Milk Kefir Recipe

Ingredients
4 cups of full cream milk of your choice, whatever is available to you,
Raw, Pasteurized, Homogenised - if that's all you have, Also Goats milk is another great option.
1 Tbs Milk Kefir Grains
A clean Jar (5 cups) with lid or cloth cover.

Method
Put your Grains in the Jar.
Fill a clean glass jar with 4 cups of fresh milk.
Stir gently with plastic or wooden spoon 2 or 3 times during culturing to move the grains through the milk.

Depending on the temperature of the day the kefir will be ready in 12 to 24 hours in the summer.
Winter could take up to 48 hours.
When ready the kefir will smell sour and the kefir grains float to the top of the milk. The milk will have thickened. Thickness will depend on the milk used and the length of time you leave the kefir to culture. You can culture for a longer time till the milk separates into curds and whey and then strain. Very beneficial culturing to this stage. Do not throw out curdled kefir milk. This is what it does. Stir gently to mix it up with the separated liquid and then strain, using the grains for a new batch of kefir.

These grains will multiply and you will have spare to share with family and friends.

You can use a plastic strainer (hard to find) or a good SS strainer. Do not use any other kind of metal in contact with the kefir as it will harm the kefir.
Hygiene is important as you’re working with a living organism.
Keep kefir out of the sun.
Never squeeze the grains to get all the milk out. (this will harm the kefir grains) Always keep the grains in milk.

If you care for your grains, making sure they have food, they will keep growing and you can have them for a life time.
If you wish to take a break from kefir, simple put feed them and then place them in the fridge, for up to two weeks.
Also you can feed them and put the in the freezer for longer storage.

Enjoy your Milk kefir with all it's wonderful benefits, and the many delights that can be made with it.

Fermented Tomato sauce - Love this recipe.

15 Tomatoes
3 Onions
3 cloves of Garlic
2 tsp of salt
2Tbs of Sage or Basil
½ tsp of chilli powder
2 tsp of sweet paprika
⅓ cup of whey

Blend all together in a thermomix, and then set to cook 100 for 40 mins, on speed 1.
Check for salt, let cool. When finger cool add ⅓ cup of whey and bottle. Leaving to ferment for two days on the counter and then move to cool storage.

Fermented Cherry Chutney

1200grams of Cherries
8 peeled and diced apples
3 Diced onions
1 TBS of Chinese 5 spices
¼ cup of honey
½ cup of whey.

Put apples and onion in a frying pan with enough water to stop them burning. On medium heat cooked until soft, add in cherries, honey, and spice, and cook until the cherries are breaking down. Take off the heat and let cool. The mixture needs to be cool enough so that when you put your finger in it isn’t too hot. At this point you can add the whey, and stir through. Put into jars and let ferment for 2 days on the bench then transfer to cool store/fridge.

Fermented Tomato Salsa

5 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced and peeled if skin is rough
1 capsicum, diced
1 bunch spring onions, sliced
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped

¼ cup whey
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; spoon into sterile jars and push down until juices cover the top. Add a splash of filtered water if necessary to cover contents. Leave a little head space. Let sit on the bench for 1 day, then refrigerate and enjoy!

Fermented Raspberry Mint Sauce

1 Kg of Frozen or fresh Raspberries
½ cup of Raw Honey
30 Mint leaves, more if you like.
½ cup of whey.

Mix all together, mashing the raspberries to break them down a bit. Bottle and ferment on the counter for 2 days, then move to cool storage, fridge. Will Keep for 1 month.

Very tasty over ice cream, in yoghurt, in smoothies, etc

Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial Sweeteners. By Ben Mathewson

According to Wikipedia, A sugar substitute is a food additive that duplicates the effect of sugar in taste, usually with less food energy. Some sugar substitutes are natural and some are synthetic. Those that are not natural are, in general, called artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are used in soft drinks, especially diet soft drinks and are popularly consumed because their lack of calorie content is seen as a good attribute for dieters and diabetics alike. (Wikipedia 2012:1-2).The discovery of Artificial sweeteners happened in 1879, where two researchers- Ira Remsen and Constantine Fahlberg were working on a derivative of Toluene in a laboratory, when one of the researchers accidentally spilled and ingested the product, discovering its sweet properties. As a consequence to this, In 1884, Fahlberg dropped his partnership with Remsen, patented saccharin and began mass producing it. (Mercola and Pearshall 2006:19-20). The five main artificial sweeteners available in order of their genesis are saccharine, cyclamate, aspartame, alitame and sucralose. The most ubiquitous sweeteners on the market are aspartame and sucralose, which this assignment will focus on.

Each of the artificial sweeteners are prepared in a different way. Nall notes that one method used to make modern saccharin begins with phthalic anhydride, an industrial compound used in creating plastics, which is converted into anthranilic acid. This acid is synthesized with several compounds, including nitrous acid, sulfur dioxide, chlorine and ammonia, which produces saccharin. Nall (1999:2). Aspartame is largely used in Nutrasweet, Equal, and chewing gum; Aspartame is a mixture of three components: By weight, 50% phenylanine, 40% aspartic acid, and Methanol, or wood alcohol comprises the remaining 10%. (Mercola and Pearshall 1996:19-20). Sucralose was also discovered by accidental ingestion. The experiment that was made involved taking sulfuryl chloride and adding it drop by drop to a sugar solution. The chemical reaction turned into a 1',4,6,6'- tetrachloro- 1',4,6,6',-tetradeoxygalactosucrose- the complete formula having molecules full of chlorine atoms. Subsequently the researchers replaced three hydrogen ions with three hydroxl groups on a sugar molecule resulted in an artificial chemical named 1,6 dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-beta-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside. (Mercola and Pearshall 2006:71).

