Mason Jar Storage

Homemade Peach Jam (Without Pectin + Refrigerator Style)

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 19:23:56 -0700

Homemade jams and preserves ALWAYS remind me of my grandparents (Ma & Pa). Growing up I can recall going to their house and they would always have some sort of homemade jam or preserves or a homemade pie. I honestly had no clue what I was doing when I started making this jam, but I knew I didn’t want to feed an army. While doing my research it seemed that every recipe made 20 or 30 jars of jam. I only wanted a few jars! I like to eat jam and if I had 20 or 30 jars near me…it would be dangerous.

Let me introduce you to a little thing I call homemade peach refrigerator jam. This recipe is also pectin-free! Let’s face it who actually has pectin in their pantry??

I bought these gorgeous peaches at the Nyack Farmers’ Market last Sunday. SO yummy!

I wanted to make this recipe vegan so I used coconut syrup. It was actually my first time using this natural sweetener and I was pleasantly surprised. It is VERY sweet, and if you taste the jam while cooking it you may think “wow, this is too sweet”, but trust me. Once it has cooled and gelled a bit it is jam perfection.

This particular recipe will only give you about three (8oz) jelly jars. Which is perfect if you only want enough to feed your family for a few weeks (it will go fast!). This jam will keep in the refrigerator for approximately 3-4 weeks.

I like my peach jam best served up on fresh homemade biscuits. Yum.

HOMEMADE PEACH REFRIGERATOR JAM WITHOUT PECTIN RECIPE

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

1 hour

TOTAL TIME

1 hour 15 mins

INGREDIENTS

4 cups fresh peaches (about 8 medium sized peaches)
1¼ cups coconut syrup
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon
You will also need three 8 oz. jelly jars

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash peaches thoroughly.
Place whole peaches (with skin on)...Read More

Sea Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 18:29:19 -0700

Do you ever have days that you crave a huge bag of potato chips? I have to admit one food I miss the most is salt and vinegar chips, but since trying to cut processed foods I try to stay away from the chip aisle at the grocery store.

Thankfully I’ve found a cure for that salt/vinegar cravings!

I feel like eating kale has almost become a trend in today’s society. I’m sure by now we’ve all heard about all of the health benefits of this superfood, but it really is amazing all of the nutrients that are packed in this green powerhouse.

Kale is full of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients! Kale is especially full of vitamins A, C and K, and a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. Basically kale is awesome.

This recipe is so easy that I almost feel bad for calling it a “recipe”. It only takes a few minutes to whip up these baked beauties, and I promise they’ll be gone in no time!

SEA SALT & VINEGAR KALE CHIPS

Prepare Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Ready In: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
sea salt for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse kale and pat dry with paper towels.
Pull off kale leaves from the inner ribs. Make the leaves as uniform as possible (about potato chip size)
Place kale leaves in a large bowl.
Pour oil and vinegar over kale leaves.
Using your hands toss the kale with the oil and vinegar making sure to coat it as evenly as possible.
Place coated kale leaves on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle kale with sea salt.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes until leaves are crisp and slightly browned.

Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta (Without A Pasta Maker)

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 18:35:28 -0700

As I sit here typing this post my wife and I are wrapping up with Rick & Morty and then we’ll be moving onto Hulu’s Casuals. A little bit of TV can be fun! Does anyone else watch either of these shows??

I’m so excited to share this recipe for homemade whole wheat pasta because it’s SO easy and SO tasty. I’ve been wanting to try homemade pasta for a while now, but I assumed it would be too difficult. I was so wrong! I have no fancy gadgets and this pasta turned out pretty dang delish.

The BEST part about this recipe is that you don’t need a super fancy pasta maker. All you need is a rolling pin and pizza cutter!

It’s okay if the strips aren’t perfectly sized…it is homemade after all. If you love perfectly sized pasta then you may want to invest in a pasta maker or steadier hands.

This pasta is so fresh and super filling. It takes a little more time than opening a box of pasta, but it’s totally worth it.

This homemade whole wheat pasta is delicious topped with homemade tomato sauce or if you’re in a hurry a delicious store bought option is Mezzetta Sun Ripened Dried Tomato Pesto– amazing!

HOMEMADE WHOLE WHEAT PASTA (WITHOUT A PASTA MAKER) RECIPE

PREP TIME

10 mins

COOK TIME

5 mins

TOTAL TIME

15 mins

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s)
2 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
Water (I used 7 tablespoons)

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix flour, eggs, and salt together.
Add water (one tablespoon at a time) until it forms a loose dough (not sticky-this is key!)
Roll out dough as thin as you can get it , if it’s sticking then add a little more flour.
Trim edges of dough to make a rectangular shape...Read More

Vegan Blackberry Cobbler

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:13:41 -0700

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I had to work all day Saturday, but Sunday morning I went to an amazing brushlettering workshop with one of my friends that I've known since high school. Shes is a jewelry designer and I love talking creative things with her!

Now, I must share some cobbler goodness because let's be honest... nothing beats the smell and taste of a good homemade blackberry cobbler. This cobbler is made with fresh local berries from the Nyack Farmer's Market.

You could substitute blackberries with blueberries, strawberries, peaches, or whatever floats your boat. Growing up my mom would let me help her make cobbler and I can still remember how simple it was to make.

This is a recipe anyone can make, and you probably have most of these ingredients at home.

All you need for this recipe are seven simple ingredients: flour, organic sugar, baking powder, salt, coconut oil, blackberries, and almond milk. I decided to make this Vegan because I had all of these ingredients available.

I simply substituted regular milk with almond milk and butter with coconut oil.

Have a great week!

VEGAN BLACKBERRY COBBLER

PREP TIME

10 mins

COOK TIME

1 hour

TOTAL TIME

1 hour 10 mins

A twist on a traditional Southern cobbler made with fresh blackberries and it's dairy-free and delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unbleached flour
¾ cup Vegan cane sugar
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups fresh blackberries (or any fresh fruit)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
t tablespoon Vegan cane sugar (topping)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt coconut oil in a baking dish.
In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and...Read More

Zucchini Squash Mac & Cheese

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:02:23 -0700

Autumn is in full swing – one week away from Halloween and one month away from Thanksgiving making it an ideal time to start playing around with different recipes.

I was at the local Farmer’s Market to stock up on some fresh fruits and vegetables for a few pies that I wanted to try making when I came across some delicious looking squash and zucchini. While I had no plans to use them for any of my pies, I did have a craving for mac & cheese which has ALWAYS been my favorite food. I even loved it when I ate the neon orange colored mac that was made of weird powdery cheese.

Anyway, I decided that I could use the zucchini and squash win my mac and cheese for something a bit different. I also used gouda and parmesan, which are two of my favorite cheese, but feel free to swap out and use two of your favorites.

I’ve fallen in love with Quinoa pasta and it FOR REAL tastes like pasta, not a crappy imitation. It’s legit! The breadcrumb topping is also available in a gluten-free option.

So, if you’re still eating neon mac n’ cheese I’m not judging you because it gets the best of us sometimes, but I promise once you try this homemade healthier version you won’t go back! I hope you enjoy this zucchini squash mac and cheese as much as I do!

Zucchini Squash Mac & Cheese (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

1 8oz. box quinoa pasta
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup gouda cheese
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 medium squash, sliced and quartered
salt and pepper to taste

Topping

1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup gouda cheese
1/4 cup gluten-free panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta according to package.
While...Read More

Baked Cinnamon Peaches

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 18:54:21 -0700

Yesterday I professed my love for Tennessee strawberries with my frozen strawberry yogurt. Today I need to profess my love for sweet Georgia peaches.

Oh my goodness is there anything quite as sweet as a Georgia peach?

Okay, that was cheesy, but for real I could eat pounds of them.

Peaches are one of those foods I like pretty much anyway they are fixed, but this recipe adds just enough to make it different, but not too much to take away from the peaches.

This recipe has just enough added sweetness with local honey (I'll have to write about my hive at some point) that there's no need to add sugar on top. I've seen so many baked peach recipes that add cups of sugar and that's craziness to me. Peaches are so naturally sweet!

If you make one peach recipe this summer this would be my recommendation. I promise you'll love it!

I hope ya'll enjoy them as much as I do! Just started packing for our beach trip and getting even more excited. Only two more days!

BAKED CINNAMON PEACHES

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

Ingredients

sliced peaches (I used 7 medium sized)
local honey
cinnamon
Greek yogurt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Slice peaches (leave skin on)
Place sliced peaches in a non-stick baking dish
Drizzle honey over peaches (use as much as you want depending on your desired sweetness)
Sprinkle peaches with cinnamon
Cook at 400 degrees for 30-35 mins
Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt

Almond Milk Biscuits

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 19:14:53 -0700

There’s just something special about a weekend morning with homemade biscuits and jam. It’s definitely a Southern favorite here in Nashville. I wanted to make these biscuits dairy-free and less fattening than your typical “buttermilk” biscuit. These are topped with my peach jam that I recently shared. What’s your favorite topping for biscuits?

I’m always trying to find ways to lighten up my favorite recipes. Recently our kitchen hasn’t even been stocked with things like butter, eggs, and full fat milk. This recipe uses vanilla almond milk (could use regular almond milk or another non-dairy milk) and coconut oil. If you’re looking to partially or fully cut dairy from your diet I highly recommend buying both of these ingredients. I use them weekly!

Before I started making things from scratch I would turn to good ole Bisquick. When I actually took the time to read the ingredients it totally freaked me out. I don’t even know what some of those ingredients are and I know I don’t want them in my body. I try to buy foods that have only a few ingredients and ingredients that I can pronounce. That’s just a good rule of thumb if you’re trying to cut highly processed foods.

I made these “mini” so it made approximately 20 biscuits, but if you made them full-sized it would give you about 10. I’ve honestly never met a biscuit I didn’t love.

** UPDATE: I have since made these biscuits large instead of mini and they are much fluffier and flakier when made large sized!

Prepare Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Ready In: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS

2¼ cup unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons coconut oil (room temperature)
1 cup vanilla almond milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)
1 tsp. vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS...Read More

Mac & Cheese (With Quinoa Pasta)

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 11:12:13 -0700

As a kid I didn’t branch out in the food world nearly enough. I ate a whole lot of hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, and of course mac n cheese. I’ve shared some of my favorite ways to eat pasta before. I also shared a summertime favorite, Zucchini squash mac n cheese , but today I’m sharing a healthy twist on traditional mac n cheese.