Summer is here….hence why I have been absent in the kitchen lately. I am trying to get outside more and get off of the computer. Don’t worry, I still have lots of recipes in the pipeline!
This recipe is inspired by a recipe from The Joy of Cooking
, one of my favorite cookbooks. The original recipe was made with jasmine rice, but I chose to make it with cauliflower “rice” and loooooved how it turned out. I could have eaten the entire head of cauliflower!
Recipe: Coconut “Rice”
Ingredients
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed and washed
- 2 slices of fresh ginger, peeled (about inch in size)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 tbsp toasted unsweetened coconut shreds (optional)
Instructions
- Place raw cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until rice size pieces are formed
- Using a Nut Milk Bag or kitchen towel, drain the excess water out of the cauliflower, set aside
- In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water and ginger and bring to a boil
- Add the cauliflower and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered
- Remove from heat and discard the pieces of ginger, add in the salt. Do not add it beforehand, it pulls water out vegetables.
- Serve with the toasted coconut sprinkled over top
This could easily be sweetened with something like Swerve and reduce the amount of salt to make it a sweet treat. Another idea is to add protein powder of choice and eat it like a hot breakfast cereal (maybe even add some grass-fed butter). You could also do something similar to my Pumpkin Spice Cream Of “Wheat Recipe and add in eggs.
by Kate on April 29, 2013
If you are a coconut person, these bite size treats are the perfect remedy for your sweet tooth. Most macaroon recipes are made with egg whites and can have a bit of a spongy or eggy texture that I can do without. I decided to try a different binding agent and make these egg-less.
The secret ingredient, gelatin! Gelatin can act like a binder (since it gels) in gluten free products and I plan to experiment with this more. I use Great Lakes Gelatin that is sourced from grass-fed cows (Now Foods is also a great brand of gelatin). An added bonus is all of the health benefits gelatin provides, this is a big component of bone broth. Not only is it great for skin, hair and nails, but it is great for your gut and joints. I actually add a spoonful of this to my cup of broth everyday! It is flavorless and you will never know it’s in these cookies!
Recipe: Vanilla Macaroons
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp full fat coconut milk cream (cream at top of refrigerated can)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup granulated sweetener*
- 3/4 tsp gelatin
- 1/4 tsp vanilla beans (1-2 beans)
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a dough forms
- With a small cookie scoop, form macaroons and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. You could also roll into balls and slightly press them down on cookie sheet
- Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes or until very slightly brown
- Let cookies cool to set up, they will fall apart when warm
- These can be stored at room temperature or for a harder cookie, store in the refrigerator
Quick notes
*I used Swerve (erythritol) for a low sugar option along with 2 tsp coconut palm sugar. I have not tried this with a liquid sweetener. You would need to reduce the amount to 1/4 cup or less and it may make the dough too runny. If that happens, just add more coconut until the dough is thick enough to form.
These could also be done in a food dehydrator and would turn out just as yummy!!
by Kate on April 23, 2013
Happy Earth Day!!! Asparagus is in season and on sale!!! I love asparagus simply roasted or sauteed with sea salt. The one downfall…why does it have to make your pee smell immediately?? Did you know you either have the gene or not that allows you the pleasure of smelling it? I thought the gene determined if the pee actually smelled, but apparently everyone’s smells. Who knew?
Enough about that!!! Here is a little twist on roasting asparagus if you’re looking for a new way to fix it! I made this about 6 months ago and am just getting around to posting it…I like creating and posting baked goods so much more!
Recipe: Basalmic Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon oil (melted coconut oil, olive oil or toasted sesame oil for a bit of spice)
- 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Spread oil onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and roll the asparagus in the oil
- Place the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle the sesame seeds over them
- Roast in the oven at 425 for about 10 minutes, check frequently to make sure it’s not getting over cooked and too tender
- While that is roasting, combine the vinegar, coconut aminos and red pepper flakes in a small bowl
- Remove asparagus and drizzle it with mixture and serve
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by Kate on April 10, 2013
I have to admit, I don’t think I have ever had Nutella! It is full of ingredients that I wouldn’t want in my body. I have definitely had Justin’s Nut Butter Hazelnut Spread, but it’s certainly not cheap…especially when you can finish off a jar in a couple days!!! So, I created my own version of it and used Swerve to keep the amount of sugar down.
Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener, powdered* (I used confectioner’s Swerve for low sugar option)
- 2 squares 100% cacao bar or unsweetened chocolate
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (I used expellor press from Tropical Traditions so it didn’t have coconut tones)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Directions
- Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet in a single layer
- Roast the nuts at 350 for 15 minutes
- While nuts are roasting, using a double broiler, melt the chocolate chips, squares and oil
- When nuts are done, place them between paper towels or dish towels and rub to remove skins. This takes a little bit of work, but they do not need to be perfectly clean!
- Place the nuts, melted chocolate, sweetener, vanilla and sea salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth
- Place the nut butter in an airtight container. Store in the frig for a harder spread or at room temperature for a runnier spread
Quick notes
*Run sweetener of choice thru a blender or coffee grinder to powder it. If you skip this step it will make the butter gritty. I think a liquid sweetener would work fine here, but add a different flavor profile and I would start with less than 1/2 a cup.
Variations
You can use any nut or combination of nuts, but I would roast the nuts to give it more flavor.
I stored this in the frig and ate it with a spoon…and it didn’t last very long!!!
by Kate on March 26, 2013
Spring is here and it’s time for refreshing and fruity desserts…don’t worry, I will still include some chocolate! Lemon Bars have been on my never ending list of goodies to try to recreate. We had a family dinner this past weekend and lemon bars were the birthday girl’s favorite dessert, so the time had come!! Let me add that she is not grain free and absolutely loved these and said they taste like the real thing. The best part is that I used Swerve, (my favorite natural sugar alternative) so they were very low sugar as well!!!
Recipe: Grain Free Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
Filling:
- 3 pastured eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener (I used Swerve)
- 4 tbsp lemon juice (2 small lemons)
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest (1 lemon)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
Crust:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. A mixer should work as well.
- Press the dough into a greased 8×8 baking dish
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden
- Remove from heat and let cool quite a bit to set up.
Filling:
- Heat the oven back to 350 and make sure it’s ready before you start mixing the ingredients. The baking powder will be affected if you wait to bake these.
- Place all ingredients EXCEPT the baking powder in a food processor and combine. A mixer will work, but lemon zest will not be ground down and unnoticeable in bars.
- Add in the baking powder and pulse one last time
- Pour the filling over the crust and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes until crust is set. It shouldn’t get brown, it will feel stiff to touch.
- Sift powdered sweetener over the top. This is optional and I don’t feel these need it. I used confectioner Swerve on a few bars only for photo purposes.
- Store in the refrigerator until serving. I prefer these chilled!
Variations:
*Coconut oil that is softened should work fine as a substitution to the butter. I would use expellor pressed so there is no coconut tones! I love Tropical Traditions Oil!
Not a lemon person? Substitute the lemon juice and zest for lime.
Have you been wanting to try Swerve? It is making its way to Whole Foods Stores, but you can order online and use coupon code KATE10 for a 10% discount!!
by Kate on March 22, 2013
Have you seen how many varieties of Cheez-Its there are now? I’m rarely at any store other than Whole Foods and Natural Grocers, so when I am, I am always in awe at all the new junk food…it really isn’t worthy of being called food! Is anyone else guilty of looking at other people’s carts and wondering what they are thinking and how did they miss that soda, boxed fake meals and corn syrup laden goodies are so horrible for you!!! I realize not everyone is so fortunate to shop at Whole Foods, but come on, make better choices with what is available to you!!!
OK, enough of my rant! Here is a recipe that uses nutritional yeast for a dairy free cheesy cracker recipe that you can feel good about eating! I almost didn’t get a chance to take a picture of these before they were gone. Someone was sneaking them off the pile of my setup for the picture…they are that good!!! These are the perfect cracker to dip or break up into my Bacon Chili Recipe!!!
Recipe: Grain Free “Cheez-Its”
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour*
- 3 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a bowl
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg with the melted butter/oil and lemon juice
- Combine the two bowls and stir until dough forms
- Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness
- With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into desired cracker size (I use a ruler with a pizza slicer to get them straight and even) and sprinkle the top with more sea salt
- Slide the bottom piece of parchment and crackers onto a cookie sheet
- Bake at 350 fro 12-15 minutes until golden
- The outer crackers will brown the fastest, remove those and continue to cook the remaining crackers
Quick notes
*Honeyville or Bob’s Redmill will work just fine for these crackers.
Variations
I used melted butter to make these a bit “creamier” tasting, but expellor pressed coconut oil will work for dairy free option.
by Kate on March 19, 2013
I recently purchased The Joy of Cooking and am slowly making my way thru this enormous cookbook. It is an incredible cookbook and should be in every cooks kitchen! It is full of recipes, tips, tricks and explanations. I have quite a few ideas that were inspired by this book and can’t wait to get cooking!
I came across this German Pancake recipe and knew I had to recreate it grain free! This turned out so darn good and was a huge hit at Sunday brunch. This would make for a perfect addition to your Easter menu and can be enjoyed with numerous toppings….and it’s easy to make!
Recipe: Grain Free German Pancake
Ingredients
- 4 large pastured eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 3 tbsp granulated sweetener (I used Swerve for sugar free option)
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp grass-fed butter (coconut oil should work fine for dairy free option)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400
- Combine 4 yolks, sweetener and salt in a bowl and whisk until thick and lemon color (about 1-2 minutes)
- Whisk in the milk, water and vanilla. Add in the arrowroot and whisk until smooth
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, but not dry
- Add the whites to the yolk mixture, gently whisk until the whites are incorporated, but not deflated. Light foam is what you want
- Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a 10 inch oven safe skillet (I prefer cast iron) over medium heat
- Once the bubbles have subsided, pour the batter into the skillet and cook until the bottom is golden (about 2 minutes)
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake until it puffs up and the top is golden and feels dry and set (about 5 minutes)
- Slide onto a plate and serve hot with grass-fed butter and syrup (we use Xylitol Maple Syrup to make these sugar free), fresh fruit sauce or warm preserves
Quick Notes:
I wanted to take the photo of the pancake in the skillet so I poured syrup on it immediately and it made the bottom carmelize a bit since it ran down the sides to the bottom of the hot pan. We loved it and will always do that instead of placing it on a plate first
On the same page as this pancake recipe were a Dutch Pancake recipe and Austrian Pancakes recipe. Austrian pancakes will be my next breakfast recipe this weekend and I will let you all decide which one you prefer. They both use eggs as their base and use the skillet to oven technique, but do have different ingredients. Can’t wait to try these to see how they compare!!
Last weekend I had the opportunity to meet Ann from The Paleo Network. She and her husband are triathletes that have gone grain and dairy free and are reaping the benefits! They were featured on our local news a few weeks back to tell their story. We had a great time chatting about food, of course we did, we both love to be in the kitchen!
Today I am sharing a recipe with you for her Cashew Alfredo Sauce that she happened to mention to me. I decided I had to make this since it sounded so good!!! It is such a versatile sauce and could be used in so many ways! I was craving mushrooms today so I sauteed mushrooms and grass-fed ground beef together and drizzled…ok drenched it with the sauce! Yum!!! Ann uses it in a number of ways that she shares with you today!
The only thing I did differently was that I sauteed the garlic in coconut oil (or you could use butter) and then added it to the oil to add to the cashew sauce. I don’t like to use olive oil with high heat is the reason for this.
Hello to all of you! A big thank you to Kate for giving me the opportunity to write this post. A little background on the recipe I’m sharing with you today. I grew up in the Midwest eating creamy casseroles and decadent comfort foods. My favorite Italian dish (and maybe my favorite dish all together) while growing up was Fettuccine Alfredo. Since going Paleo, I no longer eat dairy or grains. What does this Midwest girl do? I learned you could make creamy sauces out of cashews. I knew nutritional yeast added a “cheesy” flavor. Traditional alfredo sauce typically has garlic in it. So I threw ingredients together into my Vitamix blender and tested it out on some spaghetti squash and zucchini “noodles”. Perfection! Since then, I’ve used it as part of my Paleo Lasagna and on Paleo Pizza (drizzled on top of the meat and veggies). I’ve also mixed it into cauliflower rice, roasted Brussels sprouts and shredded chicken. It also tastes great in omelettes (serves as a glue to hold it together) or atop egg muffins.
Recipe: Cashew “Alfredo” Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 6 hours
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 t. sea salt
Instructions
- Drain and rinse your raw cashews.
- Add the cashews to your blender (I use my Vitamix ) and enough cold water to cover the cashews. Blend until creamy and smooth.
- Saute minced garlic in the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until slightly golden.
