Clean.

My blog is moving!

Big news, my friends! I'm moving my blog from here to my shiny new site, rachelwolfclean.com.

I think you'll find my new blog is nicer to look at, easier to navigate, and more mobile-friendly. Do tell me what you think! Then update your favorites folders, and head over to explore and subscribe.

I don't want to lose you in the switch, so I've added an email link to the front page to simplify you keeping up-to-date on new posts. 

See you there!

 

Love,

Rachel

Quick & easy chicken carnitas

On something of a whim this winter (while we were at the cabin celebrating the Solstice), I whipped up a batch of chicken carnitas for dinner. I had had them a few times before and craved them constantly, and I knew that we'd all be down. Plus they were ridiculously easy to make - always a bonus in my book (especially on vacation).

And? They were pretty much the best thing ever.

We ate every bite, and have made them at least once a week since, with no one tiring of them (quite possibly a record for our crew).

And considering the 90-some chickens we butchered this summer that are still filling most of a chest freezer in the barn, I don't see them dropping off our meal plan any time soon.

The recipe that follows is flexible and forgiving. I normally make them the day-of in my Instant Pot, but if we'll be away all day I use the slow cooker. I've also partially made them ahead and frozen the meat and sauce separately after removing it from the bones. After thawing, I simply proceed with the recipe from the broiling step. Works like a snap! I've even jammed a frozen bird in both the IP and the slow cooker with equally delicious results. 

Before I dig in on the recipe, I would like to acknowledge that I am a midwestern Norwegian girl living in rural Wisconsin. This is not my family recipe or my tradition. With that in mind I would like to take a moment to thank to the brilliant culinary minds of Michoacán who first conceived of this delicious wonder. My family thanks, you, my tastebuds thank you, I thank you. Sincerely. 

My interpretation is simple, fast, and kid-friendly. It's mild because, well, children - but because Pete and I really like spice I serve it with homemade sriracha (A spicy homemade salsa would suffice as well.)

The whole thing can be made from start-to-serve in under 2 hours with an Instant Pot, or take the slow road and let it simmer all day in your slow cooker. As an aside, I discovered recently that Wisconsin-based West Bend brand slow cookers are lead-free, if you, like me, fret about such things. (Those are afflinks, by the way.)

Serve your carnitas on your favorite tortilla (corn, GF-wheat-like, or actual wheat) or in a bowl with rice, crisp romaine, and maybe a few corn chips. Or go paleo and serve on a bed of lettuce. 

Basically, you can't go wrong with this.

Oh, and the pear salsa. The pear salsa! It's almost a requisite part of the meal. I made it up on a whim with what we had on hand at the cabin last December and we've stuck with it every since. Don't skip it. 

Hungry yet? Me, too. Let's get cooking. 

Quick & Easy Chicken Carnitas Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken or equivalent in chicken parts (Boneless/skinless is fine, bone-in skin-on is fine, too. See how flexible we are? Use what you have. Mine is a whole, homegrown bird with skin and bones.)
• 1 tb ground cumin
• 2 tsp salt
•  2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (from 1-2 limes)
• 1 head garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 pint chicken broth or stock

At the table

Serve with any or all of the accoutrements below. (I normally opt for all.)

• Fresh pear salsa (recipe below)
• 1 lime cut in half, then eighths
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Sriracha or other heat of your choice
• Chopped red onion
• Tortillas, chips, rice, or lettuce (or all of the above)
• Live fermented cortido or kraut

Instructions 

1. Pour stock into Instant Pot or slow cooker. Place chicken on top of broth, then pour lime juice over the chicken. Top with spices and garlic. 

2. Cook in your Instant Pot for 40 minutes, natural release. My IP is older and doesn't have different pressure settings, so if you have a fancy newfangled one, (afflink) you're on your own. Chicken parts will require less time than a whole bird. 

If using a slow cooker, set on low for approximately 8 hours.

Your goal is a chicken that is fully cooked and tender. Err on the side of slightly overcooked. Our goal is ridiculously tender meat.

