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Vegan Nog - dairy free!

11/13/2017

2 Comments

 
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Everywhere you look in winter there is another recipe for an eggnog or boozy drink. This version is not only alcohol free, but dairy and egg free as well. Not that you couldn't add a swig of something, but it is absolutely delicious and warming all on its own.
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Vegan Nog

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{wholly rooted}

Egg & dairy free nog recipe - using medjool dates, it is even low glycemic.

The dates give a rich creamy sweetness and a thicker texture similar to eggnog, without the eggs!

No egg, no dairy, no alcohol, but still the flavour of the holidays!

{ingredients}

  • 3 medjool dates, pitted

  • 4 cups *unsweetened* dairy-free milk of choice (coconut, cashew, hemp, rice, etc.)

  • 5 whole cloves

  • 4 whole cardamom pods

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 tsp dried or a slice of fresh ginger

  • 4 allspice

  • 1/2 a vanilla bean, split

  • optional: orange zest or dried peel

Pour your coconut milk into a pot along with the pitted dates.

You can use a teabag or strainer for the rest of your ingredients to steep in, so they are easy to remove (or just use a strainer later).

First gently crack your spices to get the most flavor from them – you can do this via pestle and mortar, or place in a bag and gently whack a few times with a rolling pin. Place all of your cracked spices into a strainer or teabag, and place in the pot.

Heat. Don’t boil, but heat enough to infuse the spices. Warm on a low-med stove for at least 10-20 minutes.

Remove the spice bag or strain out the spices (keep the dates in there though), and blend the milk and now softened dates in a blender until creamy and smooth.

Grate some fresh nutmeg over the top to serve and drink while warm!
_____

To make a larger batch for a party, use a slow cooker. Calculate how many dates you need based on how much coconut/almond/hemp milk you pour into your slow cooker. Remove a few cups of the milk and bring it to a low simmer in a pot with your dates. Blend that in a blender, and then pour and stir the blend into the master batch of milk in your slow cooker. Next, put the spices in a teabag or muslin bag & toss the whole bag into the crockpot to infuse. Heat on low-medium, and serve on your buffet table!

Published November 13, 2017

We don't do dairy in the house, as my older son has a severe allergy. And quite honestly I don't want any of us in this house to follow down the road of our genetic lottery of diabetes, so I love recipes that are not only dairy free, but also use low glycemic sweeteners. The dates also are what gives the drink that thicker creaminess. If you use rice milk, it will be a little thinner, obviously, but hemp, cashew, coconut and other thicker milks have the perfect thickness!

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Preserve: Fresh & Frozen Herb Paste

