Orange & Black Tea Sol Ice Cream

Sol Sunflower Beverage, never heard of it? Think almond milk but made from sunflower seeds instead. And it's full of vitamins, minerals, and good fats.

Try this recipe for a guilt-free summer treat! I just love the combination of fresh orange and Earl Grey tea, and it is especially good with the creamy Sol Sunflower Beverage!

This is creamy, flavorful, and just what you want on a hot summer day!

Orange & Black Tea Sol Ice Cream 

3 cups Sol Unsweetened Sunflower Beverage

1 medium banana

3 Tbs dark sugar (brown, coconut palm, sucanat)

2 tsp orange zest

1 Earl Grey tea bag

2 oz. dark chocolate bar (optional)

1. In a blender combine the Sol Sunflower Beverage, banana, dark sugar, orange zest, and the entire contents of the tea bag. Blend for about ten seconds, or until well-combined.

2. Very finely chop the chocolate into small shavings and add it with the creamy mixture into your ice cream maker and process for 15-20 minutes or until chilled. Serve immediately.

Alternately, if you do not have an ice cream maker, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap, pour in the mixture and freeze. Once frozen, remove from the pan and plastic wrap, place in a blender or food processor and whirl until creamy! Enjoy!

Fresh Coconut & Roasted Cashew Caramel Tart

Are you drooling yet?

salty + sweet caramel
roasted nutty cashew
light + luxurious coconut cream
fresh sliced toasted coconut piled on top...

How about now?

{Pats myself on the back} If I only got to eat one thing for the rest of my life, this just might be it...
Yes, it was that good.

The coconut topping is fresh coconut that you shave yourself and toast in the oven. And there's nothing else like it! In order to get thick, meaty slices, I used a mandolin slicer A regular knife just won't cut it. Haha, get it, it's a slicing joke! For this recipe I used one thin and one thicker setting because I like both the thick meaty slice of coconut and the thin kind-of-curly ones too.

Fresh Coconut & Roasted Cashew Caramel Tart

ROASTED CASHEW TART SHELL
1/2 cup toasted unsalted cashew halves and pieces
1 Tbs brown sugar
½ cup + 2 Tbs flour
3 Tbs cold butter, cut into pieces
5 tsp cold water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind cashews in a food processor until a coarse meal is formed, add in brown sugar and flour; pulse until combined and then add in the butter and continue to pulse until the mixture forms a coarse crumb. Slowly add in the water while pulsing until it comes together in a ball.

2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, making sure to leave some hanging out of the top (to lift the baked tart out when it is done). Press mixture into bottom of the loaf pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until starting to turn golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

SHAVED COCONUT TOPPING

1 whole coconut

1. Remove coconut meat from the shell in large pieces; see instructions here if you need them.  Use a mandoline slicer on both the larger and smaller settings to slice the coconut meat to get both thicker and thinner more curly slice. You will need about two cups for the dessert. Place the shaved coconut on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. (The thinner slices browned quicker, so I removed those first.) 

I always slice and toast extras while I'm at it because I looove toasted fresh coconut as a snack and also on yogurt with fresh pineapple! But I digress...

COCONUT CREAM

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled, not shaken

2 Tbs powdered sugar

1. Open the can and take the top cream layer, in the bottom will be left a clear milky liquid, save that for a rainy day. With an electric mixer, beat the cream layer along with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Keep this in the refrigerator on stand-by. 

CASHEW CARAMEL

½ cup granulated sugar

1 Tbs light corn syrup

1 vanilla bean

2 Tbs water

¼ cup plus 2 Tbs heavy cream

1½ Tbs unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ tsp fleur de sel (crushed finely)

1 cup toasted unsalted cashew halves and pieces

1. In a small to medium saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, seeds scraped from inside vanilla bean, and water; add the ingredients carefully and try not to get any sugar on the side of the pan. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil without stirring. Continue cooking just until the syrup turns amber in color.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble up, carefully stir until it is uniform. Quickly add in the butter and stir until melted and well combined.  Transfer the caramel to a dish and then stir in the salt and cashews. Let it cool completely.

ASSEMBLY

Top the baked and cooled tart shell with the cashew caramel; you should use almost all of it. Top that with almost all of the chilled coconut cream and then top that with lots of toasted shaved coconut slices. Store in the refrigerator; I think this was best served slightly chilled. Keeps wonderfully for several days; you can eat a slice for breakfast three days in a row if you want.... :/

Enjoy!

