Sunflower Butter

Ingredients

• 2 cups roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds (you can roast your own by spreading raw, hulled seeds on a cookie sheet and baking in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes, until the seeds are turning golden and quite fragrant. Don’t shortcut this step. You want them nice and toasty for the lovely flavor!)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste, or omit entirely…depends on your tastebuds)

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the sunflower seeds and process.
2. As mixture goes from a flour like consistency to clumping together (the oil are starting to be released from the heat of the machine and friction), add in 1 tablespoon oil. Be patient, this can take a couple of minutes.
3. Continue processing, and as the mixture continues to warm, it should turn creamy and smooth and whir happily, easily inside the bowl. If not, it is OK to add a bit more oil until the mixture is runny and whirring smoothly.
4. Continue to process for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in the sweetener of choice, and salt to taste, and process to mix.

Homemade Butter

Ingredients

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Fill a glass pint jar with a tight fitting lid half way with heavy cream. Add in salt if desired. Shake vigorously until cream thickens and begins to stick together. 

Open the jar, pour out any remaining liquid (this is the buttermilk) and refrigerate until using. 

Garlic Olive Oil

Ingredients

1/4 cup high quality olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

Directions

Mix salt and granulated garlic together in small bowl. Warm bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. 

Homemade Energy Bars

April 3rd: Protein

Homemade Energy Bars

Ingredients

6 tbs. raw honey

¼ cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

12 prunes

¼ tsp. salt

2 tbs. freshly ground flax seed

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups quinoa flakes

2-4 tbs. water

Additional flavorings of choice (ex. ½ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup chocolate chips and 1 tbs. cocoa powder, 1/2 cup dried cherries and 2 tsp. ginger, etc.)

Directions

In a food processor, add honey through ground flax seeds and pulse until well chopped. Add oil and blend until thoroughly mixed and gathering into a ball. Place mixture in a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Using clean hands, shape dough into balls, bars or cubes.

Apple Cider Donuts

March 27th: Carbohydrates- grinding flours

Apple Cider Donuts

Makes 20 small donuts 

Ingredients

2 tbs. ground flax mixed with ¼ cup water

Zest from 1 orange

2 cups unsweetened applesauce

½ cup maple syrup or honey

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups brown rice flour, preferable freshly ground

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ tsp. pumpkin pie spice (mixture of allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and ginger, freshly ground if possible)

½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat donut maker.

Grind rice flour freshly if possible.

Puree flax mixture, zest, applesauce, honey and oil in a medium bowl. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large bowl. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Gradually stir the dry into the wet and stir until combined.

Spoon mixture into donut maker and bake for 5 minutes. Cool on baking rack before storing in an airtight container. Can be stored for 3-4 days, or frozen for delayed enjoyment.

carbohydrate lesson

brown rice to grind for flour

taking turns grinding spices

spooning batter into donut maker

Avocado Hummus

March 20th: Blood Sugar Regulation

Avocado Hummus

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

¾ cup cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

2 tbs. tahini

1 garlic clove, minced

juice and zest of 1/2 a lime

1 tsp. jalapeno, minced

1 tbs. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil.

1/4 tsp salt

a pinch of black pepper

Carrot and Pepper Sticks

Directions

Blend in a food processor until thick and creamy, adding a tablespoon or two of water as necessary.

Serve with crunchy carrot and bell pepper sticks