3-Ingredient Popsicles

June is here, and it's all about ice cream.  The kind you can eat and enjoy and not think about the calories.  The kind you can make at home with two ingredients and feed it to your kids and know that you're sneaking in whole fruity goodness without all the craziness that's found in boxed, store-bought brands. 

The fun part about this ice cream is that you can have it your way - whip it up for a soft serve feel, or put it in popsicle molds for a tasty cool treat.  Here, I show you both versions, and you decide for yourself.  The recipe cannot be simpler.

~ One can organic whole coconut milk (not the light version), refrigerated overnight

~ 3/4 bag of frozen berries (variation 1 was strawberries, the pictured version is peaches, and the one in our freezer currently is blueberry...quite possibly my favorite)

~ 1/2 dropper full of liquid stevia

Blend everything together in a vitamix until well blended.  This is a VERY soft serve and should be eaten immediately...more like a frozen pudding than ice cream. But the popsicles are totally worth the wait and unreal!

That's the equation, really, and you can use it as a template and use your favorite fruit.  Peaches, raspberries, a mixture of berries, even pear...you can also hide in whole pieces of fruit to make it look pretty as the kids are eating it.  Enjoy! We're on our third batch this week.... 

Yum...from our home to yours. 

Growing Our Own Food

I don't really know what's gotten into us this spring, but we're growing more food than we've ever done before:   We have 9 small beds outside, one roundish bed and three rectangles: and are growing...in no particular order. 

Arugula, beets, sorrel, asparagus, borage, stevia, swiss chard, peas, thyme, basil, dill, sorrel, parsley, chocolate mint, ginger mint, sweet mint, peppermint, spearmint, lettuces, radishes, kale, collards, poppies, rosemary, chives, oregano (two types), lemon balm, onions, broccoli, lavender, celery, rhubarb, strawberries, green beans, corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, clary sage, 5 new apple trees, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and squash. I'm sure I forgot something. Of course, the wild edibles, which are too many to count - echinacea, chammomile, st. john's wort, artemesia wormwood, lambsquarters, and so on.  Lots to do, lots of love, lots of water, and lots of sun.  

My hope is to basically eat out of the garden, and only buy:  chickpeas, superfoods, citrus, avocado, bananas, and nuts/seeds.  That's basically all we eat anyway. 

Enjoy the pictures.  This is honestly the #1 place I love to be.  Hands down. It's like Eden. 

Strawberry bed plus lettuce

Our seedlings hanging out during the day...

Collards

Small herb garden. 

Lemon Balm.

Our 5 new fruit trees, plus composting sections between them.

Arugula babies. 

Broccoli and onions...

Swiss Chard.

Magenta Lambsquarters growing up from last year...

Warm & Spicy Walnut Hummus

I'm telling you, if you haven't had warm hummus before, you haven't REALLY had hummus.  I'm not sure why, but I can honestly eat a whole bowl...Ok, so then it's no longer a condiment, but rather a meal in itself, but I'm ok with that scenario.  Actually ecstatic about it. And completely fulfilled, with some carrots and olives and an orange for dessert. How's that for whole foods?

3 cups hot chickpeas (preferably just home-made)

1/2 cup walnuts
2 small garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (you can use less if you don't like it as spicy)

Sea salt, to taste

A little water to get it going

Combine all ingredients together in a food processor and add as much water as needed to make it the consistency you'd like. If you like the walnuts a bit on the chunky side, you're set.  If you want the hummus super creamy, just process the walnuts first until the resemble rice, then proceed with the rest of the recipe. Serve with olives.  Eat with a large spoon.  Be tickled pink at how good it tastes.  

Divine Almond Oat Energy Balls

These are literally divine...I can't tell you how good these are and a bit addictive, but there are worse things to be addicted, so I say go for it. There are a lot of these same types of recipes online, so I can't take ownership for creating the first oat-based nut ball, but this is just a spin on such a creation - pretty generic ingredients, but the end product will fool anyone and it will knock their socks off.  These are great pre-workout, post-workout and as a snack for hiking, etc.  

2 cups oats (preferably raw, gluten free)
1/2 cup raw almond butter (roasted is fine, but not as optimal, or you can use peanut butter if you're not sensitive to it)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons cacao
pinch salt
few pinches cinnamon
7 pitted dates

Combine all the ingredients (except for the dates) in a food processor until well combined.  Add in the dates and combine some more until the mixture begins to hold together. If it needs a little help (if the dates are harder than desired) add a few tablespoons of water until it starts to stick together between your fingers.  Roll into balls, and enjoy! When refrigerated, they hold their shape better and harden a bit.  

Cinnamon Pear Raw Breakfast Bowl

Many people ask me what I eat for breakfast...but it really depends on the day....sometimes I just love water, sometimes a banana, sometimes a green juice or green smoothie....and more recently, I have a love affair with this easy pear cinnamon bowl. It really is the perfect balance of nutty/sweet/spice and cream.  You can't go wrong.  Change up the fruit, change up the nuts and seeds, add some apple juice instead of almond milk, add some cardamom for some kick...but have it. Just eat it.  You'll thank me. 

1 bartlett pear, chopped
2 tablespoons chia
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
a few dashes cinnamon
almond milk

Combine everything together and enjoy.  Now, this makes a lot - if you want to start out with 1 tablespoon of all the seeds, you can try it - and then most likely you'll have seconds. But go at your own pace and enjoy all the protein, nourishment, good fats, and energy this provides with very little sugar.  Long term energy at its best! Ps. This makes an awesome dessert too without the guilt!

Daikon Tops & Cannellini Stew

This past week for our Purple Dragon Co-op, we were fortunate enough to receive the most beautiful daikon radishes, complete with the greens (thank you Paula and Janit).  Although I love the daikon itself, I have to say I absolutely LOVE the greens.  Please don't throw them out! When cooked, they're very mild but have a wonderful texture, and I was able to substitute them for escarole in this impromptu dish.  I already had about 2 cups of cooked cannellini beans on hand, and when hunger strikes, this dish is done in 5 minutes.  Can't be beat. 

A note on beans: I have to say, making your own beans saves you a pretty penny and is  super easy to do. Here are some quick directions:  soak beans overnight.  In the morning, drain, rinse, and add to a pressure cooker with a small piece of kombu and with enough water to cover and then some (about 2 inches).  Bring to high pressure, lower pressure and cook for about 25 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let pressure come down on its own.  You're done!

2 garlic cloves chopped 

1 teaspoon coconut oil or 2 Tablespoons veggie broth

½ cup artichoke hearts, quartered (optional)

Greens from one daikon radish (no stem), chopped roughly 

2 cups Cannellini beans (cans are ok but home-made is better), with a little of the cooking water (about 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon any healthy vinaigrette (optional)

Heat the oil (or broth) and garlic with a little salt over medium-low heat in a nice sized pot (or even skillet if it's big enough).  Watch it from burning and stir often.  Once the aromas start to lift, add the beans and heat through, stirring as you go. After about 3 minutes, add in the greens and artichoke hearts (if using), just until wilted.  You don't want them over-cooked and mushy, but rather vibrant green and still with a little bite (undercooked, you can say).  Ladle this gorgeous "stew" into a bowl and dress with the vinaigrette if using.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Maple Coconut Macaroons

I love 4 ingredient recipes...they're my standby. I'm a girl of convenience, really.  
Let it be easy, clean and absolutely delicious, and most of all, make it quick!

This is dedicated to all of you chocolate lovers out there who decide to satisfy their unplanned chocolate urges with something naughty and fake from the store...who does that? You do! And I used to! But if you have these four ingredients on hand (which by the way are really easy to get a hold of), you will have INSTANT satisfaction in a healthy, pure way and it will be dee-ee-licious! Trust me. Try them. Thank me later :) 

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup cacao or cocoa

1/3 cup maple syrup (or up to 1/2 cup to thin mixture out)

1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Over a double boiler, slowly melt the coconut oil, cocoa and maple syrup and stir until well combined.  In a bowl, combine the coconut and chocolate mixture together.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out bite-sized macaroons on a plate.  Refrigerate to solidify or just eat as is.  

They don't have to be perfect or round...just delicious and semi-uniform in shape. Enjoy!