Carrot Butter

We just recently harvested our carrots although the garden for the most part struggled this year, the carrots did great. Of course I had to make me some carrot butter. You maybe have never had carrots this way but oh this recipe is wonderful!  A great Spring time recipe that would be great at part of a Easter dinner, breakfast, brunch or whenever. But also an awesome Fall recipe in fact it is quickly becoming a Thanksgiving favorite around here....heck I say it's great any time of year.  We love this Carrot Butter on toast, scones, with rolls, as a fruit dip, or any way you can think of eating it.  I personally like it by the spoonful! ;)  ENJOY!

Carrot Butter

1-1.5 pounds carrots peeled and cut into small pieces
Large pot of water
1 cup macadamia nuts
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3-4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons Real Salt

Place carrots in large pot of water and boil until the carrots are very, very soft.  Drain carrots then add them with all other ingredients to blender and puree until really smooth.  Good warm or cold.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Our Favorite Lentil Soup, in the Crock Pot and now the Instant Pot

I'm going to try this in the Instant Pot tonight 15 minutes on high pressure should do it! I know it will turn out great.....I will let you know if there should be any adjustments.

I love that this soup is so simple to make and that more often then not I have all the ingredients to make it. Super nutritious and full of fiber and.....BIG BONUS the whole family likes it!  Go good on chilly nights.  I hope you will like it too!

Our Favorite Lentil Soup

4 Tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
1 Large onion, chopped
4 celery stalks with leaves, chopped
2 cups chopped carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups water
3 cups dry green lentils
2 Heaping Tablespoons Vegetable Broth Powder
2 (14½–oz.) cans diced tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste


Turn large 5 quart crock pot on high. Place oil and chopped veggies and garlic in, stir. Add the water and lentils. Place lid on and let cook on high for about 3 hours until lentils are soft. After lentils are cooked stir in Vegetable broth powder and diced tomatoes, turn crock pot to low and let warm until time to eat. Just before serving add 1-2 Tablespoons, or to taste, of Balsamic vinegar. Can optionally mash some of the lentils with a potato masher or blend with a hand blender for a thicker consistency or just eat it like it is. Add salt and pepper to taste!

Ice Cream Sandwiches

This recipe has taken quite a bit of trial and error. When I first thought it would be fun to make ice cream sandwiches I was sure it was as simple as taking one of my cookie and ice cream recipes and making a sandwich out of them.

Nope! We tried that the first time and although they did get eaten they were not the grab out of the freezer and enjoy like the ones I remember.

They had to sit on the counter until the ice cream was almost melted for the cookie to be nice and chewy.....and then the cookie still wasn't nice and chewy. Again we ate them but the cookie was crunchy!

I found too that the ice cream needed to have a softer, creamier texture to really make the sandwiches good. That was easy we just added more fat. If you are looking for a fun way to get lots of medium chain fatty acids in your kids....I don't think you'll have any problem getting them to eat these.

Then once we got the right textures down we needed to work on how to easily fill each sandwich. I came up with putting ice cream in the solids end of a Pampered Chef Measure All Cup and freezing it that way. Then I could just pop the ice cream out and slice it.

That worked really well but I had more ice cream and cookies then one measure all cup was enough for. So I also found that freezing your cookies first and letting your ice cream soften our of the freezer for just a bit, made it fairly easy just to scoop ice cream onto the cookies. You still have to be careful to not break your cookies though.

But see now the trouble shooting is all done for you so it will be a cinch to make now right?........RIGHT!

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cookies:
5 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups Sucanat
1/4 cup carob powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Real Salt
1 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted but not hot
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons molasses
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
egg replacer for 4 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix wet ingredients in measuring cup (make sure they're blended well). Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Using hands, form dough into a big ball. (If it sticks together well, then its the right consistency. If it's kind of dry and crumbly then add a bit of water, 1 Tablespoon at a time and mix it well. If it's too wet you may add up to 1/2 cup more flour just add it a Tablespoon at a time. You want a sort of sticky dough but not wet just a little greasy you need to be able to roll it into a ball kind of like play dough.)DO NOT over mix or oil can separate out.

