Simple Roasted Slaw

Simple Roasted Slaw

Preheat oven to 350 F

1 small cabbage, quartered
1 large red onion, quartered
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
duck fat (or fat of choice)
sea salt

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp unpasteurized honey
1 - 2 tsp of dried rosemary

Spread ingredients over parchment paper on a roasting pan.  Add a small dollop of your choice of fat onto each wedge of cabbage and onion.  Sprinkle generously with sea salt and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove from oven and separate a few layers of the onion and spread out on the pan.  Give the cabbage a turn and place in the oven for another 20 - 30 minutes.  Depending on your oven temperature, you can periodically check to make sure your goods are not burning.

When done, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Finely chop each wedge of cabbage and onion and place into a large bowl.  Squeeze out roasted garlic from their skins and add to your sliced cabbage and onion.

Add apple cider vinegar, honey and rosemary and toss all ingredients until well combined.  Season to taste and enjoy!

Avocado Banana & Cacao Pudding

It's time for a sweet treat!   I've always been curious about using avocados as part of a dessert recipe.  I've associated the avocado as a fruit to be enjoyed only in savoury dishes with lots of garlic, onion, tomatoes and lemon like in a guacamole (Mmmm).  I've read lots of raw and vegan style recipes and see the use of avocado pop up a lot in desserts and smoothies, so I thought I would give this one a try.

Who doesn't love pudding?  When I was a kid, it was a once in a blue moon treat for my mom to pick up those little containers of chocolate pudding for me.  They'd magically appear in my lunch and I'd be so excited.  I shoved those things so fast down my throat . . I was never one to savor, but still thoroughly enjoyed.

Moving out in my twenties gave me permission to be responsible for purchasing and preparing my own food and I'd be lying if I said that pudding wasn't a regular item on my shopping list.  Usually coming in packs of 4 - 6, I'd take all of them down together like a champ.  Those were the days.

But now, being more conscious of my food choices, I decided to try this recipe and was pleasantly surprised.  The texture is thick and super smooth.  The banana sweetens it up nicely but if you enjoy your pudding a little sweeter, you can add unpasteurized honey or a good maple syrup for a desired sweetness.  The raw cacao powder rounds it out with its super rich chocolate flavour.

This pudding packs a nice punch of antioxidants, magnesium, potassium and monounsaturated goodness.

Avocado Banana & Cacao Pudding

1 ripened avocado
1 ripened banana
4 Tbsp organic raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
unpasteurized honey or maple syrup for desired sweetness (optional)

1. Combine avocado and banana in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Add cacao, vanilla and optional honey/maple syrup and blend again until a smooth consistency is reached. 

Enjoy straight away or refrigerate in a sealed glass container for a cool creamy treat (I like my pudding cold).  Enjoy within 3 days!