3 cups Bleh Blackberry Protein Shake This was not particularly yummy – it was bleh. The result? I plugged-n-chugged! Lol. It had blackberries, sunflower lecithin, Sun Warrior Natural Protein Powder, avocado, agave nectar, vanilla, lucuma, and green powder.
1 Goji Wonder Treat I had to have something to cover up for the bleh shake so I had one of my Goji Wonder Treats. The recipe is from my soon to be released Raw Vegan Transition book. It worked… the bleh shake was quickly forgotten. ;)
Kelp noodles with _____ Sauce I’m not a real fan of kelp noodles, but I’ve figured the trick to liking them… giving them a good rinse, then soaking them in water with a little lemon or lime juice, then rinsing again. And, finally, topping them with a rich, creamy sauce.
Hence, ____ Sauce. I made a new recipe and haven’t committed to a name yet, so I’m calling it _____ Sauce for now. And, this sauce? THE BOMB!! It was love at first taste. I was hoping to add it to my Raw Vegan Transitions book, only 6 simple ingredients, but I think I’m too late in the editing and book designing process. Therefore, I guess I’ll just have to publish it HERE on my blog. :) It’s sooooooooooooooo good! It reminds me of a cheese fondue sauce my mom used to make when I was little. Anyway… I served it over the kelp noodles with a diced organic apple.
On facebook, I was told about a different kind of noodle that is supposed to blow kelp noodles out of the water – no pun intended – lol – is that even a pun? They’re Raw Sea Spaghetti from Sirova.com. Have you had them? Do you like? I’m eager to try them.
Toast with _____ Sauce What can I say? I loved the sauce so much that I had it slathered all over some rye toast.
Romaine Lettuce with chickpeas and Olive Tahini Dressing Delicious, refreshing, and both my husband and I were licking our plates because the dressing is fantastic. Who wants that recipe?
2 teaspoons green powder with water I finally found a green powder that I feel comfortable taking while breastfeeding. I’ll blog about it this week.
Kelp noodles with _____ Sauce Another serving. Yum!
Romaine Lettuce with chickpeas and Olive Tahini Dressing
Another serving. Mmmmmm!
3 cups Banana Finesse rice milk, bananas, ice, carob and almond extract blended up
Over the past many months I’ve received a variety of samples from some wonderful companies. The brilliant thing about these items is that they can be used to make a fast raw vegan snack or they are already a ready-to-eat raw vegan snack. Gotta love those! Sure, for some of these, I could make my own homemade versions, and I often do, but it’s nice to have these available online (and in some health food stores) for those times that I run out, I’m traveling, or I just plain want to be lazy and pay someone else to do it.
I’ve said many times… one of the keys to staying raw vegan with ease is having things that you can turn to quickly for snacking and eating. The following items are great for that! Some are perfect for snacks, travel, keeping in your desk drawer at work, making simple recipes, or having on hand when you’re stuck in line at the DMV. ;)
What I find especially exciting is that for the past year or so I’ve noticed there are many companies who are making amazing raw vegan products. It seems like every time I go to Whole Foods, there is something new. Gone are the days of limited choice. Today, we not only have a plethora of options, but these companies are making some butt-kicking products!
I love having nut butters in my refrigerator, so when Artisana sent me some of their products to sample, I was elated. For starters, I love enjoying nut butters right off the spoon – thick, rich, and satisfying. Artisana’s products fit that bill perfectly. They’re creamy and fresh – taste just like nuts (or seeds) should taste as if I were eating a handful of them. Sometimes a spoonful of nut butter is just what I need to hold me over until dinner (or until my next snack – lol).
But, that’s not all. I use these nut butters to make 1-minute raw vegan nut milks (blend a tablespoon of nut butter with a cup of water). I also use them to add a creamy element to dressings (especially the cashew butter – you’re going to love one of the new recipes I came up with using their Raw Cashew Butter). The beauty of raw nut butters is you don’t need to soak nuts for certain recipes like raw vegan milks, dressings, certain desserts, etc. You just scoop it out of the jar and add to your recipe. Easy peasy! For example, I used their raw tahini in this video and I used their Cacao Bliss in the smoothie written about here. I also used their almond butter, tahini, cashew butter, and coconut oil for some raw chocolate truffle recipes.
