Paleoly

May 11

Paleo Orange Chicken

Who needs takeout when you can whip up some chicken in the time it takes for you to call and order, and wait around for it to arrive.  This orange chicken in not battered or fried like the take out version, but I guarantee it will leave you satisfied.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large navel oranges juiced (or you could use about 1 cup of orange juice if you don’t want to juice them yourself)
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tsp of grated fresh ginger
• 3 tbs coconut aminos
• 1/2 - 1 tsp of sriracha, depending on spicyness desired (I am not going to lie, I used store bought, but if you are feeling up to it you can make your own)
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 2 green scallions, sliced
• 1 head of cauliflower

Directions:

• In a medium size pot, add orange juice, garlic, giner, coconut aminos, sriracha, and apple cider vinegar. Bring mixture to a simmer. (You want your pot to be a little big, since you will add the chicken later)
• While sauce is cooking, cut chicken into bite size pieces and season with salt and pepper.
• In a cast iron skillet, heat coconut oil on medium heat and add chicken in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side.
• While chicken is cooking, turn the cauliflower into rice using your food processor. I basically just cut the cauliflower into small pieces and throw into my food processor.  I did not do anything beyond this, but you could heat it up in another skillet if you so choose.  For a quick meal, I don’t really care that it wasn’t hot.
• Once all of the chicken is done cooking, add to sauce and stir to coat all of the pieces.  Place on top of rice and top with green onions.

May 05

Paleo Donuts

Who doesn’t love donuts on a Sunday morning.  If only I could walk to a bakery on a Sunday morning and get a paleo donut, my life would be complete. I would even settle for a gluten free, freshly baked or fried, version  But if I want one on a Sunday (or any day for that matter) I need to make it myself.  This recipe will satisfy that craving and not make you feel guilty for breaking your diet.

Donut Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of apple sauce
• 1/8 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup almond flour or meal (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Toppings:

• Coconut Butter slightly warmed or
• Melted butter and coconut sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg F and coat donut pan with melted coconut oil
• Add bananas and apple sauce to a food processor and process till smooth
• Pour into a large mixing bowl and add coconut oil, vanilla, egg, and honey and whisk until egg is combined
• In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour, almond meal, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix until incorporated
• Pour dry ingredients into wet and mix thoroughly
• Pour batter into doughnut pan
• Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until dough bounces back after being pressed.
• Cool for about 5 minutes in pan, then remove to a cooling rack.
• When donuts have cooled down slightly, add toppings.  Either drizzle on some warmed coconut butter, or melt about 4 tbs of butter or ghee and dip donut in butter then coat with coconut sugar.
• These taste best if eaten right away.

Pomegranate Guacamole

In honor of Cinco De Mayo today, I whipped up some guacamole with a refreshing spin.  Hope you all enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (I bought mine at Trader Joe’s, no need to mess with seeding a pomegranate yourself)
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp minced jalapeno (I removed ribs and seeds since I didn’t want this recipe to be spicy, but more refreshing)
• 1/4 cup minced red onion (I like to run the cut up onion under the water facet to remove some of the strong onion flavor)
• handful cilantro chopped (comes out to about 1/4 cup)
• sea salt to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp)

Directions:

• Remove flesh from avocado and mash with a fork
• Add lime juice, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and salt to avocado and mix
• Fold in pomegranate seeds to avocado mixture
• Garnish with extra pomegranate seeds and cilantro if so desired
• Enjoy!

I served mine with some steak fajitas, yum!

Apr 28

Paleo Mounds (*with Macadamia Nuts)

I know what you are all thinking, why didn’t you just make Almond Joys? But, aren’t we all in the Paleo Community a little sick of almonds?  I mean they are in everything, right!  I like macadamia nuts better than almonds anyway, so I would rather have them been called macadamia joy’s, but I resisted changing a beloved candy bar name for my own pleasure.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 tbs coconut butter
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 handful macadamia nuts
• 1 dark chocolate bar or 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• toothpicks

Directions:

• In a food processor add shredded coconut, honey, coconut butter, coconut oil, sea salt, and vanilla.  Process for one minute.  If the ingredients are still to crumbly to stick together, process for another minute.
• Mold mixture into rectangles, mine made approximately 8.  
• Press in approximately 2 macadamia nuts or leave plain.
• Place in freezer for about 10 minutes
• Melt chocolate in double boiler or in microwave.  I prefer the double boiler so the chocolate does not burn.  If using chocolate bar, make sure to break up into little pieces.
• Take coconut mixture out of freezer and place on to toothpicks to make coating in chocolate easier. Coat each mound in chocolate and place on parchment paper.  Put candies back in freezer to allow chocolate to set. 
• Serve right away or will keep in refrigerator for a few days, if they last that long.

Apr 27

Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce

How many of you have stood in the condiment aisle at the grocery store looking for a BBQ sauce that didn’t contain sugar and only had ingredients you could actually pronounce? Yeah, pretty much impossible.  There is only one brand I have found that I will use in a pinch, but it contains agave nectar and I am not really cool with that. This recipe is super easy and will make you wonder why you never made your own BBQ sauce before.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add per your preference)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 15 ounce can of no salt added tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 4 tbs coconut aminos
• 3 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 tbs honey
• salt and pepper to taste (I added about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)

Directions:

• Melt coconut oil in small sauce pan on medium.  Add in garlic and saute for about 30 secs.  Add in paprika, cayenne pepper, and chili powder and stir for about 30 secs.
• After the spices start heating up and giving a nice smell, add in rest of ingredients and stir.
• Allow the BBQ to simmer over low for about 30 minutes.  After this time the sauce should be reduced and thick.
• Can be stored in refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

*If you are doing a Whole 30 leave out the honey and add 1/4 extra apple sauce.  It is will not be as sweet, but it will still be good.

