Ham n’ Egg Cups with Cheese

So one of the challenges of not eating bread is… well, the big question. What the heck am I going to use to hold my stuff?!

There are a lot of low carb, grain free ‘vessels’ out there. You just have to get creative. This morning for breakfast I had this fantastic, thinly sliced Russian Pitt Ham that had a very large circumference. So I decided to make it into cups to hold my eggs. And it worked perfectly. I would recommend that you invest in a few ramekins though. You could also use a muffin tin or a cupcake pan, but I didn’t want to mess with using my oven and instead opted for the toaster oven. And the ramekins were the only thing that fit.

So here’s how I make Ham n’ Egg Cups with Cheese:

1. You’ll need a couple of ramekins, 2 pieces of thinly sliced ham (about 5-6″ in diameter would be best), 2 eggs and a piece of your favorite cheese. I used some yummy swiss.

2. Pre-heat the toaster oven then place the slices of ham over the ramekins but don’t jam the ham down into the cup. Just create a sort of…indent for the egg to sit. Carefully break an egg into each cup on top of the ham.

3. Bake until the egg whites have set, about 10 minutes. Check on them every once in a while to make sure the ham edges are not cooking too quickly. Once the eggs whites are set add a piece of cheese on top and continue to bake until the cheese melts.

4. Remove from the toaster oven and gently lift the ham and egg out of each ramekin and onto a plate. Serve with whatever sides you feel like. I ate mine with avocado and some Tamazula. 🙂

And THAT… is how you hold your stuff!!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Everyone loves a quickie for lunch, right?

Cilantro Lime Chicken. This one took me all of ten minutes. And had I not been so hungry I would have taken a prettier picture with a lime garnish, maybe even a dollop of sour cream (that I didn’t have). But you get it. You can add some yummy toppings to this and really bump it up a notch. And make it more pretty. Because pretty food tastes better.

So here’s how I made it:

1. You’ll need about 1 lb of thin sliced chicken breast cut into 3/4″ strips. You can use any kind of chicken breast but the thin sliced cooks nice and quick and you won’t have to do as much cutting and handling of the raw chicken. And to me that’s a plus. I’m a freak about salmonella and the less handling of raw chicken the better.

2. In a large saute pan, heat up about 2 Tbsp of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. While the oil is getting nice and hot season the chicken with salt and garlic powder.

3. When the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan and get a nice sear and some browning on one side. That means once it’s in the pan don’t mess with it until your ready to turn the pieces over. After about 3 minutes flip the pieces over and cook until just done and you see no more pink. Seriously, this should only take like 4 minutes.

4. Once the chicken is cooked through turn off the heat and add about 1 1/2 c. cilantro (or however much you’d like) and give it a stir to mix it in. I love cilantro so I add a lot. At least 2 c. Plus it wilts down.

5. Plate the chicken and cilantro and squeeze lots of fresh lime juice over the top. I topped mine with a little bit of cheese and my favorite salsa – Tamazula. Had I had sour cream I would have added that too!

Quick. Easy. Delicious.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions

So last week my posts were few and far between. Ok… I’ll be honest. They were non-existent. But I was thinking about posting something and that’s what counts, right? And in my defense I was very busy. Cooking actually. For a friend’s baby shower.

Per her request I made Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions. She had had them years ago at my baby shower and would always talk about how good they were. So, come her turn, that’s what she wanted. Italian sausage sandwiches with lots of peppers and onions. And I delivered. A whopping, healthy 8 lbs of sausage, 5 lbs of onions and about 12 lbs of peppers. And I thought I wouldn’t have enough… ha! Sometimes Italians have a distorted sense of food proportion but better safe than sorry I always say.

And talk about the perfect party food. This is one of the easiest things to make for a large group of people. It’s always a huge hit. A perfect storm of flavors. Sausage. Onions. Peppers. A taste bud trifecta. And ridiculously easy to make. Three ingredients. That’s it. Well, four if you count the roll but since I’m a Primal girl I ate mine sans the bread and it was just as tasty.

