I LOVE this SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER

I am in love with BUTTER!!!!  Grass fed, organic, local delicious butter.  However, sometimes there are different kinds of butter that fill my heart and tummy with joy.  NUT and SEED butters!!  Almond butter has grown rapidly in popularity as a more nutrient dense, lower allergen, less inflammatory and more digestible alternative to peanut butter.

However, why stop there?!  Cashew butter, hazelnut butter, 7-seed butter, hemp seed butter are all waiting to fill you up with minerals, healthy fat and plenty of protein!  And, as we know about ALL things nutrition, rotation and variety are key.  Each of these butters offers a unique nutrient profile.  To eat just one is like using just one color of paint... gets the job done, but perhaps a little boring.

All of these butters are available in stores; however, I prefer to make my own: http://abundelicious.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-make-almond-butter.html

Okay, so on with the blog post... I just bought some of MaraNatha's sunflower seed butter, and holy cow!  It is so delicious, and much better than some of the other, more lackluster, sunflower seed butters out there.  Only two ingredients (Roasted Sunflower Kernel Seeds and Sea Salt).  BOOM!!  No hydrogenated oils, no cane sugar or refined salt, and can you say MAGNESIUM... 25% daily value!

Whether or not you have a nut allergy, give this butter a try.  I love this stuff, and am going to eat some more right now... ANTS ON A LOG!!!  See ya later, AbundeBUDDIES! xox

MAC 'N "CHEESE" (gluten free and dairy-free, y'all!)

3 cups cherry tomatoes 

2 tsp thyme, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

sea salt and ground pepper

Gluten-free macaroni pasta - I actually prefer rigatoni... just because :)

2-3 tablespoons filtered water

1 cup other veggies - see suggestions in step #7 (optional)

"Cheese" Sauce

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 leek, finely chopped1 tsp sea salt

1 cup full fat coconut milk, canned (brand without preservatives, such as Thai Kitchen or Whole Food's 365

1 Tbsp olive oil

2-3 Tbs coconut flour

1-2 Tbs dried basil, oregano or other herbs of your choice

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 395 degrees.  

2.) Bring large pot of water to a boil (to cook the pasta)

3.) Place tomatoes into a pyrex dish that is large enough to fit the other ingredients (see photo below).  Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and sprinkle thyme, sea salt and pepper.  Roast for 20 minutes or until the skins split.  Remove and set aside.

4.) Saute the leek and garlic in olive oil until soft.

5.) Add other sauce ingredients.  In this picture, I used a dried chile blend in addition to the dried herbs (that's the red/orange color).  Cook until well mixed and "cheesey" consistency.  Add more filtered water if sauce becomes too thick.

Sauce ends up looking like alfredo sauce.

6.) Drain pasta... return pasta to pot, and add sauce.

7.) Add pasta to the roasted tomatoes (this is why the larger Pyrex dish is necessary).  I also added some more vegetables (optional) at this point.  Chard, spinach, basil, green peas, asparagus, etc.

8.) Place back into oven for an additional 30 minutes

9.) I enjoyed a serving right away, refrigerated some, and even froze about a pint for later :)

10.) ENJOY!