You're An Animal.

Author: Morgan Carr

  • Fluffy Banana Pancakes (Grain-Free, Nut/Seed-Free)

    Fluffy Banana Pancakes (Grain-Free, Nut/Seed-Free)

    DSC_0020 Sunday morning meant a pancake breakfast for my entire childhood. My dad was up every Sunday, making pancakes for the whole family, even if it was before a soccer tournament or family event. So now, although I don't do it every week, I often will make a Sunday pancake brunch. It's been quite a journey over the past year or so, trying to cut out grains and then also realizing I needed to cut out nuts and eventually seeds as well. I have one recipe, my 3 Ingredient Protein Pancakes, which was good for a while and is still a great recipe for those who can eat nuts or seeds. But unfortunately for us, it just isn't a good choice anymore. Even using Sunbutter got to be too much for us, and Andrew was having a reaction on his tongue when he would eat too much. We think it was due to the high levels of phytic acid in sunflower seeds. But we still craved a pancake brunch, so I decided to go another direction that uses coconut flour and arrowroot starch instead. DSC_0006 I know that some people still can't have coconut, but for us it's been okay-- at least much better than almond flour or sunbutter. These pancakes did not disappoint! Fluffy, yet dense at the same time, these pancakes are filling and satisfy that brunch craving perfectly. I like to add cinnamon, chocolate chips, and a little pure maple syrup... I think it's the perfect complement to the banana flavor. You know what else would go great with these though? Mimosas, that's what. DSC_0010 These also would make a great Christmas morning treat. Since I can't stop thinking about Christmas. Falalala. Don't you just want to demolish that stack? DSC_0033 Fluffy Banana Pancakes

    • 4 pasture-raised eggs
    • 2 medium bananas
    • 3 Tbsp Coconut Flour
    • 1 Tbsp Arrowroot Starch
    • 1 tsp baking powder (Note that baking powder often has cornstarch in it. If this is an issue for you, use baking soda instead.)
    • pinch of salt
    • pinch of cinnamon
    • grass-fed (Kerrygold) butter to grease skillet
    1. Add all of the ingredients (except the butter) to a large mixing bowl. Mash the bananas roughly with a fork. Then use an electric hand mixer to thoroughly combine your ingredients into a smooth batter. The batter should be about the consistency of a muffin batter. You may have a few chunks of banana.
    2. Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add a small slice of butter to your heated skillet, and allow it to melt.
    3. Once the butter is melted, add about 1/4 cup of batter to your skillet.
    4. Cook the first side of your pancake until the edges become dry looking, and the underside is golden brown. Flip with a spatula, and repeat on the second side until both sides are golden brown.
    5. Remove your first pancake and place on a plate to rest. In between pancakes, I like to wipe the skillet down so the excess butter will not burn, and remove the skillet from the eye to let the pan cool down for just a few seconds. This helps to not burn the next pancake.
    6. Repeat the process until the batter is gone. Add more butter with each new pancake.
    7. Top with your choice of add ons, and enjoy!
    Makes 6-7, 5" pancakes DSC_0032

    Please note that some of the links in the above post are affiliate links that will take you to an Amazon.com page. If you choose to purchase a product featured in this post using an affiliate link, you will be directly supporting You’re An Animal. Thanks!

  • Flourless (Pea)Nut Butter Blossom Cookies (White Sugar-Free)

    Flourless (Pea)Nut Butter Blossom Cookies (White Sugar-Free)

    DSC_0034 Tis the season for Christmas cookies! I love making Christmas cookies, and when I asked Andrew what his favorite Christmas cookie is, he said "the peanut butter ones with the Hershey kiss in the middle." Aka Peanut Butter Blossoms. Well, to be honest I've never made those before, so I don't even know what the "normal" recipe is. But I do know that they often use some kind of flour, and they have a big ol' processed chunk of chocolate in the middle. So in keeping with tradition, I used peanut butter and then subbed in coconut palm sugar to create an updated Peanut Butter Blossom. Now, that being said, we rarely (and I mean pretty much never) eat peanut butter. The main reason for this is because peanuts are highly inflammatory. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is off the charts. Not to mention peanuts have a reputation for harboring all kinds of mold and fungi. Yuuuu-mmy. So if you'd rather not use peanuts, you can certainly use any other kind of nut butter. Almond butter would work perfectly, and so would Sunbutter. This is your cookie, eat it the way you want! Whatever you use though, get a kind with nothing added. If possible, go to a store like Whole Foods that has it's own peanut/almond grinder, that way you know for sure that you're only getting the ground nut in your butter. Oh hey, by the way, we put up our Christmas decor! Gotta love Gnomie. photo(3) Image from Instagram. Follow us at youreananimal And also, I got a snazzy new DSLR camera for my birthday! Thanks mom and dad! I have no idea how to use it properly yet, but check out that picture quality: DSC_0058 Also, did I mention these cookies only have 5 ingredients? Because they do. Which makes them simple, yet scrumptious. Chewy, dense, and full of flavor. Everything you want from your Christmas cookie! DSC_0016 Nomz. I know Santa wouldn't mind a big plate of these waiting for him next to the stockings. He needs some protein for all of those toy deliveries, right? DSC_0050 Flourless (Pea)Nut Butter Blossoms:

    • 1 cup nut butter of your choice
    • 1/2 cup Coconut Palm Sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • Enjoy Life Mega Chunk chocolate chips (at least enough for 1 per cookie)
    1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of your ingredients until one consistent texture. The dough will be sticky.
    3. Form balls of cookie dough, about 2 teaspoons of dough each. You should get close to 20 dough balls.
    4. Place each ball of dough on your parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 1-2 inches of space in between.
    5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and cracked.
    6. Immediately after removing them from the oven, press a chocolate chuck into the middle.
    7. Allow to cool, and enjoy!
    Makes about 20 cookies. DSC_0067
     

    Please note that some of the links in the above post are affiliate links that will take you to an Amazon.com page. If you choose to purchase a product featured in this post using an affiliate link, you will be directly supporting You’re An Animal. Thanks!

  • Grain-Free Drop Biscuits: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 4

    Grain-Free Drop Biscuits: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 4

    thanksgiving43 Thanksgiving is such a wonderful day. No presents, no pressure, just an abundance of food and family. But Thanksgiving can be a minefield of gluten-filled carbs, and sugar-overload. So in this series of "Thanksgiving Cleaned Up," I've taken some classic Thanksgiving staple foods and made them a little bit less detrimental. You can check out my other posts, Sweet Potato Casserole, Garlic Kale Mashed Potatoes, and Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce and have yourself a slightly less guilty, but certain not less hearty, Thanksgiving feast! Wonderful additions to this series would be my Autumn Salad and my Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread! thanksgiving6 These biscuits are super easy to make (although they do require a little bit of clean up), and I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand. For that reason, they have become a weekend brunch go-to in our house. But they also fit right in while traditional Thanksgiving fare! I adapted this recipe from this one by Paleo Comfort Foods. I tried the original recipe first, but they tasted too coconutty, and crumbled way too easily. So I changed the flour combo, and they turned out perfectly. Slightly flaky, insanely buttery, with pockets to hold your jelly :) Or in this case, Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce! thanksgiving15 Grain-Free Drop Biscuits

    • 4 eggs, yolks and whites divided (place your egg white in a large mixing bowl, and your yolks in a small bowl off to the side)
    • 1/4 cup coconut flour
    • 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
    • 2 Tbsp potato starch
    • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 4 Tbsp cold butter
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients (coconut flour, arrowroot, potato starch, cream of tartar and baking soda)
    3. To your dry ingredients, cut in your cold butter. This is like making a pastry or pie crust. You can use a pastry cutter, but I just quickly use my hands to combine the butter with the dry ingredients, until the butter is in pea-sized bits. Place this flour/butter combo in the fridge so it stays cold.
    4. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they become a foam. Continue to beat until soft peaks form at the end of your beaters when you remove it from the mixture.
    5. Carefully fold your egg yolks into your egg white mixture using a rubber spatula, until no streaks remain and the mixture is a solid, light yellow color. The whites will lose a little volume, but should still be pretty fluffy.
    6. Fold in your flour and butter mixture with your rubber spatula, again being careful to mix thoroughly without losing too much volume in the egg whites. The batter will be runny, like a cake batter.
    7. Spoon the batter onto the parchment paper into 4 equal drops. Give each biscuit space, as they will expand while baking. Do not flatten them out, just leave them in the shape in which they drop on the parchment.
    8. Bake the biscuits for 12-17 minutes, or until they have risen and are golden brown on top.
    9. Serve hot.
    Makes 4 large biscuits. thanksgiving73    

  • Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 3

    Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 3

    thanksgiving47 Thanksgiving is such a wonderful day. No presents, no pressure, just an abundance of food and family. But Thanksgiving can be a minefield of gluten-filled carbs, and sugar-overload. So in this series of "Thanksgiving Cleaned Up," I've taken some classic Thanksgiving staple foods and made them a little bit less detrimental. You can check out my other posts, Sweet Potato Casserole, Garlic Kale Mashed Potatoes, and Grain-Free Drop Biscuits and have yourself a slightly less guilty, but certain not less hearty, Thanksgiving feast! Wonderful additions to this series would be my Autumn Salad and my Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread! thanksgiving6 Cranberry sauce is not something I've ever really been able to get into. Don't get me wrong, we always had it on the table, but something about it's square/canned jelly shape really turned me away. But I know it's a traditional staple, and it's a fruit sauce, so I knew I had to be able to figure out a recipe that I would actually enjoy. From what I understand (I've never eaten it, remember?) people put this on whatever they want... meat, biscuits, spoons, anything. Same goes for this sauce. It's more on the tart side, so it would go well on meat, but it's sweet enough to eat on a biscuit which is exactly what I did. The wine gives it such a wonderfully rich flavor, this stuff is hard to pass up. thanksgiving66 Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce

    • 6 oz of fresh, organic cranberries
    • 1/2 cup of Pinot Noir
    • 1/2 cup of orange juice
    • 1/2 cup maple syrup or unfiltered honey
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
    1. Add all your ingredients to a medium sauce pan, and heat over medium to medium-high heat, until the mixture just starts to boil.
    2. Continue to stir over heat, until the cranberries start to burst.
    3. Using the back of a spoon, or a potato masher, smash the cranberries into a paste, continuing to stir.
    4. Allow the mixture to sit over heat, bubbling slightly, and the sauce will start to thicken.
    5. Stir occasionally, and continue to allow the sauce to thicken until it is a thick, syrupy consistency.
    6. Transfer to a serving vessel and serve.
    Makes about 1 cup of sauce. thanksgiving73    

  • Garlic Kale Mashed Potatoes: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 2

    Garlic Kale Mashed Potatoes: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 2

    thanksgiving63 Thanksgiving is such a wonderful day. No presents, no pressure, just an abundance of food and family. But Thanksgiving can be a minefield of gluten-filled carbs, and sugar-overload. So in this series of "Thanksgiving Cleaned Up," I've taken some classic Thanksgiving staple foods and made them a little bit less detrimental. You can check out my other posts, Sweet Potato Casserole, Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce, and Grain-Free Drop Biscuits and have yourself a slightly less guilty, but certain not less hearty, Thanksgiving feast! Wonderful additions to this series would be my Autumn Salad and my Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread! thanksgiving6 This is my favorite part of Thanksgiving: mashed potatoes. But sometimes it's hard to feel like it's okay eating an entire plateful (just me?). That is, until you add kale. Add kale and you can eat the entire pot. Those are my rules, and I'm sticking to them. These mashed potatoes are probably some of the best I've ever had. As I was mashing them up, I kept sneaking bites. Before I even took pictures of it, I'd probably eaten a few spoonfuls. Oh and they were gone by the end of the day. And like I said, totally not even feeling guilty because that means I ate a bunch of green goodness as well. These potatoes are everything you want from your comfort food friend, and then some. Bring this one to your Thanksgiving potluck and tell people to eat freely because it's healthy (healthier...)! Garlic Kale Mashed Potatoes

    • 2 lbs of red potatoes, chopped into 1 inch chunks
    • 2 large leaves of kale, chopped (about 4 cups)
    • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (Hey, learn how to prepare and maximize the benefits of garlic here!)
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil
    • 3 Tbsp grass-fed butter (I use Kerrygold)
    • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
    • salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste
    1. In 3-4 quarts of water, boil your chopped potatoes until fork tender (about 20 minutes)
    2. While the potatoes are boiling, add your olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to a saute pan over medium heat. Allow the garlic to cook and flavor the oil until just slightly golden.
    3. To the oil mixture, add the chopped kale to the saute pan. Allow the kale to wilt and cook down, until it is completely shrunk down in size and wilted.
    4. Drain the potatoes, and add them back to the now empty pot that they cooked in. Add the kale and flavored oil to the potatoes. Using a fork or potatoes masher, mash the potatoes until smooth and combined the kale and flavored oil into the potatoes.
    5. Add the butter and Parmesan to the mashed potato mixture. Again, mix until melted and combined.
    6. Serve hot.
    Makes about 4-6 servings of potatoes.  

