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Posted on March 16, 2018 by The Divine Kitchen

Irish Potato Candies! (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Ahh…. A nice and welcome break from work. I have not stopped cooking and though I don’t plan on doing anything crazy for St. Patrick’s Day, I cooked up a storm! I’ll make this short and sweet… I made these little potato candies and I just love them. They remind me of when I was a kid and we would make them in elementary school.

Irish potatoes are a dessert that originated in the Philadelphia area. Despite its name, they aren’t from Ireland, and they have no potatoes in them (and definitely shouldn’t, ew). Also, don’t let anyone tell you that any nuts belong in them, either. Double ew. Then you roll them in cinnamon, and just like that, you have a little potato!

These are made without dairy, gluten, or any crap that makes you feel bad. More treats to come, enjoy 🙂

Irish Potato Candies! (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

prep time: 20 min (active)

chill time: 20 min

makes 25 potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups of unsweetened shredded coconut (the fine strips, not ground)
  • 1 oz package of Tofutti “cream cheese”
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 3 tbsp light agave, plus more to taste
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cinnamon, separated
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar

Directions

  1. Add your shredded coconut, cream cheese, vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, coconut oil and agave to a large mixing bowl and blend with a mixer. If the mixture appears runny, add ¼ cup of shredded coconut and continue to mix until you have a pasty mixture that you can shape.
  2. Chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Remove from the refrigerator and roll into small potato shaped balls and set aside on a baking sheet. Once your potatoes are formed, add the remaining cinnamon and coconut sugar in a large plastic bag and shake to mix.
  4. One at a time, place each potato in the bag and gently shake to coat thoroughly. Remove and place back onto the cookie sheet.
  5. Chill until ready to serve – remove 15 minutes prior to allow to come back to room temperature.

Enjoy!

-S

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Posted on March 14, 2018 by The Divine Kitchen

Easy Restaurant Salsa (Paleo, Vegan)

This is the week for easy things.

Easy (somewhat) workweek for me, Wednesday is my Friday! I’m more tired than normal – waking up at 4 really feels like waking up at 3a, sitting in traffic is painful, dragging my dog out for a walk in the cold is painful…. I’m just tired. I’m really excited to just do whatever I want this Thursday and Friday.. and Monday, because I took that day off, too.

My pickles were a surprising hit — I figured something so easy wouldn’t be so popular. The best part about them is once you put them in the fridge, you work is done. All you need to do is wait for them to turn into their pickle-y greatness and then eat them. So, what’s next?

Well, until I start whipping out my St. Patrick’s Day recipes… enjoy this delightful salsa! It literally couldn’t be easier. I am a stickler for chopping things meticulously and with love, however… sometimes you want the goods without struggling to get it all done. This makes that delicious texture you get at Mexican restaurants with the fresh flavor of a good pico de gallo… the easiest part? Get your tomatoes canned. Seriously – it cuts down the time and effort when you’re in a pinch. Plus, you can doctor it up however you like! I like to keep a few seeds left over so my salsa has a bit of kick to it.

Easy Restaurant Salsa (Paleo, Vegan)

prep time: 20 min

cook time: n/a

makes about 2 15 oz jar of salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 large can of whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained
  • 2 cans of petit diced tomatoes, juice included
  • 1 small yellow onion, loosely chopped
  • 1 medium bunch of cilantro
  • 1 poblano pepper, stems and seeds removed
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds and stems removed (set aside a few seeds if you prefer a bit more heat)
  • juice of one lime
  • 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients into a food processor. Note: if you prefer spicy salsa, add your jalapeno seeds.
  2. Pulse until your desired texture is achieved. I prefer mine to be pretty uniform, slightly runny… so I let mine blend for at least 20 seconds. Salsa can be stored for up to 7 days in the fridge.

Enjoy!

-S

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Posted on March 13, 2018 by The Divine Kitchen

Easy Overnight Pickles! (Paleo, Vegan, GF… everything!)

Hello, hello!

Crazy to think some people are bracing for more snow… I am so glad we have some warmer weather coming up, which hopefully is here to stay. Spring is soon!

…which leads me to my complaining. Did anyone else have a particularly difficult time with adjusting to the time change? I’m not sure what it was, but I am still waking up confused, and confused that it’s dark out when I’m leaving for work. It’s like I  turn around when I’m home, and suddenly it’s time to go to bed. It doesn’t help that I just recently got back into Grey’s Anatomy, and now I feel like I need to watch two episodes at night and stay up even later, while feeling like I am waking up earlier. That aside, this Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day! I think I’m in the mood to cook some green things, Irish dishes… and drink beer. definitely on the agenda.

How is everyone’s March going? I hope you’re remembering to really act on your intentions and take action on what you want to see start happening. The time is now 🙂

In the meantime, why not make some pickles? These are the best addition to a good sandwich, burger, or to just eat out of a jar. You can doctor them up how you like, but this recipe is a great starting point for a basic pickle.

Easy Overnight Pickles! (Paleo, Vegan, GF… everything!)

prep time: 20 min

cook time: ~10 min

makes about 2 15 oz jar of pickles

Ingredients

  • 6 small cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1 small handful of dill, large stems removed
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • pinch of black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Place cucumbers and dill in each mason jar (or one, if you’re using a large one).
  2. In a saucepan, add all other ingredients and whisk together. Bring to a boil, and remove from heat, allowing to cool for a few minutes before adding to the jars.
  3. Once the mixture has sat for 2-3 minutes, pour over the cucumbers. Leave the top off to allow to cool almost to room temperature before refrigerating overnight.
  4. Optional: Add 1 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp chipotle powder for spicy pickles. Shake to mix thoroughly before placing in the fridge.

