Homemade Applesauce

By Kristi Leave a Comment

Homemade applesauce is stupid easy. I mean, seriously. I know, I know. You hear that a lot on the internet or see it on Pinterest or whatever and you’re like, yeah, right… But, really. Homemade applesauce is like, the easiest thing to make. I used to make it all the time when the girls were babies. It was one of their favorite baby foods.

I got out of the applesauce habit for a little while, but I recently picked it back up again and I made the recipe. Wait for it…even EASIER. Booyah. Yeah, I’m bringing that back. (Not really.)

You see, originally, I peeled off the skins. And I thought to myself…self, why peel off the skins? There are a ton of nutrients in there and plus, don’t you hate peeling? Plus, you have this swank blender. So, you know, I stopped peeling off the skins. Ahhh, glorious.

So now, this is what I do. I core the apples. I stick said apples in the crockpot. I pour in the meager three other ingredients (lemon juice, cinnamon or cinnamon essential oil and vanilla…that’s it) and I turn on the crockpot. Then I go away and jam out in the living room with my kids for hours. Or I sleep, or whatever. Depending on you know, whether it’s midnight or not.

You don’t get midnight urges to make applesauce? Meh. Different strokes.

Once that little episode is over I scoop the whole sh’bang into the blender, blend that business and pour it into a couple of quart canning jars with the sweet reusable lids. Boom. Applesauce for daaaaaaays.

And then, I put them in these little babies from LunchBots and send them with my kids’ lunches. And they gobble them up. And when they’re home, they ask for like thirds and fourths. And so do their friends! Because this applesauce is amazeballs. Seriously, it’s freaking delicious. Go make some and hide some from your kids. Enjoy!

Why homemade?

You can find some pretty yummy and healthy organic applesauce these days. You can get applesauce in glass jars that is simply organic apples and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in a jar. Awesome. That’s great. You totally couldn’t do that everywhere even just a few years ago.

Organic groceries have come a loooong way in a short period of time. And you know why that is? Because we’re voting with our wallets. Boom. We’re saying, we don’t want that pesticide Dirty Dozen polluted apple junk anymore and we’re not going to take it. And (because they don’t want to go broke) companies are listening. Yay!

So, why not just buy the jarred stuff? Well, you totally can! I do it when I don’t feel like making it. Or when I’m out of town, or whatever. I like this applesauce. But, it’s spendy. Not that organic apples are the least spendy thing in the world, but I can usually get a 5.5 pound flat of organic apples at Costco for around $8 or $9, and that makes almost two batches of this applesauce.

Now, I make usually 2 quarts of applesauce per batch. And the jar I buy is about 23 ounces. So, you know, two batches of 2 quarts, so 128 ounces for $9 versus the jarred stuff of 23 ounces for $10-13. I’d say you do the math, but I totally just did it for you.

Plus, when you make your own, you can make it your own. Introduce new flavors and textures or whatever you like. EXPERIMENT!

Why reusable containers?

Those cute little snack packs are expensive. And, let’s face it, super wasteful. All that plastic and cardboard ends up somewhere. You can try to recycle it. But from what I understand, a lot of recycling gets dumped in the landfills these days due to contamination because of single stream curbside recycling services. Shameful.

So, using adorable and reusable containers like these LunchBots ones (or your favorites…they didn’t give me these or ask me to write this, I just love them!), can save you money and the planet grief in the long-run. Win-win!

Homemade Applesauce

Makes about 2 quarts

Ingredients

3 pounds organic apples (I used Gala), cored (don’t bother peeling!)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 3 drops cinnamon (vitality) essential oil (I get mine HERE)

Method

Place those beautiful apples (unpeeled, but cored) into a 4-6 quart crockpot.

Pour in remaining ingredients.

Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

Scoop it all into the blender.

Blend.

Pour into canning jars with or other sealable container.

Refrigerate.

Or, you know, eat it. Because it’s freaking delicious.