Here’s how I make Italian Sausage Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions:

1. Since I doubt you’re cooking for 30 people let me scale things down a bit. You’ll need about 1lb of sausage (maybe 4-6 links), approximately 6 green bell peppers, 3 large onions, about six to eight  6″ french rolls or Italian rolls (the kind that are crunchy outside and soft inside), either sliced provolone (my favorite) or shredded mozzarella and salt to taste. All of these amounts are guidelines. If you’d like more peppers then add more. If you’re Primal like I am and aren’t going to eat the roll, increase the amount of sausage. This recipe is very flexible and you can’t mess it up by changing the amounts of the ingredients.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy bottomed skillet brown the sausage in some olive oil. While the sausage are browning slice up the onions and peppers into rings and not too thin. You don’t want them to disintegrate as they cook.

3. When the sausage are browned transfer them to a roasting pan (or a large baking dish) along with any juice and cover them with the onions and peppers. Add about 3/4 c. of water to the bottom of the pan (to prevent any sticking or burning) and put the pan into the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour.

4. Periodically check on the sausage to make sure there is enough liquid in the bottom (the peppers and onions should release their juices but if not add a little water when necessary) and also give everything a stir. When the peppers and onions are nice and soft (no bite left) they’re done.

5. Take the pan out of the oven and cut the sausage in half and stir everything together. If it seems a little flat you can add some salt. But usually the flavor from the sausage as well as the peppers and onions is enough. It’s not supposed to be overly salty.

6. To prepare a sandwich slice the rolls open length wise but don’t cut them all the way through. You need a spot for the sausage to sit.

7. Add 1/2 a link to each roll along with some peppers, onions and then top lightly with cheese. Bake (or broil) for a few minutes just until the cheese has melted and the rolls are warm and a bit crunchy.

Serve with some of the juice on the side and sop it up with the bread… oh maron’! …Divine.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Refried Beans So Good You Might Think I’m Mexican

Homemade refried beans. They’re totally NOT primal but on the rare occasion I want to eat a rebel meal refried beans would be it. I make these a lot for my husband since he’s a) not Primal and b) Mexican. It’s the kind of meal I can always feed him in a pinch. Like if I’ve spent too much time blogging or goofing off on Facebook and forget to take something out of the freezer for dinner. Bam! I just make some homemade refried beans slap them into a tortilla and no one’s the wiser. Saved! Whew…

I’m not sure why anyone would buy refried beans from a can when you can make them so easily at home. And impress your friends. Again like so many other things I make, there’s only like, three Ingredients: Bacon, beans & jalapenos. Simple.

I know there are other ways to make beans but my beans are…well, they’re flipping fantastic! I dare you to ask anyone who’s tried them. And since I’m such a nice person … 🙂 I’ll happily share with all of you.

Here’s how I make my beans:

1. You’ll need a pound of bacon, a 40oz can of Sun Vista Pinto Beans (I find this to be the best brand and usually the cheapest) and a little jar of sliced jalapenos, like the kind you put on top of nachos.

2. Now, you may be saying that using canned beans is not traditional. I disagree. I have tried both methods – cooking pinto beans for hours after cleaning and sorting them and canned beans. I find canned beans are not only much faster but they’re also more reliable. Sometimes if the beans are old they will never soften up no matter how long you cook them making your beans hard and lumpy instead of smooth and creamy. And you can’t tell unless you actually cook a bad batch and by then it’s too late. Your beans will be ruined. How do I know this? Because it’s happened to me. And for this reason I always use canned beans.

3. The first thing you do is render all the grease out of the one pound of bacon by frying it up in a pan. And pan choice is critical. My suggestion is to use a deeper pan with a high edge. Nothing too shallow because remember you will be adding a large can of beans to the grease and mashing the beans right in the pan. Which brings me to my second suggestion. Use a stainless steel pan. Nothing non-stick. Otherwise you may scratch the non-stick surface off and into your beans. And that would be gross AND unhealthy.

4. When you have your bacon frying in the pan don’t fry it too hot. Render the grease out slowly and you’ll get more. And not burn the bacon or the grease. Once the bacon is crispy and fairly brown (but not burnt!) lower the heat as low as possible and take out the bacon. If the bacon doesn’t get eaten right away I just cool it and put it in a ziplock and store it in the freezer for use with other meals. It keeps very well this way.

