My favorite REAL FOOD recipes that are super easy to kick off the year with!

Homemade Rainbow Sauerkraut Recipe

This Sauerkraut makes me feel so nostalgic for home! It is super bright, colorful, and great for you gut! I eat it on EVERYTHING. It's great on top of salads, as a side dish with meat, on rice, and even on eggs. The possibilities are endless!

What you'll need:

• 1 Head of Cabbage, Sliced
• 1/3 Cup Sea Salt
• 1 White Onion, Sliced
• 5 Cloves Garlic, Diced
• 1/3 Cup Ginger, Peeled and Diced
• 2 Large Carrots, Peeled and Sliced
• 1 Large Beet, Peeled and Sliced
• 3 Sprigs of Dill
• Sealed Canning Jar

Directions:

1. Prepare all of your ingredients before hand! Peel, slice and dice so everything is ready to go because your hands are going to be a mess so you don't want to have to fiddle around with a knife while you're making the sauerkraut.
2. Wash your hands! They are about to do a lot of work with your ingredients.
3. Place the sliced cabbage in a large bowl and add the sea salt. Massage the sea salt into the cabbage until the cabbage is limp and fully moist. This will take 10-15 minutes.
4. Once the cabbage is nice and tender, add all of your other ingredients. Don't you love how colorful they are?!
5. Massage the rest of the ingredients in with your cabbage until everything else is also tender! 
6. Grab your canning jar and start by adding a large handful of ingredients. Press the ingredients down into the bottom of the jar so that their liquid starts to seep out.
7. Continue this with all of your ingredients and really push hard! You need the liquid at the end to be completely covering your ingredients so that they will properly ferment and not spoil.
8. Take a large piece of cabbage and cover the top of your ingredients and push down so that all the liquid is covering it. This will act like a natural lid to keep pieces from coming up to the surface.
9. Now, THIS is going to sound strange, but it is our old Czech tradition! We use a nice, big, CLEAN stone to keep our ingredients down. So, as you can see here, I add the stone to the top to keep all of the ingredients weighed down under their liquid.
10. Close the jar and make sure it is fully sealed. Store it inside of a cupboard that will stay at a normal room temperature for 3-5 days. Check on the jar each day to make sure that all of the contents are still under the liquid.
11. After about 3 days, open the jar and test your sauerkraut! Once it is at the fermented taste you like, enjoy! Then, store it in the fridge. It will last for up to 2 months. Although, in my house, this jar only lasts us about a month because of how much we love it!
    
    

Please share some photos if you make this rainbow kraut! I'd love to see how yours turns out!

Lemon Rosemary Cranberry Brussels Sprout Recipe

Brussels sprouts are a multi-tasking vegetable packed with nutritional benefits! If they aren’t in your diet because you have sour childhood memories of boiled brussels sprouts (me), it’s time to change your tune! This recipe will help you achieve that crispy, restaurant-style sprout at home.

These Lemon Rosemary Cranberry Brussels Sprouts are a perfect spring-time vegetable. They are citrusy and herbaceous with a touch of sweetness from the dried cranberries.  I love to incorporate them into my weekly meal plan routine because they are rich in fiber that regulates gut health and digestion, high in vitamin C which helps your body absorb iron and boost immune function, and are packed with your full daily recommendation of vitamin K, which improves bone health.

Time Required: 1 hour

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 40-45 Minutes

Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, AIP Friendly, Paleo Friendly, Nut-Free

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 3 cups brussels sprouts
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½-¾ cup dried cranberries
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 medium lemon
• Sea salt ½ Tbsp + extra to taste
• Wild Zora Mediterranean Lamb Bar

1. Preheat the oven to 450°.
2. Cut all of your brussels sprout bulbs in half and lay them out on a sheet pan. Press them with a paper towel and sprinkle ½ Tbsp sea salt over them in order to draw out moisture.  Let them rest there for 10 minutes while your oven preheats. This will dry them out and lead to those crispy leaves you are looking for!
3. Place the sprouts in the oven on the middle-rack and let them bake for 10 minutes.  Open the oven, shake the pan or use a wood spoon to turn over the sprouts. Bake another 5 minutes. The leaves should be browning and the sprouts will develop light golden brown color.
4. While the sprouts are in the oven, dice the garlic and pull the rosemary needles off of the sprig and chop roughly.
5. Take the pan out, and turn the oven down to 400°.
6. Place the sprouts in a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil, garlic, and half of the rosemary. Mix everything together, and spread the sprouts back in the pan.
7. Bake for another 30 minutes. While the sprouts are baking, chop the Mediterranean Lamb Bar into small pieces.
8. Pull the sprouts out and give the pan a good (and careful) shake so that you can get an even bake.
9. Sprinkle the chopped lamb bars and the rest of the rosemary over the sprouts and add the juice from half a lemon over the top. Place the sprouts back in the oven for the last 10-15 minutes.
10. Pull the sprouts out for the last time (phew!) and add the cranberries.  Taste the sprouts and add more lemon and sea salt to your preference!
11. Enjoy!

I oftentimes pair these with roasted chicken breasts or seared lamb chops! The kids love them and your gut will thank you.

Easy Instant Pot Russian Borscht

My kids LOVE this recipe, and I love that it's good for them! Plus, it's super easy when the instant pot can do a lot of the work for you 😉

Did you know I actually used this old family recipe to create our Savoy Beef Soup? I wanted there to be a great, easy soup option without all the traditional grains, added sugars, gluten and soy! So, I made an instant soup that you can feel really good eating! 

Have a wonderful holiday and happy start to your 2021!

Zora