Archive for September, 2010

Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Frosting

Sep 29th, 10 / 0 Comments

We’re determined to make desserts that taste good and are good for you (well okay… desserts that at least aren’t horrible for you and don’t have processed sugar!). The original recipe came from Epicurious, but we made a decent amount of changes to get it sugar-free and we also substituted coconut oil for canola oil, since coconut oil is more beneficial.

Carrot Cake Ingredients:

1/3 cup dried shredded organic unsweetened coconut
3 cups (a little less than a 1 pound) organic farm-fresh carrots, shredded
1 cup agave nectar
1 1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons organic ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated organic nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sucanat
3/4 cup organic coconut oil
1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
3 organic eggs

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binge day, cake & bread, dessert

Meatloaf

Sep 27th, 10 / 0 Comments

We found the original recipe on Epicurious and liked everything except the prunes and bacon, so we left those ingredients out! Serve with Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans!

Ingredients:

1 cup fine bread crumbs
1/3 cup whole milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium celery rib, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

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lunch & dinner

Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Sep 27th, 10 / 0 Comments

Mashed Potatoes:

1.5 – 2 pounds organic potatoes
whole milk
heavy cream
butter

Cook potatoes according to pressure cooker instructions
Scoop cooked potatoes into mixer
Add at least 2 tablespoons butter, but as much as you want
Pour in at least 1/2 cup milk, but as much as you want for desired consistency
Add a splash of heavy cream
Mix to desired consistency
Top with pats of butter
Serve hot

Green Beans:

1 pound of green beans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large shallots
salt
pepper

Blanche the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes
Drain the beans and immediately run cold water over them
Heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan; saute the shallots on medium heat for 5-10 minutes
Toss the green beans and shallots with salt and pepper to taste
Heat all together, only until green beans are hot

lunch & dinner, vegetarian

Homemade Ice Cream

Sep 24th, 10 / 0 Comments


The base is the same regardless, but you have some options when it comes to the sweetener that goes with the flavor. If you don’t want to use sugar (we try not to!)  we  suggest agave nectar or succanat, depending on the flavor you choose. Succanat has more of a molasses taste to it, so we wouldn’t recommend it for the lemon ice cream, but it would be great if you wanted to make cinnamon ice cream or something more substantial like chocolate.

For our first try we decided to do lemon and strawberry & banana. The lemon came out very lemony (which we like!) and the strawberry banana was a perfectly smooth end of summer flavor.

Ice Cream Base

4 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon zantham gum
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Lemon Flavor

finely grated zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup agave nectar or 3/4 cup succanat or 3/4 cup sugar

Strawberry/Banana Flavor

1 pint of strawberries
1 banana
1/3 cup agave or 1/2 cup succanat or 1/2 cup sugar

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dessert

Black Bean Ful

Sep 22nd, 10 / 0 Comments

Ingredients:

2 cups dried black beans
6-8 cups water

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup copped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

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lunch & dinner, slow-carb

Peaches, Strawberries and Coconut Muffin variation

Sep 16th, 10 / 0 Comments

We loved these muffins so much we made another batch, this time with a half and half mixture of peaches and strawberries. Just as amazing!

cake & bread, dessert, muffin & scone

Pesto

Sep 15th, 10 / 0 Comments

This recipe is a conglomerate of a bunch of different recipes! By using walnuts instead of pine nuts, you get a very earthy-tasting pesto. The flavor goes great with whole wheat pasta and sun-dried tomatoes! Or spread on a sandwich with some fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and prosciutto!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice: parmesan, pecorino romano or asiago are all good choices)
1/2 cup (or more) olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

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lunch & dinner, slow-carb, vegetarian

Peaches & Coconut Muffins

Sep 14th, 10 / 0 Comments

These healthy (sugar-free!!!) muffins passed the ultimate test: I was thinking about them the next day and couldn’t wait to have another one with my morning coffee! We got the recipe from the Food for my Family blog (great resource!), which has some great food planning tips and more yummy recipes we can’t wait to try!

As usual, we made some modifications of the original recipe based on what we had on-hand and also didn’t add the icing.

Muffin Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw honey
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups fresh peaches

Topping Ingredients:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons oats
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 tablespoon coconut oil

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breakfast, dessert, muffin & scone

Kale and Barley Gratin

Sep 10th, 10 / 1 Comment

If you like kale, you’ll love this earthy dish. If you don’t like kale, just try it! It really doesn’t taste like you’re eating straight kale… plus the cheese helps! From Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1 large bunch kale, about 1 1/4 pounds stems entirely removed
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk or basic vegetable stock
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Gruyere

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lunch & dinner, vegetarian

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwich

Sep 6th, 10 / 2 Comments

Super easy summer-time dessert…

Use two soft molasses cookies (which freeze really well)
Sandwich some organic vanilla ice cream between the two cookies
Pour leftover ganache (from the triple chocolate cake recipe) over the top
Pop that in the freezer (plated) for about an hour
Just before you want to serve it, whip up some heavy cream to spoon on top and serve immediately!

cookies, dessert

The classic Julia Child Cheese Soufflé

Sep 2nd, 10 / 0 Comments

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese
1 cup milk, whole
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, unbleached
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
4 large egg yolks
5 large egg whites
1 cup gruyere cheese, finely shredded (about 4 ounces)


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lunch & dinner, vegetarian

Lamb Kebabs with Mint Pesto

Sep 1st, 10 / 0 Comments

Kebab Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, ground in spice mill or in mortar with pestle
2 pounds trimmed boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch squares

Mint Pesto Ingredients:

1 cup (packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (packed) fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup (or more) extra-virgin olive oil

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lunch & dinner, slow-carb