5. After the grease has had a chance to cool down for a few minutes open your can of beans draining away most (but not all) of the liquid first and then add it to the pan. It’s important not to add the beans when the grease is too hot otherwise it will pop and splatter like crazy and you might get a nice grease burn. Not good. Trust me.

6. After you’ve added the beans turn the heat back up to medium and start mashing them in with the grease until they are nice and creamy and the grease is completely incorporated. You don’t want any grease swimming on the top or the sides of the pan. If the beans are starting to bubble turn the heat down a bit.

7. After the beans are mashed and the grease incorporated add a few of the sliced jalapenos. You can add as many as you like depending on your taste. I usually put in 4 or 5. Also, and here’s my special trick – add in a little of the jalapeno juice for extra flavor. Maybe 2 Tbsp. Stir the juice into the beans and give the jalapenos a quick mash to break them up. Serve em’ up however you like!

Yep. I think I’m due for a rebel meal soon.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Poached Egg in a Red Sauce

Peasant food. We all want it even though we may not know it. It’s the food that comforts us. The food we grew up with. The simple food. Completely devoid of pretentiousness but never devoid of flavor. Unless of course your mom was a horrible cook and well, then…I’m so sorry.

When my Nona was growing up in Southern Italy she came from a very wealthy family and they lived high up on a hill looking down on the rest of the town. Looking down on the peasants. The working people. The farmers. Everyday my Nona was carried to school on the back of one of her nannies. All the way down the steep hill.

She was treated like a princess, wearing the finest clothing, eating the finest foods and carried to school, yet she hated it up on that hill. She loved nothing more than going down the to the markets with the farmers where there was excitement! And good, good food.

She’s always had impeccable taste.

After she was sent to the United States and married my grandfather (I think it may have been arranged) one of the meals she would make was something so simple yet so delicious. It was the peasant food she loved so much. I don’t even think it even had a proper name. Just an egg poached in a very loose red sauce. And man is it ever good! When that rich and creamy yolk breaks and mingles with the red sauce… ha! Heaven.

And it’s so easy.

Here’s how I make it:

1. You’ll need 2 cans of stewed tomatoes. If you can find the kind with onions and bell peppers added, even better. You want stewed because you need that watery, natural tomato juice. That’s what when heated will be poaching the egg. If you use a thicker sauce like crushed, pureed, or a marinara your egg won’t cook properly. If that’s all you have on hand though you can thin it out with some water. I’ve done and it’ll work you’ll just need to finesse it. You’ll also need a couple of eggs, some chopped onion and bell pepper (about 1/2 c. combined), a bit of olive oil and some salt to taste.

2. To a heavy bottomed sauce pan add a drizzle of olive oil and on medium high heat saute the onions and peppers until just soft. Add the stewed tomatoes some water if necessary and salt to taste. The spices in the dish and very minimal, don’t think traditional Italian meat sauce with basil and oregano. This is more like a tomato juice…sauce. Mild. You want the egg to be the star.

3. Bring the sauce to a soft boil and cook for a few minutes then turn down the heat to LOW. Here comes the trickiest part… the egg. Essentially you will be poaching an egg in the pot with the sauce.

4. With the sauce on low heat use a spoon to push aside any large pieces of tomato, onion or pepper, making a pocket or area for the egg. Then CAREFULLY break an egg into the spot you just made. Don’t break the yolk! It will probably sink all the way down and you won’t be able to see it but remember its exact location. If the sauce cools off too much you may turn up the heat but NEVER let it boil too hard or you will break and disrupt the egg. You want it to stay completely intact so that when the white is completely cooked you can carefully scoop it out.

5. Cook the egg in the sauce for about 5-7 minutes adjusting the heat up and down and controlling the amount of boil. To check and see if the egg is done I tilt my pot a little until I catch a glimpse of it. You can even scoop some of the sauce around the edges out into another dish if you need to. But whatever you do DON’T TOUCH THE EGG. Otherwise it will end up looking like Chinese egg drop soup – egg white all over the place.

