Ham Wrapped Asparagus

I loved those little baby dill pickles wrapped with cream cheese in corned beef appetizers, but dairy is off the table, and it's really surprising how many "trusted" brands of pickles actually add dyes to their pickles! I'm running low on homemade pickles, so this is a fun party-snack alternative I made this morning:

 
Ham Wrapped Asparagus

Nitrate-free honey deli ham (I used Hormel brand)
Ripe avocado
Farmhouse Culture's Garlic Dill Pickle Sauerkraut
Asparagus (I used purple asparagus), cut into 2" lengths

Slice the deli ham lengthways.  Spread on a little avocado and sprinkle with a wee bit of sauerkraut.  Place the asparagus on top and wrap them up.  Use a toothpick if necessary to hold them closed.

It doesn't matter which color/variety of asparagus you use as long as they are fairly thick stalks.  I used purple asparagus; it has a nuttier flavor. 

 

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Pink Deviled Eggs and Beet Red, Cabbage, & Kale Coleslaw

Deviled eggs don't have to be the same old thing time and time again.  Have a little food fun!  I saw a photo online of deviled eggs that had been dyed pink with beet juice, and the filling made green with avocado.  Yep, had to try that one!

For the first attempt, I only had pre-cooked pink beets on hand, so I chopped them into small pieces and covered the (hard cooked, peeled) egg with beet pieces.  After a couple hours, I had very pretty pink-speckled eggs!  The downside to using beet juice for dye is that it starts turning brownish after awhile, so these are not something you can make up ahead of time and expect them to stay looking pretty.  Make them and then serve them right away.

 

After the beets, I tried sliced raw red cabbage and also some blueberries.  I thought the blueberries made the eggs look a bit weird but the red cabbage had a nice blue effect:

So, onto Pink Deviled Eggs!  In case you were wondering, the flavor of beets does not stay in the egg; you can dye the eggs without worry they'll taste like beets.

First, hard cook the eggs any way you like - I like to bake mine.  Let them cool, then peel. In order to attempt to prevent the eventual browning the beet dye does (and hoping for a cool mixed color look, which didn't work) I placed the cooled, peeled eggs into a gallon size bag with both pre-cooked, chopped pink beets and thinly sliced raw red cabbage and let it all marinate for 24 hours in the fridge, moving the eggs around in the veggies every few hours to thoroughly coat.

The result?  Very nicely dark-ish pink eggs!

The bright yellow of the yolks makes a striking contrast and is quite pretty the way it is, but I wanted a green colored mixture.  Instead of using mayo & mustard for the filling, I used 2 avocadoes, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, garlic granules, sea salt, and a very tiny bit of pepper, all mashed together until the mixture was fairly smooth.  (I meant to put a little mustard in there, but I forgot.  It was good anyway!) Scooped it back into the egg whites (pinks?), sprinkled on some fresh chives, and here they are - deviled eggs (nightshade free, at that!) - perfect for a fun spring or summer dish!

As a side note, mixing the red cabbage in with the beets did have an effect on the color: instead of turning brownish, the eggs whites turned a more pinky-lavender color after a few hours.  Definitely better than brown!

So, since I'm not the type of person to waste food - what do you do with the leftover beets & red cabbage?  Add some kale and coleslaw vinaigrette (page 5 of Cavemom's Cooking), and you've got another tasty salad to add to the table!

Happy Spring!

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Banana Pancakes - Sneak in some veggies!

These banana pancakes are ridiculously easy to make with just a few ingredients.  You won't really even need to measure anything!  The only things you really need are bananas, eggs, a pinch of salt, a little coconut oil for fat, and enough almond or coconut flour (or whatever your preference) to make a thick batter.  I use one egg and about 1/8 tsp salt per banana, so 2 bananas = 2 eggs and 1/4 tsp salt, etc.  For coconut oil I use about 1 Tbsp per banana, but really, I just pour some in.

Then it's time to get creative in adding veggies!  For today's batch, I used kale and collard greens, but I've also used spinach and other leafy greens - just whatever is on hand.  Chopped the "green stuff" fine, and the amount is largely up to you. 

