Fried Plantains

You know those weird things that look similar to but aren’t bananas, the plantains you sometimes find at the market? 

If you’ve never tried them, you’re in for a treat. Cooked right, they are delicious!

Secret: Buy them yellow if you must, but don't try to eat them until the peel displays many black areas and it looks like you should throw them away. THEN they're ripe. Don't eat raw! They must be cooked.

Joseph says, “I asked my friend Luis why the plantains in the Mexican market are labeled Macho Plantanos. "‘Because they are harder,’ he said," with the appropriate hand gesture.

Fried Plantains with Hazelnuts

Serves 2

1 ripe plantain (when it’s nearly all blackened)

2 Tablespoons goat butter

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons crushed roasted hazelnuts (optional)

Peel and slice plantain lengthwise into quarters, while heating butter and oil over medium heat in an iron skillet. Add plantains and fry for 8-10 minutes, checking every 3 minutes to turn as they brown. Make sure they don’t get too dark. When soft and browned all over, they’re done. Remove to serving dish and garnish with hazelnuts.

Note: We like to eat this starchy item with breakfast in place of toast, rice, or potatoes. For the breakfast pictured above, Joseph scrambled eggs in the plantain pan, using the same oil and butter mixture, and added baby carrots from our garden. Yum!

Magical Macadamia Nut Cookies

The beautiful thing about these cookies is the fact that they contain no sugar, use only a small amount of natural sweeteners, and have no gluten! Joseph asked me what I wanted for breakfast on a sleepy Easter morning and I mumbled, “Cookies with nuts.” So he invented these to suit all my stringent requirements! YUM!

Magical Macadamia Nut Cookies

Makes 40 cookies

1 cup ghee (clarified butter)

2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Homemade Vanilla or 3/4 teaspoon ground vanilla beans
9 oz. ripe bananas (2 large)
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
4 teensy scoops of Trader Joe's 100% pure stevia rebaudiana extract (that's white powdered stevia), or 1/16 teaspoon
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup white rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 ounces roasted, unsalted macadamia nuts, chopped
Parchment baking paper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut parchment to fit two large cookie sheets. Set aside.

Mash ghee with bananas, eggs, vanilla, honey, maple syrup, and stevia. Use a hand-held mixer to complete the job, and don’t worry if you still have some visible bits and lumps of banana. Stir in the dry ingredients, mixing smoothly. Add nuts and blend completely.

Drop by walnut-sized spoonfuls onto the parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes for the first batch; less for the second. (Don’t know why, but the second batch always cooks faster.) You can also chill the dough, roll it out, and cut shapes with a cookie-cutter, or roll it into a log, wrap, chill, and slice. If you used the chilled method, set your timer and check them after 10 minutes.

Makes 40 cookies.

Naturally Sweet "Pumpkin" Pie Breakfast Pudding



Lucky I caught this picture at all, it was disappearing so fast!

I LOVE pumpkin pie for breakfast! But since we’re not eating sugar any more, Joseph invented this amazing stand-in and I can’t really tell the difference. He uses leftover sweet potatoes, which require a fraction of the natural sweeteners pumpkin would need.

For us, when combined with stevia, only a tablespoon of real maple syrup does the trick. You might need two if your tastebuds are accustomed to the jaw-socking sweetness of refined sugar. If you’ve used fresh eggs from a source you trust, you can taste the pudding mix before baking; it should taste slightly sweeter than you want the final dish to be. (Don't do this if you're using commercial eggs.)

This will supply a complete, balanced breakfast with protein, carbs, and fat if you split it between two people.

Naturally Sweet “Pumpkin" Pie Breakfast Pudding
Serves 2 or more

1 tablespoon goat butter

10 oz. cooked organic sweet potatoes (aka garnet yams)

5 fresh eggs + 1 yolk from free-range chickens

2 tablespoons cream

1 tablespoon real maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon green stevia

Prepare a steam bath:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Choose a glass baking dish or pie plate that will fit inside a larger pan holding water, so that the water comes up about an inch along the sides. It's easiest to put the pans together, measure in the water, then remove your baking dish and place the water-holding pan in the oven to warm.

Melt the goat butter in the pie plate by placing it in the steam bath for a moment. Then carefully remove it from the oven before the butter burns. Set aside.

Place peeled sweet potatoes, eggs, cream, and maple syrup in blender. Turn on low. While it's running, slowly add the spices and stevia. (Taste if you've used safe eggs and adjust sweetening.)

Pour into the pie plate and sprinkle the top with fresh-grated nutmeg. Bake in steam bath at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut and serve like pie. Serves 2 for breakfast, or serve as a very mild but filling dessert.

