Lady Grey Tea Dark Chocolate Truffles

The afternoon feels long and slow today. My desk by the window is letting a warm (slightly too warm) light in, despite a howling wind on the other side. I'm not one to let sleep go by the wayside, so despite a full nights rest, I'm feeling rather drowsy. 

I reach for a bag of tea, and heat up some water. It's too late for coffee, but tea and a truffle will wake me up a bit (that's the hope, at least). I grab a truffle, and take a bite. 

With the chocolate still in my mouth, I take a swig of tea, and let its warmth melt the truffle in my mouth. It is rich, but there are light notes of flowers and bergamot. This is probably the perfect time to enjoy a truffle: a moment when you have nothing to think about other than what it tastes like. 

I've made these truffles twice this month and am going to keep making them. They appeal perfectly to my inner chocoholic but are simple, and easy to put together... just watch below! They're the perfect last minute Valentine's Day gift (that's today!!) or indulgence for your every day (that's tomorrow!)

Happy day to everyone! 

P.S., I'm still super new to this video thing! What do you guys think? Do you like seeing Foraged Dish recipes in video form? Any tips or suggestions? 

Lady Grey Tea Dark Chocolate Truffles

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Lady grey tea lends a faint but floral note to these truffles.

Yields: 16   |    Total Time: 60 active minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons loose leaf lady grey tea (you could also use 2 tea bags )
• 1/16 teaspoon salt
• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate (chopped up bar or chips; I have used Guittard and Ghirardelli and they are both great!)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Heat cream over medium heat while stirring continuously until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat, add tea and stir. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine chocolate, salt, butter, and vanilla. Strain cream through a fine-mesh sieve into the mixing bowl. Allow the warm cream to warm the chocolate by letting it sit for 5 minutes.
3. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until it is smooth. If needed, heat the mixture in the microwave at 10 second intervals to melt the chocolate further. After stirring for about 10 minutes, you should get a thick, glossy ganache. Scrape mixture into a tupperware and place, covered, in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
4. After chilling, the ganache should become firm, but remain somewhat malleable. Use a spoon and your hands to roll the ganache into spheres.
5. Pour cocoa powder in a bowl or deep plate and toss each truffle in cocoa. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Grain-Free Strawberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Let's all take a deep breath, ok? Right now... 

...there. Let's do that more. Let's make brownies, take deep breaths, and simply be here. 

These brownies are made for the moments between sprints, when you're home alone in your kitchen and just want to play with your food. Hand folding batter, watching ingredients whisk together, and pulling your finished product from the oven: that's the deep breath you need after a long day; that's nourishment for your soul.

Anthony's Goods provided me with product to cook with, but this recipe and these opinions are all my own. Working with brands to develop wholesome recipes is one way I keep Foraged Dish going! Anthony's Goods helps me stock the pantry and keep the blog going.

Grain-Free Strawberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

A rich and fudgy brownies with a cheesecake and strawberry swirl, great for Valentine’s Day or any day!

Yields: 9   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate (Or a dark chocolate bar)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon brewed coffee, cooled (optional, but recommended)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the cheesecake swirl
• 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons strawberry jam (I used an all-fruit variety)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper. Grease parchment with coconut oil.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine melted coconut oil, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Heat over low heat, stirring until most of the clumps have melted. Remove from heat and allow to sit until entire mixture is smooth and melted.
3. Scrape mixture into a mixing bowl. Using electric beaters, stir in honey. Add eggs, coffee, and vanilla and beat again. Mixture should begin to thicken. Add coconut flour and salt. Beat until smooth.
4. Spread batter in even layer in baking dish.
5. Make cheesecake swirl: Beat together the cream cheese, coconut oil, honey, egg, and vanilla until creamy and smooth.
6. For swirl: Fill a zip lock bag with the cream cheese mixture. Snip off just the very tip of the bag, and pipe mixture in thin lines over brownie batter. Repeat with the strawberry jam. Then, using a toothpick or chopstick, make swirls through the batter. Here is a video of me making my swirls.
7. Place pan in oven and bake 20 minutes, until brownies are puffy, and a knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Store in covered in fridge after first day.

Chipotle BBQ Wings with Avocado Cream

It's rare I find myself cooking a "typical" American dish like wings. For some reason all of those typical dishes fall outside of my arsenal of recipe skills. Take mac and cheese--I have never, not even when I was at my height of pasta eating- made mac and cheese from scratch. (Saying that out load makes me want to make some, just for the hell of it).

Making a stir fry, taco bowl, or curry feels more intuitive to me, but when the Super Bowl rolls around I feel this need to make something more classic. It is, after all, pretty much the only day of the year that I tune in to one of pop culture's most iconic events. Still... I can't help but flex some creative muscle and make an avocado cream sauce on the side, but since these wings themselves are sauced in a sticky and sweet chipotle barbeque sauce, it feels miles away from anything ethnic.  

Even though this recipe sits outside of my typical comfort zone, I'm crazy for it. And who wouldn't be? These wings are the type of wings that require plenty of napkins because their sticky sauce is destined to cover your fingers. I learned quickly that quadrupling the recipe would be wise: a dozen wings is never enough (for two, or for a group). 

Chipotle BBQ Wings with Avocado Cream

Paleo, Primal, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

Chipotle gives the BBQ for these wings a bit of a kick, while avocado cream cools it down.

Yields: 12   |    Total Active Time: 60 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 1 cup barbeque sauce (I used Stubb's Smokey Mesquite Bar-B-Q Sauce)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup chipotles in adobo (canned)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• A dozen chicken wings
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Avocado Cream Sauce:
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup milk of choice
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves (loose, not packed)
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Prep the wings: use a paper towel to remove any excess moisture from wings, and place in a bowl.
2. Make the sauce: combine barbeque sauce, coconut oil, chipotles in adobo, cayenne (if you like things really spicy, you can add more cayenne), and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour half of the sauce over the wings, and allow to marinate for 8-24 hours, in the fridge, covered.
3. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450°F. Remove wings from bowl and discard extra sauce. Place a wire cooling wrack on top of a baking sheet, and place wings on wire wrack, with about 1 inch between each wing. Place in oven and bake for 25-35 minutes, until internal wing temperature reaches 165°F and skin is crispy on the outside.
4. Using tongs, place wings in a mixing bowl. Pour about 1/4 cup of sauce over top, and toss to coat. Add more sauce as desired.
5. To make avocado cream sauce: Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
6. Serve wings on a platter along side bowl of cream sauce. Optional: garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.