Arugula & Walnut Pesto

Pesto Kale Chipz

Vegetarian Scramble w/ Pesto

Super easy & quick - Great used as a topping on just about anything.  Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1-1 1/2 Cup Organic Arugula

1 Cup Soaked & Rinsed Raw Walnuts

1/2-1c Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Kotinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Click Here to Order

1/4-1/2c Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar - To Taste 

3-5 Cloves Garlic - To Taste

1T Organic Dulse or Kelp Granules

OR

1 SeaSnax Sheet - Crumbled

Sea Salt to Taste

Black Pepper to Taste

Directions:

• Put arugula, walnuts, garlic, seaweed or dulse  into a high speed blender (Vitamix - works perfectly) or food processor with half of the olive oil & vinegar
• Slowly add remaining olive oil & vinegar, black pepper & sea salt until you have reached the desired consistency and taste.  You want the pesto to be a little on the thicker side and not runny.
• Enjoy! 

Below are a few photos used in a couple recipes this week.  Get creative and experiment with ingredients.  Have fun cooking while eating healthy!

Roasted Cauliflower tossed in Pesto

Vegetarian Scramble w/ Pesto

Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream

Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream

Before this recipe can be made you will want to put your can of coconut milk in the fridge for 3-4 hours, and finish in the freezer for 15 min before you plan to follow the steps below.   I also chill the bowl for 15 min in the freezer or fridge that I plan to whip the cream in..it helps with the thickening process and whips faster.

This tastes great on fresh berries or any fruit for that matter.  I also like to put a dollop into my tea or coffee.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Can Native Forest(BPA Free) Full Fat Coconut Milk - Try and use a can that doesn't make as much sound when you shake it.  This means it is more cream vs watery milk.

1t Almond Extract

Directions:

• Dump can of coconut milk into chilled mixing bowl
• Add Almond Extract
• Blend with Hand Mixer or Kitchen Aid Mixer on medium-high speed for 5-7 min
• It will start to thicken and look just like whipped cream
• Once ready serve, or store in a glass jar for 3-5 days in the fridge - The consistency will stay in tact.
• EnJoY!

Walnut & Banana Compote w/ Homemade Whipped Coconut Cream

Walnut & Banana Compote w/ Homemade Whipped Cream

Walnut & Banana Coconut Compote

Tonight I had a good friend over for the evening and decided to whip up a little dessert and this lil tasty treat came to life.  Enjoy!

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 Organic Banana - Sliced
1 Organic Bosc Pear - Chopped
1/4c Walnuts - Chopped
1/4c Grade B Maple Syrup
1T Grass Fed Butter
1/2c Whipped Full Fat Coconut or Dairy Cream (Recipe? Click here!)

Directions:

• Add Maple Syrup & Grass Fed butter in skillet over low-medium heat - Stir until butter has melted
• Add the banana, pear & walnuts and saute for 3-5 min - stirring lightly - until compote syrup becomes thick
• Split mixture into 2 small serving bowls

• Top with 1/4c Whipped Coconut Cream 

• Serve!

Spiced Indian Curry & Walnut Kale Chipz

Yesterday I did an experiment while making kale chips.  I decided to throw in some of my indian spices, and substitute my normal kale chipz recipe for nutritional yeast or brewers yeast from lewis labs & cashews with the following.  I also had a couple containers of mixed greens and used those in place of my normal 3 bunches of curly kale.  I like the texture more of larger kale pieces to make the chips over the other ingredients below, but everyone's tastes buds are different.  Experiment a bit to find the perfect healthy chip!  They still turned out super tasty!!

Carrot chips or Baked Carrots would also be delicious with the base to this recipe - but with the ingredients scaled back a bit - planning to try that out soon and will post a recipe.

Ingredients:
2c Raw Walnuts - Soaked over night in water prior to use in fridge.
16oz Greens(Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Arugula)

1. 11oz Earthbound Organic Power Greens (Baby Spinach, Baby Swiss Chard & Baby Kale) - Had these on hand so I decided to test them out.
2. 5oz Earthbound Organic Baby Arugula- Had these on hand so I decided to test them out.

OR

3 Bunches Curly Kale - De stemmed and torn into pieces
3t Garlic Powder
1.5t Curry Powder
1t Coriander(optional)
2t Chili Powder
1t Cracked Red Pepper(Optional)
1/2t Cumin
1/2t Paprika
1/2t Sea Salt
15 Turns  - South African Smoke Seasoning Blend- Trader Joes(Optional)
1/2-3/4c Extra Virgin Olive Oil - My favorite right now is from Kasandrino's Imports.
1/4c  Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar - My favorite brand is Bragg's
1/4c Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1/2t Kelp Granules (optional)
1/2t Dulse Granules(optional)

Directions: 

• Rinse soaked walnuts really well and set aside in your vitamix(High Powered Blender) or Food Processor

• Add all ingredients listed above - except olive oil

• Slowly add olive oil into the mixture to get a paste like consistency. Once this is achieved you are ready to combine w/ the kale.
• Put torn & stemmed kale into a large mixing bowl and add curried nut mixture
• Massage the mixture into the Kale until everything is coated
• Spread kale out evenly on your dehydrator sheets

• Dehydrate at 105 for 12-18hrs - They are done once everything is dehydrated and crunchy
• OR Turn oven onto 180(lowest temperature setting) with convection (fan) setting and bake around for 1-3hrs - until crunchy.  I don't use this method but a friend of mine does as she doesn't have a dehydrator and she said it works great.  Just check back on them frequently to ensure they don't burn.

• Enjoy!

Marketing Terms for Poultry/Eggs - What do they mean?

Poultry consists of chicken, turkey, duck & geese -

*This also goes for labeling on Eggs*

Free-Range: Government certified access to the outdoor.  It's not regulated on how much time they actually get to spend outside..maybe only be 3-5 min a day and only access to patch of gravel.  Who knows what they are really being fed..my guess would be feed that is loaded with GMO(Genetically Modified Organism) ingredients.

Cage-Free: Usually living in very over crowded buildings - but not in small wire cages.  This means they don't get to the see the light of day and eat worms, grubs as they are intended to do in nature. They are probably fed a vegetarian diet...umm news flash chickens aren't vegetarians!

Certified Humane: Do not allow debeaking & over crowding into large barns.  You can find out more on this topic via: www.certifiedhumane.org.

Organic Certification: Requires access to outdoors, shade, fresh air, the beautiful sun & 100% Organic Feed (which means no GMO ingredients in their feed)

Pastured: This is not a regulated term, but it typically means the birds are raised outdoors in a coop that is moveable located on grass & fed an all organic diet.  Sometimes this diet can consist of organic feeds or fish meal mixed with veggie/fruit compost.

Definitely something to think about the next time you hit the store and start looking at labels and become over whelmed with all the clever marketing terms.

I purchase my whole chickens from Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma they are pastured raised and given organic feed as a supplement.  I purchase my eggs either from the farm or Tropical Traditions where the eggs are also pastured raised on an amish farm in Wisconsin and given cocofeed instead of traditional grain feed.  Their yolks are bright yellow/orange and loaded with omega 3.  It's amazing how the color, taste and consistency of a pastured egg rates to others in the market.  Once you go pasture you wont go back..guarantee it.  ;)

Live, Love, Laugh & BEE Healthy Doing It!

Ciao,
Chrissy