If your family traditions differ slightly (adding allspice, etc.) feel free to adjust the spices accordingly, but keep the same proportions as your pie recipe. Joseph derived this version from my Gramma Jo’s original recipe. J You can also serve this in a crust; just bake it like you would any pumpkin pie!

Two Blueberry Rice Puddings, Gluten & Sugar Free

It's a marvel the way Joseph creates sugar-free and yet deliciously sweet Breakfast Puddings without using artificial sweeteners. Instead he relies on the natural sweetness of organic fruit and a tiny touch of stevia plant extract.

For company who're accustomed to lots of sugar, he might add a smidgeon of raw honey, but the stevia alone is enough for us and still allows the fresh fruit taste to bloom through to our tastebuds. Since I love blueberries, they often show up in the puddings he makes. Here are two versions.

I woke up to this first Breakfast Pudding this morning and had to share it with you! Luckily I remembered to take a picture before I ate it all. I thought it was nice the way the rose on our table contrasted with the purple berries.

Creamy Blueberry Buckle
(Gluten and sugar free)
Serves 2

1 3/4 cups water
1/2 cup white rice flour
1 T. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon green stevia powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 T. goat butter (or you can use cow butter if you like)
1 cup organic blueberries, frozen or fresh
3/4 ounce broken walnuts (that's about a Joseph-fist full of whole walnuts)
Splash of goat milk (or cow)

Boil the water and stir in the rice flour. While it cooks, stir in everything but the walnuts and milk. Cook an additional 5 to 10 minutes, stirring, to blend flavors. (If you choose to add honey, start with 1/4 teaspoon; the sweetness of the stevia reduces the requirement considerably!) Serve with walnut and milk garnish.

For a complete breakfast, add a vegetable and protein. We ate it with fresh carrots and cheese on the side.

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Disappearing fast!

The pudding is extra zesty, and required a bit of honey to balance the lemony zing.





Zesty Lemon Blueberry Rice
(Gluten and sugar free)
Serves 2

2 T. organic heavy cream
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon green stevia powder
1 cup cooked white rice
2 T. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon raw honey, organic
2 T. frozen wild blueberries

Boil cream, zest, and stevia for 2 to 3 minutes in a small saucepan. Stir in rice and lemon juice and heat through. Turn off the heat before you stir in the honey so it retains the benefits of its raw-ness. Garnish with the wild blueberries.
Delicious either cold or hot! We ate it as a dessert, after chicken tenders fried in garlic and a Greek-style salad.
Serves 2.

The Happy Blueberry Chef
(I read a FB post that said, "There's nothing sexier than a man in an apron." Hmmm, could be true! But he should never let his wife run the blog! mwa-ha-ha ... )

Healthy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - Sugar Free!

I managed to capture this before it was gone!

With fresh egg yolks, organic cream, and a tiny amount of raw honey or maple syrup boosted with 100% stevia, this ice cream is actually a healthy treat!

No sugar, antifreeze, or other weird additives! And no foul-tasting "artificial sweeteners" or sugar substitutes containing sugar alcohols.

Joseph's brilliant invention is the use of stevia to drastically reduce the need for high-calorie honey or maple syrup. Maple syrup blends more smoothly, but I like the tiny frozen honey bits you sometimes get.


The wooden mallet helps break up the bagged ice.

It all began when we found an old-fashioned, hand-crank, 70s-era ice cream maker at an "antiques" market in Michigan. I know. I didn't think I was an antique either. Never mind the insult, the thing only cost $1.69! And we've been enjoying homemade ice cream ever since.

It's so much easier than I remembered, probably because we learned the secret ingredient from author Sally Fallon (Nourishing Traditions): arrowroot. It's a white powder you'll find in the spices section. But her recipe called for a whopping 1/2 cup of maple syrup! Too much of an insulin rush! Instead, we enjoy the creamy coldness, and all of our guests have loved it.

The other white powder you'll need is 100% stevia rebaudiana powdered extract. Do NOT use green stevia, or the kind that comes in packets or has unhealthy fillers. We buy Trader Joe's brand, but read this first if you're new to stevia.



Be sure to use real rock salt. Fine salt won't work!

Healthy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - Sugar Free! 

3 cups heavy organic cream, not ultra-pasteurized!
3 egg yolks, very fresh, preferably from free range chickens
3 T. raw honey or maple syrup
1 T. Homemade Vanilla
1 T. arrowroot
2 scoops white stevia from TJs (or 1/32 teaspoon pure stevia, no additives)

Plenty of bagged ice
About 1 cup rock salt

Prechill your serving dishes, spoons, and plastic freezer container for leftovers (if any!)

Measure cream into blender. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Turn on blender to low and quickly add the honey or maple syrup, arrowroot, and stevia. Blend as little as possible to mix, so you don’t wind up with butter or whipped cream, Joseph says. Taste for sweetness, keeping in mind that it will be less sweet when frozen. Adjust if needed. Pour into cream container. You can do this in advance and keep it in the fridge if necessary.

If using an electric maker, follow manufacturers directions to freeze. Some of the tips below may still apply.

Tips for a hand-crank ice cream maker:

Ice & Salt: Add several layers of rock salt in between layers of ice, packing the container to the top of the cream cannister. Do not use sidewalk-clearing chemicals that are not salt! It must be rock salt.

Cranking: Don’t stop even for a second! (This goes for electric makers, too.) When you do, the ice cream freezes to the metal sides of the cream container, making it hard to crank so you think it’s done, but the middle portions will still be too soft. Ours takes about 12-15 minutes to crank. If you trade crankers, or arms, do it without stopping the motion. Crank until it become truly difficult to crank.

Opening: Carefully wipe off the salty ice and take a look. If you’ve cranked too long, some parts will be buttery but it’s still delicious. Do not remove the container from the ice mixture. Crank until it looks like this:

But you'll probably need to taste it (wink, wink):

Serving: It’s nice if you have pretty, chilled glasses or dishes and tiny dessert spoons  ready. (Tch, who ever thought you should eat this on paper plates! It melts!) Be sure to leave the container in the salty ice mixture while you serve and while you eat your first serving. Make them small servings because you know you’ll be back for seconds if there’s any left. J

One last note from Lianne: I used to panic and try to get the leftovers into the freezer quickly, using a prechilled container, but by then my serving had melted. No worries; the ice cream stays perfectly firm if you just leave it in the ice mixture until you’re done eating. That won't take long! And that myth about homemade ice cream going grainy in the freezer? Bah! It was just an excuse to eat it all at once. It stays wonderfully creamy and hard as rock if you don't let it melt before you freeze it. You can eat it in moderation all week long ...

Enjoy!

The Very Best Exotic Chicken Curry Kabobs (with Pattypan Squash)

Joseph invented this recipe after we got home from watching the film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Fast and easy! And it made great use of the awkwardly shaped pattypan squashes he'd bought super-fresh at the farmer's market.

It's mildly spicy as written, but you can control the heat when you add the chili flakes.

[Note from Lianne: If you've got a vegetarian in the house, marinate veggies and meat separately and treat them to marinated squash, mushroom, and onion kabobs. This squash has never tasted so good to me!]

The Very Best Exotic Chicken Curry Kabobs
(With Pattypan Squash)
(Serves 3-4)

1 lb. organic chicken tenders
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon dried chili flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 lb. white mushrooms
1 red onion, quartered and separated
4 pattypan summer squashes, cut into large chunks

Mix olive oil and spices in large glass bowl. Stir in chicken and set aside.
Prepare vegetables, adding to chicken mixture. Stir well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

To cook: Skewer chicken and veggies on strong metal skewers, folding the tenders to skewer twice. Cook on grill, turning regularly until chicken is done and you can pierce the squash with a knife. (Can also be cooked under broiler.)

Serve on a bed of seasoned white rice (ours had toasted pine nuts and dried apricot slivers) with tiny bowls of whole, plain yogurt on the side for dipping. (Or a cucumber-yogurt dipping sauce if you have the time and inclination.)

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Quick Lebanese Macaroni with Asparagus

Joseph doctored up a recipe from my Lebanese cookbook by adding this springtime twist. I want to eat this one again!! If you like tahini (think hummous), you'll love it.

Makes a colorful and mildly exotic side dish, but it contains carbs, vegetables, protein, and fat.


Quick Lebanese Macaroni with Asparagus
(Serves 2)

1/2 cup rice macaroni
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon tahini
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
7 medium-sized organic asparagus spears

Cook macaroni. Drain. Wash and snap the tough ends off the asparagus, place in a pan of cold filtered water and bring to a boil. It's done when the tip of a knife just pierces it, about 3 minutes only!

While the asparagus and macaroni cook, mash the garlic with the salt. Add tahini and keep mashing. Add the water and mash. Add the lemon juice last. (Very important to add the water before the lemon juice; not sure why but I learned this in a kitchen in Beirut from a woman who spoke no English. -- Lianne)

Slice the cooked asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Combine the tahini with the cooked macaroni, then stir in the asparagus pieces.