Paleo and Vegan "Cakies"

 I LOVE these cookies/"cakies"!

1 - They are easy!
2 - They are tasty!
3 - They are Vegan as well as Paleo! I know a few people who are Vegan and it can be a little tricky trying to find something that is good that everyone can enjoy! But these do the trick!

They are called "Cakies" because they are much lighter and more fluffy in texture. I only had almond "meal" on hand for these. It is a little more coarse than almond flour. It tastes just the same...just makes the texture a little different.

Here is where I found the recipe: http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2011/09/paleo-banana-chocolate-chip-cakies/

Banana Chocolate Chip “Cakies”

1 cup mashed ripe bananas, about 1 large banana
2 tablespoons creamy almond butter
1 tablespoons apple butter (optional)* (Sometimes I just use Apple Sauce)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
1 ¼ cup almond flour
¼ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free – delicious)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a hand mixer, blend together the banana, almond butter, apple butter, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add in almond flour and chocolate chips and stir to combine.
Using a 1 ½” ice cream scoop, scoop dough into even scoops and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until cookies are slightly golden on top. (I cooked mine quite a bit longer...hence the very golden on top!) Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from pan. Again, these are soft so if you remove too soon you’ll have a soft cookie crumb mess.

Pumpkin Waffles

 

Paleo Pumpkin Waffles:

Fall is here people! 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Fall! I love the crisp smell in the air. I love the beautiful fall leaves. I love the fog in the morning. I love the Fall fashion. I don’t love pumpkin. (No…that wasn’t a typo!)

 

Never been a big fan of pumpkin. I’ll try to eat pumpkin pie every year at Thanksgiving, but never with any big success.

But…I LOVE these pumpkin waffles! They may have just made a pumpkin lover out of me. I’ll post some pumpkin muffins that are pretty tasty too at some point! (Thanks for the recipe Jacob!)
 

Imagine it…What could be more yummy than curling up in your PJ’s with your family on a foggy, Fall Saturday morning to some delicious pumpkin waffles and a mug of tea (or coffee for you coffee lovers). 

Hint: NOTHING!  It is just so heartwarming and absolutely delicious!

Here is a link to the original recipe: http://paleomg.com/paleo-pumpkin-waffles/

I doubled it, made a couple little tweaks

Paleo Pumpkin Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1.5 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 4 tablespoon maple syrup (I used honey!)
• 4 eggs, whisked
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used a lot more!)
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger (I used fresh grated)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Sugar free/Dairy free chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together coconut milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla.
2. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and pumpkin and mix together. Add a bit more coconut milk, if needed.
3. Ladle into your waffle maker. Be careful, they expand a bit so they will be pour over if you get ladle happy.
4. Cook until done – mine took a little longer than a “normal” waffle

You can top with some coconut ice cream and fresh blackberries. Or some coconut butter and blackberry "syrup." Or whatever sounds good to you!

 

SOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!!

Do you know the muffin man?

Q. What is better than fresh baked muffins?
A. Muffins you don't have to bake yourself or clean up after!

Today we have 2 different muffin recipes (both equally delicious in different ways) made by 2 different guys.

First we have Kyle's Paleo Zucchini muffins featuring zucchini from "the Secret garden." Kyle made these for me a while back when I was at work. I came home to some delicious muffins and was able to enjoy them for breakfast the next few days.
Kyle gets bonus points for this one because it features vegetables he actually grew himself!

 

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cup blanched almond flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup honey
• 
  

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Place the wet ingredients in the bowl then beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until frothy and fully combined. Add the zucchini and beat again just enough to incorporate.
Slowly add the dry ingredients with the mixer running, until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated.
Spoon the batter into muffin tins
Bake for 30-35 minutes
Enjoy!





Then we have Jacob's Paleo Pumpkin Spice muffins. I know Jacob from work. He has an infectious sense of humor and is super nice. He made some Paleo muffins and was nice enough to share and to share the recipe.
Jacob gets bonus points for the muffin tins...nice feature!

Ingredients:

• 1 /2 cups almond flour
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp almond butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Coat muffin tins with coconut oil (or muffin cups)
3. Mix all ingredients
4. Bake for 25 minutes (He baked at 300 for around 28 minutes to avoid them drying out.)

Enjoy! I'm sure they will be delicious...but I can't promise they will taste quite as good if you have to bake them and clean up after yourself!

A Tale of Two Cobblers...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...it was blackberry time!

