You are all in for a treat this week... literally! Fallon is back sharing a recipe for some ridiculously good cookies.
A few weeks ago I opened my front door to find a beautiful box filled with these cookies fresh out of the oven and a note from Fallon. They were instantly devoured and throughly enjoyed! Needless to say, Fallon made our day.
Don't let the quinoa throw you off... these cookies won't disappoint!
ENJOY!
Elizabeth
Hi Friends,
I’m excited to be back and sharing a new recipe with you today! If you are anything like me a warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven cookie always seems to be calling my name. (I may have even convinced my husband it’s one of my love languages.) Unfortunately, It’s not always easy to find a good and healthy cookie with food limitations.
Having recently moved to the suburbs, my husband and I are conveniently living with Whole Foods in our backyard. After perusing the bakery many times at Whole Foods and practically drooling over all their yummy treats, I quickly came to love the Peanut Butter Quinoa cookie by Cravin Raven Bakery in Southeast, Portland.
However, I also quickly came to learn that some of my favorite bakery treats weren’t so friendly to my budget. I decided to get creative in the kitchen and come up with my own version of the Peanut Butter Quinoa Cookie, but adding some chocolate on top. Because who doesn’t like to add chocolate to a cookie? After some trail and error, I think I’ve finally settled on this delicious and full of protein recipe.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Fallon
P.S. If you have a great recipe for cookies, please share with the rest of us! Also, make sure to join in on Instagram and tag you food photos with #hespeaksthekitchen.
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER QUINOA COOKIES
gluten free, dairy free, soy free
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of oat flour
1 cup of quinoa flakes (these can be found at Whole Foods or New Seasons and look like this)
1/2 cup of gluten-free oats
3/4 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/8 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1 flax seed "egg" (1 tbs flex seed + 3 tbs water)
Optional Topping:
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tbs of maple syrup
To Make:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Mix together flax seed egg and set aside.
3. Mix together dry ingredients: oat flour, quinoa flakes, gluten-free oats, baking soda, and baking powder, sea salt and set aside.
4. Mix together wet ingredients: maple syrup, vanilla, and flax seed egg.
5. Begin to add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix together until the dough is fully mixed.
6. Roll into balls on caking sheet and flatten (I used a mason jar!).
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, as you want them to be light brown.
8. Heat the chocolate chips and maple syrup in a pan on low heat. Stirring every 20-30 seconds to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.
9. After removing the cookies from the oven and letting them cool, you can drizzle or full cover them with chocolate over the top.
10. Now they are ready to be served with a glass of almond milk or you favorite summer drink.
All photos by Bethany Small
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CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER QUINOA COOKIES
gluten free, dairy free, soy free
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of oat flour
1 cup of quinoa flakes
1/2 cup of gluten-free oats
3/4 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/8 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of baking powder
1 flax seed egg (1 tbs flex seed + 3 tbs water)
Optional:
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 tbs of maple syrup
To Make:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Mix together flax seed egg and set aside.
3. Mix together dry ingredients: oat flour, quinoa flakes, gluten-free oats, baking soda, and baking powder, sea salt and set aside.
4. Mix together wet ingredients: maple syrup, vanilla, and flax seed egg.
5. Begin to add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix together until the dough is fully mixed.
6. Roll into balls on caking sheet and flatten (I used a mason jar!).
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, as you want them to be light brown.
8. Heat the chocolate chips and maple syrup in a pan on low heat. Stirring every 20-30 seconds to make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn.
9. After removing the cookies from the oven and letting them cool, you can drizzle or full cover them with chocolate over the top.
10. Now they are ready to be served with a glass of almond milk or you favorite summer drink.
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Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest..." Hebrews 4:11
For months and months and months my every-days have been filled to the brim with must-do’s.
I went to sleep most nights knowing the next day was too full to manage but knowing that if I didn’t manage someone would be mad.
Not as in really mad, but that sort of frustrated, somewhat annoyed mad that makes me cringe inside.
And I’ve been the maddest of all. Mad at myself for not keeping up— for the dog hair I didn’t vacumm, the empty fridge of not-home-made food, for not keeping up with running or weights or plucking my eyebrows or answering e-mails.
Mad at myself for the unkempt piles on my desk that hid invitations I couldn’t accept because I was too busy to go and didn’t even send a card to let her know I wish I could but I can’t.
What’s wrong with me?!
And every time I asked that question in frustration at another ball dropped, I knew.
What’s wrong with me is-- I’m doing too much.
More than I am made for.
More than I can do well… and still be nice… and happy.
Do you know what I’m sayin’?
And so today I start a quest for balance in my life. For rest in my every-days. For a pace that works for me, to match the timer God set inside of me, the heart beat that matches mine.
I’m asking Him to show me what He wants me to do. Not what I want to achieve or what others wish I’d manage or what might make me look better than I am.
What do You want, Lord?
And here’s what I keep hearing:
There is a time to pour out everything. To work hard, and be efficient, and say no to other things that don’t matter as much. To achieve is a good thing-- to achieve for the Kingdom, best of all.
Now its time to rest. To lie down in that green meadow beside the quiet stream. To be still. To breath deeply of God’s beauty and find rest there.
And so today I’ve rested in beauty.
I’ve polished silver teaspoons and clipped the first roses dripping fragrance on the arbor. After I gathered armfuls of peonies I walked… rambled really, with my face soaking in that soft spring mist I love.
And then I sat down in my big chair by the window and spent a while reading… a book I’ve read before… and need again. Her quiet words speaking life back into my tired soul.
In a few minutes my quiet will be invaded by five lively, full-of-fun grandkids. I’ll read stories and start a fairytale I’ve been wanting them to relish along with me. I’ll admire Lego creations and waggle my eyebrows with Sunday as we laugh at all those silly boys.
I’ll have all the time they need to be just me…
And you? Are you too tired? Doing too much? Dropping balls and huffing and puffing and not sure why?
Want to join in me in this quest for rest?