3. Remove chicken and set aside on a cookie sheet until cool enough to handle. Reserve liquid in the cooker until the next step. 

4. When chicken is cool enough to comfortably handle, preheat your broiler to high. Remove bones and skin, reserving for stock-making. * I sometimes toss the skin back into the liquid in the pot for a minute to do some spice recovery, then remove, but it's not necessary.

5. Using your hands or a couple of forks, shred chicken into bite-sized strips and return to the cookie sheet. Pour 2/3 of your cooking liquid over meat, approximately 1 cup, and stir or toss to combine. 

6. Place under broiler with rack pretty close to the heat. Broil for 10 to 12 minutes, then remove, stir, and return to broiler for another 10 to 12 minutes.

After 2 rounds the edges of the meat should be starting to get crispy and amazing. Depending on your broiler heat, you'll want to do this a total of 2 to 5 times until your meat looks something like the photo below, with a good mix of dark crispy bits and soft, tender pieces. 

(This is a good time to make your pear salsa, below.)

7. When chicken is crispy in parts but still juicy and tender it's ready to eat! Serve with tortillas or lettuce, pear salsa (below), limes, and other toppings listed above. 

For Fresh Pear Salsa

• 2 large or 3 medium fresh, ripe pears
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 green onions, sliced (or 1/2 red onion, minced)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprica
• pinch of cayenne (optional)
• salt to taste 

Instructions

Core and stem pear, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Combine with remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Taste, adjust seasoning, and eat.

And eat.

And... eat.

 

 

P.S. Need a printer-friendly version? Here you go!  

Download Quick & Easy Chicken Carnitas

Homemade half-and-half recipe (vegan and paleo)

 When I told you I quit drinking alcohol I also mentioned giving up wheat, corn, and dairy again. And truly, the only hard one in that bunch seems to be dairy. More specifically half-and-half.

Because despite the churning belly after every sip of cow dairy, despite the eczema, the thing that holds me back from quitting dairy every time is my morning cup of coffee with copious amount of organic half-and-half or skimmed raw cream. 

Try as I have to become a purist and drink my coffee properly like any other good coffee snob (black), I just can't make the leap. So usually when I'm off dairy I give up my morning cup as well and switch to black tea or nettle chai with homemade coconut-almond milk instead. 

But this time around I was convinced to find another way.

So I set to work modifying my coconut-almond milk recipe (creamy in its own right) to be more like half-and-half. No, it won't fool your grandma, but good gracious! If you're off dairy and grieving over your lame mug of watery almond milk-diluted coffee each morning while jealously eyeing your partner's cup, here you go. You're welcome.

Honestly, it's been a game changer for my morning happiness quotient. I can truly say I no longer miss my half-and-half. (And that's saying something.)

Homemade Dairy-free half-and-half

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole almonds 
• 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 pinch hulled cardamom seeds or ground cardamom
• 2 tsp raw honey or maple syrup
• 5 cups hot water

Instructions

Pre-soak (optional)

If you are struggling with digestive troubles or issues with bone and tooth health, pre-soaking your almonds is advisable. If you can't integrate another layer to your morning cup of coffee, skip this step. Seriously.

1. Place almonds in a mason jar with 1 tsp of sea salt. Cover with water and soak overnight (or up to 24 hours) at room temperature.
2. The next day, drain and rinse your almonds. The soaking water will be murky and gross. That's normal. 

Puree

1. Combine all ingredients in the jar of your blender and add 5 cups of not yet boiling but piping hot hot water. (The hot water helps bring the fats into solution and makes the cream, well, creamy.)
2. Allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes if you have not pre-soaked your almonds, or dive right in with the next step if you're short on time or pre-soaked the night before.
3. Puree your mixture on high power for 3 to 4 minutes until it become a uniform frothy mix, free of the slightest chunks or lumps. Puree for another minute or two if you have it in you or if your blender is wimpy.

