Have you ever made nut butter at home? If not, what are you waiting for? It is so easy and much cheaper than buying at the store. I make homemade peanut butter and almond butter all of the time. I like to try new variations of my favorite nut butters, so when I saw Erin’s (Naturally Ella) recipe for Sea Salt and Honey Almond Butter I knew I was in for a special treat. I had everything in my pantry so I busted out my food processor and got started. 

To make it you will need: almonds, honey, and sea salt. Yes, there are only three ingredients involved in making this delicious almond butter. Big time bonus, huh? 

Place the almonds in the food processor. 

Turn on the food processor and let it work its magic. 

The almonds will go through different stages. Keep the food processor going until the almonds release their oils. 

The almonds will start to ball up right before it is ready. 

Then the almonds will turn into a smooth and creamy butter. When you get to this stage, you are good to go. 

Turn off the food processor and scrape the almond butter into a large jar. 

Sprinkle in sea salt. 

Add in the honey. Stir until combined. Taste the almond butter and adjust sweet/salty combination to your liking. 

Cover the jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator. 

Homemade nut butter in under ten minutes, with only three ingredients—you’ve got to get in on this! It’s so easy and so good! I am in love with the sweet and salty combo. I could eat it straight from the jar, but I try to control myself. I love to eat it on apple slices, toast, or crackers. It is great for breakfast or a healthy snack. 

Thanks Erin for sharing your Sea Salt and Honey Almond Butter recipe. My jar is already half empty and it’s only been a few days. I guess I will be whipping up another batch soon. For other delicious and healthy recipes, visit Erin’s beautiful blog, Naturally Ella. 

Printable Recipe

Sea Salt and Honey Almond Butter

by Erin on March 26, 2012 in Condiments March 26, 2012 Condiments

See post on Erin’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 2 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: -

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 12

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Homemade almond butter that beats out store bought any day!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Dry Roasted Almonds
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Honey

Preparation Instructions

Place almonds in a food processor and turn on. Almonds will go through different stages but you will want to let your food processor run until the oil has released and almond butter has smoothed out (it will ball up right before this happens). Turn off food processor and transfer to a mason jar.

Stir in salt and honey; taste. Adjust sweet/salty combination to your liking. Cover with an airtight lid and keep in the refrigerator.

 
 
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Maria and her husband Josh (who she affectionately refers to as her “dough boy”) blog at Two Peas and Their Pod. They’ve been featured on Saveur, Eatocracy, Gourmet Live, Glamour, and the Los Angeles Times, to name just a few. They’d also just recently added a little pea to their pod. We’re so glad to have them here!

 
I thought about simply writing “best weeknight dinner…ever” and leaving it at that, but I also wanted you to know just why I liked this dish so much. I was first drawn to Natalie’s recipe because of the solid reviews. Each person said how much their family loved it and how they’d made it again and again, so it was no surprise when I found the same true for me.

As I eat less meat these days, I’m always in search of recipes that move meat from focal point to flavoring, and I think this recipe perfectly exemplifies that. Sweet potatoes are a little unexpected in a dish with Mexican flavorings, but paired with a small amount of spicy meat it’s a winning combination. The spinach and beans make the dish even heartier and healthier.

I don’t have children (yet!), but I know that assembling foil packs is a fun way to involve kids in dinner preparation. Give this recipe a try, and I’ll bet you join the other reviewers and me in declaring Sweet Potato Foil Packs a weeknight favorite in your home.

Here’s what you need.

Start by browning the meat. I used ground turkey instead of beef because I prefer it, but any type of ground meat would work!

To the browned meat, add the taco seasoning…

The tomato sauce…

And the beans, stirring until evenly mixed.

Next, cut six large pieces of aluminum foil, making sure to give yourself enough room to fold in all four sides. (Think of it like wrapping a gift; you don’t want to get to the end only to realize you don’t have enough!) Spray each piece of foil with cooking spray before assembling packets. Start by adding the sweet potato…

Then top with a little pat of butter. Butter and sweet potatoes? Yum!

Then add a pinch of salt, followed by a portion of spinach, meat, beans, and plenty of cheese. Do you hear me? Plenty of cheese! Note: I used frozen spinach which I thawed, drained, and squeezed dry as that’s what I had on hand, though the recipe calls for fresh spinach.

Once you’ve assembled your foil pack, pull together the sides and fold down. But be sure to leave a little breathing room in there!

Then fold up the ends, just like wrapping a present.

After sealing all the foil packs, place them on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Once baked, open (being careful of any steam) … and inhale. The smell is divine!

We served the foil packs on flour tortillas with a dollop of sour cream and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro.

Thanks to Natalie for this delicious weeknight recipe! I can’t wait to make it again and try new variations. Do visit her blog Perry’s Plate for more of her great recipes. She’s always cooking up something good!