6. When the whites of the egg are completely cooked (I don’t like slimy egg white but if you do take it out earlier) turn the heat off.

7. Grab a shallow pasta bowl and scoop some of the sauce into it. Once you have a good amount in the bowl grab a large spoon and carefully lift out the poached egg and place it directly center and on top of the sauce in the bowl. If you’re like me and like it hot serve with hot chili flakes.

You may have mad skills in the kitchen and can handle cooking multiple eggs in the sauce but I find that any more than three or four and you’re asking for trouble. Just sayin’.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Loco Hot Cocoa

I’m just going to say it. No one should ever buy a packet of hot cocoa mix. Unless… well, unless you’re camping or something and you can’t make it homemade. That’s really the only time I think it might be acceptable. And even that’s a big if. Next time you walk past some Swiss Miss at the grocery store, take a look at the ingredient list:

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Hydrogenated Coconut Oil, Nonfat Milk, Calcium Carbonate, Less Than 2% Of: Natural Flavor, Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono- And Diglycerides, Carrageenan. Contains Milk.

Mmmmm, sounds delicious doesn’t it? …Hardly. The fact is there is nothing even remotely similar between homemade hot cocoa and the stuff from the packet. If you’ve ever had hot cocoa made from scratch you know exactly what I’m talking about. There is just no comparison. AND… one is natural and good for your health and the other is processed and very, very, very bad for it.

It was a gloomy day today so when my kids came home from school I whipped them up a batch of homemade hot cocoa and topped it with my all-time favorite thing – a big dollop of heavy whipped cream! They were very happy and said I was ‘the best mommy ever!” and I was pleased knowing that it was sugar free AND good for them.

Here’s how I make Loco Hot Cocoa:

1. You will need 1 1/2 c. of half and half, 1 1/2 c. of whole milk (when I’m feeling decadent, I use heavy cream and half and half), 1/3 c. ZSweet (or to taste), 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. high quality cocoa powder (I use Valrhona) and about 1 1/2 c. heavy cream, whipped.

2. In a medium size sauce pan or pot, add the half and half and milk and heat gently on medium heat. Whisking, add the cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk frequently and be careful the milk does not come to a full boil. You don’t want to scald it. You want to warm it up until it’s just shy of a boil.

3. When it’s heated pour into mugs and top with freshly whipped heavy cream.

Now… go into your kitchen and throw away any packets of hot cocoa mix. You don’t need them anymore. It’s so easy. Just make it from scratch.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Lula Kabob With Tzatziki & Tomatoes

My kids can be a challenge (read major pain) to feed at dinner time. First of all they tend to be grazers when it comes to food. They’re long and lean and unlike their mother they have very dainty appetites or so I believe, since they waste so much food. Unless of course it’s bedtime. Then they’re starving as if they haven’t eaten for days! It’s the strangest phenomenon…??

But last night when I told them I was making Lula Kabob for dinner, instead of being greeted with the usual and highly annoying “I don’t like that.” I was greeted with cheers and excitement.

C’est vrai? Can this be true? I was afraid to believe it. But maybe…. just maybe… I hit the mommy jackpot. I found the Holy Grail of What My Kids Will Always Eat For Dinner. It was too much for my mind to process and I kept thinking “it’s gotta be the meat on a stick. Everyone loves meat on a stick…”. So I nonchalantly rolled with it lest they realize… I’ve found their Kryptonite.

They licked their plates clean last night. And you can be sure that this meal is going into the rotation.

Here’s how I make Lula Kabob with Tzatziki & Tomatoes:

For the Tzatziki

Tzatziki is one of my favorite condiments. I love, love, love eating it with meat. It’s cool. It’s creamy. It’s just so darned delicious! Sometimes I buy it from Trader Joe’s and sometimes I make it from scratch. It depends on how much time I have and if I have the ingredients on hand or not. I’ve even used the Trader Joe’s stuff as a starter and then added my own ingredients to it. They both taste great but with the homemade you can control the consistency. Thick or thin. Your choice.

