Whole Foods-esque Homemade Peanut Butter

I normally buy peanut and almond butter from Whole Foods since it is ground right in front of you and you know there is nothing in there but nuts. It occurred to me that since the nut butters I was buying were just ground up nuts, there is a fair chance I could make them myself. I was right, I could and holy deliciousness.

The very sophisticated recipe is below.

Dump peanuts in food processor (what you see above is honey roasted).

Press the on button.

Have peanut butter.

But seriously, first the peanuts will become powder-like, then they will almost form a ball, then you have pb. I like mine not totally smooth (or what I call Whole Foods’ consistency, because, well, that’s how you get it at WF) but you can totally keep processing to get pb that is smoother, creamier, and a little runnier.

This did not separate at all! And kept beautifully for a week at room temp. I’m sure it could keep longer than that, but there would have to be some left to find out.

Hope you all enjoy your all natural homemade pb! (Stay tuned for other varieties of nut butters soon!)

xo,
Elle

Summer Fruit Pudding

This was so yummy! I made it layered and trifle-like but it would also do beautifully in a single layer of filling with fruit arranged prettily on top. And it is totally low fat, vegan, gluten free, and guilt free. It would be a great dessert for a barbecue or potluck!

Elle’s Summer Fruit Pudding

4 cups vanilla coconut milk (from the refrigerated dairy dept, not the kind in the can)
Agave syrup to taste (how much you need depends on how sweet the milk is to begin with)
4 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp almond extract
1 pint blueberries
1 large peach, sliced
1 large banana, sliced

Reserve about a 1/4 cup of your milk and whisk the corn starch into it. Put it aside (for future reference this is known as a “slurry”). Sweeten the rest until it is the sweetness of pudding. Bring to a boil. Once boiling (or close to it). Add your slurry, and whisk, whisk, whisk! Keep whisking until pudding is nice and thick. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Allow to cool (but don’t chill or it will set up too much.

Now you’re just going to layer your pudding and fruit (a loaf pan works perfectly and so would a pie pan). I did a layer of pudding, a layer of banana slices, a layer of beef and peas (if you didn’t get that Friends’ reference, ignore me and DO NOT add those items!), a layer of pudding, a layer of (half of the) blueberries, a layer of peaches, then the last layer of pudding and the rest of the blueberries to finish. Chill for a few hours and enjoy!

This is really light and delicious; it is the perfect dessert for these hot summer days.

I hope you all have a great Fourth of July!

xo,
Elle

Vegetarian Dinner Party

Here is the full menu:

Antipasti:

Focaccia and Broccoli Bread
Fresh Mozzarella (served with extra virgin olive oil to drizzle)
Zucchini a Scapace*
Pickled Radish and Cucumber
Caponata (Which I stole from my mom. Doesn’t everyone do that?)
Various peppers and olives from Whole Foods’ Olive Bar

Entree:

Pineapple Fried Red Rice*
Sweet and Sour Meatless Balls*

Dessert:

Summer Fruit Pudding*

[Quick aside: I am lucky that the neighborhood I work in has a weekly farmers’ market. I am even luckier that there is a new addition to the vendors there. Vito, who sells awesome fresh mozzarella (and I am quite the critic), great breads, and a million kinds of homemade ravioli. He has won a loyal customer in me for the entirety of the farmers’ market. I got the fresh mozz, broccoli bread, and focaccia from him.]

As you can tell, I like a lot of little dishes for antipasti. I think it’s nice to have a plate full of a bite of this and a bite of that. As far as entrees, I figure (as long as it’s good) one is enough.

Isn’t casual entertaining the best in the summer?

xo,
Elle

*I’ll post these recipes over the next two weeks.

Quinoa Salad

I love quinoa. To me, it’s like rice but better. In addition to being healthier (quinoa is a complete protein containing all eight essential amino acids), quinoa is also more versatile, being just as delicious cold as it is hot.

This quinoa salad is loosely inspired by a traditional dish from Naples called Zucchini A Scapece, which my grandfather made over and over every summer by frying zucchini from his garden, then dousing it in red wine vinegar, fresh mint and raw garlic. (I have a healthy version of this recipe that I’ll be sharing soon.)

This is a really fresh, clean, and light salad. This amount serves two as a side.

xo,
Elle

Elle’s Almost Nicoise Salad

This salad was so delicious. The only thing missing was olives. It seriously needed some fabulous pitted olives. The salty brininess would have completed the dish. Unfortch, I was out of olives. Including dressing, this salad comes in at only 424 calories, so in addition to being super easy and tasting great, it is guiltless. (I’d say serves two as a side or starter, one as an entree.)

I topped it off with my homemade Light White Balsamic Vinaigrette and a generous grinding of Trader Joe’s Flower Pepper (black peppercorns and dried flowers– so different and yummy).