These non-caloric sweeteners may be useful for the diabetic and overweight, yet knowing the basic way these chemicals are made, it is questionable whether these products would be recommended safe by a naturopath or herbalist. The potential negatives outweigh any potential positive attributes present within the substance. The process by which these artificial sweeteners are made can lead to a number of toxic effects. For instance, in Sucralose independent studies have not yet declared the products interactions within the human body to be safe (Mercola and Pearshall 2006:95). One key problem with sucralose is absorbtion. Without complete absorption of a food product, the body holds on to the substance and becomes sick. Independent studies of sucralose show that not 100% of the ingested substance ends up in stools or urine, and leads to a possibility of sucralose bioaccumulation. In addition to this, Sucralose can cause liver toxicity, depletion of glutathione (which affects your ability to detoxify) Has mild mutagens, which can make hormones unstable; and can lead to maternal and fetal abnormalities (Mercola and Pearshall 2006:100) Most notably of all these reasons is that Chlorine, made in the form of a chlorocarbon is unstable and extremely dangerous. As Bowen (a biochemist), states in Mercola and Pearshall :

“Unlike sodium chloride, chlorocarbons are never nutritionally compatible with our metabolic processes and are wholly incompatible with normal human metabolic functioning...Any chlorocarbons not directly excreted from the body can cause immense damage to the process of human metabolism and eventually, our internal organs. The liver is a detoxification organ which deals with ingested poisons. Chlorocarbons damage the hepatocytes, the liver's metabolic cells, and destroy them”

Mercola and Pearshall 2006:78-79.

Now consider some of the dangers of Aspartame. One key thing about aspartame, just as other artficial sweeteners, is that it is not technically a food substance. In foods, amino acids are grouped together naturally with other amino acids, whereas Phenylanine and Aspartic acid are specifically isolated in Aspartame, and are therefore unable to be absorbed naturally by the body. This leads to excitotoxins in the brain being released and potential cell deaths. Mercola and Pearshall 2006:46. In addition to this, Phenylanine is a known carcinogen, which decomposes into DKP (also a known carcinogen), and formaldehyde, which according to Dohman, seeps into the tissues and forms crosslinks with proteins, preventing them from carrying out chemical reactions. Formaldehyde is also a neurotoxin, interferes with DNA replication and may cause cancer and birth defects. Dohman (1999:1). On a more practical level, Aspartame has been linked in independent studies to be with migraines, cancer, dizziness, depression, epilepsy, vision impairment, and even weight gain. (Mercola and Pearshall 2006: 56-61, De la plena 2010:206).

If you are a diabetic or struggling with obesity, it is advisable to minimise or avoid sugar altogether. The broadly good news is that not all sugars are created equal. However, certain products containing sugars are better for you than others. Although these sugars all naturally contain calories, they are all absorbed naturally into the body and contain nutritional content. Sugars which could be recommended as alternative sweeteners are Raw honey, Molasses and Stevia.

Raw honey is honey that hasn't been heated over 47 degrees, thereby keeping all of the naturally abundant enzymes. The heating of honey kills many (but not all) of the beneficial enzymes, yet it is a good general alternative and doesn't contain any known toxins. In fact, raw honey has been shown to contain natural remedies against food borne pathogens, growth promoting of beneficial gut bacteria, antibacterial properties for the mouth and throat, and the more raw and unprocessed the honey is, the more beneficial chemicals there are within. (Mercola and Pearsall 2006:207-208)

Molasses, while considered to be part of the waste process when processing sugar beets, often contains many rich minerals, depending on the method and strength of processing. If the molasses is milled from sugarcane, and coming from good soil, there will be some nutritional content. “Backstrap” - the darker molasses, has less sugar and the most nutritional content. Further, good quality molasses contains iron, manganese, calcium, zinc, copper, and chromium, with smaller amounts of potassium and magnesium. (Mercola and Pearsall 2006:212-213)

Stevia is another highly popular alternative to artificial sweeteners, and given that it originates from a plant source, the toxicological problems with the product can be minimal. The key difference is how it is processed. According to Miller, Dark Stevia Concentrate is a thick, dark brown liquid. It is produced by boiling the stevia leaves in water, cooking them without any chemicals or alcohol, until the proper thickness or concentration is obtained. (Miller 2009:1). Growing your own Stevia in an organic environment is clearly the best format for using this sweetener. As you move from these two methods, less of the plant's goodness is obtained.

In summary then, artificial sweeteners are sugar duplicates, made artificially. Commonly artificial sweeteners are used to help in weight loss or diabetics. There are five main artificial sweeteners with Sucralose and Aspartame being the most commonly used. Sucralose is an insecticide based sweetener which contains chlorocarbons and cannot be entirely ingested, which can lead to hormonal mutagens, fetal abnormalities and liver damage; Aspartame also has a number of dangers associated with it including cancer, fetal abnormalities and neurotoxins. Aside from eliminating sugar entirely, there are a few sweetener alternatives which contain beneficial nutrients within them- amongst them are most notably honey, stevia and molasses. These form a great alternative to ingesting something potentially harmful and may satisfy the ardent sweet tooth as well.

