Here is my mushroom patch. It is in the rubbermaid bin to keep spores from dirtying the carpet. The mister bottle is to the right. The plastic beyond the mister bottle is a humidity tent, and the skewers in the patch help hold the tent up. You can see a new mushroom at the right of the far end of the patch.

Here is one shiitake mushroom that I clipped from the patch.

The kit came with a number of recipes, but so far I've just been sauteeing the mushrooms in a bit of oil or butter. It's delicious.

I have read that the stems get too tough for cooking, so I boil the stems for soup stock. I then freeze the stock for future use.

Here’s my shitake cooking recipe so far.

Ingredients

• fresh shiitake mushrooms
• oil or butter

Directions

• Wash the mushrooms
• Cut off their stalks, save for boiling in water to make soup stock
• Slice caps in half, then cut into sections
• Heat oil or butter in pan on medium-low
• Add mushrooms
• Sautee until done.  The color will change and they will cook down.
• Serve hot

Mmmmmmm…..

Ingredients:

• white potatoes (1 large)
• sweet potatoes (1 medium-large)
• hard boiled eggs (2-3)
• mayo (2-3 tbs) — I use Hain’s Safflower mayo, which is dairy-free.
• brown mustard (1 tbs)
• fresh chives (1 tbs)
• fresh parsley (1 tbs)
• capers (1 tbs)

Directions:

1. Peel potatoes. Cover with water, boil and cook until soft.
2. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. Hard boil eggs. (I place eggs in boiling water, cook for 12 minutes. Remove and immediately place eggs in ice water.)
4. Chop herbs. Put herbs, mustard, mayo, capers in a mixing bowl.
5.  Add potatoes to the herb mixture and mix well.
6. Chop eggs (in quarters or eights), add to mixture and lightly mix.

This is tasty when warm, or after refrigerated. You can easily double or triple this if you’re taking it to a picnic or family reunion.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted spelt flour (white)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup oil (I use olive oil)
• 2 tbs Earth Balance (This is the best butter substitute. It tastes and acts very similar to regular butter. You can also use real butter if you like)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup agave nectar or honey
• 1 tbs rice milk (or other milk of your choice)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 generous cup semisweet chocolate chips (dairy-free)

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat on medium until well blended: oil, butter, sugar, egg, honey/agave, milk, vanilla.
3. Stir the oats and chocolate chips into the liquid batter.
4. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes so the oats can absorb some of the moisture.
5. Stir in the flour mixture. The dough will be soft, but should hold it’s shape (see picture below). If the dough isn’t super sticky and won’t hold it’s shape, stir in a little more flour 1 tsp at a time.
6. Drop by heaping measured teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Use either well-greased baking sheets, or parchment paper.
7. Bake 1 sheet at a time at 350° for approximately 8 minutes. Cookies will be tinged with brown on the edges and very slightly soft to the touch in the center.
8. After cooling on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes, transfer cookies to a baking rack to cool.

Makes about 3 dozen 2.5″ inch soft and chewy cookies. Adapted from the Joy of Cooking to be dairy-free, wheat-free and corn-free (no corn syrup or canola oil).

When you have the right consistency, the dough will holds its shape. These are dropped onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

• potatoes
• onion
• olive oil (or butter, if that’s your thing)
• balsamic vinegar (optional, but recommended if you go the olive oil route)
• salt & pepper

Preparation:

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes. (They’ll cook way faster in chunks, rather than a whole potato, plus it makes it easier to share.)
2. Reassemble the potato on a piece of foil.
3. Insert onion slices between the potato parts.
4. Splash with olive oil and a tiny bit of vinegar. Or insert a pat of butter in the center of the potato.
5. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the potatoes.
6. Wrap in foil and put on the grill.

They usually take about 25-30 minutes, which is usually longer than burgers or other grillables. So get them on first! If you’re not sure if they’re cooked, pierce them with a fork. If the fork goes in easily, they’re ready.

Ingredients (all measurements are approximate, use your intuition):

• 3-4 cups green cabbage (shredded)
• optional: 1 cup purple cabbage (Purple cabbage has a much stronger flavor than green.)
  
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 cup parsley
• scant 1/4 cup mayo (Hain’s safflower mayo is dairy-free)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp brown mustard
• 1/2 tsp honey
• salt

Very thinly slice the cabbage, then chop the thin slices. Do the same for the carrots. Finely chop the parsley. Put all the sauces & spices in the bowl with the veggies and mix thoroughly. This coleslaw will last for several days.