To sum up today's breakfast:

3 ripe bananas, mashed
3 eggs
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp coconut oil, just melted
almond flour - enough to make a thick batter
finely chopped green stuff

a nice thick batter

Then I melt a little coconut oil on the griddle and cook low and slow.  Typically banana pancakes are crumbly and hard to flip on the griddle - but  you can get around that by covering the griddle with a pan lid - a 12" skillet lid fits nicely over a standard-size griddle. Cooking the pancakes under a lid - still low and slow - makes them flip almost as easy as traditional pancakes!  You will still want them to be smaller - about 4" around or so.






















And it really is that easy - with ripe bananas, you won't need to add any form of sweetener, and they are tasty enough by themselves I don't top them with anything. :)

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A note on misinformation about Paleo

After an article in a magazine, a recent incident, and then a little while ago (and certainly not for the first time), enjoying a stroll through my Facebook newsfeed - it just never ceases to amaze me how much mis-information there is out there about the paleo way of eating. 

Here are just a few of the common misconceptions: That we are all high-protein eaters.  That we eat meat with every meal.  That because we've embraced paleo means we all do crossfit.  That we try to live "like cavemen".   That it's a fad diet, a new trend.  That there's only ONE way to eat paleo.  I've seen people completely misinformed about what the AIP protocol is, or how it works.  Then there are studies, flawed with cherry-picked results.  And my personal favorite: that because just because today's name for it is the word "paleo", it means we only eat what was available to paleolithic cavemen - which is impossible, given today's worldwide locations of the human race and the availability of food varieties - and that since it's impossible, that we are all idiotic frauds.

But you know what else I've seen? I've personally seen how many people eating "paleo" has helped.  Some do AIP, some do primal, some consume nightshades (our personal nemesis), some consume dairy.  There is no "one" version of ANY diet style that fits absolutely everyone. 
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It's about real, nutrient-dense, whole fresh foods.  It's about finding what foods do and do not work for you, so your gut, your body, can heal. 
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In our personal journey, we've learned what foods both I & my son cannot tolerate, and keep with a modified version of AIP - staying away from nightshades is a must - not just for my son, but for me.  We don't stay away from foods "just because it's the paleo way" as some have assumed, it's because those specific foods cause us issues, some more severe than others.  Sure, there are "paleofied" (is that even a word??) modern foods that we eat - let me be clear - which I also make note of in my cookbook - these are meant to be transition foods for those finding it difficult to commit to a whole fresh foods diet, and the more one commits, the less one consumes these transition foods.

I've been attacked, questioned, judged against many times since we began this journey almost five years ago, by those who have no idea what we've been through, what health issues we've overcome. Some assume I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't go into great detail (here, on this blog) about how it all works, like some of the many awesome paleo blogs out there.  Does that mean it doesn't work because I didn't personally write about it?  No.  (But you'd be surprised how many THINK that!) I know that it works for us and I encourage others to find their path to better health, be it Feingold, GAPS, Weston-Price, the mucusless diet, or any other diet-style that, at it's core, centers on whole fresh foods instead of processed, and is meant to help heal the body.

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Spring is here!

Robins are back, and the ice on the lake is out. The rhubarb is up, strawberries, chives, and some herbs are leafing out.  Finally!  Can't wait to start on the garden again and hang laundry out on the line . . . If the weather cooperates, it's only a few more weeks to morel season.  I have a spot that has been a good producer - it's just getting there at the right time. 

This winter has been a busy one - between the holidays, birthdays, and now really ramping up therapy for the little guy is taking over!  I haven't been working on too many new recipes, but my latest ones include dumplings, soft shell tortillas, and nightshade (and carrot!) -free tacos!  I'm really ridiculously excited about the tacos, since having to be nightshade free means no tomatoes.  The only other recipes out there I could find involved carrots, which my little guy can't have either. I suspect it's because of the falcarinol in them (aka carrotatoxin).

