Real Food Advent Calendar: December 2 - Strengthen Me With Raisins

Fun fact: it was recently determined by researchers in a study that raisins are a better workout recovery tool than sports gel. Can you imagine that? After a hard workout, a whole, natural source of carbohydrates does a better job at replenishing the body and muscles than artificially colored and flavored high glycemic index sports recovery gel. It's almost like we were meant to eat the raisins instead after taxing our bodies... In fact, the Song of Solomon indicates as much.

We don't consume tons of raisins at our house, but I think that they are perfectly fine, particularly for active and growing bodies. They work well for us as an on-the-go emergency snack option, usually when combined with nuts trail mix style. However, raisins are just rare enough to still constitute a treat for my girls, so in this case their advent treat for the day is a minimix of sliced almonds and raisins.

And as for the almonds? Israel sent them with his sons back to Egypt as a peace offering to the his son (then-covert) Joseph - a gustatory olive branch. (I don't know about you, but I'm definitely a sucker for nuts as a hostess gift. That Israel knew what he was doing!)

So the treat comes with the undertones of strength (for the raisins) and peace (for the almonds). I can't think of two more apt qualities that arise from those who tell their testimonies about how Christ has changed their lives - the same Christ who said, "I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Commemorating that verse is a fun little battery powered tealight - which can be found at dollar stores (mine sold them in three packs for a buck) or bought in bulk online.

Grain Free Gluten Free Almond Coconut Macaroons

These are a new family favorite, adapted from the Coconut Macaroons on the Tropical Traditions website. I love that they're rich without being cloyingly sweet.

Almond Coconut Macaroons
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients
2 tbsp. honey
4 tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup Let's Do Organic Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1 cup Sliced Almonds
1 Madagascar vanilla bean (this is an optional but fun addition!)
2 eggs

To top, combine (this is an optional garnish):
1 pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon Organic Coconut Palm Sugar (Sweet Tree palm sugar is sustainably produced, more info here)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine honey and warm water in a large bowl, and stir gently until completely combined. Add vanilla extract and stir again to combine.

To the bowl with the honey mixture, add the shredded coconut and sliced almonds. Using a paring knife, slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out all of the seeds into the bowl. Add eggs, and mix everything together at medium speed until thoroughly combined.

Scoop golf-ball-sized pieces of the mix onto parchment paper (I used parchment paper on a Pampered Chef cooking stone). Top each ball of mix with a small pinch of the salt and palm sugar, then bake at 12 minutes. Cookies will be golden brown at the sides and just on top when finished baking.

~

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A Primal / Paleo Grain-Free Gluten-Free Birthday Party Menu (That Even NonPrimal NonPaleo Company Enjoyed!)



See notes on this cake and The Food Lovers' Primal Palate recipe link here.

We recently hosted a first birthday party for my youngest daughter. Definitely wasn't a low-carb party, but it was still grain-free and there were plenty of low-carb options. We even had a guest from out of town who also eats to manage insulin, and she and I commiserated a bit about our long-term dynamics with avoiding wheat and sugar because of how they affect us physiologically and psychologically - refreshing for me because sometimes, a face-to-face chat with another living breathing human who attests to similar experiences gives me renewed resolve. We even talked almond butter and I sent her home with a single serving packet of Justin's Classic Almond Butter.

Here's the scoop on what was on the menu when we celebrated:

Caprese Skewers: I dreamt these up (though I'm sure they've been "done" in multiple iterations before). They are terrific eye-candy on a spread for company because of the multicolor/multitexture appeal. Take one cherry tomato (I had both red and yellow cherry tomatoes), skewer on a toothpick, top with a thumbprint-sized piece of fresh basil and a chunk of fresh mozzarella.

Crustless Quiches: Pick your "elements". Could be sauteed onions and/or peppers, sausage, bacon, shredded or raw cheeses. (I did sausage, bacon, and cheese.) Grease 12 paper cupcake liners with spray olive oil. Place 1-2 tablespoons of elements in the bottom of cupcake liners. Mix 1 cup of dairy (my choice is heavy cream) with 6 eggs and seasonings of choice (I used 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. ground nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning mix). Pour egg/cream mix over elements in the cupcake liners. Bake for ~35 minutes at 350 F. Can be served chilled or at room temp.

Veggie Tray: Bought at Sam's. Carrots, cauliflower, baby peppers, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, ranch dip. Took out of container and put into fancier dishes. 'Nuff said.

Pistachios: Yum.

Almond-stuffed Dates: Exactly what they sound like. A quickly-assembled crowd-pleaser.

Individually-Wrapped Ghirardelli Chocolates, including Dark: Ditto to almond-stuffed dates.

A Dark Chocolate Fountain: Fuelled with Ghirardelli bittersweet and Enjoy Life semisweet (allergen-free) chips, pastured butter, and Nutiva coconut oil all melted together. For dipping:

• Clementines
• Honeydew Melon
• Strawberries
• Blackberries

Brussels Sprout Pops: Recipe here. Love these 'cause they're not heavily time-dependent because of slow-roasting in the oven. They are ready when you are!

Spiral-sliced Ham: Brought by my parents. Thanks, Mom & Dad! :)

And of course, the above pictured coconut flour based chocolate cake, courtesy of The Food Lovers' Primal Palate, along with some vanilla ice-cream. This cake garnered many compliments! (Thanks, Hayley and Bill!) I think many folks never even suspected that it didn't involve wheat. I made two of this recipe's double-layer cakes to feed our crowd of 23, but ended up with about three quarters of one cake left over. It is so rich and satisfying - even a small slice really hits the spot!

