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Soaking Nuts Makes a Difference

pepitas soaking

One of the things I want to do this year is to get back to eating in a NT (Nourishing Tradition) style more regularly. It is this “template” that makes the most sense to me, and is the way my body prefers to be nourished. I already have incorporated raw dairy, fermented foods, healthy fats (pastured lard, tallow, olive oil, raw or pasture butter), and pastured meats into my diet, as well as adhering to the practice of preparing my grains properly – by soaking, souring, or sprouting them.

One missing link from all is this properly preparing nuts by soaking them in a salt water solution, then dehydrating them to increase digestibility. I must admit – I didn’t always think this was necessary. But now I think differently, thanks to the positive feedback from my digestive system – for me, it makes a big difference!

soaked pepitas waiting to dry

When I eat raw nuts (not roasted), I sometimes wouldn’t feel all that well in the belly. Kind of a sour stomach and feeling a bit nauseated. In short, I wasn’t able to digest them very well. Gassiness would sometimes ensue (TMI, but oh well). This was probably my digestive tract reacting to the enzyme inhibitors present in the nuts. Enzymes help start the digestive process, so anything that blocks that process puts a strain on the digestive system.

Soaking the nuts in salted water deactivates those enzyme inhibitors, and thus makes it easier for our bodies to digest them. According to Nourishing Traditions, “All enzymes are deactivated at a wet-heat temperature of 118 degrees F and a dry-heat temperature of about 150 degrees.”

Continue reading “Soaking Nuts Makes a Difference”

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Traditional Food for Urban Families

Trad Urban Lecture

Later this month I’ll be giving a talk at the August meeting of the Queens Holistic Moms about eating and preparing real, traditional food, entitled Traditional Food for Urban Families.  Specifics include how to:

  • Soak beans and lentils for increased nutrient assimilation
  • Sprout and soak grains for easier digestion
  • Lacto-ferment produce to boost the immune system

I’ll also bring up the subject of raw milk, traditional sugar alternatives, pastured meats, and encourage people to eat a more unrefined diet in general.

And although I do not have children, I have a very busy life schedule, from my day job, to my work with my CSA; from  running to writing; to spending time with family and friends, and more (including getting back to playing music)!  So, I know what it’s like to be pressed for time.   My goal is to help people understand that eating whole, real, traditional food is totally possible even with time constraints and demands, with a little planning.

If any of you reading this are local, please join us!  Women and men are welcome, as are those of you that don’t have kids. You can RSVP here.  Here are the logistical details:

Traditional Food for Urban Families
Talk by Meg Cotner for the Queens Holistic Moms
ARROW Community Center
35-30 35th Street (between 35th & 36th Aves) in Astoria
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010, 6:30pm – 8pm

Hope to see you there!

Photo credit:  image by Queens Holistic Moms

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An Observation on Soaked Doughs

When I started working with soaked dough recipes, I expected the initial soaked element (flour mixed with an acidic liquid like buttermilk) to be kind of like sourdough starter – loose and soft, and very fermentable.  This has not always been the case.   Sometimes it ends up being a compact ball resembling something more like a medicine ball – dense and heavy (and kind of shaggy).

soaked dough lump

Sometimes it really is more like sourdough starter, although still more compact than starter.  These mixtures are easier to work with.

I wish more recipes indicated these variants and possible outcomes.

I could have figured that out by the proportions, of course, but flours do vary in their natural moisture level, and I always hoped in the back of my mind that the soaking stage would always result in a loose dough.  As I mentioned above, looser dough is also easier to work with.

Sometimes I need to use more elbow grease to manipulate the dough to meet the end that the recipe indicates.  While I’m in the midst of it, I imagine a whole generation of women before me that must have had amazing upper body strength from working with these denser doughs.

The good news is that each time the recipe has worked out and yielded something delicious!  Great texture, too – not gummy and not tough, but quite tender.

So, if you start working with soaked dough recipes and you find the soaked ball of dough a bit unwieldy, don’t worry – it will all work out in the end.

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Sprouting Lentils

I love sprouting lentils.  It’s easy to do, fun to watch the lentils grow their little sprout tails, and by doing this their nutritional value gets a big boost.  Sprouting also makes them easier to digest by neutralizing the phytic acid, which is found in all grains and seeds.  Additionally, sprouted lentils provide two amino acids – methionine and cystine – that unsprouted lentils do not.

