Kombucha: Part 2

bottling the kombucha

So I started brewing my own kombucha a couple weeks ago (12 days to be exact). I used sweet wild orange herbal tea for this batch (since I'm still on the decaf kick). I tasted it today and it was very nice! Since kombucha can be brewed between 7-30 days I figured I'd check mine out at the mid point mark and decide if it needed more time. It's still got a slight sweetness to it, but has the fizz and tang of kombucha as well so it's a nice balance. I now have the original scoby and a newly produce baby scoby. They are both resting in a glass bowl (in the cupboard) with some of the kombucha until I brew another batch... which will probably start today:)

New SCOBY!

I've done some additional reading about brewing kombucha at home (and I am in NO WAY an authority or expert): however, I learned a few things I'll take into consideration with this next batch. First the tea, apparently some herbal teas have oils in them that give them certain flavors. These oils can disrupt the culture and alter the pH. I also learned that a safe pH level for kombucha is between 2.5 and 4.6. I am going to see if I can get my hands on some pH strips to test the pH levels to insure proper brewing.



first glass of
homebrewed kombucha!

 I used (sterilized) quart mason jars with plastic screwtop lids to store my finished kombucha. I used coffee filters (with pinholes pricked into them) to strain out any sediment. These will keep in the fridge for months (not that it will last that long).

Mid Week Pad Thai

Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines. The depth of flavors, spicy, tart, sweet, salty, mixed with the fresh vegetables and hearty noodles and rice are comfort food any time of the year. Pad Thai is the most popular Thai noodle dish and it can be made quickly and easily at home, even on a weekday! This isn't an "original" recipe so much as a morphed version of several different Pad Thai recipes I've seen. Since it's the "quick and easy" version I use a pre-made sauce (I'll be experimenting with a homemade sauce soon)! I was fortunate enough to have many of the ingredients available locally which always results in a better dish!

This recipe is very adaptable and I have a feeling it'll always come out a little different each time depending on what I have available. You'll want to make sure EVERYTHING is pre-chopped and ready to go in the pan as soon as you start cooking. This is a quick recipe and leaves no room for chopping/prepping once you start cooking.

So, without further ado, here is the quick and easy midweek Pad Thai recipe. This recipe makes one really big serving or 2 lunch size servings.

1/2 lb extra firm tofu, drained and cubed (takes about 30 mins to drain the water out)

1 egg

4 Tbs canola or peanut oil

1/4 package of straight cut rice noodles (I use Taste of Thai noodles, soak according to package directions, about 30 mins)

2-4 cloves minced garlic

2 carrots, sliced

4 scallions sliced

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

1/2 cup mung bean sprouts (I didn't have them this time, but normally use them)

1 small head of pak choi chopped (I don't usually have this but had some from my CSA)

3 Tbs of Taste of Thai Pad Thai sauce

cilantro for garnish

Heat a pan on medium high heat, add 2 Tbs oil, add tofu and cook until nicely browned. Add egg and scramble (only takes about 30 seconds). Remove tofu and egg from pan.

Add remaining oil, add all veggies (except scallions), garlic, and noodles. Once veggies are cooked add sauce, scallions, and peanuts. Stir to combine.

Garnish with mung bean sprouts and cilantro.

Super yummy! AND I have leftovers for tomorrow:)

Kombucha!!!!

I was given a very cool gift yesterday... a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). Don't worry, nobody gave me the flu or some mysterious virus from far off lands.  A scoby is the live culture used to make homemade kombucha! Kombucha is a Japanese fermented tea drink known for it's health promoting benefits. You can buy it in stores but it's terribly expensive ($4 a bottle!) and it's super easy to make at home... at least that is what my friend and coach, Amy, tells me.

Traditionally, you'd use black tea for kombucha, but since I'm trying to kick the caffeine habit I'm using wild sweet orange herbal tea. Other teas for making kombucha include green tea and white tea.

The process goes like this:

1. Boil 1 gallon of water in a big pot. Turn heat off once boiling occurs.

2. Add 12 teas bags and steep for 2-4 minutes (2 for white or green, 4 for black). I brewed my herbal tea for 4 because I like my tea strong and it didn't specify a time for herbal teas. Remove tea bags.

3. Add 1 cup or granulated sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw) and stir until dissolved. Don't worry about the amount of sugar by the time the fermenting process is complete Scoby has used up most of the sugar (it's what feeds this living culture) and the resulting kombucha is very low sugar (and approximately 25 calories per 8 oz cup).