Form dough into ping pong size balls then gently press with the bottom of a 1/2 cup round measuring cup that is lightly greased with coconut oil. (use the leftovers from the dish you melted the coconut oil in) Press to the size needed or desired. Bake for 5-6 minutes in preheated oven. NO LONGER! You want the cookies not all the way cooked it makes them not so hard after being frozen. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Ice Cream:
2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight then drained
1 1/2 cup favorite herb tea just barely warm* (see options below)
2 cans coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup Sucanat
1/4 teaspoon Real Salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla and/or the insides of 2 vanilla beans
Optional Spices* (see notes below)

Directions:
In blender blend drained cashews and herb tea until smooth. Add coconut milk, oil and the rest of the ingredients to the blender. Blend until just mixed and smooth. Churn and freeze in your ice cream machines according to manufacturers directions.

I talk about our ideas for easiest assembly of the ice cream sandwiches in my ramblings above. So if you didn't read those you may want to reference them now. ;) Basically just make ice cream sandwiches out of them obviously store in the freezer. They are best taken out of the freezer 5 minutes before eating.

*Here are a few fun flavor ideas that will change depending on the type of tea you use. Be sure to make a good strong tea. If you are using teabags use 5-6 of them.

Peppermint: dried peppermint leaves made into a good strong tea. (pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over about 3 heaping Tablespoons of dried peppermint leaf. Let cool some, strain out leaf use the 1 1/2 cups in the ice cream) You could add carob or chocolate chips to this ice cream when it is almost done churning if you would like mint chip.

Mormon Mocha: Dandy Blend(No Coffee for this girl), Carob and/or Cocoa Powder. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling over 2 heaping Tablespoons Dandy Blend and 1 Tablespoon carob powder. Stir until well combined let cool till just warm use in making the ice cream.

Chai: Roastaroma blend and/or Rooibos type tea.(again nothing from the Tea plant so no green or black tea for me) Make a strong tea with 1 1/2 cups boiling water, strain off herbs or remove tea bags. Use in making the ice cream also add these spices.
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
May adjust seasonings to taste.

Nutty Vanilla: Just cut up some vanilla beans and make a strong tea with that. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over beans let steep for longer than the other teas. Strain, use this in making the ice cream, you may want to add more vanilla too.
recipe inspired by the minimalist baker

Mint Chip Ice Cream

Not sure why this recipe took me so long to perfect but it was worth it! Way back in the day when Ryan and I first started dating, I thought it was pretty cool that his Mom always made sure there was ice cream in their freezer. One day she asked me what my favorite kind was and I remember telling her mint chip.

Now I'm not sure why I told her that because really most any kind of ice cream I liked. Back then I think I would have even ate that blue bubble gum kind with gum balls in it. (Does anyone else remember that and do they still have it? YUCK!) I think it must have been before cookie dough ice cream though so mint chip probably was my favorite at that time.

Anyway a few months ago I was thinking if that was my favorite way back then....how come I haven't come up with a heathified recipe for it yet? Well I have been working on that recipe ever since and it took me quite a few tries. I wanted it to be just the right texture and flavor. And honestly I wanted to make it honey sweetened but not too sweet.

I also added quite a bit of vanilla because I didn't want an overly strong mint flavor. I also think next time I make it I will use my version of Magic Shell (leaving out the peanut butter) and drizzle is through the ice cream for the "chips" instead. I think that will be really good and Ryan agrees. ;)

Note that you can make it in an ice cream maker or not. Most of the times I tried the recipe I didn't use my ice cream maker. It will work well either way. I hope you enjoy this recipe I worked really hard on it.

Mint Chip Ice Cream

1 cup raw cashews soaked in
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
2 cans coconut milk
1 small handful spinach
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
5-8 drops peppermint essential oil
1/2 teaspoon guar gum (optional)
1/2 - 1 cup carob chips (may coarsely chop)

Soak cashews in water for at least 2 hours or more. To your blender add the cashews WITH the water, the coconut oil, and honey. Blend until smooth. Add the coconut milk, spinach, salt, vanilla, peppermint and guar gum. Blend on low until smooth for not more then 2 minutes. (If you blend too long or too fast the coconut milk will separate so be aware.) As soon as it is well blended pour it into a cake pan with a lid (I like my glass pyrex one for this) and put into the freezer.....Set your timer for one hour then stir in the carob chips. Then let finish freezing at least another hour or more. After frozen solid you will want to sit it out for about 20 minutes before scooping it up and serving.

