Quick Tip ~ How to Keep Avocado from Browning

I absolutely LOVE avocado!  But, they brown so fast..  I'm never able to eat a whole avocado at once and I need to store half until the next day.  I found myself not eating as much avocado as I'd like because I didn't want to see half go to waste every time.  

A Pinterest search concluded that I should drizzle the avocado with lemon juice or lime juice to prevent browning.  That may work fine if you intend to use it for quacamole or avocado mash to spread on toast.  Adding a liquid, especially an acidic liquid, just results in a mushy mess.  I prefer mine sliced fresh, so the mushy method is not my favorite.

Through a deeper search, I found that storing your avocado half in a container along with cut onion prevents browning as well.  Awesome!  I can have fresh avocado the next day without the mush!  It worked wonderfully...  until the day I needed to store a half and didn't have a fresh onion...  

Hmmm...  What to do??  I decided to check my spice cabinet for onion powder and give that a try.  At this point my avocado was already cut and I had nothing to lose.  It was a waste for sure if I didn't at least try.

Watch my YouTube video to see how it turned out:

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McCormick Onion Powder (Non-GMO):

https://amzn.to/2nbOXcv

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Saran Plastic Wrap:

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You May also like:

McCormick Quacamole Seasoning Mix:

https://amzn.to/2neWTtl

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*May contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links I earn a small commission.  This helps to keep me in business but adds NO additional cost for you. Thank you!

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Fresh Summer Tomato Salad

A fresh, delicious, and healthy way to use your Summer harvest.  Try this quick and easy no-cooking recipe for a snack between meals or a side dish at suppertime.  This Salad is also a great dish to bring to Summer cookouts, potlucks, picnics, etc.

Today's video features a slight variation to my original recipe published in the Fresh From the Farmstand Gooseberry Patch cookbook.  Purchase the book (linked below) for the original recipe or watch the video for the variation.  OR make a few adjustments of your own to customize it to your specific taste.  Either way, I think you're gonna love it!

Watch the video here:

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Fresh From the Farmstand book:
https://amzn.to/2NLlLUE
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*May contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links I earn a small commission.  This helps to keep me in business but adds NO additional cost for you. Thank you!
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Salmon & Veggies Sheetpan Supper

Sheetpan Suppers are one of my favorite new trends in cooking!  It makes cooking quick and easy with little to no cleanup while eliminating the temptation of unhealthy cooking methods like frying.  

Be sure to watch the video below for step-by-step instructions on how I made it:

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Turmeric & Ginger Booster "Shots" (no alcohol)

I took a Turmeric & Ginger Boost drink and concentrated it into a 2 oz. "shot" serving per day and also added a couple things to the recipe that will help your body absorb the most nutrition possible from the Turmeric.  This is a great anti-inflammatory addition to your Psoriasis-friendly diet, a great boost for your immune system.

Watch my YouTube video for the recipe:

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1 Pint Mini-pitcher:
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1/4 cup Measuring Cup:
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Measuring Spoons:
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Micro Grater:
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Mini Whisk set/2:
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1 oz. Shot Glass:
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Raw Honey:
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Fresh Ginger Root:
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Ground Turmeric:
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Avocado Oil:
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Black Pepper:
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Orange Juice:
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*May contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links I earn a small commission.  This helps to keep me in business but adds NO additional cost for you. Thank you!
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How to Detoxify Poke Sallet

Poke Sallet (also called Poke "Salad" by us Hillbillies) is an old-time favorite dish in the Appalachian region.  In its plant form, before cooking, it is called Poke Weed.  Poke Weed grows wild in this area and we forage it in the very early Spring.  As always, when foraging, be 110% certain that you know exactly what you are looking for.  You wouldn't want to get ahold of the wrong thing, which brings me to my next point...

CAUTION: POKE WEED IS TOXIC!  Yes, that's right.  It is toxic from root to tip, but I will teach you how to boil out the toxins and use it as you would any other cooked greens.  You're probably thinking, "What's up with Hillbillies and their poisonous foods?".  Right?  Well, isn't even chicken toxic to eat if not cooked?  Also eggs, if not pasteurized, must be fully cooked to eliminate the possibility of Salmonella poisoning.  Many foods are this way.  It just seems odd because it isn't usually vegetation that carries this risk.  Here in Appalachia, we don't mind it any more than cooking our chicken and eggs to a safe temperature.  We are blessed with bountiful foraged foods and don't mind putting in a little work to take advantage of what is freely given.  It's a gift from God and we receive it with Thanksgiving.

Poke weed can grow to be as much a 10 ft. high.  But when foraging, be sure to harvest plants no more than 2 ft. high, as the plant becomes more toxic the larger it grows.  Harvest by cutting the stems and leaves, leaving the root in tact in the ground for next year's harvest.  The roots and berries are the most toxic part of the plant.  Never eat these!  Next are the stems, with the leaves being least toxic.  The toxins are denoted by the apparent purplish color on the stems.  

Clean by breaking the leaves away, peeling downward to remove the purple skin from the stem.  Cut or break away this skin from the leaf, keeping the leaves for cooking.  If you want, you can peel any remaining purple from the smaller parts of the stems and cut these up to use with your leaves as well.  Rinse thoroughly and drain in a colander or salad spinner.

Detoxify by boiling 3 times,10 minutes of boiling each time, changing the water out for clean water and rinsing the greens between each time.  After your 3 boilings are complete and the greens are rinsed and drained a final time, you may use the Poke Sallet as you would any other cooked greens.  

Most people around here like to then fry it up with onions and bacon in bacon grease.  It would be perfectly healthy to fry this up with onions and bacon, using a healthier oil such as avocado oil or coconut oil.  

Another favorite option, my husband's fave and a very healthy option at that, is to cook the greens in with scrambled eggs.  Poke Sallet is DeLiCiOuS with egg!  Just give them a quick fry in a healthy oil as described in the first option and then pour your beaten eggs in on top and stir as the eggs cook.  Similarly, you could also use these greens in omelets, frittatas, quiches, etc.  

Be sure to check out my full tutorial as I show you step-by-step how to detoxify this delicious Appalachian foraged favorite.  

Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Xmei_DIQ0

How to Dehydrate Hickory Chickens in the Oven

As promised in my last Hickory Chicken video, "Hickory Chickens Sautéed with Fresh Asparagus", I'm back to show you guys how you can dehydrate Hickory Chickens in your oven.  We were lucky enough to get a second batch of Hickory Chickens, so this was the perfect opportunity to do this video for you guys.

The process couldn't be simpler.  Just prepare your mushrooms as directed in the first video and place them on a rack in the center of your oven for the first hour, turn, and then back into the oven for another hour on that side and you're done.  Of course you can do the same in a dehydrator if you have one. But if you are blessed with a large batch of these, you definitely want to preserve them and have them to enjoy over a longer period of time.  Although we forage these for free in the woods, if you were to get these from a grocery store, they are a very expensive, highly coveted, gourmet delicacy.  These mushrooms, known as Hickory Chickens to foragers, known as Morel Mushrooms in the culinary world, sell for several hundred dollars per pound, dried.  Through Walmart online, they currently sell in options of $59.99 for 1 oz., $107.99 for 2 oz., or $299.99 for 8 oz.  In fact, here are the links for reference (and in case you want to purchase them 😉🍄):

8 oz. dried Morels:   
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2 oz. dried Morels:
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1 oz. dried Morels:
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To have these growing wild on our property is quite a blessing and we are thrilled to find these each year.  However, as always, I must warn you:  Before foraging for Hickory Chickens or any other wild foraged food, always be 110% certain that you know exactly what you are looking for.  False Morels are also found in areas where true Morels are found.  False Morels are highly poisonous!

Watch my YouTube video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJQYXaw8Pu0

*May contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links I earn a small commission.  This helps to keep me in business but adds NO additional cost for you. Thank you!

Did You Know Oats

From horse feed to popular breakfast staple, oats are a super healthy (and interesting) cereal grain.  Lots of good info on health benefits and more in my "Did You Know Oats" informational video.  Prep ahead and start your day with a healthy serving of Overnight Oats, as I do most mornings, and soon you'll be "feeling your oats" too!  

Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9-Ysnnmbss

Did You Know Honey

Always choose raw honey to reap a wealth of benefits!  Honey is an absolutely amazing food product made by bees that we humans will never be able to replicate.  Did you know honey never goes bad?  Did you know infants shouldn't eat honey?  Did you know....  Well, read all about it in my "Did you Know Honey" YouTube video.

Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JBTypMTDd8

Besides making our delicious honey, bees could never be replaced as pollinators for so many other of our foods.  We literally would die without them.  So, be informed of the dangers that our bee population faces.  Help protect our little friends: say NO! to pesticides and herbicides.  Grow a bee-friendly flower garden and be sure to include healthy raw honey in your diet.

Vanilla Fruit Salad

Don't "UNhealthify" glorious fruit with sugar or heavy cream-based toppings.  Try this Healthie version instead.  I think you'll like it: all fresh fruits with a simple honey and vanilla sauce... we'll also sneak in a little bit of Spinach for added health benefits.

Watch the YouTube video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHZmO2S8zc8&t=10s

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Hickory Chickens (Morel Mushrooms) Sautéed with Fresh Asparagus

Yum!  One of nature's healthiest, mOsT DeLiCiOus gifts!  Our locally foraged "Hickory Chickens" are otherwise known as the gourmet delicacy, morel mushrooms.  

Hickory Chickens are a foraged mushroom that Mother Nature knows how to cultivate to perfection.  However, we haven't quite figured out all of her secrets on this one and haven't been successful in commercial cultivation as yet.  If you find these in the grocery store you will pay a pretty penny for them.  However, if you live in an area that Mother Nature decided to bless with these jewels, you can get them FREE!  There is a narrow window of opportunity to find them each year, for just about a week or two in early Spring.  Here in Southeastern Kentucky, now is the time! (The first week or two of April).  Bonus: When foraging from nature (or growing your own food at home), you can be certain that you are getting organic, chemical-free, non-gmo, safe, and healthy food!

CAUTION!:  Mushroom foraging can be dangerous if you don't know what you're looking for!  There are poisonous false morels that grow in these areas, often even right among the true morels.   I have come upon these myself while hunting mushrooms.  Before you go hunting for Hickory Chickens, you must be 110% certain that you can tell the difference.  NEVER eat mushrooms that you aren't certain of.  

If you do go Hickory Chicken hunting, please help Mother Nature to ensure future crops by cutting (not pulling) your mushrooms at the ground and gather them in a MESH bag.  The mesh will allow the spores to fall to the ground as you go through the woods and distribute them for possible future growth of more mushrooms.  Also, when you get them home, give them a first soak in plain cold water.  NO SALT until the second soak.  Dash the water from your first clean soak back out into the areas that they were found.  If there are any viable spores in there, this will give them an opportunity to grow as well.  These are very important guidelines to follow.  We don't want to tromp in and destroy nature's eXtReMeLy delicate system for growing these.  Respect her garden!  

Most recipes you find for Hickory Chickens will be breaded and deep fried.  But in today's video, I'm gonna show you a healthier way to prepare them.  And in my opinion, this way is not only healthier, but way more delicious.  Hickory Chickens have such an amazing flavor!  I only have an opportunity to experience that flavor once a year and I don't want to cover it up with greasy breading.  

Watch my video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqYlKKexSE8

Also, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don't miss out on future Healthie videos!  
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZbmUbnpfDLn9_8cGXMb2mQ

Chicken Bone Broth

Bone Broth is one of my most favorite Healthie options for my family.  Drink it straight or use it in soups, stews, gravies, breads, etc..  I like to add in this broth everywhere I can to make sure we get plenty of opportunity to take in its wonderful health benefits.  

I've created a complete step-by-step video for you showing how I make my broth.  Also included below are written instructions for you to refer back to here on the Self Healthie blog, or scroll down for the FREE Printable PDF.  However, I do suggest that you watch the video first, as it is much more detailed.

Watch the video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWR5rhJFTy4

Written instructions:

 

Get the FREE Printable here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pdYGwhr1jZRVA3-50xGPslJWRRR-Ydfs


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