recipes

Velvety "Cheese" Sauce made from vegetables (no Cheese)

Boil until soft in 1 cup water:

1 medium potato cut up

½ cup chopped carrots

½ cup chopped onions

½ - 1 tsp. sliced garlic

Cool cooked vegetables.
Blend cooked vegetables with ¾ cup tofu (crumbled), 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes, 1 Tbs. lemon juice, 1 tsp. salt. Warm sauce to boiling point; serve.

Kambucha Tea

Kombucha tea is a fermented beverage with many health benefits. It is an energy booster, immune system supporter, detoxifier and digestive aide as it contains probiotics. The beverage is a good source of B vitamins and has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. The taste is similar to sparkling cider once the brewing process is complete.

It is easy and inexpensive to make your own kombucha at home with a few simple ingredients. Kombucha tea starter is called a 'mushroom'. The 'mushroom' is not actually a mushroom; it is a symbiotic culture of healthy bacteria and yeast known as a scoby. (YOU CAN ORDER YOUR SCOBY FROM PRO-ORGANIC BELIZE--Send email to proorganicbelize@gmail.com and put SCOBY in subject box. The scoby will come with enough starter tea to make your first batch and from there you will have all your ingredients to continue making kambucha).

Kombucha tea recipe: (Do not use aluminum or plastic to make or store kombucha.)

Ingredients

2 quarts filtered water

6 tea bags of black or green tea

1 cup sugar

a 4-5 inch piece of scoby

approx. 4 ounces of fresh kombucha

Directions:

- Place water in a large pot, bring to boil then remove pot from heat.

Add tea bags – steep for about 10 minutes, remove tea bags (can add to compost).
- Stir in sugar.

- Pour mixture into a large glass jar. Allow to cool to room temperature.

- Add 4 ounces of kombucha tea (from last batch), then slide in scoby.

- Cover with a clean cloth or dish towel

- Place the jar in a dark, quiet ventilated place for two days.

- Strain and taste – if beverage tastes slightly fermented, sweet and fizzy it is done. If not, taste a sample each day until it is sweet and fizzy.

- Strain and pour into glass bottles and label, then refrigerate.

- Place scoby in clean glass jar, cover with kombucha to start the next batch

Enjoy drinking about 4 ounces three times a day before or after meals

Salud!

Four Pepper Pasta

1 each - large red, yellow, green pepper
1 large onion
3 Tblsp oil
Saute peppers and onion in oil with 1 1/2 tsp salt until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).
Stir in:
1 Tblsp sugar (or panela)
3 Tblsp red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp dried basil (or fresh equivalent)
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Heat through; serve over 8 oz cooked pasta.
Serves 4

Cultured Vegies (full of healthy probiotics)

Shred cabbage, carrots, peppers, onion, cucumbers, garlic plus other vegies you choose. Cabbage is main ingredient. Place in large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of non-iodized sea salt. Crunch with clean hands about 100 crunches. Cover with plate that lays directly on top of vegies. Take heavy object like a clean rock (covered with clean plastic bag) and set on plate so it is pressing down on vegies. After at least 1 hour, crunch again and put into clean jar, pressing down into jar. Fill jar completely to top. If you have a little space, take cabbage leaves and press into mixture or add a bit of purified water to top it off. Cap jar and set in dark place putting jar into bowl as it will leak. Loosen lid occasionally. Let sit for at least 3 full days up to a week or longer. Once open, refrigerate. Great on top of rice and beans or as a side dish.

Curly Kale Chips

6 cups torn and de-stemmed curly kale
2 tsps, coconut oil
1/4 tsp Himilayan salt
1-2 tsp. nutritional yeast
optional...1 pinch sweet or smoked paprika

1   Wash and spin dry the chopped, de-stemmed kale. It’s important that the kale is completely dry before baking.

2   Toss together the kale and coconut oil. Massage together with your hands until every leaf is coated

3   Sprinkle on salt, nutritional yeast and any seasoning you will be using. Toss again to evenly distribute.

4   On a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange the kale evenly without crowding or overlapping.

5   Bake in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven until crisp and dark green, approximately for 12 to 15 minutes.

