Dairy-Free Saw Mill Gravy!!! Just like Cracker Barrels!!!

1 1/2C Raw Cashews (soaked in warm filtered water overnight)
1/2 to 1lb Ground Breakfast Sausage (depending on your meaty mood)
2C Water

Cook sausage. While sausage cooks, get rid of the water that the cashews were soaking in and put the soaked cashews and 2C of fresh water in the blender and blend for 3-5min to get a creamy consistency. Sump cashew cream into pan with cooked sausage. Stir constantly over medium heat until it browns a little and gets thicks.  Pour small amounts of water if desired to make it less thick and salt/pepper to taste!!

Almond Flour Biscuits

Prep time: 10min
Bake time: 15-20min
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1C Blanched Almond Flour (I use Honeyville)
4 Egg Whites
1/3C Butter
1t Baking Powder
1/2t Salt

Instructions:
In a mixer (or with a fork) combine butter and almond flour until you have little pea-sized bits of butter distributed through the flour.  Add the egg whites, salt and baking powder. Mix to combine. If the batter doesn't seem stiff enough, add more almond flour a little at a time until it does.  Scoop the batter into 4 even portions (I use a 1/4C measurer) and place onto parchment covered baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 15-20min and slightly golden.

Pucker Up Lemon Bars

Prep time: 15min

Cook Time: 20min

Serves 36

Topping

6 Whole Eggs

1/2C Honey

1/2C Coconut Oil

1C Lemon Juice (~8 lemons)

Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Crust

2C Macadamias

1/4C Honey

1/2C Coconut Oil

2 Eggs

Instructions:

Topping:

Whisk your eggs, honey, and lemon juice together in a small sauce pan. Place on your stove over medium/high heat and add coconut oil. Stir until coconut oil melts and then continue stirring until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Once thick, remove from the heat and place in a bowl in your refrigerator to cool.

Crust:

Preheat your oven to 400F. Place your macadamia nuts in a food processor and blend until in small chunks. You want little chunks. In a mixing bowl, combine nuts with the honey, melted coconut oil, and eggs and mix well.

Grease an 8x12 inch baking pan with coconut oil and then spread your nut mixture over the entire pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until your crust is done. It will look golden. Cool your crust completely before applying your topping. Once your crust is cool, spread your lemon topping over your crust, sprinkle as much unsweetened shredded coconut as you want over the topping, and then return to the refrigerator or freezer. Keep it refrigerated or frozen until you serve it and then return the remaining to the fridge/freezer.

Banana Fudgy Muffins

Prep time: 15min

Bake time: 12-15min

Serves 12

Mix in Large Bowl: 

3C Almond Flour 

1/4C Unsweetened Cocoa

1t Baking Soda

1/2t Salt

Mix in Medium Bowl: 

3 Eggs

1T Vanilla

1/4C Coconut Oil 

1/4C Honey

2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas, mashed

Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  If a REALLY fudgy muffin is desired, melt 2oz unsweetened chocolate over the stove and incorporate that into the batter after everything else is mixed up. Then pour into muffin liners in a muffin pan and bake at 350F for 12-15min or until toothpick comes out clean.   

Blackening Seasoning

We use this seasoning on all meats!! Red meat, chicken, pork, fish, you name it!!

Blackening Seasoning Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons ground paprika
4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Tasty and Easy Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

White Balsamic Vinegar

Water

Honey 

Combine equal parts of Olive Oil , White Balsamic Vinegar and Water. Add Honey to sweeten as desired. 

We put this in an old Wishbone Spritzer bottle. Throw out the baaadddddddd Wishbone dressing and pour in the clean good dressing :) 

Seriously THE Best Brownies I've EVER Sunk My Teeth Into - Yep, That's The Name of These!!

Prep time: 15min
Cook time: 20min
Serves: 9

Ingredients:
2oz Unsweetened Chocolate
1/2C Grass-fed Butter
1/2C Honey
1 Egg
1t Vanilla
2T Coconut Flour
1/2t Baking Soda
Dash of Salt
3/4C Chopped Walnuts (You can do this in your food processor)
1/2C Chopped Unsweetened Chocolate (You can do this in your food processor)

Place Unsweetened Chocolate and Butter in sauce pan and melt under low heat.  Once melted, immediately take off the burner and mix in honey with a whisk in the same sauce pan. Then whisk in egg and vanilla.  Mix all dry ingredients (Coconut flour, soda and salt in small bowl) and then incorporate it slowly into chocolatey mix.  Once combined, fold in chopped walnuts and chocolate with a spatula.  Pour into greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350F for 20 min. Do NOT overcook!  They will crumble if you cut them while they are warm. They are best cut when they are cool/cold.  Enjoy!!

