Paleo Stuffing

My husband was suspicious that I could make decent stuffing without using any bread, but this recipe got thumbs up all around when I made it for dinner recently. It's only a slight variation from this recipe at PaleOMG.

1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
5 Slices of Bacon, diced
5 Stalks of Celery, diced
1 med Onion, diced
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced
1 lb ground pork
1-2 Cups of mushrooms, diced
2 TB White Wine Vinegar
2 eggs
1/2 cup dried cranberries (if you can find ones with no sugar added)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup pecans, chopped


Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the sweet potato cubes on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake for 15-20 min.

While that's baking, fry the bacon pieces in a large skillet. When they begin to brown, add in the diced celery, onion, and apples.

When the onions become soft, add the ground pork, mushrooms, and white wine vinegar. Stir and cook until the pork is cooked through (no visible pink).

Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then pour over the cooled pork mixture. Toss in the cranberries, raisins, pecans, and yams and mix well.

This makes a big batch! I stuffed a 10lb chicken and still had an entire baking sheet full left over. Bake the mixture at 375F on a foil lined baking sheet or in a large pyrex dish for about 15-20 min until it begins to brown. You can make this without needing to cook a giant bird. It's delicious all on its own!

Saskatchewan Fried Chicken

8-10 Chicken Drumsticks
8-10 Chicken Thighs
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Finely Ground Almonds (almond flour)
1/3 Cup Coconut Flour
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt teaspoons salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground celery seeds
Bacon grease or coconut oil


1) Whisk the two eggs in a bowl


2) On a large plate, combine all the dry ingredients


3) Dunk each piece of chicken in the egg and dredge in the dry mixture


4) Melt a 1/4" layer of coconut oil or bacon grease (or a combo of the two) in your frying pan. Fry the chicken, covered, on low heat for 10-15 minutes on each side. Don't have the heat too high or the outside will burn before the inside is cooked through.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Here's my take on this recipe from Chocolate and Carrots

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup butter, softened (or coconut oil)
25g 80% dark chocolate (about 1/4 of a bar), roughly chopped*

Cinnamon

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350°.

2) In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda.

3) In another bowl, beat the eggs, coconut milk, butter and banana with a hand mixer.

4) Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and blend again with the hand mixer.

5) Fold in the chocolate chunks.

6) Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon

7) Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*I'm thinking you could easily leave out the chocolate chunks and replace with walnuts or pecans for a lovely banana nut loaf

Honey Nut Granola Cereal

mmmm.... cereal

1 Cup whole almonds

1 Cup sunflower seeds

1 Cup pumpkin seeds

1 Cup sliced almonds

1 Cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup raisins (or cranberries or dried blueberries)

1/4 cup ghee*

1/4 cup honey

1 egg white

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1) pulse the first three ingredients in the food processor

2) combine the food processor ingredients with the sliced almonds, coconut, and raisins. Then stir it up (little darling).

3) Melt the ghee and honey together and drizzle over the mixture

4) pour in the egg white and mix until well coated

5) sprinkle on the cinnamon

6) Pour evenly onto a large cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 min at 400 F, stopping frequently to stir

Enjoy with almond milk or coconut milk and you'll never miss regular cereal again!

*Ghee is just clarified butter, usually available with the Indian food in the international section of the grocery store. If you cant find it, just use butter.

OMG Pancakes!

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/2 Cup Nut butter (almond or cashew are great)

30g Scoop of Protein Powder (I used Cookies and Cream flavor)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup blueberries (optional)

Cinnamon

Butter

Instructions

Combine the eggs, mashed banana, and nut butter until smooth. Mix in the protein powder and baking powder. Add blueberries if you like.

Grease a hot skillet or large frying pan with butter and pour pancake batter in by about 1/3 cup scoops. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles rise to the top and pop.

These were delicious all on their own, but would be good topped with applesauce, cooked berries, more nut butter or honey/maple syrup if you're going for that sugary treat.