This is a new company for me. Kaia Foods sent me a number of their products to sample and I’m so happy they did. The first thing I tore into was the bag of sprouted sunflower seeds (garlic and salt). Yummm…. I could smell the garlic upon opening the bag. Later that day, I made a batch of cooked organic quinoa and tossed some of these on top. I was really impressed with how much flavor they added to the dish. As I write this, we have them in a little cup on our counter alongside dishes of goji berries and raisins for awesome power snacking! They also sent other flavors: Sweet Curry was AWESOME! If you’re a curry fan, these will not disappoint. Cocoa Mole was EXCELLENT (with a little cayenne kick that comes into play)! Teriyaki was SUPERB and I enjoyed these while I watched American Idol last week! The flavors of their seeds are exactly as described by their titles. You know what you’re getting when you bite into it. Kaia Foods makes the best flavored sprouted seeds. I like that I can eat them by themselves for a truly satisfying snack or I can add them to plain jane recipes, which will totally kick them up many notches in excitement. I’m officially a loyal fan! Great job, Kaia Foods!
Next, I tried their Spiced Apple Fruit Leather- wow – that was a super treat. Each bite the flavor was like, POW POW! The texture is as you’d expect with a fruit leather… chewy, a bit tough, and takes a bit of time to get through the whole thing. I LOVED it, and I plan on stocking up on these. I also loved the Vanilla Pear.
They have a variety of raw granolas from which to choose as well. Right now, I’m munching on a bowl of the Cocoa Bliss and it’s really good (I made 1-Minute Almond Milk by blending 1 tablespoon of Artisana’s raw organic almond butter with 1 cup of water). I especially enjoy the texture of the Cocoa Bliss – not too heavy and not too light. (I think the granola from Two Mom’s in the Raw is a bit too heavy and sticky for my preference, while the granola that I usually eat from Go Raw is very light. Kaia Foods’ Cocoa Bliss granola is somewhere in between, and I like it). It’s not overly sweet either, but the cocoa comes through nicely. I want a second bowl. Only a 1/2 cup for a serving? Really? Well, I think I need two servings then… one for me and one for Monkey. ;) That rationale works for me.
I’m partial to raw granola because it can be a quick snack on the run by itself, or a fast meal at home with a raw nut milk. I also tried the Dates & Spice granola which had a good flavor, but the texture of this one was a little too much for me. My bag had a lot of big junks of dehydrated dates with some buckwheat, and the dates were too hard, chewy, and big to eat (for me). Next, I tried the Raisin Cinnamon… ahh… a nice texture. It had a subtle flavor, but still good. If I were shopping for these, I’d probably end up buying the Cocoa Blisson a regular basis, although the Raisin Cinnamon would probably end up in my cart from time to time as well.
Tuesday marked the beginning of my 11th week of pregnancy. I officially have the “glow” and I’ve realized some other perks of being pregnant… for example… after I finish eating a big meal, I don’t have to suck in my stomach. Sweet!
Many of you want to know what I’m eating while pregnant. I’m still experiencing nausea, but it comes in waves now. It’s not all day long like it was for a few weeks there. Nonetheless, when it hits, it hits. When the nausea first started, it killed my appetite so I basically ate whatever vegan food sounded remotely good to me. It varied from bread to lentils to lots of fresh watery fruit. One thing for sure… I seem to be quite thirsty in spite of my liquid consumption. For about 2 weeks, my diet was half Raw, all vegan, and mostly organic (the “mostly” part comes from eating out – if more restaurants offered organic, it’d be much easier to keep my diet 100% organic; everything I make at home is organic).
