Watermelon Seed Butter

Don’t call me crazy yet – hear me out. I mean, I always thought who eats watermelon seeds? They’re the nasty things you bite into by accident when eating watermelon. However, I ordered, by mistake, some watermelon kernels a while ago. Put them in my pantry and forgot about them until recently when I had to clean out the pantry because I couldn’t fit anything else in there. I started throwing them out for the birds and some fell on the counter. I ate them and was shocked! They taste great, almost like a mix of peanut and cashew, except they aren’t as high in fat as most nuts. Needless to say, the birds aren’t going to get anymore.

Here’s a breakdown of what 1 ounce of watermelon kernels contains: 8 grams protein; 13.4 grams fat; 4.34 grams carbohydrates; 15.3 mg calcium; 2 mg iron; 146 mg magnesium; 214 mg phosphorus; and 184 mg potassium. They’re low in calories, high in fiber and essential fatty acids.

And like the pumpkin seeds I love, they grind up well into a butter. I think I’m going to try some of those cashew butter recipes for things like cheese that didn’t work well with my pumpkin seed butter. I’ll let you know how that goes.

In the bowl of a food processor combine:

1 pound of watermelon kernels (Yupik is the brand I used but there are quite a few available online)

Begin blending until they are mostly crumbly before adding:

2-3 tablespoons avocado oil (amount depends on how creamy you want the butter)

If the mixture becomes too thin from the oil, add more kernels. I ended up adding 1 1/2 pounds to my food processor. When the butter is the desired texture (I like mine a little crunchy), add:

pinch to 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Blend to combine before scooping the butter into air-tight jars. Refrigerate (or freeze). Use like you would any nut butter. My 1 1/2 pounds of kernels produced 4 cups of butter.

Carolina Mustard Barbeque Sauce

I’ve recently found that tomatoes and tomato-based sauces bother my stomach so I’ve been searching for alternatives, especially since my favorite foods are ribs and wings. Here’s one that’s very tasty and easy to make. I used a jar of dill pickle mustard that I had in my cupboard and wow, that a great taste! Only takes a couple of minutes to mix and can be frozen if you don’t use it all. I made a batch of chicken wings with it.

In a small bowl (about 2 cups) combine:

1/2 cup mustard – any mustard will work – I’ve used the dill pickle mustard as well as my usual stone ground and both made very delicious sauce

1/4 cup honey (date sugar, coconut or agave nectar, maple or date syrup would also work)

1/4 cup avocado oil

1/4 cup white vinegar (rice or apple cider vinegar would also work)

1 small can green chilis (about a 4-ounce size; I used mild but feel free to use a hotter variety if your family likes them)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Brush on ribs or wings or serve on the side once the meat is cooked. Makes about 1 3/4 cups of sauce. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular blender.

I brushed the sauce on the wings before baking them for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Honey Barbeque Sauce

I gave you a recipe for barbeque sauce when I made the Barbeque Beans side dish a while ago (see recipe under side dishes). That one included some oil so here’s an oil free, spicy recipe that I just love and I hope you will too. I’m making some pork Ribbletts tomorrow and since my usual Organicville Barbeque Sauce isn’t available at my local store at the moment, I decided to try making my own. I’ll pass on the recipe for the ribbletts tomorrow.

In a small saucepan combine:

1 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup honey (maple or date syrup, coconut or agave nectar)

1/4 cup white vinegar (or apple cider)

2 tablespoons molasses

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon chili sauce (in the Asian section of your market just be sure to purchase one without any sugar) (Optional)

1/2 teaspoon sriracha (Optional)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Stir or whisk together and taste. Just remember that all these flavors will be accentuated as the sauce reduces. Heat over medium heat until it just starts to bubble then reduce to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until thickened. Add additional salt, etc., if needed per your taste. Makes about 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups of sauce.

Lemon Sauce for desserts

Another easy quick sauce.

In a small saucepan combine:

1/2 cup date sugar (agave nectar, honey, or use 1/2 teaspoon monk fruit powder)

2 tablespoons arrowroot

3/4 cup water

zest and juice (1/4 cup) of 1 lemon

Whisk over medium high heat until thickens, about 3-5 minutes. If a richer taste is desired, when thickened, whisk in:

2 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegan butter or margarine)

Serve warm.

Vanilla Sauce for desserts

Here’s a very easy, quick recipe to use instead of whipped toppings.

In a small saucepan combine:

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 tablespoon arrowroot (tapioca or corn starch also work)

1 tablespoon date sugar (agave or coconut nectar, honey, or 1/8 teaspoon monk fruit powder)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla powder)

Whisk over medium high heat for about 2 minutes until mixture thickens. Serve warm or hot. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Store leftover sauce in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.

Pumpkin Seed Butter

Lots of us are allergic to nuts so use butters made from seeds instead. I know sunflower butter is very popular along with tahini but I prefer pumpkin seed butter. I find, however, the cost to be almost prohibitive – over $20 for 8 ounces or less. Ridiculous price to pay. So I purchased two pounds of raw pepitas at the store, brought them home and roasted them (place on a large cookie sheet and stick in the oven, set it to 425 degrees and when it comes to temperature, turn off the oven and let the seeds sit in there for about 10 minutes) and then proceeded to make my own pumpkin seed butter which came out quite delicious and creamy, with a little bit of crunch. It’s very simple but it does take awhile because the food processor gets too hot so one has to wait about 10 minutes for it to cool down between each 3-5 minute of processing.

