Hold on to your hats, people!

I actually captured a photograph of something edible. Something delicious. Something for YOU!

You guys, I have to confess that I have been mentally opposed to #pumpkiningallthethings this season. It could be because I took a beach vacation at the end of September, or maybe because the food industry has really out-pumpkined itself this year. I mean, Pumpkin Spice Pringles is taking it past the point of no return. Put your thinking caps on, guys. You can do better!

Nevertheless, I had a can of pumpkin in the pantry and I remembered this old Oven Love recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Giants. I hadn’t pulled it up in a while, and when I did, I saw some ingredients in that recipe that I’m not really friends with anymore- namely white sugar and canola oil (all-purpose flour and I only see each other when absolutely necessary). So I embarked on some kitchen experimentation to see if I could substitute some pantry items and make it work.

I swapped out the white sugar for coconut sugar, used coconut oil instead of canola and substitute freshly-milled soft white wheat flour for the all-purpose. I knew by looking at the batter that they wouldn’t come out exactly the same, but I was hopeful.

The cookies bake up nice and puffy- no spreading, which I love. The texture isn’t quite as airy with the coconut sugar and whole grain flour,  but I kind of liked it that way. The cookies had a nice nutty flavor that they didn’t before. You’ll definitely need a glass of milk with these if you eat them straight out of the oven, but they will relax after resting for a day or two.

If you loved the original recipe, I’d encourage playing around with it and substituting your own favorite pantry items. Recipes are more flexible than you think!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Healthier Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Giants

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: dessert

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• ½ cup melted coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon milk, dairy or non-dairy
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole grain flour (I used soft white wheat that we grind at home, but you could use a store-bought whole grain flour of your choice. I would think you could substitute a cup-for-cup gluten-free blend here as well with no problem.)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups chocolate chunks or chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk pumpkin, coconut sugar, coconut oil, egg, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir the dry ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Add chocolate and stir to combine.
4. Scoop batter with an ice cream scoop and drop onto the parchment paper, leaving space between the cookies. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotate in the oven, then bake 8-10 minutes more until puffed and set in the center.
5. Let cool on wire racks before serving and store in an air-tight container.

3.1.09

I have had this idea in my head for so long. Carrot cake baked oatmeal… carrot cake baked oatmeal.. I just couldn’t shake it! I typically make this simple baked oatmeal and we just switch up our toppings, but it was high time I got to experimenting with the recipe.

Before we move on, can we just say “Hello, gorgeous!” to that pour shot up there? I actually had a spare minute to get out my tripod, only to realize it wasn’t really working properly.. but somehow I got a pour shot in the midst of it all. I’m a happy food blogger today!

Food blogging is a funny thing. There’s so much that goes into each post that you guys don’t see! I’d invite you to come hang out with me here for a day to see what goes on, but I never actually know what day I’ll be working on “blog stuff.”

Take this oatmeal for instance.

The idea popped into my head months ago. I wrote it down while I was brainstorming blog ideas back in January. I finally got around to making it earlier this week. I waited until mid-day to make it so that I’d be able to photograph it in the afternoon light.. so we didn’t actually eat it for breakfast that day. I waited until the little one took her nap and the big one started his quiet time to start shooting.

I pulled our coffee table over by the window with the best light, grabbed all the toppings and tiny dishes and utensils and set up my shot. I fumbled with the tripod for a while, gave up, got my shots. I hooked up the camera to download and ate one of the servings of oatmeal from the shot. Then I started to clean up.. and ate the other one, ha! (Because, you know, one for me and one for baby. Totally logical.) I looked through the pictures quickly, then I didn’t actually get around to editing them or writing this post until a few days later. Now here we are!

Sometimes the process isn’t drawn out like that, but there’s usually something around here that gets in the way of productivity. Usually my own laziness.. or lack of natural light.

Anyways, loves, this oatmeal is top notch. I’m so happy to share it with you, even if it took months for me to do it.

It’s not complicated to replicate that classic carrot cake taste. The big players are (of course) carrots, cinnamon, nutmeg if you’re feeling funky, raisins, walnuts and coconut, if you’re into it. I will say right now that I am not into pineapple in my carrot cake.. I think adding pineapple makes it more like hummingbird cake (which is also delicious, but is not carrot cake).

But let’s not forget the most important part- the cream cheese. Oh, you have got to have the cream cheese. The cream cheese makes it perfect. (Unless you are dairy-free, but you can top it with this delicious cashew cream instead!) I didn’t want to slather it with frosting (I mean, I did.. but it IS supposed to be breakfast, people), so I spun up an easy cream cheese topping in the blender and it was the best idea EVER, no joke.

You guys, this cream cheese topping.. it just kills it. The picture below explains perfectly. On the left side, you’ll see an appropriate amount of the cream cheese drizzle and toppings. On the right, the obscene amount I drowned my portion with after I took a bite. Then I took another bite and thought, “WHAT THE WHAT?! This stuff is insane!”

Maybe I’m over-reacting about oatmeal? But really, I’m obsessed.  Don’t wait too long to try this one!

P.S. You can make right away, the night before, or days ahead. You can also cut into squares and freeze for later!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Cream Cheese Topping

 

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Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Breakfast, Brunch

Serves: 9

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil or grass-fed butter
• ½ cup applesauce (you can substitute carrot puree for extra carrot flavor)
• 2 medium carrots, grated (you can add more if you like)
• 1¼ cup milk, dairy or non-dairy
• 3 cups oats, gluten-free if necessary
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup shredded coconut
• For the cream cheese topping: 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• ¼ cup milk, room temperature (you may need a little more if you want the sauce thinner)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
• extras for serving- walnuts, raisins, shredded coconut or coconut chips, maple syrup

Instructions

1. Coat an 8×8 or 2 quart baking dish with butter or coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, melted butter/coconut oil, applesauce and milk. Fold the oats, carrots nuts, raisins and coconut and combine well. Transfer the oat mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly around.
3. To bake right away: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Let oat mixture sit and soak for 20-30 minutes at room temperature while the oven is preheating. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until oatmeal is set and edges are brown.
4. To bake later in the day or the next morning: Cover your dish tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly on top of the oat mixture. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap oatmeal and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until oatmeal is set and edges are brown.
5. To make the cream cheese topping, combine the cream cheese, milk, honey and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
6. Serve hot with: cream cheese topping, maple syrup, raisins, walnuts and coconut.

#version#

Vitamin C! I want to start this off by saying something really important about how essential Vitamin C is for your health, but all I can think about is this Vitamin C. Remember her? That graduation song, man. It gets me every time. Class of 2005, never forget! 

Okay, real talk. Vitamin C is necessary/awesome because it

• supports a strong immune system
• reduces histamine levels
• helps in wound healing
• promotes eye health
• helps control free radicals
• and most importantly, it keeps you from getting Scurvy

Those are just a few facts I found with the help of my old pal Google- I’m sure there are lots of other benefits, too.

We take these in the mornings along with our flu-fighting gummies (for more about our daily health routine, check out this post). They have a real Creamsicle vibe to them, with just a little bite of acidity at the end. The kids love them and always ask for more.

The dosage of Vitamin C in each gummy will depend on the strength of your Vitamin C powder and the size of your gummies. A little math can tell you how much is in each gummy after you make them. We take 2 gummies a day.

I found my Vitamin C powder at Trader Joe’s, but you should be able to find it at any health food store or online. This is the easiest way (other than whole foods) to incorporate extra Vitamin C into our diet that I have found. Though my friend just told me about something called lipsomal Vitamin C, which is supposed to be better absorbed by the body, but I haven’t done any research on that yet. So for now, we’ll continue on with the gummies. If anyone has any experience with lipsomal Vitamin C, please hit me up in the comments or email me, I’d love to know more.

Don’t they just look so bright and yummy and cheery?

P.S. Congratulations to Samantha B. on winning the Beyond Bacon giveaway!

