Culinary Arts

26Aug 2015

Make Kombucha: The Easy Way

Lets make kombucha the easy way!

The purpose of this post is to show you how to make kombucha from growing your own SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) or “mother” (you must have a healthy SCOBY to make kombucha) to bottling and drinking your first batch.

Background: Of late, I have been rather manic with regards to probiotics and building healthy gut flora. Your gut is responsible for nutrient absorption and a poor gut environment can mean malnutrition along with other health concerns. Some call your gut your “second brain” and its extremely important to make sure that it is as healthy as possible. In doing so, as part of my daily routine, I take a probiotic (pill form) as well as eat the typical “active culture” dense foods such as yogurt and kefir. My quest to have the healthiest food digesting, nutrient absorbing, microbiota phenomenon of a gut has also involved a ton of other probiotic foods. These typically consist of fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and drinks like…..KOMBUCHA (fermented tea) which help to create an “ideal” community of bacteria in the gut. Kombucha or “buch” as the connoisseurs refer to it, is in my mind, the easiest and most convenient way to get a probiotic boost throughout the day. I would typically purchase the GT’S brand of kombucha, from Whole Foods, which comes in several flavors. They include original, gingerberry, mango, citrus, and some weird green flavor. Since I am also on a low–carb, slow–carb diet, I stick with the original or ginger flavor as they are both low in carbohydrates. With my daily purchase, I began to notice a little problem. Kombucha is EXPENSIVE! Like $4.00 a bottle and I was drinking almost 3 a day! So what do we do? Make it ourselves!

What is Kombucha? Basically, it is fermented tea. If you try searching online, there are a ton of various ideas, concepts, complicated procedures and confusing ways to make this fantastic drink. Here is the quick and easy way to do it at home.

Materials:

1 liter mason jar (sterilized with boiling water)
5 bags of black tea (caffeinated)
1 cup of raw sugar
1 bottle of GT’S original Kombucha (usually carried at Whole Foods)
Paper towels/coffee filter
Rubber band

The first thing is to grow A SCOBY! (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast)

Step 1: Bring 4.5 cups of water to a boil and put in tea bags

Step 2: Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Step 3: Let steep for 20 minutes

Step 4: Let cool to room temperature. This is very important as you do not want the tea to be to0 hot when you add the GT’S. It will kill the live cultures and destroy your chances of growing a SCOBY.

Step 5: Once tea is at room temperature (usually 2-3 hours) poor in the entire contents of the Gts original kombucha

Step 5: Secure a doubled up paper towel or a coffee filter around around the jar and place jar in a secure, warm place, out of direct sunlight.

Step 6: Let your Scoby grow! This can take anywhere from two weeks to a month depending on the temperature of the room. It is strongly advised to check the growth every few days to ensure healthy growth. Watch out for any mold or strong odors/ indications of contamination or rotting. The contents should have a vinegar smell and the presence of a gelatinous mass growing on top (or slightly suspended in the liquid). Your SCOBY will be ready once it is about a 1/4 of an inch thick.

Making Actual Kombucha:

Once your SCOBY is ready, making the actual Kombucha is pretty much the same process. Make your liter of tea again the same way described above. Once it has cooled to room temperature, poor in a cup of the Kombucha batch that you used to grow the SCOBY and then carefully transfer the SCOBY over. It is best to use a fresh rubber/latex glove as you do not want any contamination or outside bacteria to hurt your culture. Finally place the jar in a warm location away from any direct sunlight for 7-10 days. After about the 5th day, it is good to taste your Kombucha using the straw method so that you can achieve the desired flavor you are looking for. The longer it ferments, the more tart it will become. You will also notice a new SCOBY growing on top. Make sure you transfer this over to your new batch to keep the process going.

Bottle

Once your batch is at the desired flavor, it time to bottle. I like to bottle my finished kombucha in glass airlock bottles. I think they look cool and they are perfect for this drink as they keep air out. You need to make a new batch of kombucha and transfer over your SCOBY. Then, you simply funnel the contents into the new bottle leaving about a quarter of an inch of air at the top. At this step, you can also infuse with ginger or any desired fruit. After you have done this, let your freshly bottled kombucha set at room temperature for 2-3 more additional days to get some carbonation. Then refrigerate and drink!!!

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, leave a comment or shoot us an email at pmdproducts@gmail.com

If you are new to Kombucha, I definitely recommend GT’S for to try before you begin making your own!

