Spelt Brewing Directions
This is a roasted grain coffee substitute that is recommended for optimal digestion at breakfast and during all meals, according to Hildegard. She writes that the fruits of the field that are from spelt by delivering strength to mankind. She advises to warm the digestive system & to avoid all cold products at breakfast time, which is contrary to the popular “cold food and drink” breakfast that is often promoted. “Spelt Coffee” has no side effects and helps to fortify good digestion with research at the Hildegard clinic in Germany.
Traditional Directions to make 2 cups of spelt coffee: Place 2 ¼ cups of water in a 1-quart saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of the roasted spelt kernels, and boil for about 5-7 minutes, or until the water is brown in color. Strain the beverage and reserve the kernels. You may add a few spelt ‘coffee’ kernels to the old spelt kernels each day, until some spelt kernels start to fall apart. Water gets darker each time until the kernels fall apart. Then discard and begin a new batch. BABS Bakery does not recommend microwave use in preparing the water or beverage. This is entirely up to the individual if you want to reuse the kernels for any of these methods.
A fresh slice of ginger root (or galangle root) may be added in the pot, as the brew is made, and is best in the winter months. Herbs such as mint leaf, sage leaf, or chamomile flower may be added to what an ailment may need. Such as mintto uplift spirits, sage to help resolve damp issues, and chamomile to help relax.
To make it in a small 4 cup slow dripping coffee maker.
Start with 2 tablespoons of spelt coffee kernels. Grind 1 of the two tablespoons. Put the ground and whole kernels into the filter of the coffee maker. Must be a slow dripping coffee maker. Makes 4 cups and may be reused for 4 cups up to 3 times, then discard, this is entirely up to the individual if you want to reuse the kernels for any of these methods. You may add ½ teaspoon of the ground kernels each time you brew for a fuller flavor, until the whole kernels expand and unfold. BABS Bakery does not recommend any microwave use in preparing the water or beverage.
Steep in a cup. For one cup or more. This method is great for eating out or at work. Use1 teaspoon of ground kernels. Pour in hot water. The kernels will float around and begin to settle. This is entirely up to the individual if you want to reuse the kernels and keep adding hot water for about three or four cups for any of these methods. The ground kernels will expand and remain settled at the bottom of the cup each time hot water is added and the brew will lighten in color. BABS Bakery does not recommend any microwave use in preparing the water or beverage. Great for work and traveling.
To make it in a larger 8-10 cup slow drip coffee maker.
Take 1 tablespoon of ground kernels and 1 tablespoon of whole kernels. Put both into coffee filter and brew normally. You may add 1 teaspoon of the
ground kernels each time you brew for a fuller flavor, until the whole kernels expand and unfold. Makes 8-10 cups and may be reused up to 3 times, then discard, this is entirely up to the individual if you want to reuse the kernels for any of these methods. BABS Bakery does not recommend any microwave
use in preparing the water or beverage.
To make it in any slow drip coffee maker.
Grind 1 tablespoon of kernels per 4 cups of beverage and discard the grind after brewing.
Freeze the Spelt Beverage in ice cube trays. Use the frozen cubes to cool down the hot Spelt Beverage instead of water or traditional ice cubes.
Date & Walnut Flapjack
In the book Daverick mentions that his grandmother use to make this, yet this is not her actual recipe,
although it is a near perfect combination to satisfy
someone who also had a grandmother that spoiled
him with great food!
Daverick Leggett has given BABS Bakery permission to post a recipe from his book Recipes for Self-Healing. The recipe listed below is one I love to eat in the Fall and is on page 248. There are a variety of Food Energetic recipes within this book. (Note: Daverick Leggett’s books are published through Meridian Press, England,,,http://www.meridianpress.net/ also distributed with Red Wing Books, USA)
Prep time: 40 minutes & serves 8
6 ounces walnuts
8 ounces dates
A little hot water
1 handful sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
20 ounces oat flakes
Crush the walnuts and chop the dates finely. Add a small amount of hot water to the dates, leave for a few minutes then mash until the dates dissolve a little. Add the molasses, crushed walnuts, sesame seeds, oil, spices, and eggs. Stir well. Gradually add the oats until the mixture is thick and moist. Push it into a shallow baking tray and Bake at 400 degrees F (205c) Gas mark 6, for about half an hour. Cut when still warm.
