Cleanse – Quinoa Veggie Bowl

July 1, 2014

About a year and half ago, I committed myself to a cleanse. I gave up dairy, gluten, alcohol, coffee and sugar. And when I say sugar I mean all sugar. So that includes fruit, most condiments, and natural sweeteners like honey. And since that wasn’t enough I decided to even practice food combinations for better digestion, portion control and incorporate fermented foods. Was I crazy. Maybe. But also just highly motivated and was in an unique time of my life that allowed such a change of lifestyle. To my surprise, the cleanse lasted for 5+ months and I adopted many of the healthy habits into my lifestyle. It was hard, no doubt. But I was seeing major results and was addicted to feeling and looking better everyday.

I have been wanting to cleanse again. I have been carrying a couple extra lbs from the South Africa trip and have also been feeling the need to get a better handle on my sugar intake. I know I won’t last 5+ months so I settled on 30 days. And it still took me 2 months to mentally motivate and prepare myself. This cleanse it is not easy, but definitely doable. I mean who likes giving up rhubarb raspberry swirl bread for breakfast?

So I started this cleanse with weaning myself of processed sugar for one week. This helped me ease into the cleanse. Then a week ago I started the rest. This first week wasn’t too bad until I decided to do some baking over the weekend. I made a batch of chewy gooey brownies for my husband and co-worker. Surprisingly enough I had no problem with the brownies. There was no question that those weren’t on the diet! But I had two bananas in the fridge that needed to be desperately mashed into a baked good. I decided I would make some healthy muffins that I would freeze and eat as a snack when I came off the cleanse. The chocolate coffee peanut butter muffins are delicious and the recipe can be found here. They have no processed sugar (just banana and peanut butter), no gluten, and no dairy. Since these are healthy muffins in my mind, I kept thinking I should eat one. Thank God my husband was around this weekend to monitor. All two dozen are safe in the freezer. But now I know, if I bake in these next 20 days. Load it with refined sugar and gluten!

Today is day 10 of the cleanse and I have lost 4 lbs and feel less of an urge to eat chocolate cake for breakfast. On Instagram, I am posting daily photos that promote clean eating and healthy bright living. In doing this cleanse, I am hoping to inspire others to join #kateschallenge to feel and look their best.

There is nothing original about quinoa and veggies but I promise you this dressing is something special. It’s completely natural with no sugar. And trust me, you can’t buy that in your local grocer. You may have extra dressing when you make this recipe but I found it equally appetizing on a chicken salad. Plus this recipe abides by all the rules of the cleanse.

Quinoa Veggie Bowl / serves 4

2 bell peppers (I used 1 red and 1 yellow)
1 sweet or yellow onion
2 celery ribs
2 carrots
1/4 c each of red and white quinoa
1-2 Tbs. high heat oil

Dressing

3 limes
1-inch piece of ginger
1-2 garlic cloves depending on your taste
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1 Tbs. Bragg’s liquid aminos
1/4 c. olive oil
Salt to taste

Cook quinoa per instructions. I used 1 c. of water for the 1/2 c. of quinoa.

While quinoa is cooking, make dressing. In a bowl, juice limes and grate ginger and garlic. Add curry powder, Braggs, and salt. Give a whisk and then whisk in olive oil.

Wash and slice onion, celery and peppers. Slice all veggies to a similar thickness. Add high heat oil to wok. I used a spicy macadamia nut oil. Heat on high and add veggies. Cook until veggies are tender crisp.

Peel carrots, add quinoa to veggies and pour dressing to taste.

Rhubarb Raspberry Swirl Bread

June 24, 2014

I entered a baking challenge hosted by Joy the Baker and King Arthur Flour. The four part challenge is a way to bring bakers together. Fun right. So all I had to do was bake this Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl Bread, take photos of the end product and then post them on Instagram using hashtag #bakingbootcamp. You can read more about the challenge here if you want to join in for the next three.

I didn’t have too many berries at home when I decided to make this sweet treat. But I still have, what seems, an endless supply of rhubarb. So I decided to make this a rhubarb raspberry swirl bread. I highly recommend trying this recipe. I can best describe it as a large rhubarb cinnamon roll. And since I love cinnamon rolls and by now you should know how much I love rhubarb, this is probably my favorite sweet treat to date. It basically gives you a reason to wake up in the mornings! You can find the recipe here.

On a side note. Montana is looking stunning. Mother Nature has blessed us with ample moisture. The fields and hills are lush and green. The amount of feed available this year is exciting. The photos below were taken in what we call our dry land pasture. This means we do not irrigate it. Mother Nature does her work and we hope for the best. So far she is doing some of her best work for us.

