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~ Eating healthily easily

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Tag Archives: Fermentation

Beetroot & Red Cabbage Purple Sauerkraut – ferment!

05 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, Gluten Free, Natural Health, No bake/ Raw, Savoury, Superfoods, Traditional, Vegan

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Fermentation, Gluten free, Natural Health, Raw, recipe, Sauerkraut recipe, Savoury, Superfoods, Traditional, Vegan

There is a lovely beetroot sauerkraut you can buy in good health shops here… after a couple of jars I was like “I should just make this.” I have a collection of KJOVS (kilner jars of various sizes) at home and though I did not travel very light when moving to Sweden I did draw the line at kilner jars.

I seemed to have lost the lovely pics I took of this process- so please bare with my phone photographs! If the originals turn up then I will delete these ones and this note of my incompetence. 🙂

Gothenburg has a many second-hand shops and a picked up a glass jar with a rubber seal easily. So you will need a mason or kilner jar, steam sterilise it or wash in very hot water* and rinse very well – so there was no soapy residue, the only other equipment needed is a knife, a bowl and a plate and maybe a veg peeling tool. (*not too close to boiling- glass can explode! I have foolishly done this and have a scar to prove it)

I prefer to ferment organic veg, I find the idea of fermenting chemicals a bit off-putting. That said if you peel the non-organic beetroot and remove the outer leaves of your cabbage you will certainly lower the levels.

It is very simple and quick to prepare. I chopped everything but you could give things a whizz in a food processor or use a spiralizer for the beetroot.

Beetroot & Red Cabbage Purple Sauerkraut

  • Two and a half medium purple beetroot
  • Just under Half of a medium sized red cabbage (chop half)
  • A flat dessertspoon of sea salt
  • Maybe some boiled cooled water with a pinch of salt in it.
  • A bulb of garlic if you like

Method:

You will prob only need two beetroot and under half the cabbage, but it is good to have extra, as you need to fill your jar.

So chop them into small bits. Not teeny tiny bits, but kind of as small as you’d get in a normal slaw.  As you chop, put stuff in a bowl, I tend to add half the salt half way through and then the rest at the end.

 

The Vegan's use of a cheese slicer- beet peeling!

The Vegan’s use of a cheese slicer- beet peeling!

chopped

chopped

Now to dye your hands a purple colour. With clean but NOT soapy (antibacterial and we don’t want to risk killing the good guys). Squeeze, mash, rub and press your mix. Lots of water will start to be drawn out by the salt. If not much water has come out yet, you can put a plate on top and leave it rest for a bit. You can put a weight on top if you like (I’ve used a bag of flour in the past). I didn’t use a weight this time.

Now start squishing the veg into your jar. If the liquid is not covering the contents you can add some of your cooled salty water. You could squash everything down with a bulb or layer of garlic cloves. But you will have some of a garlic-y flavour to sauerkraut. When doing large jars and I have been caught out by not enough prepared veg I have pressed everything down with a glass jar. Check it out in my detailed Sauerkraut post inc. troubleshooting Sauerkraut the new old superfood. I am tagging this again as a superfood, it is filled with colourful anti-oxidants and SOO much live bacteria it deserves the title, as do the beetroot red cabbage and garlic…I will stop or I will end up listing all veg, nuts, legumes, seeds, beans and herbs and spices in the world.

Once the jar is up to the tip-top put on your lid. I would ideally leave for 10 days to a month. I know some people leave their sauerkraut for even longer, but I like a bit of a bite in this slaw. I was nervous as to how well my vintage jar might keep it all airtight, I still opened everyday to leave gases out – to prevent a build up and explosion – kinda like burping the sauerkraut. I stuck mine in the fridge after a week I might be barely, barely fermented. I think I will buy a traditional kilner jar (rubber seal and metal clamp) in the second-hand shop this week and ferment again- in a less nervous manner.

