Homemade Chocolate Pudding {Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free + Vegan Option}

This old fashioned comfort food may be one of my favorite desserts ever.  Seriously, this stuff is amazing ... THE best chocolate pudding I have ever tasted.  I made a batch of this and it did not last long, Big Love and I devoured it.

Make a batch of this and share it with someone you love.  

Homemade Chocolate Pudding {Gluten Free + Refined Sugar Free}

Equipment: Small Bowl, Medium-Size Saucepan, Whisk, Serving Dish or Individual Dishes 

{Affiliate links included help support this blog.}

• 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch {See Arrowroot Note below} or organic corn starch
• 2 cups full fat coconut milk or organic/raw*/grass-fed whole milk, divided
• 1 cup allergy free chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• Pinch of Celtic sea salt 
• 1 teaspoon gluten free vanilla extract

*** Refrigeration Time Required ***

1. In a small bowl combine arrowroot starch and 2 tablespoons of coconut milk or milk.  Stir until combined and set aside.  

2. Combine remaining coconut milk or milk, chocolate chips, coconut palm sugar, cacao powder and salt in a medium-size saucepan.  Over medium-low heat, whisk constantly until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat for about 3-5 minutes.  

3. Add arrowroot mixture to the chocolate mixture, whisking to combine.  Return saucepan to LOW heat and stir/whisk as you cook the pudding for about 5 minutes {about 8 minutes if using corn starch}, or until it starts to slightly thicken and looks deliciously glossy [Note: The pudding will not be super thick if using arrowroot].   

4. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

5. Pour pudding into serving dish or little individual dishes like ramekins.  

6. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.  

Yield: About 4 servings 

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but trust me, it will be gone before 3 days.  

Serving Suggestions: Enjoy as is or top with fresh fruit, shaved chocolate, fresh REAL whipped cream or whipped coconut cream. 

Vegan Option: Use coconut milk instead of whole milk.  

Arrowroot Starch Note: If arrowroot starch is overcooked or exposed to heat for too long, it tends to loose it's thickening ability.  To avoid this, it's important to cook the pudding quickly and not over high heat.  If the pudding does not thicken after 5 minutes, remove from the heat and add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of arrowroot starch.  Stir until the arrowroot is completely mixed into the pudding.  If this is a concern, use organic corn starch instead.  

*For California residents, check out my favorite raw milk/cream from Claravale Farm.  They sell to stores and co-ops all over CA.  If you can’t find raw, at least buy a quality organic product like Straus Family Creamery.  Their cows graze on lush grass in Marshall, CA near Tomales Bay and they do not ultra-pasteurize their products.   

Amazon links are affiliate links, prices are the same for you.  Should you decide to purchase through my blog, thank you in advance and much gratitude for supporting Recipes to Nourish.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Simple Lives Thursday @ My Humble Kitchen, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Healthy 2day Wednesdays @ day2day joys, Whole Food Friday @ Allergy Free Alaska, Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade, LunchBox Love @ Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, and Allergy-Free Wednesday @ The Tasty Alternative.

Fresh Summer Salsa w/ Cucumber

 

I'll be starting off The Seasonal REAL Food Blog Series with this delicious end of the summer salsa.

Just in case you're not quite ready to let go of summer yet ... this is my favorite salsa ever.  I have been wanting to make this for my husband for a while now, but was a bit nervous about making it since he grew up eating salsa (authentic, real salsa ... not that store bought "New York City Pace Picante" stuff).  I just decided to make it finally, and sure enough, he thought it was delicious and couldn't get enough of it ... although he would have loved it with more spice/heat, but I can't tolerate anything close to what he's used to eating spicy-wise.    

This salsa is seriously delicious, the cucumber makes it so unique and fresh tasting.  It's so so so good!  And even delicious the next day too!

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Stay tuned for all of the other delicious recipes in The Seasonal REAL Food Blog Series coming up soon ... you don't want to miss them!

