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Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts

Vanilla Ice Cream (paleo, gluten free)


The Elf on the Shelf on facebook told me it was National Ice Cream Day today (July 21st) so I figured I would share my newest creation.

Oh my..... this was the best vanilla ice cream I have ever made (so says my kids). The base was so good, it could have been a rock your socks vanilla pudding, which I may modify to be a pudding in the very near future.  I am having visions of making pudding up ahead of time for back to school snacks.

I am going off the beaten trail with the heavy cream and agave in this recipe. We are a coconut/almond milk using house but we do occasionally use Heavy Cream and have no issues with Dairy. I have tried replacing the heavy cream with Coconut Cream and the result is also a very nice recipe. As I stated before on my blog tho, I do not like all coconut milk in my ice cream!!  I find that all coconut cream ice creams sort of coat the tongue in an odd way that I just don't like.  Cutting it with the Almond Milk does the trick!

While I mainly use honey as my sweetener of choice, I used Agave in this ice cream because I actually ran out of Honey. Agave is what I had.  I just had to post the resulting recipe, tho, because of the raves I received from the children. My son says he prefers this recipe to the one that I use honey in because he does not like the taste of honey in an ice cream. You can't trick him, he notices it every time. Honey (in our opinion) takes on an odd taste once cooked on the stove top in items like marshmallows and ice cream that my children just do not like. We are, however, ok with it in slow low temperature items like baked goods. My recommendation for using honey in ice cream?  Honey burns very easily so the method I would recommend with a custard ice cream dish made with honey is to cook the cream, egg and arrowroot until thickened and then add honey once thickened (off of the heat).

This is the ice cream recipe I would use for special guests and holidays. Try it with the heavy cream and agave and see for yourself.

2 cups Heavy Cream (or coconut milk for paleo)
1 cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
6 tablespoon Light Agave Nectar (or honey for paleo)
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
tiny pinch of salt


  • Combine the coconut cream, milk, egg, arrowroot powder, agave, vanilla and salt in a saucepan and slowly bring the mixture to a light boil.  You will just start to see bubbles erupt through the thickened mixture.
  • Let mixture cool for 5 minutes, and refrigerate until cooled.
  • Add to your ice cream maker and follow instructions according to your machine.



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Paleo Angel Food Cake


This Paleo Angel Food cake is not white like your Standard version because Coconut flour is slightly yellow.  If you are not a fan of Coconut Flour, don't worry.  I promise you, you won't taste it in there.  The coconut flour allows for the added protein and keeps this traditionally DRY cake very moist.  Plus, the Arrowroot is a starch which I traditionally like to stay away from while trying to loose weight.  I feel like the extra protein helps balance that a bit. It's ok, just close your eyes and taste it.  The texture is a dead ringer for the original version.  The honey gives it a slightly different flavor than the sugar would have but we just LOVED it.  It was sweet enough, it was spongey enough.  It's very addicting so be warned!!!  Top with Strawberry and Whipped Coconut Cream!!!




3/4 cup Arrowroot Powder
1/4 cup Coconut Flour

12 egg whites (about 1-1/2 cup)
1-1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1-1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract (optional)
1/2 cup Honey


  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
  • Before you start, it's a good idea to whipe down your bowls and tube pan with a touch of vinegar on a paper towel. It will eliminate any grease, which could interfere with the egg whites' ability to rise. That's a Julia Child trick. 
  • In a bowl, thoroughly combine Arrowroot, Coconut Flour. Get out your sifter and sift dry ingredients.  Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they start to foam. Add the cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, almond and vanilla extracts. Continue to beat until just about stiff peaks form. Slowly drizzle in the honey in a slow stream.
  • Turn off beaters and set bowl aside. With a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites, taking great care not to deflate the whites. You can not do this in the mixer, it WILL deflate your egg whites.  Folding is the only way you can mix in the dry ingredients.
  • Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan. Slice a butter knife through the batter several times in order to get it distributed in the pan, then smooth the top. 
  • Bake in a 325 degree (F) oven for an hour. Invert the pan (angel food cake pans have legs to allow this, if you are using something else, you may want to set up on something to serve as feet. (this helps to keep it from collapsing).




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Paleo Chocolate Cake

Do you know how you can tell if a "specialty diet" cake is good?  Take it to the superbowl party full of wheat eaters and look to see half eaten cupcakes laying around.  There were none.  Maybe they were too drunk to tell if the cupcake was good or not?  LOL.  No... Try the cupcake.  It is good.  I promise.


1/3 cup Coconut Flour
1/3 cup Almond Flour (Honeyville)
1/3 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Arrowroot Starch
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt

4 Eggs
1/3 cup Honey
1/3 cup Coconut Oil, melted (or butter,softened)
2/3 cup Almond Milk
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 tablespoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Combine dry ingredinets and mix well. 
  • Add in wet ingreidnets and fully combine.
  • Add 1/3rd cup into regular sized muffin papers.
  • Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes.
 