Energetics- The combination of walnuts, dates, sesame seeds, eggs, molasses, and oats is nourishing to most aspects of our system: the Yin, Yang, Blood and Qi. Its moistening action is particularly moderated by the drying and warming action of the spices. Because of its richness, too much will be dampening. This is a warming energy tonic that will support the whole system. Primary influences: Lung, intestines, stomach, spleen, heart, kidney, liver.
BABS Bakery wants to note here that Daverick Leggett’s works include the energetics to his recipes within the books. BABS Bakery truly hopes you enjoy this recipe as well as all the others in his books!
Mung Dal Kitchari (Tridoshic)
V↓ P↓ K↓
Serves 4 to 5
1 cup yellow mung dal
1 cup basmati rice
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine
2 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 small handful fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup water
3 tablespoons ghee
1½ inch piece of cinnamon bark
5 whole cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon salt
6 cups water
Wash the mung dal and rice until water is clear. Soaking the dal for a few hours helps with digestibility.
In a blender, put the ginger, coconut, cilantro and ½ cup water and blend until liquefied.
Heat a large saucepan on medium heat and add the ghee, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns and bay leaves. Stir for a moment until fragrant. Add the blended items to the spices, then the turmeric and salt. Stir until lightly browned.
Stir in the mung dal and rice and mix very well. Pour in the 6 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes, then turn down the heat to very low and cook, lightly covered, until the dal and rice are soft, about 25 - 30 minutes.
This kitchari is especially beneficial for tridoshic balancing.
This is my favorite recipe for kitchari and it is found in Usha Lad & Dr. Vasant Lad’s book called Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing on page 79. Once you make it and eat the light taste, flavor & balance it has you will understand why it is my favorite dish anytime! I also talk about kitchari on my Food Energetic CD’s. Hint: I purchased a small cast iron pan to cook the ghee and spices, then I transfer them into a larger pan to finish cooking, as directed.
BABS Bakery has been granted exclusive permission from: Copyright 1994, 2013 Usha and Dr. Vasant Lad and The Ayurvedic Press- All rights reserved.http://www.ayurveda.com/ayurvedic_press....for more details about the book.
Coconut Almond Pie Crust
Tastes better than a traditional wheat flour pie crust, browns nicely and cooks evenly. The dough, however, needs to be handled carefully to avoid breakage, but is easy to repair.
Single Crust:
½ cup sifted coconut flour
½ cup almond flour/meal
2 eggs
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ teaspoon salt
Sift coconut flour and set aside. Thoroughly mix all remaining ingredients together. Add coconut flour last and mix it in well to form the dough. Knead dough with hands for about 1 minute.
Roll between two pieces of wax paper with a rolling pin until about 1/8 inch thick. Put into pan and prick the bottoms with a fork several times to allow steam to escape and avoid distortion of pie shell. Bake 400 degrees F (205C) for 12-15 minutes.
BABS Bakery wants to note here that the complete directions and hints to this pie crust is in Dr. Fife’s book, but you can still make this crust without them. BABS Bakery truly hopes you enjoy this recipe as well as all the others in Dr. Fife’s books!
Dr. Bruce Fife has given BABS Bakery permission to post a ‘free recipe’ from his book Cooking with Coconut Flour. The coconut pie crust is on page 114. There are a variety of pie crusts in this book and they are included on further pages within Dr. Fife’s book.
GHEE
Ghee is used in Ayurvedic practice in place of butter. It is known/translated as clarified butter in the USA,,, yet ghee is taken into a different stage than taught when making clarified butter in the USA.
Directions: Be careful using oils and a stove with flames as they can catch fire quickly!
Put 1 lb. of unsalted butter in a pan larger than needed, since it boils and may sputter up and out a bit. Use medium heat until the unsalted butter boils, and let it boil on low for about 15 minutes or until it reaches a foamy stage,,,, watch it carefully after this. I stir mine up until this point periodically. This stage will show the fat starting to coagulate at the bottom, and it will smell like pop-corn. The color of the ghee itself begins to change from the pale-bright yellow to a deeper and richer yellow, while the pop-corn smell is almost gone. Once it reaches this stage I
usually do not stir it, because the boiling slows down to
almost no boil, while the fat drops to the bottom and
turns to a whitish color that changes to a light brown
color very quickly. At this stage it can burn within seconds,
so it is best to turn off the burner and set it on a cool burner.
I let this almost cool to touch and then strain it with a thin layer of cheese cloth placed in a wire strainer into another pot, then pour it into a clean glass container and let it finish completely cooling, and cover it. Do not let water get into the ghee at any point as it causes bacteria to grow, just like any other oil or butter. Ghee does not require refrigeration and the older the ghee, the better it becomes, unlike butter. The water in the unsalted butter boils out as well as the fat separates, and what is left is ghee!
Spelt pilaf
1 cup spelt kernels
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 pound or more fresh mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp black pepper,
1/2 tsp pellitory and thyme
1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
Sauté spelt and onions in oil for 3 to 4 minutes.Add mushrooms and sauté 5 more minutes. Add broth and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed. If pilaf becomes too dry during cooking, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Variation: add 1/2 cup grated cheese shortly before removing from heat.
BABS Bakery hopes your interest in spelt and this new book enjoys life in well-being... as Dr. Strehlow signed for the email to post this recipe--- *Thanks for your interest- Much Love, Wighard!* ....ENJOY!!
Avocado Dip
My daughter Bridget showed me (Karan) how to make this and it can be altered with spices for the seasons. Although avocado is listed as a fruit, it can be combined into a dip used with spices. The energetic value is astringent/cool/sweet which makes it good for vata & pitta doshas or fire and air elements within people. It lowers vata & pitta, but raises kapha, which is not good internal Damp conditions or for Winter time. Lowering vata is good for Fall & lowering pitta is good for Summer. This is a good example of how to adjust a recipe, once you know the energetic value, or simply use common sense within the seasons…
Summer:
2 avocado’s mashed then add & mix thoroughly:
Salt –about 2 pinches
Pepper –about 1 pinch, can use pipali instead
1/8 cup lime juice
¼ teaspoon chia seeds or tukamaria
Dash of sunflower seed oil
Energetics- the salt & pepper assist in digestion in small amounts for the season, the lime juice is sour/cool/sweet and is a refreshing digestive but can raise pitta or the fire element if to much is used, the chia seeds help with any excess dampness and a digestive aid, the sunflower seed oil is sweet-astringent/cooling/sweet as well as lubricating as we can tend to overheat and dry out inside in the summer. I like to sprinkle some ground jaggery in mine!
Spring & Fall (eat only if allot of kapha or dampness is not present)
:2 avocado’s mashed then add & mix thoroughly:
Salt –about 2 pinches
Pepper –about 1 pinch, can use pipali instead
¼ cup lime juice
¼ teaspoon chia seeds or tukamaria
2 pinches of ground ginger, pipali, galangle, or cumin… which ever you like the most of! --Another option is to use a few pinches of Graham Masala and give it a “spice-of-India” taste.
Winter: Avocado is not a winter food, but if consumed add and extra pinch of spice & reduce the lime juice to 1/8 cup!!
Make sure to store it with plastic wrap right over top of the mixture and smooth it down the sides a bit too, then seal the container, it may not get a brownish look that way. Can be used as a spread on the Spelt Patty’s, as a dip for a favorite chip, and great as a quick snack on toast.
Teas & Directions
Digestive Teas are great, whether it's ginger and honey, fennel and cumin, Chinese digestive tea, or a just a soothing cup of chamomile.
Chinese Digestive Tea- known all over China, and served in many authentic Chinese restaurants.
Equal parts of: black tea, jasmine tea and pu er tea.
About 1 teaspoon of each for a pot of tea.
Kitchen Tips & Trix
ALMONDS- to remove the skin easily, soak in hot water for about 15 minutes or so.
CHOPPING- *Dry Fruits- Place in frig for about ½ hour to firm them up before cutting & can dip knife in hot water before cutting.
ROLLING PIN- if dough sticks to the rolling pin try placing it in the freezer for a few minutes.
LEMON/LIME- if they are hard place in warm water for 5-10 minutes & this will make them easier to squeeze.