Strain

1. Pour through a mesh strainer lined with a thin cotton towel or cotton bandana, then bring the corners together and squeeze and twist to extract as much liquid as possible.
2. Twist more. And more. 
3. After extracting as much liquid as possible, return your wrung-out pulp to the blender with 1 to 2 additional cups of hot water and puree again with an additional teaspoon of honey or maple to make a smaller amount of almond-coconut milk to keep your kids from drinking your creamer. (To make this "skim" milk more tasty, you can be generous and add a glug of your first pressing to the jar. Or... not. It's up to you.)
4. Compost solids or freeze or dehydrate for other uses (ideas here).

Enjoy!

Add a splash to your coffee and delight in the pleasures of a creamy cup of goodness. Mmmmm...... That's more like it! 

Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to four days or until it becomes sour.

 

Psst... I even saved the recipe for you as a PDF! 

Download Homemade dairy-free half and half recipe (1)

 

Live fermented salsa recipe

When I first heard of live fermented salsa all I could think was: gross.

I mean really. Salsa crossed with sauerkraut just didn't sound like a good idea. Ew. But the idea got stuck in my head and I kept circling back. The more I mulled it over them more I wondered... maybe.

Finally a few friends told me it was the best thing ever, so I had to give it a go.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The sour of the lacto-fermentation could play well with the natural acidity of the tomatoes and lime and the heat of the peppers. Hmm...it might not be so weird after all.

So we went for it. Just before I left for Maine a couple of years ago Pete made a few quarts. By the time I got home four weeks later there was approximately a tablespoon left, waiting for me at the bottom of an otherwise empty mason jar.

I think he liked it.

One taste and I, too, was hooked. So every year we make a gallon (give or take). It never lasts us long, but at least now I'm sure to get more than a spoonful!

The benefits of probiotic salsa are many. Here are my top 3:

1. Easy! Ridiculously easy. Just chop, salt, and jar it up. Boom.
2. Probiotic. It's gut-healthy, probiotic nourishment. Which - I would attest - everyone needs more of in their lives.
3. Summer-friendly. No need to heat up your kitchen making salsa during steamy tomato season.

Care to make some yourself with the last of the tomatoes? Here's how. (This recipe was my jumping-off point.)

Please note: ingredients and proportions are flexible! Tweak to suit your preferences, but be sure to include all of the salt as that ensures proper fermentation, approximately 1 1/2 tsp per quart.

Makes 1/2 gallon (2 quarts)

6-8 large tomatoes

1 large red onion

1 bunch cilantro

3 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 fresh lime

2 medium hot peppers or to taste

1 tbsp salt

Instructions

1. Chop tomatoes into smallish cubes (the size you'd enjoy balancing on a corn chip or fork-full of taco salad). Transfer these tomato chunks to a mesh strainer and allow the liquid to drain out into a bowl for three or four minutes. (This keeps your salsa from being too soupy.)
2. Meanwhile, finely chop red onion and cilantro and mince garlic.
3. Stem the hot peppers and seed if desired (for a milder heat), then finely chop with sharp knife or food processor. (Gloves are a good idea for this step to protect your fingers from the lingering burn of the peppers, and if using a food processor hold your breath when opening to prevent from don't breathing the vapors.)
4. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir to combine.
5. Transfer to 2 quart-sized jars or a single 1/2 gallon, filling to just past the shoulders. Press all vegetables beneath liquid, then lid with a fermentation top or a non-metallic canning jar lid. 
6. Place jars on a plate or baking tray (they sometimes overflow during fermentation) and allow to sit at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, tasting throughout the process. You'll notice some separation, with solids floating a bit above a mostly clear liquid. This is normal! After fermentation and when you're pleased with the flavor, transfer jars to refrigerator, and enjoy with every meal. 

A small bonus: a few of you have asked about the lids I use. I was sent a free sample of tops and glass fermentation weights by MasonTops a couple of years back and I really love them. They have generously offered you all a 10% discount code (through the end of October) if you'd like to get some for yourself! Just use code "LUSA10". (Technically I think that qualifies as an afflink since they sent me my lids.) :-) 

 

Easy homemade applesauce (with optional canning instructions)

I am carrying a tinge of sadness that we'll be gone for the entire month of September, and that this August (for the first time ever) has proved too busy for foraging wild apples for saucing. It's one of my favorite markers of the season's change, signifying the turn from high summer toward fall, and I feel a bit disoriented to miss it.  

