Oh hey, 2014!

How’s week one of the new year going for everyone? We are in hibernation mode here in Ohio, which has given me lots of time to reflect on what to do with my time in the next 12 months (or rather the next 5 months, since new babies have a way of shifting your priorities).

To help me get my head on straight, I have been going through Lara Casey‘s Make It Happen series; it’s a goal-setting series that I absolutely recommend. Especially if you’re like me, AKA you have a huge desire to get your act together for the new year but have no idea where to start. I’ve got a lot of ideas swimming around in this head and Make It Happen has helped me to organize it all. So, yay, new year! And hooray for a new recipe today! Finally got off my duff and picked up my camera.

This soup was inspired by a lovely lunch I had with my friend Jillian (see how awesome she is below) at Wheat Penny here in Dayton. We sampled a little cup of their curried carrot soup to start our meal; it was grand. I love that curry powder gives such a distinct, comforting taste but doesn’t make things too spicy. For my at-home version, I used all the orange veggies we had on hand- carrots, butternut squash and sweet potato. Pumpkin would also work well; you can use what you have in any combination.

This soup works for a whole variety of diets and is almost impossible to mess up. It would be great with some crumbled bacon on top, or even some homemade croutons. You could kick up the spice by adding some thai red curry paste, too.

And beyond tasting good, this soup has great nutritional benefits:

• Healthy, filling fats
• Cold/Flu-fighting onions, garlic and turmeric
• Orange veggies filled with Vitamin A to boost the immune system
• Bone broth; rich in gelatin, vitamins and minerals and anti-inflammatory

A special thanks to my sweet friends Jillian and Megan for making this post happen- they came over to my house today and did all my dishes PLUS cleaned my fridge! It was amazing, and it motivated me to pull out the camera and get this post up. A clean kitchen = no excuses for this lady. Thanks, girls- you are such a blessing to me! I am ready to re-pay you in soup.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Curried Winter Soup with Carrot, Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash

 

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Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Soup, Main Dish, Appetizer

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• a few tablespoons quality fat (grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, lard, tallow)
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• ½-1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon turmeric (optional)
• 6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large butternut squash; peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped (you can substitute more carrots or squash if you’re on GAPS or avoiding starches)
• 4-6 cups of bone broth (enough to cover the veggies in the pot)
• plain whole milk yogurt, for serving (optional, you can substitute full-fat coconut milk if you’re dairy-free)

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt down the fat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until they begin to soften. Add the spices and let cook a few more minutes.
2. Add the carrots, squash and sweet potato to the pot, followed by the bone broth. Add enough broth to cover all of the vegetables. Bring it all to a boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender, about 20-30 minutes. When the veggies are soft, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth.
4. Serve warm with a generous drizzle of yogurt.

#version#

I’m pretty much on a diet of chopped vegetable dishes. Every meal I’ve eaten in the past two weeks has either consisted solely of a) potato salad, b) green bean salad with basil, sautéed radishes, and hunks of mozzarella, c) citrusy coleslaw, or a hearty helping of one of those next to some protein that I was mostly eating just to stave off devouring a giant bowlful of one of those salads. Now that tomatoes are starting to come in? Oh boy. Watch out. Is it possible to eat all of your daily calories from tomatoes? Can I try? No? Okay, I’ll throw in some grilled corn on the cob slathered with homemade lime mayonnaise and queso añejo. And some peaches and cherries. That’s fine. God I love summer.

Gazpacho is a little difficult for me. On the one hand, it’s probably one of the best soups you can eat. On the other hand, it seems a little shameful to purée fresh, ripe, local (expensive) heirloom tomatoes. Maybe that’s because I don’t have any of my own in a garden in my back yard. I kind of feel that they’re like precious gems and to adulterate them with anything more than some coarse sea salt and a basil leaf is to somehow cheapen them. But when it’s terrible and hot and gross out, gazpacho is something to live for.

