I’ve made a couple of large batches of this over the years, so you’ll have to forgive me for taking so long to get to this post.

It’s a simple process really, you buy vanilla beans and soak them in alcohol for a specific amount of time. And there is really no wrong way to do it, though there are approximately 354,759 different recipes on the internet.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Ingredients
750ml of vodka (you can also use bourbon or rum)
15-20 vanilla beans (I buy mine from Mountain Rose Herbs)

You’ll also need either a mason jar or smaller jars if you’re gifting.

Method of Preparation

1. Take each vanilla bean and cut it to the length of your jar – you want to make sure it’s fully covered. Slice lengthwise through only half of it, keeping one end attached. You want to expose the beans, but not necessarily allow them to fall out into the vanilla. (While this isn’t a taste issue, it does make prettier vanilla extract if you don’t have a ton of beans floating about.)

2. Place beans in a quart size mason jar and cover with vodka.

3. Place the lid on and shake it gently. Each day for about a week or so, give it a couple of shakes. (I usually leave mine out on the counter during this time so I remember)

4. After a week or so, you can put the jar somewhere out-of-the-way, like a kitchen cupboard, and shake it gently just once a week. Or so.

The vanilla is ready to use after about 6 weeks, though the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Four months is absolute perfection. Just pour out the vanilla into another jar and then you can actually re-use the beans to make at least one more batch.

Tips and tricks:

• Most directions say to place it in a cool dark place – it’s what I do. But my friend Jodi put her homemade vanilla in the sun and it worked just fine.
• The vodka you buy DOES make a difference. Cheap stuff is, well…..cheap stuff. Buy at least a mid-priced vodka and you’ll get a better product.
• If you’re not used to buying alcohol and really have no idea what to buy, go to a liquor store. This way you can just ask the guy at the counter for a mid-priced vodka instead of standing at the supermarket feeling silly in front of a massive wall of booze.
• Jodi was also the one that bought a bunch of cute little jars for us to use.
• And she also made her vanilla IN those little jars.
• Katie used bourbon in her vanilla.
• And Crystal actually just put the vanilla beans in the jar of vodka. Uh…brilliant!

slicing through just half of the bean

immersed in vodka - now let it sit

Have you made your own vanilla before? What process do you use?

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Some of my favorites:

• Cinnamon Rolls {gluten free} – I make these once or twice a year, and always on Christmas morning.

• Caramel Corn – popcorn tins make a great gift, try one with natural sugars and no corn syrup.

• Chocolate Mousse Cake {Grain Free}

• Better Than Almond Joy Cookies – raw cookies that taste great

• Apple Grunt

• Vanilla Kefir Ice Cream

• Nourishing Raw Chocolate Pudding

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Natural balance is about eating clean and as close to the source as possible. There’s no need to deprive yourself when you’re trying to conceive or balance hormones; there is a vast array of foods that can help you feel great and energized everyday.

Whole Grains

Sticking to healthy whole grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, wild rice, cornmeal and oatmeal you’ll realize how much better you feel as these options won’t alter your blood sugar and insulin as dramatically as their white friends will (white flour, white rice, white bread). Try whole grain pasta with fresh tomato sauce and fresh marjoram, a whole grain pita filled with steamed vegetables, almond butter and sesame seeds, create a balsamic quinoa dish with cashews and fresh thyme.**

Fresh Produce

The antioxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables will do wonders for you and your husband. Try to purchase organic as often as possible; aim for a fresh fruit and veggie at each meal. Try spinach in your morning omelet, red bell peppers and salsa for a snack, berries in your Greek yogurt parfait, bananas in your oatmeal, fresh orange and grapefruit juice as the dressing for your salad, steamed fennel and leeks added to your favorite soup recipe. See how easy it can be to sneak in a few new fruits and veggies into your daily eats?

Fresh herbs are also a great way to add flavor to all of your dishes; I love cilantro, rosemary, marjoram, basil and sage but don’t stop there- there’s a whole garden of herbs that you can experiment with. Try a bit of mint in your evening tea or some cilantro in your tomato sauce; how about basil in your salmon salad?

Plant Proteins

Beans, legumes, peas, nuts and seeds are a wonderful source of protein and can be used in recipes from stews to hummus, salsa to stir-fries, nut butters to chili. Toss some peas onto your lunchtime salad, cook up a batch of black beans to store in your fridge for the week to use in your scrambled eggs, homemade hummus, burritos, wraps and rice dishes. Carry around a Ziploc bag filled with chia seeds for a nice dose of protein when traveling or running errands where there are no healthy protein options; you can sprinkle a bit of these seeds onto your cereal, salads, baked goods, pilafs and smoothies.

