We don't eat much meat in our family for various reasons, one being that our girls are dedicated to reduce climate change. However, when we do it is often this melt-in-your-mouth lamb dish -- perfect for Passover and Easter. Oh, and it's easy make provided you have a meat thermometer!

(If you don't eat meat keep an eye out for our next post where we will share a favorite vegetarian recipe!)

OUR FAVORITE LAMB RECIPE
- thanks to Bill St. John for publishing the original recipe "Gigot D’Agneau" that we modified slightly. Published in the Denver Post March 23, 2018 -

Serves 6-10

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in leg of lamb, from 6-8 pounds (without bone works equally well)

• 6-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed with side of chef’s knife

• 3-5 long branches fresh rosemary, leaves stripped, wood discarded

• 4 teaspoons honey

• 5 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 4 teaspoons flavorful extra virgin olive oil

• 1 1/2 - 3 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1-2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

We marinated the lamb over night as it gives amazing flavor and it helps with preparations. If you choose this method we recommend taking it out an hour before you want to cook it. The original recipe doesn't call for this. We also updated the recipe by increasing the amount used for the "rosemary-garlic paste". 

Preheat the oven to 400F when you are ready to cook the lamb! 

• Rinse and dry the lamb. Slice away any egregious blobs of fat, but do not remove all visible fat (while roasting, a modicum of melting fat adds a lot of flavor). Make 6 to 10 slits into the meat of the leg, about an inch in both length and depth.

• Make a paste of all the remaining ingredients into a rosemary-garlic paste and slather the leg all over, pushing bits of the paste deep into the slits.

• Place the leg in a shallow roasting or baking pan (if you have a low rack for the pan, use it) and pour 1/2 cup water around the leg. Place in the oven and roast for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 300 and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thick of the meat (do not touch bone) registers 125 degrees for medium-rare (about 15-20 minutes per pound depending on your oven and the temperature of the lamb when first put into the oven).

• Place the leg on a cutting board and let it rest; “carryover cooking” will increase the temperature to about 130 degrees or true medium-rare.

(You may prefer the lamb cooked through and meltingly tender. In that case, lower the long roasting time temperature to 250 degrees and cook until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees (a half hour or more per pound), then let the lamb rest another 15 minutes on the cutting board.)

ENJOY!

Growing up in Sweden, scones were the first thing I learned how to bake as a child. We would serve them for breakfast or with tea in the afternoon with butter, honey, cheese or orange marmalade. Unlike your American scones, they can be eaten sweet or savory. We have now modified the old traditional recipe and serve our Swedish Scones packed with gluten free organic oats, organic coconut oil and flax milk. GF, DF, Vegan, Healthy and Yummy!

We are proud to partner with Black Cat! Stop by their lovely Farm Stand at 4975 Jay Road and pick up some of Hävenly's baked goods along organic produce freshly harvested and other prepared dishes. Currently open Saturdays and Sundays.

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Looking for a magical local getaway and culinary wonderful experience? Book your Black Cat farm dinner in one of their glass-walled cozy private cabanas and savor dishes prepared from the fruits of their fields! They are more than happy to accommodate dietary restrictions.

BLACK CAT FARM DINNERS

Black Cat supports a beautiful farm dinner space at the owners’ homestead, just north of Boulder. Diners enjoy their own private dining rooms on the farm, and savor dishes prepared from the fruits of their fields. Black Cat holds farm dinners every night of the week; they have been enormously popular across winter. The glass-walled private cabanas are cozy! It is a Boulder County treasure. After you make your reservation - they sell out fast - be sure to call and let them know of any dietary restrictions. They are happy to accommodate you and to serve a Hävenly Morning Oat Bun.

Black Cat Organic Farmis the most ambitious farm-to-table operation in the United States, growing more than 250 varieties of USDA Certified Organic vegetables, legumes, grains and herbs on 425 acres. Black Cat also raises hundreds of heritage sheep and pigs on organic pasture.

BLACK CAT FARM STAND

In addition to Black Cat Organic Farm’s gorgeous farm dinners, the operation also supports a year-round farm stand at 4975 Jay Road currently open Saturday and Sundays 10 am - 5 pm. The stand stocks prepared dishes crafted from Black Cat’s culinary team — the same people who create the farm dinners. The operation sells USDA Certified Organic produce from its 425 acres of farm land, too; availability depends upon the season. Soon, greens like arugula, spinach and kale will weigh down shelves at the farm stand. It always has cuts of meat from its livestock, things like lamb shoulder, pork ribs and beef tenderloin. And Black Cat carries a range of products made from local artisans: honey from Bjorn’s Colorado Honey, chips and tortillas from Bolder Chips and our gluten-free breads. Currently they carry Hävenly's Rustic Boules, Morning Oat Buns and Morning Raisin Oat Buns. It’s a special place!

