These pickles are basically instant - just boil the vinegar mixture, douse the cucumbers, and cool it off in the fridge. Super easy and super delicious.
Add the vinegar, honey, water, sea salt and mustard to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
While waiting for the pot to boil, slice the cucumbers and pack tightly into two quart jars (if using dill or garlic, put in jar prior to packing in the cucumbers).
When the honey has dissolved in the boiling mixture, pour over the cucumbers until the jars are full.
Refrigerate until cool.
I’m always trying to think of ways to make food more healthy, but still get our girls to want to eat it. I came up with this idea a few days ago when I found some nice strawberries at the store on sale. No refined sugars are used to make these and you would never know it. These dips would be great to serve at a party. You could also cut the recipe in half or just make one flavor as each individual recipe makes about 2 3/4 cups of dip.
For the whipped cream:
Whip all ingredients together until stiff peaks form.
For the dips:
In a mixing bowl, mix together all of the ingredients (except for the whipped cream) on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Then mix high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
Fold in whipped cream by hand using a spatula.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Serve with cut up apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, kiwi, etc.
Jalapeno peppers are delicious and nutritious, as they are high in Vitamin A, C, and folate. They are very easy to grow, but not everyone can just eat them fresh out of hand. Adding the cream cheese nicely balances out the heat of the peppers and adds the needed fat to absorb the fat soluble vitamins! Quick and easy to prepare. Great for a buffet or summer picnic.
Cut off the stem ends of the Jalepenos and, under running cold water, scoop out the seeds and membranes from the inside.
Fill each half pepper with cream cheese.
Serve cold.
Seriously, a nearly perfect real food on-the-go snack. The chickpeas (or garbonzo beans, if you will) are crispy like nuts, salty and have a tasty seasoning. The texture reminds me of Corn-Nuts, but they are so much healthier! These roasted chickpeas are a favorite with kids and so many different flavors can be made.
Rinse chickpeas well and place in a large bowl. Cover with at least 2 inches over the top of very warm water. Add 3-4 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or whey. cover and allow to soak in a warm place for 12-24 hours. 24 hours is best.
Drain and rinse chickpeas thoroughly. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until done, about 1-3 hours. If desired you may want to remove the outer skins: Drain cooked chickpeas and fill the pot with cool water. Grab handfuls of chickpeas with your hands and rub them together between your palms. Do this several times, skimming off the skins as they rise to the surface. Then drain the chickpeas in a colander. This is an optional step.
Place chickpeas on a stainless steel baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. Drizzle on olive oil and seasonings.
Roast chickpeas in the oven at 350 for about 40 minutes. Watch to be sure they don’t burn. I shake the pan several times during cooking.
Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.
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!
If you like Kettle Corn like I do but don’t want it made with nasty rancid oils and white sugar this is the way to go. Quick easy and oh so good! Great for a snack or a night of popcorn and a movie. Also great for kids lunches.
Put coconut oil and popcorn in a large heavy bottom pot. Turn heat on Medium/High.
When the popcorn just barely starts to pop put in the Sucanat. Shake pot constantly while it finishes popping so the Sucanat won’t burn.
Put in bowl and add salt to taste if desired.
Enjoy!
This easy recipe for liver pate’ will be a big hit with your family and guests! It is delicious. Another easy way to eat nourishing liver.
In a cast iron skillet, cook the bacon over medium/low heat, stirring constantly until it is slightly brown.
Add the onion and garlic and turn the heat to low. Stir and cook until the onion begins to brown.
Add the butter to the pan.
Cut the liver into approximately 1-inch square pieces. Add them to the pan and continue to cook, stirring often, until the liver is browned but still a little pink on the inside.
Salt and pepper generously.
Turn the mixture into a food processor with a metal blade. Add the parsley leaves.
Pulse 3 or 4 times until a roughly textured paste is formed.
Line a small bowl (a 2 cup bowl works well) with parchment paper. (You could also just grease the dish)
Press the pate’ into the bowl and smooth the top. Cover.
Refrigerate until the pate’ is thoroughly chilled.
Turn out onto a serving plate and garnish with fresh parsley leaves, if you like.
Serve with sprouted crackers, sourdough toast points, or raw vegetables.
I wanted to create some special treats for my children that didn’t include a ton of sugar, but were still tasty and nutritious. These citrus cardamom candied almonds are crunchy, sweet and fragrant. A perfect inclusion in lunches or for a party snack.
Whisk egg whites until very frothy. Add in sweetener, ground cardamom, extract and salt. Beat until well combined.
Stir in almonds until coated.
Pour onto 2 parchment lined baking sheets or dehydrator trays.
Dry out in a cool oven set at 150 degrees (or it’s lowest setting with a rolled up tea towel to prop the door open) or a food dehydrator at 150 degrees for four or more hours or until most of the coating is stuck to the nuts. Coating will still be *slightly* sticky when “done,” but will continue to harden after nuts cool. Stir every half an hour until the coating is well stuck to the nuts, then you can stop stirring and just allow the coating to harden. Be careful not to over dry.
Allow to cool completely and store in a mason jar in the refrigerator for a week.
If you would like the nuts to keep longer as in gift giving. Bake at 200 in the oven stirring every 15 minutes for about 1.5-2 hours. This will cook the egg white completely so they may be stored at room temperature, but it will also cook the nuts and they will lose their raw qualities.
*If you use sucanat as opposed to syrup or honey, your mixture will harden quicker and be done sooner. It also will appear less sticky and shiny.
This is a great Paleo snack recipe for gluten-free almond crackers. Only 4 ingredients! This is a really great use for almond pulp leftover from making almond milk.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
Roll dough into a ball, press between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to ¼ inch thickness
Remove top piece of parchment paper
Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter
Bake at the lowest setting for around 20 hours, or until crunchy
Let crackers come to room temperature on baking sheet, then serve
This crunchy-delight is a staple in our house. If you’ve got a hankering for salt (or you’re trying to wean yourself from potato chips), try giving this nutritious snack a try! Warning: they can be addictive.
Tear kale into desired size pieces (3-4″ in size; larger is better), removing the thick and crunchy stem.
Place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss with salt.
Place on a SINGLE LAYER onto a cookie tray (no need to grease).
Bake 350* for 10-15 minutes until desired crispness is reached. Cool. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Makes a perfect snack for a packed lunch!
Looking for a way to sneak in more veggies into your kids’ meals? Consider adding raw zucchini into your tahini dip, and then serve with other fresh vegetables like carrots and celery sticks. A super delicious excuse to eat a healthy snack!
Chop zucchini: Wash and chop zucchini.
Blend: Measure all the other ingredients, and blend in a food processor or blender. If too watery, add more tahini paste, and if too thick, add more water - until a good consistency is reached. Do a taste test to determine if you need to add a little bit extra of any spice or seasoning.
Serve: Place in fridge until ready to serve. Serve with other raw vegetables like organic carrots and celery sticks, or with some sprouted bread or homemade crackers.
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.