Chocolate Pudding…With AVOCADOS!

 

The first time I heard a rumor about this delicious chocolate pudding with avocado as the main ingredient, I was a little skeptical. But being the adventurous (read: not so much) girl I am, I decided to give it a go.

The first few recipes I tried where meh…not horrible, but definitely not great. So, because I knew this had the potential to be awesome, I decided to make my own version.

This is how I took it from subpar to sublime…

 

 

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

• 4 ripe organic avocados, pitted and peeled
• 1/2 cup 100% cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 2 Tbsp organic virgin coconut oil
• 1/3 cup whole milk  (unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk can be substituted)
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

 

 

Combine all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process for 1-2 minutes, until thick and creamy.

This serves between 4 and 8. I find that a little goes a long way with this rich dessert.

 

 

Serve immediately…or chill for later.

 

 

I like to sprinkle a little coconut over the top…

 

 

Perfection.

Are you an adventurous cook? Or do you stick with what you know will work?

Jessie

Eggplant Rollatini

 

Last summer we grew eggplant in our garden for the first time, because Gabe was OBSESSED with the movie Ratatouille, and he wanted me to make some real ratatouille for him. It was Eric’s brilliant idea to buy a package of eggplant seeds for him, so he could feel connected to our family garden, and get the payoff of his ratatouille. With Gabe’s autism it is sometimes had for us to to get him involved with family activities.

Well…at the end of the summer, after Gabe had “tended” his plants, I searched Pinterest for a rockin’ ratatouille recipe.

Guess what?

Ratatouille is not a very kid appealing meal.

So…what to do with DOZENS of eggplant?

Find the gooiest, cheesiest eggplant recipe around…

Eggplant Rollatini!

This recipe was originally from Real Simple…but I tweaked er a bit…okay…quite a bit. And it is completely AMAZING!

Eggplant Rollatini

• 2 large eggplant (16-1/4 inch slices)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups marinara sauce
• 2 cups fresh ricotta (recipe HERE), or 15oz. store bought
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups freshly grated mozzarella (12 oz.)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated pepper
• Additional salt and pepper for roasting the eggplant

 

 

First, I enlist the help of my cute (and often silly) sous chef.

Then…

I like to make my own marinara sauce. You can certainly buy it…but where would the fun be in that?

Marinara Sauce

• 1 Quart (28 oz can) crushed tomatoes
• 1-6oz. jar of tomato paste
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)
• 1 tablespoon high quality olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (crushed)
• Sea salt to taste

 

 

First, sauté the onions and garlic in one tablespoon of olive oil, over medium-low heat. I like my cast iron skillet for this…but any deep skillet will work.

After about 5 minutes, add the remaining ingredients and stir until well incorporated.

 

 

Bring to a low boil, and simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes…

 

 

stirring occasionally.

Now…let’s get down to business.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry the eggplant thoroughly, and cut the top off of each eggplant.

Cut the eggplant lengthwise, into 1/4 inch slices.

 

 

I use my mandolin for this. If you do not have a mandolin, that’s fine…I sliced my eggplant with a knife the first time I made this recipe. But it will make your life a whole lot easier. We purchased ours at Bed Bath and Beyond (I explain why in this post) for under $30.

 

 

Yep..that’s my stud…slicing eggplant like a boss  

 

Discard (preferably compost) the end pieces, as they will not be big enough to use. You will need a total of 16 slices of eggplant.

 

 

Brush the front and back of each slice with the olive oil, and place on two separate cookie sheets.

 

 

Sprinkle eggplant with salt and pepper.

 

 

Roast for about 10 minutes, until the eggplant turns golden, and is soft and pliable.

Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees.

Let eggplant cool, and start the cheese mixture.

 

 

Combine ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1/4 cup, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are fully incorporated.

 

 

Or…your adorable assistant can use her hands (CLEAN hands, of course) to blend it all together.

 

 

Spread 1 cup of marinara into the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Now…start rolling the rollatini…

 

 

Place about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture at the bottom of each slice of eggplant…

 

 

roll…

 

 

and place on top of the marinara.

 

 

Cover the eggplant with the remaining 2 cups of marinara.

 

 

Sprinkle with 2 cups of mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan.

Bake, uncovered,  for 25-30 minutes…until golden and bubbly.

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous…

 

 

and delicious!

Perfect for a Sunday dinner.

Have you ever cooked with eggplant? What is your favorite eggplant recipe?

Jessie

Cinnamon Honey Butter

 

This week has flown by! Probably because I have been cooking, cleaning and baking nonstop. It is like I have to make up for a whole summer in one week! Serious Road Runner syndrome going on here. Plus…I have a teensy tiny bit of ADD…which makes it quite humorous to watch me try and balance all of my chores. My sweet husband sometime (quite frequently) has to unravel my messes for me It is a good thing I married such an organized (OCD) feller…who accepts me…flaws and all.

On to the recipe I have been promising my Facebook world. Cinnamon Honey Butter.