References
De la Plena, C. (2010). Empty Pleasures – The story of Artificial Sweeteners from Saccharine to Splenda. North Carolina: North Carolina Presss

Dohman (1999).
How Much Aspartame Is Dangerous?
http://www.ehow.com/about_5422366_much-aspartame-dangerous.html
accessed 2nd August, 2012.

Miller, B. (1999).
How is Stevia Processed?
http://www.livestrong.com/article/54052-stevia-processed/
accessed 2nd August, 2012.

Mercola J., & Pearshall, K.D. (2006). Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet and the FDA May be hazardous to Your Health. Nashville: Thomas Nelson

Nall, R. (1999).
How Is Saccharin Produced?
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5143432_saccharin-produced.html
accessed 2nd August, 2012.

Wikipedia (2012). Sugar Substitute.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_substitute
accessed 2nd August, 2012.

Peanut Butter Waffles - GAPS Legal, grain free

Hi all, I have been on the look out for a waffle maker for a little while now. Today I was walking past chickenfeed, a discount shop we have here, and they had one for sale, so Yay! I now have a waffle maker! So what better way to start my waffle making journey than to make up a recipe for some grain free, peanut butter ones. So here is the recipe so that you can join me on this waffling journey!

Recipe
500 grams of peanuts, turned into peanut butter.
(I just whiz them in the thermomix, you could use a processor or buy good peanut butter)
4 Bananas
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of bi carb.
6 eggs
1 TB vanilla essences
1/4 - 1/2 cup of honey (depending on the sweetness you want and what your going to top it with).

Blend all together, and pour 1/3 cup of batter for each waffle, and cook for around 3 mins.
Top and enjoy. These waffles can also be used to make sandwiches, or anything else you could imagine.

Don't forget to post a comment and share your ideas.

Almond, Banana, Date Cake - GAPS, Grain free

What better way to celebrate our first 100 days on GAPS than with a Cake like this!

Today our internet access was out and I wanted to make the family a treat. I was planning on make banana bread that we have made a few times, but I never wrote the recipe down,I just always looked it up. So today I though well I'll make my own up. So here is my version, and oh it is so tasty! I would have this cake over any non gaps treat on the market.

Recipe
2 cups of Almond flour/ meal.
5 eggs
1 tsp of Vanilla Essence
1 tsp Bi carbs soda.
4 ripe bananas
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup of Honey.

Put it all in a food processor, whiz it together. Pour into a greased tin. Bake in the oven for 1 hour on 160oC.

Decorate with homemade sour cream and mixed berries.

ENJOY!

Blueberry, lemon, coconut, kefir cheese cake

We have just finished devouring this tasty little treat. Oh it is so nice! i highly recommend you give it ago. Now there are a few steps to making it that take time, but aren't difficult, and once you give it ago you, like me will wonder why you didn't try making it before. :)

Crust
2 cups of Almonds, or almond meal
3 tbs of melted butter.
1 cup of dates

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, until fine crumb had developed.
2. Press into a well greased spring pan. Refrigerate until firm.

First Layer.
2 cups of Lemon Kefir cheese. - Instructions below
1 cup of Sour cream - Instructions below
Juice of one lemon
3TB coconut oil.
Beans of 2 vanilla bean pods.

Mix all ingredients together in a blender or with a hand blender. Pour 3/4 of the mixture over the base. Put in the freezer to set.

Second layer.
1 1/2 cups of blueberries
Remain mixture.

Blend mixture with a blender. I used a hand blender. Pour over the first layer, and set back into the freezer to set.

Within two hours your cheese cake will be set and it's time to enjoy. At room temp it will be a little runny, but still very enjoyable. Best served slightly frozen.


Lemon Kefir Cheese
This product is easy to make. Simple take you kefir once ready, Add the peel of a whole lemon, and store in the fridge for a second ferment over night. The next day, simply strain and hang through cheese cloth, tea towel, nut bag or pillow case. Let drip for around 8 hours.

Sour cream
Using 500mls of cream, pour into a glass jar, and stir in 1/4 of a cup of Kefir.
Leave at room temp. for 24 hours. Stir at least once or twice.
Refrigerate.

Health Consultations

Are you looking for help with your health questions? Would you like someone to talk with about natural options that might be available? Looking for Nutritional Advice? Well we may be an answer for you. We offer Nutritional and Health support via email. We aim to get back to you with in 24 hours with a reply.

Our Philosophy on health is that the body has been designed in such a way that it wants to heal itself and in the case on many of our modern illnesses, if you give it what it needs it can heal. However there are some disorders that one is born with, or due to accident or surgery can not be completely healed. We however help support the body the best ways we can, with the aim to do no further harm to it.

My husband and I are both studying natural health, herbal medicine, Nutrition, and Naturopath medicine.

We ourselves are on the GAPS Diet, which is a therapeutic diet, aimed at healing the gut, and re populating the flora. It is useful in the treatment of many conditions and aliments, like autism, schizophrenia, dyslexia, IBS, Cronin's, Food allergies, Arthritis, and heaps more. I'm happy to give advise on this program, however I must say that I am not yet a qualified GAPS Consultant.

We our selves currently have 6 children and can share with you natural treatments for many common child hood issues. We ourselves are not Vaxer but are happy to treat Vaxers and non Vaxers a like. However knowing your child's Vaccination status helps us to better treat your families issues.