 
Frosting
 
1 cup Dark Chocolate chips
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Coconut Nectar Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8th teaspoon Salt
 
Melt, Chill, Whip
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The Best Homemade Low Carb Caesar Salad Dressing you will ever taste!

Here ya go, the cheat version of the classic favorite.  If I had started with Raw egg and oil, then I would not have eaten it.  LOL.  Dukes mayo is low carb so using it makes this diet friendly!



2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon Anchovy Paste
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Horseradish Mustard
1 cup Mayonnaise (I am using Dukes because it is low carb)
    (make your own mayo to make it paleo)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. 
  • Add the mayonnaise, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper and whisk until well combined. 
  • Taste and adjust to your liking.

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Extraordinary Life's Cookie Recipe Collection 2012


Cake Mix Cookies: 
For the EASY Baker



Paleo/Primal Cookies: 
For the PALEO Baker



Made from Scratch: 
For the From Scratch Baker
Drop Cookies



Roll Out Cookies


* * * * *

Thinking about getting a head start on your holiday baking?  How you store your made ahead cookies for the holiday is probably a matter of experience.  I have read a few different methods over the years.  I personally like to make the cookie dough up ahead of time and freeze until baking day .  In my opinion, a fresh baked cookie ROCKS!  I will either shape the dough into disks for roll out cookies and freeze, drop cookies onto a baking sheet, freeze and bag, or just roll dough out into a tube to slice and bake later.  Make sure to wrap your dough well.  Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.  Follow recipe according to directions for that particular cookie.

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Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes


I really enjoyed eating these cupcakes.  You know, I really do not like coconut four but I did like these.  They stayed moist until the very last cupcake a week later. I love how you use such a tiny bit of ingredients to achieve so much yield.  They kept nicely both on the counter overnight (I accidentally left them out) as well as a week uncovered in the refrigerator.  In fact, I wish I had one right now!  Aren't these cupcakes cute?  They were made to look like a spider with a dark chocolate truffle on top. My son seen it somewhere on facebook and insisted I copy it for Halloween! LOL.



1/2 Coconut Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
5 Eggs
1/2 cup Coconut Oil (or Butter)
1/2 cup Honey (or Agave Nectar)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Add the first three ingredients into a food processor and pulse until fully combined.
Add the next four ingredients and mix until fully combined.
Full muffin tins 3/4' of the way up.  This batter makes about a dozen cupcakes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.


Other GREAT Paleo vanilla cupcake recipes on the web:

The Wannabe Chef makes a Vanilla Cupcake
The Silver Spatula has a nice collection of Vanilla Cupcake recipes too
Check out Comfy Belly's Very Vanilla Cupcake


reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Menu Plan Monday: Week of November 5th, 2012



Hey guys, I finally lost a few pounds.
And I ate pizza all week, go figure! Hubby came home from Italy and gained 3 pounds.  I TOLD my doctor it could be done!  LOL.  Truthfully, 3 pounds is not that bad considering he "had" to eat wheat.  It's so much easier for Celiac's to go Paleo,  no way we could eat wheat, even if we had do.  :-D

It is Thanksgiving Dessert week over at the Gluten Free Menu Swap.  I am actually starting to get my mind wrapped around the idea of Thanksgiving. It needs some extra thought this year because it will be paleo.  In fact, I started a pinterest board with my ideas.  Next is to try out and make these ideas my own.  My mind wanders back to my first gluten free Thanksgiving and the challenges I experienced back then.  My biggest challenge at our first Gluten Free Thanksgiving was the pies and the stuffing.  The pies were an easy fix, I simply went to the Whole Foods market and purchased like 6 of their Gluten Free pie crusts.  They were awesome.  If you are new to either making Thanksgiving dinner or being Gluten Free, go pick up their crusts and I promise you, you won't be sorry.  Otherwise head on over to Celiac Family where she lists all the great gluten free crust ideas on the web today!  

What do we like to have for dessert on Thanksgiving?  Our preferences are an eclectic blend and I try and accommodate everyone for Thanksgiving Dinner.  What ends up happening is we have way too many pies.  My mom and son likes Coconut Cream Pie, I like Pumpkin Pie, my brother and sister like the Cranberry Walnut Pie.  Sometimes I like to add a Pumpkin Cheesecake in there too.  


























Sunday:


Monday:
Green Leaf LettuceTaco Dinner Night with Guacamole
Maybe I will try to make my kids a Taco Bowl with our
Enjoy Life Tortilla's!


Tuesday:


Wednesday:
Church Night
Hayride, Roasted Hotdogs and Marshmallows over Campfire
(Making Marshmallows and Graham Crackers again!)


