Adventures with Hazelnut Butter

Are you hooked on nut butter like I am? If so, you've probably thought about making your own nut butter. Go ahead, try it! It's definitely a richer taste than commercial brands...and I'm talking organic nut butters. Every nut or seed butter that my boyfriend and I have made blows away any store bought brand that I've had. Although, I haven't had raw nut butter which by the way, raw nuts and seeds are not a part of my healing GAPS diet due to nuts being hard to digest.

So let's start with a rich hazelnut butter. We made this last weekend and it is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! Hazelnuts are definitely more involved than other nuts because of the process of removing the skins so try hazelnut butter on a day when you have time to do a few extra steps.

1) First, you'll want to soak raw organic hazelnuts. This goes for any nuts or seeds. The reason for soaking is to remove the phytic acid on the nuts. Wikipedia states that phytic acid is in the hull of nuts. Nuts produce phytic acid to protect themselves from being tampered with before germination. Phytic acid in nuts binds minerals during digestion so we loose important minerals that we would otherwise absorb. Also phytic acid inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food. So it's very important to take this first step and soak the nuts overnight. Especially if you have digestive problems. According to the Weston A. Price foundation soaking nuts for 18 hours provides more removal of phytic acid.

Fill the jar half way with hazelnuts (they will expand). Soak nuts in a salt water solution. A high quality salt like Himilayian crystal salt and clean water. Use about a teaspoon or less of salt in a jar.

2) After the hazelnuts have been soaked, rinse and drain repeatedly until the water runs clear.

(these are clean nuts after rinse and drain process)

3) Remove skins to take away the bitterness in the skins. Place 1 cup of hazelnuts in a pot of boiling water. Then add 1 tablespoon of baking soda. This is the trick to removing the skins easily. Let boil for about 3 minutes.

4) Rinse in cool water. Grab a friend to help and have a party removing the skins.

5) Pan toast or oven toast the nuts at a low setting to further help with digestion. For this batch we used duck fat which helps to bring out the flavor. Hey if the French can cook with duck fat then, we can too! Animal fats also aid in digestion.

6) Get your blender or food processor and get ready to go! Once the nuts have cooled off. Place the nuts in the blender using the recommended setting. Process until you are satisfied with the consistency.

(used a Vitamix to process the nuts)

I know it's a lot of work but, it's definitely worth it! Enjoy your hazelnut butter with a bit of honey and savor the taste. Hazelnut butter is rich and has a warm, earthy flavor. Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm!

(store in a glass jar & refrigerate)


Have fun with fashion and a healthy life!

Beauty, Health & Fashion Event was a Blast!

Were you able to join us last Saturday at the Au Naturel health, beauty and fashion event in Tarrytown, NY? It was an amazing cultural event that celebrated feeling good and looking good from the inside out (see video below).

My fashion accessories were featured at this event and I have to tell you, the Bendy Necklaces were a big hit! These necklaces are so unique because, they can be worn as a bracelet as well, even as a headband. They can be molded into a variety of shapes so they are very exciting to wear ...and the big plus is that they come with a FREE pair of earrings.

(the bendy necklace can be worn in a million ways)

I also featured some of my handmade necklaces as you can see in the photo below and also debuted my African bracelets and rings with Swarovski crystals. Folks loved these one-of-a-kind bangles with their shimmering shine from the crystals...truly unique (see video below).

There was a local band named, Fantastic Sunshine. The singer, Cheryl Balestra has such a beautiful and soulful voice that vibrated outside the store into the streets.

There were free mini makeovers and tastings of healthy treats. I received a makeover and loved my new look. The makeover included the Ecco Bella collection of lipstick, foundation, mascara, blush...the whole works. What's great about this line of makeup is that there are no chemicals in them. I've been using the Ecco Bella lipstick for almost two months now and as someone who is very sensitive to chemicals in products I've been able to wear this lipstick with no symptoms...Love it!

It was a wonderful and lively event and a great way to get a head start on shopping for natural, health and beauty holiday gifts.

A special thank you to the boutique owner at Au Naturel, Anna Cangiano for hosting this event. Thank you! :)



I look forward to seeing you at our next event!

Have fun with fashion and a healthy life!