We understand that your health concerns as a very personal matter and will keep all information in strict confidence.

We are offer this service at no charge, however you do ask that you consider giving us a donatation if you find the information useful. Thanks again look forward to hearing from you.

Christina Mathewson - christinamathewson@yahoo.com.au
Ben Mathewson - bnmathewson@yahoo.co.uk
Add Health Consult to you subject area.

Lacto Fermented Tomato Sauce

‎3 cups tomato paste
1/4 cup whey
1tb sea salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
‎1/4 ts Cayenne Pepper
3 peeled crushed garlic
1/2 cup fish sauce.
Mix all together in a glass jar, leave about an inch from the lid, put lid on and leave on the bench for two days and then store in the fridge and ready to eat.

My family enjoy it, and find it very close to the store bought tomato sauce, but abit more tomatoie, so nexttime I think I might use 1 cup of condensed tomato soup for one of the cups of tomatoe paste. But them again, I might find I don't need to when we make our own tomato pasta.

*If you are Lactose intolerant or don't use milk products you could also use water kefir instead of the whey, as your activing culture.

No knead Bucket Method - Sour Dough Bread Products

Ingredients
3 cups of sour dough starter
6 cups of water
3 tbs salt
13 cups of plain flour
5 litre bucket.

Start by mixing your wet ingredient in the bucket adding the salt.
Once well combined start adding the flour.
Add the first 10 cups and mix well until all combine, then the remaining 3 cups one at a time.
Trying to get rid of any lumps of flour.
Can be easier if you use your hands.

This mixture is a sticky mix, that is how it's meant to be so don't panic and add more flour.

Loose put lid on so the dough can breathe and put in the fridge overnight, or at least 8 hours.
Then it's ready to use.

Loaf
To make a Loaf of bread simply flour your hands and get out the desired amount for loaf, Place and lightly shape on an oiled pan for free form, trying not to remove too many air pockets, or put straight into an oiled loaf pan. No need to let rise but you can if wish. Whatever you have time for. I often put mine straight into the oven, and have never had a problem. Bake in a hot oven 220c-230c for 50 mins. turning the oven off and leave in the oven to cool for another 20 -30 minutes. Turn the loaf out and leave to cool completely. I have found with this loaf that it needs that cooling time to use finish the baking process all the way through.

Cinnamon Scrolls
Preheat the oven 220c-230c
Prepare baking pan/dish/pie dish, by add 1/4 cup of butter/coconut oil, and place in oven to melt.
Making sure to remove so you don't burn it.
Flour your work surface, then remove the desired amount to bread mix from the bucket.
slowly stretching the dough, in to a large rectangle shape. ( you can use a rolling pin but I have found slowly stretching and pressing the dough works just as well).
brush melted butter over the top of the dough, then sprinkle with a sweetener of your choice, brown sugar, raw, Rapadura, maple syrup, honey....
Then sprinkle with the desired amount of cinnamon, I like to add a little nutmeg as well.
Now if you have any extras that you like to add now is the time to do it, I have tried and like, cooked apples, pine nuts, sultana's, cashews, almonds, really what ever you like, dried apricots, coconut, cherries.etc
Slowly roll the dough over itself until you have made a log, which you then slice into your scrolls.
At this point you need to sprinkle some of your sweeteners to you butter mix in the pan. Brown sugar makes a toffee, you could use anything you like.
place the scrolls on there side, close together filling the pan.
Again you can let it rise if you wish or put in straight in the oven.
bake for 50 minutes, checking the middle ones of cooked through.
Now enjoy!

This dough will last 5 days, and can be used to may lots of bread creations, the imagination is the only limitation. However as the days go on the dough get sourer in flavour, so if you want to make sweet bread, it best to do so in the first few days of making it.

Recipe and Video demo can be found at www.gnowflins.com and highly recommend their sour dough e-course.

Blueberry Kefir Cake

Blueberry Kefir / Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients
125g Butter
1 Cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour
3ts baking powder- mix into flour.
3/4 Cup Yoghurt/kefir/butter milk (all work well, Whatever you have)
1 Cup of blueberries

Method
1. Preheat Oven to 180c. Grease Tin.
2. Using a mixer beater butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine.
4. Add half flour mix, and half yoghurt, mix until combine. Repeat with remaining flour and yoghurt.
5. Spread mixture into prepared pan, sprinkle with blueberries and press in a little.
6. Bake for 50 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. 7. Let cook in Pan befor turning out, and Sprinkle with icing Sugar.

* You can exchange the blueberries for any berries you would like.
**If you are out of Kefir then you can simply you yoghurt instead.

Ginger Carrots

4 cups of GratedCarrots, tightly packed
1Tb seasalt
1Table Spoon fresh grated ginger.
4Tbs whey (or an addintional Tbs of salt)

Method:
Mix all Ingredients in a bowl and pound with a wooden pounder, or food hammer to release juices.
Place in a one litre, wide mouth Jar, and press down firmly with pounder until the juices cover the Carrots.
Leave 3 cm between the top of the carrots and the top of the Jar.
Cover tightly and leave at room Temperature for three days before transferring to cold storage.

Ginger Carrots go well with rich food and spicy meats.

Making Whey!

Whey can be done several different ways, so depending on what dairy products you have one hand or what you are making with your Dairy depends on how you will make yours.