Thursday:
Crock Pot Roast Beef, Mashed Cauliflower, Broccoli


Friday:

Saturday:
Pan Seared Strip Steak, Sauteed Mushrooms, Butternut Squash Puree


Sunday:



Looking for inspiration? I can help in three different ways.
  1. Head on over to Orgjunkie.com and visit Laura's Menu Plan Monday.
  2. Visit Heather at Celiac Family, the Gluten Free Menu Swap headquarters!
  3. You can also view my past menu plans here 



reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Menu Plan Monday: Week of October 27th, 2012



Well Hubby lost two more pounds.  I HONESTLY don't know how he does it.  I swear he cheats more than I do.  He is less than 220 now which is a BIG deal for his height of 6'2".  According to this chart he is less than the maximum for all frame sizes.  His happens to be large.  Did you ever hear how to check your "frame size" yourself?  As a kid we were taught to wrap your pointer finger and thumb around your wrist bone.  Can your fingers touch?  That is a small frame size.  Can touch if you try really hard, thats medium.  Can't touch no matter what, thats large.  I am suck!  STUCK< STUCK< STUCK!!! Darnit.  Makes me mad, have 10 pounds to loose that just wont go.  I guess I could look at it like this.....at least I know I am healthy and not loosing mystery pounds that I did not try to.  I had a lady tell me recently that since I did not have a thyroid, I am lucky to loose anything at all!  :-/

Hubby is in Italy this week so I am having a pity pizza party week! :-).  Feeding the kids pizza on Udi's bred with jared pizza sauce every open spot I have.  I know your kids would be jealous!!!  LOL.


Old Fashioned Chili
(Made From Scratch)
White Chicken Chili












This is Chili week over at the Gluten Free Menu Swap.  I do have a few Chili recipes that I will show you here, but we are not having it this week!  See above again for why.  No onto the menu.

Monday (Cub Scout Halloween Party)
Cub Scouts are serving Hot Dogs for Dinner

Tuesday
Pizza on Udi's Bread with Classico Gluten Free Pizza Sauce

Wednesday (Halloween):
Pizza on Udi's Bread with Classico Gluten Free Pizza Sauce

Thursday (Son's Birthday)
Wish Happy Birthday with Cake animated glitter graphic, picture, image for Myspace comments, Orkut, Friendster, Hi5.
Dinner at the Mexican Restaurant

Friday:
Grilled Strip Steak, Baked Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

Saturday:
Almond and Romano Cheese Encrusted Pork Roast Chops, Sauerkraut, Mashed Cauliflower

Sunday:
TBD



Looking for inspiration? I can help in three different ways.
  1. Head on over to Orgjunkie.com and visit Laura's Menu Plan Monday.
  2. Visit Heather at Celiac Family, the Gluten Free Menu Swap headquarters!
  3. You can also view my past menu plans here 

    reade more... Résuméabuiyad

    Almond and Romano Cheese Encrusted Roast Pork Loin Chops #PorkParty


    So my husband and I snuck off to the city one day last week while the kids were in school.....and we had a blast! Costco Cash in hand, we set out to explore the store.  I was enchanted by their selections. It is definitely an upscale wholesale club with great prices. BUT, I was there on a mission and I refused to allow myself to be distracted too much.  TO THE MEAT CASES!    I did buy other cuts of meat besides pork as well as other items like Olive Oil and spices. For today, I am going to show you the pork loins.

    See, here they are!
    If you zoom in you will notice I paid $1.99 a pound at this store.

    Good price right?  Plus this week Costco was offering $2.50 off!  So are you wondering what I made with my roast pork from Costco?  I sliced that massive loin up, it was way too big for our family.  First, though, I sliced 4 1-inch medallions off as chops for the recipe I am going to share with you today.

    This new recipe happens to suit our Paleo Diet.  When we first started out on this diet, I was at a loss when it came to crusting items.  I had no clue what the replacement would be so I just did without.  Sure, I could do without the coating, but I did not want to!! :-).   You hear sometimes a nut crust being included on fish so I figured to take it to the next level.  This dish is heavenly.  So savory and flavorful and packed with protein. I strongly urge you to give it a try.  In fact, this dish is elegant enough to serve at a holiday party.  Have some friends over and have a party!



    4 1-inch thick pork loin chops
    1 egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon Water
    1 1/2 cups Almond Meal
    1 teaspoon Salt
    1 teaspoon Pepper
    1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    1 teaspoon Onion Powder
    Grated Romano Cheese (topping)
    Frying Oil of choice ~ 1 inch
    • Turn fry pan on medium heat to start to warm the oil.
    • Prepare dishes by placing almond flour and seasonings in one dish and mixed egg/water in the other. Mix almond flour and spices to fully combine.
    • Dredge pork chops in egg wash first and them fully coat with almond meal mixture.
    • Place pork chops in oil and fry 4 to 5 minutes one one side.
    • Flip chops over and grate some fresh Romano Cheese on top.  
    • Fry an additional 4 to 5 minutes until nice and golden brown.
    • Pork chops should be at least 145 degrees before taking out of pan and allowing to rest for a minute or two.
    • Enjoy!

