Paleo Eats Out in Richmond, VA: Review of Rappahannock

We don't eat out that often anymore. I'd rather cook my own food so I can control the ingredients, even if it means that I feel like I spend my life doing the dishes. Ian helps a lot these days, and has cooked me full meals that are as delicious as anything I would order in a restaurant. He has truly learned how to cook without following a recipe, and it has been fun to watch and of course delicious as well. I always cooked before going to culinary school, but after I graduated it seems like it is always my responsibility. Don't get me wrong -- I love to cook for people and be in charge in the kitchen, but it is always nice when someone cooks a home-cooked meal for me. He has really been getting into smoking meats lately, so look forward to some of those recipes.

Not only has Ian learned how to cook since we have been together, but he has also become a real foodie. He will eat pretty much ANYTHING, other than coleslaw. He's not afraid to try offal, and he will eat any vegetable I throw at him. When we go out to restaurants, he pours over the beer menu, while I look at the food. Often he looks up and says, "What are we having?" We "team order," meaning that we order a few things and share them. I love it! And yes, he still drinks beer. He abstains from all other grains, but like some other men out there, he still enjoys them in the fermented state. He maintains a healthy weight, and like I've said before, we aren't obsessive about "paleo perfection." We also occasionally indulge in dairy, but mostly when we eat out, or the rare occasion that I buy raw milk cheese.

Recently Ian had a meeting in Richmond, VA, and I tagged along for the day. While he was in a meeting, I went shopping and stumbled upon a Whole Foods, of course. I just seem to gravitate towards them. I couldn't help snagging a couple of bottles of GT's Strawberry Kombucha, a Theo chocolate bar, and some Hail Merry Chocolate Macaroons. I've been waiting to try some Hail Merry products ever since I saw fellow "paleo-ers" enjoying them at the PaleoFX via instagram. They are really delicious and fudgy. I actually like them more than other paleo-friendly macaroons that I have tried before, and they were less expensive. I'll have to be careful with them!

After his meeting, we set off to lunch at a restaurant in the Art District in downtown Richmond. We were going to go to a restaurant called "Pasture." When I googled "Richmond, VA Paleo" the restaurant came up in an article talking about how the chef partners with a Crossfit box and sells pulled pork and veggies for the athletes to take home, which sounded promising. Their website however was not working, and so I couldn't view the menu. I figured a restaurant called "Pasture" would be right up our alley. After we paid for parking in a public lot behind the restaurant, we walked in and were less than pleased with their lunch menu. As Ian so eloquently put it, "If I were here eating with a bunch of friends I could find something to eat, but if you had showed me this menu online, I wouldn't really want to go with just us." I felt the same. Nothing was labeled "local," "grassfed," or "pastured" and the lunch menu consisted of mostly sandwiches, and a few uninspiring salads. Pass. So we left. If you are ever in that situation, I encourage you to do the same. It's your money -- spend it where you want to! Since we had already paid for parking, I got onto my Urban Spoon App and found a restaurant on the very next block, called Rappahannock. Jackpot. They had me at "Local Asparagus Salad."

It wasn't a large restaurant, nor was it a large menu, but I wanted half the menu! Take a peek:

Rappahannock's Facebook Page describes themselves as "Upscale, yet casual seafood joint nestled in the historic Grace St. corridor in downtown Richmond, serving up seasonal dishes, craft beers, incredible wine selection, signature cocktails and an enormous raw bar focusing on our very own oyster farms, Rappahannock Oyster Co. has assembled incredible talent to revolutionize the concept of farm to table."

In typical fashion, we team ordered four things, and ate them in two courses. Of course we ordered the "Local Asparagus Salad," and it was sexy...

The asparagus was lightly grilled along with roasted spring onions, pickled oyster mushrooms, and tossed with arugula. The asparagus was still hot, and so it nicely wilted the arugula. Alongside the salad was a slice of burrata, which is a type of cheese made from mozzarella and heavy cream.  "Burrata" means "buttery" in Italian, and it was the perfect name for this luscious cheese. Next to the burrata was a dollop of Pistachio Pistou. Pistou is traditionally a blend of herbs, garlic and olive oil that is served on top of soup, but this one was almost like a pistachio pesto without cheese. I mean, pistou and pesto are in the same family, but I liked the pairing and the way the chef phrased it. If you want me to eat at your restaurant, good menu descriptions and interesting flavors are key. This dish was absolutely delicious. The whole salad was drizzled with black olive oil, and tiny pieces of the cured black olives dotted the plate. It was unctuous.

