Recipe Time! Quinoa Salad, Home Canned Dill Pickles

    When I started turning into an insane, exhausted crazy woman late Saturday night, my husband suggested that I take a break from all the corn reading for a few days.  That was good advice, since you can get swallowed up by this whole thing, trying to learn all there is to know.  He reminded me that there is no way I can learn everything all at once and said to focus on what I know and just live life for a bit.  I was pretty darned near hysterics, because I had planned to can pickles after getting a bushel of pickling cucumbers at the farmers' market Saturday morning.  I was so tired that I took a nap that afternoon with the intention of sleeping for a few hours, only to wake up about 5 hours later.  I still had some errands to run so took Brittany with me to pick up canning salt and some other things.  By the time I was ready to start washing cucumbers and start the brine, it was around 11:00 p.m. and I was not a nice person to be around.  I'm glad I listened to my husband and let it rest.  We managed to fit all the cukes in the refrigerator so they wouldn't spoil--I was still bent out of shape about that because ideally you should pickle them the same day they are picked--and I decided that regardless of whether it would be too long of a wait or not, I would wait until Monday (today) to start canning.

    Kristy, from the Avoiding Corn forum on Delphi, shared an old-fashioned recipe for pickles that uses a different process. I am excited to try that one, once I get all the ingredients I need. I'll let you know how it turns out when I try it!  In the meantime, I started canning season with the pickle recipe I've been most happy with in the past.

I got in 6 beautiful quarts today and have enough cukes for about 11 more tomorrow, and I think they will be fine!

    Aren't they pretty?  The recipe I use is pretty simple, but it really does turn out great dill pickles.  Apple cider vinegar is a must, and I use Bragg's, which is guaranteed corn-free.  I love doing my own canning and knowing that the ingredients I use are good for my family.  Wednesday morning I am getting about a bushel of the really tiny pickling cucumbers so I can have baby dills.  Can't wait for those!  Here is my recipe; can't remember where I got it, so I can't give credit where it's due.

Home Canned Dill Pickles

8 lbs. pickling cucumbers (they work best because the skins are thinner than with slicing cucumbers)

4 c. apple cider vinegar (Bragg's)

12 c. water

2/3 c. pickling/canning salt

16 cloves garlic, peeled & halved

8 sprigs dill weed

8 heads dill weed

    Make sure your jars are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized.  I usually wash mine in the dishwasher and use the heat dry setting; this should be sufficient to sterilize.  If you hand wash, sterilize them in the oven.  I tip my jars upside down on a jelly roll pan and heat the oven to about 275 F and let the jars heat for about 20 minutes.  Then I turn the heat off and leave the jars in, taking them out as I fill them so the hot brine doesn't shock the glass.  Extreme opposites in temperatures can cause the glass to shatter.

    In large pot, pour the 12 c. water and 4 c. apple cider vinegar, along with the salt (make sure it is canning salt, and for sure do not use iodized salt.  This is a general rule of thumb, not just for corn avoiders).  Heat until boiling, then turn heat off.  This is your brine.

    Put about 1" water in small saucepan with canning lids.  Bring barely to a boil, then turn down to simmer.  This sterilizes the lids until you are ready to put them on the jars.

    While the brine is heating, wash cucumbers in cold water; I dump them in the kitchen sink and fill the sink with cold water, then take them out as I need them.  Put 1 sprig and head of dill weed in each jar, along with 2 cloves of garlic cut in half lengthwise.  Pack cucumbers into jarst as tightly as you can, leaving about 1/2" headspace from top of jar.  Pour the brine into jar (I use a canning funnel on the jar and a soup ladel for pouring the brine) to 1/2" headspace. Wipe tops of jars with a clean, wet cloth and apply lids and rings.

    Process in boiling water bath or steam canner, following directions of manufacturer.  I use a steam canner because it produces the same results as the bath but uses less water.

    Remove jars and set on counter.  Lids are sealed when you hear them pop and they stay down when you push them.  Wait at least 3 weeks to eat them, and store in a cool, dark place for best shelf life.  These should be good for 2 years--we are still eating pickles I made 2 years ago, and they taste great!

    Now, I have to talk about how dinner was tonight!  I was very happy with it.  We had grilled grass-fed sirloin steaks which come from a local supplier and which I verified through the store to be corn-free, sliced strawberries mixed with just a tiny bit of Stevia, and quinoa salad.  I am particularly proud of the quinoa salad, since I came up with my own recipe for this and it has been very successful.  I've taken it for a few potlucks and have gotten very positive responses every time I've done so.  The thing I loved about dinner tonight, besides it being safe to eat and very tasty, was that it was PRETTY.  I am a big fan of pretty meals lately, probably because coming up with satisfying, safe meals is such a challenge when you are dealing with multiple allergies.  The quinoa salad is very colorful and festive-looking.

Quinoa Salad, Heidi-Style

    Quinoa is one of my happiest discoveries of the past year.  It cooks up the same as white rice, with the same ratios of grain to water, and I love the taste and smell.  It is also extremely healthy, since it is a complete protein all by itself.  I never have the yucky, full feeling after eating it like I do after eating white rice (I use mostly brown rice now anyway).  I always feel fantastic and energized after a meal with quinoa.

2 c. cooked quinoa (1 c. quinoa, 1 c. water, salt to taste)

finely diced fresh vegetables of your choice.  I use:

1/2 yellow squash

1/2 zucchini

1/4-1/2 green bell pepper, same amount orange bell pepper

1 medium tomato

1 avocado

Cool quinoa in bowl, add cut-up vegetables, and add dressing, salt and pepper to taste.  This is the dressing I make; I don't pour all of it in the salad.  Add enough to moisten all ingredients and add enough flavor to salad:  (I mix my dressing in a dressing shaker)

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1 T. dried parsley flakes

1 T. dried basil

1 T. dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Shake dressing and let sit; repeat a few times before pouring on sald.  Mix all salad ingredients; chill salad for about an hour before serving.

    Tonight's salad, the one in the photo, has no avocado or orange bell pepper.  Since finding out that waxed produce is corny, I haven't been able to find unwaxed orange bell peppers and I didn't have an avocado on hand.  I did use something new I found at the farmer's market, called a chocolate bell pepper.  It has kind of a purplish color to it on the outside but is green on the inside.

    Can I just say that this salad is just about the only way I can get my husband to eat squash?

    I am hoping to find safe orange peppers soon; they look so pretty in this salad.  Last time I made this salad for company, one of the guests commented that it looked like colored confetti. :)