Printable Recipe

Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos

by Natalie | Perry's Plate on February 25, 2011 in Beef, Main Courses February 25, 2011 BeefMain Courses

See post on Natalie | Perry's Plate’s site!

4.94 Mitt(s) 17 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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Taco – tortilla + sweet potato cubes = a gluten-free alternative to tacos that your kids will adore!

Ingredients

• ½ pounds Ground Beef Or Turkey
• 2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
• ½ cups Tomato Sauce
• 1 can (15 Oz. Can) Black, Kidney, Or Pinto Beans, Drained
• 6 cups Sweet Potatoes, Peeled And Cut Into 1/2-inch Cubes
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1-½ cup Chopped Fresh Spinach
• 1-½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Sour Cream, Salsa, And/or Guacamole For Garnish

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425ºF.

Brown ground meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and beans. Set aside.

To assemble packets, spray the foil with non-stick spray. Place 1 cup sweet potato cubes in the center of each piece. Top with a small piece of butter (about 1 teaspoon) and a pinch or two of salt. Sprinkle some chopped spinach over the sweet potatoes, followed by about 1/3 cup of taco meat and a sprinkle of cheese. Fold the sides in, then bring the top and bottom ends of the foil together in the center and fold, sealing the packet.

Repeat with remaining ingredients, placing the packets on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.

Makes 6 servings.

Note: For the taco meat, I used some leftover Hidden Veggie Chipotle Taco Meat I had in the fridge (recipe in my TK box).

 
 
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Three Many Cooks is the always-entertaining food blog of Pam Anderson and her two daughters, Maggy and Sharon. Pam is a well-known and much-respected food writer and author, Maggy is a “hippy adventurer meets 1950s housewife,” and Sharon refers to herself as a recovering food snob learning to survive on a graduate student’s budget. Theirs is a strong relationship both inside and outside the kitchen, and it shows in the food they create and the stories they tell.

 
April is National Grilled Cheese Month!  So what better way to celebrate than with a newly discovered and loved grilled cheese sandwich? I’ve had my eye on Lindsay’s recipe since I saw it first on her blog Pinch of Yum. I was intrigued by all the flavors and placed it in my TK recipe box for safekeeping. The first chance that I had, I whipped these up for my Mom for lunch. And after we finished our sandwiches I knew I had to spotlight this fantastic Bacon, Pear and Raspberry Grilled Cheese on the TK Blog.
 
I take the whole grilled-cheese-making process very seriously. So seriously in fact that I broke it all down and came up with a game plan on just how this sandwich should be built. Crazy? Maybe. For example, I placed the bacon by the raspberry preserves for the whole salty-meets-sweet thing, then the sliced pear on the bacon, leaving the cheese to melt all over the pear. But however you decide to stack it, all of you fellow grilled cheese lovers should  make this ASAP (it is a holiday after all)!
 
 
 
 

To make these sandwiches you’ll need 4 slices of sturdy whole wheat bread. Because of the weight from all these toppings you definitely want bread that can stand up to the challenge. Not only does the earthiness of the whole wheat bread round out this sammie, but it’s good for you too!
 
 
 
 

I’m using the same skillet I used to fry up the bacon so I drained off all of the bacon fat.

Then with a sharp knife, thinly slice the pear.
 
 
 
 

You’ll need about 3 to 4 slices per sandwich so one pear should do the trick for two.
 
 
 
 

Now let’s assemble the sandwiches. Start by spreading a thin layer of butter on one side of each piece of bread. I’ve found that the thinner the layer of butter, the crispier the grilled cheese!
 
 
 
 

I place the buttered sides together and start piling on the toppings.
 
 
 
 

First, the raspberry preserves, the seedless kind.
 
 
 
 

On top of the preserves lay down four half-strips of bacon or more if that’s how you like to roll.
 
 
 
 

Top with the thinly sliced pear.
 
 
 
 

And of course two slices of Munster cheese (because you deserve it).
 
 
 
 

Place the stacked sandwich, butter-side down, in your skillet preheated on medium and top with the second slice of bread, butter-side up (naturally). Grill the sandwich until it reaches the golden-ness you prefer. I like mine a little on the darker side. 
 
 
 
 

Flip and repeat.
 
 
 
 

Cut the grilled cheese in half and serve.
 
 
 
 

This is one gourmet grilled cheese, one that I’d gladly pay a pretty price for in any cafe. The flavors meld perfectly, and I love the subtlety of the raspberry jam.  
 
 
 
 

This is a grilled cheese that will definitely grace my kitchen table time and time again, and I have a feeling you’re going to love it as well. Thank you Lindsay for dreaming up this sandwich and sharing it with us! 
 
Be sure to head over to Lindsay’s blog for gorgeous photos, good laughs and a generous “Pinch of Yum.” You can of course find many of her delicious recipes here on Tasty Kitchen as well, in her recipe box!

