Paleo Blogs

Here is a running list of the blogs I've been following that have some amazing things!

Caveman Gourmet
Multiply Delicious
Holly Would if She Could
Health-Bent
Once a Month Mom
Fast Paleo
Paleowod
PaleOMG
Chewin Fat with the Paleo Brat
Petite Athleat
Cupcake Project
The Food-Lovers Kitchen
Paleo Madeline

Carrot Cake Muffins w/ Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Okay, so now that I have a working oven, I'm totally digging this Paleo/Primal baking thing.  Way faster/easier/tastier than other baking I've done.  Sitting at home the other morning, I decided that I wanted to make carrot cake.  So, googled a few things, looked into a few of my favorite paleo bloggers, and found a couple things to try. 

Let me tell you, I'm loving the initiative of some of these women to test several recipes and tweak as they see fit, in effort to make the best product ever.  This is one of those recipes.  And I tweaked it on my own as well.  

These Paleo Diet Carrot Cupcakes are not only grain free and sugar free, but also dairy free.  And have I mentioned that they are the best carrot cupcakes I have had in my entire life??? My only complaint is that the recipe only makes 12 cupcakes.  They were remarkably fast to make - about 15 minutes of prep time - and I hand grated the carrot, and ground my own cardamom powder.  Instead of dates, I used pureed dried apricots.  Holy yum!   

For frosting, I decided to skip the recomended recipe, because I found another I thought would be amazing.  Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting sounded lovely, and I must admit that I loved that I had found two recipes that day that did not use honey.  Of course there was a little maple syrup in both, but not at all overwhelming.  For the frosting, I cut it in half because I only had 12 cupcakes :(.  But even with half the recipe, I only used about half the frosting.  Super simple and super yummy.  I used whipped cream cheese, and I love the way it turned out!  

P.S. Sorry for the sucky picture.  ;)

Chocolate Cake Balls

So I finally got my cake-pop/donut hole maker and have been obsessed ever since.  My determination was to find as many paleo cake type concoctions to put in it.  I have tried several, such as Chai Spice cake balls, and a savory Basil Coconut flour version as well. While I cannot take credit for those, I can say for absolute certainty that they are amazing.  I was also on a mission to find a chocolate cake recipe that was paleo, but amazing.  I found the Paleo Brat's blog, and let me tell you, she is genius.  I tried her chocolate cake recipe a few weeks back and was super impressed.  I haven't changed a thing!  The one complaint that I have is that all the honey in the batter make it sometimes difficult to make perfectly round balls of cake with my machine.  I also opted to not completely frost them.  This time, I made them, and decided that I was going to inject them with a little bit of Nutella (yes, I know....NOT paleo).  But I figured a little bit wouldn't hurt.  I also drizzled them with Giradelli dark chocolate, and then sprinkled them with crushed pecans.  Absolutely amazing!  They should be a big hit at the cook-out tomorrow.  While completely gluten free, they are most definetely not for those with nut allergies.  But so worth the time.

Chocolate-Mint Ice Cream

   
















                We bought a small ice cream maker on clearance for $15. I've been experimenting with Paleo versions of ice cream.  Chocolate/mint is my favorite, but I couldnt find anything. So I made up my own.  Again, everything is in approximations.  But this was so simple.  This is what you will need:
Blender
Mesh strainer
Ice Cream maker
1 can coconut milk
Fresh mint
Vanilla Extract
Honey
Coco powder
Mini-chocolate chips


So basically, take your can of coconut milk and pour it into a small saucepan.  Put some fresh mint in with it.  I used probably a 1/4 cup off of my mint plant.  Wanted to use more, but the poor thing could only give so much, lol.  Add a tablespoon of vanilla. Simmer it over low heat for about 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat, and let sit for another 15 minutes.  Then put it into the fridge until cold.  Once it is cold, put it through a mesh strainer to catch the mint.  Put milk in blender. I added a teeny bit of regular milk to thin it a little, but this is not necessary.  Add some honey (a couple of tablespoons or so), and a little more vanilla.  Add a couple spoons of coco powder.  Blend.  Pour into frozen ice cream machine bowl.
When it is to your desired frozen consistency, stir in some mini chips.

The ice cream had a very subtle, but noticeable mint flavor to it.  Yum!!! My son keeps asking for more.

Thai Lemongrass Curry

        Can't lie, I love any reason that lets me use my masala dabba.  Had a taste for spicy today, and had some lemongrass in my fridge.  I searched all over for the simplest recipe I could find.  I'm all about make things easy and delicious.  Finally found one here, and figured it would do well as a base for what I wanted to do.  In all honesty, I didn't change a whole lot.  By far the best curry dish I've made to date.  A new fave!

Ingredients
3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes
3 green chilis, finely chopped (I kept the seeds and all)
3 tbsp lemongrass (I used Gourmet Garden, but you could use fresh chopped lemongrass)
1 small onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tumeric powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger (didn't have fresh)
2 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp honey
1 can coconut milk
1 8oz can vegetable stock

Directions
Combine the garlic, chilis, lemongrass and ginger into mortar and pestal until it becomes a rough paste.

Combine the tumeric and chili powder, toss chicken to coat.
In frying pan, heat some oil (olive or coconut) and add chicken until browned.  Remove chicken and set aside.
Add a little more oil to pan if needed, cook paste mixture and onion for a few minutes.   (It will become VERY fragrant).
Add chicken back to pan.  Add in stock, coconut milk, tamari, and honey.  Mix well.
Heat until boiling, and then let simmer until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Serve over cauliflower rice.



** I should note, that I rarely use exact measurements in any of my recipes.  I typically just eyeball all suggested amounts that are less than 1/4 cup.
** This dish was crazy spicy, but in a amazing way.  You could eliminate the seeds of the chilis if you want.  I used chilis that were in my freezer from last summer's farmer market.  No idea what kind there were, but they were green and hot.  I hear that freezing them does that. :)
** We started buying products from the Gourmet Garden line, after I realized that no matter how much I cook, I couldn't use fresh herbs fast enough without wasting them.  They are organic, and convenient. I keep the herbs I use the most in this form, to always have on hand.  But of course still buy fresh as much as possible.

Sweet Potato Hash

My good friend made me a version of sweet potato hash last year, and I've been hooked since.  I figure it has to be a good paleo dish right?  I've been experimenting with my own version, and last night made one that turned out especially great, and was relatively quick and easy.  It was the perfect amount for two people, but sadly my husband won't eat two of the ingredients.  Oh well - breakfast for me! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 sweet potato - peeled and shredded
1 small yellow onion - diced
1 medium zucchini - shredded
6 brussell sprouts - steamed and chopped
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
1 -2 tbsp olive oil

Directions
Heat oil in pan, and add shredded sweet potato.
Cut onion, add to pan.  Shred zucchini, add to pan.
I steamed my brussel sprouts while these cooked, and then roughly chopped them and added them as well.

I add a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder after every layer of veggies, but you can add it at whatever stage you prefer.  Cook to desired consistancy.

I kept my hash on the soft side, as the moisture from the zucchini helped cook the potato.  But if you wanted a crisper hash, I would suggest pressing the shredded zucchini to get the moisture out.

Paleo-ized Shepherd's Pie

My mom and grandma used to always make Sherpherd's Pie.  It is one of my all time favorite meals.  And it's one of the things that I have missed most being Paleo.  But after thinking about it, I realized that I didn't have to.  With the exception of the potatoes, it pretty much already aligns with the Paleo lifestyle.  I've tried making mashed cauliflower before.  It tasted good, but I needed to work on the texture.  Made it with this, and it was probably better than the original - and I didn't miss the potatoes at all.

Keep in mind that we still use dairy, so there is a little milk and cheese in this recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 - 3/4 chopped onion

1 C. grated carrot

1 can diced tomatoes

1 head of cauliflower

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Garlic powder

Salt & Pepper

1/3 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 Milk

Directions

Rice cauliflower and steam in microwave for about 10 minutes, until soft. 

While cauliflower is steaming, brown ground beef. Add onion, carrot, and garlic - saute until softened.  

Add tomatoes and worcestershire sauce - cook until much of the liquid has evaporated.  About 10 minutes over low heat, covered. 

Once cauliflower is done, add milk and garlic powder.  Mash - an immersion blender works best.  

Add more milk if needed.  Mix in cheese until combined.  

Put beef mixture in baking dish, pat down.  Add mashed cauliflower to the top, spreading evening.  

At this point, I just threw it back in the microwave for another 10 minutes because my oven is out of order.  But you could also put it in the oven for about 20 minutes.  You basically just want to crisp up the top a little.  