Since there’s not much to gazpacho, you must use good tomatoes. Don’t put off this recipe until the winter or something. Go out and splurge on some beautiful tomatoes. And if you have them in your garden, you are lucky and please send some to me. And as with most traditional and iconic recipes, there are a hundred versions, all hotly contested as being the one perfect one I’m sure. I don’t have too many strong opinions on what vegetables should or not should be included in gazpacho and what the levels of vinegar and oil should be. I do strongly feel, though, that using tomato juice is a no-no. I mean, you’re trying to celebrate gorgeous summer tomatoes. Why would you mix them with bottled tomato juice? Gah. But if you want to leave out the cucumber and red pepper, or add in some parsley, go for it. Topping gazpacho with a hard boiled egg is also extremely acceptable.

That’s it. That’s my gazpacho. It’s wonderful. You can certainly chill it if you need some extra cooling off, but I think room temperature allows the flavors to be their best. Unless room temperature means boiling, which it would be here if my air conditioner ever stopped working. Some garnishes you could use if you haven’t already started to dig in, are finely chopped cucumbers and red peppers, parsley, toasted almonds, and crumbled/chopped hard boiled egg.

Seriously gardeners, send me your tomatoes. I hear that you have wayyy too many to eat. Pretty sure.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho (Guest Post)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Julia Campbell, The Crankin’ Kitchen

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded (cut in half width-wise then in quarters length-wise and seeds cut off) and chopped
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded, deveined, and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Instructions

1. Mix together the vegetables in a large bowl.
2. In a blender, purée garlic, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. Scoop about half of the vegetable mixture into the blender. Blend until smooth, in batches if necessary.
3. Pour blended veggies back into the bowl of chopped vegetables and mix.

3.1.09

Popsicles, again?
Yes, always.

Orange popsicles, that is, since I apparently that’s my specialty. (See these creamsicles and mango yogurt pops for the proof.)

While cleaning out the fridge last week, I came upon half a papaya that needed some love (aka I didn’t have the heart to throw it out.) Usually I buy papaya strictly for juices (it’s anti-inflammatory and ya’ll know I need some of that!) but it looked past it’s juicing prime. So popsicles seemed the obvious choice in the heat of summer and because for some reason I couldn’t just cut it up and eat it like a normal person.

I could have made them straight papaya, but I love to add a bit of creaminess to my pops. I was out of any useful coconut products, so I used the cream from the top of the raw milk jar. It was a wise choice, believe you me. A little bit of lime, vanilla and honey and BAM- papaya pops comin’ at ya.

Next time you have half a papaya sitting alone in your fridge, this recipe can be your go-to. I assume that probably won’t happen to most of you, but a girl can dream.. someone out there thinks my blog is useful and actually makes my recipes, right? haha

Really, though- I love you guys. Thanks for reading my crazy popsicle posts and sticking around Oven Love for all these years. You’re the bees.

1.0 from 1 reviews

Papaya Cream Popsicles (Papaya Paletas)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

This recipe will make 4-6 large popsicles and 8-12 small popsicles, depending on the size of your mold.

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Snack, Dessert

Serves: 4-12

Ingredients

• ½ large ripe red papaya, peeled and seeded
• ⅓ cup heavy cream, coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk (or omit all together, if you like)
• juice of one lime
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons raw honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. Pour into popsicle molds and add popsicle sticks.
2. Freeze for 3-5 hours or until firm. Run warm water over the mold if the popsicles don’t come right out. Serve immediately.

3.1.09

Jody Engstrom has been a personal chef for special needs clients such as cancer and diabetes patients and has also teaches food preparation classes. She has prepared raw/vegan, grain-free and paleo diet foods for health food stores, crossfitters, and bodybuilding clients as well. Currently she is a  mother of 1 darling and energetic little girl, prepares healthy delightful meals for her family and cooks, photographs, and posts to her health diet related blog, Living Nutrition @ mylivingnutrition.com. Jody writes:

These little morsels are a new family favorite. They have become commonly requested for tea and dinner parties as well!

The first time I made them was during naptime about 6 months ago, at an especially defiant stage of the munchkin’s life. I needed a “meditative moment”, so I decided to make these while she was sleeping, in hopes that we could have a relaxing tea party with Lily doll, Pooh Bear and Mr. Moose when she woke up.

