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Ming Loves Warm Laundry!

When there is a basket of warm laundry fresh from the dryer left unattended, Ming, Ming will find it! She has a special radar for warm things. It is the perfect little bed of warm comfort, and she is a smart pug. She knows a good thing when she sees it. I love that Ming, Ming likes to be comfy and cozy, It makes her an excellent cuddler! I really enjoy my cuddle time with Ming, she is sweet and kind and never makes you feel guilty for lounging on the sofa and chilling out. She spins in circles of excitement when you head toward a comfy chair in hopes you will sit down so she can leap into your lap. She is a pug, and pugs love cuddle time! If you have a cuddler in the house, I would love to hear about them!

Ming Loves Warm Laundry!

Italian Romenesko Fennel Salad

What is Romenesko? It is a gorgeous member of the Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprout family. It does look like an alien cousin to Broccoli! I love fun vegetables, don’t you?

It is bright grass green and very pretty. I love the texture of it, which is similar to cauliflower. So I thought, why not incorporate it in a salad cooked? Here is a veggie packed salad with Italian flair.

Italian Romenesko Fennel Salad with Italian Vinaigrette

Italian Romenesko and Fennel Salad with Italian Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Salad:

1 Head of Organic Iceburg Lettuce or Two Heads of Organic Romaine

One Head of Organic Romenesko

1 Large Fennel

1 Large Organic Tomato

1 small can of Black Olives (I use Field Day 3.8 oz.)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice

Directions:

Finely shave your fennel after cleaning and cutting off top and clean and separate your Romenesko pieces. In a heavy skillet add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add shaved fennel and romenesko and saute covered for ten minutes until just becoming tender. Remove lid, add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and continue to saute until starting to brown and any liquid has evaporated, about 5 to 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile place your lettuce, sliced tomato and black olives in a salad bowl.

While the Fennel Romenesko mixture cools, make your salad dressing.

Italian Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar (check it is zero carbs, so not added sugar)

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Organic Italian Herbs

Combine all the ingredients and Shake it Up to emulsify.

Italian Vinaigrette

Add the Fennel and Romenesko to your salad and toss with the dressing. Serve! We had this for dinner with broiled fish. It is a light and satisfying meal.

Cinnamon Date Thumbprint Cookies

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! The kids are all back in school now, so our routines are changing. We made this delicious cookie this weekend that I wanted to share with you. Thumbprints are such a fun cookie to eat and make. I especially enjoy making them with my children because the process is very hands on and fun.

Here is a delicious version of a thumbprint cookie that has just the right amount of cinnamon and a date filled center.

Also, don’t forget to enter the giveaway! It is posted under Products I Love. The giveaway ends Monday, September 8th, and is a very modern Cooler that is eco-friendly, light and functions so much better than the cheap styrofoam ones. It is hosted by Rafflecopter, so just click on the link on the giveaway page, and it will take you there to enter.

So, here is the new cookie recipe! It makes 18 cookies.

Cinnamon Date Thumbprint Cookies

Preheat your oven 350º degrees F.

Ingredients:

For Cookie:

1 1/2 Cups Blanched Superfine Almond Flour

6 Tablespoons Coconut Flour

1 Tablespoon Grass Fed Gelatin

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

1 Tablespoon SCD Legal Vanilla Extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl cream your coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until incorporated thoroughly. Scoop tablespoon sized cookies onto two parchment lined baking sheets two inches apart and make a thumbprint in the center. I used a tablespoon cookie scoop.

Filling:

4 Medjool Dates, Pits Removed

2 Tablespoons Hot Water

2 Tablespoon Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

Puree the filling ingredients together until smooth. I used my small Ninja chopper for this, but anything that will puree fairly small amounts will work fine. Scoop a teaspoon of filling for each cookie and place it in the thumbprint.

Bake 20 minutes, then cool. I hope you enjoy these cookies like we do! Also, remember the great giveaway! I use my cooler all the time!