Emergency Substitutions
1 clove garlic= 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg= 1 teaspoon cornstarch (BABS uses Tapioca) + ¼ cup water
1 cup cream= 1/3 cup butter + ¾ cup milk
1 square unsweetened chocolate= 3 tablespoon cocoa + 1 tablespoon oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Herbs= ½ dried of the same kind of herb
When using dried herbs compared to fresh herbs, use 1/3 teaspoon powdered or ½ teaspoon dried & crushed for every tablespoon fresh herb.
DRYING FRESH HERBS- Air drying is the simplest in an area with good circulation. Store them in air tight containers out of direct sunlight.
Easy-- Weights & Measurements
1 Tablespoon= 3 teaspoons
1/16 cup= 1 tablespoon
1/8 cup= 2 tablespoons
1/6 cup= 2 tablespoon & 2 teaspoons
¼ cup= 4 tablespoons
1/3 cup= 5 tablespoons & 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup= 6 tablespoons
½ cup= 8 tablespoons
2/3 cup= 10 tablespoons & 2 teaspoons
¾ cup= 12 tablespoons
1 cup= 16 tablespoons
1 cup= 48 teaspoons
8 oz = 1 cup
1 pint= 2 cups= ½ quart
1 quart= 2 pints= 4 cups= ¼ gallon
4 cups= 1 quart
1 gallon= 4 quarts= 8 pints
16 oz. = 1 lb.
Standard Measurements
1 cup = 24 centiliter (cl) or 240 milliliter (ml)
1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 15 milliliter (ml)
1 teaspoon (tsp) = 5 milliliter (ml)
1 fluid ounce (oz) = 30 milliliter (ml)
1 pound (lb) = 454 grams (gm)
WEIGHT
The two most commonly used units of weight (or mass) measurement for cooking in the U.S. are the ounce and the pound. Often confused are the ounce of weight with the fluid ounce, as they are not the same. There is no standard conversion between weight and volume unless you know the density of the ingredient.
Weight
1 ounce = 28.35 grams
1 pound = 453.59 grams
1 gram = 0.035 ounce
100 grams = 3.5 ounces
1000 grams = 2.2 pounds
1 kilogram = 35 ounces
1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds Volume
1 milliliter = 1/5 teaspoon
1 milliliter = 0.03 fluid ounce
1 teaspoon = 5 milliliters
1 tablespoon = 15 milliliters
1 fluid ounce = 30 milliliters
1 fluid cup = 236.6 milliliters
1 quart = 946.4 milliliters
1 liter (1000 milliliters) = 34 fluid ounces
1 liter (1000 milliliters) = 4.2 cups
1 liter (1000 milliliters) = 2.1 fluid pints
1 liter (1000 milliliters) = 1.06 fluid quarts
1 liter (1000 milliliters) = 0.26 gallon
1 gallon = 3.8 liters
Abbreviations
Standard English
cup = C
fluid cup = fl C
fluid ounce = fl oz
fluid quart = fl qt
foot = ft
gallon = gal
inch = in
ounce = oz
pint = pt
pound = lb
quart = qt
tablespoon = T or Tbsp
teaspoon = t or tsp
yard = yd
Temperature
Conversion formulas:
C = (F - 32) X 5/9
F = (C X 9/5) + 32
32F = 0C
40F = 4.4C
100F = 37.7C
200F = 93.3C
225F = 107.2C
250F = 121.1C
275F = 135C
300F = 148.9C
325F = 162.8C
350F = 176.7C
375F = 190.6C
400F = 204.4C
425F = 218.3C
450F = 232.2C
475F = 246.1C
500F = 260C
Unusual Terms Referenced by Hildegard
Pennyweight- nummus and half pennyweight- obolus.
Occasionally measurements are described literally as, ‘using a single drop from a pen.’
One should make a small cake,’ sometimes this may refer to as wide as a penny, but thicker.
Other descriptions are vague such as: She writes about taking a certain amount of one herb, then less of another herb from the first herb, and then even a smaller amount of still another herb, in comparing it to the amount of the first herb described.
Unusual Weights and Measures
1 bit = 2 pinches
1 smidgen = 4 bits
1 dollop = 2 smidgens
1 gaggle = 3 dollops
1 gaggle = 2 glugs
1 blanket = 2 glugs
1 smothering = 3 blankets
All free recipes at this page are for home use only, not commercial sale, as many are copyrighted.
BABS Bakery Spelt Beverage brewing directions, free recipes and fun information to use in baking!
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