The Answer to my Prayers: Primal, Savory, Hearty Nut Loaf

Damn good. Nut Loaf.
Been dreaming about it for a few weeks....and as it goes, need is the mother of invention- or a hungry belly.  My fridge is down to hummus, eggs and nuts...and preserved lemons.  But I'd purchased the makings for this loaf a few weeks ago.  

So- to work I got- and out came a hearty, savory, sweet, firm, chewy loaf- takes to hummus quite well...or your own toppings of choice- butter, nut butter, cheese and apples, sausage and brie- or what have you.
Its grain free- gluten free- dairy free- primal friendly- and very adaptable to your tastes.

Recipe for Darcey Blue's Savory Nut Loaf


2 c almond meal
2 c toasted walnuts
1.5 c toasted pecans
1/2 c dried fruit (cranberry, sultanas, raisins, apricots, even sun dried tomatoes should you choose)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 c olive oil (or butter, or coconut oil)
lemon zest (or try orange zest)
4 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp water


toast your nuts, and cool.  pulse coarsely in your food processor or blender- not to powder, just to small chunks.
Mix almond meal, nuts, fruit, salt, baking powder, and zest together in a large bowl.  Beat eggs, oil and water together, and fold into the nut mixture.  


Pour into your greased loaf pan, and bake at 375 degrees F for ~ 35 min.  Let rest and cool for an hour or so before slicing into the loaf.

Store in the fridge, unsliced. Slice off a thick slab as needed to go with soup, hummus, fruit and cheese or what have you. Its great plain too.

other options- add pepitas and pine nuts, or acorns, or dried apricots, or sundried tomatoes, or olives, or cinnamon and clove, or rosemary and lemon peel and black pepper ..or ...or... the possibilities are endless....

perfect to serve with  little tea.


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Whole Food Meals for Empty Pockets- Wilted Kale Nicoise Salad

Found myself in a time of little money, and a lot of transition.  But skimping on eating healthy food isn't my idea of a good time- broke or not.   So, to the co-op I went, and spent 70$ on food.  To last me until the end of the month.  Thats roughly 23 bucks a week for three weeks. 
So, what can you make that's healthy on a budget like that? 

My biggest concern was how to get adequate healthy protein for my high protein, high fat diet.  I try to stay away from too many grains, but have made an exception during this period to include well soaked and well cooked beans.

I stocked up on organic dry beans (pinto, chickpea and lentils), 4 dozen eggs, cans of wild salmon and tuna, a family pack organic meats on sale when I shopped (that was a family pack of some steaks, chicken thighs, bacon ends, and several soup bones.) 
I also invested in some butter, some kale (2 bunches, and high hopes of including wild foraged greens in my daily fare- including nettles, grape, dandelion, violet.)

I also gratefully accepted some donations from a friend, including some olive oil, vinegar, a chicken, onions, garlic and some other basics. 

So- here's some of the on the cheap meals I'm creating!
Wilted Kale Nicoise Salad
Serves 2

2 c chopped kale leaves
2 boiled eggs
1/2 - 1 can tuna
1-2  c slow cooked chickpeas
1 slice red onion, diced
1/2 c tomato slices (I admit, I splurged at the farm stand- but got a giant bunch of small org farm tomatoes for 2 bucks.)
pepper to taste
1 -2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic or herbal infused vinegar (ACV works too)
(capers, olives, or lactofermented pickles if you have them in the pantry already)

You'll want to start by soaking your chickpeas the night before.  I start cooking them in the morning in plenty of water, on the stove top for 4-6 hrs on low.  A crock pot works just as well.  Add some herbs and spices if you like (thyme, oregano, parsley,garlic etc).  If you're really prepared, you can cook your beans in bone broth!

20 min before your meal, boil two eggs and cool, peel and slice.
Chop your kale and place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and olive oil, and massage with your hands until well wilted and tender for 5 min. Let rest 10 min.

Dress the salad with the remaining ingredients, and toss well.
Yum!
Eat immediately.  This will save in the fridge for a day, but I like it best fresh, and a bit warm rather than cold.

If you feel extra splurgy, or aren't eating on a budget, a little feta and walnuts would be a nice touch too- but I don't have either right now.  You can use more or less tuna and beans depending on your appetite and how many you are feeding.

This meal is complete with healthy protein from both organic animal and vegetable sources, good quality fats (olive, omega fatty acids from tuna and eggs), and minerals from nutrient dense kale.  A little nettle vinegar will add to the mineral benefits of the salad.  Its filling, not too high in carbohydrates, and a sustaining meal for lunch or dinner.

