Shopping The Urban Forest

Yesterday afternoon a woman walks into my husband's very secluded office with a piece of paper in her hand. "Are YOU Kristoffer Rasmussen?" she asks.  He replied with an apprehensive "yes". Extending the paper towards him, she continues the questioning... "Are you THE Kristoffer Rasmussen who wrote this article for TCI Magazine?"  He glances down to see she is clutching his article "Shopping The Urban Forest", which he wrote about a whim I had one day to gather soap nuts to produce a locally grown natural soap for washing cloth diapers.  Somewhere in that moment...caught in that awkward place where you're not certain if you feel accomplished or like a stalking victim....came the hope that someone might actually be listening, or even inspired enough, by our unconventional, seemingly random passions to seek us out for a quart jar of locally produced laundry soap. How much more could we inspire others to act, or think, or dream.  I have been planning a detailed "how-to" blog entry on foraging for soap nuts..so in anticipation..I thought you would enjoy Kristoffer's article about how this soap came to be.


Shopping The Urban Forest by Kristoffer Rasmussen

Paleo Coconut Latte!

I've been slow to join the coconut oil craze. Mainly, I have been avoiding the change because of the cost. But the more I read, the more intrigued I became. In an effort to ditch dairy, I decided to give coconut oil a whirl (literally). This one change has provided amazing results for me. I notice that I am less hungry, feel more in control of my food choices and I haven't been sick once this winter.  And major bonus..I've lost 6 pounds in about as many weeks without effort. Give it a whirl..you'll be surprised by the creamy texture and sweetness...and maybe by your waistline too!


Coconut Latte

1/2-1 Tablespoon Organic Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil
1 Heaping Teaspoon Instant Espresso 
8 Ounces Boiling Water


Place coconut oil and instant espresso in the bottom of your blender
Add 8 ounces of boiling water
With the center removed from the lid, give it a whirl until the top becomes frothy
Pour into your favorite coffee mug
Enjoy!

Spinach Cilantro Rice with Zing

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 – 9 oz package fresh spinach
2 small bunch fresh cilantro
3 limes
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 fresh jalapeno (seeded), diced very fine.
1 teaspoon salt









Zest the limes and set aside.

Finely chop spinach and 1 bunch of the cilantro with a sharp knife and place in a large bowl.

Add half of the diced onion (the smaller the pieces the better) and one finely diced jalapeno to the bowl.

Add 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil and the juice of 1 of the limes.

Mix to incorporate. Set aside.

In a small coffee grinder, puree 1/4 C diced onion, 2/3 C Cilantro (packed, not diced) the juice of one lime, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 1/2 of the remaining jalapeno and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Pour over rice mixture.

Repeat the coffee grinder steps again...pour second batch over rice mixture.

Stir until puree is well distributed.

Eat it right away or refrigerate.

GF Cherry Cheesecake In A Jar

I love canning jars and am currently a little obsessed with cooking in them. I love that you can see through them and it makes layered desserts look so much more amazing! Here is one of my favorite tested recipes. Just writing about it made my mouth water.

You will need 12 wide mouth half pint jars or 12 small ramekins.


1 C gluten free graham cracker crumbs
1 T sugar
4 T butter, melted
2-8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 t vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
12 heaping T gluten free cherry preserves

Spray the jars or ramekins with non-stick cooking spray.

Blend the graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoons of sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Place about 1 tablespoon of the crumbs into each jar and press into the bottom of the jar with your finger to completely cover the bottom of the jar.

In a large mixer bowl, mix the cream cheese with the 1/2 cup of sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until well incorporated. Fill each jar with about 1/3 cup of the filling.

Place the jars in a large roasting pan. Fill the pan with hot water halfway until it reaches about half way up the jars. Be careful not to spill any water into the jars. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove jars with tongs and place on a wire rack until cool enough to handle.

Chill in the refrigerator for about at least one hour.

Top each cheesecake with a heaping tablespoon of the gluten free cherry preserves.

Gluten Free Green Chili (White) Enchiladas

12 GF corn tortillas (some people prefer to double the tortillas in case of breakage)
2 C Cooked Chicken (shredded)
2 C Monterey Jack Cheese Shredded
3 T Butter
3 T Lisa's Gluten Free Flour Blend (or any GF flour blend that you love)
2 C Chicken Broth
1 C Sour Cream
1 Can Diced Green Chilis (4 oz.)
1/2 t Salt

1. Preheat Oven 350 degrees.
2. Grease Pan (9x13)
3. Mix the chicken with one cup of the cheese.
4. Roll up in tortillas and place then in the greased pan.
5. Melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute over medium heat.
6. Add broth and whisk until smooth.
7. Continue to cook until thick.
4. Turn off heat and stir in sour cream and green chilies and salt.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 25 min and then broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Tips: Microwave the corn tortillas in a ziplock bag for 45 seconds(prevents breakage)

Easy Cream of Green Chili and Turkey Soup

With the remains of a forty pound turkey in the refrigerator, I thought I would share one of my favorite easy leftover turkey recipes.You will need

4 cups chicken broth
1 small can of diced green chilis
1/2 cup half and half or cream
Leftover diced Turkey
Salt to taste

Warm the chicken broth on Medium in a large saucepan
Add entire can of green chilis
Simmer until just before boiling
Add leftover turkey (as much or as little as you like)
Salt to taste
Turn off heat
Add half and half or Cream
Stir to mix and serve

Easy, delicious, and gluten free!!!

Seeds of change...Emma

I remember it like it was yesterday. The pears on the counter..the smooth dough rolled out...the way it touched something deep inside of me when she let me help. The way she always measured me on the door frame of the cupboard and wrote my name as if I wasn't just a visiting neighbor, but like I belonged...in such a way that it seemed I became a part of the beam that held up the wall of her house. I had seen apple pie, but this was an apple pie made from pears...pears that grow on trees..the kind that overflow the branches of neigbors trees so that they bend to the ground and sometimes break. The really hard ones that little old ladies give away in paper bags at church and most people won't take.
Little did I know that a seed was planted that day...a seed that would not produce fruit for 30 some odd years. Today as I am baking Thanksgiving pies..I remember it like a flood..I am truly thankful.

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~Nelson Henderson