Then, even though I was still nauseous a lot of the time, my body directed me back to mostly Raw. So, these days I have mostly High Raw days and I have some medium Raw days. For the Raw stuff: I’m consuming (all organic) green juices, green smoothies, fresh fruit, veggies and dips, a Raw dessert here and there, Raw granola, nut butters, sauerkraut, fermented veggies, protein shakes made with nut/seed milks and Manitoba Harvest Hemp Protein Powder, chia seeds, etc. For some of the cooked vegan foods: I’ve had homemade organic bread (banana bread and cranberry orange bread), organic saltine crackers, organic brown rice and steamed vegetables, organic lentils, hummus, veggie burger, etc… there are other things, but that gives you a good idea.
Here is an example of what I had Tuesday (everything is 100% organic):
Green Juice
I made 6 cups of green juice with my Hurom juicer (see my juicer review videos here). I drank 3 cups of it. I saved 2 cups for my soup later. I saved 1 cup for my husband. The juice had so many things: garlic, lemon, orange, cucumber, carrot, celery, kale, romaine.
Weird Protein Seed Milk Shake
I made a shake with 2 cups water, 1 large apple, 4 Tablespoons Hemp protein powder, 2 tablespoons Hemp seeds, 2 T ground chia seeds, and 1 T of a mixture made from raw chocolate/agave/coconut oil. I know. Weird combo. I’ll admit, it wasn’t one of my star recipes, but it filled me with plenty of omegas, protein, and nutrition. I drank it on my balcony while getting my Vitamin D from the sun.
Salad & Crackers
I made an enormous salad of romaine lettuce and rainbow chard. I also chopped up a red bell pepper. For the dressing, I made a mixture of water, lemon juice, coconut vinegar, black tahini (I love making recipes with black tahini, it’s so cool looking), Himalayan crystal salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and garlic. I had about 5 small saltine crackers with it. I was having an intense nausea period.
Energy Soup
I took the 2 cups of green juice that I had stored and used that as my base. I blended it with 1 carrot, 1 large apple, dulse flakes, and 2 Tablespoons hemp seeds. It was pretty good. It made about 1 quart.
Ants On A Log & Salad & More Crackers
The salad had romaine lettuce and red bell pepper with Himalayan crystal salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil. I had a few more saltine crackers. And, the Ants On A Log were celery stalks with nut butter and raisins. Hmm! Just as good as when I was a kid.
Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie
I made a couple of pumpkin pies last week. I’m saving one for Thanksgiving, and I made the 2nd one for my husband and I to share over the week before Thanksgiving. The recipe is awesome and it’s from my holiday book/ebook available here.
Next week, I’m blogging about what I did to detox and get healthy for my pregnancy. Be sure to check back!
This recipe came to me as I was falling asleep, as most of my recipes do. Like usual, I rolled over in bed, grabbed my iPhone and started emailing the notes of my ideas to myself.
Here’s the thing… most Raw vegan cookies use some sort of dehydrated fruit to help bind it and add sweetness. But, I can’t recall ever coming across a Raw vegan cookie recipe that used dehydrated banana slices! They’re perfect… FULL of flavor, sweet, chewy-like, and delicious. Knowing that I could pair them with walnuts (or any nuts) would give me wonderful banana nut flavors. After I made these, my first bite sent my head swimming in joy.
You can enjoy these delicious treats by themselves, of course! Or, have them alongside a tall glass of Creamy Dreamy Hemp Milk (recipe here). Or, crumble them in a bowl with raw granola and enjoy as your breakfast. Or, crumble them over Raw vegan vanilla ice cream.
Now, making these requires using dehydrated banana slices that are HOME MADE. Don’t use the ones bought in the store. They’re too hard and probably have crappy preservatives on them. So, if you don’t have a dehydrator yet, then borrow someone’s or get one! And, while you’re at it, get the Excalibur (details here), because it’s the best on the market and has a fantastic warranty.
Without further ado… here is my EASY recipe for delicious Raw Vegan Cookies.
Place the walnuts, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade and process to a coarse grind. Add the dehydrated banana slices and process until they’re broken down and incorporated. As that is happening, add the raw agave nectar. Process the mixture until you get a dough-like consistency. Form into small cookies (either flat as shown in the picture or in balls). Enjoy!