Place in a food processor bowl:

3 cups roasted (or raw if you prefer) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Feel free to add a little sea salt if preferred. Process seeds for about 3-5 minutes or until food processor gets hot. Stop and repeat until nuts are creamy, about 6-7 times, scrapping down the sides of the food processor during every rest period. Place in sealed jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

FYI, the seeds will start off quite grainy, then become crumbly and clump up in one spot before they get creamy. The longer they’re processed, the creamer and smoother the butter becomes.

Glazes

I made some pear donuts this morning, fried a couple of fritters from the dough as well. While I found them sweet enough without a glaze, I know my daughter-in-law and grandson will prefer them with one. Took me several tries to find the glaze I wanted on my blog so I thought putting the several I’ve used in my blogs in one place might be a good idea. So here they are – ones used cold after baking and the Honey Bee Glaze that’s baked on the dough.

Maple Glaze

In a small bowl whisk together:

1/4 cup vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance soy free)

1/2 cup powdered monkfruit sweetener (Lakanto makes one that Whole Foods or Amazon carries)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon non-dairy milk

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

2-3 shakes of salt (or a dash!)

When the donuts are still warm, dip one side into the glaze.

Standard Confectioner’s Sugar Glaze

Whisk together for a thin glaze:

1/3 cup sugar free confectioners’ sugar (Lakanto has a monkfruit based powdered sugar)

2 tablespoons non-dairy milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

OR for a thicker glaze:

6 tablespoons vegan margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar-free confectioners’ sugar

1-2 tablespoons non-dairy milk

If you don’t care for the taste of monkfruit sweetener, mix together 1/2 cup agave or coconut nectar with 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk and 1 tablespoon of ground chia seed (white). Pour over or dip donuts in glaze.

Honey Bee Glaze

In a small bowl whisk:

1/2 cup agave nectar (or date syrup or coconut nectar)

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1/4 cup avocado oil

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup crushed nuts, sesame seeds, or hemp hulls (Optional)

Pour over unbaked dough and bake per recipe directions.

Plum Salsa

Here’s a quick and easy way to kick up your grilled pork chop or chicken breast. Takes a couple of minutes to put together and will liven up your grilled meat.

In a medium, 3 cup bowl, combine:

1 large plum (or 2 smaller ones), diced

2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (or 1 teaspoon dried)*

juice from 1 lime

dash of hot sauce (to taste)

dash of sea salt

Makes 2 servings. Feel free to substitute other fruits such as nectarines, peaches, or pears.

*I hate cilantro. When I hear chefs on TV say, “Who doesn’t like cilantro?” I always want to scream, “Me, Me, I hate cilantro.” So I used dried parsley instead.

EASY VEGAN “BUTTER”

There are lots of recipes for vegan “butter” on the internet but most have a nut base.

In a blender combine:

1 cup avocado oil (or any oil you like but the avocado has a very light flavor)

1/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used oat)

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

Pinch of turmeric

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. Pour into a 2-cup dish with a lid. Place in the freezer for 1 hour and then transfer to the refrigerator until set (about 2-4 hours or if you skip the freezer, overnight 6-8 hours).

Eggless Hollandaise Sauce

This is a very easy recipe to make, unlike egg yolk and butter based Hollandaise which can break very easily. But even without the egg yolks and butter, it has an unctuous mouth feel and an almost umami satisfaction. It’s a simple white sauce with some added vinegar and lemon zest. Great for topping asparagus (I used white, sorry the photo doesn’t have more color, I have to limit my intake of green vegetables), peas and onions, chicken or turkey breast instead of gravy, or almost any fish (although you might want a little more lemon with fish).

In a 4 cup or larger saucepan, whisk together:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (best to grate with a microplane rather than a box grater) [this comes to the zest of about half a lemon]

pinch paprika (wasn’t enough for me so I added about 1/4 teaspoon)

3 tablespoons of gluten-free all purpose flour

Dash of sea salt

This should whisk to a fairly smooth consistency except for the lemon zest. Slowly add while whisking:

3/4 cup cold non-dairy milk (any kind except soy which won’t thicken)

Put over a medium heat and whisk until the mixture begins to thicken. When it’s quite thick, whisk in:

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes until the sauce is again somewhat thick (thinner than pudding), it should coat the back of a spoon. Serve hot, makes 1 1/2 cups.

TIPS:

*I added several dashes of herbamare to my sauce

*Gently brown some minced garlic in the oil before adding the remaining ingredients for a roasted garlic flavor (this won’t have a creamy smooth mouth feel)

*Some thyme, Italian herbs, or other herbs in small amounts would work well in this sauce and give it a slightly different flavor. Sage would be good if you want to serve it with chicken or turkey.

*For an eggless “Eggs” Benedict, pour over some Canadian bacon and tomato slice(s) on a gluten-free English muffin for a hearty breakfast.