a very basic, but nutritious and healthy, salad dressing - you can put it on anything!

it starts with about 20 swirls of olive oil.

next you dump in about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar WITH the Mother in it.

next up is sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper to taste.

a good pinch each of cayenne, turmeric and cumin.

3-4 cloves of garlic, a good-sized knob of ginger and a plop of unpasteurized honey.

a half of a lemon, or lime, squeezed in.

then you shake that baby up real good.

then you dump it on your salad.

the salad above is chiffonade romaine lettuce, tomatoe, cucumber, kiwi, orange, olives, feta and homegrown sprouts.

this salad below is iceburg lettuce, quinoa, 4 different-coloured peppers, broccoli, olives and feta.

and this is a bean salad with romaine lettuce, chickpeas, kidney beans, and 4 different-coloured peppers with cucumber.

this salad dressing can be put on anything - i even put it on fruit salad! it is not only delicious and healthy, the combination of garlic, vinegar with the mother, ginger and honey, all in conjunction, become a natural antibiotic. turmeric, cayenne and cumin are very good for your digestive system and for your overall health. if you eat this dressing every day, which we try to do, it will increase your overall health. you can also put this salad dressing on sardines - it tastes divine. and all of you better be eating a can of sardines at least once a week! i mean it! if not, i will have to come visit you and kick yer butt! and none of you want that! bahahahahhah!

please make this dressing, and make it to your taste. but don't leave any ingredient out. all of the ingredients are essential to maintaining good overall health!

braised wild rabbit - yummeh!

there is nothing on the planet more nutritious and delicious than wild, local food that you hunt and prepare for yourself - NOTHING! here on our island we have access to lobster, shrimp, mussels, clams, a wide variety of fish, pheasant, geese, duck, rabbit, deer and moose. i am sure that i am forgetting something, but trust me, we have access to this lovely wild food. and we are very grateful. my husband keeps us in beautiful trout during trout fishing season and friends of ours, who work the lobster and/or crab boats keep us supplied, we go "clamming" for clams and mussels, and several of our friends hunt (my hubby will start next year) during hunting season. a friend of ours recently gifted us with 8 wild rabbits that he snared himself on his own land. he also gutted and prepped them beautifully for us.

this recipe will work on wild rabbit, home-grown rabbit or store-bought rabbit.

a bit of back-info before we get to the recipe. in my opinion, whether you are roasting, braising or cooking meat in the crockpot - the VERY FIRST THING that you must do is to carmelize some onion in a pan with butter and EVOO. carmelize the onion on medium heat until it starts to soften and brown and then add in some carrot and celery and let those carmelize too! they will provide the base of any meat that you are cooking.

the next thing to mention is that when you are roasting, braising or cooking meat in a crockpot - please use broth/stock and not water! i am a big believer in making your own stock/broth as it is so simple - but at the very least, use store-bought stock/broth if you must. just not water! bleck!

ok, on to the recipe. which is more of a guideline. i have a penchant for blogs that write out the steps and explain what and why, and not just provide a recipe.

so, you have caramelized your onion, celery and carrot. remove these to a plate/pan/whatever. and the oil/butter that was in the pan is nice and browned and might even have brown bits in it. LEAVE THOSE THERE - they add flavour. next, you are going to take your rabbit and kind of split him in half using only your hands. just lay him on his back, bend his back legs away from his body, bend his front legs away from his body, and then press down near the spine. you might break the spine, no prob, but what you want is to flay the rabbit out as flat as possible. next you season your rabbit with salt, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme - whatever seasonings you like. then you add more butter and EVOO to the pan that you cooked the onions, celery and carrot in and you place the rabbit down on his front-side or back-side. braise the one side for a few minutes until you see some colour, and then braise the other side. now add your rabbit to your roaster and sprinkle the onion, carrot celery all around. like this.

set your oven to 325.

next up - dump about 2 cups of stock/broth (hopefully home-made - it makes all the difference!) into the cooking pan. on medium heat, let it come up to a boil and scrape the bottom of the pan. this will bring up all the tasty brown stuff on the bottom and your pan will be clean and shiny when you are done. dump this over the rabbit and veg in the roaster. it should come halfway up the rabbit depending on what size roaster you use and depending on how much broth you want left over for sauce or gravy.

cover the roasting pan and cook for anywhere between 3-4hrs depending on the size of your rabbit. the longer you leave it in, the more tender the meat becomes and the more the flavours are able to mingle. after 90-100 mins, flip the rabbit and continue cooking for the remainder of the time.

once the rabbit is ready, remove it from the pan (don't be alarmed that the meat will fall right off the bones, strain your broth into another pan and either serve this as a sauce or make a gravy out of it. i always make a gravy.

here is my finished braised rabbit, served with wild rice, mushroom and cranberries.

i hope you enjoy this recipe. if you have any questions, just leave them in the comments.

greek yoghurt dip/spread

this is a favourite dip/spread to have on hand at all times. it's good as a spread for sandwiches, wraps. veggies, baked pita chips, crackers or whatever!

