BROCCOLI AND BACON SALAD
Dressing:
1 cup Best Foods Real Mayonnaise or you can make your favorite homemade mayo
3 - tablespoons raw honey
1 - tablespoon real maple syrup
1 to 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Mix all ingredients above in a bowl add vinegar to taste starting with 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing, and adding more if your taste requires. It should be a bit sweet and tart.
Cook 8 to 10 slices of bacon, cut into thin slices about 3/4" to 1" thick and fry until crisp. Set on paper towel to drain off all grease. Set aside
In a large mixing bowl add;
2 large or 3 medium size crowns of broccoli, cut into small florets, chop and peel stems. (I personally, don't use that many stems, but if you like they can be used.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup almond slivers
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 fresh blueberries
1 large Fuji apple sliced in small to medium chunks ( before adding apples to salad drizzle with fresh lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning.) then add to the rest of the ingredients.
Add cooked bacon pieces and mix.
Combine salad dressing with all the ingredients, refrigerate for a about 2 to 3 hours and serve.
It is delicious... Enjoy!
So by now you all have figured out I really like nuts, berries, and dried fruits. I do. Guilty as charged. I absolutely LOVE the "Blonde Cave Girl" cookies I invented, but I'm still not ready to let that recipe out. I've been approached about marketing them, so I'm going to keep that recipe under wraps for a while longer ... BUT, I found a great recipe for a baked crunchy bar that has a very similar taste!
I made a few alterations to the original recipe, so here's my version.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup raw Almonds
1 cup raw Macadamia Nuts
1/2 cup Walnuts
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 cup dried Cranberries
1/2 cup dried Blueberries
1/2 cup melted Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Honey
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place almonds in food processor and pulse until the nuts are small chunks - not meal or butter. Place almonds in a mixing bowl. Do the same to the macadamia nuts, then walnuts. (I prefer to do them separately to make sure they get chopped evenly.)
3. Add dried fruits to the nut mixture.
4. Put eggs, honey, melted coconut oil and cinnamon in the food processor and blend well.
5. Add liquid to nut/fruit mixture and stir well.
6. Spread mixture into a greased 8X11 (or 9X13 for thinner bars) pan, spreading with a spatula to make sure mixture is evenly distributed in pan.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (In my oven it took 20 minutes)
8. Allow the bars to cool to room temperature before cutting. Allowing them to be in the refrigerator for an hour or so before cutting will help them cut without tearing or crumbling.
9. Store the bars in an air-tight container or individually wrap them if you plan to eat them while on-the-go.
I LOVE nuts and I LOVE dried fruit, so it's only natural that I combine the two with some seasonings. So, I measured and mixed and seasoned and tasted and came up with something pretty darned good!
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Walnuts
1/4 cup Pecans
1/4 cup Macadamia nuts
1/4 cup Almonds
1/4 cup dried Cranberries
1/4 cup dried Blueberries
1/4 cup dried Apricots (cut into chunks)
1/4 cup Carob chips
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Powder
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt (not pictured)
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut dried apricots into quarters, then add all nuts, fruits, and chips in a bowl.
2. Add seasoning, stir and taste. Add more of whatever your tastes prefer.
3. Serve and enjoy!
*Note*
Feel free to try different nuts or fruits, add coconut, use dark chocolate chips, etc. I'm sure the end product will be delicious!
Since Christmas is right around the corner I thought it would be a good time to post a new recipe I found online. I love almonds. I love walnuts. I love cranberries. And, I love honey, so this recipe seemed to be right up my alley. I made them the other day and I was correct ... I LOVE them! They are little energy bombs and are great for any time of the day. Try them out and see for yourself!
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups almond flour
¼ cup ghee or butter (melted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/4 cup cranberries (whole or chopped)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon almond butter (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
2. Roll dough in plastic wrap.
3. Refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Slice.
5. Cook on parchment covered cookie sheet about 10 - 12 minutes until light brown.
325 degrees
Makes 36 cookies
