September swap

This time I got very interesting offer from Rachel. As she gould not find anyone from EU to swap with me beside Techla, she decided to swap with us.

It was total surprise and off course I agreed with this, otherwise I was left out this time.

To Rachel I sent some Sea Buckthorn Muesli and some hawthorn berry flour. I think and really hope that there are not any in USA. I love them both. I use both of them in my teas or in baking goods. They are very rich in taste.

Yesterday evening I had note in my postbox and I could not read whom it was. It was just 3 letters ARX. So I was really puzzled as I order some stuff only from Iherb and if you are interested in ordering feel free to use my discount code MMQ155 on your first order and get off 5 or 10 $ depends on your order. 

So back to that note. So today afternoon I had some time visiting the Post Office and I was so inpatient to see what was in that mystery parcel, so I opened it directly after I received it in my car. Oooh, that smell what rushed to my face - it was just wonderful and so rich. It was Nutiva´s Coconut manna - and that word manna really puzzled me as "manna" in my language means semolina... 

But coconut semolina - wow it would be really wonderful  - kids will love it. But it does not look like semolina at all. So I do  not think that I can make them berry juice manna whipping (mannavaht / mannaroosa) to them what they use to like when we ate manna over year ago.

So nothing to do, I needet to dive into internet and see what it is and is there any use for it beside just eating it right from the jar. Read from jar that this is a possibility to put into brownies - it would be great, but where is the recipe...? Doing more searching I found out that it is quite good idea to use it by making your own coconut milk. I use to do it out of coconut flakes, but hey, this is easier. Do not to soak or wait so long time, before I can do something out of it. So then I decided that it should become a pumpkin sweet potato cream soup.

Pumpkin sweet potato cream soup with coconut manna

• ca´ 1,5 kg butternut pumpkin (peeled, seeds removed and cut into cubes)
• ca´ 500 g sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
• 1 2/3 cup coconut manna
• 6 cups hot water
• himalayan pink salt
• 1-1,5 ts allspice
• 1-1,5 ts Chinese 5 spice
• 150-200 g butter or coconut oil
• pepitas
• 300 g full smoked dear sausage

First make your coconut manna milk, put the jar into hot water and wait when manna turns nice and soft, then measure 1 2/3 cup manna into blender and add 6 cups rather hot (but your hands can tolerate it) not cold or boiling water and blend few seconds and let it sit. 

Put soup pot onto stove on medium heat, pour in your oil or butter, heat it up. Wash, peel and cut your sweet potatoes and add them to butter or oil. Let them glaze, but do not let them get browned as you do not want brown soup, but nice and orange. Then wash, peel and remove seeds from your pumpkin, cut into cubes and add them to your potatoes. Add some salt and spices, it depends how spicy soup you like. Let them glaze there but do not let them get burnt, stir all the time. Let them glaze there about 8 more minutes, then add your coconut manna milk and let it simmer in low heat about 10-15 minutes. When sweet potatoes and pumpkin cubes are almost mashed then turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes. Take your full smoked dear sausage and heat it up in oven for 8-10 minutes. Now you are ready to take your hand blender and smash your soup into nice and creamy consistence. Cut your smoked sausage into small cubes and add it into soup or garnish later with it. Depends what do you like best and garnish with a little Tai Basil and coconut manna.

Enjoy!

Paleo pen pal swap - my first

First, I live in Europe in Estonia and my English is not so good. So I hope that you will forgive me some spelling mistakes and weird phrases.

Little about me. I am a mom to 4 childern and we are doing paleo for over a year now and we love it. I have solved all my healt problems what I use to have.

Then looking around in internet again I found Paleo Pen Pal Swap and decided to join.