Apr 20

Tomato Herb Flounder

Flounder is one of those, easy to eat fish.  It has a non fishy taste that most people who don’t like fish can tolerate. It is typically low in mercury, and high in selenium with some B vitamins thrown in there. If you are looking for a light dinner on a warm summer day, you won’t go wrong with this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of fresh caught flounder
• 2 medium sized heirloom organic tomatoes, I used orange and dark red
• 1/2 lemon
• 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary, take 3 of the sprigs and remove rosemary and roughly chop
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 4 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 3 shallots, sliced
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs of grassfed butter or ghee, chopped into 6 to 8 pieces
• salt and pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 deg F
• slice tomatoes into 8 pieces, I removed the seeds, but it is not necessary
• Add tomatoes, shallots, garlic, herbs, evoo, salt and pepper to taste, and juice from the lemon to an oven safe bake ware   Toss together and cook for 10 minutes.
• Salt and pepper flounder.
• After 10 minutes, remove tomato and herb mixture from oven.  Place flounder on top with small pieces of butter on top.  Top with slices of lemon if you desire. Return baking dish to oven and cook for another 12 minutes.
• Enjoy with a side of your choosing and some white wine (if you are not doing a Whole 30 at the moment).

Apr 13

Paleo Crab Boats

I don’t eat crab that often but I saw a recipe for a crab breakfast sandwich the other day and it looked so good.  I really just wanted to be a normal person and make it, but when it came down to it, I just couldn’t make the gluten and dairy version. Here is my version which actually was really satisfying and made me forget about the non paleo version when I was finished enjoying.

Ingredients:

• One 8 ounce can of lump crab meat drained, I use this kind which I found at Trader Joe’s
• 1/4 cup of mayo, I could give you a recipe or just send you over to my favorite paleo blogger recipe since it is which one I followed.
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp Chesapeake Bay seasoning, you could use any fish seasoning that you prefer such as Old Bay
• 2 scallions chopped, whites and greens
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• ground black pepper
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• endive lettuce

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together and serve on endive lettuce.

Apr 06

Strawberry Macaroons

If you have never had a Hail Merry Macaroon you are missing out. They are pretty amazing tasting. Since I live in Texas I can come by a bag of these pretty easily, but I am sure some of you are not so lucky.  Well here is my take on their Strawberry Macaroons.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup almond meal, I used Trader Joe’s brand
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1 tbs coconut butter
• 4 dates, pits removed
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs coconut sugar
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries, I found these at Trader Joe’s

Directions:

• Add shredded coconut, almond meal, coconut oil, coconut butter, dates, vanilla, coconut sugar, and salt to a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds until dates are distributed throughout the mixture.
• Now add strawberries and pulse about 6 to 8 times.
• Form into small balls.
• Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.

The coconut oil in these will make them melt in your mouth.  You may want to make a double batch as these will go extremely fast!

Apr 05

Paleo Tzatziki Sauce & Lamb Wraps

Oh how I love Greek food, or the Americanized version of what I think Greek food should be. Gyros are amazing, with their perfectly sliced meat, warm pita bread, and oozing with tzatziki sauce, yum!  But pita bread and a yogurt based sauce is not really Paleo is it?  My version of lamb wraps will give you all the satisfaction of a traditional gyro but none of the guilt.

Paleo Tzakziki Sauce Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 of cucumber, peeled and cut into large chucks (will be putting in a food processor, no need to do to much work)
• 1 ripe avocado
• few springs of fresh dill
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice from half a lemon
• 1/4 cup of evoo

Directions:

• Put garlic and cucumber into food processor and pulse about 4 or 5 times.
• Add avocado, dill, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to the food processor and process until avocado is creamy and ingredients are mixed.
• Add in evoo and process until smooth.

Lamb Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of grassfed ground lamb
• 1 tbs of Rogan Josh seasoning, or make your own
• salt and pepper to taste
• head of bibb lettuce
• red pepper, cut into 1/2 in pieces
• cucumber, peeled and sliced

Directions:

• Crumble meat into a hot saute pan on medium to high heat. Brown the lamb and drain fat if you wish.  Return meat to pan and add your spices.
• Now just pile high on a piece of lettuce with red pepper, cucumber and a spoonful of tzatziki sauce and enjoy.

Mar 24

No-Bake Samoas Cookies

Who doesn’t love Samoas Girl Scout Cookies? I am pretty sure everyone just raised their hands, but have you ever read the ingredients list on these cookies?  It is pretty horrifying that they let little girls guilt trip American’s into buying these. I am not saying you shouldn’t support the girl scouts, but I am pretty sure you are allowed to just hand them money and not take the sugar bomb home with you.

These ones are a Paleo (well if you consider a little bit of chocolate Paleo), Gluten Free, Dairy Free alternative to the boxed version, and they are no-bake so they only take minutes to assemble.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup roasted macadamia nuts, you could use raw as well
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, plus some additional for topping
• 1 cup of pitted dates, about 12
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more to melt for the topping
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 tbs coconut butter

Directions:

• Add macadamia nuts to a food processor and process until they become meal texture, but stop before they start to get creamy like a nut butter.
• Now add in rest of ingredients and pulse until all ingredients are mixed.  Some of the chocolate chips will probably still be whole, but that is okay.
• Now divide mixture into 6 and form each into balls.  You can make them smaller if you wish.

You can stop right now…or you can top with melted chocolate and coconut.

• Melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, plus 1/2 tsp coconut oil in a double boiler.  I actually have a glass boil that fits on top of my tea kettle that works perfectly.
• Top cookies with melted chocolate and then top with a small amount of shredded coconut.
• Enjoy!