Toffee

My favorite dessert to make for any holiday is toffee.  I could eat toffee every day of my life, but pecans give me a stomachache if I eat too many.  It is probably a good thing, but I am not quite convinced. 

I am going to give you the base recipe.  Because I am an addict I double the recipe as a rule, triple it when I am happy, and quadruple it when I am cooking for friends.  When you first start I suggest that you stick to the base recipe.  Once you learn how the toffee needs to look and feel like, then you can start increasing the recipe.  Cooking times may increase as you increase the ingredients. 

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup of butter
2. 3/4 cup of brown sugar
3. pinch of salt
4. 1 1/2 cups of raw pecans
5. chocolate chips

 Instructions:

1. Spray a cookie sheet with a cooking spray.  (My favorite spray right now is grapeseed oil.)  Chop up most of the pecans and place them in the middle of the pan.  (Reserve about 1/3 cup of the pecans for end.)
2. In a good quality sauce pan melt the butter.  After the butter is melted stir in the brown sugar and salt.  Once the mixture starts to boil set a timer and cook the toffee for 7 minutes.  You must stir the toffee the whole time.  The 7 minutes is really just a guide.  You know the toffee is done when it is just about to burn.  I know this sounds crazy, but it is the same advice my grandmother gave me for making peanut brittle (and it really is good advice).  
3. Once the toffee is ready pour it on top of the pecans.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on the toffee.  Wait a few minutes to let the chocolate chips melt.  After they have melted spread the chocolate smoothly to cover all of the toffee.  Sprinkle the remaining pecans on top of the chocolate. 
4. Let the toffee cool.  I like to put the cookie sheet in a snow bank.  If there is not enough snow I put the toffee in the fridge.  Once the chocolate is hard, get a small stiff, strong knife and break up the toffee into small pieces.

Squash and Bacon Ambrosia

According to Google, there are four definitions of Ambrosia.  The first is something that is pleasing to the taste.  The second is a fungus based food for beetles.  The third is the food that bees eat so that they can make honey.  The forth is a dessert with oranges and shredded coconut.  Luckily, this dish only fits the first definition. 

Ingredients:

1. One medium spaghetti squash
2. One medium to large sweet potato
3. 1/2 lb of good quality bacon
4. A few tablespoons of minced green onion
5. 1/2 cup of minced parsley 
6. Salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half (the long way).  Clean out the guts and seeds.  Bake it at 350 degrees for about an hour until it is cooked.  Let the squash cool and pull out the meat, which will sort of look like stringy noodles.  Throw away the shell.
2. Cook the bacon until crispy.  Let it cool and then cut it up finely.  Save the fat. 
3. Peel and wash the sweet potato.  Cut up sweet potato up to look like matchsticks.
4. Mince up the parsley and green onion.
5. Once are finished with steps 1-4, you can start cooking the dish.  In the bacon fat, start cooking the sweet potatoes.  When the sweet potatoes are about 1/2 cooked add the green onions and parsley.  Once the onions and parsley have reduced and the sweet potatoes are soft, add the bacon and spaghetti squash.  Mix in all of the ingredients and add salt to taste.  If you let the dish sit for a few minutes before you serve it the bacon will penetrate all of the ingredients nicely. 

You can really make this dish with one pan.  I have used the same cast iron pan for all of the steps.  Save a little parsley for garnish.  

Hot Chocolate Mix

I was tired of looking for and paying for a non-dairy Hot Chocolate Mix.  As a result, I came up with this recipe for a Hot Chocolate Mix.   

Recipe.  In a blender add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2- 3/4 cups of semi-sweet chocolate (like chocolate chips).  Blend it up until the powder looks smooth and uniform.

The mix can be spooned into a cup of warm milk (like almond or flax milk) and dissolves pretty nicely.  I like to add a splash of vanilla to the cup.  I store the Hot Chocolate Mix in a mason jar.

I do have a Vitamix, so I am not sure how well it will work in another kind of blender.  I tried to double the recipe once, but it didn't work as well. 

Lower Fodmaps Chicken Wings

Here is a lower FODMAPs version of my favorite Chicken Wings.  Yeah!!!

1. Cut up about 4 pounds of wings, like in the Chicken Wing recipe.  Marinate overnight in the juice of 2 lemons, sea salt, and a couple tablespoons of oil.