    Here are some links to my families favorite pork recipes:

    Alton Brown's Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Lime Chipotle Marinade
    Martha Stewart's Pork Tenderloin with Honeyed Butter
    Paula Deen's Grilled Pork Tenderloin with an Orange Juice Marinade



    PS ~ I am giving away a $50 Costco Cash gift card to one lucky reader.  Click HERE and enter through Rafflecopter. 
    reade more... Résuméabuiyad

    Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Why primal?  Because I am using regular chocolate chips.  Well, Enjoy Life mini chips to be exact.  So with all that regular sugar in those chips.....they are not exactly Paleo, right?  LOL.  We like our 85% dark chocolate here and I am sure it would be good in cookies, its just not traditional is all.  So this is how I am making them, OK?  But go ahead and get those dark chocolate chips and call them paleo if you want! :-)



    1/4 cup Butter (grass fead), room temperature
    1 Egg
    4 Tablespoons Honey
    1 Tablespoon Vanilla
    2 cups Almond Flour (note)
    1/4 teaspoon Salt
    1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
    1/2 cup Small Chocolate Chips


    Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    • In a Stand mixer with whip attachment (or with a hand held mixer) whip butter on medium/low until smooth and creamy.
    • Add egg and whip until fully incorporated.
    • Add Honey and vanilla and whip until just incorporated.
    • Add dry ingredients and fully combine.  
    • Scoop cookie dough out with your large sized cookie scoop and place a ball of batter onto cooking sheet.
    • Flatten cookie with your slightly wet or oiled palm to shape you desire your final product.
    • Bake for 9-10 minutes for larger cookie or 7-8 for smaller cookies.

    Note:
    Honeyville is the finest ground almond flour.  This really is true!  It is  not really the expensive either, however, its not always convenient for me to have.  I am using Bob's Red Mill almond flour and grinding it finer by placing it in my coffee bean grinder or sometimes my blender and processing it for about a minute.  Careful not to over do it or it will turn into butter!!!
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    Simple Mayonnaise Cole Slaw

    We are a ridiculously simple mayonnaise type cole slaw kinda family.  SOMEBODY in our Church makes an awesome vinegar based cole slaw and some day I hope to get a hold of that recipe.  I always hated vinegar based cole slaw but that is until this church dish.  It even includes green peppers but it is sliced so thin you really wont mind.  Anyway, I digress.......at home we make this recipe.  It is so simple and always well received to the point that if its store bought the comment is, "that junk mommy bought".  LOL.  Anytime I can get kids to eat raw cabbage, is a good thing.


    1/2 of a small head of cabbage, quartered and sliced very thin
    1 cup of Mayonnaise (See Notes)
    1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
    1/2 teaspoon Salt
    1/2 teaspoon Pepper
    1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Table Blend
    • Combine all ingredients in a large enough bowl and throughly coat to combine.  
    • Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to marinade.
    • Serve cold and enjoy!

    Mayonnaise:
    • Dukes Mayonnaise is a zero carb mayonnaise.  It is made with Soybean oil though which is NOT paleo.  
    • You can quickly and easily make it Paleo by making your own Hellmans Mayonnaise with your stick blender and the cup it comes with 6 simple ingredients.  Click HERE to be directed to the recipe. 
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    Paleo Pumpkin Pie Recipe


    For Pumpkin Week on the Gluten Free Menu Swap I whipped up a pumpkin pie that is suitable to our new diet!  I just used my old recipe and swapped out the questionable ingredients.  My picky children especially liked the crust.  Gluten free crust is never going to be quite the same as the crusts we enjoyed as wheat eaters.  This nut crust, though, is so good in its own right.  The flakiness is being replaced by the tad crunch of the tiny nut bits.  We think it is a nice switch-off.



    Crust
    1 cup Raw Walnuts
    1 cup Raw Pecans
    1/2 cup Raw Cashews
    4 Tablespoons Grass Fed Butter
    1/4 teaspoon Salt

    Filling
    1 pie crust (above)

    1 can of Pumpkin (or 2 cups fresh)
    2/3's cup Granulated Coconut Sugar
    2 teaspoons Cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon Ginger
    1/2 teaspoon Salt
    1/4 teaspoon Cloves
    1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
    1 Tablespoon Arrowroot Powder

    3 eggs well beaten 
    3/4 cup Almond Milk 
    1 cup Coconut Milk


    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    • Puree nuts in food processor until just about butter.
    • Add butter and salt and fully combine.
    • Press crust into an 8 inch pie plate.
    • Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.  Careful not to over brown.
    • Take out of oven and set aside to cool while you make the filling.
    Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
    • Combine pumpkin, sugar and the next 4 ingredients in your stand mixer with whip attachment. Beat well. 
    • Add in milk and eggs. Beat until combined well. 
    • Pour into an 8 inch pie crust.
    • Bake at 325 degrees for one hour