You can also freeze this in an ice cream freezer just follow directions for your ice cream maker. ENJOY!

Fruit and Creamsicles

Oh goodness I certainly haven't done very much blogging this summer.....it's been full of lots of other exciting things that I hope to post about soon...ish! But before the last of the heat was gone (which is always too soon for me) I wanted to be sure to post these super yummy popsicles that we have enjoyed a lot this Summer.

I have loved how simple they are and that lots of fruit are super tasty with them.  We have tried cherry, peach and strawberry. But I also think blueberry, raspberry, orange, pineapple and other fruits would be super good too.

Fruit and Creamsicles

Fruit Part:
4 cups of favorite fresh fruit (frozen works too just mostly thaw first)
1/4 cup water
1-2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey (optional)

Blend ingredients in blender till smooth.

Cream Part:
2 cups coconut cream (I use the thick stuff from the top of chilled canned coconut milk more info here)
1-2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of Real Salt

Mix or whip together.

To popsicle molds add a spoonful of cream and then some fruit. Layer or marble however you would like until molds are full. Freeze until solid. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Pancakes

Recently I went gluten free for a few months as part of an elimination diet type cleanse thing. I even went without grains for part of that time not because I think they are not healthy but because I wanted to see if I had any sensitivities to any of them. The only big thing I noticed without them was feeling a bit bound up if you know what I mean.

I still have not added back wheat yet, it has been a slow process and I'm trying to listen to my body. I have added back non-gluten grains and some Spelt but only in sprouted or sourdough form.

Anyway as I was adding back other grains I wanted to try some gluten free pancakes. Most of the ones we tried where not good at all and really soggy in the middle and just......yuck. But then I tried using the almond pulp from making almond milk and this is what I came up with. I don't think they are as good as our regular pancake recipe but they are pretty tasty and if you are wanting a gluten free pancake it's the best one I've tried yet!

Gluten Free Pancakes

1 cup almond meal (I just use all the leftover almond pulp from making this almond milk)
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup oats
3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Real Salt
1/2 cup almond or coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 heaping cup coconut oil, melted
2 free range eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup


In medium size bowl add the first 8 ingredients. In separate bowl, whip up eggs and add then whisk in the rest of the ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry until just combined add more water if needed for desired batter thickness. Heat up slightly oiled griddle or frying pan. Using a ladle pour batter onto the griddle. Be sure to cook well on each side at not too hot of temperature to be sure they cook in the center. Serve hot with favorite pancake toppings.

Note: You could try these with egg replacer but I have found that when you are not working with gluten to help hold things together egg replacer just doesn't give it quite a sturdy enough texture. More mushy and crumbly at the same time if that makes any sense.

Whole Grain Quick Biscuits and/or Muffins

So this is a recipe that our good friends make us quite often when we are visiting. It's been an instant favorite for my kids and I finally asked for the recipe. We have made it many times since and from the get go we doubled it. I call them Biscuits/Muffins because they are kind of on the sweet side although they sort of taste like a biscuit. You could use less sweetener if you want a more biscuit like flavor. Also instead of rolling out the dough and cutting it into biscuit shapes you just spoon it into a greased muffin pan. I love how quick and easy it is.

We have made this recipe when I need my meal to stretch and fill bellies. Or for a quick breakfast of biscuits and gravy. Or if we are out of bread and need some quick! Very versatile you could even add some berries, apples, dried fruit, or something like that to have it be more of a muffin. Even spices like cinnamon and things would work good for more of a muffin flavor.

I have also tried using all Spelt flour when making these and they still where very good although maybe a little more crumbly. I think it would be fun to try other flours maybe even a mix of a few different whole grain flours. Mostly I just love how it is just a few ingredients and mixes together so quick and simply.

Whole Grain Biscuits/Muffins

4 cups whole grain flour, we have used Spelt and hard white wheat
2/3 cup Sucanat
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
6 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
3/4 cup milk (I use almond or rice milk)

Add all ingredients into bowl and mix well. Scoop into greased muffin tin bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Mango Pudding and Berry Parfait

I just had a friend message me asking if this recipe was still on the blog......and I couldn't find it! So I went searching and noticed that it had been moved to draft.  It has been in drafts now for a few years don't ask why I have no idea why it was saved as a draft on not still posted here on the blog. It's one of my very favorite recipes! Trust me if you like mango even a little you will find this recipe Heavenly.

