Fast Food Fix the Slow Food Way: Curly Fries

I stopped eating fast food 20 years ago (that's right, drive thru's are not a part of my life), but I still get a hankerin' for some Curly Fries, so what's a gal to do?

I make them at home!  But using all organic materials, healthy fat:  extra-virgin olive oil, Himalayan sea salt, and this spice blend (all powders):

Cayenne 1 part
Onion 1 part
Garlic 1 part
Salt 2 parts
Turmeric 2 parts
Paprika 8 parts
Starch 24 parts

By parts, I mean any unit of measurement you choose.  If you choose teaspoons, you will have a total of 39 teaspoons of spice blend, or 13 Tablespoons since there are 3 teaspoons in a Tablespoon.  If you'd like more finished product than this, then enlarge your part, maybe a Tablespoon, or if you want to make a whole lot, maybe a 1/4 c.  You choose.  And you can eyeball the measuring if you wish, or add another spice you'd like to include...no rules.  This is kitchen alchemy not rocket science.  ;)

I like to make up more than I will use at once and keep it in a jar so it's ready to go for the next time.  Being an Herbalist I buy my spices by the pound as many I also utilize medicinally, and I simply use them often and in large quantities in my cooking.  :)

The starch can be any type, I have used Tapioca or a non-GMO corn starch.  This acts as a carrier and also provides a "coating" like "crust" on the fries.

I use a Spiralizer (also works great for all those Zucchini - I make Zucchini pasta - anyone who grows them knows what I mean), but you could just cut strips by hand.  Coat the cut potatoes and the baking sheet with olive oil (I just pour some on and use my hands to mix it all up), sprinkle with salt and the spice blend to taste and bake 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, turning at least once to get them evenly crispy.

Enjoy this healthy snack!  or even make it a meal - top with avocado and mix with some steamed Kale. 

I like to make a lot at a time and have leftovers; they're great on soup or in an omelette for instance...

Medicinal Pastry! with Quince, Apple, Warming Spices and other Fruits

Can you say "Bliss"?

This dessert definitely counts as culinary magic.  It begins with the scent of Quince, which I find truly rapturous; it is best described as floral, sweet, and tart.  But, the description does not do it justice.  Do find some and see for yourself.  I gleaned these and the apples from the landscape; both just falling to the ground unused by the property owners (a benefit of landscaping for a living) - and we couldn't let this goodness go to waste could we?  'Course the wild animals were sure to indulge too; every apple was taken by someone before the leaves fell from the tree.  :)

The perfection of imperfect fruit.

Back to the scent of ripe Quince...  it is one of my favorite scents in all the world.  I have the scraps sitting in a pot of water on the woodstove to extract every last bit of their olfactory goodness.  It's so good I could just sit and smell the fruit for an hour; it's actually hard to stop smelling it.  I am in bliss with the scent wafting through the house as I fix this dessert.  THIS is what artificial air fresheners attempt to duplicate (but fail).  Nothing like the real thing!  Same could be said for clothing drying on the line and getting rained on and having to stay longer outside to dry.  THAT is the *real* "rain fresh" scent - and it. is. divine.  But I digress...

Quince:  the fruit with the addictive scent.  You can forage these seasonal delights in the landscape, grow them yourself, or occasionally find them at specialty stores or farmer's markets.  Ripe in early Fall.

To make this scrumptious dessert, first make Quince jam and pastry dough.  These two items can be made a day ahead of time (or more for the Quince) if desired.

There are lots of recipes for pastry dough online, so I won't repeat one here.  I used this one and quadrupled it.  Another option would be to only double the pastry dough recipe and then half the apple filling recipe below.  I like to make large amounts of things when I cook and bake because I love leftovers and I figure once you have everything out, it's much more efficient to make large amounts.  You can always freeze some for later if you won't eat it all soon - or gift some! 

Herbal Magic Brewing:  note the tiny Vanilla Orchid seeds.

To make Quince jam:
Use about 8-12 Quince depending on size; about 3/4 c. brown sugar; one Vanilla bean pod, split open; and about 7 cups of water.  Scrub, peel, and de-core the Quince, slice and mix with other items in a pot and bring to a boil.  Keep the lid on to keep the volatile oils inside, and hence in your dessert, or leave it off to release more to the house.  It's a tough decision.  I left mine off.  Turn down to simmer for about two hours then strain out the Quince puree while it's still hot.  Quince is high in pectin naturally, so it will set up as it cools.