Raw Blueberry Energy Bars

Raw Blueberry Energy Bars

It can be hard to find snack food that is prepackaged and clean. What I mean by clean is free of dairy, soy, gluten, added sugar, corn and other allergens. I miss the days when I was out and could just grab a bar of some kind that sounded good when I needed something quick. I don’t leave the house anymore without some kind of emergency snack. Here is my recipe for Blueberry Energy Bars that are really delicious! They are sweetened with dates. The ingredients are all nutritious and will give you energy. I make these in my food dehydrator.

Blueberry Energy Bars

You will need a food processor and a food dehydrator for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Raw Walnuts

1 Cup Raw Almonds

6 Medjool Dates (pitted)

1/2 Cup Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1/3 Cup Dried Blueberries

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract (Pure SCD Legal)

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

In a food processor, place the dates, walnuts and almonds and pulse until finely chopped. Add in the coconut, vanilla extract and salt. When it is all incorporated and starting to stick together (so you can form bars) add the blueberries and pulse a few times until they are incorporated. You want them to stay pretty much whole. On a teflon lined or parchment lined dehydrator tray, form the mixture into a dozen bars. Dehydrate for 22 hours at 105° degrees. Let cool, then individually wrap the bars.

You have a portable, delicious snack to take with you!

Raw Blueberry Energy Bars

Flavorful Golden Beet Sautee

These beets are magically delicious. Even if you think beets taste like dirt like several of my family members do…these do not! It is because of Nom Nom Paleo’s recipe for Magic Mushroom Powder. It is really insanely magical!

Flavorful Golden Beet Sautee

You can use any color beets you like. I used golden beets I found at my local market because they are pretty, but any variety will do.

Ingredients:

3 large beets or 5 medium, peeled and cubed into 1 inch cubes

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon Magic Mushroom Powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions: Melt your coconut oil in a large sautee pan and add the beets. Sprinkle with Magic Mushroom Powder and Pepper and sautee until starting to brown. Cover the beets for approximately ten minutes to soften and cook through. Then remove the lid again and continue sauteeing until the liquid is absorbed. Serve.

You will want to use this seasoning for many things. It stores in a jar for a long time just like any other seasoning salt. It does not add a mushroom flavor to your food, it adds umami. I would love to hear what you think!

Food As Medicine

Toasted Hazelnut-Vanilla Nut Milk & Lattes

Toasted Hazelnut Vanilla Nut Milk.jpg

Are you a hazelnut lover? I have this new recipe for Toasted Hazelnut-Vanilla Nut Milk that I adore with my cold brew iced coffee and matcha green tea. Nut milks are nutritious and easily made at home without the fillers and gums that can be difficult for your digestive system.

The nuts are plentiful in mono-unsaturated fatty acids and also essential fatty acid. Also, nutritionally, they contain Folate, B-Complex Vitamins, Copper, Magnesium, and Iron. They make delicious milk!

You can make the milk with raw hazelnuts, but toasting them boosts the flavor profile and makes the milk even more delicious. There is just three ingredients to make the milk. You do need a high speed blender and a nut milk bag. The nut milk bag is very inexpensive and handy to have around.

Homemade Nut Milk Tools. High Speed Blender & Nut Milk Bag

Ingredients:

4 Ounces Hazelnuts (Toasted & Skins Removed)

2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract (SCD Legal)

6 Cups of Filtered Water

1 Pinch Himalayan Pink Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

On a parchment lined cookie sheet toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly colored and skins are blistered. Using a lint free kitchen towel, wrap the nuts hot from the oven and let them steam 1 minute. Briskly rub nuts in the towel to remove loose skins (don’t worry about skins that don’t come off) and cool completely.

Place the nuts, vanilla, water and salt in your high speed blender and blend for three minutes. Pour into the nut milk bag and drain the liquid squeezing gently at the end to extract all the liquid. Pour into a pitcher or storage container and refrigerate. It stays fresh for about a week, if it lasts that long.