But, ack: We had forgotten about the shrimp cocktail tray that we had left to stay cool in the fridge! Oh, well. :)

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Banamandeln Smoothies

This smoothie is sweet and mild. A nice kick of proteins, fats, and a bit of carbs. The cinnamon flavor and almond butter makes it a bit reminiscent of the gebrannte Mandeln (toasted candied almonds) sold at a German Chriskindlmarkt (Christmas market). It is also an excellent medium for whey powder, as its flavor/texture is not affected at all.

Banamandeln Smoothie
Serves 2

Ingredients
1 can coconut milk
2 bananas, a bit overripe and peeled, frozen or fresh (depends on your preference)
4 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 scoop whey powder, if desired
Whipped cream to top, if desired

Directions
Blend coconut milk and bananas first to ensure that bananas get fully blended in and no chunks remain. Then add almond butter and cinnamon. Blend in whey powder last. If desired, chill and add whipped cream on top before serving.

Antioxidant "Salad"

The huge, ripe blueberries this time of year taste like candy to me. Oh man, and knowing that in just a few weeks they won't be so abundant and so cheap? Makes me want to enjoy them all the more.

Toss half of a cup of blueberries with:

Drizzle macadamia oil
1 tbsp. (or more, to taste) balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tbsp. cacao nibs
2 tbsp. chopped macadamia nuts

Mix oil, vinaigrette, and cocoa powder until smooth. Toss with blueberries until berries are coated, then top with cacao nibs and chopped macadamia nuts.

Somewhere between dessert and salad, but hitting sweet, plus salty, plus tangy, plus crunchy, plus juicy, plus antioxidants up to my eyeballs.

Hello, Lover

Yum.

This is my recent Amazon splurge. Macadamia oil is supposed to be excellent as a dressing base. I was daydreaming about what to do with it - even had some wild notions like mixing it with a bit of cocoa powder and cacao nibs, and dressing a bowl full of quartered strawberries with it.

And macadamia nuts? Practically my favorite snack. Weirdly enough, they cost significantly less per ounce when you buy them in pieces - as in for baking. Fine by me. I'll sprinkle some on my salad with a bit of gorgonzola and some kumatos and call it a day. :)

Custards!

Yes, eggs are an awesome staple to start your day. But say you're looking for something a little more fancy-pants. Indulgent, without being indulgent, you know what I mean? Enter the custard. I love making custard as a night-before project that has my breakfast ready-to-eat, no cooking, the next morning!

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

First, find a large rectangular pan and fill it with about an inch of water. This is the classic "water bath" method that is used in cheesecake recipes to enable an even baking throughout the custard.

Next, place some smallish Pyrex dishes (or other ramekin-type dishes) in the water bath. No need for them all to be the same size. You can see here that I used three small ones, a medium one, and three clean baby food jars. Why the baby food jars, you ask? I'm experimenting with them as a way to send custard with my three-year-old to preschool in the fall, when I'll be packing her lunch three days each week. (They turned out perfectly baked in these jars, by the way! I poured the excess off the full ones into the big Pyrex dish so that there would be about 1/2 inch to expand during the baking.)

OK. So you have your water bath pan, filled with your little custard dishes. Get yourself a nice, easy, primal custard recipe. You can experiment with it after you're used to the process. I like the Son of Grok banana "Caveman Custard" recipe. In my head, I call it "1-2-3 custard" because it requires one can of coconut milk, two bananas, and three eggs (along with a dash of cinnamon). Whip up your custard batter, and pour it into your ramekins. (I did nearly-full baby food jars, and about 1/2 inch deep in the larger dishes.)

Stick it in the oven and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Take them out of the oven, but don't remove them from the water bath. The more gradual the cooling process, the prettier your custards - that is, the less likely they are to crack on top. Once the water bath is completely cool, put the custards in the fridge to cool and set some more overnight.

Oh, and remember the part about experimenting? Now that you've done your basic custard recipe, shake things up.

Add a drizzle of walnut oil to the custard batter for some added fat, and a deliciously nutty taste. (Just don't do it all the time, though, since walnut oil is omega-6 heavy. Maybe make the custard with Omega-3 eggs to offset?)

Mmmmm, walnut oil in a pretty tin.

Other variations: You can soft cook some rhubarb and very ripe cherries (must be ripe to offset the rhubarb's tart), and then temper your eggs with them before adding the eggs and a stick of butter. (No coconut milk this time.) This results in a very Yoplait Whips! type texture.

While you're experimenting, add nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, etc. to your liking as well.

Oh, and let's talk toppings. In the morning, I top my chilled custards.

See my humble banana custard? (And yes, even with gradual cooling, there's a little crack. So sue me. This is another good reason to talk toppings - because they hide cracks!)

Add some fresh blueberries, a small handful of cacao nibs, and a few walnuts. Now we're talking indulgent breakfasts.

 

Movie Theater Snacks

This week my girls and I met up with a dear friend and her 3-year-old son - both of whom we don't get to see entirely enough! We went to see a free showing of a kids' movie at a local theater. Of course, I immediately realized that this would involve sitting in a sea of candy, popcorn, sugary soda, etc. Not wanting to be a complete Scrooge and force my daughter so sit through all that munching with nothing of her own, I strategized in advance and came with a bag of trail mix in my diaper bag. (As if there was a remote possibility of movie theater concessions having Primal snacks!) In it was:

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Cacao Nibs
• Freeze-dried bananas (Brothers brand)
• Dried organic apples (Just Tomatos brand)
• Dried organic raspberries (Just Tomatos brand)

I know that Mark Sisson says to watch out for the sugar content of dried fruits, so this was truly what I'd consider to be a "special outing" snack. Besides, it was just too addictively good for me to make often. :)