How To Make Ginger Liqueur

If you go shopping for a liqueur, it may be a challenge to decide which one you want to buy. As you meander down the aisles, you see quality liqueurs on the shelves interspersed between neutral grain spirit-based liqueurs made with artificial colors and flavors. Packaging and pricing are suggestive of quality, but that can be deceptive.

Have you thought of making your own? Doing so is very simple, and a great way to ensure that you get a quality, tasty liqueur for an affordable price.

This homemade ginger liqueur tastes so elegant that people will not believe you made it yourself. The steeping time is only a matter of days, so it's a perfect DIY gift. Store it as you would any liqueur; no refrigeration is required.

Ginger Liqueur

Ingredients:

• 2 oz ginger root, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1/2 C. sugar
• 1/2 C. honey
• 1.5 C. water
• Lemon zest from 1 whole lemon
• 1.5 C. St. Remy Brandy

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over high, bring the ginger, vanilla, sugar, and water to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the ginger is soft, approximately 20 mins. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
3. Place the honey and lemon zest in a glass jar along with the syrup and brandy. Close tightly and shake. Let this mixture steep for 24 hours.
4. After one full day, remove the vanilla bean (or else the vanilla will be overpowering) and let the mixture steep for another 24 hours.
5. Strain out the solids through a fine mesh strainer. Then strain again through a coffee filter.
6. Let your liqueur sit for one more day to allow the flavors a little time to settle. For a clear liqueur, allow any remaining solids to sink to the bottom, then filter the liqueur several more times.
7. Enjoy

 

Honey Face Wash: DIY

Honey is one of Mother Nature’s most versatile foods. It not only serves as a delicious, natural sweetener, but it’s a helpful tool in supporting a healthy body and glowing appearance.Most people use honey to sweeten foods and beverages, but few realize that it’s a powerful food, beauty aid and a topical antibiotic. According to Dr. Lindsey Duncan on Dr. Oz, honey naturally contains 18 amino acids, plus small amounts of a many vitamins and minerals. Not only can honey soothe and lubricate a sore throat, but because of its nutrient-rich profile, it has been used internally and externally for a variety of other benefits, including:

Honey is one of Mother Nature’s most versatile foods. It not only serves as a delicious, natural sweetener, but it’s a helpful tool in supporting a healthy body and glowing appearance.

Most people use honey to sweeten foods and beverages, but few realize that it’s a powerful food, beauty aid and a topical antibiotic. According to Dr. Lindsey Duncan on Dr. Oz, honey naturally contains 18 amino acids, plus small amounts of a many vitamins and minerals. Not only can honey soothe and lubricate a sore throat, but because of its nutrient-rich profile, it has been used internally and externally for a variety of other benefits, including:

1. Better athletic performance: Many athletes rely on carbohydrates for an energy boost during intense training. Studies have shown that the glucose found in honey, plus other natural sugars, can provide the same boost to athletes. Instead of consuming refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup, which is on my list as one of the worst things we can consume and is found in many sports drinks, opt for an all-natural boost of honey.
2. Improved sleep and relaxation: Honey can promote relaxation and help ease you to sleep at night. The natural sugar found in honey raises our insulin slightly and allows tryptophan, the compound famous for making us sleepy after eating turkey at Thanksgiving, to enter our brains more easily. Taking a spoonful of honey before bed can help you get restful sleep.
3. Fewer allergies: Taking a high-quality raw local honey for two months before allergy season can actually lessen your allergies. Bees carry the pollen that aggravates seasonal allergies, and some of that pollen becomes part of the honey. Consuming honey daily before allergy season can help your body grow accustomed to the pollen and immunize your body against it.
4. Healed cuts and scrapes: Honey has antibacterial properties that prevent infection in minor abrasions. Plus, its thickness will protect against bacteria and dirt entering a wound. Simply dab a little honey onto your cut and cover with a bandage.
5. Moisturizing skin: Honey not only attracts water but it helps absorb and retain it on hair and skin. Because of this, honey is added to countless shampoos, soaps and cosmetics. You can enjoy the moisturizing benefits of honey at home by stirring it up with milk for a facial, adding it to your bath water to soften skin, or mixing it with olive oil as a natural hair conditioner. You can even make your own moisturizing exfoliator: Just add sea salt or crushed oats to the honey and rub it on the body. 

