REAL food recipes
In an effort to make pesto but save money, my husband and I created this delightful pesto. No need to buy expensive pine nuts and you don’t even need basil! The beauty of pesto is you can change the amount of each ingredient easily to fit your taste. We use this pesto as a sauce on our homemade pizza.
Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until fully combined.
My dad makes THE best barbecue sauce that is both tangy and spicy. He always gets rave reviews every time he serves it (which is pretty much whenever anyone eats dinner at their house). After several failed attempts to make my own barbecue sauce by mixing up various spices and sauces in the kitchen, I recently asked him for the recipe so that I could have my own stash of the stuff.
Of course, I decided to “real-foodify” (yes, I did just make up a word) it. Over brewed, or surplus kombucha adds the perfect tangy flavor in barbecue sauces. Yes, the good bacteria perish when they are cooked, but the flavor remains. Plus, you can always serve the meat with extra barbecue sauce that hasn’t been cooked, thereby serving up some probiotic goodness unbeknownst to your guests.
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined. Taste and add additional seasonings as required for your taste.
Pour into a 1/2 gallon mason jar. Cover and allow to sit out at room temperature for about 12 hours to allow the good bacteria to multiply. (You can skip this step and use it right away, but it definitely increases flavors.)
Divide and pour into smaller jars and store in the refrigerator.
Baste on your favorite meats before barbecuing and during. Serve more to dip on the side!
This will keep for up to a year in the refrigerator and the flavors only develop more and improve with age.
**If you don’t particularly enjoy spicy barbecue sauce, start with 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and increase to taste.
Click the below banner to learn how you can start brewing kombucha at home or to order kombucha supplies!
This is a quick and easy breakfast to put together in the morning or even better made the night before and then finished in the morning. I make the gravy the night before along with starting some soaked biscuits then just have to reheat the gravy and finish the biscuits in the morning. To make this classic staple just make gluten free biscuits along with the gluten free version of the gravy.
To begin brown your sausage over medium heat in a large skillet breaking it apart it to small pieces.
Once the meat is brown, sprinkle the flour over the meat and drippings and then mix it in so that the flour absorb all the drippings (*Skip this step if you are making it gluten free*). Cook for 2-3 minutes to help get rid of of the flour taste.
Add the milk and cook over medium stirring frequently until it boils. Boil until thick. If you are going to reheat it you may want to leave it a little thinner than you would like as when you reheat it it will thicken even more.
Add salt and pepper to taste and you are done.
You can either serve right away or let it cool and then refrigerate.
Serve over your choice of fresh from the oven biscuits.
*To make this gluten free: after the meat is browned add the milk and bring to a boil. In a small bowl mix together 2-3 T of Tapioca or Arrowroot Starch with and equal amount of water. Mix this together well and when the milk boils slowly pour the starch slurry into the milk and stir until thick. Don’t add it all at once as you may not need it all.
Seriously. Why didn’t I think of this before? No slowly dripping oil in, only to not have it emulsify. This gives you mayo with a great consistency. If you are using your own pastured eggs, leave it on the counter. Refrigerating makes it firm. If you refrigerate, leave it out on your counter 15 minutes before mixing into anything so it has time to soften.
Food process until well blended.
A delightful and simple-to-make sauce that is wonderful with stir-fry, over fish or other seafood.
In a small saucepan, combine the ketchup, soy sauce (tamari) and Sucanat.
Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
Add the minced garlic and boil, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Remove from heat.
A bold, yet sweet BBQ sauce. Want to burn? Add more Chili Powder and Mustard. To lessen the heat, decrease.
In a medium pan, heat coconut oil and sauté onions 10 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté another minute.
Add all other ingredients and simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Use a Hand Blender to blend ingredients while in the pot.
Move over peanut butter! Coconut butter is simple to make and is rich and creamy. Sure, you could buy it, but it’s a lot more expensive that way. You can use coconut butter as a substitute for just about any recipe calling for a nut butter and it can also be used as a dairy-free substitute for butter in baking. We like it as a dip for fruit or spread on bread with some preserves. Can you say CBJ sandwich?! Mmmm. Be careful this stuff is addicting when eating it by the spoonful.
Place shredded coconut in a food processor and blend. While it is going, add in the coconut oil. Blend until the shreds begin to stick together.
Scrape down the sides and blend for five more minutes.
Scrape down sides again and blend until creamy and liquidy. About 15 minutes total blending time.
Pour into a clean mason jar and store at room temperature. Like coconut oil, coconut butter will harden at temperatures below 76 degrees. Gently warm to use.
*Depending on what brand of coconut you use you may need a tiny bit more coconut oil. Some coconut is processed a little differently and is left with less oil in it and therefore drier.
Recipe was shared on Homemaking Link-Up
Buying enchilada sauce has been one of the last store-bought sauces found in our pantry, and I just couldn’t bear buying another jar. This recipe is quick, rich, and freezes really well. I’m freezing mine in pint-sized mason jars; the perfect amount for a pan o’ enchiladas (a very good freezer meal) and there may be some some to spare to make dressing for a tasty enchilada salad.
In a large pot, heat fat of choice over medium-high heat until melted. Meanwhile, whisk arrowroot powder in water until smooth. Add to fat. Add chili powder & stir for about half a minute. The arrowroot will get really gelatinous. Don’t let it scare you.
Whisk in all remaining ingredients except the salt in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in salt. Pour in prepared 1/2-pint or 1-pint mason jars & allow to cool. Fasten the lids and freeze until you’re ready to use.
If you buy MagicShell in the store, it’s full of junk. Making your own, at home, is so easy and tastes better than the store-bought stuff. Plus, it’s a great way to get more coconut oil into your diet.
In a double boiler (or sauce pan over low heat), melt all of the ingredients together and whisk until combined. Serve over your favorite ice cream.
The arrowroot gives this soup a great consistency…like what you would expect from a can. Super easy, too!
Melt butter, then stir in arrowroot and seasonings, stirring until bubbly. Slowly add milk and broth, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and use in recipes.
*Editor’s Note: This is a basic cream of chicken soup recipe. You can add other things like cheese, mushrooms or celery to create other “cream of” soup bases.
I love enchiladas. They are probably one of my favorite foods. I never realized how easy it was to make your own sauce at home, where you control the quality of the ingredients. You’ll never have to buy the canned stuff again!
Combine all ingredients, except vinegar, in an large soup pot. Enameled cast iron works well to keep the acid in the tomato from leaching a metallic flavor from the pot. Stir everything together and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and continue to cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and you’re ready to serve!
The sauce freezes very well. You can double, triple, or more the recipe and freeze. Make sure you leave enough room for it to expand as it freezes.
This delicious sauce is a great change up to your pasta dinner. Serve it with your favorite type of sprouted pasta.
In a skillet heat Olive Oil.
Saute onion, garlic until tender (1-2 minute)
Add Red Pepper, Oregano, Basil continue to saute.
Add Tomatoes cook to a low boil.
Add vodka (turn burner to low), cook to remove alcohol (2-3 minutes).
Add Cream, bring to simmer.
Serve with your favorite pasta.
