Persimmon Coconut Cookies

In the mood for some cookies but wanted to get away from the typical seed and coconut flour based recipes. Can't do tree nuts due to allergies.

Out comes the coconut butter, 1 cup to be exact. Add to that 1/2c chopped dried persimmons, 1 egg, 1tbsp honey, 1tsp baking powder, 1/4tsp sea salt. 

Mix thoroughly

Compress into a ball and place silicone mat or parchment

Smash to 1/2in thickness

Bake at 350deg for 8min. Let cool completely before moving, crumbly while still warm but firms up nicely at room temperature

Flavor and texture is surprisingly like shortbread

Persimmon bread, grain fee, nut free, sweetener free

A friend gave me a grocery bag of hachiya persimmons and I have been experimenting. Have been wanting to try a grain/nut free bread but I can not eat almonds. I tried sunflower flour but the was hint of that flavor. This time I tried pumpkin seeds. Ran them through my Vitamix

With the persimmons I prefer crushing so there is some texture

Also mixing by hand 

1.5c persimmon pulp

3 eggs

1/4c lard melted

2c pumpkin seed flower

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp ground nutmeg

1/2tsp powdered ginger

1tsp baking powder

3/4tsp sea salt 

Mix wet ingredients and set aside, mix dry ingredients. The combine thoroughly using a spatula. Pour into your favorite bread pan.

After 65min in a 350deg oven the bread moist and delicious...especially with butter!

Chicken Heads and Feet

Tara Firma Farms has lessor wanted parts for a reasonable price. Heads, feet, gizzards and hearts for $3 a bag. Brought home a few of each to try them out. Extremities 1st and innards another time.

First up was bone broth. Tossed the frozen parts in a pot of water. 

Added an onion, a 1tbsp cider vinegar and a tablespoon of salt. Then simmered for 24hrs. Let cool and strained out the solids. Made a solid gelled broth.

Next day I made Sotanghan, a Filipino chicken sabaw (soup). A lime and ginger based broth with carrots, onions, your favorite dark green leafy veg and noodles, kelp used here.

Had a bag of feet and heads left and decided to give Zenbelly's Better than take-out stir fry sauce a try. Made the sauce the nigh before

You need to remove the nails, those babies are sharp

Then simmer for 90min or until tender. Next time I'll got longer, the knuckle cartilage was a but tough. Remove from broth and set a side to cool and dry for about 2hrs. Preheat oven to 450deg. Once dry slather each foot and head in lard and place on baking stone. Roast for about 20min and turn pieces over, continue cooking for another 20min.

        

In a wok heat sauce over high heat. Continue stirring until sauce is reduced and thick

Serve on bed of shredded cabbage. Sauce was great! but I did increase the  Red Boat to 2tbsp

See the brain? Tasted like fatty dark meat. Eyes were a bit chewy

Butter Mochi with Mango filling

Perfect treat for the carb up day!

4oz mochiko rice flour
1/4c butter melted
1/2c sugar
3/4c coconut milk
1tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2c chopped mango (fresh or frozen)

Silicone muffin pan, or paper liners for regular pan. Preheat oven 350deg. Combine all ingredients, mix thoroughly till smooth. Fill cups 80% full with batter, top with 1 heaping tablespoon mango. Bake for 45min or until tops are golden brown. Makes 4 muffins

Pho with Chitterling Noodles

Recipe straight from Beyond Bacon. If you're into whole animal eating like I am this is the book for you!

I've been wanting to try this since I go the book and finally had the 2 days need for preparation this weekend. Did make an alteration due to ingredients on hand. The change was bones for the broth, did not have any, but I did have trotters. Made a dandy substitute if I do say so myself.

I've cooked pig intestines before so chitterlings were no challenge for me, cleaning was a breeze but cooking was another matter. Smelled up the house pretty good! After that everything was straight forward. Made the recipes as written. The broth due to the trotters is thick with gelatin, it was great!

 Can't see the the goodness hiding below...

The chitterling noodles in all their glory!

Mealworm Fried 'Rice'

Was cruising the inter-webs yesterday and came across this article cooking with insects and a recipe for fried rice. Unusual enough to peak my interest. Went grocery shopping this morning to pick up ingredients. One stop at the market, next the pet store. You're thinking to yourself "why the pet store?" 

To get these! Check out that protein content!!

 Preparation is like any fried rice recipe just worms are added instead of chicken or pork.

Reminded me of dried shrimp but not as chewy or salty, these crunchy. Will get live worms next time, want to give those little buggers a try!

Ingredients;

2tbsp lard

300g 'riced' cauliflower

25g dried mealworms

2cloves garlic chopped

3 scallions chopped

2tbsp coconut aminos or tamari

1-2tbsp fish sauce

White or black pepper to taste

1-2 Red Jalapeno chopped (optional)

Why eating insects makes sense, by Mark Sisson

Filipino Fish Head Soup

In the mood for soup on this hot day, so stopped in at the Asian Market to see what I could find. They had some nice looking salmon heads and the price was right. $1.98lb, after weighing $2.08. Also picked up some baby bok choy, scallions, ginger and garlic.

Preparation is simple. mince ginger (1/2c), chop garlic (entire head), chop scallions (6pcs, bulb plus greens), 2 bunches baby bok choy (green separated from white), 6cups boiling water, 2-4tbsp fish sauce (patis), 1.5 tsp Hawaiian salt. and 2 tbsp coconut oil.

Heat oil over medium high heat, add garlic and ginger. Cook till fragrant but not browned, add scallions, mix thoroughly. Place head in pot, pour boiling water over the top. Season with patis to taste. Return to a boil, cover and cook for 15min depending on size of head. Flip head over mid way through and add salt to taste.

Place salmon bowl, add bok choy whites to broth, cook for 1min then add greens. Remove from heat and stir. Pour broth and veggies into bowl.

1st time eat head for me. Started with the eyes, nothing to write home about. Pops like roe when bitten. The best part was the flesh behind the eye socket and cheeks, fatty and succulent!