One of my favorite things to do is scour the grocery store for new and unusual items - or at least items I haven't seen or used before.  I recently tried some red palm oil.  By itself, I can say I'm not a fan . . . but I like to mix a wee bit of it into unrefined coconut oil with a little bit of salt to make what I like to call "paleo butter".  It's not exactly like butter, but does make a delicious substitute when using it as a spread.  Back onto the subject of carrots - red palm oil does have a carrot-y flavor, so I tried adding it to mashed parsnips - and that tasted just like cooked carrots!  Which led me to creating my own version of the no-mato taco recipes to get the flavor I wanted (no-mato uses carrots & beets as a base).  I always liked the Ortega brand mild taco sauce, and it came pretty close!  Using my heritage beets, I didn't get any color since they are white inside, and the beets at the grocery stores in winter are the red ones.  I'm looking forward to making the recipe with golden beets (and a wee bit of the red beets) to get the color *just right* for photos.

That's all for now - keep your food whole and keep it fresh! :)

 

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A guest post :)

I did part of a guest blog post over on Down Syndrome: A Day to Day Guide. The first half of the article is regarding seizures, our part is about half way thru! This is the reason we journeyed into paleo. :)Seizures in the Down Syndrome Population: Information and Natural Treatment

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In the news again! :)

Here is the news interview update on our fundraiser for Kaiden's speech device!
KAAL TV 6 ABC News Interview

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Paleo Crab Bisque

I went to the grocery store today just to get chicken, honest!  Among many other foodstuffs, I came home with a pound of on-holiday-sale Alaskan King Crab legs.  I usually just steam them and either eat the meat plain, or dunk in melted coconut oil with a little salt and garlic.  Tonight, though, trying out bisque sounded like a good idea.  I've never made bisque, let alone eaten it, at least not that I can remember.  But I understand the basis of it - making a white sauce, then adding the veg/meat/herbs.

Now, you can't very well make a white sauce out of almond flour - it won't thicken up like a wheat-flour-based sauce does, so this is where arrowroot comes in handy.  In this recipe, the amounts used, like most of my cooking, are largely up to you.  The amount of chicken stock, coconut milk, and crab is what I had on hand. If you have runnier coconut milk, you can adjust the coconut milk/water ratio.

The "butter" I used was simply a little bit of red palm oil mixed with unrefined coconut oil and a bit of sea salt.  Gives it a nice yellow color and slightly buttery flavor.

Paleo Crab Bisque
3 Tbsp paleo "butter"
5 - 6 Tbsp almond flour
3 c water
3/4 c chicken stock
1/2 c really thick coconut milk
1 tsp lemon juice
3 oz French-type goat cheese
1lb crab legs: remove meat and mince or at least chop fairly small
1 small onion, chopped fairly small
Fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
4 Tbsp arrowroot
2 tsp cold water
Sea Salt
Pepper

Melt the "butter" in a saucepan over low heat.  When melted, add the almond flour and stir until completely absorbed.  Add the water and stir until smooth.  Add the rest except the arrowroot and cold water.  When the goat cheese is fully dispersed, put the arrowroot in a little jar and add the cold water.  Close the jar lid tightly and shake to incorporate.  When thoroughly mixed, slowly add the arrowroot/water mix to the bisque while constantly stirring to get the desired thickness.  Top with a bit of freshly ground pepper.

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Crispy Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

This one's taken me a few years to get right.  And it's part of the reason I put 20lbs back on - sugar and nut flours will definitely do that! I mean, c'mon, I have to taste test all those batches of cookies for flavor, texture, crispiness, chip-to-batter ratio (okay, I know that last one's stretching it!) and I can't let them go to waste, right?? Haha, go to waste . . . more like go to WAIST! :)

This recipe finally nailed it.  I've learned a few things along the way: the oil portion needs to be a good, hard saturated fat with good flavor.  Unrefined coconut oil and red palm oil have too low of a melting point, and too strong of flavor, so you end up with soft cookies that don't quite taste like cookies. (Red palm oil made the cookies and the napkin they sat on such a bright yellow, my husband nicknamed them "jaundice cookies"!)  Once you find the right fat to use, the cookies must be rolled/pressed thin, to the thickness of the chips or less.  I rendered suet into tallow for this recipe, but I think really good butter would work, too, if you use dairy. 

 

 

Crispy Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Ingredients

2 c blanched almond flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 c tallow (NOT melted)

1/2 c washed raw sugar

1 egg

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

5 oz chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life's Mega Chunks)

 

Combine the tallow and sugar using a pastry blender or food processor until the tallow is down to little pea-sized pieces.  Add in the egg and vanilla, stir until thoroughly mixed.  In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then add to the wet mixture and stir until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  The batter should be fairly thick.  Using a small amount, form a ball then flatten to the thickness the chips or less.  Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 10 - 12 minutes, then let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Makes approximately 18 smaller cookies.

