Neither one of us grew up eating Nutella which is probably for the best!  Recently, we looked at what was actually in Nutella and were totally appalled by the ingredients: sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor.  The claims made are: no artificial colors and no artificial preservatives with over 50 hazelnuts in each jar of 13 oz.

So here is what's wrong with Nutella.  The number one ingredient is sugar!  Refined white sugar.  We already know why sugar is detrimental to our health.  (See our previous blog post on refined sugars).  Palm oil is okay but unnecessary as you will see below in our recipe.  (We are sure if you wanted to add some coconut, walnut or flax oil to your homemade version it may make the consistency a bit better but we like the way our's turned out).  Hazelnuts and cocoa are great!  Conventional cow dairy is filled with hormones and antibiotics so substituting for a homemade raw almond milk is much better for you.  Soy can be a common allergen and not to mention is one of the biggest GMO (genetically modified) crops out there.  Choose organic if you are having soy.  The last ingredient is possibly vanilla.  Why not just use real vanilla powder?  It's great that there are no artificial colors or preservatives but look at the rest of the ingredients!  The sad thing is that is food is fed mostly to children which we can't understand why you would ever want to give this to anyone.  Now for the healthy version.

Open can and scoop out thick coconut cream into a medium sized stainless steel bowl.  Ensure you avoid the liquid, as you only want the cream.  Pour the liquid into a glass jar and put in the fridge.  This coconut water can be added to any smoothies - we especially like it with mango.

We don’t eat a lot of ketchup – only on eggs and rarely on homemade veggie burgers.  We have noticed that it is really difficult to find a ketchup without a lot of sugar.  Ketchup is a condiment that is usually full of refined sugars or high fructose corn syrup both of which should have no part in our daily diets – so we decided why not make our own?  (See our previous blog post on refined sugars).  It’s very easy to do and you will get all the benefits of the tomatoes.  Tomatoes contain lycopene which is a powerful anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and cardiovascular protective. 

You will need: a food processor or blender, crockpot and the ingredients below.

Ingredients
3 cups of fresh tomato puree
1 small onion, chopped in quarter’s
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
1/4 cup honey or coconut sugar or 1/8 cup agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon chili peppers or black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 tbsp tomato paste

Place tomatoes in food processor to ensure you have 3 cups.  Then add all other ingredients to the food processor and process for 1-2 minutes and then place in crockpot and stir well.  Cover and turn on high for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove the lid and transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.  Return to crock (if you used a blender or food processor) and cook on high uncovered for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until ketchup has reached desired consistency.  You want it to be nice and thick.  Place into clean mason jars and refrigerate or freeze.  This will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 months.

Below is the original recipe which we have adjusted to what we had on hand.
Adapted from: http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com/homemade-sugar-free-ketchup-recipe-slightly-indulgent-mondays/

Cilantro is a great addition to many recipes but typically you only need a small amount and you end up with a lot left over and it usually goes to waste.  Well this is a treat because I’ve finally found something to do with the extra cilantro.  Cilantro pesto is a recipe that is cardiovascular protective because it contains nuts, garlic, olive oil and the cilantro itself is a great liver detoxifier helping balance cholesterol in the body.  I thought that it would be very bold in flavour since cilantro is a stronger tasting herb, however, I was pleasantly surprised at how mild it becomes when combined with the other ingredients. 

  Cilantro Pesto

·         ½ cup of raw almonds, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, flaxseeds or pecans or a combination –I use a               combination of all of them except pine nuts

·         1-2 cloves of garlic

·         1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, washed and torn off stem, packed

·         2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

·         1/3 cup unfiltered raw olive oil

Put nuts in food processor, blender or magic bullet and process to make ½ cup.  Add all other ingredients and process.  If it gets to thick add ½-1 tbsp more of olive oil and process.  Serve over brown rice pasta or on veggie burgers (see recipe).