Chocolate Coconut Oil Covered Bananas

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Another yummy, but not so low-carb, way to get coconut oil into your tummy!  This one comes from My Cultured Palate.  

 Chocolate Coconut Oil Covered Bananas
  • 5 bananas, cut in half
  • 2 cups coconut oil, at room temperature
  • 4 Tbsp raw honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt 
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • wooden sticks
1. Mix the coconut oil, honey and vanilla together. 
2. Blend in the remaining ingredients – sea salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder
3. Blend until light and fluffy – an immersion blender works well.
4. Skewer each banana half with a wooden stick.
5. Dip each banana half in the chocolate mixture rotating to cover.
6. Place each dipped banana on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
7. Freeze for about 3 minutes to harden the chocolate.
8. Continue to dip and freeze bananas to reach the desired thickness of chocolate. Three times is pretty good.
9. After the chocolate is the desired consistency, place in the refrigerator or freeze – remember, coconut oil liquefies at about 75F so it is important to keep them cool!
10. After dipping is complete, pour any extra chocolate into a parchment paper lined dish and refrigerate until firm – this makes delicious chocolate candy!

Simple Coconut Oil Fudge

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The Nourishing Gourmet gave me another wonderful coconut oil recipe to try!  Again, once I make it, I will scale the recipe. It seems like this is quite a small amount.

 Simple Coconut Oil Fudge
    1/2 cup of virgin coconut oil
    1/2 cup of cocoa powder
    1/2 cup of coconut/palm sugar (the paste-like kind) or 1/4 cup raw honey
    dash of sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla
If solid, melt the coconut oil over very low heat, or even in a double boiler to protect the raw properties.  In a food processor or mixer, blend oil and other ingredients well.  

Line a pan with parchment paper and pour in fudge. Press down to 1/2" thick.  Refrigerate until set or place in freezer for about 30 minutes.  Cut into small squares and enjoy! 


Coconut Oil "Chocolate Bark"

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Another way to get coconut oil into your body.  I haven't made this, but will try this week and let you know.  Apparently, this makes a very small serving, so I will adjust the recipe after seeing how it works as written.

 Coconut Oil "Chocolate Bark"

4 T. (1/4 cup) Virgin Coconut Oil
1-1.5 T. Cocoa Powder
1/4 t. sweetner, such as honey or stevia
2 oz nuts (optional)

Melt the coconut oil to a liquid, add in cocoa powder and sweetener. Stir to combine and blend well.

Blend nuts into chocolate mixture (Optional)

Have chilled a metal bakeware lasagna or cake pan or pans in freezer for 10 minutes or so. Remove from freezer and line with waxed paper. Then pour mixture into chilled pan and spread to desired thickness.

Pop in refrigerator or freezer on level shelf and let sit 10 minutes or so. It will harden quickly and breaks with a snap.

Coconut Oil "Hot Chocolate"

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I'm looking for ways to add more coconut oil to my diet. I already consume a couple of Tablespoons in my eggs in the morning, and use it to cook.  I found this on a forum this morning. This is a good way to get a BUNCH of oil down in a pleasant way. I used virgin coconut oil the first time I made it, but, since I *don't* enjoy the taste of coconut oil all that much, will use expeller pressed from now on.  

 Coconut Oil "Hot Cocoa"

 3 heaping tbsp CO
sweetener of choice (I used a Tbsp of raw honey)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 raw egg
1 cup boiling water

blend

Best hot cocoa EVER!

Jelly, Jam, Preserves or Something Else?

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Here's a handy guide for the different texture options you can make with most fruits:
Jelly usually does not contain pieces of fruit, as it is made by cooking fruit juice, sugar, pectin, and lemon juice.
Jam is made from crushed or cut up fruit, sugar, and sometimes lemon juice or pectin.  Jam doesn’t typically contain chunks of  fruit and can be pureed when making it.  
Preserves are made by cooking fruit and sugar together.  Preserves tend to have bigger chunks of fruit.  
Conserves are also sometimes called whole fruit jam.  It’s made by stewing fruit and sugar.  You can also add raisins or nuts.
Marmalade is like jelly, but it has flesh and peel of fruits in the jelly.  It’s usually citrus based.
Chutney is a relish of Indian origin made with fruit and/or vegetables. Chutneys often consist of chopped fruit or vegetables, vinegar, spices, and sugar.  
Fruit butter is fruit pure or pulp, sugar, lemon juice, and spices, cooked slowly to a smooth, butter-like consistency.  Whole pieces of fruit (such as apples) are put through a sieve or blended.

