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Honey-Sweetened Almond Roca

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Honey-Sweetened Almond Roca

Making real food versions of commercial candies and snacks is how I know that I don’t need store-bought products to enjoy myself. To be honest, they don’t even taste to me as good anymore. I suppose that all the artificial sweeteners and chemical substances that are found in most foods nowadays have stopped having any effect on me since I began eating a clean diet. And I hope I never go back.

Almond Roca

It’s surprisingly easy to make your own homemade versions of popular products and this almond roca is no exception. Quality grass-fed butter, healthy almonds, honey, and my homemade GAPS-friendly chocolate chips are what make this recipe so good. All candy tastes much better when you know for sure what is in it!

Almond Roca

I like to make these almond rocas to serve in a glass bowl as a snack, especially at kid’s parties. Children eat too many artificial sugars already so I want to do whatever I can to introduce them to what healthy food tastes like. They also are great for putting in gift baskets and other presents. I usually pick a pretty container, put the candies inside and tie the whole thing with a large ribbon. It’s a really inexpensive and not much effort-consuming idea for a gift!

Almond Roca

Necessary equipment:

  • a large saucepan
  • a wooden spoon
  • a candy thermometer
  • a food processor OR a sharp knife
  • a jelly roll pan
  • parchment paper
  • a glass bowl
  • a rubber scraper

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (4 sticks) of butter
  • 1 1/3 cup of raw honey
  • 2 cups of melted chocolate chips
  • 1 cup of almonds
  • 2 t. of vanilla extract
  • optional: more chopped almonds for sprinkling

Instructions:

  1. Line your jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Set aside for now.
  2. Chop the almonds into fine pieces using a food processor or a knife.
  3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on low heat so that it doesn’t burn.
  4. Add in the honey and stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined.
  5. Up the heat and continue to stir the mixture occasionally until it reaches 305 degrees. Use a candy thermometer for this. 305 degrees Fahrenheit is the so-called “hard crack stage” of candy making. If you want your candy to be softer and bendier then you should use 275 degrees, the “soft crack stage”.
  6. Immediately after reaching 305 degrees, remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the chopped almonds.
  7. Add in the vanilla extract, stir to combine.
  8. Spread the mixture over the parchment paper. Leave to cool for at least 45 minutes. Put in the fridge if your kitchen is too warm and the candy won’t harden.
  9. Set a glass bowl over simmering water in the saucepan. Put the chocolate chips inside the bowl.
  10. Melt the chocolate chips completely and then pour the liquid chocolate over the chilled almond roca.
  11. Leave to harden completely either at room temperature or in the fridge.
  12. Once your almond roca has set, you can now break it up into your desired candy shape.
  13. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Again, if it’s too hot in the house you can also store the candy in the fridge but remember to take them out about 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Want to try my roasted almonds with cocoa and cinnamon? Click here for recipe.

How to Roast a Pastured Chicken

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How to Roast a Pastured Chicken

This recipe is going to be preceded by a long intro. I feel it’s necessary because today we are talking about making a roast chicken.

I feel like most people have roasted a chicken in their life but I suppose not that many were pleased with the results. That’s because roasting a chicken, although it seems simple, is actually very easy to mess up accidentally. I will introduce you to a few basic rules that should hopefully help you understand how to roast a chicken and then we’ll move on to the recipe.

But first, let’s talk about the chicken itself. I highly recommend that you choose a pastured chicken over any commercial or free-range chicken. Pastured chickens were actually able to freely roam the outdoors, were able to eat grass and bugs as they pleased. They were happier and you can really taste that! Pastured chickens have leaner meat because they are not getting fattened with grains or injected with artificially bloating solutions after being packaged.

Whenever I make roasted chicken for anyone else besides my closes family, I mention that this chicken is a pastured one. I hope that this way, they will be able to appreciate the difference in taste and choose a pastured bird themselves when they are roasting something. I do it casually because I don’t want to force other people to follow the exact same principles as I do but because I just want to normalize making an ethical choice.

Things you need to remember when roasting a pastured chicken:

  1. Roast longer but at a lower temperature. The bird will stay moist while still having crispy skin when roasted at about 325 degrees F.
  2. Place the chicken breast side down so that it will soak up all the juices flowing downwards. The breast is made up of white meat which is the most prone to drying out.
  3. Don’t use a roasting pan but instead, put the chicken over a layer of potatoes and other vegetables so that they can all roast together. It helps the chicken stay moist because roasted vegetables release water as they cook, causing more steam. The chicken juices will also flow down to the vegetables, giving them a perfect flavoring without you having to do anything.
  4. After roasting, let the chicken rest for at least 20 minutes to prevent the juices from flowing out when cut. When you finally carve your chicken, all the juices will still be intact and each slice perfectly moistened.
  5. Usually, one roasted chicken can feed 6 people. But, if your chicken has less than 3 pounds, consider buying more chickens.

Necessary equipment:

  • a jelly roll pan
  • parchment paper
  • two mixing bowls, small and large
  • a kitchen twine
  • kitchen shears
  • a sharp knife

Ingredients:

chicken:

  • 1 large pastured chicken
  • 4 T. of grass-fed butter (how to make butter)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic head
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 T. of dried parsley
  • 1 T. of dried rosemary
  • 1 T. of dried basil
  • 1 T. of dried oregano

vegetable bed:

  • 3 pounds of organic potatoes
  • 2 large onions
  • 20 cloves of garlic
  • 4 lemons
  • olive oil
  • 1 t. of dried parsley
  • 1 t. of dried rosemary
  • 1 t. of dried basil
  • 1 t. of dried thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Prepare a jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment paper and set aside for now.

vegetable bed

  1. Prepare the vegetables. Cut potatoes and onions into 1-inch pieces, and peel all of the garlic. Slice the lemons very thinly.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, garlic cloves, and lemon slices.
  3. Drizzle with a few generous dashes of olive oil and add all the dried herbs. Use a wooden spoon to make sure all the veggies are seasoned roughly the same.
  4. Transfer the vegetables onto your parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan.

the chicken

  1. Cut the onion, garlic head, and lemon in half.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, combine all the dried herbs (parsley, rosemary, basil, oregano).
  3. Remove the giblets from your chicken’s cavity and set them aside. You can use them to make, e.g. a chicken stock.
  4. Rinse the chicken with water, both outside and inside. Pat dry.
  5. Use the onion, garlic head, one half of the lemon, and thyme sprigs to stuff the chicken.
  6. Make sure the cavity is closed by tying the chicken’s legs with kitchen twine.
  7. Now place the chicken onto the vegetable bed breast side down. Use kitchen twine again to tie the wings.
  8. Rub butter all over the chicken using your hands.
  9. Squeeze the juice out of the other half of the lemon over the chicken and vegetables.
  10. Sprinkle the herb mix you prepared earlier over the chicken.
  11. Roast on a lower rack for about 2,5 hours or until the chicken is tender.
  12. Remove from the oven and transfer the chicken onto a cutting board.
  13. Cover with aluminum foil or parchment paper and leave to rest for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  14. Remove the covering and carve the chicken. Serve with roasted vegetables on the side.

Berry Custard with Sweetened Whipped Cream

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Berry Custard with Sweetened Whipped Cream

Berry custard cream

Berry Custard with Sweet Cream

I love eggs and I love finding out new methods of eating them. My latest craze is this custard made with seasonal berries and flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s perfectly smooth, tastes sweet but not overwhelmingly so, and simply looks amazing! I eat it whenever I want to spoil myself a little with some fancy breakfast or dessert and when I have guests over but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen making food. Topped with some sweetened whipped cream, this berry custard is perfect for any occasion. Even if the occasion is just “I have too many eggs in my fridge.”

This recipe is inspired by a classic French dessert called “clafoutis” or “flaugnarde.” These two are quite similar but not exactly the same. Clafoutis is supposed to be made with cherries. The cherries should be specifically unpitted. That’s because according to baking professionals, the cherry pits contain the most flavor that is only released when in high temperature. So to keep that flavor, pits should not be removed.

But what if you want to eat the same dish but with different fruit? That’s when you get a flaugnarde. There is no such thing as berry clafoutis; it’s a berry flaugnarde. But I suppose in the States we can just call it “berry custard.” Although I like the sound of the word flaugnarde so I might just start calling it that!