 

But with our departure to Ireland just over a week away, this year seems a fine time to buy apples instead. (How lucky we are to have an organic orchard just over the hill from our farm!) And the orchard we planted is beginning to bear fruit, so perhaps we'll come home in October to a few ripe Asian pears as well. 

 

So today, as I hustle about readying the farm for the house sitter and packing rain gear, warm hats, and an unreasonable number of knitting projects into bags and backpacks, I thought I'd share this post from 2015 with you. It contains everything you need to know to convert apples (wild or tame) into the finest sauce around.

 

Will you make some sauce in September with us in mind? Because I'm certain that's not on my list this week, as much as I'd love it to be.

 

My recipe (with optional canning instructions) follows. (And if apple crisp or cobbler is more your speed, this refined sugar-free recipe won't disappoint.)

 

We picked two bushels of apples at the nearby organic orchard about a week ago. And because we don't have a root cellar, keeping them on through winter means freezing or canning.

So we put by a few bags of apple crisp and apple pie filling, ate more than we probably should have, and turned the rest into sauce.

Homemade applesauce.

Until you've made a habit of shunning that flavorless store-bought sort and making your own, you just can't know what you're missing. Because alongside homemade sriracha, dilly beans, and canned tomatoes, applesauce is a pantry staple around here.

If you care to make your own (for canning or fresh eating), my recipe follows!

Easy Homemade Applesauce

(made with or without a food mill) 

I will confess to never having made a batch of applesauce this small. Double or triple or exponentially increase as needed. But know that too many apples crammed into a small pot may scorch. So if you're making a bigger batch, divide it among a few large pans.

Ingredients for approximately 7 pints of applesauce

10 lbs apples

1 1/2 c water

optional spices - cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, clove, orange peel, etc.

optional sweetener of your choice

With a food mill

If you have a food mill (mine is this version (afflink), scored at a second hand store more than a decade ago), making applesauce couldn't be easier. As a bonus, food mill applesauce is often rosy pink from all of those apple peels.

1. Quarter your apples. No need to core or peel them. Remove any bad spots and compost.

2. Combine quartered apple with water in a cooking pot. Ideally you will have a large, thick-bottomed pot. (If your pot is undersized or thin-bottomed, watch your apples carefully to prevent scorching.) Add water and set over medium heat.

3. When the water begins to simmer, carefully stir your apples, then cover the pot and set to low heat.

4. Every five to ten minutes stir your apples. (I prefer a wide wooden spoon or spatula so that I can turn the apples effectively.) If the pan is becoming dry, add another cup of water.

5. After 20 to 40 minutes your apples should be soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool for one hour.

6. Set up your food mill and transfer your partially cooled applesauce into the hopper.

7. Process apples.

 

7. Return processed applesauce to cooking pot. Taste and adjust flavor as desired. You may choose to add sweetener, cinnamon, ginger, or other spices. (We left our batch plain.)

8. If you will be canning your applesauce, bring to a simmer over low heat before packing jars.

9. Hot water bath can for 15 minutes for pints or half-pints, 20 minutes for quarts.

10. Enjoy!

Without a food mill

If you don't have a food mill, making applesauce is still easy! There is just a different first step you need to take. The best part of not having a mill? Perfect. Chunky. Applesauce. Oh, yes.

1. Peel and core your apples, then cut into approximately 1" cubes. Remove any bad spots and compost.

2. Combine your prepared apple with water in a cooking pot. Ideally you will have a large, thick-bottomed pot. (If your pot is undersized or thin-bottomed, watch your apples carefully to prevent scorching.) Add water and set over medium heat.

