Pumpkin Butternut Squash Soup

It is October and one of my favorite months in Middle TN. I love the crisp air, warm sunshine and wearing flip flops with my jeans! It's also the start of our Fall Traditions list and roasting squash and root vegetables is one of those traditions! If you read my posts often enough you'll understand baking for me is a science, but cooking not so much. This is a simple recipe, nothing fancy to it, but oh so delicious!

2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced and roasted (put on a baking sheet and roast at 350 til tender)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 can pumpkin, or 1 pie pumpkin roasted along with the butternut squash
4 Tbls unsalted butter
leftover chicken broth (OR you can substitute all the chicken broth with Vegetable stock)
additional chicken broth (if needed)
heavy cream
sea salt and pepper (I do not add this to the soup. We season our food once it's plated so save this for when you serve it fresh).

When the squash has finished roasting, let it rest while preparing the other ingredients. Remove the reserved chicken broth from the ice box and scoop off the layer of fat that rose to the top of the broth. Add butter to a large stock pot and melt on medium high heat. Add diced onion and cook until they begin to caramelize. Remove from heat. Add squash, pumpkin and chicken broth.

Using a stick blender puree until smooth. Return to heat. Add additional chicken broth if needed. Add about 1 cup heavy cream and heat through. On this day I harvested the last of my basil and added a fresh sprig to each bowl of soup. The leftover soup was frozen into family size portions for a quick meal later this month. Enjoy!

***If you do not own a stick blender you can easily puree in a food processor or blender***

My Favorite Chicken Salad

I am terrible when it comes to gift giving! Personally I do not like to give "stuff", but treasures created by me or someone I know (like the gorgeous cards over at Pendrops Couture). So when a dear friend was celebrating her birthday earlier this month I decided something homemade would be just my style. So I checked to see what I had on hand and along with two packs of frozen chicken breasts from Triple L Ranch I had all the necessary ingredients to make my favorite chicken salad. After it was made I packaged it up in a mason jar, wrapped that up with a jar of my homemade apple butter and filled a larger mason jar with beautiful sunflowers. The combination made a cheerful, October birthday gift!

Below is a rough recipe for this salad (when it comes to cooking I rarely measure, it's all done by sight and taste) with a few photos. Enjoy!

4 large bone in chicken breasts
2 -3 lemons, quartered
3 - 4 celery stalks, with leaves, cut in half
2 yellow onions, quartered

Place onions, celery and lemons into a 7 qt crock pot. Add about 1/2 cup water. Place chicken breasts on top and season with a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Cover and turn on high for one hour. Turn down heat to low and cook until the meat falls off the bone (check after five additional hours and go from there). Remove cooked chicken to a baking sheet or equivalent with sides. Strain broth into a glass container (you will only use a little of this broth for the chicken salad, cover the left overs and freeze or refrigerate to use in another dish). Let the meat rest about five minutes. Remove skin and discard. Remove meat from the bones and add to a food processor. (This is optional. You can shred the meat with two forks if you prefer larger chunks. If you like smaller pieces use a food processor). Once all the chicken is shredded add to a large mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients below.

16 oz Greek Yogurt (or Tahini)
broth left over from the cooked chicken
2 - 3 Tbls fresh lemon juice (optional)
3 - 4 green onions, finely sliced
red grapes, seeded and halved (as many as you want)
3 - 4 celery stalks, chopped
chopped pecans
sea salt and black pepper
poppy seeds (about 2 Tbls)

Add the yogurt (or Tahini) to the shredded chicken and mix well. Add reserved broth 1/4 cup at a time until it achieves the consistency you prefer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in onions, grapes, celery, pecans. Sprinkle in poppy seeds. This makes a lot of chicken salad, I'd say approximately 8 cups. I served it to my family as pictured below. Boston lettuce leaf, diced avocado and chicken salad on top. Enjoy!

Tropical Traditions - FREE SHIPPING TODAY!

If you are a fan of Pink Sugar Bowl, you already know how much I love Tropical Traditions products! I haven't seen a free shipping coupon in a few weeks and they released one today! This code is good for new and returning customers. However if you are a new customer, you can use my referral link (will list it at the end of this post) and not only get free shipping but their cookbook for free as well!

The Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil was the first purchase I made and I haven't bought any other brand since! Once you try it you cannot deny the quality and taste!