I'd love to hear where you're finding that rest... how you're delighting in beauty... how you're learning to set the pace that brings you fullest joy... And I've a feeling there may just be more posts as we learn together to set His pace for our lives...
From my heart,
Diane
All or nothing. That tends to me my approach to… well… everything.
It’s no surprise that my approach to food can be this way as well.
About two years ago I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives and quickly began to adopt a plant based diet. If you haven’t seen it yet (it is available on Netflix), I can’t recommend it enough. Every American needs to watch it and educated themselves on the food we eat! (That’s the all or nothing side of me talking… can you tell?)
We spent the past year and a half or so eating a mostly plant - based diet and we loved it. I, who am not much of a reader, poured over books and blogs learned everything there was to know about eating a plant-based (vegan) diet. I even told myself “I will do this forever!”
My much more balanced husband encouraged me away from putting a label on how we eat and to still have freedom to enjoy other foods ever so often. Wise man I’ve got!
At first I felt pretty good and was loving a whole new world of plants and grains and tastes I had never experienced before. God is such a creative God and has created so much to be enjoyed!
However for about a year I have just felt “off”. I thought it was the addition of a new baby and the lack of sleep that comes along with that but the older she got the worse I felt so I finally went to the doctor to get the bottom of it.
Several doctors and tests later, I have been diagnosed with something called SIBO which is an overgrowth of bacteria in my small intestines which is giving me all sorts of crazy symptoms and making me sick. It is totally treatable and could potentionally clear up years and years of stomach issues and food sensitivities.
Halleluiah!
However… it requires a crazy restrictive diet for an extended period of time. Let’s just say it makes the Paleo diet look like a cakewalk.
(I’m 10 days in… cake sounds really good right now)
Why am I telling you all of this?
A couple of reasons…
#1: There will be a few changes around The Kitchen when it comes to the new recipes that are posted. Mostly because they will be based of what I am currently cooking in my home on this crazy SIBO diet!
I will be posting more recipes that contain meat, fish and eggs and lots of veggies. I have some friends who will continue to contribute to The Kitchen with plant-based recipes as well so there will be a wider range of recipes coming your way!
#2: I am learning the importance of educating ourselves about the food we eat AND avoiding too many all or nothing extremes when it comes to food.
Once my treatment is over I’m not sure where I will land with the whole world of food but I do know this; God created all foods for our nourishment and for our pleasure. He is a creative God and I want to enjoy His creations this side of Heaven. If we stick to the foods He created (not the man made stuff we have altered quite a bit), we really can’t go wrong.
I am on this journey of learning with you all and I have so much more to learn. My heart and my goal is to inspire you to love real, whole foods and to learn a bit about what you eat in the process.
Today’s recipe was inspired by my sister-in-law, Tammy, who created the tilapia rub and I added the salsa for an extra kick of flavor.
ENJOY!
Elizabeth
PS: I always love to hear what you are enjoying making and what you are learning! I’m inspired by your comments and love it when we start conversations about food!
What have you been cooking lately? Anything you’d like to see posted here on the The Kitchen?
CUMIN TILAPIA + PINEAPPLE + JALAPENO SALSA
Serves 4
Gluten, dairy, grain free
INGREDIENTS:
Cumin Tilapia:
4 tilapia fillets (5-6 oz each)
4 T cumin
1 t smoked paprika (or regular)
¼ t cayenne pepper
¾ t sea salt
Juice from two limes
2 T coconut oil for cooking
Pineapple Salsa:
1 ½ C fresh pineapple
1 jalapeño
¼ C chopped cilantro
Juice from two limes
Sea salt
*If you can, make the salsa a few hours before you plan to eat so the juices can combine and create more flavor.
TO MAKE:
Salsa:
Chop the pineapple into small, bit-sized chunks. Here is a quick tutorial on how to cut a pineapple.
Cut jalapeño long ways and remove the seeds and insides. Finely chop.
Finley chop cilantro.
Combine pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro in a bowl and squeeze the juice from the two limes into the bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and refrigerate for a few hours. You can serve it immediately as well if you don’t have time to prep it early.
Fish:
Combine cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl and stir well.
Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice on both sides of each fillet. ½ a lime for each fillet of tilapia.
Use your hands to rub the cumin mixture on each side of the fillets. Make sure each side is completely coated.
In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat the coconut oil.
Add fillets to the hot oil and cook on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes on each side.
When it is finished, it should have a nice brown, crispy layer on each side.
TO SERVE:
Spread a few spoonfuls of the pineapple salsa over the top and enjoy!
You could also add the fish and salsa to a good corn tortilla, top with avocado and turn it into fish tacos!
ENJOY!
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CUMIN TILAPIA + PINEAPPLE + JALAPENO SALSA
Serves 4
Gluten, dairy, grain free
INGREDIENTS:
Cumin Tilapia:
4 tilapia fillets (5-6 oz each)
4 T cumin
1 t smoked paprika (or regular)
¼ t cayenne pepper
¾ t sea salt
Juice from two limes
2 T coconut oil for cooking
Pineapple Salsa:
1 ½ C fresh pineapple
1 jalapeño
¼ C chopped cilantro
Juice from two limes
Sea salt
*If you can, make the salsa a few hours before you plan to eat so the juices can combine and create more flavor.
TO MAKE:
Salsa:
Chop the pineapple into small, bit-sized chunks. Here is a quick tutorial on how to cut a pineapple.
Cut jalapeño long ways and remove the seeds and insides. Finely chop.
Finley chop cilantro.
Combine pineapple, jalapeño and cilantro in a bowl and squeeze the juice from the two limes into the bowl.
Add a pinch of salt and refrigerate for a few hours. You can serve it immediately as well if you don’t have time to prep it early.
Fish:
Combine cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl and stir well.
Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice on both sides of each fillet. ½ a lime for each fillet of tilapia.
Use your hands to rub the cumin mixture on each side of the fillets. Make sure each side is completely coated.
In a cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat the coconut oil.
Add fillets to the hot oil and cook on medium heat for about 6-7 minutes on each side.
When it is finished, it should have a nice brown, crispy layer on each side.