The cookies were surprisingly easy to make and I had plenty of time to photograph my creation, when my husband came upstairs from working.I had him try one and he didn’t stop. Between every click of the camera, there was another cookie stolen. I managed to get the photo I wanted, but at the tea party in the aftermath, Lily, Pooh Bear, and Mr. Moose looked somber as Ariana and I chomped down on the last 2 cookies daddy was forced to save for us.

I learned from this “cookie massacre” that if I want any saved for us, I have to wrap a few in aluminum foil and hide them behind the frozen peas in the freezer. It’s sneaky…but it works.

Coconut Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free. Originally posted on livingnutrition.com.

Author: Jody Engstrom

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients

• for the cookies:
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3 TBS coconut nectar, honey or maple syrup
• 2 TBS softened coconut oil or butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• for the chocolate ganache:
• 2 TBS coconut oil, melted
• 1 TBS raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
• 1 TBS coconut nectar, honey or maple syrup
• a few grains of salt

Instructions

1. Put all of the cookie ingredients in the food processor and process until mixture sticks together. Scoop into 1 TBS sized balls. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes while you prepare the chocolate filling.Mix everything for the filling, in a shaker bottle or small blender until emulsified. Set aside.
2. Remove the coconut balls from the fridge and flatten them into more of a cookie shape. Create an indentation in the middle of each cookie for your chocolate ganache.
3. Carefully spoon the chocolate ganache into each indentation. Return to the fridge for 5 min for the ganache to set.
4. Enjoy! No Baking Required!

3.1.09

Can we all agree that popsicles are having a moment?

Maybe it’s the summer heat + all the gorgeous Pinterest inspiration, but I’ve had popsicles on the brain. When I saw a bag of ripe mangos in the Kroger dollar produce bin, my brain immediately said, “Popsicles. Probably with a yogurt swirl. Let’s do this.”

And here we are with mango swirl popsicles. Thank you, internal grocery store monologue.

Not much work to be done for these bad boys. Puree your mango with some lime juice, swirl with vanilla yogurt and freeze. Then try to forget they’re in the freezer for a few hours so you’re surprised when you remember you have popsicles waiting for you. I love knowing there’s a little treatsie in the freezer with my name on it, don’t you?

If you are a popsicle lover, check out my orange creamsicles and raspberry ice pops as well. Make them all, throw a popsicle party and then invite me to it, pleaseandthankyou.

Also, you should definitely eat any extra mango yogurt with a spoon. You’re welcome.

Mango Swirl Popsicles

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours 15 mins

 

This recipe will make 4-6 large popsicles or 8-12 small popsicles, depending on the size of your molds. There will be about 4 cups total of your popsicle mixture. Any extra is delicious eaten straight from a spoon!

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 ripe mangos (makes about 2 cups puree)
• juice of ½ lime
• 2 cups plain yogurt (make homemade raw milk yogurt for GAPS or coconut yogurt for Dairy-Free/Vegan/Paleo)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (you can omit this if you’re using yogurt that’s already flavored with vanilla)
• 1-2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut around the pit of your mango and scoop the flesh out of the skin and into a blender. Try to get as much of the mango flesh as possible off of the pit (this is easier when the mangos are really ripe, so look for soft ones). Add the lime juice and puree until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, mix your yogurt and vanilla extract (and honey, if using).
3. Spoon the mango puree on top of the yogurt and gently fold the puree with just a few strokes. Try not to overmix- it will still taste great, but you’ll lose the “swirl” look if you mix it too much.
4. Pour into popsicle molds. Freeze for about 30 minutes, add the sticks, and then freeze for 1-2 more hours or until firm.
5. When ready to serve, run the molds under warm water until the popsicles come loose and serve immediately.

3.1.09

I think my kids are getting sick of bananas.

They used to eat them up non-stop, but not lately. No interest at all. Whole bunches used to disappear in a day or two, but now all my bananas are sad, neglected and brown. But that means I get the chance to give them a new life as banana bread, so really, I’m not complaining. I just think it’s weird. I mean, who gets sick of bananas? They are awesome.

Well actually, you know what? I vaguely remember my mom telling me that I used to love bananas as a child and then I refused to eat them again until I was like 19. So.. maybe they were doomed from the start? Oh, and I also hated coconut forever and always, until like 3 years ago when it became my BFF. If you asked my pre-2010-self to eat this bread, I would have definitely said no.