 

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Zoatmeal: Perfect Paleo Oatmeal

Chilly mornings are upon us again and I find myself wishing for a warm, sticky bowl of oatmeal.  A few weeks ago I came across a recipe for paleo oatmeal that involved cauliflower and eggs.  It was good, but to me, it just didn't have the same qualities as traditional oatmeal.  I could still faintly taste the cauliflower, and the eggs made it creamy, but it was custard-like creamy - not the smooth sticky quality traditional oatmeal has.

As I thought about how to re-create oatmeal, my zucchini pile in the kitchen was steadily growing.   I'm always up for new ways to use zucchini, since it's so plentiful at this time of year! I thought, why not using the same recipe except use zucchini instead of cauliflower?  Then of course, while making it, decided to do things a bit differently and Zoatmeal was born.

This recipe is incredibly simple, and involves 3 main ingredients:  zucchini, coconut milk, and a pinch of salt.  It involves more utensils than dumping oatmeal and water into a pan, but it takes about the same amount of time to cook. Extra items: a food processer and a fork. 



Zoatmeal topped with honey, coconut milk, blueberries, and a crabapple sauce.

Zoatmeal

• 1 very small zucchini, or half a medium zucchini, peeled
• full fat coconut milk, about half the amount of the zucchini
• pinch of salt
• arrowroot for thickening

Optional:

• cinnamon
• honey
• additional coconut milk

Peel the zucchini and chop into small pieces.  If it's a larger zucchini, remove any large seeds.  Process the chopped zucchini in a food processor until very finely minced.  Add that to a pan with the coconut milk.  Ideally you want the ratio to be 2 parts zucchini to 1 part coconut milk, but I don't measure, I just eyeball it.  Add a pinch of salt, then cover and simmer.  The cover is there for 2 reasons: this will bubble and splatter - and it helps the zucchini cook faster.  I like to add about a teaspoon of cinnamon in there, not only because I love cinnamon, but it gives the Zoatmeal the traditional light brown color.

When the zucchini is tender, begin to sprinkle arrowroot into the Zoatmeal and quickly stir it in with a fork.  Just do a little bit of arrowroot at a time - it doesn't take a whole lot and you can easily over-thicken it.  The arrowroot gives the Zoatmeal the smooth stickiness that oatmeal has.

Pour into a serving bowl and top with whatever you like to top oatmeal with!  I like additional coconut milk, honey, and some fruit.  In the photo above, I made a crabapple sauce from crabapples off my tree.  Same recipe as my Spiced Cranberry Sauce in Cavemom's Cooking, except I used crabapples in place of the cranberries.

Delicious!  Now if your neighbors try to pawn off their excess zucchini on you, take it and make yourself a wonderfully warm, creamy, satisfying breakfast! :)
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Editing to add, this recipe re-heats wonderfully!  Don't be afraid to make a large amount and have leftovers! :)

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Pork Rinds: an alternative to breading

I first tried pork rinds when I was pregnant with Kaiden, looking for additional protein sources/snacks.  I wasn't paleo back then, but I did avoid HFCS and white bread.  Or at least I tried to!  After his pregnancy, I forgot about them.  Completely.  Until a couple weeks ago - that's 5 1/2 years with no pork rinds!

I've come to the realization that I need to do low-carb paleo.  Medium/high carb was working when Kaiden was less mobile, meaning I either carried him everywhere or pushed a heavy stroller.  With lots and lots of kid gear.  It was a workout!  Then when he started walking (finally, really walking, not just a few steps here and there), it meant less exercise for me, as we walked a lot slower, and couldn't go very far before he'd want to stop.  And slowly, my weight's been creeping back up - so now I'm not a happy camper!  I've been looking for a low-carb snack, since now nuts, dried fruit, and dried veggie chips are out.  (And I've got to stop the late-night snacking!!)  I was wandering the snack aisles in the grocery store to see if they had anything that wasn't either vegetable or wheat based . . . and there they were: pork rinds.  And pork cracklings! 