  • Sweet Potato Casserole: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 1

    Sweet Potato Casserole: Thanksgiving Cleaned Up Part 1

    thanksgiving93 Thanksgiving is such a wonderful day. No presents, no pressure, just an abundance of food and family. But Thanksgiving can be a minefield of gluten-filled carbs, and sugar-overload. So in this series of "Thanksgiving Cleaned Up," I've taken some classic Thanksgiving staple foods and made them a little bit less detrimental. You can check out my other posts, Garlic Kale Mashed Potatoes, Pinot Noir Cranberry Sauce, and Grain-Free Drop Biscuits and have yourself a slightly less guilty, but certain not less hearty, Thanksgiving feast! Wonderful additions to this series would be my Autumn Salad and my Grain-Free Pumpkin Bread! thanksgiving6 I'm starting this series off with dessert. Gotta eat dessert first ;). I know the classic dessert for Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie, but I don't actually particularly like pie (except Key Lime... I know, apparently there's something wrong with me.) So this "dessert" substitute is something we always had on our Thanksgiving table growing up: Sweet Potato Casserole. Complete with the toasted marshmallows, because that's a must-have element. I also added some bacon, because everything is better with bacon and this is no exception. No added sugar to the potatoes because sweet potatoes are just that: sweet. And the marshmallows already add that little extra sugar. The sweet, spicy and salty combo is perfect to round out your Thanksgiving table for dessert, with your meal, or as a pre-feast snack... I won't tell! Sweet Potato Casserole

    • 2 lbs of sweet potatoes, roasted and mashed
    • 1/2 cup coconut milk (from a can)
    • 1/2 tsp each of ground clove, ground nutmeg and ground ginger
    • 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
    • 2 Tbsp grass-fed butter (I use Kerrygold)
    • Homemade Marshmallows (about 1 cup)
    • 4 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
    1. Roast and mash your sweet potatoes. Transfer into a large mixing bowl.
    2. Add the butter, coconut milk, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon to your sweet potatoes.
    3. Use an electric mixer to combine the ingredients, and whip until smooth.
    4. Transfer your potato mix to oven-safe bake ware (I used an 8x8 Pyrex dish)
    5. Dig out a hole in the middle of your potatoes. Add a handful of marshmallows in the hole.
    6. Place your potatoes with the marshmallows in the oven under broil, and allow the marshmallows to toast until golden brown.
    7. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle the crumbled bacon around the edges, around the marshmallow middle.
    8. Serve hot.
    Makes about 4-6 servings of potatoes.  

  • Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tea

    Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tea

    We've moved! turmerictea5  

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    Cover and Contents

  • Flourless Classic Brownies (Grain-Free, Nut-Free, White Sugar-Free)

    Flourless Classic Brownies (Grain-Free, Nut-Free, White Sugar-Free)

    ClassicBrownies1 These are not healthy brownies. These are sugary, delicious, albeit minimally-processed, fudgey goodness brownies. Sometimes ladies human beings are in need of some chocolately heaven, without the stipulation of being "healthy." This is not to say I have anything against avocado brownies or other nutrient-dense fudgey desserts, but sometimes you just need that classic brownie to dive right into. On this overcast Sunday afternoon, Andrew and I are relaxing after attending a funeral yesterday and both recovering from a minor cold. And by relaxing, I mean having a brownie ice cream sundae brunch and watching a DVR'd marathon of How To Get Away With Murder. This. Is. The. Life. Adulthood, yessss. These brownies are minimally processed in that they use coconut palm sugar and unfiltered honey for the sugar, and arrowroot starch instead of flour. But like I said, they aren't healthy, because they are about 80% sugar. So with that knowledge, it's probably best to either share these bad boys, or make them last several days. But hey, sometimes you just need to bake up some brownies. And these are the ones that will satisfy that craving. Dense, fudgey, chewy... just the way brownies should be if you ask me! ClassicBrownies20 Sinful. But not quite as sinful as they used to be. I adapted this recipe from Life Made Simple. You can find the original recipe here. Flourless Classic Brownies