So I am re-posting it and putting it here front and center because I'm sure there are many of you who have not tried this really heavenly dessert. And those of you who have I'm sure would love to make it again. Like my friend who just messaged me.....Kristi this is for you thanks for making me aware that it was missing from the blog.

Mango Pudding and Berry Parfait

3-5 Cups Fresh Mangoes
2 Heaping Tablespoons Melted Coconut Oil (more if using more mango)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Zest of one small lime
Juice of one small lime
1/2 Cup Agave or Pure Maple Syrup
Pinch of Salt
1 Cup fresh berries (I used strawberries can use any mixture of fresh berries you want)

Blend all ingredients except for the Berries and some of the mango (if you want it in with your layers of fruit) in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.  I slowly added the melted coconut oil while blender was running so it would mix in well before it started setting up.  After it is all mixed and creamy, transfer to a bowl and then Chill it in the fridge for at least 1-2hrs or overnight. Fill the cups with a layer of the pudding, a layer of fruit, then another layer of the pudding, doing as many layers as you want until full.  Top with a layer of fruit and fresh mint leaves.

This is so good an instant favorite!

Roasted Roots

On Saturday, Ryan harvested most of the carrots and all of the beets and the few onions that where hiding. ;)

We had some nice looking beets even though it seemed like they were not doing all that well there are enough nice ones to make pickled beets with. But there were also quite a few little tiny beets that are not worth taking the time to try to peel when pickling them.

Ryan said, "I wonder what they would be like if we roasted them with some of the little potatoes that my Dad gave us from his garden." I told him that heck yes they would be good especially with some of those carrots and onions he had picked.

The best part is I knew that it would work to just wash them up and not worry about peeling them!

We also still have some chard hanging on in the garden so we cut up a bunch and I quickly sauteed it to go with dinner along with cooking some Quinoa. I have not cooked chard that way before but it was super quick and yummy so I added the recipe below too.

Just so you know picture quality for me always goes down in the winter because it is dark at dinner time.  Sorry I will try my best but artificial lighting just doesn't make as nice of pictures. ;) But it's still better than no picture I think!

Roasted Roots

3 pounds little round potatoes (we used gold ones but red or even russets would be good too)
1-2 pounds small beets (or you can just quarter some larger ones, same with the potatoes)
6-8 large carrots, cut into large chunks
2 large onions, cut into large chunks
2-4 Heaping Tablespoons coconut oil
Kosher Real Salt
Rosemary or herbs of choice (optional)

Place the veggies into two large bakers or cake pans or you could even use a cookie sheet. Blob the coconut oil on top of the veggies. Sprinkle the kosher salt (to taste) about 1/2 Tablespoon per pan. Sprinkle with as much herbs as you want we used just a nice little sprinkling of rosemary.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes as 400 degrees. Stir once or twice during cook time. Once the veggies started to turn golden brown I turned of the broiler and let them get a little crunchy on top just watch close so they don't burn I did 5-10 minutes.

Sauteed Chard

6-8 large leaves of chard, cut into thick ribbons stems removed
1-2 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Lemon juice to taste
Real Salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan (I love my cast iron one) melt coconut oil and saute the garlic then add the chard stir quickly while it sizzles and a few splashes of lemon juice and cook until just wilted and dark green. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve!

No Knead Sourdough Artisan Bread

So before I get to the recipe I want to be sure to share with you where I learned about making this type of bread and then share a little about why I love this recipe so much.



I know I have talked about GNOWFGLINS before and that I have learned so much being a member. Wardee the founder is my go to source for all things fermented and sourdough! Did you know that she recently changed the name to Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS? I guess some people got a little confused as to what the name was all about and the new name just makes it easier. If you are curious to know what GNOWFGLINS means just click here and scroll down.

