Double Bacon Liver Pate

From Common Sense Homesteading

There is no way to meet all of your nutrient needs without eating some organ meats.  Here is a recipe with liver that tastes awesome!

Because it’s easier to get some people (like my kids) to eat liver if it’s paired with bacon, today we have the recipe for Double Bacon Liver Pate.  This recipe is adapted from a post at Cooking Traditional Foods, a site that features lots of great recipes for healthier fare.  Before you say “Yuk!” because it’s liver, just remember everything’s better with bacon. 

Double Bacon Liver Pate Recipe

12 slices bacon
1 Tablespoon butter or coconut oil
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (or one small can mushrooms)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chicken livers
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 Tablespoons mayo
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (less to taste – the bacon may add enough salt)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a heavy skillet, fry the bacon until barely crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving the drippings in the pan. Turn the heat to low. Add the butter and sauté the onions and mushrooms for 15 minutes, or until completely limp, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring some water to a boil. Add the chicken livers, return to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.  This gentle cooking method keeps the liver tender.

In a food processor, pulse the drained chicken livers until ground. Add the bacon, onion and mushroom mixture, and remaining ingredients, and pulse until well combined.

Serve with celery and bell pepper sticks or crackers.

To Read the rest of the post which explains why you need organ meats in your diet- CLICK HERE.

Asian Sweet Potato Salad

This is one of my favorite sweet potato dishes!

4 large organic sweet potatoes, peeled, diced in 1 inch cubes
2 medium red peppers- diced medium
1 bunch scallions- sliced thin, diagonally
1 bunch cilantro- chopped coarsely
1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh ginger- grated with ginger grater, use juice also
2 limes- juiced, use zest from one in salad (use microplaner for this)

1)  Toss potatoes in butter, roast in 374 degree oven until edges are browned

2)  Toss with all other ingredients, let sit about 30 minutes before serving.

What to Eat for Breakfast? Bacon and Mushroom Omelet!

In the series on “What to Eat for Breakfast”, here is another recipe!

Bacon and Mushroom Omelet

1 Tablespoon Organic Butter
2 slices diced bacon
3/4 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
3 eggs
salt and pepper
1 medium tomato- sliced

1)  Melt butter in 6 inch well seasoned iron skillet over low heat.  Add bacon and cook two minutes, add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes.

2)  In a small bowl, combine eggs with salt and pepper.  Pour over cooking mushrooms and bacon and lay tomato slices on top.  As eggs cook, lift edges so that uncooked egg can run underneath.

3)  When top is set, fold one half of omelet over other half.  Serve topped with mushrooms, if desired. 

Detoxifying Natural Lemonade

From MyYogaOnline      By Ulyana Michailov ND

The most simple and useful home recipe is lemonade. It is good for your health but it is also one of life’s little pleasures on a warm and sunny day.

Lemon is high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids, which are easily used up by the body. Making a healthy and natural lemonade recipe is an effective way to help restore biologically available vitamin C. Vitamin C is a much needed immune modulator and free radical neutralizer. The astringent properties of lemon juice also have an antiseptic and cleansing effect on the liver and digestive system.

Lemon juice also is very alkalizing to the blood. Encouraging alkalinity will help keep your immune system strong and your body healthy. It will help improve your digestive system and has a detoxifying effect on your liver.  Drink lemonade anytime you need to refresh and detox.

Millie;  I start each day this way, if you are in a hurry just squeeze the lemon in the water and drink. 

Lemonade Recipe

1/2 large lemons – juiced
1/3 teaspoon stevia
Sprig fresh mint
6 to 8 ounces filtered Water
1 teaspoon Kombucha (optional)

1.  Juice the lemons by hand, using a lemon juicer and pour into a glass jug. Add stevia.

2.  Add a sprig of mint and the kombucha.

Storing the lemonade in glass will keep it fresher for longer. Adding kombucha will add extra health benefits plus make it effervescent.

About Ulyana:

Ulyana Michailov ND is a naturopath and acupuncturist from Australia. She specializes in women’s health, skin and digestive health. A passionate yogini and holistic cook, Ulyana loves to blog about natural health and wellness. You can visit her at www.thedailyritual.net for more of her articles and healthy adventures.