You can keep it simple as Vanilla and Quince alone are delightful, or add some additional spices and fruits for health and flavor.  I used 8 Clove buds, 3 Cardamom pods, 8 Jujube dates, and 16 Longan berries.  Some other great additions would be Goldenberries, Mulberries, Goji berries, Ginger, ...  We will use Nutmeg and Cinnamon in with the Apples later, but you could add more here too.

Besides the sheer delight in the smell of the Quince and spices brewing, and then the pastry baking - we know what that does for the mood!, and emotions affect the body (and vice versa) - this pastry warms the middle, or to put it another way, supports digestion.  This is especially important this time of year as the seasons turn colder or more Yin.  We need to keep our Yang digestive fires going until the Yang of Spring arrives.  See the links above on each of the fruits and spices for more information on their medicinal qualities.  You will see they can help with warming up cold joints and extremities too, amongst other things...






Once you have your Quince jam and pastry dough made, it's time to make the Apple Pastry itself...
Start by grating about 8 Apples.  I used foraged apples so there was rot and other areas I discarded, so I ended up using about a dozen apples to equal 8. 
Preheat the oven 400 degrees.

I like to leave the skins on, even with the "blemishes" that feral fruit will have.  It's good for you!

Mix your grated apple with :
1 1/2 c. Quince jam (or substitute any jam if you wish) - this is about half what we made earlier
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. raisins
2 eggs
1 Tbspn. Cinnamon
1/2 tspn. Nutmeg 
You could also add a cup of chopped nuts; Walnuts or Pecans would be great.
(This apple filling recipe will make enough filling for 4 of the pastry dough recipes linked above.)

I ended up not using any milk, but I did throw in half a jar of Hawthorn extract.  Mix it up! 

Take your dough out of the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface, cover it with filling and roll up into a log.  Be sure to leave the outer edge uncovered so you can get your dough to adhere to itself.  I made mine into one super large roll but it was hard to deal with so would recommend halfing our quartering the dough and making several.  Next time that is what I'll do.  ;)  Other options would be to just do a tart (not roll it up), or to make individual serving pastries...

Bake for 60 mins. if you make one large roll; if you do 2 rolls or 4 rolls instead; it will take much less time.  I'd say around 30-45 minutes; bake it until it is well browned.  A tart would probably only take 30 min. and individual pastries might only take 20-30 min. 
One thing about 'kitchen alchemy rules' is that there are no rules! 

You will notice I often say "about" on the amounts in a recipe I share.  This is because I often don't measure and I don't think cooking and baking are exact sciences.  Others might disagree, but I like the play of spontaneity and chance in my kitchen alchemy.  Plus it's hard to go wrong with these ingredients!  Take notes and tweak future batches as you see fit.  I have probably never followed a recipe exactly and usually just cook from scratch.  I note my successes so I can repeat them, but again, rarely make them exactly the same the next time. 
Allow your cooking and baking.  Learn the basics and then branch out and experiment... 
Life itself is ever-changing and vitality is to be found in that interplay.  Rigidity creates stagnation, even in the simple everyday things like fixing food.  Allow, go with the flow, and explore new things... let your regimentation come only from the foundation of health you have set:  like sitting at the table to eat, not looking at any screens during mealtime, chewing thoroughly - BE with your food, your meal, your body. 
Joy is in the little things, like preparing and eating real food.  :)

"Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, 

not because they never found it, 

but because they didn’t stop to join it."

 - William Feather

Elderberry Syrup - A Method and Discussion

From this beautiful bouquet of a flower comes the berry...

 Great as a healing treat or a culinary delicacy!

