Carefree Gourmet

Vinegar and Olive Oil as Cleansers

Have you ever thought of why we would use products that touch our skin, our food, or we inhale that are toxic?  I have, but frankly, just kept plugging away using caustic chemicals that made me run out of the bathroom because they were nauseating or were giving me a headache.  Still used products that needed industrial gloves to protect my skin where I had to be so careful not to get on any other surface that what I was trying to clean.  Does this sound like you too?

Well, I finally started looking into better products for laundry, washing windows and sinks as well as what I use to wash my skin…  One of Dr. Andrew Weil’s latest post addresses this as well.  Here are his recommendations:

Looking for a cost-effective, safe way to keep your home clean, naturally? Try these four common household items:

1. Olive oil: Use to lubricate and polish wood furniture (three parts olive oil to one part vinegar; or two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice).
2. Potatoes: Halved potatoes can remove rust from baking pans or tinware – follow with a salt scrub or dip the potato in salt before scrubbing.
3. White vinegar: Cleans linoleum floors and glass (from windows to shower doors) when mixed with water and a little liquid soap (castile or vegetable). It cuts grease and removes stains, and removes soap scum and cleans toilets (add a bit of baking soda if you like). Pour down drains once a week for antibacterial cleaning. Add to water in a spray bottle to kill mold and mildew.
4. Tea tree oil: Can be added to vinegar/water solutions for its antibacterial properties. Use it to kill mold and mildew, and on kitchen and bathroom surfaces instead of chemical products. Add 50 drops to a bucket of water to clean counter tops and tile floors.
   

I have used white vinegar for years… always buying in large quantities.  But using olive oil to treat my wood furniture… never thought about it.  I recently purchased olive oil infused with lavender oil from Living Beyond Organic to moisturize my skin.  Wow, doesn’t this make shopping faster and less expensive?  Think of all the room you will save using products you use to cook with to clean your home and moisturize your body?  I like author Christina Avaness’s perspective, “I never put anything on my body that I wouldn’t eat.”  Wow, kinda makes sense doesn’t it?  So think about it the next time you head toward the chemical aisle to get bathroom cleaner…. I will!

Here are a couple of resources to check out for healthier cleaning alternatives:

http://www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/cleaning/diy-cleaners

Get a list of kitchen essentials you can use to clean your home as well as some simple “recipes”.

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/nontoxic/vinegar-month-green-cleaning-460505

Vinegar is a top choice for cleaning many surfaces read what you can safely clean with vinegar.

http://www.grist.org/article/possessions-cleaning/

Using aerosols to “freshen” up the smell of your home?  Think twice… according to a study in 1999, you can suffer from headaches… read more about cleaning your house without harming the planet or your family.

Ground Bison

As I continue to try out recipes from Living Beyond Organic: Nutritional Knowledge Redefined, I am experimenting with suggested food item replacements.  For example, last week I used duck eggs instead of chicken eggs.  No taste difference and according to Christina Avaness, a significant health difference.

Also recommended is that you switch out beef for bison.  I made Christina’s Bison Tacaritos which were excellent!  I also made the Quick-Fried Beans.  They turned out good too.  But back to the bison.  I purchased my ground bison at Whole Foods.   They sell it pre-packaged in the butcher section.  I really like how the bison cooked.  It separated into crumbles very easily and has little fat.

I was in the mood for chile the other day… I know, it was 106 degrees, I guess I am simply a chile lover.  Tastes great anytime!  So I pulled out my bison and whipped up a batch.  Tasted great!

Quiche

I whipped up The Ulitmate Quiche, from the book Living Beyond Organic by Christina Avaness,  for dinner last night and served to Pam and her family.  It is a simple recipe and fast to make.  Here are the ingredients (duck eggs, goat’s Gouda cheese, heavy cream, red potato, leek, red onion, Pecorino Romano, thyme, oregano, RealSalt, cayenne pepper, and artichoke hearts).

I had to run up to Christina Avaness’s home to get the duck eggs, luckily she had a couple she could share as she was awaiting a shipment to come in.  I also picked up some of her fabulous Papua New Guinea coffee, which I am sipping while I write this blog.  You can order both to be shipped to your home from LBOrganic.com.

The quiche came out beautifully.  I have never had one brown so perfectly on the top.  The consistency was perfect!  Now I used sheep’s cheese and my quiche turned out salty.  I don’t know that it was necessarily the fact that it was sheep’s cheese because last week at the farmer’s market I got a great sheep’s cheese that wasn’t salty at all.   The lesson learned here is that you want to taste the cheese before you purchase it.  At Whole Foods or any cheese store (or the farmers market even) they will give you samples.  Try it!!!

I will make this quiche again with different cheese and let you know how it turns out!

Author Christina Avaness

Pam and I had the joy of interviewing Christina Avaness, author of Living Beyond Organic on our radio show, Carefree Food Bytes last Friday, July 10th.  Christina is a student of the anceint practice of Rapheolgy and a self coined Food Alchemist.  (To understand the difference, it is best to listen to the archived show).  What I enjoyed about Christina’s recommended lifestyle, because that is what it is a lifestyle not a diet, is that it is doable!  I don’t feel deprived.  I do, however, need to think more about what I am eating, shop carefully and dine out smarter!  For example, eating out at a typical Mexican restaurant may not be a choice anymore…. but there are great Mexican food (like black beans instead of pinto beans) alternatives!

I have made two dishes out of Christina’s book, the EZ Yam Pie and the Bison Tacarito.  Both were excellent!  In fact, I served the EZ Yam Pie to my book club and everyone insisted on the recipe!  The bison tacos were great!  I didn’t tell  my guests what they were eating until after they told me how wonderful they were – I didn’t want to have there taste buds clouded with doubt before they tried it.

I got the bison at Whole Foods.   This is where the shopping may take you a little more time to do than you may be used to.  Christina has a website lborganic.com where she sells quite a few products that may be difficult to find (like duck eggs, even whole foods doesn’t have these; but your farmers market may).  Many of the items in her book, however can be found at a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods and many of them are pantry staples so you are only purchasing them once in awhile.

Living Beyond Organic

Her book is focused on foods identifyed as Super Enzyme Foods.  From an except in her book, “Enzymes possess life energy and have dual capabilities, functioning both chemically and biologically.  Enzymes are the super energy that makes all digestive processes and bodily functions possible.” Eating foods high in super enzymes, according to Christina, will heal our bodies.  She has a 21 day challenge.  I thought to start it this past weekend, but fell off the wagon, so to speak with some bad choices… like eating at a favorite Mexican Restaurant last night.  However, Christina did say that making small but significant changes are effective.  And so off to Whole Foods I will go today for Sucanat, brown rice syrup, organic heavy whipping cream etc.  And tonight I am going to try out a new recipe and share it with Pam and her family.  Hopefully I will get some great feedback!  Since Pam and I were just on the Donna Seebo radio show on Monday talking about quiche, I am inspired to make The Ultimate Quiche!  Need to call Christina for some duck eggs……