Ingredients:

1 tub of greek yogurt
a 1inch chunk of cucumber
2 cloves of garlic (i use 4)
a squeeze of lemon juice
fresh-chopped, or dehydrated chives
a pinch of cumin
a pinch of cayenne
a pinch of turmeric
sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

1. empty yoghurt into a mixing bowl. using a garlic press, press the cucumber into the yoghurt. use the garlic press to add the garlic. squeeze a quarter of a lemon into the bowl. toss in the chives and the spices. mix it all together. taste. adjust for seasonings.

we love this on pita with lettuce, herbed lebanese rice and hot peppers.

we also love it on wraps with stir-fried onions, peppers and avocado.

and again, you can use it as a dip for veggies, pita chips, crackers, etc.
no matter - it's deelish!

bean, chickpea and veg salad that even a man would eat!

as you all know - we love fresh and healthy food! here is a really yummy, and very filling salad. you can eat it for breakfast, dinner, supper or snack. it's always good to make a ton of it so that you snack on it for several days!!!

Kidney Bean, chickpea and veg salad

Ingredients:
(you can use whatever you have on hand!)

1 can of chickpeas (i prefer to use dried and soak them overnight but cheated using a can with this salad!)
1 can of kidney beans (same as above!)
green pepper, red pepper, orange pepper and yellow pepper, chopped (or any one, or any combination of)
1 small jar of artichoke hearts in oil, chopped - don't skip these - they are truly a delicious addition

Ingredients for the dressing:

8 or 9 swirls of olive oil
a good dollop of apple cider vinegar
the juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
as much, or as little garlic as you like, crushed (we use a ton)
a knob of ginger, crushed
big pinch of turmeric
pinch of cayenne
pinch of cumin

Steps for the salad:

1. drain your chickpeas and kidney beans. dump them in a big bowl.
2. add your chopped peppers.
3. add your chopped artichokes

Steps for the dressing:

1. dump all of the ingredients in a jar and shake, shake, shake.

To assemble:

1. dump the dressing all over your salad. make sure the salad is in a bowl/container with a lid. put lid on and shake, shake, shake. add more salt and pepper, to taste. bring bowl/container out into the snow and bury it in the snow for a good hour. or you could use your refrigerator. the snow works better, tho! lastly, chop up some romaine, iceberg or bib lettuce - whatever you have on hand and serve the bean salad over it. don't forget to add some home-grown sprouts and some slices of cucumber.

deelish. and filling. even better after it has sat a day or two. enjoy!

herbed lebanese rice

this is one of our favourite, easy-to-prepare and really delicious suppers. the leftovers can be used in a variety of ways!

for supper, we normally serve it with heated pita, cucumber sauce and of course kimchi! a lemon slice squeezed on the rice doesn' hurt either!

INGREDIENTS and steps

Lean ground beef

Worcestershire sauce (as much as you like)

2-3 cloves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you like your food and depending on how much hamburger you are using. I tend to throw 4-5-6 cloves in!!! but we looove garlic! And we’ve never been attacked by a vampire...might be on to something there – bahahaha!)

Finely chopped onion (however much you like)

Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

As much cumin as you like

As much turmeric as you like

As much cayenne as you like

(maybe a ¼ teaspoon of each??? I think i use closer to half a teaspoon of each but we like it really spicey!)