This medicinal syrup is often thought of as being invaluable to the onset of colds and flu, particularly with fever, as it cools and promotes sweating, opening the pores and releasing the"evils" (as would be said in TCM).  I use this syrup for this, but also for some lesser known therapeutics:  nerve damage and pain (acute or chronic), constipation, and food poisoning.  And it tastes great...one of the easier herbs with which to gain compliance.  :)

Return of the Jedi in my oven.  :)

There are different ways of making this syrup and lots of possibilities of herbs to add.  In this batch I added Pine needles  (Pinus virginiana) my apprentices and I wild-harvested and processed.  This time I did not have fresh berries (was traveling when they were ripe here in Virginia), I used organic sugar for the syrup (you can also use glycerin), and I strained it.  Sometimes I leave it chunky for all the added goodness of the skin and seeds, but felt with the Pine needles included, straining would be good.  Plus peeps seem to prefer the syrup smooth.  ;)  Mind you if you leave the seeds in, you must cook it thoroughly as they can be toxic if uncooked.


Here's how to do this yourself:
(or inquire if you want to purchase or barter from me)

You will need:
1 lb. dry Elderberries 
(see link for Mountain Rose to right side to order)
about 7 c. organic raw sugar
any other herbs you wish to infuse, 
I used about 1 c. of Pine needles
canning jars or other containers

Begin by reconstituting your berries:  bring 8 c. of water to a boil, pour over berries and other herbs, let them sit steeping with a lid for a half hour.  Next hand mash or use a stick blender to break up berries being careful not to break up seeds (they won't hurt you, just taste bitter).  Then strain.  I used a cheese press for this, but you could use a mesh bag or the like.  Put this liquid in a large pot with the sugar. 

If you aren't making a divine mess in the kitchen, you aren't doing it right.  ;)

Boil, stirring regularly until it's frothy.  Have your canning jars ready (warmed so they don't break), lids off.  Once frothy, pour the syrup into the jars and put the lids on.  As they cool, they will pop.  You can store these jars unopened a year out of the fridge.  I like to keep it in the fridge once I open it.

Getting frothy.

The marc, or leftover herbs after pressing, can then be composted or used for something else.  As I said, I usually don't strain my syrup and this is why.  This seems like a waste of good nutrients and fiber.  Normally I would utilize this marc, at least as a filler, in muffins or bars.  Or use it externally as a poultice even.  But being swamped for time and, after an apprentice day of remedy prep, loaded up on various marcs that I want to get the last bit of magic out of, let's just say the raccoons will be pooping purple!

I think next time I want to add something like Pine needles, I will infuse them first, strain, and then use that infusion to reconstitute the berries.  Live and learn, always something new to learn, especially when you constantly experiment and rarely do the same thing twice.  :)

I doubled the recipe.  One recipe makes (12) 8 oz. jars. 

Inquire if you want to purchase or barter, $15 for an 8oz. jar.*
All Organic.  Shipping is expensive for liquids and this weight, 
so best if you know me and can get it in person, but I will ship, inquire...

Elderberry Abstract Art

*If you are buying several Ravenwind Botanica products at one time, whether the same item or not, you can save substantially on shipping as I will ship it all together, please inquire and we'll get the payment set up right for you.  :)  You can click on 'Ravenwind Botanica' in the list to the right to see all products available.  Thanks for supporting my work.

Power Balls!

Let's call these power balls because they are loaded with energy.  Their handy carrying and eating size make them great for on the go:  hiking, snacking or lunch at work - and as an appetizer or party food.

1. Mix 1 c. ea. of Dates (about 8-9 dates) - make sure to pit them!
                           Your choice of nuts (a single type or mixed, roasted or raw)
                           Your choice of dried fruit (again a single type or mixed)

2. Blend together in food processor until desired consistency is reached.  This will vary depending on your choice of ingredients.  Also, you can choose to leave it chunky or make it more smooth.  The dates are what help to hold it all together.  Just make sure it is a consistency that will hold together when rolled into a ball.  I have never needed to, but if you feel you need to, feel free to add nut butters or coconut oil to them to moisten them - though not too much else they won't hold together.

3. Roll into balls about 1" - 1 1/2" in diameter.  Makes about 15-25 balls depending on size.

4. Dip in your choice of coating: ground nuts, Cocoa, Cinnamon, Coconut, Cacao nibs, etc.  Just use something in small pieces or powdered.   Optional:  to this you can add powdered herbs such as Ashwaganda, Eleuthro, Cardamom, ...  Use about 2 tspn. of herbs per batch in about 2-3 Tbspn. of coating.  You will need less coating if it is all powder, more if it is a bit chunkier like Coconut.

***If you do add herbs you want to limit your daily consumption to half a batch.***

Rule #1 in Kitchen Alchemy:  Experiment!

