Pizza Crust -- Wheat-free & Low Carb...& Delicious!

This evening I decided to make pizza for dinner...why on a Monday night you ask (since Friday's are my favorite pizza night)? This week we are having a "Holiday Pizza Party" at work for lunch. I am the one responsible for ordering the pizza for the gathering so I wanted to make a grain-free pizza crust for myself so I could join in and participate, too. So this evening I went ahead and made a double batch of pizza crust dough -- one for tonight's dinner (and a couple of lunches this week) and another one to enjoy with my coworkers at our Wednesday get together. I pre-baked the crust so all I need to do right before the rest of the pizza arrives is top it and pop it in the oven to heat for about 10-15 minutes. I will have a piping hot fresh pizza -- probably hotter than the ones we are ordering for everyone else! I didn't do anything fancy for tonight's pizza. I had ground sirloin in the fridge that needed to be cooked so I browned it along with diced onion and seasoned it generously with sea salt and black pepper and then added about 8 ounces of fresh baby spinach to the meat and onion mixture and cooked it until everything was done. I topped tonight's pizza with sauce, my beef/onion/spinach mixture and then topped it with fresh mozzarella cheese and Parmigiana Reggiano and red pepper flakes. It turned out good and was so filling I only ate one piece (1/4 of the pizza). If you haven't tried my pizza crust yet, it is one worth trying (and not just because it's mine) -- you can pick it up like a "regular pizza"...it tastes great and you won't miss eating regular pizza any more! It's quick and easy to mix together and the crust can be made and baked in advance, then wrapped and used fresh within a few days or frozen and used later. I snapped a quick photo below. Here is the link to the recipe and the step-by-step photos -------> Pizza Crust. Enjoy!

BOOM!

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole -- Low Carb & Wheat Free

Today we were busy all day long decorating the house and Christmas shopping. We still have a bit of decorating to finish up and I still have more shopping left to do...but we at least put a dent in both. All 3 of the kids came for dinner this evening. I made my White Chicken Enchilada Casserole for dinner since none of them were here to share it with us last weekend. I served it with steamed fresh broccoli florets. To keep with the Christmas theme of the day, I added some sauteed diced red bell pepper and Poblano peppers to the top before baking it to add a little splash of red and green. I also added some pepper-jack cheese to the casserole to give it a tiny bit of zip. It turned out delicious. I actually made 12 enchiladas and cooked them in a larger casserole dish. I increased the chicken to 4 cups and the cheese to 3 cups but kept the same amount of sauce. It turned out really good and the red and green peppers not only added some seasonal color, but flavor as well. I snapped a quick photo for you to see below. The recipe is here ------>  White Chicken Enchilada Casserole  Enjoy!

Salted Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Check out the cookies I made this past weekend using the Cranberry Orange Coconut Sauce I made -- I did so much cooking last weekend I didn't have a chance to post it all. If you like the combination of sweet and salty, try doing what I did...sprinkle the tops with a bit if Pink Himalayan salt before baking...I really liked the sweet/tart/slightly salty combination!  If you aren't sure if you like the sweet and salty combination...just bake one cookie with the salt as a "test". If sweet and salty just isn't your thing...just omit the salt on top. Below are a few photos as well as the recipe. Enjoy! :-)

Salted Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup Swerve sweetener, or to desired sweetness (I used 3/4 cup in mine)

1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)

4 ounces (brick style) cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Cranberry Orange Coconut Sauce (or your favorite sugar free cranberry sauce)
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup 70% or 85% cacao chocolate bar (3.5 ounces), chopped or 70% chocolate chips
Pink Himalayan sea salt, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and Swerve sweetener (or other granular sweetener).  Make a well in the center of the bowl and add softened butter, cream cheese, egg and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon, cream and mix dry and wet ingredients together until the dough is mixed and blended well.  

