Healthy Meal / Red Apple Butchers

Sprouts and Beans!

My idea of a balanced meal is a plate full of green veggies with a side of slow cooked beans with a Red Apple Butchers hot Italian sausage.  A filling and delicious winter meal and yep, it's healthy too.  Of course, if you are going to eat meat, make sure it's from an animal raised on a healthy farm, certified humane and organic.  Or buy direct from a local farm or a butcher shop that only sells humanely raised farm animals like James and Jazu at Red Apple Butchers in Berkshire Organics.

This recipe takes about 35 minutes, most of which is cooking time. Getting the beans in the oven only takes about 5 minutes. Then you can make the Brussels sprouts while the beans cook.  These recipes easily double so you'll have healthy leftovers, cook once and get meals for days!

Sauteed Brussels sprouts, beans and sausage!

 

For the Beans you will need:

1 large onion, diced

2 (16-ounce) cans of organic beans - Amy’s Organic brand should be easy to find if you are in a hurry!  Or soak and cook your own dried beans.

3 tablespoons of your favorite spicy mustard

2 Tablesppons honey or maple syrup (optional)

4 tablespoons ketchup, we love First Field Ketchup from New Jersey

1 tablespoon Fire Cider or Apple Cider Vinegar

about 1/3 cup lard, olive oil or, my favorite, rendered bacon fat!

To Make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a Dutch oven mix onion, beans, mustard, maple syrup or honey if using, ketchup, and Fire Cider.  Then mix in the fat, I highly recommend rendered bacon fat.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

For the Brussels Sprouts:

In a cast iron pan, cover the bottom with prepared, halved Brussels sprouts.  Add a small amount of water, turn the heat up and cover.  Steam the sprouts until just tender. Pour off any excess water; add a knob of fresh pasture butter and sauté until golden brown.  Deglaze with a splash or two of Fire Cider, add salt to taste.

Add a cooked, sliced sausage from Red Apple Butchers or some Hosta Hill Tempeh to your beans for a balanced, healthy meal.

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translation missing: en.blogs.article.tags: apple cider vinegar, bacon fat, baked beans, beans, Berkshire Organics, best home remedy, beware the underdose, Brussels sprouts, butter, fermented beverage, fermented food, Fire Cider, kid friendly, lard, olive oil, onions, organic health tonic, organic pork, organic produce, Red Apple Butchers, Shire City Herbals, whole foods medicine, whole foods supplement, whole organic foods, wildflower honey

Curry Fire Cider Marinade

This past Father's Day weekend I did what all good children do: grilled with my dad!  It was really fun, especially since I was trying out a new marinade that Chef and Butcher James Burden recommended to me.   I went to Berkshire Organics in Dalton to stock up on everything we needed for dinner.  I picked up fresh, organic veggies: eggplant really soaks up marinade so it's great for grilling, plus onions, zucchini and some red and orange bell peppers. Red Apple Butchers, at Berkshire Organics, had 30 day, dry aged steaks, so I had to try a few of those.  And I also bought about 2 and 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs with the skin on.  Here's the marinade recipe plus a bonus curry mix from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything, which is as useful as it sounds.   Last week I wrote to Mr. Bittman about Fire Cider and his assistant wrote me back saying she had tried it the last time she was in the Berkshires and would be happy to share a sample bottle with her boss.  How cool is that?! Marinade for 2-3 pounds of Chicken  Yes, of course you can use this marinade on tofu, fish or veggies.  For fish and veggies, about 20 minutes in the marinade will do.  For meat, like the chicken, make the marinade the day before and let the meat marinate overnight.  I made double this recipe, one half for the chicken and one half for the veggies. Ingredients: a generous 1/4 cup Fire Cider 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 teaspoons salt 1 big tablespoon fragrant curry powder blend (see photo below for the recipe! Yes, you can use store bought as well.) a pinch of asafoetida a pinch of chipolte pepper 1 teaspoon garam masala   Method: First, make up the fragrant curry powder blend, this will make enough for this recipe plus plenty left over for all your curry spice needs, it's awesome on pop corn! [caption id="attachment_618" align="aligncenter" width="538"]Mark Bittman's curry blend. Mark Bittman's curry blend.[/caption] Get the spices together and toast the spices in a dry skillet. [caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="538"]Whole spices ready to toast! Whole spices ready to toast![/caption] [caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="538"]Mmm, toasty and very fragrent! Mmm, toasty and very fragrant![/caption] [caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="538"]Use a small spice grinder to turn toasted spices into powder and then add Use a small spice grinder to turn toasted spices into powder and then add powdered ginger and turmeric.  Homemade curry powder![/caption] Once you've made the curry blend,  combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. [caption id="attachment_624" align="aligncenter" width="538"]Yes, that's a gallon of Fire Cider. Beware the underdose! Yes, that's a gallon of Fire Cider. Beware the underdose![/caption] Pour all the marinade over the chicken and marinate over night in a sealed bag or sealed container. The next day, when you are ready to cook, remove the chicken, discard any leftover marinade and grill the chicken til it's done! For veggies: chop bite sized pieces of onion, bell peppers, zucchini and eggplant, make up more marinade and marinate for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat each piece.  Slide onto skewers and grill with the chicken. [caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="538"]Grill ready chicken, veggies and steak. Grill ready chicken, veggies and steak.[/caption] The 30 day dry aged steaks were perfect as is so I let them sit out at room temp for about an hour, lightly salted them and then grilled them for a few minutes on each side for perfectly rare, melt in your mouth awesomeness. [caption id="attachment_623" align="aligncenter" width="538"]Happy grilling, all summer long! Happy grilling, all summer long![/caption]
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translation missing: en.blogs.article.tags: apple cider vinegar, Berkshire Organics, chicken thighs, curry, curry powder, curry powder blend, dry aged steaks, easy recipe, Fire Cider, garam masala, garlic, grilled chicken, grilled veggies, health tonic, healthy meal, How To Cook Everything, kid friendly, local food, locally raised meat, marinade, Mark Bittman, Protien, Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, raw honey, Red Apple Butchers, Shire City Herbals, spicy, Veggies, whole organic foods
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