Pork rinds are sort of like Funyuns: light, crispy, crunchy, and salty but with less bold flavor.  Pork cracklings are pork rinds with some (dried) skin and fat attached.  No carbs, just protein and fat (and salt!).  It says on the package they are good for snacking and cooking.  I know they're good for snacking, but was wondering about the cooking part - how on earth someone would use them for cooking . . . until tonight, I made oven-baked chicken drumsticks.  The nut-based flours mixed with milk & egg always came out a little soggy, no matter how I did it.  Then the thought occurred to me . . . why not crush up some pork rinds and dust the drumsticks with it?  I didn't use any egg or additional oil - I just added salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sesame seeds (because my husband likes sesame seeds on roasted chicken) to the crushed pork rinds and rolled/dipped/dusted the drumsticks in the mixture.  Baked at 350F for 1 hour - and they were perfect!

I wish I had a picture for you . . .  but we ate most of them. :)  Maybe next time!

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Zucchini anyone?

I don't know if it's the lack of bees or what, but the only thing really producing in my garden this year is the zucchini.  The rest of the squash, cukes, and miscellaneous plants just aren't doing too much.  Some of the plants are huge, with tons of flowers but little to no fruit, and some of the plants are still really small with little to no fruit.  I didn't plant by moon phases this year, seeing as the last couple years I didn't see much of any difference.

So, what to do with all that zucchini?

One of my favorite ways to cook zucchini is grilling them!  Oh YUM!! Super easy - slice them length-wise so they are about 1/4" thick. Coat them in oil and your favorite seasonings (Italian dressing works too!) and grill until there's grill marks, then flip 'em and keep grilling until there's grill marks on that side too.  They should be limp when done, and oh-so-tasty! Great with grilled meats, or by themselves for a light lunch.

Some news!  I just got in the 2nd edition print run of Cavemom's Cooking!!  I changed it up just a little - instead of a 5x7 print with a covered binding, I went with 5.5" x 8.5", spiral bound.  Loving the new look!!  There's just a couple left of the originals - once those are gone, I'll post the 2nd edition for sale.  I'm about 1/2 way thru creating recipes for Cavemom's Cooking Volume 2 (still need a good title instead of just "Volume 2") - I have a great idea for the cover photo for that one!

Last for tonight: an idea's been brewing in my  head:  I don't feel the urge to eat bread anymore, but someone close was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, and is having a hard time giving up bread.  I have no idea if this will work; I have yet to see a recipe for such, but pre-paleo I used to make a tasty beer bread recipe from scratch (using something other than beer, of course!).  Hoping to be able to successfully modify that one.  I've seen lots of recipes using baking soda and vinegar, so that's always an option . . . I have all the ingredients necessary, I just need to be brave enough to give it a go, and be willing to toss if it's terrible!! :)

Annual July Sale!

For the entire month of July, get 10% off anything at Greenchild Creations, including Cavemom's Cooking!  Please use Etsy Coupon Code 10OFF at checkout.  :)

Cavemom's Cooking, E-book (PDF) $9.99
Cavemom's Cooking, print copies $22.95

Spring bounty

Spring - finally!!  Our cherry & apple trees are just beginning to bloom, the rhubarb is doing fantastic (ate some of that with breakfast this morning!), and the new asparagus bed is on its second year.  Strawberry plants are doing well, chives and wild onions are thriving.  Volunteer radishes are coming up too.  I can't wait to get in and plant the garden, but it will likely be next week, or the week after.  We are fencing in the yard this summer for the munchkin; we took out the existing hedge which gives us additional room for garden space.

Wednesday I tried Morel hunting in one of my favorite places.  Morels are up in various places here in Minnesota, but it was just too early in my spot, I think.  The only fungus I saw was one tiny little inky cap, about 2" tall.  We'll go back a few times over the next couple weeks; hopefully we'll have a bounty like last year! 

I may not have found any Morels, but I did score some early asparagus!  I'd guess about 90% of what we found was too little to be picked, but it's a great spot and we try to go at least once every spring.