Additional Notes

Any berries will do for this recipe; you don’t need to use a specific type. They also don’t necessarily need to be fresh, you can make this custard with frozen berries as well. Just remember to thaw them and drain all the liquid. Otherwise, your custard might end up too wet and it will not look that good.

You can also substitute some of the other ingredients if your body doesn’t tolerate them. Honey can replace whole cane sugar (but use less of it because it’s sweeter) and almond flour can be used instead of sprouted flour. This will be good for people who follow the GAPS diet. Coconut milk can substitute cream if you avoid dairy in your diet.

Necessary equipment:

  • a saucepan
  • measuring cups
  • a large mixing bowl
  • a whisk
  • a large baking dish
  • a stand mixer OR a hand mixer

Custard

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Butter a large baking dish.
  3. Put the berries on the bottom of the baking dish. Try to make them an even layer. Set the dish aside for now.
  4. Pot butter in a large saucepan and melt it over medium heat.
  5. Add in the whole cane sugar and stir with a whisk until it dissolves completely. Set aside the saucepan mixture to cool.
  6. In a large mixing bowl, put all the eggs in at once and whisk thoroughly.
  7. Add in the cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt. Whisk until combined.
  8. Slowly add the cooled butter and sugar mixture to the mixing bowl. Do it in a thin stream while constantly whisking.
  9. Gradually add in the flour and whisk until combined but not more. If you whisk too much, there will be too much air in your batter.
  10. Pour the batter over the berries in the baking dish.
  11. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. You will know the custard is ready when it will be puff nicely and become slightly brown on the edges.
  12. Take out of the oven and let cool for about ten minutes.
  13. Serve warm with a dash of sweetened whipped cream (recipe below).

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of fresh cream
  • 1/3 cup of whole cane sugar
  • 1/2 t. of vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Use a mixer with whisk beaters attached to whip your batch of fresh cream. Do it on low speed setting first until you can see some bubbles.
  2. Increase the speed and whip until the cream thickens nicely. Be careful not to over whip.
  3. Add the whole cane sugar and the vanilla extract. Slowly beat until the cream fully combines.
  4. The whipped cream is now ready. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

How to prevent cavities (+ Homemade DIY Toothpaste)

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The most obvious benefit of eating real whole foods is the improved overall well-being of your body. Your immune system gets stronger, you have more energy, and you start enjoying each bite of the food you eat more, savoring it and appreciating all the nutrients it contains. One of the less obvious benefits of a healthy diet is… improved oral health!

There are some heavily rooted misconceptions about what causes tooth decay. What gets the most blame is the S. mutans bacteria that reside naturally in human oral cavity. When you have cavities, you also have an abnormally large number of these bacteria in your mouth. But as it turns out, it’s not like they are the ones causing your tooth decay. They are actually useful because they prevent yeast overgrowth!

Now, if your teeth are in a bad condition then yes, the S. mutans can be dangerous to you. Weak teeth are in general more susceptible to decay. So instead of focusing on the bacteria, we should be focusing on strengthening our teeth so that we don’t need to fear any potentially harmful microorganisms.

So how can we do that?

Eating clean is certainly the first step to improving your body’s health, including your teeth. Some say that increased calcium intake is what prevents tooth decay. And while I don’t disagree, I don’t think it’s quite that simple. In my opinion, there are three main aspects to keeping your teeth strong and healthy:

  • Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 plays a major role in tooth remineralization. Together with vitamins A and D, vitamin K2 is also responsible for the absorption of nutrients found in food. So the bottom line is that if you are not getting enough vitamin K2, your body won’t be able to absorb all that calcium you’re eating to keep your teeth healthy. It’s critical to keeping your body well-supplied with all the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin K2 is commonly found in dairy products, especially butter and hard cheeses. Natto is also a good source of vitamin K2. Whenever I feel the need to supplement myself with some additional K2, I take care to eat more homemade broths, raw milk, and supplements like fermented cod liver oil.

  • Metabolism

A healthy metabolism is needed in order to absorb vitamins and minerals from food. Perhaps your metabolism is already working as it should – in that case, you can skip this step. But if you often find yourself constipated, bloated, feel tired all day, experience chronic stress, then it’s probably a good idea to work on improving your metabolism first.

Eating whole foods, exercising, and leading a fit lifestyle in general is the key to having a well-functioning metabolism. What I recommend to people struggling with getting their metabolism up and running first is eating large and full of carbs breakfasts. This is a proven way of raising your body temperature and in turn, speeding up your metabolism. Take your basal temperature each day in the morning as you wake up to see if this method is working for you!

  • The right toothpaste

Most commercial toothpastes contain plenty of potentially irritating ingredients that in the long run can cause people to suffer from serious health problems. These include:

  • fluoride – a neurotoxin that has been linked with weakening of the bones, tooth discoloration, and kidney damage
  • SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) – a well-known skin irritant
  • vegetable glycerin – an irritating substance that coats your teeth as you brush them and lowers mineral absorption
  • artificial flavors and colors – all kinds of chemical substances that are only there to make the toothbrushing process more enjoyable but often come from unspecified sources

So which toothpaste should you use? Search for toothpastes that are made from natural ingredients only as those are less likely to cause you any tooth irritation. Or even better, make your own toothpaste at home!

It’s really not that difficult and will give you that much needed peace of mind that you are not poisoning yourself and/or your family with commercial products. You know exactly what goes in it and you can even control the flavor by adjusting the amount of spearmint essential oil.

I’ll share with you a recipe for the homemade toothpaste we use at our house below. There aren’t any fancy ingredients in it and you can easily get everything online.

Here are the ingredients I use and what they each do:

  • coconut oil – a saturated fat that has antibacterial and antiviral properties
  • sea salt – a mineral source that will gently scrub away the teeth debris
  • mineral powder – a great source of calcium that your body will absorb as you brush your teeth
  • mineral drops – another mineral source
  • spearmint essential oil – gives gentle mint flavoring and has anti-inflammatory properties

See, nothing suspicious, right? That’s why I think it’s worth taking the time to make a batch of homemade toothpaste now and then. Because you know that the natural ingredients won’t cause you any harm.

Necessary equipment:

  • measuring spoons
  • a small bowl
  • a spoon for mixing
  • a small glass jar with a lid for storage

Ingredients:

  • 2 T. of expeller-pressed coconut oil
  • 2 T. of green stevia powder
  • 2 T. of baking soda
  • 1 T. of mineral powder
  • 1 t. of sea salt
  • 10 mineral drops
  • 40 drops of spearmint essential oil

Instructions:

  1. Use a small bowl to combine the coconut oil, green stevia powder, baking soda, mineral powder, and sea salt. Use a spoon to mix them well.
  2. Add in the mineral drops and spearmint essential oil. Mix to combine again.
  3. Your toothpaste is now ready! Transfer to a glass jar or an empty tube of regular toothpaste if you want.

My bathroom is relatively cool so I keep the jar of toothpaste there but if your bathroom is warm and not well-ventilated then you might need to keep your homemade toothpaste in the fridge or the ingredients will separate over time.

Vegetable Chowder with Cheddar Cheese

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Vegetable Chowder with Cheddar Cheese

Soups are a life savior during the cold winter. Even more so if they have a creamy consistency, like this cheese vegetable chowder. They warm me right up and make me feel all cozy. Perfect for a meal before bed!

This chowder contains plenty of different vegetables but I especially love the turnip. I never ate much of it as a child and didn’t even really know how it tasted. But ever since discovering it in my local health store, I use turnips to give my meals that nice earthy flavor. The cheese binds all the ingredients together to create a perfect harmony of different nutrients. And the butter is the main ingredient behind the creamy consistency of this chowder. I like to savor each bite of this chowder as I eat while it melts in my mouth and fills me up with delicious warmth.

The vegetables in this recipe can be mostly substituted by others if you don’t have everything in your pantry at the moment. I only recommend that you use good quality cheddar cheese, it really makes all the difference!

If you are on GAPS, then you can also modify this recipe so that it’s compliant with the guidelines. Replace the potato with broccoli or cauliflower (or both!) and use coconut flour instead of sprouted flour. The cream can be substituted with sour cream or 24-hour GAPS yogurt.