Barely Fermented Purple Sauerkraut

Barely Fermented Purple Sauerkraut

You will know all is well as after about a week you should start to get a vingear-er-ry smell from the kraut. It is an amazing what smell can tell you. It should never smell “bad” or “off putting” or mouldy. It should smell cabbage-y and then a bit vingear-y. It should stay the same colour- i.e no bloom of mould! You shouldn’t have any of these problems if your jar is full, contents covered by liquid and airtight.

It is lovely on toasted rye bread with avocado! Hope you try it!  Xs Aissa

P.S If you have concerns or it is your first fermenting rodeo you might like check out my other Sauerkraut post linked above for more detailed troubleshooting. 🙂 But don’t be overly anxious it really is a simple process!

Horseradish Preserve! Vegan & Gluten free

24 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, Gluten Free, Natural Health, Savoury, Superfoods, Traditional, Vegan

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Fermentation, Gluten free, Natural Health, Raw, recipe, Savoury, Superfoods, Traditional, Vegan

I’m on a spice kick! Wasabi-ing my popcorn and now horesradish-ing my everything! ( I can make my own verbs up and no-one can tell me otherwise!!) Horseradish is a some what overlooked root. Its super heat and flavour add that extra kick to.. well as I said everything, but it also as medicinal properties- anyone who has had the fresh stuff will tell you it clears your sinuses but it is also anti-bacterial (like garlic)- though traditional recommended for helping with respiratory conditions I have heard of it being used for fluid retention, urinary tract infections and inflammation. * So a great thing to have in your kitchen.

In order to keep the heat in your horseradish you need to make this all in one go. So no chopping the horseradish wondering off to look something up on line and spending three hours looking at cat videos 🙂 If left out to the air – esp. ones blended it starts to loose its heat.

I have made this a number of times so here is the list of what you will need to make:

Horseradish Preserve

  •  A good sharp knife
  • A good strong chopping board
  • A little upper body strength or a helper
  • A good strong blender or food processor
  • A jar
  • A Horseradish 🙂
  • Approx. a cup of apple cyder/ cider vinegar raw and with the mother culture in it.
  • Optional: Swimming goggles.

Method

Ideally the horseradish would be organic, but I couldn’t get any this time. So I made sure to peel it really well incase there were any residues left on it. Horseradish is very woody it even has a grain to it so it is a bit like trying to chop a soft-ish stick! If you find the grain it is easier to peel. The other tip is to cut length ways first , chop the top and bottom off and then chop  to smaller bits. With my blender I need to chop to top of finger size bits, you might have to chop smaller.

Horseradish root looking rooty

Horseradish root looking rooty

Pop the chopped up bits in your blender/ processor and add about six tablespoons of apple cyder vinegar. Pulse off and on five or six times – and then blend for thirty seconds. My blender has a setting for nuts and I actually do it on that first as the horseradish is so hard. Once it is pulverised a bit you can blend like normal.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! Maybe get the goggles!

DO NOT TAKE THE TOP OFF THE BLENDER WITH YOUR HEAD OVER IT!!!! It is like putting your head in a bowl of twenty freshly chopped onions. You eyes will be scalded and streaming! Even scooping it into the jar I try and keep my face well back.

Fluffy horseradish ready to apple cyder vinegar-d

Fluffy horseradish ready to apple cyder vinegar-d

All that spicy goodness is heading off into the air so to catch it cover the horseradish with the apple cyder vinegar fast! A good apple cyder/ cider vinegar- that is naturally fermented and raw is full of good bacteria and malic acid (helps break down uric acid – which in turn is good for your joints). This good vinegar will preserve your horseradish- I have had a jar for months at a time in the fridge.

Looks like snow but it is HOT HOT HOT :-)

Looks like snow but it is HOT HOT HOT 🙂

It is a wonderful accompaniment to any meal – but is a especially good mixed with avocado, hummus or a pinch added to your homemade salad dressing. even when using the jar I don’t leave it open to the air for long- to keep all the great spices in!