TO SERVE:
Spread a few spoonfuls of the pineapple salsa over the top and enjoy!
You could also add the fish and salsa to a good corn tortilla, top with avocado and turn it into fish tacos!
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John didn’t want to do it. This was way beyond his comfort zone, unexpected and unwelcome. He knew his role and this didn’t fit.
For as long as he could remember John had known that God’s calling on his life was to urge his people to make space in their hearts for the coming of the Messiah. To repent from the sins that held them captive and turn to the One who would set them free.
He even had his handy come-back to ward off his many ciritics: God in heaven appoints each man’s work, (John 3:27)
John knew his job and this surely wasn’t it. This felt all wrong.
Yet Jesus insisted, demanded really.
It must be done, because we must do everything that is right. (Mt 3:15)
Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that goes against the grain. We don’t want to do it— at all.
That’s when Jesus comes alongside us, saying we.
We must do everything that is right.
He never wags His finger in our face with ought’s and should’s and shame-on-you’s. Instead He inserts that lovely, welcoming, inclusive pronoun.
We.
He joins Himself with us in that too-hard task. He won’t do it for us but He doesn’t make us do it alone either.
It must be done, He whispers, we must do everything that is right.
If you’re facing one of those everythings today, something you must do just because it’s right, may I remind you that…
Jesus is right there beside you and with you and for you.
Welcome Him, drink deeply of His presence, delight in His nearness… and then go together to do that thing that must be done.
From my heart,
Diane
P.S. Can you tell us a story of how He turned that thing you didn't want to do but knew you must into something good?
Summer is almost here! Colorful fruits and veggies are filling the fruit stands.
Pasty white skin and unbrellas are on their way out.
I'm ready for both.
This weeks recipe is about as simple as they come but oh - so - good!
Not to mention quite versitle.
Here are three ways to make it a meal:
Lunch:
Toss with steamed brown lentils for some added protien. Trader Joe's sells pre-made steamed lentils with sea salt in their refridgerated produce section. We eat them with just about everything.
Dinner:
Serve with salmon made with this smoked paprika rub and some good, hearty bread.
Side:
Serve on the side with veggie burgers, salmon burgers or your favorite BBQ fair.
Happy almost summer!
ENJOY!
Elizabeth
PS: What are some of your favorite summer meals? I'd love to hear what you are looking forward to creating this summer!
SIMPLE SUMMER SALAD WITH BALSAMIC POPPY SEED DRESSING
serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
HONEY BALSAMIC DRESSING
1/4 C olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T honey
1 T poppy seeds
pinch of salt
SALAD:
1 bag of organic baby spinach (roughly 10 cups)
2 C organic strawberries (roughly 12 medium strawberries) - cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 of a red onion - thinly sliced
1/4 C pistachios or nuts of choice
1/4 C feta or crumbled goat cheese
TO MAKE:
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. I use a jar with a tight fitting lid and give it a good shake too.
Prep salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Drizzle with dressing and toss well.
Depending on how much dressing you like, you may have leftover dressing. If you do, store in an air tight container at room temperature and make it again tomorrow!
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SIMPLE SUMMER SALAD WITH BALSAMIC POPPYSEED DRESSING
serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
HONEY BALSAMIC DRESSING
1/4 C olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T honey
1 T poppy seeds
pinch of salt
SALAD:
1 bag of organic baby spinach (roughly 10 cups)
2 C organic strawberries (roughly 12 medium strawberries) - cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 of a red onion - thinly sliced
1/4 C pistachios or nuts of choice
1/4 C feta or crumbled goat cheese
TO MAKE:
Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. I use a jar with a tight fitting lid and give it a good shake too.
Prep salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Drizzle with dressing and toss well.
Depending on how much dressing you like, you may have leftover dressing. If you do, store in an air tight container at room temperature and make it again tomorrow!
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I sit beside my mom in a hospital far from home.
Her recovery from the removal of an acoustic neuroma[1] has been tortuously full of tension and worry— very step haunted by unexpected disappointments.
I’ve cried my contacts into shreds, grieving for her loss of dignity and control. To go from her vibrantly sassy self, into a shell of who she is over the course of just a few days has left those of us who love her dismayed, shocked, exhausted by a roller coaster ride of grief.
With every new shift of nurses and caretakers I start over with my litany of mom. I want them to know her as she is, not as she seems right now in this broken moment.
I describe her artistry as a quilter, her love of her family and loyalty to her friends. How her great grandkids named her, “Great”, because she is great. And because she brings them great presents and delights in who they are.
Great is an appropriate name for my mom.
Then I tell them how she joked with the neurosurgeons just minutes before wheeling into the operating room. Their startled laughter at this fragile patient teasing them about their sober minded seriousness, my knowledge of her underlying terror at what they were about to do.
And as I help her back to herself, I remember…
Cookies coming out of the oven, timed to perfection right when we came home from school. Sweet rolls on Christmas morning, countless lunches all those years of school, and what amazes me the most: a home cooked dinner every single night. Fast food never once sat on our table, she would have been appalled at the idea.
I remember sitting beside her as she sewed ball gowns for my Barbies, then later my prom dress and eventually matching dresses for my daughters.
And all those hours of talking.
Late at night when I was a self-conscious, socially awkward teenager. The after dinner phone calls when I was lonely for her closeness, and lived far away. And that early morning frantic call when Matthew was so sick and I was so afraid.
She listened to me for hours… and hours… and hours.
I remember her once saying: For such a quiet girl, Diane can sure talk!
Indeed.
And then in those years when it was all I could do to keep my head above water with four kids and a husband traveling all over the world, she’d welcome me back into her home for my annual Mom’s Break. While Phil held down the fort at home, Mom treated me to a retreat aimed to fill me full and send me back refreshed.
I’d sit on the back deck of their beautiful home overlooking the Sierras and just soak in the peace and sunshine. She’d cook and bake and fill her clawfoot tub full for a hot bubble bath. Then she’d turn back the covers on my bed and turn on the electric heating blanket.