Paleo Pen Pals

Signed in and was waiting my match. As I am so far from all others who are swapping I was a bit afraid if I will get a match at all. And then I got an e-mail with my swappers e-mail. I was so happy. So I wrote and I assumed that she was from States. To keep the postal cost minimum I suggested her to make virtual swapping if the postal cost will be very large. And then I receive a wonderful mail that she is from UK and that her name is Techla and she wants swapping with me and loved the idea to keep postal cost minimum and send to each other something small what we may not have here. And she asked if there is anything I would like to get? So I said that if possible then some arrowroot or cream of tartar would be nice and what I could send to her...
As 10th of August was a weekend then our postal office was closed and I had no way to go to city to post it. So I posted mine on Monday 12th of August. I know that the rules were 10th...

And then I got my little wonderful parcel in 16th of August. That was quite quick! And the same day she got mine as well, thou I sent it 2 days later. You can read Techlas ideas, what she did. I will try those cookies for sure.
This is what I got: arrowroot starch 6 packs, cream of tartar 6 packs, smoked jalapenos and 4 teabags. Nice! As in here it is impossible to get any arrowroot starch or cream of tartar. And I never seen any smoked jalapenos.

As I did not get any hint from my swap partner what to send her I put together this little parcel what included flax seeds flour, cranberry flour and mixed some special our own little village honey with a twist. This twist was honey mixed with pollen and propolis. I love it and hope that she did too. Unfortunately I did not think earlier to take a photo of my parcel. So next time I do that as well if I get new partner :D

So what should I do with these ingredients? Never used any of them before. So first thing was that I made some smoked jalapeno pepper pork liver "meatballs" basically they are more like pancakes but we call it cutlets "maksakotletid" and to the side I made some nice oven veggies.

Jalapeno pepper pork liver cutlets

As when I made this recipe I did it just how I felt was right. I took whole pork liver, what weighed about 1,3-1,5 kg then minced it with my meat grinder and added to the grinder 1 large whole garlic with 11-13 cloves. I just love garlic. Then added to grinder about 6 - 7 large carrots. Mixed all up in bowl, added 3 eggs, salt and whole smoked jalapeno pepper. (I did not dare to add more as I do have one 5 year old and she is not so keen on hot stuff). Mixed all that through and fried in pan where I added quite a lot of butter. Liver cutlets like to fry in a lot of butter then they turn out nice. Fry both side until nice and brown.

Then with arrowroot starch I made some really good primal apple cake with a total twist. No flour what so ever.

 In here you can see the whole apple cake just waiting to cool as it is impossible to cut when hot - will run all over the plate.

Here it is cooled and cut apple cake. Just heaven. Next time I will probably add more starch to it to be more firmer, but it tasted so good anyway.

Different apple cake (primal stile)

1 kg sliced sour apples
100 g butter
1 1/3 cup honey
5 tsp coconut flower sugar * optional if you like it more sweet (did not use it)
2 tsp pollen (can leave it out as well) I love it in.
300 g nuts of your choice (used hazelnuts)
200 g dried cranberries (or raisins) I used cranberries
1 kg coat milk yogurt ( I make my own)
3 TBS cinnamon
5-6 eggs (depends on the size)
6 TBS arrowroot starch

In the large pot melt butter and 1 cup honey, pollen (if you use coconut sugar then this as well) with cinnamon. Throw in apples and glaze it about 5. Then add nuts and cranberries or raisins and glaze few  more minutes, but be careful that apples do not brake, about 2-3 minutes. Take off from heat.
Pour apple mix onto large oven pan with sides or 40 x 24 cm pan with high sides, spread the mixture evenly  on the pan.

In the other large bowl whisk eggs a little bit, then add yogurt in and sweeten it with 1/3 cup of honey. Stir it nicely through and whisk in arrowroot starch.  Pour this mixture over apple mixture and set into oven to 175 C about 45-60 minutes (depends on the oven and pan size) until nice and golden and you do not see any runny toppings. Let it to cool completely and then cut it open and serve just like that or with some homemade ice cream.


Now there is nothing else to do than wait new sign up and partner. Love this swapping very much.