A ton of fresh-chopped parsley

Cooked rice

1. bring your ground beef to room temperature – take it out and put it in a bowl with a lid for about half an hour before you intend to cook it.
2. dump Worcestershire sauce all over your hamburger, break it up into pieces and dump some more. Mix it all around, trying not to stir it up too much.
3. use your garlic crusher and crush your garlic into your meat.
4. add your chopped onion.
5. add your sea salt and pepper.
6. add your cumin, turmeric and cayenne – i just sprinkle it all around the meat until i feel i’ve used enough.
7. mix it all together, try not to stir it too much. put the lid on and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes (depends on time of year and how warm it is in the house).
8. after the meat has sat, cook it over medium-high heat, stirring it around and breaking it up. It will release a lot of liquid due to the Worcestershire sauce, but that is a good thing as it almost makes a sauce and all of the spices are in that sauce.
9. cook off the majority of the sauce and then either strain the meat or not. I don’t strain as i like for some of the greasy sauce to mix with the rice.
10. when the hamburger is cooked throw your chopped fresh parsley into it and mix it around. Now throw your cooked rice in, stir it all around and serve!

the Framboise Manor guide to home-made veg broth

this post is for my friend Sue. we have been talking back and forth about making broth and i thought i would post the way that we do it here, for her. (that and the fact that i have not been maintaining this blog at all! i want to - and know that there will be a time when we aren't up to our eyeballs doing a million of other things - and i really like using a blog to collect recipes! all of this to say that i will be trying to keep up to date with this blog!)

this is not so much of a recipe as it is a how-to guide and it is the way that we make all of our home-made broth. there are millions of recipes and whatnot but i thought i would share "our way" and if any of you are interested - then that's awesome!

first off - because we don't have chickens or other animals that would gladly eat the tops of carrots or veggies about to go off - i save all of the cleaned trimmings, skins, peels, etc. from all of our veggies. i store these in a freezer bag and add to it daily. i also grab any veg/fruit that is about to go off and store those in the freezer bags as well. these will be used to make the broth. whenever i plan on making broth, i always make sure to have fresh celery, onion and carrot as these fresh veggies will really make the flavour in the broth with the frozen ones adding water from their melting, and a deepening flavour.



i start with a big giant pot on my tiny stove. i get the bottom nice and hot and then i swirl olive oil 4 or 5 times to semi-coat the bottom and throw in a good heaping spoon of butter (if you are concerned about fat content or whatnot, you can leave out the butter. but the butter to me is what truly makes a good broth!). i chop up 2 fresh onions into 6-8 wedges and toss those into the butter. i clean the carrots but i do not peel them. i also leave the tops and bottoms on. i chop about 6 of those in half and toss those in to the pot. i clean a few stalks of fresh celery and chop them in half and toss them in the pot. i then liberally add sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. you can leave out the salt if you desire, but i believe that the salt really helps with the flavour. i stir these veggies and let them cook until they start to brown. once browned, i add 2 cups of filtered rainwater. i turn the heat down to medium.

 

next, i dump a bag or two of a variety of frozen veggies from my saved stash in. you could skip this step by adding more fresh veggies in the beginning. next i toss in 10-12 pieces of garlic. i smash the garlic with the back of the knife but i don't crush it or chop it - you don't need to. next i add a big splash of vinegar with the mother in it and a heaping teaspoon of unpasteurized honey. give all of this a nice stir, and help the frozen veggies melt. now it's on to spices.




i throw every spice i have in to the pot. i just take a pinch of everything using my fingers. i throw in 8-10 bay leaves, pinch of rosemary, thyme, turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro/coriander, chili powder, cayenne, paprika, sage, oregano, and some more sea salt and cracked pepper. i bring the pot up to a boil, and once at a boil, put a lid on and set the heat to medium-low, just to keep the pot at a simmer. i check the pot quite regularly, give it a stir and keep it at a simmer. after an hour or so, all of the frozen veggies should be melted. at this point i add as much water as needed to fill the pot, bring it back to a boil, put the lid back on and bring the heat down to a simmer again.

then i leave it at a simmer for 6 or 8 or 10 hours, constantly checking it, stirring it, etc. once the set amount of time has passed, i spoon out as much vegetables as i can and let the soup cool. once cooled, i line a colander with some paper towel and pour out the broth into another big bowl or pot. once the liquid is fully cooled, i pour it into a variety of sized containers and freeze it. this will be the base for your poultry and beef broth.

