almond-ella

Living with an Italian means that a jar of Nutella disappears at an alarming rate.  What's even more alarming is the amount of sugar and unnatural ingredients inside of that jar, so a while back I switched to rawtella.  It's good, I'm just not a fan of its dense and not-so-spreadable-unless-you-heat-it-up consistency.  This recipe for homemade chocolate-almond spread from Love and Lemons is perfectly creamy and spreadable, and it's so delicious and easy you'll wonder why you hadn't thought of it before.   

Almond-ella spread

See recipe from Love and Lemons here

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (around 50% cacao)
• 1.5 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions

1. Combine the almond butter, chocolate, and coconut oil in a medium glass bowl. Make a double boiler by placing the glass bowl over a smaller pot filled with simmering water. Stir often, as the chocolate slowly melts. Once the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth, remove the bowl from heat.
2. Let the spread cool and set (at room temp, or pop it in the fridge for a little bit). Slather generously onto slices of bread.  Top with strawberries and coconut flakes, or any toppings you like.
3. Store extra spread at room temperature in an airtight jar.

carrot spaghetti

This. was. amazing.  I cannot even… wow.  I came across this recipe on the Oatmeal with a Fork blog today and when you think about it, it's sort of just deconstructed pasta sauce - carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes - so you know it's going to work.  The slightly al dente carrot "pasta" tossed with tangy, spicy sauce and hearty mushrooms is so delicious it'll make you swear off real spaghetti for good (okay, maybe not).

(I also used their sauce recipe but any marinara sauce will do)

Carrot Spaghetti, recipe from Oatmeal with a Fork

(makes one serving)

Ingredients

2 t. olive oil

2 T. shallot or onion, chopped fine

1 c. mushrooms, chopped

¼ t. sea salt

¾ t. dried basil

black pepper, to taste

3 large carrots, ribboned with a vegetable peeler

¾ c. marinara sauce 

fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the shallot or onion and saute for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, salt, basil, and pepper, and cook 5-6 minutes until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.
4. Add in the carrot ribbons and saute for one minute.
5. Stir in the sauce, and let everything cook for 6-8 minutes until 'noodles' are done to your liking.
6. Top with parsley and enjoy!

recipe :: blueberry banana muffins

If you're anything like me, you probably have a few overripe bananas on the counter begging for attention, and on a dreary day like today, nothing sounds better than warm, freshly baked banana bread.  But If you're like me and are too impatient to wait for banana bread to bake, this healthy muffin recipe from 100 Days of Real Food is the perfect alternative.  You can use those overripe bananas or use up any other fruit you might have in your kitchen - the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients

1½ cups whole-wheat flour 

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ cup coconut oil 

¾ cup orange juice or apple juice

About 1 cup of total filling (berries, fruit, nuts, etc. – see below for details)

Muffin/Cupcake liners

Method

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl with a fork or whisk mix the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the eggs, honey, vanilla, oil and orange juice. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together – do not overmix.
4. Now here is the fun part. If you are in a hurry just add 1 cup of blueberries, mashed up banana & nuts, or other filling of your choice. If you have 5 or 10 minutes extra (and some anxious helpers) do not add anything to the muffin batter before continuing with the next step.
5. Line a muffin pan with liners and fill ⅔ to ¾ of the way full with batter. If you didn’t already add your filling, sprinkle 1 – 2 teaspoons of whatever you would like (from the list below or from your own creation) onto the top of each raw muffin in the pan. Then gently mix each one with a fork or spoon. 
   Here are some options to consider for the fillings:
   - blueberries
   - diced strawberries
   - peeled and diced pears
   - applesauce
   - either diced or mashed up bananas and chopped walnuts
   - raisins and chopped pecans (I add an extra pinch of cinnamon to the muffins with this filling)
   - grated carrot and chopped walnuts
   - orange or lemon zest (only add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of zest per individual muffin)
   - a mix of dried fruit bits
   - jelly
6. After the filling has been mixed into each muffin slide the tray into the warm oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature and freeze some for a later date. 
   Enjoy!

overnight {cocoa} oatmeal

I can thank my older brother for introducing me to a lot of things throughout my life that have made a big impact (R.E.M., Wes Anderson, storm chasing, and more authors than I can remember), but this one deserves a pretty big "thank you" as well.  Call it what you will - oatmeal in a jar/ mason jar oatmeal/ overnight oatmeal - just call it delicious.  And then call it ridiculously easy. Simply combine four ingredients in a jar, stick it in the fridge overnight, and wake up to perfectly creamy, chocolaty, hearty oatmeal.  There's not even a need to heat it up it's so good cold.  And the best part?  You don't have to cook breakfast.        