************

Fresh Summer Salsa w/ Cucumber

Make sure to use organic ingredients to keep this salsa super fresh and healthy.

Equipment: Food Processor, Cutting Board, Knife

• 3 large tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1 large cucumber (about 12" long), peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1 large handful of cilantro (about 1 cup)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3-5 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
• 2-3 fresh jalapenos, halved (remove seeds if you don't like spice/heat)
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, start with 1/2 teaspoon (See Resources)

1. Wash and prep produce: cut tomatoes into large chunks, peel cucumber and cut into large chunks, cut lemon in half, peel garlic cloves, and cut jalapenos in half {Note: If you do not like too much spice, remove the seeds, or remove the seeds from 2 peppers and leave the seeds in 1 for a mild heat.}.

2. Add all produce, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to the food processor.  Pulse a few times to do a rough chop, then continue to blend until everything is combined and no chunks are left, about 15-20 seconds.  

3. Taste for desired saltiness.  If you like it saltier, add another 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.

4. Enjoy as is or refrigerate for later use.  

Yield: About 2 cups salsa

Storage: Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.  

Serving Suggestions: Eat as is with chips, or use as a topping or dip on tacos, meat dishes, veggies, and soups.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Whole Food Fridays @ Allergy Free Alaska, and Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade.

Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Dates

These are SO delicious!  They’re probably one of my favorite appetizers ever.    

Perfect appetizers for holiday parties, dinner parties or for a special dinner for two with your honey on Valentine’s Day. 

Equipment: Toothpicks, Large Baking Pan/Sheet (I use Stoneware), Cutting Board, Small Paring Knife, Small Bowl, Tongs

·      16 organic dates – pitted (buy pitted or remove pit during prep)

·      ¼ cup organic cream cheese, softened

·      ¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

·      ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon – optional

·      8 pastured or organic bacon slices, cut in half (See Resources)

·      16 toothpicks

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.   Prep dates – open up dates carefully with a paring knife, cut 2 lengthwise slits in the dates, making sure not to cut all the way through the date, remove small piece of date (save to snack on), remove pit if necessary.  See picture.

3.   In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, sea salt and optional cinnamon.  Stuff dates with about ½ teaspoon of the cheese mixture.

4.   Tightly wrap each cheese stuffed date with ½ slice of bacon.  Secure with toothpick.

5.    Place bacon wrapped dates seam side down on baking pan.  Place baking pan in oven, set timer for 10 minutes.  At 10 minutes, use tongs to flip each bacon wrapped date.  PLEASE USE CAUTION, the bacon grease is very hot, use an oven mitt to protect your hand/arm.  Set timer for another 10 minutes.  Bacon is done when it “looks” crispy and is dark golden brown.  Watch the bacon closely, all ovens cook differently, you don’t want the bacon to burn.  You should be able to tell at the 10-minute mark about how much longer you will need to cook the bacon.  If you’re not sure, just keep an eye on them.  You may need a few more minutes after the 20 minute mark to crisp the bacon enough.

6.   Serve warm or at room temperature.  Make sure to wait a couple of minutes before taking a bite, they are super HOT when they come out of the oven.      

    

Yield: Makes 16 bacon wrapped stuffed dates.  

Baked Maple Bacon

BACON … you mention the word to most people and they swoon.  Sorry to my vegan friends, this one is not for you. 

I don’t make bacon often, but only because pork tends to be a harder meat to digest and Little Love has a harder time with it sometimes. 

But back to BACON, Little Love and I prefer very crispy, crunchy bacon; you know the kind that is so crispy it even melts in your mouth?  None of that flimsy stuff for us, no way (as Little Love would say)!  If you want that delicious, crispy, crunchy bacon, try baking it!  Baking is my preferred method of choice - I don’t care for stovetop bacon, sometimes it comes out crispy, but not completely crispy, and I NEVER use a microwave (I don’t own one, haven’t had one in many, many years, and I will never own one again.  They destroy your food and take all of the nutrients out of them, not to mention other stuff, but that’s another post).    

