Chocolate Almond Butter Bark - NO Bake!!!

You know how some people are "morning people" while others are "night owls"?  Some are coffee, some are tea?  The great office debate - Blue Ink vs. Black Ink!  And the always popular 'salty" or "sweet".

I was always a salty!  If faced with a pan of brownies or a bag of chips...I went for the chips.  Popcorn is the only snack needed at the movies in my opinion.  Extra helping of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving or another piece of pie....Mashed Potatoes - no contest!

I feel certain there is some scientific, biological reason for that and an equally logical scientific, biological reason behind the fact that since adopting a Paleo diet - I now have a bit of a sweet tooth.

Thankfully, a tablespoon of coconut sugar in my morning coffee usually does the trick.

USUALLY!

Other days, I want a piece of chocolate, a piece of candy, a cookie or a cupcake or that extra piece of pie I didn't eat last Thanksgiving!

So, I have been playing around with Paleo baking.  It's different.  I've mastered a chocolate chip cookie recipe, a brownie recipe made with zucchini and a banana chocolate cake that you make in the blender (found it on Pinterest and tweaked it a bit - but it's super easy - you should try it!).  I can make a wonderful Paleo fruit crumble (my sweet husband's favorite dessert) and a healthier version of a Wendy's chocolate frosty.

I decided on Tuesday that it was time to try and make candy.  I've been seeing all these Paleo truffle-like almond butter balls with dates and chopped nuts and some chocolate and these chocolate and almond butter bars (that look really complicated to me!), which made me think of bark or brittle.  I used to always make the white chocolate, peppermint bark at Christmastime.  I also used to love to make the chocolate, Saltine cracker candy (you Pinterest fans will know exactly what I'm talking about!) and my mom's friend Katherine used to always make chocolate bark with dried fruits and nuts around the holidays.

I was pretty sure I could manage a decent bark with just what was in my pantry and without turning on my oven!  SCORE!

I tried 2 versions - one where I mixed the chocolate and almond butter together and one where I swirled them so they mixed, but still stayed separate.  The swirled version was prettier, but the mixed version set up better - so that's what I am going to share with you.  If you want to try the swirled - just start with a layer of chocolate, spoon on big dollops of almond butter and swirl with a butter knife, be gentle!

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter No Bake Bark

12 ounces of chopped organic dark chocolate (85% cacao)* - check out these fun facts about choosing the best dark chocolate here.
6 Tablespoons of creamy, sugar free almond butter (I prefer Trader Joe's for so many reasons)
1/4 cup thinly sliced raw almonds
1/4 cup no-sugar-added dried cherries
1/4 cup no-sugar-added dried apricots
Healthy pinch of coarse salt

Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and have all your ingredients ready to go.

Melt your chocolate gently - you can use the double boiler method or you can do what I do (and Ina Garten does) melt yours in the microwave.  I start with 30 seconds, check and stir if it's started melting at all, 30 more seconds, stir, 30 more seconds, stir - that should do it in my experience, but you may need to go one more or one less round depending on your microwave.

Add the almond butter to the chocolate and mix.

Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet, smoothing it out to an even layer (about 1/4 inch).  Sprinkle the dried fruit and nuts into the chocolate almond butter mixture, then sprinkle with the coarse salt.

Place in the freezer for at least an hour.

Once it is frozen solid, take it out and break into pieces.  I put mine into a zipper bag and back into the freezer.  It's crazy hot here in Texas, so things melt quickly.  I let it sit at room temp for 3-5 minutes before eating - it was great!



*My kids thought this was too bitter, so I made a second version for them that they loved.  Substitute 6 ounces of Enjoy Life chocolate morsels for 6 ounces of the dark chocolate and add 1 T of unsweetened vanilla cashew milk during the melting process.  This lightens up the flavor, but still gives them the benefit of all the antioxidants in dark chocolate.

At The Risk Of Being a Downer...

It's time.  Time to spill the beans.  Time to go public.  Time to share.

I have cancer.