All that Love Does, as Bob Goff so adamantly reminds us.
Mom did. And so now here I am doing a little love back.
Funny how that works.
And maybe we need to remember that when the kids are squabbling and the house is a mess and there’s too much work for one woman to keep up with.
Because I know we drove my mom nuts sometimes. Lots of times. I remember a meltdown or two, that frustration spilling over as we pushed those buttons every kid is born knowing how to push.
But what sticks in my mind in these moments is all the doing she did for us. And I find myself wanting to do back.
To be tender for all the times she gently talked my fears away.
To rub her back like she rubbed mine.
To tell her she’s beautiful even though she knows it cannot be true. Just like she told me I was beautiful when my mirror told a different story.
And isn’t there a glowing beauty in skin gently aged by all that doing?
Dear girls, to be a doing kind of mother is to be beautiful in a way that cannot be covered by age or trauma or brokenness.
My mother will always be beautiful. She earned those creases by doing love so much and so often its permanently etched on her face.
And so many of you need to know that now while you’re in those doing years. There is a day of payback. A time when your sons and your daughters will feel the honor of giving back to you a tiny bit of what you gave to them.
My mother would never have believed that when I was a sassy teenager. But it’s true!
There has been a God-given glow about these days of doing for my mom. A sense that He is here and He is pleased and He is guiding me and delighting in what is happening in this hospital room. And maybe laughing a little too as He remembers the grief I gave to mom way back when.
And so here I sit. I wait for her to come back to us. To laugh and tease and sass in that way of hers I love. To finally know that all that doing she did is coming back to do a little back.
From my heart,
Diane
P.S. Thank you for praying for my mom. The notes and emails and texts of love have boosted me when my spirit wavered. We have a long road ahead of us but we've put our hope in the One who loves-- the One who does love.
[1] a benign tumor that was pushing against her brain
When I was pregnant I knew it all. I vowed I would have children who would eat eat everything, love every fruit and vegetable and snack on raw broccoli and tomatoes.
Then I had children.
And suddenly I didn't know everything anymore.
If you've been following The Kitchen for any length of time you know I am passionate about feeding my kids with real, whole foods... but that does not mean that my kids always love to eat everything.
For Duke's first year of life, I made most of his food from scratch and he would eat just about anything. However, that slowly began to change as he got older and discovered food outside of pureed veggies. He has always been a big eater and it is hard to keep his little belly full. Yet his ferocious appetite combined with a very selective pallet (aka: pickiness) has presented itself with all sorts of challenges in the kitchen and quickly threw some of my "ideals" out the window.
All mama's know that when you have a hungry, cranky child... you will do whatever it takes to feed them. Now!
And you also know that if you try to force a child to eat something they don't like, you will lose. Every time.
Duke's response to something he doesn't like? "Mom, this is NOT delicious."
Enough said.
These past few years have been a challenge for me to find creative ways to feed my children with nutritious meals and snacks they will actually eat and that fuel their growing, active bodies with good stuff.
Often times the "kid friendly" meals and snacks at the grocery store are not so friendly for their little bodies. (This is were reading labels is super important! Get to know the ingredient list of the food you buy!)
With an active 3 1/2 year old and a wanting to walk so badly 1 year old, we are a big fan of snacks at our house.
Call it low blood sugar or just being a boy but Duke eats every two-three hours or so. The "Mom! I'm STARVING!" is usually my cue it's time for another snack.
With my own kids as the inspiration, I'm going to start a little mini series and pop in from time to time with some snack ideas and recipes for both kids and grown ups alike. Some super quick and simple and some you can make in large batches and keep in the freezer.
Today's recipe is one of our favorites and a staple in our freezer. They are similar to LaraBars in their ingredients but we think they taste a whole lot better. Duke thinks they are cookies and I eat them for dessert. Win. Win.
A few words of wisdom to you mama's trying to feed picky eaters:
1. Start small. If you find a smoothie recipe you can hide some spinach in, celebrate! Most children won't love kale salad and raw veggies overnight.
2. Make it fun. Kid's love to learn and the kitchen is a great place to teach. If they are involved in the process of making something, often times they are more likely to want to try what they have created. Don't be afraid to get a little silly and excited about explaining why different foods are good for them. We call them "go" foods and "slow" foods at our house. Go foods fuel your body and give you energy to play and learn. Slow foods slow you down a bit and hard for your body to digest.
3. Don't give up. Don't be discouraged if you make something and your kids don't like it. Have a good laugh (or cry) and try something new tomorrow. Eventually you will find a handful of things they like and you can stick to those and keep it simple for a while. We have the privilege and responsibility to steward our children's bodies emotionally, spiritually and physically until they grow up. I want to give them a good foundation and I know you do too!
ENJOY!
Elizabeth
PS: I'd love to hear about your favorite snacks... kid friendly or not! Are there any favorites you would like a healthier version of? I'd love to hear what works and what doesn't in your house.
Join me on Instagram (@emosser) and tag your food photos with #hespeaksthekitchen or leave a comment if you want to share your favorites!
BETTER THEN LARABAR BALLS
makes 20 balls
INGREDIENTS:
1 C raw almonds
1 C raw cashews
14 pitted medjool dates*
2 T natural peanut butter (optional)
1 T vanilla
1 t sea salt
1/4 C dark chocolate chips or carob chips
*Trader Joe's has a large package of dates for under $5 and Costco has them as well
TO MAKE:
*I suggest using a food processor to make these. A blender does work but can be a bit tricky to blend the dates.
Coarsely chop the dark chocolate chips with a knife or food processor and set aside.
Combine almonds, cashews and sea salt in a food processor and grind until it turns into a course powder. Pour it into a bowl and set aside.
Combine dates, peanut butter and vanilla in a food processor until it becomes a thick paste.
Add the nut mixture to the date mixture and blend until combined. It should be pretty crumbly at this point and that's ok. You will mix it more in a bit.