    1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.
    2. Grease the bottom of an 8x8 glass baking dish with coconut oil or butter. (I learned from Betty Crocker that you should only grease the bottom of the pan when baking brownies. If you grease the sides, the brownies sink in the middle and rise on the sides, resulting in uneven brownies.)
    3. In a double broiler over medium-high heat (boiling water), melt the butter. When the butter is melted, add the coconut palm sugar and honey to the butter, still in the double broiler.
    4. Once the coconut palm sugar and honey are melted into the butter, add the chocolate chips. Stir to combine and allow the chocolate chips to melt as well. Once the chocolate chips are melted, remove the pot from the boiling water.
    5. Add the room temperature eggs (If you're impatient like me and can't wait for them to come up to room temperature, you can crack the eggs into a separate bowl, and temper the eggs by added a small amount of the warm chocolate mixture to the eggs, bringing up the temperature of the eggs without cooking them. Add some of the chocolate mixture, stirring each time you add more, until the eggs are no longer cold. Then pour this mixture back into the original chocolate batter.)
    6. Add the salt and vanilla to the batter.
    7. Sift in the cocoa powder and arrowroot starch, and stir until well combined.
    8. Pour the batter into the greased pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
    ClassicBrownies27  

    Please note that some of the links in the above post are affiliate links that will take you to an Amazon.com page. If you choose to purchase a product featured in this post using an affiliate link, you will be directly supporting You’re An Animal. Thanks!

     

  • Apple Butter Donuts (Grain-Free, Nut-Free, White Sugar-Free)

    Apple Butter Donuts (Grain-Free, Nut-Free, White Sugar-Free)

    ABdonuts1 A couple weeks ago, I told you about my super-amazingly easy crockpot apple butter. The only thing about that apple butter recipe is that it makes a lot of apple butter. What's a girl to do with alladat? Well, after making my apple butter muffins, and topping my protein pancakes with apple butter, and eating apple butter by the spoonful, I decided to go another direction... donuts. Because if apple butter donuts don't say fall, I don't know was does! Astute readers will notice that this recipe base is very similar to the apple butter muffins. However, there are some tweaks, which makes these a lot more donut-y than muffin-y. Mainly, they are chewier, like a donut should be! I've baked these in a handy dandy donut pan, but I believe you could probably shallow-fry these as well. The batter is a little runny though, so it might take some playing with. Or you could just bake them like I did... trust me, it's divine. I didn't add any sugar to these guys; I found the apple butter itself makes these sweet enough for my taste (since cutting back on sugar, my taste buds are a lot more sensitive to sweetness, which is amazing!) I topped off half of them with pure apple butter, and the other half with cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar ones were my preference, and the apple butter ones were Andrew's preference, so it's up to you! abdonuts5 The texture is that of a chewy cake donut, and the flavor is spicy with the slightest hint of apples. Basically autumn on your taste buds. For the cinnamon sugar topped ones, I melted a little Kerrygold grass-fed butter, dunked the tops of the donuts in the butter so the topping would stick, then swirled the donut in a combination of cinnamon and coconut palm sugar. For the apple butter topped ones, I just spooned a little leftover apple butter on the tops. That's it! abdonuts11 Apple Butter Donuts

    1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and grease your donut pan (6 donuts) liberally with butter or coconut oil.
    2. Combine your wet ingredients (apple butter, eggs, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar) in a large mixing bowl.
    3. Add your dry ingredients (arrowroot, potato starch, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices) to your wet ingredients mixture.
    4. Use an electric mixer to fully combine your batter, until it is smooth.
    5. Evenly distribute your batter in your donut pan, so each well is about 3/4 full.
    6. Bake in preheated oven for 14-17 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when touched.
    7. Allow to cool completely before adding any toppings (see above post for suggestions)
    Makes 6 donuts abdonuts25  

    Please note that some of the links in the above post are affiliate links that will take you to an Amazon.com page. If you choose to purchase a product featured in this post using an affiliate link, you will be directly supporting You’re An Animal. Thanks!