It has been at least 1o years since I have spent an entire summer in Montana. And I rarely visited in June. I have no idea why not. Like I said it’s a gorgeous time of year and good energy vibes are everywhere with summer finally arriving. I recommend visiting this time of year. Just pack your rain slicker and boots.

Happy Summer Days!

2 in 1 Recipe. Rhubarb Rose Lemonade & Rhubarb Curd Tart

June 15, 2014

One of my best friends, fourth sister really, was visiting from California for a long weekend. She requested I bake a sweet treat. Normally this is not a problem for me. I have endless options when it comes to baking sweet treats. But, she is gluten free. And if you haven’t tried gluten-free baking, let me tell you it is an art in itself. You cannot take any good old recipe, substitute the all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour and think you are going to retrieve a master piece from the oven. It just doesn’t work that way. You really have to spend time in the kitchen experimenting with gluten-free flour combinations or just refer to the experts. And even then, I still think it’s a challenge.

Since time was limited I decided to refer to an expert gluten free baker for a rhubarb cake recipe. Let me just tell you that the entire cake stuck to the bottom of the pan. Feeling defeated but determined, I decided it was nothing raspberries and powdered sugar could not fix. It tasted divine and looked homemade! But for this post, I am sticking to what I know and that’s gluten. I have made this pate sucree dough many times. It’s tried and true. You can find the recipe here posted under the lemony tartlets.

And since rhubarb is in full bounty and I love it so much, I decided to make this a 2 in 1 recipe. I am giving you recipes for Rhubarb-Rose Lemonade and a Rhubarb Curd Tart. You use the rhubarb simple syrup for the lemonade and the strained rhubarb for the curd. It’s perfect really!

Rhubarb-Rose Lemonade

8 rhubarb stalks
1 ½ c. sugar
½ tsp. rose water
3 lemons
1 sparkling water

Remove leaves from rhubarb. Wash and cut into 1 inch pieces. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, bring 3 cups of water, rhubarb, sugar and rose water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved. Approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow rhubarb to seep for approx 2 hours. Strain before serving.

In a 1 gallon glass jar, zest 2 lemons and juice 3. Add the rhubarb simple syrup and sparkling water and then fill remaining jar with tap water. Refrigerate until chilled. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Rhubarb Curd Tart

Strained rhubarb from above simple syrup
4 egg yolks
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350. Follow pate sucree recipe here. Bake crust for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Puree rhubarb. I used a food processor. In a glass bowl, whisk together rhubarb puree and egg yolks. Place over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until thickened. About 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and coconut milk. Stir until incorporated.

Spread rhubarb curd into 4″x14″ tart shell. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until curd is set in the middle.

Swiss Meringue / from SF Baking Institute

166 g of sugar
83 g of egg whites

Combine the egg white and sugar in a mixing bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and mix until egg whites and sugar reach 120F. Transfer to a mixer and whip on medium high until full volume and the meringue has cooled to room temperature.

Apply meringue to cooled tart and toast carefully with a blowtorch.

Field Dinner at the Cooper Hereford Ranch

June 4, 2014

I am so excited to announce that the Cooper Hereford Ranch will be hosting our 1st field dinner this summer on Sunday July 20th.

Guests will dine al fresco under 100 year old willow trees and experience an environment that aesthetically and gastronomically defines the Farm to Table concept. A menu crafted by Chef Melissa Harrison with Seasonal Montana featuring Cooper Hereford Beef and other locally produced food from farmers and ranchers we know and trust.

There has been a lot of interest in this event and seating is limited to 40 guests. So please purchase your tickets here so I can save you a seat at the table. Please share this event with others who eat beef, support local agriculture, and enjoy the outdoors!

Hope to see you in July!

Edible Flowers

June 3, 2014

Yes! Lilac blossoms are edible and you should try infusing your water bottle.

The blossoms taste sort of lemony. So if you add lemon to your water, you might give this edible flower a try for a Spring substitute. I recommend sooner than later. But I suppose there is always next year too!

Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup

May 20, 2014

I know soup season is over but May weather in Montana is unpredictable. Mother Nature surprised me with 2 to 3-inches of snow a couple weeks ago and as of late, afternoon thunderstorms have set the mood for a warm bowl of lemony soup.

May 12, 2014

My sister, Kelsy, and I were busy baking and our Mother was the taste tester. She approved.
My sister, Natalie, who is a Mother to a wild 8 yr old cowboy found this quote. I think she may be right!
“MOTHERS ARE ALL SLIGHTLY INSANE.” – J.D. Salinger
Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the slightly insane mothers out there!

We tried three new recipes. A Cardamom Pound Cake. Recipe can be found here. And two different types of gluten free muffins. The Chocolate Coffee Peanut Butter Muffins and the Peach Coconut Almond Flour Muffins can be found here along with eight other healthy muffin recipes. Maybe you can try some of the others too and report back to me!