    Other great Paleo Pumpkin Pie Recipes on the Web:

    Everyday Paleo's Pumpkin Pie Video
    Mark's Daily Apple Ultimate Walnut Pie Crust


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    Book Review: Make It Paleo by Bill Staley and Hayley Mason


    The authors of this book own the web site The Food Lovers Kitchen.  If you click on this link and recognize it as one of my previous referred to links then you are correct.  I have been featuring their recipes and linking them up in my menu plan since I went Paleo in May.  I am never disappointed in any recipe they had posted there and that is a rare find for me.  So..... (long dramatic pause).....imagine my surprise when I was selected to review this book!!!!!  *happy dance*

    This is a huge book jam-packed with over 200 grain-free recipes.  I mean, it barely fit inside my mailbox!  The recipes are easy to read and easy to follow with very clear instructions.  I am not kidding you, its true!  I have certain family members who ask me to make videos because sometimes they say a recipe can confuse them. I tend to be camera shy so I keep refusing.  Anyway, I digress, I think you can read this book and understand clearly how to prepare the dish with results as good as the photos inside.

    Speaking about the Photographs inside.  They are beautiful and very telling.  Very large and colorful and true to recipe.  I also love the fact that above each recipe comes with a small story.  Not too wordy but just enough to fully appreciate the recipe and understand why it is in the book.  I am a lazy reader really and if you have too much to say before the recipe I may just not make it.  LOL.

    As I worked though the book I became increasingly more impressed.  I am not pulling your leg here.  If you are not the cook book buying just-use-what-you-can-find-for-free kind, you may want to make an exception here. This is THE book you should buy first when starting off on your Paleo Adventure.  In fact, this book will most likely show up as Pollyanna gifts this Christmas :-). The book covers may food related issues.  For example, you are newly Paleo and don't know what to serve for a party?  This book solves that problem.  I love the menu suggestions page.  Each little menu is surrounded by those gorgeous pictures.  Try the dark chocolate cake for your birthday parties, it was incredible!  The chapter called "The Paleo Kitchen" is very informative. The know your cuts and seasonal produce pages are done in a very easy to understand format.  This chapter also covers oils, herbs and other key ingredients.  It even covers thickening agents which was a hot topic for me when I first went Paleo.  It is a complete and through Book with everything you need to know about your Paleo Kitchen.

    So did I make anything in the book to back up these claims?  You bet-cha!  In fact, I started with the desserts.  Because we think way too much about desserts I guess.


    First up, the Brownies!   The best we ever ate, in fact (no matter what diet we were on).


    Second in the line up of tried desserts, the Chocolate Chip Cookies (made into a cake).  I wish you could ask the recipients at the party how much they liked it.  I just used my oiled up hands to smooth it.


    Next on my hit list to make in the dessert arena is the Gingerbread cookies.

    Below are the Entrees that children liked enough to try again.  HEY, this is a big deal around here.  I happen to have the worlds most picky kids.

    Smoked Paprika Chicken Thighs.  I guess we love the flavor of smoked paprika around here and it is a key ingredient to our favorite dinner's spice blend (taco seasoning).  Does it remind them of tacos because of the paprika?  I don't know, but they loved it!

    Herbed Chicken Skewers.  Both children loved eating their meal off of a stick!  So very primal right?  LOL.  I loved how quick and easy it was to pull together.

    Lemon Garlic Roasting Chicken.  Now the name of this recipe turned me off initially since I really don't like lemon flavored foods.  Allow me to assure you that this dish is wonderfully flavorful and the lemon is just an enhancer.  In fact, my 7 year old daughter ripped off a leg to save for her lunch the next day!!!!    That sort of stuff just makes me smile.

    I can go on and on with what recipes I want to try, there are just too many.  I had the book since September and completely lost tract of time.  I had to rip myself away from the book and kitchen and jump on here and give you a shout out about it so the list stops there.  I am very excited to continuing my recipe trials from this book.

    My Final Words

    This book is named Paleo but it really applies to everyone trying to follow a whole foods diet!

    reade more... Résuméabuiyad

    Paleo Custard Ice Cream Base



    Shall I call this Paleo?  Technically it is NOT paleo with sweetener in it.  I add sweetener for my children because......well.....lets just say that I am again imposing my ideas of childhood on them!!!  What is a childhood without sweets?  So I like to add 2 to 3 tablespoons of some kind of sweetener to any of my desserts just for my kids!  I have grown so far from tasting and enjoying sweet foods that I find the taste of sugar overpowering beyond 3 tablespoons.

