Conscious Eating Part 50

How to Make Seed Yogurt and Seed Cheese

Make a seed sauce by blending soaked nuts and/or seeds with herbs and spices. Use enough water to create a sauce-like consistency.

Place the seed sauce in a jar with a screen secured over the top by a rubber band. Let it stand at a temperature between 70 and 90 F Friendly airborne lactobacillus organisms will automatically inoculate your blend, but the fermentation process can be aided by using a little of the seed cheese or yogurt from the last batch as a starter.

As the fermentation proceeds, health-promoting lactic acid is produced and the predigestion process of the protein, fats, and complex carbohydrates occurs. It is thought that the bacteria also produce B12.

As the seed yogurt/cheese ripens, the whey (the watery portion) begins to separate. This takes 4-6 hours. At this point what one has created is called a seed yogurt. If you want to enjoy this creation as yogurt (rather than seed cheese), don't "lose the whey," pour it into your compost bucket. You may eat the yogurt on the spot or you may stop the fermentation process by putting the yogurt in the refrigerator to eat later.

If you allow the process to continue, after 8-10 hours the whey completely separates from the seed "curd." It is time to make seed cheese from the creation. The whey will be on the bottom and the cheese will be on the top. Seeing bubbles in the cheese and smelling a lemony odor indicates that the seed cheese is ripe for harvesting.

To harvest, pour off the whey. A simple way to do this is to take a chopstick and poke a hole in the cheese along the side of the jar. Then gently pour off the whey through this hole through a sprouting bag or cheesecloth.

Following this, the seed cheese will empty into the sprouting bag. Squeeze the seed cheese in the sprouting bag or cheesecloth to force out the remaining whey. If you squeeze too hard, the bag may burst and the cheese will get "a whey!" If this happens, it is comforting to know that you are not the first person in the world to whom this has happened, nor will you be the last.

To continue to dry out your seed cheese, wring out and squeeze the seed cheese that is now in the sprouting bag. Then let the sprouting bag or cheese cloth hang on a hook for several hours for any residual whey to drip off.

After drying, the seed cheese can be eaten or stored in the refrigerator 3-4 days.

Seed cheeses make delightful additions to vegetable or fruit salads. (It is already predigested, so it combines well with fruits.) Since the seed cheese is still soft, it can be molded into interesting shapes and served as a spread with crackers or vegetables such as celery sticks, dehydrated beet chips, or carrot sticks.

Seed cheeses can be made even more interesting and intriguing by adding a masala at the original seed sauce stage, such as the Curry-Dill Seed Cheese detailed below. The choice of herbs makes the seed cheese heating or cooling. They can be eaten in any season.

Curry-Dill Seed Cheese

Balances V and K, neutral for P All Seasons 1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 1 tsp curry or tsp (P) 1 tsp dill 1 cup water Blend and follow the seed cheese process.

Ginger-Seed Cheese

Balances V and K, aggravates P All Seasons 1 cups sunflower seeds, soaked cup pinenuts, soaked 1 Tbs ginger, grated 1 cup water Blend and follow the seed cheese process.

Curry-Beet Sun Cheese

Balances V and K, unbalances P Fall, Winter, and Spring 1 cups sunflower seeds, soaked cup beet, grated 1 tsp curry 1 cup water Blend and follow the seed cheese process.

Masala Seed Cheese

Doshas and Seasons vary according to masala 1 cups sunflower seeds, soaked 1 tsp masala of your choice (see Masala Recipes) Blend and follow the seed cheese process.

Seed Cheese Wraps

Doshas and Seasons vary according to seed cheese Take any seed cheese and wrap in nori or cabbage leaf, or put inside a bell pepper half.

La.s.si

Balances V, P, K All Seasons cup seed yogurt of choice 1 ripe banana, mango, or slice of papaya cup fresh mint or 1 Tbs dried mint leaves 2 dates, soaked and pitted Ginger to taste cups water Blend until smooth and enjoy.

FERMENTED VEGETABLES.

Sauerkraut

The sauerkrauts are fermented foods that help re-populate the colon with health-promoting, lactic acid-producing bacteria. Raw sauerkraut has these healthy bacteria, but store-bought, pasteurized sauerkraut does not. Raw sauerkraut usually has no salt or vinegar in it. It is allowed to ferment in its own juices. The only thing we may add are certain herb seasonings and EM. Depending on the spices and vegetables used, the sauerkrauts can be heating or cooling, but they are primarily a cooling summer food. The fermentation process makes the raw vegetables easier to digest for V, so if some warming spices and V-balancing vegetables are used, the krauts are balancing for K, neutral for V if not eaten in excess, and neutral to slightly unbalancing for P, because of the sourness. Sauerkraut is acidic for the sympathetic/parasympathetic const.i.tution. It is good in all seasons, but best for the summer.