The idea came to me as I was baking my Pumpkin Spice Bagels. I had no cream cheese in the house, and considered just slathering them with butter and a cinnamon sugar mixture…but then I remembered that my grandma had made a cinnamon honey butter to go on our rolls at Thanksgiving a few years ago. It was delicious! So, I threw some ingredients in a bowl, until it tasted right. And…viola!

All you need is butter, honey (I like raw, local), cinnamon, and a hand mixer.

Mix 1/4 cup (1 stick) of softened organic butter (I LOVE Organic Valley), 2 tablespoons of honey, and 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a medium size bowl, until smooth and all of the ingredients are fully incorporated,

I decided to place mine in a silicone mold. I think my kiddos picked this one up for me while on a trip to Walmart with grandma last fall. Or…you could just scoop it into a small, decorative bowl.

If you are going to mold your butter, press it into the mold with a spatula,making sure to get the butter into all of the nooks and crannies. I leveled mine off, and then put plastic wrap over top, and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

When the butter had solidified, I simply popped it out of the mold and onto a serving plate.

We LOVED this on our bagels. After I baked up a second batch of Pumpkin Spice Bagels, my kids actually preferred this to the cream cheese I had purchased.

Here is a link to my Pumpkin Spice Bagel recipe, if you haven’t already seen it.

I hope you are all having a lovely FALL week!

Jessie

Pumpkin Spice Bagels

 

While doing a Pinterest search for anything “Pumpkin Spice”, I came across several recipes for Pumpkin Spice Bagels. It turns out, bagels are actually quite simple to make from scratch! Who knew? Plus…they are free of all of the trans fats and chemicals that are lurking in the store-bought versions.

Last week I decided to give them a try…and boy am I glad I did! These hands-down beat any bagels I have ever eaten. This weekend I made (and we ate) two batches!

I played around with a few different recipes, adjusted ingredients to suit our tastes, and came up with a winner!

What you will need to create a batch of your own:

• 3 1/4 cups of bread flour (I LOVE King Arthur)
• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (I use organic)
• 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• a pinch of either cloves or allspice, your preference
• 3/4 plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees)
• OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup sugar (for boiling)…this ingredient does not go into the bagel dough!

Equipment and utensils:

• Stand mixer with dough hook attachment (helpful, but not necessary)
• 1 large, oiled bowl
• A sharp knife
• 1-8 quart stock pot
• 1 large baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Slotted spoon

Optional: (for topping bagels)

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The first step is to place all of the dough ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl, if you are kneading by hand)…flour, yeast, sugar, pumpkin, spices and water.

Attach the dough hook to your mixer, and mix for 9 minutes on the lowest setting. The dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl after 3 or 4 minutes. It should form a smooth ball, as illustrated in the picture above. If your dough is super sticky, add a little more flour.

If you are kneading by hand (which I have not tried), knead for at least 8 minutes, until dough is tacky, but not sticky. Adding flour as needed.

Once your dough has finished kneading, place in an oiled bowl (I used coconut oil), and cover with plastic wrap. Put in a warm place to rise for one hour. I always place my bread dough in the middle of my stovetop and turn my oven on 350 degrees. The heat from the oven helps the dough to rise, especially in the fall and winter months when your kitchen may not be the warmest.

 

While the dough is rising, cut parchment paper to fit the cookie sheet.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it to release the air.

Form dough into a ball, and place on a lightly floured surface.

Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 8 equal pieces.

To form bagels, start rolling each piece into a ball.

Poke your thumb thorough the middle of each ball to create a hole, and use your fingers to gently widen the hole. I found that twirling each bagel on my index finger (see picture above) helped. I might have had a bit too much fun doing this  

Place the prepared bagels on a the parchment covered baking sheet.

Cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for an additional 20 minutes.

While the bagels are rising, fill a stock pot with water (about 3-4 inches from the top), and bring to a full, rolling boil.

If you plan on topping some, or all, of your bagels with cinnamon and sugar, prepare that mixture.

Once the bagels have risen, gently set them one at a time, in batches of 2 or 3, into the boiling water. After 45 seconds, use a slotted spoon to turn bagels over and boil on the opposite side for an additional 45 seconds. With your slotted spoon, promptly remove bagels, one at a time, and place them back on the parchment covered baking sheet. Continue with the next batch of 2 or 3 bagels, until finished. (Illustrated below.)

Note: If you want a nice shine to your finished bagels, you can add 1/4 cup of sugar to the boiling water before you start dropping them in.

Once the bagels are boiled, you can add the cinnamon sugar mixture if you like. I did half and half.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-23 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before digging in!

These are supper yummy fresh from the oven. But…they were still mighty tasty the next day. Just wait for them to cool completely, and place in an airtight container for up to 3 days (or at least I assume 3 days is a reasonable amount of time…mine did nit last past 24 hours).

I will be back later in the week to share my recipe for Cinnamon Honey Butter. Which put these babies right over the edge of deliciousness!!

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