Here is a recipe for very basic soft, creamy cheese. Half gallon of milk will make about 3/4 lb of cheese, depending on the type of milk you use. I am using cheese molds in the video. You can also do this much more simply by using a delicious store bought organic plain yogurt.
- Heat milk to 86F
- Add juice of ¼ – 1/2 lemon, or ¼ tsp vegetable rennet. Stir well.
- Cover and let sit overnight.
- Line a colander with muslin, or use cheese mold.
- Gently ladle the curds into it.
- If using cheesecloth, tie the corners and knot it over the sink to drain 12-16 hrs.
- If using a cheese mold, cover and let drain for 12-24 hours.
- The longer you let it drain, the firmer the consistency.
Be creative and add your own variety of fresh or dried herbs, fresh garlic, and salt.
Store in covered container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 1-2 weeks.
Save the drained whey, refrigerate. Use for smoothies or your plants.
You can also substitute yogurt for the milk. You will not need to use any lemon juice or rennet. Let it come to room temperature (72F) before draining into colander with muslin and tying up over the sink.
>> Watch Halé’s meditation on goat cheese…
>> Information about cheesemaking…
Serves 4–6
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 18–20 stalks asparagus (tough bottoms of the stalk discarded), chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Mineral Broth or water
- 4–6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- black pepper to taste
- chopped fresh dill or chives for garnish
In a medium soup pot, sauté the onions, asparagus, garlic, and sea salt in olive oil for 3–4 minutes. Add the potatoes and enough broth or water to completely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30–35 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Purée the soup in a blender or directly in the pot with an immersion blender. Season with black pepper. Garnish with fresh dill or chives.
Serves 2–4
- 1 cup coarsely grated daikon radish
- 1 cup coarsely grated carrot
- 1/2 cup sunflower sprouts (clover, broccoli, or alfalfa sprouts may be substituted)
- 1–2 lemons or limes, juiced
- sea salt to taste
Combine all ingredients and toss gently.
Serves 2–4
- 4 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips (french-fry cut)
- 2–3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Fresh or dried rosemary (optional)
- Sea salt or dulse sprinkles to taste
Preheat oven to 450 F. Arrange the potatoes one layer thick on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary. Mix well.
Bake, stirring occasionally, for 30–40 minutes, or until cooked through and slightly golden.
Serves 4–6
- 1 package dried arame (1.76-ounces)
- 1 large or 1-1/2 small sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips
- 6 scallions, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Bragg
- 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, toasted
Soak arame in a medium-size bowl with just enough cold water to cover for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the liquid (save the water for your plants). Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently.
This salad keeps well refrigerated for a few days.
Serves 4–6
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium white potato, peeled and cubed
- 6–8 cups Mineral Broth or water
- 2 bunches spinach or two 6-ounce packages of baby spinach
- black pepper to taste
In a soup pot over medium heat, sauté the onion, garlic, and sea salt in olive oil for 3–4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the potatoes and broth or water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the spinach, cover, and continue simmering until the spinach wilts but is still a vibrant green. Add black pepper to taste. Purée the soup in a blender or directly in the pot with an immersion blender.
Serves 2
- 1 7.5-ounce can wild salmon
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 2–3 scallions, cut into thin rings
- 2 tablespoons minced herbs, such as basil, parsley, or cilantro
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped spinach or arugula
Drain the salmon and place in a medium bowl. Using the back of a fork, mix the salmon well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Serves 4
- 2 cups cooked or one 15-ounce can organic black-eyed peas, drained
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup coarsely chopped spinach (or mint, or parsley, or a combination)
In a large serving bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix well. Serve at room temperature.
Serves 6
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Seasons: All
- 4 small leeks
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 onions, thinly sliced and cut into half-moon strips
- 2 carrots, matchstick sliced
- 6 cups water
- 4 shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
- 2 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1?2-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons brown rice miso paste
Garnish:
- crumbled wakame sea vegetable
- coarsely chopped watercress or arugula leaves
1. Trim the roots off the leeks. Slice off and discard the tough green leaves from the tops of the leeks. Wash the remaining white and light green portions thoroughly in cold water. Make sure to rinse in between the layers, removing any sand. Shake dry and slice thinly.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the leeks, onions, and carrots until the vegetables are soft. Add enough water to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil. Add the shiitakes, tofu cubes, grated ginger, and salt. Add more water for a thinner consistency. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.
3. In a bowl, dissolve the miso in 1/2 cup of the hot broth and add to the pot just before serving. Garnish each bowl with wakame and watercress or arugula.
Variation:
Replace the tofu with freshly baked white fish, such as cod.
Serves 6
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Seasons: Fall/Winter
Roasted root vegetables have become my fall and winter mainstay. There’s nothing like the earthiness of roasted root vegetables to ground your energy and keep you warm on cold blustery days. I’ve discovered that the key to consistently delicious vegetables is roasting on very high heat with enough high-quality olive oil to coat all the vegetables.
- 1 large rutabaga (yellow turnip), cut into 2-inch chunks
- 3 medium beets, quartered
- 4-6 onions, quartered
- 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1?2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- dulse granules
- juice of 1?2 lemon
Preheat the oven to 450°. Arrange the vegetables in a casserole dish (a glass Pyrex dish works well). Add the oil, salt, and pepper and mix well. Cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally for even roasting. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with dulse granules and lemon juice.
Variation:
Just about any kind of root vegetable is delicious roasted. In addition to rutabagas and beets, try roasting any combination of carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, and white potatoes. The tubers also can be cut into long, thick shoestring shapes for variety.
Serves 4-6
Preparation: 15 minutes
Seasons: Summer/Fall
- 1 pound firm tofu, crumbled
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water and drained
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives, rinsed in water
- 1/4 cup capers, rinsed in water
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until well combined and creamy. Use as a spread on rice cakes, as a sandwich filling, or as a dip with vegetables — great with sugar snap peas!
The addition of these fresh greens really wake up this soup, and make it a terrific spring tonic with cleansing benefits, such as stimulating the liver.
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes
Seasons: Spring/Summer
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 10 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled wakame or dulse sea vegetable
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish
- 1 cup mustard greens coarsely chopped
- 2 finely chopped scallions
1. In a medium soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, mushroom caps, and salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
2. Add the boiling water to the onion and mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and season with lime juice, sea vegetable, and pepper, adjusting as necessary.
Garnish individual bowls with mustard greens and scallions just before serving.
Serves 4-6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Seasons: Fall/Winter
- 3 dumpling squashes, halved and seeded
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- dulse granules or 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 package (13/4-oz.) hiziki sea vegetable
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 5 shiitake mushroom caps, sliced
- 2 teaspoons unrefined toasted sesame oil
1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Brush the inside of the squash halves with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with dulse granules. Bake the squash halves in a shallow baking dish, cavity side up, for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
2. While the squash is baking, prepare the hiziki stuffing. Place the hiziki in a large bowl and fill the bowl with enough cold water to cover the sea vegetable. Soak for 10 minutes, drain, and set aside.
3. In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions, red pepper, and shiitakes for 5 minutes. Stir in the drained hiziki and continue sautéing for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and drizzle with sesame oil. Fill each squash with the hiziki stuffing and serve immediately.
Note: If you cannot find dumpling squash, acorn and buttercup squashes are equally delicious.
Serves 4
Preparation: 10 minutes
- 2 cups cooked or canned black-eyed peas, drained
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- juice of 3 lemons
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
In a large serving bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the mint and tomatoes. Mix well. Stir in the mint and tomatoes just before serving. Serve at room temperature.