The second salad we had consisted of Sweet Gem Lettuce, cucumber, French breakfast radish, avocado, and green goddess dressing. I loved how peppery and creamy the salad was at the same time. Of course I am a sucker for avocados.

We enjoyed the two salads as a first course, and then ordered the Tuna Crudo and the Lamb Burger, sans the bun for our second course. When our waitress asked Ian if he'd like another beer, I felt like saying, "Yes, he'll have another beer and I'll have another Asparagus Salad." But seriously, we should have ordered another one.

The Tuna Crudo was artwork. The description on the menu enticed me: Tuna Crudo, preserved lemon, castelvetrano olives, radish, Calabrian chilies.  What I appreciated about the dish was that  each piece of thinly sliced tuna was topped with each of the aforementioned condiments, and it looked as if they had placed each one with tweezers. Attention. To. Detail. I totally got it. The chef plated it in such a way that you would be forced to enjoy each perfect bite the way he intended.

We also ordered the Border Springs Farm Lamb Burger with Mountaineer cheese, candied red onions, and harissa aioli. We also ordered the fingerling potato salad as the side. Don't judge me -- plenty of paleo peeps eat white potatoes on occasion. When we inquired about it, the waitress told us that it was a German style potato salad, meaning that it was vinegar based, rather than mayo based, so I felt just fine about splitting a small portion with my man. Isn't he handsome?

I was thoroughly happy with our service and experience at Rappahannock, and if you are in Richmond I encourage you to try it. Executive Chef Dylan Fultineer has crafted a beautiful menu, full of real foods, interesting touches, and local ingredients.

By the way, maybe "Pasture" is a good restaurant with good ingredients. Maybe their dinner menu is more interesting, but their lunch seemed lacking. I understand that often nice restaurants have a hard time turning a profit, so they make up for it with inexpensive lunch offerings. I'm not a total snob, and I will eat at restaurants that don't have local, grassfed, or pastured ingredients, but they have to TEMPT me in some way with something interesting and out of the ordinary. Just saying. In a few weeks I'm going to Orlando to visit my to-be in-laws, so I am sure that we will go to some fun restaurants and farmer's markets in town. Until then, it's back to cooking and washing dishes. :)

Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies

So life calls for cookies sometimes. No, cavemen did not eat cookies. I'm tired of that retort. Everyone and their mom wants to tell me why the paleo diet is unrealistic. Well, I'm not interested. You know what I am interested in? Eating better stuff than I used to. And yes, I know I ended that sentence with a preposition. Don't care. I eat a "paleo diet" because I've found that processed foods are making us sick. My whole family is sick in some way, and they all eat processed foods. I hope they can change with me so that we all live longer.

I used to be fat. Yeah, that's awkward to talk about. I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm skinny now, but I weigh less than when I went to college, so that's a start. I've had problems with binge eating, but I'm not looking for a pity party because I think most Americans have a problem with binge eating. Commercials encourage it, restaurants encourage it, friends encourage it.... binging is everywhere. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't binged in the last few months. On NON paleo stuff. Processed food. Ew. You know what? It doesn't taste that good. I want it to, but it really just has the aftertaste of chemicals and shame. You eat it mindlessly, but then it lingers on your mind afterwards. Bingers try to hide their habits. But the pounds bingers pack on are a public announcement "I'm not eating what I should be." It's just a harsh truth. And it was for me. I'm trying to heal, but it takes time.

This was me and my fiance on a trip to Las Vegas in 2011, we were both at our highest weights.

The picture below is of us in Portland in July 2012, the week we got engaged. Ian lost 80 pounds, and I lost 65. We didn't lose all the weight eating Paleo, but we have maintained our weight loss by switching to this lifestyle and way of eating. 

