Our Backyard Homestead

Pumpkin Pie Custard, It's what's for Breakfast

Pumpkin contains starch, though of the winter squash family, appears to be lowest in starch content.  We have not eaten much of it in the past few months as we have tried to be quite strict on a no starch diet.  However, after 2.5 months of very careful avoidance, we are cautiously attempting small trials.  With four egg yolks to use from our delicious pot pie last night, I got to wondering about making a custard type breakfast.  Pumpkin custard just sounded like it would be yummy. 

Of all of the meals that have required reinventing, breakfast has been the easiest and yet the hardest.  Eggs.every.day is not my love.  While we are getting creative in how to eat them, I grew up on cereal, and I miss variety at breakfast.  I don't want to use almond flour on too regular of a basis (because of high ratio of omega 6s) and am not sure how well coconut flour is being tolerated, so muffins, pancakes and the like are not something we do regularly.

This morning's custard was just the variety we needed.  Eggs very much in disguise and with delicious pumpkin.  Perfection!  I made it with the yolks because they needed to be used, in the future, I will attempt with 4 whole eggs.

Pumpkin Pie Custard

• 1  1/4 cup pumpkin
• 3/4 cup coconut milk, canned
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 freshly ground nutmeg (so worth the effort of freshly grinding!)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

Mix pumpkin and spices.  Mix in coconut milk, syrup, vanilla and almond extract.  Whisk eggs in separate bowl and mix well with pumpkin mixture.

Place 6 ramekins/custard cups in large Pyrex pan.  Fill cups with custard mix. 

Add very hot water to larger Pyrex pan, filling about 2 inches or to the same height as the custard.  I waited to add the water until I had my pan in the oven.  I used my electric kettle to fill with almost boiling water.

Bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes until firm and a knife inserted comes out clean.  Cool and enjoy hot or cold!

On a somewhat related note, I just have to mention how impressed I was to have purchased some new Pyrex cups and discover that they are still made in America!  Not often do I find a product stamped "Made in USA" and it makes me thrilled to support Pyrex!  I have since checked every Pyrex item that I own and it appears that every last thing is made in the USA.  As much as I would love to go out and find some cute ramekins, I think I will stick with my American made Pyrex cups.

 

 

Dairy and egg free waffles

I decided that today would be the day for our first trial of a gluten containing grain.  We attempted lactose free organic kefir over the weekend and it seemed to be tolerated, though The Garden Girl was especially grumpy and full of complaints on Sunday.  Could just be because she was up well past her bedtime on Saturday night, but it was enough of a behavior change, that I opted to wait another week or two before trying kefir again.

The kids have really been missing bread, so after over a month without any gluten containing grains, we tried spelt this morning.  My dilemma was how to make something yummy for breakfast without using dairy or eggs.  My attempt at waffles was shockingly good!  I want to do more research on chia seeds, but I tried them as a replacement for eggs and honestly I don't think I would have believed they were dairy and egg free had I not made them myself.  The chia seeds worked very well!

The Starvation Diet Waffles

• 1 3/4 cup  coconut milk (the beverage variety, not the can)
• 1/4 cup water with 1 TBSP chia seeds (set aside for at least 15 minutes until gel forms)
• 2 TBSP olive oil (I don't measure, just do two quick pours)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 TBSP raw honey
• 2 cups spelt (other flours could be used)

Add all above ingredients to blender and mix.

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

While blender is running, add the soda, salt and baking powder all at once and mix briefly.

Bake waffles to desired crispness.

What's for breakfast?

As part of our "starvation diet" a big issue to overcome was the dilemma of what to serve for breakfast.  I take no shame in saying, a box of cereal is just easy and what Matt and I grew up on.  Strangely enough, I had noticed in the past that I had more energy on the days that I made green smoothies and we did not eat cereal, but that was hard to pin solely on what I ate as so many other factors could influence energy levels. 

If we were eating eggs, our breakfast options would be endless, but alas The Tornado reacted to eggs when we put them back in the diet.  After a year long elimination from his sister's diet, she was able to eat them again, but never wants to.  So the two of them remain egg free, as does our baking, however, for a quick meal, the other three of us will eat a fried egg every once in a while.

Yesterday, I took one of our favorite breakfast recipes from my favoritist of favorite cookbooks, What the Bible Says about Healthy Living Cookbook and amended it to better fit with our current diet.  Before I share our recipe, I want to offer a commercial for this cookbook (with no incentive from the author or Amazon to do so!).  Every single recipe I have made from this cookbook has been well received by the family, which anyone who is cooking for kids knows is a difficult thing to do!  It is filled with simple and healthy eating options, and in my opinion a wonderful starting place for anyone interested in improving your diet without going super extreme as we are right now.  I have enjoyed this cookbook so much that I bought it for my three sisters, my mom and my grandma.  One of my sisters went on to buy a copy for her best friend.