(Makes about 10 pancakes)

Paleo Pad Thai

When looking for inspiration to keep your caveman food interesting, think international. Thai flavors are built around spicy, sweet, and savory ingredients like hot peppers, lime, nuts, and cilantro.

This recipe works very well with spaghetti squash in place of the traditional rice vermicelli noodles. It can also be served over broccoli slaw and bean sprouts when you can't get your hands on a squash.

Sauce:

3 TB lime juice

3 TB soy sauce

3 TB fish sauce

2 TB rice vinegar

1 TB Honey
1 TB sesame oil

Red Pepper flakes, to desired spiciness

Stirfry:

1/2 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

Chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork

Veggies - shredded carrots, celery, bell peppers, shredded zucchini, broccoli, bok choy... pretty much anything you can dig out of your fridge.

Saute the onions and garlic in a bit of oil for 1-2 minutes, then add your protein and stirfry until fully cooked. Toss in the veggies and cook until they start to soften. Add the sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Serve over raw or steamed broccoli slaw & bean sprouts or over spaghetti squash guts.

Banana Nut Muffins

Mmmmmmmmmm Muffins!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Almond Flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/3 Cup Honey

1/2 Cup Applesauce

1/4 Cup Butter, softened

1 Large Ripe banana (or 1 1/2 of the little ones)
1/2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F

2. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl

3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until well mixed and a little foamy.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into a large bowl. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients and mix well

5. Grease a muffin tin or use silicon cup liners (awesome!). Fill each cup evenly with the batter. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra cinnamon.

6. Bake for 18-20 mins. When they're done the edges should be slighly brown and a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.

This makes about 3 dozen mini muffins or 18 regular size.

Basic Crepes/Wraps

This is a wonderfully delicious, yet neutral flavored base that works just as well with sweet toppings like jam, fruit, honey, or syrup as it does with savory flavors for lunchtime wraps.

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1/2 Cup + 2 TB almond flour

2 tsp honey (warmed)

pinch of salt

butter, for the pan to cook the crepes

1. Whisk the first 4 ingredients together.

2. Put in the fridge to chill for 10-15 mins

3. Heat an 8" pan (or crepe maker if you have one) on Med-Low.

4. Brush the pan with butter and pour in about 1/3 cup of the mixture. Tilt the pan around until it makes a thin layer

5. Watch closely as it will only take a short time for the bottom of the crepe to brown. Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and flip

6. Cool on a rack and enjoy! This recipe made 4 crepes.

Laura's Spaghetti (Squash) and Meat Sauce

Thanks again to Laura and her culinary inspirations. Looks delicious!



Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 large spaghetti squash
1 yellow onion (chopped)
3 cups chopped spinach
2 TB olive oil
1 jar of organic pasta sauce
3 large cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 tsp pepper

Scrub the squash well. Though you'll only be eating the flesh, you don't want any grime making its way into your dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Split the squash and remove the seeds and 'guts' with a spoon. Place it in a baking dish and leave it in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. Check for tenderness.

While the squash is cooking, start frying up the ground beef on the stove top in a large skillet or frying pan. Cook until all pink is gone and then add onions, garlic, olive oil, and pepper. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Then add spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add pasta sauce and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste.

When the squash is done baking remove from the oven and scrape the flesh of the squash with a fork; you should get orange spaghetti-like strands. Then scrape strands with a spoon into a bowl. Serve the meat sauce over spaghetti squash and enjoy!

Simply Natural Organic Pasta Sauces are available at most grocery stores and in pack of 3 at Costco (you know I love my bulk bargains at Costco!). With ingredients like this, why would you make your own?? :-)
Ingredients: Organic Tomato Puree, Organic Tomatoes, Organic Basil, Salt, Organic Soybean Oil, Organic Chopped Onions, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Oregano and organic Chopped Garlic

Coconut Pancakes and Waffles

I found this video on Mark's Daily Apple. It was a user submission for a recipe contest held during a month-long primal challenge in September. It looks fabulous!

