mindfulbites

I LOVE almond butter. I can happily take a spoonful straight from the jar or put it on a banana, apple or square of dark chocolate and find myself completely satiated. Here in Hong Kong (or anywhere for that matter), purchasing organic almond butter can definitely put a dent in the wallet, encouraging me to get my tail in the kitchen and make my own. By making your own almond butter--or any nut butter--you get control (fist bump!) on what goes into it and how creative you want to make it. Try combinations like pecan/almond, walnut/pumpkin seed & cashew/macadamia. Yummy! A lot of nut butters out there are full of hydrogenated oils and refined sugars, which is a good reminder to READ YOUR INGREDIENT LABELS. I digress. I can assure you that you will be pleased with your own version and it will taste better than any store bought jar. It's pretty simple to make. Actually, it's ridiculously easy so let's get to it. If you haven't checked out my previous post on soakin...

If there is one thing I love more than coconut oil, it is ghee. Also known as clarified butter or butter oil, ghee is loaded with nutritional benefits and is a must-have item to use in the kitchen. For those of you who are intolerant to dairy, you'll likely be able to handle ghee just fine as the milk proteins (casein and lactose) are removed in the process. More often than not, those who are sensitive to dairy have no issues with ghee for this reason alone. Ghee has been used for thousands of years in India for both cooking and medicinal purposes. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, and also contains butyric acid and conjugated linoleic acid, which are known for having anti-viral and anti-carcinogenic properties. Grass-fed ghee yields more omega 3s than omega 6s, but if you can't find grass-fed/pasture raised opt for organic butter (because we don't want to consume the hormones, antibiotics and pesticides from non-organic). Ghee also aids your immune sy...