    First, a little history.  My daughter has radical reactions to wheat,  not only Celiac but hives like a full blown allergy. Don't even let her breath next to wheat or she will get red circles under her eyes and gut issues exactly an hour later. For the most part this does not affect ice cream.  My son, however, is the silent sufferer. He has the just-mild-enough-to-not-have-radical-reactions sort of intolerances and allergies.  He suffers with a mild gut pain that builds over time and can suffer for 2 days to a week once the issue has reached its height.  But, immediately after taking in a toxin-to-him, he is fine. His issues are intolerances to Wheat and Casein but RAST tested mildly allergic to beef, corn and shellfish as a baby.  Keeping him away from beef and shellfish were easy.  The corn, however, was not so easy.  I am afraid I did not know enough about corn and its use as a sweetener back then.  He has outgrown the beef and shellfish allergy but now his allergy to corn is worse than ever.  He would literally rather starve then to eat a corn related product and suffer.

    So ice cream...... lots of it is sweetened with corn syrup!  Not to mention that its main ingredient is dairy,  LOL.  So I have been tinkering with various substitutes lately.  I want something that suits our Paleo lifestyle while addressing our various other issues.  So first I start with these recipes:

    3 Vegan Almond Milk recipes using Banana from Bay Area Bites

    While I adored the banana ice cream the kids were offput by the underlying banana taste.  See....I close my eyes and think of the chocolate covered bananas I enjoyed as a kid.  Maybe my kids would enjoy these recipes better once I mastered a more exact replacement for the ice creams they liked from the store.

    Coconut Milk Ice Cream recipe using strictly coconut milk

    I thought the high fat content of the pure coconut milk was odd.  The ice cream sort of coated the tongue sort of like a heavy cream ice cream would.  So I mixed them.  The end result I really enjoyed the texture of.  I am re-introducing the egg as a thickener because while we have to eliminate a lot of items in our house, eggs were NOT one of them.  THIS is the recipe that works for us.  Best yet, its a base.  Use it to create your own master piece!!!

    1 1/2 cups Almond Milk (unflavored or home made)
    1 cup of Coconut Milk (equal parts cream/milk)
    3 Tablespoons of Raw Honey (or Agave which is not paleo)
    3 egg Yolks

    • Heat over medium low in a saucepan both milk products and honey until coconut cream and honey are both dissolved and fully incorporated. Mixture is hot but not boiling.
    • Place egg yolks in a bowl and whisk.  
    • While whisking, slowly add a ladle full of hot milk into egg and continue to whisk.
    • Slowly add egg mixture into hot milk mixture in sauce pan, whisking constantly.
    • Mixture will slightly thicken and coat the back of your spoon (about 5 minutes).  Using a candy thermometer make sure your custard reaches 160 degrees!!!
    • Turn heat off and allow to cool.  A sink with cold water half way up sauce pan will quicken the process if need be.  Just make sure to stir.  
    • Place covered in fridge until ready to use.  If you have a fine mesh strainer, pour mixture through it and into ice cream makers bowl.
    • Operate machine according to your manufacturer's instructions.
    • Enjoy!
    Add vanilla bean, coco powder, nuts, fruits.....whatever suits you!! 




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    Avocado Chicken Salad

    The hardest thing about the Paleo Diet (in my books) is the elimination of dairy. I really missed the creamy texture if cheese.  That is until I discovered my love of Avocados!  They have all the rich fatty creaminess I missed.  I started adding avocado to every salad I ate.  It's like pure creamy heaven.  What I love to do is use Avocado anywhere I would like to use creamy cheese,  my first stop was Mayo.  While I do make my own Paleo Mayo, its time consuming and I won't use it once its stored due to it having raw eggs. I don't need a fancy recipe to use Avocados either. I will dice it and add it to just about anything.  Dishes like Taco's and Chili now must have small diced avocado on top instead of the traditional cheese.

    Where am I going with sharing all of this? Avocados from Mexico’s Website, of course! Because of my love of Avocado's and the fact that this blog simply must feature everything I personally love, we have partnered with Avocados From Mexico.  If you want more Avocado recipe inspiration than you simply must  visit their “Recipes from Avocado Lovers” section.

    The folks at Avocados From Mexico have just launched a new recipes section on their site "Recipes From Avocado Lovers" to give foodies who love avocados, the opportunity to upload their favorite avocado recipes, download ringtones, wallpapers and other fun items to show their avocado love and discover other fan favorite avocado recipes. Do you love avocados? Then you will love the new Avocados From Mexico recipe website "Recipes From Avocado Lovers", where you can submit your favorite avocado recipes and share you avodao love with with other foodies like you.

    Are you interested in seeing what my all time favorite thing to do with avocado's is?

    There it is, Avocado Chicken Salad.  
    The prep is the biggest part of this dish.