Hope you guys try it out. It is pretty amazing stuff. It will be called a superfood yet! 🙂

xs Aissa

*footnote. I am not a health practitioner. but I have read if you are on low thyroid medication or pregnant you should not being eating truckloads of horseradish!

Stretch out the week! Sunday Yoga & Cold Buster Juice

08 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, juice, Natural Health, yoga

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Tags

Fermentation, Juice, Natural Health, Yoga

Hey there! I wanted to share the Yoga practice I followed to-day. I have a bit of a head cold and woke up stiff and sniffly. So a crazy cardio intense flow really was the last thing I wanted. I did a little of my own warm up, some vinyasa flow with sun salutes and hamstring stretches. Though if you did not wake up feeling like an un-oiled version of the Tin-man, you could probably just head straight into the video. I especially enjoyed the counter poses. I am feeling flexible, floppy and actually quite rested after my routine. Hope you enjoy it too. I am off to make a wheatgrass shot with ginger, lemon and cayenne pepper. I’m going to kick this head cold’s gluteus maximus!

Hour later Edit!

So I decided to add said juice! Calling it The Cold Buster which may be a little optimistic… to say the least. This will make three decent little juices (half a cup each), I will have another juice later, and be good and give one to my partner too!

The cold buster!

The cold buster! Note Tiny sprinkle of cayenne.

You will need…

  • A four inch in diameter bundle of organic whestgrass
  • A third of an organic unwaxed lemon
  • Half an organic pear (I ate the other half ‘cos it was so ripe and delicious)
  • An organic unwaxed apple
  • A nub of organic ginger (about the top of your baby finger)*
  • One small organic carrot
  • A tablespoon of organic apple cyder vinegar
  • A double shot glass measure of water kefir (you could use raw kombucha too)
  • A pixie dust TINY sprinkle of cayenne pepper

You may well use cayenne all the time in cooking, but is a different matter when drinking it. You really feel the heat- a little goes along way, great for the sinuses. It  has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

*organic is especially important with ginger as sometimes it is irradiated.

Couldn't fit the apple in this pic!

Couldn’t fit the apple in this pic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xs Aissa

 

Bright Juice for dark evenings & Winter Wonders

27 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Tags

Fermentation, Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan, Wheatgrass

It gets dark early in Ireland this time of year, about four fifteen pm today! I made a bright energising juice to counter it! A simple one…

bright juice for a dark evening

Juice!

  • One large unwaxed org green apple
  • Half an organic cucumber
  • Half an unwaxed lemon- leave a slice to have with it!
  • An inch and a half in diameter bundle of wheatgrass
  • Optional:Two double shots of water kefir
  • A ReAlLLY thin slice of organic ginger and inch long
  • A nub of turmeric root about the size of the top of your baby finger*

It is refreshing antioxidant and vitamin packed zesty tasty light wonder. Wow that was a lot of adjectives in one go! Plus live bacteria with the kefir!

* that is a technical measuring term, used mainly in my kitchen

Winter wonders

it has been unseasonably mild here up until a couple of weeks ago. The first frost was this morning. It was still and cold with a wintry freezing fog. Beautiful. A chilly day last week the fog and morning dew lasted all day. Gave me a chance to snap a couple of shots! Give me another couple of months and the novelty of cold and wet may have worn off! 😉

Winter mushroom

Winter mushroom

November blossom!

November blossom!

Xs Aissa

Beet That! Juice

27 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Fermentation, Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

I had my organic wheatgrass pear and ginger juice at lunchtime a couple of days ago. So that was my green juice. After my Not so smooth energy smoothie for breakfast I decided I would fast for the day. I felt good all day, I did break out and have matcha green tea to keep me going too. I kept off the solids for 24 hours. That night I was in need of a boost. Beetroot is sweet and a vascular dilator which I thought would be good before I did some gentle yin yoga. The theme was the red and orange colour spectrum.