Fabulous Onion Bread

You may have heard me talk about this one before and anyone who's tried it raves about its awesome deliciousness. Seriously, this recipe is not a lame substitution for bread, but a gourmet variety, worlds above in terms of heartiness and flavor. BUT... and there is a but... it is really finicky and labor intensive to make, which is why I've been putting off posting the recipe. The original inspiration for this came from a raw food vegan cookbook (yes, I own one of those!) and was meant to be entirely dehydrated, taking upwards of 24 hours. I'm not opposed to cooking my food, plus my dehydrator doesn't have the nifty trays you would need to make items like this, or fruit leathers, or other paste-like treats. So I've been experimenting with different methods every time David talks me into dedicating an afternoon and sacrificing my eyeballs to make this. Here's the best I've come up with thus far, but I'm sure there will be updates to this one over time.

Ingredients
4 large sweet onions
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup organic tamari soya sauce
2/3 cup olive oil

Directions
1) Grind the sunflower seeds in a food processor. Buy pre-ground flax seeds if possible, but if not blend those babies up too!

2) Get read to weep! Peel and roughly chop the onions. Puree them in the food processor then transfer to a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Squish out as much of the liquid as possible. It burns! It burns! Perhaps I need these?

3) Combine the ground seeds with the onion mush and add the tamari and the olive oil. Mix well!

4) Spread the mixture onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Aim for a thin layer, about 1/4" thick. Bake at 350 for 60 min or until the top is browned. This picture was for a double batch.

5) Allow the bread to cool, then slice into squares and gently transfer to a food dehydrator. Dehydrate on low to medium heat for 6-ish hours.

Now you're ready to enjoy the best sandwich you'll ever have in your life.

Pumpkin Pie

This is another recipe sampled from Mark's Daily Apple in a post about primal pie fillings. It is rather high in carbs for an everyday food, but it is a delicious way to enjoy a traditional dessert for thanksgiving while staying allergen (ie grain and dairy) free.


Crust:
1 Cup Almond Meal
1 whole egg
2 TB coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt


Soften the coconut butter until it is soft or slightly melted. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Line a pie plate with with parchment paper and plop the ball of dough in the center. Brush the dough with a little extra coconut oil (so it doesn't stick) and use your fingers to spread it into the crust. Bake at 400 for 15 mins.

Filling:
1 Cup fresh or canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup maple sugar flakes
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger

Mix everything together and pour into the pre-baked pie crust. My pie plate was rather shallow, so this amount of filling turned out to be slightly too much and I didn't use all of it. Return to the oven and bake at 350 for 30-35 mins.

I found the organic maple flakes at sobeys. It's just dried maple syrup which makes it basically pure sugar. Whether this really qualifies as anything close to paleo, I can't decide...

Primal Magic Cookie Bars

This recipe is actually MDA's Energy Bar Redux. Thank you Mark for the awesome inspiration! BUT... My mom used to make an amazing square with a graham short bread base, topped with chocolate chips, coconut, and a sweet & condensed milk glaze called Magic Cookie Bars. Before she went primal, started doing CrossFit, and lost 80 lbs, that is. She's hung up her bakers hat for good, so those recipes only exist in our memory now. However, this one reminds me of those treats so much I am re-christening it from an energy bar to a delicious dessert!

Ingredients

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup almond butter (although cashew, hazelnut, walnut and even pumpkin butters will work well too!)

1/4 cup coconut oil (check your local health food store)
1/4 cup almond meal

1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of raw honey (although, this is really kind of optional)

1/2 cup unsweetened whey protein powder (I used vanilla flavored)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries (or blueberries or raisins, look for unsweetened if possible)

1 TB unsweetened coconut to sprinkle on top

2 TB dark chocolate chips also to sprinkle on top

On a cookie sheet, toast nuts and shredded coconut until golden brown. In order for them to cook evenly, you need to shake up the tray at least once during cooking.

Once toasted, pour mixture into a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped and the mixture becomes coarsely ground.

In a mixing bowl, melt coconut oil and almond butter. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth. Add vanilla extract, honey and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.

