Amber's Sassy Salsa

Last night I made this at a Silpada party and there was a crew hovering around this fresh tasting salsa.  With all these fabulous summer vegetables indulge in a fresh, festive salsa
3 cups tomatoes chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 long green chili pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion chopped
1/4 tsp group cumin
salt to taste
1/2 tsp oregano (I use fresh, but dry is fine)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped

Optional: 1 ear of raw corn.  Corn removed from the cob and added to the mix.
I use the food processor for all the peppers, onions, and garlic.  It keeps the process painless.  Then I add all the other ingredients in a big bowl.  Mix it up and let it sit in the fridge.  I like to make it at least a day in advance before an event because it tastes better when it has a chance to sit together.
Skip the chips!  Use celery or cucumber slices to scoop up salsa.  Yummy!  Or put this fun salsa on burgers, potatoes or eggs.

Bullet Proof Coffee!

Ever notice how when you have a cup of black coffee on an empty stomach and you feel kind of nauseous?  

Ever notice how if you have a cup of coffee and you feel like you need just MORE coffee or find that you crave sugar throughout the day?  

This is because of the high levels of caffiene which raises your insullin levels and then sends your blood sugar on a roller coaster throughout the day. 

By adding FAT to your coffee, you will have less of these negative effects and actually FEEL GOOD after having a cup of coffee!  You will actually feel full, satisfied and you won't crave carbohydrates!  You will be able to concentrate longer, too!

The FATS you will be adding to your coffee are the saturated fats from butter and coconut oil. They are HIGHLY nutritious for the body!  The medium chain triglycerides of the coconut oil are ideal for burning fat, and these fats are NOT stored as fats and make your body a metabolic furnace!

BULLETPROOF COFFEE

Ingredients:

• 6-8 oz of black brewed, high quality coffee
• 1 Tablespoon of Natural UNSALTED, grass-fed butter
• 2 Tablespoons of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (for MAX energy, Weight LOSS & Brain Function)

Recommended Options for Sweetening:

• 1/8 Tsp of Vanilla Extract
• Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
• Liquid Stevia

Instructions:

1. Start with 6-8oz of black brewed, mold-free beans (important!)
2. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of UNSALTED, organic butter
3. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
4. Blend with a pre-heated hand blender, magic bullet or a counter top blender until there is a creamy head of foam.  

Get ready to feel GREAT after a cup of this coffee without gut rot, and without an energy crash all while burning fat!  ENJOY! 

Stuffed Peppers

I'm usually not a pepper fan, but when it comes to stuffed peppers I am lovin' it.  As we harvest are gardens, we may have a few extra peppers laying.around.  Don't worry, just stuff them.  The best thing is that you can freeze these and reheat them later.

Ingredients:

2 peppers - green, red, orange or yellow

1 lb spicy italian sausage (if using ground beef, add extra seasoning like Italian Seasonings)

1 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp of coconut oil (or butter)

3 small tomatoes diced

3 carrots peeled and grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut peppers in half and take out the seeds.  Place peppers in a square baking dish face down and roast in the oven 15 minutes before stuffing.  While peppers are roasting.  Chop up your small onion and garlic and saute in the coconut oil for 5 minutes.  Then add you meat.  Cook that for 5 minutes.  Then add your tomatoes.  Continue to the cook for another 10 minutes.  Then add your grated carrots for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

When the peppers are done roasting, take them out of the oven and flip them over.  Then stuff the peppers with the meat mixture.  Place back in the oven for another 20minutes.

Eat them right away or let the peppers cool down and toss in the freezer.

Apple Pork Roast

My meat CSA rocks.  I love the variety of cuts of meat that I get and it challenges me to be a culinary creative.  My hubby was home on vacation this week, so I had to amp up my cooking game for a few days.  The idea of a pork roast at first just had me thinking hot sticky cooking.  Not too good after these few days of scorching temperatures.  So I decided to use a crockpot and lighten the dish up with the sweet taste of apples.  This was a super easy recipe and was just so delicious.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 pound pork shoulder roast seasoned with salt and pepper. 

