1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups coconut milk
1.5 pounds cod fillet (You can actually use whatever fish, or mixture of fish, shrimp, scallops, octopus, etc. you like. I prefer cod because it's mild and flaky.)
juice of half a lemon
sea salt
hot pepper (I use powdered cayenne, but feel free to use your preferred source of hotness.)

• Melt the coconut oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan.
• Saute the onions and garlic in the coconut oil.
• While the onions are sauteing, cut the fish into 1 inch cubes (more or less, the size is not super important, but I like to make them bite sized).
• When the onions are clear, add the coconut milk to the pan.
• Add the fish, lemon juice, salt, and hot pepper.  Cook until the fish is done, about ten minutes.
  

That's it!

This is the first recipe I ever developed.  I used to make it often in my poor college student days.  

Ingredients:

• 1 large potato per serving (so if you want to serve two people, use two potatoes, or if you are going to plan for leftovers use 4 or 6 potatoes). You can use baking potatoes, but yukon golds are super yummy.
• an equal volume of leeks
• chicken stock to cover
• Sea salt
• Pepper
• Sour cream (about one cup)
  

1. Chop the potatoes into 1 inch chunks.  I leave the peels on; I like the texture and extra fiber and vitamins. 
2. Cut the bottom (with the hairy roots) off of your leeks.  Slice the leeks into one inch pieces.  As you slice each piece make sure that there is no dirt in the inside rings.  You can use all the way up into the green part of the stem.  You want to end up with the same amount of chopped leeks and potatoes.
3. Put the leeks and potatoes into a pan.  Cover with chicken stock or plain water.  The stock will give it a richer flavor but it’s still really good with water.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer until a fork inserted into a potato chunk makes it fall apart easily, probably fifteen to 20 minutes.
5. Scoop the potatoes and leeks into your blender.  Add as much of the liquid as will fit and blend easily.  Blend until smooth.  Blend in salt, pepper and sour cream until it tastes super yummy.  I usually use about half a container of sour cream.

This is delicious on asparagus, broccoli, any greens, and pretty much anywhere you would use mayonnaise.

3 egg yolks
3 tbs butter or ghee
lemon juice
salt
mustard (optional)
cayenne pepper (optional)

• Separate the eggs.  (Set aside the egg whites for making meringue or grain-free tortillas.)
• Beat the yolks in a small metal bowl with a whisk.
• Add the butter to the yolks.
• Place the bowl in the top of a double boiler.  I use a vegetable steamer as my double boiler.
• Whisk the eggs and butter until the butter melts.
• As soon as the butter is melted remove the sauce from the heat.
• Whisk in lemon juice and salt, mustard and/or cayenne to taste.

This is a quick and easy satisfying meal if you have stock already prepared on hand.
One quart chicken stock. See recipe here
shitake mushrooms (a couple of good sized handfuls)
leeks (one or two large ones)
sea salt
pepper
thyme
tarragon

• Remove stems from mushrooms and chop into bite sized pieces.
• Slice the leeks into half inch thick coins. 
• Add mushrooms and leeks to stock.
• Add sea salt, pepper, thyme and tarragon to taste.
• Simmer until the leeks are mushy. 
• Blend until smooth.

This is extra special good served with creme fraiche and fresh ground pepper.

This recipe works with either chicken or turkey.  Every bird I have made with this method comes out crispy on the inside and moist and tasty on the inside.  I use pastured, free range birds whenever possible.  

I cook chickens (4-5 lbs) for 2 hours.  

For turkeys, you can use this chart.
8 to 12 pounds        3 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds 4 1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds 5 hours

Ingredients:
whole turkey or chicken
Several large onions
Whole head of garlic (optional)
Melted butter
Sea salt and pepper
Several sprigs of fresh thyme, oregano, sage, and/or tarragon

• Peel and slice the onions in rings about half an inch thick.  Strew onion slices in a stainless steel roasting pan.  Peel garlic and place among onion slices.  Stuff the fresh herbs into cavity of the bird and place upside down in on top of the onions.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. 
• Bake at 375 degrees for half of the cooking time in the chart.  Pull the roasting pan out and shut the oven door.  Turn the bird over by inserting a wooden spoon into the cavity.  Lift and rotate so that the breast side is up.  This is easier to do with a buddy, especially for a larger turkey.
• Brush with more butter, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and return to oven.
• Keep an eye on it as you approach the 3/4 mark. If it starts to get too dark around the edges cover with heavy duty tin foil. 
• Check for doneness with a meat thermometer.  I use an instant one that can be inserted as you approach the end of its cooking.  Make sure that the tip of the thermometer is not touching a bone.  It should be 165 degrees inside. 
• When done, remove the bird from the pan and set on your carving platter.  Let it sit while you make the gravy.
• Making the gravy: pour the stuff in the bottom of the roasting pan—juices, onions and garlic—into your blender.  Blend until smooth.  That’s it.  Best gravy you ever had.  And it's rich in gelatin.  

Adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, New Trends Publishing, 1999.

Cocoa butter (I use raw cocoa butter from the health food store.  You can also buy it online)

cocoa powder (I use fermented cocoa powder.  The fermentation process brings out the chocolate flavor but does not require chemicals like Dutch alkalai processing.)

honey  (raw and local)

• Using a small kitchen scale (which perhaps like me you acquired many years ago for portion counting on Weight Watchers) I measure equal amounts of cocoa butter and cocoa powder.  For instance, if I am using 5 ounces of cocoa butter, then I also measure out 5 ounces of cocoa powder.
• Melt the cocoa butter on top of a double boiler.  Remove from heat as soon as it is fully melted. 
• Mix in the same number of tablespoons of honey as you are using ounces of the other stuff.  So, if you are using 5 ounces each of cocoa butter and cocoa powder, mix 5 tablespoons of honey into the melted butter.  Stir well until the honey is fully melted and incorporated into the cocoa butter.
• Add the cocoa powder.  Whisk until very smooth.  The powder may be a little lumpy so make sure you get all of those mixed in well.
  