3. When the water begins to simmer, carefully stir your apples, then cover the pot and set to low heat.

4. Every five to ten minutes stir your apples. (I prefer a wide wooden spoon or spatula so that I can turn the apples effectively.) If the pan is becoming dry, add another cup of water. After 20 to 30 minutes your apples should be soft.

5. For chunky applesauce, proceed to step six. For smooth applesauce, either puree with an immersion blender while hot or allow to cool for one hour, then puree in batches in your blender. (Do not puree hot applesauce in your blender as it can volcano out the top!)

6. Return processed applesauce to cooking pot. Taste and adjust flavor as desired. You may choose to add sweetener, cinnamon, ginger, or other spices. (We left our batch plain.) If you won't be canning your applesauce, simmer with optional spices/sweetener for five minutes, then cool and refrigerate or freeze.

8. If you will be canning your applesauce bring to a simmer over low heat before packing jars.

9. Hot water bath can for 15 minutes for pints or half-pints, 20 minutes for quarts.

10. Enjoy!

P.S. When did this applesauce helper...

 

...become this one?

 

Oh, my heart.

 

P.P.S. You can find my choice for canning supplies - along with ideas for sourcing them on the cheap - here. 

 

Originally posted in 2015.

I am carrying a tinge of sadness that we'll be gone for the entire month of September, and that this August (for the first time ever) has proved too busy for foraging wild apples for saucing. It's one of my favorite markers of the season's change, signifying the turn from high summer toward fall, and I feel a bit disoriented to miss it.  

 

But with our departure to Ireland just over a week away, this year seems a fine time to buy apples instead. (How lucky we are to have an organic orchard just over the hill from our farm!) And the orchard we planted is beginning to bear fruit, so perhaps we'll come home in October to a few ripe Asian pears as well. 

 

So today, as I hustle about readying the farm for the house sitter and packing rain gear, warm hats, and an unreasonable number of knitting projects into bags and backpacks, I thought I'd share this post from 2015 with you. It contains everything you need to know to convert apples (wild or tame) into the finest sauce around.

 

Will you make some sauce in September with us in mind? Because I'm certain that's not on my list this week, as much as I'd love it to be.

 

My recipe (with optional canning instructions) follows. (And if apple crisp or cobbler is more your speed, this refined sugar-free recipe won't disappoint.)

 

We picked two bushels of apples at the nearby organic orchard about a week ago. And because we don't have a root cellar, keeping them on through winter means freezing or canning.

So we put by a few bags of apple crisp and apple pie filling, ate more than we probably should have, and turned the rest into sauce.

Homemade applesauce.

Until you've made a habit of shunning that flavorless store-bought sort and making your own, you just can't know what you're missing. Because alongside homemade sriracha, dilly beans, and canned tomatoes, applesauce is a pantry staple around here.

If you care to make your own (for canning or fresh eating), my recipe follows!

Easy Homemade Applesauce

(made with or without a food mill) 

I will confess to never having made a batch of applesauce this small. Double or triple or exponentially increase as needed. But know that too many apples crammed into a small pot may scorch. So if you're making a bigger batch, divide it among a few large pans.

Ingredients for approximately 7 pints of applesauce

10 lbs apples

1 1/2 c water

optional spices - cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, clove, orange peel, etc.

optional sweetener of your choice

With a food mill

If you have a food mill (mine is this version (afflink), scored at a second hand store more than a decade ago), making applesauce couldn't be easier. As a bonus, food mill applesauce is often rosy pink from all of those apple peels.

1. Quarter your apples. No need to core or peel them. Remove any bad spots and compost.

2. Combine quartered apple with water in a cooking pot. Ideally you will have a large, thick-bottomed pot. (If your pot is undersized or thin-bottomed, watch your apples carefully to prevent scorching.) Add water and set over medium heat.

3. When the water begins to simmer, carefully stir your apples, then cover the pot and set to low heat.

4. Every five to ten minutes stir your apples. (I prefer a wide wooden spoon or spatula so that I can turn the apples effectively.) If the pan is becoming dry, add another cup of water.

