Honey Mustard Dressing + Salad

Soooo good that even my son that hates salad dressing likes this one! 

2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup whole grain Dijon mustard 
1/4 cup smooth dijon mustard 
1/4 cup avocado oil 
2 TBS Apple cider vinegar 
2 -3 garlic cloves, minced 

Mix it all together in a small bowl. 

I like to store this in a 12 oz tall mason jar with a mason jar salad dressing lid! 

Highly delicious on a salad with these ingredients: 
Romaine Lettuce and/or spinach 
Chicken 
Bacon 
Avocado 
Sliced red onions 
Diced fresh tomatoes 

Margherita Pizza Sauce

 Pizza sauce in the US is really just so... acidic and tomato-ey!   We loved the mild flavors of Margherita pizza sauce in Italy!   This is a copycat, quick sub that's pretty good (although I'm sure it's not nearly as good as legit Margherita sauce!) 

1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes (Canned Italian plum tomatoes are best, but can be hard to find.)  
3  garlic cloves, minced 
1 tsp olive oil 
1/16 tsp salt 
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper 

Toss it all in the blender and blend until smooth.  

To make Margherita pizza: 
1 - preheat pizza stone at 450 degrees.
2 - Make a sourdough pizza crust (recipe coming soon) and roll out as thin as you can. 
3 - Remove the pizza stone and put on hot pads.  Place pizza crust on the pizza stone.  Spread a thin layer of Margherita pizza sauce on top. 
4 - Thinly slice fresh mozzarella cheese (packaged in water) and place spread out on top of the pizza (not like cheesy american pizzas!)  
5 - Bake 7-10 minutes until crust is golden and cheese bubbly.  
6 - Add fresh chopped basil leaves to the top.   

Flying Iguana Guacamole

We went to the Flying Iguana restaurant where they prepped fresh guacamole tableside.  This is my re-creation / copycat recipe!  So good! 

1.5 TBS chopped cilantro
2 TBS chopped roma tomatoes
2 TBS chopped red onions
1 TBS chopped jalapeno 
2 Ripe avocados (stem pulls out easily)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 lime, juiced  

Put chopped veggies in a bowl.   Add the smashed avocado.  Then sprinkle with salt & pepper and lime juice.  Mix with a fork till combined!  Use a rubber spatula to scoop out the mixture into a clean bowl for serving, or just dig in!  

Real Nacho Cheese Sauce

 Nacho cheese sauce in the jar sure is tasty but who really knows what is in it? This is a real food version that is quite tasty.  

1 cup whipping cream 
1 TBS cornstarch 
1 cup grated monterey jack 
1 cup grated pepper jack 
1/4 tsp paprika 
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder 
1/4 tsp salt 

Pour a little bit of the whipping cream into a small cup.  Whisk in 1 TBS of cornstarch and set aside.  
Pour remaining cream into a pot and heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add cheese & spices to cream and whisk while continuing to heat.  Slowly pour the cornstarch/cream mixture into the cheese sauce, whisking the whole time.  Continue to stir until cheese sauce is thickened. 

Serve with tortilla chips.  

Natural Pancake Toppers

What do you put on top of pancakes and waffles?  Here are some more natural options:  

Applesauce (natural kind, sugar free)

Apple butter (natural kind, sugar free)

Maple icing (1:1 ratio of maple syrup to vanilla yogurt)

Honey butter sauce (1:1 ratio of butter to honey, melt in pan)

Buttered maple syrup (2:1 ratio of butter to maple syrup, mix with stick blender)

Jam Syrup (1:1 ratio of fruit sweetened jam with water.  Mix together with stick blender.)

Cinnamon & Sugar (1:1 ratio of cinnamon and evaporated cane juice.  Spread butter on, then sprinkle.)

