Black Bean Soup…with BACON! And Jalapeño & Cheddar Corn Muffins

 

This is my absolute FAVORITE soup ever.

Ever ever.

I saw it on Dave Lieberman’s Food Network show several years ago…and it is so easy. And back then, easy was how I rolled. It is so darn good, in fact, I make it according to the recipe…exactly. The only thing I have done differently is find the healthiest version of each ingredient. Once you see the players, you will understand the need to seek out quality.

First things first…here is the link to the recipe.

And here is how I make it as chemical free and nutritious as possible.

Since traditional store bought bacon is HORRIBLE for your health, I use bacon that is local and uncured (free of nitrates and preservative). I purchased ours through our CSA, where I know that the animals are happy, and fed the proper diet of non-GMO and organic food.  If you do not have access to local, uncured bacon look for organic bacon in the grocery or health food store.

Here is where you have a couple of choices…you can use canned black beans (cuz they are quick and easy), but make sure that the can is BPA free. I LOVE Eden Organics beans. Or…you could make your own black beans. Which is easy, just time consuming.

The one thing I am bad about is the Worcestershire sauce. I have yet to find an organic Worcestershire sauce. And there is no way I would leave it out. It makes the soup! I did, however, find a fairly simple recipe for homemade…but I have not had the time to try it out. Next time for sure! The other ingredient that is controversial is the ketchup. Organic is very easy to find, but many complain about how processed it is. But again, the ketchup is necessary in this recipe. And…a little ketchup ain’t gonna kill ya

As far as the tomatoes go, we can our own, so I usually opt for a pint of those. But…since our tomatoes were puny this year, and we didn’t get to can very many…I found some diced tomatoes at the store. They are in a BPA free carton. BPA free linings are so important for foods like tomatoes, which are highly acidic, because they leach more BPA from the can.

My final healthifying touch to this soup is frozen homemade chicken stock. DO NOT EVER use a canned broth!!!!! (Unless it is home canned, of course) They are full of sodium, preservatives, BPA and “natural” flavorings. Crap. If you do not make your own stock or broth, replace it with 2 cups of water. You won’t notice the difference. Just add a little extra sea salt and pepper for added seasoning.

I use a full pound of bacon in my soup, not 10 slices. Everything is better with more bacon!

We top ours with sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese, and a little cilantro. I use grass fed versions of both sour cream and cheddar cheese. The Rumiano grass fed organic cheeses are awesome!!

Next up…the corn muffins.

Lily helped with these. Except for chopping the jalapeños…which again burned the living crap out of my hands. I swear my husband grew the hottest peppers on the planet this year. They burned right through my rubber gloves!

Here is my recipes for these yummies…

1 cup organic non-GMO cornmeal

1 cup unbleached flour

1/4 cup organic sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup organic canola or olive oil

1 cup butter milk (or 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar with enough whole milk added to make 1 cup)

1/3 cup diced jalapeño pepper

2-3 ounces shredded cheddar cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a standard size muffin pan with 12 wrappers.

Add the dry ingredients to a medium size bowl, and stir until well combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and buttermilk.

Make a well in the center of the cornmeal mixture, and add the buttermilk mixture.

Fold the wet mixture into the dry, until just incorporated. Some lumps will remain,

Add the jalapeños and cheddar. Fold gently, until evenly distributed.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

This is the perfect meal for a chilly fall day! It would be especially wonderful while parked in front of a football game.

Jessie

Peaches & Cream Oatmeal

When I was a kid, I loved peaches and cream instant oatmeal packets.

I wouldn’t dream of eating them now…since they are full of preservatives, pesticides, artificial colors and flavors…GMOs…

but every now and then I get a craving…

Here is my healthy version of Peaches & Cream Oats. Bonus: This recipe is dairy and gluten free (if you use gf oats).

Peaches & Cream Oats

1/2 cup organic rolled oats

3/4-1 cup water

1/2 cup sliced, ripe peaches (I used thawed frozen peaches)

1/3 cup full fat coconut milk

8 walnut halves, chopped

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

Boil water in a saucepan. Add oat and return to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. This may take more or less time, depending on how much water you are using. Once the oats are cooked, put them in a bowl, stir in peaches, syrup, and nuts. Pour the coconut milk over top…and ENJOY!

