Household Blog

From our new Purple House contributor, Damon:

As anyone who’s spent any amount of time at the Purple House knows, food is pretty important around here. My knowledge and passion for food has increased dramatically since being introduced to it. Not only does this serve as my first post to the PH Blog, but it is also my first post to any blog whatsoever. I’m honored to have the chance to cut my teeth on behalf of a home and its inhabitants whom I love so greatly.

As promised, here’s an old stuffed pepper recipe of mine that’s undergone some modifications since joining the Purple House. Most any of the ingredients can be substituted—meat can be added, grains or herbs substituted, different cheeses used, etc. This recipe is just a framework from a recently successful batch. Look around at what you have on hand and what’s in season and
experiment!

Stuffed Peppers

• 4 bell peppers
• 1/2 cup dry rice, soaked and/or sprouted, then cooked
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 8 oz feta
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• fresh herbs to taste: marjoram, thyme, rosemary, you choose
• salt
• parmesan

Prepare the sprouted rice first by cooking it while prepping the stuffing. Dice tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Add salt to taste. Coarsely chop about your fresh herbs—I used 1/4 cup fresh marjoram, 1/4 cup fresh thyme, a tablespoon of fresh rosemary. Crumble the feta cheese and add it and the herbs to the tomatoes. Toast sunflower seeds till golden brown and add to tomato mixture, combine, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Choose 4 peppers that stand upright nicely and have large bodies, wash them, and cut out their tops. Shake out the seeds and remove ribbing on the inside carefully with your fingers or a spoon.

Add the cooked rice to the tomato mixture and combine. Don’t be worried if the rice is still a bit hard—it will cook further in the oven. Use a spoon fill each pepper to overflowing and top it with a sprinkle of shredded parmesan. (Any extra stuffing goes great in omelets!)

Place peppers in the casserole dish and add 1/2 inch water to the bottom of the dish. Bake for about 1 hour or until the peppers are just barely starting to brown and wilt slightly. Consider a side of steamed greens and a piece of cheesecake for dessert. Dern tasty…

The time has come to make an introduction. Last November, I met a very special person. In January of this year, we started dating. Two weeks ago, at twilight in the middle of our newly planted orchard, he asked me to marry him. I said, “Of course.”

This is Damon. He’s the best man I’ve ever met. But don’t just take my word for it. Rowan thinks he’s pretty fabulous, too.

And Damon’s dog Bane seems pretty happy about his new digs.

And Sera, true to form, generally just tolerates us all.

You’ll be hearing from Damon from time to time on the household blog; in fact, his recipe for stuffed peppers is coming soon—I’ve taste-tested a few versions, and i can verify their yum factor!

In the meantime, know that we are thrilled and excited and generally walking about three inches above the ground. Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” Now, in the throes of being newly engaged and very much in love, I admit there’s a fair amount of gazing going on. But what makes me feel strong and confident in our current state of doe-eyed bliss is that we’ve found in each other an equal partner who wants the same sort of life. I’m looking forward to walking this long and winding path together, enjoying the scenery, adventures, and experiences that much more for the warmth of his hand in mine.

Welcome home.

Now I’m no vegetarian, but I probably eat a lot less meat than the average American. In the colder months, I might eat meat once or twice a week, and during the hot months it’s closer to once every two weeks. Also, I find that it’s valuable to be familiar with how to prepare and (very important) how to ENJOY foods from various alternate diets and ingredients. So although I’m not vegan, I often cook vegan meals, and even though I’m not on a raw diet, I enjoy the challenge of preparing raw menus.

Why? Well, as Sharon Astyk points out, you don’t always know what foods will be available down the road, or what energy will be available for food preservation or preparation; keeping your culinary muscles and tastebuds limber and stretching your kitchen creativity regularly gives you many more resources for adapting to the unforeseeable.

Secondly, as a person traversing the dietary terrain of living gluten free, I understand the importance and honor inherent in being able to prepare food for those with their own allergies and intolerances. I love to cook for my people. Being able to feed them well according to their individual needs? That’s how I honor their place at my table.

So a couple weeks ago I came up with this recipe – vegan and easily adapted to being raw (and obviously already gluten free), and my dinner companion and I unceremoniously inhaled them.

