Pumpkin Soup

Fun recipe for Fall!

Ingredients:
1 small pie pumpkin, baked
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons honey
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste
Crispy Pumpkin Seeds (At the very bottom of the post.)

Method:
Mash up the baked pumpkin in the bottom of a 6 quart pan.
Add the chicken broth, honey, curry and pumpkin pie spice.
Blend with a stick blender until smooth.
Heat till steaming, then add the coconut milk and blend again.
Heat again until serving temperature.  I don't like to heat the soup to boiling with the coconut milk in it.
Add salt to taste, garnish with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Lacto-Fermented Apples

Another great recipe for the bounty of summer's and fall's harvest!

Ingredients:
3+ cups peeled, cored and cubed apples
1 Tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 Tablespoons whey
Filtered water

Method:
Fill a quart jar with the apples, making sure there is at least an inch of space between them and the top of the jar.

Mix remaining ingredients, minus the water, and pour over the apples.
Add enough filtered water to cover the fruit, still keeping the level an inch below the top of the jar.

Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days.
Transfer to the fridge.

**Fermentation instructions say that these will keep for two months in the fridge.  I have had them keep for 6 months with no difficulty.  Just give them a sniff before eating.  If they smell bad, they are bad, and toss them out.  If they smell fruity-fizzy-sharpish, they're good to go.

Lacto-Fermented Peaches aka "Fizzy Peaches"

Turning summer's bounty into glorious sunny-tasting fermented fruit for the grey days of early winter is such a good idea!

Ingredients:
3+ cups peaches, peeled and cubed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup whey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Filtered water

Method:
Fill a quart jar with the peaches, making sure there is at least an inch of space between them and the top of the jar.

Mix remaining ingredients, minus the water, and pour over the peaches.
Add enough filtered water to cover the fruit, still keeping the level an inch below the top of the jar.

Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days.
Transfer to the fridge.

**Fermentation instructions say that these will keep for two months in the fridge.  I have had them keep for 6 months with no difficulty.  Just give them a sniff before eating.  If they smell bad, they are bad, and toss them out.  If they smell fruity-fizzy-sharpish, they're good to go.

***This recipe works with pears, also!

Coconut Milk Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Here is an easy treat for those of us who are dairy-free eaters.

Ingredients:

1 can organic full fat coconut milk (I use this)

1/2 15 oz. can organic pumpkin (or 1 cup of your own cooked pumpkin)

2 Tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon Homemade Vanilla

OR

1 teaspoon store-bought vanilla plus 1 Tablespoon vodka or gin to keep the ice cream from crystalizing.

Method:

Blend all ingredients in blender or Magic Bullet

Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

I divide it into portions for storing in my freezer.  Way easier than trying to scoop some out of a frozen block!

Best-Ever Carrots

Here's another "Best-Ever" recipe.  Cooked carrots were never my favorite until we grew our own and I learned a little trick.  Cut them in julienne strips!

For information's sake, carrots are something I never buy unless they've been organically grown.  Inorganically grown ones harbor all kinds of bad stuff.  The mini-carrots you find in the stores everywhere are not necessarily a good bet either, organic or not.  There's a lot of information out there about carrots.  A google search will give you more than you want to know!

Ingredients:
As many carrots as you need to feed your family
Butter
Parsley
Honey (optional)

Method:  
Trim the carrots and cut into julienne strips.
Steam the carrots until tender.
Melt enough butter for the carrots you've steamed, add some chopped parsley (I use a couple of tablespoons for about 8 carrots)
Add a Tablespoon or so of honey if you like.

Toss the carrots in all that and serve.  They disappear rather quickly around here!

Morning Glorious Muffins Remake (Grain-, Dairy- and Refined Sugar-free)

A friend of mine asked me if I could do a recipe revision on one of her favorite muffin recipes.  Here's the result.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour (2 oz. by weight)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons vanilla

1 cup shredded zucchini or apple
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup dates, chopped
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (or other nut)

Method:
Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy.
Add coconut oil, honey and vanilla and beat until thick.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Add the zucchini or apple, carrots, coconut and nuts and mix until just blended.

Divide batter into muffin cups.
Bake at 350* for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 12 muffins.

Grain-free, Dairy-free, Refined-sugar-free Carrot Muffins

These are really good.  I worked on the recipe for awhile and landed on this.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour (2 oz. by weight)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon

6 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 cup chopped walnuts (or other nut)

Method:
Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy.
Add coconut oil, honey and vanilla and beat until thick.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Add the carrots and nuts and mix until just blended.

Divide batter into muffin cups.
Bake at 350* for 24 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 10-12 muffins.

Pecan Pie

One of my pet peeves about pecan pie recipes is the continued use of corn syrup in the filling.  Yuck!  So this is my solution.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell of your choice

Method:

Put the chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell.

Mix other ingredients together, melting the butter and honey together if necessary.
Whisk well and pour over the pecans.

Bake at 425* for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350* and bake for another 30 minutes.

An addition to this recipe that is rather heavenly, is to mix 1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate in with the nuts and then add 2 Tablespoons of bourbon or whiskey to the wet ingredients.  Old South Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie in a trice!

Healthy "Mounds" Bites

When I first saw this recipe, I wanted to try it.  And then a friend made them and I was hooked.  Until I found I was allergic to almonds!  Other nuts work, too, so that's good!

I used an ice cube tray to make these individual little goodies.  One recipe makes 2 trays.

Ingredients:

Almonds or Walnuts, or whatever (as many nuts as you have compartments to fill)

Coconut Part:
1 1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Chocolate Part:
3/4 cup cocoa or raw cacao powder
1/4 cup honey
1 cup coconut oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Method:

Put one nut (or as many as you like) in each ice cube compartment.

Mix together coconut, 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup honey and almond extract until well combined.
Pack into each compartment over the nuts until about 3/4 full.
Freeze for 30 minutes.

In a double boiler, melt together the cocoa or cacao powder, 1/4 cup honey, 1 cup coconut oil and 1 T vanilla.  Whisk until well combined.
Pour into the compartments over the nuts and coconut mixture and freeze again for 30 minutes.

Pop the bites out of the ice cube trays and store in the freezer in either a ziploc bag or other container.

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free Cornbread

Ingredients:

3/4 cup GMO free organic cornmeal
1 cup Gluten-Free Flour Blend
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup liquid (can be water, orange juice, or alternative milks)
3 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 eggs

Method:

Combine dry ingredients.

Combine 1 cup liquid with honey and coconut oil.  Melt the honey and coconut oil together if you need to.

Beat the eggs and add to the other liquids.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Mix until blended.  Some lumps are okay.

Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan.

Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

This is better than regular milk ice cream, according to my daughters. :-)

Ingredients:
2 cans organic full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup honey OR maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons vanilla


Method:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for a few hours.
Pour into an ice cream maker. (I use this one)
Process according to manufacturer's instructions.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread and snappy fall weather go together!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups soaked and cooked pinto beans
5 eggs
6 Tablespoons coconut oil
3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup raisins

Method:
Puree pinto beans with the eggs.

Melt the coconut oil, honey and vanilla together and beat well.  Add this to the pureed mixture and puree again.

Combine the dry ingredients and add to the wet ingredients, mixing just until well combined.

Fold in the raisins.

Pour the batter into a greased parchment-lined 10-inch spring form pan.

Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

Raw Nut and Seed Treats

These are great for an energy boost.

Ingredients:

2 cups soaked crispy almonds
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup almond butter
6 pitted dates
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Method:

Coarsely chop the nuts, place them in a medium sized bowl and then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.

Melt the honey and almond butter together over low heat, just until soupy.

Put the honey and almond butter mixture, the dates and vanilla in a small food processor or Magic Bullet, and process till smooth.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.

Put 2 Tablespoons of the mixture into a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pressing down firmly until the mixture is well packed in the bottom of the 1/4 cup measure.  Tap the disc out and place on a dehydrating tray.*  Repeat with all of the mixture.

Dehydrate at 135* until dry and crispy.  For mine, it takes about 24 hours.

*Hint: To make it easier to tap the disc out, dip the 1/4 cup measure in water before packing it with the nut and seed mix.

Substitutions are certainly possible here.  Any type of soaked crispy nuts work fine.  If you like other seeds, try them.  I used flax and pumpkin seeds a time or two.  They detracted from the coconut almond taste I like so well, so I discontinued using them.  Use your imagination!

Pineapple Salsa

This is great with fish, or with beans and rice.

Ingredients:

1 Pineapple, cored and cut into small chunks
1/2 a medium red onion, cut in small dice
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut in small dice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon honey
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

Method:

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.  Let the flavors mingle for at least a few hours before serving.

Gluten-Free Soaked Granola

One of the things that bothers me about traditional granola is that it is made with unsoaked oats.  Not good for digestion.  So, I came up with this one and it works.

Ingredients:

5 cups water
Juice of 2 lemon (or 4 Tablespoons whey)
10 cups Gluten Free thick oats

Soak the oats overnight in the water and lemon juice or whey

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup honey
2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 T salt

Method:

After the oats are soaked, melt the butter, coconut oil and honey together.  Add vanilla and then pour it all into the soaked oats.  Mix well until all the liquid is incorporated into the oat mix.  This takes a bit as the oats are kind of dense.  I divide the oats into two bowls, which makes the stirring easier.

When it's all mixed up, transfer the mixture to cookie sheets or jelly roll pans that have been lined with parchment paper.

Bake at low temperature, 250*, until the granola is dry and crunchy, usually several hours.

Tips:

While it is baking, it is helpful to turn the mixture over in sections to allow it to dry on all sides.  This should be done at intervals throughout the baking time, say every 30-45 minutes.  This also helps to break it up and separate the oats.

Once it's baked and crunchy, you can add in your choice of nuts and fruit.

Store in an airtight container or in the freezer.

Fruit and Nut Treats

These are great for an energy boost and loaded with good stuff.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup each:

Almonds
Pecans
Coconut
Dates
Dried Apricots
Dried Cranberries
Honey

Chop the nuts and fruit coarsely and combine well.
Pour the honey over all of it and mix well.
Form into balls and roll in finely grated coconut.

Makes about 26 1 1/4" balls.

You can substitute whatever you like for both the nuts and fruit.  Just keep the ratio of nuts to fruit the same, and the ratio of dry ingredients to honey the same, and you're good to go.

Possible substitutions:
Hazelnuts
Walnuts
Dried:
Raisins
Mango
Papaya
Pineapple
Cherries

Baked Peaches (Maggie B Peaches)

This recipe came from a wonderful children's book given to my younger daughter when she was born.  It is one of my favorite books from the childhood of my children.  The Maggie B tells the imagined story of a young girl on a sailing ship taking care of her brother.  While onboard, she makes these peaches.



Ingredients:

2 large peaches
Cinnamon
Honey

Method:

Cut the peaches in half and take out the pits.
Put the peach halves in an 8x8 baking pan.
Drizzle honey over them and then sprinkle with cinnamon.

Bake for about 40 minutes at 350*.

Baked Apples

This is a great one for fall!

This can be done in the oven or the crock pot.

4 baking apples (Cortland, Empire, Honeycrisp, Idared, Northern Spy, Rome, Winesap)
4 teaspoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons raisins or Craisins
4 Tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons butter, divided in 4 parts
1 cup water

Peel the apples about one-quarter of the way down from the top.
Core the apples.
Put them in an 8x8 baking dish.
Sprinkle lemon juice in each apple.
Mix raisins or Craisins with nuts and cinnamon and stuff in the hole in the apple.
Drizzle 1 Tablespoons of honey over each and top with butter.
Pour water in around the apples.

Bake at 375* for about 60 minutes, or on low in the Crock pot overnight.

Honey Lemon Sorbet

This is wonderful to serve with Blueberry Sorbet.  Makes a pretty presentation when combined in one bowl.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest from 2 lemons (I use a micro plane grater like this one.)

Method:

Combine honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute and then set aside until cool.

Add the lemon juice and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Using an ice cream maker, freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.*  (This is the one I use.)

Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2 hours before serving.

Serve with mint leaves and lemon peel curls for garnish.

*If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can also make this by pouring the ingredients into a shallow pan, like a 9x13, and putting it in the freezer.  After about 30 minutes, stir it around with a fork.  Every 30 minutes thereafter, until it is the consistency you want, stir it again.  Then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2 hours before serving.

Blueberry Sorbet

This is so refreshing on a warm summer's day.  It is good paired with Honey Lemon Sorbet.  It's pretty served with both in the same dish.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water
1-2 Tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon salt

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions to freeze.*
This is the one I have and really like.

Transfer to a freezer-safe container and cure for a couple of hours.

Serve with fresh blueberries, mint leaves and lemon peel curls for garnish.

*If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can also make this by pouring the ingredients into a shallow pan, like a 9x13, and putting it in the freezer.  After about 30 minutes, stir it around with a fork.  Every 30 minutes thereafter, until it is the consistency you want, stir it again.  Then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for another 2 hours before serving.