In a large bowl, combine the date and nut mixture with the chocolate chips and stir well. I suggest using your hands to get it mixed well. (while I was up to my elbows mixing up the dough for this recipe I had one child on the toilet calling for a wiper and one child destroying the indoor plants. Might be a good idea to do this during nap time!)
Once dough is combined, take about a tablespoon at a time and roll into a ball. Depending on how big you make them, you should be able to make 18-20. Store them in the fridge or freezer. I make a big batch like this and we keep them in the freezer. You can always half the recipe if you are making them for the first time or don't know how many will get eaten.
ENJOY!
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BETTER THEN LARABAR BALLS
makes 20 balls
INGREDIENTS:
1 C raw almonds
1 C raw cashews
14 pitted medjool dates*
2 T natural peanut butter (optional)
1 T vanilla
1 t sea salt
1/4 C dark chocolate chips or carob chips
*Trader Joe's has a large package of dates for under $5 and Costco has them as well
TO MAKE:
*I suggest using a food processor to make these. A blender does work but can be a bit tricky to blend the dates.
1. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate chips with a knife or food processor and set aside.
2. Combine almonds, cashews and sea salt in a food processor and grind until it turns into a course powder. Pour it into a bowl and set aside.
3. Combine dates, peanut butter and vanilla in a food processor until it becomes a thick paste.
4. Add the nut mixture to the date mixture and blend until combined. It should be pretty crumbly at this point and that's ok. You will mix it more in a bit.
5. In a large bowl, combine the date and nut mixture with the chocolate chips and stir well. I suggest using your hands to get it mixed well. (while I was up to my elbows mixing up the dough for this recipe I had one child on the toilet calling for a wiper and one child destroying the indoor plants. Might be a good idea to do this during nap time!)
6. Once dough is combined, take about a tablespoon at a time and roll into a ball. Depending on how big you make them, you should be able to make 18-20. Store them in the fridge or freezer. I make a big batch like this and we keep them in the freezer. You can always half the recipe if you are making them for the first time or don't know how many will get eaten.
ENJOY!
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Just a little while ago I boarded the first of several flights to get home.
The airport in Manado, Indonesia is quaint and provincial with a steeply soaring red metal roof. Small propeller planes park haphazardly along a runway lined with a thick forest of coconut trees. Volcanic peeks rise precipitously on either side forcing the plane into a steep right bank to avoid their jungled cliffs. Just the sort of thing you’d expect to see in a movie— lush and intense and strange enough to feel vaguely foreboding.
In the week we’ve been here I’ve fallen in love with this land. It is a place of mystery, romance, poverty, laughter, and pageantry. It is at times frightful and so entirely foreign to the ways I understand—and it is full of the most resilient and delightful people I have ever known.
Just for fun, I thought I’d interview myself… asking the questions I thought you might have as to why in the world we’ve traveled around the world to come to this land.
Why Indonesia?
We came at the invitation of Andrew Palau, an international evangelist who goes to decidedly unglamorous places in order to partner with the Church to bring the message of the Cross to people who need to hear.
Why you?
Our role here was to speak to the pastors and leaders, to build relationships, to get to know who they are and what they need. We came to teach at a conference for pastors— Phil taught two sessions and we taught one together. Because Andrew works thru the church, it just makes sense to bring in a pastor who understands the burdens and unique challenges every pastor faces.
What else?
Phil also spoke at a press conference, a dinner for community leaders, and at three church services. We had dinners and lunches with leaders from all over town. At one luncheon with an influential government official, we were entertained by an internationally acclaimed choir of university students. The a cappella performance was astounding.
What didn’t you like?
The smells. I have this unfortunately over-active nose and Indonesia has a plethora of unfortunately ripe odors. Fish and mold and urine and strange spices mixed with that peculiar smell of a people whose skin is seeped in humidity.
What about the people?
My absolutely favorite thing about these folks is their unending sense of humor. They giggle— a lot. And they tease— a lot. Their lives are full of serious challenges and yet they approach those problems with that gentle delight of a people with very little need to control. I loved that.
Who did you meet?
Tante Allie is a 78 year-old pastor of one of the largest churches on the island of Sulawesi. Her husband founded the church years and years ago and since he passed away last year, she has carried the leadership. Her approach is decidedly motherly, with that calmly assuring way of speaking that makes everything all right.
The tiny woman (she can’t be more than 5 feet tall) is revered by her people, and yet it is her servant’s heart that is so remarkable.
She handed me her paper fan during a particularly sweltering evening service, insisting that I keep it. I will treasure that small gift as a memory of meeting a great woman of God.
What about the food?
We ate rice and fish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They aren’t afraid to see what they’re eating like we are in America. Squid has all the tentacles still attached. Fish eyes are savored. Pigs are roasted whole with the snout proudly propped open. They were kind enough to shield us from some of their personal favorites, like bat and snake and dog.
What are you craving from home?
A nice fresh, crispy salad. My friend, Echo Zelinksi, posted pictures of her trip to the Portland Farmer’s Market on Instagram and I’ve been salivating ever since.
How about the weather?
Most days were 90 degrees, dripping with sauna-like humidity. The nights cooled down to 85 degrees. But every day at some point the sky filled with fierce storm clouds and dumped buckets of rain on everything, cleaning the air and the streets and the trees to a sparkling beauty.
Do you love to travel?
I think God must have a great sense of humor in sending me to some of these far away places. I’m basically a homebody, content to curl up by my fire, with nary an adventurous bone in my body. Yet in the past 12 months I’ve traveled to Albania and Italy and Haiti and Indonesia.
The only thing that keeps me packing my bags is the people. On these trips I get to know some of the Greats in our world. Men and women who have willingly suffered and purposely denied themselves in order to follow Jesus with abandon. It is printed on their faces— a certain strength and joy that brings compelling beauty.
What do you miss when you’re gone?
My kids! My grandkids!
I miss date night with the whole crew and Scarlet’s cuddles and Jude’s lengthy, impassioned explanations. I miss Sunday’s softly affectionate caresses and Duke and Mo’s wild silliness. As soon as I get home I’m heading over to Tammy’s house for a manicure (I know, I’m spoiled!) and then I’ll meet Elizabeth for a cup of tea and a good long chat. Matt will be the one to pick us up from the airport so he can fill us in on all his doings during these last days of college.