NOTES: To make it an all raw dish, simply substitute some raw dehydrated flatbread or collard leaves for the taco shells. Also, I make my own kimchi, but you can buy it at the store as well, just make sure to taste it for spiciness so you can balance out the flavors. My most recent batch isn’t very spicy, so I add a pinch of cayenne to the tempeh, but if you have a really hot kimchi, you may want to skip the cayenne. And finally, your fresh veggie and herb mixture can be whatever you like. The one pictured has cucumber, parsley, and Thai basil, and previously I used arugula, cilantro, and tomatoes. Basically, use whatever’s on hand.

Tempeh & Kimchi Tacos

• A dozen taco shells or raw substitute (see notes above)
• 8 ounces GF tempeh
• 1 Tbsp. molasses
• 1 Tbsp. GF tamari
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seed oil, flax seed oil, or hemp seed oil
• pinch of cayenne (optional)
• Fresh chopped veggies & herbs (see above notes)
• kimchi
• optional garnish with lime wedges

Whisk together the molasses, tamari, oil, and cayenne in a medium-sized bowl. Add tempeh, mix well, and set aside for at least ten minutes.

Finely chop your preferred mix of fresh vegetables and herbs. Some suggestions: cucumber, radishes, carrots, spinach, scallions, arugula, tomato, thai basil, chives, cilantro, parsley… you get the picture.

Into your taco shells, layer in your tempeh mixture, veggie/herb mix, and kimchi. Bet you can’t eat just one.

Favorite wacky taco combos?

I have a new favorite dessert. It’s summer, and I’m avoiding sugar, as well as anything else that contributes to heat in the body—caffeine, meat, salt, etc. I run hot already, and to stay cool and happy, adjusting my diet to the season helps. I still eat moderate portions of meat and a bit of salt or sweetener here and there, but it’s drastically reduced (probably a good thing regardless) and more and more of my meals consist of raw foods made from fresh fruits and vegetables and some sprouted grains. Who needs recipes this time of year? All you have to do is pick it off the vine/tree/bush, wipe it off on your shirt, and dive in. Sun-warmed and divine.

But, well, you might still want this recipe—it’s raw, vegan (except for the honey, but you could substitute agave nectar), and of course gluten-free! a cheesecake that actually tastes like cheesecake, except that it’s much easier, much less expensive, you don’t have to worry about it cracking across the top (if you’ve ever made homemade cheesecake, you know what I’m talking about), and you don’t end up heating your kitchen up unnecessarily by running the oven. Perfect.

I found this recipe originally in The Complete Book of Raw Food cookbook—a favorite of mine, filled with creative ideas for eating a raw diet. The original version, if you’d like to check it out, is titled “Just Like Cheesecake.” Below is my version, altered only slightly to lower the amount of sweetener (honey) and allow for more variation. If you don’t want to do the topping as prescribed, you can just use fresh fruit or low- or no-sugar jam to top it. Trust me, we took it to our friends Robbie and Jeff’s last night for dinner (great polenta pizza, Robbie!) and it was a hit, shown above with some of our watermelon t’ej as dessert wine. Life is very, very good.

Raw Vegan Cheesecake

Crust:

• 2 c. nuts (I liked pecans best, but walnuts and brazil nuts were good, too)
• 1/2 c. dates, soaked and drained
• 1/4 c. dried, unsweetened coconut

Filling:

• 3 c. raw cashews, coarsely chopped and soaked for at least an hour
• 3/4 c. lemon juice
• 2/3 c. honey
• 3/4 c. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Topping:

• 1 to 2 c. fresh or frozen fruit
• 1/2 c. dates

Place all the ingredients for the crust into your food processor. Pulse until thoroughly chopped and well mixed—it should be sticky and slightly crumbly. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate or springform pan. Set aside.

Drain the water off the cashews. Place all filling ingredients in a high-powered blender or a food processor. Blend just until smooth. (If using a blender, do not run it too long or you may overheat the engine). Pour the filling into crust—it may not be perfectly smooth, but it’s okay. Cover and put in the freezer for at least an hour to set up. Once it has frozen—or at least gotten thoroughly chilled—you can move it to the refrigerator. It will have the consistency of regular cheesecake.

Combine topping ingredients (I’ve used raspberries or blackberries with dates, but some no-sugar jam would be lovely…) in food processor and pulse till smooth or thoroughly combined. Spread over the top of the cheesecake before serving.

Eat just one slice if you can, I dare you. But then again, not much guilt if you eat more than one piece *grin*  Enjoy!

The Purple House site is getting a facelift this weekend. For the sake of easy updating, cleaner visual design, and general house tidying, the site may be a bit scattered for the next couple of days. Please be patient, and wish me luck!

Happy day!

Anna

I love oats. It’s one of those pretty amazingly wonderful perfect foods—delicious, comforting,nourishing both inside and out, can be eaten raw or cooked, chewy, crunchy, gooey, you name it. And affordable, that’s a bonus too, only somewhat more expensive if you have to get gluten free oats. And they grow right here in Virginia. If I had to pick a grain to have a crush on, oats would be the one.

Normally in the colder months I opt for hot oatmeal or granola, but more and more in the hot, humid summer months that we get here in Richmond, I try to stay away from cooking much, especially things that steam. We don’t need any more steam down here, no thank you. So cooking passively has been a thing. But shoot, with oats, there doesn’t even need to be cooking at all!

For the summer months, try muesli for your breakfast. With so many enticing fruits in season, who could resist?

Muesli

• 1/2 c. gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 t. plain yogurt
• Water
• Sweetener of choice, to taste (brown sugar, honey, agave syrup, jam, maple syrup, etc.)
• Dried or fresh fruit of choice
• Raw nuts or seeds

The night before, place your oats in a bowl, add the yogurt, raw nuts, and cover with enough water to just cover it all. Mix the yogurt in, then cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight—this ferments the oats, making it even more healthful and easier to digest. The next morning, add in your sweetener to taste and fruit of choice. You can also add in some more yogurt if you like. Mix and enjoy. Easy as… well, actually, much easier than pie.

Stay cool!

Credit for this simple epitome-of-summer recipe goes to my wonderful grandparents, Buddy and Marie. For as long as I can remember, this (along with their recipe for tomato pie) has been the ultimate summer meal. Fresh in-season ingredients brought in still warm from the garden, chopped, mixed, et voila: perfection. Serve with some fresh corn on the side, and it truly is the quintessential summertime meal. For me anyway. And the amounts are not specific—sorry—the measurements are just sort of till-it-looks/tastes-right.

Tomato Basil Pasta

• Tinkyada gluten free spaghetti or fettucini pasta
• 2 cloves garlic
• sea salt
• 2 or 3 large fresh tomatoes or the equivalent amount of grape or cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped into bite-sized pieces
• a couple handfuls of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan for garnish, optional

Smash and peel garlic cloves, and put the whole smashed cloves in the bottom of a mixing bowl. Mix in enough sea salt to coat the garlic and press garlic into the salt. Add tomatoes, basil, a drizzle of olive oil (not too much, just a tablespoon or so, max), and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside at room temperature to let the flavors develop.

Cook your pasta per usual and drain, then immediately toss pasta with the tomato mixture. Serve, garnishing with parmesan, if desired. That’s it!

What’s your favorite summertime dish?

This dish is so good I made it two nights in a row, the first night with just eggplant, then again last night I used eggplant, zucchini, sweet bell pepper and onions. I could easily see this being adapted for fall and winter veggies too. So easy. Just chop, stir bake, and serve over rice, millet, quinoa—your grain of choice.

You can substitute your favorite hot sauce for sriracha or use honey instead of agave nectar, just do so to taste as they have different potency.

Spicy Summer Vegetables

• 1.5 pounds vegetables, chopped into largeish bite-sized pieces
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) tomato paste
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. Sriracha (depending on your heat tolerance)
• 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 heaping Tbsp. dried oregano, or 3 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 400. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine everything but the veggies. Add vegetables and mix well. Spread mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake until fork tender. Serve over your grain of choice—rice, millet, quinoa, buckwheat, etc. Garnish with sesame seeds. Rub your belly for joy.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6—8 as a side dish.

Growing up, I hated sauerkraut. Loathed it. My mom would make sailor sandwiches and oven baked hot dogs with kraut occasionally, and from the first odors I was set against it. It was mushy, stinky, ugly, and revolting in every way. I’ve never been one for subtlety of opinion.

Well, I’m hereby changing my tune. Sauerkraut has become a favorite treat at the Purple House, regularly added to salads and soups as a condiment, taken along to cookouts to adorn all manner of grillables, and it’s not rare for me to just eat a couple mouthfuls straight out of the jar (I also do this with nut butters).