4.0 from 1 reviews

Orange Cream Vitamin C Gummies

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Snacks, Vitamins

Serves: 60

Ingredients

• 1½ cups orange juice, fresh squeezed if possible
• 4 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin
• 4 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 tablespoon Vitamin C powder
• ¼ teaspoon orange extract (optional)
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Pour orange juice into a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over the top and let sit for a few minutes until the gelatin blooms (all the white powder should be gone and it will swell up and start to look bumpy).
2. Heat the juice and gelatin over medium heat. Whisk in the honey, Vitamin C powder, orange extract (if using), vanilla extract and salt. Heat only until the gelatin is dissolved; do not boil.
3. Pour into molds or a loaf pan and let cool in the refrigerator until firm; about 3-4 hours.
4. Store in the refrigerator- they will last 2-3 weeks.

3.1.09

This weekend, my little girl turned 2. I just love that little peanut and her growing personality. I would say I’m excited to be moving out of the baby stage.. but it’s only a few months before we move back into it.

This was her birthday cake!

I know it’s not the typical two-year-old birthday cake (what, no Dora?!), but my girl loves berries. So berries we had.. and lots of them.

But let’s back up a second.

This recipe is called Yellow LARD Cake. Say what!?!

A few years ago, I would not have been caught dead eating anything with lard in it, let alone a dessert. I grew up on the idea that lard and shortening (which are NOT the same, by the way) would make you super fat and you should avoid them at all costs. Pass the butter spray, please! (Can’t believe that’s still a thing.)

After lots of time spent learning about real food, my mind began to change. Maybe animal fats really were the way to go! I think the idea was really cemented in my brain when I took on the GAPS Diet, since the first stages of Intro included only tallow as the only fat (the beef or lamb equivalent for lard). For more reading about lard and it’s place in a nourishing diet, check out this post at Weed ‘Em and Reap.

The recipe for the cake comes from a book that everyone in the Paleo community has been talking about, Beyond Bacon. The cookbook is the brainchild of Matt and Stacy from Paleo Parents, one of the best Paleo resources out there. The book is all about how to take advantage the whole pig, scary bits and all. Matt and Stacy explain how to find quality pork and walk you through all of their preparations in a way that takes intimidating projects (like rendering your own lard) seem very doable.

The book is stuffed full of quality recipes. I’ve got my eye on the Smoked Pork Belly, Asian Short Ribs, Cucumber Dill Quiche, “Corn” Dogs, Fried Yuca, Savory Bacon Jam, Caramel Praline Lard Fudge, The Best Brownies.. so, like I said. A LOT of quality recipes in here.

Matt and Stacy recommend their chocolate frosting to top the yellow cake, but I opted for whipped cream and fresh fruit in honor of my little berry lover. I used real cream, but you can use whipped coconut cream interchangeably. (You may also notice some powdered sugar on the cake. That is NOT paleo, I just think it looks so lovely for photographs!)

I followed the directions in the book for two layers of cake, but unfortunately, one of my layers broke as I was removing it from the pan. My advice would be to chill the layers in the fridge completely and then flip the pans and tap the cakes free only when you’re ready to assemble the cake. Be sure to line the pans with parchment paper, too- that makes a huge difference with these dense paleo cakes!

As for the taste, we can’t get enough! No complaints there. The cake was a great base for berries and cream, but I’d love to try the chocolate frosting on it, too. Can’t go wrong with any kind of cake, if you ask me.

So, in honor of my little girl and her 2nd birthday, I’m giving away a copy of Beyond Bacon to one of you! I have pretty much dropped the ball on giveaways around here, so I’m very happy to be bringing you one today. Makes the heart full to be able to give things away. Just follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below, my darlings, and the winner will be announced at the end of the week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have the sniffles.

And my little girl has a runny nose.

We haven’t had any sickness around here all winter, so I got to thinking about what might have changed in our habits in the past few weeks. Then it hit me- we were out of gummies!

It may seem trivial, but these gummies really make a difference for us. They are part of our daily routine during cold and flu season. Each morning, we all take:

• a few Cold/Flu gummies
• a few Vitamin C gummies
• a spoonful of Fermented Cod Liver Oil (We use the Cinnamon Tingle gel, refrigerated. The kids chase theirs with fresh juice and a chocolate chip, without complaint.)
• a small glass of my Apple Cider Vinegar concoction- a mix of raw ACV, fresh juice, filtered water, cinnamon and honey/stevia (This is optional, and we usually add this in when someone is showing symptoms)

We also use essential oils at bath time (usually lavender, citrus or eucalyptus) and for evening foot rubs (we use Thieves in a carrier oil). Might be silly, but it’s part of our routine now and it’s been working!

The powerhouse ingredient in the gummies is the Elderberry Syrup, known for strengthening the immune system. You can buy it pre-made or make it yourself. I inherited some homemade syrup from my sister-in-law, so I haven’t had to make it myself yet (thanks, Steph!). The tart cherry juice helps with sleep and the gelatin strengthens the gut lining. If you don’t like the tart cherry flavor or you can’t find it, you can substitute pomegranate juice, which is full of antioxidants. The raw honey and vanilla extract are optional, but I think they enhance the flavor and make the gummies more appealing for the little ones.

One batch poured into a loaf pan makes about 70-80 gummies for me, which lasts us quite a while, especially when we have other gummies to go along with them. I’d love to pick up some of those super cute silicon molds that I keep seeing on the internet, but I haven’t pulled the trigger.. I love these robot and dinosaur ones!

I know these gummies aren’t the key to health or a 100% guarantee to not getting sick this season, but every little step toward health can help. They’re yummy and my kids take them gladly, so I think we’ll be keeping them in the rotation for a while.

What about you? How do you prevent cold and flu from coming into your home? I’d love to hear your tips!

5.0 from 4 reviews

Cold and Flu Fighting Gummy Snacks

 

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Adapted from – http://www.realfoodrn.com/healthy-gummies-cold-flu-sleep/

Author: Natalie Herr

Recipe type: Snacks

Serves: 70

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups pure tart cherry juice and/or pure pomegranate juice
• 4 tablespoons grass-fed gelatin
• ¼ cup Elderberry Syrup
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Heat ½ cup juice until bubbling.
2. Sprinkle gelatin over the remaining juice and let it bloom.
3. Combine the hot juice with the gelatin/juice mixture, then add the Elderberry Syrup, honey and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
4. Pour into molds or a loaf pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours or until set.
5. Remove from molds or cut into small squares.
6. Makes 70-80 gummy snacks, depending on your molds or how large you cut them.

3.1.09

Oh hey, 2014!

How’s week one of the new year going for everyone? We are in hibernation mode here in Ohio, which has given me lots of time to reflect on what to do with my time in the next 12 months (or rather the next 5 months, since new babies have a way of shifting your priorities).

To help me get my head on straight, I have been going through Lara Casey‘s Make It Happen series; it’s a goal-setting series that I absolutely recommend. Especially if you’re like me, AKA you have a huge desire to get your act together for the new year but have no idea where to start. I’ve got a lot of ideas swimming around in this head and Make It Happen has helped me to organize it all. So, yay, new year! And hooray for a new recipe today! Finally got off my duff and picked up my camera.

This soup was inspired by a lovely lunch I had with my friend Jillian (see how awesome she is below) at Wheat Penny here in Dayton. We sampled a little cup of their curried carrot soup to start our meal; it was grand. I love that curry powder gives such a distinct, comforting taste but doesn’t make things too spicy. For my at-home version, I used all the orange veggies we had on hand- carrots, butternut squash and sweet potato. Pumpkin would also work well; you can use what you have in any combination.

This soup works for a whole variety of diets and is almost impossible to mess up. It would be great with some crumbled bacon on top, or even some homemade croutons. You could kick up the spice by adding some thai red curry paste, too.