Jessica and I went blackberry picking by our house last week on a beautiful sunny day. We weren't well prepared; we had flip flops and yoga pants on..not a good combination with thorns! We spent most of our time "unhooking" each other from the vines! To quote Jessica, "Why do blackberry bushes have thorns anyway?" Luckily, Kyle came and joined us and picked twice as much as the both of us did in about half the time. :)  Gotta love Kyle!

We decided to make a couple cobbler's for our family get together the next day. Our brother was supposed to be coming home from 2 months in Alaska and we were supposed to be celebrating. I say supposed to... the day before his return he decided to stay a couple more weeks. "It was time for Jordan to come home, it wasn't time for Jordan to come home." I'm happy for him...it sounded like a good opportunity.  It didn't stop us from getting together and eating...a little too much. 

After putting the finishing touches on my parent's beautiful deck. (It really does look nice and I look forward to enjoying it for many years to come!) We grilled and enjoyed a yummy dinner outside. We broke out Jordan's salmon from the freezer (Sorry Jordan!) and served it up with some baked yams, cole slaw, brisket...and then...Cobbler!  LOTS of cobbler!

We made 2 different types.  One with more of a crumble topping (using almond flour) and the other turned out a little more like bread pudding (using coconut flour).  Both were good. Mom preferred Cobbler 2...and enjoyed it for breakfast the next day as well.  I think everyone else preferred Cobbler 1. :)

Love you Jordan; wish you could have been there. Looking forward to seeing you in a few short days...it has been too long!

I love my family...and I love this time of year! :)

Cobbler 1: (Tweaked from original recipe found here)
http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/06/18/blackberry-cobbler/

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of fresh blackberries
• 3 cups almond meal (finely ground almonds)
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• A drizzle of honey
• Cinnamon to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Sugar free apple sauce
• Unsweetened coconut flakes (1 cup?)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Pour the blackberries into an 8x12 pan and add a little Apple sauce. 
3. In a small bowl mix together the egg, almond meal, coconut flakes, and coconut oil, a drizzle of honey and shake in a bunch of cinnamon and a little nutmeg.  Stir well.  The mixture will be really thick and clumpy. 
4. Drizzle a bit of  honey on top of the blackberries. 
5. Crumble the almond meal mixture on top of the blackberries and bake in your pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. 

Enjoy! (You can put a little coconut milk or coconut ice cream on it.)

Cobbler 2: (Tweaked from original recipe found here)
http://www.grassfedgirl.com/grandmas-blackberry-cobbler/

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil for greasing the pan
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 3-4 cups blackberries (enough to cover bottom of 8×8 baking dish)
• 3 eggs beaten
• 4 tbsp of honey
• 1/3 can coconut milk 
• Vanilla to taste
• Grated ginger to taste
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Cinnamon to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions:

1. Use an 8×8 glass baking dish that you have greased evenly with coconut oil. 
2. Cover the bottom of the pan with blackberries and drizel a tablespoon of honey over them.
3. Mix the wet ingredients together.
4. Mix the dry ingredients together. (Except coconut flakes)
5. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until mixed together.
6. Pour over the blackberries until they are covered evenly.
7. Top with Coconut flakes.
8. Bake on 325 for 25-30 minutes until it is nicely browned and set.

Enjoy! (Top with coconut milk or ice cream if you'd like!)

"TV Dinner"

Friday night...long week at work...

We decided to do something easy and cuddle up on the couch in front of a movie for dinner. 

Cilantro Chicken Nuggets

(found here: http://paleomg.com/cilantro-chicken-nuggets/)

Ingredients

• 1lb ground chicken or ground turkey
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 bundle of cilantro, chopped (the more, the better!)
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup Coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons Coconut Oil

Instructions

1. Mix all of your nugget ingredients together: ground chicken, egg, cilantro, scallions, sesame oil, ginger, and salt and pepper.
2. Now heat up a large skillet under medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
3. Place your coconut flour in a shallow bowl.
4. Make small balls from your nugget mixture, “nugget sized” and place each nugget in the coconut flour (being sure to only lightly dust the nuggets) then place in your skillet.
5. Use a spatula to slightly flatten out each nugget. It only needs just a little press down.
6. Cook on both sides for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.

 

Dipping sauce:

• A little honey
• A little Chipotle mustard
• A little Olive oil to thin it out.

Sweet Potato Fries: (Kyle's always turn out better than mine!)