Look for the next post in my Real & Clean series later this week!

Jessie

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Whole Wheat Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

The snow and absolute bone chilling cold last week had me going completely nuts! Like climbing the walls, pacing the floors, jumping rope in the house (yep…did it), CRAZY. And what is a fidgety, ball of energy like myself supposed to do when she is cooped up in the house with her two equally hyper children for days on end?

Bake.

It’s kinda my thing.

I can’t explain why…there is just something about creating delicious treats from items pulled from the pantry, freezer, and or fridge, that fulfills my antsy-pants soul.

This is a healthy recipe that you can feel good about tucking in your children’s  lunches…or nibbling on while watching HGTV or Food Network midmorning (my picks…maybe you prefer Maury. Who am I to judge?).

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda'

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup whole milk (room temperature)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil (melted, or in its liquid state)

2 eggs (room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup of fresh (or frozen, thawed) blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl sift together the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl combine the remaining wet ingredients, except blueberries. Whisk together, until everything is well incorporated.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients, and fold gently until just combined.

Add the blueberries and carefully fold them into the batter, trying not to break them.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter into each of 12 lined muffin cups.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Healthier Corn Dog Mini Muffins

 

One of the hardest parts of maintaining a real food lifestyle is the pressure I sometimes feel from my kids to let them eat the same things that their friends are eating. For the most part, they know what is good for their bodies, and why…and often refuse junk food for healthy choices. But every so often they ask me for something I find cringe-worthy.

The other day it was corndogs.

Nasty, processed, full of unsavory crap…corndogs.

As a compromise, I came up with these…

My kids love anything that is in ‘mini’ form, plus they are perfect for small (or big) hands to pick up and dip.

I know some of you are saying, “But they are still processed.”

True.

I used organic grass fed hotdogs, by Applegate. They are minimally processed, made from humanely raised grassfed beef, and contain no preservatives or fillers (if you don’t know what a hotdog filler is…Google it…but make sure you aren’t eating anything at the time). Much better than the alternative. Plus…this is a special treat!

4 organic, all beef hotdogs (Applegate are the best!)

1 cup organic non GMO cornmeal

1 cup unbleached organic all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder (Rumford is my favorite)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup full fat organic grassfed buttermilk (or 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar, with enough grassfed whole milk to make 1 cup…let stand for 10 minutes)

1/4 cup pastured organic butter, melted

2 pastured non GMO eggs (preferably local)

2 tablespoons local honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut each hotdog into 6 equal pieces, so you have a total of 24 hotdog bites, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a smaller bowl (or measuring glass), beat the eggs, milk, honey and butter together.

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry mixture.

With a spatula, carefully mix until all of the ingredients are just combined. A few lumps may remain.

Grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with butter or coconut oil. You may want to flour as well…these are sticky buggers.

Add a rounded tablespoon of corn muffin batter to each muffin cup.

Place 1 hotdog piece in the center of each muffin.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until slightly golden.

Serve immediately with spicy mustard and/or organic ketchup!

Your kids will love you for making these. Mine were so excited to get a “special” supper! They didn’t even mind that I served them with a generous side of raw veggies and hummus   I t

Tomorrow I will be back with a new hummus recipe!

Jessie

Apple Scones with Caramel Frosting

Scones are quickly becoming a favorite in my house. And before last month, I had never even attempted to make them. Shocking!

I think it started with a few trips to the farm market, where there are several scone vendors. At almost 4 bucks a pop, I figured I could makes them myself (and they may even taste better) and get twice the amount of scones for our hard earned buck.

(Printable recipe is at the end of the post.)

Scones are actually surprisingly easy to make! I was sure they would be fussy, and I was going to have difficulty…after all, pie crust is my nemesis…and the ingredients and preparation seemed similar.

BUT…this is nothing like pie crust (PHEW!!!)…

although you do cut the finished product the same way.

I learned a trick from the King Arthur Flour website (which by the way is a valuable resource)…

Freeze the scones for 30 minutes before baking to get the best rise.