Makes 6 cups

Here are some of the ways I love to use it. You can also use it as you would any milk in your recipes and baking where you want a hazelnut flavor.

Make a Matcha Green Tea Latte!

Directions: Whisk 1 teaspoons of Matcha Green Tea into 1/4 Cup of hot water. Stir in 1 cup of Toasted Hazelnut-Vanilla Nut Milk and pour over ice. It is so refreshing!

Iced Hazelnut Matcha Green Tea Latte

Use it in Coffee for a delicious Hazelnut Flavor without the Syrups. Iced or hot! Here I made iced coffee with a cold brew coffee, ice and toasted vanilla hazelnut milk. You can choose to add honey if you like your beverages sweet.

Toasted Hazelnut Milk Iced Coffee

Eat Your Nutrients!

Asian Pork Ribs

Oh my gosh, who doesn’t love succulent ribs! I made these last night for my family, and they were tender, juicy and flavorful! You can get them marinating the day before you make them. They are cooked in the oven low and slow, so are perfect for a weekend dinner. I served them with golden beets and Chinese eggplant.

Asian Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

3 to 3 1/2 pound rack of pork ribs

Marinade:

1/3 cup chopped fresh ginger

1/4 cup garlic infused olive oil (the brand I use)

3 Tablespoons Clear Honey

2 Teaspoons Pink Himalayan Salt

1 Tablespoon Black Pepper

3 Kaffir Lime Leaves (optional, provides a mild citrus flavor)

3 Tablespoons Coconut Aminos

1 Tablespoon Jarred Anchovy Fillets

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Asian Pork Ribs with Golden Beets, Chinese Eggplant and Salad

Directions: Blend together in a high speed blender all the ingredients for the marinade. Place the ribs on a foil lined, rimmed cookie sheet, and coat thoroughly with the marinade on both sides. Cover with wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, remove from refrigerator and heat your broiler on high. Broil both sides of the ribs until browned and starting to caramelize. About 5 minutes a side. Remove from the oven, and set your oven on 250°. Cover the top of the ribs with foil and tightly seal. Bake in oven 4 to 4 1/2 hours until ribs are very tender.

Asian Pork Ribs

Eat Your Nutrients!

Ming is Almost Pure Angel!

She really is! I have always loved dogs. All that unconditional love they are so good at lavishing on humans. Ming was a Christmas gift two years ago. She was a tiny, fluffy, little butterball that fit in the palm of my hand. She is the first dog that was mine, and I am her person. I have never been a dog’s person before. We have had dogs in our family, but Ming, Ming adores Me. She follows me around the house, and in the evening when people are lounging around, it is my lap she seeks. I love her snortle breathing, her cute wrinkly face, her antics, and her love of food. Since finding this cute little collar tag this summer, whenever Ming, Ming is less than angelic, my family comments, “I guess her one percent is coming out!” I feel so lucky to be Ming’s person and that she is a part of my life. She really is an angel, even when she isn’t!

Angel Pug – Almost 100%

Lavender Sugar Cookies

There are so many ways to use lavender in cooking. Here I have used it in a “sugar” cookie. It is sweetened with SCD Legal honey and uses almond flour. I have rolled and cut them out. You could also make the recipe by scooping the cookies if you are short on time. They will be softer that way instead of crunchy as a rolled cut out cookie.

Lavender Sugar Cookie

Preheat Oven 350°. Place parchment paper on two cookie sheets.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Organic Palm Shortening, Melted

2 Tablespoons Honey

1 Teaspoon Dried Culinary Grade Lavender Buds, minced or placed in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle

1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

1 1/2 Teaspoons SCD Legal Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix together the wet ingredients and add to the bowl of dry ingredients stirring with a fork until a ball forms. Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to about 1/4″ thickness. Refrigerate on a cookie sheet for fifteen minutes, then cut out using a cookie cutter and place on your parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes until starting to brown around the edges.

Makes approximately 12 cookies depending on the size of your cutter.