Fold in cranberry sauce, walnuts and chocolate chips/chunks with a rubber spatula; mix just until blended.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (or chill and lightly roll into balls for neater cookies) onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Very lightly tamp down (do not flatten) -- the cookies do not spread much while they bake.  Sprinkle lightly with pink Himalayan sea salt, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cookies are very soft when hot and will firm up as they cool.  Let sit 10-15 minutes; transfer to a rack using a spatula to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

    

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Saturday Breakfast - Fried Eggs w/ Brussels Bacon Hash & Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

This morning we slept in and awoke to a very dark, rainy cold morning here. We have lots to do this weekend with decorating and Christmas shopping. I am a bit behind schedule this year -- I'm usually better organized. We did our Costco run last night after work so we just had "sandwiches" for dinner last night. I used one of my grain free tortillas and layered it with Boar's Head Cracked Black Pepper Turkey and their sliced muenster cheese and just rolled it up. When I woke up this morning I was in the mood for a good breakfast, so I sliced up a little over a pound of brussels sprouts into 1/4" slices and steamed them for about 4-5 minutes in a couple tablespoons of water covered in the microwave just to soften and wilt them a bit, but not cook them. I diced some applewood smoked bacon into large dice and cooked the diced bacon in a non-stick skillet on the stove, removing the rendered fat as it cooked out so it would become nice and crisp (I just tilted the pan and spooned it off into a bowl). In another skillet I sauteed a diced small onion n a bit of oil until translucent. I transferred my crisp bacon bits over to a paper towel lined plate to drain and left a tablespoon or 2 of the drippings in my skillet and added the sprouts and cooked them on medium-high heat, turning them frequently until browned and caramelized. I added my crispy bacon and onions to the sprouts, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper and tossed them around and set aside. I fried an egg in the empty skillet my onions cooked in and then arranged my Brussels Bacon Hash in a "wreath-like" pattern around the edge of my plate, leaving a spot in the middle to place my fried egg. I served it with an Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuit that I pulled out of the freezer and then lightly toasted. It was a delicious pre-holiday breakfast with the slightly sweet flavor of the caramelized sprouts and onions combined with the salty crispness of the bacon, and of course a rich cheddary biscuit. I snapped a quick photo below and the recipe for the biscuits. Enjoy!

Parmesan Pecan Crackers -- Low Carb & Wheat/Grain-Free

We had another cold day here today -- it was only 28 degrees this morning and only made it up into the 40s. I had a really busy day today and didn't want to make anything complicated for dinner...but wanted something "comforting" to eat. I had leftover cooked chicken breast in the fridge, so I decided to make a quick Chicken Noodle Soup with it. I made a half batch of tortillas to use as noodles for my soup and just used a carton of chicken stock since I didn't have any homemade stock available. I thinly sliced a carrot and stalk of celery and simmered it in the stock along with the chicken. I stirred my "noodles" into the soup before serving. But...what is soup without crackers? Well, it's soup...and tonight I wanted soup AND crackers, so I made a quick and oh-so-simple batch of Parmesan Pecan Crackers using a mixture of almond flour, pecan meal and Parmesan cheese along with some herbs and spices. The crackers turned out great! We enjoyed them with some cheese along with our soup. I snapped a couple photos below as well as the easy cracker recipe. It only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to make the crackers and roll them out and then about 15-20 minutes to bake them...and they are really good. With the upcoming holidays they would be great with cheese or dipped in hummus or topped with a variety of different spreads. They are actually good all by themselves. Enjoy!

Parmesan Pecan Crackers

Makes approximately 4 dozen crackers

Ingredients:

·        1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

·        3/4 cup almond flour

·        3/4 cup pecan meal

·        2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

·        1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

·        1/4 teaspoon onion powder

·        1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

·        1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste

·        1/4 teaspoon sea salt

·        1 large egg

·        1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place first 9 ingredients (all the dry ingredients) in a medium bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk egg and olive oil until combined; pour into dry mixture. Combine mixture using a rubber spatula into stiff dense dough; knead a couple times in the bowl with the heel of your hand to thoroughly combine and moisten ingredients; shape into a ball.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the size of your baking pan; place parchment on counter or workspace. Place dough in center and press down evenly with your hands to about 1-inch thick. Place another sheet of parchment on top of dough. Roll dough out between parchment paper until about 1/8-inch thick. Remove top sheet of parchment; transfer bottom parchment to baking pan. If desired, lightly sprinkle additional sea salt on top of dough. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutting wheel, cut into 1-inch squares, or desired size.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until light golden brown, checking frequently. If crackers on outer edge begin browning more quickly, carefully remove those and transfer to a plate or rack. When crackers are done, remove from oven and leave on parchment paper until cool. Separate crackers and enjoy. Store cooled crackers in an air tight container.