-Crystal

Blueberry Almond Smoothie with Toasted Almond Sugar Swirl

If you want to make an impressive looking smoothie, this is it! 

BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE:

1.5 cups frozen blueberries + 1 cup milk + 2 Tbs almond butter + 1 tsp almond extract: whip it all up. 

TOASTED ALMOND SUGAR SWIRL

1/4 cup greek yogurt + 2 Tbs very finely chopped toasted almonds + 2 Tbs coconut palm sugar 

 Just mix it all together in a small bowl.

Pour your blueberry mixture into two tall glasses, then take a spoonful of the yogurt mixture and press it up against the inside of the glass to the bottom. Release a little pressure and drag the spoon back up. It's really simple! You can go straight up and down or swirl it. It's smoothie art. 

Natural Medicine Center of Wisconsin

Hello Friends!
Natural Medicine Center of Wisconsin is now open for business. Located in Hudson, WI- I am happy to be serving the people of Western Wisconsin and the Twin Cities. Please send your friends and family my way!


www.naturalmedicinewi.com


Natural Medicine: The patients I see have often been to multiple medical doctors and specialists, have had many different tests run, and have not gotten the results they are looking for.  They may not even be looking for a “natural” treatment option, but rather someone with the ability to dig deep and figure out what is causing your problems. I enjoy treating more challenging patients because when they improve, and they always do- it is extremely rewarding. 

    Common conditions I enjoy working with are:
    Thyroid conditions
    Hormone related issues- anything from infertility to PCOS to menopause
    Lyme Disease
    Depression
    Chronic Fatigue
    Diabetes
    Autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
    Celiac disease and other forms of gluten allergies or gluten sensitivities. 

Chiropractic: I am a Chiropractor who won't have you coming back to my office forever and ever. My goal is to get you well as quick as possible, get you back to doing what you love, and get you out of my office! My treatments are very thorough, and they address all aspects of your complaint- because of this, I can achieve results much quicker than many other doctors.

Spinach-Quinoa Salad

I love quinoa (say: keen-wah). It tastes like a cross between a seed and a grain, like rice- it has a nutty flavor and an interesting and pleasant texture. Use it like you would use a rice, oatmeal or other grain...

Quinoa Fun Facts:
It comes in red, black and tan colors- the difference in taste is minimal; tan is the softest and most plain tasting.
You can get this stuff anywhere now, including wal-mart.
Super-healthy! Very high in protein for a non-meat source, has fiber, lots of vitamins and minerals...
Fast cooking: like rice, use 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, boil then reduce to a simmer and cook 15 minutes.
Oh so versatile- its good hot, cold and room temperature. Use it in savory or sweet (think oatmeal style).

Spinach Quinoa Salad
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tsp sea salt
2-3 cups organic baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 english cucumber, chopped
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3-2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3-2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Bring two cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and one teaspoon salt. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure there is no water left in the bottom of the pot when it is done...if there is, run it through a strainer. Set aside and let the quinoa cool for at least 15 minutes.

2. In a bowl combine all the veggies, toasted almonds, and the feta cheese.

3. Make the dressing: in a bowl whisk together red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.

4. When the quinoa is cooled (15 minutes at least), combine it with the veggie mixture. Then pour the dressing mixture over everything. Use a spatula to fold everything until it is thoroughly combined.
Serve warm, room temp, or chilled. Enjoy.

No-Sew Fleece Blanket

So, about 4 or 5 years ago I made my little sister the coolest no-sew fleece blanket: the ones that you tie knots in all the way around. It was made with one of the prettiest fabrics I have ever seen. Long story short, she lost it, left in on a school bus or something... Oh, and she didn't tell me until a year later!

I know she missed it, so this year for her birthday I decided to make her another one- and here it is!

Now I do realize that there are plenty of instructions that exist already on how to do this, but I find that they are often lacking details that can seem unimportant but often make a big difference- either in project outcome or frustration level of the craftee. Also, I learned several things the first time I made one of these that helped for the second one, so I will also mention those.

