Smokey Salted Caramel Pecan Cups

These are ridiculously delicious. Great for when you're craving just about anything. They're easy to make, but take a long time, so it's something fun to do on a lazy afternoon. The first time I made these, I did it with 100% dark chocolate.

9 oz dark chocolate. I used 100% mixed with 65%

1 cup coconut sugar
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
pinch chipotle powder
1 cup chopped pecans

Optional:
Coarse Sea salt
Cinnamon
Chipotle

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and stir together.

In a heavy sauce pan, stir together coconut sugar, coconut milk, and sea salt. Turn heat on low, add smoked paprika, cinnamon and chipotle. Let boil for about 20 minutes, keep heat on low so it doesn't boil over and stir occasionally. When it is reduced and thickens, remove from heat and place in glass bowl. Stir in pecans and let cool.

Line a muffin tin with parchment cupcake liners. Spoon meltedchocolate into cups, coating the bottom. You only want to use enough to line the bottom with about 1/8 of an inch and save the rest of the chocolate for later. put in freezer for about 30 minutes or an hour in the fridge, or until chocolate hardens.

Remove cups from freezer and spoon the pecans caramel mixture into them. Spoon the rest of the melted chocolate over them and sprinkle the tops with coarse sea salt and a slight dusting of cinnamon and chipotle. Put back in freezer or refrigerator for 2 hours. Remove cups from muffin tin and enjoy. Keep refrigerated.

Baconated Bananas

You're Welcome.

Ingredients:
Bananas
Bacon
Nut butter
Dark Chocolate (optional)

No exact measurements here. Slice banana into 1" chunks, then slice chunks lengthwise. Spread nut butter on the banana chunks. If you're using chocolate, break a square into small bits and place chocolate on the nut butter on the banana. Match up your banana halves and wrap in bacon. Fry in pan until bacon is crispy and chocolate is melted. Enjoy.

Cocoa Nib Crusted Rack of Lamb

Christmas dinner. I was originally going to use walnuts for this, but my walnuts were rancid. I eat nuts so infrequently that most of my nuts were rancid. I did have hazelnuts that were still in the shell, so I used those. From now on, I will only buy nuts in a shell!

1 1/2 lbs rack of lamb

Marinade:
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Chocolate Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp red wine
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cinn
1/2 tsppaprika
1/2 tsp anise seeds
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cumin

Marinate over night.

Crust
3 Tbsp Cocoa Nibs
1 1/2 oz nuts
1 Tbsp coffee grounds
2 tsp cinn
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp anise seeds
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

Combine all of the crust ingredients in a mini food processor. 

Sear marinated lamb on a grill using direct heat or in a cast iron pan. After the lamb is seared (about 5 mins on each side) then add the crust. Heat oven or grill to 400 degrees. If you're grilling, line an aluminum pan with aluminum foil and use indirect heat to roast lamb until desired temperature is reached. If using an oven put lamb in cast iron or roasting pan and roast until desired temperature is reached. If you like it rare, it's not going to take long at all. I wanted the crust to cook, so I let mine get to medium. I prefer my red meat rare, though.

Lamb Satay with Sunbutter Sauce

I used to make Chicken Satay all the time. For a while it was my signature dish. I adapted my Chicken Satay Recipe from "365 Great Barbecue & Grilling Recipes" by Lonnie Gandara. My parents had  the complete series of "365 Ways" cookbooks and I think they used "365 Ways to Cook Chicken" every day for a year. Growing up, we ate chicken so much I'm surprised I don't cluck. My dad used to make "chicken and sauce" almost every night. The sauce was always a different color, sometimes it was red, sometimes it was yellow, but it always consisted of onions, bell peppers and a ton of garlic. It was almost always served with brown rice and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette. My dad was consistent.

