Plantain infused vinegar:  Use any size canning jar with a sealing lid.  Fill the jar 1/2 full with your cut plantain leaves, then fill the rest of the jar with apple cider vinegar. I use apple cider vinegar because it is the best type to use on your body. Screw the lid on & shake the jar, sit in a room temp cupboard or by a window, shake the jar every day or 2, takes about 2 to 3 weeks to be done, remember to add  the starting dates to the jar. When it is ready simply strain out the leaves, & label your vinegar. The vinegar should last a long time.

Uses for the vinegar:

• Mix 50/50 in warm water as a conditioner for your hair.
• Add to misting spray bottle & use to spray bites, stings, cuts, burns & sunburns. Would also be great as a spray underarm deodorant.
• Use as a face wash, face spray, astringent etc in your DIY beauty routine. Spray on skin conditions.
• Add to your bath water & soak for sunburns, bites & stings.
• Mix with Clay powder or baking soda & make a face mask.
• Make into a poultice with bread or baking soda
• Add to warm water for a foot soak to relive blisters & athletes foot.
• Can also be used as a surface cleaner

Plantain infused oil: The best oils to use for infusions are pure plant oils such as olive, sunflower or almond oil.  The oil I use most is olive, because it has a longer shelf life at room temperature.  I wouldn’t advise the use of canola, corn oil or “vegetable” oil.  Most of these will be made from genetically modified crops, which I do not recommend for consumption. 

Solar Infusion works best with olive oil, which is the most shelf stable liquid oil.  To infuse an herbal oil, finely chop your clean, dry herb.  Place the finely chopped herb in a lidded glass jar, such as a mason jar and label the jar.You’d be surprised how some chopped plants start to look similar to each other over time.

Place the jar in a sunny window or other warm location for 2-3 weeks. Shake daily, and make sure all plant matter below the level of the oil (you can also open the lid and smash the leaves down with a spoon). If you do that make sure you wipe off any condensation from under the lid or above the oil.

Uses for the oil:

• Mix it with raw coconut oil & whip it into body butter, use for skin care, puffy under eyes, bits & stings, as a pre conditioner for hair. Rub on sunburns, use as a foot or back massage lotion.
• Use as underarm deodorant.
• Use as face moisturizer & for skin conditions.
• A face mask with clay powder or make a poultice with baking soda.

Plantain infused water: Use your cut up fresh plantain, add 1 part plantain to 2 parts boiling water in a heat-resistant bowl or pot, stir, cover & let steep until cooled. Strain out the plantain leaves. Add water to labeled jar & add to the fridge. Stays good about 2 weeks, add 1 tbsp. of colloidal silver to extend its shelf life. Great to spray on skin, for rashes, sunburns, burns, for hair, scalp, face etc. You can also drink as a tonic for illness & general health.

Plantain infused in honey: The takes a little longer to make, so I’d recommend a minimum of a month of infusing to get the optimal medicinal value.  You can always add a chopped vanilla bean per cup jar, depending on the size of the bean . You can also add rose petals, mint, anise, chamomile and lavender are other popular choices for flavoring. 1 to 2 tablespoons of herbs per cup of honey should be plenty.  Mild honeys work best for this process.

Plantain leaves and making bread with psyllium seed.

The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

Directions:
1. In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

“HEALTHIFIED” SUB 

1 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (5 oz) (or 1/2 cup coconut flour or 2.5 oz)
5 TBS psyllium husk powder (no substitutes) (45 grams) (must be a fine powder, not whole husks)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 1/2 TBS apple cider vinegar (1 oz)
3 egg whites (6 egg whites if using coconut flour) (about 3.5 oz for almond flour option, 7 oz for coconut flour)
7/8 cup (a little less than a cup) BOILING water (or MARINARA – for more Tomato Basil Bread!) (7 oz)

OPTION:  Use 2 whole eggs (Almond flour version) or 4 whole eggs (coconut flour version).  If you are having trouble with it rising using whole eggs you can try egg whites. Also, if your buns looks nice and big but then deflates after removed from the oven, try reducing the baking powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, psyllium powder (no substitutes: flaxseed meal won’t work), baking powder and salt. Mix until dry ingredients are well combined.  Add in the eggs and vinegar and mix until a thick dough. Add boiling water or marinara into the bowl. Mix until well combined and dough firms up.

Form into 4 to 5 mini subs (the dough will rise about 2 to 3 times so I start mine as a 1 inch disk, see picture below) or one large sub/loaf and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 55 minutes (45-50 minutes for smaller shapes like buns). Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely. Cut open with a serrated knife. Fill with desired fillings. Makes 5 servings.

NOTE!  If you are having an issue with a bubble, try weighing your ingredients as listed above. 

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Sub Bread = 198 calories, 6g fat, 4g protein, 41 carbs, trace fiber
Almond Flour Sub (egg whites) = 209 calories, 14.2g fat, 8.2g protein, 15g carb, 9.8g fiber (60% fat, 15% protein, 28% carbs)
Coconut Flour Sub (egg whites) = 136 calories, 2.1g fat, 7.3g protein, 17.3g carb, 11.7g fiber (14% fat, 21% protein, 51% carbs)

Psyllium - Flax Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 10 ounces Honeyville Almond Flour
• 3 ounces Flax USA Ground Golden Flax Seed (Grind the golden flax meal until very fine before using)
• 100 grams NOW Psyllium Husk Powder (not husks)
• 1½ tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces (226.80 g) egg whites
• 3 ounces (85 g) vinegar (cider, white or red wine)
• 14 ounces (396.89 g)boiling water
• Do not over mix ingredients or the psyllium-flax bread dough will become gummy.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 8x4 inch metal loaf pan with baking spray.
2. Heat a kettle of water to a boil and keep it simmering gently. Grind the golden flax meal in a coffee grinder to make sure it is very fine.
3. Place a large bowl on a scale, turn it on, zero it out, and measure 10 ounces of almond flour into the bowl. Zero the scale and measure 3 ounces of golden flax meal into the bowl. Zero the scale and change it to grams. Measure 100 grams of psyllium powder into the bowl, then add the salt and baking powder. Remove the bowl from the scale and mix the ingredients with a hand mixer to ensure that they are evenly distributed.
4. Put a smaller bowl in the scale, turn it on, zero it out and measure 8 ounces of egg whites into the bowl. Zero out the scale and add 3 ounces of vinegar.
5. Get ready. It's time to pay attention:
6. Pour the egg white mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix at a high speed until just combined. (The mixture will begin to expand a bit.) It should only take 10 seconds. DO NOT OVER MIX.
7. Quickly rinse out the small bowl and return it to the scale. Zero the scale and add the 14 ounces of hot water. Pour the hot water around the bowl (don't just dump it into the middle) and again, mix quickly at high speed, just until incorporated 10-15 seconds. If there is a little dry bread mix in the bottom of the bowl, it's okay.
8. Gently remove the dough with your hands, (it will be cool) and ever-so-slightly and gently, shape it into a loaf shape while bringing it to the bread pan. Put the Psyllium-flax bread dough into the pan, it will not be perfect and there may be gaps in the corners or one side may be a little higher than the other - it's okay, put it into the oven.
9. Bake for 80-90 minutes, depending on your oven. Depending on your oven, it may need a little more time. It is done when the internal temperature is 215-220 degrees.
10. Let the loaf cool in the pan for only 5 minutes and then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. If left in the pan to cool, the steam from the bread may make the loaf soggy. I place it on its side for 5 minutes, then set it right side up to finish cooling. Don't cut the bread until it is almost completely cool.

NOTES

*Do not compact the psyllium-flax bread dough or press it into the pan. It will expand and take up any space that may be empty.

*There may be a little dry ingredients left in the bottom, 1-2 tablespoons. That's okay, sprinkle it on top of the loaf.

*HIGH ALTITUDE COOKING: Michelle mentioned in the comments that she has better luck with psyllium bread recipes when using her counter top convection.

*Do not take the loaf out early or it will deflate. Measure the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer.