Coconut Flour Cake

This is a recipe that I found on the Nourished Kitchen website.  I made a few changes to the recipe to accommodate the tastes of my family and, in some cases, because I did not have a particular ingredient. My changes are in red. The results were excellent. I served this cake to my extended family at a get-together for my son's last day before he returned to college after spring break. It was a resounding success! 

I would suggest reducing the baking time by about 5 minutes because the bottom got a little over-cooked and really stuck to the baking pans. I had to resort to freezing the cakes and, basically, scraping them out of the pans.

Coconut Flour Cake

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  45 mins
Total time:  1 hour 5 mins
Serves: 1 cake, about 8 servings

Dense, moist, and rich with coconut flavor, coconut flour cake is a remarkable treat. While both its texture and flavor is reminiscent of classic yellow cake, it's considerably more nourishing thanks to the nutrient profile of both coconut flour and fresh pastured eggs. We serve coconut flour cake for birthdays and special occasions.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 12 eggs
• 2 cups coconut milk
• up to ¾ cup honey (I used 1/2 cup honey)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (I used 3 tsp vanilla extract)
• ½ tsp coconut extract (I did not use this)
• ½ tsp orange extract (I did not use this)
• 2 cups coconut flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking soda (added by me)
• 1 Tbsp. Coconut Palm Sugar
• ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
• coconut oil, for greasing the pan

For the Frosting:

• 2 cups coconut spread (I used 2 cups butter)
• ½ cup virgin coconut oil
• up to ⅓ cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (used 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1 tsp coconut extract (I did not use this)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Beat a dozen eggs, two cups coconut milk and up to three-quarters of a cup of honey together with vanilla, coconut and orange extracts until smooth, creamy and uniform in both color and texture.
3. Dump two cups coconut flour, a half-teaspoon baking soda and a quarter teaspoon unrefined sea salt into the mixture of eggs, honey and extracts, and continue to beat until a smooth batter forms.
4. Grease and flour two eight-inch cake tins. (Make sure you grease pans very well.)
5. Pour, or spoon, the cake batter into the greased and floured tins, shaking them to even out the batter and smoothing it with the back of a spoon or with a rubber spatula.
6. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes, or until the cake separates from the sides of the tin and a toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean.
7. Allow the cake to cool completely before removing from the tin and frosting with the coconut frosting below.
8. Beat all ingredients for the frosting together until thoroughly combined.
9. Refrigerate the frosting for five to ten minutes so that it stiffens a bit.
10. Remove from the refrigerator, beat for about one minute.
11. Frost your cake.

Recipe by Nourished Kitchen at http://nourishedkitchen.com/coconut-flour-cake/

Spinach Soup

This is a recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman). I found it on the Food Network website. I searched for it because I had made spinach and there was a lot of it left over. I correctly assumed that my guys would eat more Spinach Soup than they would eat of just plain spinach.  This soup is excellent. Try it, you'll like it!

Spinach Soup

2 tbsps. olive oil
10 oz. fresh spinach
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 tbsps. (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 tsps. kosher salt, or more to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. but it was too much for me)
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the spinach and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the mixture to a blender or food processor, pour in 1/4 cup hot water and pulse until pureed. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until the onions begin to soften. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, then pour in the milk, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, cayenne and some black pepper and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the pureed spinach, then cook until thickened, another 3 to 5 minutes.

Check the seasonings, adding more salt, black pepper or cayenne as needed. Serve warm.

Thanks Ree Drummond!

Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts

This is a recipe for Brussels sprouts that I made on Christmas Eve. Everyone in the family loved these sprouts except my son. He didn't like the fact that the sprouts were sweet. He really isn't supposed to eat any seeds so I left out the sesame seeds. I will make this recipe when he is not home.

Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts

2 (12 oz) packages of Brussels sprouts, halved
2 tbsps. honey
2 tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. low-sodium teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp. sesame seeds

STEP 1 Set the Brussels sprouts in a large plastic container or resealable bag. Drizzle with honey, close container and shake to coat. Add the Thai sweet chili sauce and shake again. Finally, add apple cider vinegar and teriyaki sauce and shake until Brussels sprouts are completely coated.

STEP 2 Set coated Brussels sprouts in the bowl of a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or until fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked Brussels sprouts to a mixing bowl, reserving the liquid at the bottom of the slow cooker.

STEP 3 Set reserved cooking liquid in a small sauce pan and reduce over medium high heat, until a thick syrup forms. Stir frequently and take care not to scorch the sauce. When sauce is thickened, drizzle over the cooked Brussels sprouts, toss with sesame seeds, and serve.

Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower Soup

This soup is from the December 2016 issue of People Magazine. The recipe was meant to be vegetarian but I used low sodium beef broth because I had it. I also had to add the salt, pepper and other spices because when I used low sodium broth, the soup was very bland. If you use full sodium broth, then leave out the salt. 

Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower Soup

1 lb. Brussels sprouts

1 10 oz. bag frozen cauliflower florets

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

½ cup diced white onions

2 cups vegetable/beef/chicken broth

1 cup 2% milk

1-1/2 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

bacon bits to garnish

STEP 1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Halve the Brussels sprouts. Arrange sprouts and cauliflower on a large sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway.

STEP 2 Meanwhile, melt butter in a large sauce pan and sauté diced onion until translucent. Add the broth and spices and then bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.

STEP 3 Transfer one half of the roasted vegetables to the broth and simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return the remaining vegetables on the baking sheet to the oven to roast for another 5 minutes.

STEP 4 Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Remove from heat and stir in the milk and remaining roasted vegetables. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Left Over Ham and Green Bean Soup

We had turkey and ham for Thanksgiving this year and we had some left over. I didn't know what to do with all the green beans that were left over either so I decided to put them all together in a soup and it turned out great!

Left Over Ham & Green Bean Soup


4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups diced ham
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 carrots, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 bag riced cauliflower
sea salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste

Put everything into slow cooker except cream. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Add cream just before serving.