Apple Banana Cookies

Started the Whole Life Challenge today which means no processed foods, starches, carbs and no sugar unless its natural like fruit. I will be posting lots of fun healthy recipes as I take this new journey over the next 8 weeks. Of course you have to have some goodies or what fun is it. This is a very yummy cookie recipe I found through the 21-Day Sugar Detox page. 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped red apples, skin on
• 1 banana
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup macadamia nuts
• 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp coconut oil, melted
• 3 eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
2. Place your almonds and macadamia nuts in your food processor and pulse until they are mixed together and in small chunks and place them in your mixing bowl
3. Next add your apples and banana to your food processor and mix well
4. Transfer that to your mixing bowl with your nuts
5. Now add in your coconut, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut oil, and eggs and mix well using a hand mixer or if your feeling strong use some of that old fashion elbow grease
6. Using a cookie scoop, form your cookie balls on your parchment paper lined cookie sheet
7. Once your sheet is full, flatten your balls into cookie shapes
8. Place in your preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bottom of your cookies are nice and lightly brown

Love and Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Civilized Caveman Cooking

Blackberry Cobbler

I know I know, Ive been slacking in the blogging department but I have not been slacking in cooking. I have lots of new fun recipes to share with you. Its summertime so we started getting our CSA deliveries again and I have been getting crafty (and using google a lot lol). Summer also means Blackberries, they are all over around here and we have been on a picking mission. We have frozen most so I will be making lots of fun goodies. I didnt freeze the last batch as we were ready to enjoy some of these delicious berries! It was late and I wanted something quick and simple, so here it is.....

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients:


3 cups of fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1 omega 3 enriched egg
2 tbsp coconut oil
A drizzle of raw organic honey
Cinnamon to taste

Coconut / Almond Milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Pour the blackberries into a pie pan.  In a small bowl mix together the egg, almond meal, and coconut oil, and shake in a bunch of cinnamon.  Stir well.  The mixture will be really thick and clumpy.  If you wish, drizzle a bit of raw organic honey on top of the blackberries.  By hand (or if you have a 2 year old to help you, that works just as well…) crumble the almond meal mixture on top of the blackberries and bake in your pre-heated oven for 35 minutes.  Serve in bowls with cold coconut or almond milk poured over the top. You can also serve with coconut or almond ice cream.

Love & Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Everyday Paleo

Paleo Banana Almond Butter Muffins

I know its been a while since I have posted, I have been busy baking but no time to post so I will start getting the latest dishes up for you soon I promise! I was craving something sweet but not too sweet the other day so I decided on muffins, and has hard as it is for me to forgo making them chocolate, because who doesn't love chocolate - I refrained. So here we go....

BANANA ALMOND BUTTER MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS: 

•        3 bananas (brown ones preferably)
•        1 cup Paleo Almond Butter
•        1 tablespoon of raw honey (melted)
•        1/3 cup of coconut oil (melted)
•        1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
•        3 eggs
•        1 cup Almond Flour (meal)
•        1/2 cup Coconut Flour (original recipe did not call for this but I felt it needed more flour or it might be too soupy in the middle baking)
•        ½ teaspoon sea salt
•        1 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place muffin cups in the muffin pans. Set aside. ( I did not use cups I just sprayed with coconut oil from Trader Joes
3. Plug in your food processor. Place bananas, almond butter, honey, vanilla extract, coconut oil and eggs in food processor. Close lid and process until smooth. ( I mashed bananas with potato masher and beat everything together)
4. In a mixing bowl combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and sea salt.
5. Incorporate both dry and wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
6. With a ½ teaspoon, scoop batter and carefully fill in “mini” muffin cups. Once all the mini muffin cups have been filled, use the rest of the batter for the regular sized muffins.
7. Place pans in the oven and bake fore 25-30 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on these little guys…you don’t want them to burn.

