Home Cold/Flu Remedies and Foods that Boost Your Immune System
Chocolate Bacon Truffles (with a Dairy-Free option)
(inspired by Martha Stewart, Michael Ruhlman and Nom Nom Paleo.)
- 8 oz bittersweet or dark chocolate
- 8 oz milk, bittersweet or dark chocolate (this is based on what flavors you like- milk will make them smoother and sweeter if you aren’t into dark chocolate)
- 1⅓ cup heavy cream (or full fat coconut milk for dairy-free)
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 11 tablespoons good quality, unsalted butter at room temperature (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
- 8 oz good quality bacon (look for natural, pastured, nitrate-free, wood-smoked, amazingly delicious, etc)
- ½ cup Sucanat or turbinado sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 16 oz more chocolate, for dipping
- sea salt or smoked sea salt (optional)
- In a large glass bowl, melt the 16 ounces of chocolate in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla bean/extract to 120 degrees (warm, but not boiling). Remove from the heat. If using the vanilla bean, let the milk steep for a few minutes and then remove the bean.
- Add the cream mixture to the melted chocolate and stir until combined. Add the butter or coconut oil and combine with a stick blender (or whisk very, very quickly). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and put in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours or up to overnight. Cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
- To make the bacon topping, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp. Strain the bacon over a small bowl, reserving the bacon fat (you should have around ⅓ cup). Combine the cooked bacon pieces, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Cook until caramel-colored and most of the water is gone (about 275 degrees). Add the baking soda and quickly stir (it will foam up a little) and pour onto a parchment-lined pan. Refrigerate or freeze until firm. Break up with your fingers into small pieces or put into a food processor or blender to make it look more like bacon “dust.”
- To finish the truffles, scoop out the cold truffle filling by the tablespoon and and roll into balls. Return to the fridge if they start to warm up too much. When you’re ready to dip them, melt the additional chocolate with the reserved bacon fat until smooth. Drop each ball into the melted chocolate, pull out with a long-tined fork and tap on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Place on a parchment-lined pan and sprinkle with the bacon topping and salt, if using. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
It’s a Christmas crisis!
Haha, just kidding, it’s not that serious. But I feel like I should update you on the goings on of my life. You’re my people!
wonky family Christmas photo 2012!
I am currently typing this post on my iPhone, which I didn’t even know was possible until 5 minutes ago- hello, 2012! Our desktop iMac has taken a turn for the worst, so the already inefficient blogging machine that is Oven Love has stopped completely. Talk about a merry Christmas!
Just kidding again! Christmas is not about cool blog posts or getting extra holiday traffic to the blog, it’s about the totally miraculous and amazing birth of Jesus. So I’m not going to worry about this little spot of the web until the desktop is back.. And even then I might just wait until January and soak up the season with my family. I hope you do the same.
Wishing you all a lovely, memorable, twinkly-lit, tinsel-wrapped, angel-winged Christmas full of joy- can’t wait to debut the new website (if I ever get it done!) in the new year. Love all of you gorgeous people!
Thanksgiving 2012 Inspiration
more goodies.
1: Double Apple Bundt Cake, Fall Harvest Salad, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Giants, Whole Wheat Sesame Oat Bread
Pumpkin and Gingersnap Yogurt Parfait (gluten-free)
- 10 gluten-free gingersnap cookies (I used Mi-Del, feel free to use whatever brand you like)
- 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh if you’ve got it)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon cloves, ⅛ teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg and ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- 1 cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt (I used plain and added a few drops of vanilla Stevia liquid)
- ¼ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped, plus more for topping
- In a food processor or plastic baggie, crush the gingersnap cookies into crumbs. Put them into a small bowl and combine with the coconut oil. Put in the refrigerator or freezer while you assemble the parfaits.
- In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin and spices. If you want to sweeten your yogurt with Stevia or another sweetener, do so in another small bowl.
- To assemble: in each glass, put a layer of cookies, a layer of the pumpkin mixture, a layer of cookies and chopped nuts, and a layer of yogurt. Top with the last bits of the cookie mixture and more nuts if you’d like. Keep cool in the fridge until serving.
Holiday Hosting for Every Appetite
Lamb Meatballs (gluten-free, grain-free, paleo) with Yogurt Dip and Spiced Vegetables
- ½ onion, peeled
- handful of parsley (maybe ¼-1/3 cup packed?)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves cloves
- salt and pepper to taste
- Feta Yogurt Dip (below), Spiced Vegetables (below), pita bread, salad greens, etc for serving
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine onion, parsley and garlic. Process until finely diced.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine onion mixture, lamb, egg, coconut flour and spices until well combined. Form into meatballs and line up on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meatballs at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with feta yogurt dip, spiced vegetables, pita bread, or whatever you like. (If you’d like the meatballs to be even more brown, turn on the broiler for 5 minutes and them pull them out).
