Paleo Sweet Potato Meringue Pie

For the crust

1 1/2 cups coconut flour
1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1 tsp salt
8 TBSP/1 stick of very cold grass-fed butter, cubed into small pieces
1/2 – 1 cup ice cold water
For the filling
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
1 TBSP orange zest
juice of half an orange
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (maybe more if you want it sweeter–try it and figure it out)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the meringue
3 egg whites, room temp
3-4 TBSP raw honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a food processor, pulse coconut and arrowroot flours and salt until well incorporated, about 10 seconds. Add the cold butter (this important–don’t fuck it up with room temperature butter) to the flour and pulse until the flour becomes crumbly, about 45 seconds.
3. While food processor is running, add ice cold water (don’t fuck this one up either), in a slow steady stream. Add enough for the flour to start to bind together. It may not come together in the food processor, so I ended up dumping this in a bowl after adding about 1/2 cup of water and continued to incorporate the water with my hands. Ultimately, you’re just trying to make the dough come together, but it will be crumbly. Test by pressing the dough together in your hand to see if it stays together. If not, add more water. Work quickly!
4. Once dough can come together, dump it onto a big sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball, then wrap and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
5. Steam sweet potatoes for about 30 minutes, or until they’re fork tender.
6. Allow sweet potatoes to cool slightly, then toss sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer (or blender/food processor/fork, whatever), puree sweet potatoes with coconut oil and eggs. Once combined, add zest, orange juice, maple syrup, spices, and vanilla. Taste here and decide if you want it sweeter.
7. Remove chilled pie crust from fridge and press into a pie plate (this is easier than rolling it out, just be careful about making it even across the pie plate).
8. Using a fork, poke holes on the bottom and sides of the crust, then place in oven for about 10 minutes.
9. Remove crust from oven, then dump filling into the pie shell. Place back in the oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
10. Cool for about an hour.
11. Make meringue by beating egg whites with a hand mixer until glossy peaks form. Then, add honey and continue to beat until well incorporated.
12. Dallop meringue all over pie–use a spatula or fork or something to make peaks.
13. Place pie back in the oven and turn on your broiler. Broil for about 1-2 minutes, or until meringue is golden. Allow to cool for another hour before serving.

Paleo Spicy Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups Sifted Almond Meal (plus a little extra for rolling)
½ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
¾ tsp Ground Cloves
½ tsp Ground Pepper
1/3 cup Honey
2 Tbl Liquid Coconut Oil
1 Egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (almond meal, salt, spices and baking soda).
In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together (honey, oil, almond extract, and egg).
Create a crater in the center of the almond flour mixture.
Pour the completely mixed wet ingredient mixture into the crater.
Using a fork, start stirring the wet ingredients into the dry from the inside out.
Keep stirring until you achieve an even consistency.
Roll the dough into one large ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.
Dust a pastry board with some almond meal.
Place the chilled dough on top of the almond meal and dust all sides thoroughly.
Using a rolling pen, roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 -1/8 inch thick.
Cut out the gingerbread men and place on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Re-roll the leftover dough after you’ve cut out all the cookies and repeat the process above.
Remember that when the dough gets sticky, simply dust with more almond meal.
Bake for 13-14 minutes.

Let cool for about 5 minutes, then enjoy!

Time: 45 minutes prep; 13 minutes bake

read more from fedandfit.com

Paleo Eggnog

Ingredients:
4 beaten egg yolks
3 cups coconut milk, almond milk, or whole cream
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
ground nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Directions:
Mix egg yolks, 2 cups of coconut milk or cream, and syrup. Stir gently but constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to cling to and coat the back of a spoon, about five to ten minutes. Be patient with this process – if you turn the heat up too high or don’t stir, the egg yolks might turn into scramble eggs.
chill eggnog

Remove from heat and set the pot in a larger bowl filled with ice water (careful, so no water overflows into the eggnog!) and stir for 2-3 minutes then add the last cup of milk/cream and the vanilla.
adding egg to milk

If you want to add any additional holiday spirit (a few tablespoons of rum, bourbon or whiskey) to the eggnog, now is your chance (but wait till after the challenge to do this). Let the mixture cool down to room temperature then chill for a while longer in the fridge. The longer you let the eggnog chill, the thicker and more custard-like it will become. Before serving, generously dust with cinnamon and nutmeg. If you can, buy whole nutmeg and grate it yourself (a microplane zester works great for this).

