Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups blanched almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, unrefined

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 organic eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2  tsp vanilla extract

1 bar trader joes 73% cacoa super dark chocolate bar - chopped into small pieces

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

melt coconut oil, set aside to cool

in a medium sized mixing bowl combine dry ingredients

in a small mixing bowl beat eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract

pour wet ingredients into dry and blend until combined

slowly pour coconut oil into batter

blend until combined

stir in chocolate pieces

line baking sheet with parchment paper

drop balls of cookie dough on lined baking sheet (about a tablespoon in size

bake for 15 minutes.

let cool and serve.

delicious with a cold glass of almond milk!

This recipe was created using the help from these original recipes:

The Food Lovers Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Paleo Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

1/2 cup almond flour

1 large egg

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp chili powder

preheat oven to 400

heat oil in iron skillet

whisk egg in small bowl

combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl

rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel

coat chicken in egg

coat chicken in dry ingredient mixture

place chicken in hot oil in skillet

let brown 2 minutes

flip

let brown 2 minutes

spoon oil from skillet over chicken

place skillet with chicken in oven for 15min

pull out of oven

let sit for 5 minutes

served with sautéed kale and mashed sweet potatoes.

This recipe was created using the help from these original recipes:

Paleo Comfort Foods: Homestyle Cooking for a Gluten-Free Kitchen

Paleo Tips: Condiments

Condiments have been one of the biggest challenges in going Paleo.  Almost all condiments have sugar, xantham gum, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, or some preservative like sodium benzoate.

Now, I am all for making my own condiments...I did attempt at ketchup and it turned out pretty good.   BUT, unless  I win the lottery and have all of the time in the world, I can't make everything I put into my mouth from scratch.  Almond milk yes, but condiments?  There is not enough time in the day! 

So I was very happy when I can across this tasty hot sauce at one of my favorite burger joints in SF (Roam).  

Ingredients: Organic ripened habareno pepper, organic red ripened jalapeno peppers, organic apple cider vinegar, organic vinegar, organic chipotle peppers, salt.  

It's not Tapatio, but it is damn good.

Happy Eating!

Cauliflower Fried "Rice" with Lemon Chicken

Cauliflower Rice:

Ingredients :

1 small head of cauliflower, separated in florets

3 tblsp bacon fat or lard

1-inch knob of ginger, grated with a microplane

1 small onion, minced

4 ounces of sliced shitake mushrooms

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons of chopped basil

1 tablespoon of chopped mint

3 tablespoons of coconut aminos

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

chop the raw cauliflower into small size pieces so it can fit into your blender. 

fill a blender with the cauliflower and water. 

over and blend until you get the "grain" size you like  (careful not too over blend).

strain.

over medium/high, melt 2 tblsp of lard in a deep pan or wok

add minced onions and some salt and pepper.  cook until onions are translucent.

add mushrooms.  stir-fry until mushrooms are browned.

add ginger.  stir for 30 seconds.

add cauliflower "rice" and more salt and pepper.

mix well.

lower heat to low and cover for 5 minutes.

add coconut aminos and herbs.  mix well.

remove from heat and serve.

Lemon Chicken:

Ingredients :

2 large chicken breasts

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. oregano

4 garlic cloves sliced small

1 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup water

wash chicken breasts and pat dry.

in a large bowl combine lemon juice, honey, salt, oregano, and garlic.  

mix well.

add chicken to marinade.

marinade chicken for 2 hours. 

turn oven on to broil.

on stovetop, over medium/high heat, heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet.

add chicken to skillet.

sear for 5 minutes.

flip. 

sear for 5 minutes.

add water and marinade when liquid begins to carmelize.

move skillet to oven.

broil for 11 minutes.

pull out of oven and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Serve with your favorite kimchi and garnish with a mint sprig.

Happy Eating!

This recipe was created using the help from these original recipes:

NomNom Paleo: Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice

Paleo Snacks: Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

Easy to peel and never over cooked!  

hard boiled eggs are a staple in my fridge as they are power pellet snacks.  here's the secret to making the perfect hard boiled eggs:

in a large pot, add enough water to cover the number of eggs you will be cooking.

bring to a boil.

using a ladle, gently place eggs one by one into the boiling water.

cook for 9 minutes.

remove from heat and run under very cold water for a minute.

transfer eggs to a bowl and let cool.

happy eating!

Paleo “Oat” Meal

Ingredients

1 c. riced cauliflower, packed

1/3 c. coconut milk

2/3 c. filtered water

2 large eggs

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

2 tbsp. coconut flour

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1tsp nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground all-spice or cloves

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Pinch of sea salt 

Choice of Toppings

Directions

"Riced" Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

water

chop the raw cauliflower into small size pieces so it can fit into your blender. 

fill the blender with the cauliflower and water. 

over and blend until you get the "grain" size you like  (careful not too over blend).

strain.

"Oatmeal"

in a medium saucepan, add "riced" cauliflower, coconut milk and water.

bring to low boil and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes.

while cauliflower is cooking, beat 2 eggs in a small bowl.

remove cauliflower from heat.  whisk in eggs, then flax, then coconut flour, then maple syrup.

add cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, nutmeg, and pinch of sea salt.  

mix well.

Serve with your favorite seasonal garnish!

(For this image i used almond milk, toasted walnuts, blackberries, blueberries, and banana)

Happy Eating!

This recipe was created using the help from these original recipes:

Healthy Living: Faux “Oat” Meal

Vegetarian Times May 2008: Creamy Quinoa with Dried Cranberries

Paleo Tips: Snacks

One of the first things I noticed when I went Paleo was that I was hungry a lot more often.  I'm not complaining, considering how much I enjoy eating!  But, what was there to snack on?  With no gluten, dairy, or legumes I thought there was NOTHING I could eat at snack time.  Standard go to snacks like chips, crackers, popcorn, cheese...all banished from my diet...The struggle was re-training myself on what a "snack" was.  

Besides the obvious fresh fruits and veggies, dried fruits and nuts are ideal snacks.  These delicious bites satisfy me between meals.  Trader Joe's has by far the best selection of Paleo friendly dried fruits and snacks.  Most brands add sulphur and sugars to the dried fruit to make them look better (sulphur helps retain the color) and sweeter, so make sure to read the ingredients on all of the packaging before making your selections.  

These are some of my favorite go to snacks from Trader Joe's:

just mango slices

organic turkish apricots

dried white peaches

organic banana chip (these have cane juice as a sweeter)

almonds in the shell (roasted/salted)

new zealand dried apple rings

Another great source for dried fruits and nuts are local co-op markets.  They offer a wide selection in their bulk sections.  Some of my favorites:

California

http://www.rainbow.coop/

http://www.berkeleybowl.com/

Wisconsin

http://www.willystreet.coop/

For those of you in southern cali, Sprouts Markets are also a great source for bulk snacks.

Happy Eating!