Before I realized it, I had begun a new series at gnowfglins.com – Basic Recipes. Currently, there are just four recipes in the series, but I think my archives could reveal many more. This is something I will work on over time.

See all basic recipes.

For a recipe to be included in the Basic Recipes, it must be a basic, adaptable recipe, for a food that is standard fare. Examples would be: basic bread recipe, basic salad dressing recipe, basic roast, basic pancakes, basic tortillas, etc.

When viewing a Basic Recipe, look over in the sidebar and you’ll see a list of the most recently added basic recipes.

In the content area of any basic recipe, look for this:

See all basic recipes.

(If you’re viewing this post via RSS, you won’t see the box around that text.)

Clicking on it will take you to the complete list of basic recipes, in chronological order.

What do you think? What recipes would you like to see added to the Basic Recipes series?

Because the pinto beans in this chili are sprouted prior to cooking, they digest as vegetables. That’s a good thing for people who are watching their carbs. For more information on that, and to see other uses for sprouted beans, see 5 Yummy Ways to Use Sprouted Beans.

Rest assured, those who normally shun sprouts won’t know the difference. The beans become part of the soup when barely sprouted and they don’t taste any different.

With the exception of sprouting the beans for about three days prior to making the chili, you can use any favorite chili recipe. This is my general recipe for making sprouted bean chili. Adjust the seasonings however you’d like. This isn’t a spicy chili, so if you use my suggestions, you’ll end up with a mild chili that everyone will like.

See all basic recipes.

I routinely double this amount.

• 2 cups dry pinto beans
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
• 1 can tomato paste
• 4 cups homemade stock or water + additional as desired for consistency
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon sea salt, plus additional to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus additional to taste
• 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons cumin, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon paprika, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• garnishes: sour cream, diced onions, chopped cilantro, shredded cheese, etc.

First through third day (approximately). Soak the dry pinto beans in water overnight, or for 8 to 12 hours. A stainless steel pot with a lid makes a good sprouting container. After 8 to 12 hours, use the lid to help drain the water without spilling the beans. Leave the pot out at room temperature, covered loosely, so the beans can begin sprouting. Now for the next two to five days, rinse the beans well each morning and evening. If the temperature is warm (higher than room temperature – 72 degrees), add a mid-day rinse, or additional rinses as necessary to keep beans fresh. Watch for the beans to sprout. When most of them have 1/8″ to 1/4″ sprouts, they’re ready to become part of the chili. If it has been awhile (like half a day) since the last rinse, give them a good final rinse and drain.

When beans are sprouted and ready. Brown together in a medium or large stockpot over medium to medium-high heat: ground beef, onions, and garlic. I leave the meat somewhat chunky – this way everyone gets a few decadent-sized pieces in their bowl, rather than a million miniscule pieces. That’s what we like.

Combine the tomato paste and stock (or water) in a 4-cup measurer, and whisk until smooth. Add to the meat mixture. Add the beans and all spices. Bring to a simmer, then turn down heat and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to cook the sprouted beans and develop flavor. Adjust seasonings.

Serve with desired garnishes.

© Copyright 2009 by Wardeh Harmon.

The Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides is coming up on Thursday, November 19 ~ think about what Thanksgiving side dish you’d like to contribute!

This post is part of Fight Back Friday! at FoodRenegade.

I’m on a mission, can you tell? … I’d like to have “basic” recipes for most everything a nourishing kitchen can produce. Yesterday, I shared the basic soaked muffin recipe, which we are all enjoying very, very much. Today, I’m sharing the basic recipe for sprouted flour muffins. Truthfully, it is much like the basic soaked muffin recipe, except the order is a bit different due to eliminating the soaking step. Also, this doesn’t call for rolled oats, nor quite as much salt.

Using sprouted flour offers great benefits. First, sprouting the grain neutralizes the naturally-present phytic acid, which ensures maximum mineral absorption. If left alone, the phytic acid would block mineral absorption.

This leads to the second benefit: if using sprouted flour, you don’t have to soak overnight because the phytic acid is already neutralized. These are a make and bake muffin.

