Salted Caramel Delights

I have read about lucuma powder for many raw recipes, especially deserts and I finally got my hands on a bag of it by Navitas Naturals and it is great! It is a sweet powder made from Peruvian lucuma fruit. It runs about $12 a bag but Vitacost has it for $10. I don't know about you but I love trying new ingredients to see how they will effect the recipes I already use on a regular basis, sometimes you get a fabulous result as I did with the recipes below!

 "This low-glycemic sweetener contains many nutrients including
beta-carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium and protein. Yellow lucuma powder has a unique, maple-like taste that’s a delight in a variety of recipes."

http://navitasnaturals.com/product/455/Lucuma-Powder.html

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

1 1/2 frozen bananas

2 tsp lucuma powder

2 tsp white miso

1 pkt stevia

dash of almond milk

Place ingredients into food processor or vitamix, in order listed and process until smooth and creamy. Suggested pairings, are chocolate, peaches, strawberries, and almonds. I unfortunately had raspberries with mine and the raspberries overwhelmed the sweet saltiness of the ice cream.

Chocolate Salted Caramel Shake

1 banana

1 scoop protein powder

2 tsp lucuma powder

2 tsp white miso

1.5 tbsp cocoa powder

3 pkts stevia

1/2 C unsweetened almond milk

6 ice cubes

I normally like my shakes to be really thick, akin to Wendy's frosties, but healthy. This recipe came out a little thin so if you desire a thicker shake, add a frozen banana and an additional ice cube or two as needed.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I did and I hope that you too will invest in something a bit different to expand your tasting pleasure! Have a great week!!

Fat Burning Smoothies

Who doesn't want to burn fat, I know I do! I recently got a big container of white miso- gotta love those Asian markets!!! Miso is fermented paste made from rye, beans, rice, or barley and it is in the savory category of flavors. It comes in several different colors ranging from white to red, each getting stronger in flavor the darker you go in color. I personally prefer white because it is savory but not overpowering as I find the red to be. Miso is a great source of protein, vitamin B12, manganese, zinc, and copper. As a fermented food, it is rich in probiotics to help balance the gut and lose weight. Miso makes great broth for soup (just add water), a great condiment on sandwiches (just a light layer), and in smoothies adds a depth of flavor with a touch of saltiness.

Chocolate Caramel Protein Shake

3 frozen banana halves, sliced
1 scoop protein powder
4 pkts stevia
1 tsp maca powder
2 tsp white miso
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 C almond milk
6-7 ice cubes

Blend and add coconut chocolate, blend to make small chuncks, and serve.

Mango Tahini Weight Loss Shake 

1 1/2 C frozen mango
1 banana
1.5 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice or 1/2 a lemon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp tumeric
1 tbsp coconut oil
2-4 stevia packets, depending on taste
1 tbsp tahini
3/4 C green tea
1 scoop protein powder

Place ingredients in blender with fruit at the bottom. Blend until smooth and enjoy!




Miso can also be used in salad dressings. The following recipes are from Amy Phyo's book, 15 Day Fat Blast. 

Cucumber Miso Dressing

Makes 1 C

1 C cucumber, diced, about 1 small
2 tbsp miso
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp evoo
2 tbsp a.c. vinegar

optional ingredients: 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and 1 tbsp dulse flakes

To make dressing, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a a small bowl.

To serve, pour as much dressing as desired onto salad and toss until it is well coated, top with nutritional yeast and dulse flakes, if desired.

Coconut Miso Vinaigrette

2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp miso
1 tbsp a.c. vinegar

To make dressing ,mix ingredients together in a  small bowl using a for or spoon. Dressing will keep in fridge, so warn the dressing to room temperature before  using by placing in a bowl of hot water.

Dill Vinaigrette

makes about 1/4 C

1 tbsp a.c. vinegar
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp miso
1/4 tsp lemon zest

To make dressing whisk together vinegar, coconut oil, dill, miso and zest. to serve toss salad with dressing black pepper and nutritional yeast if using. Vinaigrette will keep for a week or longer in airtight container stored in the fridge.