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

10:13 PM Posted In , , Edit This 0 Comments »
I found this at Two Tarts,  from a link at Traditional Foods. 

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

  • Zest of two lemon
  • 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • Juice of two lemon (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth, except for oil. Drizzle oil in slowly. Store in fridge.

Homemade Creamsicle Popsicles

6:09 PM Posted In , , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
This recipe came through on my facebook wall.  I make a smoothie similar to this, but not exact.  My kids, and the neighborhood kids, LOVE homemade popsicles on a hot day.

Homemade Orange Creamsicles

1 cup orange juice (fresh or frozen), 1 cup heavy cream, 3 TSP honey, 1/4 tsp orange extract, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Whisk all ingredients together. Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Let set for 30-60 minutes, then add popsicle sticks. Freeze for another 4-6 hours or until frozen. When ready to serve, run warm water along popsicle mold to loosen the popsicles.

Paleo Spicy Rib Appetizer

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I found this at Hajnal Szakacskonyve's blog.   

PALEO SPICY RIB APPETIZER

  • 3 lbs pork spare ribs
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp sweet basil, dried
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • Salt and pepper to taste after dish is cooked
For the sauce:
  • 1 cup tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 serrano peppers, chopped and peeled
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ½ small onion, minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 pinches of salt
  1. Cut ribs into single pieces.
  2. Rub pieces with the spices and place in the slow cooker.
  3. Put tomatoes in a bowl, smash them with a fork and mix in the rest of the sauce ingredients.
  4. Pour mixture over the ribs, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours until ribs are tender.
  5. Add salt and pepper after cooking.

Peppery Venison Roast

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I found this on an online forum.

 Peppery Venison Roast

 4-6 pound venison roast
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small onion, diced
4 carrot, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 Tbsp pepper, freshly ground
2 cups beef broth or water
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp oregano AND basil
Salt to taste

 Melt 2 Tbsp butter in cast iron and sear roast on all sides.  Add meat to crockpot.  Add remaining butter and coconut oil to pan. Add 2 tsp of the pepper, the onion, carrots, celery and sauté about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook another few minutes on low heat. So not burn the garlic!  Pour this mixture over the roast in the crockpot.  Add broth and spices.  Sprinkle remaining pepper on top of roast.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Salt to taste.  Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Easy Cajun Chicken

6:58 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
This is from my new favorite blog, I Breathe....I'm Hungry.  What an easy meal idea. It'll be easy to make a ton at once, too.  That's always an important thing for large families!

  • Easy Cajun Chicken

  • 5 lbs chicken parts (legs or thighs are best)
  • 2 Tbl olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning 
  • Ranch dressing for serving (optional)

  •   Cajun Seasoning Blend 

  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tbl garlic powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • Rub the chicken with olive oil. Add Cajun seasoning and toss until chicken is fully coated. Spread the chicken out on cookie sheets with at least an inch between pieces. Bake in the center of a preheated 400 degree (F) oven for about 50 minutes (40 minutes for wings). The skin should be golden and crispy, and the juices should run clear.

Canned Coleslaw

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Chickens in the Road brings us a yummy sounding canned side dish: coleslaw.  I haven't made it yet, but the comments are encouraging. I plan to try it next week.

 *ETA: I did make this.  The recipe, as written makes 3 pints. I doubled it.  I will add just a touch more liquid to the brine as I needed about a Tablespoon more to top off the last jar. We haven't tasted it yet, but it smelled good!
1 medium head cabbage
1 large carrot
1 green pepper (I prefer red)
1 small onion
1 teaspoon salt
Syrup
1 cup vinegar
¼ cup water
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Shred together vegetables. Add the salt. Let stand 1 hour.

Drain water from vegetables. (I also rinse and drain.) Boil syrup ingredients together for 1 minute. Cool.

Add syrup to vegetables (or vegetables to the syrup like I did).

Pack into quarts or pint jars.

Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

If you don’t want to can it, you could put it into freezer containers instead and freeze. Leftovers may also be frozen. This slaw may be drained before use and mayonnaise added, or used as is.

Irish Soda Bread

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This excellent basic bread is from Paratus Familia, one of my favorite blogs.  

