Butternut Squash Gems

I got a dehydrator, this year, and have been furiously searching for fun recipes.  I found this one and wanted to share it because my 4 year-old approves.  In fact, he says, "These are freakin' good!"  I blushed at his language because he learned that from me.  Whoops!  But, here it is!
 2 cups almond meal (I found this at Bulk Barn)
 3/4 cup raisins
 2 cups dried shredded unsweetened coconut
 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
 1/4 tsp sea salt
 Mix all the dry ingredients together in the food processor until they are well blended.

• 

• Add the wet ingredients and blend until creamy.

 3 Tbsp butternut squash puree (I used cooked squash as I had some left over from dinner the night before) 1/4 cup raw agave nectar
 1/4 cup raw honey
 
 Then we used our cookie scoop to form balls of dough and then pressed half of a pecan into each.
In the dehydrator, we set them at 135 degrees for an hour, then we dropped the dehydrator to 105 degrees for an additional 12 hours until it was dried, but soft and chewy. So delicious.  This recipe yielded about 25 cookies.  I'm already thinking I will have to mix it up again!  The honey flavour really permeates these chewy gems and makes them extra delicious.

Marinated Chicken Kabobs

Original recipe makes 4 servings

2 T. fresh parsley

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1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil

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1/2 cup soy sauce  (or ¼ c. soy sauce ¼ c. teriyaki sauce)

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2 T.  HONEY

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1/4 cup lemon juice

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2 tablespoons sesame seeds

·         

1 garlic clove 

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4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

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1 (8 ounce) package fresh chopped mushrooms

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2 onions, quartered

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1 green bell pepper, cut into large chunks  

SUBSTITUTE any vegetables of your choice – (cherry tomatoes, zucchini or fresh pineapple chunks!)

                

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, blend parsley, oil, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, sesame seeds, and garlic. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate. Thread chicken onto skewers alternately with vegetables. Pour marinade into a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Place skewers on the prepared grill. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Baste with the boiled marinade frequently during the last 10 minutes.

Cooking with honey

Adjusting a recipe to substitute HONEY for sugar

In general, HONEY can be substituted for sugar in baking by following these tips:

·      Replace every 1 c. sugar with ¾ c. honey (because honey is sweeter than sugar).

·      If possible, reduce the liquid content of the recipe by ¼ c. for every cup of honey used. I’ve found that it isn’t necessary, though, when there is no liquid in the recipe (milk or water).

·      Add ¼ - ½ tsp. soda to the recipe (to balance the increased acidity of the recipe when honey is added. This will help it to rise better.)

·      Reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees Farenheit.  (Honey tends to caramelize and burn faster than sugar at higher temperatures.)

Zucchini muffins with honey

Zucchini Muffins with Honey

So… here’s a muffin recipe that worked out wonderfully using no sugar, JUST HONEY (following the tips I’ve put on the Hunter Honey website).

I like to mix things up a bit by using a combination of zucchini and carrots – it’s more colourful and adds another vegetable flavour!  I use about half grated zucchini and half grated carrots, totally 3 cups.  Recipe doubles nicely!

INGREDIENTS

·       2 eggs

·       1 c. pure, unpasteurized HONEY

·       2 tsps. vanilla

·       3 cups grated fresh zucchini (or mix with carrot)

·       2/3 c. melted butter

·       1 ½ c. unbleached white flour

·       1 ½ c. whole wheat flour

·       2 ½ tsps. soda

·       pinch salt

·       2 tsps. cinnamon

·       ½ tsp. nutmeg

·       1 c. walnuts (optional)

·       1 c. dried cranberries, fresh or thawed frozen cherries (cup up), fresh or thawed frozen blueberries … (optional)

·       ¾ c. unsweetened grated coconut (optional)

DIRECTIONS

·       PREHEAT OVEN TO 325 F.

·       Mix together all the dry ingredients and set aside

·       In a large bowl, beat eggs.

·       Beat in honey and vanilla

·       Add grated zucchini and stir

·       Stir the dry ingredients into the honey mixture just until combined

·       Stir in walnuts, fruit and coconut (if using)

·       Fill lined muffin cups almost to overflowing.

·       Makes 12 muffins.

·       Bake for 25-30 mins.

·       Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.

·       Let cool completely before storing or icing

OPTIONAL ICING: Mix ½ block of cream cheese with 2 T. butter and drizzle honey in bowl to desired sweetness, continuing to beat until creamy.  Cool in fridge before icing the completely cooled muffins.  FREEZES WELL.