Very treatable, beatable cancer that started like so many other cancer scares...an "inconclusive" mammogram.  And that's where this all began.

I've been smushed, poked, biopsied, cut into, examined, consulted with and my teeny-tiny tumor has been sliced and peered at and evaluated and gotten a grade from the big brains that dissect all the features and tendencies of a tumor.

A teeny-tiny tumor.  That was found!  Early!

And that's what makes me want to share the story here - I've had 2 of my 3 doctors tell me that switching to a Paleo (they said healthier and less processed) diet probably saved (or at least prolonged) my life.  The cancer would have been much harder to detect if I were still 80 pounds heavier.  And, my type of tumor feeds off estrogen which is overproduced by obese women....that was me!  So having less fat means having less food for my teeny-tiny tumor.

But I have to tell you....it was so frustrating to sit in the rooms with the paperwork and nurses and doctors and answer all the questions about my health.  I take no medications, I have great numbers (cholesterol, sugar, blood pressure, etc.), I exercise, I don't suffer from any symptoms or allergies or migraines (thank you no gluten, no dairy!) or any of the hundred things they ask about.

I'm the healthiest I've been in over 30 years...except for this damn cancer!

And it's so small and so new and so inside and hidden and I feel great every day.  But it's in there.  And I'm about to start the real war against my teeny-tiny tumor (which has been removed, but apparently ventured out into my body through a lymph node.)

I am going to do all the traditional things that my oncologist recommends.  Chemotherapy.  Radiation.  Endocrine Therapy.  AND, I'm going to stay on the Paleo pathway - eating clean, exercising, getting a little Vitamin D in nature, meditating, yoga and staying positive.

And my medical oncologist - who is clearly an angel put on this Earth for me and my family! - is well-versed in the Paleo diet.  She is a firm believer in the harm of inflammation in our bodies.  She mentioned all the books I've been reading and all the studies I've been seeing and I love that even before I knew I had a teeny-tiny cancer tumor, I was already fighting the good fight by committing to a Paleo diet and lifestyle.

I'm not sure how much of my journey I will share here - I mean really, this is about recipes and tips and sharing info....but just in case, I wanted to go public with my battle.

I will be launching a Fundraising Page in the next couple of days....even with insurance, cancer is EXPENSIVE!  And until I have my first chemo treatment (on Tuesday...yikes!), I have no idea if I'll be able to work through the next 12 weeks.  That is where I will share photos and updates and stories for anyone who is interested.  I'll share the link here once it's all up and running.

I will tell you - my friend Indi (artist extraordinaire...check out her website, IndiPlanetStudio ) has designed a couple of really fun shirts to help me raise money to offset the ridiculous cost of kicking cancer's butt.  I have trouble asking for straight up money, but I would and will buy these shirts.  So feel free to check it out and support my fight with a really cool t-shirt!  (I promise I'll share the link before Tuesday's treatment!)

And there it is.  It's my new reality.  And I feel scared and pissed off and ready and positive and frustrated and anxious all at the same time.  But my plan is to kick the crap out of my teeny-tiny tumor and any little brothers and sisters that have invaded my body.  Feel free to say a prayer or two and put any excess positive energy out into the Universe in my name.  I believe in the power of prayer and relationships and positivity and love.  Most of all, I believe I will win this fight!

#superheroes&pinkdaisies

Cutting a Watermelon with LESS MESS!

We love watermelon in our house.  It was actually my pregnancy craving with my daughter...I carried these little tupperware containers and zipper bags of watermelon chunks with me everywhere I/we went for the last 5 or 6 months of my pregnancy...which seemed to last about a year and a half!

Not surprisingly, my daughter's favorite snack and summer food item is watermelon....which is great from a health point of view.  But from a shopping and kitchen point of view...ugh!

My mother taught me how to pick a ripe watermelon a long time ago.  And 90% of the time - it works beautifully.  To hedge my success rate up even higher - I try and buy my watermelons at a farm stand or at a store that consistently has great produce.  I will pay a little more because once I've lugged them home and cut them up - I want them to be FABULOUS!  Watermelon is seasonal - I have to make the most of the few months we have together!

