start here

if you are new to whole food cooking there are some basics to master, not hard, but critical to your overall health and well being. the most important item to have on hand is homemade bone building broth. chicken is our favorite; we drink it by the cup each morning with some sea salt added and use it as the basis for vegetable soups, the liquid for cooking brown rice, and a host of other recipes as well. reduced down and thickened with tapioca starch is makes a wonderful gravy, over just about anything....

chicken stock
1 whole free-range chicken or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs, breastbones, wings.
4 - 6 quarts fresh filtered water
2 Tb. vinegar
1 large onion, quartered
2 -4 carrots peeled and coarsely chopped
3-4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch fresh thyme (or several Tb. dried)

optional ingredients include gizzards and feet. i always use feet!

put everything into the pot except the parsley. let stand 30 minutes to one hour.
put a low fire under the pot, you don't want it to boil, just come up to a nice simmer. check on it after about an hour and then turn the heat up long enough to skim off all of the scum that comes to the tops of the pot (careful you don't take out a lot of water in the process). lower the heat again and put on the lid (i put a weight on my lid so i don't lose any of mine to evaporation).
simmer for 12 to 24 hours. the longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. about 10 minutes before finishing the stock add the parsley (this imparts mineral ions to the broth).

after the stock cools skim off the fat. if you need to store the stock for more than a few days leave a layer of fat on the top as it keeps the stock underneath fresh.

you can use the meat from the whole chicken in things like enchiladas, chicken salad, etc.

this is the place to start regaining your health. once you have this mastered you can move on to the next phase which i will share next time!

(recipe adapted from nourishing traditions by sally fallon and mary enig)

Real Food Cook- Cooks! & Writes! & Smiles!

After a longer than desired hiatus from blogging, here I am again. A new blog, a new name & a new start most important of all.

Alongside of me you will travel the road to tasty, healthy and healing foods. Recipes handed down, classics remade healthier or maybe just a gluten free dessert to savor. Either way, you will be treated to education and ideas to trigger in your own life a quest for LIFE! Last night for dinner we chowed on lemon chicken with a tangy peanut sauce, julienne carrots (raw) all piled on top of organic basmati rice. Can you say yum? It was delicious, I gobbled up a bit more for lunch just now.

We have some stock from last weekend, but I will freeze that and begin another batch tomorrow morning. Come along with me and cook real food!