Recipes and Cooking Instructions

Nourishing Recipes and Cooking Instructions

Following are several recipes taken from The Fourfold Path to Healing and based on the Nourishing Traditions cookbook.

Beef Stock
Makes about 4 quarts

4 pounds of beef marrow and knuckle bones
1 calf’s foot, cut into pieces (optional)
3 pounds meaty rib or neck bones
4 or more quarts of cold filtered water
½ cup vinegar
3 onions, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
several sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together
1 tsp dried green peppercorns, crushed
1 bunch parsley

Place the knuckle and marrow bones and optional calf’s foot in a very large pot with vinegar and cover with water. Let stand for one hour. Meanwhile, place the meaty bones in a roasting pan and brown at 350 degrees in the oven. When well browned, add to the pot along with the vegetables. Pour the fat out of the roasting pan, add cold water to the pan, set over a high flame and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen the coagulated juices. Add this liquid to the pot. Add additional water, if necessary, to cover the bones; but the liquid should come no higher than within one inch of the rim of the pot, as the volume expands slightly during cooking. Bring to a boil. A large amount of scum will come to the top, and it is important to remove this with a spoon. After you have skimmed, reduce heat and add the thyme and crushed peppercorns.

Simmer the stock for at least 12 and as long as 72 hours. Just before finishing, add the parsley and simmer another 10 minutes.

Remove bones with tongs or a slotted spoon. Strain the stock into a large bowl. Let cool in the refrigerator and remove the congealed fat that rises to the top. Transfer to smaller containers and to the freezer for long-term storage.

Use this nutritious beef stock for soups, sauces and gravies.

Crispy Nuts
Makes 4 cups

4 cups raw nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, skinless almonds or skinless peanuts, or a mixture
2 tsp sea salt
filtered water

Mix nuts with salt and filtered water and leave in a warm place for about 7-8 hours. (Note: soak cashews for 6 hours only.). Drain in a colander. Spread nuts on a stainless steel baking sheet and place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally, until completely dry and crisp. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. (Note: walnuts should be stored in the refrigerator.)

Breakfast Porridge
Serves 4

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup warm filtered water plus 2 Tbsp whey, yoghurt or kefir
½ tsp sea salt
1 cup filtered water
1 Tbsp flax seeds (optional)

Mix oats in warm water/yoghurt mixture, cover and leave overnight in a warm place. (Note: those with severe milk allergies can use lemon juice or vinegar in place of whey, yoghurt or kefir.) Bring an additional 1 cup of water to a boil with sea salt. Add soaked oats, reduce heat, cover and simmer several minutes. Meanwhile, grind the optional flax seeds in a mini-grinder. Remove from heat, stir in the flax seeds, and let stand for a few minutes. Serve with plenty of butter or cream and a natural sweetener, such as Rapadura, date sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar or raw honey.

Beet Kvass
Makes 2 quarts

3 medium or 2 large organic beets, peeled and chopped coarsely
¼ cup whey
1 Tbsp sea salt
filtered water

Beet kvass is an invaluable lacto-fermented tonic. It promotes regularity, aids digestion, alkalizes the blood, cleanses the liver and is a good treatment for kidney stones.

Place the beets, whey and salt in a 2-quart glass container. Add filtered water to fill the container. Stir well and cover securely. Keep at room temperature for two days before transferring to the refrigerator.

When most of the liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature for another two days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however, reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant instead of the whey.

Note: do not use grated beets in the preparation of beet tonic. When grated, beets exude too much juice resulting in a too rapid fermentation that favors the production of alcohol rather than lactic acid.

Haymakers’ Oat Water
Makes 1 gallon

1 gallon filtered water
2 cup rolled oats
1 cup lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar
1 cup molasses

Mix all ingredients and keep at room temperature several hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Sauerkraut
Makes 1 quart

1 medium cabbage, cored and shredded
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
1 Tbsp sea salt
4 Tbsp whey (if not available, use an additional 1 Tbsp salt)

In a bowl, mix the cabbage with the caraway seeds, sea salt and whey. Pound with a wooden pounder or meat hammer for about 10 minutes to release the juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide-mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until the juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about three days before transferring to cold storage. The sauerkraut may be eaten immediately, but it improves with age.