If you do not like to eat kale raw, even wilted (and this is very common) just steam your kale and dress it with the salad ingredients after cooking.  No problem, it will taste just as delicious.  You could also try this with other seasonal greens available- arugula, dandelion, steamed chard, mustard, steamed nettles.  Hearty greens will respond well to wilting.  And by all means, add some lettuce if you have that around, just don't skimp on the mineral rich deep leafy greens like kale.

Wild Things: Spruce Steamed Baby Artichokes and Spruce Mayonnaise

Rebecca at Crockpots and Cauldrons has a blog round-up or blog party on WILD THINGs each month. This month was devoted to spruce tips.....
So I was all stoked to take part, then i realized, spruce tips are a ways off...so I did spruce needles instead.  I think the tips work better tho.  The needles are poky and stiff even when cooked or blended up.   But nonetheless, the taste is fresh, citrusy and suprisingly delightful! 
Spring is coming soon...and I found baby artichokes at the market. 

So I steamed them with spruce twigs in the water.  It gently flavored the tender baby chokes with a fresh flavor.

Then I used some more spruce needles stripped from the branches to add to a luscious bacon fat based mayonnaise. 

The steamed chokes topped with a creamy fresh mayonnaise were a perfect spring lunch!  Recipe below.



8 Baby artichokes, cleaned and trimmed.
3 Palm sized spruce twigs

Toss the cleaned and trimmed chokes in a steamer basket, and add spruce twigs to the bottom of the pan, with just enough water to cover the twigs.  Turn on medium heat and cover chokes and spruce and water and steam for 20 min.

For the Mayonnaise:
1 c bacon fat, warmed to liquid
1/2 c spruce needles or spruce tips
1-2 slices of preserved lemon
1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
salt to taste

Whip the eggs,salt, lemon and spruce in a blender, and slowly add in bacon grease, blend until creamy.
Serve over warmed or chilled baby artichokes.

But

Bacon mayonnaise with preserved lemon, rosemary and black pepper

Bacon Mayonnaise with Preserved Lemon, Rosemary and Black Pepper

• 1/2 c bacon grease, warmed to just liquid
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
• 3 slices preserved lemon
• 2 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary
• 1 tsp crack black peppercorns
• pinch of salt to taste

Blend in a blender on high, eggs, lemon and spices.  When fully blended, still on high, drizzle in liquid oils slowly.  Stop the blender when the mayonnaise has fully emulsified and turned creamy.  

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Sesame Ladhu

Sesame Ladhu


One of my favorite treats I learned about from an Ayurvedic practitioner are sesame ladhu, which are rich in minerals ( especially calcium) , healthy fats, warming spices, smooth ghee and fiber rich sesame seeds. I can whip up a batch of these in about 10 min, put them in the fridge for 15-30 min and then enjoy almost right away. It is suggested to eat one ladhu per day for menstrual problems, but I can't seem to keep them around long enough to eat just one a day.
Here's the recipe:

1/2 c whole Sesame seeds — * lightly roasted
1/4 c Jaggery sugar — (raw sugar works just fine too)
25/50g Coconut — grated from block,or use dessicated
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Cardamom — powder or seeds ground
1/2 tsp Ginger — ground
2 tbsp Ghee - warm and runny (you could probably make lovely ladhu with coconut oil or melted butter, but ghee is especially good, Make your own or buy it at the indian grocery.)

Grind seeds in a blender to a coarse powder, then add other items and mix in a blender.
Roll into small balls. I find they fall apart easily so gently round them into a ball and place on plate gently. An ice cream scoop or melon baller would work well too to form these.

refrigerate for 20-30 min, and store covered. Eat one a day ( I bet you can't eat just one. I can't)

*Note: Roast sesame seeds at low heat (electric 2) until they are golden brown for richer toastier flavor; any darker gives a more bitter taste.

*Note: You may want to add other powdered herbs to this blend to make them more therapuetic.  I'd suggest ashwaganda, shatavari, maca, peony, licorice root, schisandra, eluthero, or others.  A twist might add a few cacao nibs in the mix as well.

These are delicious, and everyone in the household can take part in your treat, and enjoy it. They might complain if you eat them all to yourself though, they are that good.

