Oh. My. Yum.
Blueberry Lemon Curd!
So, this is a definite indulgent treat, given the fruit, but blueberries are coming in season, and if I’m going to eat then, this is how!!! This would make shoe leather taste good if you slathered it on there - but don’t try that! Lol (instead, smear it on my sugar-free meringue/pavlova that you make with the leftover whites, or spoon it over compliant vanilla ice cream, or make dessert bars or macaroons, or on a piece of toast, or just with a spoon!).
Blueberry Lemon Curd
1 pint Blueberries
Zest 2 lemons
1/2 cup lemon juice
5 Tbsp Butter
3/4 cup Lakanto Powdered Sweetener
2 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
Heat butter and whisk in sugar until dissolved - set aside.
Whisk eggs and egg yolks together - set aside.
Simmer blueberries with lemon juice and zest until blistered and softened. Put mixture through fine-mesh strainer.
Add blueberry/lemon mixture to bowl of double boiler (or like I do, a bowl over pot of simmering water - just make sure bottom of bowl doesn’t touch water). Keep water at a simmer. Add butter/sugar mixture and whisk until all melted and combined, before it gets too hot, SLOWLY add egg mixture - whisking like crazy! So eggs don’t scramble. Continue to whisk until mixture thickens - took a good 10 mins.
Put plastic wrap over - touching the top of curd, so it doesn’t form a skin, and refrigerate until well chilled
Pressure-cooked chickpeas, then browned in avocado oil, garlic, salt, (phase 3) Korean sweet potato noodles Keep cooked millet in the refrigerator and serve it as a side for dinner sautéed with sweet onions, greens, seasonings & lots of EVOO. Millet is supposed to be eaten only in moderation, and only if covered in compliant oil to reduce the insulin spike. It's very high carb and high glycemic load. Chopped leeks sautéed in olive oil and butter make a delicious pasta-like dish. Fried cabbage red or green with lots of EVOO. Slice the cabbage long and thin, and it will give you a fried noodle experience.
If you want to make sorghum popcorn use Bob's Red Mill. It's the only one that pops up perfectly with no soaking.
Green onions, also called scallions, are a versatile ingredient that's included in many recipes. They add both flavor and color to a dish, can be cooked or eaten raw, and used as a garnish. So it would make sense to keep them on hand, but, unfortunately, they can turn limp and slimy before you get around to using them. This is often due to improper storage. By using one of three methods for storing green onions, you'll find that they'll last days longer than if they were simply placed in the refrigerator. This avoids food waste and avoids wasting your grocery money, too.
All you need to store green onions and keep them fresher longer is a jar, plastic bag, and paper towel. Before proceeding with any method, be sure to remove all packaging materials from the scallions.
Store on a Windowsill
As we don't need to store other types of onions in the fridge, it seems logical that it's not necessary to store green onions in the refrigerator. This method calls for storing on a windowsill. Put the onions in a heavy-bottomed jar that is tall enough to hold the scallions without them flopping over. Place the green onions root-side down and fill the jar with an inch or two of cold or room temperature water (just enough to cover the roots). Then simply place the jar on the windowsill in your kitchen. Your onions will not only stay fresh but will also continue to grow. Change or add water every couple of days, as needed.
Store in the Refrigerator
If you don't have a windowsill in your kitchen, you can store green onions in the fridge following the same directions for storing on a windowsill, but then covering the tops of the onions with a plastic bag—this can be the bag they came in or a zip-top bag.
You want to keep some of the humidity within the bag, so you need to cinch the bag a bit. If using the grocery bag, place a rubber band or string around the bag where it meets the mouth of the jar; for a zip-top bag, just close each side a little bit. You don't need an airtight seal, just enough to keep in the humidity. Once in place, store in the refrigerator. Just be sure to put the jar where it isn't likely to get knocked over, and remember to replace the water every couple of days.
Store in a Damp Paper Towel
Instead of placing the scallions in a jar, you can use a paper towel and storage bag. First, wrap the green onions in a slightly damp paper towel. The dampness provides the humidity needed for proper storage; if the towel is too wet though, it can promote rotting. If you prefer, you can sprinkle the towel with water after wrapping the green onions. Place the wrapped scallions inside a plastic bag or storage container; it doesn't need to be sealed airtight. Remoisten the paper towel if it dries out and replace it if it becomes too wet.
Keep Onions Past Their Prime
If you have onions lying around that are deteriorating, you don't have to throw them out. You can employ a few different methods that will actually cause them to regrow. First, cut off one inch of the green part of each onion (keeping the white part with the roots intact) and plant in your garden or in a pot on your windowsill, root-end buried in the soil. Any time you need some green onion, snip off some of the tops, leaving the white part with the roots planted in the ground. The onions will grow back again, and you can keep doing this as long as you don't disturb the roots. In many places, green onions will even survive the winter.
Using fresh herbs straight from the garden is a summer pleasure even the most casual cook can appreciate. Sadly, like summer itself, it’s all too fleeting. Once picked, their shelf life can be extended a bit, but fresh herbs are decidedly “of the moment.” Drying herbs is probably the best known method for preserving summer herb surpluses, and may be the easiest way to make “hard” herbs like oregano, bay or rosemary last. However, drying doesn’t always capture the flavor as well as we’d like, and for herbs with a higher moisture content like mint, parsley or chives, dehydration may not be an effective option for preservation.