Makes 4-6 servings.

For a quick eggnog fix, one serving: In a blender, mix 1-2 raw egg yolks, 6 ounces coconut milk, 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blend for 30 seconds and serve dusted with nutmeg.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-eggnog/#ixzz2mNQZjsxL

Thanksgiving

Holidays can be tough when you are participating in the paleo challenge. For many of us, food can sometimes be the enemy. Food should be delighted and enjoyed, it should be a time for family and to celebrate. You do not have to explain to your family what paleo is, or even tell them that you are participating in the challenge. Prepare these recipes ahead of time and ‘wow’ your family with how tasty eating healthy can really be!

Roasted Turkey in Light Orange and Apple Brine

Thanksgiving Caramelized Onion & Sausage Stuffing

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Naturally Sweetened Orange Apple Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Potato Casserole

Umami Gravy

Paleo Gravy

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

Paleo Green Bean Casserole

Paleo Dinner Rolls

Bacon and Chive Sweet Potato Biscuits

Paleo Sweet Potato Pie

Paleo Apple Tart

Paleo Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie with Walnut Crust

Unrolled Cabbage Casserloe

By no means glamourous, unrolled cabbage casserole may take a long time to get “dressed” but it makes up for what it lacks in beauty with its taste. Clean up boils down to one pot of water and a saute pan. Plus, you’ll eat off this for days on end.

Ingredients

• 1 small head green cabbage
• salt

For the Meat

• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 3/4 lb ground pork
• 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt & pepper

For the Sauce

• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons coconut
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Core and cut the cabbage into very thin slices. Toss the cabbage into the water and let cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Strain the water from the cabbage and toss lightly with a bit of salt.

Meanwhile, brown the beef and pork and add in the spices. Once the meat is done, remove from the heat and set aside.

For the sauce, open the tomatoes and mix the sugar and spices directly into the jar/bottle/can. No need to dirty up a bowl.

For the assembly, get out a high-sided casserole dish.

Place a layer of cooked cabbage on the bottom, then add a layer of meat, then a layer of tomato sauce. Continue layering until everything is used up.

Depending on how deep your casserole dish is, you’ll bake for about 1 to 1½ hours…until the cabbage is completely cooked through, the sides are a bit bubbly and the top tomato layers has turned a tad crusty (in a good way!).

This dish needs to rest for about 30 minutes before digging in, as the liquid that was expelled will reabsorb while resting.

Back to School

School is right around the corner and that means packing lunch for the kiddos, or maybe even yourself! I found these great Packed Lunch ideas that are easy to make and look delicious! So invest in some Tupperware, and start your lunch planning!

After a lifetime of casually tossing PB&Js, Fritos, and Diet Cokes in your lunchbox, though, it can be challenging to figure out what to pack now that you’re paying closer attention to your midday eats.

Need some inspiration? Not too long ago, I put together a series of posts to spark ideas for kids’ school lunches — but who says you can’t pack similar lunchboxes for yourself?

If you have prosciutto-wrapped frittata muffins handy, pack ‘em!

Made some Paleo Mayonnaise lately? Whip up a quick chicken salad for lunch!

If you’ve got some Whole30-friendly high-quality, sugar-free sausage (available from U.S. Wellness Meats, or just make your own), grab some zucchini and a julienne peeler — you can have zoodles and meatballs for lunch!

Looking for a simple, no-cook solution? Just wrap some crudités in slices of roast beef, and pack it with some fruit!

Who said healthy lunches are hard to make? The possibilities are endless.

Paleo “Cereal”

Tired of the same ‘ol eggs and bacon for breakfast? Try this version of a paleo cereal for breakfast!