* Recipe yields 24 “mini” muffins and 6 “regular-sized” muffins.
* Nutritional information (per mini muffin): 106 calories; 5g fat; 3g carbohydrates; 1g protein.
* Nutritional information (per regular-sized muffin): 238 calories; 20g fat; 13g carbohydrates; 5g protein.



I made 12 large muffins and put the rest into my mini muffin pan, it made about 16.

Love and Enjoy!

Recipe Courtesy of Amazing Paleo

Sweet Potato Sausage Casserole

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sausage
• 1 1/2 pounds Sweet potatoes, cut in 1- to 2-inch chunks
• 3 to 4 carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1 Pepper Chopped (Green, Yellow, Red or Orange)
• 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed and finely minced
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, or about 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425°. Grease a 3-quart baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the sausage pieces, potatoes, carrots, and onions in a large food storage bag or bowl; toss with the pepper, salt, Creole seasoning, garlic, thyme, and olive oil. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until vegetables are fork-tender, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with a salad and biscuits for a complete, delicious meal.

Love and Enjoy!

Recipe Courtesy of About.com Southern Food

Paleo Bran Muffins

Went to dinner the other night at Claim Jumpers and ordered the Salad bar, my boyfriend and I were reminiscing about the amazingly good Bran muffins you used to get with it. I got to thinking about finding a recipe to make Paleo friendly Bran Muffins and started my "Google" research. I came across 2 and decided to try the one here as it has less dates and calls for a banana, I had one I needed to use so it worked out. I have to say, they turned out really good. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup almond flour (meal)

1/2 cup flax meal

1 tbsp coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp almond butter

3 eggs

3 dates, pitted

2 tbsp molasses( I Used Maple Syrup as a Substitute)

1/2 ripe banana

1/4 cup almond milk  

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts (chopped) (I used pecans as I am not a fan of walnuts)

Directions:

1. Blend almond butter, eggs, dates, molasses, banana and almond milk in a Blender and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl mix together almond flour, flax meal, coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in wet mixture from your blender and fold in raisins and walnuts.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

 

Love and Enjoy!

 

Original Recipe from Elana's Pantry and revised by Stacy Deering. 

 

 

Grain-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Always up for trying something new I decided today I would bake these cookies I found on Pinterest. These are grain free and super easy, and so tasty I am having a hard time not eating them all! Ive hear they are not good cold but considering I just made them I have no idea if this is true or not yet, but they are definitely yummy after cooling for 10-15 min.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (165 grams) natural peanut butter
1/4 cup (80 grams) honey (commenters have used agave with success!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have salt in it
1/2 cup (90 grams) chocolate chips ( I used Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate mega chunks, they are dairy, nut and soy free)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they're combined. I moved the contents to a bowl and stirred in the chocolate chips. The mixture will be very thick and sticky. With wet hands, form into 1 1/2" balls. Place onto a Silpat or a piece of parchment paper ( I used wax paper since I was out of parchment). If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't do much rising. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Yields about twenty 1 1/2" cookie dough balls.

Serving Size: Yields about twenty 1 1/2" cookie dough balls

Love and Enjoy!

Paleo Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Trying to expand my Paleo Horizons and make some of my favorite recipes the Paleo way. I found this one by way of Google on PrimalPal's website. I don't know that Im that crazy about the seasonings they used, its a little much for my tastes but it was still good. I will most likely try it again using different flavoring and post both recipes. For now, here is how this one was made:


Prep Time: Approx 20 mins.
Cook Time: Approx 30 mins.
Serves: 4 ( I cut this into 6 servings)
Ingredients for Savory Paleo Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
1 lb ground beef
2 large sweet potatoes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup of mushrooms, chopped ( I opted to leave this out and replaced with chopped green bell peppers)
2 tbsp of butter ( I only used 1tbsp and it was just fine this way)
1/4 cup of full fat coconut milk ( I used almond milk instead)
1 egg
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of allspice
1 tsp of nutmeg
3 tsp of salt ( I went light on the salt as I am not a big fan)
2 tsp of black ground pepper

