Raw Cacao Truffles

Hi ladies, I tried a combo of these two recipes. I used the fudge recipe and rolled it into truffles, rather than putting it in a pan. Worked great, but there was a bunch of oil from the almond butter. If kept refrigerated, this isn't an issue, but if they are out for long, they will start 'leaking'. Ha. They are tasty and well-liked at a recent potluck. I ground the almond butter fresh at Sundance. Might get a different result with less leakage with the almond butter from Hummingbird ??? Enjoy!

Cacao Walnut Fudge
1 C. Almond Butter
1/2 C. Cacao Powder
1/4 C. Agave
1/2 C Walnuts, chopped.

Mix together almond butter, cacao powder and agave. It is easiest to to this with your hand. Once it is well combined, mix in the walnuts. You can put this in an 8 x 8 sq pan or, use a mold. I used a little heart silicone one that I picked up one day.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Dried Cherry Chocolate Truffles
1 C Almond Butter
1/2 C Cacao Powder
1/4 C Raw Organic Agave
30 Dried Cherries

Mix all ingredients except cherries in food processor. Form a disk, place dried cherry in the middle and wrap disk around the cherry. Roll into ball. Refrigerate.

Savory-Sweet Rutabaga Pudding

YUM! what a surprising dish. enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 rutabaga (about 2lbs), peeled, cut into 2 - inch dice

1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided

butter for greasing baking dish

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup bread crumbs (or more for topping)

1 Tblsp. maple syrup

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

1/3 cup raisins, plumped in hot water for 15 min and drained (optional)

freshly ground black pepper

2 Tblsp. butter

Preparation:

1. bring a large pot of water to boil, add rutabaga and 1 tsp salt, cook till very soft (30 min.), reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.

2. preheat oven to 350, coat 2 qt. baking dish with butter (Alder's favorite job!)

3. beat eggs and egg yolk in med. bowl, stir in cream, maple syrup, bread crumbs and nutmeg.

4. drain rutabaga reserving 1/2 cup water, mash thoroughly adding water if dry. add egg mixture, raisins, 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper. stir to combine.

5. transfer the rutabaga pudding to the prepared baking dish. smooth the top and dot with butter. (I sprinkled extra bread crumbs on the top, too)

6. bake til golden, about 45 min. serve hot.

Lamb Balls (kibbeh)

I made these recently for dinner along with a rutabaga pudding. We all loved them. Alder told me that I had to share it with you all so here it is. I hope you enjoy them as we did!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. ground lamb

1 cup quinoa flour

1 1/12 cup ground onion and celery in their juices

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 Tbs. ground cumin

2 tsp. sea salt

ground pepper

Preparation:

peel and quarter onion and chop celery then puree in blender. Combine with remaining ingredients in bowl. When well mixed, form balls with your hands 1.5 - 2 " in diameter (kids love to help!). Score them with a fork. Bake at 350 for 15 min.

Can be made ahead and frozen. Reheat in cast iron pan.

Good lunch option with hummus and lettuce in a wrap.

Flax Bread

As promised, the flax bread recipe, cut and paste from Gluten Free Easy site.

I doubled the recipe and baked in a bread loaf pan. S has become quite adept and making this almost entirely by himself!

Kiva’s Golden Flax Bread (Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free +)

From Gluten Free Easily

Kiva’s Golden Flax Bread

2/3 cup flax meal

1/3 cup almond meal (optional, but other nut meals can be substituted)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder*

Salt to taste (I like more salt in my flax bread than I would in other bread)

about 3 tsp olive oil or unrefined coconut oil (or butter, depending on what kind of flavor you want and your specific dietary needs)

2 eggs (1 egg will suffice, but 2 eggs holds together just a bit better)

water to texture desired (it makes a big difference, and the wetter it is, the harder it is to get it to cook all the way through, I go for minimal water needed to get things fluid enough to pour the batter)

Mix dry ingredients together well.

Gently beat eggs together before adding (optional, but it blends better that way).

The recipe will work for a regular-sized pie tin or small loaf pan. Double the recipe for a more normal-sized bread loaf pan. Don’t forget to grease the pan well before pouring the batter in.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook for approximately 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Toothpick or butter knife should could out clean if you insert it into the center of the bread. Enjoy fresh out of the oven or at room temperature for a nice sandwich.

