Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Soaked and Dried Nuts and Breakfast Porridge

I've started soaking nuts this year. I've had Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions book for years and am just now getting around to reading all the great information - lots of it! - and doing more and more of it's recipes, believing it's philosophy.

BREAKFAST PORRIDGE
For any recipe utilizing grains, it's suggested to soak them for at least 8 hours. I've had a hand grain rolling machine for years and now have it set up in the pantry. The night before, if we're wanting to cook up a cereal for breakfast, we grind it and soak it. Monte's having fun picking different grains I have in jars in the pantry. His proportions are 1/3 C of rolled/cracked grain to 1 C water. You can add a pinch of salt if you like. Nuts could be added to this soaking mixture. Then in the morning gently bring it to simmering. Differing grains take differing times to soak up the liquid. Then we'll add fruit, unsweetened coconut, whey, and sprouted flax meal to it. And of coarse my homemade yogurt.

Soaking Nuts
Why soak nuts? They contain enzyme inhibitors that can put a strain on the digestive system. Let them soak at least 7 hours or overnight (I prefer 12 hours - especially for the almonds). Drain. Spread to dry in either a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours till dry and crisp; or dry in a dehydrator. My oven doesn't go that low, so the dehydrator is back in use.  Other than walnuts, that are susceptible to rancidity so should be stored in the refrigerator, all nuts can be stored in airtight container for months. They make great snacks!

SOAKED NUTS
4 C nuts
2 tsp sea salt
water to cover
Like I said, soak at least 7 hours or overnight, and then dry.

Crispy Pepitas (4 C raw soaked pumpkin seeds with 2 Tb sea salt)

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Karey!

I've got a dehydrator and can't wait to try some of this stuff - I keep telling myself "one day at a time, Elizabeth". I'm enjoying working in my kitchen - currently on top of my list is to finish "ripening" my first batch of kombucha, and hopefully later this week beginning a sourdough starter and trying to make homemade yogurt.

I would be interested to hear if Sally Fallon's book has impacted your view on fats as you explain in "Hearth and Home". I've been so intrigued working through her book, though it definitely goes against a lot of other mainstream nutritional advice.

Hope you're doing well, can't wait to see you and Monte!

~Elizabeth

Karey Swan said...

Hi Elisabeth! So glad to hear you're reading her book and jumping in and starting to do things. Yes and no as to her altering some of my views I wrote about 17 years ago. I talked about looking at the fats we were using and staying away from trans fats - that was my main message in the fats talk. And too staying away from many of the vegetable oils. I said my primary oil use was olive oil and then butter. I never really had the goal of lowering my fat intake, other than not consuming processed foods with all the trans fat and processed flour and so much other junky ingredients. I often said in the book to be "thinking whole" with all food choices.

What I am changing because of Sally Fallon's book is my bread making and flour and nuts usage. So I'm still perfecting my sourdough bread making and will eventually post what I'm doing. My sourdough starter is Sally's using rye flour. I'm using it for bread, sourdough pancakes (which I think I've posted the recipe) and sourdough crackers and then too crepes. I'm having fun doing the soaked grain and sourdough foods.

And I'm getting a newer (Excaliber) dehydrator. My old round one is getting so loud - like it's going to croak any day now. We LOVE the soaked and dried nuts. And I'll start using it for drying the crackers. And anxious to start reading about more things to be doing. And then of coarse drying all my garden herbs and a lot of the produce. And too, the kale chips I've posted the recipe for ...

I'll be posting more recipes as I explore more. And I'm wanting to write a new cookbook. I don't know if I'll reprint my classic Hearth & Home. Our friend Dave, with Healthy Living Press pretty much has my Hearth & Home market now, so he'll be keeping his reformatted version of it in print. Do you have your own copy? cuz I was going to send you one as a wedding present.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Karey! :) So fun. Looking forward to exploring and "making messes".

I am currently borrowing my mom's copy of your book - and love it.

Love you!

~Elizabeth

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