Very simply way is to leave raw, unpasteurised milk in a clean glass jar on the bench at room temperature for 1 -4 days, until it separates. You can also use Yoghurt, kefir, or buttermilk for this process, However you won't need to leave them to sour.
Then line a Large strainer over a bowl with Cheese Cloth, or a fresh clean dish/tea towel.
Sun drying kills any bacterial that might have been left behind from general washing, or Ironing will also kill anything growing or hiding.

Pour in the separated milk, yoghurt etc.
Cover and let stand at room temperature for several hours.
The Whey will begin to pass through the cloth, after a few hours gather the ends together and tie and Hang to allow the remaining whey to drip out, being careful not to squeeze.

When the Bag stops dripping you will have whey in your container and curds in your cloth.
Keep Whey in a clean Glass jar for up to a month.
Use it in Lacto-fermentation of vegetables, and Fruits.
Excess whey can be drunk for a great health boost, or added to cooking for soaking, anything that would use milk for.

Farmer Cheese - Using Milk Kefir

Ingredients
4 cups milk
1 cup Kefir/butter milk
2 tbs lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method
1. slowly heat milk in a sauce pan until it is almost boiling, there should be bubbles around and out side of the pan. Make sure it doesn't boil, but gets close.
2. remove from heat, add Kefir, and lemon juice, after a quick stir, set aside to cool for ten minutes.
3. cut curds with your spoon for utensils.
4. cover a strainer with cheese cloth/ or a tea towel, then pour cheese mix into the cheese cloth, tie ends together and allow to sit for 20 mintues, or until most of the whey has dripped out.
5. At this point open the cheese cloth and add your salt and any flavours that you would like, ie herbs, or fruit, and mix
6. Tie up again and hang so more of the whey can drip out.
7. When you are satisfied that all of the whey has been removed, untie and press into a mould refrigerate.
8. Tip cheese out of mould and serve. At this point savory cheese are nice to have drizzle of olive oil over the top. Or even sweet chilli sauce, Plum sauce. Whatever you like really!

Serve with crackers, vegetable sticks, fruit.

Enjoy your Farmers Cheese with friends!

Homemade Granola

6 Cups of rolled Oats
1/4 cup of whey or milk kefir
3/4 cup honey
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup Raisins/ Dried Fruit

Method
1. Mix together all the ingredients except for raisins and coconut
2. Cover the bowl of sticky mixture, and let sit out on the counter overnight (sit for 7-30 hours)
3. Mix the oats mixture, and spread on to a large baking tray/pan
4. Bake at 140-160 for 15mins
5. Stir and bake for another 15 mins.
6. If the mixture has turned a light brown or golden then it's done. If not, then mix it again and put back into the over for another 15 minutes. Continue until done.
7. Pour the mix into a bowl, and mix in the raisins and cocnut. Let cool
8. Eat, Store, Eat. Serve with yoghurt, milk, Juice, Fresh Fruit, what ever you prefer.

* With this recipe add whatever your family likes. Dried Fruits, Nuts, Nutmeg. If you do add nuts, or other grains, be sure to add them at the start so they go through the soaking phrase. This is a great breakfast for those days when you really don't feel like preparing much, or you have a busy morning and need to get going, with out having to compromise the nutritional content.

GAPS Coconut Treats

These coconut treats a Full Gaps legal. As my children are coming along for the right on this diet with us, from time to time I like to make some little treats for them to enjoy. As Full Gaps has so many yummy food, and treats that they we don't normally try, so in a creative moment I put this on together. I have used a Thermomix to put it together but you could use any food processor, or some times and a good knife.

Ingredients
One young coconut
300grams Blanched Almonds
200grams Dates
200grams crushed peanuts.

Open a young coconut and drain out the water, drink or set aside for another use. Remove all the flesh from the coconut, and put into the blender with Almonds and Dates. Blend until coming to together and slightly sticky, add a little warm water if needed. Line the inside of a slice tin with grease proof paper, and sprinkle with half the peanut mix. Press the mixture into the tray on top of the peanuts, cover with the remaining peanuts, and press in. Put in the freezer for an hour to set. Take out of tin and slice into bite size squares.

These little squares are packed full of goodness, and a tasty little treat for young and old. Here is one of my blessings enjoying it.

GAPS Grain Free Chicken Nuggets

Chicken Nuggets are a favorite in most household containing children, and our home is no different. Pre GAPS our children would have enjoyed these from either KFC or McDonalds. Since we haven't eaten any food like that for the last 48 days, this tasty little treat is something that they haven't enjoyed for a little while. So tonight I thought I would brave a grain free version on them. Oh boy these were tasty, and everyone agreed that they were way better than any we had brought at a takeaway shop!.


Garam Masala
Ingredients
2 cinnamon sticks
8 Cardamom pods
2 Tbs whole coriander seeds
1 Tbs whole cloves
1 Tbs Cumin seeds
1 Tbs Black pepper
2 bay leaves

Put all the ingredients into a blender, food processer, or Thermomix and grind to get a powder.

Chicken Nugget
Ingredient
1 kg of Chicken mince
1 egg
1 Onion
5 cloves of Garlic
1 TB Salt
1 Table spoon of Garam Masala
1 tsp. of Sweet Paprika
300gram of Almond meal/flour
Ghee, Lard, or coconut oil for frying.

Mix all the ingredients (except Almond meal and oil) together in a bowl. In another bowl have the almond meal ready for rolling the nuggets in. Using a heaped tsp of chicken mixture roll and then coat them in the almond flour, pressing into the nugget shape and setting aside on a tray. Once all the balls have been rolled and coated, heat a frying pan with your chosen oil, and fry until golden brown on both sides. lightly salt and serve.