* For optimal digestion, use walnuts that have been soaked and dehydrated. To do this, soak the walnuts in filtered water for 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse. Spread the walnuts out on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 135 degrees for 45 minutes. Lower the temperature to 105 degrees and continue dehydrating until dry (approximately 12-24 hours).
** This recipe is designed to use dehydrated banana slices that you make yourself so they’re not processed with any other ingredients other than the bananas themselves. You’ll notice that banana slices in the store tend to be crunchy. By using homemade dehydrated banana slices, they maintain a softer, chewier texture, which is great for this recipe, and they’re fresh and pure. To make yours, simply slice the bananas and dehydrate them for about 18-24 hours or until a dry, chewy texture is obtained.
My favorite brands of tea are Mountain Rose Herbs and Traditional Medicinals. Today I made a mixture of Raspberry Leaf, Nettle, and Alfalfa. Nice female tonic. Go girl!
Pretty & Jazzy Juice
This juice was so dang pretty, I didn’t want to drink it. I just wanted to stare at it. I made it with my Breville and it contained 2 oranges (peeled), 7 smallish/medium carrots, big ol’ knob of ginger. The orange and carrots made it pretty and the heavy ginger gave it some jazz. It was AWESOME! (I should have taken a picture of it.)
These were soaked, sprouted and dehydrated. They’re a great source for iron and zinc. Yum! Zinc is important for fertility, especially male fertility!
Fresh Raw Zucchini & Cucumber Pasta
I spiralized zucchini and cucumber with my Benriner Turning Slicer (demonstrated toward the end of this video). I put it in a bowl and added fresh squeezed lemon juice, Himalayan crystal saltand black pepper. Then, I diced up red bell pepper and avocado (using the fruit scooper in this video to get all my avocado out), and threw that on top. Finally, I added fresh raw corn cut from the cob and tossed that in. My husband and I were loving up this fresh concoction. *NOTE: it’s best to cut and use the juice from lemons right before serving (when possible) because from the moment of cutting, you start to lose the precious vitamin C… like, by the minute.
Buckwheat and Fresh Veggies
I mixed up a little cooked buckwheat with a bunch of fresh raw veggies and non sweet fruit and topped it with a fantastic raw sauce mixture of tahini, tamari, ginger, and other awesome flavorings.
I didn’t have hazelnuts, so I used a mixture of hemp seeds, (soaked, sprouted and dehydrated) sunflower seeds, and (soaked and dehydrated) walnuts. *TIP: I have a ready supply of these gems in my freezer so I can quickly grab one whenever I want. That’s one of the keys to succeeding with the raw vegan lifestyle. Have food on hand, already made, ready to eat. Trust me. When I’m going to a restaurant, I can grab my Raw dessert and stash it in my purse so when I get a craving for dessert, I can gobble up my secret treat. When I arrive home from a day of running errands, I like knowing that I can go to my countertop ready to eat snacks and enjoy a nutritious snack (things like garlic basil chia crisps, prunes, dates, sprouted / dehydrated sunflower and pumpkin seeds, goji berries, raisins, etc).
This is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets (available here). What can I say? I’m a gadget girl. It makes scooping out avocado so effortless and FUN! They make GREAT gifts, too! (Holidays aren’t that far off.) :)
And, it comes in a pack of three. I use the red for avocado, the green for getting the greatest, longest pieces of coconut meat from young Thai coconuts, and the orange is supposed to be great for mango.
Now… some of you might say, “Oh, I can use a spoon for that.” Well, let me tell ya. The beauty of this scooper is that it (like practically every time) takes out the avocado in one lovely perfect avocado half. And, that makes it easy for dicing up when serving the avocado in other kinds of dishes. So, for example, when I dice avocado for a salad or a noodle dish, I need the avocado in as perfect a piece as I can get. Then, I slice horizontally in half (across) while keeping the avocado in place. Then, I slice vertically through in 3-4 slices. Voila, it’s like perfect little cubes. If you used to a spoon to get the avocado out, odds are, it comes out in pieces, making the dicing process not as nice and uniform.
