Author: lisa

H.U.L.K. is here

Her Unfiltered Local Kombucha is now available in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA!

We are excited to launch our new line of pure, unfiltered, local kombucha in small batches for discerning customers.

kombucha glass and bottle in the sun
Select your favorite flavorings
Kombucha bottles
Custom artisanal kombucha brews
Select your preferred tartness level

Available in 1-liter swing-top refillable bottles – returnable for your next batch!

Free tastings available by appointment – get in touch today!

Our ingredients

We use only organic ingredients. Our proprietary secondary ferment yields what many have called the best kombucha you’ve never tasted!

Not sold in stores. Not owned by a giant corporation.
Local deliveries only.

H.U.L.K. is made with decaffeinated organic green and white loose-leaf teas. Green tea has great health benefits that are brought to the next level with the probiotic “friendly” bacteria — fixes your microbiome up right!*


We use organic, vegan, gluten free dried cane juice that is completely consumed by the kombucha mother in the brewing process. The final brew is decaffeinated, sugar-free, slightly fizzy, and only 35 calories per 8-oz serving.**

Limited quantities available
Place your order today!

Current flavor sensations:

  • Star anise
  • Cardamom
  • Ginger
  • Hibiscus
  • Raisin
  • Mango
  • Cranberry
  • Apple
  • Lemon

Mix and match up to 3 flavors in each liter!

Ask about our special program for weekly subscribers =)

*No guarantees provided. No health claims presented. If you are unused to drinking kombucha, start small and slowly increase the amount you consume.

**A slight amount of alcohol is present in the finished brew, as a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. H.U.L.K. is not a hard kombucha. The ABV is similar to a near-beer.

Specialty infusions

The latest developments here at the CMI are super exciting, but we can’t share them just yet.

So in the meantime, we thought we’d update you about a few new flavor experiments we’ve been trying:

  • Hibiscus: a Vitamin C-rich flower that lends a ruby color and sweet-tart flavor to any brew. Especially nice when blended with sweet fruits – cherry, blueberry, mango, or blackberry.
  • Tinctures: kombucha blends well with any kind of alcohol — try it with an absinthe or vodka-based tincture that really packs a punch!
  • Vanilla: Whole vanilla beans added after bottling bring a beautiful richness to kombucha that must be tasted to be believed. Blended with fruits, like orange (creamsicle!) or strawberry, kombucha takes on a whole new delightful character.

Stay tuned – we hope to make some very exciting announcements soon!

Late summer kombucha cocktail recipe

Late summer… when everyone rushes to the beach to wring those last warm rays out of this time of year… the time when things end, and things begin… just in time for Labor Day weekend and saying goodbye to your summer fling, here’s a kombucha cocktail recipe that blends . Enjoy this bittersweet cocktail.

In a pint glass, over ice, combine:

  • 3 oz kombucha – I used a sour cherry cardamom homebrew with organic oolong black tea and organic green rooibos, but you can use any kind of kombucha. I wouldn’t advise using those weird green ones, or the ones with chia in them. Ginger would be nice. Homebrew is always best!
  • 3 oz cider – I used Crispin hard cider, but you could use any kind, including nonalcoholic.
  • 1.5 oz bourbon or whiskey – I used Temptation straight bourbon. Omit for nonalcoholic version.
  • 7 shakes of bitters – I used Angostura, but any kind will work
  • approx 3 oz soda/seltzer (to top)

Use another glass or a cocktail shaker to mix and enjoy.

Homemade Mozzarella and Pizza

Have you ever made mozzarella from scratch? It’s really easy and really fun! And the results are absolutely delicious. It only takes about half an hour! I use the instructions at SimpleBites. I only made a half-batch, because I only had a half-gallon of milk, but it was plenty for my pizza. I got my rennet from the Homebrew Emporium in Cambridge, and my citric acid from the Whole Foods at Fresh Market. I’d recommend the liquid rennet – it’s easier than dealing with the tablets.

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Pizza ingredients: whole-wheat pizza dough, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, tempeh bacon, mushrooms, and spinach

I used a batch of  Tuscan Pizza Company’s organic whole-wheat pizza dough, put some tomato sauce on it, and topped it with  my homemade mozzarella and some tempeh bacon, spinach, and mushrooms.

Going into the oven
Going into the oven

I made the tempeh bacon (using this recipe) with my latest add-on treat from Boston Organics: Rhapsody Natural Food’s Organic Tempeh. The mushrooms and spinach were also from this past week’s delivery (I love my weekly grocery box so much!) If you want high-quality organic produce and groceries delivered to your door from a B-Corp, and you live in the Boston area, I highly recommend Boston Organics!

Sign up using this promo code and get 10% off your first delivery! 

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Finished pizza!
Finished pizza!

Kombucha cocktails

applemartini
Photo by Taku, used under Creative Commons license

Kombucha is delicious to drink on its own or mixed with a little juice and/or seltzer, and it’s also fantastic when mixed with booze! Here are a few fun combinations to try:

The Kombucharia

This version of sangria is a fantastic variation on the traditional Spanish/Portugese beverage.

Ingredients:

1 part kombucha

1 part red wine

1 part seltzer

ice

Shake or stir and enjoy! For a more authentic cocktail, add a slice of lime or orange.

The Kombucharita

You like margaritas? How about a kombucharita!

Ingredients:

1 oz tequila

3 oz kombucha

ice

Shake, stir, or blend for a frozen ‘rita!

The Kombuchatini

Just like a martini, but better!

Ingredients:

1 oz vodka

3 oz kombucha

Twist of lime

Shake, stir, and serve!

Vegan spanish tortilla with kale

I had an excess of gorgeous red potatoes this week and wanted to use up some kale and silken tofu I had lying around, so I decided to make a Spanish tortilla for dinner. Spanish tortillas are not the same as Mexican flour or corn tortillas – they are more like a potato omelet. I googled “vegan spanish tortilla tofu” and adapted the first two recipes I found: one from FatMornings (which is adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance [VwaV]) and one from Hungry Vegan. I think this would probably be fine with either asceptic (boxed) or fresh, water-packed tofu, but I used the water-packed silken variety ’cause that’s what I had in the house. The chickpea flour/tofu mixture gave this a nice consistency, the turmeric added a little color, and the black salt added a little egg-like, sulfuric taste. This would make an excellent brunch dish!

Ingredients
Part 1
1/4 c (4 tablespoons) olive oil
8 small red or 4 medium Yukon potatoes, scrubbed and de-eyed, sliced into even 1/4 inch slices
1 medium onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

Part 2
1 pound silken or soft tofu, drained of any excess water
1 c plain soy milk
3-4 cloves garlic
3 Tbs chickpea flour
2 Tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Part 3
1 bunch kale, chopped fine
1/4 c bread crumbs, optional

Method
Part 1: Preheat oven to 375 F (350 F for a convection oven). Pour the oil into the bottom of a 10″ x 13″ baking pan (or 10″ cast-iron skillet). Add the sliced potatoes and onion and toss to coat with the oil. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Part 2: Meanwhile, place all the ingredients listed under Part 2 above into a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. The consistency should be pourable, but not too thin – sort of like the consistency of an egg/milk mixture you’d use for a (nonvegan) quiche back in the days when you didn’t know any better.

Part 3: Once your potatoes and onions are soft, add the chopped kale, then pour on the tofu mixture and mix to combine. Top with breadcrumbs, if desired. Bake, uncovered, until set and browned on top. This took about half an hour in my convection oven, but it could take up to an hour according to the Fat Mornings/VwaV recipe. That recipe also calls for letting the dish cool before serving, but I served it straight from the oven and it was delicious! Nice topped with some fresh, diced tomato, or even salsa! Next time I will try it with the red pepper-almond sauce from VwaV.

Sarmas (Stuffed Collard Greens)

We got collard greens in our Boston Organics box again this week, so I was looking for a recipe and found this: a Turkish dish called sarma. They looked to be similar to dolmades or stuffed cabbage rolls. I used the same basic approach described in that post, but substituted ground seitan for the bulgur wheat. The seitan was from a recipe I made a few months ago – we made a loaf, then ran it through our food processor to yield a ground meat substitute. I didn’t add any salt, because the seitan was pretty salty as is. I also, sadly, didn’t have any mint or fresh lemons — I think those would improve this dish. It was my first time making any kind of stuffed leaf dish, and it turned out great! I served them with some leftover roasted potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and beets from earlier in the week.

A heaping tablespoon of filling on each leaf

Ingredients:

Large bunch collard greens, stemmed, quartered

A little oil for sauteeing
1/2 red onion, diced
Bell peppers, chopped (I used about a cup of frozen)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
About 8 oz ground seitan (could substitute Gimme Lean or vegan chorizo or even crumbled firm tofu)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T tomato paste
2 T lemon juice
2 c water

Sarmas in the pan, before adding water and covering with the plate.

Method

Bring a large pot half filled with water to a boil. Submerge collards and boil for 1-2 minutes, then drain and put in a bowl filled with ice water and set aside. Saute onion, pepper, and garlic in a little oil until the onion is softened. Add seitan and stir to combine. Add cumin, red pepper, lemon juice, tomato paste, and about 1/4 to 1/2 c of the water to help everything come together. Mix well. Remove the seitan mixture to a bowl and rinse out the pan. Take a quarter of a collard green leaf, and with the widest edge facing you, spoon a heaping tablespoon (or whatever amount will fit) onto the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll toward the opposite point. Roll tightly! Place in your pan and repeat until all the collards are filled or you run out of filling. Pour the rest of the water over the sarmas. Place a large plate over them, cover with a lid, and cook on medium for 10 minutes, then on low for another 10-15 minutes.

Makes about 4 servings.

The final product, served alongside roasted veggies.

Lima bean & root vegetable stew

Lima beans are delicious and nutritious. This recipe pairs these happy little legumes with turnips, potatoes, kale, and carrots in an aromatic broth. Most of the measurements are estimates and you can use more or less of an ingredient without fear – for example, you can use more broth & make this a soup!. I used some herbs that I harvested from my garden this fall and put in the freezer, but fresh or dried herbs would work fine as well. The fennel root is optional – it was something I had in the freezer and needed to use up.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons tomato paste
16 ounces water or vegetable broth
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small purple-top turnips, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 small bunch kale (about 4-5 stalks)
1 cup diced potato (about 2 small)
1 cup diced fennel root
1 16 oz bag frozen lima beans
sage – 2 large fresh (frozen) leaves, chopped or teaspoon dried
tarragon – 1 tablespoon fresh (frozen) or 1 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, then simmer, covered, for about half an hour or until the vegetables are done.