Healthy Fats

We all need a bit of healthy fat in our lifestyles and there’s no need to shun the three letter word or be scared of eating foods with fat because we all need fat to survive and for our bodies to properly function. Try a mashed avocado with a slice of whole grain toast with fresh arugula and tomato slices. Or whip up an easy hummus with chickpeas, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil and red beets for a quick mid-day snack that can be enjoyed with crudités, a toasted English muffin or whole grain crackers. Roast some pumpkin seeds in your oven with olive oil, cinnamon and sea salt; store in Ziploc bags for an easy travel snack that you can store in your bag when you need a bit of a blood sugar boost.

White Bean Sage Hummus

Makes 8 (1/3-cup) servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (Great Northern, white kidney or cannelloni), drained and rinsed
• 1 small Vidalia onion, minced
• 1 small plum tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 springs fresh sage, rinsed
• 2 tsp. ground flax seeds
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method of Preparation

1. Drain liquid from beans, reserving 3/4 cup.

2. Place half of the beans in food processor. Add reserved bean liquid and blend. Mix in other half of beans with remaining ingredients.

3. Transfer to serving dishes. Serve chilled with crudités.

4. Enjoy.

Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP is a Manhattan based Culinary Nutritionist, Marketing Consultant, recipe developer and food writer specializing in Gluten Free, Soy Free and Dairy Free Culinary Nutrition.  Amie is the author of the gluten-free blog, The Healthy Apple and is the Publisher and Marketing Director of the online gluten-free magazine, Easy Eats.

Amie shares her passion for and approach to ‘Clean Eating’ by focusing on natural, whole foods and ingredients. She’s a Food Media Expert and works hands-on with individuals and groups as a Food Allergy Concierge and Healthy Family Pantry Stylist to guide them through their transition into a healthier lifestyle.

 **it’s recommended that all whole grains be properly soaked or fermented before consumption

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After soaking almonds for the first time I was hooked.

It takes some time, though just a few minutes of active work, but the end result is a nut that not only tastes better, but is easier on the digestive system. I now soak most of the almonds that I use because I notice such a big difference in overall digestion – which to me is more important than scientific studies.

{to read more about the phytic acid content in nuts and seeds, check out Kimi from The Nourishing Gourmet’s research}

How to Properly Soak Almonds

Almonds should preferably be raw, though it is very difficult to find truly raw almonds. (something about how they are usually steam pasteurized before sale now….) If you can’t find truly raw almonds, purchase unroasted, unsalted.

1. Use a container at least twice the size of the amount of almonds you’re using. They swell to about twice the size and will soak up much of the water.

2. Cover the nuts with warm water and let sit in a warm place for about 12 hours or overnight. After about 12 hours, or in the morning, drain the water, add one teaspoon of salt per quart of almonds (presoaked quantity), and fill again with warm water to let soak for another 8-12 hours.

3. After the final salt water soak, drain the almonds and dehydrate until crisp. This may take awhile…… Use the nut setting on your dehydrator or the lowest temperature available on your oven.

4. When I first started soaking almonds I finished after dehydrating to keep them raw, but since Kimi posted that both dehydrating AND then roasting removed even more phytic acid (though studies have yet to prove how much) I’ve roasted them in the oven for 20 minutes or so which adds a nice roasted flavor to the already salted nuts.

Even the experts are unsure of how much phytic acid is removed during this process, or even if it removes enough to make it worth while, but what I do know is that I notice a difference between soaked and unsoaked almonds. So I’ll continue soaking them but not freak out should I consume an unsoaked one from time to time.

Besides snacking on crispy almonds by themselves, I like to use them in:

• Granola bars
• Chopped up on top of soaked oatmeal – and baked oatmeal
• Ground into almond meal for salmon patties or veggie rice
• Chocolate Cranberry Nut Granola
• Ground into meal for Almond Joy-ish Cookies

Like what you've read? Use the social media sharing buttons just above to share with others. And thanks so much for your support!! Sharing with social media helps me get the word out about Real Food and Fertility. :-)  

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I thought I was going to make it easy on my self and make corn tortillas shells. The instructions online were super easy, just water and masa flour.

But oh how dismal they turned out. It was terrible really! Lots of muttering under my breath as I tried to roll them out and have them break apart. Using my tortilla press didn’t help anything either as they’d look beautiful and then fall apart as I peeled them out. If I got them in the pan, they would cook to stiff. And we didn’t enjoy the taste. My husband nicely asked me if I’d stop trying to make them.