So far my very favorite class of the ones that I have gone through is the Sourdough Class. It's also the one that I keep going back to and trying recipes from. It has inspired me to do much more then just make bread. This past Summer we were doing some experimenting and tried out this recipe in the dutch oven I instantly grew very fond of making bread this way and we not only made it multiply times in the dutch oven cooking outdoors while camping or when we didn't want to heat up the kitchen.....but we have also made it in the oven and I plan to make it often all winter long.



What I love most is how simple it is to make. All it takes is thinking ahead just a little. The day before I want to make it I get out my start from the fridge and build it up throughout the day so have have at least 2 cups. (1 1/2 for the recipe and 1/2 to put back in the fridge for other things) Then that evening I quickly mix together the ingredients in a large bowl and put it in the fridge for the night. The next day as soon as I'm ready to bake the bread I pull it out of the fridge and divide it into the two loaves and throw it in the oven to bake. It may sound time consuming but all together it's only about 10 minutes of my time the rest is just the sourdough doing it's own thing and of course the bake time.

Just trust me......try it and you will think that it is the easiest bread you have ever made. In the class they also showed how you can use what they called the bucket method and keep the dough perpetually going so you always have bread dough in your fridge ready to use at a moments notice. Doing it that way though does require that you use and feed the dough at least every three days. Not something I wanted to do in the summer but may consider it this winter. We will see how it goes.



There were also so many ideas shared of what you could do with the dough and the video class demonstrated how to make each one and of course recipes where provided! Now some of you may not have the time or money right now to take the entire class so you will want to check out Wardee's Sourdough ebook.....It contains all of the recipes from the class including how to make your own start, how to care for it and many more details about sourdough! There are even a few bonus videos that come with the purchase of the ebook so it's a great option!

Now how about that recipe!

No Knead Artisan Sourdough Bread

3 cups water
1 1/2 Tablespoons Real Salt
1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
6-8 cups whole wheat or spelt flour

At least 8 to 10 hours before baking stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until just combined. Adjust the amount of flour so you have a wet but not too wet dough. I like mine to be a little wet and sticky but firm. Cover and place in fridge for 8-10 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take dough out of the fridge and sprinkle the top with a little flour. Divide dough into two large round loaves or whatever shapes and sizes you want. I bake mine in two round bakers (similar to round cake pans 9-10") I also use parchment paper to line the pans but you can choose to oil your pans if you want. Using a large knife make 2 or 3 slices in the top the the dough then place in the preheated oven. (Yep I don't even wait for it to rise it seems to rise up instead of out if I get it right in the oven while the dough is still cold) Bake for 25-40 minutes until nice and dark golden brown. Try to let cool a bit before slicing ( I know it's hard but the very center is still baking a bit as it cools.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want a thicker more chewy traditional type crust....take a spray bottle with water and spray the bread a few times while cooking. I like the crust this way and usually do this spraying the dough three or for times throughout baking.

Bruschetta

One day last year I was at my Mom's and she had just mixed up something that looked like salsa only it tasted different. She said it was Bruschetta and that you have it on toast or crackers. I had heard of Bruschetta and maybe even had some before but not that tasted like this.

I just love the way fresh basil and tomatoes taste together and right then I knew that I was going to have to be sure to plant plenty of basil so I could make some fresh Bruschetta. It's so simple to make and has a yummy Italian flare you could add balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice which is good. I just like the fresher flavor of the lemon.

And just so you know I have plenty of basil still growing if you need some! ;)

Bruschetta

6-8 large fresh garden tomatoes, chopped
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice (or to taste)
8-10 leaves of fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons
1 teaspoon Kosher Real Salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Mix everything together in a bowl. Spoon onto toasted baguettes or sourdough artisan bread.

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

A few weeks ago we were visiting my Parents and Mom had taken some tomatoes from their garden and made pineapple salsa! I thought it was super yummy and asked her what she put in it. I know I learned how to cook from my Mom.....she was like, "Oh a little of this and a little of that."

She did say it would be good with cilantro and I readily agreed but we all knew why she didn't put any in.....my Dad despises the stuff. ;) Oh but I love cilantro such a wonderfully tasty and healthy herb. So not long after I got home I made my own version with cilantro right from my herb garden!

This is what I came up with.....