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- ⅓ cup yogurt, plus extra if you like a thinner dip
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- In a food processor, combine feta, yogurt, mint and vinegar/lemon juice. Process until smooth. If the dip isn’t smooth enough for you, add some more yogurt until you reach your desired consistency. Serve with the lamb meatballs.
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 5-6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or a few sprigs freshly chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- ¼ teaspoon cloves, optional
- ¼ teaspoon allspice, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the vegetables, olive oil and spices. Spread on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until beginning to brown. Serve warm.
Sprouted Spelt and Pumpkin Spice Waffles
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter
- 1 cup water (or milk if you like)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 11.5oz Sprouted Spelt Pancake and Waffle Mix (or an equal amount of another sprouted mix)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Preheat your waffle iron.
- In a large bowl, mix eggs, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, melted coconut oil or butter, water and vanilla extract. Whisk until will combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and spices to the liquid ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Rub waffle iron with oil or melted better. Follow directions on your waffle iron for proper cooking. (Each waffle took about ⅔ cup batter on my waffle iron and around 5 minutes to cook.) Serve with butter and syrup (or whatever you like).
What’s Wrong with My Stomach? My Story.
You might have noticed that I have been experimenting with quite a few diet philosophies in the past year or so. Vegan, Nourishing Traditions, Paleo, Refined-Sugar Free, Gluten-Free.. I’ve developed recipes that fit into all of these categories. I think it’s time to explain why I seem a little scatterbrained.
I have stomach pain. I’m not talking about an occasional sour stomach or a little indigestion here and there, I’m talking about chronic, every day pain. Not sharp pains or writhing pains, but a dull pain and tenderness that doesn’t ever seem to go away. And I still don’t know why.
But let’s back up a minute.
In 2007-ish, back when I was in college and before this blog began, I was having a similar problem with my stomach. Long story short, I ended up seeing a GI where I had an endoscopy that found the bacteria H. Pylori in my system. Relieved to find the answer to my problems, I took the prescribed antibiotics, went on my merry way and promptly forgot the whole thing ever happened.
Fast forward a few years, and my stomach pain is creeping back into daily life. When I first noticed it, I started making changes to my diet- eating more whole foods and less processed stuff, thinking that would help. (I was still eating organic/”natural” processed stuff, but I was making progress.) When I continued to feel sick, I started changing things up again; wondering if it was just a food sensitivity that I needed to uncover. So I began my quest to try an even simpler whole foods style diet to see if I could find the answer to my problem again.
No dice.
Around this time (early 2012), my sister-in-law was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. This opened up our family to a whole new way of eating- one that we did not understand at first. (We failed miserably at supporting her efforts to heal her body in the beginning- but I think now she knows that we are behind her 100%!) I started to wonder if maybe I could get some results with similar changes.
I started doing some research about things like bone broth, leaky gut syndrome, probiotics and fermented cod liver oil, and suddenly remembered the H. Pylori. A giant light bulb went off in my head. Could my stomach have been deteriorating for the past five years? Is the H. Pylori still in there? Is there any hope to heal it? I decided to work with my sister-in-law’s nutritionist myself to find out.
Now Tricare comes into the picture.
I am so thankful to have healthcare, but I am growing weary jumping through their hoops and waiting too long for my test results. I am hoping to get a referral to see a GI who will check for permanent damage or ulcerations, but in the mean time, I am starting a new diet protocol which is somewhat overwhelming.
No gluten. Use grains sparingly. Use cheese sparingly (!!!!). No corn. A GAPS/SCD-type diet for now.
I wish I could tell you the end of this story, but it hasn’t happened yet. I am hoping dietary changes will heal my body and I’ll be able to enjoy a meal without pain or let my babies jump on my tummy without me cringing. Until then, I will be wrapping my head around this plan and figuring out what it means to use cheese sparingly (how??). This is part of the reason the new website is so important to me- I want it to be easy for those of you with dietary restrictions to find what you are looking for. I know what it feels like to struggle- to look at a full refrigerator without any idea what to eat. If I can help make that process easier for even one person, I’ll be so glad.
Thanks for sticking with Oven Love through all the ups and downs. I plan on making delicious food no matter what lies ahead.
(If you are having similar issues and would like more details about my journey and my dietary recommendations, I’d love to talk! ovenloveblog@gmail.com)
Sesame Beef Stir Fry (gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped (set aside some of the green parts for serving)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon grated/minced fresh ginger
- 1- 1½ pounds beef tenderloin or top round steak, sliced into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ½-1 cup beef broth
- cooked rice, for serving (I used white rice cooked in beef broth- very flavorful!)
- In a large skillet or wok, heat the sesame and olive oils over medium heat. Add the green onions, garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant; about 2 minutes. Add the beef and sesame seeds and cook for 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring frequently.
- When beef is brown, add the soy sauce and black pepper and stir to deglaze the pan.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in ½ cup beef broth and add to the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens, adding more broth if necessary.
- Spoon over cooked rice, top with additional green onions and sesame seeds and enjoy.