Not one to keep messing up dinner after dinner, I gave in and called it a loss.

Oh…..but then I had an idea. An epiphany really.

I love reading through my old handwritten cookbooks and something jumped out at me while I was skimming my wheat tortilla recipe.

Oil.

And I had to try them again with some added oil. Just to see if my inkling was correct. And I think I finally got it right – these are even husband approved.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Ingredients
2 cups masa harina (corn flour – not corn meal)
1/2 tsp salt
1 – 1 1/4 cups hot water
1 Tbsp oil

Method of Preparation

1. Mix together the corn flour, salt, one cup of hot water, and the oil together in a bowl and combine.

2. Add water until you reach the right consistency. What you’re going to be looking for is a dough that is wet enough to stick together, but not so sticky that it stays on your hands.

3. Knead the dough for a minute or so to fully combine the ingredients.

4. Cover the bowl in order to keep the moisture in the dough – otherwise by the time you’re done, it’ll be to dry. Take a golf ball sized chunk of dough and either roll flat with a rolling pin or place into a tortilla press. Either option you choose, lay the dough between layers of wax paper or a ziploc bag cut in two. If the dough sticks to the plastic – it’s to wet, just add a touch more flour.

5. Place the tortilla onto a medium-hot skillet, not greased. Cook for 45 seconds to one minute on each side.

6. Once tortillas are fully cooked, take them off the skillet and place in between a folded towel. This helps keep them supple and warm while you’re cooking the rest.

You can use them immediately or store in the refrigerator for a week or so.

Or if you’re looking for whole wheat tortillas, never fear – I have those listed right here: Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

Making your own “traditional” masa is also a possibility when you purchase the pickling lime from a place like Cultures for Health. “Ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures developed nixtamalization using lime and ash to create alkaline solutions to treat corn.
Nixtamalizing corn by soaking it in lime water, produces corn that is more easily ground (when treating whole corn rather than corn meal), its nutritional value is increased (through the freeing up of Vitamin B3, flavor and aroma are improved and mycotoxins (a type of fungus) are reduced.  Unprocessed Maize (corn) is deficient in niacin which is problematic when corn is used as a staple food in a diet.  While it is suggested that corn should soak in lime water for 7 hours prior to using it in cooking, traditional cultures would often soak corn for 1-2 weeks.” – CfH.

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Crispy potatoes call to me, so while on Pinterest awhile back, I pinned these in my “recipes to try” board. And try I did! These potatoes are soft underneath, yet have a pleasant crispy top. And the aroma of the roasting garlic was a wonderful touch as well. They were much less work than making au gratins, yet a satisfying side dish.

Crispy Potato Bake

{adapted from Fish Food Blog}

Ingredients
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
3-4 small onions or shallots
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and melt butter. Grease a mid sized casserole pan with some of the butter.

2. Slice potatoes very thinly and arrange vertically in the dish.

3. Also slice the onion and garlic into circles (not chopped) and slide between the layers of potato.

4. Brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake 1 hour, covered with either aluminum foil (not touching the food) or a solid sheet pan. Uncover and bake an additional 20-30 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and crispy on top.

*This post is linked to Real Food Wednesday

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Soaking grains is always one of the biggest issues that stop people from furthering their journey into traditional foods. Many of the recipes are drastically different than what we’re used to, they take extra time, and often fail. Leaving us with dense, doughy products.

A few months ago I was making our un-soaked gluten free pancakes one weekend and started to wonder about my whole grain rice and millet in the back of the cupboard. I had run out of one of our gluten free flours and couldn’t for the life of me figure out why I’d never thought to use my whole grains in the blender! You see, I don’t have a grain mill, and my blender is a cheapy one on it’s last leg.

But I’ve made blender pancakes plenty of times! Could my blender maybe suffice for a grain mill?

I’ve been testing different grain varieties every weekend or two and I think I finally found a quick and easy way to make soaked pancakes! These can easily be made gluten free by refraining from gluten containing grains.

Soaked Whole Grain Pancakes

Ingredients
2 cups whole grains (use what you have on hand, wheat berries, rice, oats, millet, flax – I usually use 1 cup oats, 1/2 cup brown rice, and 1/2 cup millet)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
(also up to 1/2 cup of milk if needed for blending)

Method of Preparation
1. Combine the grains, yogurt, and milk in the blender and let sit out overnight. For a dairy free version, you could use coconut milk and something like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar instead of the yogurt and milk.
2. In the morning, blend until smooth. If you have a powerful blender, this may not take long – in my blender it takes about 5 minutes. You can add additional milk in this step to help blend if needed.
3. Add remaining ingredients and blend just until combined.
4. Cook pancakes on medium heat until lightly browned, flip over and cook until cooked throughout.
5. Top as desired.

