Norwegian Rommegrot

I am 1/4 Norwegian and despite having many traditional Norwegian foods (such as WONDERFUL Lefse) I didn't get to try Norwegian Rommegrot until a few years ago at a church Christmas party. Oh man! It is one of the unhealthiest things I have ever eaten, but it is sooooo good! I found a recipe online and decided to share it with you. I can't remember where I got this recipe or I'd share that info with you. If you decide to try this - I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
1 qt. milk (I have found whole milk to work best)
1 c. half and half
1 c. butter
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
Brown Sugar and cinnamon

Directions:
Heat milk and half and half; do not scorch; set aside.
In large, heavy pan, melt 1 cup butter and add flour, cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in milk, cook, stirring frequently until mixture bubbles and thickens.
Stir in sugar.
Pour 1/4 cup melted butter on top.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Serve warm.
Makes 1/2 gallon.


NOTE: This may be kept warm and served from a crock pot. Use low heat. Add butter, sugar and cinnamon after mixture is put in crock pot. Rommegrot is traditionally served at Christmas.

Agave Nectar Popcorn Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup unpopped popcorn seeds
1 cup sugar

3/4 cup light agave nectar
1 small package jello (dry)

Directions:
Bring sugar, agave nectar, and jello to a boil and pour over popped corn.


Makes about 2 dozen balls depending on size.

To store: Wrap in saran wrap and tie closed with a ribbon.

Recipe by Jen!

Chloe's Virus-Killing Soup

This is a recipe from a forum friend of mine named Chloe. Not only is this like medicine, but man - does it taste good! (And this from a lady who vowed to never eat half the stuff in it! HA!)

Ingredients - Step 1:
One chicken

Appx 15-30 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Tbs salt
3-4 Thyme sprigs
Cayenne pepper (to taste. I use about a tsp)
Fresh Rosemary sprigs
Fresh ground pepper


Directions - Step 1
Place chicken and other ingredients n a soup pot and cover with water or chicken broth (I really like those boxes of organic chicken broth). Cook on stove top until chicken starts to fall apart. Remove from heat. Strain out chicken and stuff and set aside until cool enough to chop. Reserve broth for next step.


Ingredients - Step 2

1 large onion (coarsely chopped or sliced)
1 fennel bulb (sliced thin)
1 leek (sliced thin)
4-6 stalks of celery (coarse chopped)
large red pepper (coarse chopped
1/2 lb. carrots (coarse chopped)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 C good White Wine
salt and pepper


Directions - Step 2

Place oil in bottom of large pot and heat. Add onion, fennel, celery, pepper and leek and saute until onion just transparent. Add wine and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Cover the vegetables with chicken broth from chicken--add more broth from can or box if you don't have enough broth from chicken and simmer veggies until just tender.


Ingredients - Step 3
Frozen green beans
Frozen peas
zucchini
flat leaf parsely (chopped)
1-2 cans chopped tomatoes with juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions - Step 3
Add these above ingredients and simmer until everything is tender. Add chopped chicken, salt and pepper to taste.


No virus can withstand this soup.

You can also add cabbage with the end ingredients if you like, or any other veggies your family likes. Sometimes I'll throw in whatever is in my veggie bin in addition to the above.

The next day add egg noodles and turn it into chicken noodle soup.

Banana Bread

I love, love, love banana bread! And since I'm trying to cut out sugar from my diet, I decided to alter my favorite recipe for banana bread to use agave nectar instead. Since it turned out so awesome, I'm going to share the recipe with all of you! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 C. butter
1 1/4 C. light agave nectar
4 eggs
1 C. milk
6 bananas, mashed
1 tsp salt
4 C. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 C. chocolate chips or nuts. (I usually make 1 with chocolate chips and 1 without.)

Directions:
Cream agave nectar and butter. Add eggs, milk, bananas, salt, flour and baking soda. Pour into 6 floured mini loaf pans, or 2 large loaves. Bake 60 minutes at 350°.

Recipe by Jen!

Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm not a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, but I have to say - this recipe was really good! You really need to get the book that I get some of these recipes from! So far, everything I've tried has been delicious!

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
12 oz cream cheese, low-fat Neufchatel cheese, or a combination of both
3/4 C light agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese.
Add the agave nectar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
Beat well until smooth and fluffy.

(Recipe taken from "Baking With Agave Nectar" by Ania Catalano [copyright 2008 by Ania Catalano]) 

Carrot Cake

Saraphina hates chocolate (I know - crazy, isn't it?!) so she requested Carrot Cake for her 13th Birthday. I've been trying to reduce the amount of sugar that we all eat, so I gave this recipe a try. OMGoodness! It was so deliciously moist that we had ZERO left-overs when the party was over! The frosting is also on my blog - Cream Cheese Frosting and is made with agave nectar as well. If you try this - let me know what you think! I want more - I only got a half a piece - so I might have to make some more with the extra carrots I have this week!

Ingredients:
3 C. finely grated carrots (about 15 medium carrots)
1/2 C. unsweetened shredded coconut
2 C. Sprouted  spelt flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 C light agave nectar
3 large eggs
1/2 C canola oil
1 C. nonfat plain yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract
(Recipe calls for 1/2 C. raisins and 1 C. walnuts, chopped - but I don't like either of those in my cake, so I left them out)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil two 9-in cake pans with canola oil spray.
Mix together the carrots, raisins, coconut, and walnuts in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
In a food processor, blend the agave nectar, eggs, canola oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract for about 1 minute.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir to blend.
Add the carrot mixture and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the layers comes out clean.'
Let cool in the pan, then invert onto a platter.
Frost the cake with your choice of frosting. (The Cream Cheese Frosting on my blog is excellent and is from the same cookbook.)


(Recipe taken from "Baking With Agave Nectar" by Ania Catalano [copyright 2008 by Ania Catalano])

Spelt Pancakes

Ingredients:
3/4 C. All-Purpose Flour
3/4 C. Spelt Flour
1/2 C. blanched, slivered almonds, finely ground
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 C. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C. vanilla yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C. skim milk
2 eggs
1/4 C. agave nectar (or honey)
2/3 C. add-in of your choice (chocolate chips, blueberries, strawberries, etc)
Butter or oil for skillet

Directions:
Mix together flours, baking powder, salt and almonds in a large bowl.
In medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, yogurt, vanilla, milk, eggs and agave nectar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients just until blended. You may add more milk, if needed. Fold in the add-ins.

Butter a large skillet over medium heat. Drop by 1/4 C. onto the skillet. Flip when bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancakes. Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes or until pancakes are golden.