Homemade Sauerkraut

Vegetables as we know are good for us – the ones that take well to natural fermentation – even better!  It was with this in mind and given the 2 cup maximum of vegetables at each meal that I decided to experiment with sauerkraut – not the stuff packed with vinegar and sugar from the supermarket shelves but good old fashioned home fermented cabbage!

I bring up the 2 cup maximum because having gotten my first batch of sauerkraut on the go, I can confirm that a whole head of cabbage once it releases the water, does in fact break down to approximately 2 cups worth of sauerkraut – possibly too much in one sitting for any one person to munch through but means you can add some variety to your vegetables all the while introducing goodness into your digestive system.

And, even better – it couldn’t be easier to make – you just need a glass jar with a lid (I use a recycled jar that used to have olives in it), a large bowl and some cabbage and  sea salt (approx 1 tbsp of sea salt per head of cabbage).

You will want to use glass over plastic which potentially has chemicals that can leach into your sauerkraut during fermentation.

Sauerkraut

Finely chop or shred your cabbage and put it into a bowl (you can use green or red or a mix of the two)

Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt

Crush/Knead the cabbage together with your hands until it starts to go limp and give up some water – keep kneading until there’s visible water in the bowl.  Start packing it into the glass jar pushing down with each layer to get rid of any air and encourage more water to come out of the cabbage – keep packing till you're done and the cabbage is sitting under the liquid – it’s ok if there’s a few bits poking but try to pack them in as these will discolour and will need to be discarded later on.

Put the lid on the jar and leave for 7 days out of the fridge.

You will need to check every 24 hours or so by loosening the lid to allow any air build up to escape (I check mine every morning).  Be warned that if you have a sensitive stomach you will want to stand back when you release the air - if you've ever driven past a field of cabbages you will know what I'm talking about!  Rest assured it tastes better than it smells during the fermentation process!

Once your 7 days are up you can keep this in the fridge for approximately 3 months.

ENJOY!

Note:

You can add raw onion (sliced) or raw garlic (roughly chopped) and even carrots for some colour (although on phase 1 of IP carrots aren’t allowed – I’m not sure when they are re-allowed so probably just best to stick to the cabbage and perhaps some onion)

Being Hungry – is it a good thing?

Some of you on IP may have no idea what I’m talking about – others perhaps are getting used to being hungry as meal time approaches.

For example, I have been waking up at my usual time in the morning to discover I’m really quite hungry…….this may seem like a silly observation but I’m embarrassed to admit that I can’t remember the last time I woke up hungry.  On the weekends, after a few hours of being up and having had at least 1 cup of coffee, I usually get peckish and will then make breakfast.  However, during the week, we eat breakfast between 6 and 6.30am whether we’re hungry or not, mostly because we enjoy having breakfast together, but also because I’ve always been told it’s the most important meal of the day – the meal where you’re breaking your fast of the night before and the meal that will get you going.  I agree with almost everything there except perhaps the ‘get you going’ bit which we can all agree is debatable based on what fuel you’re deciding to fill up on.

It always amuses me that most people are more concerned about the quality of the fuel they put in their cars than they are about the quality of fuel they ‘shovel’ into their bodies – something to think about in this day and age where those who want and can afford, can enjoy an unlimited amount of crisps, chocolate, candy bars, fast food and the list goes on…

But back to hunger!  I think being hungry at mealtimes is a good thing.  A friend (and fellow IP’er who’s actually graduated to phase 3 and I believe is now allowed the holy grail ….. a glass of wine!) recently said, we’ve forgotten what it’s like to feed ourselves as ‘feasting’ has become the norm.  And she’s absolutely spot on – we enjoy far too much of everything far too often and it’s no bad thing not to be able to have everything you want when you want it.  

I am slightly amused (and perhaps a little ashamed as I continued to shovel excessive amounts of all the wrong fuel into my body!) that I used this analogy when the big financial crisis of 2008 started unfolding and I was heard to comment, “how can we be surprised – we’ve sold everyone on enormous and unsustainable amounts of credit so we can all have everything we want when we want it – and now we’re all surprised that the weight of our greed has gotten the better of us”.

Well it’s not a long stretch to say exactly the same thing about eating and the direct correlation it has on our weight and our health.  If (because we can) we allow ourselves to eat everything we want when we want it – we may sustain that lifestyle for a while but it will eventually catch up with us and we will pay whether in unwanted weight gain or in a variety of health problems or both.  And I’m sure we can all agree that eating our way out of these problems makes no more sense than does spending your way out of debt!

So I’m learning to enjoy the feeling of hunger as each mealtime approaches and learning to appreciate the slightly smaller quantities, making my meal last a little longer to lengthen the enjoyment of it and realizing that I’m not only going to look better for it but feel better too.

So….as we’re discussing hunger I had to include another recipe!

Shrimp marinade

This will work with both cooked and uncooked shrimp (for uncooked simply marinate pre grilling and brush with extra marinade juice whilst cooking)

1lb shrimp (this will serve 2 for the IP max of 8oz of protein) 

1 inch of ginger, peeled and finely grated

Zest and juice of 2 limes

approx 2 tablespoons of finely chopped mint
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

splash of olive oil

sea salt

1/2 scotch bonnet or other pepper, deseeded and finely chopped (adjust to taste)

Pop into the Super Duper Marinator for 1/2 hour & either grill and serve with salad (if using uncooked) or serve cold over salad (if using precooked)

The super duper marinator

My new best friend!  Check it out on the youtube link below.  Gawk & Leer have them in stock here in Cayman and I have to say as skeptical as I was (it was a birthday gift from a couple of friends), I have come to love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nXGtpAjqkQ&feature=share

I’ve had lamb, pork, chicken and vegetables marinate in this for the minimum 1/2 hour and all have then become spectacular - even a skinless, boneless chicken breast takes on the flavour of the marinade and stays juicy on a bbq.

In the past, I’ve usually marinated things overnight but given how time sensitive our lives have become which sometimes results in a lack of planning for daily healthy dinners - this seriously rocks.  Tonight I got home from work and placed a pork loin in there with a yummy marinade (if I say so myself - recipe below!) and my lovely husband bbq’d the pork loin which we then enjoyed with a delicious spinach and bean sprout salad - all before 8pm (as all IP’ers know we’re not supposed to eat after 8pm so timing is of the essence if you’re coming in after a busy day at the office).

Easy marinade for pork loin (can also be used for chicken or even vegetables for kebabs)

1-2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated (I like using a zester as this give you lots of lovely ginger juice)

2-4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped (we like lots of garlic but adjust accordingly)

splash of olive oil

splash of soy sauce

a pinch of pure mustard powder or a teaspoon of mustard (this is optional but if you do use it you must of course ensure it has no sugar added)

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

A liberal sprinkling of herbes de provence (or oregano or finely chopped rosemary)

If marinating vegetables, add juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon

Mix well and coat the meat of choice (or your veggies) with the marinade - pop the lid on the super duper marinator and suck out the air - light the bbq - once the bbq has reached the desired temperature, your meat or veggies will be ready for grilling.

Bon Apetit!

Diary of an ‘IP’er’!

My husband and I finally joined the fast growing ranks of IP fans – well – to say we’re fans is a little presumptious at this stage – we’re only on Day 2 so I’m not sure we can be classified as fans just yet – we’re still in the honeymoon stages of being thrilled with finally doing something positive to make a difference to our waistlines – I’m sure my (long suffering) husband will endure some mood swings as time goes on….!

I am of the firm belief that all goals are achievable to some degree without having to spend lots of money or eat bizarre foods – that said, and those of you who’ve also jumped into the IP pool will perhaps agree that there is something to be said for the discipline of a structured diet especially when it comes to trying to teach and instill long term life changes.  My husband and I tend to be ‘all or nothing’ers’ – basically unless the temptation is taken away from us it usually proves too great (as my father used to say ‘I can resist anything but temptation’!).

So, having been weighed and measured last week to discover we’re both borderline obese on the BMI scale of body fat (ouch!), we jumped in with both feet on Sunday 26^th August with a goal of 20lbs each to lose. 

Never having considered us to be obese but having tried and tested many fad diets in the past (the lemonade, maple syrup & cayenne pepper fast / South Beach Diet / Water Fast / Cabbage Soup / Juice Fast and the list goes on), our IP coach said something which really struck a chord and it is I suppose the main basis for this diet.

Essentially, when you do fad diets that help you to lose a lot of weight very quickly, you tend to lose fat of course but more notably you lose muscle mass and so when you inevitably put the weight back on (which is almost always guaranteed), you actually put fat back on – you don’t rebuild your muscle mass and so you may not look obese (I like to think we don’t – you can be the judge of that!), but your body fat is increasing every time you participate in a quick weight loss program but put the weight back on afterwards – you may not end up any bigger in size than you were before you started but your size will be made up of more fat – isn’t that a disturbing thought??!

Anyway – for those reading this who are doing IP and even those not but are interested in some healthy recipes – I thought I’d blog those recipes we decide we like best both including both those that include IP packet foods as well as the standalone IP approved meals (i.e. those not including IP packs).

Enjoy the journey & Bon apetit!

Homemade Burgers with mash ‘potato’ & roasted asparagus

For the burgers

1lb 4oz of lean ground sirloin 

(or thereabouts – this makes 4 x 5oz burgers so if you have a little more – IP approves up to 8oz lean protein per person so you’re good!)

1 onion, finely chopped

2-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 scotch bonnet (or other) pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

½ bunch parsley finely chopped

1 aubergine, pierced and microwaved for about 6 minutes, turning once, until soft – flesh scooped out and left to cool

Sea salt & fresh ground black pepper

Once aubergine is cool, put all ingredients in a bowl and mix together well.  Form into 4 burgers, wrap in cling film or aluminium foil and refrigerate until ready to use – can be pan fried but much better barbequed.

NOTE: 

• The aubergine does not add any particular taste but does ensure the lean meat remains juicy without the fat normally found in regular ground beef.

• Feel free to add other veg (mushrooms/peppers etc.) or tweak to your liking – if making for children it is advisable to leave the parsley out – the last time we served these to kids, they didn’t spot the aubergine but did spot the ‘green stuff’!

Mashed Califlower

1 head of cauliflower, washed and choped

Sea salt & pepper

Up to 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Scallions/Spring onions or Chives

Bring a pot of water to boil on the stove – add the cauliflower and simmer for about 10 mins or until the cauliflower is soft.  Drain the cauliflower reserving a little of the liquid (you may not need to use this but this is just in case you need a ‘sloppier’ consistency).

Put into a food processer (it is absolutely best in a food processor but can be made in a blender if need be), with some of the olive oil and pulse until fully mashed and smooth – adding any of the reserved water as needed.

Put into a serving bowl with salt and pepper and scallions or chives if using and serve.

Roasted Asparagus

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Lay your asparagus (washed and stalks trimmed) on a baking sheet covered in foil.

Drizzle (or preferably spray) a little olive oil over the asparagus

Add a little sea salt and pepper

Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes turning once.