Paleo Butternut Bisque

28 Oct

What do you do when you’re given a beautiful fresh butternut squash straight from the garden?  Well if it is a chilly fall evening, I make soup!  Don’t get me wrong I love the roasted butternut squash soup recipe I created for Paleo Made Easy, but I set out to create a paleo version of a local restaurant’s famous butternut bisque.  Total success 🙂

Paleo butternut bisque

Ingredients:

1 fresh butternut squash

1/4 cup Earth Balance soy free buttery spread (can substitute coconut oil)

1/4 cup coconut crystals

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

4 cups organic low sodium chicken broth

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage

Avocado oil

Kosher or sea salt

Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Peel squash and cut it in half lengthwise.  Scoop out and discard seeds.  Coat squash halves in avocado oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.  Remove squash from oven and cut into small pieces.  Place squash in a pot with “butter” and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until squash is completely broken down.  Stirring constantly, gradually add the chicken broth.  Bring soup to a boil, add coconut crystals, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Reduce heat and simmer approximately 5-10 minutes.  Add coconut milk beverage and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Paleo Gingerbread

28 Oct

Living in New England there are certain flavors one associates with certain times of year and gingerbread is definitely a fall/winter flavor!  I was able to create an amazing light, moist paleo gingerbread with only 1 teaspoon of sweetener per serving!  This recipe follows all Lurong Paleo Challenge 2012 guidelines.  It was a huge hit after dinner last night.  I was asked, “Did you use coconut flour?”  “No, I didn’t use any type of flour.”  “Then what’s it made of?”  See below and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin

1 cup mashed sweet potato

2 cups almond butter

1/2 cup coconut nectar or organic blue agave

4 eggs

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt

1 tbl. vanilla extract

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tsp. ground ginger

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. ground cloves

3/4 tsp. ground allspice

Coconut oil (for greasing the pan)

Method:

Bake approximately 2 pounds of sweet potato at 400°F until fork tender, approximately 60 minutes.  Cool and mash sweet potato.  Whisk egg whites to form stiff peaks and set aside.  Blend together pumpkin, sweet potato, almond butter, coconut nectar/agave, eggs, salt, vanilla, and spices.  Once well blended carefully fold in egg whites – do this in 4 batches.  Do not over mix in your egg whites!  Grease a 9×14 inch glass baking dish with coconut oil.  Pour batter into greased pan and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.  When cool cut into 24 squares and enjoy!

I made fresh vanilla bean whipped (coconut) cream for the topping.  That recipe can be found in my cookbook Paleo Made Easy available on the right hand side of this page.

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Paleo Double Berry Muffins v 2.0

7 Oct

Anyone participating in the 2012 LuRong Living Paleo Challenge?  The original version of this recipe was made according to the challenge rules.  Sneakily, LuRong changed their rules after the challenge started.  I don’t know about you, but I read rules once.  I read them, I know them, I’m good to go.  It is fair to say that once the rules are posted, they don’t change.  So thanks to a friend reading the rules more recently, I now know the most recent version and being a scientist I view “no baking soda or powder” as a challenge.  A challenge I can easily win 🙂  Here are my delicious strawberry raspberry paleo muffins with no baking soda and no baking powder!

Ingredients:

1 cup hazelnut meal (can substitute 1 cup almond meal)

1 cup almond meal

3/8 tsp. kosher salt

2 large eggs

2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 tbl. coconut nectar

2 tbl. grape seed or canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup freshly sliced strawberries

1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (I recommend saving time by using the whisk attachment on an electric mixer) and set aside.  With the exception of the beaten egg whites, whisk together wet ingredients then stir in dry ingredients.  Fold in strawberries and raspberries.  Gently and carefully fold in your beaten egg whites.  Do NOT overmix!  This is what will make these muffins rise.  You will still see some egg white in the batter, that is normal, proceed to distribute batter into muffin cups (I made 16) and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

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Paleo Double Berry Muffins

1 Oct

I’ve been experimenting with a lot of muffin recipes that do not use baking soda and use less than 1/2 tbl. low glycemic sweetener per muffin and finally this one is up to my standards!  Others have definitely needed some apple or nut butter to top them with, but these are nice and moist!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup hazelnut meal

1 cup almond meal

1 tsp. baking powder

3/8 tsp. kosher salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 tbl. coconut nectar

2 tbl. grape seed or canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup freshly sliced strawberries

1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Whisk together wet ingredients then stir in dry ingredients.  Fold in strawberries and raspberries.  Distribute batter into 12 muffin cups and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes (took 23 minutes in my oven).

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Paleo Bacon Veggie Egg Bites

30 Sep

If you read my quiche post you know I hate eggs, but wish I enjoyed them.  While grocery shopping yesterday I found quail eggs, which are absolutely adorable, so I bought a dozen and a half thinking I could come up with some cute paleo breakfast idea.  Also thought I’d give eggs a try…again…and see if I like quail eggs better than chicken eggs.  This recipe was a total success.  I was absolutely making it for 1. the cute presentation and 2. the enjoyment of others, but to my surprise even I enjoyed these!

Ingredients:

18 quail eggs

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 sweet onion, diced

18 strips of uncured nitrate free bacon

Coconut oil

Kosher or sea salt

Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Place bacon on a cooling rack over a baking sheet and bake until partially cooked, 15-20 minutes.  Remove bacon from oven and allow to cool until you can safely touch it.  Meanwhile, in a saute pan over medium heat melt 1 tbl. coconut oil then add onion and bell pepper.  Season with a little salt and pepper  and saute until soft, approximately 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375°F.  Grease two mini muffin pans with coconut oil.  I like to use a piece of wax paper to scoop up some of the coconut oil and then rub it around the inside of the muffin cups.  Wrap one piece of bacon around the edge of a muffin cup and then down into the bottom, press to set.  Spoon the pepper and onion into the bacon cup.  Carefully crack a quail egg on top of the veggie mixture in the bacon cup.  Sprinkle the egg with a little salt and freshly cracked pepper to season.  Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.  Cool and enjoy!

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Paleo Jalapeño Poppers

27 Sep

So Delicious introduced a Greek Style coconut milk yogurt several months back.  As if their regular coconut milk yogurt isn’t hard enough to find, good luck with this one (If you’d like to request that your local store carry these products check out this link http://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/product-request-form).  I tried the raspberry greek style coconut milk yogurt and thought it was delicious!  Thick like greek yogurt, but didn’t taste like coconut!  Then my search began for PLAIN greek style coconut milk yogurt so I could use it in recipes.  Thank you Wegmans!  I’ve used their regular (non greek) plain coconut milk for plenty of recipes in the past, but for something like jalapeño poppers you need a thicker, more cream cheese like, yogurt.  The following recipe made enough filling to stuff 12 jalapeño peppers and 7 poblano peppers!  If you’re making these just for yourself, the recipe is easily cut in half.

Ingredients:

12oz So Delicious Greek style plain coconut milk yogurt

1 onion, diced

3 orange bell peppers, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tomatoes, diced

Kosher or sea salt

Pepper

12 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed

7 poblano peppers, seeds removed (I had to grab these from the garden because I was out of jalapeños and still had plenty of filling! This recipe probably stuffs 24 jalapeños easy.)

10 pieces of uncured nitrate free bacon (I get mine at Trader Joe’s)

Olive oil

Gallon zip top bag

Method:

Heat 1-2 tbl. olive oil (could also use avocado oil or coconut oil) in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until onion is soft and translucent.  Set onion and pepper mixture aside to cool.  When mixture is cool mix in the tomatoes and yogurt and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Transfer the filling to a zip top bag, remove the air, and seal the bag.  Cut one of the bottom corners off of the bag, you want a hole big enough that you can dispense filling through, small enough so the flow is manageable.  Stuff the peppers and wrap each pepper in 1/2 a slice of bacon.  For the poblano peppers, place the bacon over the top of the pepper (the opening) and secure it with a toothpick through each side of the pepper.  Lay the prepared jalapeño peppers on a baking dish (I used a stone dish) and stand the prepared poblanos up in a tiny casserole dish (so they won’t tip over in the oven and lose their filling).  Bake the peppers at 400°F for 45 minutes.

You don’t have to slice down the side of the peppers like I did, it just made it much easier to get the seeds and membrane out.  Normally not an issue, but I was cooking for a large group and not everyone likes the heat that comes from leaving some of that behind.

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Paleo Apple Crisp version 2.0

27 Sep

My original paleo apple crisp recipe (found in Paleo Made Easy) is pretty great, but not up to Lurong Living Paleo Challenge 2012 standards, so I have tweaked the recipe!  Here is version 2.0 which got me a huge hug from a fellow challenge participant on the day I made it 🙂

Ingredients:

Filling –

≤ 1 1/2 cups water or organic, nothing added, apple juice (depending on your paleo restrictions)

15 pitted dates

5-6 apples depending on size (I used Empire and Cortland), peeled, cored, and diced

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage (this time I used So Delicious brand)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping –

2/3 cup Earth Balance soy free buttery spread, melted or coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup almond meal (this time I used homemade)

1/2 cup ground flax seed

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1/2 – 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (I measured out 1/2 cup then started to sprinkle in more)

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Method:

Heat 1 cup of water or organic apple juice (depending on your paleo restrictions) in a 2 cup glass pyrex measuring cup in the microwave for 2 minutes.  Place 15 dates in the hot liquid then bring the volume in the measuring cup up to 1 1/2 cups with more, non heated, water or apple juice.  Let this mixture sit for 30 minutes.  Puree the date mixture in your food processer.  To the pureed dates add the coconut milk beverage, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Place your diced apples in a rectangular glass baking dish and pour the date seasoning mixture over the apples, mix evenly.  For the topping mix together the melted coconut oil or Earth Balance and then mix in the remaining ingredients.  Sprinkle the “crisp” evenly over the apple mixture.  For added sweetness you can sprinkle one stevia packet over the entire assembled crisp (optional).  Bake your apple crisp at 375°F for 35 minutes.
If you LOVE cinnamon, add more, it is good for you!

Love a topping on your apple crisp?  Check out my paleo whipped cream recipe in Paleo Made Easy!

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Paleo Pumpkin Soup

26 Sep

The original version of this recipe hails from Alton Brown on Food Network’s Good Eats (so bummed that series ended, such an awesome show) under the name whole pumpkin pie soup.  This is my paleo version, definitely something that makes for a gorgeous presentation if you are entertaining dinner guests!

Ingredients:

2 sugar pumpkins, about 1 1/2 pounds each, rinsed

~1 tbl. avocado oil

1 tbl. Earth Balance soy free buttery spread

1/2 of an onion, diced

1 tsp. kosher or sea salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1 cup organic low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage

1/3 tsp. dried thyme

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  In a small pan over medium to medium high heat saute onion in avocado oil until soft, set aside.  Cut around the stem of the pumpkin at a 45 degree angle making an opening that will be large enough for you to work within.  Remove the seeds and fibers (can save the seeds to roast and eat if you like, discard the fibers).  Brush the outside and lid of the pumpkin with avocado oil.  I baked my pumpkins on a baking sheet covered in foil, but in retrospect I should have used a casserole dish or ramekin that would fit each pumpkin (or both together).  If using a dish also grease the dish with some avocado oil.  Divide the buttery spread, onion, salt, garlic, apples, chicken broth, and coconut milk beverages between the two pumpkins.  Replace the lid of each pumpkin and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the lid, add thyme, and bake without the lid for 15 minutes.  Remove the pumpkins from the oven, gently scrape some of the inner cooked pumpkin flesh into the soup mixture.  Puree the contents of the pumpkin with an immersion blender.

Now, if you make the mistake I did and bake your pumpkin on a sheet pan, and your pumpkin is a little too weak after baking and springs a leak…transfer all contents to a pot and puree there.  The pumpkins themselves make for a lovely presentation so I recommend baking everything in a ramekin or casserole dish so all is not lost if a pumpkin starts to leak.

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Paleo onion and sweet potato quiche

9 Sep

I’m just going to say it, I don’t like eggs.  Sunny side up, hard boiled, poached, deviled…yuck…I’ve tried, but have never taken a liking to them.  I don’t even want to be in the same room with someone eating a hard boiled egg, the aroma does not appeal to me.  Too bad, hard boiled eggs (the white only) are a great, healthy snack!  What I will eat are omelettes, quiche, and of course the scrambled huevos rancheros from my cookbook (equally good for dinner and breakfast).  Basically put stuff in it until you loose the classic egg flavor and I love it 🙂  The key to a great quiche, in my opinion, is the crust.  Normally an amazing buttery, flakey, delicious, not paleo crust.  I wanted to try to hit the slightly sweet note of a quiche crust, but keep things paleo.  It was a huge success!  If you’re craving quiche, definitely give this recipe a try!  It serves 8.

Ingredients:

Crust –

1 1/2 cups hazelnut meal (homemade or bought)

1 large egg

1 large egg white

Filling –

7 large eggs

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk beverage (today I used So Delicious brand)

1 sweet onion, sliced into thin rings

2 sweet potatoes (~ 1 pound total), peeled and cubed

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Avocado oil

Coconut oil spray.

Method:

Mix together the hazelnut meal, 1 egg and 1 egg white until a dough forms.  Grease a 9″ glass pie plate with coconut oil and press the dough into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides.  Use the heel of your hand to press the dough out as an even layer.  Dock the crust with a fork so it won’t bubble and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes, until it starts to become golden on the edges.  Remove from oven and cool.

Toss your cubed sweet potatoes with avocado oil to coat, season with salt and pepper and bake at 400°F until fork tender, 20-25 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat enough avocado oil to coat the pan.  Once hot add the onion and saute until the onions are soft but not yet caramelized.  If needed, deglaze your pan with apple cider vinegar.

Layer half of your cooked sweet potatoes into your pie crust, top with onions, then add the remaining sweet potato.  Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk beverage, salt, and pepper.  Pour egg mixture over vegetables in crust.  Bake quiche at 375°F for 35-40 minutes, until middle is set.

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Paleo blackberry spice cupcakes

8 Sep

“Jesus cake” is a recipe that has been in my boyfriend’s family for over 6 generations.  It is a 6 layer blackberry jam spice cake with caramel frosting made every year for Christmas (you know, Jesus’ birthday).  This cake is amazing, so different from anything else I’ve ever eaten.  Great for breakfast as well as dessert, and the farthest thing from paleo.  I first converted this into a paleo recipe at the beginning of the year, and it was spot on!  With all of the controversy over what is and is not a paleo sweetener, I’ve re-made the paleo recipe (below) without any form of sugar.  That’s right, no agave, no honey, no stevia – none of it.  Not the same as the original now, but it doesn’t get any more paleo than this!

Ingredients:

Cake –

15 pitted dates

1 1/2 cups boiling water

6 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 tbl. + 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

12 oz (~2 cups) blackberries

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup coconut flour

1 scoop Jay Robb vanilla egg white protein powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

Frosting –

15 pitted dates

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/3 cup Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. kosher salt
Method:

Cake –

Place dates in a 2 cup (or larger) size Pyrex glass measuring cup.  Boil water and pour over the dates until it reaches the 1 1/2 cup mark.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Remove and discard 1/4 cup of the water.  Process the remaining liquid and dates in a food processor until it is smooth.  Cook the blackberries with 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice over medium heat for 5 minutes then process in a food processor until smooth.  Whisk together the pureed dates and blackberries with the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and salt.  Sift in coconut flour, egg white protein, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix well.  Distribute evenly into 16 cupcake wrappers in cupcake tins and bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting –

Place dates in a 2 cup (or larger) size Pyrex glass measuring cup.  Boil water and pour over the dates until it reaches the 1 1/2 cup mark.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Remove and discard all of the water.  Process the dates in a food processor with coconut milk, vanilla, and salt until it is smooth.  When cupcakes are completely cool add frosting.

Paleo baked goods do not contain preservatives, make sure to store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator or freeze them for a later date.

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