Cilantro Cured Salmon with Coconut Labne

2 pounds salmon, skin on.
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 bunch parsley- roughly chopped
1 bunch cilantro- roughly chopped
1 bunch dill- roughly chopped
1 shallot- thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeno pepper- chopped fine
1/3 teaspoon fennel seeds- lightly crushed

1) Place salmon on wire rack and set atop a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; reserve.

2) Mix salt and sugar in a bowl; spread thin layer of mixture over both sides of salmon; set flesh side up on rack; reserve.

3) Mix remaining salt-sugar mix with remaining ingredients in glass bowl; mix well; let stand 15 minutes; cover flesh side of fish with mixture, packing tightly.  Cover in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 5 days. Baste fish morning and night with exuded  juices for 5 days.

24 hours ahead;  Place 3 cups coconut milk yogurt in a colander lined with cheesecloth, set over clean bowl; reserve in refrigerator for 24 hours.  It will thicken, discard juice that runs off.

Assembly; Serve salmon topped with;

Coconut yogurt
1 hard boiled egg, pushed through a sieve (for garnish)
Watercress; cleaned
Minced cilantro
Caviar

Stuffed Tomato Salad

This very quick stuffed tomato is served raw and is one of my favorite way to eat a tomato.

4 large beefsteak tomatoes
2 each ripe avocadoes
1/2 cup black olives- sliced
3 Tablespoons raisins- soaked about 4-5 minutes in water
salt and pepper
cilantro to taste- chopped

1) Cut top off of tomato, using a spoon scoop out meat of tomato.  Using a colander, squeeze the juice out and chop part of it coarsely.

2)  Dice avocado in 1/2 inch dice.  Mix with tomato meat.

3)  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Season to taste, stuff mix into tomato.

4) Enjoy!

Smoked Salmon Omelet

6 Organic eggs
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons organic butter
6 ounces smoked salmon- finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 teaspoon fresh- chopped
additional chives and salmon for garnish

1)  Beat eggs with salt and pepper. Set a 6 inch iron skillet over medium low heat to heat thoroughly. When pan is hot, add butter and when it sizzles, add eggs and let cook about 3 minutes.

2) Gently lifting edge of omelet, allow uncooked egg on top to slide under cooked eggs. Do this one three sides.  At this point add salmon and herbs.  When omelet is almost set, flip one half on top of the other half/  Let cook about 1 minute, flip over, let cook another minute.

3) Place omelet on plates and garnish.

Keeping It Simple with Yoga

As human beings we tend to complicate everything. Our biggest failure is that we tend to over complicate life and it gets us in trouble.

Yoga promises to help us simplify, to live authentically. We are encouraged to find our bliss and the contentment, which is our birth right. This focus on simplicity and ease, is one of the big draws of yoga.

So how is it that yoga has gotten so complicated? How is it that if you do a Google search on yoga mats you will get umpteen different sizes, shapes, colors, decors and ingredients? Personally, I long for the days when they gave you a royal blue, standard issue yoga mat that was cut off a roll with the edges slightly uneven. No frills, no brand—just a simple slab of rubber. It did the job, and you were grateful.

Could it be that the now established “yoga industry” is conspiring  to make our lives more complicated by getting us to shell out more of our hard earned cash on the purchase of totally unnecessary yoga gear and yoga wear? I mean seriously, do we really need egg shaped yoga blocks?

Is it possible that an organization with the word “yoga” in its name—could actually be anti-yoga?

Is it possible that we are being spoon fed an idea about yoga that has absolutely nothing to do with the ancient practice of yoga with its Hindu roots?

I am on a one woman crusade to simplify yoga and simplify my life in the process. I loathe complication. I loathe unnecessary details, side trips, dead end roads and deep pot holes.

I prefer my journey to be smooth, easy and to take the shortest distance between two points. I have no use for distraction, diversion or restlessness.

Hence, I swear by the idea that yoga is essentially a relationship that you have with your breath.Period. End of sentence. No more, no less.

Yes, you read that correctly . . . . but just to ensure there is no question, I’ll say it again. Yoga is essentially a relationship you have with your breath.

And to drive home my point, I have created a video which elaborates on this simple concept.

And I know here on elephant journal I am preaching to the choir. But still, I think it’s easy to get hung up on having the perfect chaturanga or matching yoga bag. But when we are breathing easy, the obsessions begin to melt away like candle wax.

For Video and website…