If you asked me to eat this bread right now, I stop you mid-question and help myself.

This banana bread is like a coconut triple threat- coconut oil, coconut flour and shredded coconut all in one place. Drink it with a glass of coconut milk, slathered with coconut butter and you might explode. Or you can just be a normal person and eat it plain. Or toasted with some yummy grass-fed butter. Do what you want, no one’s watchin’!

Are you guys fans of baking with coconut flour? It took some getting used to for me, but now it’s my go-to flour. I love that a little goes a REALLY long way. I mean.. that stuff can suck up some liquid!

Wait! Before you go, this thought just hit me- this bread would be great for cutting into cubes, toasting and then making a parfait with coconut whipped cream, and maybe some fresh pineapple or mango? How great does that sound? I will definitely be looking into that for you ASAP. I want that in my belly now.

Anyone else have an inspired banana-bread-related idea? I’m all ears.

4.8 from 33 reviews

Coconut Banana Bread (GAPS, Paleo, Grain-free)

 

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adapted from- http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/04/banana-bread-gaps-legal-grain-and.html

Author: Oven Love

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled (ghee can be used here as well)
• ½ cup raw honey
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• 6 eggs (room temperature is best)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)
• ¾ cup coconut flour
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2 tablespoons shredded or desiccated coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a standard loaf pan with coconut oil.
2. In a small bowl, combine the coconut oil and honey.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the salt, eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract. Whisk in the coconut oil and honey mixture. Next, whisk in the coconut flour until completely combined with no lumps. Lastly, stir in the mashed bananas.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with the shredded coconut.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If your coconut topping is browning fast, tent some aluminum foil on top to prevent burning.
6. Let cool completely (or as long as you can wait!) before removing from the loaf pan and serving. Keep refrigerated.

#version#

Last week, I shared my favorite summer chicken recipes. Today, I’m back with 16 ways to use the humble sweet potato. (I’m actually not eating sweet potatoes right now, but for some reason, I am still craving them and hoarding sweet potato recipes like it’s the end of the internet. It’s only a little heartbreaking to look at those gorgeous photos. Some day..)

Lots of great options here- fries, chips, soup, stuffed potatoes, and BROWNIES. Get to pinning!

Row 1: Thai Sweet Potato Stacks, Sweet Potato Almond Butter Muffins, Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cherry Salsa

Row 2: Sweet Potato Breakfast Biscuits, Brown Butter Sweet Potato Doughnuts, Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies, Garlic Butter Sweet Potato Fries with Creamy Feta Dip

Row 3: Roasted Grape, Goat Cheese and Honey-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Potato and Pineapple Salad, Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Red Quinoa Soup, Sweet Potato Pulled Pork Sliders

Row 4: Homemade BBQ Sweet Potato Chips, Baked Sweet Potato Falafel, Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup, Loaded Black Bean Sweet Potato Boats

I am pumped about these Red, White and Blueberry Pancake Stacks that I’m sharing at MPMK today. Seriously, I love them. I want to feed them to everyone. They are adorable, are they not? Perfect for 4th of July breakfast or any other patriotic holiday. Let’s celebrate ‘Merica with a short stack this year!

Best thing about these is how versatile they are- you can use your favorite pancake recipe (gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, vegan, whatever) and use dairy-free coconut whip if you need to. Adaptable to all diets- you know I love that! Go forth and eat pancakes, my friends.

A few weeks ago, I pinned this Fat Almond Pancake from Green Kitchen Stories and I knew I had to make one. (Definitely check out their blog, it’s gorgeous!) The original recipe wasn’t exactly grain-free, but I knew I could do some tweaking and make easily make it GAPS-friendly. I just loved the look and ease of it. And mainly, I just loved that it was called a fat pancake.

And so I hit the kitchen and came up with this beautiful thing. I mean, don’t you just want dig your spoon in there? You do. Trust me. We ate it hot and fresh from the oven for breakfast.. and then we ate it cold in the back of the car as we watched a freak rain storm.. then the kids finished it off during their bath time. So, yeah. We liked it.