Directions for Savory Paleo Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
1. Rinse of your sweet potatoes and place them in a glass microwave safe dish with about a 1/2 inch of water. Pierce the potatoes a few times, cover and cook in the microwave for 10 - 15 minutes. All microwaves are different so you'll just want to ensure the potatoes are cooked all the way through and are soft. ( I do not like to microwave potatoes so I peeled and boiled them for 8 minutes instead)

2. While the potatoes are cooking take your cast iron skillet ( I do not own one of these so I just used a regular frying pan) and cook the beef, onion, carrots and mushrooms until the beef is no longer pink and the carrots are soft. Mix in the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and 2 teaspoons of the salt.

3. Take your sweet potatoes out and give them a minute to cool so they are easy to handle. You'll make a cut down the middle of the potatoes and then scoop out all the good stuff into a mixing bowl.

4. Mash the sweet potatoes with the egg, butter, coconut milk, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mash the potatoes until they are smooth.

5. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the ground beef as evenly as possible. (since I do not have a skillet I placed the meat mixture in a casserole dish and baked it in that)

6. Bake the dish in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 22 - 25 minutes.

7. Broil the dish for 8 minutes to give it a nice finish.

8. Serve it up and enjoy.

Love and Enjoy!

Paleo Chipotle Chicken Vegetable Bake

This flavorful, dairy-free and gluten-free dish is a great way to use leftover chicken and bacon (if you have that kind of self-control) and get your veggies, too.

Ingredients

• 1 large head of cauliflower ( I did half cauliflower and half broccoli)
• 4 Stalks of Celery sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used a variety pack from Trader Joes that had red, yellow and green)
• 1 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1 tsp chipotle powder (Did not have so I substitued with red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, thyme and some extra chili powder, you can also use paprika)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt, to taste
• 2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
• 6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• Olive oil or bacon fat for sautéing

Instructions

1. Cut cauliflower and broccoli into florets. Steam over boiling water for about 12 minutes, until it florets are tender but not mushy. (Note: this is a good time to cook up your chicken and bacon if you haven’t already.)
2. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
3. Heat frying pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil or bacon fat and red peppers. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add green onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Set aside.
4. Place cauliflower, broccoli and celery in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chile powder, chipotle powder, cumin, and salt until well blended. Stir in red pepper mixture, chicken chunks, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, and cilantro.
5. Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until heated through and the top is golden brown.
6. Serve.

Love and Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Maoomba

Paleo Quiche

 

Being on the Paleo diet I have had to experiment with different things for breakfast; this has become one of my favorites. I like to slice it into 8 pieces and I have one slice with an apple every morning. The nice thing I like is that you can have variety with this and change it up every week with different ingredients.

Basic paleo spinach quiche recipe

Ingredients

• 5-6 large eggs;
• 1 ½ cups fresh spinach, chopped;
• ½ medium onion, chopped;
• 1 clove garlic, minced;
• ½ cup coconut/almond milk;
• ½ tsp baking powder;
• 1/2 cup diced/sliced assorted bell peppers;
• You can also add some meat like various diced sausages
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and coconut/almond milk together. Make sure you mix things up really well. As you continue to whisk, start adding in all the other ingredients.
3. Now you are left with greasing a 9” pie dish and pouring everything in. Bake the quiche for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through in the center. I also like when the edges get golden brown and have a little crunch to them.
4. If you are opened to consuming some dairy, it is quite popular to add some cheese into the quiche.

Love and Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Paleo Diet Lifestyle

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Its that time of year again and we have started getting our CSA, which means lots of fruits and veggies to get creative with. The last 2 weeks I have gotten a medium head of cabbage and Ive been contemplating what to do with them. I went to work with google and came across this healthy recipe filled with ingredients I already had on hand. I cannot tell you how delicious this is and good for you at the same time.