1. Picking Out the Fabric
Where: here in Eau Claire I would recommend JoAnn Fabric Store because they have the best selection, have the most organized selection, and perhaps most important is that the fleece is always either on sale, or I have a 40% off coupon. Hancock Fabric and Mill End Textiles also have fleece, if you can't find what you are looking for at JoAnn's.

What: you need to cuts of fabric for this blanket- one patterned and one solid color. Don't get two different patterned pieces, it might look tacky. Think of the person this blanket is for and try to pick out what they would like, not what you would like...this is the hardest part- unless the blanket is for you! Once you have chosen your patterned side, take the roll over to the solid colors area and find one that coordinates. Find a color in the pattern side that you like, not necessarily the most prominent color, and try to find the matching color solid.

How: when trying to pick out your patterned side of fleece, don't be afraid to take the ones you are considering off the shelf and line them up next to each other somewhere- helps you keep track of what you have looked at and helps you to decide. Basically, make yourself at home there and don't be shy...

2. How Much Fabric do I Deed?
Good question- who is the blanket for?
Teenager/Adult: I like 2.5 yards. I like my toes to be covered! 2.5 yards fits perfectly on a twin bed. You can go 2 yards, which will make a more square blanket. The width of the blanket will be whatever the width is that it comes in- which is a standard.
Baby: Depending on age/size, 1 to 1.5 yards will do fine. Keep in mind that if it is on the bigger side, the child can always grow into it.

For someone who has never been in a fabric store before: you pick out the roll of fleece you want, take it to the cutting counter, tell them how many yards you want and they cut it for you.

3. What Else do I Need?
A rotary cutting tool and a cutting mat- these make things a lot easier. It can be done with a scissors but it will take you many hours longer and be very frustrating. The rotary cutter and mat are fairly inexpensive.

4. Getting Started
Clear the floor, you need to lay the whole cut of fabric out and you need some room around the edges to work. Lay out one cut of fabric (doesn't matter which one) and smooth it out. Then lay the second cut of fabric on top of it (this is easiest with two people) and smooth both out together. They will likely be slightly different sizes, so lay them as evenly as possible.

5. The First Cut
 The two pieces of fabric need to be cut together to equal the exact same size, and any rough edges need to be cut off. Basically, you will cut the least amount possible from each edge, so that each edge is lined up with the one beneath it, and there are no rough spots.





 









 








 















6. Cut, Cut, Cut
Start at a corner and cut out a 4X4 inch square; do this at all of the corners. You will cut through both pieces of fabric at the same time, so press hard enough. Next to the where you just cut out one of the square corners, make a one-inch wide by four-inch long cut. Continue cutting these one by four "fringes" all the way around the blanket. You should now have fringes cut all the way around the entire fabric with a 4X4 square cut out of each corner.

*It helps to have a cutting mat with one-inch markers so you know exactly where to cut.
*Do some guesstimation! You are cutting fringes...cutting, cutting...you are approaching the next corner. Towards the corner you may need to make a few of the last fringes a little bigger or smaller to accommodate the actual size of your blanket and the fact that it is not perfectly measured. Don't worry about it.


7. Tie, Tie, Tie
Find a helper, it makes this so much faster and easier. This is the most labor intensive part.

Start at one of the long sides of the blanket. Go to the corner, take the first set of fringe in your hand and tie the top and bottom piece together into a knot. Tie it as tight as possible but not tight enough to pull the body of the fabric. You will understand what I mean when you do this. Then tie another knot so that it is double knotted.

Important Note: tie every knot the same way, meaning that if you tie a knot using your left hand over your right, make sure you tie every knot that way. All the knots will fall the same way and be more consistent in color.

Now, skip the next set of fringe and go to the 3rd pair of fringe. You will continue like this, tying knots in every other fringe until you finish the first side. When you finish the first long side of the blanket move over to the opposite long side and, starting at the corner again tie every other fringe set. You should now have both long sides of the blanket with a knot in every other fringe set.

Go to one of the short side of the blanket (doesn't matter which one) and, starting again at the corner tie every other fringe set. Move to the second short side and tie every other fringe set. You should now have every other fringe set tied around the entire blanket.

 



8. Flip!
Now the exciting part! Flip the blanket over and re-smooth it out. Begin again and start tying every fringe that wasn't tied. Still follow the order of: long side 1, long side 2, short side 1, short side 2.

