Brrr... How Soon is Spring?

Spice.  She is a new addition to our flock.

Crystal.  She is our "puppy" because she follows us everywhere.

Ginger and Yoda.  Ginger is the new addition to the flock.

Ginger and Yoda.  All of our flock are bottom of the pecking order.  So they all get along.

Ginger.  She always stays still for the pictures.

Yoda.  She is the top hen, but is never a bully.

We are in south central Montana.  For almost two weeks, the temperatures have been in the twenties during the day and single digits at night.  It snowed right before Christmas and the ladies didn't come out of their enclosure for three days.  They do not like snow on their feet.

Dairy Free Ice Cream Using Almond Milk

I have been searching for dairy free ice cream for Jakob.  I love ice cream and sorbet, as do the boys.  So, the search began for dairy-free, easy to make ice cream or sorbet for the child that doesn't tolerate dairy.

I found an ever so delightful book full of raw recipes! With slight variations to these recipes, I have discovered wonderful cream desserts for the boys and me to enjoy! Each recipe only takes 5 minutes to make as well.

The recipe:
1 cup almond milk
5 dried apricots (soak if hard)
2 cups frozen cherries
1 medium frozen banana
1 Tablespoon raw honey or agave nectar
1 Tablespoon raw, unrefined coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on medium for 30 seconds.  Then blend on high for 30 more seconds.  Serve immediately.  Yield 2 servings.

From Raw Energy by Stephanie Tourles

Pasta Sauce Made From Almond Milk

Since Jakob cannot have dairy products, we have been experimenting with new recipes using the Soyajoy milk making machine.  Tonight, rather than use a cheese based  pasta sauce, we made a basic white sauce using almond milk. 

It has a great flavor and perfect thickness for the pasta.  Jakob had three bowls of pasta!

The recipe:
4 Tbsp. olive or coconut oil
4 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. each of salt, pepper, nutritional yeast
2 cu. almond milk

In saucepan melt butter(or oil as we did). Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Make basic white sauce; you may add other ingredients or spices (oregano, Spike, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.) to the sauce. 

The sauce took 15-20 minutes to make.

Pumpkin Chili!

A delicious, fall dish that is easy to make on those nights you are too tired to stand at the stove.
This dish is great for pumpkin lovers and those who don't!  As one of my favorite dishes, I love when pumpkins go on sale, I just got these for .25 each!! Yay!

What you will need: (for each person)

1 pumpkin 5-6 inches in diameter
1 can of chili
(Cheese or other toppings if wanted)

Take out seeds, pour in chili. Place on cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
(It helps to take off the pumpkin lid with 25-30 minutes remaining)

Then stir and enjoy! Scrape the pumpkin out as you are eating.  Yum...

Using the pulp!

I have been searching for recipes to use with different pulps, I haven't finalized any to my standard of perfection yet but some are pretty good. I have found jakob prefers rice milk over all the others for drinking but almond is really the one to use for day to day cereal, baking, and smoothies! However I agree with jakob and say that the rice milk tastes the best for drinking!

Here is a recipe that is good and continually getting good reviews in other blogs as being good not just ok. I am drying out my almond pulp now to make some for us tonight! I am going to use my Stampin Up cookie presses as those are so delightful to see, and the kids enjoy the designs!

Somebody posted a receipe a while back for banana bread. It is delish!!!

1 cup almond pulp
1 cup coconut
6-12 dates, not soaked
1 banana
1/4 cup oil (I use coconut oil)

It works best for me if I mix coconut and dates in food processor, then add banana, oil, and lastly the almond pulp. Sometimes I have to mix the last in by hand, as I have a very small food processor.

Spread on telflex sheets 1/4" thick or use cookie dropper and make individual cookies, smashing down to 1/4" or so. Dehydrate, flipping when desired.