I’m really just a mom who loves being a mom and a grandma with a delightfully wiggly fan club.
Anything else?
Just this— I couldn’t have and wouldn’t have planned this rich story all those years ago when we first started on this adventure of living first and foremost for Jesus. Yet God, in His kindness has dished out more delight than I ever thought possible.
I have a really, really good life.
And the part I don’t like— being deaf? It plays a part too. Because when I go to a poor country like Indonesia or an oppressed place like Haiti, the first thing the women see is a wealthy American with minimal troubles and laughable worries. But as soon as I tell them my story… I become one of them. They get it and they know I do too. I am welcomed into the fraternity of fellow sufferers with a warmth that takes my breath away.
I wish I had known that during those dark days when I was sure my life was headed for bleak aloneness. I wish I had understood this “fellowship of suffering” for those who enter in with Jesus and hold tight to Him in the midst of trouble. It’s actually one of those crazy surprises that has made my life rich.
What next?
Home.
From my heart,
Diane
I waited and waited and waited for God.
At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God.
Psalm 40:1-3
The Message
As you read these words I am flying high above the world to a place far away. An exotic place of tropical flowers and spiced foods and a people whose skin is browned by endless sun.
For hours and hours I’ll be restlessly wiggling in the inches I’m allotted, trying to get comfortable, trying not to look at my watch, trying to focus on the pictures of the place I’m going rather than place I’m tied to.
And then finally I’ll get there.
All the waiting will be worth it. I’ll step into a world I’ve never known. Into a beauty I’ve only imagined. I’ll breathe deep of scents that cannot be bottled or sold or remembered. And I’ll relish every moment.
And my dear girls, that’s just the tiniest imperfect picture of what we live every day.
All week I’ve read your notes to me; the comments, the emails and messages. I’ve sensed your wiggling. Your frustration that the trip seems confining, uncomfortable, and endlessly long.
You want to get there. Now.
I’ve heard from the woman who has never known the love of a father. And now her husband seems about to abandon her. In her world, when the going gets tough, men run away. So how can she possibly grasp the love of a Father that will never let go?
How can she feel loved by God?
And I’ve heard the cry of the woman who wakes up every morning with a crushing weight of worry on her chest. She’s married to a good and godly man who cannot make it go away no matter how hard he tries.
Every day she wonders, What’s wrong with me?
And so many feeling stuck, disappointed that all those dreams haven’t happened. The promise of the Prince who was supposed to sweep them off their feet if only they’d stay faithful and wait for him…
Where is he? Why is it taking so long?
Some women are all alone. Others wish they were.
And then there’s the one whose story I understand too well. The one who has all she ever wanted and wakes up dreading her days.
Because all we’ve ever wanted is never enough.
And as I fly to Indonesia with Phil I feel as if I’m the mom leaving a note on the counter for her kids.
We’ll be going to share our stories and God’s Word with a group of pastors who, just like you, are longing for more. Men and women who have families and needs and money troubles and relational strains and pressures and never enough time to do it all. They speak a different language but something tells me we all need the same words.
And while we are away I’ll be writing home to all my daughters because the truth is I think the Father has tucked you so close to my heart that I think and pray and jot notes to you all the time.
As I was making lists and running errands and getting ready to go on this trip to the other side of the world, it dawned on me that most of us go into the adventure of marriage with hardly a thought to what we need to pack.
And so while I’m away I’m going to send home some quick postcard sized notes in this part of the blog we call Glimpses about four things that need to go into your suitcase. These are four things I didn’t pack before I married Phil. Because I had no idea I’d need them… because, after all, I thought I was marrying my Prince Charming and he would be the one to meet all my needs.
Of course he would. He was Phil Comer. Godly and good, strong yet tender-hearted, so totally focused on me that he had swept me off my feet and offered to carry me tirelessly all through life.
Why bother with preparations? He was my dream come true, all I’d ever need…
He was my idol.
It is my hope that these four items will bring you to a place where waiting doesn’t seem so… endless… and uncomfortable.
A place of rest.
From my heart,
Diane
I will just come right out and say it... You have to make today's recipe!
This past summer, we went on a little mini vacation to Eastern Oregon with a few families to soak up some sunshine. One of the mornings, my dear friend Fallon and her husband Alex made one of the most delicious breakfasts I've ever had.
I've been bugging her to share some recipes with you here in The Kitchen for a while and my goodness did she deliver today!
Fallon is a fantastic cook and always learning about new ingredients, trying new things and serving her friends and family her delicious creations.
I know you will enjoy today's recipe as much as I did!
ENJOY!
Elizabeth
Hi Friends,
I was so excited when Elizabeth asked me to share this recipe with you all. My journey to the kitchen is a rather new and ever-so-growing one. It wasn’t until about a little over a year ago that I really started to learn about and appreciate nutritious, whole foods. I was newly married to my husband, Alex, who has this amazing pallet for nutritious, whole foods having grown up experimenting with various kinds of foods having his own food limitations.
I quickly learned my husband’s love for a big, hearty breakfast. Not ever having been a breakfast person myself, I was excited to create something we’d enjoy together.
For the first year and a half of our marriage, we lived in Downtown Portland, which has an abundance of amazing breakfast spots. After trying many of those breakfast spots, I decided to create this recipe by mixing and matching some of our favorite foods together into one flavorful dish.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Fallon
P.S. I love trying new recipes and filling my little wood recipe box up with all kinds of different food ideas. Would you share some of your favorite recipes from over the years below or take a photo on instagram and tag it #hespeaksthekitchen so I can see what you are up to in the kitchen? Can’t wait to see everyone’s creations, my mouth is watering already!