6/28/2016

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Fresh Herb Paste @ WhollyRooted.com
Once the gardens start producing, it can be a challenge to keep up. My dehydrator is going pretty much full-time, drying herbs, flowers, and veggies for use all winter long. Some herbs, such as basil, don't dry very well, so I make plenty of pesto to freeze. While I love pesto, I don't want my basil options to be so fixed all winter, so freezing more simple combinations means that I not only have plenty of pesto, but also have plenty of options for soup, stew, stir fry, rice and more, all fall/winter/spring. Freezing basil to preserve for winter is easy. I like to make herb pastes, which keep their fresh vibrant flavors and aromas and are super quick and easy to prepare. My husband thinks I missed an opportunity to name this recipe "Frozen Basil Bunnies" - but it isn't just basil that this works for, it is great for any fresh herbs. Although I agree that Fresh Herb Paste isn't *quite* as memorable as Frozen Basil Bunnies. Say that fast 10 times. 
Fresh Herb Paste @ WhollyRooted.com
Basil is my first frozen paste because it is the herb that needs freezing the most, and I grow a LOT of it. It is so simple. Take 4 cups of freshly picked, packed basil leaves. Put them in the food processor with about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil and about 1/2 tsp of fresh sea salt. I don't want to add too much salt so I have room for seasoning in recipes, but a little helps keep the vivid color and flavor. Whiz the basil/olive oil/salt in the food processor until fully blended. You may need to scrape the bowl down with a spatula in the middle of it to get all of the leaves. Depending on your type of basil and how packed it is when measuring, it will need as little as 1/4 cup of olive oil. The measurement is flexible just like the recipe. Add just enough oil to get it to fully whiz in the food processor! If you want fresh paste, voila, you are done. Put it into a canning jar in your fridge and use over the next week or so. You can also freeze it for longer storage.  The recipe is per 4 cups of herbs because that fits into a food processor, but it whizzes down into a smaller amount, so you can keep going in batches to make as much as you like. I did 5 batches of basil paste and still have more left. Lots. O. Basil. 
Fresh Herb Paste @ WhollyRooted.com
To freeze, take your paste and spoon it into ice cube trays or silicon molds and put into the freezer until frozen solid, and then pop the cubes into a freezer baggie until you need them. I like freezing in about 1/4 cup quantities as that makes it easier to only defrost what you need, rather than thawing out an entire jar. I like silicon molds because I can do bigger than an ice cube amounts. Mine are all in bunny shapes because while I have personally selected all of my herbs-only molds for my lotion bars and body bars, all of our food use silicon molds have been selected by my 11 year old, who only buys cute animal shapes. ;) So we have a whole bunch of basil bunnies in the freezer. 
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For silicon molds, just spoon the herb paste into your molds and smooth flat. I place a layer of plastic wrap over it until frozen just to keep my freezer clean. The silicon mold is flexible, so I take the filled molds and set it on a cutting board or tray and put the whole tray into my chest freezer until frozen and then pop them out and store in a freezer bag. This is super quick & easy to make, and a great way to quickly reduce any surge in herbs. Herbs not only make everything taste fantastic, but they also retain their nutritional value when frozen, so you can enjoy all of their benefits well into winter!

Fresh Herb Paste

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{wholly rooted}

Freezing is a quick and easy way to preserve herbs for winter!

{ingredients}

  • 4 cups packed herbs

  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Measure 4 cups of packed fresh herbs (remove stems).

Place your herbs into a food processor.

Add 1/2 tsp. of salt.

Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over the top.

Pulse the food processor until herbs are finely minced, adding a little more olive oil if needed. You may need to scrape down the food processor to get all leaves fully incorporated.

Fresh Paste: Spoon the mix from the food processor into a clean jar and store in the fridge. Use in dressing, over veggies, or in soup/stew/stir fry.

Preserve: Spoon the mix into ice cube trays or silicon molds. Place in the freezer until solid, and then pop out of the molds and store in a freezer bag. Use as needed.

Basil is a great herb to freeze as it does not dry well, but you can also make your own herb combinations! Try other herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, or parsley.

Published June 27, 2016
Fresh Herb Paste @ WhollyRooted.com
You can do this with mixed herbs as well, of course. I made several batches that included parsley, sage, basil, rosemary, thyme, and cilantro. It is the same recipe, just vary your herbs based on your supply! Try different combos - just be sure to label! 

I love growing a lot of herbs, and I love preserving them too. Since our growing season in Wisconsin is fairly short, finding many different ways to preserve things so we feel like we have a wonderful variety the rest of the year is key. 

Looking for other ways to preserve your herbs? Try my veggie bouillon recipe - I love making a lot of this in the summer to use all winter long. SUCH an amazing flavor!
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Snap Pea & Pea Shoot Stir Fry

6/22/2016

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Snap Pea & Pea Shoot Stir Fry @whollyrooted.com
Pea season has arrived! I love the fresh green flavor of peas and pea shoots. I love to eat snap peas raw, pickled, sautéed, and steamed. I love to eat pea shoots in salads, wraps, stir fry, and tacos. We get peas and pea shoots from our CSA, but this is one of the things I also grow because...well...we just can't get enough. Pea season is short and sweet, and I like to make the most of it.