Variations:

For an herbed bread: add small chunks of sharp cheddar cheese, a tablespoon of crushed thyme, a tablespoon of crushed sage, a teaspoon of oregano or bee balm, small handful of fresh chopped rosemary, fresh ground black pepper to taste, and maybe some coarse salt on top. You can even add some green onion, broccoli, or nettles for extra panache if you like.

Sweet Bread: add cinnamon, honey, cardamom, vanilla, and even some fresh fruit like sliced strawberries.

Pancakes: just make the batter thin enough to spread on a hot cast iron pan or griddle. Unsweetened applesauce is nice in the pancakes instead of water.

Pictures are of this morning’s bread, with walnuts added for extra texture and arugula and sage added for delightful greenness. This loaf was made in a metal pie tin.

Recipe courtesy of Kiva Rose (Bear Medicine Herbals)

*Be sure to use a grain-free baking powder or grain-free baking powder substitution to make these completely grain free. Kelly (The Spunky Coconut) did a handy post a while back on this topic. Be sure to read the comments in response to her post for readers’ thoughts and ideas on this topic.

Shirley’s Notes: My loaf was only 6 inches in diameter and maybe an inch and a half high. I used one tablespoon plus one teaspoon of water. I’ll use a little more water next time to see if I can get a slightly larger loaf as is shown in Kiva’s photos. I used Honeyville almond flour, olive oil, aluminum-free baking powder, a dash of sea salt, and two eggs. For a baking receptacle, I used a stoneware pie plate that I had simply lined with parchment paper. Next time I plan to use a loaf pan. I’ll either use a small one or double the recipe and use a regular-sized loaf pan as Kiva advises.

Find more recipes like this at http://www.glutenfreeeasily.com

Sunny Seed Paté

It was lovely to gather with you Mamas this weekend!

Here's the sunny seed paté spread some of you asked about. I added tahini, a carrot, and some olive oil. The recipe is from The Avocado Queen.com.

Recipe for Simplicity - Sunflower Seed Pate

BASIC Recipe - Combine the following ingredients in a Food Processor (with the "S" blade):

• 2 cups soaked raw sunflower seeds (ideally soaked for 4-6 hours, but less is okay if there is no time to plan)
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1-2 clove garlic (according to your own taste)
• 2 TB nama shoyu (or substitute gluten-free tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
• 1/2 TB cumin
• dash of cayenne (or more to taste)

Tasty Additions (add some or all of the following):

• 1/2 bunch of fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1/2 small onion (about 1/4 cup)
• 4+ kale leaves
• 1 small carrot
• 1-2 stalks of celery
• 1/2-1 bell pepper
• 1/4 cup raw tahini

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Here it is, the sweet potato recipe I promised a couple of weeks ago!  Thanks for your patience, my dears.

This is adapted from Vegetables Every Day, by Jack Bishop.

3 sweet potatoes
oil of choice
salt
spices (I like cardamom, or cracked black pepper with coriander)

1. Put a large, rimmed cookie sheet in the oven.  Preheat to 425 degrees.
2. Slice the sweet potatoes into 1/2" wedges.  Toss them with oil, good salt, and your seasonings of choice.
3. When the cookie sheet is hot, brush a little additional oil on the pan.
4. Add the sweet potato wedges carefully, in one layer, to the hot pan.  You want them to roast, not steam, so make sure that there is a little bit of space around each wedge. 
5. Bake, without turning or stirring, until bottom of each wedge is well browned.  Turn carefully to avoid smashing the wedges.  Bake until evenly browned and crisp.  Adjust seasonings and dig in!

Hazelnut Cocoa Blueberry Goodness

If the late night sweet tooth comes knocking on your door as frequently as it does on mine, may I suggest this four ingredient bowl of goodness.

Blend roughly equal parts hazelnut butter and raw cocoa powder with a dash of your choice of sweetener. Use a fork and just keep mixing until combined. It will be a thick paste. (Notice I'm not suggesting you serve it to guests. This is a late night kind of thing.) Pour a handful of frozen blueberries in the bowl, wait a few minutes until the blueberries just begin to soften, and enjoy.