I use many of their products and some of my favorites are the Gold Label Virgin, Refined (great in place of veg shortening, or if you don't care for the taste of coconut), Coconut Flour and Dried Coconut!

NOTE: To take advantage of this special, you MUST enter coupon code  97212  in your cart before checking out, and choose either Ground or SmartPost from the drop down list of shipping options! FREE shipping is NOT applied automatically. Orders placed before today cannot be refunded for shipping charges.

If this is your first order please come back and leave a comment letting me know what you think!

~ Deana

Coconut Popcorn

Coconut popcorn? Oh yes and my it is good! As much as I love coconut oil even I was hesitant to try it! But my parents were in town not too long ago and made some for me to try. Gosh it is delicious! My six year old daughter absolutely loves it so it's a clean eating snack I'm thrilled to make her!

Air pop about 1/2 cup kernels (organic is best). Set aside. Melt about 2 Tbls coconut oil into a small glass jar by running it under warm tap water. (Or you can set the glass in a shallow pan filled with hot water. Coconut oil melts in temps 76 (+ or -) degrees so it doesn't take long at all). Drizzle the oil over the popped corn and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste, toss again.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know the praises I sing about Coconut Oil!

Enjoy!

Over Ripe Avocados? Don't throw them out!

Last week there was a great deal at my local grocery for avocados ($1 each!), so I bought a bunch of them! A few were ripe so those were used in my mango salsa a few nights ago. The rest I let sit to finish ripening to freeze! Most people do not realize you can freeze these whole food beauties! Just cut in half and remove the seed. Wrap in saran wrap (a vacuum sealer is the best option if you have one) then place into a freezer safe container or bag. I have never kept mine more than three months so not sure how long they will keep.

When you are ready to use them thaw in the ice box overnight. These are great for guacamole, homemade baby food, chocolate mousse, truffles and so much more!

Enjoy!

***UPDATE: July 10, 2012***

I just used this bag of avocados last week. Here are some photos.

Google will not allow me to post a comment or reply to any of them left unanswered! So I'm catching up on all the comments and posting this note (9/22/12). Thank you all for taking the time to submit them and all the fabulous suggestions! As you can see in the photos above only the top of the sliced half turned brown. Underneath it was still green. I'm not too picky though so it really doesn't bother me what color it is, as long as it still tastes good : ) I mostly use the frozen in raw desserts, baking (you can use to replace a fat in a recipe) and guac. I haven't had any problems at all. Only thing I can think of as to why it wouldn't work is if the freezer temp isn't cool enough. 

Garlicky Kale Salad & Turkey Burgers

In continuing with my real food way of living I wanted to share with you two of my favorite recipes! I hate to say none of them are my own either! This was my dinner tonight and it was fabulous! Nutrient dense so extremely filling! If it wasn't so late I'd add reasons, research and data to explain why I use different ingredients, for instance grapeseed oil over canola (throw the canola out!) but alas I am still recovering and should be in bed right now. It's been a busy day so I'll post a pic and the recipes. And please pardon the cut burger, I had to make sure it was done and did so before taking a snapshot.


If you make these please let me know and be sure to visit the blogs associated with each! Enjoy!

Dr. Axe's Turkey Burgers

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos (this is basically Soy Sauce but a healthier option)
• 2 tsp cumin (I usually add more)
• 2 tsp curry powder (I add more)
• sea salt & black pepper
• 1 Tbsp grapeseed oil

Place ground turkey in a bowl and mix with Bragg's and seasoning. Form into patties. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook burgers until done. About 4 - 5 minutes on each side (depending on thickness). Serve burgers over Kale salad. OR top with sliced avocado and roasted red peppers.




Whole Foods Garlicky Kale Salad (adapted by Eating Bird Food)
Inspired by the Whole Foods salad bar

• 1/2 bunch raw kale, washed, de-stemmed and dried
• 1 T tahini
• 1 T apple cider vinegar (or water)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T Bragg’s liquid aminos (tamari or soy sauce would work too)
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. minced garlic (1 – 2 cloves of garlic)
• sesame seeds, to taste as garish (optional)

1. Break or cut kale into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.
2. Puree all ingredients except kale and sesame seeds in a blender or food processor to blend the dressing.
3. Pour dressing over kale and massage into the kale with your hands until all pieces of kale are coated.
4. Let the salad sit in the fridge for an hour or so to marinate. You can skip this step if you need to eat right away, but allowing some time to marinate will wilt the kale a bit and make it a little more palatable – particularly for those who are skeptical of eating raw kale.
5. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds before serving if so desired.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes

I absolutely love Dr. Josh Axe and use his cookbook quite frequently! Today I made another batch of his pumpkin pancakes, quadrupled so I can freeze them for a quick morning breakfast! You can find his original recipe and cookbook HERE

Enjoy!