SWEET POTATO HASH AND BLACK BEAN BREAKFAST
serves 4
Ingredients:
6 medium size sweet potatoes
2 cans of black beans
4 eggs
1 cup of grape tomatoes
¼ cup of green onions
2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. coconut oil
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Black pepper to taste
Avocado (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
1. Rinse and cut sweet potatoes. In a large skillet over medium-low heat add coconut oil and sweet potatoes. Sautee with lid for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in brown sugar, sea salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper to taste, and stir well. Sautee without lid for another 5 minutes.
2. Cook black beans.
3. Heat a medium skillet over low heat with coconut oil. After coconut oil melts, crack eggs into pan. Cook with lid until your desired yolk consistency. Remove from heat, cover with lid, and let it continue to cook until the yolk has a white consistency.
4. Added chopped green onions and cherry tomatoes to sweet potatoes. Sautee for about 3-5 minutes until sweet potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat.
5. When the sweet potatoes, black beans, and eggs are ready, place on a large plate or in a bowl. Add your desired toppings − we love cilantro and avocado. Leftovers can be reheated for breakfast the following morning.
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SWEET POTATO HASH AND BLACK BEAN BREAKFAST
serves 4
Ingredients:
6 medium size sweet potatoes
2 cans of black beans
4 eggs
1 cup of grape tomatoes
¼ cup of green onions
2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. coconut oil
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Black pepper to taste
Avocado (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
1. Rinse and cut sweet potatoes. In a large skillet over medium-low heat add coconut oil and sweet potatoes. Sautee with lip for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in brown sugar, sea salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper to taste, and stir well. Sautee without lid for another 5 minutes.
2. Cook black beans.
3. Heat a medium skillet over low heat with coconut oil. After coconut oil melts, crack eggs into pan. Cook with lid until your desired yolk consistency. Remove from heat, cover with lid, and let it continue to cook until the yolk has a white consistency.
4. Added chopped green onions and cherry tomatoes to sweet potatoes. Sautee for about 3-5 minutes until sweet potatoes are very tender. Remove from heat.
5. When the sweet potatoes, black beans, and eggs are ready, place on a large plate or in a bowl. Add your desired toppings − we love cilantro and avocado. Leftovers can be reheated for breakfast the following morning.
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So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15
(NLT)
An invitation to the women of Solid Rock
I believe most women love learning. I'd even go as far to say that most women, who follow Jesus, enjoy feeling their spirits sore while learning more about Him and His Kingdom.
There's something about studying the Scriptures with the purpose of getting to know our Yahweh together that ignites followers of Jesus!
I just love gleaning wisdom from those that know the Scriptures well and share perspectives on passages that I have never heard.
2 Timothy 2v15 comes to mind which says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
As women of Solid Rock, I know you as well as I want to know the truth well.
If this is you, if this is true, let me tell you about four up-coming opportunities you will love!
The House of Learning of Solid Rock is inviting you to four separate Saturday Seminars.
These Saturday Seminars will be free of charge!
They will be taught by Bill Mounce, George Guthrie, Darrell Bock and Craig Blomberg--all of whom are leading authors and experts in their respective fields and will be presenting all the way from biblical translations to the historical Jesus.
The dates are April 13, May 4, July 13, September 14.
On April 13th from 9:00am - 12:00pm at Solid Rock Westside, we are bringing in Dr. Bill Mounce (President of www.biblicaltraining.org and a Western Seminary Professor) to do a seminar titled "Why are Bibles so different?: Learning about translations and the texts behind the English."
I hope you can make it,
Sign up here! (no childcare provided)
Grace & peace,
Kristi Administrative Assistant Solid Rock
It’s funny how food is connected to memories. I remember sitting on my grandpa Comer’s lap, leaning against is big grandpa belly and eating a pralines and cream ice cream cone as a little girl.
I remember summer’s spent at my grandparent’s cabin and starting every morning with my grandma’s banana bread.
I remember family movie nights and my mom’s warm tapioca pudding.
Nostalgia is kind of how today’s recipe came about.
For a number of my growing up years my dad traveled quite a bit and the routine changed a little when he was gone.
Without the whole family home to eat dinner every night, my mom would often rent us girls a good chick flick and make a big oven pancake for dinner.
Somehow good food and cheesy chick flicks create lasting memories… deep I know.
Now, I know that most of our comfort foods we know and love are foods we limit our intake of because we know they aren’t good everyday menu items.
But what if we began creating and building memories around meals and foods that nourish our bodies and fuel our active children? What if those comfort foods could actually be good for us?
I’m not talking about eating raw carrots and celery and telling yourself they taste like candy. They don’t and never will.
Healthy, whole foods can be just as (I argue way more) delicious as the comfort foods we try to avoid!
Today’s recipe is a new take on one of my favorite meals and fun memory growing up.
ENJOY!
APPLE + CINNAMON + OVEN PANCAKE
serves 4-5
(vanilla not pictured)
INGREDIENTS:
1 C almond milk or organic whole milk
4 eggs
1 T maple syrup
¾ C oat flour or whole-wheat flour*
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 T earth balance butter or coconut oil (or organic butter)
3 apples
1/8 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
*If you use oat flour, it won’t puff up as much as a traditional oven pancake. But I promise it still tastes great!
TO MAKE:
Preheat oven to 500F.
Melt the butter or coconut oil in a cast iron skillet or or 8x8 baking pan.
While the butter it melting in the oven, peal and slice the apples.
Add the sliced apples, cinnamon and sugar to the pan and stir until they are well coated.
Bake for 10 – 15 min or until the apples soften and begin to brown.
While the apples are baking, stir together the flour and salt. Set aside.
Wisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and maple syrup.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well or blend.
Once the apples are done, pour the batter over the apples and then reduce the oven temperature to 425F.
Bake for about 10 min. You just want to check and make sure it has cooked through in the middle but remove it before the edges get too crispy. 10-12 minutes should do the trick.
TO SERVE:
Let it cool for a few minutes and then lightly dust with powdered sugar for some extra pizzazz.
You can eat it as is or drizzle with a little maple syrup.
