Homemade Nut Butter

I recently sat down with the owners of local food truck Hey PB&J here in Denver and asked them, "what is the trick to homemade nut butter?"  Nothing. It couldn't be easier to make your own peanut butter, almond butter, pistachio butter...you name it. The ratios are pretty much the same, it just needs a bit of tweaking depending on the natural oil content of the nuts.  I always have a jar on hand to spread on toast in the morning.  This version uses whole roasted almonds for almond butter...a sweeter version of peanut butter. 

Ingredients:

-2 cups whole nuts (I used almonds)

-1/8-1/4 cup peanut oil depending on the natural oil content of the nuts

-pinch of sea salt

Equipment Needed

-Vitamix (or other powerful blender) or food processor

Soy Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

This takes four minutes to blend together — I'm serious. Pumpkin Spice Lattes are invading every coffeeshop..even beyond the typical Starbucks.  Even Delight and CoffeeMate have made their own variations of the make-at-home creamers to add to your coffee.  The problem is they are loaded with artificial flavorings.  The inspiration for this recipe came from this recipe but instead of using cream and milk I opted for organic soy milk. Blend these few ingredients together for the perfect fall addition to your cup of jo each morning.

Ingredients:

-1.5 cups soy milk (plain flavor)
-3-4 Tbsp pure maple syrup
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
-4 Tbsp pumpkin puree
-1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
-1 tsp cinnamon

No-Bake Protein Energy Bites

It's hard not to admit there are definitely "food trends".  This is a trend I saw all over pinterest so figured I had to give it a shot.  Sure enough, they are pretty darn great. An easy way to get a sweet dose of protein, especially when you know your diet can lack it at times, like mine.  You can use a number of different ingredients to make these your own.  For instance, I have a special place for butterscotch so I used them in my mix instead of chocolate. Oh, and did I mention you don't even have to bake these? Awesome.  They're a great snack-on-the-go!

Ingredients:


-1 cup rolled oats (dry oatmeal, but not instant)
-1 cup coconut flakes
-1/2 cup butterscotch chips
-1/2 cup peanut butter
-1 cup flaxseed (whole or ground)
-1/8 cup agave nectar
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 cup crushed cashews

Smoked Salmon Spread

I've been on a Smoked Salmon kick recently. I have a Cameron's Stove-Top Smoker and smoked a couple fillets with Alder Chips for this recipe.  Don't have a smoker?  Did you know you can smoke fish using a Wok and some foil.  Genius! I was looking for an appetizer to bring to a party, but didn't want some typical cheese dip.  I loved it even more the next morning spread on a bagel for breakfast.  It's hard to beat with thinly sliced red onions and capers.

My favorite salmon to smoke at home is Scottish Salmon. You can order it online at Chef's Fresh Fish.

Ingredients: 

-12 ounces smoked salmon, roughly torn into pieces
-8 ounces light cream cheese
-3 Tbsp light sour cream
-2 Tbsp light mayo
-2 dashes Tabasco sauce
-2 cloves garlic
-1 bunch green onions, chopped
-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-juice from 1/2 lemon
-1 tsp horseradish
-1 Tbsp tomato paste

Serve with sliced English cucumber or crackers

Easy Tip to Freezing Bacon: How-To

Do you have bacon left-over that you know will go to waste if leave the rest in your fridge?  Ever frozen bacon in the package before to find a huge frozen hunk that would take forever to thaw and you only want 2 pieces!?  I read this recently and thought I'd give it a try after making my Zesty Broccoli Salad,  which only called for a few pieces of bacon.

Needed:


-leftover bacon
-parchment or waxed paper
-rubber bands
-gallon plastic freezer bag

Easy Broccoli and Ham Quiche

I'm not exactly a morning person so when I know I'm having house guests this is my go-to brunch recipe because I can make it a day or two in advance and just warm it up in the morning.  Perfect! I've made a few other versions of this quiche including "Spinach and Mushrooms with Goat Cheese" and "Ground Beef Mexican" (with jalapenos and green chilies, and corn!).  The sky is the limit.  It's actually a great way to get rid of leftovers.  Just use the same milk, mayo and egg mixture....and don't forget some sort of cheese! Also, the pie crusts usually come in two's so I often double the egg mixture and make 2 different versions. The following measurements are for 1 quiche.

Ingredients:


-1 frozen pie crust
-1 package of cubed ham (I like Hormel)
-1/2 bag of frozen broccoli florets, thawed (although I've thrown them in frozen before!)
-1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
-1 Tbsp garlic pepper (or garlic powder + pepper)
-1 tsp dry mustard
-1/2 cup milk
-1/2 cup light mayo
-4 eggs

Breakfast Braid

I found this recipe in Cooking Light and thought it would be great for a group, easy, quick and yummy. And that it was! Blake and I spent the past weekend in Beaver Creek with a group of friends.  I decided to get some egg, sausage and carbs in our system before we hit the slopes.

Ingredients:

-1 (13.8 oz) can refrigerated pizza crust dough

-Cooking spray

-1 Tbsp olive oil

-3 Tbsp chopped onion

-4 ounces spicy sausage

-3 large eggs

-1 egg white

-1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

-1/4 cup chopped jalapeño peppers

Homemade Granola

After making this I'm convinced I've NEVER had homemade granola.  Probably because I never order the "lighter" items on the brunch menu like fruit or yogurt...

This recipe is SO easy and will last quite awhile.  I made this at the end of last week to have on our road trip to Arkansas for Lauren and Bryant's engagement party (check out Lauren's fabulous wedding blog: Southern Aisle).  I figured if we had this healthy snack in the car we would be less likely to eat the fatty, fast-food, road-trip diet.  Although we gobbled most of this granola down we still stopped at McDonalds, Sonic, you name it and we ate it..gross.  Maybe I should make another batch and go on a "granola-only diet" the rest of the week. 

Ingredients:

-3 cups of rolled oats

-1 cup of slivered almonds

-1 cup of cashews

-1 cup of shredded sweet coconut

-1/3 cup brown sugar

-1/3 cup of maple syrup

-1/4 vegetable oil

-2 tsps of vanilla extract

-1 tsp of salt