To freeze and store for baking and recipe needs: place 1/4 cup in silicone muffin tin slots. Flash freeze until solid (at least 4 hours). Remove applesauce rounds from muffin tin (pop out) and divide applesauce pucks among gallon reusable bags or freezer bags to refreeze.

To use: Thaw individual serving in a bowl on the counter and use in recipes as egg and oil substitutes.

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Homemade Applesauce

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Ingredients

3 pounds organic apples (I used Gala), cored (don't bother peeling!)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 3 drops cinnamon (vitality) essential oil

Method

Place those beautiful apples (unpeeled, but cored) into a 4-6 quart crockpot.
Pour in remaining ingredients.
Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Blend.
Pour into canning jars with or other sealable container.
Refrigerate.
To freeze and store for baking and recipe needs: place 1/4 cup in silicone muffin tin slots. Flash freeze until solid (at least 4 hours). Remove applesauce rounds from muffin tin (pop out) and divide applesauce pucks among gallon reusable bags or freezer bags to refreeze.
To use: Thaw individual serving in a bowl on the counter and use in recipes as egg and oil substitutes.

25 Healthy Zucchini Recipes

By Kristi

I need more healthy zucchini recipes… I’ve been thinking this in my head for the past few weeks.

If you like to garden, even it’s just a small veggie patch in the yard, you have probably already discovered the amazing producing abilities of zucchini. It can be pretty overwhelming to try and figure out new and creative ways to eat ALL. THE. ZUCCHINI.

Zucchini has such a reputation for over-producing in the garden, that it has a special holiday…did you know that August 8 is “National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch” day?!?

Wouldn’t it be nice to leave them some already-made tasty zucchini recipes instead of just plain ole zucchini? Also, you can have some new zucchini recipes for inspiration in your own kitchen. Your family will thank you for that.

So here’s an awesome list of 25 healthy zucchini recipes. Enjoy!

Before we start, many of these recipes use Zucchini Noodles in them. Here’s a great tutorial about How to Make Zucchini Noodles.

25 Healthy Zucchini Recipes

Main Dishes with Zucchini

1. Bacony Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles from Veggie Converter

2. Ramen Soup with Zucchini Noodles from Jar of Lemons

3. Zucchini Pasta with Pesto and Avocado from Anya’s Eats

4. Zucchini Coleslaw from Delicious Obessions

5. Zucchini and Tomato ‘Pasta’ from Pure and Simple Nourishment

6. Zucchini Quinoa Burgers from Veggie Converter

7. Garlic Zucchini Fries from Real Food Outlaws

8. Mediterranean Zucchini Noodle Pasta from Peace, Love, and Low Carb

9. 3-Ingredient Baked Sweet Potato Zucchini Tots from The Big Man’s World

10. Zucchini Noodles with Sauteed Vegetables from Thank Your Body

11. Pesto Chicken with Zucchini Noodles from Savory Lotus

12. Healthy Zucchini Tortillas from Sweet as Honey

Breads, Muffins, Sweet Treats with Zucchini

13. Chocolate Black Bean Zucchini Cupcakes from Veggie Converter

14. Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Paleo Running Momma

15. Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread from Small Footprint Family

16. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins from Real Food RN

17. Blueberry Zucchini Muffins from Paleo Running Momma

18. Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Whole Lifestyle Nutrition

19. Chewy Zucchini Brownies from Thank Your Body

20. Flourless Zucchini Bread Pancakes from The Big Man’s World

Preserving Recipes, Sauces, Etc. with Zucchini

21. How to Dehydrate Zucchini from GNOWFGLINS

22. Gummy Zucchini Candy from Common Sense Homesteading

23. Vegan Pesto with Zucchini from Small Footprint Family

24. Zucchini Cheese from Gutsy by Nature

25. Dehydrated Zucchini Chips from Veggie Converter

Curry Chicken Salad

By Kristi

Who knew curry chicken salad could be so easy? Browned chicken, veggies and curry mayo mixed together in a bowl. Done.