The benefits of honey for your skin are innumerable. The chemical makeup of honey gives the substance properties that can speed healing and prevent infection. The smooth, thick texture also keeps moisture close to the skin, which can help your complexion become supple and glowing.

It may sound bizarre, but you can literally wash your face with honey if you’re very sensitive and looking for a really gentle cleanse. Lately I have begun to add baking soda to honey for a subtle scrub. This is what I do and it feels delightful:

Honey Face Wash

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp raw organic honey

1 tsp baking soda

Directions:

• With a spoon, mix together honey and baking soda.
• Pat your face with warm water.
• Gently massage the mixture into your cheeks, chin and forehead using circular motions.
• Allow it to sit for a moment, and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

31 Days of Salad: Day 31

My favorite vegetable may be bok choy, or Chinese cabbage. We started growing it a few years ago, and now I'm hooked. Here's a quick salad recipe to entice you to grow it yourself:

Bok Choy Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• Lemon juice from 1/2 of a lemon
• 4 whole fresh bok choy, steamed
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium-high, heat olive oil.
2. Add ginger and garlic, stir fry for 1 min.
3. Then add honey, sesame oil, soy sauce and lemon juice. Whisk while heating.
4. Slice bok choy in half and place face up on individual plates.
5. Drizzle the warm dressing over the bok choy.
6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Serve immediately.

I also love the bok choy grilled.

How To Grow Bok Choy

Many people wonder how to grow bok choy. It is grown best in cool weather. You can harvest two crops each year, both in the spring and fall. Because it's a cold weather vegetable, it can withstand cooler temperatures, so you could always start them directly in the ground after your snow melts, right around the time you plant your peas. Start a second crop in late summer for a late fall harvest. They generally mature in 45-50 day.

Growing bok choy requires rich, loose soil. Fertilize your bed soon after planting. Once your seedlings are about 4" tall, thin them so that they're 6-10" apart. If you have more than one row, place the rows 18" apart. Weed regularly.

Harvest your bok choy before the hot weather kicks in. Hot weather tends to make the plants bolt. It'll be ready to harvest when it's 12-18" tall.

Enjoy!!

31 Days of Salad: Day 30

Tempeh is a high protein-based Indonesian treat. Not only does this compact cake of fermented soybeans have a distinctive nutty taste but its hearty texture readily absorbs any flavors with which it's cooked. Tempeh is typically made by dehulling and cooking soybeans, inoculating them with a culturing agent, and then incubating the inoculated product overnight until it forms a solid cake.

Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but it is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins than tofu. It has a firm texture and an earthy flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine, where it is used as a substitute for meat analogue.

Ginger Marinated Tempeh Salad

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

4 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 Tbsp honey
Lime juice from two limes
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Sesame seeds

For the salad:

2 Tempeh cakes
Fresh baby spinach
Carrots, grated
Fresh chives, chopped
Fresh mushrooms, sliced thin
Fresh sprouts

Directions:

1. Blend all marinade ingredients except the sesame seeds until smooth. Stir in the seeds. Pour half in a zip top bag or bowl. Marinate the tempeh for 24 hours. Reserve the other half as dressing.
2. Remove the tempeh after marinating and place on a preheated grill. Grill for 4 mins per side. Remove from grill to cool then slice thinly.
3. Layer your salad fixings on a plate, top with tempeh and drizzle with the reserved dressing.
4. Enjoy!