i usually make a beef or poultry broth the very next day and save 4 cups of the veggie stock in the fridge to do so. i start the pot with the same olive oil, butter, and fresh onion, celery and carrot stir fry. once the veggies have browned, i add the 4 cups of veggie broth that i saved in the fridge. then i throw in some more of the frozen saved veggie pieces. in the case of poultry broth, i throw in at least 2 frozen carcasses, all of the wing/leg bones, any remaining meat, all of the fat, etc. i find that the best poultry or beef broth starts with a good veggie broth as the base. in the case of a beef broth, i throw in frozen bones from roasts, steaks, all the fat, any remaining bits of meat, etc. i melt the frozen carcasses/bones on medium heat and after about an hour they and the veggies should be melted. at this point i add as much filtered rainwater as is needed to fill the pot. i then throw in pinches of all of the spices that i used to make the veggie broth above. i bring the pot to a boil, put a lid on it and let it simmer all day, checking it and stirring it regularly.


after 6 or 8 or 10 hours has passed, i remove all of the carcasses/bones etc with a slotted spoon. then i let the broth cool. once cooled a little, i line a colander with paper towel and pour into another big pot or bowl. this step is CRUCIAL to getting the gelatinous goopy fat out of your broth. put into a variety of containers and once completely cooled, put in the freezer. or can your broth - it's up to you!

i hope that this guide has been helpful. if anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them!

SPROUTS - not so much of a recipe but whateva!

Sprouts eh? Yes sprouts. There are lots of interesting facts about sprouts:

"Seeds and grains contain a wonderful store of nutrients and are an excellent source of enzymes. Nature has protected the enzymes in dry seeds, nuts, grains and legumes by placing enzyme inhibitors in them. Enzyme inhibitors prevent the enzymes from being activated until the seed is germinated. Unfortunately this also prevents us from receiving the benefit of the plant enzymes to aid us in the digestion of the seeds. Germination neutralizes the inhibitors and releases the enzymes. Many people are sensitive to these inhibitors and display allergic reactions such as headaches. Some have difficulty digesting the seeds and nuts, grains or legumes and suffer indigestion. These digestive problems can be prevented by soaking the dry seed and beginning the germination process. Sprouting makes the vital enzymes fully available for our body's use and eliminates the possibility of allergic reactions to the enzyme inhibitors.

Many seeds also contain phytic acid which significantly reduces the absorption of calcium, iron, zinc and other minerals into the blood stream causing loss of important minerals. When the seeds are sprouted, such losses become insignificant. Several other important functions are served in sprouting. The nutritional value is greatly enhanced, even quadrupled in many cases. In addition, starches and proteins are converted into simple sugars and amino acids which are much more easily absorbed and utilized by the body. In the case of nuts and seeds, the fat content is reduced by as much as 30-40% as it is consumed or energy in growing the sprout or converted into fatty acids.

The high concentration of vitamins, minerals and amino acids (proteins), RNA and DNA in sprouted foods have a regenerative effect on the human body. This concentrated combination of nutrients is available only in the live cell food." (http://www.homeopathyone.com/live_sprouted_foods.htm)

The sprouter that we use, year-round, is an EasyGreen Automatic Sprouter.

as you can see, this sprouter has 5 trays, an automatic timer for the mister and the ability to mix and match your sprouts. some sprouts take 4-7 days, some a little longer.

here's a pic of about $40 worth of sprouts that lasted for almost 3yrs. that is some cheap, delicious food!

The EasyGreen sprouter is pretty expensive – however, if you are interested in purchasing an automatic sprouting machine – we highly recommend it! There are other smaller, automatic types out there as well – such as this one - and non-automatic models such as this one - . Those are just a few examples – I have done some searching on the net for sprouters and there are a bazillion different kinds – and in all price ranges.

What’s even better though is that I found a bazillion sites that talk about growing sprouts in mason jars! I like DIY’ers who figure out ways to do things on the cheap! Go here , or here, or here for more information. Just google sprouts and mason jars and you will find many, many more sites out there that can teach you the step-by-step basics of growing your own sprouts in mason jars – I haven’t tried it in mason jars but there are so many people out there doing it – it can’t be that hard right?

and sprouts are just so very good for you! ok - this IS a recipe blog so i will leave you with a few recipes:

Recipe 1: toss them on every salad you make.

Recipe 2: toss them on every sandwich you make.

Recipe 3: toss them onto a bowl of soup after you have served it - that way they keep their crunch. or throw all caution to the wind and toss them into the soup as you are cooking it.

Recipe 4: toss them onto stew, or into stew.

Recipe 5: eat them by the handful.

Recipe 6: make yourself a nice snack plate of cheese, kimchi, some crackers, some apple and, get ready for it - toss the sprouts on your plate.

you can get really crazy and put them in your ice-cream or bake a sprout pie - but hey - get creative! and get yourself some sprouts!!!