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (I used a quinoa/brown rice mix)
• 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (My dish was 13" x 10")
Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.

Layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.

Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese (if using.) Bake uncovered an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.

Freezer friendly if you have leftovers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.

Love and Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Skinnytaste.com



Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers

Here is a fun and healthy way to make meatloaf that I got from my mom. With this you get your protein and your vegetables all in one. I have included Paleo substitutes for anyone interested in making it that way. This is one of our favorites because each one is a portion already created and will last a couple nights if there are just two of you.

Ingredients:

• 1lb Hamburger (or Ground Turkey)
• 1/2 Onion diced
• Chopped Bell Peppers (I usually dice up the tops after I have cut them off)
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1 Egg
• 1 Cup Soda Crackers (crushed) or bread/seasoning ( I also use Almond Meal)
• 1/2 Cup Milk (I use Almond Milk)
• 1/3 Cup Ketchup
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste 
• 6 to 8 Bell Peppers

Sauce 

• 2 Tbsp Prepared Mustard
• 2Tbsp Brown Sugar ( I sometimes substitute with Honey)
• 2 Tbsp Ketchup 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In large bowl combine meatloaf ingredients with the exception of your whole peppers.
In a separate bowl combine ingredients for sauce and set aside. 
Place whole peppers in a glass baking dish and add about 1/2 inch of water to the bottom. Add meatloaf mixture to inside of pepper and pour sauce over top. 
Cook for 1 hour 25 min 

Love and Enjoy!

Paleo Mug Cake

 

I was sitting at home one day and craving something chocolate, but I didnt want to make a batch of cookies or a whole cake just something to satisfy my cravings and I came upon this recipe. This was quick and easy to make and just one serving. This is such a great idea for a quick dessert for 1 or more people or something fun to do with the kids.

 

 

Paleo Mug Cake

 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Ingredients (Makes 1 cake):

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons almond butter(or any nut butter)
• 1 egg
• 2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons sweetener(optional)
• Chocolate chips, walnuts, dried fruit, or other mix-ins(optional)

Method:

1. With a fork, mash the banana into a smooth puree.
2. Mix the almond butter, egg, cocoa powder, and extra sweetener if using into the banana puree until it forms an even batter.
3. Fold in any mix-ins into the batter that you’d like. Otherwise, pour the batter into a mug or other microwave safe container. Be sure to only fill the container up to 2/3rds the way because it will expand in the microwave.
4. Microwave on high for 2 and 1/2 minutes until the center is set. Carefully remove the mug from the microwave and enjoy hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Love and Enjoy!

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

I decided to make these last weekend after sitting on the recipe for months. I am so glad I did, they were amazing. The recipe called for normal sized muffins but I thought mini ones would be more fun and last longer. I am going to try these again and add fruit instead of the mini chocolate chips for a fun variety.

Hearty Hazelnut Muffins

1 1/2 cups hazelnut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. coconut flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup pastured butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla

Fun additions: dried fruit, fresh fruit (make sure it’s chopped small and isn’t too wet), chocolate chips, nuts, citrus zest

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F (375 for mini muffins). In large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients (flours through flax seed) together. In smaller glass bowl or large measuring cup, melt butter or coconut oil in microwave in 15 second increments. Add water, honey, and vanilla to melted butter/oil and whisk. Add eggs and whisk some more, until combined.

2) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. If using additions (fruit, choc chips, etc.), gently stir them in now. Pour batter into muffin tins lined with muffin liners (this was the direction I got but I did not use liners and had no problem getting them out, just grease your pan well).

3) Place in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. Check for doneness. Mine always seem to need another 3-5 minutes to get golden on top and springy to the touch.
Makes 12 regular sized muffins (or 36 mini muffins).

Recipe courtesy of The Paleo Periodical

Love and Enjoy!