The directions provided below const.i.tute the basic recipe. Explore the different tastes by adding ginger, garlic, curry, or dill to different batches. It seems best to use no more than two spices. Curry and dill used in equal amounts give a special taste. One can also play with the different purple and green cabbage colors. If one is eating in a Rainbow Diet pattern, the purple cabbages make a nice addition to dinners in the evening, when purple foods are best eaten.

Materials needed: a large crock or stainless steel container a plate that will just fit inside the crock a jar filled with water to use as a weight inside the crock to press down on the plate a towel or cloth to fit over the crock the Champion Juicer, a food processor, or appropriate equipment to break down the veggie fibers Directions: For sauerkraut, use three large heads of red or green cabbage or a combination of both. You can also make a smaller amount, but it should be enough to fill a small jar or crock so the fermenting process can take place.

For veggiekraut use hard, fibrous vegetables-carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, and of course cabbage.

All herbs and spices are optional. Ginger, cayenne or red pepper, dill, curry, garlic, hing, and horseradish have all been used with a positive taste success; let your imagination be your guide. Grated dulse or kelp can also be used to create a "salty" taste, add minerals, and provide protection against radioactivity.

Remove the outer cabbage leaves and save them to put on top of the sauerkraut mix later. Wash and clean other veggies.

Cut cabbage and veggies in small pieces to fit into the Champion Juicer or whatever appliance or technique one uses to crush and cut up vegetables. Whether using the Champion Juicer or another grater or food processor, the main idea is to produce as much juice as possible. The juice is the medium that activates the fermentation. With the Champion Juicer use the "blank" instead of the grater; this produces more juice.

Put all ingredients into a crock and repeatedly push down to remove all air from the veggies. Pack down the veggies until the surface is smooth and has at least inch of juice on top of it.

Cover the surface with the outer cabbage leaves set aside earlier.

Put a plate on top of the leaves inside the crock.

Put the weighted jar on top of the plate.

Cover with the towel and set in a location that is approximately room temperature. The fermentation process takes 4 to 7 days. On warm to hot days, the process may take only 4 days; however, on cold winter days it would be wise to leave it sit for 7 days. Occasional tastes will be the main way one knows if the batch is ready. If the fermentation goes too long the kraut will have a more spoiled taste. A good sauerkraut taste will be a little on the zingy side.

Uncover after approximately 7 days and skim off the cabbage leaves and a small layer underneath.

Transfer the sauerkraut to a gla.s.s container, cover, and refrigerate. The sauerkraut is always fermenting, and if left outside of the refrigerator, this fermentation process will accelerate. The refrigerator greatly slows or stops the fermentation process. Fermented sauerkraut can be stored for several months in a cold enough refrigerator. If the vegetables get fizzy, then they are spoiled and should not be eaten. I've purchased several raw veggiekrauts from the store which fizzed and expanded when they were opened. This means the fermentation process has gone too far and they need to be added to the compost.

Curry-Carrot Kraut

Balances K, neutral for V, slightly unbalances P All Seasons, best Winter 1 small head cauliflower, chopped 1 small head red cabbage, chopped 3 cups carrot, sliced 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped, or 1 tsp sun-dried garlic 2 Tbs curry

Hot Carrot Kraut

Balances K, neutral for V, slightly unbalances P All Seasons, best Winter 1 small head cauliflower, chopped 1 small head red cabbage, chopped 3 cups carrot, sliced 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped, or 1 tsp sun-dried garlic 2 tsp fresh ginger juice tsp cayenne

Carrot-Beet Kraut

Balances V and K, neutral for P All Seasons 2 heads red cabbage, chopped 2 cups carrot, sliced 2 cups beet, chopped Remarks: For an unusual taste add 1 tsp horseradish before or after the fermentation process. Horseradish balances V and K, and unbalances P.

Ginger-Zucchini Kraut

Balances K, neutral for V, slightly unbalances P All Seasons 2 heads cabbage, chopped 4 cups zucchini, sliced 1 Tbs ginger for every 2 cups mixture