So I'm just about to post this and Ryan told me I'm basically making a whole foods Nutella. So go figure.

Ben's Friday Pancakes

Hi Mamas.

These soaked grain pancakes have been a real hit around here lately. I find them divine with a thin spread of hazelnut butter, S prefers his plain, and R has gone the maple syrup route. We also like them with some whole yogurt sweetened with homemade jam or maple.

I'll link to the recipe below. There is an option of soaking in either milk or a yogurt/ water combo. I haven't tried the yogurt. We preferred them when I soaked in almond milk over cow milk.

Also the recipe says to blend until smooth-- don't overdo it. When it pours a bit thick it cooks up into nicely formed cakes and has a slightly chewy texture that hits the spot.

Oh, as for the sugar I used coconut sugar crystals I happened to have picked up. I couldn't promise this is what made them so divine but I couldn't say otherwise...

http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php?video_id=103

Wild Rice

This recipe from The New Laurel's Kitchen (one of my favorite cookbooks) has been a reliably satisfying winter recipe for us for years. There's nothing that makes it exclusively wintery I suppose, but it seems like it's usually cold and wet out when I think of preparing it. It's hearty and filling as is, but it's over-the-top good alongside a hunk of salmon (maybe baked with mayo/ mustard/ dill spread over the top).

Here's the recipe as it reads in Laurel's Kitchen, with notes on my changes.

1 cup wild rice* (I use less wild rice and more brown rice to reduce the cost.)

1/3 c. brown rice*

1 carrot* (I sub or add parsnips.)

1 large stalk celery

6 green onions

1 garlic clove

2 Tbs. oil

5 cups boiling water* (For some reason this is too much and I usually use 2.5 cups. I also forgot to bring it to a boil first last time and it didn't make a difference.)

1 tsp. marjoram

1/4 tsp. thyme

pinch rosemary

1 tsp. salt

dash pepper

1/3 cup toasted almonds

Rinse grain well. Chop carrot and celery in 1/4" cubes. Chop green onions and sauté them with garlic in oil. Crush garlic clove with a fork. Add water and bring to a boil. Stir in the vegetables, rice, herbs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and cook gently for an hour or more, until the rice is tender. Chop the almonds and add them about 20 minutes before serving. Makes about 5 cups.

Loaded Borscht Stew

1 C. beef broth (or water)

2 lbs. stew meat

2 lg. onions, sliced

2 lg. celery stalks, sliced

2 C. sliced carrots

1 head cabbage, sliced

2 C. sliced beets PLUS 1 C. grated beets (divided)

1 T. salt

1 bay leaf

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. sugar (optional but in original recipe)

1/2 pt. sour cream

In a LARGE pot, combine broth, beef, onions, celery, SLICED beets, carrots, cabbage, salt and bay leaf.

Simmer for at least 2 hrs.

Add grated beets, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar.

Simmer 30 min more.

(This next part seemed unnecessary to me, but here's your option:

Cool and refrigerate. Skim fat from soup. Reheat.)

Serve topped with sour cream.

Freezes well, which is good because it makes a lot.

Super delicious, nutritious, power house, eat it up!

Easy Winter Salad-- Dinosaur Kale!

We love this super easy winter salad with avos and Lacinato/ Italian kale (fondly known by our little guy as Dinosaur kale).

- Make dressing from equal parts olive oil, lemon juice, and tamari.

- Pour dressing over kale pieces and thinly sliced red onion and let sit while you prepare the rest of dinner.

- Add chunks of avocado and enjoy.

P.S. Pairs nicely with tomato-lentil soup or roast chicken and a grain.

Roasted Chicken & Butternut Soup

This came to us by way of Leslie's Mama... I haven't tried it yet (and I can't recall if Leslie has or not) but it sounds delicious.

ROASTED CHICKEN AND BUTTERNUT SOUP

4 servings

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 med. butternut squash (2 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded, and diced med.

1 sm. onion, diced

2 T. olive oil

Salt & pepper....

4 C. chicken broth (I used turkey broth made from Holiday turkey)

1/4 t. cumin

1/4 t. coriander

1 T. lemon juice

Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat oven to 425. In roasting pan, toss together chicken, squash, onion and oil.

Season w/ salt and pepper.

Roast for 30 min. or til cooked through.

Put chicken on plate to cool.

Transfer squash and and onion to soup pot. Add broth, cumin, and coriander.

Bring to simmer over med-hi heat.

Mash some vegetables til soup is thick and chunky.

Discard bones and skin from chicken, add meat (cut into sm. chunks) to soup.

Stir in lemon juice and season to taste w/ salt and pepper.

Serve, topped w/ cilantro (if desired).

carrot raisin salad - quick!

Hi ladies,
I had a cup or so of left over grated carrots (making the famous 'Hot Love' habanero hot sauce - yikes!) and i was feeling snack time coming on . . . so, I threw these ingredients together for a fast and nutritious snack. Jayvyn loved it!

grated carrots
handful of raisins
handful of chopped hazelnuts
spritz of lemon juice
light sprinkle of brown sugar (not sure if this is even needed, but ensured he would eat it!)

Hope to see you all soon!
Love, Amy

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September Hummingbird Order

Hey mamas...please write below what you are interested in, order number and quantity please. Thanks!!

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

Here's a good one for any of you with a bucket of black beans!

1 cup dried black beans, cooked and drained

2 Tblsp. mayo

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 Tblsp fresh bread crumbs (I use my little food processor and 1 piece of toast)

1/2 tsp. red pepper sauce

1/2 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper

lettuce

pita

salsa

-In a lg. bowl, using potato masher or fork, mash beans with mayo leaving some lumps. stir in ingredients cilantro thru pepper

-with floured hands shape into patties

-Cook on oiled skillet about 3 min each side

-serve with pitas, lettuce and salsa

Easy Teriyaki Chicken

Hello mamas. I mentioned this teriyaki chicken to some of you today and there were requests for the recipe, so here it is. Totally simple, and nothing new necessarily, but for me it was a good reminder of another way to prepare chicken other than roasting. My boy ate it up!

http://everybodylikessandwiches.com/2010/08/quick-grilled-teriyaki-chicken/

August Hummingbird Orders

Hi all! Post in the comments section below about your plans/thoughts for the August order. Thanks for including specific item info (ex: raw OG whole almonds) and a specific amount for each item (or range of amounts if you're hoping to split something).

Thanks!

What I have been doing with my berries...

Hi Mamas-

I found this recipe online and LOVED it!! Great for using some of my oats, cinnamon and the bounty of berries.....
not too sweet and a delicious breakfast!!!!

raspberry/blackberry oat breakfast bars
(recipe adapted from The Kitchen Sink)
2 c old-fashioned organic rolled oats
2 c whole-wheat organic pastry flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t ground cinnamon
6 T cold unsalted butter
1 c plain organic yogurt
1 T lemon juice
2 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 c white sugar
1 T cornstarch
3 c frozen organic raspberries/blackberries
2 T raspberry jam
2 T organic raw sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter a 9×13″ glass pan and line with 1 piece of parchment paper, allowing the paper to hang over the sides. Butter parchment and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, blend together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the oats & the cinnamon. Chop the butter into small pieces and drop into the flour/oat mixture. Use your hands to blend until the dough resembles small peas.

3. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla together. Pour this mixture into the flour/butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it just comes together.

4. In another bowl, roughly chop up 2 cups of the berries and mix with cornstarch and white sugar. Toss in the remaining berries.

5. Press a bit more than half of the dough into the prepared 9×13″ pan and spread the berry mixture over top. Dollop the raspberry jam over top of the berries and crumble over the remaining dough over top. Sprinkle with raw sugar.

6. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the berries are bubbling and the oats are golden brown. Remove from oven to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Happy July Hummingbird Order

Hello, ladies.

To start my July Hummingbird list:

Filberts in shells (that would be N181, right?). I think they divide up nuts, so I could order as little as 5 lbs (anyone have any idea the volume that would be?) and I'd love to share and get less. Emily, do you know where I can get one of the wooden nut crackers with mallet or did your hubby make that?

More to come...

HUGS