I took the grilling cookbook with me when I left home because I fucking love to grill. Then I became a vegetarian. That lasted a year; I'm over it. This recipe is an adaption from that book, which I no longer posses. (I think I gave it back to my parents). I used lamb instead of chicken and made the marinade more lamb adapted (i.e. cinnamon for a stronger and earthier flavor). To make it paleo, I eschewed the peanut butter in the dipping sauce and replaced it with sun butter. You could probably use cashew butter instead. Almond butter would work well too.

1 lbs lamb cut into cubes
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp lemon grass
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne

Combine all ingredients and marinade for an hour or longer. 

1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/8 cup onion, minced
1 tsp garlic minced
1 tsp  red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
Juice 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 cup Sunbutter
2 Tbsp coconut milk

Heat oil in a small sauce pan. Add onion and saute until translucent, then add garlic, red pepper flakes and cumin. after about 5-10 minutes, add lime juice and aminos. let that simmer for about 5 minutes then stir in Sunbutter and then coconut milk and remove from flame. Serve warm. stir in water or more coconut milk if you want a thinner sauce.

Chicken Di Nocce

I've been MIA for a while due to AC Adapter issues. My laptop battery has been dead for a while. Not really a problem until my AC adapter decided to not work. It was working sporadically, and then my 45 lb pit bull/bull dog, Hazel, stepped on it. Only one paw, and it was a step, not a pounce. It was a sassy step because she's a sassy dog, but just a step none the less. Who knew what awesome power was contained in her little body.

I made this a few weeks ago, but I'm finally getting around to sharing it now. It was pretty freakin' awesome. I ordered the Hazelnut Butter from Fastachi. If you have a nut butter addiction like I do, you might want to be careful while ordering. Their Pecan Butter is ridiculously addictive.

For the marinade: 
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 lemons, juiced
nutmeg, dry mustard, pepper

Cut Chicken into cubes, and marinate in other ingredients. I didn't measure out the other ingredients, just sprinkled them on the chicken.

My sassy little puppy princess

For the Hazelnut Sauce:
1 cup Hazelnut butter (or 8oz of roasted hazelnuts)
1 cup coconut milk
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 Tbsp nutmeg
1 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp anise
1/8 smoked paprika
dash of hot pepper flakes (not too much, you don't want it to be spicy)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Everything else:
1 Tbsp of fat
10 oz sliced crimini mushrooms

Heat oil in pan. Add marinated chicken and cook for about 5-10 minutes then add the mushrooms and keep cooking until the chicken is cooked and the mushrooms are tender. While that's cooking, make the Hazelnut Sauce. remove chicken from heat and put in a large bowl. add Hazelnut sauce and mix together. Serve on top of Spaghetti Squash or Zucchini Linguini.

Smoked Almonds with Thyme and Sea Salt

Wooden cutting board give these nuts a "rustic" look.

My name is Kat and I have a Marcona Almond addiction. They are not your standard almond. They're more round than, um, almond shaped. They are usually blanched, but the ones I get at Trader Joe's still have skin on them. They are fried in olive oil and covered in sea salt. If you have a salty-oily food addiction, these may be your downfall.

I couldn't find any last time I was in Trader Joe's. Probably better off that way. I've been known to eat an entire 6 oz bag at once. When I got home, I knew I had a bag of raw almonds waiting to be roasted. Almonds are one of those foods that I can eat cooked, but not raw. I bought those raw almonds with every intention of smoking them.

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern seasoning blend made from thyme, sumac, sesame seads, salt and sometimes other herbs (marjoram, oregano). The first time I had it was at a Lebanese Restaurant in Arlington, VA that served olive oil with za'atar to dip their fresh baked pita bread in. I was never one to over indulge on bread, but when it's fresh baked and I can drench it in seasoned olive oil it's a little hard to resist. Now that I don't eat bread, I need to find other things to drench in seasoned olive oil.

I didn't put sesame seeds in this because the almonds already have the nutty flavor, being that they are nuts. Sumac is widely used as a seasoning in the Middle East. Yes, it is from the same genus as poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac, but the sumac berries used for seasoning are from a different species of plant, one that does not cause irritation. Don't worry, you won't get hives on your tongue. Sumac has a slightly bitter flavor and as we know, acidic flavors are good for bringing salty flavors to life.

Ingredients:
1 lb raw almonds
1/4 cup olive oil (If you don't want them dripping with oil, use 2 tbsp.
2 tbsp thyme
2 tsp sea salt (or less, these came out pretty salty)
1 tsp (or more) sumac (optional)

Hickory wood smoking chips. Or any wood, really.

Combine all ingredients and smoke for 1 1/2 hours. Rather than spreading the almonds out on a sheet, I put them in an aluminum loaf pan to save space and periodically shook them up. If you don't have a smoker, grill indirectly and don't forget the smoking chips.

Cilantro Pablano Pesto

I usually make my pestos raw, but I had a pablano that needed roasting. I almost used pistachios for this one but went with pine nuts instead. I think next time I'll use pistachios.

1/4 fresh cilantro (half a bunch)
1 Pablano Pepper (roasted)
2 oz raw pine nuts (you can sub walnuts, pistachios, etc)
Juice of 1or 2 limes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor and blend into thick paste. Tastes better the next day after garlic mellows.

Great for omelets, zucchini pasta, seafood, chicken, use as a spread, mix with yogurt or mayo for a dip. So many possibilities.

Smoked Pistachios with Chili Seasoning

Sometimes I make something that tastes so good I don't want to stop eating it. My Fra Diavolo Sauce almost became Fra Diavolo Soup. I am nuts for these pistachios. I probably shouldn't have made them so delicious. Too late. I just ate half the container.

Ingredients:
8 oz raw pistachios, shelled
2 Tbsp Olive oil (you might want to use less. I happen to like olive oil covered fingers.)
1 Tbsp Chili Seasoning blend (I used Penzey's Chili 9000. It has cocoa in it!)
1-2 tsp sea salt (if your chili seasoning is salt free)

Hickory smoking chips.

I had the smoker at about 250 and smoked them for about an hour. If you don't have a smoker, cook indirectly on a charcoal grill and don't forget the smoking chips. I put them in a loaf pan and periodically shook it up, rather than spread out on a sheet of foil.

Walnut Crusted Catfish

I have thing for nut crusted seafood. The nuts add a nice texture. I usually do catfish in pecans because it seems like the southern thing to do . . . but I'm from the Northeast and I'm out of pecans.

I'm also out of cayenne. I'm not sure how I let that happen. I'll use chipotle powder instead.

2 oz walnuts
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp chipotle or cayenne
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano

1.5 lbs catfish

Combine nuts, garlic and spices in a food processor and blend until coarse. Spread evenly on catfish and grill or bake for 20 minutes or so.

Almond Coconut Tilapia

Fresh coconut = Pain in the ass. This is how I do it:

A power tool is a single woman's best friend

I drill holes in the 3 spots on top of the coconut and drain the water. It's a refreshing beverage. Then I wrap the coconut in a towel and smash the hell out of it with a hammer. I pry the meat from the shell, peel the brown skin and I'm left with lovely fresh coconut.

Tilapia has gotten a bad reputation for being a dirty, dirty fish. You can buy Tilapia, farm raised in China at Walmart for $5.99/ lbs. Now, over the years China has been trying to poison us and buy us off so I think anything farm raised there and sold in Walmart is suspect. So buy your fish from a reliable source (I shop at Whole Foods because I'm a snob) and sleep soundly at night knowing you're not contributing to the problem.

Marinade:

1 lb tilapia
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
sprinkled with tandoori seasoning

Josh, the awesome fish dude at Whole Foods managed to measure out exactly 1 lb of tilapia. Give that man his propers.

Crust:
2 oz ground almonds or almond meal
50 grams of fresh coconut (you don't have to be so precise if you're not as neurotic as I am)
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp corriander
salt and pepper

I put this in a mini food processor and  blended. The fresh coconut is tough so it takes a bit of pulverizing.

You can bake this or grill it. 350 - 400 degrees for approximately 20 mins or whenever.

Grill Power