Pumpkin Pie Balls (paleo, vegan, nut free)

I'm not sure about the proportions since I pretty much just made it up as I went but it was (with total guesstimates for the amounts!):
1.5 cups ground pumpkin seeds
Dashes (to taste) Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
5-6 mejool dates
3-4 tbsp pumpkin

Coating:
Ground pumpkin seeds
Cinnamon
Maple sugar (optional)

Blend pumpkin seeds in food processor until fairly fine. Add spices, vanilla and 1-2 dates. Pulse until the dates are completely combined. Keep adding dates until the mix starts to get a bit sticky but is still falling apart a bit. Next add pumpkin and pulse until evenly combined. You may need to mix the last bit by hand.

Roll into balls and roll into coating.

Paleo Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble

So this is a dessert I was making for "non-paleo" family members, so I added more sugar then I would have if it had just been for us. So adjust the amount of sugar/honey to your taste. This may seem quite sweet but was great for non-paleo taste buds! This was also quite a large batch and could serve 8 adults, so you may want to split it in half if you're just doing it for a family of four. That's partly why I left the measurements in tablespoons, so it would be easier to adjust the size.

Topping:
6 tbsp arrowroot flour
6 tbsp almond meal
6 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp pecans
2 tbsp walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
drizzle of honey (to taste, ~ 1-2 tsp)

Process all of the above in food processor until it's like a dough, then mix in by hand:

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Filling:
4 cups cut up rhubarb
4 cups cut up strawberries
1/3 cup honey
2 tbsp arrowroot flour
1 tbsp lemon juice

Mix all the filling together and pour into a pyrex dish, then spread the crumble topping over the top. Bake at 400'F for 25 minutes, or until the topping is brown.

Banana Muffins (Paleo, vegan, egg-free, nut-free and sugar-free)

I have a hard time not baking. I really do... Anyway, after the realization that my youngest daughter (who is now 6 months) is allergic to eggs, I couldn't do anymore paleo baking... Or so I thought! After making plantain tortilla chips, I saw how stretchy the plantain "dough" could be. This is a huge issue for gluten-free baking. The gluten helps hold stuff together. In traditional (re: non-paleo) gluten-free baking, they often use xanthan gum, or something else that's 'binding' but wouldn't likely be paleo. So, I was so excited with the plantains!! I also googled to see if anyone was using plantains as an egg-replacer, and low and behold I found this post by The Paleo Mom discussing how to use binders in paleo baking. She did discuss plantains! But rather then trying to follow a tried and true recipe, I decided to invent my own! I love to do this, and sometimes it ends in utter failure. But luckily this time it was a huge success!! So here is my super simple recipe for banana muffins!

Ingredients: (makes 12 muffins)
1 large plantain (it was yellow, although I'm sure green or black would work too)
2 overripe bananas
1 tsp sugar-free vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cup pumpkin seed flour (ground in my food processor)

First I mashed the plantain and bananas together in a bowl. There were still some chunks, so I poured it all into the food processor and blended it until smooth. I'm sure you could do it in a blender too. Then combine the vanilla with the banana/plantain mixture. Next, combine all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Then pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined. Spoon out into muffin cups and bake at 350'F for about 15-20 minutes.

I have tried making them with nut flour (almond and cashew) and they turned out great! Even better... But if you need a nut-free version then the pumpkin seeds work really well! I did try making them with sunflower seed flour... Let's just say I won't be doing that again! There's a reaction between a compound in the sunflower seeds and baking soda that turns green. And I don't mean a hint of green, I mean after a night in the fridge you could use this as camo makeup! Here's a picture of the green muffins!

Plantain Tortilla Chips

I tried making these tortilla chips made from plantains. It took me 2 days and 3 different grocery stores to find green plantains, but I did manage! They took a really long time to blend in my food processor but at the end it was 'dough-y' but smelled like banana. I was very, very skeptical about how well this would work. I was pleasantly surprised!! They do need a little tweaking though. The first batch, I spread out too thick and I undercooked them at first and they were soft and stretchy, but they would have been excellent as tortilla wraps! I will have to try that in the future! Then I put them back in the oven and they got crispier, but they were pretty thick and hard. But taste-wise they were great! Then the next batch I made some of it too thin, and it kind of burned. But there were some that came out perfect! So, it was more of a user-error issue! I think they'll work out better next time, and I will definitely be making them again! I will also try making tortilla wraps out of them and make fajitas!

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

So I tried making these cookies. They didn't last long enough for me to take a picture! lol! I made a few adjustments to the recipe. First, I used some yummy honey we got from the farmer's market. It was lemon honey. I'm not exactly sure how they made it, but there was definitely lemon zest. I also increased the amount of butter by 50%. Also, they fall apart really easily while hot, but stay together really well after a night in the fridge. Here's my adjusted recipe.