For the past week, I’ve been living up the Raw lifestyle big time (like usual I guess, haha, but more intense. I took out a bunch of my recipe books and I’m having a blast in the kitchen. Details below…
Here is a picture of my refrigerator loaded to the gills after we went to Whole Foods Market and the farmers’ market (where I’m a part of an awesome certified organic CSA). Most of the goodies are from the farmers’ market, but a few things I had to score from WFM such as kale, mustard greens, blueberries, raspberries, celery, cilantro, and parsley.
Here is my light reading of the week… a couple of great magazines. VegNews and Purely Delicious. I’m also reading a book by Deepak Chopra, M.D. My goal is to spend time away from the computer for a few days because my right eye has been twitching for a week. It feels the most irritated when I’m working on my computer or using my iPhone, which I do ALL the time. Those two things must be the culprits because 1) I get PLENTY of sleep and 2) My body is full of any and all vitamins that if there was a deficiency it would cause that. Some could offer the suggestion that it’s stress, but my life is pretty calm for the most part in spite of my fertility adventures (will update you on that this week). And, again, once I start working on my iMac or look at the iPhone, my eye feels strained.
We’ve been having 1-2 large green smoothies every day (I took a break from juicing this week – I like to change it up from time to time). Green smoothies (green shakes, green monsters – whatever you want to call them) are a staple in my life. They’re super easy to make and HELLO! they’re loaded with nutrition, fiber, and goodness. I topped this one with home grown sprouts for fun (see my video on how to grow your own sprouts here).
Saturday night we had a birthday party to attend and I figured the restaurant probably wouldn’t have anything really healthy, so we filled up on this dish before we left the house. I made Raw zucchini/vegetable pasta medley with Lemon Basil Cashew Cream. It was refreshing and deliciously unique. (You’ll notice the “clump” of sauce in the center. I hadn’t stirred it into the dish when I took the picture. With raw pasta dishes it’s OK – even preferable – to have thick sauces because the water from the veggies helps to dilute it after it’s stirred together).
I had chia seeds in my breakfasts a couple of days last week. More specifically, Sunny Morning Chia Porridge (no oats in this porridge though!). The mixture consisted of chia seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, orange juice, cashews, stevia, almond extract, agave nectar, and cinnamon. It was just lightly sweet, making it ideal for my breakfast. And, full of energy of course!
For dessert all week, I’ve been making different variations of raw banana ice cream. My husband LOVES this stuff. Seriously. Every time I give him a dish of it, he swears… yes, literally swear words – like “Sh*t this rocks!” (he says other things, but I’ll keep this post “PG” rated), because he loves the stuff and is amazed at the texture and flavors. I like to make it in my food processor because it helps make it fluffy by incorporating more air (as opposed to making it in a blender or Green Star).
Banana Ice Cream Crumble: I made a crumble of walnuts, raisins, shredded unsweetened coconut, and a pinch of Himalayan crystal salt. I put some crumble in the bottom of two bowls. Then, I pureed frozen bananas. I put the banana ice cream in the bowls and then topped them with more crumble. Yum! The various textures were awesome – smooth raw vegan ice cream, crunchy nuts, and chewy raisins. Today I froze 3 bunches of bananas for more Raw Banana Ice Cream.
I also made a batch of my delicious soup, Kristen Suzanne’s Harvest Soup (Holiday Style with pumpkin spice added) – it’s fabulous, easy, and FULL of nutrients. Today’s batch was a tiny bit different than my original recipe. I didn’t have dates on hand so I used maple syrup. I could have used raw agave nectar, but opted for the maple syrup to support the holiday flavor theme of the soup.
Later this week I’m going to make my lasagna and hummus recipes (these recipes are always huge hits with family and friends). I’m also going to make some dishes of uber simplicity such as chopped (or spiralized) zucchini/cucumber topped with a drizzle of olive oil (or diced avocado), Himalayan crystal salt, pepper, and a squeeze of citrus. And, some huge salads are in order.