The Jewish festival of Purim is coming and we learned a trick to make Hamentaschen (a traditional triangle shaped cookie) fast and easy! No more mess. No more stress. Check out the recipe below for Paleo Hamentaschen!

Paleo Hamentaschen

We took an online class with Renee Bachfeld and she shared her recipe and a trick that made the making of Hamentaschen a breeze! Even gluten-free Hamentaschen were so easy and yummy. No more messing around. Quick, easy and fun then you form the dough into a roll that you slice after it has cooled in the freezer/refrigerator! This recipe makes some 30 cookies.

Make your own filling, or use your favorite marmalade. We like St. Dalfour marmalade as it is only sweetened with grape and fruit juice concentrates. Raspberry or Ginger & Orange marmalade are favorites.

Ingredients for the dough
2/3 cup (1 and 1/3 stick) salted butter or margarine, softened.
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or sugar of your choice)
1 egg
3 tablespoon oat milk (or milk of your choice)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups or so of almond flour, or gluten free flour of your liking. We used Bob's Red Mill Paleo baking flour.

For the filling
About a 0.5-1 tsp of any of your favorite marmalades per cookie.

Instructions
1. Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Make the dough
By hand mix the butter with the sugar using a wooden spoon and fork. Add the egg and continue until smooth. If the butter is too hard, cut it with a knife and then use your hands to mix it. Add the oat milk and vanilla. Add the flour and mix it with the butter mixture until a ball of dough is formed.

!The trick! Divide the dough into two cylinders approximately 2.5 inches in diameter and refrigerate for a few hours/over night or put in freezer for about 30 minutes. Take out one cylinder at a time, and simply cut thin circles (approximately 1/4" thick) for each Hamentaschen cookie. No need to roll out the dough and cut circles. This will be so easy, we promise! Simply put each circle flat and put 0.5-1 tsp of marmalade in the center. Fold up the sides and pinch into triangles.

3. Let cool and then bake
Let your Hamentaschen cool in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before baking them. Once cooled, place on baking paper and bake at 350F for about 10 -15 minutes.

ENJOY!

One day I brought home lots of organic egg yolks (we only use egg whites in our Love bread and Health bread) and wasn't sure what to make. It was late, I was tired, but I didn't want to waste the egg yolks. I stumbled on this recipe below for Paleo Lemon Bars and LOVED it! So few ingredients. So easy to make. So delicious! I hope you'll like it too.

Paleo Lemon Bars

So few ingredients. So easy to make. So delicious
When we made it we only had egg yolks, but we are assuming that you have entire eggs. Original recipe and photo from Ambitious Kitchen.

Ingredients
For the crust:
1/4 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
¼ cup coconut sugar (or 2-3 tablespoons honey/maple syrup)
1 egg
1 cup almond flour (almond meal is too coarse)
3 tablespoons coconut flour
pinch of salt

For the filling
Zest from 1 lemon
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2-4 lemons)
½ cup honey/maple syrup
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk

Instructions
1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper.

2. Make and pre-bake the crust
Mix coconut oil, coconut sugar, and egg until smooth. Add in almond flour, coconut flour and salt. Mix again until a dough forms. Press dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before adding your filling.

3. Make the filling
Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey/maple syrup, eggs, egg yolk and coconut flour. Pour over crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until filling is set and no longer jiggles. Cool completely on a wire rack. The original recipe said to refrigerate for at least 4 hours to firm up bars before cutting them, but we couldn't help but to eat them directly!

ENJOY!

We are working on new eco-friendly packaging and on new labels, and are looking for ideas for product pictures. We'd love to learn how you like your buns! Toasted with some butter? With avocado? Lox? Jam? Cheese and cucumber? Reply to this post or click here to let us know which buns you like and how you like them! If you have a photo - even better! We will provide $1 off each bag of buns/ bread mixes to anyone who responds for your next Hävenly purchase.

Our friend Erika shared how she liked the the Rustic Buns she baked with Hävenly's bake-at-home bread mix. How do you like your buns? Please email us. Photos always welcome (and they don't have to be professional :).

Hävenly is proud to partner with Alpine Modern Café and to share the below Yelp review of our Nordic Paleo Buns!

Near the base of the Flatiron's of Boulder, you'll find Alpine Modern Café. The café is located in a beautiful old stone cottage with a long history of being a local community center - a place to gather and buy provisions. From 7 am - 2 pm seven days a week you can enjoy an exceptional cup of hot coffee, and grab a Morning Raisin Oat Bun or Nordic Paleo Bun to go with it. Or why not try a favorite: An avocado tartine served on Hävenly's toasted Love Bun!

Hävenly's Nordic Paleo Buns. Who would think it's gluten-free? Excellent when you are on a paleo or vegan diet, or simply because you love them! Enjoy these pure and simple ingredients: organic coconut flour, organic sunflower seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, organic flax seeds, organic raisins, organic psyllium husk, baking powder and sea salt. Gluten-Free, Dairy Free and Vegan!