Coconut Shrimp and Eggplant/Zucchini Mix

Prep time: 5-10min
Cook time: 10min

Ingredients:
16oz raw, wild shrimp deveined
Coconut Oil
Coconut Flour
Unsweetened Coconut Shreds
*Blackening Seasoning

Instructions:
Place a couple Tablespoons of Coconut Oil in non-stick frying pan and heat. Once hot, throw in defrosted shrimp and coat with oil. Then immediately sprinkle coconut flour and coconut shreds and blackening seasoning to cover shrimp. Let brown til crispy and flip as needed. YUM!

I also cook up some veggies to go along with it. My favorite frozen veggies for a quick meal are Trader Joe's Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini.

Blackening Seasoning Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons ground paprika
4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Peanut Butter Cups

Prep time: 10min

Mix Peanut Butter Mixture in One Bowl:
1/4C Peanut Butter
2T Honey
2T Coconut Oil
1t Vanilla

Mix Cocoa Peanut Butter Mixture in the Other Bowl:
1/4C Peanut Butter
2T Honey
2T Coconut Oil
1t Vanilla
PLUS 1-2T Cocoa or Cacao (depending on how rich you want them!)

Instructions:
Pour in 1T of the Peanut Butter mixture in each mini muffin mold with mini paper cups. Freeze the peanut butter for 10 min. Pull out and put 1T Cocoa Peanut Butter mixture on top, sprinkle with course salt (if desired) and then freeze! Must be stored in the freezer because they will start melting in 20 min outside the freezer.  You can make them and store them for months :)

I also made them in the bottom of a large muffin pan too. They look and taste better than real Reese's, IMO.....

Bread!! Say Whaaa????

So I am experimenting with different types of breads. This is my first one to ever make. I think it turned out pretty good for the first time!!

Prep time: 15min
Cook time: 55min

Ingredients:
1C Almond Butter
4 Large Eggs
2T Honey
1T Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4C Almond Milk
1t Baking Soda
1/2t Sea Salt This is the kind I buy!

- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Line bottom of an 8.5x4.5 loaf pan with parchment and oil sides with coconut oil
- Use hand mixer to beat almond butter and egg yolks
- Add honey, vinegar and almond milk
- Use hand mixer to beat egg whites in separate bowl until peaks form
- Add baking soda and salt to almond butter and mix
-Immediately add beaten egg whites, mix completely and throw in the preheated oven right away or it will not rise properly
- Pour batter in pan and place in oven
- Bake for 55 min or until toothpick comes out clean
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 min then flip onto cooling rack
- Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

 Just another dinner idea! It's hard to live without bread, pasta, cereal, etc. My husband and I did these for dinner the other night and we will be certain to do it again!

Simply grill portobello mushrooms as your bun and enjoy a fantastic burger!! We stacked the burger with uncured bacon, avocado, kosher pickles, mustard and iceberg. Next time, we will put less on the burger as we could barely take bites it was so big! Enjoy! 

Easy and Delish 5 min Chocolate Mousse

Prep time: 5 min
Serves 2-4 depending on your desired serving size

Place all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth:
1 (14oz) can of Full Fat Coconut Milk - I use Trader Joe's Coconut Cream :) This is the kind I buy!
2T Honey
2T Peanut Butter (Or Almond or Cashew Butter)
2T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Raw Cacao This is the kind I buy!
1t Vanilla Extract

Serve immediately or place in refrigerator for soft mousse later or the freezer for a harder, ice cream-like consistency.

*Important note: Upon purchasing coconut milk, do not jostle can. Place it in refrigerator and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. This hardens the cream on top. If you fail to do this, you will have a very runny dessert. It will not be moussey :-/ As a Plan B, just stick it in the freezer to harden and then pull it out 5-10 min before it will be eaten. It will be more of an ice cream consistency.

Almond Flour Pizza Crust

Serves 1-2 (2 small potions or 1 large) 

Prep time: 2 min

Cook time: 15 min

Mix in bowl with fork: 

1C Almond Flour This is the kind I buy!

1T Olive Oil

1 Egg 

1/4t Rosemary 

1/4t Oregano

1/4t Basil

A couple dashes of sea salt

Lightly oil 2 pieces of parchment paper and use rolling pin to roll out dough in between the parchment. The dough is incredibly sticky. Good luck not using parchment.... 

Bake at 350F for 15min. 

You can then add all your toppings and cook at 400F for another 10min. I made two crusts tonight and this is one of my finished products. It was the best/simplest pizza I've ever made. 

Swiss Chard and Tomato Omelet

I'm asked all the time what I typically eat in a day. Eggs are a staple in my diet. I eat 4-5 almost every day. I try to get creative so I don't get tired of eating them. Today, I happen to be at my in-law's farm and they brought in some fresh, home grown Swiss chard and vine-ripened tomatoes. I sautéed the chard and then poured in my whipped eggs and folded into an omelet. 

I am fortunate to be able to eat aged cheese because the lactose is consumed during the aging process. So I put some 12 month aged NY Cheddar in the middle. I sliced up some tomatoes and enjoyed a divine treat!