…but seriously, it needs olives…

xo,
Elle

Elle’s Light White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Elle’s Light White Balsamic Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. mustard (Dijon or grainy)
A few drops of agave syrup
A pinch of granulated garlic
A pinch of dried oregano
A pinch of sea salt
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Shake it up! Done!

xo,
Elle

Brown Rice Breakfast Bliss

I must admit that I find oatmeal to be kind of meh. First off, it takes forever to make (if steel cut, which is the only kind you should be eating), and I just don’t have that kind of time in the morning. Plus it tastes like warm mushy nothing. I much prefer the taste and texture of brown rice, so here is my formula for Elle’s Brown Rice Breakfast Bliss. It’s a formula not a recipe because no one should have to measure or think as soon as they wake up.

About 1/2 cup leftover cooked brown rice (quinoa or barley probably work too)
1/4 (if microwaving) to 1/3 (if stovetop) almond, coconut, or soy milk
Agave syrup to taste (can sub honey or maple syrup if you like
About a tablespoon of nuts or seeds (I used pepitas in the photo above.)
About a tablespoon of dried fruit or 1/2 cup of fresh fruit or both

Toss it all together (except for the fresh fruit) and heat. I prefer stovetop heating to the microwave. The microwave simply heats the food, while cooking it for five minutes in a pot allows the flavors to meld together and some of the milk to evaporate and thicken. It is just yummier from the stove. Top off with fresh fruit and eat!

I’ve put everything together in a bowl the night before and just popped it on the stove in the morning (as a time saving option). By the time my hair is done, so is my breakfast.

Complex carbs, fiber, and good sugars are the best way to start your day!

xo,
Elle

Yes, I’m crazy and I make my own cough syrup.

I’ve promised you my cough syrup recipe and here it is!

Take a knob of ginger (about three to four inches long), peel and slice it. Dump in a pot.

Using a paring knife or veggie peeler, peel off long wide strips of zest from half a lemon. Dump in same pot.

Mash the crap it of the remains of that lemon half with your hand (over the same pot so as to not lose any juice). Dump mashed up lemon corpse in the pot as well.

Pour about 2 cups of water over the whole mess and boil away till you’re only left with abut a half a cup of liquid. Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit.

Strain into a jar. Add enough honey to make the consistency syrupy. (About 1/4 cup should do it.)

Add about 3-4 oz of your choice of good strong liquor. Whiskey, scotch, or brandy work particularly well for this. If vodka is all you have it will do but strong brown liquor is better. My grandfather’s first line of defense for any type of bug was a good strong drink. He lived to be 90, despite the fact that life expectancy for people born the same year as he was 48.9 years. He obviously did something right.

Anyway… Stir or shake it all up and refrigerate. Take about two to three tablespoons every few hours to calm cough and soothe throat. And follow the rest of my get well routine too!

I didn’t take a pic of this (mainly because it looks like a Grey Poupon jar full of pee). So here is a photo of my ginger tea which is a much weaker, non alcoholic version of this.

You may be wondering if this works as well as the stuff you can buy in the drug store. In the interest of science, I performed a little comparative study. Last week I had a nasty bought of bronchitis and had been using my homemade cough syrup. I compromised my principles of only taking chemical medicines when absolutely necessary (due to peer pressure) and took some major brand chemical cough syrup that begins with the letter ‘R.’ The one that Chris Rock does this skit about. In case you still haven’t figured out which brand I’m referring to.

So I took the recommended dose of the chemical crap. You know what happened? Nothing. I stopped coughing for a short period immediately after taking the syrup. Exactly the same thing that happens with my 100% natural, mostly organic medicine.

I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seats wondering about the results of the meta analysis of cough medications I’ve gathered. (And by “meta analysis” I mean “anecdotal evidence I’ve figured out after a lifetime of bronchial infections.”) Well, here they are: unless we’re talking super heavy duty drugs (the kind of Rx cough meds that contain things like codeine and hydrocodone), the natural stuff works just as well as the chemical stuff, with the added bonus of no side effects or worrying about what you’re putting into your body.

xo,
Elle

PS, This entire post is my personal opinion. I have no medical training other than watching Discovery Health Channel and ER, and reading articles on WebMD and Wikipedia. While I feel that this gives me the equivalent of an MD, I am in no way qualified to give you any sort of medical advice.

Vegan Veggie Pizza

This pizza was the delicious product of random veggies I had lying around, some premade grocery store pizza dough (the mom and pop type with like three ingredients, NOT the national brands full of preservatives) and soy mozzarella.

I would say this serves 2-3 as an entree or 4-6 as an appetizer.

This was so good that I fed it to several non-vegans (one of whom is very vocally opposed to vegan cheese) and they absolutely loved it. I hope you will too! Homemade pizza is such fun food.

xo,
Elle