Mom always said - "to get the best watermelon money can buy" you have to look for a watermelon with a large, flat yellow spot.  The place where the watermelon rests on the ground.  If it's large and flat - that means the watermelon is heavy and has had time to ripen on the vine.  The rest of the rind needs to be green and without blemishes or dents.  That speaks to the care that was taken in harvesting and transporting the watermelon.  I know you are supposed to knock on the watermelon with your fist and it's supposed to sound hollow...but I've never mastered that.  I still do it - I keep thinking if I do it long enough, I will figure it out...but they all sound the same to me!!!

As far as the kitchen stress...it was always the huge, juicy mess of cutting a watermelon that I dreaded.  Not enough to keep me from buying watermelons - but I dreaded it just the same!

I have great knives.  I have a kitchen island.  I am pretty solid in the kitchen.  But man, oh man - I couldn't control the mess every time I cut up a watermelon!  I mean, juice running down the side of everything, splatting all over the place from the slicing and dicing and chunking.  And I didn't really have a system for cutting.  I just dug in and kept going until I had all the goodness in chunks and in a container in my fridge!

That all changed last year when I watched a video on cutting a watermelon.  It looked a little too good to be true, but as chance would have it - I had a watermelon on the counter, so I tried it.  And it worked!  I have since made one small adjustment to help make clean up easier, but it's the easiest, tidiest way I have found.

I hope you'll give it a try next time you find yourself with a beautiful, nutrient-soaked watermelon (think antioxidants, lycopene, vitamins A, B6, C....check this site out for more watermelon nutritional fun facts)

Here you go...(this is where I apologize for the poor quality of these photos...I am home alone, it's a cloudy day and I used my phone...I figure it's okay, because this is all about a time-saving, mess-easing technique...not making art or something for a fancy party...so I hope you won't be offended by my amateur pics!)

First, place your cutting board on a rimmed baking sheet (my little tweak to make clean up easier) and cut the watermelon in half

 

Then, cut the watermelon into quarters

 

Then, you will slice through the watermelon flesh on the diagonal all the way across the top

Then slice diagonally the other way, making sure you are slicing all the way down to the rind, but not through the white part

 

Next, run your knife along the curve of the rind (if you watermelon is not as ripe as you'd like - cut about an inch up...the center is always the sweetest)

The watermelon is now cut into chunks with very little mess or difficult knife cuts through the hard outer rind

Then you just dump the chunks into a container (if this is your first time doing this, feel free to squeal with delight or call someone over to see 'how cool this is!'...that's what I did!)

You end up with 4 sections of rind, easy to toss into a trash bag 

And look at how little mess/juice you have to clean up.  Even if you end up with an especially juicy watermelon - using the sheet pan will keep it from running all over your counters!

All there is left to do is head outside, put your feet up and enjoy a big bowl!

Happy Summer!

 

Paleo for my Summer Athlete

It's official - it's summer vacation!

No alarms were set.  No homework was done.  No shoes were worn for most of the day.  And now, no one is home except me.  The kids couldn't wait to plan things with their friends now that finals and end of course tests and class parties and bedtimes were over!

And in mom-speak - summer vacation is official because my summer calendar has been uploaded!

All the summer camps, conditioning, practices, recitals, Nationals, vacation and pool parties are set with reminders and lists of special equipment or clothes or whatever.

My son, the football player, is going to be spending 4 mornings a week lifting weights and running and pushing sleds and running into and over other teenage boys for 3-4 hours at a time.  That's a lot.

Last year we (especially HE) was new to Paleo and he lost a LOT of weight.  He eventually gained a lot of muscle and speed and the ability to lift a lot more in the weight room, but I don't think we did it quite right in the beginning.  I was so excited that he was finally eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies and lean proteins and healthy fats that I didn't do enough research on this type of eating for an athlete.