Third, sprouting grains increases the nutrition of the grain. For example, when wheat is sprouted, certain B vitamins and vitamin C levels go through the roof.

And finally, sprouted grains digest like vegetables – which is really exciting if you’re trying to watch your carbs!

In case you’re wondering if sprouted flour tastes anything like sprouts, think again ~ these taste just like any other delicious muffin.

See all basic recipes.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

• 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar or Kombucha
• 1 cup raw milk
• 2 local, pastured eggs
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or Sucanat or other solid natural sweetener (powder in food processor if coarse)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup virgin, unrefined coconut oil (melted if solid at room temperature)
• 2-1/4 cups sprouted spelt flour – here’s how to do it yourself
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

Spices of your choice: (I like…)

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add-ins of your choice: (I like…)

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped crispy nuts (soaked, then dehydrated ala Nourishing Traditions style)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, apple, or carrot (additional moisture may require additional cooking time)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, apple cider vinegar (or Kombucha), and sweetener. Whisk well. While whisking, add coconut oil.

Combine flour, salt, spices, and baking powder in a separate bowl and fluff with a fork. Add to wet ingredients and mix until smooth.

Add add-ins and mix to incorporate.

Fill oiled muffin tin, or paper-lined muffin tin, with the batter to a generous three-quarters full each.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and muffins are gently browned.

Take out of oven and transfer muffins to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container when fully cooled.

The Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides is coming up on Thursday, November 19 ~ think about what Thanksgiving side dish you’d like to contribute!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet.

Inspired by Millie’s master muffin recipe, and because I have a need for a good soaked basic muffin recipe, I joined Millie in tweaking and playing with muffins. And I think I’ve got a good, basic muffin recipe now! I wrote yesterday in the Tuesday Twister about my first two attempts. I took what didn’t work from those batches and tweaked to get to where I am now – and boy, does it feel (no, taste) good! Thank you, Millie, for your great example, pioneering spirit, and inspiration.

My favorite muffin spice is ginger. In these muffins, it tastes a little bit lemony. So I think adding some poppy seeds to the soaking would be a really nice addition. I’m going to try that next time.

Soaking grains is very important – the step of soaking neutralizes the phytic acid, which, if left unchecked, would block mineral absorption. You might also be interested in the Basic Sprouted Muffin, which uses sprouted flour. Sprouted flour offers the benefit of phytic acid being neutralized, but it also offers additional benefits: it digests like a vegetable, and certain vitamin levels are increased.

See all basic recipes.

Makes 1 dozen muffins

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar or Kombucha
• 1 cup raw milk
• 2 local, pastured eggs
• 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice or Sucanat or other solid natural sweetener (powder in food processor if coarse)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup virgin, unrefined coconut oil (melted if solid at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder

Spices of your choice: (I like…)

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add-ins of your choice: (I like…)

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped crispy nuts (soaked, then dehydrated ala Nourishing Traditions style)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, apple, or carrot (additional moisture may require additional cooking time)

In mixing bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, apple cider vinegar (or Kombucha), and milk. Cover and let soak overnight, up to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sweetener, and vanilla. While whisking (to avoid cooking the eggs if the coconut oil is on the warm side), add in the coconut oil. Whisk until smooth.

Add salt, baking powder, and spices to the wet ingredients. Whisk fully.

Add wet ingredients to the soaked flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Add add-ins and mix to incorporate.

Fill oiled muffin tin, or paper-lined muffin tin, with the batter to a generous three-quarters full each.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and muffins are gently browned.

Take out of oven and transfer muffins to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container when fully cooled.

The Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides is coming up on Thursday, November 19 ~ think about what Thanksgiving side dish you’d like to contribute!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday, this week hosted by Cheeseslave.

My Tuesday Twister posts are my weekly round-up of what’s going on in my kitchen and our lives, as it pertains to real food. So here we go ~ I’ll catch you up on what’s twisting in my kitchen this week!

To participate in the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, visit this post. See you there!

