Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Healthy Peppermint Hot Chocolate

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, I decided to make some hot chocolate this morning. Here's my recipe:

2-3 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups raw milk
2 tbsp raw honey, or stevia if you are trying to cut the calories
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
dash of celtic sea salt

Mix together cocoa & salt in a large mug. Warm milk, honey, and flavorings in a pot on the stove, just until it's warm so you keep all the nutrients alive in the honey and milk. Whisk the milk into the cup with the cocoa. Serve!!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Creamy Swiss Chard W/Bacon Over Pasta

So this week I couldn't get my local, humanely raised bacon, so I used storebought, but everything else is organic and/or local. In the last produce coop, we each got two bunches of swiss chard, and since my husband isn't a fan of leafy greens, I had to cleverly disguise the greens in a bacon/cheese fest :) He still wasn't crazy about the greens, but ate it all, so that's a good sign! This meal closely resembles macaroni and cheese, but with some green stuff and bacon added. YUM!

1 bunch rainbow chard, chopped coarsely, stems and leaves
7 pieces thick cut bacon or 3/4 lb or so, reserving 1/2 the fat for the sauce
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream
3 tbsp flour (I used pamela's)
1/2 cup raw cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 lb linguine pasta(I used Hodgson Mills gluten free)

Cook bacon and crumble. Cook pasta according to directions. Use 1/2 of the leftover bacon grease to cook onions and garlic in. Add flour, creating a roux. Then add the milk, sour cream, salt, oregano, onion, garlic & pepper until it thickens. Top with chopped chard, and cook down until greens are soft. Add crumbled bacon. Stir, and mix in with pasta. Serve with a crusty bread or a green salad to complete the meal.