Enjoy!

-S

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Posted on March 7, 2018 by The Divine Kitchen

Best Guacamole Ever (Paleo, Vegan, everything)

Happy March! What’s shakin’?

I’ll tell you what. My house, this weekend. The wind was so bad in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic that people lost siding, shutters, roofs… no bueno. I made a few things in the last week, not all paleo/vegan but some yummy treats! Gluten free rice crispie treats, carne asada tacos, slaw, gluten free macaroni and cheese with pancetta…. The whole nine. I’ll get to food in a second, but I wanted to talk about March.

Did you know the month is named after Mars? The planet, not so much. The Roman God of War, definitely. Things you think about when you think of March are battles, conquests, adventures…. random last minute snowstorms because mother nature is funny like that…. you know. Just the normal stuff.  Also, March used to be the very first month of the Roman calendar, which also aligned with new beginnings of Spring and the continuation of life from the prior year, or era. Remember how February had only a new moon and no full moon? That was the suppression of things to prepare for your new beginning. Those plans you carefully crafted last month? Jump on them now. With the brunt of things almost behind us, the latter part of March leaves us with light, easy living and smooth sailing. It is what you make of it, though. Care for your business now to lighten your load later this month. 🙂

On to fun foodies. One thing that’s super important to parties, snack time, dinners etc is my guac. I’m not sure what about it makes it so special, but it’s probably my number 1 requested food when I have friends over. It’s simple, you can put it on anything… it’s all around just a good recipe to have on hand. Try it out! The one thing about making this recipe the best ever is really paying attention to the ingredients. You can use what you have on hand, but I like to find the perfect tomatoes, avocados, etc. Yum.

Best Guacamole Ever (Paleo, Vegan, everything)

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: n/a

Ingredients

  • 5 pretty ripe but still bright green avocados
  • 1/3 of med-large red onion, -OR- 1 small-med yellow onion
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced into very small pieces
  • 2 ripe-but-not-too-mushy roma tomatoes (the oblong shaped ones), diced into small pieces
  • 1 large bunch of very fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • juice of a half or whole lime, to taste
  • salt, to taste (I typically start with 1/2 tsp and  go from there)
  • pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mash your avocados with a fork, gently. you don’t want to bruise them and turn them into complete mush.
  2. Next, stir in your tomatoes, gently folding them into the mix, including any juices from the cutting board. Now add your onion, and bell pepper. Stir in your cilantro, as well.
  3. Now add your pepper — just a pinch, and then your salt. Taste test every so often to gauge if you need more… some like their guac a bit more salty.
  4. Lastly, add your lime juice. The idea behind adding your salt before your lime juice is that the enzymes in the citrus react differently to salt, so your flavors are much more vibrant if the lime is added last. I have no idea if that’s really what’s happening, but it sounded nice when I heard it.
  5. Unless you have several hours until you serve your guac, cover with Saran wrap, pressing down against the guac to prevent any oxidation/turning brown. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to serving. If serving within the hour, leave at room temperature to let the flavors meld.

Enjoy!

-S

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Posted on February 26, 2018 by The Divine Kitchen

Sea-Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bites (Paleo, Vegan)

Totally unrelated to food…. I have discovered the online store 6pm.com. It’s like the TJ Maxx of Zappos, can you just picture this, please? Amazing. Uggs for half price, cute booties, stuff you didn’t know you needed until you found it.

Who’s ready for spring? Let’s skip straight to the good stuff. This recipe for Sea-salted Caramel Cheesecake bites is a little bit of summer, but since it’s best served frozen…. We can say it’s Spring, instead. These babies are vegan, gluten free, paleo, the whole 9 yards. Have at ‘em.

Sea-Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bites (Paleo, Vegan)

Prep time: 3 hours

Cook time: 40 min (active)

Serves 12 (large cups), or (24 small cups)

Ingredients

For the crust

  • ~2 very full cups of pecans, raw
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • pinch of sea salt
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp almond butter

For the cheesecake

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or in boiling water for 2-3 hours
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp coconut sugar 1/3 cup of coconut cream (from a can), plus 1-2 tbsp of coconut milk if needed
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • pinch of sea salt, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • sea salt for garnish

For the caramel

  • 1/3 cup maple sugar
  • 2 heaping tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of sea salt

Directions

  1. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners and set aside.
  2. Start the caramel sauce, as it takes the longest. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugars and coconut milk. Bring to a low boil, and then add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until combined. Allow to continue to boil for about 2-3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Turn to very low heat, and simmer slowly for about 35-40 minutes, until reduced to a thick syrup. Remove from heat to allow to further cool, or place in the refrigerator.
  3. Meanwhile, as the caramel sauce is cooking down, place the ingredients for the crust into a food processor and pulse until crumbly and mixed thoroughly.Press about a tbsp of the crust mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Freeze while preparing the remaining layers.
  4. Now for your filling! Drain your cashews and put them into a blender; mix until you have a crumbly wet pile (appetizing, I know). Now add your coconut oil, coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend until smooth… this may take a bit, as your cashew chunks may still be visible. Feel free to add water, 1 tsp at a time, if needed. Once smooth, add your lemon juice and continue to puree until frothy. Add more lemon juice, if desired.
  5. Remove the crusts from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling evenly into each cup, leaving room for the caramel sauce. Place back into the freezer for about 25-30 minutes.
  6. About 20 minutes before serving, you can remove your cheesecakes to allow them to thaw. Spoon a dollop of caramel sauce atop each cup, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Serve, and enjoy!

🙂

-S

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