Necessary equipment:

  • a large stockpot OR a slow cooker OR a French oven
  • a sharp knife OR a food processor
  • a wooden spoon
  • a ladle
  • glass jars with lids for storage

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups of homemade chicken stock (how to make chicken stock)
  • 4 to 6 T. of grass-fed butter
  • 6 T. of sprouted whole grain flour (how to make sprouted flour)
  • 1 1/2 cup of raw cream
  • 1 large leek
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1 turnip
  • 1 large potato
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 sprigs of fresh thyme OR 1/8 t. of dried thyme
  • fresh parsley to sprinkle on top
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 11 oz. of mature cheddar cheese

Instructions:

  1. Prepare all the ingredients. Grate the cheddar cheese. Chop the onion and crush the garlic cloves. Cut the carrots, celery, turnip, and potato into dice-sized pieces. Cut the leek lengthwise and slice into small pieces. Chop the fresh parsley.
  2. Melt the butter in a stockpot over medium heat.
  3. Add the onion and the leek. Cook for about 5 minutes under a cover. Stir from time to time to prevent the vegetables from burning.
  4. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
  5. Stir in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the flour covers the vegetables evenly.
  6. Pour in about 1/3 of the chicken stock. Keep stirring. Take care to scrape the bottom of the stockpot so that no flour sticks to it.
  7. Bring to a boil and gradually add the rest of the chicken stock.
  8. Add the celery, carrots, turnip, and potato. Add thyme and bay leaf.
  9. Lower the heat and put a lid on the stockpot. Keep simmering for about 30 to 40 minutes while occasionally stirring.
  10. The vegetables should be tender by now. Remove the bay leaf and fresh thyme branches.
  11. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if desired.
  12. Add grated cheddar cheese gradually. Stir constantly after each added batch. Do not add more cheese until the cheese inside the soup has melted.
  13. Remove from heat.
  14. Add the cream and keep stirring until it becomes warm.
  15. The chowder is now ready! Serve with fresh chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

How To Make Whey at Home

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How To Make Whey at Home

Making Whey at Home

In many of my natural food recipes, like the one for beet kvass or mayonnaise, I use homemade whey. It’s not such a commonly heard of ingredient but ever since I learned about it, I can’t stop using it! And it’s really simple to make too.

Why is Whey Good?

You know how when you open a store-bought natural yogurt and you can see a thin layer of liquid forming on top? That’s what whey is! Of course, that way, you only get a small amount of it so it’s better to use my recipe if you want to get a large batch of homemade whey.

Whey is a natural dairy byproduct that can be utilized to enhance many other recipes due to the presence of healthy probiotics. It’s fully natural so it won’t harm your body, it can only help heal it!

Wikipedia states the following about whey:

“Liquid whey contains lactose, vitamins, protein, and minerals, along with traces of fat.

In 2005 researchers at Lund University in Sweden found that whey can help regulate and reduce spikes in blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin secretion.”

So if you have blood sugar issues, definitely give whey a try! It might just be the thing that helps your body regulate sugar levels on its own, without the use of modern medicine.

How to Make Whey at Home?

You can make whey out of several dairy products. The most popular are raw milk, homemade yogurt, and homemade milk kefir.

If you leave raw milk on the counter for a few days, it will eventually separate into curdles and liquid. That liquid is whey. If you try to do the same thing with commercial pasteurized milk, it will only spoil. That’s the easiest way of proving that organic is better than commercial. Raw milk won’t spoil; it will only turn into something else. And that ‘something else’ can still be utilized and eaten.

So, to make whey out of raw milk, you need to leave it at room temperature for a few days and once the curdles are formed, strain the liquid using a sieve and a cheesecloth. That’s the basic method. I personally prefer to use homemade yogurt or homemade milk kefir. I just find it easier to do because the whey seems to separate much more cleanly than in the case of raw milk.

And I just love the leftover curds from yogurt! I call them “cream cheese” although they are not genuine cream cheese, it’s just my own nickname for it.

