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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
I didn’t eat breakfast this morning, so I needed something quick to make for lunch. I looked in the frig and I had leftover pulled pork, some baby greens (kale, spinach, and swiss chard), and pastured eggs from Yonder Way Farms.
So what is a girl to do…
Saute the greens in coconut oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat up the pork and place over the greens.
Fry up an egg however you wish. I fried mine in coconut oil, over easy.
Enjoy!
I really like the book Well Fed, it was one of my first “Paleo” cookbooks. Before getting this I thought it was impossible to make good paleo dishes night after night. I felt like dinner was always the same, meat and veggies. But Melissa Joulwan does a great job of making tasty, easy to follow dishes and I love that every recipe in her book has a picture.
Melissa’s Chocolate Chili is a wonderful recipe, but I needed to make it my own. For one she uses way to my chili powder for me and my husband, I cut it way down. I also felt like it needed more tomatoes, and some pureed beef liver (I got to hide it in something so it might as well be something good, right?). You won’t go wrong making either of these recipes, but for an extra nutrient boost give mine a try. Trust me, you won’t even notice the liver in there.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbs coconut oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 medium bell peppers, diced, I used yellow and red
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 lbs of grass fed ground beef
- 1/4 cup grass fed beef liver, pureed by food processor or cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 tbs chili powder
- 2 tbs ground cumin
- 1.5 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 14.5 ounce cans of fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a large pot (I used a dutch oven), over medium heat add coconut oil and melt. Add onions and bell peppers, saute until soften. Add in garlic and saute for another minute.
- Add in the ground meat and break up with a spoon. Cook until almost all of the pink is gone and add in the beef liver. Cook until all of the ground meat is no lover pink. Drain off excess oil/grease if you desire, and add back into pot.
- In a small bowl, combine oregano, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, allspice, and salt. Add to the pot and stir for about 30 secs.
- Next add in tomato paste and stir to combine for another minute.
- Now add in canned tomatoes and beef broth. Stir well.
- Bring chili to a gentle boil and simmer for about 2 hours.
I am finally back with a new recipe. If anyone was curious if I was ever coming back, rest assured that I am. I was cramming studying for a licensing exam and now that it is over, I can get back to cooking and blogging. Keeping my fingers crossed for the next 10 to 12 weeks in the hopes that I passed so I don’t have to go through that torture ever again.
Now on to the food!
Since it is apple season I thought I would try to incorporate them into everything including a salmon dish. I know what you are thinking…salmon, apples, cinnamon…but trust me it turned out wonderful.
Ingredients:
- 4 Wild Caught Salmon Fillets without the skin on, about 5 ounces each
- 1 tbs of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 sweet-tart apple, cored and sliced, I used honeycrisp
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Directions:
- Heat a large skillet, I used stainless steel, to medium high heat. Add evoo, then add salmon to pan. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Cook for roughly 3 minutes than flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan, set aside and cover with foil to keep warm. The salmon might not be fully cooked yet and that is okay because it will be cooked some more soon.
- Add butter, onions, and cinnamon to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes until onions are soft and start to turn brown. Add apples and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Now add salmon to the top of mixture and cover pan with a lid. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. After this final steam your salmon should be cooked through.
- Remove salmon from mixture and then add white wine vinegar. Mix and then spoon mixture on top of salmon.
Here is a fast, easy, and flavorful way to cook brisket. You could use it for tacos or just eat it with some sauteed onions like I did. This recipe makes enough to feed probably 6 people.
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs beef brisket
- 1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into quartered
- 5 cloves of garlic peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- juice from 2 limes
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup of beef stock
Directions:
- Place beef brisket in a slow cooker. Place onions, garlic, bay leaves, and chipotle peppers on top of brisket.
- In a small bowl, mix together left over adobo sauce, lime juice, salt, apple cider vinegar, and beef stock. Pour mixture on top of brisket.
- Turn slow cooker to low and cook for at least, 8 hours (I let mine cook for 12 hours while I was at work).
- Remove brisket from slow cooker and shred with fork while removing the fat.
- Now add some of the juices to the beef and toss. I only added about 1/2 cup since my husband is not a spicy food fan, but you could add in.
- Saute some onions if you wish, or wrap in lettuce and top with salsa and guacamole.
I ordered a rack of Pork Spare Ribs from my meat man on my last delivery. Since a new pick up is this coming week, it means they have been sitting in my freezer for 4 whole weeks which is far to long, it was definitely time to make these bad boys. But I don’t have a smoker and my crock pot was busy making chicken bone broth, which leaves the oven. Looking on the webs led me to come up with the following recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 rack of pork spare ribs, approximately 2.5 lbs
- 4 tbs of BBQ dry rub, I use Salt Lick Dry Rub (its Paleo with no sugar added) but you could also try this, this or this
- 2 tbs of BBQ sauce for basting, I use this one (yes it does have agave nectar but you only use a small amount. If you don’t like agave, try this one from Steve’s Original or this one or make your own, there is a good looking one in It Starts With Food)
Directions:
- Rise off rack of ribs and dry well. Sprinkle dry rub all over ribs and rub in, do this on both sides. Wrap with aluminum foil and return to frig. I did this the day before I was planning on cooking them, but 4 to 6 hours would be enough.
- Heat oven to 200 deg F. Place ribs, still in there foil, on a baking sheet and bake for 6 hours.
- Remove ribs from oven and turn the broiler on high.
- Remove the foil from the ribs and drain any liquid. Bast the ribs with BBQ sauce on the top side and return to oven.
- Let cook for approximately 5 minutes or until sauce starts to bubble and darken.
- Remove to oven and let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