All organic Beet That Juice

  • Two carrots
  • A slice of turmeric
  • Half a large beetroot
  • Half an orange pepper
  • A thin slice of organic ginger
  • Two stalks of celery for the good salts
  • One pak choi leaf for an a hint of green.
  • Optional: I added a shot of my homemade kombucha for an extra kick and a dose of good live bacteria and yeast.

There are times when fasting is not the best idea- listen to your body- I have a post where it did not work out for me Not a juice fast day with juice recipes. If you have underlying health problems I would advise talking to your health practitioner natural or otherwise first.

Bright veg!

Bright veg!

Before bed I had slippery elm root tea. It is a source of b vitamins, feeds good bacteria, it can help remove bad bacteria as it is a gentle fibre and is soothing for the digestive tract. Apparently George Washington’s troops survived for a week on slippery elm root gruel! Think I could do without trying that though.

Beet That Juice

Beet That Juice

Hope you try out the juice it is a real energy boost!

Xs Aissa

 

 

It’s so Greeeeen! It’s so goood!

27 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Fermentation, Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

My diet to today had been lacking. Lacking in particularly in greens. So my juice this afternoon had a lot to make up for. So the green goodies were pulled from the fridge with instructions to be very good for me. Nothing wrong with talking to your juice prep.

So Green! So Good Juice

So Green! So Good Juice

So Green! So Good! Juice

  • Two rainbow chard leaves and stalks
  • Half a large cucumber
  • One tart unwaxed green apple- I used a Collina apple
  • Ten leaves and stalks of parsley
  • Fifteen leaves and stalks of coriander
  • An inch size piece of turmeric root
  • A bundle of wheatgrass about an inch in diameter
  • Optional double shot size of water kefir- for the good bacteria and yeasts!

It tastes sweet, but not overly, but mainly of coriander. Quite refreshing! Feeling healthier as I sip!!! 🙂

Chlorophyl helps oxygenate the blood. Herbs are great for the digestion and packed with vitamin C. Evidence to say coriander helps get rid of heavy metals from the body. Great source of iron. B vitamins, for mood, the nervous system, tissue repair. Must not forget wheatgrass superoxide dismutase! Check it out- amazing anti-inflamatory!

It makes double the amount in the pic. I am saving the other glass for my partner. I put  in a pinch of vitamin C powder- to help keep it and stuck it in the fridge.

Hope you try it out! Xs Aissa

Sunshine Special

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Fermentation, Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

Sunshine special

Sunshine special

The sun was in and out here all day. I was coming home from work and paused to turn my face to it. I had the ingredients for my juice in my bag and I thought Sunshine Special! Perfect. The sun has gone in now and the clouds are massing. I will have to be happy with the glow from my juice instead.

Sunshine Special

  • One large unwaxed orange- with the skin
  • One unwaxed lemon- skin included
  • One large carrot
  • One small or half a large purple kohl rabi
  • Piece of turmeric- about the size of the top of my thumb
  • One tiny apricot
  • Slice of ginger inch x a few mm thick/ 2cm x tenth of an inch thick 😉 *
  • Sprig of oregano
  • Four mint leaves
  • Dash of organic apple cider vinegar with the mother
  • Optional: Dash of water kefir
  • Optional: Bundle of wheatgrass half inch in diameter

*esp organic ginger as non-organic is sometimes irradiated!

I don’t have oranges that often- bit acidic. When I have the want though… nothing else will satisfy. This juice is really refreshing and thirst quenching. It is packed full of vitamin c , tons of antioxidants, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and good for the digestion! Tastes lovely too. I added a shot of wheatgrass to our juices, I shared! The wheatgrass was lovely in it.

Lovely, colourful bonanza of organic goodies! Xs Aissa

yum yum yum

yum yum yum

How’s the Ferment?

05 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, Gluten Free, Natural Health, Superfoods, Traditional, Vegan

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Fermentation, Gluten free, Natural Health, Sauerkraut recipe, Superfoods, Traditional, Vegan, water kefir

About a month ago I posted my Sauerkraut recipe. Any one join me at the time? Here is what mine looks like now. The water is nice and clear. No floating scumminess. Nothing on the glass above the water line. This is a sign all is well. It has a good strong vinegary smell too. Fermented foods are sadly missing from many of our diets, and they are so good for us!

