Almond and Peanut Butter

Almond Butter/Peanut Butter

I have discovered making almond butter and peanut butter at home which is very good considering the insane amount we go through and the fact that Trader Joe's can't keep almond butter on their shelves

Basically, you dump almonds or peanuts in a food processor, add a little sea salt as desired and turn it on.  That's about it.  You may need to stop the processor and scrape the sides every once in a while.  I have had no problems doing this with my food processor but I understand that sometimes the food processor may start smelling like it is burning - please turn it off if that happens :)  You may want to give the processor a rest during this if you run into any of those issues.

I have used both raw unsalted almonds (Trader Joe's) and oven roasted unsalted almonds (Aldi's).

For the peanut butter I used dry roasted unsalted peanuts from Aldi's.

I sprinkle some sea salt in the mixture as it starts getting creamy.

Here are some pics of the almond butter.

The nuts will turn to flour first and then butter.

Stuffed Cabbage

Stuffed Cabbage

1 head cabbage
1 lb ground turkey
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 egg, beaten
1 can beans (I used pinto, but whatever you have on hand should be fine)
1/4 cup minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
16 oz can tomato sauce
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Boil cabbage for a few minutes (this makes it easier to peel off the leaves).

In a large bowl, combine turkey, tomatoes, egg, beans, onions and salt and pepper.  Place a spoonful of the mixture in center of each cabbage leaf and roll up, tucking in ends.

In a small bowl, mix together tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.  Place cabbage rolls in baking dish and cover with tomato sauce.

Cover and cook at 400.  Check at 45 minutes to see if done.

Grilled Shrimp and veggies with black beans and salsa

Finally!  It is warm enough to grill!

Grilled Shrimp
2 lbs shrimp - peeled and deveined (I either buy them on skewers or put them on skewers)

Marinate shrimp in following marinade for 20 minutes and then grill

1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
2 TBSP hot sauce
3 cloves garlic minced
1 TBSP tomato paste or sauce (I have also used ketchup)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper


With our yummy shrimp, we also grilled onions, asparagus tossed in olive oil, garlic and sea salt and skewers of grape tomatoes.  We made black beans and salsa by combining 1 can of rinsed and drained black beans with 1 cup of salsa and warming on stovetop.  The girls had corn on the cob and we made some roasted baby portobello mushrooms (see previous recipe).  We definitely enjoyed our taste of summer.

The picture is of the veggies waiting for the grill