• 1 Sweet Potato (or yam)
• A little Olive oil
• Season (we like to season with Tex Joy!)

1. Cut Fries into 1 inch thick wedges
2. Put on Cookie sheet and drizzle with a couple Tbl of Oil Oil
3. Season to taste
4. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. (Flip half way through)

Kyle and I were joking that this was a little like a TV dinner.  We started reminiscing how TV dinners were always a "special treat" growing up and I could probably count on 1 hand how many times I actually had one.  I remember going to the grocery store and we would each be able to pick out our own TV dinner and then we would come home and eat dinner while watching a movie or TGIF.  (Remember TGIF?!) :)  Kyle's experience was about the same.

We were laughing that we actually thought that was a treat growing up and remembering how ridiculous the desserts were that came with the TV dinner and we got inspired to make a little microwave cake to go with our TV dinner.

Microwave Chocolate cake: (I've made this for breakfast a couple times in a pinch!)

Ingredients:

• 1 mashed banana
• 1 egg whisked
• 2 Tbl Almond butter
• 2 Tbl Cocoa powder
• Splash of vanilla
• Add ons:
• A couple Tbl of honey
• Some sugar free/dairy free chocolate chips
• Sliced nuts

Mix all together and microwave 2 1/2 minutes.

EASY! (And surprisingly tasty!)

We served it up with some coconut ice cream and sliced strawberries.

 

Better than any TV dinner I've ever had! :)

PB&J Ice Cream: Paleo Butter and Jelly Ice Cream

PB&J Ice cream

Paleo Butter and Jelly ice cream

This is the easiest little dessert. I'll be honest...sometimes when Kyle is working...and no one is watching...I'll just have this for dinner or lunch. Okay...the secret is out. All you need is some frozen bananas...some almond butter...and some strawberries.

I always have frozen bananas in my freezer now. Take them out of the peel...cut them up into smaller chunks and freeze. I will usually freeze on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. (That way they don't stick all together.) Once they are frozen you can put them in a freezer bag and save them for later.

Here is all you do...take out your food processor. (Have I told you lately how much i LOVE my food processor?!) Best purchase ever! If you don't have one...you should get one!

Then you put in your bananas. I just put in as much as I think I am going to eat. Next you put in a couple spoonfuls of Almond butter. Process until they get smooth. It will eventually turn into the consistency of soft serve ice cream...I promise...it just takes a while!

Top with Strawberries...YUM!!! I got my strawberries from "the secret garden." Well...that is what I like to call Kyle's little garden on the side of the house. The story goes...unbeknown to me...Kyle had built a garden on the side of the house that I never go on (there are no windows on that side of the house). One day we were coming home from services, the garage door opens and I see vegetable plant sitting in the garage. I ask, "What is that for?" Kyle says, "Nothing." The tone in his voice and look on his face told me something was definitely up. Kyle walks me to the side of our house and I say, "We have a garden?!" Thus...it has been referred to as "the secret garden" ever since. He says he wanted to surprise me with produce from our garden one day.

Back to the ice cream...It really tastes like ice cream!

There are so many variations you can do with this. Sometimes I just do banana, no almond butter, and then I top with some slivered almonds and a little Chocolate (no sugar/no dairy). YUM!!!

This would be another really easy, healthy treat for some kiddos!

I bet you want a bite...don't you?!

Salmon Caesar Salad and Lemon Treats

Today we feature the Lemon. :) There was lemon on the fish, the dressing and in the "dessert." I just love lemon!

The weather has been A-MA-ZING in the Pacific Northwest these past few days. We've been doing a lot of grilling. Tonight Salmon was on the menu. I wanted to try something a little different than our typical dressings...so I thought Caesar! Now, Caesar is a little difficult when you can't have garlic...that is kind of the key ingredient. But here is what I did and it turned out pretty yummy.


Caesar Dressing:
1 coddled egg
We didn't have anchovies so we used sardines...haha (2 1/2 of them)
Garlic powder (sad...no garlic!)
A little onion powder
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Put in food processor
Drizzle in Olive oil slowly until consistency you want.

Kyle seasoned the Salmon and added some lemon. He cooked it perfectly on the grill.

I wanted a little something sweet after dinner so I found what we had in the cupboards. I wasn't sure if it was going to turn out...but it was pretty tasty. There was a recipe I saw on pinterest that I would really like to try that is very similar. I'll have to actually measure the ingredients and let you know how it turns out.