*Note – If crispier crackers are desired, after separating baked crackers, return to a 300 degree oven for about 5 to 7 minutes until crisp. 

Chicken & Broccoli Stir-Fry -- Low Carb

It was a chilly morning here -- 28 degrees when I woke up! For dinner, I made a super quick chicken-broccoli stir-fry and tweaked one of my old recipes for marinating the chicken before stir-frying (with some modifications, of course). My old recipe used cornstarch as part of the mixture to marinate the chicken -- it helped the chicken retain its juices when stir-frying so it stayed nice and juicy...and then later, when you added the broth to make the sauce, it helped thicken the broth. Instead of using cornstarch, I substituted the same amount of peanut flour which is super fine in texture -- as fine as cornstarch. It turned out great and kept the chicken super moist the same way the cornstarch would when I used it. To add a little additional thickness to my sauce, I stirred in some peanut butter until I achieved the consistency I wanted. The peanut flour helps keep the chicken from releasing its juices when cooking and it doesn't end up "boiling in its own juice". If you do much stir-frying at all, you know what I mean -- sometimes the juices cook out of the chicken and then it literally begins to boil in its own juices, which is not ideal when you are stir-frying. You can use peanut butter stirred into the broth mixture to thicken your sauce -- it works great as a thickening agent for stir-fries. I snapped a couple photos below. Enjoy!

White Chicken Enchilada Casserole -- Low Carb & Wheat Free

This evening I made White Chicken Enchilada Casserole. This was a recipe that I had originally enjoyed eating before I went wheat free. I later converted it to a grain-free version after eliminating wheat from my diet last July. My original grain-free version of this casserole used coconut flour based tortillas from another blogger's site, and while it turned out good, I found the coconut flour based tortillas a bit more tricky to make and didn't particularly care for the subtle coconut flavor it gave to this dish (I find coconut to be a bit distracting in a Mexican style dish). So, this evening, I used my own version of grain-free tortillas that are more neutral in taste. They are made with a combination of blanched almond flour, ground golden flax and a bit of grated Parmesan and seasoned with a bit of chipotle chile powder. The dish turned out even better than I had hoped. I added a few tablespoons of water to my basic tortilla recipe to produce a slightly thinner tortilla and they worked perfectly in this casserole. It turned out great and I have enough leftovers to enjoy again tomorrow evening, which is always a good thing! I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe. Enjoy!

Sunday Breakfast -- Who said cranberry sauce isn't for breakfast?

This morning we slept in a bit and awoke to another dark, rainy and dismal day. Our high for today is only supposed to be around 45, which feels colder when it is rainy and damp outside. This morning I made a big Sunday breakfast. The only thing I had to make totally from scratch (other than my fried egg which doesn't count) was my Cranberry-Lemon Macaroon Mini-Muffins since everything else was "pre-made". I had a batch of my Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits frozen in a Ziploc bag in the freezer that I just pulled out and lightly toasted to reheat and some leftover cooked bacon in the fridge from last night (made to garnish my Golden Cream of Faux-tato Soup with). As I reached for the cream to put in my coffee, I caught a glimpse of the bowl of my Cranberry Orange Coconut Sauce I made yesterday and thought about adding a dollop of that to my plate...but then thought...nah, that isn't for breakfast...and then after a brief pause of righteousness, my thoughts switched to...WHO said cranberry sauce isn't for breakfast??? Certainly it wasn't ME that said that...so I proceeded to add a dollop to my breakfast plate this morning...and you know what??? I will be doing that from now on any time there is cranberry sauce "in the house". It was nice having a little bite of sweet-tart fruitiness along with the salty bacon, biscuits and eggs this morning...and lets not forget those 2 cute little muffins on my plate either! I actually think I enjoyed the little blast of fresh cranberry sauce better at breakfast time than I ever did at dinner time! Go ahead...break the rules...don't always stay in between the lines...enjoy your little dollop of defiance this morning...I did!  ;-)