After realizing that we needed specially grown, gluten free oats, we cut them out of the diet for about a week while waiting for the gluten free variety to arrival.  When we ate oatmeal with the gluten free oats, all but one of us got a tummy ache and therefore, we have not eaten them for several weeks.  I have gone back and forth on my opinion about the need to soak grains.  There are sooooo many theories on diet out there that it is really difficult to sift through and determine what is valid and what is junk science.  However, now that our diet is very basic, it is quite easy to determine when what we eat affects us, good or bad.  I soaked our gluten free oats to make our oatmeal bake and everyone was able to eat it without discomfort.

Our Favorite Oatmeal Bake

• 3 cups oats soaked overnight with just enough water to cover and the juice of 1/2 large lemon

In the morning, rinse drain the oats well.  Set aside while preparing the additions. I leave them in my strainer dripping into a bowl to get as much liquid out as possible.  In a separate bowl, add:

• 4-5  Medjool Dates, chopped
• 3/4 cup flaked, unsweetened, unsulphured coconut

Pit and chop the dates into small pieces.  Drop into the coconut as you chop to keep them from becoming a big, sticky ball of sweetness.  This step is really worth the extra effort!!  Add to coconut and dates:

• 1/2 cup organic raisins (or craisins, but we actually prefer raisins)
• 2 heaping teaspoons of cinnamon (to taste, we love extra cinnamon)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Stir well so that cinnamon and salt are well mixed.  Add in the oats.  Mix again.  Finally, add in:

• 1 cup organic applesauce
• 3/4 - 1 cup of coconut milk (the beverage variety, not the canned variety - we used to use cow's milk-rice or almond milk would likely work too, but we love the flavor with coconut!)
• 1/4 ish cup of honey or maple syrup
• 2 granny smith apples, chopped (I use my corer/peeler to make quick work of the apple)

Stir.  Press into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

This makes enough that we have some leftovers to snack on throughout the day.  If I served it with a smoothie, it would be enough to feed us for two mornings.  The original recipe had dates as being optional.  I only used them once and a used pre-chopped variety.  After making it with freshly chopped dates, we find the dates are not optional and make it the yummiest breakfast ever!!

 

Four Berry Jam

Our family has voted this our favorite jam to come out of the kitchen thus far!  I used frozen, organic berries for everything but the blackberries of course.  I am thinking about experimenting with rhubarb instead of the blueberries on the next batch.  Does anyone have a good multi fruit with rhubarb jam recipe?

Four Berry Jam - 265149 - Recipezaar.

Four Berry Jam

Recipe #265149 | 1½ hours | 30 min prep |

Your review has been submitted for approval and will appear shortly.

By: Halcyon Eve

Nov 13, 2007

This is one of my favorite jams, especially since I can make it any time of the year using frozen fruit. It's really delicious! The mixture of fruits tastes so summery! I've been making it for years; I think I got it from Taste of Home magazine, but I can't remember now for sure. Prep time includes estimated time to cook jam and ladle into jars, cook time is time to sit and seal.

7 -8 half-pint jars (change servings and units)

Change to: half-pint jars US Metric

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Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh blackberries (or frozen unsweetened, thawed and undrained)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen unsweetened, thawed and undrained)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (or frozen unsweetened, thawed and undrained)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (or frozen unsweetened, thawed and undrained)
• 1 (1 3/4 ounce) box pectin (not low-sugar or no-sugar varieties)
• 7 cups sugar

Directions

1. Prepare your jars in advance--sterilize them and keep the jars, lids, and rings warm while preparing the jam. Have all tools ready and handy (ladle, towel, wet cloth, canning jar funnel, etc).
2. Crush berries in a large, non-reactive (such as stainless steel) saucepot. Stir in pectin until dissolved.
3. Bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching (reduce heat to medium-high if needed).
4. Stir in sugar. Return to a full, rolling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute (starting from when you can no longer stir the bubbles down).
5. Remove from heat and quickly skim off any foam. You must move quickly at this point to prevent the jam from cooling off too much.
6. Quickly ladle hot jam into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
7. Wipe rims with a clean, warm, damp cloth to ensure a good seal. Place lids on jars and screw rings on snugly but not too tight. Flip jars upside down. Let stand upside down for 5 minutes, then turn right-side up again. Let sit for one hour.
8. After one hour, check seals. If any lids are still popped up (there is a bump in the center of the lid that should be down if the jar is sealed, and up if not), then refrigerate and use immediately, or process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
9. Store jars in a cool, dark place until ready to use; use within 1 year.

Stephanie notes ~ Because I am in the "better safe than sorry" camp when it comes to canning, I did not follow step #7.  I went ahead and processed in a 10 minute hot water bath.  I also recommend chopping up the blue berries.  They do not smash well and I don't like the big chunks of blackberry skin that float to the top of the jars.  Otherwise it is the perfect jam and hopefully chopping should fix the issue!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

When we began transitioning to using whole grains, we started with blender batter waffles.  Here is a link to the step by step process and recipe we used the first time.  You will find lots of great info on this website!  We were shocked that the waffles tasted nothing like my previous experience of cooking with whole wheat flour purchased from the grocery store.  These were light, fluffy and some of the best waffles we had ever eaten!  However, the recipes we tried never worked quite so well for pancakes.