31 Days of Salad: Day 29

Have you contemplated using wild ferns in your cuisine? Springtime in the Pacific Northwest is the perfect time to forage for Bracken Fiddlehead ferns. Yes, they are edible. In fact, they're a delicacy, and they are absolutely delicious when served in a salad. Try them with morels, asparagus and pine nuts, or simply in a bowl by themselves.

Harvest the tender little rolls of ostrich fern as soon as they are an inch or two above the ground. Carefully brush off and remove the papery brown scales. Before harvesting in the wild, make sure that you can properly differentiate the ostrich fern fiddleheads from other fern fiddleheads. Not all ferns are edible; in fact bracken ferns are carcinogenic and should not be consumed.

Fiddleheads can be cleaned by first thoroughly rinsing them off with clean, cold water. Keep them refrigerated until you are ready to cook them. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It is best to boil or steam them. Sautéing, stir-frying or microwaving ostrich fern fiddleheads is not recommended. My favorite way to serve hem is in a simple salad with fresh greens. Here's an enticing recipe I'd like to share:

Spring Greens and Fiddlehead Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

Ingredients:

1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 C. crumbled feta
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp grape seed oil
1 tsp honey
Fine sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
6 oz mixed baby greens
4 oz fiddleheads, boiled and chilled
1/4 C. coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine shallot, vinegar, feta, olive oil, mayonnaise, and honey. Mash the feta into the mixture and whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Add greens and fiddleheads and toss to coat. Divide among 4 plates and top each with walnuts. Yield: 4 servings as an appetizer or side dish.

31 Days of Salad: Day 28

I came across an article in the LA Times about edible flowers and thought I'd share it with today's Nasturtium salad recipe:

Flowers may not be the first ingredient you think of when garnishing a dish, but they're perfect for adding bright color - not to mention flavor - to a host of sweet and savory recipes. Sprinkle tender buds in salad, laminate pastry sheets with colorful petals, or stuff whole blossoms with any of a number of fillings. The options are almost endless.

If you decide to add flowers to a recipe, make sure that the flowers are indeed edible. Like mushrooms, some flowers can be harmful or even poisonous if eaten - be sure you know what you're playing with before adding any flowers to a recipe.

LA Times shares several edible flower recipes. If you're wondering which flowers you might be able to eat, Home Cooking provides a helpful edible flowers cheat sheet that you can refer to.

Fresh Greens Nasturtium Salad with Dijon Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Fresh baby greens
Fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley
Fresh golden oregano
2 Tbsp Grand Marnier
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Toss the greens and herbs in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk all other ingredients together, and drizzle over salad right before serving. Enjoy!

31 Days of Salad: Day 27

It's morel season! I've been waiting for this season to come. It gives me a chance to slow down as I walk through last year's burn areas or along riparian zones, scanning the ground for treasures. Only when I have filled a paper bag with mushrooms am I ready to return home. Then, the question becomes: What do we do with all of these fresh wild morels?

This marinated morel salad is a wonderful way to show off the tenderness and flavor of fresh wild morel mushrooms.

Note that this dish is designed to marinate in the fridge for several hours prior to serving. I recommend pairing it with game meats like venison and pheasant, but it's also good with a warm Emmer Farro dish and salmon.

Marinated Morel Salad

Ingredients:

2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, diced
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
1/4 C. sherry vinegar
1/3 C. dried cranberries
1 Lb fresh wild morels
1/4 C. slivered almonds, lightly toasted
2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

1. In a hot pan over medium heat with a generous amount of olive oil, sweat the shallots with a touch of salt.
2. Once the shallots are translucent, add the garlic. Pour in vinegars and add the cranberries and fresh morels.
3. Cook the vinegar down to concentrate flavors, but not so much that it becomes a syrup.
4. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and let cool before moving to the fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours.
5. Just before serving, add toasted almonds and stir.
6. Sprinkle with fresh chives.

Thank you to Matthew for the inspiration!