Printable Recipe

Bacon, Pear & Raspberry Grilled Cheese

by Lindsay on December 19, 2011 in Main Courses, Sandwiches December 19, 2011 Main CoursesSandwiches

See post on Lindsay’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 7 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2

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Sweet, salty, and very, very cheesy.

Ingredients

• 4 slices Sturdy, Grainy Wheat Bread
• 3 Tablespoons Raspberry Preserves
• 8 slices Red Pear, Thinly Sliced
• 8 slices Cooked Bacon
• 4 slices Muenster Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Butter

Preparation Instructions

Preheat griddle or panini press to medium-high heat.

Assemble 2 sandwiches in this order: bread, 1 1/2 tablespoons preserves, 4 slices pear, 4 slices bacon, 2 slices cheese, bread.

Spread butter on the top and bottom of the sandwich and grill for 4-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and top is golden brown.

Note: my slices of bacon were pretty small and thin, which is why I used 4 on each sandwich (gulp). I think 2 regular slices per sandwich would be plenty.

 
 
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Laurie is the force behind Simply Scratch, a blog that documents her efforts to find and create recipes that are made simply from scratch. (We think it’s sweet that her mother-in-law helped her set up her blog and get started.) We love her recipes; they’re not just tried and true, but they look gorgeous as well. Check out her blog and you’ll become a fan too.

 
When I saw this recipe from TK member The Church Cook, I thought I was buying into a lemon-flavored shortbread cookie experience. Oh no, my friends–these Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies were better than a typical shortbread cookie—times four hundred thousand. These cookies are soft and pillowy; they walk the the line—perfectly—between tart and sweet.

Spring is in the air. It’s upon us, and what better way to embrace it than baking up a batch of these light and zesty cookies. I made these twice: once using Meyer lemons (my grocery store still has them stocked), and then a second time using regular lemons. Both times resulted in utter deliciousness. 

Let’s dive in!

Start by mixing all of the dry ingredients together: all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.

Slice the lemon. Get it ready.

Next, beat the sugar and butter together until nice and fluffy.

Add the eggs.

And then the ricotta. (We’re almost there!)

Fresh lemon juice is added in.

And lastly, the lemon zest.

Fold in the dry ingredient mixture and mix until it just comes together. No overmixing.

Using a cookie scooper (or two teaspoons), drop the cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

These cookies spread a bit so make sure they’re not super close together.

Transfer them to a preheated oven (set to 375ºF) and bake for 15 minutes. While they’re baking, make the glaze!

To a medium bowl, add the powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Yum! Mix it all together until it’s nice and smooth.

When the cookies are cooled to room temperature, drizzle the glaze on top. Get all Jackson Pollock with it—it’s fun! 

Allow the glaze to set for 2 hours before serving. But, I mean, if you wanted to serve the cookies while the glaze is all gooey and delicious, I doubt anyone would mind.

I’m excited to try these cookies with different types of citrus, like pomelos, cara cara oranges, and maybe blood oranges. The possibilities are endless!

Big thanks to Kay for this delicious and easy cookie recipe. It has officially earned its way into my treasure trove of great cookie recipes. It should be in yours, too. Go visit her blog, The Church Cook. She has really good recipes, I’m telling you.

Printable Recipe

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies

by The Church Cook (Kay Heritage) on June 24, 2011 in Cookies, Desserts June 24, 2011 CookiesDesserts

See post on The Church Cook (Kay Heritage)’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 6 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 16

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Lemony cookies you will love!

Ingredients

• FOR THE COOKIES:
• 2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick Unsalted Butter, Softened
• 2 cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 whole (15-ounce) Container Of Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Meyer Lemon Juice (regular Can Be Substituted)
• 1 teaspoon Meyer Lemon Zest (regular Lemon Zest Can Be Substituted)
• FOR THE GLAZE:
• 1-½ cup Powdered Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Meyer Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

For the cookies: In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In your large mixer bowl, combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients. Do not over mix.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

For the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cooled cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread the glaze. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

Make Ahead:
Measure out dry and wet ingredients separately and it makes it so easy on the day of baking. Or bake the cookies and freeze them. On the day of serving, make and glaze the cookies at least a few hours ahead.

 
 
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Adrianna is the lovely lady behind the scrumptious blog A Cozy Kitchen. It’s filled with all kinds of mouthwatering recipes and gorgeous photography. Whether you’re in the mood for something vegetarian or meaty, fancy or pure comfort, light or decadent, there’s sure to be something there for everyone.

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  These Zesty Brussels Sprouts from Spontaneous Hausfrau were divine. They were crispy on the outside and the dressing gave them a special sort of tang.       To make them, you will need: olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, agave, mustard, parsley, and my friend the Brussels sprout.       Start by […]