Coconut Almond Butter

About a month ago I found a new food blogger that I totally have a blog crush on. Her blog name is Delighted Momma. I made her Flourless Zucchini Brownies. Twice. During the brownie party, stumbled upon her recipe for almond butter (with coconut!)

I have attempted nut butters before but always quit at the paste stage and figured homemade nut butters weren't possible. I read her instructions and realized I never ran my food processor long enough and maybe there was hope for me. You can see her recipe here.

I've made several batches of this stuff and will probably never buy store bought almond butter again. It's hard describe how delicious it is homemade.

Some have told me that soaking your almonds makes them even more nutritious. I used raw almonds for this last batch and unsweetened coconut shreds and it is delicious.

*Warning!! This is a loud and obnoxious process. Don't do it at midnight...or when your kids are napping. You'll regret it.

**WARNING!! This almond butter gets HOT. You'll see condensation on my food processor and it's for realsies hot.

Coconut Almond Butter from Delighted Momma

Ingredients:

•  2 Cups dry roasted almonds 
• 1/3 C unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. I have also made this using a Ninja.
2. Turn your food processor to high and plug your ears and shut yourself in the closet while this processes for 10 minutes. If you watch, you'll noticed different stages- almond meal to almond chunks, to almond paste, and finally almond butter!
3. After 10 minutes, check your almond butter. If you like it chunky, stop processing it. If you let it run longer, you'll get smooth and creamy almond butter.
4. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the almond butter into an airtight container and store. 

Basil Parmesan Dip with Pita Chips

It's hard to mess anything up that has basil as the star ingredient. This dip needs no introduction but here's one anyway. We had friends over for dinner and they loved it. So you will love it too. The basil and parmesan go perfect together and the creaminess of the dip is perfect for dipping or even as a sandwich spread. This comes from the fabulous Cooking Light magazine, my favorite source for healthy food that doesn't taste "diet".

Ingredients:

• 4 (6-inch) pitas
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 C lightly packed basil leaves
• 3/4 C finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 3/4 C reduced-fat sour cream
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Split pitas; cut each half into 8 wedges. Place wedges on a baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/4 tsp pepper and salt. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until crisp.
3. Combine remaining 1/4 tsp pepper, basil, and next 4 ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Scrape into a serving bowl using a rubber spatula and serve with pita chips.

Make 8 servings.

Printable Version

Cowboy Caviar

I saw this recipe on one of my absolute FAVORITE food blogs, called The Girl Who Ate Everything, and it's called Cowboy Caviar. I had been wanting an excuse to make this for a long time and finally had a party where I need a side dish. The flavors are incredible and it's perfect for a snack, a BBQ, or a party. I modified it a bit because I didn't have shoepeg corn or black eyed peas. I used white beans in place of the black eyed peas and used Kraft Light Zesty Italian Dressing for a little less calories. It was a HIT! If you have my favorite kitchen gadget, the Vidalia Onion Chop Wizard, you can have this ready in no time.

Cowboy Caviar

from Sheri Denney 

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed

4-5 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced

2-3 diced avocados, ripe but still firm

4 green onions, sliced thin (I used 1/2 purple onion diced finely because that's all I had)

around 1/2  to 3/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped finely

1-2 limes

ground pepper and salt to taste

Drain and rinse the black eyed peas, black beans, and corn. Add to a large bowl. Dice the tomatoes, making sure the seeds and insides are removed. You want to do this to make sure that there isn't too much liquid in the dip. Add the diced tomatoes and cilantro to the bowl. Slice the green onions finely (or purple onion) and add to the bowl. Dice the avocado and squeeze a little of the lime juice over the avocados so they don't brown as quickly. Squeeze the rest of the lime juice into the bowl. Add the Italian dressing and stir to coat all the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill in the refrigerator until cold and flavors have marinated together. This is best served the same day as prepared. Serve with tortilla chips