• Muffins ~ I tried two muffin recipes this week. The first are those flat-top muffins up there. They taste awesome (perhaps a little sweet) and have a great texture. The base of them was whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats, soaked overnight. Only trouble is, they are flat. Which is funny, because they went in the oven a whole inch higher. Talk about deflation. The second recipe I tried came from Millie’s master muffin recipe. In following her recipe, I used sprouted flour instead of soaking the flour. Those puffed up perfectly and tasted really, really good (I added Gogi berries for my add-in). I will try her recipe again, but make them a little sweeter and add more coconut oil. Mine ended up a little dry, but perhaps that is because of the sprouted flour. I don’t know, but the results were so good that I want to keep trying. I love Millie’s idea to have a master recipe, and that’s what I’m after for our household. UPDATE: Here’s the Basic Soaked Muffin recipe that resulted from all these trials!
• Soaked Pancakes ~ Not only muffins, but pancakes are on my mind. The kids declared these pancakes the best ever. They are from a Sue Gregg soaked pancake recipe, using whole wheat pastry flour. I really don’t know how to improve them. We had just gotten organic Grade B maple syrup through our food co-op, and that made them even better.
• Sprouted Pinto Bean Chili ~ We’re eating alot of sprouted beans lately. Here’s the sprouted pinto bean chili I made, which I mentioned in Five (5) Yummy Ways to Use Sprouted Beans. We’ve also been having sprouted lentils and sprouted mung beans on our salads, to make up for leaving the glory days of summer produce.

So, that’s it for me ~ what’s twisting in your kitchen? To participate in the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival, visit this post. See you there!

Welcome to the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival! The theme of this blog carnival is to share, through words and pictures, what’s twisting in our kitchens during the past week – with real foods, of course. At a minimum our foods should be real and whole, and optionally be naturally-raised, organic, local and/or seasonal. I cannot wait to see what’s been twisting in your kitchens!

How to Participate

1. Publish a Tuesday Twister post on your blog. Include a link to this post: http://gnowfglins.com/2009/11/03/tuesday-twister-blog-carnival-2009-11-03/
2. Come back here and add your name and the URL of your blog post in the MckLinky list (at end of this post).
3. Next to your name, you have the option of putting a brief description in parentheses, such as: Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS (Muffins – Pancakes – Sprouted Chili)
4. Leave a comment on this post. This is optional, but important. Sometimes links get lost, or I need to email you about something.
5. Check out the other posts linked in the MckLinky list – let’s encourage and enjoy each other’s twister posts!

See here for answers to many questions and ideas for the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival. If you don’t have a blog, please feel welcome to share what’s twisting in your kitchen in the comments below.

Add the Tuesday Twister Image to Your Blog

If you wish to add the Tuesday Twister graphic to your blog post (optional), here’s how.

1. Right click on the Tuesday Twister graphic, and choose “Save As” or “Save Image As.”
2. Save it to your computer in the desired folder.
3. Use your blog program to upload it and insert it into your post.
4. (Optional) Link the image to this post: http://gnowfglins.com/2009/11/03/tuesday-twister-blog-carnival-2009-11-03/

Alternately, you may include the following image code in your post, which will not only pull the graphic from this website, but also link back to this post:

<a href=”http://gnowfglins.com/2009/11/03/tuesday-twister-blog-carnival-2009-11-03/“><img title=”tuesdaytwister” src=”http://gnowfglins.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/tuesdaytwister.JPG” alt=”tuesdaytwister” width=”200” height=”200” />

That’s it! Share your links below. Thanks, everyone!

Coming up: Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides – get ready to share your real food Thanksgiving side dishes! And Tuesday Twister is tomorrow!

Every Monday, I pull out a meaningful quote from one of the great books or articles I’m reading (or re-reading) and share it with you.

Last week, we talked about calders, and I was not surprised in the least that Sylvia knew all about it. She’s a fortunate woman to have grown up in the country under the tutelage of her Mother who did everything from scratch in age-old methods.