3 apples peeled and chopped

1 small onion chopped roughly

1/2 to 3/4 of jar of cinnamon flavored applesauce

cinnamon

Place the onions and apples at the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle with some cinnamon. Take the seasoned pork roast and place in a frying pan.  Just brown the outsides.  Then place the roast on top of the apples and onions.  Pour the applesauce over the roast.  Sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top.  Cover and cook on high for 8 hours.

The meat is so tender and goes well with the soft sweet apples.

Mayo

Dippin' rocks!  Homemade mayo is easy and is great for so many things like salad dressing, dips and more.  

Here is the recipe:


1 free range egg
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil (or 1/2 cup of EVOO and 1/2 cup walnut oil)
1 tsp sea salt

Combine egg, mustard powder, and lemon juice in a blender or in a bowl and use a hand mixer.  Give it a blend to mix all the ingredients   Slowly add the oil a little at a time continuously blending. SLOWLY is key expecially for the first 1/4 cup of oil.  This is where the magic happens.  If you rush this, you're mayo will not be that thick.  Keep it slow and steady.  When it starts to thicken then you can pick it up.   

Mayo stays good for about 10 days.

Takes about 5 minutes to make.

Trail Mix

This is an easy snack to make.  So easy and tasty, I brought it as my birthday treat this year as a yummy post workout snack.
Here’s my mix:
Nuts: Raw Almonds, Raw Walnuts, Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Raisins
Coconut
Raw Cacao Nibs
Mix together and enjoy!
You can totally add different nuts, figs, or dates.  Just avoid dried fruit that has sugar added.  Also avoid roasted nuts. 

Homemade Organic Reece's Cups!

SWEET TOOTH?? 

Try this rich, delicious homemade, organic version of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups!

These are pretty easy to make and they are so, so satisfying! 
You'll only need one cup per serving! 
NO BAKE!  Sugar Free.  Lactose Free. Gluten Free.

This is also a great way to get in your coconut oil!  Want to know how good organic coconut oil is for your health?  Click HERE.





INGREDIENTS:


Bottom Chocolate Layer:

• 2 Tbsp melted Organic Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Organic Nut Butter (smooth, not chunky).  (You can use Almond, Cashew or Peanut.  We recommend Almond or Cashew Butter)
• 1/4 cup Organic Cacao Powder (or unprocessed cocoa powder)
• 2 Tsp Organic Raw Honey or Stevia
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• Optional: 1/4 tsp of Organic Vanilla Extract

Top Peanut Butter Layer

• 2 Tbsp melted Organic Coconut Oil
• 4 Tbsp smooth Organic Nut Butter.  (Almond, Cashew or Peanut.  We recommend Almond or Cashew).
• 1 Tsp Organic Raw Honey or Stevia
• Optional: 1/4 tsp of organic vanilla extract

See all 9 photos

*NOTE:  Double or triple the batch depending on how many you would like to make.  I personally quadrupled this time so I can have more in the freezer on stand-by :)
 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Melt coconut oil, and honey in a sauce pan.
2. Add the cocoa powder and sea salt and stir until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Use a spoon to pour chocolate mixture into muffin cups with a paper liner.
4. Put in freezer for 10 minutes.
5. In the meantime, heat the top layer mixture in the microwave and mix.
6. Remove the bottom chocolate layers from the freezer.
7. Pour the nut butter mixture over the chocolate layer.
8. Place them back in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until they're hard. After I let them set for 30 min in the freezer, I popped out the cups from the paper liners, and put them in a freezer bag & put them back in the freezer. THESE DELICIOUS RIGHT OUT OF THE FREEZER!

*NOTE:  Pour as much or as little of the mixtures to the cups depending on the thickness desired.  These are very rich, so you don't need a lot.  Space the mixtures out some. 


Enjoy with a small glass of organic milk, coconut milk or almond milk!

HEALTH FACT:
Here are all the listed ingredients in a store bought Reece's Peanut Butter Cup:
MILK CHOCOLATE  SUGAR; COCOA BUTTER; CHOCOLATE; NONFAT MILK; MILK FAT; LACTOSE; SOY LECITHIN; PGPR (polyglycerol polyricinoleate), EMULSIFIER; PEANUTS; SUGAR; DEXTROSE; SALT; TBHQ (PRESERVATIVE). 
Hershey's Reece's Peanut Butter cups also contain over 21g of sugar PER serving. 



~ Melissa Drew