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APPLE + CINNAMON + OVEN PANCAKE
serves 4-5
INGREDIENTS:
1 C almond milk or organic whole milk
4 eggs
1 T maple syrup
¾ C oat flour or whole-wheat flour*
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 T earth balance butter or coconut oil (or organic butter)
3 apples
1/8 C brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
*If you use oat flour, it won’t puff up as much as a traditional oven pancake. But I promise it still tastes great!
TO MAKE:
Preheat oven to 500F.
Melt the butter or coconut oil in a cast iron skillet or 8x8 baking pan.
While the butter it melting in the oven, peal and slice the apples.
Add the sliced apples, cinnamon and sugar to the pan and stir until they are well coated.
Bake for 10 – 15 min or until the apples soften and begin to brown.
While the apples are baking, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Wisk together the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well or blend.
Once the apples are done, pour the batter over the apples and then reduce the oven temperature to 425F.
Bake for about 10 min. You just want to check and make sure it has cooked through in the middle but remove it before the edges get too crispy. 10-12 minutes should do the trick.
TO SERVE:
Let it cool for a few minutes and then lightly dust with powdered sugar for some extra pizzazz.
You can eat it as is or drizzle with a little maple syrup.
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I'm working this morning with Phil on the seminar on the Spiritual Training of children. We're hunched over the computer trying to edit 50+ pages of material into 50 minutes of teaching. Back and forth, over and over making those hard calls. Do we include this? Should we cut it? What about so-and-so? Won't this help? Is it too basic? Too wordy? While I'm working away on this for the next few months I'm going to post some tidbits here in Glimpses each week. Just overflow information that I wish I'd understood all those years ago when my children were being shaped into the people they would become.
Here's a list of less-than-obvious manifestations of anger in children. If you see some of these habits cropping up in your son or daughter (or yourself!), might I suggest that you ask the Father for wisdom and insight into your child's heart? Anger left to simmer works havoc with a child's happiness. And sometimes all it takes is a mama willing to slow down and deal decisively and prayerfully with it before its too late.
Manifestations of Anger:
- It can be an obvious temper tantrum,
- It can be more subtle like irritability or self-pity.
- It can look like a resentful attitude or
- A pattern of way over-reacting to minor incidents
- Sometimes it is the child who sulks and withdraws. You don’t think of her as angry because she doesn’t necessarily lash out, hers is a more simmering, stuffed down form of anger.
- Lots of angry boys lash out and hit someone, or they bang their fist on the desk.
Some Scriptures to guide you:
“BE ANGRY, AND YET DO NOT SIN; DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER, AND DO NOT GIVE THE DEVIL AN OPPPORTUNITY.” (EPH. 4:26-27)
“LET ALL BITTERNESS AND WRATH AND ANGER AND CLAMOR AND SLANDER BE PUT AWAY FROM YOU ALONG WITH ALL MALICE” (EPH. 4:31)
We taught our kids that no one can make you angry, anger is a choice.
Yes, things will happen that will upset you, but we taught them that...
My response is my responsibility.
I cannot understate the importance of teaching this truth to your children NOW, before they swallow the two-sided lie:
1. That it is someone else’s fault that I am angry. (that is what abusers say)
2. That it is my fault when someone is angry with me. (this is what victims of abuse believe)
Praying for all of you as you shepherd this next generation,
Diane
Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do.Ephesians 5:17 NLT
My mom and I don't have the best history with brussels sprouts. I remember all too well those nights at the dinner table with Mom insisting that I eat at least two bites and Dad emphatically trying to convince me they taste like French fries when you dip them in ketchup.
Not even close Dad. Not even close.
Right after Christmas, my mom and I did the first week of the Whole Living 21 Day Cleanse and basically ate just fruits, vegetables and nuts for 7 days.
(Aside from the devastation of cutting out coffee, it was surprisingly easy and I highly recommend it!)
I’m a huge fan of fruits and veggies but somewhere around day 4 or 5... it was time to find some new ways to eat them.
We happened to be at my parent’s house for dinner and my mom had a moment of creative genius (probably from all the carrots she had been eating) and whipped up today’s recipe.
Brussels sprouts redeemed.
I know Brussels sprout season has just come and gone but most stores still have them and you can always file this recipe away for next season… if you can wait that long.
ENJOY!
Elizabeth
I’d love to hear your favorite ways to eat Brussels sprouts!
BRUSSELS SPROUTS + SUN-DRIED TOMATOES +CASHEWS
serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 LB Brussels Sprouts
¼ Cup cashews (I used raw)
¼ C sundried tomatoes
1 T olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
TO MAKE:
Finely shred the Brussels sprouts with a sharp knife.
Chop sundried tomatoes and cashews and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add shredded brussels sprouts and minced garlic.
Toss them in the pan as they cook and let them soften. About 4-5 min.
Add sundried tomatoes, cashews, salt and pepper and toss. Cook for a few more minutes and taste to be sure it is salted enough. Add more if needed.
Serve immediately.
*You can prep all the ingredients early in the day but I recommend you don’t cook them until you are ready to eat. If reheated, the cashews get soft and it is not quite as good.
TO SERVE:
Serve warm as a side dish.
Or sometimes I layer a bowl of quinoa or brown rice, the Brussels sprouts and grilled salmon.
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BRUSSELS SPROUTS + SUN-DRIED TOMATOES +CASHEWS
serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 LB Brussels Sprouts
¼ Cup cashews (I used raw)
¼ C sundried tomatoes
1 T olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
TO MAKE:
Finely shred the Brussels sprouts with a sharp knife.
Chop sundried tomatoes and cashews and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add shredded brussels sprouts and minced garlic.
Toss them in the pan as they cook and let them soften. About 4-5 min.
Add sundried tomatoes, cashews, salt and pepper and toss. Cook for a few more minutes and taste to be sure it is salted enough. Add more if needed.
Serve immediately.
*You can prep all the ingredients early in the day but I recommend you don’t cook them until you are ready to eat. If reheated, the cashews get soft and it is not quite as good.
TO SERVE:
Serve warm as a side dish.
Or sometimes I layer a bowl of quinoa or brown rice, the Brussels sprouts and grilled salmon.
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