1. For homemade tzatziki you will need about 4-5 Persian cucumbers (Trader Joe’s sells these, they’re very small and skinny. If you can’t find the Persian ones a Hothouse cucumber will work too), 1 1/2 c. kefir cheese, 1/2 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. (or less) of water, 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped dill, 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped mint, 1 clove garlic, 2 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste), 1 tsp. white pepper, and the juice of one lemon.

2. Prep the cucumbers by washing and slicing them very thinly on a mandolin or slicer. I peeled mine, but you don’t have to. Set aside.

3. In a bowl combine the kefir cheese, sour cream, garlic (use a garlic press of chop very finely) , dill, mint, salt, white pepper and the lemon juice and mix together. If it’s very thick add a splash of water to thin it out a little. But not too much because you will be adding the cucumbers and they will add their own water.

4. Add in the cucumbers and stir until the cucumbers are completely coated with the mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. As it sits the cucumbers will lose their water and the tzatziki will loosen up a bit. Also the flavors will meld.

For the Lula Kabob

In case you’re not familiar with Lula Kabob or a kabob it’s really just spiced ground meat on a stick. Different cultures make different versions of it using their preferred spices but it’s basically meat on a stick. I prefer the Lebanese version myself. Traditionally ground lamb is used (which I love) or even sirloin but for my recipe I just used ground chicken because it’s what I had. Any ground meat will work though.

1. You’ll need about 2lbs of ground chicken, 3/4 c. finely chopped yellow onion, 2 Tbsp. of chopped flat leaf (Italian) parsley, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint, 1 egg, 2 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. kosher salt, 2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper, the juice of 1/2 a lemon and enough bamboo/metal skewers for skewering. As always these measurements are approximations. Just spice according to your taste. Fry up a little piece of meat in a pan to test out the flavor. Oh, and if you’re really feeling cheeky and you have them on hand, you can really spice things up by adding a dash of allspice, nutmeg, fenugreek, cinnamon, clove and/or ginger. Those are the traditional Lebanese spices. But they’ll taste delicious either way.

2. Mix everything in a big bowl careful not to over mix. Over mixing toughens the meat. Always keep that in mind whenever you’re mixing any form of ground meat.

3. Gently form the meat around the skewer leaving enough space at one end to hold the stick. I usually use 6″ skewers because they are easier to handle for kids, but 9″ is also a good size. Form the meat about half way down the stick.

4. Place on a baking sheet at 425 degrees F for about 7-10 minutes depending on how big you made them. Just take one out and test it.

When the Lula Kabob are ready plate them up and serve with the chilled tzatziki sauce and some sliced tomatoes on the side.

This meal is definitely… kid Kryptonite.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Wurzelgemüse a.k.a. Kick-Ass Carrot Soup

As the bitter-cold California winter comes to a close I can’t help but get excited for springtime when it starts to warm up a bit. Because seriously, this 72 degree weather has been brutal this winter season. I’m looking forward to ditching my sweaters and saying hellooooo flip-flops. Although sometimes I wear a sweater WITH flip-flops. But no matter. I’m ready for spring.

And the Easter Bunny. Which makes me think of carrots. Which then reminds me of this delicious German soup my mom always made growing up – Wurzelgemüse. Say that three times fast.

The name might sound slightly unattractive but there is nothing unattractive about the taste of this soup. It’s fresh and light and so good. It’s completely uncomplicated. Which is what I love about it.

It’s a good thing carrots are available all year-long because this soup is perfect for any season. But I like it in spring. Because of the Easter Bunny. You know… carrots and all that.

Here’s how I make it:

1. You’ll need about two 2 1/2 lbs of carrots, one bunch of regular parsley (NOT Italian parsley), 2 potatoes (if you don’t do potatoes you can leave them out), some sort of vegetable soup starter (you can leave this out too if you’re sensitive to bouillon-type products but when making this soup I use it because carrots and water can taste pretty flat), butter, salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

2. Peel your potatoes cut them in quarters and put them and the carrots into a pot large enough that you can still add water comfortably. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and carrots. About 1″ above the vegetables. Put the pot on the stove and cook on high until fork tender. You want to be able to pierce them easily because you’re going to give them a rough mash. And you don’t want any hard bits of carrot. That would be gross.

