Homemade Dairy-free, Soy Free Nutella

 

Dairy-Free, Soy-Free Nutella. Nice. This means gluten-free and MSPI safe. Whoo hoo! It does not, however, mean sugar free or healthy. I suppose everyone has those moments. I used to love Nutella. I stopped buying it when I started on the MSPI diet and then when we continued with the dairy free eating, Nutella was crossed off of the list. Until now...

Homemade Nutella

 

Ingredients

2 cups hazelnuts, roasted and peeled
2 tbsp good quality cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar or coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp coconut oil melted
Dash Himalayan sea salt

1 cup good quality dark chocolate

1 1/2 tbsp raw honey

 

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely so they don't burn.
3. Remove from the oven and place into a dish towel. Rub them together until the brown skin starts to come off.
4. Once mostly removed, place the hazelnuts in the food processor (I used my vitamix) and process until it becomes a smooth butter

5. Add in oil, sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, and salt
7. Blend for another 2-3 minutes until smooth
8. Melt chocolate on the stove or in the microwave; pour into the food processor, along with the honey, and blend until smooth
9. Store in an air-tight container for a week or two. I prefer to keep mine in the cupboard at room temp.

YUM.

Dairy free "sour cream"

This nut based "cream" sauce mimics sour cream quite well. I serve it with tacos, soups, as the base for dips, in wraps and burritos and anywhere else sour cream is called for. The trick is to plan ahead in order to allow time to soak the cashews as well as to use a good blender to get the creamy consistency. Neglecting either of these will still give you a good tasting condiment but will most likely result in a different texture.

Dairy Free "Sour Cream"

Ingredients

1 cup cashews (presoaked for at least 4 hours)

Juice of one lemon

1/4 teaspoon of Himalayan sea salt or to taste

1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Process cashews, lemon juice and salt until well combined.

2. Add water little by little and process until desired consistency.

3. Continue to blend until lite and fluffy.

Ketchup

I am on a condiment kick apparently. Tonight it was ketchup. I used raw honey in this version but one could try maple syrup if honey is not part of your lifestyle. The good news... this took all of 1 minute to combine the ingredients and about 90 seconds to heat through on the stove and has no processed sugar in it. Just what a mom wants to hear!

Homemade Ketchup
Ingredients
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon raw honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
pink Himalayan  salt to taste
ground pepper to taste (just a pinch)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in small sauce pan and stir to combine. Heat over medium flame until all ingredients incorporated. Add a bit more water if you like a thinner ketchup or a bit more honey for sweeter.

MSPI Safe Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressing

Homemade Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressing

I got this recipe from a coworker about a year ago. I made a few adaptations but it is the only dressing I eat now. Super easy and delicious. I always have these ingredients on hand too which makes it convenient.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

-1 part Balsamic vinegar (1/4 cup) to 2 parts oil (1/2 cup)

-1-2 T of honey

-1 T of Dijon mustard (double check ingredients list for MSPI safe brands. I use Trader Joe's)

-1 tsp of garlic salt

-pepper to taste

Mix everything together except the oil.  

Gradually add oil by whisking.  

The Dijon mustard is the key to emulsification, if the oil and the other parts are not combining well, add more mustard, but be careful because it can definitely take over in taste.  

Enjoy!