4. Pour your sweet tea into a non-reactive (glass or plastic, NOT metal) wide-topped 1 gallon container. I used a big plastic Rubbermaid pitcher. Make sure it's super clean (i.e. sterilize it in the dishwasher). Add the scoby (liquid and all).

5. Now just let it sit for 7-30 days (depending on the strength of kombucha you'd want). It needs to be in a warm (75-80 degree) place and covered lightly (to keep out dust and other particles), a clean dish towel or one of those place bowl covers works well. I put mine in a cooler and every morning I put 2 quart sized mason jars of hot tap water in with it and close the lid.

6. Once your kombucha is done you can store it in glass/plastic containers in the fridge for several months (I'm sure you'll drink it all well before then) and the scoby (which will have grown to the size of your contain!) can be kept in a non-reactive container with just enough of the kombucha (or you could use sweet tea) to over it. I plan to keep my scoby (which I've named Josh... get it... Josh Scobee?!?! Jacksonville fans will laugh at my joke) in a Pyrex bowl (covered). Store it in a cupboard or somewhere room temperature.

I'm super excited to try my first kombucha! The other really cool thing about the scoby is that since it grows you can cut it into pieces and either make more than one batch at a time OR share your scoby with family and friends (just like my friend, Amy, shared a piece of her scoby with me)!

SOOO, if you are reading this and think this sounds like a cool thing to try, and you live relatively close by let me know and I'd happily share a piece of my scoby, Josh, with you so you can start making your own healthy kombucha!!

I'll be sure to update you all on the final product when it's done!

Tempt Me Tempeh!

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

Last week I bought some locally made organic tempeh from the Kennebec Local Food Initiative (KLFI). Not sure what to make with my tempeh, I went straight to my favorite recipe site Foodgawker.com and came across this little gem from The Hungry Birdie! I was pretty sure, judging by the ingredient list, that this would be a winning recipe as it has some of my favorite flavors (ginger, garlic, cilantro, hot sauce, lime). I followed the recipe almost exactly (I omitted the ginger ale from the sauce and added a handful of string beans to the veggie mix).


Just a few ingredients!

This is a very simple one (cooking) pan recipe that packs a LOT of punch! Be prepared to get your stove top messy, the pan frying of the tempeh caused quite a bit of splatter (an apron would be a good idea or you could just wear a junky old t-shirt like I did).
Serve the tempeh over the veggies with a side of brown rice, garnish with fresh cilantro and a small handful of salted peanuts and you've got yourself 5-star dining at home! The sauce alone is so good I had to step away from it for fear I'd eat it all by itself and have none left to cook with!


Serve with fresh
cilantro,salted peanuts,
over brown rice!

Recipe Review: A BIG TIME winner! I'll make this one again and again. I liked my addition of the string beans, and that sauce is to-die-for, I'll have to find other ways to use it!



Locally made organic tempeh!
Best tempeh EVER!!

 Have you ever tried tempeh? What's your favorite tempeh recipe?

Pan frying the tempeh.

Veggies in sauce

Tempeh in sauce

This is what Andy had for dinner,
baked chicken thighs with steamed
green beans... BORING!

Move Over Lays!

Local beets from Long Meadow
Farm, West Gardiner.

I was happy to see that I received beets in my last two CSA shares! They are early season beets which means they are small, but sweet and yummy! I decided to make beet chips with my 6 little beets. They were SUPER easy to make and WOW are they delicious!! I may never eat another potato chip again!

Sliced beets ready for a toss
in the olive oil.

I don't have a fancy mandolin slicer or anything like that, I just used my trusty ole chef's knife to slice the beets as thinly as possible. I didn't even bother to peel them (just gave them a good washing). Your fingers will get a little pink but it washes off easily. I had about a cup or so of slices with the amount of beets I had. I used about 1/2 to 3/4 T of olive oil and gave them a good coating and gave them a little shaking of sea salt.

Sliced, tossed, seasoned,
and ready for the oven.

I WISH I had more baking sheets (and more beets), they shrink up  A LOT as they cook. I set my timer for 20 minutes and checked on them, the smaller and thinner slices were done, I left the others in for another 5 minutes or so. The more consistent you can be with your slices (this is where the mandolin comes in handy) the more consistently they will cook.