3. Keep an eye on the pot to make sure there’s still enough water to cook the vegetables and also give you some broth. If things are looking a little dried up add some more water.

4. Once the vegetables are fork tender, lower the heat and add about 2 Tbsp of your vegetable soup starter (or more depending on your taste). Sometimes I add a little salt at this point if it still seems flat. For my soup base I use a German product called Klare Suppe but I’m sure there is some sort of equivalent here in the states. Probably even made by Maggi.

5. Once you’ve added the soup base get out your potato masher and start mashing up the carrots and potatoes, right in the pot. You only want to give it a rough mash. We’re not looking to puree’ here. You still want a few small chunks for some bite.

6. Once you’ve done your mashing add the butter. A lot of butter. I’d say easily one stick if not two. But that’s me. Just add according to taste. But I’m telling you, the butter makes it.

7. At this point the soup is almost done. You can turn off the heat while you prep the parsley. Wash, dry and remove the really large stems from the bunch of parsley and then give it a coarse chop. Depending on how big it is I usually use the whole bunch.

8. Add the parsley to the soup. The soup should still be hot enough that it wilts the parsley but doesn’t over cook it. You want it to stay a bright and fresh green not turn that ghastly grey-green-brown color.

9. Plate it up in a nice bowl and serve with a tab of butter in the center and topped with fresh cracked black pepper.

Delicious.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner of Champions

Now this… is a meal. Chorizo and eggs. Or as any good Southern-California-girl–married-to-a-Mexican should know, Chorizo con huevos.

I almost feel guilty posting a recipe for this because it’s so ridiculously easy to make. And do two ingredients even constitute a recipe? It doesn’t matter. Chorizo and eggs are just too perfect not to blog about. And since I’m all about blogging the things I like to eat I’m going to share with you my all-time favorite Sunday morning breakfast.

If you’re not familiar with chorizo it’s a Mexican sausage typically ground and made from fatty pork. Just thinking about it makes my heart flutter. All that savory, porky goodness. Definitely my kind of food. It’s got just the right amount of spice. Enough to notice but not enough to care. And when you pair that savory chorizo with the perfect food – an egg, it’s simply a match made in food heaven. Throw in a side of avocado and it’s da’ bomb!

Here’s how I make it:

1. Crack open about 6-8 eggs into a large bowl. That’s enough for two adults and a couple of kids. If you’re hungry crack more.

2. Beat the eggs until all the yolks are broken and the whites and yolks are incorporated.

3. Grab a large frying pan and turn it on low. Cut your chorizo in half and using your fingers and starting at the closed end, squeeze out the sausage into your pan. I like a lot of chorizo so I usually squeeze some out from the other half too. Turn the heat up to medium high, cooking the chorizo until it starts to loosen up and spread out in your pan. If it’s cooking too hot too fast, turn down the heat. And don’t burn it.

4. Once the chorizo has been cooking in the pan about 5 minutes add the eggs. Stir the chorizo and eggs gently and cook until the mixture is no longer wet, but not dried out either. Similar to cooking scrambled eggs.

5. When it’s done plate it up and serve it with sliced avocados on the side. Maybe even some Tapatio.

I know what I’m eating this weekend.

Happy Eating! 🙂

Cocoa Crack

Cocoa Crack. That’s right. Cocoa…CRACK.

It’s everything the name implies. Deep… dark… addictive. And just a little bit scary. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you’re into dark chocolate like I am and you live by the chocolate motto ‘bitter is better’ then this stuff is for you. Even if you’re not into dark chocolate you should still try this. You might be surprised at how good it really is.

It’s possibilities are endless. Sometimes I’ll add peppermint extract and some peppermint stevia for that cool Peppermint Patty rush. Or I’ll add coconut flake and vanilla for some Mounds action. Or just walnuts like a See’s Candy. I’m telling you, sky is the limit here.

But wait! There’s more…

Cocoa Crack is so amazing that you can even use it as… wait for it………….. your very own home-made Magic Shell ice cream topping!! It’ll coat and harden on your ice cream like a suit of armor. It’s magical I tell you!

