I cannot wait to share this with you! I made this a week ago and I don’t know why I waited this long to share it! I think it’s because I didn’t get around to taking pictures that day, and by the time I wanted to..it was all eaten! My mom and sister LOVE vanilla and honey, so this quickly turned into their favorite. We use it in everything we would put honey it, It is that good!! Enjoy 🙂
Cut open 1 vanilla bean. You will have to push firm to open the skin, but not too firm that you cut the whole thing in half!
Peel away the sides of the vanilla bean with your knife and fingers.
Scrape out the vanilla bean seeds with your knife. Don’t worry if you can’t get all of them out, because you are putting the whole pod in the honey jar anyways.
Set your scraped vanilla pod seeds off to the side. I got about 1/2 a tsp out of 1 plump vanilla bean.
Chop or cut (with kitchen scissors) your hollowed vanilla bean into thirds.
Drop your hollowed chopped vanilla pods into your honey jar. I used and old (pint size) honey jar for this recipe.
Pour 2 cups of honey into your honey jar.
Carefully drop your pile of vanilla bean seeds into your jar filled with honey.
Stir, stir, stir. I stir my honey and vanilla with a kabob stick. I use an up and down motion because the seeds like to float to the top.
To get maximum flavor, infuse your honey in the sunlight for 1-2 weeks. After 1 week, the flavor and scent will be much stronger. When the vanilla flavor is strong enough for your taste, put it back where you usually keep the honey. It will keep just as long as a jar of regular honey will.
*Before using, stir because the vanilla pod seeds tend to migrate towards the top.
Use vanilla honey in anything you would normally use honey and vanilla in. Get creative! We put ours in raw milk kefir, coconut butter, coconut milk ice-cream, pancakes, and tea lattes!
This subtly sweet cherry clafoutis is a perfect breakfast dish with hints of maple syrup and buttermilk laced throughout the batter and beautiful sweet black cherries adding a burst of sweetness and beautiful coloring along the top of the clafoutis. This dish will please even the littlest members of your family.
Mix the flour and buttermilk in a small bowl. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place over night.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Mix the eggs, maple syrup, milk, applesauce, vanilla and sea salt in a small bowl.
Slowly incorporate the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into a greased pie pan or medium cast iron skillet.
Arrange and place the cherries in the batter. Press down gently to make sure the cherries are fully incorporated into the clafoutis.
Bake the clafoutis for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and separating from the edge of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the clafoutis.
One of my favorite snacks is raw yogurt cheese, flavored in a variety of ways. I made this one today, and it tastes like apple pie in a bowl! Chock full of probiotics and enzymes from the raw yogurt and raw honey, your body will love it as well as your taste buds! Serve with crackers for a classic apple pie flavor, or fruit for a grain-free option.
Saute peeled and chopped apple in butter until soft and fragrant, adding a splash or two of water if it gets too dry. Let cool to room temperature. Mix together yogurt cheese, honey, and spices, and then stir in apples. Serve with fruit or graham crackers, or eat with a spoon!
If you can, it is good to refrigerate this for several hours to let the flavors meld. This also makes a great packed lunch!
These authentic Carribean treats are not as sweet as you might think. Many recipes call for the addition of sweeteners, but they are really quite delicious on their own. They are only slightly sweet, with a tang. We loved them. Be sure to use super ripe plantains that are covered in brown spots, but not black.
Cut the ends off of the plantains and make a slit down the length of the skin . Peel off the skin and discard. Slice the plantains into 1/3-inch thick diagonal slices.
Place the coconut oil or ghee into a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once oil is hot, carefully put plantain slices into the skillet.
Cook the plaintains slowly until caramelized on that side, about 7 minutes. Then flip over to caramelize the other side for another 7 minutes or so.
Drain on a cloth or tea towel.
Season with salt to taste and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
These gluten-free, paleo, GAPS-friendly parsnip morsels are called Savory Cakes at our house. They can be served as breakfast, lunch, a hearty snack, or a light dinner.
**If your parsnips are raw, bake in 400º oven for 20 minutes, allow to cool slightly, then proceed with recipe.**
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until it’s doughy. You might need to turn it off and push the spinach leaves down towards the blades, then turn it back on to get it all to incorporate. Use your hands to form balls and flatten into cakes, about 1/3 inch thick.
Melt fat of choice in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Cook cakes about 3 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy. Serve warm with butter, a dollop of creme fråiche, or simply salt & pepper as garnishes.
These battered apple rings are sweet and warm. A perfect way to treat your family on the weekends or guests at a brunch. Easy to make and creates a fabulous presentation.
NOTE: I core and slice the apples one at a time as I am frying each batch, this keeps the browning to a minimum.
Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet on medium-low heat. Brush on a thin layer of coconut oil or ghee. You will likely only have to do this the one time if your skillet is seasoned well. Otherwise repeat the brushing of oil between batches as necessary.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs until pale. Add melted butter (be careful that it’s no longer hot or you’ll have scrambled eggs!), honey, sifted coconut flour (this is important so there are no lumps), cinnamon and sea salt. Finally stir in enough cream or milk to create a batter that is about the consistency or heavy cream.
Drop the slices of apple into the batter and turn them over so they are lightly coated in the batter. Lift each ring and give a little shake to get off excess batter. Place in the skillet and fry for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and the apple is soft. If your batter is getting done too fast and your apples are still crunchy, reduce the heat and fry a minute or so longer.
Repeat with remaining apples until complete. Keep finished rings warm in the oven.
To serve, top with homemade cultured mascarpone cheese and sprinkle with a little more cinnamon.
NOTE: This recipe can be made dairy-free by using coconut oil in place of butter and coconut milk in place of the milk. Topping can be omitted.
A quick, nourishing, desert or side dish. These are wonderful served alone or as a topping for vanilla ice cream, or served with a drizzle of heavy cream.
In a cast iron skillet, melt 3 Tablespoons butter on medium/low heat.
While it is melting, core and slice the apples without peeling them. You can make them as thin or thick as you like, but of course, the thicker pieces will take longer to cook.
Saute the sliced apples in the melted butter until they begin to soften. Stir frequently as they cook.
Sprinkle on 2 Tablespoons of Sucanat, the cinnamon, and continue to cook and stir until they are becoming a little caramelized.
You may increase or decrease the amount of Sucanat and cinnamon to suite your taste. You can also add more butter if you wish.
My kids had no idea it wasn’t regular cookie dough and thought I was treating them. I am sure that if I bring this to a party and set it down on the table, no one would be the wiser and everyone would be begging for the recipe. Hehe. Bet you’ll never guess the secret ingredient.
I adapted this recipe from one I saw on Chocolate Covered Katie.
Prepare the Chickpeas and Dates
Skip this step for chickpeas if you’re using canned chickpeas or already have some cooked. But still do the date part.
Place dried chickpeas in a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for at least 12 hours, preferably 24.
Also place dates in a bowl and cover with 1/2 cup warm water. Do not drain. Soaking water is used in the recipe.
After soaking is done, drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until tender, about 2-3 hours.
Drain and allow to cool.
Prepare the Dip
Put all ingredients, including soaking water from the dates but excluding the chocolate chips, into a food processor or blender and blend until very smooth. Start with the smallest amount of cream and add more to reach desired thickness. Stir in chocolate chips.
Chill in the refrigerator for an hour before eating to let the flavors meld. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Serve with fruit slices, spread on pancakes, top waffles, use as a filling in crepes or eat by the spoonful.
* I like adding egg yolk for extra vitamins, but it isn’t necessary. I don’t recommend adding it if you plan on leaving the dip out at a party. In that case use chia seeds or flax meal for extra vitamins. Any of them can be omitted though.
Healthy Grain Free granola that’s crunchy and nutty with just the right sweetness and good ol’ coconut oil for some healthy fats.
Put all in a blender or food processor and blend until just fine chunks.
You can eat this raw at this point or you can put it on a cookie sheet spread into a bar about 1/2 inch thick.
Bake at 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden.
Allow to cool and then crumble.
Serve warm over fruit or serve raw with fruit.
You can store in the fridge or freezer for later use.
Great with yogurt and plain as well.
You can add all sorts of grains and dried fruits as desired.
This is a great way to rescue a runny batch of homemade yogurt! It’s thick and smooth, and lightly sweetened. I love this, especially since I’ve never seen full-fat lemon yogurt in the store (which would be loaded with sugar anyways).
Place lemon juice in a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over. Heat to boiling, letting the gelatin dissolve. Remove from heat and stir in honey, stevia, and natural food coloring if desired. Stir in yogurt and mix thoroughly until creamy and smooth. Pour into 2 quart jars, cover tightly and refrigerate until set. Enjoy with fresh berries, or I think it would make a great dessert with some whipped cream!
This method makes the softest, most delicious stewed prunes with no actual cooking time.
Fill a mason jar 3/4 full of prunes/dried plums
Fill the jar with boiling water, put on a lid and let it sit in the refrigerator for a 3 days or more.
If you let them sit for at least a week, the resulting liquid is thicker, and the prunes are smoother.
Incidentally, this method will also work for other dried fruits, such as apricots, peaches and figs.
Here is a delicious recipe you can quickly prepare, throw in the crock pot, and forget about it for a few hours as it cooks. Our kids can barely wait for it to cool off before demolishing a whole batch.
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and stir. All spices are optional. Pick and choose; use all, some, or none. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the apples are puffy-looking with small splits.
Use potato masher to get the applesauce to the consistency you’d like it (it took us about 5 seconds, the apples fall right apart). Store in glass mason jars and keep in the fridge, or maybe even put some away in the freezer if you don’t think you’ll mow through it in two days like we did. It will keep for about 10 days in the fridge.