Surprisingly, we all preferred to eat this cold. You can taste more of the almond flavor and the sweetness. I couldn’t tell you if it keeps well.. I imagine you’d want to eat it all in a day or two- let me know if it lasts that long in your house, I’d love to know how it keeps.

If you’re wondering, the fruit on top is a mix of strawberries, white peaches, blueberries and cherries. Any fresh summer fruit will do, but I love the look of the red, white and blue. Especially with the 4th coming up! This would be a perfect dish to whip up if you’re having company for the holiday.

Fat pancakes! It’s a thing.

3.5 from 2 reviews

Fat Almond Pancake (Grain-Free, GAPS, Paleo)

 

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Author: Oven Love

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 2 cups milk (cow’s, coconut, almond.. etc)
• ½ cup pureed squash, apple or pear (or more milk, if you like)
• 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 2 tbsp organic butter or coconut oil
• chopped fresh fruit, mint, yogurt, honey and coconut chips for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a 8×11 casserole dish in the oven to warm up.
2. While your dish is warming, whisk eggs, milk, squash and honey in a large bowl. (To make sure your honey is well incorporated, keep your ingredients at room temperature or whisk vigorously as you add the honey.) Make sure you have no lumps in your almond flour and add it to the liquid ingredients along with the salt.
3. Take the pan out of the oven and add the butter or coconut oil and swirl it around as it melts. Add the batter to the pan.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pancake is set and golden brown. Top with chopped fruit, honey, mint and coconut chips; then serve in bowls with yogurt.

#version#

The scene in my kitchen at 6:30AM this morning:

Two half-dressed kids are clamoring at my feet for their milk cups to be filled. Three-year-old Elliott climbs up into the helper tower, discovers the pan of coffee cake and yells, “LUCY! CAKE FOR BREAKFAST!” She squeals and nods her head to tell us she’s on board. I cut them each a small piece, they chomp away quietly, and then stick out their little hands for more. And so the day begins.

I think one of the best mom tricks for getting your kids to eat a little healthier is to give their food cool names. This definitely isn’t “cake” in the normal, American sense of the word, but in our house right now, it’s a treat. Especially at 6:30 AM. I feel good about all the ingredients, so I’ve got no problem serving them this kind of cake for breakfast.

The cake’s main ingredients are coconut flour, eggs, coconut oil, squash puree, a little honey and some spices. I get my coconut flour and oil from Tropical Traditions. On top is a “crumb” topping of chopped nuts, coconut oil, cinnamon and some coconut sugar. This is a lovely cake for snacking- it’s moist, but sturdy- it’ll hold up well in lunch bags or stuffed quickly into your purse when you’re on the go. It’s great with some fruit and yogurt in the morning, or on your brunch table; the perfect match for your afternoon tea or as a late-night snack without the guilt.

I have missed cake since I’ve been on GAPS. I know there are GAPS-legal cake recipes out there.. but it’s not like I can be eating cake all the time just because it’s technically legal. So a little coffee cake like this is just what the doctor (nutritionist?) ordered for me this week. I just have to work on my self-control and try not to eat more than one (or two) pieces a day.

I guess I can always call in my little people to help out with that. Cake for breakfast!

Coffee Cake (grain-free, gluten-free, paleo, GAPS)

 

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Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: dessert, breakfast

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut flour, sifted or lumps removed with a fork
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• 6 eggs at room temperature
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled or very soft
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup squash puree (any squash will do; summer or winter. I used acorn squash that I had frozen. You could also use pumpkin, carrot, apple, pear, etc.)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup nuts, chopped (I used walnuts and pecans)
• 2 tablespoons coconut or date sugar (you can substitute honey to be 100% GAPS legal, but the topping will be a little stickier)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine coconut flour, baking soda, sea salt and spices. Make sure there are no large lumps of coconut flour.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, coconut oil, honey, squash puree and vanilla extract until well combined.
4. Pour the liquid slowly into the dry ingredients, whisking well. Continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken up. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. In a small bowl, mix the nuts, coconut sugar, coconut oil and cinnamon. This is your topping. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the pan.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before serving and keep in an airtight container.

#version#