2. Lay out the wings on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle the wings with paprika.  Bake in a hot oven (about 400 degrees) until nicely browned and the chicken in cooked all the way through.  About 40 mins.

3. While the wings are baking prepare the sauce in a large pot.  To make the sauce melt one cube of butter (1/2 cup).  Add about 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 1 tsp of cumin, sea salt, and 1tbs of tomato paste.  Let the sauce simmer for about 10 mins.  When the wings are done, pour the wings and the some of the juice and oil from the bottom of the pan (if there is any left) into the sauce and mix it up. 

4. Serve and Enjoy!

Raspberry Sorbet

A lovely non-dairy treat.  Mmmm.

Ingredients:

12 oz bag of frozen raspberries, thawed
2 cups water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (How necessary is this? I don't know, but about half the recipes I looked at had it, so I put some in.  Definitely didn't hurt.)

1.  Combine the water and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 5 minutes to make a simple syrup.  Cool in fridge.

2.  Press the berries through a sieve to remove most of the seeds.

3.  Combine the syrup, lemon juice and raspberries and keep in the fridge until you are ready to freeze.

4.  Pour into ice cream maker and freeze until ready.  Put into the freezer for 1-3 hours.  Perfect.

Paleo Pecan Pie

The pecan pie I made for Thanksgiving was based on the recipe found at The Healthy Foodie .  Of course it was tweaked a bit, but not much.  I used less maple syrup and thought it was still plenty sweet. I think this is a very forgiving recipe. This tweaked version made two pies that fit in disposable aluminum pans, so kind of small.

Ingredients

1 paleo pie shell (I used almond flour, butter, egg...can add some potato, tapioco, or arrowroot starch to hold together better)
1 1/2 cups date paste (I'll give directions for this at the bottom...easy)
1 cup maple syrup
5 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
lots of pecans--I just filled the pie shells until I was happy, so this depends on your pan size

Directions

1.  Make the date paste.  Put 8 oz (the size of bag I bought) in a pint size jar and cover with water.  Let sit over night or several hours.  Blend dates and water until smooth.  A food processor or good blender will work.  Store in fridge until ready to use.

2.  Mix together date paste, syrup, eggs, butter, vanilla and salt.

3.  Grease your pie pans.  Line with pie crust.  I just press mine in because almond crust don't transfer well.  Fill with pecans and pour the filling mixture evenly over the two pies.

4.  In an oven preheated to 375*, bake the pies for 30 minutes.

Almond Flour Thumbprints

I've always liked jam cookies.  These are grain-free, egg-free little yummies with no granulated sugar.  Not bad.  I made the jam, so no sugar there either.  Makes about 15 1-1/2 inch cookies, perfect for a tea party.  

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

2 tablespoons honey or other sweetener

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Jam to fill

Directions:

Pulse together all the ingredients, except the jam, until it forms a dough. I used a food processor, but a mixer would be fine. Roll into small balls, about an inch.  Press your thumb into each cookie to make a depression for the jam, then fill each with just a little bit of jam. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Cool on the pan. They are a bit fragile right out of the oven.  

Grain-free Banana Nut Muffins

These muffins are light and tender and not very sweet. You could add honey or maple syrup, if you like, but I like them as is.

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil

1/4 cup almond butter

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Mix everything together and sprinkle a few more chopped pecans on top. Bake at 375* for 20 minutes.  Makes 8 lovely muffins. 

Adapted from paleogrubs.com. 

Grain-free Linzer Cookies

How cute are these!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

Zest of one lemon

Jam-raspberry is nice

Directions

1.  Mix together coconut flour and baking soda and set aside.

2.  Beat butter and honey together in a mixer. Add eggs and zest.  Slowly add the flour mixture. Stir until it forms a nice dough. 

3.  Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Do this on parchment with a flour to help the dough not stick to everything. Cut out tops and bottoms with whatever you have. The windows are very cute. 

4. Bake at 350° for about 8 minutes on a parchment lined sheet.  Let them cool on the pan. 

5. Spread some jam on each bottom and gently put on a top.

Honey Mustard Wings

Katie is on a wings kick. Here is the latest. Pretty mild, but good.

 

Ingredients 

4 pounds cut up chicken thighs, or wings seasoned with salt and pepper

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup spicy brown or Dijon mustard

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Place the chicken on a greased baking sheet and bake at 425° for about 15 minutes...longer if using chicken with bones. 