Throughout history, sprouting has been a traditional treatment of seeds and grains prior to eating.  The Chinese knew about the benefits of sprouting centuries ago, sprouting mung beans in order to prevent scurvy (germinated seeds contain vitamin C ).  In the West, myriad beers were made from sprouted grains.

lentils under water

lentils after first soaking

Your lentils must be organic; conventionally grown lentils will not sprout.  Sprouting should only take a couple of days from start to finish.  I like to use a colander as the vessel for my lentil sprouting.  Here is a reasonable timeline:

  • In the evening put the lentils in a bowl and cover with water.
  • The next morning, rinse the lentils in a colander, and shake out as much water as you can.  Leave the lentils in the colander, and place it on a plate covered with a towel.  Cover the lentils with another towel and set someplace where the lentils will be undisturbed.
  • That evening, repeat the process.  The next morning, repeat the process.
  • That evening, your lentils should have little sprouts coming out of them!

You can repeat this for a couple more days, depending on how long you want the sprouts to be.  For lentils, it’s best for the sprouts to be no longer than a quarter inch.

rinsed lentils

baby sprouts

So, how do they taste?  As delicious as unsprouted lentils.  Just like with any legume, it’s best to not eat them raw.  They are great lightly steamed, or used in my favorite way, in delicious sprouted lentil soup.

Happy sprouting!

sprouts up close

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Leaf Lard is Coming

leaf lard has no substitutes

On February 9, I placed my first order ever for leaf lard, through my CSA.  This is a big step for me.

I have plans to render it.  I’ve never rendered leaf lard before, but I’m pretty excited about the prospect of doing so. As I’ve become more aware of the benefits of saturated fats, lard has come out on top as a good fat – it’s also a traditional fat, as people have been using it for years.  Centuries, probably.  This puts it in the real food category.

Like many people my age, I grew up fearing the lard – it always held negative connotations, and was considered “unclean” and bad for you.  Ironically, growing up we always had a big container of Crisco (trans-fats) in the pantry (mostly for use in chocolate chip cookies), and plenty of margarine (more trans-fats) in the refrigerator.  Nowadays neither of those things are in my kitchen, and I regard them as unusable.  And unhealthy.

Although I mentioned that lard is a saturated fat, it really is only partly-so.  It actually contains less saturated fat than butter. Lard consists of 39% saturated fat (butter is 50%), 45% monounsaturated fat and 11% polyunsaturated fat.  It’s a fat that I think more people would benefit from adding to their diet.

Now the lard (aka manteca) that you often see piled up at the grocery store has been hydrogenated.  Why do they do this to lard, which is already stable (solid) at room temperature?  Perhaps to extend its life even more, I honestly don’t know.  What I do know is that you should stay far, far away from it.  Hydrogenation produces trans fats and they are seriously detrimental to your health.

I’ll post more when I receive the lard and after I render it.  I plan to make some pastry with it, and use if for frying eggs.  Awww, yeah!

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons, The Boston cooking-school cook book, Boston, Little, Brown, and Company, 1916.  Photo in the public domain.

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Soaked Whole Wheat Bread

gorgeous loaf of whole wheat bread

For over a year now I’ve been soaking my whole grains, and am very comfortable with the process and happy with the results.  So, I thought it would be a good idea to start soaking flours, too, when it comes to working with doughs and batters.  When I first heard about soaking flours, I thought what the heck?!?  I couldn’t imagine how that would work.

I came to understand that “soaking” just meant combining liquid(s) and flour into a ball.  Usually it sits overnight, allowing the phytic acid to break down and fermentation to start.  Truth be told, it can be a little unwieldy to work with the soaked dough ball at first.  However, I’ve absolutely loved the results, so it’s all worth it.

Over the weekend I baked this whole wheat bread, which turned out amazing!  I am in love with this bread.  It’s delicious, nutritious, great as toast and for sandwiches, and I notice that it doesn’t affect my blood sugar negatively – I don’t get a high and then a big low that I sometimes do with commercial bread.

raw dough collage - isn't it lovely?

I made it with this wonderful locally grown Cayuga Organics whole wheat flour that I get through my CSA, mixed with some Bob’s Red Mill unbleached all purpose flour.  I used the raw honey I get through my buying club, which is excellent stuff.

This recipe was originally published on Simply Real Food.

