by Maat van Uitert | Aug 10, 2017 | Essential OIls, Healthy Homemade Recipes, Sustainable Living
I started making lavender syrup because I got bored with regular sugar syrup and I wanted a new way to use essential oils in my life.
You can diffuse oils, use them on your skin, or consume them – and lavender syrup takes cuisine to the next level.
It takes less than 10 minutes to make, and you likely have all the ingredients at home.
You can use lavender syrup in lemonade (just replace some of the sugar for equal parts syrup) for a refreshing floral flavor and on ice cream or other desserts (I’ve never tried it, but it might be interesting in baklava).
It’s also a great way to get the benefits of lavender essential oil! Lavender essential oil is great for healthy skin and for relaxing.
Be sure you only use therapeutic grade oil – I’ve done a lot of research and this is the brand I recommend and that I personally use.
Please don’t buy oil off Amazon, because you can’t be sure the oil will be pure. I always buy direct from the manufacturer, which is why I recommend this brand.
Trust me when I say that this will probably be the easiest thing you do all day, and the recipe is so simple, you’ll never forget it (and you’ll always have a go-to recipe to impress company).
Making Lavender Syrup
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 drop lavender essential oil
In a small sauce pan, combine the water and sugar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool for 1 minute, then add 1 drop lavender essential oil. You can play with the strength of the lavender flavoring but I’ve found that more than 1 drop is a bit overwhelming.
If you find 1 drop of oil overwhelming, then dip a toothpick in the oil and swirl the toothpick in the syrup. You’ll still get the flavor of lavender.
You can also try other essential oils; lavender pairs well with orange and lemon. Just use 1 drop each. Use in any recipe that includes sugar and that you want flavored with lavender.
If you’re staying away from processed sugars, use 1/2 cup organic honey instead of 1 cup of sugar. The taste will be different, but still super yummy.
Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category. Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.
![Wholewheat Cauliflower Pizza [Recipe]](https://thefrugalchicken.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/wholewheat-cauliflower-pizza.jpg)
by Maat van Uitert | Apr 18, 2017 | Sustainable Living
Summer is quickly approaching – which means eating outdoors, summer vacations, and light meals.
Today, I’ve invited Alix and Hugo from A Hedgehog in The Kitchen back to the blog to share a healthy wholewheat cauliflower pizza that you can make in your own kitchen!
Here’s how to make this pizza that’s yummy (your kids will ask for seconds!)
This wholewheat cauliflower pizza is one of our favorite types of food : healthy comfort food. The gooey sheep’s cheese and emmental cheese, oven-baked cauliflower and red onions make this meal so tasty and welcoming after a long day.
One of our favorite activities to do together is cooking. We love creating a fun new recipe, shopping for the ingredients at our local farmer’s market and coming home and turning everything into a yummy meal.
We absolutely adore pizza! Homemade pizza is such a great meal because you gather your ingredients and just pop everything in the oven. It is quick, easy and makes your entire home smell so good! Our love of pizza has inspired some of our very best healthy, wholesome, real food recipes.
We typically replace white flour with wholewheat flour because it’s healthier, easier to digest and gives the food a nice, nutty flavor. To make the crust of this wholewheat cauliflower pizza, you need just 5 simple ingredients and you’re good to go : water, salt, sugar, dried yeast and olive oil. You’ll love having this healthy, wholewheat, homemade pizza dough recipe on hand to make all of your favorite homemade pizzas. We use it when we make our Wholewheat Ratatouille Pizza
For the toppings, you will need cauliflower (homegrown is best if you’re lucky enough to have it growing in your garden!), vegetarian “chorizo”, red onion, sheep’s cheese, grated emmental cheese, salt, pepper and chili pepper.
These are some of our favorite vegetarian pizza toppings. You could also use real chorizo or other sliced meat instead of a vegetarian substitute. Here in France, we love cooking with sheep’s cheese and emmental cheese but you could definitely use your favorite local cheeses for this wholewheat cauliflower pizza recipe too!
Cauliflower is one of our favorite ingredients because it’s delicious, versatile and so good for you! Do you love cooking with it too ?
These are 5 ways that cauliflower is amazing : it it anti-inflammatory, it can help fight cancer, it is a natural detox food, it is easy to digest and helps your digestive tract work smoothly and it’s packed with antioxidants (hello, long-lasting youth!). All great reasons to use it in your homecooking as much as possible.
We cooked this pizza for a romantic date night in but you could absolutely double the quantities and make a pizza for a family of 4.
We love knowing that not only is this wholewheat cauliflower pizza really good but it’s packed with nutrients and a ton of health benefits. Enjoy!
WHOLEWHEAT CAULIFLOWER PIZZA RECIPE
For 2 people / preparation time : 2 hours / Cook time: 15 minutes
2.25 cups (300g) of wholewheat flour
5oz (10 tbsp) of lukewarm water
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of sugar
1.5 tsp of dried yeast
1oz (2 tbsp) of olive oil
1/2 cauliflower cut into florets
7 slices of veggie chorizo (or real chorizo or other sliced meat)
1/2 red onion (sliced)
1 cup of sheep’s cheese
1/2 cup of grated cheese (emmental or your favorite cheese)
Salt, black pepper and chili pepper to taste
Prepare the leaven
Pour ¼ cup of flour, yeast, sugar and 2oz of lukewarm water into a bowl and combine the ingredients together.
Leave the mixture to rest for 10-15 minutes. The mixture is ready when it forms a brown dough with bubbles.
Prepare the pizza dough
Mix flour and salt using your stand mixer.
Pour the leaven into the bowl and continue to mix slowly.
Pour in the olive oil and continue to mix.
