Tis the Season! Part 2

Ok, I've had enough baking for the week. Not that I'm not having fun, but wow is it exhausting! Not to mention I keep eating! I can't wait until people get here tomorrow so they'll start eating some of this stuff so I don't have to.

I did end up making 2 batches of peanut butter cookies. I also made 2 (or was it 3) batches of chocolate chip cookies, and 4 batches of macaroons- 2 with cranberries, two with double chocolate.

The chocolate chip cookies are, in a word, AH-MAY-ZING. I mean, they really taste like chocolate chip cookies! They are probably the most wonderful cookies on the planet, second only to the double chocolate macaroons... but more about those later.

First, the chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
few shakes of salt
5 tbsp melted butter
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup (or more) dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl, add to dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in chocolate chips (or do like I did, leave them out and stick them on top just before baking.) Spoon batter onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes until set and slightly toasted. They will firm up as they cool.

These are probably my favorite cookies. They may be even better than macaroons, and I just LOVE macaroons. Especially these ones...

I made them 2 ways. The first 2 batches I used the base ingredient and only added dried, sweetened cranberries. The second 2 batches I added 3 tbsp cocoa powder and chocolate chips. I apologize for not having measurements for the cranberries or the chocolate chips. I just kind of "eyeballed" it. Feel free to experiment!

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut - I ended up using coconut flour since that was all I could find
1/4 cup Z-sweet erythritol
2 egg whites
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix cream with sweetener and extracts. Add coconut (and any additional ingredients i.e. cocoa, chocolate chips, or cranberries). Mix well, and let stand for 1 hour. If mixture feels dry to the touch after 1 hour, add a little more cream.

Preheat oven to 350* F

Whip egg whites until peaks form. Fold into coconut.

Using a teaspoon, place a small amount of coconut mix onto a well greased cookie sheet, repeating to make approximately 16 cookies. Bake until slightly browned- about 12 to 15 minutes.


The double chocolate chip ones turned out so good. They're so rich and chocolatey. I can't wait until everyone gets here tomorrow. I want to them to try to guess which treats are Primal and which ones are Conventional.

And just so you all can see why I'm exhausted, my mother and I did this in a matter of 3 days.

I also sampled my $4.50/quart Organic Valley eggnog. I'll give you my opinion on that later. Right now I'm going to go home, get some sleep, and prepare for the big party tomorrow. I'm already on total carb overload right now with all the honey and chocolate. Hopefully I survive the next two days.

Tis the Season!

Happy Solstice! Merry Yule! It's officially winter, and the shortest day of the year. What a better way to celebrate than spending some time in the kitchen, creating delicious, sweet treats that one will soon consume in quantities too large to be appropriate? None, of course!

As it turns out, I have 5 whole days free from both jobs, and I just don't know what to do with myself. So... I started baking. And I will bake tomorrow, and I will likely bake wednesday. Today's projects: Pumpkin & cashew brownies (2 ways), and peanut butter cookies.

Pumpkin & Cashew Brownies. Both sets of brownies use the same basic recipe as a base. One batch I added chopped pecans and chocolate chips. The second batch I added 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Otherwise, they're completely the same.

Ingredients:
1 cup (organic) cashew butter
1 cup (organic) canned pumpkin
1 egg (pastured)
1/3 cup (raw) honey
1 tsp baking soda

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Spoon into cupcake papers. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes 8.


And... Peanut Butter Cookies. While not completely Primal, it is flourless. I love the peanut buttery flavor. The first batch turned out a bit too sweet, so I cut the sweetener some, and added a pinch of salt.

Ingredients:
1 cup (organic) peanut butter
1/2-3/4 cup Z-sweet erythritol
2 medium/large eggs (pastured)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. It makes the process so much easier.

Cream the peanut butter and sugar alternative in a bowl. Mix in the eggs, baking powder, and vanilla. Mix only until thoroughly combined.

The dough will be sticky. Have water nearby. Scoop the dough out by rounded tablespoons and roll with moist hands. Roll into balls about 1 inch in size and place 3 inches apart on parchment. Flatten each cookie with the tines of a wet fork, first pressed in one direction, and then in the other. Be sure there is at least 1/2 inch between cookies.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden on the top and bottom. Let cookies cool on the parchment for at least 5 minutes before moving. They will harden as they cool.


Oh, and one more recipe I started yesterday. KOMBUCHA!

Ok, not really a recipe. Just a gallon of water, 6 black tea bags, a cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar, and a scoby. I'd share a photo but really, it just looks like a big jug of tea right now, with a piece of fabric over the top. I'll be sure to get some photos as the kombucha starts to ferment. Right now it's pretty uneventful.

And so begins approximately 2 weeks of behaving badly. Sure, I'll try to stay Primal, but I'm also being realistic. Food will be eaten in quantity (and hopefully quality.) There will be beverages- including Organic Valley Eggnog, to be discussed at a later date. And let's not forget the New Year's revelry!

Happy Solstice!

Raw

I had an odd "craving" today. More like an urge or inclination, than a "craving."

Today didn't start out as my best eating day. I started out good with some turkey stock, made from my Thanksgiving leftovers. Yummy, but not very satisfying. Then I ran out of the house without a lunch. I managed to "forage" for a cheese stick in the break room at work. Neither "meal" was very gourmet, to say the least. Then, on top of things, I ended up pulling an impromptu shift at the restaurant, which made getting home to dinner even later. Pile on to that, I forgot to take my venison out of the freezer this morning. What's a girl to do?