    2 cups of diced up cooked Chicken (using leftovers is a great idea)
    1 small (1/4 cup) Onion, finely diced sweet or red
    4 strips of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
    1 Avocado, half diced, half sliced
    2 Tablespoons Mayo (Dukes has no sugar for low carbers but is not Paleo)
    1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
    1 /2 teaspoon Onion Powder, Salt, Pepper & Lemon Juice
    Romain Lettuce, ripped into bite sized pieces

    • Place chicken, onion and bacon into small mixing bowl.
    • On a clean cutting board, mash with fork or the back of a spoon the diced avocado with mayo, garlic, spices and Lemon Juice until it is fully incorporated and is creamy.
    • Fold dressing into the small bowl of chicken until fully combined.
    • Serve a heaping cup of chicken salad over top of Lettuce and top Avocado slices.
    • Serves 2-3.
    • Enjoy!


    Looking for more recipes using Avocado's? Check out the new recipes section “Recipes from Avocado Lovers” on Avocados from Mexico’s Website



    This sponsorship is brought to you by Avocados From Mexico who 
    we have partnered with for this promotion.
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    Easy Pickled Jalapenos


    We are much more likely to eat all those excess jalapenos from our garden if we jar them.  I absolutely LOVE picked jalapenos over nachos with that "profit maker" cheese sauce.  Ahh bad for you food but I swear I could just pull up a bucket full!  ;-).



    1 cup Water
    1 cup White Vinegar
    3 cloves of Garlic, Peeled and Cracked
    2 Tablespoons of Coarse Kosher Salt
    1 Tablespoon of Peppercorns
    • Sterilize canning jars in dishwasher on sterilize cycle or wash jars with hot sudsy water and boil jars until hot (a few minutes).
    • Clean Jalapenos well, remove top and slice into coins.  We like to remove as many seeds as we can for ours, but traditionally they are left in.
    • Add Water, Vinegar, Garlic, Salt and Peppercorns into a small saucepan and simmer for about 5 minutes.
    • Pack pepper coins into sterilized jars.
    • Pour pickling liquid over peppers inside the jar.
    • Place top on jar and place inside pot large enough to cover up.
    • Boil for 10 minutes in 2 inches of water.
    • Cool and store.
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    Paleo Chocolate Almond Milk Ice Cream (Gluten Free, Casein Free and Corn Free)


    Paleo Chocolate Banana Almond Milk ice cream that is!  That sounds like a mouth full I know.  Look at this picture.  Doesn't it look fudgy?

    When I close my eyes and taste this ice cream it reminds me of the chocolate covered bananas that I used to enjoy as a child.  It also makes me wish I could eat peanut butter again. I think it is this ice cream's destiny is to be with peanut butter.  I think I may have to order some SunButter, which is the closest thing to peanutbutter I have tried, and give that a whirl though the ice cream in the end.

    My hubby would tell me that trying to replace too many of our old sugary sweets is trying too hard to eat sugar.  LOL.  But.....EVERY childhood should include ice cream!  I LOVE my Gelato electric ice cream maker.  In 20 minutes from start to finish we could be enjoying ice cream any time we like. It is almost easier and cheaper to just toss the ingredients together rather than run out to the store (which is not so close in my neck of the woods).

    There are only 4 simple ingredients, why don't you give it a whirl?  Go ahead and make it your own by changing it up!  Add almond chunks, whirl in sunbutter, heck even toss in some dark chocolate shavings!!!  You won't be sorry!




    1-1/2 cups Almond Milk
    2 (or 3) Tablespoon Raw Honey
    2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
    1 large Ripe Banana, pureed until liquid

    • In a saucepan over medium low heat, whisk almond milk, cocoa powder and honey until fully incorporated. 
    • Place bananas into a food processor and puree until fully liquid. 
    • Add Banana puree into the sauce pan with the cocoa mixture and stir to combine. 
    • Place mixture in the ice cream maker and process for 20 to 30 minutes or until thick.
    • Enjoy!

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    Lemon Glazed Pound Cake

    Coffee Shop Lemon Pound Cake

    This recipe was actually my attempt to make a Paleo Pound Cake.  I am not sure of the lemon. The folks I served it to at home liked it, tho when I tried it I felt a modification of this recipe was in the near future.  I am not sure this recipe is done evolving but for those who tried it and waned the recipe.... here it is!



    2 cups Almond Flour
    1/2 cup Coconut Flour
    1/2 teaspoon Salt
    1 teaspoon Baking Soda

    2/3 cup Raw Honey
    5 Eggs
    3/4 cup Almond Milk
    2 Tablespoons Pure Vanilla Extract

    6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
    1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
    1/4 cup Raw Honey

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    Grease and line 9 x 9 baking dish with parchment.

    • Combine first 4 ingredients into a small bowl and fully combine.
    • In a food processor or stand mixer, add next 4 ingredients and fully incorporate.
    • Add dry ingredients into mixer/processor and mix for 2 to 3 minutes.
    • Pur into prepared dish and bake for 40 minutes or until cake passes toothpick test.
    • Meanwhile combine Lemon Juice, Vanilla and Honey in small saucepan over medium low heat.
    • Stir until honey is dissolved and ingredients are combined.
    • Pole some holes in the cooled cake and pour glaze over top.