Paleo Crock-pot Chicken Soup

 

Ingredients

4 frozen skinless boneless chicken breast (in the pot above I could only fit 3 but that was still plenty of chicken for the soup)
Garlic salt to taste
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 clove garlic
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk (full fat)
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes and juice
1 cup of chicken broth (I used homemade chicken broth but you can use store bought)
Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

Put all the above ingredients into the crock-pot, cook for 9 hours on low. After 9 hours take two forks and shred the chicken, set the crock-pot on warm till ready to serve (making sure to taste it before serving to make sure there is enough salt and pepper)

Served: 6 (with left over’s for lunch the next day)

 Love and Enjoy!

Paleo Crock-pot Chili

Ingredients:
• 1.5 lbs. ground beef ( I used ground turkey)
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 medium onion
• 4 carrots
• 1/2 medium sized bag green beans (or chopped celery if you do not eat green beans but these are not considered a legume)
• 1/2 medium sized bag pepper strips
• 1 28oz can Crushed Tomato
• 1/2 28oz can Tomato Puree
• 4-5 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 1/2 tbsp. thyme & Oregano
• 1.5 tbsp. Italian Seasoning
• 1.5 tsp. salt & crushed red pepper flakes, cracked pepper (if you like your chili spicy put in about a tbsp. of the red pepper flakes)
• 2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

 

How to:
• Dig out the crock-pot
• Chop up your onions and carrots. I like smaller pieces in my chili but cut them to however you like it.
• Chop up your chicken, toss that in with the ground beef/turkey {I like to brown my turkey to lock in the flavor but you can throw in raw as well}
• Layer on your frozen veggies.
• Spices go in next, then give it a mix, you want to coat the meat in the spices before the tomatoes go on!

• Add in your apple cider vinegar
• Now your tomatoes. I also took the can and rinsed it out
• One last stir, cover… let it go for as long as you can {On high 4 hour min. on low 6-8 hour min.}

 I also made some Almond Bread to go with it instead of Corn bread here is the recipe for that: 

 

Grain-Free Almond Bread

 

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup barely melted butter or coconut oil
• 2 cups blanched almond flour/meal
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs well with vinegar. Add butter or coconut oil and whisk together until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, flax seed meal, salt and baking soda. Mix with fork until well distributed.

Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix until smooth. Press into a greased 8″ or 9″ square baking pan.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown or toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes. Cut into 9 squares. (Then we cut each square in half horizontally and spread on some honey or butter.)

 

Love and Enjoy!

Thai chicken curry soup recipe

 

Ingredients

• 2 tsp coconut oil;
• 1 chicken breast, chopped;
• 1 onion, finely chopped;
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped;
• 2-3 tbsp curry powder;
• 2 cups water or chicken stock;
• 1 tbsp almond flour, optional, for thickening;
• 3 cups coconut milk;
• ½ tsp fresh coriander, finely chopped;
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;
• 1 Head of Cauliflower ( Process fresh cauliflower until it is the size of rice, either using the plain steel blade or the shredder blade. Alternatively, you can shred it with a hand-held grater, or even use a knife, if you have the dexterity to chop it up VERY finely.)

Preparation

1. Add the coconut oil and chicken to a large saucepan over a medium heat. Toss the chicken in the oil and cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the onion, and red bell pepper to the saucepan and cook for just a minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper at this point.
3. Coat the meat and vegetables in the curry powder (add up to 3 tbsp depending on how spicy you want the dish to be). Cook for just about 45 seconds.
4. Add the water or stock, almond flour, cauliflower, and coconut milk. Stir well. Allow the soup to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Adjust the seasoning, if needed ( I added additional curry and some ground ginger; the origial recipe seemed a little bland to me), and top with the fresh coriander prior to serving.

Paleo/Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've recently decided to try eating in a more healthy way, some call it Paleo or Primitive. I'm not one to eat an over abundance of meats but I am all for giving up processed foods and am having fun experimenting on how to cook without dairy or wheat. My focus is on lean protein, fruits, veggies and healthy fats. Here is a recipe for those of us with a sweet tooth.


Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup grape seed oil or coconut oil ( I used grape seed oil,)
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (these are dairy, nut and soy free)

Preheat and Bake Cookies at 350 degrees. Mix the ingredients and form dough into little balls (they do spread).

Place the dough on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes. After they bake, I recommend letting them sit for a couple minutes to cool before removing them. They do split in the middle pretty easily when they are fresh out of the oven and then stay together once they cool.

Recipe courtesy of Alicia Blogs
Love and Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies - Vegan Friendly

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but I have still been cooking and baking up a storm and have plenty of recipes to post for you. I hope everyone had a good holiday and with recent weather events survived the storm.

We rently went to a friends to watch the opening of Supercross (I am a big Chad Reed fan) and was asked to bring dessert, not a problem for me at all. :)  The catch to this is our friends are vegan and can only eat certain things, so I found this vegan friendly nobake cookie recipe and decided to try it.

Vegan No Bake Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or other milk alternative)
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (or chunky)
• 3 -3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1.  Add the first four ingredients into a 4-quart sauce pan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and hold for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the next 3 ingredients and drop by tablespoons onto wax paper. ( I strongly reccomend the wax paper, I ran out and thought I could use parchment paper but it was a big mess so off to the store I went and they worked much better)
5. Let cool until set.

This was a big hit with our friends, I've never seen cookies move so fast. For my own preference they were a little too sweet so maybe a little less sugar or more oats to even it out. This is also my first time using coconut oil, I like that it added a little flavor but it did not overwhelm the flavor of the chocolate or peanut butter but rather complimented it. I will definately be using it in furture recipes.

Recipe found at Food.com
Love and Enjoy!

Dijon Chicken with Spinach and Couscous

I got this recipe from a co-worker, it was originally for pork cutlets but I substituted chicken. I made this on my last night visiting in Utah, something quick and fun before we went and attempted an indoor surfing that ended up beating me up more than anything.

Ingredients

	3  Chicken breasts
	3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
	3 Tbsp sugar
	1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
	1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	1/4 cup(s) water

Instructions

• Cut chicken breasts in half.
  
• Combine mustard and next three ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a shallow dish; spoon 2 tablespoons mustard mixture over pork, turning to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.
  
• Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook 4 minutes on one side; turn chicken and spoon reserved mustard mixture over chicken. Cook chicken 2 minutes or just until done.
  
• Add water, stirring slightly; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Turn chicken to coat, and place on a serving platter. Pour pan juices over chicken. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 pieces). 

I put this over a bed of spinach that I cooked with garlic and some couscous on the side (any flavor you like).

Love and Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Braid

I went down to Utah recently to visit my brother and sister in law and they're new baby girl. To help them out I offered to do the cooking. The first night I planned on making one of my favorites, this recipe came from my mother and has always been a hit each time I have made it, I know its one of my boyfriends favorite dishes for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 16 crescent rolls
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds
• 1 oz egg white
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 1 lb chicken breast meat
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

 Directions:

1. Pre-cook chicken in oven at 350 °F (175 °C) for 20 minutes. Dice chicken into cubes, should be 2-3 cups.
2. Adjust oven to 375 °F (190 °C). In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, mayonnaise, dill weed and salt.
3. Unroll crescent roll dough, and arrange flat on a medium baking sheet. Pinch together perforations to form a single sheet of dough.
4. Using a knife or scissors, cut 1" wide strips in towards the center, starting on the long sides. There should be a solid strip about 3" wide down the center, with the cut strips forming a fringe down each side.
5. Spread the chicken mixture along the center strip. Spread cheese over the top of mixture (sharp cheddar cheese is also good).
6. Fold the side strips over chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side. Pinch or twist to seal.
7. Brush braided dough with the egg white, and press almond slivers gently into top of dough. Bake in the pre-heated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.

Love and Enjoy!