14Oct 2013

Travis’ Cranberry Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

by pmdproducts@gmail.com

Cranberry Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

In the northeast we have had some spectacular weather over the past few weeks. I decided to take the opportunity and barbeque pork chops on the grill, with a slight twist using fresh locally sourced, and seasonal ingredients such as apples and cranberries.

Pork chops and applesauce are a well documented partnership like Bonnie and Clyde, Sonnie and Cher, and more recently the New York football Giants and losing. Yet by adding tangy cranberries and crunchy almonds to the already great flavor profiles of pork with apples, my interpretation of the dish adds some complexity but maintains the overall idea of the partnership. The dish’s reduced carbon footprint is not only good for the environment, but will also be a sure hit as a main dish at your next dinner party.

If you enjoy this recipe or have any ideas for any future recipes, please email me at travis@livegreenbegreen.com.

Ingredients:

4 bone-out pork chops

1 organic apple

1/4 cup fresh cranberries

Handful of unsalted almonds

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/16 cup flour

1/4 cup cognac

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

A dash of nutmeg

Salt and Pepper

Makes 4 servings

Preparation:

Step 1:

Slice, peel, and cut apple into small pieces.

Step 2:

Add cranberries and apples to a saute pan and cook on high heat. Juice will begin to come out of the fruit as you cook them. Once this happens, add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook on high heat for three to five minutes or until the apple gain a slightly brown coating.

Step 3:

Turn off heat, add unsalted almonds to cooked stuffing mixture, and let cool.

Step 4:

Create pocket for stuffing in pork chop by taking a butterfly approach, with the only difference being not cutting into the meat as deep, and leave about half an inch thickness of connective tissue to ensure the pocket does not collapse and maintains rigid enough to enclose the stuffing in the rear.

Step 5:

Season pork chop with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders on both sides.

Step 6:

Add stuffing to to pork chops, and close with toothpicks towards the edge of the chop where the stuffing is inserted. Grill on barbeque by setting grill to high heat and grill on each side for a minute or until a nice char is achieved. Then reduce heat to medium and cook for about ten minutes on each side. *(The added thickness of the chop as a result of the stuffing will dictate a longer cooking time).*

Step 7:

Let cool, serve, and enjoy!

30Sep 2013

Healthy Wholesome Eating: Travis Marmara’s Recipe for Butternut Squash Soup

by pmdproducts@gmail.com

When I think of the fall season I imagine vibrant colors and ingredients. Autumn has some truly unique flavor profiles, and in this week’s dish, I wanted to highlight some of them in an earthy and comforting chowder recipe.

Both butternut squash and sweet potatoes have a fibrous texture that makes them ideal for hearty fall stews and soups. More importantly however, each of these ingredients contain high levels of Vitamin A, “..A powerful natural anti-oxidant that is required by the body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucous membranes. Research studies also suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin A help the body protect against lung and oral cavity cancers.” Even more, butternut squash contains only 45 calories per 100 g and is perfect for those who are looking to diet without sacrificing flavor. So grab a bowlful of Autumn with this week’s recipe and if you have any suggestions for future recipes, please email me at travis@livegreenbegreen.com!

Ingredients

3 Large Mushrooms
½ Medium Sized Butternut Squash
½ Sweet Potato
3 Cloves Garlic
½ Yellow Onion
16 oz Corn
4 Cups Beef Stock (I made my signature stock by boiling beef shanks, but you can substitute by using a beef cube or bullion)
½ Pint Heavy Cream
½ Cup Bourbon
Salt and Pepper
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon All Spice
Lemon Zest
2 tablespoons Cornstarch

Preparation

Step 1:

Cut, peel, and remove seeds and guts from butternut squash. Once finished, dice into cubes along with sweet potato. (The best method I found for scooping out the inside of the squash was using an ice cream scooper).

Step 2:

Dice mushrooms, garlic and onion

Step 3:

Combine all ingredients into large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let mixture simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes add in heavy cream and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add cornstarch in at last minute and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes until mixture has thickened to desired thickness.

Step 4:

Let soup cool and once it has reached room temperature mix in blender until smooth.

Step 5:

Serve and enjoy!

Makes About 8 Servings

Source: http:// www.nutrition-and-you.com/butternut-squash.html

22Sep 2013

How To Make Great Football Fare: Travis Marmara’s Cranberry Chicken Salad

by pmdproducts@gmail.com

With today marking the first official day of the Autumn season, I figured this week’s recipe should be a tribute of sorts to summertime cookouts with friends and family, but more importantly to distract us, at least in the northeast, from the idea that this is only a few months away.