     

  • Autumn Salad with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

    Autumn Salad with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

    fallsalad15 Autumn really is a great foodie season. Getting creative with the seasonal fruits, veggies, squashes, and spices has been really fun so far, and I love having a definite theme. Also, this is an amazing benefit of trying to consciously eat seasonal and local! A couple weekends ago, Andrew and I had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants here in RVA, Stella's. Stella's is a Greek restaurant owned by our friend Katrina, and we are frequent visitors. And by frequent, I mean pretty much all of the wait staff not only recognize us, but also know which appetizer is our favorite must-have. But one thing I love about Stella's is that while I do have my favorite appetizer that I always order, I almost always get a different entree. I know I'm not alone in saying that at most restaurants I find my go-to dish and never venture outside of that comfort zone. But at Stella's, I never know what I'm getting until I hear the specials. They have new specials all the time, and they're always amazing. So I often wait for the server to rattle off those little delicacy options before choosing my dinner. The last time Andrew and I ate at Stella's we tried the salad special... and I loved it so much I made my own version. Stella's version had a kale base, with butternut squash, radishes, and spiced pumpkin seeds. For my version, I swapped the radishes for apples, added my favorite Goat Cheese Balsamic Vinaigrette, and let the autumn lovin' begin. fallsalad6 This salad perfectly embodies everything Fall. It's got fresh, crisp apples, creamy butternut squash (oh hellllooooo Vitamin A... win-win-win situation we've got going on here), and spiced pumpkin seeds that are a treat in themselves. Add the perfect blend of tangy and savory with the goat cheese balsamic dressing, and you've got a winner. Hearty kale just pulls that whole thing together for a healthy, mouth watering salad. You can make this a side dish at Thanksgiving (or you know... any other meal of the season), or add some protein (chicken or turkey perhaps?) and it's a meal in itself! Remember how I said the spiced pumpkin seeds are a treat? Well, they are such a treat that they even get their own side recipe. Lucky little pepitas. fallsalad27 Spiced Pumpkin Seeds (aka Pepitas)

    • 2 cups of Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds
    • 1/3 cup of Coconut Palm Sugar
    • 2 tsp of molasses
    • 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter (I use Kerrygold)
    • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp paprika
    • 1/4 tsp cumin
    • cayenne pepper to taste
    1. Lay out a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper to transfer the seeds to once done.
    2. Combine the coconut sugar, molasses, cinnamon, salt, paprika, cumin and cayenne in a small bowl. You may need to use your fingers to fully incorporate the molasses.
    3. Place the seeds in a nonstick skillet, and toast them just slightly until they smell nutty and are lightly browned.
    4. Pour the sugar spice mixture over the seeds, and stir to combine.
    5. Add the butter.
    6. Stir the mixture until the sugar and butter are melted, and the seeds are coated.
    7. Quickly transfer the seeds to the foil/parchment and spread them out as much as you can.
    8. Allow them to completely cool, then break up any chunks. Store in cool dry place, or fridge.
    These pumpkin seeds are sweet and spicy, and are really what ties together this Autumn salad. They would also be perfect for a topping on pumpkin bread or muffins, or on a pie, or just eaten by themselves! Anywhere you would use spiced pecans, you can use these spiced pumpkin seeds. The other elements of this recipe are also fantastic alone, which is why this salad is such a winner. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and the sum of its parts is already pretty bangin'. The spices from the pumpkin seeds are carried over to the butternut squash, which brings those two elements together. The tart crunch of the apples provides perfect contrast to the creamy sweetness of the squash, and that tartness of the apple is also in perfect harmony with the sour balsamic in the dressing. Seriously... have I sold you yet? fallsalad1 Autumn Salad
    • 3-4 large leaves of kale, de-ribbed and chopped (about 4-5 cups)
    • 1 cup of butternut squash, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
    • 1 Granny Smith apple, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
    • Spiced pumpkin seeds (see recipe above)
    • 1/4 tsp each cinnamon, salt, cumin, paprika
    • cayenne to taste
    • avocado oil or olive oil to saute squash
    • Goat Cheese Balsamic Vinaigrette (mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl, or shake in a mason jar)
      • 3 tbsp avocado or olive oil
      • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
      • 1/2 tbsp of soft goat cheese
      • 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried yellow mustard powder
    1. Heat avocado oil/olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
    2. Add diced butternut squash to the heated oil.
    3. Add spices (cinnamon, salt, cumin, paprika and cayenne) to the squash. Stir to coat the squash in the spices.
    4. Saute the squash, stirring occasionally, until the squash is fork tender.
    5. Once the squash is cooked, assemble your salads, evenly distributing the kale, apples, squash and topping the salad with your desired about of spiced pumpkin seeds and balsamic vinaigrette.
    6. This makes either 2 entree-sized salads, or 4 side salads. Enjoy!
    fallsalad31
     

    Please note that some of the links in the above post are affiliate links that will take you to an Amazon.com page. If you choose to purchase a product featured in this post using an affiliate link, you will be directly supporting You’re An Animal. Thanks!