I put the last of the almond flour, the last of the shredded unsweetened coconut...a little coconut flour...juice of half a lemon...a squeeze of honey (I don't usually use honey), some vanilla and a little coconut oil. I mixed it all together and then put it in the oven at 200 for awhile until they were warm.

I tried drizzling some unsweetened chocolate on a few of them. It worked for a little sweets fix. They were best eaten warm. It is kind of fun experimenting here and there.

Happy Birthday Jessipoo!

Happy Birthday Jessica! I can't believe we are getting so old! :\ Sometimes I still feel like a little kid...don't you?

My sister, Jessica is doing her first Whole 30 challenge...she is about 2 weeks in. I'm so proud of you! Last I checked she said she is feeling great. Even after working 60 hours last week she still has energy to spare! I wanted to make her something special for her birthday and I know she is a chocolate fan. While this isn't probably exactly "Whole 30" approved...it is Paleo approved...and I thought it would be a good compromise.

I adapted the recipe from one I found from "The Southern Eclectic" - Death By Chocolate Paleo Chocolate Cake. Her original recipe included agave or honey which I do not typically use. Several people have been asking about the recipe and wondering if it could be true. Could you really make a cake with no grains, no sugar, no dairy and it still be worth eating?!

Can I be honest...this is the first cake I have ever made from scratch. I've never been much of a baker. But when I had chocolate everywhere and cakes in the freezer cooling (because I was too impatient to let them cool by themselves) and a sink overflowing with dishes (because I wasn't very organized) I just kept thinking of my lovely grandmothers. I remember baking with them and it brought a smile to my face and a little tear to my eye. I was always so impressed by them. And I couldn't help but feeling pretty loved that they took the time to do all "this" and more for everyone. I kind of got it then...baking is love on a plate.

I kept trying to remember all their little tips as I was pulling this together....lining the cake pans (I didn't take the time to do that)...How to frost a cake just perfectly (obviously I forgot that part!) As I was putting the finishing touches on the cake and putting the glass lid on it I found myself wondering...Would they be proud of me for creating this...Or would they be shaking their head at me with the ridiculous frosting job...the cracking cakes (because I didn't wait for them to totally cool before taking them out of the pan)...and the complete mess of the kitchen and me wearing half of the batter and frosting.

I decided it would be both! :) I went to bed with love and admiration in my heart for 3 wonderful ladies. My Grandma Head, my Grandma McGrew and my beautiful sister, Jessica. I love, respect and appreciate you all so much!















Here is the original recipe with my substitutions (as close as possible...some of it I didn't really measure):

3/4 c coconut flour
1/4 c cacao powder
1t sea salt
1t baking soda
10 eggs
1 c grapeseed oil (I used 1/2c coconut oil and 1/4c olive oil)
1 1/2 c agave nectar or honey (I used about a pound of medjoul dates, 1/2c applesauce and a shot of espresso. Thin this out in your food processor. I just kept adding applesauce until it was about the consistency of what I thought honey might be and about 1 1/2 cups)
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t orange zest (I didn't add this)

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, cacao, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, using an electric hand blender, blend eggs, oil, honey (or Date mixture), vanilla and orange zest
3. Add dry ingredients into large bowl and continue to blend
4. Oil (2) 9-inch cake pans and dust with coconut flour {I use a spray coconut oil from Whole Foods for greasing}
5. Pour batter into pans and bake at 325* for 35-40 minutes
6. Remove from oven, allowing to cool completely then remove from pans
7. Frost and serve

I didn't really follow the Chocolate frosting exactly. I didn't measure anything out and I used quite a bit of almond butter instead of honey. But below is the recipe:

Chocolate Frosting
1c dark chocolate chips {the higher % of cocoa the better. Some are in the 40 range, some are in the 60 range, and I try to find at least 72%} (I used some 72% dark chocolate with no sugar added)
1/2 c grapeseed oil (I used coconut oil)
2T agave nectar {same applies as above. Honey worked great} (I used Almond Butter)
1t vanilla extract
Pinch celtic sea salt

1. In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and grapeseed oil
2. Stir in honey, vanilla and salt
3. Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to cool {I had to do close to 30 to get it to whip properly}
4. Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy
5. Frost over cake and serve
*I would DOUBLE the entire recipe for ample frosting. I barely had enough to cover it in just a thin coat, and some areas were still spotty.