Here they are all golden and flaky, fresh from the oven.

What goes better with apples than caramel? NOTHING!

So I altered my favorite caramel frosting recipe a bit…plopped it into a pastry bag, and piped it on top of my warm scones.

YUM.

I think these are my favorite creation so far this fall.

They are tender, have just the right bite of apple, and practically melt in your mouth.

Apple Scones

2 cup unbleached flour (I like King Arthur)

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick of cold butter, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 cup of diced, peeled tart apples (I like Macintosh), tossed with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

3/4 cup full-fat buttermilk (or mix 3/4 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar with 3/4 cup whole milk and let stand for 10 minutes)

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large bowl).

Add chunks of chilled butter.

Turn mixer on medium-low speed, and let mix until coarse crumbs form (some larger chunks can remain). Or use a pastry cutter to accomplish this.

Add the apple/cinnamon/brown sugar mixture, and mix briefly to incorporate apples.

Pour in the buttermilk, and mix on low until dough forms a ball. DO NOT OVERMIX. If more milk is needed, add it a little at a time, until dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a flat circle that is about one inch thick.

Cut dough into eight equal pieces (pizza style) with a sharp knife.

Transfer onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place scones, uncovered, in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Remove scones from the freezer, and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

 

Caramel Frosting

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

a pinch of sea salt

3 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 –  1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, bring butter and brown sugar to a full boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in milk.

Return to heat and bring back to a boil, whisking until smooth.

Remove from heat an add vanilla extract.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

After the caramel mixture has cooled slightly, add one cup of powdered sugar and mix until smooth, adding more powdered sugar, until desired frosting consistency is reached.

I hope you are enjoying fall. I know we have been!

Jessie

Simple Hummus Recipe

I am back where I started, folks!

The other blog never quite felt the same. Weird? I know!

So, to kick it all back off…

Here is a new recipe!!

Hope you are having a happy weekend!

 

Jessie

My Brands

A few of you have been wondering what brands of certain foods we buy, and what qualities we look for in our non fresh foods. There are three main factors that affect whether I purchase a particular food item…is it organic, is it non-GMO, and is it void of any chemical ingredients. I do not necessarily buy all organic, for cost and availability reasons, but I do try to buy things that are not genetically modified. That is extremely important to me. But the MOST important quality I look for in our food…Is it FOOD. Meaning, is it of the earth (food), or created in a lab (scary junk).
I am not perfect, and every one in a while we do eat something that is not so nutritious ( I am a sucker for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and ice cream from the Schwan man)…but I do make sure 95% of what we put in our body is providing energy and promoting health.
Here are a few of our favorites…



Now…in this house we consume A LOT of peanut butter. I have found that Once Again makes a great product. Plus, they are an employee company and named on a bunch of “Best Organic Company” lists.
Coming in a close second is Field Day Organic Smooth Peanut Butter. Field Day is kind of the generic brand at our local Co-op. We buy a ton of products from this company.




Beans, beans, the musical fruit…Haha! Got a little side-tracked;)
Anyway…I LOVE Eden Organic! They make superior quality products, and they are based in Michigan (whoop, whoop!). I am also fond of the fact they use BPA FREE cans.




Some more Field Day Organic…




Spectrum oils and mayo are the best I have tasted. Most of them are either organic, or non-GMO.




As for tuna, we like Natural Sea. It is low in mercury, and the fish are caught sustainably.




Lily and Gabe like to have a little treat in their lunches. Nature’s Path makes great granola bars. They are organic, low in sugar and high in fiber. And they taste de-licious. We also purchase Nature's Path cereals and granolas.









Lastly (and most importantly in this girl's book), baking ingredients. My favorite brands are King Arthur Flours, Bob’s Red Mill grains and mixes, and Florida Crystals sugars.
If you are having trouble finding these products, I have discovered that you can purchase most of these brands online…Amazon and Vita Cost are good sources. Also, Eden Organic ships their products by the caseload (and offer coupons!!).
These products are not inexpensive, but they are superior quality, and I will pay for quality.
I will be posting a continuation of this post this week, including our refrigerated products.
I hope this helps those of you who are struggling in the grocery store aisles.

Jessie