Which brings me to this: 
Roasted Asparagus with Goat Feta Cheese & Pecans

Ingredients:
asparagus
olive oil
lemon juice
garlic granules
sea salt
pepper
goat feta cheese
pecans, roughly chopped

Layer the asparagus on a baking sheet.  Drizzle on a little olive oil & lemon juice.  Season lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Toss on some goat feta cheese and top with pecans.  Roast for 10 minutes at 415F (set the oven somewhere between 400 and 425F).  Remove from oven, drizzle with a little bit more olive oil & lemon juice and serve warm.

It's very easy to eat a lot of this!! :)

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Fundraising time!

Kaiden's been using a Vantage Lite (LAMP system) loaner unit in speech therapy and is doing fantastic!  He picked it up quicker than anyone thought he would (except me, LOL!!  I KNOW he's a smart little stinker!!).  But, since it's a loaner unit, it's time for it to be used with another child.  These speech devices, while fantastic . . . are not cheap.  We're talking a range of $6000 and up, up, up.  So . . . here we are . . . fundraising time!

Here is our GoFundMe page: http://www.gofundme.com/HelpKaidenTalk  Please go check it out - donations of any size are immensely appreciated, as well as sharing his page via social media.  We're off to a great start, and are so blessed to have so many wonderfully caring people in our lives!

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NRHEG Star Eagle: A Christmas Story of Love and Hope

We've been featured again!  I graduated from NRHEG, so this is the "hometown" paper, the NRHEG Star Eagle. :)  They did a fantastic job with this article - while I was immensely pleased to be featured in our local town paper & magazine, they did get a lot of the details incorrect so this has been a chance to get it out there, with the "right" story!

Please click to read:

Featured in the 2013 Christmas Edition of the 

NRHEG Star Eagle:

A Christmas Story of Love and Hope

 

 

 

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Nightshade free pepperoni!

Yes, that's right.  I searched online for a nightshade free pepperoni recipe and came up with nothing truly nightshade free.  I did, however, find several recipes for vegan "pepperoni" made with beets (and nightshades).  So today's experiment:  Nightshade FREE pepperoni!!

 

I modified the existing recipes to not only be nightshade free, but to my own taste:

1/2 a large beet, quartered and sliced thin

Sauce:
1/2 c. water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

grind together, either in a coffee grinder, or a mortar & pestle:
1/2 tsp dehydrated onion flakes
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp sage leaves (dried)

Layer beets in a baking dish.  Stir sauce ingredients together, and pour over beets, stir to coat.  Spread the beet slices out, but no need to be single layer.  Bake at 325F for 20  min, and flip the beets.  Bake an additional 10 - 15 minutes, then stir, and repeat until beet slices are soft and edges begin to curl, with most of the liquid absorbed.

I had my doubts that this would taste like pepperoni, but I was wrong!  Okay, it's not exactly like pepperoni, but it is pretty close! And delicious!!
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1/23/14 Editing to add: I tried them on a nightshade free paleo pizza.  They were very tasty on pizza,but the pepperoni flavor wasn't strong enough; it was more like eating a veggie pizza.  Next up I tried marinating hamburger in the recipe above  - but while that amount of fennel is perfect for beets, it overpowers the meat.  Good thing I like fennel!  3rd attempt was the same recipe, only doubling all the spices/herbs except the fennel, which was cut to about 1/8 tsp, and using venison burger.  THAT was excellent!! Not perfectly pepperoni-like, but close!

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Paleo Chocolate Covered Cherries

With the holidays just past, paleo desserts have been on my mind.  I miss chocolate covered cherries, but don't dare eat the commercial ones. Processed sugars make my joints hurt something awful!  I modified a traditional recipe but have not really figured out precise measurements yet for the paleo version - just did my typical "throw stuff together". 

Original version: 60 maraschino cherries, 3 Tbsp of butter, 3 Tbsp of light corn syrup, 2c of powdered sugar, and 1 lb dipping chocolate.