    Note:

    I ground my own almond flour for this dish and we enjoyed the little bit of a bite the freshly ground almonds gave this cake.

    Inspired by:

    Best Lemon Cake Ever by Paleo Table


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    Paleo Lemon Bars

    These lemon bars are addicting.  Our family loves the bitter sweet taste of this lemon curd.  Sweet and Sour is what my son calls them.  At first bite you think maybe its not to your liking, but once you are finished your slice you almost need to eat the whole tray!  The bottom has  bit of a coconut taste to them that reminds me a bit of Almond Joy without the chocolate!!

    You may notice that this curd is a bit eggy in ingredients compared to the traditional lemon curds.  I did this because traditionally lemon curd uses a grain of some sort (wheat flour) to help with the thickening.  I was figuring extra eggs = extra thickening power. This dish does not, however, taste eggy.  I do love how the eggs bring extra protein to the party to help offset the pure sugary goodness of the honey.  Very rarely do I use more than 2 Tablespoons of honey in any dish, but this time I did for the pungent lemon's sake.  1/3'rd cup equals 5 Tablespoons!  So take small slices. ;-)



    For the Lemon Curd:
    6 Eggs
    1/3 cup Raw Honey
    3/4 cup Lemon Juice
    1/2 cup Coconut Oil

    For the Bars:
    1/2 c. Pecans (or walnuts)
    1/2 c. Almonds
    1 cup finely shredded Unsweetened Coconut
    1 Egg
    1 Tablespoon Raw Honey
    1 Tablespoon Almond Butter
    1 Tablespoon Oil
    1 Tablespoon Almond Milk
    pinch of Salt

    Grease an 8 x 12 glass dish.
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

    • In a small sauce pan, place all the Lemon Curd ingredients.
    • Start to whip up and combine ~ this part is done off of the heat in a cold pan.
    • Place fully whipped ingredients in the sauce pan over medium-low heat.  
    • Whip Constantly for approximately 15 minutes.  Sauce will start to thicken to the consistency of pudding.
    • Take off heat and allow to cool.
    • Meanwhile add pecans/walnuts and almonds into food processor.
    • Puree until the loud clanking of the nuts subsides and the almonds look like they are just about to be butter.
    • Add all remaining ingredients for the bars into a food processor.
    • Puree until fully combined.
    • With a spatula scoop out bar batter and spread out onto glass baking sheet.  You may need your hands for this part because batter is not easily spread!
    • Bake for 15 minutes.  
    • Once bars are done, take the dish out and cool.  
    • Once both top and bottom are fully cooled at room temperature, scoop lemon curd onto top of bar and cover.  
    • Place in refrigerator to cool for several hours.  These bars NEED to chill to set up.  

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    Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Pancakes

    These pancakes are high in fiber and protein while being low in carbs and sugar.  There is hardly any sweetener in these, it is the chips that bring all the sweetness to the party.  While Chips are not exactly "paleo", some of the community allow themselves dark chocolate which could be used in place of the chips I am using.  I feel okay giving my kids Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips and since the sugar is at breakfast time, I'm sure they will burn the sugar off before bed time!!!

    These pancakes will put a "lump in the gut" and fuel your kids with energy and nutrition clean on though to Lunch!  Make them ahead for the freezer and have them ready for school day breakfasts.  The kids don't even ask for syrup for these pancakes.  They will just eat them right off their plate "as is".

    Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Pancakes
    "Adapted from Elana's Pantry's Pancakes recipe"





    1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
    2 Eggs
    1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
    1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
    1/2 teaspoon Salt
    1/2 cup Almond Milk
    2 Tablespoons Raw Honey
    1/4 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips


    • Add the first 6 ingredients into the bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
    • Fold in chocolate chips.
    • Place batter in the fridge to firm up for 2 to 3 minutes.  Batter will become thick enough to cook while resting.
    • Place oiled pan over medium-high heat.  Pan will be ready when you can hover hand over heat and feel the warmth of the pan raise to your hand. Careful not to burn yourself!  
    • Turn pan all the way down to low.
    • Take batter out and place a heaping tablespoon into pan.  
    • Fry on low until batter bubbles from the bottom though to the top. Shoud be 2 to 3 minutes per side.  My first few pancakes always turn out darker in color.
    • With your spatula lift up pancake to see if it is a nice medium brown color (see picture).  
    • Quickly and carefully shove spatula under pancake and flip quickly.  Pancakes could be hard to flip so a quick action is necessary.  Flipping too soon will cause pancakes to drip.  A good eye on the underneath color and quick flipping action is key here.
    • Enjoy.


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