5. After 20 to 40 minutes your apples should be soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool for one hour.

6. Set up your food mill and transfer your partially cooled applesauce into the hopper.

7. Process apples.

 

7. Return processed applesauce to cooking pot. Taste and adjust flavor as desired. You may choose to add sweetener, cinnamon, ginger, or other spices. (We left our batch plain.)

8. If you will be canning your applesauce, bring to a simmer over low heat before packing jars.

9. Hot water bath can for 15 minutes for pints or half-pints, 20 minutes for quarts.

10. Enjoy!

Without a food mill

If you don't have a food mill, making applesauce is still easy! There is just a different first step you need to take. The best part of not having a mill? Perfect. Chunky. Applesauce. Oh, yes.

1. Peel and core your apples, then cut into approximately 1" cubes. Remove any bad spots and compost.

2. Combine your prepared apple with water in a cooking pot. Ideally you will have a large, thick-bottomed pot. (If your pot is undersized or thin-bottomed, watch your apples carefully to prevent scorching.) Add water and set over medium heat.

3. When the water begins to simmer, carefully stir your apples, then cover the pot and set to low heat.

4. Every five to ten minutes stir your apples. (I prefer a wide wooden spoon or spatula so that I can turn the apples effectively.) If the pan is becoming dry, add another cup of water. After 20 to 30 minutes your apples should be soft.

5. For chunky applesauce, proceed to step six. For smooth applesauce, either puree with an immersion blender while hot or allow to cool for one hour, then puree in batches in your blender. (Do not puree hot applesauce in your blender as it can volcano out the top!)

6. Return processed applesauce to cooking pot. Taste and adjust flavor as desired. You may choose to add sweetener, cinnamon, ginger, or other spices. (We left our batch plain.) If you won't be canning your applesauce, simmer with optional spices/sweetener for five minutes, then cool and refrigerate or freeze.

8. If you will be canning your applesauce bring to a simmer over low heat before packing jars.

9. Hot water bath can for 15 minutes for pints or half-pints, 20 minutes for quarts.

10. Enjoy!

P.S. When did this applesauce helper...

 

...become this one?

 

Oh, my heart.

 

P.P.S. You can find my choice for canning supplies - along with ideas for sourcing them on the cheap - here. 

 

Originally posted in 2015.

Picking berries with Lupine

How could I resist her request?

To spend the day together picking blueberries was just what I wanted as well.

The weather was agreeable (it's been deliciously cool here for the past couple of weeks, feeling more like autumn than August), making (in my opinion) for the best possible picking weather. So in the morning we packed a picnic, grabbed our baskets, and just the two of us set out to see how many we could gather. 

Nearly 15 pounds later we were thirsty and tired and on our way home, but so satisfied by time well spent, and time spent together.

We'll be making jam soon (from the recipes here). Last night after dinner Lupine made us a blueberry fool, and she's already prepped a batch of dairy-free coconut-blueberry ice cream for tonight. (She modified this recipe with canned coconut milk and lemon juice in place of the buttermilk.) 

As we picked we chatted about books we read when she was little - Peter in Blueberry Land and Blueberries for Sal - and I marveled at how quickly she has grown. How quickly things have changed.

Because when we first came here to pick, both kids used small tin pails, and "kerplink kerplank kerplunk" was heard often from both buckets and giggling voices.

And the faster time accelerates, the harder it is to dig in and make it all slow down.

 

But this day? On this day time stood still.  

And how grateful I am that I made the time for this.

For her.

For us.

~ : ~ : ~ : ~ 

P.S. The books I mentioned (plus one other harvest-season gem) are below. All three are among our all-time favorites, though it's still hard for me to read the last page of Christopher's Harvest Time without sobbing.

You should be able to request them all from your library.

Links below are afflinks, for those wishing to add them to their home library. (A very small percentage of your purchase helps support our family, our homeschool, and our blueberry jam making supplies. We thank you for that!)

All three books own a permanent spot on our family bookshelf and are enjoyed even now, with my children nearly grown.