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

8-10 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a fresh pineapple peeled, cored and chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped (optional)
6-8 green onions, sliced thin
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

In 8 cup bowl or larger stir all ingredients together. Great on top of a veggie burger or as a chip dip or however else you want to use it. ;)

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Mango Soft Serve Ice Cream

I cannot really take credit for this recipe because I totally got the idea from Laura over at Heavenly Homemakers.  Thanks Laura!  Her Pineapple flavor is really good too but Costco hasn't had their organic frozen pineapple lately (at least not the one we shop at). But they have the mango!

Ryan says he likes the mango best because it is so creamy but you could use other kinds of frozen fruit too. We want to try apricot, peach, raspberry and I know Laura tried strawberry also and it went over well.

Just to let you know this is thick stuff and blending in a regular blender may prove a bit frustrating. I think a food processor (a fairly large nice one) would probably work best. But since I don't have one right now I used my Blendtec with the large Wildside jar. It works really well but does take a little patience.

I have to stop and stir a few times before it really blends well. It still takes me less than 5 minutes though. Using my twister jar would actually work better but I would have to half the recipe and blend it in two batches and this way is just faster. But if I was only needing one or two servings I wouldn't hesitate to half the recipe and use that twister jar. It is the perfect thing for really thick blends.

Mango Soft Serve Ice Cream

1 can coconut milk, chilled  (I tend to always keep a couple cans in the fridge)
1 pinch of Real Salt
4 cups frozen mango
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
3-5 drops liquid stevia (optional, don't really need mango is nice a sweet but if you like it sweeter)

Place all ingredients into food processor or powerful blender. Blend until smooth (not higher than speed 3 if using a high speed blender, too high of a speed can potentially separate coconut milk and make it grainy). Also remember it is thick you will have to stop and stir a few times until the machine can pull it down.

Hearty Vegetable Chili with Lime and Cilantro

I came up with this recipe years ago. We will try other fun chili recipes but we always come back to this one. To this day it is still a family favorite and by far the chili we make most often.

So I'm not really sure it's taken me all these years to get a decent picture of it. It's far from professional but I think the tips I learned from Tasty Food Photography has helped me to greatly improve it. That old picture was the only one I had before and it has bugged and bugged me that it looked like.....ummmm who knows what. But I kept forgetting to take a picture every time we had it. Which like I said has been often. ;)

If you want to see the original post you can go here. I also got an updated baked potato bar picture that isn't super but I know will look better than the one on that post. I can't decide if I just want to update that post with new pictures and add the new with the old or just get rid of it entirely.....I don't know that could cause broken links. I'll have to think on it. The old pictures are kind of fun to compare with. I actually get hungry when I see this picture.....the other one mostly made me nauseous.....maybe I will take it down. ;)

I don't really consider myself a food blogger because I refuse to make a dish just to get a picture of it and blog about it. I make food for my family to sit down and have a meal hopefully more nights than not. If it's a recipe I have been wanting to share I try really hard to remember to get hopefully a decent looking picture of it.

I consider myself a wife and mother who likes to make healthy food for her family and share it with others.....maybe you could call me a share my recipes wife/mom blogger.....mostly I hope you will just call me a friend.

Anyway enjoy this good old recipe with a much more appealing picture and be sure to share it with your friends!

Hearty Vegetable Chili With Lime and Cilantro

2 cans black beans (I usually use 3-4 cups cooked black beans, I like the more homemade flavor it gives it)
1 can pinto or garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 large or 2 medium onions
1 orange bell pepper or color of choice
2 stalks celery w/ leaves, chopped
½ summer squash, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
1-2 cups frozen corn
1/4 cup Sucanat
2+ Tablespoons chili powder
½ -1 ½ Tablespoon sea salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pepper
Juice of ½ -1 whole lime (to taste)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Be sure to drain the beans well you can use canned or cook your own dry. Use whatever variety of beans you want. In large pot saute garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery, squash, and zucchini in olive oil for a 3 or 4 minutes. Add the drained beans, diced tomatoes (DON'T DRAIN), and corn. Add rest of ingredients except cilantro, bring to a boil and boil off a bit of the liquid until it is a chili consistency. Remove from heat stir in the cilantro, can reserve some to sprinkle fresh on top. We had this chili on baked potatoes with sesame dip, some fresh sliced tomatoes. With fresh cilantro on top!