Finding proteins to put in the kids’ lunchboxes is sometimes a pain in the patoot. Especially as a longtime vegetarian, I struggle with ideas for meaty things that will taste great cold. Well, because, I struggle with meaty things that taste great at all. But, you know, learning and all that.

So, when the kids and I came across a veggie-heavy chicken salad in their Princess Cookbook, I decided we could double the veggies, add some curry powder and see if we might actually come up with something tasty. And we did!

Now, granted, I think it’d be way tastier with chickpeas instead. But hey, it’s a start.

If you’re not a curry fan, try a different seasoning that you like. Taco seasoning, Italian seasoning or maybe lemon pepper could be good, too.

Curry Chicken Salad

Adapted from Royal Recipe Collection

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups browned chicken, coarsely chopped (vegetarian option: cooked chickpeas)
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, diced or shredded
6 ounces water chestnuts, diced

Method

Mix mayonnaise and curry in a small bowl.

Put chicken, broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts in a medium bowl.

Pour mayonnaise mixture over chicken mix and toss to coat.

Serve as lettuce wraps or with crackers.

Results

This was great just with a spoon or as lettuce wraps. And it worked well in the kids’ lunchboxes the next day, too. Win.

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Curry Chicken Salad

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
2 cups browned chicken, coarsely chopped (vegetarian option: cooked chickpeas)
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, diced or shredded
6 ounces water chestnuts, diced

Method

Mix mayonnaise and curry in a small bowl.
Put chicken, broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts in a medium bowl.
Pour mayonnaise mixture over chicken mix and toss to coat.
Serve as lettuce wraps or with crackers.

Paleo Lemon Coconut Balls

By Kristi

Paleo lemon coconut balls? Yes, please! Lemon + coconut plus done in less than 30 minutes? Oh, yeah!

I am not a huge chocolate dessert person. I mean, it’s yummy. But if I get to choose, I prefer citrusy desserts. I love lemon bars, but I don’t make them too terribly often.

I love these key lime bars in particular. But, they take a little while.

So these paleo lemon coconut balls—which are grain and dairy free and done in less than 30 minutes—are a great quick, yummy dessert for me. Plus, they have hazelnuts inside, so they are delicious and chock full of protein. Win!

Paleo Lemon Coconut Balls

adapted from Coconut Caramel Macaroons
Makes 12-15

Ingredients

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk or cream
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
15-20 drops of lemon (vitality) essential oil (I buy mine HERE)
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup hazelnut flour or almond flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Mix together maple syrup, coconut milk or cream, coconut oil and lemon essential oil.

To the bowl of a food processor, add the shredded coconut, almond flour and the maple syrup mixture.

Pulse until the mix is finely chopped and holds together when squeezed into a ball.

Drop 1 tablespoon size balls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.

Make sure the balls are packed tight; if needed, use your hands to finely pack the balls together.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops of the balls just begin to appear toasted.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

Results

Wow, these paleo lemon coconut balls are super lemony and fantastic. I can’t believe how easy they are, too!

The kids and Mr. Meaty all loved them and they were an easy recipe for the kids and I to make together.

Super win. We’ll be making these many more times and experimenting with new flavors, too.

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Paleo Lemon Coconut Balls

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 12-15

Ingredients

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk or cream
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
15-20 drops of lemon (vitality) essential oil
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup hazelnut flour or almond flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Mix together maple syrup, coconut milk or cream, coconut oil and lemon essential oil.
To the bowl of a food processor, add the shredded coconut, almond flour and the maple syrup mixture.
Pulse until the mix is finely chopped and holds together when squeezed into a ball.
Drop 1 tablespoon size balls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
Make sure the balls are packed tight; if needed, use your hands to finely pack the balls together.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops of the balls just begin to appear toasted.
Serve cold or at room temperature.

