How to Roast Garlic

How to Roast Garlic
From toriavey.com

Ingredients
•    1 whole head of garlic
•    Olive oil
You will also need
•    Aluminum foil, small baking sheet

Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Servings: 1 head of roasted garlic cloves
 

Prep

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the outer skin from the garlic head, leaving the cloves intact in their casings.
2. Slice the top part of the garlic head off, leaving the cloves exposed.
3. Put the garlic head onto a square of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Wrap the garlic up in the foil. Put it on a small baking sheet and place it in the hot oven for 45 minutes.
5. Remove garlic from the oven and unfold carefully-- there will be hot steam inside. You may wish to let it cool for several minutes before unwrapping.
6. Squeeze the cloves out from their casings. They will be soft, caramelized, and easy to spread on toast or crackers.
    

DIY Disinfectant Spray

Want to make your own natural disinfectant spray at home? Here are a few great recipes using thyme oil, which is an excellent germ killer! 

10 drops of lemon essential oil
10 thyme essential oil
1 oz vodka
3 oz distilled water
Allow this blend to mellow for an hour and always shake before using. 

3 cups of hot water
2T borax
4T vinegar
10 drops thyme essential oil
1 tsp dish soap
Mix well and shake before using. 
 

Can you have wheat germ if you're sensitive to wheat?

Many recipes call for wheat germ for it's health benefits. But can you have it if you have a wheat allergy or sensitivity? The easy answer is no - but have no fear! There are great substitutes. 

Wheat Germ contains fibre, protein and B vitamins to name it's most common positive benefits. But for those who want to avoid it here are some excellent substitutes:

Rice Bran (gluten free) - contains good amounts of magnesium and iron. Source of B vitamins, especially B-5 & B-6.  Also an excellent source of fibre of course. Consider your overall arsenic consumption as it relates to rice products when using rice bran as it has been found to contain higher levels of arsenic than whole rice.  

Oat Bran (wheat free) - Similar in texture and nutritional benefits to wheat germ. Contains fibre, iron, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and some B vitamins

Flax or Chia seed ground (gluten free) - contain more fibre, calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids and less fat than wheat germ. Similar texture but not quite as sweet as wheat germ. 

Sunflower seeds ground (gluten free) - add texture, protein and fibre to bread and other baked goods. They contain far fewer carbohydrates than wheat germ, but roughly the same amount of protein. They do have more fats but they are high in heart-healthy polyunsaturated fat.

There are probably many other ingredients that people substitute for wheat germ but this is a good start. Any ground nuts or seeds could work too, if you wanted give them a try.

Get creative and go bake!