The final product. Take a picture,
they won't last long!!

They are soooooo delicious!! No joke, I ate them all in less then a minute! Next time I do them I'd like bigger beets (for bigger chips) and  A LOT more beets (for more chips)! I'm also going to experiment with different seasonings. Any suggestions for spices that pair well with beets?

 RECIPE REVIEW: This is a super easy, quick recipe and a delicious one at that! I think this would be a wonderful way to introduce picky eaters or kids to beets. I'll be making this one again (and again and again and again...)!

CSA Week 2

Every Thursday for the next 18 weeks is going to be like a mini Christmas for me! It's CSA pick-up day at Long Meadow Farm in West Gardiner. It's still very early in the growing season here in Maine, but the goods are so yummy!

Today was sunny and gorgeous so the drive out to the farm was especially nice! When I arrived at the share house my basket of veggies was overflowing with spring crops; baby beets with the greens, swiss chard, a normal sized head of leaf lettuce, sugar snap peas, and kale! There was also a promise of carrots coming soon!!

This is pretty much identical to what I got last week, so I'll have to come up with some new things to make this week. I'll certainly make a big tossed salad (I still have more than half the head of lettuce from last week) and probably bring it into work to share. I'll make another batch of the Kale and Chickpea stew that I made last week, too. BUT, that still leaves me with more kale, beets, beet greens, swiss chard, and sugar snap peas to use this week. I'll likely add the sugar snap peas to my sweet and sour tempeh stir fry. I was thinking about making beet chips, or roasted beets and potatoes. I would like to do something different with the beet greens and swiss chard but not really sure. Here are a few ideas, thoughts?

Swiss Chard Frittata I'm thinking I could add in some beet greens as well.

Swiss Chard and Chickpeas Again, I'd throw in some beet greens and probably substitute orzo for the rice.

Swiss Chard, Onion and Cheese Enchiladas STOP THE PRESSES! We may have a winner here! I <3 mexican flavors and this looks like it would reheat really well (hello! leftovers for lunches)!

Which of the recipes above should I make with my swiss chard and beet greens?

Greens and Eggs

CSA share week 1

I'm learning (quickly) that when you are the only vegetarian in the house and you are part of a CSA you'll be eating A LOT of greens!! I picked up my first CSA share last Thursday, it included: kale, beets with the greens, sugar snap peas, swiss chard, and a ginormous head of red leaf lettuce. My head was spinning with ideas about what to make with all this awesome stuff.


Greens and Eggs

Huge Ass Salad!

I made a HUGE ASS tossed salad (and I still have more than half the head of lettuce left)! I could literally feed a dozen people with this salad, but alas, it will just be me eating it (and possibly some co-workers). Sunday, I made a fabulous kale and chickpea stew with vegetarian chorizo (this recipe will be going into the regular rotation). Tonight I made use of the beet greens and swiss chard in a saute with garlic and topped with feta (made locally by Pine Land Creamery). I served my sauteed greens with over-easy eggs and toast. Have you ever noticed how bright and vibrant local eggs are compared to their grocery store counterparts? The picture doesn't do them justice (because I use have a crappy camera), but the yolks are ORANGE! And they taste sooooo much better.

Look at the SIZE of this lettuce!

I still have beets and sugar snap peas (and the rest of the HUGE lettuce) to eat, AND I'll get another delivery on Thursday!!

Do any of you do a CSA? What goodies are you getting and what are you doing with all that yummy produce?

A Blog all about FOOD!

Welcome to my new blog, iEat! I am a self proclaimed foodie who happens to also be a new vegetarian. This blog will cover everything from funny food facts to fabulous recipes I've made (I don't generally create my own recipes). I appreciate our locally grown foods here in Maine. I have joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) for the first time this year and I'm excited to get (and EAT) all those local organic veggies!

To start off, I'm sharing some photos (and links) of recipes I've made and enjoyed. Bon appetit!

Baked eggs in sourdough bread bowls, with side salad. Recipe found on Noble Pig.

Inspired by the Mighty Avo-dite Salad at Silly's Restaurant in Portland, ME. Spinach salad with buffalo tofu, avocado, black olives, and feta.



Vegan flat bread with Daiya "cheese", tomatoes and basil from my garden, on locally made wheat crust.

There are just a few of my favorite dishes. I'll be sure to share my successes (and failures... think "smoke alarms") as I experiment with vegetarian cooking!