No Corn Corn Dogs

As some of you may know, I have a son who is allergic to corn.  I strive to make his life as normal as possible as corn and corn syrup is in EVERYTHING!!!  Millet is what I am using to replace the corn meal in this recipe.  Millet is both yellow and gritty like corn meal is so I felt it would be a prefect replacement.  I was right!  While it does not actually TASTE like corn, I think the overall texture is the perfect replacement for corn in this dish.

The kids thought it was so good that the extra I made to keep at church for future corn dog nights disappeared before the 5:30 pm departure time.  GONE baby gone!  They loved them.  Makes me smile to see them love something so passionately.

1 Package Hebrew National Beef Franks (cut in half)
3/4 Cup Gluten Free Flour Blend (or Pamela’s Pancake/Baking Mix Gluten Free)
1/2 Cup Gluten Free Millet Flour
White Rice Flour (for coating)
1 Egg
1/2 Cup cold water

• In a medium bowl mix together flour blend or Pamela’s Baking Mix, millet, egg, and water. 
• Set  bit of white rice flour in a dish for dusting dogs with.
• Remove the franks from the package and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Take a Shish Kabob Skewer and insert it into the frank about 1/2 – 3/4 of the way, set aside and continue with the remaining franks. 
• Dip franks in white rice flour to coat completely (the batter will stick better this way). 
• In a medium sauce pan or deep fryer heat oil to 350° (about 1 – 1/2 inches for sauce pan). 
• Dip franks in the batter – it is not a perfect dip, you may need to move the frank around a little bit in a twist swirl pattern to get it all covered. Sometimes I even recruit a fork to help me.  (careful, not too too thick) You want it to cook on the inside as well as the outside. Tho this is only an issue with the oil.  The machine I linked below bakes them perfectly because you can only use as much batter that will fit in the slot.
• Add a batter dipped corn dog to each slot or appliance (minus the skewer you used to dip for the machine).  Alternatively, add three-four franks to the oil, turn often to brown all sides evenly. I take my deep fryer basket out for this job.  
• Cook each frank for a full minute or until machine light clicks as done.
• Remove corn dogs and place on a plate lined with paper towels. 
• Repeat this process until all the corn dogs have been cooked. 

I do have a deep fryer which works nicely but what I use is a Corn Dog maker similar to the one below.  My kids prefer it baked this way instead of frying.

NostalgiaProductsGroup PNB-900 (Google Affiliate Ad)

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!! 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

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!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

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

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

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.  

reade more... Résuméabuiyad