If you've read my last few posts, you might know that I love instagram (follow me at paleokatybird). I love people who post often because it shows a glimpse into their everyday life. I follow people that inspire me, and similarly I try to post things that are encouraging. I love to follow cookpigs because I love pastured pork, and she takes pictures of her pigs and piglets, and it makes me want to throw caution into the wind and start a pig farm. I love to follow paleoparents because they are real people. They eat paleo most of the time, but aren't afraid to say they don't follow the diet 100%. I love their "Fattest People in Paleo" manifesto. Recently someone sent a hateful email to the couple because they posted a picture of their family at Five Guys. Really? People need to get a life. By the way, if I were going to eat a fast food burger, it would be at Five Guys. It's delicious. I wouldn't eat the bun, and I'd probably leave off the processed cheese. I'd skip the ketchup (which is just red corn syrup), and I'd ask for extra lettuce and pile it with all the veggies I could. I'd eat the fries, because they do them the right way. But I digress....

The point is, that if you are going to venture down the paleo road, don't force yourself to be a perfectionist. I know that when I restrict myself too much, I just set myself up for a binge attack. So sometimes life calls for cookies. This recipe makes a small batch, and the mashed banana gives it most of its sweetness. I used an inexpensive almond meal from Trader Joe's, as well as their almond butter, but I'm sure more expensive brands would work as well. When you stop baking with wheat products and switch to nut based products, you will find that you have a little more wiggle room. You also realize that it is more expensive to bake without white flour and white sugar, but I believe that you get what you pay for, especially with food. I used liquid coconut nectar in this recipe, but if you don't have it, you could substitute another natural liquid sweetener, like honey or maple syrup. I do like how the coconut nectar tastes a little like butterscotch. :) These cookies will be soft and chewy.

Ingredients:

1/2 a banana, mashed
4 tablespoons unsweetened almond butter (I used Trader Joe's)
4 tablespoons almond meal (again, I used Trader Joe's)
2 Tablespoons Coconut Nectar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (dairy and soy free)

• Preheat the oven to 350.
• Mix all ingredients together - pretty simple, right?
• It will be sticky, but scoop out the batter in rounded tablespoons onto a lined cookie sheet. You can line it with parchment paper, or a Silpat, like I did. (Thanks mom for the silpat!)
• Bake for 17 minutes, then cool for as long as you can stand it before enjoying. Makes 12 cookies. 

By the way, I don't make any money from the links I put in, nor am I associated with them. I just put them in in case you are wondering what those things are. I'm not a very sophisticated blogger yet, but I might get there, and if I do ever partner with companies or anything, I'll let you know. :) 

Dark Chocolate and Salted Almond Freezer Fudge

Ok, I'll make this quick and dirty. I can't take full credit for this one, because I have seen versions of this recipe all over the internet. It's quick, easy, and over the top rich. It's an indulgence, but life is stressful, and sometimes you need some damn chocolate. And quick. I live in a small town, and I have searched all the stores, and all the chocolate bars but ONE have soy lecithin in them. Why do I not eat soy? It's bad for you! Read 170 reasons why here. And soy lecithin? It's especially disgusting. It's made from the sludge that is the byproduct of soybean oil production. Ew. If you don't believe me, read THIS eye opening article that I just read yesterday.

 Anyway, that one bar of chocolate in this town that DOESN'T contain bleached sludge is $4.50. And I know I can get it cheaper than that -- like half the price. And it's not my favorite, so I only spend $4.50 on it when it is a true chocolate emergency. I can get good dark chocolate for cheaper on my weekly trips to the big city, but it is Thursday, and I probably won't get to go until next week sometime, so I needed a substitute. I can't remember where I saw the original recipe for homemade chocolate, but it goes something like this:

1 part Cocoa Powder + 1 part Honey + 1 part melted butter + freezer = CHOCOLATE FIX!!!

So last night I couldn't sleep, and I was catching up on my Bloglovin App and I was reading the a recent post by the Paleo Parents about their upcoming book, Beyond Bacon. I want that book like a fat kid wants cake. And I used to be a fat kid, and I always want cake. I can't wait til they release it! They also have a freezer fudge recipe in their book, and it contains lard from pastured pork. I flipped when I saw it. I'm obsessed with lard and all things pork. I started the hastag #porkobsessed and I want people to catch my fever. Before you judge me, good lard is good for you. Go stalk those Paleo Parents if you haven't already. They know their stuff, and are a huge inspiration for me. They have a great podcast, and even mentioned me in their "Follow Up" episode. I was kinda stoked...

So today, I wanted chocolate, and I kinda mixed up my own freezer fudge based on these inspirations.