Berries & cream (thaw frozen berries or chop fresh strawberries.  serve with whipped cream - dairy or not)

Berry sauce (Place frozen berries in a pot, add water to about 1/2 the height of the berries.  Bring to a boil, let simmer until berries are soft.  Blend with a stick blender. Keep berry sauce simmering.  Put mix cornstarch and water in a jar at a 1:1 ratio - start with 1 TBS of each.  Shake it up.  Slowly pour into berry sauce while whisking.  Add more cornstarch to get thickness you like.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla.  Then add agave, honey or stevia to taste.)

Tips: Pinhole or put in squirt container so you don't pour too much

Poppy Seed salad dressing

This is my teen daughter's creation. It's delicious!

1 c. olive oil
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
3/4 c. sucanat (brown sugar)
1 TBS dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS dry minced onions (or chopped red onions)
1 TBS poppy seeds

Put all in the blender and pulse till mixed. Don't overmix.

Honey Butter

Could it get any easier?

1/2 part honey
1/2 part softened butter (leave out on the counter for an hour or so.)

Blend together with stick blender. Heat and pour over pancakes or waffles. Delicious on scones. Add to oatmeal. Spread on warm rolls or cornbread.

Soup Stock

Making your own soup stock is so ridiculously easy, I wonder why I've been throwing out my meat bones all these years. It's much healthier for you too!

Basic recipe (adapt to the amount of bones you have):

Chicken carcass (from 3-4 lb chicken)
6 c. water
1 onion, sliced in half
3 big carrots, in chunks
1 -2 stalks celery, in chunks
salt and pepper to taste.

Toss it all in a pot. Bring to boil, then let simmer for an hour or so. Let it cool for 15-20 minutes, then pour through strainer into a bowl. Discard all that gross stuff, and keep the broth. If you want to skim off fat, put it in the fridge, and skim it off after the fat rises to the top.

You can do this with chicken drumsticks, turkey carcass, beef roast/steak bones, etc.

If I don't have time to make stock from leftover bones right away, I just toss the bones in the freezer. Then when you make the stock, you can just pour the frozen carcass right into the soup pot.

Use the chicken stock right away to make soup, or you can refrigerate it or freeze it for later use.

Teriyaki Sauce

Quick and easy! Really good on stirfry veggies, rice, etc.

1/4 c. tamari soy sauce
1-1/4 c. water
1/4 c. pineapple juice
1/2 tsp ginger (or 1/2 tbs freshly grated ginger)
4-5 TBS sucanat
1 minced garlic clove
2-1/2 TBS arrowroot powder
1/4 c. cold water

In a medium pot, combine tamari, water, pineapple juice, ginger, 3 TBS of sucanat and minced garlic. Heat to boiling while stirring. Mix arrowroot in cold water, add to sauce while stirring. Stir until sauce is thickened. Add more sucanat as sweetener to taste. Add more water if too thick.

Ranch Dressing Mix

My two year old loves ranch so much she'll just dip her whole hand in if I'm not watching! Make this healthier version.

2 TBS dried parsley flakes
1 TBS dried minced onions
2-1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dill weed
1-1/2 tsp sea salt

Combine all and store in a mason jar. To make dressing you will need a salad dressing holder that can hold 16 oz or a quart jar. Pour in 1 c. buttermilk, then 1 c. good quality mayonnaise and then 1 TBS mix. Shake well. I haven't found a good quality mayo that I really like and I don't have a good source of eggs to make my own, so in the meantime I've been using Hain's Safflower mayo which doesn't have a strong taste and is better than Kraft.

Honey BBQ Sauce

Really tasty on grilled chicken.

3 TBS butter
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
1 TBS dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. honey
dash of chili powder

Blend the onion and garlic cloves with a little water in a food processor or blender (we like it smooth.) Saute in butter until soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes if you're in a hurry, or longer if not. Allow to cool. Keeps in fridge for several months.

Garlic Salt

Probably kind of obvious, but I always forget...

3 parts Real Salt
1 part garlic powder

Mix it up!