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Paleo Sweet Potato Pie

By Kristi

I big puffy heart custard pies (minus the gluteny crust). So this custardy sweet potato pie with a cookie crumb/pecan crust is absolutely perfect. The recipe comes from a great cookbook I recently acquired, the Outlander Kitchen Cookbook. The cookbook is based in part on foods from the awesome scifi-romance series, Outlander. The natural herbal remedies and yummy whole foods recipes mentioned in the book series in such detail always intrigued me. So when I saw the cookbook, I knew it would be great to try.

I love old cookbooks and this one is based primarily on modernized versions of recipes from the 1740s, so you can’t get much older in a cookbook. The best part about old cookbooks is they don’t use convenience foods, so it’s all real, whole ingredients. I made a few minor alterations to make this recipe grain free and dairy free.

Paleo Sweet Potato Pie

Adapted from Outlander Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup arrowroot cookie crumbs (or 1/2 cup arrowroot flour)
1/3 cup coconut sugar (for crust/topping)
1/2 cup finely ground pecans
1/2 cup coconut sugar (for pie filling)
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 2-3 drops cinnamon (vitality) essential oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest of 1 lemon or 3-5 drops lemon (vitality) essential oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or 1 drop nutmeg (vitality) essential oil

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes at 400 degree Fahrenheit. Let cool before peeling.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix coconut oil, arrowroot cookie crumbs, 1/3 cup coconut sugar and ground pecans until crumbs are moistened. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for topping, pressing the rest into a glass or ceramic 9-inch pie plate.

Mix together sweet potato flesh, remaining coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut milk, eggs, cinnamon/oil, vanilla, lemon zest/oil, salt and nutmeg/oil. Beat well to combine.

Pour sweet potato mixture into pie crust and smooth out the top.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sprinkle on topping. Bake for another 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Results

Holy wow! First of all, how did I never think to do pumpkin pies with this type of crust? Duh. Grain free and easy. The girls each had at least three pieces on day one. They would’ve had more, but I said no. Hah. It is absolutely delicious. It’s similar to pumpkin pie, but a bit more rich. If you like custardy pies (no matter what you think you think of sweet potatoes) give this a shot. Mr. Meaty doesn’t care for sweet potatoes. At all. He still thought this was pretty good, considering.

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Paleo Sweet Potato Pie

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup arrowroot cookie crumbs (or 1/2 cup arrowroot flour)
1/3 cup coconut sugar (for crust/topping)
1/2 cup finely ground pecans
1/2 cup coconut sugar (for pie filling)
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 2-3 drops cinnamon (vitality) essential oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
zest of 1 lemon or 3-5 drops lemon (vitality) essential oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or 1 drop nutmeg (vitality) essential oil

Method

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes at 400 degree Fahrenheit. Let cool before peeling.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix coconut oil, arrowroot cookie crumbs, 1/3 cup coconut sugar and ground pecans until crumbs are moistened. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for topping, pressing the rest into a glass or ceramic 9-inch pie plate.
Mix together sweet potato flesh, remaining coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut milk, eggs, cinnamon/oil, vanilla, lemon zest/oil, salt and nutmeg/oil. Beat well to combine.
Pour sweet potato mixture into pie crust and smooth out the top.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sprinkle on topping. Bake for another 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Almond Butter Cookies

By Kristi

I’ve tried a lot of different meals for breakfast since going mostly grain free. This almond butter cookies recipe is one of my absolute favorites. And you wouldn’t believe how simple it is. The recipe requires only TWO INGREDIENTS. What?? All you need is an egg and half a cup of nut butter. I add a couple drops of cinnamon (vitality) essential oil to mine just for an extra kick, but that’s totally optional. You can mix these almond butter cookies up in about two minutes and they bake in just five. So breakfast is ready in less than 10. And since there’s no sugar added, these cookies are straight up protein: egg and almond butter. Win. These breakfast cookies are paleo, grain free, gluten free, dairy free—oh, and bonus—they make a yummy dessert, too.

