Paleo Brownies

Yum. Yum. Yum.

**Just a quick note - I cut the agave down to half of what the recipe calls for, I just thought it was a lot. I am glad I did because they were super rich and I think any more would have made it too intense.

Brownies

1 (16) ounce jar salted almond butter, smooth roasted
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dark chocolate 73%

In a large bowl, blend almond butter until smooth with a hand blender
Blend in eggs, then blend in agave and vanilla
Blend in cocoa, salt and baking soda, then fold in chocolate chips
Grease a 9 x 13 pyrex baking dish
Pour batter into dish
Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes

Butternut Squash Latke

This creates a well rounded and satisfying breakfast!

Latkes

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and grated
1 small onion, peeled and grated (**I've had with and without onions, both are good, but I prefer without)
3 eggs, whisked
grapeseed oil, for frying(**I use olive oil)

-In a large bowl make latke batter by mixing together squash, onion and eggs
-Use your hands to form batter into 3 inch patties
I-n a large skillet, heat oil
-Fry patties on each side over medium heat until golden brown and crispy
-Remove latkes from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil
-Repeat Steps 2-4 until batter is used up
-Serve with applesauce, sour cream or yogurt

Paleo Roasted Broccoli Pizza

Recipe to follow!

Very Vanilla Cupcakes - Paleo!

A co-worker is having a birthday and she actually eats like me (well, almost)! So, I thought I'd make her some paleo cupcakes. They are as paleo as a cupcake can get (let's not get into the Agave debate!!!). So, vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting, yum!!!

Ok, I'm going to try 2 different recipes for this! I'll let you know which one is better!!

Cupcake 1:
½ cup coconut flour, sifted
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
½ cup grapeseed oil
½ cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

-In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
-In a small bowl, blend together eggs, grapeseed oil, agave and vanilla
-Mix wet ingredients into dry and blend with a mixer or hand blender until smooth
-Pour batter into well oiled muffin tins
-Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
-Cool completely
-Top with chocolate frosting

Cupcake 2:

2 large eggs, separated
1/4 c grapeseed oil
1/2 c agave nectar
1 T vanilla extract
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 & 1/2 c blanched almond flour
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t baking soda

-Preheat oven to 350. Line 10 muffin cups with paper liners.
-In a large bowl, whisk the eggs yolks until pale yellow with a handheld mixer, then whisk in grapeseed oil, agave, vanilla, and lemon juice. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs whites to stiff peaks with a hand held mixer. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixtures.
-In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda, then gently fold into the egg mixture. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
-Bake for 20-30 min, until the tops are golden brown or a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 30 minutes; the center will sink just a bit - that is normal. Frost, if desired, then serve


Chocolate Frosting:

1 cup dark chocolate 73%
½ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch celtic sea salt
-In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and grapeseed oil
-Stir in agave, vanilla and salt
-Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to chill and thicken
-Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy
-Frost over cake, chocolate or vanilla cupcakes or between cookies

Savory Vegetable Quiche - Paleo!

The crust smells amazing when it's baking and the whole thing is amazing!!! YUM!!

Savory Vegetable Quiche

Crust:
1 & 1/2 c blanched almond flour
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 T minced scallions (white and green parts)
1/4 c grapeseed oil
1 T water

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and scallions. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil and water. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Press dough into a pie pan.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.

Quiche:

2 T grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 c mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 c finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (dry packed)
3 large eggs, whisked
4 oz goat cheese (** I omitted this ingredient to make it paleo)
1/2 t sea salt
1 savory pie crust

Preheat oven to 350

Heat the grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion for 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent. While the onion is sauteing, steam the broccoli until it is bright green. Add the steamed broccoli, garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes and saute for 15-20 minutes, until the broccoli softens. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheese (** if using), and salt. Stir in the sauteed vegetables, then pour the mixture into the crust.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until browned around the edges and cooked through. Let the quiche cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then serve.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Blueberry Banana Muffins:

3 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 t sea salt
1 & 1/2 t baking soda
2 T grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
2 c (4-5) mashed very ripe bananas
1 c frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

in a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir the bananas into the batter, then fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 30 min, then serve.

My Favorite Kitchen Things

I think I've done this once before. My favorite kitchen things are my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, my cast iron skillet (thanks Mom!), and my steamer. I love all these things and can't live without them!

Updated Links

Check out my link section (on the right) I've updated it to add a bunch of new sites that I am obsessed with (i.e. Elana's Pantry and The Pioneer Woman).

Enjoy!

As Paleo as it gets Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, so Agave isn't the greatest for you, but it's better than the alternative! Sometimes you just NEED a cookie! Well, here's a Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. They are actually pretty good. One "batch" doesn't make a whole lot, so you may need to make two! The "official taste-tester" is on hiatus, so in my opinion, these are pretty good for a paleo cookie! Though, next time I am going to cut down on the agave ...

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour *
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup agave nectar
1 cup dark chocolate 73%

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
Mix wet ingredients into dry
Form ½ inch balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet
Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
Cool and serve

Paleo Baking

The hubs is leaving tomorrow and so I am sending him on his way with some Paleo baked treats!

Breakfast Bars:

1 ¼ cup blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup agave nectar (** I only added a third of this to cut down on the sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup shredded coconut
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup almond slivers
¼ cup raisins

1. In a small bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, combine grapeseed oil, agave and vanilla
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet
4. Mix in coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almond slivers and raisins
5. Grease an 8x8 baking dish with grapeseed oil
6. Press the dough into the baking dish, wetting your hands with water to help pat the dough down evenly
7. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes
8. Serve

Official taste tester said: "Scrumptious"

Roasted Cauliflower and Seared Ahi Tuna

Roasted Cauliflower:

Ingredients

* 1 head of cauliflower
* 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
* Lemon juice (from 1/2 or a whole lemon)
* Olive oil
* Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper (*I used Celtic Sea Salt - be careful it's very potent!)


1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.

2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower.

Seared Ahi Tuna:

Season Tuna with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle sesame seeds over tuna and press down. Place seasoned side down in the pan. Sear 1 & 1/2 to 3 minutes per side (depending on your preferred doneness). It should be pink in the middle for best taste.

Enjoy!