Raw Vegan Rocks!
**Update(it’s 4:39am, 9/1/09)
Well, I ended up having quite the chocolate craving tonight with nothing in the house stashed away for a rainy day. But, I didn’t wear a frown for long. I grabbed my Chocolate Recipe book and turned to the Chocolate Crunch Hazelnut Macaroons (recipe here) and in less than 15 minutes I was a smiling girl. Chocolate covered fingers and all.
Shortly after that… I was craving GREEN JUICE! So, I busted out my GreenStar (my favorite way to juice these days) and made about 10 cups of juice (I gave my husband 2 cups, I drank a quart, then we went on a 2 mile walk at 3:30 am and I’m now home updating this post while drinking the remaining quart of green juice). What was in it? So many good things. I’m calling it Army Green Juice (because the color was truly army green and gorgeous!). The recipe: 2 red bell peppers, 1/2 lemon, 1 orange peeled, 1 large cucumber, 1 medium cucumber, 1/3 bunch Italian parsley, 2 large heads of Romaine lettuce (my first time juicing Romaine, Mr. Monarch and Ms. Stokes-Monarch inspired me), 8 medium carrots, and 4 leaves of mustard greens. YUM!!! I’m full of RAW VITALITY!!!
I made my third batch of organic, raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut Tuesday. This time I used organic (and locally grown!) cabbage and carrots. (I also threw in some organic cayenne pepper, but that part wasn’t shown in the video. I wish I had organic fresh hot peppers to use.) I can’t wait to see how it turns out… have to wait a month. Patience. I recorded the steps (briefly) so that you can see how darn easy it is to make this awesomely nutritious and delicious food. Fermented Foods Rule!!!
I used this food fermenting vessel. It’s some of the best money I’ve ever spent. I’ve already paid for it more than once with the sauerkraut I’ve made, so this is a great way to save money. And, it should last my lifetime.
I get email after email from people telling me how much they love this simple soup. My husband’s and my favorite way is to prepare it with the pumpkin pie spice. Yum!
I always make a double batch of this heavenly scrumptious pudding and it’s devoured in a couple of days. I love it. My husband loves it. My step-dad loves it. My mom loves it. Need I say more?
My regular followers know I’m addicted to this sauce. I love dipping carrots and celery into it. I love dipping organic blue corn chips into it. I love dipping flax crackers into it. I love using it as a sauce on cooked or raw veggie burgers. I simply LOVE it! *Note: my favorite chili powder for this recipe is by Simply Organic.
This recipe is EASY PEASY! It’s extra delicious and is packed with uber healthy ingredients. Worried about garlic breath? No problem. Just make sure you serve some of this to people you’re going to be around. ;)
This week I made my first batch of sauerkraut using my new fancy shmancy pot designed for fermenting veggies. I’m super excited but also a little whiny because I have to wait 4 weeks to see if it even worked out! It’s sitting on my counter now and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Fermented (raw, organic, and unpasteurized) veggies including things like sauerkraut and kim-chi are amazing for your health. These foods are extremely popular and have been staples in people’s diets all over the world. I can’t help but wonder why it’s not a staple in ours?Well, I’m changing that! On an almost daily basis, I’ve been chowing down on 1/4-1/2 cup fermented veggies. I love it!
Since I don’t have my own homemade sauerkraut (yet!), I’ve been buying it (expensively) at Whole Foods. My favorite company is Gold Mine Natural Foods (but not all Whole Foods carry this brand) so I also buy Rejuvenative’s sauerkraut and kim-chi. Hopefully in no time at all, I’ll have saved enough money from making my own sauerkraut to pay for the pot.
Nutrition! The benefits are numerous. It’s reputed for helping fight disease! YAY! It’s awesome for your digestion. WHOO-HOO! It helps load you up with friendly bacteria, and it’s filled with vitamins, minerals, and enzymes! SCORE FOR FERMENTATION!
