Fermented Jalapenos

A couple of months ago, I ordered the book Fermented: A Four Season Approach to Paleo Probiotic Foods. I took a quick look at it and figured I would look back at it again when I had some time.  So a couple of weeks ago, I took it out again and bought some of the ingredients.  I attempted to make some pickles, but they didn't work out.  I am still working on the Kombucha (maybe I will post about it later).  

Anyhow, the hubs and I had "taco night" with some friends last week and I had bought some extra jalapeno peppers to pickle.  I LOVE jalapenos, so I figured if all goes well with my pickling, then I can always have some on hand when I need to spice things up!

I followed the recipe for pickled cucumbers from Fermented. Except, I left out the dill.  I let them ferment for 6 days and pulled them out today to use in our chili.  They are delicious!! And look how cute they are in that little jar!!

Here's the recipe (adapted from Fermented: A Four Season Approach to Paleo Probiotic ):

Ingredients:

5-10 Jalapeno peppers

1 tsp. salt

Water (the amount depends on the size of your jar)

1 large garlic clove

1. Slice your jalapeno peppers (remove the seeds if you don't want all the heat)

2. Fill up your jar that you will be using with water and pour that water (plus a little extra) into a pot of water. Add the salt and heat it just until the salt dissolves. 

3. In the meantime, transfer your jalapenos and your garlic clove to your jar.

4. When all the salt is dissolved, pour the water mixture into the jar.

5. Lightly cover the jar and let it sit for about a week, or until you feel that the peppers are soft enough.

*I used a mason jar and just put the disc lid on top, I did not use the ring, as it makes it too tight.  The photo above is the jar I am using to store the final product.

8.  When they are finished, place them in the refrigerator with a tight lid and enjoy!

Tips:

• Check on your peppers every couple of days.  
• If you see any mold, just scrape it off the top and try to push the jalapenos down farther into the water.
• If your peppers are slimy or have a stinky smell to them, you should probably scrap them and try again.
• It is normal for the water to be somewhat cloudy.

ZOODLES!

My turning slicer, as discussed in the last post.

We made Zoodles (zucchini noodles!!)

We placed them in the cast iron skillet with a little bit of oil, some onions, and seasoned salt.  We fried them up to al dente texture (about 8 minutes).

Then, we at them for breakfast with bacon, eggs, and gluten-free banana pancakes!

Apple sausage pasta

This was such an easy dinner and not too many dishes to wash either!! 

First I sliced the chicken sausage into small diagonal chunks and cooked it in my cast iron frying pan in a teeny bit of oil... palm fruit or coconut is best.  Al Fresco makes other chicken sausage flavors too.  This one has maple syrup in it, so it's not the best, but hey, it was yummy!

While it was cooking, I cut up my veggies.  This is just what I had on hand-- petty pan squash, yellow squash, onions, and some frozen peas. You could add any other veggies that you want.

When the sausage was done cooking, I took it out and put it in a glass dish with a lid to keep it warm.  I used the same pan to fry the vegetables.  I put a lid on the pan so they steamed a bit.  While the veggies were cooking, I put the water on for the noodles.

This is organic brown rice pasta.  It tastes JUST like regular pasta. 

When it was all done cooking, I splashed a tiny bit of oil onto the pasta, some seasoning salt, and some garlic powder on.  I put it in the dishes above to keep warm since the hubs was not home yet... his is the one with more pasta.. lucky!!