And beyond tasting good, this soup has great nutritional benefits:

• Healthy, filling fats
• Cold/Flu-fighting onions, garlic and turmeric
• Orange veggies filled with Vitamin A to boost the immune system
• Bone broth; rich in gelatin, vitamins and minerals and anti-inflammatory

A special thanks to my sweet friends Jillian and Megan for making this post happen- they came over to my house today and did all my dishes PLUS cleaned my fridge! It was amazing, and it motivated me to pull out the camera and get this post up. A clean kitchen = no excuses for this lady. Thanks, girls- you are such a blessing to me! I am ready to re-pay you in soup.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Curried Winter Soup with Carrot, Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash

 

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Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Soup, Main Dish, Appetizer

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• a few tablespoons quality fat (grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, lard, tallow)
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• ½-1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon turmeric (optional)
• 6-8 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large butternut squash; peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped (you can substitute more carrots or squash if you’re on GAPS or avoiding starches)
• 4-6 cups of bone broth (enough to cover the veggies in the pot)
• plain whole milk yogurt, for serving (optional, you can substitute full-fat coconut milk if you’re dairy-free)

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt down the fat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until they begin to soften. Add the spices and let cook a few more minutes.
2. Add the carrots, squash and sweet potato to the pot, followed by the bone broth. Add enough broth to cover all of the vegetables. Bring it all to a boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender, about 20-30 minutes. When the veggies are soft, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth.
4. Serve warm with a generous drizzle of yogurt.

#version#

Good morning, hello, how are you?

I made you some pie.

But first, let’s talk about blogging for a minute.

Food blogging is a funny little part of my life. Most people I come in contact with in “real life” don’t even know I do it; whereas you guys only know about what gets posted here, only this little shared piece of me. Sometimes I feel like my head is bursting with ideas and all I want to do is camp out in the kitchen, test things out and share them with you. Other times, blogging is just off my radar completely. We just go about our business as a family for a while and suddenly (usually during a bang-up meal) I realize that I haven’t been blogging.

Blogging has changed a lot in the past five years. Heck, my life has changed a lot in the past five years. When I first started blogging, I did it because I really enjoyed baking and cooking and documenting what was going on in my kitchen. I had no kids, I had plenty of time. Then the blog grew a little bit and I started to put more importance on posting however-many-times a week, making sure I was hitting up social media and doing all the “right stuff” as a blogger. And I went through a period where I felt really guilty if I wasn’t keeping all of those things going. Spoiler Alert: I can not keep all that stuff going. haha

Now, I’m a mom of two, working on putting together a new house and making it a home. You better believe I have been churning out some great meals for my family that I’d love to share, but I just got out of the groove of setting up photos. Lots of good meals have gone undocumented. Sometimes I still feel guilty for not sharing all of that good stuff with you guys, but realistically, I know that you understand that I have a real life to live outside this slice of the web. So, just thanks for being awesome and going with the flow.

I’ll start talking about the pie now.

This Shepherd’s Pie wasn’t some long-thought-out plan to reduce potato consumption or GAPS-ify a classic recipe. I just had a head of cauliflower and some ground beef that needed using and this is what happened. I saw it coming out of the oven all bubbly and brown and my brain said, “Take a picture, fast, and then let’s eat this thing!”

Cauliflower is like the classic nerd-that-turns-popular story, am I right? People never really gave it much thought before, but now it is everywhere! Cauliflower pizza crusts and faux-tatoes and cauli-rice galore. Good for you, cauliflower. Enjoy your 15 minutes of vegetable fame. You and your versatility deserve it.

This is similar to a classic Shepherd’s Pie, just with the potatoes swapped for cauliflower. I did add cheese on the top, but you can leave it off if you must. If you’re on the fence, though, definitely leave it on- it’s awesome. I used extra sharp cheddar. Treat Yo’ Self.

Perfect meal for fall, you guys! Dinner on the table in about an hour. What’s not to love?