*this recipe also works well when you’ve forgotten to soak them, just proceed as normal.

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Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins (read here why vitamin B is so pivotal for fertility) as well as many minerals like selenium, copper, and potassium. Useful in many types of dishes, mushrooms are quite the versatile food. This creamy pasta dish combines both the flavors of a tomato sauce and a white sauce, we were pleasantly surprised at the wonderful flavor.

Oyster Mushroom Pasta in Pink Sauce

(taken from Back to the Roots)

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti (we use brown rice for a gluten free version – it’s also lower in phytic acid)
1 cup minced onion
1/4 cup olive oil (I used butter so as not to heat the olive oil)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups milk
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup organic tomato paste
5 ounces homegrown oyster mushrooms
1/4 bunch parsley, finely chopped (I forgot…obviously)
sea salt and black pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Boil pasta according to package directions.

2. Saute onion in 2 Tbsp butter or oil with 1 tsp of salt until soft.

3. Add in minced garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

4. In a blender, pour in the hot onion and garlic, milk, nutritional yeast, and tomato paste. Blend until fully combined.

5. Heat mixture over medium low heat until hot.

6. While sauce is heating, saute the mushrooms in the other 2 Tbsp butter or oil with a touch of salt, until browned.

7. Toss the pasta with the sauce and mushrooms, garnish with parsley.

{And yes – there are mushrooms under that pasta! They just fell underneath a bit.}

This post was sponsored in part by Back to the Roots, a company striving to create unique, enjoyable, and sustainable products for their customers. Each box of mushrooms is grown in recycled coffee grounds – they may use almost 1 million pounds of grounds this year! The readers here at NKU can also receive 10% off when they order a kit of their own! Just use the code: mushrooms4me10

© Donielle

Delightfully sweet, yet not overly so, these homemade peanut butter cups are an indulgence you can feel good about. Healthy? Not necessarily…… but with natural and unrefined ingredients these hit the spot in all the right places.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients
Powdered cocoa (I use the kind not processed with alkali)
Melted coconut oil
Honey (preferably raw)
Peanut butter, softened (preferably homemade)

Method of Preparation

Yes, the quantities are missing from this recipe, but only because it depends on the container you use. I’m figuring you’re all smart enough to figure that part out.

1. You’ll use a 1:1:1 ratio of the cocoa, oil, and honey (I used 1/4 cup for a small pan about 4×6 in) and mix together until smooth. Pour into a greased pan (or press waxed paper into the pan so you can just pull it out when slicing) and freeze until firm, about one hour.

2. Mix the peanut butter with a touch of honey, just enough so it’s slightly sweet. For the same small pan, I used about 1/2 cup and 1 Tbsp honey. Spread over the frozen chocolate layer.

3. Mix together the same amount of cocoa, oil, and honey as you did for the first layer and spread over peanut butter.

4. Freeze until firm, about 1 more hour.

5. Hide from your family. Or give it away to keep from eating all of it!

 Tips

1. keep cold as it will start to melt a bit over 75 degrees because of the coconut oil
2. you can also use butter in place of the oil.
3. make them in cupcake liners (mini or regular) for true “PB cup” form!

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photo credit - donielle

When it comes to summer meals, light and refreshing is usually what comes to mind. But the bounty of summer produce does more than excite out palates! Fresh greens satisfy the need to crunch, yet offer our bodies a much-needed rest from the heavy meals of winter and help cleanse our bodies. Fresh herbs bring flavor to dishes that cause your taste buds to dance and you can once again enjoy your food and the new flavors summer brings.

Summer for me also brings a time where I’m able to once again break free from our little one acre of space, the roads clear enough to travel on, the children easier to corral out the door without being hidden under 5 layers of clothing. We get to spend time with friends; to play, to talk, to eat. This recipe stems from such a gathering last week, where my children and I were blessed to be fed by a good friend. The longer I’ve lived my life, the more I want to experience new flavors, and this one truly ‘hit the spot’ so to speak. So much so, that I bought the ingredients for it the very next day.

photo credit: donielle

Simple Green Salad

Ingredients
1 bunch romaine lettuce, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 bunch (approx 5) green onions
1 medium cucumber
3 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp fresh squeezed lemon
1/8-1/4 tsp seasoning salt (to taste)

Method of Preparation

1. Wash and chop all vegetables and dill, and place in a large bowl.

2. Pour the remaining ingredients over the veggies, and toss to coat.

Serves 2 large salads or 4 side salads.

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