I had to fix that during football season - he was dropping weight so fast they thought he couldn't play his position any more.  So I just fed him more!  More of the good stuff, but just MORE in the beginning. 

Then I got on the internet and to the library and found some very specific info on the best foods to eat to maximize his performance.

Once again, I am compelled to say that I am not a doctor or dietician or personal trainer or physical therapist or anything with lots of letters denoting my expertise.  I am a mom.  A mom who feels strongly about my son eating healthy, but understanding his need to stay strong and solid for his sport. 

I also know my son does not tolerate much food before a morning workout - we've settled on a fruit or fruit and veggie smoothie with some almond butter - either in the smoothie or on a spoon!  The extreme Texas heat is not his stomach's friend either - if he has an afternoon workout or scrimmage, I make sure he eats 2 hours to 90 minutes before we leave the house and it's always a lean, non-spicy protein - chicken breast or turkey usually and grapes or celery or an apple with almond butter.  That meals stays in his tummy where it belongs!  We are also big on hydration.  Water all day, every day!

That leaves me with what he needed to eat AFTER the workout.  I mean, he comes in the door thirsty and ready for a shower and then he comes down the stairs starving!  Like, crazy-eyed starving!  I read a lot about the importance of carbohydrates post-workout.  Sadly, he does NOT like sweet potatoes or blueberries - the easiest, most affordable Paleo carbs that are always in my house.  That's how I made the decision (after lots of research) to add organic russet potatoes back into our diet.  Some people say russets aren't paleo - I choose to disagree.  We prepare them simply and we eat them sparingly AND they are real, organic, completely unprocessed food AND they keep my kids happy!

I rarely have a full meal ready when he gets done with his workout - I mean, it's usually 10:30 in the morning, so I keep healthy, 'snackier' options in the pantry and fridge for him that will tide him over until meal time.  I keep Epic bars or jerky, hard-cooked and scrambled eggs (that can be microwaved) for protein, olives, raw almonds and unsweetened almond butter for healthy fats, plantain chips, unsweetened dried fruit and russets fried in coconut oil (also usually microwaved) for carbs.  This allows him to fuel up soon after his workout without upsetting his stomach or blowing his clean eating for a bag of chips or a plate of pasta. 

For what it's worth - there is a lot of info about pre- and post-workout meals for Paleo athletes and a lot of it is conflicting.  We just played around with it until we found what worked best for my kids (my daughter is a competitive dancer - she is a grazer during and after her workouts, preferring raw fruits and veggies with cashew butter during and an Applegate hot dog after with those fried russet potatoes and an orange for her post-workout meal.) 

All I know is finding and keeping healthy foods on hand (especially the healthy carbs) and making sure they are refueling about an hour after their bigger workouts seems to keep them at a healthy weight and keep their energy levels up ... or maybe consistent is the word I'm looking for.  Both of them have improved their abilities since making the change to Paleo eating - faster, stronger, higher leaps or jumps and endurance.  

Every body has different needs.  I'm all about reducing inflammation in my joints and eliminating bloat and improving sleep.  My kids need clean eating for sleep too and focus and energy - but their level of exercise is so different than mine, I had to do some research and figure it out.

It's tough for a teenager to commit to a healthy diet - I feel like it's really important for me to find and keep food and snacks on hand that don't give them any excuse or desire to go back to our old habits. 

It's officially summer - time to go stock the kitchen with healthy, kid-friendly proteins, fats and carbs before our first practice next Monday!

Happy Anniversary to ME!

It was a year ago that I started my new adventure, Wildflower Kitchen.  I had no idea exactly where it would go (I'm still not sure!), but I knew it had to go somewhere!  My family and I were experiencing renewed health, vitality, much improved numbers (like cholesterol, blood pressure, sugar, resting heart rate and my new friend - the number on my bathroom scale!), clearer skin, restful sleep, less joint pain (for me especially) and a healthy relationship with food.  After committing to and completing a Whole30, we made the switch to a Paleo Diet and Lifestyle.  The change in my appearance was pretty noticeable - I lost 80 pounds - so I got a lot of questions from friends and folks at my kids' schools and even at my favorite stores and coffee shop.  I found I couldn't stop talking about it and wanting others to give it a try.