Recently, my mom made the pancake recipe I grew up on with my kids.  The Garden Girl came home with her very own recipe card and I began switching it up, exchanging pastry wheat for white flour and honey for the white sugar.  The recipe calls for buttermilk, however, I didn't have any on hand.  Today I added the last bit of The Greek Gods traditional plain Greek yogurt and then a few spoonfuls of Kefir Cheese Lebni by the same company, along with milk.  The outcome was the best ever pancakes that have come out of my kitchen since our transition to whole foods began!!

Here is the recipe:

Gigi's Pancakes

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk (or a combo of whole milk with yogurt, sour cream or kefir)

2 Tbsp melted butter or coconut oil

1 Tbsp honey

1 cup pastry whole wheat

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Add all ingredients except soda, baking powder and salt to blender.  Blend until well mixed.  Add soda, baking powder and salt all at once and blend only for a few seconds. 

I have not experimented with this recipe with soaking the night before, but the waffles are much better when started the night before as discussed on Sue Gregg's website linked above.  I expect that these will also benefit from soaking overnight.  The benefit of just a little bit of planning ahead is that making a pancake breakfast for your family only takes minutes the next morning!

Our journey to change over to whole foods has been very gradual and is not yet complete.  If there is a place I would recommend starting, blender waffles is the place.  You can find whole grains in the bulk bins at Whole Foods or Sprouts.  I guarantee that if you have ever baked with whole wheat flour, baking with freshly ground whole wheat is an entirely different ballgame!

Blackberry Jam made with Honey

After two years with the blackberries providing lots chigger bites and little fruit, our blackberries have redeemed themselves this year!  We have had a bumper crop that has multiplied every day since we picked our first ripe berry on June 1.  It appears that they peaked over the weekend, but they remain filled with quite a bit of fruit yet to ripen.  We have two varieties, Apache, planted as nothing more than twigs from a mail order nursery and another variety bought locally at Home Depot. 

Today, the kids and I made our first batch of jam of the summer!  I am fortunate to have a mom that canned when I was young, so making jam is something I have been doing for many years.  I was a bit rusty since I didn't get around to making any last summer and forgot all about the need for pectin.  The only pectin I had on hand I meant to try last summer was a brand that allows you to use honey rather than sugar.  So today was my opportunity to experiment. 

For anyone that may not have attempted your own, I took some step by step pictures.  I believe it is one of those things that seems intimidating, but is really an easy thing to make.

Here is the brand of Pectin we used today, available at Whole Foods and probably Sprouts:

 

First we washed up the berries, making sure to pick out all bits of leaves and twigs:

Then the kids each took turns mashing them up:

And sampling berries while mashing:

 

Then add the four cups of mashed berries to pan and bring to boil:

Once the berries come to a boil, this recipe has you stir in the honey and pectin mixed together.  Then return to a rolling boil and remove from heat.

Prior to beginning the process, we loaded our jars into the dishwasher and ran them through a full cycle to sterilize.  If timed correctly, the dry cycle (don't use the energy saver, you want them dry and hot) will be finishing up just as your jam is boiling.

While the jam is heating, I have another pan boiling up the lids.  Right at the end, I add my clean tools to make sure they are good and germ free as well.

A few years ago, I picked up this handy box of tools.  Most definitely worth the $10 investment!  I believe I found it at Market Street, but Amazon has it available if you can't find it locally.

Using the wide mouth funnel from my set, I ladle the jam in the warm jars, taking them out of the dishwasher one at a time so that they don't cool as I am filling another.  I put a lid on each jar as I fill it and then go on to the next.

I usually make some small 1/2 pint jars to have on hand to give away, but when I am making a supply for our family, I prefer to use pint size jars.  Using the larger jars speeds up the process.

The final step is to boil the jars in a water bath.  I believe there is some debate over whether or not this is necessary, but I am of the opinion of better safe than sorry.  My first few attempts at canning, I did not have the big canning pot.  I do not recommend trying to skip this important tool!  I bought mine for $20 at Walmart.

 

The pan comes with a little rack that holds the jars and then lets you lower them into the water at once.  You want the jars to be covered by at least an inch of water.  This is before I lowered them in for their little bath.
 

Five minutes later, I have 4 jars of jam!  It is so rewarding to listen for the little ping of the lids popping into place for the next few hours.

 

The verdict is still out on this recipe with honey.  I plan to pick up some more pectin and make up a batch with organic cane sugar as well.  This recipe did not make as the recipe I have used in the past.  We have cut way back on sugars at our house and cook with honey when we can, but I suspect that homemade jam might just be one of those things that will always be best with sugar!

If you need recipes, extremely detailed canning instructions, locations of pick your own farms, pickyourown.org is an amazing resource.

Baking and Gardening Don’t Mix

 
Though I might be able to say they are actually chocolate cookies, the smell in my house would say otherwise!  I put the properly baked cookie in the center for reference.  I swear I set the timer on my ironman before I went out to the garden.  Note to self, do not get so engrossed in what you are doing that you forget why the timer is going off!  Fortunately, I did catch them before they were flaming!!