I made a couple slight adaptations to the Cardamom Pound Cake. Instead of Creme Fraiche and whole milk I used refrigerator staples, sour cream and 2%. And I substituted 1 cup of all-purpose flour for 1/2 cup of spelt flour and 1/2 cup of almond flour. Because it makes me feel healthier! The cake passed the taste test, but I forgot to serve it with some sort of cream. Clotted cream, whipped cream, ice cream…..You get the picture.

Kelsy made a couple of adaptions too. Mostly to the flour combinations. For the Peach Coconut Almond Flour Muffins she used 1 cup of spelt flour, 1/4 cup of coconut flour, and a half cup of oat flour. She also used 1 whole banana and 4 peach halves from our canned peaches.
For the Chocolate Coffee Peanut Butter Muffins she used 1/4 cup of spelt flour, 1/4 cup of oat flour, 1/4 cup of coconut flour and 1/4 cup of ground flax seed. She also used 1 1/2 bananas. I am sure you could experiment with other gluten free flours too!

Apple Walnut Bundt Cake

April 28, 2014

It is the end of April and I should be updating you about the latest on the Ranch. But don’t hold your breath. I spent the month of April seeking sunshine so unfortunately no ranch news but instead a tasty bundt cake! But I can tell you April was a busy month breeding females, delivering sale bulls, and spring cleaning. So this is what you have to look forward to next year!

If you follow me on Instagram you know there was an abundance of apples on the Ranch last Fall. After multiple variations of tarts, pies and galettes we decided to can and freeze the rest. We washed the apples, peeled and sliced, then mixed them with a little lemon. We froze the apples in 8 cup batches in a gallon sized zip lock bag. Why? Because apple pie is a favorite around here and 8 cups makes the perfect packed pie!

The frozen apples proved to be quite convenient during the winter months!

I came across this recipe for an Spiced Apple Walnut Bundt Cake and I thought with a little modification it could be a good base recipe for the frozen apples. The key here is to use granulated sugar instead of maple syrup because the frozen apples have plenty of moisture and adding more liquid would probably contribute to a less appealing soggy cake. If you like the idea of using maple syrup, try drizzling the cake with a maple glaze instead of dusting with powdered sugar.

I have baked this bundt cake A LOT during the past winter months. Mostly because it pairs perfectly with my morning cup of tea but also for it’s simplicity and remembrance of Fall. The perfect marriage of apples and walnuts has passed the test of time. And this cake is extra moist from the frozen apples.

And just in case you were wondering, you can buy the Heritage Bundt Pan by Nordic Ware at Williams-Sonoma. It’s a classic pan that captures the nostalgia of the original stoneware molds that have been used for centuries in Germany to bake kugelhopf. And it’s just a favorite of mine!

March 30, 2014

Per usual, the month of March roared in like a lion bringing snow, wind and a week of freezing temperatures. Followed by several days of unseasonably warm weather which resulted in mass amounts of runoff from the surrounding hills and mountains. Because most of the ditches remained laden with packed snow, they were unable to accommodate the influx of water and flooding resulted throughout the state. Of course this crazy weather presented itself just days before our annual bull sale and so we were scrambling about, frantically, attempting to divert the water from the sale barn and lots. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the words from dad and mom “Never put off for tomorrow what can be done today”. And thankfully, we ran our operation in accordance. If we had not spent the month of February moving snow and cleaning barns and pens it would have taken a tremendous effort to have the ranch in order for our sale following the crazy weather. Our crew was amazing, working around the clock digging trenches, hauling snow and mud, and moving cattle to any found dry ground. All and all, considering the circumstances we did a darn good job and had the grounds looking “presentable” for our guest on sale day.

For those of you not accustomed to a bull sale, it is an event many Seedstock Producers (aka. Purebred Breeders) hold each year. This year marked the 48th annual sale held at the Cooper Hereford Ranch. Cattlemen from across the country travel to Willow Creek, MT on the second Tuesday of March each year in hopes of purchasing a bull (or two, or three, or eight….) of their liking to use for their respective breeding program. The bulls we sell are yearling bulls, which mean they are basically a year of age. So this year, 2014, we were selling calves born last January and February of 2013.

We had a wonderful crowd present which translated into one of the best sales we’ve had to date. Bulls sold to over 20 states. Buyers throughout the country and as far away as Australia and Uruguay watched the sale live over the internet and on TV.

Click here to view the entire album showing photos from the flood and sale. READ MORE

Winter Wonderland

March 5, 2014

When I left you at the start of February, I recall informing you about the “unseasonably warm” winter we were in the midst of. As so, it’s only natural that February proved to be quite cold and very wintery.

Katie Sue Cooper