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overnight oatmeal

ingredients (makes one serving)

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cook!  steel cut works here also, or a mixture of half rolled, half steel cut)

1/2 cup milk of your choice (i prefer almond for this recipe)

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)

method

1. Combine all ingredients in jelly jar, mason jar, or any other kind of container with a lid.  Stir well.  Store covered jars overnight in the refrigerator. 

2. Wake up.  Eat oatmeal.  

salted-almond macaroons

Words and photos cannot convey how amazing these are - like little balls of heaven, if heaven was located in the tropics.  And if heaven was the perfect balance of sweet and salty, nutty and coconut-y.  Yes, they are paleo-friendly, but you shouldn’t care (unless you care, that is): these macaroons are tasty enough to be a staple in any diet. 

salted-almond macaroons 

recipe from Rising Moon Nutrition - makes 12 cookies

ingredients:

 1 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)

1/4 cup raw honey

1/4 cup coconut oil--should be room temperature, warm enough to stir easily 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional: 1 Tbs raw cacao powder

method:

 1.  In a mixing bowl, combine the coconut, almonds, macadamia nuts, and salt. Stir to combine. 

2.  In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the vanilla, honey and coconut oil .

3.  Pour the liquid mixture over the coconut mix and stir well. The dough should be slightly stiff and sticky, and just beginning to hold together. If you are making the chocolate version, add it in at this time. 

4.  Transfer half of the mixture to a food processor. Pulse several times to break up the larger pieces. Puree for 20-30 seconds until the mixture becomes somewhat smooth and paste like; do not over-process the mix, though, you are not trying to make it like a nut butter consistency. This step helps the cookies hold together better, but leaves a lot of variation in texture by only pureeing half of the mix. 

5.  Add the processed mix back in with the other half and stir well. 

6.  Form into 12-2" balls; pack each cookie together tightly, like a good snowball. You want them to stay together and not crumble when eating them, so they need to be pressed firmly to maintain their shape. Place on a plate or small sheet pan. Press down slightly on the cookies so the bottom is flattened and they don't roll. 

Chill for 1-2 hours before serving to help the cookies set. 

butternut squash brownies

Though I’m a strong proponent of sneaking veggies into desserts I’ve always drawn the line at brownies.  When I want a brownie, I want a brownie.  I want something reminiscent of the chemical-laden box mix brownies of my youth: gooey, crumbly and oh-so-chocolatey, not the dense fudge-like desserts that grace (or disgrace?) every restaurant dessert menu and coffee shop display case.  You can see why, then, it came as such a surprise to me the day I looked at my leftover butternut squash puree and thought adding it to my almond-butter brownie batter seemed like a good idea.  It wasn’t a good idea.  It was maybe the best idea I’ve ever had.  These are pure brownie perfection - the butternut squash magically enhances all of the aforementioned brownie qualities while adding an additional nutritional boost to these already "health-ified" brownies.  I’ve never looked back.

butternut squash brownies

ingredients

1 cup almond butter*

2 eggs

3/4 cup maple syrup (more or less depending on your preferences/if your almond butter is sweetened or unsweetened)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 

1 teaspoon baking soda

scant 3/4 cup pureed butternut squash**

optional: 1 bar good quality dark chocolate (62-73% cacao), chopped into small chunks 

method

1. preheat oven to 325 degrees and line an 8x8 glass baking dish with parchment paper

2. in a large bowl blend almond butter and eggs together with hand mixer until smooth.  blend in maple syrup and vanilla

3. blend in cocoa, salt and baking soda

4. fold in butternut squash until combined, then fold in chocolate chunks

5. pour into baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on how gooey you like your brownies

6. use the parchment paper to lift them out of the pan and let cool on a cutting board before cutting.

