you are using raw milk start with Step 1, plain yogurt - skip to Step 2.

Step 1:
Fill a quart jar with the raw milk, screw on the lid and let it sit on the counter at room temperature for 1-4 days. When it has separated (clear liquid on top, white on bottom) you will be ready for Step 2.

Step 2:
Line a strainer set over a bowl with a clean tea towel. Pour in the yogurt or separated milk, cover and let stand at room temperature for several hours. The whey will run into the bowl and the cream cheese will be in the towel. Gently tie up the towel with a string and let hang over the bowl until all the whey has dripped out. Store your whey in a glass jar and cream cheese in a covered container in the fridge. The (cultured!) cream cheese will keep for about a month and the whey for about 6 months.

I will be sharing various ways I use my whey (ha!) in future posts. Enjoy the benefits of live bacteria by eating your homemade cream cheese raw. Sweeten it with some raw honey and you'll have a delicious spread for sprouted bagels!

Homemade Ranch Dip Mix

No MSG, fillers, preservatives or other yucky stuff in here! This is the best mix recipe I've found that comes close to that "Hidden Valley" taste. Use at least 1 tablespoon of mix per 1 cup of cultured sour cream to make a healthy (probiotic!) dip for your raw, organic veggies. Or use about 2 tablespoons of the mix when a recipe calls for a 1 oz. packet of ranch dip mix.

1 1/2 T. parsley flakes
1/2 T. dried chives
1/4 T. dried tarragon
1/4 T. lemon peel
1/4 T. pepper
1 T. sea salt
1/4 T. dried oregano
1/2 T. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

UPDATE:

Check out the ingredients from the Great Value (Wal-Mart brand) Ranch Dip container:

water, soybean oil, nonfat dry milk, modified cornstarch, whey, contains less than 2% of: salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate (MSG), dried garlic, dried onion, gelatin, mono- and diglycerides, lactic acid, natural flavor, artificial flavor, spices, potassium sorbate (preservative), titanium dioxide (color), guar gum, sodium phosphate, calcium carbonate, carrageenan, phosphoric acid, citric acid, chicken fat.

Guh-ross.

The Importance of Eating Organic, Raw or Cultured Foods

Product Review: Emerald Valley Organic Salsa

Salsa... I love salsa. I NEED salsa. This salsa is so very good. I'm not crazy about many store-bought salsas, I like to make my own. But this! this is really, really good. So until summertime comes and I can make my own (cultured - will share this later) salsa, this will definitely do. Emerald Vally Organic Salsa, go add it to your cart!

INGREDIENTS: Organic Tomatoes (Organic Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, Sea Salt, Citric Acid, Calcium Chloride), Water, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Dehydrated Onion, Organic Cilantro, Sea Salt, Organic Jalapeno Peppers, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Cumin Powder.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

I could eat this every day. Seriously. Everyone loves it and it is a cinch to make. I cut the wings, legs and thighs off a whole chicken; then cooked the rest of the chicken in a pot of water. Now I have dinner on the table plus nearly a gallon of homemade chicken stock and several cups of cooked chicken ready for another meal later on in the week. Here ya go!

2 cups brown rice
4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 lb. frozen green beans
6-8 portions of bone-in, skin-on chicken
sea salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place your rice, stock, minced onion, garlic powder and oregano in a 9x13 glass dish. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the green beans evenly over the rice mixture. Lay your chicken pieces on top of the green beans, skin side up. Season the chicken with sea salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. Enjoy!

Just in case you were wondering, I eat the skin.

Product Review: Alden's Organic Blackberry Ice Cream

Oh, yes... This is some good ice cream! Jesse (a sweets fanatic) said, "I think this is the best ice cream I've ever had!" Smooth, creamy, perfect amount of blackberry...

We are enjoying our Alden's Organic Blackberry Ice Cream and I'm looking forward to sampling their seven other varieties - to report back to you of course! Somebody has to do it...

INGREDIENTS: Organic Cream and Organic Skim Milk, Organic Blackberries, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Egg Yolks, Natural Flavors, Pectin, Citric Acid, Stabilizer (Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice).

Apple Crisp

Update: I have made this using brown rice flour instead of wheat and palm shortening instead of butter to make this allergen-free.  Worked great!

I bought 20 pounds of beautiful, organic apples from Azure Standard this month for $.75/pound! We've been enjoying our apples raw as well as in this crisp for a special treat. What a delicious way to use up some of the surplus! I found this recipe on about.com.

Apple Crisp

Serves 6

3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup unsweetened apple juice
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup sucanat
¼ cup hard white whole wheat flour
2 tbsp butter, cut into tiny pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sliced apples in an 8x8 glass baking dish. Drizzle with lemon juice. Pour all but 2 tbsp of apple juice over sliced apples.

Whisk oats, brown sugar and flour together. Rub butter pieces into oat mixture. Sprinkle on top of apples. Drizzle remaining apple juice.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.