Necessary Equipment:

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Place a large metal strainer over a large mixing bowl. Line it with a cheesecloth.
  2. Carefully transfer all of the yogurt to the strainer.
  3. Cover with a dish towel and leave overnight at room temperature. The whey will gradually drip through the strainer into the bowl below.
  4. On the following day, gently grab the edges of the cheesecloth and transfer it to another large mixing bowl.
  5. Remove the cheesecloth and let all of your yogurt curdles fall inside. You can now use them in another recipe (eg. my recipe for sweet or savory ‘cream cheese’ spread below).
  6. Now go back to the first bowl. Remove the strainer see how much whey dripped down below!
  7. Transfer the whey to mason jars and store in the fridge. It should be used within the next six months.

Cream Cheese Spread

Sweet version:

Ingredients:

  • 1 quart of ‘cream cheese’ (about 4 cups)
  • 1 cup of fruit jam OR 1/2 cup of raw honey OR 1/2 cup of maple syrup
  • optional: cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Mix the ‘cream cheese’ with your chosen sweetener.
  2. Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Savory version:

Ingredients:

  • 1 quart of ‘cream cheese’ (about 4 cups)
  • 1/4 cup of chopped chives
  • 1 T. of onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

OR

  • 1/4 cup of chopped basil
  • 1/4 cup of chopped dried tomatoes
  • 1 t. of garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Mix the ‘cream cheese’ with your chosen ingredients.
  2. Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

Serve your homemade cream cheese spread on bagels, toasts, or crackers. Enjoy!

GAPS-friendly Peanut Butter Cups

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GAPS-friendly Peanut Butter Cups

I had made peanut butter cups before but when I first tried the recipe, I’m about to share with you, my mind was blown! The rich taste is very satisfying, and all of the flavors melt in your mouth as you eat it. I really want to savor these butter cups, so I usually eat them very slowly. All my previous recipes were missing something, but this one tasted exactly how I wanted my peanut butter cups to taste. That missing ingredient was fat.

Peanut butter cups

Not that I wasn’t using any fat before, that would be impossible to bake. But my previous versions of peanut butter cups were all made with coconut oil (in both the chocolate batter and the peanut butter mixture) which meant that they needed to be stored in a freezer. That definitely wasn’t beneficial for their flavor.

Coco Butter as a Baking Ingredient 

In this recipe, I use cocoa butter instead. It’s not very well-known as a baking ingredient. You most often hear about cocoa butter when it’s used in lotions and creams. I only started thinking it might be good for baking goods after I tried this recipe for Cocoa-Butter Cupcakes. This particular recipe didn’t turn out so well, probably because I messed up in the measurements somewhere. But that gave me the nudge to try using cocoa butter in other recipes as well. It can be used as a substitute for regular butter in most cases.

Cocoa butter has a higher melting point compared to coconut oil (100 degrees instead of 76 degrees) so it’s much easier when you are making chocolate or candies that need to be set up and harden at room temperature. But its most valuable quality is that it has this rich and smooth chocolate flavor that simply cannot be achieved with regular butter. You will be able to taste it for yourself if you buy raw and organic cocoa butter from a certified manufacturer.

These peanut butter cups are going to be part of our Christmas gift bags this year, together with some other pastries. I cannot wait for my friends and family to try them out, I think they will find them really delicious!

Peanut Butter Cups and GAPS Diet

And as a side note about eating cocoa on the GAPS diet, remember that not everyone is able to digest cocoa without any problems. If you want to test your stomach, try drinking a small amount of cocoa liqueur or adding a spoonful of cocoa powder into your pancakes or waffles to see if you see any negative symptoms. I am a very lucky person because I don’t have these issues but I am aware that not everyone is. My recipe uses both cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is generally easier on the stomach so it shouldn’t cause you too many problems (but again, listen to what your body is telling you). But if you have problems with digesting cocoa powder then you can simply skip it in this recipe.

Technically, cocoa powder is not allowed when you are first starting GAPS and during the first few months. But after your gut has healed substantially then you can start reintroducing it to your diet. Here is what the GAPS FAQ has to say about that:

Cocoa is SCD illegal. However, I find that many people can start having it occasionally on the Full GAPS Diet, once the digestive symptoms are gone. Find pure organic cocoa powder. Mixing the powder with some honey and sour cream makes a delicious dessert, and you can add it to your homemade ice cream or cakes. After trying it for the first time, observe your patient for any reactions. Cocoa is very rich in magnesium and some essential amino acids and, unless your digestive system is not ready for it, there is no need to avoid it.