Whole Wheat Bread

I prefer to use honey over maple syrup, because I think honey and whole wheat are a classic combination. As far as using a dough hook, that is a convenience – you could absolutely knead this by hand.  Please don’t let the lack of equipment bar you from trying this wonderful bread!

1 1/2 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups tepid buttermilk
1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled slightly
1 tbsp. salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3-4 cups unbleached bread flour

Day One:
Mix 3 cups of wheat flour with 1 1/2 cups buttermilk. Cover with a towel. Leave out overnight.

Day Two:
In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a heavy duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the buttermilk/ flour mixture, sweetener, butter, and salt. Beat on medium low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the yeast mixture. Beat for 1 minute. Add the bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed, adding the bread flour 1 Tbsp at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth but slightly sticky when pressed, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and turn the dough once to coat it. Cover loosely and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1- 1/2 hours.

Lightly grease two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide in half and pat each half into a long rectangle. Fold one rectangle like a letter, overlapping the short sides in the middle; press to flatten. Beginning at the narrow end, tightly roll up the dough into a thick log. Roll the log back and forth with your palms until it is the same length as the pan. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal. Place the loaf, seam side down, in prepared pan, tucking the ends under to make a neat, snug fit. Repeat with the second portion. Cover loosely and let rise until about 1 inch above the rim of each pan, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the pan sides, 35-40 minutes. Turn out onto racks and cool completely.

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Delicious Soaked Granola

granola

Since I’ve transitioned to eating a more traditional diet, I’ve followed the practice of soaking the whole grains I eat, which include millet, quinoa, and oats.  I soak the grains with a little bit of acid – raw cider vinegar in my case, but lemon juice, whey, or cultured dairy products will do well, too.

Now, why do I do this?

Whole grains contain phytic acid, which negatively affects digestion and absorption of minerals.  Phytic acid, sometimes considered an “anti-nutrient”, is present in the bran and shells of all seeds and grains.  It combines with  minerals such as zinc, calcium, magnesium, and iron, and as a result these minerals are unable to be absorbed properly in the digestive tract.  When you soak the grains (or ferment or sprout them), it neutralizes the phytic acid, and the gut can digest the grains and absorb their nutrition properly.

As I see it, soaking is a good thing.

additions

Breakfast is my very favorite meal of the day.  I love waking up after a long fast (8 hours or so of sleep) and being hungry, looking forward to eating.  I grew up eating conventional breakfast cereal, so cereal is still a normal thing for me to eat in the mornings, and it’s not something I want to give up.  I gladly eat oatmeal, but wanted to have some cold cereal on hand, especially in the summer when it’s hot.  The conventional cereals are full of unappealing ingredients, overly processed, plus the grains are not soaked.  What to do?

I’ve always loved granola, so I went searching the internet for a soaked granola recipe.  And I found one!  I love this recipe.  It was originally published by Lindsay of Passionate Homemaking, who modified it from this recipe.  I made a few changes, but they are minor – replacing the raisins with bits of dried apricot; sometimes leaving out the seeds.  It goes very well with cold raw milk, completing the bowl of nutrient dense food.

come together

My plan is to make this monthly, so we have a great alternative for cold cereal in our household.  Here is the recipe:

Soaked Granola

I have always made a half recipe, whose proportions are below – a whole recipe is massive. I have increased the water, as by accident I put too much in last time, and I loved the result – a crispier product. I love almonds, so I specify those, and replaced the raisins with apricots, as mentioned above. Be sure to use a high quality coconut oil that is minimally processed; I also prefer butter that is from grass-fed cows.

4 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cups kefir
1.5 cups water
1/4 cup raw honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried shredded coconut
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup dried apples, chopped
1/8 cup minced dried figs (optional)

Mix oats with the melted butter and oil, kefir and water in a large bowl. Cover with a cloth and/or plate and allow to sit at cool room temperature for 24 hours. After the soaking time, preheat the oven to 200° F.

Place honey, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla in a small pot on the stove. Gently warm up this mixture, stirring until honey becomes thin.

Combine sweeteners and oat mixtures, mixing to incorporate.

Spread mixture out over two parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 2-4 hours, until granola is dry and crisp.  Allow to cool in oven before removing to a container.  It will get crisper at it cools.

Mix in coconut, apricots, pumpkin seeds, apples and nuts, as desired.  Store in an airtight container.  Serve with chilled raw milk.

Makes 2.5 quarts.