Try an Avocado Tartine on Hävenly's Love Bun at Alpine Modern Café. Oh, so tasty! Let the friendly staff serve you a cup of hot chai or coffee in an intentionally designed space. Enjoy the great outdoor seating at Alpine Modern Café in the wonderful Chautauqua neighborhood!

We are grateful that we got to take a few days off and are now ready to bake again. A new year and a new beginning! Like many of you we will seize the opportunity to make some changes. We hope for more quality time with family and friends, for healthy eating habits, time to work out and more sleep. And healthy for us equals delicious, not just with respect to our own baked goods, but also when it comes to other recipes. We are excited to share the below mouthwatering raw truffle cake recipe with you. We have tweaked a recipe from the Swedish baking book "Smarta Sötsaker" (Smart Sweets - without sugar, gluten and dairy)). So easy to make, so yummy and yet so healthy. A great cake to start 2021 with!

Raw Truffle Cake
Be prepared for this reaction: "What?! No butter, no cream, no sugar? How?". And did you know that Brazil nuts are full of magnesium? A relaxing mineral. So let's chill in the new year!

Ingredients
For the base:
2 cups pitted dates
2 tbl coconut oil
0.5 cups cocoa powder
0.5 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
pinch of salt

For the filling:
1 cup brazil nuts
2/3 cups coconut oil
3/4 cups cocoa powder
4 tbs honey, agave syrup or maple syrup (use more until the filling is sweet to your liking)
pinch of salt

Instructions
1. Start with making the base
Use a food processor to mix all ingredients into a smooth dough/paste. Use your fingers to press the paste into a springform cake pan.

2. Make the filling
Mix all the ingredients to the filling in a food processor until you have a smooth, brown cream. Taste to see that it's sweet to your liking, or add some more sweetner. Pour the cream into the form on top of the base paste. Place in freezer for about an hour.

3. Serve
Take out the cake 15-20 minutes before serving. Decorate with chopped brazil nuts or with raspberries. Serve as is or with some whipped cream or ice cream.

Enjoy!

The days can seem dark in many ways, and in Sweden we celebrate Santa Lucia on December 13. Traditionally children and adults gather to sing together in the early morning to bring joy and light to their neighbors, schools, workplaces and old age homes. This year it is of course a bit different, which is why we are sharing a short video from last year's celebration that SWEA organized in Boulder. We also hope you will enjoy the official annual Swedish Lucia broadcasted by Swedish television. Please know that we think of all of you, and that lighter days will come!

Ris a la Malta photo by Linda Lomelio

RIS A LA MALTA

Ingredients
1 cup jasmine rice
2.5 cups milk of your choice
8 ounces heavy cream
2-5 tbs powdered sugar or coconut sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
toasted almonds or almond slivers (optional)
cuties or orange, or berries (optional)

Cooking Instructions
1. Place the rice, water and salt in a saucepan. Let come to a boil and let simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.
2. Add the milk and cinnamon stick. Let mixture simmer gently on a low heat with the lid on until thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring every now and then to make sure it doesn’t burn. Let it cool completely.
3. Whip the cream. Add the vanilla extract and sugar. Mix with the cooled rice.
4. Serve with the Ris à la Malta with cuties/orange slices and toasted almond flakes. You can also try it with berry jam.
Enjoy!

Growing up my dad ate his potato latkes savory with lox, my mom sweet with sour cream and sugar. Our kids enjoy both! What is your favorite? We wish everyone brighter and lighter days!

MY MOM'S LATKES RECIPE

Ingredients
2.5-3 lbs potatoes (about 6 large)
1 yellow onion
2 eggs
1-2 tbs potato starch (you can also use rice flour)
1.5 tsp salt
pepper to taste
oil for frying

Cooking Instructions
1. Grate the potatoes and onion (we use organic potatoes and leave the peel on). Use the large shredding blade of your food processor. You can also use a box grater if you'd like to get your daily workout in while cooking!
2. Wrench the potatoes and onion. To get crispy latkes you need to get as much water out of those potatoes and onions as you can. We use a colander to press out the water; you can also try a salad spinner or putting the grated potatoes in a cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel that you squeeze firmly.
3. Add the egg, potato starch, salt and pepper to the potato-onion mix. The potato starch will want to stick to itself so be sure to work it into the mix.
4. Form latkes and fry them. Take about 1/4 cup of the mixture to form each latkes. Heat the oil in a frying pan (we prefer a cast iron skillet) until the latkes sizzle immediately upon entering the oil. Cook the latkes 2-3 minutes per side until brown and crispy. Cook 4-5 latkes at a time without overcrowding the pan.

Serving suggestions
Savory: Serve with sour cream, green onions, lox and tomatoes.
Sweet: Serve with sour cream, coconut sugar or apple sauce.

Enjoy!