The main justification for not trying a Whole30 or a Paleo diet was the time constraint (and not wanting to give up alcohol :-)).  I also heard a lot of "I could never give up bread...or cheese...or sugar in my coffee...or ice cream..."  Never is a long time.  I get it! (at this point I could launch into my confusion with those same people signing up for meals in boxes and liquid meals and 'weight loss' surgery, but I won't...I promise!)  TIME!  Not enough time.  I could never meal prep.  I don't have enough TIME to cook.  I just couldn't do it...It would take too much time!

And no matter how many times I said "YES, YOU CAN!" and "It is SO worth it!" and "I will help you.", I still felt like people wanted to pat me on the head and send me on my way. 

But I still couldn't let this new healthy way of eating be my little secret.  I had to share.  Because once people try it - they like it!  Especially the "not a diet" part of paleo...no calorie counting, no starvation portion control, no points or colored boxes or kitchen scales.  Just eating real, healthy food designed to feed our bodies.

So I started Wildflower Kitchen.

My ultimate dream is to own a small restaurant with a deli case for take out, convenient Paleo meals with a drive thru window especially for breakfast...breakfast is tough when you are first making the switch to a Paleo diet.  I mean, think about it!, 'traditional, American breakfast is almost all breads and glutens and grains....it was our biggest learning curve.  Sometimes it still is (when I don't plan and prep like I need to).  That drive thru could be a life saver for someone who just got too busy to make a fritatta or Paleo pancakes or these killer breakfast sausage meatballs that I make!  And besides....coffee!

I also want a big enough kitchen to host Paleo and Clean Eating Cooking classes.  I am no chef.  I have no formal training.  I make inconsistent knife cuts and break sauces more than I should.  But I am a mean Paleo cook!  And I love to do it. 

Learning to sub ingredients to create Paleo recipes isn't as hard as people make it - and I want a place to teach them my tricks and sell some of the harder to find products.  And introduce people who say they don't know how to cook to the fun of playing around in the kitchen.

Anyway, that's what I ultimately want.  Someday. 

Sadly, I do not have unlimited resources to open a restaurant...believe me, I did the research.  I wrote a business plan.  I priced real estate, equipment, existing spaces, "alternative" spaces and tried to find commercial kitchen space that was affordable and would allow me to ensure my food is gluten, grain, dairy, soy, legume and peanut free.  No luck...yet!  I have not given up, I'm just modifying the dream a little bit!

So, here's what Wildflower Kitchen and I have been up to in this first year...

• I have done personal shopping (because, let's face it, getting your hands on quality, affordable paleo ingredients is time consuming or it's expensive because if you want to get it all in one place, you're just not going to get the best deals) 
• I have cooked for a few individuals and families attempting their first month or two of Paleo eating (they buy the food OR I shop for them, we arrange a 5-6 hour block of time and I come into their kitchen and do their meal prep for a week, usually when they are at work and my kiddos are at school)
• I have done several in-home cooking classes (my favorite thing, if I'm honest....the individual buys the food (I give a list of about a dozen must-haves and then they choose their favorite veggies and proteins), I bring a Paleo Starter Kit of basics and we cook for 2 hours...which somehow always ends up being 3, but I don't mind!) Entire families get together and sample the dishes or friends invite friends and they make a pact to support each other through the seemingly insurmountable first month and we laugh and taste and learn...it's awesome!
• I prepare bulk items in my home (salad dressings, mayo, dips, sauces, main dishes, etc.) and sell them to my clients
• I bake (but it's so expensive, most people are put off by the price...and I kind of don't blame them...I have sticker shock when I bake for my family and I don't have to pay me!!!)
• I prepare meals for clients in my home (I create a weekly menu that is usually one soup, one salad and 3 entrees with a side dish and people order what they want.  I deliver to many and some pick up at my home) - so far, the bulk of my business!

I would like to do more coaching, especially with people who are experiencing health issues or who say they have "tried everything" - but I have no formal training.  I am not a doctor.  I am not a nutritionist.  I am a Paleo success story and testimony.  I know they would have to clear this with their physician because there are some conditions and some individuals who might need special care and instruction when switching their diet so drastically...even though it's to healthier, clean food!  My system went through some serious sugar withdrawal in days 3 and 4...ugh....

And I would love to write a cookbook...but I am so freestyle in the kitchen, I am not sure I have the discipline to document every ounce and teaspoon and pinch and then put exact cooking and baking times to the whole thing.  Daunting.  I think I would need an intern or a helper of some sorts to photograph things and steps and take notes and ask questions when I go off on a tangent and add things that are not anywhere on paper, but seems like a good idea...someday...

It's all I want to do these days.  I try and create a new recipe or two every week.  I bake something or modify a classic recipe every week.  I try and post something on the blog every week.  I am getting really good at documenting cooking methods and substitutions and produce finds, etc for my clients who are interested.  And, on average, I prepare 60-75 meals each week and several bulk items, especially mayo, chicken salad, dump ranch and my super anti-oxidant vinaigrette.  And I've never been happier!

And I continue to maintain a PaleoPlus diet for my family.  I have fallen off the Paleo wagon a couple of times and paid the price with stomach and joint pain, one major migraine and lots of inflammation in one of my knees.  Awful as it was - it was the best thing I could have done to deepen my commitment to Wildflower Kitchen and it's mission to provide a convenient, affordable and delicious way for people to eat healthy, wholesome, real food without having to do all the work or feel deprived.  #livehealthyeathappy

I still hope to own and operate a Wildflower Kitchen Cafe someday, but until then, I will tout the Paleo lifestyle to anyone who will listen and provide convenient meals, cooking classes, personal home cooking or shopping and coaching whenever I can.

Happy Anniversary to me...this year has flown by!  I guess it's true - "If you love it, it never really feels like work!" 

On Fridays I Make Bone Broth!

I adore my slow cooker...especially as we move towards those 100°+ Texas days.  It cooks beautifully, doesn't heat up the kitchen and makes me feel like the most super-organized person on the planet!  And, after 6 or so hours, provides me with a hot, delicious (if I've done it right) meal that I somehow feel like I didn't actually have to cook!

And then there's Fridays...On Fridays We Make Bone Broth...not exactly Mean Girls, but if I could start a Paleo Girls revolution - I am certain there would be t-shirts emblazoned with this saying!

Not too long into my Paleo journey, I started reading about and seeing posts on the benefits of bone broth.  I bought some (and had to be resuscitated in the broth aisle at Central Market from the cost) and loved it.  Then I made some and the kitchen angels sang!  Honest, I heard them!  And now, On Fridays I Make Bone Broth.

I use most of it for the prepared meals I make for clients, but always save at least one ice cube tray for me.  I love to drink it in the afternoons or right before bedtime with some sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, sometimes a squeeze of lemon or if I have roasted garlic....oh my!....I stir that in and do the bone broth happy dance!

We eat a lot of chicken.  I was always the person who bought the most convenient cut - boneless, skinless.  I could almost see Ina Garten shaking her head in disappointment, but it made my life so easy.  And then I found bone broth.  So now, I buy almost everything bone it, skin on.  I use the skin to make schmaltz (don't judge until you try it!) and lots of the bones get reserved for bone broth.

Sometimes chicken stays moister and cooks more evenly on the bone - I save those bones too.  Every bone goes into a zipper bag and into my freezer and then on Friday...say it with me!...On Friday We Make Bone Broth!  You can also get your butcher or the guy behind the meat counter in most stores with a meat counter to de-bone chicken for you.  I always ask to have my whole chickens cut up and the backbone removed (score!) so I can flatten them with a foil-wrapped brick or two and grill them so the skin gets crispy and the meat cooks evenly.  It's a win-win!

It's easy, it's affordable and it has amazing health (and beauty) benefits.  You probably know that Mark Sisson from Mark's Daily Apple is my go-to for the science of Paleo and Primal eating - so here is an article full of info about Cooking With Bones.  It's a lot, but it just might get you to make your first slow cooker full of this delicious concoction.

For me, the gelatin in bone broth is key.  I love that it promotes digestive health, since before switching to a clean diet, I struggled with bloat and tummy issues.  I also love the well-documented fact that it helps in the fight against joint disease...my knees are somehow 10 years older than the rest of me...hunh!  And the Leo in me loves what it does for my hair/mane!  Fabulous!

I always add Bragg Raw Apple Cider Vinegar to my slow cooker - it helps leach the minerals and nutrients from the bones, making your bone broth rich in calcium (holla), phosphorus, magnesium and other trace minerals that are always a good idea.  AND, these are easily absorbed by the body in bone broth form.

I don't have a recipe - I just have a method.  Another plus for bone broth and the slow cooker, if you ask me!

Ingredients

2-3 pounds (or whatever you have in your freezer) of chicken bones
one onion, 5-6 ribs of celery, 2-3 large carrots - all cleaned and roughly chopped
one head of garlic, smashed and pealed
2 bay leaves
1 t sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper or whole peppercorns
Fresh herbs...I like almost all of them...today I used dill and thyme
Other options -
Roast the bones before adding them to the pot for a deeper flavor
Add a lemon cut in half (I recommend adding rosemary if you go the lemon route...yum)
Add half a jalapeno during the last hour or two of cooking to spice it up (great for Southwestern pulled chicken stews)
You can add different or additional veggies
You can leave out the garlic
Be creative!

Method

Place bones and veggies into your slow cooker, top with spices and herbs, then add enough water to cover.  Cook for 20-36 hours (I think chicken bone broth is perfect at 24 hours in my slow cooker, but I start checking at 20).

Cool and refrigerate.  If you are going to use or freeze it right away, let it cool enough to skim the fat off.  If you are going to let it live in your fridge in a covered container until you need it (within a week please!), leave the fat on as a protection against fridge smells and bacteria.  I freeze mine in regular ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a zipper bag and store them until I need them.  Rumor has it they will last for 6 months...I've never had any left that long, but you can do your own research online if you want to make a whole bunch to freeze.

The first time I made this, I felt like it was such an undertaking, but it turned out to be really simple and man, does it make your kitchen smell amazing!  And it is so practical and frugal and super-healthy and you'll be so proud of yourself.  Good luck and enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters with Coconut "Yogurt" Lemon Dill Drizzle

If you read this blog or any of my recipes or Facebook or Instagram posts...you know I love a bargain!  I stopped at the shadiest roadside "nursery"...which was really a nursery slash car junk yard slash mud pit...because I saw a spray-painted sign, that may have been an old white sheet or big piece of dry wall or who knows what, that I couldn't really read, but assumed if they went to all that "trouble" to put the sign out, it must mean a sale!

Once I drove into the "parking lot"...NOT!...it was a gravel-ish lane of sorts that had no obvious parking places and was surrounded by giant rocks and slabs and really old, beater cars, completely cut off from the safe view of the highway by the 'greenhouse-like' structure.  I got out of the car, asked if I could leave my car right there and walked in to look at their plants.  (It was about this point that I questioned my sanity...I could be walking into a very sketchy situation....)

The owner (?) followed me in after a minute to see if I needed help...and he was a lot less 'kempt' than I am used to in a business owner, but as nice and helpful as the day is long.  And with a Texas accent so thick that I resorted to smiling and nodding a couple of times because I knew it would be no use to ask him to repeat himself...I wouldn't have been able to understand him!  Anyway, he was helpful and enthusiastic and completely knowledgeable about his plants, so who really cares about the fact that he wasn't exactly polished?

I am filling all my backyard pots with fresh herbs this summer because why pay for them at the market when you can grow them in your own backyard?!  All of these herbs were marked $1.50 - which is a great deal in my experience, so I asked the question "are all your herbs $1.50?" to which Super Helpful Guy responded..."Naaahhhh, 50 cents....theys all overgrown since lassss week and then something too Texan for me to understand."  I specifically asked about basil and he said he had 2 other varieties "out back"...and he disappeared and returned with basil, lemongrass and chives since they weren't 'on display'.  Needless to say, I bought 18 "overgrown" herb plants and a dozen beautiful annuals (for 75 cents each!)!  If I'd had more room in my car (the back seat was full of coolers from deliveries, which were full of great deals from HEB which was on my delivery route...can you say red seedless grapes for 88 cents a pound????  Shut UP!)

Anyway, my point was...and is...I have issues resisting a bargain!

Which explains why I have 10 zucchini in my produce drawer....5 for a dollar at the farmer's market...so I bought 10.  I am a mess! 

And now I must cook them.  I am going to make another pan of my Zucchini Brownies and try a new zucchini pizza crust (we'll see!), but today I had to make something from my childhood.  Zucchini Fritters.  Daddy called them Zucchini Cakes and they were full of AP flour and cheese and smothered in Ranch dressing right out of the bottle!  But they were something we had every summer when those brown paper bags of garden zucchini started showing up at our house. 

It's a beautiful day outside, feels just like summer and I have 10 zucchini...of course I need to make Zucchini Fritters.  I'm also kind of obsessed with SO Delicious Coconut "Yogurt"and try and find a way to work it into everything I'm cooking right now!  I have missed yogurt for sauces and dips and smoothies and this unsweetened, dairy-free alternative has the tang and the texture and the zing of regular unsweetened plain yogurt.  If I see it, I buy it...and yes, it was on sale at Sprout's last week so I bought two!!!!

That means a Coconut "Yogurt" Lemon Dill Drizzle!

The process was incredibly simple, it ticked a couple of my mandatory boxes (using turmeric, garlic and some of my new fresh (50 cents each) herbs) and they were SOOOOOOOO good!

Here's how you make them....this recipe makes 8 fritters

Zucchini Fritters

2 medium zucchini
2 large eggs
1 t sea salt
1 t turmeric
1/2 t onion powder (or you could grate in a bit of onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch red pepper flake
few grinds of fresh black pepper
3 T coconut flour (you may need to add a bit more depending on how much water gets left in the zucchini)
Avocado oil and ghee for frying (approximately 1 T each)

Grate the zucchini onto paper towels and then blot or squeeze out the excess water.  Place grated zucchini in a large mixing bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  The mixture should hold together in a damp ball (no water dripping out...if it's too wet, add more coconut flour a little bit at a time - leaving a few minutes for the coconut flour to absorb the moisture...be patient!)

Make 8 equal balls of the mixture (should be about 1/4 -1/3 cup each) and flatten them into patties.

Melt 1/2 of each avocado oil and ghee in a non-stick pan (I fried mine in two batches, so I split the oils up) over medium high heat.  Add half the patties and fry until golden brown (be careful they don't burn, but also that you don't try and flip them too soon ...they will fall apart)...mine took about 4 minutes on the first side.  Flip and brown the other side.  Turn the heat down to medium and continue to flip and brown the fritters until they are firm and your desired color on both sides.

Transfer the fritters to a plate lined with paper toweling to absorb any excess oil.

While the fritters are cooling, you can make the Lemon Dill Sauce.

Coconut "Yogurt" Lemon Dill Sauce

1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Yogurt Alternative, Plain or Regular flavor
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 t finely chopped fresh dill
1 t sea salt
few grinds of black pepper
1 1/2 t organic dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely minced
*This makes a drizzle or thinner sauce...if you prefer a thicker 'dollop', add 1 heaping T of cold coconut cream 

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and serve over the warm fritters. 

This is also a great dipping sauce for sweet potato fries, chopped veggies, on turkey burgers or grilled chicken or tuna or salmon...really, this stuff is pretty fabulous on everything!

Enjoy!