The Crunch Bar

I am a serious chocolate lover and I have to say that Rylan has inherited that trait from me.  He loves chocolate and if given the chance would put chocolate on everything he could.  When he drives it trucks he pretends he is the delivery truck and he is dropping off chocolate. 

When we were potty training I was look for motivation for him and I knew that chocolate would do the trick.  I adapted  a recipe from my sister in law, Jessica and used it to make a crunchy chocolate bar that he loved.  It must have been good because he was potty trained in 5 days!!

The Crunch Bar

35 quinoa crackers (we use Le Pain De Fleurs Quinoa Crispbreads
1 cup palm shortening
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup nuts ( we did not have safe nuts at the time so I made them without)

Line a cookie sheet with foil and grease the foil with coconut oil.  Line the sheet with the crackers.  Microwave the shortening on high for 2 minutes , add the sugar and microwave for another 2 minutes (be sure to stir every 30 seconds).  Pour over the crackers and bake at 350 F for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and our the chocolate over.  Let the chocolate melt and then spread over the top of the crackers.  Add the nuts if desired.  Put in the fridge to cool.  Once cooled break into bars.

Banana Cream Pie

I recently made this pie for a birthday and it got rave reviews.  My sister in law could barely tear herself away from the pie dish.  I will say this one of the best pies I have ever made and I literally could eat it all day.

I do not get to make it often since we have to special order ungassed bananas but when I do have bananas one of these pies is getting made.  I use my basic oat crust for this pie but you can use a graham cracker crust too.

Banana Cream Pie

Basic Oat Crust:

2 cups oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
8 tbsp. coconut oil

Pulse all the ingredients in a food processor.  Press into a pie plate and bake 10 minutes at 375 F.

Pie Filling:

3 cups whole milk ( can sub milk alternatives)
3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 bananas
1 tsp vanilla

In a large pan, scald the milk.  In a bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt.  Slowly add it to the milk, whisking often.  Cook over medium until it starts to thicken.  In a bowl mix the egg yolks with a small amount of the milk mixture.  Then slowly add the yolks to the pot whisking the whole time.  Stir constantly, cook for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and add the coconut oil and vanilla.  Slice up the bananas and line the top of the crust with them.  Pour the filling over and refrigerate.  Top with homemade whipped cream if you want.

Maple Shortbread Cookies

I have always loved shortbread cookies and I always hated having to wait until Christmas to get them.  This recipe is dairy free and is super fast.  It yields really delicious cookies and Rylan can not get enough of them

They freeze well so I usually make a double batch and stash some in the freezer for later.  I use my kitchenaid mixer to whip them up!!

Maple Shortbread Cookies

1 cup palm shortening
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp sea salt

Beat the shortening and syrup in the mixer.  Add in the flour and the salt. Mix well.  Place by the tsp full on a baking sheet and press down with a wet fork.  Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup

Everyone loves soup and no one loves it more then when you are not feeling well.  People without allergies take it for granted that when they get sick they can just go to the store and buy soup.  We can not have store bought soup or deli soup or restaurant soup.  The only soup being eaten in our house is homemade.  I do not think that many people will argue with me when I say that homemade is sooooo much better then store bought.

I love soup because I can make huge batches of it and freeze it single serving sizes and pull out when we need.  It is super handy to have a freezer full of soups.  I always have at least 15 jars of soup on hand.  Soup is also pretty easy to make and pretty hard to screw up.  In our home the favorite soup of course is chicken noodle but since we have no chicken at the moment the next on the list is Butternut Squash Soup.  It is so creamy and sweet and tastes divine

Butternut Squash Soup

2 large butternut squash peeled and cubed
2-3 leeks chopped
2 tbsp. beef tallow
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups homemade beef broth

Put the 2 tbsp. of beef tallow in a pot and add the leeks.  Sautee for a few minutes and then add the broth and the squash.  Simmer until the squash is soft.  Puree with a hand blender and add salt and pepper to taste.

* I have done this recipe with just water when I did not have broth and it is not as rich but still good.
** You can substitute the tallow for coconut oil or butter