Today I am making two types:  Cashew Cranberry Date rolled in Coconut and powdered Gardenia fruit
                                                Walnut Raisin Date rolled in Cocoa and powdered Astragalus root

I chose Gardenia because it is cooling and we will be taking these hiking on an 80 something degree day.
I chose Astragalus to boost our immune systems.  (You don't want to take Astragalus if you have an acute    infection as it can boost the pathogen).  There's more to these herbs than this; if you want to know more, click on the links.

Any leftover powder can be saved and used in oatmeal, or pancakes, or...

Rule #2 in Kitchen Alchemy:  Never waste food.  Always find a use for leftovers.

5. Keep refrigerated (or frozen for longer storage), but it's best for digestion to eat these at room temperature.  If you freeze them they will carry well on a hot day (in a back pack for instance).

As you can see some of those rolled in Coconut on the right are lighter than others; this is because I noticed part of the way through that I was going to run out of coating, so I added more Coconut to the Gardenia powder, making for a lighter coating.  Play with this recipe; there are not hard and fast rules here.  

Rule #3 in Kitchen Alchemy:  Be ready to improvise at all times.  Cooking and Baking are improvisational acts.

I saved the empty bags and containers the nuts and dried fruit came in to store the balls in - along with the wax paper used to lay them out and cool them.

Now!  Time to enjoy.  Share with us your favorite combinations... 

Rule #4 in Kitchen Alchemy:  Enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Sit quietly without distractions and BE with your food.

Making Herbal Pills

For these Herbal Pills, I used a modified Rehmannia 8 formula.  I took out the Rehmannia (ha, so I guess it needs a new name).  I took this out because I knew I could not powder it.  

Otherwise the formula includes:

Dioscorea - Shan Yao

Cinnamon - Gui Zhi

Eucommia Bark - Du Zhong

Poria - Fu Ling

Moutan Peony Root - Mu Dan Pi

Alisma Rhizome - Ze Xie

Dogwood Fruit - Shan Zhu Yu

To this I added:

Eleuthro - Ci Wu Jia

Tangerine Peel - Chen Pi

Kelp - Kom Bu

I found the latex part of the Eucommia did not grind up, so I would not use it again for making Herbal Pills.  I might substitute Epimedium (Yin Yang Huo), Cordyceps (Dong Chong Xia Cao), or Dipsacus (Xu Duan).  I used about a heaping Tablespoon of each herb powdered.  You can powder the herbs with a Vita-mix or a coffee grinder.  I used a coffee grinder as I have yet to purchase a Vita-mix, but will someday!  They are highly recommended as the coffee grinders burn out.  After powdering, I ran the herbs through a sieve to get all the chunks out and then ran the chunks through the grinder again.

So, all in all I used about 3/4c. total of powdered herbs.  To this I added just enough vegetable glycerin to make it all stick together.  You do not want to use too much or the pills will not form and keep their shape, so add a little at a time.  You want to end up with a thick batter, kind of like grainy clay.  I ended up using about 4 oz. of vegetable glycerin.  Once you start rolling the pills out by hand, if they seem to want to crack add a bit more glycerin until they stay in a solid ball. 

I say about because I tend to use the folk method a lot when working with herbs as I don't believe anything IS exact and though I appreciate science and measurements, I think it can become a bit of a religion and I don't like that rigidness.  There are too many variables and everything is constantly changing, so nothing is absolute anyway.  There is no true measurement.  Healing is not an exact science.  Health is balance within constant fluctuation.  So with many things I make, I relax a bit the ego's need for a semblance of control and just allow the process to occur.

Be sure to make the balls small enough to swallow.  You can roll these out while listening to something or chatting with a friend, or simply meditating.  The repetitive rolling into a ball is very Zen and they smell wonderful with the mix of Cinnamon, one of my favorite flavors, and Moutan, which I think smells like root beer.  Once you have rolled them all out and placed them - I used a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet - you want to dry them.  You can do this in the sun or in a warm, dry location.  I heat with a wood stove, so I put them near the stove to dry.  As soon as they are thoroughly dried, put them in a jar.  Just be sure they are totally dry so they do not mold once stored.  I will take 4 of these 3x a day, so this recipe will make a good month's worth at least.