* i highly recommend Justin's Maple Almond Butter.  

** to make butternut squash puree preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membrane.  Place squash cut side down in a baking dish or pan, with half a cup to a cup of water and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until fork tender.  Let cool.  Scoop squash out of skin with a spoon and transfer to a food processor, puree until smooth.  Alternately you can purchase frozen butternut squash: follow directions on package to cook then puree in food processor.      

recipe: sausage-stuffed acorn squash

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i've never met a winter squash i didn't like.  acorn, in particular, i'm quite fond of.  especially when it's stuffed with spicy sausage, kale, apples and pecans.  this has become a go-to recipe for me in the cooler months, although it's not quite baby-friendly (i do cut off a few thin slices of acorn squash and roast them for M to eat with her dinner).  it's healthy, filling, and pretty much has all the food groups wrapped up in one pretty little package.     

i came across this recipe on this primal life but it appears to no longer be an active blog. however, i must give credit where credit is due.  lucky for you (and me), i printed out the recipe before it disappeared from the blogosphere so here it is, tweaked minimally by me:

sausage-stuffed acorn squash 

serves 2-4

ingredients:

1 - 2 acorn squash

1/2 pound fresh sausage (for all you austinites: i use Richardson Farms breakfast pan sausage.  it is divine.)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 large apple, chopped

2 cups chopped fresh kale

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

salt and pepper (optional) 

method:

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees.  slice the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stringy membranes.  rub squash flesh with canola or olive oil and place cut-side down on a foil lined baking sheet.  bake for approximately 30-45 minutes or until it is fork tender.  you could also score the flesh with a knife a la pioneer woman but i have not personally tried it.  next time…

2. meanwhile, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until about halfway cooked through.  add the onions and cook 5 minutes more.  when the sausage is nearly done, add the apple and kale.  season with salt and pepper if desired.  

3. in a large bowl, beat the egg with the milk.  add the pecans and the sausage mixture.

4. flip the squash over on the baking sheet and fill with the stuffing mixture (if you are only using one squash you will probably have quite a bit of stuffing leftover so you can bake the rest in a separate glass or stoneware baking dish).  bake at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.     

serves 2 - 4

happy hour: maple-ritas

for me, warm weather equals margaritas.  unfortunately for me on this fine, warm day, there was no agave in the house, and agave's sole purpose in our household is to be mixed with tequila.  i thought i was out of luck:  honey and coconut nectar were destined to congeal, and i've never considered mixing maple syrup with tequila.  oh, how wrong i was!  maple syrup is my sweetener of choice in baked goods, on baked goods, on roasted vegetables... you name it.  so then, why not in a margarita?  my friends, i have been depriving myself of this delicious concoction for TEN years (because of course, mom and dad, i did not consume alcohol prior to age 21).  i promise you, this may just be the best margarita you have ever had, and by far the easiest to make.  forget the cointreau and grand marnier, you don't need them.  this recipe requires only three ingredients: 

2 ounces tequila (i used dulce vida añejo)

1 ounce maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup.  yes, there is a difference.)

the juice of one lime

see?  so easy.  i bet you won't even need to look up the recipe next time.  now, throw those bad boys in a shaker with some ice and strain into a salt-rimmed glass of fresh ice.  

you're welcome.

zucchini fries & sriracha mayo

i am always looking for new veggie fry recipes and this one from Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the best i've tried.  it also doesn't hurt that we slathered them in sriracha mayonnaise...

 

baked zucchini fries 

adapted from recipe by Chocolate Covered Katie

 

ingredients

2-3 small zucchini, sliced into fry shapes

1/4 cup whole wheat flour 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

2 tbsp milk of choice

2 eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko)

method

1.  Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Lightly grease a cooling rack, place it on a baking tray, and set aside.

2.  Whisk eggs together with milk in small bowl.  

3.  Set up an assembly line: flour and spices in one bowl, milk and egg in another, and breadcrumbs in a third. Dip each zucchini stick in the flour, then the milk/egg mixture, then the breadcrumbs. Place on the cooling rack. Bake 18-19 minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached.