Salted Caramel Popcorn, made without refined sugar!!

Just because you're leading a healthier lifestyle, it doesn't mean that sweet treats are never going to happen again. I have been allowing myself to create and enjoy one sweet treat every Sunday. Now, the treats I allow myself still have to fit into my healthy lifestyle plan but can be just a deacadant as I remember but now will help me lead a healthier life!

This week we're enjoying Salted Caramel Popcorn made with unrefined Coconut Sugar. I'm sure for most of you, Coconut Sugar isn't something you already stock in your pantry and to be completely honest I've only been using it for the past few months. I spent hours researching alternative sweeteners that I could use in strict moderation, yet without compromising the versatility of sugar. It was love at first taste for me, it's a rich, deep, complex sweetness, more similar to brown sugar than to white sugar. It's properties are very similar to the regular white refined sugar cane sugar we're all very familiar with, it's swapped out at 1:1 ratio. 

Coconut Sugar is a far superior choice to regular sugar, here's a table comparing the macro nutrients from www.sugarcoconut.com/health-benefits/nutritional-values.html

Macro-nutrients (mg / l – ppm, dry)	Coconut Sugar	Brown Sugar	Refined, White Sugar
Nitrogen (N)	2,020	100	0
Phosphorus (P)	790	30	0.7
Potassium  (K)	10,300	650	25
Calcium (Ca)	60	240	60
Magnesium (Mg)	290	70	10
Sodium (Na)	450	20	10
Chlorine (Cl)	4,700	180	100
Sulfur (S)	260	130	20
Boron (B)	6	0	0
Zinc (Zn)	21	2	1.2
Manganese (Mn)	1	2	0
Iron (Fe)	22	0.6	0.6
Copper (Cu)	2	12.6	1.2

Nutritionally - Coconut Sugar is far superior to regular or brown sugar, which is a huge bonus! And Coconut Sugar has less of an impact on your blood sugar when you eat it! "The glycemic index of coconut sugar based on test results from the Philippines, USA, Japan and Australia is in the range of 35 to 54 GI per serving. Other sugars such as refined white sugar, muscovado sugar, and molasses have a range of 65 to 100 GI per serving! Other natural sweeteners such as date sugar has a 100 GI per serving, Maple Syrup has 69+ GI per serving and Honey has a 70+ GI per serving." from http://www.sugarcoconut.com/health-benefits/glycemic-index.html

And there is no "refinement" process for Coconut Sugar like there is for white-table sugar.. They take the sap from the coconut tree flowers, the sap is heated to evaporate out the moisture and what's left behind is Coconut Sugar!! Only bad news is that the flower that had it's sap removed won't make a coconut :( All sweeteners need to be used in very strict moderation, because it's easy to get carried away and over consume. Even healthier sugars can be a problem if you eat too much. We only have our sweet treat on Sunday (and we just have enough for one sitting - leftovers would extend to monday or tuesday and that's waaaay to many sweets for us to have as part of our healthy diet!)

So who doesn't love Caramel Popcorn!? I know I do, but I was really craving something salty-sweet, I modified the traditional method and pre-seasoned my popcorn with a drizzle of butter and added sea salt to my caramel for an extra punch!

Here's my recipe:

Preheat oven to 350F

1/3c Popcorn Kernels, Preferably Air Popped
1/8c Butter or Ghee, melted

Drizzle butter over popcorn and toss to mix, set aside

In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer combine:

2T Water
1c Coconut Sugar

1/2t Vanilla

Cook over medium heat do not stir, swirl pan gently or use a pastry brush dipped in water to 

wipe the coconut sugar crystals down. When it reaches "Soft Ball" state (240F) remove from heat and gently wisk in:

1T Butter, room temp
4 pinches of Baking Powder (why dirty a measuring spoon!?)
1/8t Celtic Sea Salt (more or less to taste)

Drizzle carmel over pre-buttered popcorn, toss to evenly distribute. All your popcorn won't be completely coated - remember you don't want to over do it, this is still part of a healthy diet, right?! 

Spread the carmel coated popcorn on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 5 minutes.

Hot Fudge Sauce made with Coconut Sugar and Honey!

Here's a quick and easy (Refined Sugar-Free) recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce!

1/2c Butter
3T Cocoa Powder
3/4c Coconut Milk
1c Coconut Sugar
1/3c Honey

Combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat - simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from stove then add 1/2t vanilla and blend for 1 minute in your blender - Yield 2 cups of Hot Fudge Sauce!

NOTE: be careful not to fill your blender over 1/2 way when blending hot stuff - the steam can make the lid pop off and make a painful mess - I have a vitamix with a steam releasing lid so I don't have to worry.

Salted Carmel Sauce made with Coconut Sugar!

Yes, I get the occasional craving for a sweet treat too! But just because I want something soothing and sweet, doesn't mean that I abandon my convictions regarding food choices!

We planted several tiny apple trees nearly 10 years ago when we bought our house and they are finally producing beautiful apples!! And who doesn't love Carmel and Apples?!?! I know I have always loved carmel apples - I remember my grandmother buying me those 3 packs of carmel apples in the grocery store.... But the challenge is we don't eat "sugar" or "corn syrup" - that makes it tough to make a carmel....

Coconut Sugar - Have you ever had it? I encourage you to seek some out and I'm sure it will become a staple of your pantry. But I must caution, just because it's better than refined sugar options, it's still a sweetener and you still must use self-control! Coconut sugar has similar properties to sugarcane sugar, but lower Glycemic Index and a more complex flavor similar to brown sugar.

I treat myself with having coconut sugar in my coffee on Friday, Saturday and Sundays (Mon-Thur I have stevia) and along with coconut milk - I think it's the most heavenly coffee ever!

Tonight was my 2nd time making Coconut Sugar Salted Carmel Sauce and it's not going to be the last time!! Here's my recipe:

1c Organic Coconut Sugar
2T water

Combine in small pot and bring to a simmer over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Once it starts to boil/simmer DO NOT STIR! You can lightly swirl the pan or using water on a pastry brush- wipe the sides of the pot to wash any melted carmel down.  I keep a candy thermometer in mine, but have not be focusing on a specific temperature as a stopping point but just the 5 minutes - which seems to be around 250 degrees.

Remove your pot from the stove and wisk in - in small amounts since it will bubble up:

1t Ghee or Butter
1/2c Organic Coconut Milk
1/4t Vanilla
1/4t Sea Salt

Makes about 1-1/4 c carmel sauce, will be runny at first but refrigerate to thicken.

I started using Ghee (clarified butter) as opposed to just butter to eliminate the dairy milk solids - to make it a pure fat. I've been reducing my dairy intake as Ghee is a great way to keep the taste without "diary" - for those following Paleo or dairy-free diets some consume Ghee but not butter.

Sauerkraut - Part 1

Sauerkraut is so simple to make and when you make fermented sauerkraut at home it's SO GOOD FOR YOU! There's lots of media attention regarding the benefits of incorporating probiotics into your diet - don't just rely on pills, use real food to boost your friendly-gut-bacterias!

Today we started 2 gallons of Kraut.. this post is how to get started, look for more posts as I track it's progress...

Here's a step by step of how we're making ours, required supplies are pretty basic and the process is really simple. Shred cabbage, sprinkle salt, pound to release liquid, cover and let sit...

Today we bought 6 medium heads of cabbage at the farmers market and gathered our supplies. We got our antique kraut shredder from Ray's parents and our 2 gallon crock from my grandmother. (you can use a food processor with a slicing blade or just hand-cut your cabbage too! and you don't need a crock any non-plastic or non-metal vessel will work!)

We cut each head of cabbage in half and removed the core....

Ray shredded each half....

 Then we'd put about 2 inches of shredded cabbage in the bottom of the crock and sprinkled liberally with Celtic sea salt...

 Then pound your salted cabbage, you are trying to get the cabbage to release it's liquid. We use the wooden plunger for our kitchen-aid mixer's meat grinder attachment along with our fists in a punching motion...

 Keep  pounding the cabbage until the liquid released will cover the shredded cabbage when you press it down..

Keep adding additional cabbage/salt in 1-2 inch layers, and keep pounding.

 Our 2 gallon crock held 6 heads of shredded cabbage.. In order for the cabbage to ferment into sauerkraut you need to allow it to sit with the cabbage fully submerged underwater. Use a plate or other flat item that fills up the crock but can be pressed down (I used the lid from my rice cooker, it fit in the crock perfectly! If the weight of the item you are using as a submerged lid isn't heavy enough to keep the liquid above the cabbage, apply weight like a gallon jug of water or a brick.

Cover the entire top of your crock with cheese cloth and allow it to sit at room temperature and out of direct sunlight... every couple days check it out to make sure everything is submerged and to skim any foamy stuff that may collect on top...

Creamy Coleslaw

I don't know about you, but I love coleslaw! I worked to perfect a wonderfully sweet-tangy coleslaw recipe that's similar to what you've had our at chain restaurants and kept full of real food ingredients! Here's my recipe:

1/2c Mayo
1/2c Sour Cream
1/3c Sugar (I use honey and/or coconut sugar, since we no longer use sugar)
3T Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed (I've used red wine vinegar and it's good too)
2T White Vinegar
1t Sea Salt
1/4t Black Pepper, fine ground
1t Onion powder

Mix everything together and toss over shredded cabbage/carrot. The dressing will work on about 1 med head of cabbage or 1 bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I'll admitt it, last week during a lunch time trip to Target - I splurged on a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and it was AMAZING! Those warm-fall flavors got me thinking - I can make this at home and it can be healthy!

The recipe I came up with is a Pumpkin Spice Creamer you can mix up ahead of time and just use it in your coffee throughout the week.. best part it's low carb, dairy and sugar free! I think we could even call it is paleo-ish!

1-3/4 cup Organic Coconut Milk (13.5 oz can)
1/4 cup Organic canned Pumpkin 
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Yield 2-3/4 cups

Add everything to a bottle and shake it up really well - it will turn a beautiful light orange color!
You can use it as-is and add sweetener separately in your coffee - but I like to streamline things, so I added stevia (to taste) driectly into the creamer mix - you could use coconut sugar also - but I'm carb-concious so stevia works for me! (you can put the rest of the canned pumpkin in the freezer in 1/4 cup baggies to use in weeks to come!)

Use your homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte creamer in your coffee - it will keep in the fridge for a week, if it lasts that long :)  Let me know what you think!

 The total recipe has 24g effective carbs (29g carbohydrate - 5g fiber = 24g) If you use 1/4 cup per cup of coffee that's 11 servings with 2.2 carbs per serving!!

Canned Meadow (Button) Mushrooms

If you consult any present day canning recipe book or do a search on the internet - you'll read all the warnings about attempting to can wild mushrooms at home - poisonous mushrooms are dangerous as is canning, put the two together and people get really freaked out.. that being said let's move on... I have been canning mushrooms for over 10 years, both meadow mushrooms and maitake turn out wonderful!!

We pick meadow mushrooms in our yard every year (we are 100% sure they are edible) They taste like the white button mushrooms from the store but have a stronger flavor - so much better. I throughly cleaned the mushrooms and separated only the best mushrooms for canning. Be aware mushrooms shrink to about 1/2 their fresh volume once cooked... it takes a lot of mushrooms to fill big jars so I always stick to 1/4 pint jelly jars, which is the perfect serving size for us.

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil (as large as needed based on the quantity of mushrooms you have to can) Once water is boiling, add cleaned mushrooms, time for 5 minutes then drain.

In a separate pot or 220 degree oven, sterilize canning jars and warm flat lids in a small pot of water on medium/low. Also prepare another pot or tea kettle of clean boiling water.

Pack drained/boiled mushrooms into sterilized jars, adding a scant 1/8t salt per 1/4 pint, then top each to 1/2 inch head space with boiling water. Wipe rims and fit with 2 part lids. Pressure Can for 40 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. After depressurized, remove lid, pick out jars and allow to cool for 12 hours - discard any that did not seal...

I cannot guarantee that my directions are deemed safe by our government and I can't take responsibility for the mushrooms you gather.. but for me this works perfectly!!!

Chanterelle Mei Fun

One "Chinese Food" Ray and I really enjoy is Pork Mei Fun, so I came up with a healthy and gluten-free version we make at home using fresh ingredients. Since we found a bunch of fresh wild Chanterelles, I made Chanterelle Mei Fun!! It's really easy and quick! Here's my recipe:

What I made tonight was A LOT for just the two of us, I suggest this recipe as a meal for 4 people :)

Coconut Oil

Butter

Tamari Sauce (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

Mei Fun Noodles (Brown Rice Noodles)

2c Ham, chopped 

1c Onion, chopped

1c Celery, chopped

1c Carrots, peeled chopped

1c Frozen Peas

2c Cabbage, sliced thin

2c Chanterelle mushrooms, chopped

6 eggs

Salt and Pepper

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook Mei Fun noodles for 3 minutes, then rinse with cold water - set aside to drain. In a large skillet, add coconut oil and butter (about 2T each) lightly saute ham over medium heat, then add onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms... when veggies are just begining to soften season with Tamari, Salt and Pepper to taste.  Add cabbage then remove from heat and set aside. 

In a separate skillet, prepare scrambled eggs (leaving egg in large pieces). In pot that you cooked Mei Fun noodles, heat over medium heat,  1T butter and coconut oil then add Mei Fun noodles gently tossing. Add cooked veggies, frozen peas and scrambled eggs - toss gently and stir fry - adding more Tamari, Salt and Pepper to taste.... Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cream Cream Cookies

Who doesn't remember those Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies? I do. I didn't eat them frequently as a child, I've never been a big sweets eater....but occasionally I get a craving for something sweet too.

Tonight, I really wanted to make some kind of sweet treat but our pantry is pretty bare - no milk, no sugar.. which really limited my options. I did have Coconut Sugar and have been promising my self to start using it more often, searching for coconut sugar recipes didn't provide me many options. I decided to improvise and look at a few recipes for "regular" oatmeal cookies and see what happens... Here's the recipe I came up with - and I'll definitely be making these again (next time gluten free!)

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe:
1/2c + 1/8c salted butter, room temp
3/4c coconut sugar
1 small/medium egg
1t vanilla
1/2t baking soda
1/4t sea salt
1/8t cinnamon
3/4c organic unbleached Flour
1-1/2c organic quick cook oats, not instant

Preheat oven to 375, line cookie sheet with parchment paper

With Mixer on Medium-high, Cream together butter and coconut sugar until fluffy then add egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well.. then add into the wet ingredients, mixing on low just until everything is well mixed.

Drop by small spoonfuls 2 in apart onto parchment lined cookie sheet. (if you are going to make cookie sandwiches, press wet dough flat prior to baking) Bake 10-12 min at 375. Cool on a wire rack.
While cookies are in the oven, make frosting/filling...

Frosting/filling Recipe:
3oz Cream Cheese
1/4c salted butter, room temp
2T honey
1/2t vanilla

Cream everything together until combined and fluffy. Frost cooled individual cookies or fill for cookie sandwiches!

Filthy Dirty Martini

Admittedly, I've probably never really had a proper Dirty Martini.. So, for those of you who have, maybe this post isn't for you.

One day, a long time ago, when I was a complete Martini-Virgin.... I kept hearing about "Martinis" and specifically a "Dirty Martini" Curiosity got the best of me so I started looking into what was in this oh-so-distinguished beverage... It was love at first sight.. Gin and Olive! What more could I have ever wanted in an adult beverage!?!?! Where have you been all my life? How have we not met sooner??? I was instantly full of regret - calculating the years I have been missing out on such a wonderful creation.

Of course, I ended up at the liquor store... it's like Toys-R-Us for adults. I can browse for hours reading labels and getting lost in all the pretty bottles! Bombay Sapphire was already a tried and true friend of mine along with his bff Tonic water.. So, I spared no expense and started martini experience that very night! It was basically a glass of Sapphire with a touch of olive juice right out of the jar - PHEW! That was a tough first drink......

Needless to say, years later and lots of Dirty Martini recipes and research.. I finally found the perfect mixture for my taste!!!

1. Fill up your Martini Glass with ice, preferably crushed to get it nice and chilled
2. Fill your stainless steel shaker with crushed ice
3. Drizzle a little Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth over the ice in the shaker
4. Add in your shaker 2 shots of Burnett's Dry Gin* and 1 shot of Dirty Sue**
5. Put the lid on the shaker (both parts) and Shake-Shake-Shake till the outside of the shaker gets icy
6. Dump Ice out of your, now chilled, Martini glass
7. Spear as many jumbo green olives as you can on a toothpick, set in your chilled glass
8. Strain your Filthy Dirty Martini into your glass over the olives....
9. Drink up, buttercup!

Notes:
* If you're having a dirty martini, don't waste you money on the best gin, Burnett's isn't the cheapest but good enough to make this drink work!
** If you haven't been introduced to Dirty Sue, please stop by and introduce yourself. It's basically Premium Olive Juice just for martini lovers like myself - who always run out of olive juice! I purchase it from Amazon.com  I love the subscribe and save option!!

Flour Tortillas from Scratch

I've been wanting to make Homemade Flour Tortillas for years and I even remember my husband, Ray, talking me out of it at one point (before I got some of my cooking techniques perfected). I must say these are pretty amazing!  Here's my recipe:

2c Organic All Purpose Flour
1t Sea Salt (fine, not coarse or kosher)
1/4t Baking Powder
1/4c Butter, softened to room temperature
2/3c warm water (not hot)

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl with a wisk, then cut in the soft butter in to very tiny pieces (smaller than pie crust style - it should all be crumbly) Then make a well in the flour mixture then slowly mix in the water with a spoon, once it is loosely incorporated turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed, kneading until not sticky but smooth. Don't over work the dough, as long as it's not sticky and fully combined it will be fine. Divide into 8 equal pieces and roll each into a ball and return to the mixing bowl coated with flour, cover lightly with a kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

After resting, roll out the first tortilla with a rolling pin into a circle that will fit into your cast iron skillet which you heated  to medium (no fat!! dry heat) Put each tortilla in the skillet for about 1 minute, ideally cook but avoid burning with just a few spots of browning then turn with tongs. I stack on a plate until your ready to use them, if they have cooled you may need to heat them slightly to make them soft enough to roll.

For dinner tonight I topped a tortilla with some taco seasoned Grass Fed Ground Beef and Organic Raw Milk Longhorn cheese from the Family Cow (www.thefamilycow.com) and broiled it in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.. then added some diced hydroponic tomato we bought at the Morgantown Farmer's Market, shredded lettuce and chopped onion from our garden, cultured sour cream and homemade guacamole.. rolled it all up.. So good I had to have 2!

Honey Balsamic Salad Dressing

I love a creamy and tangy Balsamic Salad Dressing and here's the recipe we've been enjoying for the past couple years.....

1/2c Organic Balsamic Vinegar
1/4c Onion, chopped (I used 10 Freshly Foraged Ramp Bulbs!)
1T Organic Tamari (Gluten-Free Soy Sauce)
3T Local, Raw Honey
1T Organic Sugar
1T Dijon Mustard
2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
2/3c Organic Olive Oil
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper, to taste

Put in blender and blend till smooth! Yum -Yum! I love this dressing on a spring salad with lots of feta cheese!

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

It spring and our garden if full of lovely lettuce, radish and onions. Of course we eat lots of salad this time of the year, so as I make homemade salad dressings I'll be sure to keep you updated with the recipes.

We eat lots of Italian Dressing (oil/vinegar base) but sometimes it's nice to have something a little different and sweeter .. What's better than a Poppy Seed Dressing on delicate spring lettuce - especially in a few weeks when you can toss in a handful of fresh picked ripe strawberries!

3/4 c Organic Sugar
1/3c Apple Cider Vinegar (I only use Braggs' Raw Organic Apple Cider Vinegar!)
1/8c Onion, Chopped (I used 5 freshly foraged Ramp Bulbs!! Shallots or scallions would be good too!)
3t Ground Mustard
1t Poppy Seeds
1/2t Sea Salt
1c Organic Sunflower Oil
1/4c water

Put everything in your blender and blend till smooth!! It's super yummy, while I've been writing this post - you know I keep "tasting" the dressing out of the bottle.. I'm counting down till dinner to have another big salad!

DIY Vanilla Syrup - Just Like Starbucks!

I love a vanilla latte but I hate spending $5 on a single cup of coffee at Starbucks or Panera Bread. My last trip to the Salvation Army Thrift store I found a Mr Coffee Espresso Machine for just $9.99, then I came up with a method for making a pretty good Vanilla Latte at home using Organic Free Trade Espresso Roast Coffee, Family Cow Organic Raw Milk and (unfortunately) Starbucks Vanilla Syrup. Once I finished up the bottle of vanilla syrup, it was time for me to make my own recipe for Vanilla Syrup.... Here's my recipe:

In a pot combine 4 cups organic sugar, 2 vanilla beans and 4 cups heat and stir to dissolve sugar, allow to cool. I filled up my Vanilla Syrup Container with a Pump - since it's so easy to just pump in the syrup in the morning!

And it's so much cheaper than the $10 for the bottle from Starbucks and has no junk in it.. just sugar, water, vanilla! But remember - sugar isn't healthy - it needs to be avoided when ever possible!

Terrific Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 c Organic Tamari Sauce (wheat-gluten free soy sauce)
2t Ginger, freshly grated
4 Cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
2t Sesame Seeds
2t Sesame Oil
1t Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 c Brown Sugar
1/8 c Honey
1t Crushed Red Pepper - more or less to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small pot or sauce pan, cook over medium/low - adjust seasonings to taste

In a mixing cup or small bowl, wisk together 2t corn starch and just enough water to make a smooth slurry - stir into the sauce - continue to heat over low until thick - add sliced scallions as desired.