Nucave
We just discovered that our dear son Mikah, who's 5, has more food allergies than we thought at first. The results came back showing allergies to: oranges, grapefruit, garlic, peanuts and eggs. We already knew about the egg allergy. The oranges are no big deal to avoid, although Mikah has shed tears over not being able to eat oranges or drink orange juice! The hard things to eliminate are the peanuts and garlic. We love peanut butter, especially the homemade peanut butter I've been making in our Vitamix with organic, dry roasted Valencia peanuts.
I tried making almond butter awhile back, but it definitely wasn't a hit. I determined to try again last weekend. I made the almond butter; it turned out well. My plan was to spread it on toast for the children's breakfast and drizzle on agave syrup and then sprinkle that with unsweetened shredded coconut. Jeff suggested stirring it all together and then spreading it on the bread. Great idea! Our nucave was born; nu = nuts, c = coconut, ave = agave. We sat over breakfast coming up with this name. The last batch I made included hazelnuts as well as almonds. We can't see ever going back to peanut butter after this. If only we could find a good substitute for garlic…
Here's the recipe for nucave:
Nucave
4 cups raw organic almonds (can use other nuts, too)
2 T raw organic agave syrup
1/4 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut
Blend almonds in heavy duty food processor or blender (like a Vitamix) until smooth. Stir in agave syrup and unsweetened coconut. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator after use. After refrigeration, it is more difficult to spread, so consider setting it out to soften slightly.
© Copyright 2006 by Wardeh Harmon
Ok,try #3!!! Trying to comment re: Mikah’s food allergies, poor, little guy. Sorry to hear about the nuts, garlic & certain citrus fruits?
I just lost an entire entry, be back later to retype it… ~Robin
Hello Wardeh! I will begin this again. lol Seems I forgot my blogspot pw initially and then lost my response to you.
As I was saying…
How are you? We are doing well.
Darrell ended up not getting his W-2 when he thought he was, but will get it on Tuesday. That is when we will also buy some stamps and mail Haniya’s letter. How do you pronounce her name, please? Just like it is spelled? Han i ya, with a short i sound?
I just had Emma and Beka pull out all of our quilting books. We have about 20, from the 1980’s to about 2003 or so. I want to look through them and reaquaint myself with the things in them.
I *LOVE* your wall quilt that you made for gifts. Could you please tell me how many hours you would guess that it took to make one? Thanks so much!
Emma, who will be 10 on Thursday, the 19th, and I are going to each do a BOM (block of the month) quilt. If you are interested, let me know and I will send you the link.
I added you to my ‘friends’ list on my Homestead Blogger blog. Here is the link:
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/robin/
Have a wonderful weekend! ~Robin
Of course, I forgot to add the bit about allergies that I had typed the first time before I realized I forgot my blogspot pw.
Emma and I both suffer from moderate to severe eczema. We both are allergic to eggs, citrus and chocolate. So, I know how you feel for sure. In what way does Mikah react to the foods? We also have airborne allergies.
Take care, my friend ~Robin
Hi, Robin!
How nice to have you leave a comment on my blog. This blogging is new to me, so I’ll write back here but I may just email it to you, too. To make sure you get it!
Haniya’s name is pronounced… Huneeyuh. Stress the middle syllable. We sure don’t mind if you wait a few days to mail the letter. Haniya is very excited to get it, but she’s also very patient.
Mikah’s allergies… they present as eczema mostly and also gastric distress. He’s suffered since the day he was born. It wasn’t until he was 2 1/2 years old that we figured out the big food allergies. Since then it has been very manageable! I am so sorry you are allergic to chocolate, of all things! I sure love dark chocolate!
I love that little wall quilt, too! It took me probably 5 hours or less. I know it took 1 1/2 hours to hand stitch the binding on the back side. I made 4 of them and I would guess it took me a total of 20 hours. So 5 hours is a good estimate for just one of them. I would be happy to share the pattern with you. I have the book sitting right here and could easily share!
I am interested in the BOM link, thanks!
I went to your blog the other day, but was waiting quite awhile to load it (we have a really slow connection at times), and by then I had to get up and get going on dinner or something. So I will go back and hopefully see more!
Love, Wardeh
Yolanda, hi there! How good to “see” you! Yes, it is too bad isn’t it… all those foods are what he (used to) eat quite frequently.
Wardeh,
I make a cashew butter that is a good substitute for peanut butter. The strong flavor of the cashews seems to translate better into the creamy version than almonds do, at least for my palate.
Poor little guy. I feel badly when I have to take a food that is enjoyed so much from a child, but if you can replace it with something else really tasty, the other food is soon forgotten.:)
Love
Sylvia
One other thing, Wardeh. Is your sone allergic to all the allium plants? Or just garlic? Other plants in this family include leeks, chives, onions, scallions.
I use a plant called Garlic chive that gives that garlic flavor. If he isn’t allergic to the whole family of Alliaciae, you might be able to use this in stir frying and cooking. I found it at the local nursery.
Love
Sylvia
Sylvia, we have tried cashew butter, but we do prefer the almond butter. I could probably do a blend of the two nuts though. The almonds don’t turn out as creamy, so I’m thinking maybe the consistency would work better using the two nuts. I am still playing around with it!
I had not thought of the garlic chives! Thankfully, he is not allergic to the rest of the alliaciae family. At our new property we’re not even close to having a garden spot, but we are talking about putting in a late spring or late summer garden. I know for sure I’ll be planting some garlic chives just as soon as I can. Thanks!
Hi Wardeh, you mentioned that you buy the agave in large quantities, but where do you get it? I can only find it in 1/2 gallons, and it still seems pretty expensive. I want to try this recipe!
Love, Sarah
Sarah, I buy our agave from a local natural food warehouse. They serve natural foods stores, restaurants, and a few families who buy in large quantities. So they are local.
That is the bad news. Do you have Azure Standard in your area? I have a friend who orders from there and the price is higher but not as high as a natural food store. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help. But… this recipe would be equally good with maple syrup or a mild honey used instead. Love, Wardeh
So Yummy! It’s sort of like some stuff we made when I was a kid. We would put a little powdered milk in, roll it into a log, cut pieces, and freeze them. We called it peanut butter candy, and I still love it. I think I would like it better with almond butter, and I might add some ground flax seeds or toasted sesame seeds. Or both!
I’m glad you like it. The great thing is, you can totally make this however you want! Whatever nuts and add-ins. This recipe just gives you a starting point.
Love, Wardeh
I also have orange, garlic, egg and peanut allergies. My favorite substitute for peanut butter is sunflower butter. The one from Trader Joes (if you have TJ’s near you) is exactly like peanut butter, but has sugar and is not organic. BUT it tastes, smells and acts just like peanut butter. I just went to a natural products show and found organic sunbutter without sugar manufactured by SunGold foods. http://www.sunbutter.com 800-437-5539. With a little honey or agave on top or mixed in makes it taste like peanut butter!
That’s great that you found something that works for you that is healthy! We do have a TJs fairly close but I’ve never bought the sunflower butter (because of the sugar and non-organic). I am shocked that you have the same allergies as my son. What are the chances? Thanks for visiting! Love, Wardeh