4 cups gluten free pancake mix (can also take a 1/4 cup out and add 1/4 cup milled flax seed)
8 whole eggs
2 cups almond milk (or coconut, buttermilk, etc)
2 cups canned pumpkin (about a 15 oz can)
4 Tbs cinnamon
butter or coconut oil (to fry in)
cooling rack set inside of a sheet pan
fresh fruit (sliced bananas, blueberries, pecans an option. just mix in or place on pancake batter in the pan before flipping)

Combine pancake mix and cinnamon together in a bowl with a wire whisk. Add 8 beaten eggs, pumpkin and milk. Stir well. Heat coconut oil or butter in the pan and drop by 1/4 cup fulls. Watch the edges, when the bottom layer is set flip over, about 3 minutes at 350 degrees. As they finish place on the cooling rack. This keeps them from getting soggy from the steam. Once cooled you can stack in order to make more room. Layer between wax paper, wrap and freeze.

Top with real maple syrup, bananas, fresh blueberries, semi sweet chocolate, pecans, powdered sugar...the options are endless!

Enjoy!

No Bake Granola Bars

I went into Whole Foods the other day and they were sampling a homemade granola bar and passing out the recipe. My six year old loved it but I thought it was a little sweet. So I brought the recipe home and adjusted it a little bit.

The best thing about recipes like this is that you can get your children involved! Let them choose nuts and dried fruit they like! When children are able to work in the kitchen with their parents they are more likely to try new things and eat healthier foods. This fact is proven over and over again in our home. My daughter refused to try a raw mushroom but the first time she was able to clean them for a salad she decided it was fun and wanted to eat it!

I hope you will try this recipe, and if you have kids let them help by measuring the dry ingredients and mixing them in the bowl. Please let me know if you make these and comment what changes you made to adapt to your families taste! Enjoy!

3 cups brown rice crisp cereal (Enjoy Life makes an excellent one!)
2 1/2 cups uncooked rolled oats
1 cup local honey
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tsp vanilla
Added in raw sunflower seeds and raw walnuts

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients you plan to use (cereal, oats, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon etc.). Set aside. In a small saucepan heat honey until it just starts to boil. Remove from heat and add nut butter (you can use any nut butter for this, we just prefer almond). Add vanilla and blend until smooth. Pour over the cereal mixture and mix well. Pour into an UNGREASED 9x13 inch pan. Let cool and then cut into bars (or bites as we did).

Curried Lentil Stew

I made this recipe today and the entire family loves it! Thanks to ALL YOU magazine for this delicious twist on an old favorite. I made mine with a few alterations but not by much. You could serve a cup of this with grilled sand which, add shredded chicken or by itself as it is a very hearty stew!

2 Tbs grapeseed oil (or another oil, grapeseed is flavorless & a healthier oil to use at higher temps)
3 carrots, chopped
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup long grain brown rice
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup dried lentils
salt & pepper
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, optional

Warm oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook until softened about 5 - 6 minutes. Stir in curry powder and saute' until blended and fragrant. Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in tomatoes and half of the broth. Bring to a simmer then stir in lentils, add salt & pepper (just a bit, not too much as you can always season more in your bowl).

Cover and cook on low about three hours. Stirring occasionally and adding more broth each time. You may need to briefly turn up the heat for a few minutes if the broth cools it down. If not keep it on the same temp. When rice and lentils are done add chickpeas and stir. Cook an additional 30 minutes adding more broth as needed. This is a stew, so it's not supposed to be too thin. But I ended up using close to four cups.

This makes a large pot of stew so share some with a neighbor or friend and freeze the rest! Enjoy!

Mango Salsa

We still have about six weeks left of summer and though the main ingredients of this salsa are not indigenous to where I, or most of my readers live, it's a favorite in our home year round! We use this salsa to top fish tacos, black beans or served with organic blue corn tortilla chips. In addition to this recipe I've added a few photos and instructions on how to prep an avocado and mango. I hope you learn something new and enjoy this fresh, clean salsa!