My children have told me that is recipe is a new family favorite or ours. I think we will be eating this one for many years to come, even if we are not on GAPS anymore. :0)

Apple Nut Bake

Apple Nut Bake
8 apples peeled and diced
100g of pecans - Activated
100g of Walnuts - Activated
300g of Almond meal
400g butter
5 TB of Honey


Put the apples in the base of a baking dish. Sprinkle chopped Pecans and walnuts over the top, Cover with Almond meal. Sprinkle chopped butter over the top, with drops of honey. Bake in the Oven on 180C for 45mins.

Yum!

Kefir Pancakes.

Ingredients
2 cups of Flour (grain of your choice)
1 1/2 cups of Milk Kefir
2tbs Baking powder
1/4 sweetener (your choice)
2 eggs
Extra Kefir, or Milk.

1. The night before combine your flour and your 1 1/2 cups of Kefir. Then leave in the fridge to soak over night.
2. After Soak, add all remaining ingredients, then enough extra Kefir or milk to make a nice batter constancy.
3. Pour and Fry your pancakes is a well grease pan with coconut oil or butter.
4 Serve and Enjoy!

*We enjoy ours with a berry reduction and Yoghurt, with a little coconut shaved over the top. Brings smiles all round.

For those of you that actually know my family, know that my husband has some very painful stomach issues. Over the years we have done a number of things that have really helped, like introducing probiotic foods, like kefir, kombucha, sour dough breads, fermented veggies and so on. However the stomach pain is still hanging on. So now we have decided it's time to take some more drastic steps to actually healing the gut. So after about a year of considering, pondering, researching, and planning, we have decided to take the plug and do the GAPS Diet. Now we are doing it not only for his health but also mine. I'm currently over weight and have been struggling with Gestation Diabetes with all my pregnancies, and we as a few other things. So I'm hoping that this time will be a healing time for us all. I would love to get my body in line/ order before having another baby. I dream of one day being able to have problem free pregnancy and birth. Also my husband and I are currently both studying natural Medicine. Ben is doing Herbal Medicine, and I am studying to be a Naturopath. For me I can see how the GAPS Diet would be helpful for a large number of people, so if it's something that I would proscribe I would like to have first hand experience with it. SO on my Cultures page I was asked if I was blogging about this experience and at the time I didn't really think about doing that. However as I think more about it I actually think blogging about the experience would be helpful to me and to other as we go along.

SO Yes I'm going to blog about it. If you would like to read about our personal journey with GAPS please following along on my personal blog, http://thejoyofthehome.blogspot.com.au/

Sally Fallons Sour Dough Recipe.

This Recipe makes 4-6 loaves.


2 Quarts (8 Cups) of sour dough Starter ( will add a recipe Later)13 Cups freshly Ground spelt, kamut, or hard wheat, (I used unbleached white flour)2 1/2 Tablespoons of sea salt/about 1 1/2 cups of Water.

Your started should be room temperature.

Place starter, salt, and 1 Cup of water into a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until the salt crystals have dissolved. Slowly Mix in the flour. Towards the end you will find it easier to mix with your hands. You may add the other 1/2 cup of water if the dough becomes too thick. It should be rather soft and easy to work. Knead by pulling and folding over, right in the bowl, for 10 to 15 minutes; or knead in batches in you food processor.

Without Pressing down the dough, cut or shape loaves into the desired shapes or place into 3 large well buttered loaf pans or 5-6 smaller loaf pans. Cut a few slits in the top of the dough, cover and let rise from 4 to 12 hours, depending on the temperature. Bake at 350F ( 180C degrees) for about an hour. Allow to cool before slicing.

The bread will keep up to a week without refrigeration.

* When I made this recipe I halved the mixture to make two big loaves.

** Recipe found in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

Water Kefir - Recipe/ Instructions

Ingredients
1-2 Tbs of Water Kefir Grains
6 Table Spoons of Sugar, Raw, brown, molasses, Rapadura work well for propagation and healthy Grains
Water flitered
Dried Fruit, Sultana's work well
500mls to 1 litre Jar

Optional extras
a few slices of lemon
1/2 an egg shell- add calcium

1. Start by making a sugar water by mixing 3/4 a jar of water with you sugar, stir until dissolved
2. Once dissolved you then add you Grains, Dried fruit and the optional extra's if you wish.
3. Add Lid or cover with a cloth. Leave for 24 -48 hours, if you have problems with sugar you can leave for a bit longer, but you will get a more bitter taste.
4. you will know that your water Kefir is ready for drinking when you sultana's are floating on the top, when you remove the lid you may hear a hissing sound.
5. Remove sultana's and strain grains out and put aside for the next batch.
6. You are now ready to add flavour if you wish. Also start you next batch of water kefir fermenting.
7. Once you add you flavour you can leave to ferment for another day, or leave for a an hour, then drink.

Flavours
Flavours that we have tried and like.
Vanilla = homemade creaming soda.
Mandarine/orange peel = Fanta like flavour
Lemon Juice or peel = Homemade lemonade
Ginger= ginger beer
Grape juice, = a delicious refreshing drink.
Add Vanilla, cinnamon and lime juice for a cola "like" flavour.
Any Fruit that you can get your hands on should work, Berries are great and really refreshing.