The Incredible Edible Egg Yolk

  The incredible edible egg. Breakfast staple, bakers friend, chicken embryo.  If you are like me, following a whole foods, healthy protein and fat rich diet, while restricting your sugars, grains, and starches- you probably eat a lot of eggs.  Sometimes, even I get tired of eggs at breakfast.  Sure you can scramble, you can fry (in bacon grease even), you can poach, boil, or make an omelette or frittata.  But if that variety isn't cutting it anymore- here's a few more ways to incorporate the nutrient rich egg yolk into your daily life.

Egg yolks are the most nutrient dense part of the egg, weather it be chicken, duck, goose, quail or any other kind of egg you like to eat.  Egg yolks are rich in B vitamins, folate, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Calcium, Phosphorus and Selenium plus loads of brain nutrients choline and lecithin. The yellower the better, so get your yolks from happy chickens that root around eating bugs, seeds and things, not soy feed.  Bonus, eggs from birds fed their natural diet (not soy or corn feed) are rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

Not to worry about the cholesterol and saturated fats in egg yolks, modern science is telling us that sugar, refined carbohydrates and transfats are a more deadly culprit in causing heart disease.

Studies have shown that eating a breakfast high in protein, especially with eggs, can help with weight loss, and a high protein breakfast will set you up for a day without sugar & carb cravings and crashes, full of healthy energy, clear thinking mind and even blood sugar, but don't stop at breakfast.  Eat your yolks any time of day.

here's some ideas to get you started.  Have others? Please share!

1. Make Mushroom Gravy (or add it to any gravy you like)
2.  Make Craving Killer Hot Cocoa- whip up an egg yolk with your cocoa powder, add hot milk or water and a splash of coconut oil! Frothy chocolatey goodness- kills a sugar craving in a hurry.
3.Make Egg Nog- not just for the holidays anymore!
         And you don't need to add the alcohol if you just want a  nourishing delicious drink.  I prefer my nog warm, but I think I'm the only person who does.  But here's a quick and dirty and delicious dairy free nog.
                              Warm in a sauce pan:
                                2 c almond milk
                                1/2 c coconut milk or cream
                              Whisk in 4 egg yolks
                                Beat 2 egg whites until soft peaks form, and fold those into the nog just before serving.
                                Top with generous and fresh ground nutmeg, clove and cinnamon to taste.
                                 You may sweeten this if you like with stevia, honey, cane sugar etc.
4. Stir into soup!
           Any soup is enhanced by dropping a fresh egg yolk into the steaming hot bowl of broth.  Stir it around, or leave it be.  It adds body, flavor and nutrients to any soup.  Here's a recipe for Avgolemono soup- Greek egg and lemon soup.
5.  Make hollandaise sauce.  Top veggies with this deliciate and delicious and nutritious sauce.
6. Make custard- pumpkin or coconut, or even herbal infused custard (lavender is delicious!)
7.  Stir into hot cereal.  If you still like a hot bowl of 7 grain cereal on cold winter mornings, one way to up the  nutrient content and protein content of your breakfast is to stir that yolk right into the hot steaming cereal in the bowl.  One or two yolks according to taste.  You can do this with whole beaten eggs as well.
8.  Make mayonnaise.  Bacon mayo is even better than regular, or lard.  Just don't use corn, soy or canola oil to make it.  If you like, you can be creative and add garlic, black pepper, basil or lemon and mint for delicious flavored aioli.

or you can put it in your hair.  Yup, thats right. Egg yolks in your hair.  It makes an amazingly conditioning hair treatment all on its own, but I like to add some honey, and a touch of coconut or jojoba oil to the egg, whip well, and apply generously to damp hair and leave on for an hour or so  (you can add a drop of lavender, rosemary or other essential oil if you desire.)  Rinse thoroughly, but don't shampoo it out, else you loose many of the conditioning benefits of the treatment.

Now, enjoy your eggs!

                                

Healing Foods : Medicinal Mushroom Gravy

Yes, gravy!
Several weeks ago I had dinner with Margi Flint in Marblehead, MA and she made a lovely roast chicken stuffed with herbs, and a most delicious medicinal mushroom gravy.  So she gets credit for the idea, but here's my version that I made to dress our pork roast the other night.

Mushroom teas and extracts take a lot of work to prepare, and aren't always very delicious, but lucky for us Mushroom Harvest has a wonderful ready made, pre-cooked blend of 14 deeply healing medicinal mushrooms as a powder, ready to use in various ways.  Not only is it tasty (much like shitake in flavor- which it contains in spades), but very versatile and easy to use.