 Irish Soda Bread
4 C flour (white, wheat or a combination)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 T sugar
2 C buttermilk (preferably room temperature)

Preheat oven to 375°

Sift (or not) the flour, soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.  Add sugar.  Stir with a fork.  Add buttermilk (I use regular milk with a bit (splash) of lemon juice or vinegar added or even powdered milk mixed with warm water and a little vinegar or lemon juice) and stir until it forms a ball.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes (do not knead for more than 2 minutes - it will make the bread tough).

Form dough into a ball and place in a well-buttered 8" cast iron skillet (if you don't have cast iron, you can use a cake or pie pan).  Press down slightly and cut a cross in the top of the loaf.

Bake at 375° (or a medium/hot wood cook stove oven) for 35-40 minutes. (This bread does not require time to rise).

Sweet Potato Minestrone

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I found this recipe at an online group.
Sweet Potato Minestrone

10 cups chopped, cored peeled tomatoes (I use ones that I have frozen from the garden)

6   cups cubed, peeled sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)
4   cups diced carrots (about 1 lb)
4   cups green beans (2lbs frozen)
3   cups diced celery (6 ribs)
4   cups diced onion (3 medium / large)
1   pint tomato juice (Ok to replace with canned tomato sauce)
4   cups water
1   Tbsp. dry minced garlic
2   Tbsp. Italian seasoning
2   Tbsp. canning salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Combine all in a large stock pot. Bring up to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1" headspace. Process at 10/11# pressure (or as adjusted for your altitude) for 90 minutes.

Makes 7 quarts

Almond Flax Bread

10:15 AM Posted In , , Edit This 0 Comments »
I found this recipe at Healy Real Food Vegetarian.  I look forward to trying it.  It only makes one loaf, so I am sure I'll double it. 
Almond Flax Bread
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 tbsp whole flax seeds
1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 eggs beaten
2 tsp honey, optional
1/2 tsp raw cider vinegar
butter, to grease a loaf pan
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°.
  2. Grease a loaf pan.
  3. Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined, then pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 300° for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread’s center comes out clean.
  4. Cool completely before serving.
Makes 1 loaf

Super-Fast Meat Recipe

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Busy days happen more often than I like. One of my favorite go-to meals is recipe-less, but I will describe it here. 

 I buy less expensive cuts of meat and slice them into strips. This is similar to a fajita-style slice.  It doesn't really matter how thick or long they are. I make them bite sized strips, personally.  This I freeze in 2-3 pound portions, flattened into a gallon sized bag.  This thaws quickly when allowed to sit in warm water.  I can be cooking ten minutes after I take a package out of the freezer. 

 If I am serving a rice dish, I start it first, because the meat cooks fast.  I also put on veggies to steam. I always serve a green salad, too.

 I melt a generous amount of bacon grease or home-rendered tallow in a cast iron skillet and add the meat. I sprinkle it well with A&D spice mixture that I buy from a local company. It's a proprietary blend, so there's no recipe available, but you can order some at the link. I use it for beef, chicken and beans. It's an excellent quality, no MSG blend.  If you don't have a favorite blend, use salt, pepper, chili powder, onion and/or garlic powders, etc. to season to suit your tastes. 

 Cook and stir over medium-high heat until done. The time required depends on how thick you cut your meat. Mine takes less than ten minutes.  Serve with the veggies, salad and side dish of your choice and you have a super quick, nourishing homemade meal! 

 Any leftover meat (does that happen ever? HA!) is great cut up and served in eggs the next morning. 

2012 Canning Inventory

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For the third year in a row, I have kept track of my canning numbers. It's been incredible helpful in planning what to make. Last year I made such an abundance of jams that I made very few this year.  This year I experimented with canning some sauces that I usually make fresh batch-by-batch.  The results were mixed.  I've also found that my children prefer chunky picante to smooth, so I need to increase those.  Canned chicken and canned stew meat are now indispensable and will be a focus of next year's canning.  