Ingredients: (24 cookies)
3/4 cup coconut flour
1 1/2 cups butter (or coconut oil)
1/4 cup lemon honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients then roll into small balls and squish flat onto parchment paper (they wont spread). Bake at 365'F for about 9 min (or until lightly browned)

Paleo (bean-less) Chilli with a Paleo Dinner Roll

Paleo Chilli (slow cooker)

2 green peppers
1 large zucchini
2 small onions
4 stalks of celery
1/2 cup chicken broth (beef broth would work too)
1 can mushrooms
2 cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp minced garlic (we love our garlic!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp baking soda (to taste, it helps get rid of the acidic 'tomato-y' taste)
-1/4 cup chilli spice (add to taste)
3 lbs ground beef and/or pork

Chop all the veggies into 1/2 inch sized chunks (except the celery, chop thinner). Add everything except the ground beef to the slow cooker, or pot, and start heating it up.
Cook the ground beef in a frying pan until just cooked. Don't worry if it's a little pink in spots. it will cook the rest of the way in the pot. Drain and add to the pot/slow cooker. Cook for 4-6 hours. At the end, taste and adjust spices. Ours is not very spicy, but you could add chilli peppers to increase the heat. Variations, add 2 tbsp cocoa powder, add chopped jalapeños. These are the veggies we used because this is what we happened to have on hand. You could definitely change it up and swap out different veggies. We also only used 2 lbs of meat (1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground pork). It was a little light on the meat, so I would recommend using 3 lbs. This makes a really big batch! This made about 6 L (we have a really big slow cooker!)

Dinner Rolls (Adapted from here)

Ingredients

• 1 cup tapioca flour (starch)
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup olive oil (I used melted coconut oil)
• 1 large egg, whisked
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• optional: 1 tbsp fresh chopped chives or garlic or onions or other herbs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the tapioca flour with the salt, baking powder, baking soda and 1/4 cup of the coconut flour in a medium bowl. Mix well and break up any chunks.
3. Pour in oil and warm water and beat together. Add the whisked egg and continue mixing until well combined.
4. If the mixture is too thin you should add one or two more tablespoons of coconut flour – one tablespoon at a time – until the mixture is a soft but somewhat sticky dough.
5. Spoon out about two tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls. Use extra tapioca flour in the palms of your hands so the dough does not stick.
6. Place each roll of dough onto a greased baking pan or parchment paper
7. Bake for 35 minutes.

Makes about 10 paleo dinner rolls.

I made them a bit smaller, and it ended up being about 15 and only needed to be cooked for about 23 minutes. I also added leavener to the recipe. These would have been AMAZING with some chopped chives, or other herbs/garlic. I have chives growing in the garden and I was disappointed I didm't think of it until after!

Sugar Detox

So about a month or so ago, I decided to go sugar-free! I'm not talking about no fruit here, but I am talking about "paleo-safe" sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. This came after basically drinking (yes drinking!) probably a cup of maple syrup by the spoonful (as if it makes any difference that it's on a spoon instead of in a cup!!) Am I deranged?? Yes, absolutely. It was at this moment that I realized that I really and truly was addicted to sugar. I decided that I needed to abstain, 100%. No sugar in any sauce (not even honey!). The funny part is that this is really just being more paleo, so maybe not a big thing for some, but a big deal for me. No more paleo desserts, no more chocolate of any form (which was a good idea because at this point I was becoming more and more sure that my 4 month old was sensitive to chocolate.)

It started off ok - I was surprised. It was much easier then I imagined it would be. It probably helped that I had convinced myself that my excess sugar intake was going to kill me at some point. Yeah, there's some motivation for you!

Then I decided that I would somehow, someway, make a dessert. A paleo dessert, with no honey, maple syrup, or any other sweetener. Except dates. Dates are technically a fruit, even though they're dehydrated, they were still fair game! I started out with a common raw vegan 'cheesecake' recipe, and used only dates to sweeten it. Then I added gelatine (sorry vegans!) to help it set up better, and I added raspberries to make a "raspberry cheesecake." Now honestly, if someone got you to imagine a raspberry cheesecake, then taste this... it would not taste like you imagined. That being said, it tastes really good. Not "OMFG I would rather eat this instead of that pan of freshly baked brownies" kind of good, but "there is no sugar in this, and it's all real food" kind of good :) Anyway, with that disclaimer, here's a picture of my dessert. (I tried a few variations, one including cocoa powder! It was really good, except it was this "experiment" that really emphasized the fact that my little lady has a chocolate allergy :(

Raspberry-Chocolate pudding / "cheesecake"

My new dehydrator!

[I wrote this post a while ago, and just noticed that I never posted it - so here it is! Apple chips are awesome btw!]

So I received an early Christmas present from my Mother-in-law. A dehydrator! To be honest, it wasn't much of a surprise. It was one of those situation like what do you want for Christmas? OK order that and I'll pay you back. Anyway, super awesome gift!! I'm so excited!

I got started dehydrating tonight! Its actually so easy to get stuff started! I started dehydrating apple chips, banana chips and fruit leather. I've already realized that I need an apple corer and a slicer. You're supposed to slice the fruit really evenly... well lets just say I'm not the best slicer. The pieces are really uneven! Oh well, I'm sure they'll still be tasty! I sprinkled some cinnamon on none side of the apples and rubbed it in a bit, although I'll probably skip that next time. The banana is super easy! I can actually slice bananas evenly (well, sort of).

For the fruit leather, I didn't follow any recipe, I just blended up some thawed, frozen raspberries and blueberries, some apple (left over from the slices), and half a banana. After it was all consistent, I just spread it out on a nonstick sheet and put it in the dehydrator.

The first thing I noticed is what a wonderful smell the cinnamon apples give off! The whole house smells like apple pie! I can't imagine what the house would smell like if I was making jerky though!