Mix rest of ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the partially cooked chicken and return to the oven.  Bake for another 15 minutes. I scoop the juices and pour over the chicken once or twice while it is baking. Check and make sure it is done...

Sprinkle with green onions. Katie said these were imperative. 

Sautéed Chard

I planted chard this spring and I am still harvesting it.  I have used it in a lot of different recipes, but my favorite two uses are fresh and sauteed.  

Ingredients:

A few large handfuls of chard--it shrinks down a lot when cooked

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter

3-4 cloves of garlic (or so, I like a lot), minced

1/4 chopped onion (sometimes I use this, sometimes I don't)

salt and pepper to taste

a splash or two of white wine (or other) vinegar to taste (this is optional, but good)

Directions:

Heat the oil and butter.  You can use one or the other, but this gives nice flavor and can be cooked hotter than butter alone.  Saute the garlic and onions.  Add the chard and still until cooked down.  Season with salt, pepper and vinegar.  Also good with a few pecans thrown in at the end and a bit of feta on top.  

Squash Soup

In an effort to eat something other than hard boiled eggs and chocolate coconut ice cream but that was also practically predigested I made squash soup.  It has the texture of baby food but tastes much better (trust me Mom decided once that I would feel better if I ate baby food).

Squash Soup
1 acorn squash cut up in cubes (or butternut squash I just happen to like acorn squash better)
3 potatoes peeled and cubed
1 carrot peeled and cut up
1/2 stick of butter
chicken stock
salt
ginger
curry powder

Prepare all your root vegetables, you can use whatever catches your fancy but this is what I used.
Melt the butter is our pot.  Add the veggies and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add enough chicken stock until the veggies are covered. Add ginger and salt.
Cover and boil until everything is soft.

Blend the soup in our blender or with an immersion blender (I used a hand mixer and that worked to)

Add a teaspoon of curry powder to start with and season to taste.

I ate it with fresh basil on top and it was great.

Notes:
-If you eat onions and/or garlic it would taste great to add them in with the veggies.
-If you want chicken in your soup it works fine.  I had chicken in the stock I made and just added it all in. It might be a little stringy (but that would also be from the hand mixer) but it tastes great.
-It also freezes great.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

I like salad dressing, but most store bought ones have been irking me lately...flavor isn't right, ingredients are lousy, always something.  So I have been making a few myself.  I like this one quite a bit.


1/2 cup Dijon or brown mustard

3 tablespoons honey (or so, taste and adjust)

1/4 cup oil of choice

1 or 2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk together and use! Add more oil and/or lemon juice if you want it a bit thinner for pouring. I like storing it in an old dressing bottle as shown. Good for a marinade, like most dressings.  

 

Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing is pretty tasty stuff, especially homemade.  Molly doesn't do well with all the stuff in store bought (who does?), so we've experimented with making it ourselves.  I like it with buttermilk, but rarely buy it, so I decided to try it with cottage cheese.  It worked well, good flavor and very creamy.  Good for dipping.  If you want something more 'pourable', add a bit of milk.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cottage cheese (or buttermilk)

1/2 teaspoon chives

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon dill

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion

1/8 teaspoon salt (I like celery salt here, too)

1/8 teaspoon pepper (or more, I like more)

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender.  Store in a jar in the fridge.  Tastes great the first day, but even better after a day or so.  

Potato Salad

I am vain about a few things that I make.  One of them is potato salad.  I make the most delicious potato salad in the world.  I love to eat it right after it is made instead of eating it cold.  

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes (preferably white or red skinned)
5 eggs
1 cup of mayonnaise
1/3 - 1/2 cup of sweet relish
3 tbs of green onions, sliced
1 tsp yellow mustard
sea salt

Instructions:

1.  Peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes, and boil in salted water until soft.  While the potatoes are cooking hard boil the eggs.  If my eggs are clean I will cook the eggs and potatoes in the same pot.  

2. Drain the potatoes.  Peel the eggs and cut them into cubes. 

3.  Put the potatoes and eggs into a large bowl.  Add the mayonnaise, relish, green onions and mustard.  Stir it aggressively so that about half of the potatoes become mashed.  Salt to taste.  If I am in the mood I will add celery and olives to the salad too.

Enjoy!