Sweet Potato Soup

We have really been enjoying this soup this Winter and just sweet potatoes in general. Every time we have had it we all MMmmMmmmmm and say how good it is. So comforting, warm and filling. I think that sweet potatoes give you that extra boost of nutrients that is needed in the Winter time.

We seem happier and more content every time we make up a pot.  I have noticed that sometimes the soup is more orange then other times.......don't worry it just depends on your sweet potatoes. It will still be very tasty. If you want to be sure to have a darker color I guess you could throw in a few carrots.

For fun here is a list of some of the other Sweet Potato dishes we have been enjoying:

• Curried Cauliflower with Sweet Potato & Black Beans
• Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry
• Sweet Potato Fries with Southwest Fry Sauce
• Sweet Potato and Mango Tacos
   

I have also been working on a Quinoa and Sweet Potato Grilled Wrap and Black Bean and Sweet Potato Taco Packets that are full of potential and soon to be perfected. We have enjoyed every single trial of them....can't wait to share them with you!

Sweet Potato Soup

4-5 sweet potatoes, peeled
8 cups water
2 Heaping Tablespoons Vegetable Broth Powder
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons Real Salt
1 drop natural butter flavor, opt.
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup cashews

In 5-8 quart pot put in cut up sweet potatoes, water, and veggie broth powder.  Cover and simmer until potatoes are soft.  Add the coconut oil and seasonings.  Mash potatoes with a potato masher, or you can blend in the blender in small batches (be careful when blending hot soups). Or you could just use an immersion blender and save yourself a lot of mess and hassle.   Take a cup of the soup and blend it with the cashews until smooth add to the soup and mix in well.  May garnish with nutmeg, cinnamon, or cashews!  Very Simple, really good and a great way to get all those nutrients from sweet potatoes!  ENJOY!

High Protein Granola

I've been on a granola kick lately.  All Summer I tried different crock pot granola recipes.  I really liked that I didn't need to heat up my oven for granola in the Summer. But I also found that a crock pot doesn't seem to get hot enough to make really good crunchy granola.  I haven't entirely given up on it......it was really quite edible just not crunchy. I'll share recipes when I have my favorites.

At that time I started playing with the idea of adding more protein, good fats and just all around super-fooding (yeah probably just made up that word) my granola.

This is my favorite version so far and I love how it has almost a gourmet (if you can say that about granola) flavor.  It's like high society granola.  Either way I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a crunchy granola girl who enjoys some gourmet granola every once in a while!

Mostly I just love the added energy it seems to supply me with.

High Energy Granola

8 cups regular rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup amaranth, puffed
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup coconut (palm) sugar or Sucanat
1 cup maple syrup
1 scant cup honey
2 Tablespoon molasses or sorghum
2 teaspoons kosher Real Salt
1 cup other nuts (optional, we like pecans or almonds)
dried fruit of choice (optional, we like cranberries, apricots, dates, currents or raisins)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients, salt and other optional nuts.  Distribute mixture between 2 large cake pans and/or bakers that are lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown - being sure to stir EVERY 10 minutes.

NOTE:  If you want even more energy from your granola add a Tablespoon of soaked and barely sprouted sunflower seeds to individual servings of granola.  It's a great way to get added enzymes.

Hot Carob Mix

Cold windy days with rain and snow I say it's time to bring this forward!

Okay so I love it when people take my recipes and make them even better!  A good friend tried my original recipe and said, "I like it but......" the recipe below is what she came up with and let me tell you I like it lots better than the original one.  Not that it was bad but this is so good.  Honestly I have never been a very big hot cocoa fan but this is wonderful on these freezing cold nights and snowy days!  I just love good friends who share good recipes!  Thanks Lisa!

Homemade Hot Carob Mix

7 cups powdered coconut milk
1 cup carob powder
4 1/2 cups Sucanat or Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals
1 or 2 vanilla beans, cut in half the long way
1/2 teaspoon of Real Salt


In a large bowl mix powdered coconut milk, carob powder and salt.  Mix well.  Add vanilla beans.    Mix 2-4 Tablespoons of mix with every cup of boiling water.  Obviously you spoon around the vanilla beans they are just there to give it a hint of vanilla flavor.