Melt Together:

4 Tablespoons of Kerrygold Grassfed Butter
1 Tablespoon of pastured pork lard 
3 heaping spoonfulls of Trader Joe's Cocoa Powder
4 Tablespoons of Raw Honey, local if possible
pinch of Sea Salt

Pour mixture into single serving ramekins and freeze for 15 minutes until mostly set. Remove from the freezer and top with toasted almonds and an extra sprinkle of salt. Return to the freezer until you are ready to serve them. YUM.

Do I feel bad about my chocolate fix? No, and here's why: Cocoa is a good source of magnesium, and I've been reading a lot about why we need more magnesium. Lard from pastured pork and grass-fed butter are excellent sources of Vitamin D and CLA, also good things most Americans are lacking. Raw local honey is good for allergies and inflammation, and sea salt contains great minerals essential to the body. Win, win, win, win, win. Go make this now-- your body and taste buds will agree on this one! And go pre-order that Beyond Bacon book... it looks amazing.

See? I told you I'd try to blog more...

What I've Been Up To...

I haven't blogged in almost a year. Oops. But apparently people ( a few) have been viewing my page and instagram account (paleokatybird). I think I hesitate to blog because I over think the whole process. I think everything has to be perfect right from the start. Well, it doesn't. It just has to be a work in progress. I've probably said that before. Oh well.

I got engaged this year, and we moved to a small town in Virginia so that my fiance could start a new career. We miss our old farmer's market, we miss the grocery stores, and so much more. It's hard starting over in a new place, especially when you eat paleo. The town is so small that my only option was to take a job at a chain steakhouse. Belch. Needless to say, I don't like working there. It is the antithesis of paleo and real food eating. So to cope with the stress, we make really awesome paleo food when we are at home. I post quite frequently to instagram, because it's quick and easy, and my digital camera is sadly broken. We are a young couple starting out, so I spend money on healthy food, instead of fun cameras, so for now, you will just have to deal with my dinky iphone pictures. Forgive me. I am trying to get better at food-styling.

This is a salad that I have made over and over in the last few weeks. 

Although we live in a small town with regular grocery stores, we travel about once a week to a larger city to shop at Costco, Whole Foods, and Earth Fare. We got each other a Costco membership for our anniversary, and it is the best present, even if it isn't very romantic! The paleo finds at Costco are awesome. We buy frozen Wild Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, canned Wild Caught Tuna from Wild Planet, Olives, Almond Butter, Kerrygold Grassfed Butter, and veggies, both organic and conventional based on "The Clean Fifteen" and the "Dirty Dozen". You can make the above salad almost exclusively from items you can buy at Costco and feel good about.

Tandoori Salmon Salad

Serves 2

For the Salmon:

2 Thawed Portions of Costco's Wild Caught Sockeye Salmon,

3 Tablespoons of Kerrygold Butter

1 Tablespoon of Frontier Organic Tandoori Spice

Melt the Butter over medium high heat in a saute pan. Season the salmon (skin included) with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and Tandoori Spice. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, place the salmon in the pan skin side up. Cook for five minutes and flip. Cook the salmon to medium and serve next to avocado salad, and include the skin! It's packed with nutrition and it tastes great all crispy and covered in spices.

For the salad, dice one avocado and split between the two plates. Serve over mixed organic greens with a few julienne red onions. All of those, by the way, can be found at Costco. True story. Squeeze fresh lemon juice of the salad and salmon, then drizzle the salad with really good extra virgin olive oil. Make sure to sprinkle salad with sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper.

Lately we have been trying hard to eat a lot of wild caught fish. I am addicted to listening to The Paleo View Podcast, and Sarah Ballentine from The Paleo Mom suggested eating fatty fish from a good source at least three times a week. Costco is such a help in that department! Not only do they have canned tuna and frozen salmon, but I have also seen frozen cod, frozen flounder, frozen shrimp, canned sardines and canned sockeye salmon -- ALL WILD CAUGHT! Awesomesauce. Here are a few things we bought during one trip to the big city and nice grocery stores.

Speaking of missing home, one thing I really miss was my favorite lunch spot The Gourmet Shop. It was my favorite place to go with my mom. It's part fancy wine shop, part fancy cookware and gourmet foods shop, part cafe. It's in an eclectic part of downtown Columbia called Five Points, and it's awesome. I always order the same thing, and I've been going there for probably over 5 years: Tuna Salad served in a half a cantaloupe. Seems simple, and maybe a little strange, but it's pretty brilliant. I ordered it before I was paleo, and I can still order it now and not feel too bad about it.