Almond Butter Cookies

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond butter
1 egg
2 drops cinnamon (vitality) essential oil (optional)

Method

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop mixture onto the sheet by the heaping teaspoonful.

If you want fancy fork marks, freeze the batter on the sheet for about 1 hour. When you get the unbaked cookies out of the freezer, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly press cookies down with a fork (crosshatching the fork marks on top to make a checkerboard pattern).

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes. Let cool and serve.

Results

It’s hard to believe how quickly these can be made. Seriously. Cookies/breakfast in less than 10 minutes? Win. The texture, according to Mr. Meaty, is a little “weird” when you are thinking of standard cookies. They’re not quite fluffy, but not terribly dense either. They’re closer to macaroons than sugar cookies. The flavor is a hit with everyone and the kids didn’t balk at the texture at all. Though they did orginally think they were chicken nuggets at first glance. Hah!

Maple Almond Cashew Butter

By Kristi

We almost always make our own nut butter. In part because I try to avoid peanuts and also because homemade nut butter is delicious. But we bought some healthy almond butter when we were on vacation this summer and fell in love with the maple flavor that we’d never tried before. So, I wanted to emulate that flavor at home.

We love to use this almond butter to make 2-ingredient grain-free cookies, banana almond butter coconut smoothies and of course, PB&J sandwiches.

Maple Almond Cashew Butter

Makes about 1 pint nut butter

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
2 tablespoons avocado oil
salt, to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)

Method

Add almonds, cashews and avocado oil to a food processor or high-speed blender.

Blend until smooth.

Add salt to taste.

Add maple syrup and pulse just enough to mix in the syrup.

Results

Wow! Delicious. And super simple. We love this version. Though our usual non-syrup version is great, too. I like the mix of almond and cashew for its flavor and texture. Cashews are a bit softer and are less grainy in the end-result nut butter. But the almonds are so good for you, too, so it’s nice to have a mix.

Almonds are high in vitamin E, an antioxidant. While all nut butters are high in protein (an ounce of nut butter is the protein equivalent to the same amount of meat) and fiber, almond butter is significantly higher than peanut butter in vitamin E, magnesium and iron.

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Maple Almond Cashew Butter

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1 cup cashews
2 tablespoons avocado oil
salt, to taste
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional)

Method

Add almonds, cashews and avocado oil to a food processor or high-speed blender.
Blend until smooth.
Add salt to taste.
Add maple syrup and pulse just enough to mix in the syrup.

Paleo Mongolian Beef

By Kristi

One of the few meaty Chinese dishes I’ve tried at restaurants and really liked is Mongolian Beef. But I always add veggies to it because it’s so boring otherwise. Making at home means I can add whatever veggies I want so I tracked down a recipe and tinkered with it to make it in my clay pot cooker.

So, in addition to swapping a crockpot for a clay pot, I used arrowroot instead of corn starch, coconut aminos instead of soy sauce (and half the amount), coconut sugar instead of brown sugar (also halved), nixed the carrots and added water chestnuts and mushrooms. Now that I’ve got the recipe down, I’ll experiment with extra veggies like snow peas next go-around.

Clay Pot Mongolian Beef

Adapted from Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds steak, cut into strips
1/4 cups arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1/2 teaspoons mince garlic
1/3 cup coconut aminos
3/4 cups water
3/4 cups coconut sugar
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces water chestnuts
1 cup grated carrots
green onions, for garnish

Method
Cut steak into thin strips. In a ziploc bag add steak pieces and arrowroot powder. Shake to coat.
Add avocado oil, minced garlic, coconut aminos water, coconut sugar, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts to clay pot or slow cooker. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak and stir again until coated in the sauce.

Set the clay pot on stew and cook for 2 hours.
In slow cooker, cook for high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours. Garnish with green onions. Serve over rice if desired.