Freezing herbs is fast, easy and retains much of the taste, smell and nutrients found in fresh herbs. Although they aren’t always pretty and may not stand up to scrutiny for use in salads or as a garnish, frozen herbs will retain much of the flavor of fresh-picked herbs for use long after the growing season has ended.
Enjoying a surplus in the herb garden? Try these four strategies for freezing fresh herbs:
Freezing Bare Herbs
Many herbs can be simply frozen on the stem and stored in an airtight container. Left on the stem, hardier herbs like rosemary, dill, thyme, bay or sage can be spread in a single layer on a baking sheet or plate and placed in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer into any airtight container for freezer storage without clumping. To use, simply remove herbs a sprig at a time. Some herbs, like chives, can be chopped and frozen bare with little loss of flavor.
Freezing in Water
For long-term storage, tender herbs like mint, parsley and cilantro can be removed from their stems and frozen into ice cubes. Pack ice cube trays with chopped or whole leaf herbs, cover with water and pop into the freezer. Once frozen, cubes can be transferred into a Ziploc bag or other airtight container for easy, single-serve access.
Freezing in Oil
Basil freezes best when first processed into pesto, but this practice also works well with other herbs like oregano or thyme to be used in soups, sauces or other dishes where oil is welcome. Remove stems and combine about a cup of fresh herbs with 1/4 cup of olive oil in a food processor. Pulse to blend, then transfer into ice cube trays. Once frozen, move cubes into an airtight container for long-term storage. To retain whole leaves, leaves may be removed from stems, placed in ice cube trays and then covered with oil to freeze.
Rolled Herbs
Flat-leaf herbs like Italian parsley or sage can be compressed and rolled for space-efficient storage. Remove stems and loosely fill a Ziploc bag with the leaves. Tightly compress the leaves into the bottom of the bag, seal and roll the bag around the bundled herbs. Secure with rubber bands or twine and place in the freezer. Rolled herbs can then be sliced as needed for use in recipes.
I had a craving for some creamy pasta. After rolling the idea around in my head for a bit, I headed to
the kitchen and started my food symphony ;) This so hit the spot! It is a splurge for sure. So, if you
wanna watch your carbs, sub the pasta with some cauliflower rice!
This recipe is good for 4 – 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 lb homemade meatballs (100% grass fed beef, freshly ground)
Ghee (for sautéing)
Olive Oil (for sautéing)
½ Onion, diced
½ tsp garlic powder Sea salt (to taste)
¼ tsp nutmeg Flat-leaf Parsley (fresh or dry) for garnish
2 cups broth 1-2 tsp coconut aminos
8 oz Organic Cream Cheese, cut in pieces and room temperature
1-2 Cups Small Broccoli Florets, lightly steamed Miracle Noodles Fettuccine
Directions:
1. Heat large skillet with ghee and olive oil (I am generous with the fats, I probably
used a couple tablespoons of each) over med-high heat. Sauté meatballs, seasoned
with a bit of salt. Once the meatballs are done, nicely browned, spoon out of pan
into a bowl and set aside.
2. Using the same pan, Sauté the onion with salt. Once onions have
softened, add the garlic powder and stir around.
3. Then add your broth and simmer about 15 minutes. Stir in coconut aminos.
4. Stir in the cream cheese. Continue to stir until the cream cheese is fully
incorporated/melted into the sauce. Taste for seasoning. I added more salt, garlic
and cayenne here (I prefer red pepper over black, but if you like black pepper....go
for it!) and this is where I add in the nutmeg.
5. Stir in the lightly steamed broccoli florets and the meatballs. Simmer on med-low.
6. While your meatballs are simmering, prepare your pasta to package directions.
Once pasta is prepared, stir into sauce (adding some of the pasta water if you need
to thin the sauce). Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
Meatballs
I make these ahead of time, whenever I can get the beef on sale. I store them raw, in the freezer. I use
a melon baller to portion my meatballs and a scale to weigh to 1/4-/1/3 ounce and roll by hand. I can
get a lot of meatballs that way, around 160).
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, just use your (clean) hands to work it all
together.
2. Use a melon baller to portion meatballs, roll with your hands and place on
parchment-lined cookie sheet. (I weigh my meatballs so I get 3-4
meatballs/ounce. Also, you can make them whatever size makes you happy).
3. Once you have made all your meatballs, place the cookie sheet in the freezer.
When the meatballs are frozen, place in a zip lock bag or airtight container and
store in the freezer. Now you have meatballs whenever you want them.
To cook them, from frozen, just sauté in a pan with the fat of your choice. I use a 50/50
combo of ghee and olive oil. It'll probably take about 15 minutes, if you have made
small balls.
Also, I season them while sautéing to achieve whatever flavor I want. “Plain”, just salt
and the pepper of your choice. You can do “Asian” with ginger and garlic and some
coco aminos , maybe use some sesame oil and green onions for garnish. You can do
“Italian” with Italian seasonings and parsley for garnish. You can make a “sweet” sauce
with golden monk fruit, french butter or ghee, coco aminos. The possibilities are all in
your imagination!
Cut the cauliflower into florets. Place the florets in a food processor and pulse until they become a rice like texture. Transfer the riced cauliflower to a large microwave-safe mixing bowl and microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked through.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
Add the melted ghee (or coconut oil), chopped chives, garlic powder, coconut flour, eggs, and salt to the mixing bowl. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
Use your hands to form the mixture into 6 to 8 patties. Set aside.
Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. NOTE: You want the coconut oil to be deep enough to partially submerge the patties.
Fry the patties in the coconut oil until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the patties from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to remove any excess oil.
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