But, don’t take it from me. Fermented veggies have been used for natural healing for years (and I mean LOTS of years). More specifically, the Chinese have been fermenting cabbage for thousands of years! In fact, according to the book, Making Sauerkraut, the earliest recording of fermented cabbage occurred in 200 BC. Isn’t that cool?
I want to mention here that it’s important to eat only Raw, Organic, Unpasteurized sauerkraut. If it’s been pasteurized, then the nutritious and beneficial friendly bacteria are wiped out (sadly).
In the past, I’ve made kraut with only a glass mason jar, but the trouble is that it didn’t always come out right. That’s why I decided to get the HarschGairtopf Fermenting Crock Pot. I’m all into making things as easy on me as possible! Apparently, this thing is fool-proof (sign me up!). It received great reviews on Amazon (all the sizes). I bought the 7.5L size a couple of weeks ago and made my first batch of organic sauerkraut the other day. Now, I wish I had bought another one so that I can start a batch of something else… maybe some Kim-Chi. But, I’ll wait and see how I do with the first batch. I’m eager to make something with fun flavors, spices, and herbs. Oh! I’m so excited.
To begin, I went to the farmer’s market on Saturday and bought 10 pounds of organic, locally grown cabbage from my favorite farmer, Doug (if you’re in the Phoenix area… have you signed up for the CSA yet? I think it starts this week!). I read that it is very important to use organic cabbage for fermenting (I always buy organic everything anyway). The sauerkraut ferments better with organic cabbage.
I came home and cleaned my crock, let it air dry, and then went to work on preparing the sauerkraut for fermenting.
I peeled off the outer leaves of the cabbage and set them aside (I used a few of them at the end for covering the top of the shredded cabbage). Then, I started shredding away. Each cabbage was about 2 pounds which was perfect, because it’s recommended that you use about 1 tablespoon sea salt (I always use Himalayan crystal salt) for each 2 pounds of cabbage. Going forward, I’ll decide whether to use the same amount of salt (or less) but for my first batch, I went along with the directions.
I used my food processor, fitted with the shredding plate/blade, and shredded 1 (2 pound) head of cabbage. I put it in a big bowl and added a tablespoon of my salt. I used a potato masher and starting pushing on the cabbage in order to break it down some and release water (my arms had a little workout from this). Once it got a little juicy, I transferred it to the crock. I then did the same thing for the remaining 4 heads of cabbage. This whole process took me about an hour. Once it was all put in my Harsch fermenting crock, I placed the outer leaves I previously saved, on top of the shredded cabbage.
Then, I placed the “weights” that came with the Harsch crock on top of the cabbage. I put on the lid and poured a little water in the moat (this gives it a water seal). Now… it’s sitting on my counter. The only concern I have is that I hope the temperature of my home is okay. It’s hot and dry in Arizona, so I’m keeping my eye on it, which is kind of useless since I’m instructed not to open it until I’m ready to harvest it. I don’t want to crank the air conditioning up in order to make sauerkraut since that would use a lot of energy. So, I have a little fan on it to help keep it cool. Ideally, I’d have a thermometer next to it to read the temperature, but I can’t find it :(
I have to wait a minimum of 3 weeks to harvest my sauerkraut. I think I’ll wait at least 4 weeks since it gives it extra fermentation time. At the time of harvesting my precious, (hopefully) delicious sauerkraut, I’ll transfer it to glass mason jars, use my FoodSaver (with mason jar attachment) to suck out all of the air for even better storage, and keep it in my refrigerator.
I'm Kristen, and welcome to my blog. I'm a wife, mom, author, and I love to eat so food is usually the topic of my blog posts. I'm a former (almost decade long) vegan turned back omnivore who enjoys reading, rebounding, coffee, and dark chocolate. More...
I'm Kristen, and welcome to my blog. I'm a wife, mom, author, and I love to eat so food is usually the topic of my blog posts. I'm a former (almost decade long) vegan turned back omnivore who enjoys reading, rebounding, coffee, and dark chocolate. 