Results

Wowza. This dish is so easy and absolutely delicious. Everyone, (myself, Mr. Meaty and the kiddos) loved it and had at least seconds. This is a definite repeat. We’ll add snow peas for sure next time (because we love them), but it’s great as is, too. Broccoli would also be yummy. This would be really easy to make quickly on the stovetop, too. Just follow the directions up until the clay pot and stir fry in a pan or wok for about 10-15 minutes.

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Paleo Mongolian Beef

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds steak, cut into strips
¼ cups arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons avocado oil
½ teaspoons mince garlic
1/3 cup coconut aminos
¾ cups water
¾ cups coconut sugar
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces water chestnuts
1 cup grated carrots
green onions, for garnish

Method

Cut steak into thin strips. In a ziploc bag add steak pieces and arrowroot powder. Shake to coat.
Add avocado oil, minced garlic, coconut aminos water, coconut sugar, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts to clay pot or slow cooker. Stir ingredients. Add coated flank steak and stir again until coated in the sauce.
Set the clay pot on stew and cook for 2 hours.
In slow cooker, cook for high 2-3 hours or on low 4-5 hours. Garnish with green onions. Serve over rice if desired.

Kitchen Scrap Broth: Broth & Stock Cookbook Review

By Kristi

Kitchen Scrap Broth | @VeggieConverter

I absolutely love making broth for my family. It was one of the first big money savers I embarked on when the girls were babies. We started out with vegetable broth and eventually started making bone broth from turkey and chicken bones. I made the broth even before I ate any chicken. I’ve cobbled together some pretty good bone broth in the past, but when I received a copy of broth & stock from the Nourished Kitchen to review, I found the perfect kitchen scrap broth.

For me, the big key was learning something I should’ve known, but hadn’t thought about. I collect my kitchen scraps in a big freezer bag and put in just about any veggie scraps I have, usually including onions, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini. But as Jennifer McGruther says in broth & stock, “Brassicas, like broccoli, cabbage, kale, and collards, can infuse the broth with undesirable bitter notes, so it’s best to avoid them.” Well, duh! I should’ve known that. I even know to avoid putting them in my kitchen composter since they create a nasty stink. But this one change to my kitchen scrap broth made a world of difference in the taste of the broth. The chicken broth that resulted was absolutely the best tasting broth we’ve ever had. No funky flavors or smells in this broth. It’s just absolutely delicious, golden broth. We’ve made three batches of this recipe so far and have been pleased each time.

The rest of broth & stock is filled with incredible real food recipes for soups and stews as well as many broth variations. So far, my next favorite is Yucatan-Style Lime Soup (sopa de lima). It’s an incredibly simple recipe that’s packed with flavor: chicken, onion, white rice and limes. Fantastic. I can’t wait to explore the rest of broth & stock and continue to enjoy my perfect kitchen scrap broth for years to come.

Broth & Stock |@VeggieConverter

I made very minor alterations, listed below, to the original broth & stock recipe to suit what I had on hand and switch from cooking in a stock pot to my VitaClay cooker.

Kitchen Scrap Broth

Adapted from broth & stock

Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

1 chicken carcass, including scraps like necks & backs if available
1 1/4 cups loosely packed vegetable trimmings such as onion skins and ends, carrot peelings, zucchini ends, herb stems
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 tablesppon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 quarts cold water

Method

Place ingredients in VitaClay cooker or slow cooker and cook on SOUP setting for 5-8 hours (for a CrockPot, cook on LOW for 12 to 24 hours). When cool enough to handle, strain through a mesh sieve and pour into two 1-quart jars, sealing the lids. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

how-to-make-kitchen-scrap-broth

Paleo Creamy Tomato Noodle Soup

By Kristi

Sometimes the best ideas come to me when I’m just whipping up a quick dinner for the kids and myself. This Paleo creamy tomato noodle soup is one of those times. I wanted to make noodles because I’ve been craving them and I didn’t have any marinara sauce made, so I opted to combine a can of tomato sauce and a can of coconut milk. It turned out more souplike than I had in mind, but we absolutely loved what turned out to be creamy tomato noodle soup. It’s grain-free, dairy-free and vegan! The tomato and coconut milk combination is absolutely fantastic (just

The tomato and coconut milk combination is absolutely fantastic (just like in the Lentil Quinoa deliciousness). It may be the key to all deliciousness ever. Hard to say this early. But, let me tell you. Both kids ate THIRDS. THIRDS! I might’ve done a little jig. I highly recommend this one. If you’re not grain-free, you can opt for regular thin spaghetti noodles or rice noodles. If you are, go for zoodles or grain-free noodles like we did!

