Ginger Carrots

4 cups grated carrots, tightly packed
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey (if not available, use an additional 1 tablespoon salt)

These are the best introduction to lacto-fermented vegetables we know; the taste is delicious; and the sweetness of the carrots neutralizes the acidity that some people find disagreeable when they are first introduced to lacto-fermented vegetables. Ginger carrots go well with rich foods and spicy meats.

In a bowl, mix all ingredients and pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or a meat hammer until juices cover the carrots. The top of the carrots should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

Sauerkraut

Makes 1 Quart

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey (if not available use an additional 1 tablespoon salt)

In a bowl, mix cabbage with caraway seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer for about 10 minutes to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or a meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but it improves with age.

Probiotics and Fermented Vegetables

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that live inside our intestinal tracts. They help us to digest our food, produce vitamins like B-12 and hormones like serotonin.

Traditionally humans consumed probiotics in the form of cultured and fermented foods and drinks; such as yogurt, kefir, cheese, sauerkraut and pickles. They also gained the beneficial bacterium from freshly picked vegetables and fruit from their gardens.

Without an ample supply of these little helpers your digestive system and body will not be able to function properly. Conditions such as depression, anemia, bloating, gas, headaches, and what is called a "Leaky Gut," can develop.

Our ancestors regularly ate a steady supply of these helpers and thus avoided many of these conditions as discovered by the Russian physiologist Elie Metchinkoff.

Human babies are born with their own supply of these beneficial bacterium. However the consumption of modern overprocessed foods and beverages, along with the pressures and stress of modern life, and the use of antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs has created a deficiency of these beneficial bacteria in the majority of the population.

The preceding paragraphs are a summary of this article.

Here are a few recipes to help you in reestablishing a healthy balance of probiotics in your body.

Piima Milk
Whey and Cream Cheese
Ginger Carrots
Sauerkraut
Pineapple Chutney
Salsa
Ketchup
Apricot Butter

Restorative Cleansing Soup

Cleansing Mineral Restorative Soup

Skin of 1 potato
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup of Nori crinkles

Boil together

add

2 tsp Celtic sea salt

Boil together for about 5 min.

Let cool slightly

Add 1 tbsp Chickpea Miso (or White Miso or other)
1 whole clove garlic, crushed

Serve

Restores the balance of potassium and minerals in your body.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

What you need in a good spaghetti sauce is balance between the savory and sweet elements.

Onions, garlic and olive oil add the savory portion of the sauce as well as a few choice herbs.

To supply the sweet, I like to use some grated carrot, and I use purple (red) onions which are naturally sweeter than white. I caramelize these in the oil to bring out the flavor.

The tomato has a dual role tying the savory and sweet together. If you are so lucky to have fresh tomatoes, by all means use them!! Add any garden vegetable that suits your fancy, and/or mushrooms, anything goes here.

Plus with the right amount of salt enhancing the flavor, your sauce will be magnificent!!

(Note that celtic sea salt, or similar, adds a beautiful savory flavor all its own)

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

1-2 carrots, shredded
1-2 cups garden vegetables (if using)
1/4-1/2 med. onion
2-4 cloves garlic
1 large can tomatoes, diced (or about 10 fresh)
2 or more tbsp. olive oil (be liberal)
Herbs de provence (usually basil, oregano, thyme, anise seed, a touch of sage works, have fun!!)
Salt to taste

Caramelize your vegetables in the oil over a medium heat, this includes the onion, but hold off on adding the garlic until the last minute or it will burn. Add the tomatoes and simmer until reduced into a nice thick sauce (will take longer if your using fresh). Add your herbs, taste, salt, taste, and voila!! Beautiful, delicious, homemade spaghetti sauce!! Yum, enjoy. :D

*Add a pound of ground beef if desired.

Serve over GF pasta