Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Apple Crepes

Jaxon found Professor Fizzy on PBS kids.org. He makes healthy food and explains nutrition to the kids in a fun way. (They have lots of cute recipe ideas that kids can help with. Don't try the chickpea cakes, they're terrible)

Our new favorite recipe is for Apple Crepes. Jaxon asks for it every morning.

Crepes (this is my SiL's recipe)

1 C Whole wheat flour (I like white wheat but red works, too)
1 egg
Raw Sugar (I use 1/4 cup but you can use less or none at all)
Milk (we've been off dairy so we used coconut milk or almond milk, but soy and rice would work too)
Orange Zest (if you have it, we haven't used it)

Add milk to mixture until it's a really thin pancake batter. You can make crepes in a frying pan or use a crepe maker like ours (you can borrow it! We got ours for $20 at Tuesday Morning).

Apple Filling (this is also good as a pancake topping)

2 peeled and chopped apples
1/4 C honey
1/2 C juice (we like cherry, but grape or orange work as well)
1 t cinnamon

Cook on med-high heat until apples are soft.

Put on one quarter of an open crepe, fold in half then half again and top with whipped cream!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Okay, so I have wanted to make chocolate hazelnut spread for a long time.  I don't like that Nutella has sugar in it, nor milk powder and soy lecithin.  Plus, I like soaking my nuts before I eat them, that way the enzyme inhibitors are neutralized and they are much easier to digest.

Soaked, Dehydrated, and Roasted Hazelnuts

4 cups raw, organic hazelnuts
sea salt
filtered water

1.  Get out a large glass jar and fill halfway with filtered water.  Add 2 tablespoons sea salt and stir with a wooden spoon.  Add hazelnuts and cover with a cloth or coffee filter.  Let sit at room temperature overnight.
2.  The next day, pour out water and put hazelnuts onto a baking sheet or dehydrator sheet.  If using a dehydrator, dry at low heat, less than 150 degrees.  You can do this in the oven if you oven will set a temperature that low.  Or you can set it as low as possible and open the oven every now and then to let the temperature drop.  Dehydrate either way for 12 hours or more, until the nuts are nice and dry and crisp.  How do you know they're done?  Taste one!

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

2 cups (soaked, dehydrated, and roasted) hazelnuts, cooled
1/2 cup raw honey
1/3 cup organic cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Homemade vanilla
1 teaspoon coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, gently melted (I used expeller-pressed so there is no coconut flavor)

1.  Place hazelnuts, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla, coffee liqueur, and sea salt to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Then turn on the processor and add melted coconut oil in a slow, steady stream.  Add more or less coconut oil depending on the consistency you want.  Serve.