My version: a package of frozen dark sweet cherries (approx. 30 cherries), and what I'm guessing amounted to 1/4 c (unrefined) coconut oil, 1/4 c maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 c arrowroot powder, 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, and a 10 oz package of Enjoy Life Chocolate Mega Chunks.  I'm pretty good at eyeballing measurements. :)

I melted the coconut oil with the maple syrup and vanilla extract, then added a little arrowroot powder not only to thicken, but to give that slightly powdery texture that powdered sugar would give.  It blended up nicely and I thought about putting it in the fridge to cool so it would be easier to apply to the cherries . . . but I am impatient.  So I added xanthan gum.  Now, I did not mean to use that much xanthan gum - the bag spilled.  It gelled the mixture a little more (okay, a lot more) than I wanted!  I will note that some of the coconut oil, I estimate about 1 Tbsp, refused to mix in no matter how much I stirred.  Actually it wasn't a bad thing that the mixture gelled that much - it was fairly easy to apply it to the cherries, which were still frozen. With the coldness of the cherries, the coconut oil hardened back up quickly and the mixture stayed on the cherries nicely.  Then I melted the chocolate and dipped the coated cherries, and placed them in mini-muffin paper cups.  The chocolate began to cool and the frozen cherries began to melt, so while the first half of the finished batch looked great, the second half was not particularly appetizing-looking!

If I had been thinking, I would have used either a double boiler or a heating pad to keep the chocolate all melty, and kept the coated cherries in the freezer or at least on cold packs to keep them frozen for easy dipping. But at least they tasted great!  They were even better the second day.

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You ever throw together a dish and wonder what you're thinking??

That would be my lunch today.  I really didn't have a plan in mind, just started throwing things together, adding as I went.  The end result . . . well, it wasn't the most appetizing looking . . . probably should have sliced rather than shredded the zucchini for a main dish, or better yet, pureed the zucchini for soup instead . . . but it turned out amazingly good!!


This started out with me wanting to use up a partial zucchini and a box of smoked baby clams. What to do with that??  First I added coconut oil for frying.  Then freshly grated ginger root.  And because I wanted sweetness with the ginger, I added honey.  And because I like lemon with ginger and honey, I added lemon juice.  Then garlic, just because I like garlic, and it goes well with lemon and ginger.  Then I thought it should have a creamy sauce, so I added part of an avocado.  Then at the last second I tossed in a chunk of French type goat cheese for an even creamier sauce.  Black pepper sprinkled on the top of that . . .  I put a little on my plate, wondering if this would taste good, or just plain weird . . . hahaha, it was SO good I went back and ate the rest!!  (And I'm not ashamed to admit I licked my plate!!)

 

Now that I think about it a little, I think next time I would puree the zucchini and make soup. Maybe a wee bit of shredded zucchini swirled with melted goat cheese on top to pretty it up. :)

EDITED TO ADD, Round #2:
Pureed the zucchini this time.  I don't know why, but this garden zucchini had turned yellow instead of staying green.  So the darker flecks should be green, but are yellow instead.  Or, you could peel the zucchini, but I don't bother to do that. Topped with bacon, green onion, and pepper. So delicious!!! :)

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Mmmmmmm . . . Venison!!

I just had a plateful of fresh deer kidneys, oh yum!!  Braised them, then steamed them over low heat to finish.  I used one of my favorite sauces, a cherry wine/rosemary/garlic/meat juices glaze.  Added a little spicy brown mustard in there too.

This past weekend was our annual deer hunting weekend with friends.  I have to say I really, really love our friends!!  They helped us fill our tags, so we brought home 4 deer for our use, and 1 for a relative.  But because there are lots of tasty deer bits that most people don't use, we also brought home 13 hearts, 7 kidneys, 3 lungs, and 1 liver.  We somehow didn't come home with any spleens, but the season's not over yet so I'm still hoping!

We LOVE deer heart and kidneys!  The lungs were an experiment for our dog, Lola.  We raw feed her, and already know she doesn't tolerate much fresh liver but she does fine on dehydrated liver and dehydrated lungs (via the local pet food store) so we wanted to see how she'd do with fresh lungs.  Fine, so far!

After we dropped our deer off for processing, I called back to see if they'd also save the tongues for us (yes - yay!!).  Now, tongue is one of my most favorite cuts of meat - so rich and tender!  Deer tongues are fairly small - not sure if they're really big enough for a meal - but even if they're really small they'll make a nice treat for Lola.

It's funny, even the employees at the butcher shop looked at me funny when I said we save all that stuff - most people don't.  Somewhere along the years, most people decided that organs were "icky" and not worth eating when in fact they are much more nutritious than the muscle cuts!  And did I mention delicious??

Cavemom's Cooking volume 2  will have lots of tasty venison recipes! :)

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