Pour the rest of the water in little by little and continue to mix slowly for 10 minutes.
The dough must be smooth and springy.
If the dough is too dry, add more water. If the dough is too wet, add more flour. Whether adding water or flour, make sure to add it little by little.
Cover the bowl with the dough inside and leave to rest in a warm place for at least one hour. (You can create a warm environment in your oven by heating your oven on low heat (80°F/30°C) for approximately 5 minutes, then turning it off and leaving the bowl to sit inside.)
The dough will double in size.
Preheat your oven on maximum heat. Our oven heats up to 570°F (300°C). If yours doesn’t go up as high, that it fine but you may need to cook the pizza for longer.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place on an oiled sheet of baking paper or a silicone baking mat (such as a Silpat).
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
For the pizza toppings
Mix the sheep’s cheese with 2 pinches of salt, a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of chili pepper.
Spread the sheep’s cheese over the dough.
Add the slices of vegetarian chorizo.
Add the slices of onion.
Add the cauliflower.
Add the grated cheese.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Serve with salad and vinaigrette.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please sign up to have our real food recipes with a French twist sent to you by email. As an added bonus, we are currently offering a virtual tour of our Paris. When you sign up for our recipe emails, you will also receive 1 email per day for 5 days with photos of our favorite spots in Paris + a related recipe for each day. Sign up here
You can also grab a free spice guide here with 6 spices we love and their health benefits!
About Alix & Hugo :
Alix and Hugo develop their healthy, wholesome recipes with a French flair in their Parisian home. They share their creations on their food blog, A Hedgehog in the Kitchen. Sign up to receive recipes in your inbox here. Stay in touch on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter
Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category. Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.
by Maat van Uitert | May 6, 2015 | Healthy Homemade Recipes
Looking to kick your summer recipes up a notch? I think herbs should be involved. Fermenting too.
I don’t have to tell you the benefits of both. You already know, I’m sure.
There’s not much better than the probiotics that come with fermenting, and the same goes for the bubbly taste, too. Keeps things interesting, right?
And herbs just add enough pizzazz to remind us that summer, although it’s brief, can be captured in a tiny leaf.
Just in time for summer, here’s 5 recipes featuring herbs that will get the party started right.
Bubbly Probiotic Lemonade
Photo courtesy of Learning and Yearning
What would summer be without lemonade? It’s practically essential.
Probiotic lemonade is just what it sounds like – lemonade times, like, a million! The lemons are fermented, which of course means Bubbly Probiotic Lemonade isn’t just regular lemonade. It’s super healthy and full of good enzymes, and the fermenting process makes the lemonade bubbly and fizzy.
If this sounds like something good to you, check out Bubbly Probiotic Lemonade from Learning and Yearning.
Try a twist: You can replace the lemons with limes or oranges if you want to try something different. To kick it up an extra notch, try some cayenne, for a spicy twist, or lavender for a smooth drink to help you de-stress.
Peach Basil Salsa
Photo Courtesy of Homestead Honey
The combination of peaches, onions, and basil in this salsa recipe is unreal. The spice of the onions with the Mediterranean feel of basil combined with the sweetness of the peaches screams summer.
Pair this with homemade tortilla chips (psst…sign up for the freebie at the end of this articles for this and other recipes!).
Try a twist: You can add mango for a tropical twist, or include cilantro for a classic-salsa feel.
Chamo-Berry Banana Smoothie
Photo from Herbal Academy of New England
The ginger in this smoothie gives it that “endless summer” taste, and the chamomile means it will be great for those stressful days. Sometimes you just need to relax right? Right.
Chamomile is the star of this smoothie, and not to be outshown by the strong taste of banana. And the strawberries just kick it up a notch.
This recipe is from the Herbal Academy of New England, and when it comes to herbs, they really know their stuff. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.
Try a twist: Add some kale or cucumbers for a “Green Goddess” taste!
Fermented Dill Pickles
Photo courtesy of Simple Life Mom
Love pickles? Me too. Love fermented pickles? If you do, or if you’re not sure, you need to try this recipe.
Fermented Dill Pickle are different than what you get in the grocery store – those cukes are just pickled in vinegar. Fermenting your cucumbers is a whole ‘nother story.
You’ll ferment the pickles for 3-5 days (less in hotter weather), and you’ll know they’re done when they stop making bubbles. You can read the entire recipe at Simple Life Mom!
Try a twist: Did you know you can ferment pretty much anything? Add carrots to this ferment for something different!
Queen Anne’s Lace Flower Jelly
If you want to try something different, the Queen Anne’s Lace Flower Jelly is a great recipe to try.
Queen Anne’s Lace flowers are pretty ubiquitous during summer, so it shouldn’t be hard to find some. You’ll need about 20 flowers to make this jelly, but it’ll be worth it.
Be sure you pick the right flower, and not Queen Anne’s Lace’s ugly stepsister, Poison Hemlock (hint: Queen Anne’s Lace has a hairy stem). The recipe isn’t any harder than making fruit jam – but this one is more fun! For the full recipe, visit Pixie’s Pocket!
Do you have a favorite recipe that reminds you of summer? Leave a comment below!
Maat van Uitert is a backyard chicken and sustainable living expert. She is also the author of Chickens: Naturally Raising A Sustainable Flock, which was a best seller in it’s Amazon category. Maat has been featured on NBC, CBS, AOL Finance, Community Chickens, the Huffington Post, Chickens magazine, Backyard Poultry, and Countryside Magazine. She lives on her farm in Southeast Missouri with her husband, two children, and about a million chickens and ducks. You can follow Maat on Facebook here and Instagram here.