Mango Salsa
4 avocados
3 mangoes
2 shallots
1 lime
1/2 lemon
sea salt & pepper

Dice the avocados and mangoes. Mince the shallots. Put into a bowl and add the juice of one lime and juice of one half lemon. If you desire a stronger citrus flavor add some zest of the rinds. Season to taste with sea salt & pepper.

How to Pick & Buy Avocados and How to Pick & Buy Mangoes

How to clean an avocado: The fool proof way is to cut along the length of the avocado vertically. Twist apart the two halves and separate. If you are right handed hold the half with the pit in your left hand, pit side up. Take the knife in your right hand and gently hit the blade into the pit. Give a light twist to the right and the pit will pop right out. Using the same knife, or a smaller paring knife, make vertical slits into the flesh and then the same horizontal. You can use a spoon to scoop out the diced sections or simply squeeze and the chunks will pop out. ~ Find just a few Health Benefits HERE

How to dice a mango: First of all you need to determine where the seed is located. The best way to do this is to hold the mango upright on a cutting board. Turn it sideways in which you will see the "cheeks" puff out on either side. Take a knife and run it down the length of the mango just where the flat middle meets the beginning of the rounded edge. What you are essentially doing is cutting off the two sides that round out, leaving the middle section which contains the large, flat seed. Take the halves and cut similar to the avocado, but then use both hands to flare out the cubes. Run a knife along the bottom of the "grid" and perfect cubes will pop right off. ~ Find just a few Health Benefits HERE

Citrus Tips:

• Always wash the fruit in which you tend to consume the skin. I use the zest quite frequently so for that reason I buy organic citrus. If you do not intend to use the zest it is not necessary to buy organic.
• Don't waste those peels! If you do not compost here are some great uses for those scraps Recycle Citrus Peels
• Keep citrus at room temperature in order to get the most juice from it. Also helps to gently roll it on the counter top with the palm of your hand before slicing and juicing. Some people recommend microwaving for a few seconds. I do not recommend this as though we do own a microwave I try to use it as little as possible! Why? More info HERE Much safer to keep your citrus on the counter, unless you do not intend to use it within a few days of purchase, store in the refrigerator. Pull out a few hours before you need it to warm up to room temp.

Caprese Salad with Grilled Eggplant

I have so many recipes and photos to post that I don't know where to begin! So I'll start with the Caprese Salad. Right now there is an abundance of eggplant, tomatoes and basil. Perfect for a light, summer meal. For this you'll need the best fresh mozzarella you can buy, some good olive oil, sea salt and good quality balsamic vinegar. *See my recipe published HERE in the Whole Foods Franklin online community site.

First prep your cheese, tomatoes and basil. Set aside. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Drizzle with olive oil and grill until desired tenderness. On a platter layer your ingredients, beginning with eggplant, then cheese (the hot eggplant will slightly melt the cheese), basil and tomato. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and top with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.


Variations - if you have time, reduce the vinegar to a thick, yummy syrup! This is traditional but not necessary. The point of this salad is to keep it fresh, raw and quick!

Broil - you could also broil this dish if you want it warmed through and the cheese extra melty (is that a word?).

Enjoy!

The Incredible EGG

I was raised on eggs. I am the oldest of five children and we had them hard boiled, scrambled, sunny side up and made into salad. They were easy to come by and inexpensive. I was also fortunate to learn at a young age the benefit of fresh local eggs and their nutrition. I have never doubted the benefits of consuming eggs and never succumbed to the crazy media's paranoia over disease, cholesterol and fat content. People just need to be educated on how to purchase, store and handle eggs. If you follow the rules you won't get hurt!

With the new claims of eggs helping weight loss, Vitamin D deficiency, etc I thought I'd post a little about eggs here and include a few links to articles you may find interesting.

If you think about it, a single egg contains everything needed to nourish a baby chicken into development. Carbs, proteins, fat and nutrients. When hard boiled it contains only 68 calories and almost 5.5 grams of protein! Two of these gems per day will aide in weight loss, give you more energy, support brain and nervous system function and may increase blood lipids. More information on the actual nutrition is located HERE

Just a few facts to share with additional links:

• It is second to a mother's milk in nutrition for human consumption
• To test freshness place eggs in cool water. Fresh eggs will not float. The higher it floats the less fresh it is.
• Discard if it has an unusual odor or blood spots.
• Raw, farm fresh eggs can be stored at room temp for at least 4 weeks. As long as the outer coating has not been washed off and the eggs have never been refrigerated. Once chilled they need to stay that way.
• When choosing farm or store bought eggs check for cracks. You can also gently shake to check freshness. Fresh eggs do not have much of a sound, less fresh it is the more it will "slosh" around inside the shell.
• If you are concerned with consuming raw eggs wash the shell and dry before cracking to prevent any contamination from the outer shell getting to the yolk and white.

