Recipes

Martha's Vineyard Catering, Culinary & Agricultural Experiences

NOURISHING YOUR SPIRIT AND CREATING ENERGY FROM THE FOODS YOU EAT: 5 recipes + tips

PANTRY BASICS 

Making our own staples adds great benefits to our health.

It’s so easy to reach for store bought condiments or staples, but not only do store bought condiments, sauces, soups  and bone broths cost more, they consistently will take a toll on your health. 

Even the healthiest sounding brands still use inflammatory oils like canola and soy or corn instead of a heart-healthy, antioxidants-rich olive oil. 


Not only will you be healthier, but there is much to be said about making something for yourself (and other’s) that brings good nourishment, both in nutrients and in feeling good! And mental health is key to your overall health…


So let’s start with the pantry.

I challenge you to change 4 staples that are currently in the pantry or fridge.

Salad dressing, bone broth (for making soups) salsa or condiment 

Replace all your salad dressings with made from scratch dressings.

Here is one simple recipe that you can build on, and this one is pretty darn tasty:


1 cup olive oil

1 minced shallot

¼ - ½ lemon- use the skin and all for the best source of soluble fiber!

1-2  tablespoon mustard

1 oz stevia


Basic Bone Broth | Recipe Here

You always want to start with good bones. And if you don’t have bone broth or chicken broth, then you must as this is essential in making good soups!

Bones  from animals that are raised on grass (animal that are living outside

getting sun exposure, have higher concentrations of phytochemicals and also have  the capacity to synthesize vitamin D and therefore, have the potential to increase the nutrient  content in our meat).  

      …And animals living outside are healthier and happier 

                          And you are what you eat. 


Grazing livestock on plant-species diverse pastures concentrates a wider variety and higher amounts of phytochemicals in meat and milk compared to grazing monoculture pastures, while phytochemicals are further reduced or absent in meat and milk of grain-fed animals. 

Health-Promoting Phytonutrients Are Higher in Grass-Fed Meat and Milk


Greens and Ginger Broth with Poached Eggs 

This is an easy recipe using bone broth and you can build on this recipe with more flavors and more ingredients. As an example I have also shared the Moroccan Flavored Soup Recipe down below, also.

Use  a large, wide pot like a Dutch oven as it makes for faster cooking time.. You need the surface area both for a quick cook time for the soup but also  the four eggs have plenty of space to poach with space between the eggs.

Consider sliced scallions, cilantro or a sprinkling of Japanese togarashi or furikake or broken seaweed.

1 tablespoon olive oil of ghee

5 (1/4-inch) thick slices fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

6 cups  bone broth 

2 tablespoons tamari 

12 ounces regular bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, or Napa cabbage

4  large eggs (to serve 2) 

Thinly sliced scallions, shichimi togarashi, or furikake,* for garnish (optional)

  1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or wide pot over medium  heat until it shimmers. 

  2. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is soft  about 1 minute.

  3. Carefully add the broth and tamari and bring to a simmer. .Meanwhile, trim the stem ends from the bok choy or cabbage. If using Napa cabbage or large bok choy, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.

  4. Add the bok choy or cabbage to the simmering  soup, stir to combine, and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and crack the eggs into the soup, keeping the eggs as far apart from each other as possible. Simmer undisturbed until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with scallions, shichimi togarashi, or furikake if desired.


Furikake is a savory Japanese condiment that’s sprinkled on rice, fish, and vegetables. While there are many different types of furikake available, typical blends include ingredients like dried nori (seaweed), toasted sesame seeds, dried fish, dried egg, dried herbs and salt.   Look for the Eden brand that is sesame seeds, shiso leaf, ume plum vinegar  and seaweed.






Moroccan Flavor Soup using Bone Broth 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½  teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon cayenne

4 cups bone broth 

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon saffron

1 1/2  tablespoons preserved lemon, minced

4 oz fresh spinach

1 head bok choy

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley


In a medium soup pot, sauté the onion and ginger in olive oil over medium heat, until soft and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne, saute another minute. Add bone broth salt, saffron,  Bring to a simmer and add the preserved lemon, fresh spinach, and parsley, bok choy and  crack one egg on top and cover for serve!

You can build on flavor profiles with this bone broth soup 




Now Build your Condiment Shelf and consider making one of these amazing salsa at least once per week


GREEN SAUCE       Ya gotta have a green sauce in your collection of recipes!






Here are  two recipes that are very similar,  with just a little variation or tweeking of ingredients. Almost all cultures have a history of a green sauce ( paste or blending of fresh herbs into a sauce or salsa blended or pounded together : Think Pesto, Chimichurri, Salsa Verde, British and Indian Mint Sauce 

Green sauce made with parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, arugula, sage and or marjoram.  These herbs go back to medieval times of the  14th-century recipe  of a green sauce served with a dish of cheese and whole eggs and meats.






SALSA VERDE 

Italian Version  (not to be confused with the South American which is cilantro and tomatillos ) 

2 tbsp preserved lemon or ¼ lemon

2 scanned  anchovy fillets, rinsed in cold water

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 bunch  of flat-leaf parsley, fresh

1 handful of arugual/ rocket, or 1 handful of basil leaves

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil





 Chimichurri  

Argentine in its origins, chimichurri is typically made of finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano and vinegar

1 shallot, finely chopped

3–4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or finely chopped

½ cup apple cider  vinegar

1tsp. Sea  salt, plus more

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

½  cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbsp. finely chopped oregano

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Storage: Put in ice cube trays and freeze

Once frozen, pop them out and put them in a zip lock bag.





Jan BuhrmanComment