Here's the gravy that can be used for roasted veggies, roasted meats, potatoes, rice, or what ever you like gravy on.  Bonus is- it's gluten and dairy free!!


1 c roasted meat drippings
(or sub 1 cup of warm bone broth or seaweed broth and a couple of spoonfuls of fat of choice- butter, ghee, coconut, olive, lard)
3 tbsp cold water or broth
1 heaping tbsp 14 mushroom blend powder
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp tapioca starch
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients except cold water, egg yolk, and tapioca.  Warm until bubbling gently.
Mix tapioca starch, egg yolk and cold water in a cup until dissolved.  Pour slowly while stirring briskly into the bubbling gravy.
Gravy will thicken quickly.  Remove from heat and serve!



Delicious medicine fit for everyday table use!

(edited to add the suggested egg yolk. it is MUCH BETTER with egg yolk!!)

Chicken Pot Pie- Gluten Free

I have fond memories of those individual sized frozen pot pies on cold winter nights as a child.  They way the smell baking in the oven, the fun of a pie all my own, the savory taste of chicken, buttery crust, and sweet carrots.  I started having a bit of a craving for this childhood favorite while visiting family over Thanksgiving. 

Here's the grown up version I came up with tonight- gluten free!  You can make it dairy free as well using coconut oil or lard in place of butter.  I used homemade chicken bone broth that I had cooked with healing herbs like astragalus and burdock, for extra deliciousness and health. 

Crust
2 cups Bobs Red Mill GF Biscuit and Baking Mix 
1 stick of butter or 1/2 c coconut oil or lard
8 tbsp cold water

Cut the butter into the mix until grainy, add water and just bring the dough together.  Roll out on a wax sheet dusted with tapioca flour.


Filling:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 large carrot
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup cubed butternut squash
1/2 c chopped mushrooms

10 oz chicken stock (prefer homemade bone broth infused with herbs)
3 tbsp tapioca starch (dissolved in 1/4 c cold stock)
1 tbsp butter or lard
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp lovage leaf
1 tsp sage leaf

Mix tapioca starch with 1/4 c cold stock.  Warm remainder of stock in a sauce pan with herbs and fat.  Not to boiling, but just to hot.  Add the tapioca starch mixture to the stock to make a thick gravy.

Add chopped chicken and veggies to a large pie pan.  Drizzle the gravy over the veggies. Lay the crust over the chicken and veggies and pinch shut around the edges.  Poke a few holes in the crust with a fork.

Bake at 350 for 1 hr.
Let cool for 30 min before serving. 
Serves a family of 4 generously. 
YUM!

Holiday Goodies and Craving Killer Cocoa Recipe!!

I've got some new goodies available at my Etsy store for the holiday season!!  Chocolate Pomander Lip Balm, Chocolate Mint Lip Balm.  Soon we'll have Spicy Hot Cocoa and her new tasty side kick- Orange Energy Hot Cocoa- with Maca, Ashwaganda and Orange peel for a tasty holiday treat that treats you well on all levels.   These cocoas are made with fair trade organic cocoa, organic cane juice and spices. NO dairy, no gluten!  This is a low sugar blend- just a hint of sweetness to complement the spices and herbs in each blend!  Brew it with your favorite milk (dairy or non) whisk in an egg yolk for extra staying power and enjoy! If you prefer a sugar free version, please just send me a message I'll be happy to whip it up for you!

Try this simple recipe below for the kind of cocoa that kills your cravings and satisfies for hours!

Craving Killer Cocoa

Heat water in a tea kettle to boiling.

In a mug whip together:

• 2 tbsp Spicy Hot cocoa or Orange Energy Hot Cocoa mix,

• pinch of sea salt and/or 10 trace minerals drops

• two or three tbsp of piima cream or other non dairy milk (coconut works especially well)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee

Slowly pour hot water over the whipped cocoa,c ream, egg  and oil mix gently stirring as you do. Out comes a frothy, foamy, deeply chocolate, creamy delight.

If you want, you can add some stevia to the mix for a slightly sweeter drink, but remember those bitter flavors are there to help you with your sugar cravings!

Yum!

Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

Dress up your dish with this simple, gluten and dairy free delicious sauce.  Perfect on sauteed greens, scrambled eggs, on meats, as a dip for veggies, or a salad dressing!

1 - 12 oz jar or 3 roasted red peppers, drained
3 cloves garlic
1/3 c olive oil
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp balsamic or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp sweet paprika powder

Put it all in the blender!  Serve immediately or keep cool to use later.
Yum!