# recommend only using organic sugar, and fruit products that come into contact with the grains.

Have Fun and Enjoy your Water Kefir. Christina

Making Kombucha

~DIRECTIONS FOR KOMBUCHA TEA~
1 litre boiling water
2 – 3 tea bags
1/4 - 1/3 cup of sugar
100 ml starter tea (previous brew of kombucha tea)
Piece of Kombucha mushroom from previous brew

1. Boil a litre of water in a stainless steel pot - no aluminum. No Microwaves. You can boil for 10 minutes to remove the chlorine if your filter does not remove chlorine.

2. Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar and mix until dissolved. NO metal utensils. Metal, even rings on hands should NEVER touch the kombucha. We use a wooden spoon.

3.Add 2-3 tea bags and steep and cool to room temp. Remove bags.

4. Place kombucha and 100 ml starter tea (your culture will be floating in the starter tea) in glass jar - plastic may leach into tea so only use glass.

5.Pour tea you made into jar but leave about 1-2 inches room for tea to "breathe" while brewing.

6. Cover with the cotton cloth and secure with rubber band (to keep fruit flies out) & cover with cotton towel to keep light out. Place in pantry or on counter (just not in direct sun) and do not disturb!

7.Optimum temperature 23 to 30 deg. Will start to die over 35 deg.

8. Start tasting after 4-5 days (you can use a straw) and let it brew until your preferred taste. The longer you brew, the more acidic/vinegary it gets. When you see bubbles at the top of the liquid, it should be just right, nice and tart and sparkling. Ours takes about 5-8 days, although it can take up to 10 and even longer in cooler months. For Diabetes brew 14 days. In the warmer months it does not take as long.

9. Remove the mushroom and the baby mushroom (new mushroom) which may have attached itself to the first. Bottle or drink. Start all over again!You can store in fridge to slow further fermentation after the brew is done. Even though the mushrooms are out, it will still continue to ferment slowly and develop dead yeast cell strings.

10. Add your flavourings fruit berries, for Jams, juices, for sweet ice tea drinks. You can also add ginger and spices and make a more savour flavour. Try and few things and see what appeals to you. This stage is called the second ferment, and you can leave it for 6 hours - a few days.

# I do suggest starting slowly with Kombucha consumption, it's a detoxify drink and if you drink to much at once you will have some bathroom issues. Also drink with plenty of water.

## There is a lot information that suggests not drinking while pregnant or breastfeed. I advise that you do your own research, and then make an informed choice. If you do choose to drink while breastfeeding and pregnancy, and you are not a regular drinker before, I would recommend starting with small amounts, even adding water, very slowly increasing over a long period of time, until your body has adjusted. So listen to your body, and follow it's lead.

Vanilla Bean Birthday Cake - GAPS Friendly

Well I have finally found my camera cord, so here as promised is the pictures from my Bean cake, that we enjoyed so much for my daughters birthday.

Recipe
3 cups of white navy beans.
9 Tbles of coconut oil
1 cup + 2tbls of honey
6 eggs
2 Tbles of Vanilla, I used my homemade vanilla essence.
3/4 tsp of good quality salt.
1 tsp of baking soda. Aluminum free.

Mix all ingredients together in a blender or food processor, until well combined. Pour into a with greased cake pan. Bake for 40-45 mins on 180C, or a little longer if not quite set.

I served mine with Yoghurt mixed with kvass to make it pink, drizzled over the top, and then covered with berries. :0)

So here is it again with the birthday girl :0)

Now I didn't get think this fabulous idea up on my own, I found the recipe on Modern Alternative Mama blog http://www.modernalternativemama.com/blog/2011/2/10/recipe-collection-white-bean-vanilla-cake.html Go check it out, has lots of great recipes that you can try. :0)

Making Milk Kefir

Ingredients
1 Litre of full cream milk of your choice, whatever is available to you,
Raw, Pasteurized, Homogenised - if that's all you have, Also Goats milk is another great option.
2 Tbs Milk Kefir Grains
A clean Jar (5 cups) with lid or cloth cover.

Method
Put your Grains in the Jar.
Fill a clean glass jar with 1 Litre of fresh milk.
Stir gently with plastic or wooden spoon 2 or 3 times during culturing to move the grains through the milk.

Depending on the temperature of the day the kefir will be ready in 12 to 24 hours in the summer.
Winter could take up to 48 hours.
When ready the kefir will smell sour and the kefir grains float to the top of the milk. The milk will have thickened. Thickness will depend on the milk used and the length of time you leave the kefir to culture. You can culture for a longer time till the milk separates into curds and whey and then strain. Very beneficial culturing to this stage. Do not throw out curdled kefir milk. This is what it does. Stir gently to mix it up with the separated liquid and then strain, using the grains for a new batch of kefir.

These grains will multiply and you will have spare to share with family and friends.

You can use a plastic strainer or a good Stainless steel strainer. Do not use any other kind of metal in contact with the kefir as it will harm the kefir.
Hygiene is important as you’re working with a living organism.
Keep kefir out of the sun.
Never squeeze the grains to get all the milk out. (this will harm the kefir grains) Always keep the grains in milk.

If you care for your grains, making sure they have food, they will keep growing and you can have them for a life time.
If you wish to take a break from kefir, simple put feed them and then place them in the fridge, for up to two weeks.
Also you can feed them and put the in the freezer for longer storage.

