Dharma Feast Cookbook (47 page)

T OMATO -C ARROT -C ELERY J UICE

C ARROT -C UCUMBER -A PPLE -C HARD J UICE

You and I possess within ourselves, at under all circumstances, the power to every moment of our lives, transform the quality of our lives.

– W
ERNER
E
RHARD

How To

Soak With Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) Water

Soak non-organic and organic lettuce, vegetables, and fruit in GSE water. This helps remove pesticides and any residue from people handling the food before we bought it.

Use 7–10 drops per liter of water. Rinse fruits and vegetables before and after soaking. Soak most fruits and vegetables for about 20 minutes.

Most fruits with peels do not need to be soaked unless the peel is used for zest or it remains on the fruit (such as a slice of lemon in tea). Soak fruits separate from vegetables, and soak tomatoes and grapes separate from anything else.

Soak lettuce and any fruit or vegetable that gets waterlogged for less time. Some people never soak mushrooms and strawberries while others soak them for a minute or two.

Ripen Fruit

Put unripe fruit in a brown paper bag with an apple slice. The apple releases ethylene gas, which helps fruit ripen.

Mince, Dice, Cube, Chop, Slice

Mince
–Cut into very small pieces.
Dice
–Cut pieces about 3/8 inch wide.
Cube
–Cut pieces in a cube shape.
Chop
–Cut pieces as close to the same size as possible.
Coarsely chopped
–The pieces don’t have to be the same size.
Slice
–Cut right through it.

Cut Onions

Store onions in the refrigerator and cut them under cold running water to avoid tears. This is easy if slicing, but difficult if dicing.

Peel Tomatoes

Boil enough water so that, when dropped in, the tomatoes are covered. Drop tomato in for 10–15 seconds. Remove. Run under cold water to cool. The skin peels right off.

Peel, Crush, Press, Mince Garlic

To
peel
a garlic clove, put it on a cutting board under the side of a large knife and press down on the knife until the clove is
crushed.
The peel is easily removed and discarded. The crushed clove can be used as is or, if a finer texture is needed, it can be minced or finely minced. To
mince,
use the knife to cut the crushed clove into tiny pieces. Or put the crushed clove through a
garlic press,
which is sometimes called “pressed” or “squeezed.”

Peel Broccoli Stalks

The inner part of the thick, main stalk can be eaten. It is sweet and tender if peeled first. Peel the outer layer by cutting up into it from the bottom. Hold the cut part against the knife with the thumb and peel up toward the head. This leaves the lighter middle intact.

Work With Beets

Beets stain. Cover work surfaces and clothing when working with them. Bake them with a piece of foil on the pan, as they leak. Golden beets are sweeter and won’t stain.

Revive Leafy Greens

If leafy greens have wilted, cut or tear them up and put them in a bowl of cold water. They will be crisp again in 10–15 minutes.

Use Spice Alternatives

Instead of spices, use different foods to bring out flavors. Instead of adding sugar, add onions or carrots. For a salty flavor, add tomatoes or celery. Mushrooms, zucchini, and squashes act like sponges—put them in first so they can absorb all the other flavors in the dish.

Sauté

Put a little bit of organic butter or oil in a pan (enough to make a 1/16-inch covering on the bottom) and then cook the ingredient for a short time until it is brown or caramelized (onions) or cooked (mushrooms, carrots, etc.). Sautéing is good for foods that don’t need to be cooked a long time or foods that have already been cooked and are being warmed up.

If you want to use less oil to sauté, heat a small amount of oil and add a bit of water. Add water before oil is hot or it will spit everywhere. When water is almost boiling, add food and sauté to desired texture.

Soak And Toast Nuts And Seeds

Soaking starts the germination process, which releases the enzymes in the nuts and seeds that are needed for digestion. To soak, cover nuts or seeds in water overnight or for 6–7 hours. Make sure there is extra water covering them because as they soak they will swell. If you wish, add some pineapple juice to the water.

To toast them, spread soaked nuts or seeds on a baking sheet. Put them in the oven at no more than 150 °F (slightly higher than having the pilot light on) for 12 hours or overnight, until they are completely dry and crisp. Turn occasionally. Store in an airtight container. By toasting them slowly and at such a low temperature, enzymes are not destroyed.

For pecans, almonds, and macadamia nuts, toast 12–24 hours. Store walnuts in an airtight container in the refrigerator because they contain oils that will go rancid. For cashews, whose enzymes have already been destroyed by processing by the time they arrive in the store, toast in a 200–250 °F oven for 12–24 hours.

Steam Vegetables

Fill a stock pot with two inches of water. Bring water to a boil. Put vegetables in colander and put colander in pot. Reduce heat to low and cover pot. Test vegetables every few minutes with a fork—they should be tender but still firm to retain the most nutrients. Keep an eye on the water level so you don’t boil it dry.

Cook Hard Squash

Hard squashes includes acorn, butternut, and spaghetti. Cut a triangular hole in the squash (the sides of the triangle should be no longer than the edge of your paring knife’s blade) that goes all the way in to the middle of the squash. Remove the triangle. Place it whole on a rack in the oven with the triangle on top. Put a pan underneath it to catch any juices that leak out.

Bake at 350°F for 45–50 minutes or until flesh is tender. Large squash may take 60–70 minutes.
Squash can also be cut in half before baking. Cut triangular hole in top of each half and place cut-side-down on a baking sheet filled with 1/4 inch water. Cook until flesh is tender. Scrape meat out when it has cooled enough to do so.

Reheat Food

Microwaves are not recommended (see
Microwaves
in
Resources and Recommendations,
Chapter 8
). A good bamboo steamer is inexpensive and easily heats up solid foods (don’t clean it with soap as the soap is absorbed by the natural bamboo and steamed into the food). The steamer insert in a big cook pot works well also—boil an inch of water in the bottom.

Another good method is to fill a pot, pan, or skillet with about 1/8 inch of water. Heat the water to boiling and put the food into the pot, but don’t stir it. Just put on a lid. The steam both heats it and keeps it moist. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Clean a Burned Pan

First, try a nylon scrubber (like steel wool, but orange and yellow). If that doesn’t work, fill the pot with hot water and some dish liquid and soak overnight. If that still doesn’t work, fill the pot with a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda or cream of tartar per quart of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes or so.

Make Natural Household Cleaner

For 16-oz spray bottle, combine 4 ounces vodka, 3 ounces witch hazel, and 1 ounce white vinegar. Pour into spray bottle and fill the rest up with water, leaving room for the following essential oils: 20 drops Tea Tree oil, 20 drops lemon oil, and 15 drops rosemary oil. Optional essential oils are orange, grapefruit, etc.

Convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade

Subtract 32, multiply by 5, divide by 9.

Convert U.S. Measurements to Metric

—
www.worldwidemetric.com/metcal.htm