Funny thing happened last week. One day, we had soaked oatmeal for breakfast. The whole day passed into the next and I never did get that oatmeal put away – so the next morning, our oatmeal was calders! The oatmeal was not spoiled, and not too sour. It didn’t go past that day, though, so I don’t know what would have happened after that…

Now on to today’s quote. It is from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. I reread the introduction to the Beef & Lamb section this weekend, and what I read made me say, “Oh” – as in, “Oh, I knew that, but I forgot;” as in, “Oh, that’s important;” and as in, “Oh, what a relief.”

“Fortunately, organically raised, pasture-fed beef is now becoming more available. Cattle and sheep should spend most of their life on the open range. However, it is entirely appropriate for these animals to be fattened on grain during their last few weeks. Such practices imitate natural processes, as ruminant animals get fat on seeds and grains in their natural habitat during summer and fall. Grain feeding is an ancient practice that ensures that red meat contains ample amounts of fat. It should, however, be carried out in healthy, uncrowded conditions.”

Quotes like that make me breathe a sigh of relief. Beef and lamb don’t have to be 100% grass fed! (But they shouldn’t be feedlot fattened either.) The key is that they live their lives on uncrowded diverse pastures that offer a smorgasbord of grass, weed, grain and legume choices. From this, I conclude that a little grain supplementation is okay, as long as it doesn’t replace the major component of the diet – pasture.

What do you think? Please share in the comments ~ and feel free to share something you read recently. Be sure to state the title and author, and/or give a link if appropriate.

Get your best Thanksgiving side dishes ready! On Thursday, November 19, 2009, gnowfglins.com will present a Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides. Anyone can participate – and I hope you will. I am looking forward to trying out some new Thanksgiving recipes – yours, of course! This Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides can give all of us ideas for new dishes to try – not only on Thanksgiving, but throughout the Fall season.

Fifteen soups were submitted for last month’s Gallery of Soups, and I’m thankful for each one. The screenshot that follows is from the Gallery of Soups. The Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides will be set up similarly. Imagine your recipe and your photo in the upcoming Thanksgiving-themed gallery.

To participate in the upcoming Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides, be prepared to share one (or two) Thanksgiving side dish recipe(s), made from (as-much-as-you’re-able) GNOWFGLINS foods. You’ll also need a photo* of your side dish.

*If you don’t have or can’t take a photo, I will use a stock photo for your recipe in the gallery. (See screenshot above.)

What counts as a side dish? Well, my definition is very loose: anything that is not the turkey!   You can share relishes, salads (sweet or savory), vegetable dishes, stuffings/dressings, even desserts.

Here’s What To Do

1. Comment below to say you’ll be participating. I will correspond with all the participants via email with more detailed instructions.
2. You’ll post a Thanksgiving side dish recipe on your blog the week of Thursday, November 19, 2009 and link it to the Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides (that link is not live yet, but will redirect to this post until Nov. 19). You may use a recipe that you’ve posted previously on your blog, too. Just create a new post that week that links both to the older recipe and to the Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides at gnowfglins.com. If you don’t have a blog, you may share a recipe in the comments of the Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides post on November 19.
3. You’ll email me the URL to your blog post, or leave a comment in the November 19 post.
4. I’ll retrieve your photo from your blog post.
5. Your photo will be featured in the Gallery of Thanksgiving Sides at gnowfglins.com, and it will be linked to your recipe, whether it is on your blog or in the comments here.

Will you contribute? If yes, let me know! What side dish recipes would you like to see included in this Gallery?

Back when we followed the Standard American Diet, mostly all I did was play with my babies, scrapbook, and keep my house clean. My house rarely had anything out of place. My memories of those days consist of me following the little toodles around, folding laundry, clearing counters, teaching the kiddos how to pick up their toys, reading books… That’s pretty much all we did. Those were good times, don’t get me wrong.

Now that I cook with real foods and blog about it daily, I still play and read with my babies (though they’re bigger – we call it “school” now). But I don’t scrapbook anymore and my house goes from clean to unclean in about 5 seconds – and it is often my fault. Just when I think the dishes are done, the kitchen explodes again.

The counters are covered with pets, and each baby – Kombucha, water kefir, dairy kefir, cheese, lacto-fermentation, sprouting, dehydrating, sourdough bread, and more – has its own station. It’s a wonder we have anywhere to cut veggies or put our dishes. Some tableware rarely makes it back to the cupboard after being pulled down – why bother if I’m just going to need them again tomorrow?

I have to pick my battles, see? We’d (gonna speak for my husband here too although he really would prefer more tidiness) rather be on this side of the fence – enjoying what we’re learning both in school and with good food. But in order to have that we have to work around messes that are constantly being made and un-made.

Our house could either be sterile and unused, or growing and thriving (cultures included). Even though I look around at the clutter and growing stations least 50 times a day and wonder how I’m ever going to get ahead of this cluttered ship, I’m glad we’re on this journey.

I’m not saying that I’m okay with the house being a mess all the time – no, I’d really like to get a better handle on that. Part of that is a matter of delegation – giving my kids more responsibilities, and we’re working on that. What I’m saying is that I’m okay with the house not being immaculate all the time.

How about you? Can you relate to this? How do you balance a living kitchen, a full life, and personal goals of keeping your living quarters livable?

P.S. I realize as I write this that things seem really bad right now because my dishwasher died.

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays! at FoodRenegade.

Come winter time, we do quite a bit of bean sprouting. This is due in part to less availability of local produce. Sprouting gives us fresh vegetables during those darker, leaner months. Also, beans and winter  go together – but I like to sprout them not only because of the nutritious burst that sprouting gives (increase in enzymes and vitamins) but because sprouted beans digest as vegetables. According to Janie Quinn in Sprouted Baking,

“During the sprouting process, the starch molecules, or complex carbohydrates, are broken down into smaller parts, referred to as simple sugars. Simple sugars are the building blocks that make up complex carbohydrates but in a form that the body absorbs more easily. The body recognizes and readily digests simple sugars for quick energy, as opposed to starches that can be stored as fat. The [seed] sprouts, transforming itself into a plant, and we know that plants consist primarily of simple sugars that easily digest in the body in the form of vegetables.”

Even though she’s addressing sprouting grains, we get the same benefits from sprouting beans. Want to know how to sprout beans? Read Sprouting Beans.

Here the four five main ways I use sprouted beans. When used raw, the sprouted beans offer enzymes, increased vitamins, and vegetable digestibilty. Even though the enzymes are lost due to cooking when you cook sprouted beans, they do still offer the benefit of digesting as vegetables.

1. In Salads (Raw)

Toss a handful of sprouted beans atop your salad greens. They add nutrition, crunch and flavor. Here’s one such salad: Sprout Salad. More mature or less mature sprouts can be used here – the only thing that matters is your preference or what is available.

2. As Salads (Raw)

Run out of greens or other salad fixings? Toss a variety of sprouted beans together with your favorite dressing, nuts, and cheese. Other things to add: olives, diced sweet onions, and crushed garlic. Like a bean salad, only better! If you want to pass it off as a bean salad, use younger sprouted beans that are barely sporting a sprout. But older sprouts can be used in this salad as well.

3. In Dips and Spreads (Raw or Cooked, Depending on Recipe)

You can use barely sprouted beans – either raw or cooked – as a substitute for cooked beans in any bean dip/spread recipe. The flavor may be a little different (if used raw), but I’ve always found these bean dips to be very tasty!

4. In Soups and Stews (Cooked)

Like the pictured pinto bean stew, sprouted beans (just a few days old, with barely a sprout peeking out) make a great addition to a soup or stew. They take only about a half hour to cook and you’ll get the benefit of beans that digest as vegetables, without anyone being any the wiser that they’re eating sprouts. If your sprouts are a little older, you can still use them in stews, but people may be able to see the difference.

5. As Sprouted Flour (Raw or Cooked, Depending on Recipe)

Sprout, then dehydrate beans, and grind beans into sprouted bean flour. Then use as a substitute in recipes calling for bean flour. I have not done this – so it is just an idea. But I think it would be awesome. Anyone tried it?

How do you use sprouted beans? Feel free to share more uses or a favorite recipe that follows one of the uses I listed.

Coming up! A Thanksgiving-themed “Gallery of… “ like the Gallery of Soups. More details to come on Monday, November 2!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet.