Homemade Apple Sauce

Homemade Clean Apple Sauce is delicious and easy to make!  It also tastes better than the apple sauce you would buy at the store, and has no added sugar, preservatives, colors or chemicals.

Ingredients:
6 Apples
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Water
1 Tbsp Raw Honey (optional)

What you need:
Sauce Pot
Blender or Food Processor

Making your own homemade apple sauce is quick and easy! First wash and peel your apples.

 

 Once peeled, slice your apples and remove the core.  Then place your sliced apples and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and fill with water.  You want the water to be level with the apples without actually covering your apples.  

Cook your apples on high heat for about 15 minutes until they are soft and all the water has been absorbed. Once cooked, place the apples (minus the cinnamon sticks) into your blender or food processor. Now add the lemon juice and raw honey if you want to add a sweetener. If your apples are tart, you may want to add the  honey to balance out the flavor.  Blend until the apples are broken down. 

Now you can serve and enjoy your applesauce! 

 You can store your fresh homemade apple sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze.

 ENJOY!

Simple Paleo Pesto!

It's no secret I love pesto! As I try to avoid dairy these days I needed to re configure my pesto recipe to make it dairy free! Going into this I wasn't sure how it would taste or if I would even like pesto without my beloved fresh romano or parmesan cheese!!  I was delighted to realize I don't even miss it!! I absolutely love this new take on my pesto recipe, not only is it Paleo, it's also Vegan and Vegetarian as well, plus it tastes amazing!

1 cup fresh basil leaves

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

2-4 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons EVOO

As always I like recipes that are simple, quick and easy! 

 

To make the pesto you want to toast the pine nuts over low to medium heat for a few minutes to bring out their flavor. 

 

 

Put everything (except oil) in your food processor.

 

 

As it begins to mix slowly add in the oil 

 

 

Thats it! Now enjoy!

 

 

There are so many great uses for Pesto, for example, pesto linguini and shrimp, but tonight I used it to top off my dinner of organic red quinoa and chicken. Yum!

 

 

What is your favorite way to eat Pesto?

How To Clarify Butter!

What is clarified butter? Clarified butter (also known as ghee) is butter with the milk solids and water removed.  It is a great choice for cooking and able to withstand higher temperatures than regular butter or other oils such as coconut oil.  Clarified butter is one of my favorite things to cook with when eating Paleo, it adds a great mild buttery flavor and is simple to make. literally..

Step 1: Melt

Step 2: Strain

Step 3: Store

While it may seem like a lot of work or a hassle it is quite easy, quick and last for a while. Plus it could help your digestion, improve your flexibility, boost your immune system and moisturize your skin!

1. You want to heat your butter in a saucepan over low heat until it melts. Then allow it to simmer as the white "foam" rises to the surface.  I usually make a pound at a time. (though it is less than a pound once clarified)

2.  Once the all the foam has risen (this takes about 10 minutes) you will have three layers.  All the milk solid sediment will be at the bottom of the pan with a layer of golden liquid under the foam. You can skim the foam off with a slotted spoon but I don't like to do it that way.  If you want to skim it off as it forms i suggest using a mesh skimmer.  I prefer waiting the 10 minutes and then straining it though cheesecloth.

4. Using a rubber-band I just secure the cheesecloth around the opening of my "clarified butter jar" and slowly pour the butter into the jar. You will notice the white foam being trapped on top of the cheesecloth. You also want to leave behind that bottom layer of solids so stop straining when you get to the end of the clear liquid gold.

* Clarified butter will keep for 3 to 6 months in the refrigerator, you can also leave it at room temperature on your counter like I do if the conditions are optimal, or freeze it for a similar length of time.

* Traditionally, you will find that you should use unsalted Butter when clarifying butter. While I have made it using both salted and unsalted I traditionally use salted.  I don't find that the salt is intensified after being clarified but it may be because I strongly dislike unsalted butter to begin with.

Would you clarify your butter?

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing!

This is a simple recipe to make your own homemade Italian salad dressing that is also Paleo.  It is a fresh and preservative free take on the same bottle versions you may buy at the store and also works as a great marinade.

You Need:

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon raw honey
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup vinegar (white, red wine, or balsamic)
2/3 cup olive oil

I like to use a hand mixer to emulsify it all together. You can also use a blender or just combine everything in a bottle and shake it up.  If you can, allow it to sit so the dried herbs soften.  Then just store on the counter. (olive oil will solidify in the refrigerator)

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce!

 Worcestershire is a flavorful sauce that is added to many dishes.  Eating Paleo restricts me from being able to reach for the store bought staple.  Luckily though it is a sauce that can easily be made at home with ingredients you already have in your cupboard.  Here is Hungry For Livings easy recipe for Paleo Worcestershire sauce.

 What you need:

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 1/4 tsp fresh minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground mustard 
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor for 30 seconds to a minute to blend and break up the ginger. 
2. Pour sauce into a saucepan and slowly bring it to a boil while stirring frequently. 
3. Let simmer for about a minute so the flavors can develop. 
4. Cool, place in a recycled glass container and store in the refrigerator.

Tip: You can substitute ginger powder for the fresh ginger and skip the food processor step.

Would you make homemade Worcestershire sauce?

Satay Sauce!

Here is Hungry For Living's simple recipe for a Paleo Satay sauce.

½  cup sun butter  Recipe Here

¼ cup coconut milk

1/8  cup hot water

1/8  cup coconut aminos

3 garlic cloves

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Juice from ½ a lime
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until creamy.

Makes 1 cup

My fiance is not a fan of curry so we choose to make our satay sauce minus the curry powder.

Sun Butter!

Sun Butter is a butter made from sunflower seeds.  This is a great addition to your diet if you eat Paleo or Primal. Below are the simple steps for how to make Sun Butter.

You Need

• 1 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 ½ Tbsp macadamia nut oil
• ½ tsp pure maple syrup

Directions

1. Grind sunflower seeds in a food processor until you have a fine sunflower meal.
2. Blend in oil until you have a peanut butter type consistency.
3. Blend in maple syrup.
4. Continue to blend until you have the consistency you prefer.  You may need to add a bit more oil.       

Makes 1cup

Tip: You can also add more syrup for a sweeter flavor.

I keep my Sun Butter in a glass container but you can use any air tight container and just store in your cupboard or pantry.

Would you make sun butter?