Creamy Tomato Noodle Soup

Ingredients

8 ounces grain-free noodles or zucchini noodles
15 ounces tomato sauce
13.5 ounces coconut milk
4 ounces mushrooms
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
Himalayan pink salt, to taste

Method

Prepare noodles, set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add noodles and heat through if necessary.

It comes out kind of like a stoup: a stew/soup. You might need both a fork and spoon. Or just a fork and drink the rest out of the bowl. That’s what the kids opted for. It’s so tasty I highly recommend putting this one in your monthly meal plan rotation. It’s also great with rice or quinoa instead of noodles!

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Paleo Creamy Tomato Noodle Soup

Author: Kristi Arnold @VeggieConverter.com

Ingredients

8 ounces grain-free noodles or zucchini noodles
15 ounces tomato sauce
13.5 ounces coconut milk
4 ounces mushrooms
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
Himalayan pink salt, to taste

Method

Prepare noodles, set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add noodles and heat through if necessary.
It comes out kind of like a stoup: a stew/soup. You might need both a fork and spoon. Or just a fork and drink the rest out of the bowl. That's what the kids opted for. It's so tasty I highly recommend putting this one in your monthly meal plan rotation. It's also great with rice or quinoa instead of noodles!

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Homemade Applesauce

25 Healthy Zucchini Recipes

Main Dishes with Zucchini

1. Bacony Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles from Veggie Converter

2. Ramen Soup with Zucchini Noodles from Jar of Lemons

3. Zucchini Pasta with Pesto and Avocado from Anya’s Eats

4. Zucchini Coleslaw from Delicious Obessions

5. Zucchini and Tomato ‘Pasta’ from Pure and Simple Nourishment

6. Zucchini Quinoa Burgers from Veggie Converter

7. Garlic Zucchini Fries from Real Food Outlaws

8. Mediterranean Zucchini Noodle Pasta from Peace, Love, and Low Carb

9. 3-Ingredient Baked Sweet Potato Zucchini Tots from The Big Man’s World

10. Zucchini Noodles with Sauteed Vegetables from Thank Your Body

11. Pesto Chicken with Zucchini Noodles from Savory Lotus

12. Healthy Zucchini Tortillas from Sweet as Honey

Breads, Muffins, Sweet Treats with Zucchini

13. Chocolate Black Bean Zucchini Cupcakes from Veggie Converter

14. Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Paleo Running Momma

15. Coconut Flour Zucchini Bread from Small Footprint Family

16. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins from Real Food RN

17. Blueberry Zucchini Muffins from Paleo Running Momma

18. Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Whole Lifestyle Nutrition

19. Chewy Zucchini Brownies from Thank Your Body

20. Flourless Zucchini Bread Pancakes from The Big Man’s World

Preserving Recipes, Sauces, Etc. with Zucchini

21. How to Dehydrate Zucchini from GNOWFGLINS

22. Gummy Zucchini Candy from Common Sense Homesteading

23. Vegan Pesto with Zucchini from Small Footprint Family

24. Zucchini Cheese from Gutsy by Nature

25. Dehydrated Zucchini Chips from Veggie Converter

Curry Chicken Salad

Paleo Lemon Coconut Balls

Paleo Sweet Potato Pie

Almond Butter Cookies

Maple Almond Cashew Butter

Clay Pot Mongolian Beef

Kitchen Scrap Broth

Creamy Tomato Noodle Soup

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