I came across delicious taro for the first time in an Asian market where I ordered taro bubble tea. I ordered it because the of the lovely purple color but quickly fell in love with the flavor. Afterwards I would often buy taro buns or taro popsicles from this same market as occasional treats. Last week I noticed that the thai market had several boxes of taro root for sale and I bought some to make homemade ice cream. The recipe is super simple (only 3 ingredients!) and the finished product is quite yummy.

Ingredients:

1 large taro root (1 cup)
1 can coconut milk
3/4 sugar (thai coconut sugar works well)

Directions:

Skin the taro root and chop into one inch chunks. Steam or boil until soft. Add to one cup coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring as needed. Allow to cool for 20 minutes and then add to a food processor or vita-mix to puree. Refrigerate until completely cool and then add to your ice cream maker. We used a Cuisinart ice cream maker and it was done in about 25 minutes.

The texture is slightly grainy due to the potato texture of the taro. If this bothers you then I suggest using grassfed cream instead of coconut milk. Coconut milk is the traditional Thai ingredient but cream gives it silkiness. Either way, this ice cream is not super sweet and it makes enough for five small servings. Enjoy!

I have a huge bag of chia seeds that I have been meaning to use up. I usually use them in Kombucha but I haven’t made very much since we moved to our homestead. Go figure! Anyway chia pudding sounded good but how exactly do you make it? The video below shows you how step by step. I love how simple it is!

You only need a handful of common ingredients and some time in the fridge to let it soak. Plus you make it in my fave…mason jars! This recipe will be perfect for taking to work for breakfast. Fix it at night and pack it the next morning. Yum!

Here is a recipe that I made this morning. Not only are these muffins perfect for breakfast but they are sooo yummy and good for you too. They are a great source of whole grains and high fiber, and the flaxseed provides Omega-3 oils. They were a big hit with my whole family. Even when the kids were little they scarfed these down.

Fiberlicious Flax Apple Muffins

1 cup Multigrain cereal with Flaxseed and Quinoa ( I use Hodgson Mills brand)
1 cup organic, unbleached flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup organic sugar or coconut sugar
1 cup shredded organic carrots
1 cup peeled and chopped organic apples
1/2 cup organic milk
2 organic eggs (free range)
1/4 cup avocado or coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Coconut sugar, sprinkled on top (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients first and then add the others. Mix well. Spoon the thick mixture into a muffin pan and bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.

I could sing the praises of pressure cookers all day long. They make it amazingly easy to make a fast meal with a slow cooked taste. The flavors pop, the meat falls off the bone, and you can walk in the house with only 45 minutes to spare and still have an amazing dinner.

This soup imitates a classic chicken noodle soup except it uses rabbit. The flavor is very similar but rabbit is one of the healthiest, leanest, and most environmentally friendly meats you can eat. It is a very sustainable meat source and since rabbits are small and easy to care for they can be raised and butchered by the DIY homesteader. If that is not for you they can also be found at some farmer’s markets and in gourmet grocery stores.

This recipe was made in our much loved Instant Pot!

Ingredients:

4-5 lb. rabbit (with bones)
1/2 Onion (large, cut in large chunks)
3-4 Carrots (large, cut in large chunks)
2 Stalks Celery (cut in large chunks)
2 Inch piece of ginger (sliced)
3 Cloves garlic (chopped)
1 C White wine
1 C Noodles
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp Herbs de Provence
1 Tbsp Parsley
5 Cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

Rabbit Soup Recipe:

Dredge the rabbit pieces in flour and saute them inside the Instant Pot or pressure cooker for a few minutes on each side, using the sautee setting on your Instant Pot. After all pieces have been browned remove and add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 3-5 minutes and then deglaze with the wine. Allow it to cook down for 2-3 minutes. Add the rabbit pieces once again as well as the water, parsley, and herbs. If you are using a deboned rabbit use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water.

Manually cook for 15 minutes and then allow it to depressurize naturally. Remove the rabbit, debone, and add back to the pot along with the fresh noodles. Allow them to soften, salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Enjoy!

Tip: Make it paleo by removing the noodles and flour. It’s still delicious.

This beautiful salad bowl is perfect for fall and winter breakfasts. Seasonal eating is the missing link that most diets today are totally oblivious to. It does make such a difference. By eating plenty of the foods that grows in a particular season, we receive the best nourishment available to maintain a healthy, balanced life.

This salad has those cool weather, dark leafy greens that are so healthy for us as well as the traditional seasonal foods we harvest in late summer and store for winter… pumpkin, potatoes, and beans. It is sure to be filling and delicious. Enjoy!

• 1/4 cup collard greens, chopped
• 1/4 tuscan kale, chopped
• 1/4 cup swiss chard chopped
• 1/4 cup romaine, chopped
• 1 egg, sunny side up
• 2 – 3 roasted pumpkin, chopped
• 1 yukon gold potato, boiled, sliced and seared
• 1/3 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
• 1 -2 tbsp kidney beans
• 2 -3 tbsps of olive oil
• sea salt or kosher, to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp shredded cheese, optional

1. I had some leftover roasted pumpkin. I used a small pumpkin (about 3 – 4 pounds) and cut it in half. Remove the seeds and core. Drizzled with 1 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for an hour (60 minutes) at 350 degrees. When finished you should be able to pierce the flesh of the pumpkin with the tines of a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool. When pumpkin is cool enough to handle cut it into wedges and remove the rind.
2. Cook potato(s) in a sauce pot for about twenty minutes over high heat. Check for doneness by piercing the skin with the tines of a fork. Fork should easing pass through the flesh of the potato. Remove from pot. Place on a cutting board and slice into thick slices and add salt and pepper. In a skillet add a 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot add potato slices and brown on both sides. Set aside.Using the same skillet, wipe it clean and add more olive oil (1 tbsp), when pan is hot break an egg into hot oil. Cook sunny side up, set aside.
3. Take a fresh pineapple and slice off the exterior and discard. Slice a a wedge of pineapple and rough chop it. Set aside.
4. If using canned kidney beans drain and rinse them, set aside.
5. In a salad bowl add chopped collard greens, kale, romaine and swiss chard. Add a cupful into a serving size salad bowl and top with roasted pumpkin, seared potato, kidney beans and chopped pineapple. Top with fried sunny side up egg.
6. If desired add shredded cheese.
7. Drizzle with dill salad dressing or your favorite salad dressing.
8. Serve.

Dill Dressing:

• 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp clove honey
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced fine
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced fine
• sea salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

In a bowl add mayonnaise, almond milk, honey, fresh dill, lemon juice and garlic. Whisk together and add sea salt and fresh crack black pepper to taste.