Honey-sweetened Peanut Butter Cups

As you might know already, I always use coffee in my chocolate recipes. I use only a small amount so that you cannot taste any coffee when eating but I feel like it always gives my baking goods some additional flavor depth. It simply tastes better when you put some brewed coffee in it and I don’t really know how to explain! But I have seen professional chefs do the same thing and I’m convinced there is some baking magic involved there. And if you don’t like coffee or simply don’t want to use it, it’s okay to skip it in this recipe.

And if it’s your first time making chocolate on your own then you need to remember one rule: never let your chocolate mixture come into contact with any liquid, not even a drop of water. Steam from the saucepan or any amount of condensation can cause your chocolate to turn from a smooth glossy mixture into a lumpy mess (imagine how flour becomes a paste when you add water to it – that’s how chocolate behaves and it’s not easy to fix).

Necessary equipment:

  • a mini muffin baking pan
  • mini muffin paper liners for the pan
  • a large glass mixing bowl (needs to be heatproof)
  • a medium mixing bowl
  • a medium saucepan
  • a whisk
  • a towel
  • a ladle
  • a small ice cream scoop

Ingredients:

chocolate:

  • 8 ounces of cocoa butter
  • 1 cup of cocoa powder
  • ½ cup of raw honey
  • 2 T. of brewed strong coffee
  • 2 t. of vanilla extract

peanut butter filling:

  • ¼ cup of peanut butter
  • 2 T. of raw honey
  • 2 T. of palm shortening
  • 1 t. of vanilla extract
  • ¼ t. of sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Line your mini muffin baking pan with paper liners and set aside.
  2. Pour some water into your saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  3. Set your heatproof bowl over the saucepan. Remember to fully dry it to avoid the chocolate mixture seizing. You also need to keep the stove at low enough settings so that there isn’t any steam but the water is still simmering.
  4. Transfer cocoa butter to the bowl and stir gently until it melts.
  5. Add in the cocoa butter and honey. Whisk to combine.
  6. Add the brewed coffee and vanilla extract. Keep whisking until the mixture is smooth.
  7. Remove from heat and set the bowl on a towel to help the bottom of it dry completely.
  8. Wipe all the sides of the bowl dry and set it aside to cool a bit.
  9. In another mixing bowl combine peanut butter, honey, palm shortening, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Stir until smooth and set aside.
  10. Ladle the slightly cooled chocolate into the muffin paper lines. Make it a little less than half full.
  11. Now use an ice cream scoop to make a small ball of peanut butter dough. Use your hands to flatten the dough ball to make a small disc. Place the disc on top of your chocolate base in each muffin liner.
  12. Ladle more chocolate over the top until the liners are filled to the top.
  13. Let your peanut butter cups solidify at room temperature for a few hours. Once hardened, take them out of the baking pan and enjoy!

How to Make Homemade Ketchup Full of Probiotics

Girl Cooks World
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How to Make Homemade Ketchup Full of Probiotics

I have been making my own condiments at home for quite some time now. It never ceases to amaze me how much simpler life can be when you are not relying on store-bought commercial products for every single thing. Homemade mayonnaise and homemade ketchup are always present in my kitchen and today, I am going to share with you the recipe for the latter.

Ketchup

One of the reasons commercial ketchup is so addictive and taste good to us is the amount of sugar makers put inside. And of course, it’s the cheapest kind of sugar possible – the dreaded chemically processed and bleached white sugar. It’s unbelievable how high the sugar content in your typical ketchup bottle is! This is the best reason to start making your own condiments from scratch. You control all the ingredients it contains, and you decide how sweet you want it to be.

Homemade Ketchup

At my home, we always use up all of that homemade ketchup very quickly, so I recommend making a large batch from the beginning. It goes very well with everything, but we especially eat a lot of it during barbeque season. Homemade ketchup with potato fries and inside a burger? Count me in! Hash browns, roasted potatoes, you name it. Everything tastes better with a spoonful of some homemade ketchup made with your own hands.

And this recipe is not your ordinary homemade ketchup, it’s something even better. Thanks to the addition of whey, it becomes a lacto-fermented ketchup, full of probiotics that not only taste good but also work actively to aid your digestive system. It’s a very simple addition and it does so much good!