Golden Cream of Faux-tato Soup -- Low Carb & Wheat/Grain-Free (GGC Style)

With the sudden drastic drop in temperature this weekend and the dark, rainy, gloomy weather as well...I found myself thinking about one of my longtime (decades) favorite "comfort soups" that I always enjoyed making this time of year. The only problem is that it is full of carbs since it's a super cheesy creamed potato soup, and full of other unhealthy things as well, like processed cheese (Velveeta) and regular wheat flour that is used to thicken it. It is called "Golden Cream of Potato Soup." I found the recipe many years ago in one of my old Southern Living Annual Cookbooks. It quickly became a regular staple in our house when my kids were growing up and I continued making it and surprising them with it even after they grew up -- you know, one of those "my Mommy loves me meals". We really love(d) that soup! Since I no longer eat wheat and like to eat low carb as well, I have been contemplating "de-carb-onating" it for a while...and finally decided to bite the bullet and give it a try this weekend with the cold ugly weather we are experiencing. It turned out AWESOME, and better than I expected...so much so, that hubby actually thought that there were potatoes in it!!! Now how is that for successful?

My secret ingredient was the good old "faux-tato"...called cauliflower! I actually picked up a 2-pound bag of raw cauliflower florets this weekend at Costco which yielded about 3 cups of pureed cauliflower after it was cooked. It worked superbly as a replacement for the potatoes and I used cream cheese in place of the flour to help thicken it...and cream in place of the skim milk...REAL cheddar cheese (instead of Velveeta) that I freshly grated so it wouldn't have any starches on it (like pre-shredded cheese has) to hinder it from melting smoothly into my soup...and I used chicken stock instead of bouillon cubes called for in the original recipe. Otherwise, it was essentially the same as the original version...just better! When I cook my cauliflower, I prepare it the same way I do when I make my cauliflower mash -- I cook all the liquid out of it until the pan is essentially dry on the bottom -- not scorched at all, but just until there is no wetness left on the bottom of the pan. Getting all the moisture out of the cauliflower is the key to making it "potato-like" in texture since cooked potatoes tend to be a bit drier inside because of the starch and since potatoes are what we are trying to substitute...it helps if the cauliflower is not waterlogged after cooking it. I garnished our soup the same way I used to garnish the original version...with extra shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon. While my soup was cooking, I oven roasted some Maverick Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon and crumbled it on top of the soup when I served it. This soup is rich, creamy, cheesy and decadent...just like the original version. If I hadn't made the soup with my own two hands...I could have easily tricked myself! LOL Below are a few photos as well as the recipe. If you are curious in seeing the original version of this soup...here is the post, recipe and photos when I made it almost 2 years ago, before I went wheat/grain free and low carb...so you can compare the 2 versions for yourself. ---> "Golden Cream of Potato Soup". Enjoy!

How about those "faux-tatoes" -- I'll never tell!  

Golden Cream of Faux-tato Soup

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 pounds raw cauliflower florets

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 to 4 ounces brick style cream cheese, diced and softened (I used 3 ounces)
1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Extra shredded cheddar cheese or crumbled bacon, optional (for garnishing)

Directions:

Place cauliflower and 1 cup of water in a large pot or Dutch oven; cover and bring to a boil and cook about 10-15 minutes or until tender. Remove lid and continue cooking until no water remains in bottom of pot (watching closely and careful not to burn or scorch) and cauliflower is not waterlogged. Puree cauliflower with an immersion blender or regular blender until smooth (yields approximately 3 cups of pureed cauliflower); transfer puree to a bowl and set aside

In same pot, add celery, carrots, onion, parsley, chicken stock, salt and pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover and reduce heat to low and simmer until vegetables are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Return and add pureed cauliflower back to pot and stir into soup mixture; heat thoroughly until hot; add cream cheese and stir until melted throughout. Stir in cream and heat over medium heat; careful not to boil. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, half at a time, stirring frequently until melted and well blended. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper, as necessary. Do not boil soup; heat just until it begins to simmer (stirring constantly to keep from burning or sticking to bottom of pan).  Remove from heat. Ladle into bowls and garnish with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon, if desired. 