2012 Canning Inventory

7 pints  Creamsicle
19 pints  pizza sauce
13 quarts  chicken meat
75 quarts  pinto beans
14 quarts Ranch beans
14 quarts  ham and bean soup
8 1/2 pints Flamin’ Taco Sauce
5 quarts enchilada sauce
6 quarts  spaghetti sauce
8 pints  Banberry jam
7 quarts  chicken soup
7 quarts  meat chili
5 1/2 pints BBQ sauce
8 pint+1/2 dilly carrots
9 pint+1/2 dilly beans
7 pints apricots
2 pints  mixed berry jam
8 quarts  chicken broth
22 quarts zucchini salsa (given to K.)
19 quarts zucchini salsa
21 quarts zucchini sausage soup
4 pints  black eyed peas
5 quarts  chunky picante
2 quarts Vintage salsa
4 pints Vintage salsa (gifted to E.)
6 pints pickled peppers
6 pints pickled peppers (made with L.)
58 quarts  green beans
7 quarts potatoes
2 quarts beef broth
1 quart mixed beef and chicken broth
11 quarts smooth picante
10 quarts  applesauce
14 quarts pear applesauce
7 quarts stew meat
7 pints apple butter
3 1/2 pints cranberry sauce
14 quarts turkey broth

Almond Flour Pound Cake

10:13 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
I can't remember where I found this recipe, but it is excellent!  Luckily, I gave the recipe to my friend Michelle before I lost track of it.  She sent it back to me and I am posting it here to make sure I don't lose this gem again!  I pair it with a cream cheese frosting and it's divine!


Almond Flour Pound Cake
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar (or substitute)
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 cups almond flour 
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon lemon flavoring ( 5 Teaspoons for Lemon Cake)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream the butter and sugar (or substitute) until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
3. Mix flour with baking powder and add to egg mixture a little at a time while mixing. Add lemon and vanilla flavorings.
4. Pour into greased nine inch cake pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

7:21 AM Posted In , , , , , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
This gem is from Against All Grain. 

 Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables

 4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, peeled and cubed
2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 yellow onion, quartered
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 cups chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
4-6 cups leftover shredded chicken or 1 pound uncooked chicken breasts
1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 cup water
4 cups baby spinach
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add the chicken, herbs, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook while the vegetables are roasting, about 15 minutes. For raw chicken breasts, cook for about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred with a fork.
Add half the vegetables to the soup, and place the other half in a blender. Make sure to put all of the onions quarters into the blender.  Puree the vegetables with the 1 cup of water.
Add the vegetable puree and baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the soup is hot. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Meyer Lemon Jelly

6:45 PM Posted In , , , Edit This 0 Comments »

I found this recipe in an online forum.

Meyer Lemon Jelly

4 cups filtered lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemons, 
7 cups sugar  
2 (3 oz) pouches liquid pectin 

In an 8-qt stainless steel pan, over medium high heat, heat the juice until warm. Add the sugar and heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the entire contents of both pectin pouches. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly skim off any foam and immediately ladle the hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe there jar rims and threads and apply screw rings. Process half-pint jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes. This is a tangy jelly with an intense taste. Yield: 7 to 8 half-pint jars

Coconut Lemon Meltaway Cookies

7:38 AM Posted In , , , , Edit This 0 Comments »

I found this recipe at Addicted to Veggies.  

Coconut-Lemon Meltaway Cookies

Makes roughly 22 to 24 Cookies

1 & 1/2 cups Almond Flour (you can make this, or buy it - however most store bought Almond flour is not raw)
1 & 1/2 cups dried Shredded Unsweetened Coconut (I used medium shred, but fine shred would also work well)
1/3 c Coconut Flour
2 big pinches of Salt

Mix all of your dry ingredients together - set aside and move onto the next step.

In a small mixing bowl combine the following:
6 Tbsp Agave//or//Grade B Maple Syrup//or//Raw Organic Honey
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Vanilla 
1 Tbsp Lemon zest (Tip: Zest your Lemon before you juice it)

Mix together all of the above ingredients...

With your mixer on, slowly stream in the wet ingredients...

1/4 cup AND 1 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil

While your Mixer is on, stream in your melted Coconut Oil. Your batter will thicken fairly quickly as it mixes with the Oil and the oil cools down.

The final step is up to you.
You can either - 
Option 1. 
Warm them in either your Dehydrator or Oven (set at it's lowest heat, leaving the door cracked open). 
Warm your Cookies for 1 hour, maybe a bit longer 
Your finished Cookie will be dry on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth moist on the inside 
Place your cookies in the fridge after they've cooled down, letting them chill and set before you eat them.

Option 2. Place your Cookies to set/chill in the fridge for about an hour.
If you opt not to heat/dry your cookies the texture will be soft and moist.
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