This year I am growing a new (to me) variety of pea called Magnolia Blossom Tendril Pea. It makes a lot of tendrils and fewer leaves, allowing more air flow in the peas. The flowers are so beautiful, and the plants are huge producers! My husband has been traveling for business most of the past few weeks, so he is missing out on the peastravaganza. This recipe is quick and easy and super delicious. It takes advantage of those freshly picked peas that are so tender they don't need to be boiled or overcooked at all, and are crispy and perfect with a few minutes in the skillet.

I am also growing Blue Spice Basil this summer and it has quickly become a favorite. It has a rich, exotic, spicy sweet fragrance that is AMAZing (and the bugs don't touch it). It worked so well with the toasted sesame oil and ginger that I am dehydrating a batch to see how it holds up when dried. Most basil doesn't dry well and so we freeze it or make pesto to preserve it. This basil has such a different thick hairy leaf and sublime fragrance that I am curious - I would love to have a lot dried to use all winter. We shall see!
Snap Pea & Pea Shoot Stir Fry @whollyrooted.com
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snap pea + pea shoot stir fry

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{wholly rooted}

This recipe is perfect for pea season - it combines fresh snap peas and pea shoots with ginger, garlic, soy, and sesame oil to make a quick and easy (and delicious) dish. Serve as a side dish, or over rice for a main vegetarian course.

{ingredients}

  • 2 cups fresh snap peas, ends off

  • 2 cups fresh pea shoots, roughly chopped

  • 1 tsp grated ginger

  • 1 tsp grated garlic

  • 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce (or coconut aminos)

  • Freshly grated black pepper

  • Sprig of minced spicy basil such as thai or blue spice (optional - you can substitute dill, cilantro, or other fresh herbs if you wish)

  • 1 Tbsp brown sesame seeds

Directions::

Heat the toasted sesame oil with the minced garlic and ginger on medium heat in a skillet/sauté pan.

Add the snap peas and sauté, stirring constantly for about a minute or so.

Add the pea shoots and soy sauce to the pan, stirring constantly until pea shoots are coated and slightly wilted.

Toss in the freshly minced herbs and stir to mix in well.

Spoon everything out of the pan into a bowl.

Grate some fresh pepper over the top.

Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.

Drizzle a little extra sesame oil over the top if desired.

Serve warm!

Published June 21, 2016
Snap Pea & Pea Shoot Stir Fry @whollyrooted.com


​I am sure I am going to be sharing more pea recipes before our short season is over (peas make the best quick pickles!). Having pea season peak just as all of the herbs are cranking means that there are so many opportunities for different flavors and combinations. Fresh herbs and peas really do go well together as they all have that fresh green garden flavor that can't be beat.

My husband will be gone for a few more days so the pea stir fry today was all mine. He had better hurry though, it has been hot and peas won't last forever!

about the ingredients: 
Snap Peas 
Pea Shoots
Blue Spice Basil 
Magnolia Blossom Tendril Pea
Brown Sesame Seeds


​

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    denise cusack

    I am a certified aromatherapist, clinical herbalist, organic gardener, plant conservationist, photographer, writer, designer, artist, nature lover, whole foods maker, and mother of two unschooled boys in south central Wisconsin. 

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  • Blog
  • About
    • About Denise
    • Clinical Herbalism + Education
    • Health Justice
    • Unschooling
  • Lunar Hollow Farm
    • About Lunar Hollow
    • Lunar Hollow Farm Photos
    • Lunar Hollow 2021 >
      • Growing 2020
    • Lunar Hollow Botanical Biodiversity
    • Lunar Hollow Events
  • Wholly Rooted
    • Herbal Consultations
    • Art
    • Find me on Medium
    • Photography
    • Magazine Writing
    • eBooks
    • Marketing & Design
  • Recipes
    • Food + Pantry
    • Herbs + EO's
  • Contact+