1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup unsalted walnut pieces
1/4 cup dried unsweetened cherries, chopped
2T raw almond butter
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup coconut flour
coconut oil, enough to grease the pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 pan with coconut oil.

Place ingredients in a bowl and mix until blended well.  Press mixture evenly into pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned.  Let cool for 30 minutes.  Crumble into an airtight container until ready to serve.  I pour unsweetened coconut milk over the cereal but feel free to use whatever fits with your dietary needs or taste preference.

Enjoy!

 

Paleo Cinnamon Rolls

Start your week off with a sweet paleo treat!

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1-3/4 C. Almond Flour
• 1/4 C. Coconut Flour
• 1/2 t. Sea Salt
• 1/4 C. Coconut Oil, melted
• 2 T. Honey
• 2 Eggs
• 1 T. Vanilla

Filling

• 1/4 C. Honey
• 2 T. Coconut Oil, melted
• 2 T. Cinnamon
• any other filling you would want, (paleo or non–dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc.)

Glaze

• 1/4 C. Honey
• 1/4 C. Coconut Oil
• 2 T. Vanilla

Directions

1) Whisk wet ingredients into a large bowl (vanilla, eggs, oil, honey)

2) Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flours, salt)

3) Add the dry ingredients into the wet. Dough is very sticky, so make sure your hands are oiled before handling. Knead until smooth

4) Place in fridge to chill for about 10 minutes.

5) Mix together the filling in a bowl.

6) Roll out dough in between two pieces of wax paper (cover with olive oil spray to avoid it sticking) to make a large rectangle

7) Cover with filling and roll.

8) Once rolled, cut into 2 inch sections, and place on a greased baking sheet.

9) Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

10) Pour glaze over rolls.

 

Chocolate Mint Pops

Looking for a cool summer treat? Try these!

For the popsicles:
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 ripe avocado, mashed (you can’t taste it)
1/4 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons chocolate chips, optional

Mix coconut milk, peppermint, vanilla, avocado, and honey until combined. Pour into popsicle molds, top each pop with 1 teaspoon chocolate chips, and freeze for at least 3 hours.

For the magic shell:
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cocao powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (you can sub this with peppermint extract for chocolate mint magic shell)
3 tablespoons raw honey

Melt coconut oil over medium heat. When coconut oil melts, add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

If you plan to store your magic shell, use a container with a tight lid. Before using, shake vigorously.

Summertime Grilling!

Upcoming Gathering! BBQ challenge this Sunday 7/28 at 12:30pm!  This challenge is to make a BBQ sauce with your favorite summertime meat!  Make enough for 20-25 people to sample; Non-Challengers will taste a sample size!  

I have been dreaming about burgers! I have been getting the Nick’s Burger at Bloomingfoods for the last couple of months and It’s divine!  But, sometimes I’m at home, no where near the convenience of Bloomingfoods; so, I googled some recipes and found one on TLC’s website.

I found Emeril’s Burger Seasoning.  Now, I don’t keep pepper on hand because I don’t use it enough to want to buy it, and I’ll usually only eat spicy things when others prepare it.  So, I left the 2 peppers out.  You should use 2.5 teaspoons of the seasoning for 1lb of beef.   My Burgers turned out fabulous!

EMERIL’S BURGER SEASONING:
2 ½ tablespoons	paprika
2 tablespoons	table salt
2 tablespoons	garlic powder
1 tablespoon	onion powder
2 teaspoons	black pepper
2 teaspoons	ground mustard
1 teaspoon	cayenne pepper

One thing that we learned from Dave is you should always have your burger well done.  If the burger was originally exposed to germs, then they get ground up in the middle.   If it’s not cooked in the middle, the germs are still having a party.  Steaks are different because if there’s germs, they’d be on the outside, and killed off from the grill.  On the flip side, he said pork is no problem, and even if it’s a little pink in the middle, it wouldn’t harm you with the threat of germs.  MiNd BlOWn!!