Now, you're done! That's it! Thank God.
You'll never want to tie another knot again...

Entire length of this project: ~ 2-3 hours. I did this pretty fast, it will take you a little longer if you have not done it before. 

How to Preserve Mushrooms

So, I consider myself a bit of a food preservation expert...I love to can, freeze, and dehydrate any fruit, nut, or vegetable that the fall harvest provides- including mushrooms.

You've found yourself with more mushrooms than you can eat- 
Now what?! 




Like any other vegetation, once you take the mushroom from its growing place, the clock starts ticking. The sooner you can get your mushrooms preserved, the better they will be. When it comes to mushrooms you have three main choice: can, freeze, dehydrate- but which is best? Well, it depends on what you use them for!

 Tip for any Mushroom Preservation Technique:
Wash them! Dirt= gritty texture= displeasing. I like to use the hose...gently. A big tub of water works well too- dunk and jostle them around for a minute or so. Regular running water is okay too. Depending on how dirty they are, whatever gets the dirt off is fine.

Do not worry about the mushrooms soaking up water and becoming waterlogged. Not that this video contains the MOST scientific data...but it convinced me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip9KMsoF4sM - its in the second half of the video.


Canning:  This is the trickiest and probably most labor intensive.  Be cautious and do your research- some species of mushrooms (Morel) are said to give off a toxic gas when they are cooked. When these are canned the gas does not have anywhere to go and stays with the product. Definitely needs to be pressure-canned. Consult your local canning reference, and do keep in mind that there are really no studied canning times for wild mushrooms, so many people do not endorse doing it. You may have to do some guesstimation.

Freezing: I would never freeze mushrooms raw- the texture is not good when thawed. The best way to freeze mushrooms is to saute them with oil or butter. Let them cool and then place in freezer safe vessel.

Some people go one step further and make a mushroom "sauce" or topping and freeze that. Think: saute mushrooms in butter, deglaze the pan with white wine, add salt and pepper, fresh chopped parsley and a splash of cream. Cool and freeze. Thaw and serve over steak or chicken. Mmmm. That's what I'd do!

Use mushrooms to make these things and then freeze them: mushroom stock, vegetable stock- heavy on the mushrooms, homemade cream of mushroom soup, mushroom and barley soup, vegetable soup-heavy on the mushrooms...you get the idea.

Dehydrating: This is my favorite method- mostly because when rehydrated, the mushrooms are not far off from their original texture. Of course, I prefer the Excalibur 3900 dehydrator- I would highly recommend this to anyone who does any serious dehydrating. Everything else is a huge step down from this...but it will still work...

Any commercial dehydrator is fine. There are also several creative methods, two of which I think are worth mentioning. Stringing: needle and thread, string the mushrooms, hang in a drafty place until dry- works best with morels and other whole intact mushrooms. Box fan + square furnace filters+ bungee cords= a pretty creative dehydrator- works best for littler pieces. You can find more information about these techniques by googling them.

Dehydrating Step-by-Step for Hen of the Woods:

1. Wash mushrooms (see previous note). I rinse with water first. As I break them apart I use a paper towel to wipe hidden dirt bits. These are a very dirty mushroom. If there is stubborn dirt, I sacrifice some of the mushroom and just cut the dirty part off with a knife. 








 2. Reduce mushrooms to the size that you desire. Consider what you will use them for. When rehydrated, I like to add them to soups/stews or saute and use them in side dishes, sauces, etc. For these things I like the pieces to be smaller (bite-sized). They also dehydrate and rehydrate faster this way.

I cut off large chunks with the knife and then break them into smaller pieces with my hands- it is more rustic looking.

3. Place in a single layer on the dehydrator trays. (In the picture are larger pieces than I normally do.) In the Exicalibur dehydrator these took somewhere between 4-6 hours to dry completely.

This is what they look like when dry- very similar to the original. They should be stiff and crisp with no mushy spots at all.

Store in an air-tight container: I use ziplock bags or large glass jars.









Rehydrating Dried Mushrooms:
Place desired amount of mushrooms in a vessel and pour very hot/almost boiling water over them. Wait 20-30 minutes for complete rehydration.
Always rehydrate them first, even if you are using the mushrooms for a soup or casserole and are putting them in to liquid anyways. It seems redundant but the dish will come out better if you do this extra step.