A thought crossed my mind. "Raw." I looked around my kitchen to see what else I had on hand. Some leftover gourds (mom's Thanksgiving decorations, actually.) The thought kept nagging on my mind. "Eat it raw, eat it raw." Could I? Should I?

My sister's boyfriend killed the deer. It was a younger deer, healthy. He and my dad skinned it, and I helped my dad do the meat cutting. It was a clean process. Why not?

I would have liked to have an entirely raw meal, but the squash was a bit too hard to dig into, so I steamed it long enough to soften. The venison I have is what we call the "backstrap." It's that line of muscle that runs along both sides of the spine. So basically it's two long strips of meat. I did a quick thaw in the microwave, and cut it into chunks.

For about 5 minutes I had an internal arguement with myself. Cook it, no don't cook it. Cook it, no don't cook it. The thought of cooking it just didn't sound appealing, as if a perfect meal would be ruined. I couldn't ruin this precious bit of venison, the only deer meat I'll have for a year to come.

After doing a quick google search to see what risks there are of eating raw, wild venison, I decided to go ahead with the thought. The meat was cool and tender. I seasoned it only with a sprinkle of salt, though really it was unneccessary. Now I'm thinking it would be tasty dipped in Dale's marinade. It felt so natural to be eating meat this way, as if I was having a favorite food that I'd not had in years. I only ate a small amount compared to my usual appetite, but I'm satisfied none-the-less.

I'm not sure I will eat venison raw very often. There are risks of parasites after all. I guess that goes for pretty much all under-cooked meat, which is how I prefer my steak. I do have a freezer full of grass-fed beef... that would probably be a bit safer. That I may eat raw when possible.

But be sure, I'm not recommending that anyone go out and eat raw meat. Typical meat bought at the grocery store can be loaded with bacteria. It's pretty much a given that you should never eat undercooked chicken or pork. I think unless you know absolutely 100% where your meat came from, you shouldn't take the risk. In this case, and in the case of my beef, I do. Also be sure, I will be paying close attention to my health for any symptoms of illness or infection. Maybe I've just watched too many episodes of House.

Really though, it was absolutely delicious. I couldn't ask for a better meal tonight, and I didn't even really have to cook!

Here, have a look:

Hot Chocolate Heaven

Life is funny sometimes. I had a blog idea all set up for this week, and couldn't seem to find time to actually write it. Now that I have time, a whole new topic interrupts and demands center stage. I guess the original idea can go on the back burner until a more appropriate time.

Today was the epitome of winter. Heavy, wet snow coating everything, including my porch and car. Sleet and rain on top of it. Cold, wet, and just plain yucky. I woke up not wanting to deal with any of it. I loathe winter, and when you're cold, wet and miserable, there's nothing you want more than comfort food. The problem is that many comfort foods are not the least bit Primal.

One of my biggest issues since going Primal, and watching my carb intake in general, is the issue of hot cocoa. It's the ultimate winter comfort food, and when you're watching your sugar intake it gets a bit tricky. When you choose to cut out artificial ingredients and frankenfoods, you're left with pretty much no options other than to make it yourself. That hasn't worked out great for me in the past. What's a Primal girl wanting warm, chocolately comfort to do?

I was determined to find a solution, and was prepared to break down and go home-made once again. I decided that coconut milk just doesn't cut it for me so I went for half & half. Mix it with equal parts water and you essentially have the creamy texture of milk, minus the carbs. As I was walking out of the Nature's Market section of Wegman's, a thought struck me to see what they had to offer by way of cocoa mixes. Much to my surprise, I found one I approve of. It's not exactly low-carb, but it's satisfying and just expensive enough that I won't guzzle it down nightly. It's a REAL treat.


Introducing: Dagoba Xocolatl

Ok, ok... I can't pronounce it either. According to the package, it's pronounced "Choco-la'tl." Based on the traditonal cacao drink that the Aztecs drank as part of their rituals and festivities, it's hot chocolate with the additon of chilies and cinnamon. A seemingly odd combination, chocolate, chilies and cinnamon blend perfectly together for a spicy, sweet way to warm you up on a blustery winter night.

After doing a bit of looking online, I found Dagoba makes two other chocolate drinks- Authentic Drinking Chocolate and Unsweetened Drinking Chocolate. Currently my local Wegman's doesn't stock these flavors, but I'm determined to find them. At about $9.00 for a 12-ounce can, and approximately 20 carbs, I can realistically say I won't be drinking this every night, but when I have one of those "I gotta have cocoa" nights, you bet this is what I'm having. I find that generally my chocolate whey protein powder makes a reasonable cocoa. The Xocolatl, however, gets reserved for special occasions.

July 1st Update: So I'm revisiting this post after drinking my first cup of Xocolatl since December. Yes, I'm drinking hot chocolate in July, and yes, it's still the same canister I opened 6 months ago. I told you I wouldn't be drinking this too often!

So this time around I did opt for using coconut milk. The stuff has really grown on me over the last 6 months. I did thin it out as I did with the half & half, however. Like it or not, I still have to watch my calorie intake, not to mention how heavy the thick coconut milk would have felt in my stomach.

I decided to darken it up a bit by adding a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the mix. That really set it off. *Mouthgasm!* It was absolutely wonderful. I'm thinking next time I make this, assuming it's still during summer, I will have to try it iced. I think that would be absolutely delicious. Who says drinking chocolate has to be hot?