Today, we’ll be making the marathon 10 hour drive from GA to OH (make that 14 with the kids?). I’m glad to be on our way to getting settled in our new home, but it will be a long and bittersweet day, for sure. While I’m listening to my “Leaving GA” playlist and sobbing on the road, you get the treat of meeting Allison from The Sprouting Seed!

Allison is a nutritionist with a B.S. in Nutritional Science and a full-time mom. She got her start as a nutritionist and breastfeeding counselor at WIC. This was before she moved half way across the world to live in Central Europe, where she learned about real food, vibrant health, and traditional methods of preparation. Allison has found a way to make friends with little old ladies around the world and loves to share their time-tested secrets of life.

So glad to have her here on the blog today. And with a dynamite recipe for broccoli salad, no less! I am normally not a mayo fan.. but I think I will have to try her homemade mayo recipe– it looks amazing.

Broccoli is my favorite veggie. But I’ll be honest, I usually like it one way and one way only: lightly steamed, then sautéed with garlic. It’s simple, delicious, and I rarely feel the need to broaden my broccoli repertoire.

Lately, however, things have changed. I’ve been jazzing up all my vegetable dishes and not even broccoli could escape my creative streak. I started by frying zucchini fritters and grating cauliflower into “rice”. Then, I broke away from the well-beaten path of my broccoli recipe and ventured into new terrain. What did I make? Well, Broccoli Salad, of course!

This salad is hearty and delicious. It features raw broccoli, a homemade mayonnaise dressing and, you guessed it, bacon! I originally made it as a side dish, but lately I’ve been loving a big bowl of Broccoli Salad for dinner. It’s easy to whip up and sure to please. As an added bonus–using homemade mayonnaise instead of the store-bought version turns this dish into a powerhouse of nutrients. Bon Appetite!

Broccoli Salad with Homemade Mayo (Guest Post)

 

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Author: Allison Jordan

Recipe type: SIde Dish, Salad

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 heads of broccoli, stalks removed, cut into small florets
• 6-8 slices of bacon
• ¼ purple onion, finely diced
• ½ cup crispy pecans, chopped
• ¼ cup dried cranberries or raisins
• ¾ cup homemade mayonnaise (recipe found here: http://thesproutingseed.com/homemade-mayonnaise/)
• 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp raw, local honey

Instructions

1. In a skillet, fry bacon over medium high heat until evenly crisp. Remove the bacon, drain excess grease and crumble the bacon into small pieces.
2. In medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar and honey and whisk until combined. Mix in broccoli florets, cranberries, and onion. Toss ingredients until the broccoli is thoroughly coated with the mayonnaise dressing.Just before serving, add the bacon and crispy pecans.

#version#

I am a fool for this snack ball trend.

They are so good! So easy to pull together! So much better to snack on then junk food!

The one thing they don’t have going for them is a good name- Nut Balls is just awful. So is Snack Balls. Energy Balls? Nut Butter Balls? A little bit better, but not by much. I think I’ll quit before this becomes an entire post about naming snack balls. (Ugh, I even hate typing that!)

Let’s call them snack bites instead, shall we?

I feel a lot better about snack bites. My mood is changing already!

I found this lovely recipe at The Gracious Pantry and of course I junked it up with more nut butters and extra seeds and things. I couldn’t resist! They just needed to be rolled in something.

I have to admit, though, that I actually like the plain ones better. The sesame seeds get stuck in my teeth (awesome mental picture of me happening right now, you’re welcome). Don’t let that stop you now, both taste great- you could roll them in shredded coconut, too, if you’re more into that.

I think these will keep in the fridge or freezer for quite a while, but I can’t tell you from experience. They go fast in this house. Last night, I pulled some out for the family to taste test and the kids full-on grabbed them from my hands and devoured them, then looked at me like rabid dogs until I brought out a few more. My one-year-old daughter literally shoved a whole one into her mouth without a second thought. It was like watching a snake swallow an egg or something, I couldn’t look away. My advice is to make these after your kids go to bed and hide them in the back of your freezer if you ever want to taste them. Just sayin’.

(Disclaimer- She didn’t actually swallow it whole, she did chew.. I would not stand idly by and watch her choke, I promise.)

Oh, and they’re called spiced nut butter balls because there are spices in there! Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, the whole gang. Even orange zest joins the party. As usual, you can take them or leave them, whatever your preference. I think it’s fun to eat these so-called cold-weather spices all year long, but if it’s not your thing, that’s cool, too. Just don’t wait until fall to make these- they taste great right now. (Just ask my kids.)

Spiced Nut Butter Balls

 

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adapted from The Gracious Pantry. http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-spiced-almond-butter-balls/

Author: Oven Love

Recipe type: Snack

Serves: 30

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups almond meal
• ¾ cup nut butter (I use ¼ cup almond butter, ¼ cup sunflower seed butter and ¼ cup tahini/sesame paste)
• ¼ cup chia seeds or sesame seeds (or a mix of both)
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Zest of ½ large orange
• ½ cup dried cranberries (sweetened with fruit juice if you can find them that way)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ cup shredded coconut or almond meal (optional)
• sesame seeds or shredded coconut, for rolling

Instructions

1. Combine almond meal, nut butter, chia or sesame seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, orange zest, dried cranberries and spices in large bowl and mix well. If the mixture seems too wet, add the additional shredded coconut or almond meal until you have a firm dough to roll.
2. Form into balls. Roll them in sesame seeds if you like.
3. Place balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
4. Store in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container.

#version#

• 1 bag Caramel Bugles (or regular, if you can’t find them. they’re typically near the ChexMix at the store)
• Red melting chocolate disks (one bag should be sufficient)
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• Mini marshmallows (just a handful is enough)
• White nonpareil sprinkles

• Your Bugle Santa hats (see above for procedure)
• 3 cups mini pretzels
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup salted dry roasted peanuts
• 2 cups Rice Chex
• 2 cups holiday M&Ms
• 8 oz white chocolate