The berry you see in the middle of the muffin is a mulberry (surrounded by chocolate chips. I picked several from a tree in our yard. Mulberries look similar to blackberries, with smaller corpuscles. Their flavor is a not as pronounced, but they’re just as juicy. You can use any berry in this recipe…

Mix Dry Ingredients Separately:

• 1 cup whole spelt flour
• 1 cup sifted spelt flour
• 1 tbs ground flax
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix Wet Ingredients Well:

• 1 large egg
• 3 tbs olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup rice milk (or other low-fat milk)
• 1/2 cup applesauce

Optional:

• 1/2 or 3/4 cup fresh berries
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (dairy-free)

Gently fold wet ingredients into dry with a spatula. When about 2/3 mixed, add berries and chips. Important: Do not over stir. Otherwise, the muffins will get hard and dense.

Spoon batter into greased 12 cup muffin tin. (I rub olive oil in the muffin cups with a paper towel). Bake at 400° for 12 minutes. Take out of oven, and let the muffins sit for 2-3 minutes. Then remove to cool on a baking rack.

While the muffins are warm in the muffin tin, you can sprinkle the tops with sugar, or mix sugar plus melted dairy-free butter (like Earth Balance) and brush it on top.

Makes 12 muffins.

Parmesan Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (preferably organic)
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Over medium heat, warm olive oil. Dredge chicken breasts in cheese, fully coating each breast. Gently lay breasts into pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté breasts for approximately 5 minutes each side until cheese is golden brown and the juices of the breasts run clear. Serve.

One of our favorite recipes during the cooler months is my roasted new potatoes recipe. It’s simple, healthy and can be prepared quickly and best of all, everybody loves it. I serve this as a side dish to grilled cherry-chipotle chicken breasts and fresh from the garden steamed asparagus.

Roasted New Potatoes

1lb small red potatoes (may substitute any fingerling)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper
4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash potatoes and remove any bad spots. Slice each potato in half so that all pieces are approximately the same size to promote even cooking. In a 9X13 glass dish, evenly distribute the potatoes. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes sparringly, just enough to coat. Toss. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with rosemary sprigs. Cover dish with aluminum foil and place into oven for 50 minutes. Remove foil, toss potatoes and continue to bake for an additional 12-15 minutes until potatoes are slightly golden brown. Enjoy.

Kicharee is made from the green mung bean, revered in India as the mildest and most digestible vegetable protein food. Designed to restore and heal the body, a three-to-five day kicharee diet (eaten for 3 meals a day) is considered an effective way to detoxify and purify the body in a safe and balanced way.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• mung beans (as seen in the jar on the top left of the photo)
• brown rice
• ghee (clarified butter) or sesame oil
• cumin seed
• coriander seed
• cumin powder
• coriander powder
• turmeric powder

First, prepare the mung beans:

1. Rinse the beans
2. Cook one part beans to 6 parts water
3. Add a pinch of salt
4. As the beans cook, you can skim off the froth on the top of the water
5. Cook beans until soft, about 2 hours (add more water if needed)

Next, prepare the rice:

1. Make the rice per directions with a pinch of salt (or 1 cup rice to 2 1/4 cups water, simmering for about 45 minutes)

Finally, here’s how to make kicharee:

1. Measure equal portions of each spice: whole coriander seed, whole cumin seed, powdered coriander seed, powdered cumin, powdered turmeric
2. Heat the whole coriander and whole cumin in sesame oil or ghee, stirring frequently
3. After a couple of minutes, stir in the powdered spices
4. Stir in some mung beans, adding water to make a soupy consistency
5. Cook for 5-10 minutes
6. Serve kicharee (the mung bean and spices you’ve just created) over rice
7. Optional: Steam organic green veggies and add to the meal

I prepare about 2 cups dry beans and 2 cups dry rice to last for a couple days. I save these in the fridge and then prepare the beans with sesame oil and spices individually for each meal so it’s hot and fresh each time. I serve the kicharee a little soupy on top of the rice, and then pile lightly steamed organic green veggies on top of it all. (My favorite veggies to use are steamed dinosaur kale, also called lacinato kale, or broccoli.)

Notes:
* When you follow this kicharee diet, you’ll probably feel hungry, even if eating it 3 or 4 times per day. That’s good! You’re giving your body a chance to devote energy to taking care of itself and not digest food.
* To mitigate your potential taste disappointment: the taste of kicharee is quite modest, not your typical Indian style meal full of spicyness and flavor.

Let me know what you think and how you feel after trying this cleanse ~ I wish all of you a wonderful year!