Cool Slim Treats

My husband and I took a movie to the park to watch on his new laptop this afternoon. His battery is AMAZING! Mine had gotten to the point where it will go maybe 5 minutes before it gives a warning and goes to sleep! It was so nice to get out of the house and relax! But after a while boy did it get hot when the sun shifted and we started baking! I have some super convenient and delicious frozen treats that are a healthy and slimming alternative to traditional ones to keep you cool and feeling fabulous!

Berry-licious!

This heavenly sweet treat is created from nature's bounty that has been frozen or in the above picture mostly frozen. In the bowl above are the following fruits: peach on bottom, frozen blueberries, and raspberries on top (who can resist a good raspberry sale!? Not me!!) Drizzle with agave or honey and cream- I prefer almond milk cream as it is lower in calories but whatever your fancy it will still make your frozen fruit into an ice cream dream. -note-- Frozen grapes are amazing. They are a great substitute for any sort of sugar you may put in smoothies in addition to making it all frozen creaminess.

Super Green Mint Chocolate Drizzle Banana Ice Cream

Long name for a super healthy version of mint chocolate chip ice cream. This recipe is very similar to a shake that I make all the time-- soo good!!

1 1/2 frozen bananas, sliced
1 tsp wheatgrass powder
3 pkts stevia
dash of agave
3 drops peppermint oil /extract

Place all ingredients, in order, into a small food processor or vitamix blender and process until smooth. Drizzle with chocolate sauce-- yum!!!

Chocolate sauce
2 heaping teaspoonfuls cocoa powder
1 pkt stevia or squirt of agave
2-3 tbsp coconut oil melted
Mix together. Taa Da!

Thanks for reading and keep cool!

I Can Can Can!!!

The past two weeks have been filled with harvesting yummy veggies, making tasty salsas and canning them until I have nothing left! I have canned 3 and a half cases. Mostly salsa but also some pickles and peach butter! I made three different types of salsa. Two from the book... and the third and peach and tomato salsa from a fellow blogger, Heather of A Handmade Life.

Tomato Peach Salsa

3 1/2 pounds ripe, Roma tomatoes (blanch, peel, and chop)
1 1/2 pounds peaches  (peeled and chopped)
3 large bell type peppers
several hot type peppers (maybe 6 jalapeno type then add more depending on your taste)
1-2 large onions

fresh crushed garlic (1 head is nice but can use less)

1 small can tomato paste

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 tbsp coarse salt

2 tsp paprika (optional)

Put all ingredients in large pot.  Bring to boil uncovered and then turn down heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Keep an eye on it and stir every so often otherwise it can burn on the bottom as it thickens.  Then process in sterilized canning jars.  I use the hot water bath method and process 10 minutes for pint jars.

http://ahandmadelife.blogspot.com/2010/09/tomato-peach-salsa.html

The recipes that I used for the other two salsas came from the book Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.

Basic Chucky Tomato Salsa 

pg. 188

4 medium tomatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 sweet green pepper, chopped

1-4 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C tomato sauce

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1/2 C chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp pickling salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1. Combine tomatoes, onion, green pepper, jalapeno peppers, garlic, tomato sauce, vinegar, parsley, sugar, salt and cumin in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 25 minutes or until desired consistency, stirring frequently.

2. Remove hot jars from canner and ladle salsa into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim (head space). Process 20 minutes for half-pint and pint jars as directed on page 133 (Longer Time Processing Procedure).

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

I tripled this recipe and ended up making three stock pots worth! My husband LOVES it!

Peach Mint Salsa

pg.197

2 Cups chopped peaches

1/4 C finely chopped red onion

1/4 C finely chopped sweet green pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

2 tbsp liquid honey

1/4 tsp pickling salt

grated rind and juice of one lime

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

1. Combine peaches, onion, peppers, honey, salt, lime rind and juice in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in mint and cook for 1 minute.

3. Remove hot jars form canner and ladle salsa into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim (head space). Process 10 minutes for half-pint or pint jars as directed on page 133 (Longer Time Processing Procedure).

Makes 2 cups.

I quadrupled this batch and after letting it simmer for a bit, added some sugar as it was really tart.

I also used the recipe for making dill pickles and peach butter. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to can any of their garden produce.