What I also love about this ketchup is that it can be very easily turned into another sauce:

For fry sauce, mix the ketchup with mayonnaise (preferably homemade!). This will be great for dipping chicken pieces, broccoli bites, and even fried shrimp.

Add some horse radish, lemon juice, chili sauce, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper and you will get a wonderful cocktail sauce!

This homemade ketchup combined together with mustard, molasses, honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, pickle juice, paprika, and chili powder creates the ultimate barbeque sauce.

Necessary equipment:

  • a large mixing bowl
  • a whisk
  • a glass jar with a lid for storage

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces of plain tomato sauce
  • 12 ounces of tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup of whey
  • 1/4 cup of raw honey
  • 1 1/2 t. of onion powder
  • 1 1/2 t. of garlic powder
  • 1/2 t. of dried mustard
  • 1/2 t. of cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Use a whisk to combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and honey in a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add in the spices (onion powder, garlic powder, mustard, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper) and stir them in well. Taste your mixture and if needed, add more spices.
  3. Add in the whey and carefully mix it in until your ketchup texture becomes smooth.
  4. Transfer the ketchup to a glass jar and put the lid on loosely.
  5. Leave the ketchup jar to ferment at room temperature for 2 days. If you have other foods fermenting in the same room, make sure that they are at least a few feet apart from one another.
  6. Once the two days have passed, screw the lid on tightly and put the ketchup jar in the fridge to stop the lacto-fermentation process.

Enjoy! Now that you can make your own ketchup, check out my article about some of the best uses for ketchup.

How to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk

Girl Cooks World
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How to Make Sweetened Condensed Milk

Do you want to know how to make sweetened condensed milk? You came to the right place! Condensed milk is one of those foods that first came to be out of necessity but are still being used now thanks to its taste and versatility.

How to make sweetened condensed milk

Condensed milk was mainly used by those who didn’t have access to fresh milk from a cow but needed milk with a long shelf-life for cooking and drinking. The sugar came later, probably in order to make it last even longer. And the result is simply mind-blowingly delicious. I love it for its smoothness and silkiness.

I use plenty of condensed milk around the holidays because it’s a common ingredient in many pies, candies, and cookies. Typically, I make a large jar of condensed milk sometime in early winter. It’s so helpful to have it on hand and ready to use when I have so many other things on my mind!

Why even make your own sweetened condensed milk?

Surely you could buy a can of condensed milk from the supermarket. I prefer not to do that and here’s why.

When I make homemade foods, I know exactly what kind of ingredients I’m using. I care about my health and well-being, so I use a healthy sweetener, like whole cane sugar, and raw milk from a grass-fed cow. But with store-bought food, you never have that certainty. Commercial brands often choose the cheapest ingredients to make their products. So, you will probably end up with some highly processed bleached white sugar and preserved milk that hasn’t been fresh for a long time.

But the worst aspect of canned condensed sugar is… the can itself. Cans are usually lined with something called BPA (Bisphenol-A), often found in plastic. And I try to avoid BPAs as much as I can because it has been proven to be detrimental to human health.

Not all cans use BPA but it’s time-consuming to research all of the brands and even if they claim to be BPA-free, you can never fully trust a big corporation. That’s why I simply choose to avoid cans at all. Sweetened condensed milk is so delicious that I believe it’s worth taking the time to cook up a batch on your own.

Necessary equipment:

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. Pour cold milk into a saucepan and heat it over low heat. Do not try to speed up the process by turning up the heat, it needs to be at the lowest setting, or the milk will separate and form curdles.
  2. Gradually stir in the whole cane sugar or honey. Keep stirring until fully combined.
  3. Warm the mixture until you can see steam forming. Keep it at the same heat level for about 4 hours or until half of the mixture is reduced. You might see some skin forming at the top of the milk. It can be removed as it appears all just taken out all at once when the condensed milk is ready.
  4. Once your mixture has reached the condensed milk consistency, transfer it to a clean glass jar.
  5. At this point, you can add butter and vanilla extract to your milk to enhance its flavor. Stir so that it fully combines.
  6. Screw on the lid tightly and put the condensed milk in the fridge. It will thicken a bit more.
  7. Use within a few weeks.
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