Below is my fresh take on chicken salad, a summertime staple and favorite of barbequers across the country. One of the main differences in my interpretation is that it utilizes fresh cranberries, which are harvested in the fall (therefore linking the summer and autumn in one fell swoop of a recipe. See how clever I am!), and have shown the ability to prevent urinary tract infections. In addition, researchers are investigating whether the potent berries are beneficial in the prevention of stomach ulcers.[1] Needless to say, cranberries can have a profound impact on your health, which only makes this delicious ingredient even sweeter, and worthy of a highlight in my interpretation of chicken salad.

Now, without further ado here is the chicken salad that will make you think twice on this traditional barbeque staple.

Ingredients:

Canola oil for coating
Salt and pepper
Garlic and onion powders
1-1/2 chicken breasts
¼ of a red onion
1 clove garlic
1 small stalk of celery
½ jalapeño pepper
5 leaves fresh basil
1 tablespoon of parsley
¼ cup unsalted peanuts
¼ cup fresh cranberries
1 wedge lime
1 cup of mayonnaise

Method:

Step1: Clean the chicken wash and dry. Rub oil over it (preferably canola oil because it does not add flavor to the chicken, but will help to tenderize and break down the protein), sprinkle some salt, black pepper, onion, and garlic powder to both sides of the chicken.

Step 2: Grill chicken on the barbeque.

Step 3: While chicken is cooking, cut up the vegetables including onion, garlic, celery, jalapeño, fresh basil and parsley.

Step 4: When chicken is finished cooking, let cool to room temperature, cut into cubes and mix in with the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for an hour and serve cold.

*In this recipe the mayonnaise acts more as a binder rather than a central ingredient. This is to highlight the rest of the ingredients in the recipe, while still staying true to form as a traditional chicken salad*

Makes about three servings

[1] http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=145

20Sep 2013

How To Put Green In Your Autumn

by pmdproducts@gmail.com

English: Fall in Napa Valley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This Sunday, September 22nd, is the autumn equinox, signaling the official start of fall, and we here at LGBG would like to mark this occasion by discussing ways to put green in your fall season. While many of us lament the passing of spring and summer with warmer temperatures and opportunities for longer days with outdoor activities and parties, as well as easier access to local fresh fruits and vegetables, we must not forget that the autumn or harvest season is a wonderful time for the same, often in greater abundance. We do acknowledge that with vacation time over and children back in school, we often have to work a little harder to live green, but the opportunities to do so are present in the fall.

Perhaps the first and most important step to have a green autumn is to view the new season as a time for change and welcome the chance to embrace this period. Here is a list of good and green things about autumn that we hope will interest you.

The fall is a great time for outdoor activities. With cooler temperatures, walking, running, jogging and biking activities are more enjoyable. Youth football, soccer and field hockey seasons are in full swing, and the children get to hone their skills while getting good exercise. This is a great chance to get in the game– kicking or throwing the ball around with your children is good for the whole family in terms of exercise and time spent together. Also, while children are attending practices, this is a perfect time to go for a walk or run.
Football also is a huge fall attraction. Hosting a college or NFL football party or celebrating a child’s team with a focus on healthy green fare or simply having a family party where each family member prepares a green dish can be a lot of fun. As a bonus, take your game outside and throw the football during halftime.
Autumn is an opportune time to enjoy many delicious foods and to experiment with recipes. This is the time of color, and that color transcends to fruits and vegetables, whose nutritional benefits are well documented. Scientific evidence shows that pigmented fruits and vegetables are rich in phytonutrients — compounds that fight off free radicals that cause cancer and that can increase the risk of heart disease and other enemies to the body that cause diabetes, osteoporosis and more. Of particular note is the fall apple harvests and fall festivals celebrating the apple with enjoyable offerings.
The autumn season provides each of us an opportunity to realign with nature. While we often scramble around enjoying the warmer months, now is the time to slow down, use the cooler evenings as a time to rest, relax, read, meditate and spend time on yourself. Take the time to enjoy the changing leaves. Hiking with family and walking pets can be very relaxing.

Autumn is a very special and beautiful season, dramatically ushered in by that big harvest moon. To embrace this time with its bounty in nutritious food and opportunities for great family fun, as well as the chance for self introspection and renewal, is to live green be green.

Sources:

1. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/seven-food-colors-of-health.html.
2. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-6480/5-Tips-to-Stay-Healthy-in-Autumn.html.