- Add oil and garlic to the cashew sauce along with the sea salt and nutritional yeast. Blend again until incorporated and smooth.
- Add additional water, if necessary.
Variations
You could probably add a little fresh basil (either to the blender or as a garnish). Roasted red peppers (pureed into the sauce) could also be a nice touch.
Let us know what you drizzle or pour this Alfredo sauce over!!!
by Kate on February 21, 2013
I love Whole Foods, wandering around seeing what new products have been granted self space and what local products are new to market as well. I spend a lot of time in Scottsdale, Arizona and a lot of time at the Whole foods there. Every time I go, I have to take some extra time that first trip to the store to see what’s new. Arizona is part of the western region for Whole Foods that includes California, where Colorado is part of the mountain west region, so we get different products. Arizona gets a lot of products that originate from California and if they sell well, we will be lucky to hopefully see them on the shelves in Colorado and vice versa.
There are a couple things I can’t find at my local Whole Foods that I love to get down there. One item in particular, Quite Cheezy Kale Chips made by Alive & Radiant Foods (my Whole Foods only sells two of the flavors as of late and the Quite Cheesy is not one of them). The entire line of their products are delicious. I think I seriously bought a bag every trip I made to the store (that is often) and ate the entire bag! Serving size is 2.2, that’s a joke…I eat the whole bag wishing I had more! After looking at the ingredient list, I knew I could make these at home when I got back to my dehydrator. This recipe is pretty darn close…close enough for me!
I know not everyone has a dehydrator, but you should (in my opinion), since there are so many great things you can do with them and they are reasonably priced (I have this dehydrator
and it works great). I have not tried this in the oven on the dehydrate setting, but if you do, please leave a comment on how they turned out. This spread would be awesome as a “cheese” spread for crackers (I have numerous grain-free cracker recipes) or as a dip for vegetables. So if you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still enjoy this recipe!
Recipe: “Cheesy” Kale Chips
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked overnight)
- 1/3 cup roasted red bell pepper*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast**
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 bunch kale (I used Dino, but any Kale will work)
Instructions
- Wash the kale, pat dry and tear into pieces, about 1 1/2 inches and place in a bowl
- Drain the water off of the cashews and place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth
- Pour the spread into the bowl and massage it into the kale to cover each piece
- Place kale on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 125 for 8-10 hours or until desired crispiness
- Store in an airtight container, I prefer glass
Quick notes
*I used roasted peppers for additional flavor. The Alive & Radiant Foods is considered raw, so a red bell pepper is what they used. Either one will work.
**Nutritional Yeast is something a lot of vegetarians use to make things taste cheesy. It is full of B vitamins, some protein and lots of flavor. It can be found in the baking section of a health food store or may be sold in bulk. It looks like yellow flaky fish food to me:)
Variations
To make these a bit spicy, add some cayenne pepper or other seasonings you like.
If you are looking for ways to get more greens in your kids, this recipe will work!
by Kate on February 6, 2013
I’m going to keep this short and sweet and to the point. If you haven’t tried the Chocolate Drop Cookies recipe yet, you need to! You will love them, unless you are not a coconut person and that is why I created a coconut free no bake cookie! I loooove the coconut chocolate cookies, but these are darn good as well…different good! And, no bake cookies are so easy and quick!
Recipe: Chocolate Cherry No Bake Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp grass-fed butter or coconut oil* (or combo)
- 1/8 cup vanilla dairy free milk (I prefer So Delicious no sugar vanilla coconut milk)
- 1/2 cup granulated sweetener** (I used Swerve for no sugar option)
- 3/4 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1 generous tbsp cocoa/cacao powder
Instructions
- Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until they are ground into pieces. Add the cherries and pulse again, set aside
- In a saucepan, melt the butter/oil with the milk, sugar and cocoa/cacao powder. Bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes
- Remove from heat and add the almond butter, nuts and cherry mixture and stir until combined
- Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto a parchment lined plate or small cookie sheet
- Place the cookies in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set
- Store cookies in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container
Quick notes
*Make sure the oil is expeller pressed (Tropical Traditions sells this) or refined coconut oil so you do not have coconut tones in the cookies.
**I have not tried this with a liquid sweetener. I think it will work, but I would start with only a 1/4 cup.
Variations
These can be made with any dried fruit, nut and nut butter. I used sliced almonds to avoid skins in this recipe, but whole almonds will work.
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