THAT'S IT!  YOU HAVE NOW MADE CHOCOLATE :-)

I often add cinnamon and a dash of hot pepper powder at this point.  I like it a little spicy.  You can add any other powdered spices or herbs that you want.  I made a curry one once that was pretty interesting.

For molds, I use small round deli take out containers - you know the ones that are about three inches in diameter.  I pour the cholate in to about one third to one half an inch deep.   This makes a nice size "bar."

You can also use silicone molds.  I have several in different shapes and sizes for making peanut butter cups and things like that.  For the plain chocolate, I like more of it than a single bite, so I make the larger round bars.

Chill in the fridge until hard, or in the freezer if you are in a hurry, like I often am.  It keeps well in the fridge for at least three months.

2 tbs. olive oil
2 tuna steaks
kalamata olives

• Heat a cast iron frying pan for a couple of minutes.
• Add the olive oil to the pan, and swirl around to cover.
• Add the steaks to the pan, and sear for a minute or two on the first side.
• Gently free the steaks from the pan with a spatula, and turn them over.
• Turn the heat down to medium low.
• Chop the olives into small pieces either with a food processor or by done by hand.
• Cover each steak with a layer of olives.
• Watch the side of the steaks.  They are done before it turns white all the way through.

2 lbs fresh mussels
4 tbs butter
1 onion (or a couple of shallots), chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 lemon, sliced
2 cups chicken or fish stock
tarragon, salt, and pepper to taste



Fresh mussels are live when you buy them.  If you have to store them for a day or two, you want them to be able to breathe, so open the plastic bag. When you get ready to cook them the shells should be closed.  If you find an open one tap it.  If it closes then it's still alive and good to cook.  If it does not close discard it.  Also discard any ones with broken shells.  You may also need to de-beard the mussels, which means pulling off the hairy sticky-outy thing.  If it's there you'll know exactly what I mean, if it's not then you don't need to worry about it.

In a large heavy pot (I use my enameled cast iron dutch oven), melt the butter.  Add chopped onion and stir.  

When the onions become clear, add the chopped garlic cloves.  Stir and sautee for a couple of minutes.

Add the slices of lemon, chicken stock, tarragon, and salt and pepper.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

Dump the mussles in on top of the broth.  Cover with a lid and simmer for about 5 more minutes.

The mussels are ready to eat when the shells have opened.  

In my house, we like to pull all of the mussels out of the shells, add them to the broth, and eat it as mussel soup essentially.  Others like to eat the mussels indiviually and then when they're all gone sop up the broth with some good crusty bread.  Either way, I find this simple, nutrient dense meal super satisfying.

2 nicely ripe mangoes
honey or maple syrup to taste (possibly none at all)

• Peel and chop mangoes into bite size pieces.
• Freeze the pieces either on a cookie sheet or in ice cube trays.
• When well frozen blend in a powerful blender, like a VitaMix.
• Taste to see if you need to add just a touch of honey or maple syrup.
• That's it.  Mangoes have a really nice smoothness and make great sorbet.

This is adapted from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz.  Chelsea Green Publishing, 2003

5 pounds (about 2 heads) cabbage
3 tablespoons sea salt
filtered (chlorine-free) water

1.  Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like.  I like to mix green and red cabbage to end up with bright pink kraut.  Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it.
2. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go.  The salt pulls the water out of the cabbage, and this creates the brine in which the cabbage can ferment and sour without rotting.  Salt also keeps the cabbage crunchy by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it.
3. Add other vegetables if you like.  Carrotss, onions, garlic, seaweed, other greens, brussel sprouts, beets, burdock root, apples (whole or sliced), caraway, dill, celery seeds, or juniper berries. 
4. Mix ingredients together and pack into crock or mason jar.  Pack a bit at a time and tamp down hard using your fists or any other sturdy kitchen implement. 
5. Pour in some juice from a previous batch, or the leftover juice from a jar of Bubbie's Garlic Pickles, or the whey (the clear liquid off the top of yogurt).  These are starters - chock full of the probiotic bacteria that ferments the cabbage.
6. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fits snugly inside the crock.  Place a clean weight (like a glass jar filled with water) on the cover.  This weight will force water out of the cabbage and keep the cabbage submerged under the brine.  Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out.
7. Press down on the weight to help force more water out.  Continue doing this as often as you think of it for about 24 hours, or until the brine rises above the cover.  If the brine doesn't rise above the plate by the next day, add salt water to bring the brine level above the plate.  Add 1 tablespoon Celtic sea salt to 1 cup of water and stir until it's completely dissolved.
8. Check the kraut every day or two.  The volume reduces as the fermentation proceeds.  Sometimes mold appears on the surface.  Skim what you can off of the surface; it will break up and you will probably not be able to remove all of it.  Don't worry, the kraut is under the anaerobic protection of the brine.  Just rinse off the plate and the weight. 
9. Taste the kraut.  Generally it starts to get tangy after a few days (faster when it's warm, slower in cool temps), and the taste gets stronger as time passes.  After a week or so, I transfer my jars to the fridge.  Kraut will keep in the fridge for several months.  Eventually, it becomes soft and the flavor turns less pleasant.
10. Enjoy.  Same some of the juice for the next batch, but make sure you drink some.  Sauerkraut juice is an a rare delicacy and unparalled digestive tonic.  Each time you scoop out some kraut, you have to repack it carefully.  Make sure that the kraut is packed tight and stays below the level of the brine.  If you need more brine, add salt water as above and leave at room temperature for a day before returning to the fridge.