14Sep 2013

How to Serve Up NFL Sunday Football With Shrimp and Bacon Deviled Eggs

by pmdproducts@gmail.com

Deviled eggs are a staple for NFL Sunday football, and this recipe adds shrimp and bacon to the mix, making this a particularly tasty treat. The addition of instant potato flakes gives extra body to the filling. Any extra yolk can be sprinkled over a spinach salad, adding another healthy and delicious dish for your football celebration. An added plus is that this dish can be prepared the day before and chilled until game time.

This dish can be made healthier by purchasing eggs from local farmers. Also, be mindful of your shrimp purchase by buying shrimp raised here in the United States as opposed to farm raised products imported from other countries, particularly southeast Asia where the seafood may have been treated with high levels of antibiotics or may not have been inspected.

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr (Credit)

Ingredients

1. 8 large hard-boiled eggs shelled.
2. 1/4 cup instant potato flakes.
3. 1/4 cup of fat-free mayonnaise.
4. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives.
5. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard.
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt.
7. 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
8. 1/8 teaspoon of ground red pepper.
9. 1/2 cup of cooked medium shrimp peeled and chopped.
10. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.
11. 3 slices of center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled.

Directions

Cut eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks. Place 4 yolks in a medium bowl; reserve remaining yolks for another use. Add potato flakes and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) to yolks; stir well. Stir in shrimp and parsley. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon shrimp mixture into each egg white half. Sprinkle with bacon.

Source: Julianna Grimes Bottcher & Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light
APRIL 2007

14Sep 2013

Travis Marmara’s Balsamic Fig Glaze For Chicken Kebabs

by pmdproducts@gmail.com

If you are planning to have a special, healthy menu that satisfies those with discerning tastes, I suggest that you make this dish part of your Sunday NFL celebration. You definitely will be a hit, and win or lose, everyone will be happy and smiling. Figs, especially the fresh ones, are a good source of potassium. They help lower the blood pressure (which is especially important if your team is losing). They are a rich source of manganese and Vitamin B6. Also 8 oz of figs have only 37 calories.

Balsamic Fig Glaze for Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Ingredients

5 lbs of fresh organic figs
4 cloves of garlic
¼ Spanish onion
½ jalapeño
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ginger
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Serving size 10 cups

Directions

Step 1: Place figs on the grill on high heat for 15 minutes or until figs have a nice char on the outside and begin to break apart

Step 2: in a large pot sauté the chopped onion, garlic and jalapeño in olive oil for five minutes.

Step 3: Add whole grilled figs, balsamic and apple cider vinegars, along with cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger, salt and pepper into the pot. Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to low and allow mixture to simmer for 30-45 minutes until desired texture.

*Note: this recipe also works well if you desire vinaigrette for a salad with the desirable cooking time being 25 minutes.

Step 4: Allow glaze to cool for 15-30 minutes.

Step 5: Blend mixture until smooth.

Step 6: Place grilled chicken on skewers, dip in fig glaze and enjoy!

14Sep 2013

Sean McGuire’s Eco-Friendly Recipe

by pmdproducts@gmail.com

The return of football season is, as President Calvin Coolidge put it, a return to normalcy for many of us: the fantasy football leagues, the trash-talking amongst friends, the stats, and of course, what football discussion would be complete without discussing a factor that on occasion eclipses the importance of the game (especially if you are a Jets fan like myself), the tailgate. Even if you are not at the game, though, Sunday football is always an occasion to treat yourself and continue in many ways that great summer barbecue-potluck tradition. We here at LGBG feel exactly the same way. However, despite popular belief, just because we are going big, we do not have to go against the environment. It is actually incredibly easy to make great food for Sunday football and still be eco-friendly. The eco-friendliness of one’s food depends merely on how it is prepared and how it is served. Today I am going to help walk you through making a great recipe, while still doing our duty as citizens committed to a greener world. With that said, let us get down to business so we may move on to the more important part, eating.

Some may call me a heretic, but a great place to start to ensure an eco-friendly recipe is not to bring the grill with you to the parking lot or to turn it on at home. Simply put, burning charcoal is terrible for the environment and for those around you. A natural gas grill would be a better option for those who are environmentally conscious, but the best option is to skip it altogether. This, however, as my recipe will show, does not mean we will not have a mouth-watering dish that will be the talk of the crew (also a great release for your passive-aggressiveness against your neighbor, Steve). Everyone loves his potato salad with bacon in it; however, you know he buys it from that gourmet deli two towns over, but you are too much the man to be petty about these things. You have to beat him with your own two hands. Maybe that way your wife will stop talking about how many more vacations Steve and his family get to take. I don’t know, this is how the suburbs work right: mellow drama, hidden rivalries, and “friendships” based on convenience).