I only recommend consuming pasture-raised pork and if you don’t have access to pastured pork, at least buy organic pork (no antibiotics, no GMO feed, NO nitrates/nitrites).

Baked Maple Bacon

Crispy, crunchy, sweet and scrumptious! 

Equipment: Large Bar Pan or Large Baking Pan with at least 1-inch sides (I use Stoneware, it bakes everything perfectly), Non-Bleached Parchment Paper, Tongs, Basting Brush, Small Bowl, Large Plate, Paper Towels (optional)

·      10-12 slices gluten-free uncured organic or pastured bacon (See Resources)

·      2 tablespoons organic grade B maple syrup (optional)

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prep large bar pan/baking pan, line with parchment paper (this is optional if you are using stoneware).  Pour maple syrup into a small bowl, set aside.

2.   Line the pieces of bacon up in one layer, it’s okay if they touch, they will shrink as they cook. 

3.   Place baking pan in oven, set timer for 10 minutes.  At 10 minutes, use the tongs to flip every piece of bacon.  PLEASE USE CAUTION, the bacon grease is very hot, use an oven mitt to protect your hand/arm.  Set timer for 10 minutes.  At this point open the oven again and brush maple syrup on each piece of bacon, again using extreme caution.  Close oven and set timer for another 5 minutes.  Bacon is done when it “looks” crispy and is dark red-brown.  Watch the bacon closely, all ovens cook differently, you don’t want the bacon to burn.  You should be able to tell at the 10-minute mark about how much longer you will need to cook the bacon.  If you’re not sure, just keep an eye on it.      

4.   Remove bacon from the oven, using tongs, place pieces of bacon on a plate or a plate lined with paper towels. 

5.    Serve immediately or store in refrigerator for later. 

Yield: 10-12 pieces.

Storage: If you actually have some leftover, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later use.  It’s still great the next day.  To reheat, place pieces on a baking dish (or parchment paper, ONLY if oven is on a low setting) in the oven on a low/warming setting, they will be warmed up in minutes.  


This post is part of Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Allergy-Free Wednesdays Blog Hop @ Gluten Free Pantry, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, These Chicks Cooked Recipe Swap @ This Chick Cooks, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Make Your Own! Monday link-up @ Nourishing Treasures. Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, and Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods.

Baked Chili Meatballs

Baked Chili Meatballs w/ Raw Cheddar, Cilantro & Grated Carrots

Meatballs are a favorite of my Little Love, so I am constantly trying to come up with different flavor variations so they seem “new” each time we have them.  This is her favorite one, my go-to recipe if I need to make some fast.  Baking them is wonderful too, they cook fast and you can make large batches all at one time (my preferred method, I find they cook more evenly in the oven versus the stovetop).

Baked Chili Meatballs

Enjoy these topped with your favorite Chili toppings or alongside your favorite dipping sauce.  

Equipment: Large Baking Pan (I use a Stoneware Large Bar Pan), Medium-Size Mixing Bowl, Fork

·      1 pound grass-fed ground beef (See Resources)

·      2 tablespoons chili powder blend (See Note below)

·      2 teaspoons dried thyme

·      1 fresh garlic clove, peeled, finely minced or grated

·      1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt (See Resources)

·      ¼ teaspoon organic kelp granules, optional (I use Maine Coast)

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.   Place ground meat in a medium size bowl.  Add chili powder, thyme, garlic, sea salt and kelp granules.  Use a fork or one hand to combine just until ingredients are combined.

3.   Get baking pan ready.  Grab a small portion of the meat, roll into small ball in the palm of your hands, place on baking sheet.  Repeat until meat is gone. 