Enjoy your Milk kefir with all it's wonderful benefits, and the many delights that can be made with it.

Caring for your Sour Dough Starter

Sour Dough Starter is a living bacteria, so it needs the same as anything to live, water food, and air to live and grow strong. I normally feed mine 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water daily, of more depending on how much I am using it.


It's YOUR starter! So you need to find what works best for you! If you bake regularly(daily and several times a week), leave yours out at room temperature and feed daily, if not so regularly put in the fridge and feed weekly or when ever you bake with it, replacing what you take.
Good homes for your starter are containers that your bug can breath in, crock pots, glass Jars, Tupperware containers ( Tupperware being the only plastic that I would recommend) You can cover the top with a cloth, paper towel, and loose fitting lid, what ever works for you, during the winter I often don't cover might with anything, as it reminds me to feed and stir it.
Also giving the bug a new/clean home once a month. You don't need to be too finicky with this, but don't leave it too long.
Changing your starter Base
So you have a whole wheat starter and want a rye starter for a particular recipe. Here's what you do, you could make a brand new starter. But the easiest, quickest way is.

Take 2 Tbs of your Starter and put it into a clean jar, add 2 tbs of rye flour and 2 tbs of water stir and leave in a warm area for 2 hours, after that add another 2 tbs of rye flour and water, leave for another two hours continuing the process until you have just over 1 cup of starter. You don't have to be strict about the two hours if you have something to do and it's longer before the next feed don't worry, just don't feed before the 2 hours. Once you have 1 cup of starter you can then feed the start 1 cup flour and 1 cup water. If in a hurry every two hours or daily, Again what ever works for you!

You now have a Rye Starter and can make that Rye recipe that you have be wanting to try. :)

Ok when looking into Sour Dough along the way you may run into the advice of not letting anything metal touch your starter . This is true of all metals except stainless steal. Now I don't recommend using stainless steel for your starters home, but using spoons, mixing bowls and other stainless steel utensils is fine.

Now if you have forgotten about your starter for a a little while and think you may have killed it, try feeding it every couple of hours before throwing it out. You may be surprised to see it come back to life, if you get no reaction then it probably is dead, but they are pretty resilient, so worth checking first.

Hope that Helps.
Mathewson's Cultures

Starter Kit

Want to jump into the world of cultures. Why not try out starter culture kit. With Milk Kefir, Water Kefir, and Kombucha.

$30.00 Only Available in Australia

Sour Dough Starter.

Sour Dough starter, containing wild yeast, use to bake your very own Artisan bread, and baked goods. Sour dough Bread, Cakes, Pancakes, Crepes, Cinnamon Rolls, and list goes on and on with what you can do with this incredible culture. When ordering you can choose from Rye, Spelt, and Whole wheat Starters.


$12.00, Only in Australia

Water Kefir Grains

Water Kefir grains are used to make a refreshing probiotic drink that your whole family will love. Lots of different flavours to try out. What will be your favourite. Lemon, Raspberry, Orange, Creaming soda, and so many more.

$12.00 Only Available in Australia

Kombucha Scoby

Kombucha Scoby.


Kombucha has been used Traditionally by many people over the globe for centuries in aiding good health, and aid in relief of many common aliments like Constipation, Arthritis, Cleansing the colon and gall bladder, stomach cramps, Diarrhoea, Relives Bronchitis and asthma. Clearing Candida yeast infections, Clearing Acne, and the list goes on and on.



Besides all the health benefits of drinking Kombucha there is the lovely taste, which is like drinking and Ice tea, when served chilled. Adding seasonal fruits to make a refreshing beverage.

$12.00 Only Available in Australia

Gut Flora

Good health depends on a number of things. One of those being the balance of micro oganisms that live in the digestive system, also known as "Gut Flora". In the twenty first century these Gut floras are under attack more than ever with the invention of Antibiotics, refined food in the diet, Pesticides, Preservatives, and generally the western lifestyle and Diet.

One way that we can help our bodies come back into balance is by consuming fermented foods. Fermentation is an almost forgotten way of persevering food naturally, that increase the good bacteria in the Gut which produces beneficial enzymes, increases levels of vitamin and mineral absorptions, and aids in digestion.

Cultured Dairy Products have an important role to play in our diets, helping to aid the growth of these beneficial micro organisms, which in turn produce a natural antibiotic and anti carcinogenic substances, help to the body natural immune system to fight disease, infection, and cancer.

So I encourage you to enjoy your cultured beverages, veggies, fruits, condiments, cheeses, and breads. Don't be frighten to give it a try, I'm sure you will enjoy them as much as our family has, and you will be surprised by how easy they are to make.

For information on tradition cooking and sour dough baking I highly recommend signing up for the e- courses available from www.gnowflins.com

# We use these cultures in our daily lives and enjoy the many benefits from consuming them. However please don't take my word for, I encourage you to do your own research deciding for yourself if they will benefit your life. I'm sure like us you will find some wonderful articles and information about the great benefits available and will enjoy the delights that you too could be making.

Milk Kefir Grains

Milk Kefir Grains


Milk Kefir Grains used in the making of Cultured milk products, like Kefir, cultured farmers cheese, Sour Cream, Cultured Butter. Also in the creation of whey used in Lacto-fermentation of fruits and Vegetables, persevering them and increase nutritional qualities. Great Flavoured with berries, and honey. Makes great smoothes, and culture Ice cream.

$12.00 Only Available in Australia