I've been waiting for the stars to align to make my own completely paleo version. For my birthday, World Market sent me a $10 coupon, so I snagged a bottle of Avocado Oil. Epic paleo mayo ensued. I always use Nom Nom Paleo's recipe for a base, and then I flavor it with my own twists. I don't want homemade mayo to taste like the plain stuff in the jar - I want FLAVOR. This time I added smoked paparika, lots of cracked black pepper, a large spoonful of Annie's Naturals Organic Horseradish Mustard, and probably twice the amount of lemon juice in the original recipe, because I like it tangy.

I love homemade mayo. Go make some now. And then make this Tuna Salad:

Mix Together:

2 Cans of Wild Planet Tuna, or similar Wild Caught Canned Tuna
Diced Red Onion
Diced Green Pepper
3 Spoonfuls of Mayo, preferably homemade
Hymalayan Pink Sea Salt and Fresh Pepper

To serve, cut a small cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. Divide the tuna salad into each cantaloupe half, and serve with a light salad, like the simple avocado salad from above.

So I guess that's it for now. I'll work on making these posts a regular thing, because apparently I have people who want recipes from me. In the mean time, follow me on instagram at paleokatybird. 

Paleo Eats Out in Atlanta

Most of the time I am really commited to eating my meals at home so that I am in charge of the ingredients, but sometimes this cavegirl needs a break. I am here to tell you that it isn't that hard to eat a mostly paleo meal out, as long as you put your brain to it. So in this post, I'll share some of my recent eats out in Atlanta and a few tips and tricks I use when eating out.

First of all, I always try to research the menu before I venture out. If you can look at the menu ahead of time, you can decide what you are going to have before you set foot in the door. It helps me to have a paleo plan ready so that I am not tempted by all of the grain and sugar filled distractions on the menu. I use the Urbanspoon App on my phone quite often to find restaurants, and a Google search is always the all-knowing fallback. I have even typed in "paleo eats in (insert city)" and wound up with great results.

Mot recently that same Google search led me to Farmburger in Atlanta. I grew up in Atlanta and I also went to culinary school there, but I have since moved away, and I always enjoy a trip back. Farmburger is a new restaurant with a location in Decatur and in Buckhead that offers grassfed beef and local produce. It is a casual place where you place you order at a counter, and you can customize your burger with any number of gourmet toppings. In particular, a few toppings popped out at me: fried local eggs, porkbelly and ROASTED BONE MARROW. Can you say paleo heaven?

Both me and my man opted to build our perfect paleo burger on top of a salad made with local greens, squash, radishes and onions and tossed in the mustard seed vinaigrette. We topped our delicous grassfed beef patties with a fried local egg, porkbelly and tomato, and we also added a roasted bone marrow to our plate. YUM! We will be back! What a great date for this cave-couple!

The next morning we decided to go for a late breakfast at The Flying Biscuit. I love this place despite the fact that their claim to fame is a grain-filled "gutbuster" because they have awesome scrambles. My man ordered the special scramble of the day which had chicken, peppers, onions and spinach with fruit on the side and an order of turkey bacon. I opted for the veggie scramble with mushrooms, peppers, onions and spinach with fruit on the side with an order of chicken sausage. When the food arrived, we ignored all onlookers and split everything down the middle, enjoying the best of both worlds. As a sidenote, our server was great and paid attention to our special orders and did not bring us the complimentary biscuits as we requested. Both me and my man work in the restaurant industry and we appreciated his excellent tableside manner and attentiveness.... wish I could remember his name to give him a shout-out.

I am traveling across the country next week to Portand, so make sure to check back for some more paleo eats out! I am so excited to share with you the restaurants I have researched!

Favorite Roasted Tomatoes

This dish is so simple, I hesitate to even call it a recipe. But it is AMAZING. I swear, you have never tasted a better tomato.

First step: Buy lots of tomatoes. Use any kind you like: roma, heirloom, grape, cherry, canned San Marzano – doesn’t matter. Splurge on organic if possible, but if not, just wash with regular tap water like Mark Sisson recently suggested.

 

Second Step: Lay tomatoes in a glass baking dish. Quarter larger tomatoes, but you can leave small grape or cherry tomatoes whole. Dot the top with a healthy fat. 

The fat you use is flexible. Grassfed butter is delicious and highly nutritious, and I like to use a big hunk from my grassfed butter from Happy Cow  that I buy at the All Local Farmers Market. If you don’t do dairy, like my little bro who is allergic, use virgin coconut oil or lard.

Third Step: Season. At the bare minimum use sea salt and fresh ground pepper. If you are feeling fancy, add a few other spices to your tastes. Right now I like a blend of paprika, dried thyme, dried oregano, granulated garlic, and a generous amount of my favorite Italian seasoning grinder. This time I also used a special Rosemary Sea Salt that I picked up from the farmer’s market as well. By the way, I don't measure... more utensils to wash! Just sprinkle evenly. 

Fourth Step: Roast low and slow for 4 hours at 300 F. Toss the tomatoes around a few times during cooking to encourage even caramelization. You definitely want the tops to blacken…they are not burnt though… that’s flavor baby!

 I make this recipe weekly in bulk, and then I use it in as many dishes as I want as an incredibly rich ingredient. I store them in a recycled jar in the fridge. You will likely see them referenced often!

Roasting Marshmallows? Not really...

I will roast just about anything: meats, fish, veggies, nuts, coconut, and even fruit. I probably learned it from watching episode after episode of Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa,” and not only is it the easiest way to cook something, it is most often the healthiest and most delicious way that item will taste. It also makes me happy too, because I feel like roasting is a very earthy and cave girl way of cooking. Tonight I made a meal in which almost everything was roasted, and completely nutritious and satisfying. 

The chicken was roasted simply seasoned with pink sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and my favorite poultry grinder. I laid the chicken on a bed of sliced organic white onions and Meyer lemon slices, and then I laid more onions and lemons on top. If you have never had Meyer lemons, they are sweeter versions of the original, that still have a glycemic load lower than an apple. They are only available at this time of year, and almost exclusively grown in California. I wait for them every year! The onions and lemons flavor the chicken with no added fat and help prevent it from sticking to the pan, too. Not that there is anything wrong with good fats, but this roasted chicken is moist and delicious without it. Anyone on HCG Phase 2? Make it with skinless chicken breasts and it is totally "Perfectly on Protocol." This is really named “ POP Chicken,” so go ahead try it! If not on HCG P2, make it with literally any chicken you want: 375 until the chicken is 165 and no longer pink. Save the extra onions, and lemons if you want, to use in other dishes throughout the week.

Now I have been known to roast ANY type of veggie, and in fact, it is a staple at my house every week, and tonight I am roasting large batches of veggies to use all throughout the week. I like to roast all the veggies separate because they all take different times. I just keep them separate on the cookie sheet, and keep an eye on them, so that I can take the pan out of the oven and unload veggies as they are done. ALL veggies can be roasted at ANY temperature in between 375 and 500. That is a secret that chef’s keep to themselves, and I’m not really sure why: you can cook anything at any temperature, as long as you can be responsible for checking it to see when it’s done. All the veggies are tossed in a bowl first with some melted coconut oil, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. 

I’m also prone to add some dried herbs, or one of my favorite seasoning grinders. All the spices I have contain no sugar or chemicals - just actual spices, dried herbs, and sea salts. The veggies are done when they start to turn black on the edges. This isn’t burnt! It’s flavor…. It’s the natural sugars coming out on their own.Speaking of natural sugars caramelizing on their own....

FOR DESSERT!

It seems like it took me too long after learning how to roast veggies that I figured out this delicious, simple little trick. If you love the burnt ends of a toasted marshmallow, you might like these simple healthy treats. If any moms out there try it on your kids, please let me know if they like it!

Roasted Apple “Faux Marshmallows”

3-4 Medium sized Organic Apple, diced
1 Tablespoon melted virgin coconut oil
2 Teaspoons Roasted Siagon Cinnamon
A few generous grates of fresh Nutmeg
Extra Credit: couple pinches of lavender sea salt (if you like salty and sweet!)

Toss together on a lined sheet pan (cookie sheet) and roast at 375 apples start to turn brown/black. This is not burnt, it is caramelization which makes it taste similar to a burnt marshmallow. Roast less time if that’s not your thing. :) They will be light and airy inside, and the cinnamon and lavender sea salt is dynamite. 

Stay tuned for my next blog, which will be a vegetable medley using some of the roasted veggies from this post to make an elegant, “company worthy” side dish, similar to the one pictured at the top of the blog. 

~ Katy