6   Cool completely before eating. This will allow the chips to crisp up further while cooling.

Tip: Spice these kale chips up with your favorite flavors, such as chili powder, garlic powder or onion powder.

Kale can also be used as salad greens.

Kale and Pinto Beans

Sauté some onions and crushed garlic until translucent, add pinto beans, lemon juice, salt and pepper, hot sauce (adjust to taste)…cook for 3-5 minutes… add kale, season with a little more lemon juice and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or so until Kale is wilted. Serve. Delicious and easy, especially if you like pinto beans.

Arugula Pasta, 2 Servings

2 Tablespooons olive oil

1/2 diced onion

salt to taste

8 oz. spicy Italian sausage, casings removed

2 cups of chicken broth

1 1/4 cups of penne pasta

1 1/2 cup chopped arugula, packed

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat oil and sauté onions with salt 5-7 minutes.

Pour 1 1/2 cups of broth and bring to boil.

Add pasta and cook until done, about 15 minutes (add more broth as needed)

Stir in arugula until wilts.

Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Fun with Pumpkin! Squash Recipe

Cut open squash scrape out and rinse the seeds until the fibers are removed and set aside to dry. Place squash halves with flesh side down in a baking pan filled with one cup of water. Bake at 350 degrees until the squash is tender, then turn squash over and slather with coconut oil, salt and pepper and bake for a few more minutes. Squash may then be eaten as a side vegetable, or stuffed with braised vegetables, rice or salsa and beans. As a dessert, filled with fruit, then sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and baked for a about thirty minutes.

Back to the seeds; once the seeds are clean they can be baked at 350 degrees on a lightly oiled cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes, then sprinkled with salt. The seeds may also be soaked in salted water for about five minutes, drained then spread on a comal and cooked for approximately 10-15 minutes or until you hear and see the first seeds snap and pop on the comal.

The cooked and mashed squash may also be cooked as a pie filling or made into pumpkin bread.