The backlighting is flattering!

The backlighting is flattering!

 

I also keep Water Kefir and Kombucha. The water kefir is very active in the current warm weather. I changed mine last night. I thought it would be nice to add extra flavour. The orange colour comes from the rapadura sugar I feed it, i always put in a little ginger too. After straining it I added organic parsley and mint. It is a lovely drink for these warm long evenings. Filled with billions of good live bacteria and yeasts, fantastic for keeping your gut happy and healthy. I hope the summer will continue in this form and in another month I will be sitting in the sun having my sauerkraut with a big organic salad! 🙂

Xs Aissa

Image

Intense Juice

01 Sunday Jun 2014

Tags

Fermentation, Juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

Intense Juice

Still having my juice a day, for that extra nutrient blast! Wanted to go for bitters and fabulous organic stuff that is good for the digestion.

I have been juicing for a while and I have built up the intensity of greens I can take. If you have just pulled your new juicer out of the box do not start with this one! Have a look at my other lighter recipes and certainly do not juice garlic. I would even recommend diluting this with some water kefir or natural mineral water if it is your first green veg juice. Also sip the juice, take your time enjoy.

Intensity of colour, intensity of flavour, intensity of nutrients!

Intensity of colour, intensity of flavour, intensity of nutrients!

Intense Juice packed with flavour!

  • Two large pak choi leaves
  • Four or five kale leaves and stalks
  • Four catalogna leaves
  • Three red cabbage leaves
  • Half a pointed red pepper
  • Two stalks of celery
  • One green apple
  • A nub of turmeric (as thick as tip of your baby finger)
  • Half a lemon
  • A slice of ginger ( half cm thick)
  • Optional: one small clove of garlic
  • Optional: A dash of water kefir

As I said this is Intense! If you think your palette or your system is not ready for it yet you can A: reduce the green leaves by half  B: Dilute the juice. C: Come back to it another time 🙂

The catalogna are bitter green leaves, “bitters” stimulate the digestion. All the greens are filled with energising chlorophyll. The cabbage’s red colouring is an antioxidant. Along with the greens it is a massive source of vitamin K. This juice gives an intense hit of B vitamins, vitamin C, glutamine,potassium, the enzyme superoxide dismutase with a massive etc. The addition of the lemon, turmeric, ginger and garlic gives it anti-inflammatory,antibacterial and extra anti-oxidant properties. It also does taste lovely!

Xs Aissa

P.S. Even the pulp is amazing looking!

Rainbow pulp!

Rainbow pulp!

 

 

Posted by Aissa | Filed under Fermentation, juice, Natural Health, Superfoods, Vegan

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Glowing Orange Evening juice

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Aissa in Fermentation, Gluten Free, juice, Natural Health, Vegan

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Tags

Fermentation, Gluten free, Juice, Natural Health, Vegan

To follow up on my juicetastic day yesterday I decided to share my evening juice. It is simple, tasty and a lovely to finish off the day with such a brightly coloured concoction.

glowing Orange Evening Juice!

glowing Orange Evening Juice!

Glowing Orange Evening

  • Half a large blood orange- mine was almost the size of a grapefruit
  • Half a green apple
  • One stick of celery
  • A piece of turmeric the size of the top of your thumb.
  • Optional: A shot measure of water kefir

C’est ça!( That is it! ). It’s a small juice so you could always double the orange, apple and celery for a longer drink. I woke up this morning feeling really refreshed. I really enjoyed my “Not so smooth energy smoothie” for breakfast! I added some organic almonds that I had soaked over night for extra crunch. Planning a gigantic salad with sprouted buckwheat and avocado for lunch.

Writing this made me want the juice again! This time I added some wheatgrass.

Morning sunshine- good name for the variation?

Morning sunshine- good name for the variation?

xs Aissa

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