Clearly this discovery thrilled the kid in me as I have vivid memories of my mom occasionally bringing home some Magic Shell. We’d all get our ice cream and then start squeezing the life out of that bottle, the magic oozing out onto our ice creams and then the inevitable hardening right before our eyes. Followed of course by… crack. Spoons thumping against the chocolate barrier. Yes, I loved me some Magic Shell.

Cocoa Crack is by far one of my favorite little Primal treats. Not only is it super easy to make and I can whip up a batch in less than 58.6 seconds… it’s also good for you. Really good for you.

To make it you only need three ingredients.

Coconut Oil:

If you don’t know about the benefits of coconut oil then I ask you… have you been living under a rock?? You’re really missing the boat. Or maybe you’re one of those people who are still under the impression (through no fault of your own) that coconut oil is evil and saturated fat is BAD-BAD-BAD. If so then take a look at this and this. Coconut oil is not only tasty it’s down right miraculous. It’s a fat burner. It’s brain food. It’s great for your skin and hair. The list of benefits is a mile long. Did I mention it’s a FAT BURNER??

My personal favorite brand of coconut oil is Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. It’s so delicious, I can eat it straight. Right off the spoon. I keep it right on my counter and use it for the majority of my frying needs. Coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees F, so depending on how cool or warm it is it will be either hard, soft or somewhere in between. This low melting point is what makes the ‘magic’ happen in Magic Shell by the way… when coconut oil meets cold it solidifies.

Cocoa Powder:

Your cocoa crack is only as good as the quality of your cocoa powder. This is very important because if you try to make it with, say…Hershey’s Cocoa Powder or some other low-grade cocoa powder it’s going to taste more like Cocoa Crap.

I’m a chocolate snob so I use Valrhona cocoa powder. Yes it’s expensive but it’s the best. And it’s my indulgence. But if you need a more budget friendly choice Pernigotti, Frontier and Ghirardelli cocoa are all good choices.

Sweetener:

My sweetener of choice is ZSweet. I think it tastes amazingly like sugar and it leaves me with no weird aftertaste. And believe me I’ve tried many different sugar substitutes but ZSweet keeps me coming back. Lucky for me they also offer a powdered version which is a big deal. Ever try making a butter cream frosting with a sugar substitute that just won’t melt?? It’s like chewing on an emery board. But every one has a preference so just use whatever sweetener you like. And if it’s powdered… even better.

Here’s how you make it:

1. In a smallish bowl mix together melted coconut oil, cocoa powder and sweetener. The ratio of coconut oil to cocoa powder is about 1:1. If you make a batch that yields about one 3.5 oz chocolate bar it’ll be approximately 4 Tbsp of coconut oil to 4 Tbsp of cocoa powder. I usually use half the amount of sweetener (2 Tbsp of ZSweet) but I suggest sweetening to taste. The consistency should be liquid but not runny or overly oily.

2. Here’s the trickiest part. Find something in your kitchen that you can line with parchment paper and can contain your cocoa crack and give it some nice edges. You don’t have to have edges but it’s better when it has a uniform thickness. Things I have used in the past include a shallow ramekin, a small shallow toaster oven tray, a plate and a home-made foil contraption (my favorite). Anything will work really you just want to make sure that the cocoa crack isn’t too thin otherwise it will melt way too fast when eating it.

3. After your cocoa crack is contained put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. And make sure it’s level while it’s chilling. Depending on the amount made it should be completely solid by then.

4. Remove from the freezer and eat it or just break it into pieces and like a little hamster, store it for later. I usually make smaller batches and store it in a Tupperware container labeled “PMS Medicine” in the freezer.

If you’d rather not eat cocoa crack straight up because it’s too intense, here are a few other options:

• Cocoa Crack Covered Strawberries
• Cocoa Crack Covered Almonds
• Cocoa Crack Magic Shell (!!)
• Cocoa Crack Peppermint Bark
• Cocoa Crack Nut Clusters

You get the idea… have fun with it. 🙂

Happy Eating!