31 Days of Salad: Day 26

With the arrival of Balsamroot and lupine, green meadows, blue skies, and warmer weather comes trail running. Our morning coffee gives us enough of a boost to hit the trails. And then we return home famished to a hearty breakfast. By the time lunch hour rolls around, I am still hungry, and nothing but a nutrition-packed meal will curb my appetite. This emmer farro salad with sprouts and seeds offers a perfect solution.

In this salad I use dried sprouted lentils and mung beans, which are even more nutrient rich than ordinary beans. A vibrant chive vinaigrette ties it together. Substitute brown rice if you don't have farro.

Emmer Farro Salad with Sprouts, Nuts and Seeds

Ingredients:

• 1 C. chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 C. mixed dried sprouted lentils and mung beans
• 1 1/2 C. zucchini, grated
• 1/2 C. cooked emmer farro
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 C. sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
• 1/2 C. pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
• 1/3 C. slivered almonds, lightly toasted
• 1/4 C. flax seeds
• 1/2 C. crumbled feta cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Directions:

1. Purée chives, oil, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp salt in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.
2. Cook dried sprouted lentils and mung beans in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until tender, about 5 mins. Cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 3 mins, and drain. Rinse legumes under cold water to cool. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Add zucchini, emmer, scallions, seeds, nuts, cheese, and chive vinaigrette.
4. Toss to combine.
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired.

Thank you to Jason Lowe for inspiring this this recipe!

31 Days of Salad: Day 25

This warm tofu salad is a perfect combination of sweet and sour. With each bite, you'll get a pungent kick of deep-fried garlic, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar.

Warm Tofu Salad

Ingredients:

250g firm tofu, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 fresh chili, diced
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 celery leaves, chopped
1/4 scallion, thinly sliced (we like to sautee ours for a little bit, and then cool to room temperature - this step is optional)
Fresh lettuce, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

A handful of sesame seeds, optional for topping

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large wok until on high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, add tofu and fry until golden brown. Be sure to turn the tofu frequently so that it doesn't burn. When the tofu is done, drain out the oil and set it aside.
2. In the same wok, bring sugar and vinegar to a boil. Stir until all sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
3. Add green chili, salt and pepper.
4. In a small pan over low heat, fry minced garlic in 1 Tbsp oil. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. To assemble the salad, place lettuce and scallion in a bowl. Then layer tofu, celery leaves and fried garlic.
6. Drizzle dressing over the top of the salad and serve immediately.

Thank you to Tes for sharing this fabulous recipe!

31 Days of Salad: Day 24

Spring fever has officially hit. Mulch is in the air, shorts and Chacos are a renewed fashion trend, garden starts are sprouting, and farmers’ markets are in full swing. Every year, when our spring crop has begun to sprout, I find that I have a sudden craving for a huge bowl of peas. There's nothing better than a mouthful of fresh, sweet, crunchy peas.

Snap peas are a cross between snow peas and garden peas. Like the snow pea, the pods are edible. Like the garden pea, the pods are round rather than flat. When sugar snap peas are young, you don’t need to “de-string” them, making them perfect for an easy, light salad.

So, although our own peas aren't even close to ready, I had to make a pea salad to fix my annual craving.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Mint, Almonds, and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb. sugar snap peas
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped into half moon slivers
• 1 handful fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 C. almonds, lightly toasted
• 1/4 C. rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• Lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Over medium-high heat in an oiled pan, caramelize onions over medium-high heat (approximately 25 mins).
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
3. Drop the sugar snap peas into the pot of boiling water. Cook for 2 mins, then strain out and drop them into an ice bath.
4. Once the snap peas are cooled, strain and place half of them in a large bowl. Shell the other half, adding the peas to the bowl. Julienne the remaining pod shells lengthwise and add to the bowl.
5. Roughly chop the mint leaves. Toast and roughly chop the almonds. Add mint, almonds, and caramelized onions to the bowl.
6. Mix together the rice vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and drizzle over the salad. Toss well, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Thank you to Stephanie for sharing this recipe!