Au Naturel Holiday Shopping Event!

Are you local to NYC or Westchester county, NY? If so, Come to a unique holiday shopping event at Au Naturel Health and Beauty in Tarrytown, NY!

I've teamed up with Anna Cangiano owner and curator at Au Naturel for a day of fashion, health and beauty. You'll love the free mini hand massages and free make overs with makeup that's definitely au naturel...no chemicals. And best of all you'll get a chance to try on and shop your favorite accessories that I've designed and feature at newyorkaccents.com

This event is tomorrow Saturday November 17th (see video below for details!)

Sorry that I didn't post this earlier but It's been a busy week prepping for this event. This is why you should also follow me on twitter because it's easier for me to send quick updates on twitter. If you follow me there, I'll be sure to follow you as well. https://twitter.com/newyorkaccents

So let's have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life! Hope to see you there!

Grab Your Eco-Friendly Tote and Let's Go!

Farmer's markets are a lot of fun. Make sure when you visit to take our exclusively deisgned eco-friendly tote bag that celebrates feeling good and looking good from the inside out. It's a colorful and eco-friendly way to shop!




Click here to shop: eco friendly market tote

Fermented Tomato Salad is a Winner

I'd just like to quickly mention that the fermented tomato salad that I made in the post below is a winner (see video below). I tasted it on Tuesday night (two nights of fermentation) and WOW! It was the most vibrant and colorful salad that I've ever tasted. The taste of each ingredient went up 50 notches than what it normally is. It was truly alive, tasty and bursting with energy.

I left the fermented tomato salad out on the counter for one more day. It fermented for a total of three days before I put it in the refrigerator. On this third day, the flavor was a little different, but still amazingly delicious...tastes like pizza! Very delicious. You've definitely got to try this recipe!

Here are the ingredients that I used:
*tomatoes
*parsley
*onions
*garlic
*cheese peppers
*Himalyan crystal salt
*filtered water




-Have Fun with Fashion and A Happy Life!

Fermented Tomatoes

A Super Healthy Salad!

Hope that you all are having a nice Sunday evening!

I wanted to show you this picture of how delicious this fermented tomato salad looks. I started off with inspiration from Sally Fallon's recipe in her book "Nourishing Traditions". I used what ingredients I had available so the recipe is not exact. Her recipe for "Salsa" calls for tomatoes, onions, chile pepper, garlic, cilantro, dried oregano, lemon juice and whey.

I used tomatoes, cheese peppers, onions, garlic, parsley and instead of whey for all of my fermented foods, I use Himalayian crystal salt which works just fine and is full of minerals.

I've never fermented tomatoes before so this should be interesting! When I smelled the aroma of all of the ingredients, I said wow! I must share this with you. Too bad that I didn't think of video taping this. I'll definitely post again when it's ready to taste to let you know if it's a winner.

Fermenting foods will be a constant theme here because as I've mentioned before, this type of food has been my only cure in dramatically reducing my seasonal allergy symptoms and helping me to absorb nutrients and have better digestion. Fermented food is probiotic, full of life. It can help you to reach your health goals. A lot of us have eaten so much processed and questionable "food" in our lives that our gut flora is severely compromised and out of balance which can possibly lead to illnesses. So to regain balance and a healthy gut, definitely add probiotic foods like this healthy salad to your diet.

Enjoy!

African Bangles with a Twist!

Designing fashion accessories is one of my true pleasures. I've recently started to take more interest in African jewelry. Right now on my shopping site, http://www.newyorkaccents.com, I feature African bangles with a twist! The twist is the collaboration of design. The bangles are handmade in Africa from cow horn. I add the Swarovski crystal design. It's a wonderful collaboration of cross cultural art.

These bangles are unique and mostly one of a kind. There might be five of one style that are similar but that's it! So, these bangles are perfect for the woman who likes unique jewelry.

Here's a sneak peak video that will give you more of an idea of what these fabulous bangles are all about. What I love is that they are true statement pieces. They are bold, a nice thick width and the added bling from the Swarovski crystals give them a unique contemporary look.


Choose your favorite bangle and Have Fun with Fashion and a Healthy Life!

See more of these unique bangles and shop at, http://www.newyorkaccents.com