Fold in nut mixture, almond meal and protein powder until mixed thoroughly.

Add whole egg and mix thoroughly.

Fold in blueberries/cranberries.

Press mixture into an 8 by 8 loaf pan. Sprinkle with the coconut and chocolate chips. Bake at 325 for 10-15 mins. The top will look sort of foamy, but once you remove it from the oven and allow it to cool it will look normal. Spread the chocolate chips with a spatula while still warm and melty.

Shredded Pork Tenderloin With Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients
2 Pork Tenderloins
1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce
1 TB Tomato Sauce
1 TB Soya Sauce
1 tsp honey/sugar/brown sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled & grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 Cup Soya Sauce
1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
1 TB Sesame Oil
1 whole spaghetti squash
2 large carrots, peeled & grated
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 Cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

1) Place the pork tenderloins and the next 6 ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce heat to low for another 5 hours.

2) Remove the pork from the slow cooker and let stand for 10 minutes while you do the following steps.

3) Liberally stab your spaghetti squash all over to prevent it from exploding. Microwave on high for 12 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, to the liquid remaining in the slow cooker, stir in soya sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cover and cook on high for 10 mins

5) Shred the tenderloins with two forks.

6) Return the shredded pork to the sauce in the slow cooker along with the shredded carrot and sliced green onion.

7) Cut the cooked spaghetti squash open lengthwise. Be careful! It will be hot hot hot. Scoop out the middle stringy gunk with the seeds and discard. Pull the "noodles" away from the sides with a fork and scoop out with a spoon.

8) Serve the shredded pork over the spaghetti squash noodles, garnish with fresh cilantro, and enjoy like the happy guy at the top!

Matt's Almond Milk

Our good friend Matt is in town visiting from Hawaii. He's a nutritional ninja in his own right, employing the same whole food, caveman style of eating that we love. He brought with him some great ideas, including how to make your own almond milk! It's a delicious addition to coffee or tea and we're pretty sure it would make a tasty egg nog-like drink. We'll keep that in mind to experiment in the winter...

Ingredients
3 Cups of almonds
Water
1/2 tsp salt

Step One: Soak the almonds in water for at least one hour or overnight if you've got time.

Step Two: Drain off the water

Step 3: The 3 cups of almonds will now have swelled to 4 cups. Take half the almonds (about 2 cups) with 3 cups of water and blend thoroughly, for about 3-4 minutes.

Step 4: Pour the milky mixture into a tight mesh strainer. We used a paint strainer bag, available at a hardware or paint store for less than $1.


Step 5: Squish the living bejeezes out of that bag to get every last drop of liquid out. Repeat the blend, strain, and squish steps one more time with the other half of the almonds.

Step 6: Add the salt to the final liquid (about 2L) and shake-shake-shake. Once you place it in the fridge to cool, it will separate into 3 layers. You'll only have to mix it to reincorporate once, Matt says, and it won't separate again.

You can save the remaining almond meal and use it as filler in burgers or meat balls, as a thickener for a sauce, or in place of flour for a crust or dough! Any other ideas what to do with the remains?? Post suggestions to comments

Coconut Curry Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

5-6 Chicken Breasts
Olive Oil
1 large sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1 TB chili powder
1 TB curry powder
1 TB turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 Cup chopped cilantro
1 can coconut milk (350-400ml)
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the chicken into strips or small chunks. Heat the oil in a large pan to med-high. Saute the onions and garlic until they soften. Add the chicken and stirfry until cooked through. Add the spices and toss to coat the chicken is evenly. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and coconut milk. Let it simmer for at least 5 min. If you have time, let it go for an hour or more to really intensify the flavors.
Normally a curry would be served over rice. An easy sub for the carb-o-rific, nutritionally void little grainy wonders is finely chopped cauliflower. I pulse it in the food processor until it's ground to about the texture of rice. Cauliflower is firm enough it won't turn into total mush. Warm it lightly in the microwave if you like or simply put your hot curry right over top which will cook it just enough.