How did this shift occur? Well I’ll tell you I still don’t buy the flaccid canned mess from the store. I make my own fermented kraut at home with local cabbage and sea salt. It’s crispy, zesty, a great source of vitamin C, and of course it’s purple because we’re the Purple House people.

This is as easy as can be. The steps are pretty much the same as the kimchi, just fewer ingredients.

Purple House Sauerkraut

• 2.5 pounds purple (or regular) cabbage
• 1.5 Tbsp. sea salt
• de-chlorinated water (boil and then cool, or use distilled)

I make this in 2-quart batches. Sometimes I double it and just divide it into smaller jars for the fermentation stage. Anything more than two quarts during fermentation just seems unwieldy to me.

Shred the cabbage using the slicer of a food processor or a mandoline. I like thicker pieces because they stay crispier.

Layer cabbage and salt into a large stoneware or glass bowl and allow to sit 15 to 30 minutes, allowing the salt to start drawing salt out of the cabbage.

Use a pounding tool to pound the cabbage, pulling liquid out of the cabbage. This will be your brine. Continue pounding and stirring alternately till you have a good amount of brine in the bowl. This will take a while, so put on some good music and have fun with it!

Begin to spoon your kraut mixture into a 2-quart glass jar(s), pressing it down with your fist to drive out any air bubbles every couple inches.

Once all the cabbage and brine are in the jars and all the air bubbles have been pressed out, you’ll need to make brine baggies to weigh the cabbage down below the surface of the brine, preventing exposure to air during fermentation. Using 1 Tbsp salt per cup of water, dissolve salt in water, then pour into sealable plastic baggie(s). Place the baggie on top of the kraut mixture and arrange it so all the cabbage is submerged. Wipe the exposed inside of the jar clean with a paper towel, and put the lid on the jar.

Allow to sit out at room temperature, burping the jar 2 or 3 times a day to release gases and avoid a sauerkraut sprinkler system (ask me how I know). If you see air bubbles building up down in the cabbage, just use a clean hand to press the mixture down and drive out the air bubbles.

Every couple days you may want to rinse off and dry your baggie, wipe out the inside rim of the jar again, and replace the baggie. If the baggie breaks, no problem! That’s why it had brine in it.

Fermentation times vary, as short as 5 days in a warm kitchen, much slower when it’s cool. You’ll know it’s ready by taste and smell. If any of the cabbage gets exposed to air and discolors, just remove the affected pieces, press the mixture down again, rinse and replace the brine baggie, and wipe out the rim again.

When your kraut is ready, store it in the fridge, keeping the rim clean and the baggie in place. It will last months.

This may sound complicated but I have a tendency to be verbose and err on the side of over-explaining. Trust me: once you’ve done it and thoroughly enjoyed the end product, you’ll be fermenting everything you can get your hands on!

A great resource for other projects is the book Wild Fermentation, one of a very few food books I’ll actually read in bed.

Have fun, and feel free to send your questions and comments!

I wrote this recipe last year for Agriberry, a local Richmond fruit CSA. It’s so good, probably the best rib recipe I’ve ever had, and so I give it to you.

I find that one set of spareribs, about 1.5 pounds, is good for two generous serviings. If you are feeding more people (or have smaller or bigger appetites than ours), feel free to adjust the amounts below.

Blackberry Ribs

• 1 1/2 lb spare rib
• 3 t. chili powder
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 c. fresh blackberries or more
• 1/3 c. ketchup
• 1/3 c. maple syrup
• 2 1/2 t. ginger powder
• 1 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 t. sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce)

Preheat oven to 400. Mix chili, garlic and salt and rub into both sides of the spare rib. Place ribs meaty side up on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, place all six remaining ingredients in a blender and liquefy. Pour blackberry mixture through a sieve into a sauce pan, pressing mixture with a spatula to work the juice through. Discard the pulp and seeds. Cook the blackberry sauce over medium-high, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly once it starts to bubble. Set aside.

Once ribs have cooked 50 minutes, take out of oven and brush both sides with a liberal amount of the blackberry sauce. Return ribs to the oven, again meaty side up, and cook for another 10 minutes – no longer. Cut ribs into individual pieces, divide between two plates, and spoon more sauce over the top. Serve with leftover sauce on the side for dipping.