Cranberry Orange Coconut Sauce

Today it's a cold and overcast day here and it looks and feels like winter again at 48 degrees (compared to the mid-70s of the last couple of days). We did our Costco run this morning and ran a few other errands. I've been cooking and baking this afternoon (imagine that) and wanted to use the large bag of cranberries I had in the fridge...so I baked some more cranberry muffins and made another batch of cranberry sauce and changed it up a bit. I made Cranberry Orange Coconut Sauce and it turned out awesome! Rather than use orange juice, I just used water as my liquid and orange zest for the orange flavor (you could also use a little orange extract instead of the zest if you wanted to). I decided to add unsweetened shredded coconut for a bit of crunch and added texture instead of the walnuts this time. Since the unsweetened coconut is dry and a bit absorbent, I increased my water to 1/2 cup for 2 cups of fresh cranberries. I like to make sure all my cranberries have burst so I don't get any "sour squirt surprises" in my mouth by biting on a still intact cranberry (ewww)...so near the end of simmering my cranberry sauce, I use my handheld potato masher to gently press all the berries while they are still cooking to make sure they have all ruptured. I snapped a few photos below as well as the easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Stromboli -- Wheat-free & Low Carb

This week is finally over...yay!!! I was in the mood for "Friday night pizza" this evening...but I wanted to use up the thick meat sauce I had leftover from last night's Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce, so I decided to use it to make the next best thing -- Stromboli. Stromboli is essentially a rolled up pizza (whereas a calzone is more of a folded over pizza). There are many different variations of stromboli...many have just meat and cheese filling and you can dip, dunk or top it with sauce when you eat it, if desired. I decided to use my Easy Cheesy Baguette Bread recipe as the base for my stromboli. I have also used that recipe to make Cheesy Pepperoni Baguette Bread, and both of those turned out great. The only real difference with this stromboli was that I added my thick meaty sauce to it. I will add a disclaimer that putting your sauce inside the crust/dough does make it a little more tricky to roll up...so you might prefer to make a stromboli filled with just meat and cheese (pepperoni, salami, sausage, etc.) and then either dunk or top it with sauce when you eat it. My basic recipe for the Cheesy Baguette Bread I used for my stromboli is below -- add a bit of sauce inside if you choose to, or just serve it alongside when you eat it. If you you'd like to see a few different step-by-step photos of how I roll the dough that were posted when I made the Cheesy Baguette Bread and Pepperoni Baguette Bread last winter...click on the links above. The recipe as well as a few photos of tonight's stromboli are below. Enjoy!

Spaghetti w/ Thick & Rich Meat Sauce -- Low Carb & Wheat/Grain Free

This evening I put together a quick and easy dinner. It's been a while since I made spaghetti with meat sauce and I had a package of ground sirloin in the fridge that needed to be used. I browned my ground beef and broke it up into small pieces as it browned and cooked it with some diced onion and then tossed in some sliced fresh mushrooms near the end. Once my meat and veggies were cooked, I poured in a jar of DelGrosso pasta sauce and simmered it for about 20 minutes to blend the flavors. The flavor of sauce I used tonight was their Vodka sauce which is made with heavy cream, so it is nice and rich tasting. I like that particular brand because it has no added sugar and is made with all natural ingredients and its good to have on hand to make a quick meal when you don't have time to make your own sauce or just don't want to. This sauce is a bit pricey ($7-8.00 per jar)...but I always keep my eyes open for sales and last week our Publix had them for 50% off...so I picked up a few jars at $3.50 each. I never pay the regular price...I just grab a few when they go on sale. It is one of the few "convenience" foods that I don't mind buying because this sauce is made with all the same ingredients I would use if I made it myself. I served this thick and rich meat sauce over yellow squash "spaghetti noodles" that I made with my julienne vegetable peeler. They are so quick and easy to make. You don't have to buy a special gadget if you don't want to -- you can simply use your standard vegetable peeler and make ribbon "pasta" with it, too. I also have a spirelli and a spiral vegetable slicer...but unless you are making a large amount for many people, I find the little handheld vegetable peeler type gadget to be the most convenient and easiest to clean up afterward too. Below is the simple recipe for yellow squash or zucchini noodles as well as a couple of photos of my dinner tonight. Enjoy!

Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie

This evening we had my Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie. It is one of my favorites. I usually put a full pound of spinach in it, but in tonight's I only used about 10 ounces of fresh baby spinach. It turned out awesome and the best part is that I get to have the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe. I could eat this for one of my meals every single day and not get tired of it -- it's perfect for either breakfast, lunch or dinner and good both with or without crust. I have even added cooked bacon to it, too. Enjoy!

P.S. - Reminder that Honeyville's 5-day 20% off sale runs through Friday, 12/6. That's a savings of almost $8.00 on a 5-lb bag of blanched almond flour if you are running low. Just use coupon code GIFT when you check out!  (affiliate link)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Macadamia Nuts

It was cold, dark and rainy day here today. We have finally finished the Thanksgiving turkey -- I ate the last of the turkey pecan salad last night. This evening I made a super quick and simple dinner. I took 2 large chicken breast cutlets and lightly breaded them with a mixture of 1/4 cup almond flour, sea salt, black pepper, paprika and dash of ground chipotle chile. I didn't dip them in any kind of egg wash beforehand...just a dusting of almond flour and a bit of seasoning. To go with our simple chicken cutlets, I roasted fresh baby brussels sprouts that I trimmed and halved and drizzled with macadamia nut oil and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper before roasting. When they were done, I tossed them in melted butter mixed with ground chipotle chile to give them a little zing and then stirred in some chopped macadamia nuts. It turned out delicious and was a quick way to turn ho-hum into yum-yum. The meal was quick and simple to put together. I cooked the chicken cutlets while the sprouts roasted so it only took about 20 to 25 minutes to put dinner on the table...and that's always a good thing! I snapped a couple photos as well as the easy peasy recipe for the brussels sprouts. Enjoy!

P.S. - Reminder that Honeyville has a 5-day 20% off sale that runs through Friday, 12/6. That's a savings of almost $8.00 on a 5-lb bag of blanched almond flour if you are running low. Just use coupon code GIFT when you check out!  (affiliate link)

Southwestern Cream of Turkey Broccoli Soup

This evening I used our leftover Thanksgiving turkey to make soup. I didn't want it to taste anything like Thanksgiving (after 3 nights of Thanksgiving dinner in a row)...LOL. So, I added a different twist to it; I gave it a Southwestern flair by adding a bit of chipotle chile powder for a little spice. I made a creamy turkey and broccoli soup with diced Poblano, red and yellow bell pepper to stay with the Southwestern theme. It turned out great and did not resemble any flavors of Thanksgiving whatsoever. I snapped a couple photos below as well as a couple of new finds I picked up today at the grocery store. One is a dark chocolate roasted almond coconut butter (shredded coconut) and it is lightly sweetened with dates...but still low in sugar (3 grams per serving). The other was an organic fair trade 70% cacao chocolate bar with salted roasted almonds (salted with pink Himalayan sea salt) -- I had a few squares of it and really liked the combination of sweet and salty. Below is the soup recipe and a few photos. Enjoy!

P.S. - Beginning tomorrow, Monday, 12/2 -- Honeyville has a 5-day 20% off sale that runs through Friday, 12/6. That's a savings of almost $8.00 on a 5-lb bag of blanched almond flour if you are running low. Just use coupon code GIFT when you check out!  (affiliate link)