Now that we’ve eliminated the grill, we still need to figure out the specifics of serving our mouth-watering dish. The simple and common answer is to go out and buy a large number of plastic utensils and paper plates. It may be the easy option but the momentary convenience of this option results in both wasted money, as well as a contribution to waste in our landfills (if they even reach them). The eco-friendlier, as well as cheaper option, is to merely bring your own plates and utensils. While it may mean more cleanup at the end of the day, you are doing yourself and the environment a favor.

Now we are getting to the recipe itself, but before we start cooking, we need our ingredients and if we want to eco-friendly we want them local.

In the process of buying local for Sunday football, you can benefit yourself, your community, and the environment: locally grown food tastes better, has a greater and more beneficial impact on your local economy, and reduces your carbon footprint. The longer it takes for food to reach your plate, the less nutritional value it holds for you. Food purchased at big box stores, unless noted as being locally grown, has usually been in cold storage for days. The food you purchase at a local farmers market has typically been picked in the last twenty-four hours, and as such, has a greater nutritional value than food that has been in cold storage. This ties in with the taste factor; locally grown food tastes better. It is picked at the peak of ripeness, and you have it on your plate within a day of that. With regards to produce that has been put in cold-storage, it has most likely been picked while still green and gassed in order to make it ripe. Simply put, fresher is always better. Another great benefit of buying local is the benefit to your local community. By buying local, you are pumping more money into your local economy which will have a greater multiplier effect than if you were to buy from a big chain store. You are supporting a local business whose entire infrastructure is based in your area, and as such, all of their expenditures take place in your local economy; this is as opposed to a big chain store whose produce comes from all over the country and through overhead sends a great deal of the money spent in these stores to areas other than the local economy.

It is also important to recognize the beneficial environmental impact that buying local provides. The ingredients of the average American meal travel 1,500 miles to reach your plate. By switching to one locally grown meal a week, Americans could save 1.1 million barrels of oil. Overall organic local systems leave a carbon footprint equivalent to 40% of that of non-locally grown food through cutting out long transportation, as well as utilizing organic methods. Furthermore, when you buy local, you are promoting more open space in your area. You are giving a viable economic reason to have more space, which is carbon absorbing as opposed to carbon producing high rises or commercial/industrial districts. If you don’t know where to start when looking for locally grown food or farmers markets, http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/ is here to help you.

Lastly, we come to the recipe, which I freely admit is not my own. You can ask the editor (my former roommate), I am the farthest thing on the spectrum from a Chef so I have turned to more capable hands.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Nachos

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, about 3/4 lbs.
2-3 tbs chipotle sauce (found in the Hispanic food aisle near the adobo pepper in chipotle sauce – otherwise, just pulse some of those with the sauce and use as a substitute)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed (I store my extra in the fridge in an airtight container to throw onto salads and in other things throughout the week)
Tortilla chips
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 – 1 cup shredded cheese of choice (just discovered a chipotle Cheddar that I’m kind of obsessed with)
4 scallions, chopped, green part only
1 jalapeno
Sour cream, guacamole, salsa

Preparation:

Place the chicken in a slow cooker with chipotle sauce and barbecue sauce. Cover and cook on high for 3 – 4 hours, or until easily shred with a fork. Reduce heat to warm setting, shred chicken, add additional barbecue sauce if desired. Stir in the black beans.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In an oven proof skillet, or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange a single layer of chips. Top with 1/2 of the pulled chicken, peppers, onions and cheese making sure to go from edge to edge. Cover with another layer of chips and repeat with the top layer. Cover everything with cheese.

Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with scallions and jalapenos. If using a skillet, place a hot mat on the table and serve right from the skillet and serve with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa for dipping.

Enjoy, and remember it is you who makes this eco-friendly and you who empowers the sustainability movement through your wallet! Also, I hope the Jets beat the Bills in Week 3, and I hope the editor allows this through.

Sources:

http://passthesushi.com/slow-cooker-barbecue-nachos/

http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/

http://observer.com/2008/05/the-environmental-benefits-of-organic-and-local-food/

http://www.bidmc.org/AboutBIDMC/EnvironmentalInitiatives/ConserveEnergyandFuel/eatlocallygrownfood.aspx

Category Archives: Culinary Arts

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