4.9 from 18 reviews

Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Topping (GAPS, Paleo, Grain-Free)

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Dish

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 2 tablespoons fat (lard, tallow, ghee, coconut oil, etc)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef or lamb
• ¼-1/2 cup homemade beef broth
• 1 tablespoon homemade ketchup or tomato paste (omit if you don’t have a GAPS-legal or Paleo option)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fat (lard, tallow, ghee, etc)
• ½ cup shredded GAPS-legal cheese (omit for Paleo)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish and set aside.
2. In a large pot, steam or boil cauliflower until tender.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of fat in a large skillet or saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, around 5 minutes.
4. Add the ground meat to the pan and cook until browned. Add beef broth as necessary to keep the mixture wet. Add the ketchup or tomato paste (if using), parsley and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer while you prepare the cauliflower topping.
5. To make the topping, drain the cooked cauliflower. Mash or puree with a stick blender until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of fat and season with salt and pepper.
6. To assemble, spread the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish. Top with the cauliflower mixture and smooth with a spoon. Cover with shredded cheese, if using.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Serve warm.

3.1.09

I made a real dinner, you guys.

I actually semi-meal-planned it and put thought into it and everything (say what??). Mom/wife of the year!

It’s tough for me to get my head on straight and focus on my every day responsibilities at the moment. The new house is just crazy and it’s consuming my thoughts. I sat down to write my market/grocery list and I reeeeally had to focus, but I got it done. And I actually bought the things on my list at the market without buying any extra stuff (except a strawberry popsicle for my little helper, couldn’t resist). Although.. we did go to Trader Joe’s afterwards and we have about 0.0% self control in that place.. so mission only semi-accomplished. Oops.

We will have to do a whole run down of our Trader Joe’s favorites soon.. I could talk about it all day. Love/hate relationship.

Okay, so these are mini taco-stuffed zucchini boats. Cute, right? I made them smaller so they’d work nicely for kid portions. I actually thought about making them even smaller, but I thought the filling might fall out. After cooking them, I can say that they’d be perfect bite-sized appetizers if you cut them into 1-inch portions. I’d love to serve teeny tiny ones with some margs- GIANT margs.

If you are paleo or dairy-free, I still think these would be tasty without the cheese. We had some extra filling and we fried it up like a little taco burger, and it tasted great. Cheese not necessary.

These little boats are a nice way to switch things up if you like tacos, but you’re getting tired of your typical tortilla or lettuce wrap. The zucchini is basically just another vehicle for getting that taco goodness in your mouth. It’s really all about the filling, isn’t it? It takes a little extra time, but it’s not as messy as a taco if you’re feeding them to your child. This is important at my house, since my daughter has crazy-dinner-mess-face every time she eats. Girl is serious about her food.

Hopefully, I can keep up this meal-planning streak for another few days. I think you probably know how that’s going to end..

Mini Mexican Zucchini Boats

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

*To make things even quicker, you can substitute about 3-4T taco seasoning for the spices.

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Main Course

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 medium zucchinis, ends trimmed
• 1 pound ground beef (I prefer grass-fed)
• ½ onion, minced
• ½ green bell pepper, minced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced/pressed/grated
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional, not Paleo-approved)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• cracked pepper to taste (probably around 1 teaspoon)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (optional, I used a mixture of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Grease the bottom of a large baking dish.
2. To prepare the zucchinis, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh to make a channel. Set aside.
3. To prepare the filling, mix the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, tomato paste (if using) and spices in a medium bowl.
4. To assemble, fill the zucchinis with the ground beef mixture. Then cut each zucchini in half (or smaller sections if you life). Place the mini zucchini boats in the greased dish.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Pull out of the oven, top with the shredded cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and the cheese is melted. If you’re not using cheese, bake about 30 minutes until the zucchini is soft and the filling is set.
6. Serve warm and enjoy.

3.1.09

I’m pretty much on a diet of chopped vegetable dishes. Every meal I’ve eaten in the past two weeks has either consisted solely of a) potato salad, b) green bean salad with basil, sautéed radishes, and hunks of mozzarella, c) citrusy coleslaw, or a hearty helping of one of those next to some protein that I was mostly eating just to stave off devouring a giant bowlful of one of those salads. Now that tomatoes are starting to come in? Oh boy. Watch out. Is it possible to eat all of your daily calories from tomatoes? Can I try? No? Okay, I’ll throw in some grilled corn on the cob slathered with homemade lime mayonnaise and queso añejo. And some peaches and cherries. That’s fine. God I love summer.