There is much more I could say about eggs but I'll leave it to the experts. Below are three links to my favorite articles on eggs. I hope you learn something new today!

What are the best type of eggs, Why you don't want to buy Organic Eggs at the Grocery Store and Dr. Axe - What you need to know about the eggs you eat

Chocolate Banana Nut Protein Smoothie

In the past year I have experimented with more gluten free cooking and eating and I love it! I do not have an allergy to gluten nor a real gluten intolerance, but I do have PCOS and decided one way to go lower carb would be to cut as much gluten as I could. It's actually a natural thing to do when you incorporate more local fruits, veggies and meats into your diet. Although I love a good homemade pasta I have eaten it only a handful of times in the past 10 months. Something I never thought would happen to this Italian loving girl!

In my search of good, full fat, whole food eating I came across Chef Shane Kelly and Dr. Josh Axe. Both located in Nashville and both have amazing recipes that are now compiled into recently published books. You can find them here Chef Shane Kelly and Dr. Josh Axe

One thing I have found about Dr. Axe's book is that some things need altered just a bit to improve texture or appearance in those things that are baked. Everything else is just fine. At first my sister and I would try recipes his way, but then find a way to tweak it and so it's those tweaked versions that I'll be sharing with you. However I highly encourage you to purchase his book TODAY! I promise you his recipes are not only healthy and rich with flavor but they will make you FEEL good, full and satisfied.

This smoothie is only one of a few in his book. But since it has cocoa in it of course it's my favorite. Funny how most people must think I like sweets because I am a baker. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. Those closest to me know that I actually do not eat sweets at all. Unless it's chocolate of course. But to me that's just an essential food group! I do not like sweet tea, sweetened juices or drinks of any kind. I do not like most desserts, hard candy and even mints can be a challenge. I do love chocolate desserts but that's the extent of it. Oh and dark chocolate at that. Our white chocolate popcorn is one of our biggest sellers but that I do not even like. Funny huh?!

So back to the smoothie. It's a great on the go meal (think Slim Fast) but it's a whole food smoothie minus all the junk and soy in the traditional meal drink. One way I add extra protein is with one raw egg (cage free, local, organic). You could add a scoop or two of Organic Hemp protein if the idea of eating a raw egg scares you. This is actually the ONLY way I will eat a raw egg. Another thing about me is I detest raw dough of any kind! But yes I will drink a raw egg!

So why eggs and why raw? I'll be adding an entirely seperate post on this subject.

Again this is my version of Dr. Axe's recipe. I eliminated the Stevia (as previously mentioned I do not like sweet things so I find the banana makes it sweet enough, I add a raw egg and use less ice because my bananas are frozen).

1 cup almond milk
1/3 cup almond butter
1 banana, frozen (I purchase these in bulk, ripen, peel, cut in half or chunks, freeze. Use as needed!)
2 Tbsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup ice
1 raw organic, cage free, local egg

Place all but egg in blender and blend til about smooth. Add egg and blend another 30 - 45 seconds. Serve immediately.

Dr. Axe's Black Bean soup (slightly modified)

This is my version of Dr. Axe's black bean soup. I change up most of his recipes (a bit) for texture reasons mostly. Only thing I really changed here was adding one additional can of beans, more of the veggies and no mushrooms. I like mushrooms but didn't have them on hand and after making the soup I doubt I'll ever add them. Enjoy!


1 T coconut oil
3 (15oz) cans organic black beans (Private Selection from Kroger has the LOWEST sodium out there and they are organic)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow pepper (I added this b/c I had them on hand)
5 garlic cloves finely chopped
sea salt, chili powder and cumin to taste

In a food processor or blender blend 1 can of black beans with 1 cup of water until smooth.

Heat oil in stock pot and saute' all but the garlic. Add garlic when peppers are about 1/2 done (garlic burns easily so always add it towards the end of cooking). Reduce heat to med/low and add black bean puree, 2 cans of beans, 1/2 cup water and seasoning.

Top with full fat FAGE Greek Yogurt if desired. Enjoy!