Kimchi

My clients might be bored of me telling them my golden rule (I have many actually) of eating 1-2 tbsp fermented foods at each lunch and dinner. Not only do they taste AMAZING but they’re loaded with healthy bacteria that help our gut microflora thrive.

GUESS WHAT! YOU ARE HAVE AROUND 2-6 POUNDS OF WEIGHT IN BACTERIA ON YOUR BODY!

The human body contains trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1. Because of their small size, however, microorganisms make up only about 1 to 3 percent of the body’s mass (in a 200-pound adult, that’s 2 to 6 pounds of bacteria), but play a vital role in human health.

The gut is the seat of our health. This is where disease begins and can end (when we heal with food). This microbiome of yours is a temple. It should be treated well and we need to repopulate the body with healthy good bacteria daily. Aside from a clean, plant-based diet, fermented foods help us achieve this. Think: kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, miso, olives, fermented nut cheese, pickles, kombucha! There are so many delicious fermented foods.

I love this kimchi for so many reasons, one batch should last you a couple months – I gifted a few bottles to friends and family who loved it and said it was the best kimchi they had ever tasted, hence the recipe name!

MADE WITH LOVE

When you make this kimchi and massage it to release the juices, I urge you to use your mind’s intention and direct your thought and loving intentions into the food. This truly makes all the difference in something store-bought to home cooked, there is nothing like eating something infused with your own loving energy. On top of that, the bacteria in your home and on your hands get infused into your kimchi too – kinda ew? I think it’s so cool! I also listened to this playlist I made while making the kimchi. I’m a firm believer in frequency and that through energy and vibration we have the ability to change our energetic state.

Amen to fermented foods. Make it, enjoy, let me know what you think!

Directions

1. Wash all your veggies
2. Get your largest bowl out
3. Chop your cabbage into large pieces and place in large bowl
4. Grate or julienne cut beets (peeled first), carrots, daikon and chop your green onion — add all of this to your large bowl with cabbage
5. In a food processor combine: garlic, ginger, red chilli flakes – pulse until they are all combined
6. Add this food processor mixture, sesame seeds and the sea salt to the large bowl
7. Give your hands a wash and here comes the fun!
8. Massage all the ingredients together and send your loving intention from your hands into the food. Massage until the cabbage starts releasing it’s juices and water, you will massage for about 5 minutes and the whole kimchi mixture will lose a lot of it’s volume
9. Leave your kimchi mixture out on the counter for a few hours
10. When ready, place the kimchi in a sterilized jar or jars (I’ve used the 4L mason jar with great success!)
11. Pack the kimchi down with a temper and try to reduced the amount of air pockets and bubbles that form in the jar
12. Leave some room at the top of the jars as carbon dioxide will form and needs breathing room (otherwise you may have a kitchen explosion!)
13. Cover the jar loosly with a lid – and I mean loosly! You will still want to open the lid every day
14. Leave kimchi out on your counter for 2-4 days, making sure to burp your kimchi daily by removing the lid and allowing air bubbles to come to the top. Taste test your kimchi daily as well
15. Be sure NOT to drain any of the liquid kimchi juice – this is very rich in probiotics and should be drank, added to water or salad dressing!