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)