Paleo "Oatmeal" Cookie Dough Dip

This turned out amazing!  As I had mentioned in my previous Cookie Dough dip post, I had the idea to make it into a Oatmeal Cookie version.  Of course, I had no idea where to start, so I was searching all over the internet.  And wouldn't you know, I found NOTHING. Well, I guess that's not true, I found a couple versions that said they were Paleo, but contained oatmeal.  And let's face it, that just won't do.  I was also determined to make this somewhat healthier. And it turned out great.  I had the opportunity to try it out for bookclub, and it was a huge hit.  Even my husband who isn't an oatmeal cookie fan, raved! 

Ingredients
1.5 C Almond Flour
1/4 C + 1 large spoonful Flaxmeal
1/2 C butter flavored palm shortening (you could use less, depending on the size of the banana)
approx.1/4 C honey
approx.1/4 maple syrup
1 mashed banana
1 tbsp vanilla
Cinnamon & nutmeg to taste
Pecans (or walnuts)
Raisens

Directions
Blend all ingredients (minus pecans and raisens) together until smooth. Mix in nuts and raisens to desired consistency.  I let mine sit for about 2 hours in the fridge, to allow the flax and almond flour absorb some of the moisture.  I took it out  about an hour before I wanted to serve it.

**Someone who isn't Paleo would never realize that this does not contain oatmeal. Served with apples (for the Paleo's) and graham crackers (for those that are not), and it was huge hit.  I imagine this would also be good rolled into balls and refridgerated just for a quick non-dippable snack. Enjoy!

Coming Soon...

Chocolate-Mint Ice Cream
Paleo Pancakes
"Oatmeal" Cookie Dough Dip

Cookie Dough Dip

I cannot take credit for this one at all.  Big shout to Paleo Parents for coming up with this Paleo version.  Shortly before we went Paleo, I made the normal cookie dough dip, and it was amazing.  So you can imagine our disappointment of losing such a gem by changing eating habits.  When I saw this posted on Pinterest, I put it on my "must make" list.  Thankfully, we had a BBQ yesterday and I had the perfect reason to make it.  Super easy, and I have to admit, even better than the original non-paleo version.  Seriously.
Ingredients
2 c. Almond Flour
1/2 c. Butter Flavored Palm Shortening
1/4 c. Honey
1/4 c. Maple Syrup
1 tbsp. Vanilla
Mini-chocolate chips
Pecan pieces
Candy coated sunflower seeds (totally not paleo, but I made a litte exception)

Directions
Combine all ingredients but the candy and nuts and blend until smooth.  Stir in the candy/nuts (be creative and put in whatever you want. 



** I clearly made a concession with the candy coated sunflower seeds, but I felt that that small concession was better than adding some other non-healthy additive in there.  After making this, I think it could easily be made into so many insane combinations.  Next time I think I'm gonna actually try making a "oatmeal" cookie version.  Thanks again Paleo Parent!

Grilled Pork Chops w/ Mango-Chili Compote

Ingredients
4 Butterflied Pork Chops
1 Mango (cut into small cubes)
1 Green Chili Pepper (diced)
1/2 Red Onion (diced)
1 C. Water
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt, Black Pepper, Cayanne Pepper to taste
Coconut Oil

Compote Directions
Combine all ingredients into pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer until contents are soft and "sauce" is thickened.
Top grilled pork chops with compote and serve.

BLT Salad

Another craving that needed satisfying!
I NEED a BLT!  So I tricked myself....
It even filled up my husband, who is always hungry right after a meal.  Suprising really, but it must be all the leafy greens. Best of all, I didn't even miss the bread!

Ingredients
Hearts of romaine
Baby spinach
Roma tomatoes
Pepper Bacon
Red Onion
1 tbsp bacon drippings (approx).
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (approx).
Ground black pepper to taste

Make whatever proportions you feel appropriate.  I used about 6 slices of thick cut pepper bacon, 1 roma tomato, and a couple of thin slices of red onion.  Romaine and spinach where just eyeballed.
Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside.  Combine all ingredients but last 3.  For vinegrette, combine vinegar and dripping to desired taste, add additional pepper.  Toss salad to coat.

Ice Cream-less Banana Split

In my search to continue Paleo eating without giving up my favorites, it occurred to me that I could easily make a "banana split".  I saw a post somewhere about putting frozen bananas in a food processer or blender to make easy banana ice cream.  I wanted less cleanup and hassle but with the same result. 

Amazing dessert without the guilt...and super easy!

1. Freeze whole ripe banana (about 12 hours)

2. Peel and slice banana and strawberries

3. Shave 100% chocolate bar over the top!