Gazpacho is a little difficult for me. On the one hand, it’s probably one of the best soups you can eat. On the other hand, it seems a little shameful to purée fresh, ripe, local (expensive) heirloom tomatoes. Maybe that’s because I don’t have any of my own in a garden in my back yard. I kind of feel that they’re like precious gems and to adulterate them with anything more than some coarse sea salt and a basil leaf is to somehow cheapen them. But when it’s terrible and hot and gross out, gazpacho is something to live for.

Since there’s not much to gazpacho, you must use good tomatoes. Don’t put off this recipe until the winter or something. Go out and splurge on some beautiful tomatoes. And if you have them in your garden, you are lucky and please send some to me. And as with most traditional and iconic recipes, there are a hundred versions, all hotly contested as being the one perfect one I’m sure. I don’t have too many strong opinions on what vegetables should or not should be included in gazpacho and what the levels of vinegar and oil should be. I do strongly feel, though, that using tomato juice is a no-no. I mean, you’re trying to celebrate gorgeous summer tomatoes. Why would you mix them with bottled tomato juice? Gah. But if you want to leave out the cucumber and red pepper, or add in some parsley, go for it. Topping gazpacho with a hard boiled egg is also extremely acceptable.

That’s it. That’s my gazpacho. It’s wonderful. You can certainly chill it if you need some extra cooling off, but I think room temperature allows the flavors to be their best. Unless room temperature means boiling, which it would be here if my air conditioner ever stopped working. Some garnishes you could use if you haven’t already started to dig in, are finely chopped cucumbers and red peppers, parsley, toasted almonds, and crumbled/chopped hard boiled egg.

Seriously gardeners, send me your tomatoes. I hear that you have wayyy too many to eat. Pretty sure.

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho (Guest Post)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Julia Campbell, The Crankin’ Kitchen

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, seeded (cut in half width-wise then in quarters length-wise and seeds cut off) and chopped
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded, deveined, and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Instructions

1. Mix together the vegetables in a large bowl.
2. In a blender, purée garlic, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. Scoop about half of the vegetable mixture into the blender. Blend until smooth, in batches if necessary.
3. Pour blended veggies back into the bowl of chopped vegetables and mix.

3.1.09

Popsicles, again?
Yes, always.

Orange popsicles, that is, since I apparently that’s my specialty. (See these creamsicles and mango yogurt pops for the proof.)

While cleaning out the fridge last week, I came upon half a papaya that needed some love (aka I didn’t have the heart to throw it out.) Usually I buy papaya strictly for juices (it’s anti-inflammatory and ya’ll know I need some of that!) but it looked past it’s juicing prime. So popsicles seemed the obvious choice in the heat of summer and because for some reason I couldn’t just cut it up and eat it like a normal person.

I could have made them straight papaya, but I love to add a bit of creaminess to my pops. I was out of any useful coconut products, so I used the cream from the top of the raw milk jar. It was a wise choice, believe you me. A little bit of lime, vanilla and honey and BAM- papaya pops comin’ at ya.

Next time you have half a papaya sitting alone in your fridge, this recipe can be your go-to. I assume that probably won’t happen to most of you, but a girl can dream.. someone out there thinks my blog is useful and actually makes my recipes, right? haha

Really, though- I love you guys. Thanks for reading my crazy popsicle posts and sticking around Oven Love for all these years. You’re the bees.

1.0 from 1 reviews

Papaya Cream Popsicles (Papaya Paletas)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

This recipe will make 4-6 large popsicles and 8-12 small popsicles, depending on the size of your mold.

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Snack, Dessert

Serves: 4-12

Ingredients

• ½ large ripe red papaya, peeled and seeded
• ⅓ cup heavy cream, coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk (or omit all together, if you like)
• juice of one lime
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons raw honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. Pour into popsicle molds and add popsicle sticks.
2. Freeze for 3-5 hours or until firm. Run warm water over the mold if the popsicles don’t come right out. Serve immediately.

3.1.09