4.   Place baking pan in preheated oven and bake meatballs for 10 minutes, until brown. 

5.    Remove from oven and serve hot or store meatballs in an airtight container in refrigerator for later.    

Yield: 20-30 meatballs

Note: If you don’t have chili powder blend, try a combination of chili powder, cumin, coriander and oregano.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or top with your favorite chili toppings like fresh cilantro, grated raw cheddar cheese, lacto-fermented Kimchi, sliced avocado, grated carrot, etc. 


This post is part of Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Make-ahead Monday @ Raising Isabella, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker, Healthy 2day Wednesdays @ day2day joys, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Freaky Friday @ Real Food Freaks, and Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

Creamy Herb Chicken Salad w/ Pomegranate

I LOVE this chicken salad!  I know, there are so many chicken salad recipes out in recipe land, but this one truly is a favorite of mine.  

The pomegranate arils add such a beautiful color to the salad.  When you bite into them, the juice pops in your mouth and adds such a wonderful sweet flavor.  The creaminess comes from my absolute favorite salad dressing, which is made from ground sprouted sunflower seeds.  The combination of the herbs, the sweet pomegranate arils, the crunch from the celery and the creaminess of the dressing is absolutely divine!  

Enjoy!

Creamy Herb Chicken Salad w/ Pomegranate

Make up a batch of this to have ready for the next day.  It's perfect to serve to guests and makes great appetizers in lettuce cups for parties too!

Equipment: Food Processor, Large Mixing Bowl, Cutting Board, Sharp Knife, Medium Mixing Bowl, Small Fine Mesh Strainer

• 1 3/4 cup Creamy Herb Dressing (recipe x 3)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup pomegranate arils (juice sacs w/ seeds) + filtered water
• 3-4 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced
• Shredded meat from 1 whole pasture roasted chicken*
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed

1. Prepare Creamy Herb Dressing, set aside.  [Note: This dressing can be made up in advance and stored in the refrigerator.]

2. Prep and wash the pomegranate.  Cut pomegranate into quarters with a sharp knife.  Place pomegranate sections in a bowl of filtered water, then gently roll out the arils with your fingers.  Remove white pith and any other parts of the pomegranate.  With a small fine mesh strainer, strain out the water leaving the pomegranate arils behind, set aside.  [Note: The arils are ready to eat now (eat whole arils, seeds and all).  Eat or store (in the refrigerator) whatever arils you don't use in this recipe for later.] 

3. Wash and prep the celery.  Thinly slice celery stalks and place pieces into a large mixing bowl, set aside.  

4. Shred roasted chicken, add shredded meat to large mixing bowl with celery, stir to combine.  

5. Add Creamy Herb Dressing and fresh thyme leaves to the chicken-celery mixture and stir to combine.  

6. Add pomegranate arils to the chicken salad mixture, GENTLY fold in the arils (if you stir too hard, the juice sacs will open and release the juice into the salad, if it happens to some arils, don't worry, it just adds a beautiful pink color to parts of the chicken salad). 

7. Serve cold or store in refrigerator for later.  Make sure to garnish with extra pomegranate arils.  

Yield: Makes about 4-5 cups chicken salad.

Note: This chicken salad is delicious the next day too!  

Storage: Store in the refrigerator, keeps well for 2 days.

Serving Suggestions: Serve on a bed of mixed lettuce greens, place in lettuce cups for small appetizers, serve for lunch or a snack with some raw veggies.  

* If you are a Northern California resident, check out my favorite pastured chicken from Cache Creek Meat Co.  They sell at farmers markets in Sacramento, Davis and Elk Grove as well as select grocery stores. 


This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, The Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Melt in Your Mouth Monday @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival @ Hartke Is Online, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Traditional Tuesdays @ Cooking Traditional Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Healthy 2day Wednesdays @ day2dayjoys, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Lunchbox Love @ Allergy-Free Vintage Cookery, and Made From Scratch Tuesday @ From Mess Hall to Bistro.