	Pro-organic Belize Recipes & Tips
Home E-mail Contact Email Recipes Note in subject box "for website" Grow Guide Canning	Velvety "Cheese" Sauce made from vegetables (no Cheese) Boil until soft in 1 cup water: 1 medium potato cut up ½ cup chopped carrots ½ cup chopped onions ½ - 1 tsp. sliced garlic Cool cooked vegetables. Blend cooked vegetables with ¾ cup tofu (crumbled), 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes, 1 Tbs. lemon juice, 1 tsp. salt. Warm sauce to boiling point; serve. Kambucha Tea Kombucha tea is a fermented beverage with many health benefits. It is an energy booster, immune system supporter, detoxifier and digestive aide as it contains probiotics. The beverage is a good source of B vitamins and has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects. The taste is similar to sparkling cider once the brewing process is complete. It is easy and inexpensive to make your own kombucha at home with a few simple ingredients. Kombucha tea starter is called a 'mushroom'. The 'mushroom' is not actually a mushroom; it is a symbiotic culture of healthy bacteria and yeast known as a scoby. (YOU CAN ORDER YOUR SCOBY FROM PRO-ORGANIC BELIZE--Send email to proorganicbelize@gmail.com and put SCOBY in subject box. The scoby will come with enough starter tea to make your first batch and from there you will have all your ingredients to continue making kambucha). Kombucha tea recipe: (Do not use aluminum or plastic to make or store kombucha.) Ingredients 2 quarts filtered water 6 tea bags of black or green tea 1 cup sugar a 4-5 inch piece of scoby approx. 4 ounces of fresh kombucha Directions: - Place water in a large pot, bring to boil then remove pot from heat. Add tea bags – steep for about 10 minutes, remove tea bags (can add to compost). - Stir in sugar. - Pour mixture into a large glass jar. Allow to cool to room temperature. - Add 4 ounces of kombucha tea (from last batch), then slide in scoby. - Cover with a clean cloth or dish towel - Place the jar in a dark, quiet ventilated place for two days. - Strain and taste – if beverage tastes slightly fermented, sweet and fizzy it is done. If not, taste a sample each day until it is sweet and fizzy. - Strain and pour into glass bottles and label, then refrigerate. - Place scoby in clean glass jar, cover with kombucha to start the next batch Enjoy drinking about 4 ounces three times a day before or after meals Salud! Four Pepper Pasta 1 each - large red, yellow, green pepper 1 large onion 3 Tblsp oil Saute peppers and onion in oil with 1 1/2 tsp salt until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes). Stir in: 1 Tblsp sugar (or panela) 3 Tblsp red wine vinegar 3/4 tsp dried basil (or fresh equivalent) 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper Heat through; serve over 8 oz cooked pasta. Serves 4 Cultured Vegies (full of healthy probiotics) Shred cabbage, carrots, peppers, onion, cucumbers, garlic plus other vegies you choose. Cabbage is main ingredient. Place in large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of non-iodized sea salt. Crunch with clean hands about 100 crunches. Cover with plate that lays directly on top of vegies. Take heavy object like a clean rock (covered with clean plastic bag) and set on plate so it is pressing down on vegies. After at least 1 hour, crunch again and put into clean jar, pressing down into jar. Fill jar completely to top. If you have a little space, take cabbage leaves and press into mixture or add a bit of purified water to top it off. Cap jar and set in dark place putting jar into bowl as it will leak. Loosen lid occasionally. Let sit for at least 3 full days up to a week or longer. Once open, refrigerate. Great on top of rice and beans or as a side dish. Curly Kale Chips 6 cups torn and de-stemmed curly kale 2 tsps, coconut oil 1/4 tsp Himilayan salt 1-2 tsp. nutritional yeast optional...1 pinch sweet or smoked paprika 1 Wash and spin dry the chopped, de-stemmed kale. It’s important that the kale is completely dry before baking. 2 Toss together the kale and coconut oil. Massage together with your hands until every leaf is coated 3 Sprinkle on salt, nutritional yeast and any seasoning you will be using. Toss again to evenly distribute. 4 On a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange the kale evenly without crowding or overlapping. 5 Bake in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven until crisp and dark green, approximately for 12 to 15 minutes. 6 Cool completely before eating. This will allow the chips to crisp up further while cooling. Tip: Spice these kale chips up with your favorite flavors, such as chili powder, garlic powder or onion powder. Kale can also be used as salad greens. Kale and Pinto Beans Sauté some onions and crushed garlic until translucent, add pinto beans, lemon juice, salt and pepper, hot sauce (adjust to taste)…cook for 3-5 minutes… add kale, season with a little more lemon juice and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or so until Kale is wilted. Serve. Delicious and easy, especially if you like pinto beans. Arugula Pasta, 2 Servings 2 Tablespooons olive oil 1/2 diced onion salt to taste 8 oz. spicy Italian sausage, casings removed 2 cups of chicken broth 1 1/4 cups of penne pasta 1 1/2 cup chopped arugula, packed 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Heat oil and sauté onions with salt 5-7 minutes. Pour 1 1/2 cups of broth and bring to boil. Add pasta and cook until done, about 15 minutes (add more broth as needed) Stir in arugula until wilts. Serve sprinkled with cheese. Fun with Pumpkin! Squash Recipe Cut open squash scrape out and rinse the seeds until the fibers are removed and set aside to dry. Place squash halves with flesh side down in a baking pan filled with one cup of water. Bake at 350 degrees until the squash is tender, then turn squash over and slather with coconut oil, salt and pepper and bake for a few more minutes. Squash may then be eaten as a side vegetable, or stuffed with braised vegetables, rice or salsa and beans. As a dessert, filled with fruit, then sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and baked for a about thirty minutes. Back to the seeds; once the seeds are clean they can be baked at 350 degrees on a lightly oiled cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes, then sprinkled with salt. The seeds may also be soaked in salted water for about five minutes, drained then spread on a comal and cooked for approximately 10-15 minutes or until you hear and see the first seeds snap and pop on the comal. The cooked and mashed squash may also be cooked as a pie filling or made into pumpkin bread.