Homemade Nutella

I love the nutty chocolaty combination of Nutella. However since trying to maintain a mostly whole food and refined sugar free diet, I cringe at the label on the store bought stuff. I have now managed to make my own version of Nutella. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

2 cups roasted hazelnuts with skins removed (put on a baking pan and roast at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until skins start to crack, then rub skins off when still warm)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
4 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
3 tablespoons maple syrup (this liquid helps improve the texture and helps the Nutella not to be too dry, and adds sweetness of course)
pinch of salt

Blend hazelnuts in a Vitamix or other strong blender/food processor until you have a nut butter. This makes about 1 1/2 cups of nut butter. Remove from blender and put into a mixing bowl. Add other ingredients and mix with a spoon until well blended. Store in an air tight container or jar. Makes about 2 cups.

Quinoa Bars Gluten and Grain free

I found a wonderful recipe for a great snack bar that was gluten and oat free! I used the recipe found here and of course turned it into my own!

1 c. cooked quinoa*
1/2 c. sunflower seeds, ground finely in food processor
1/2 c. almonds, ground finely in food processor
1/4 c. dried apricots, chopped into small pieces
1/4 c. honey or maple syrup
1/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tsp. cinnamon
½-¾ tsp. unrefined sea salt
1 egg
1 scoop Vital Whey protein powder (optional)

Instructions
*Soak 1 cup dry quinoa overnight in water and either rinse and cook right away or set to sprout for 2-4 days. To cook: Mix with 2 cups milk or 1 can coconut milk. Bring to a boil, stir, and lower to simmer, covered, for 30 minutes (no stirring). This will make enough for two 9×13 pans of bars or you can eat the cooked quinoa on top of yogurt with blueberries, cinnamon, and maple syrup. You can also freeze extras for future batches. If you only want enough for one recipe, use ¼ c. quinoa and ½ c. milk. Simply mix all the ingredients together with a spoon or a mixer, then spread in a greased 8×8-inch glass baking pan. (I used a 8x!0 pan and just had thinner bars) The batter/dough will be rather moist; don’t worry. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until firm to the touch in the center and browning on the edges. Cool completely in the pan, then cut into 16 2×2-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

To make this my own I used pecans instead of almonds, dried dates for the fruit (1/4 cup was not enough, next time I will add more as these are not very sweet), used maple syrup (again I would use a little more next time), added 1 tsp vanilla, used egg replacement powder as per the box instructions, added 1 tbsp chia seeds, and added 1/2 tsp baking powder and omitted the whey protein powder. I cooked the quinoa with coconut milk as well. Since I have a sweet tooth, I did melt dark chocolate with coconut oil and drizzled this on top after baking to add some extra sweetness. I had made a second one as above but with cocoa and dried cranberries instead of vanilla, cinnamon and dates.

Maple Muffins

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening or butter
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup real maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats. Add egg, milk, and syrup. Stir only until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand a few minutes before removing muffins from the pan.

Maple Baked Beans

4 cups water
1 pound dried navy or butter beans (I used red kidney beans)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 medium onion, sliced
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 350° F .
Add water and beans to a large pot.
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.
Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. (Add water to make 2 cups, if necessary.)
In a small skillet, melt the butter.
Add the onions and sauté until golden, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the onion, salt, maple syrup, dry mustard, and ginger to the beans, and transfer mixture to a large baking pot.
Cover the pot and bake in the middle of the oven for 2 hours.
Occasionally check the beans and add more water, if necessary.
After 2 hours, uncover the beans and bake an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Let stand about 10 minutes before serving hot.
Serves 10 to 12.

I paired this dish with the Ojibway Wild Rice when we studied the USA. Much tastier than maple baked beans from a can!