Paleo Honey Mustard Dressing

My friend Shayna asked me to help her come up with a Paleo honey mustard. I sat down in my kitchen and thought about the flavors, then developed this dressing. I think it came out pretty darn tasty. Hubby also really enjoyed it, so I would love to hear what everyone else thinks about it. Its a sweet honey mustard, but if you like it spicy then feel free to add some horseradish or some extra black pepper.

Paleo Honey Mustard

3-4 Tbsp of honey
1.5 tsp mustard powder
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup oil (best to use a blend of different nut oils and olive so there is not overwhelming flavor)

Put honey, mustart, vinegar, salt and pepper in blender or food processor. When well combined, keep the blade running and slowly drizzle oil in. Blend for 10 seconds after oil is fully combined. Taste test and adjust flavor as needed.

Paleo Salad Dressing Mix

I used to love Good Seasons italian dressing mix. The ease of making my own dressing with the oils and vinegars of my choice. The unfortunate part is the preservatives, salts and sugars they put in. I found a recipe for a copycat, so I modified it to better suit paleo living. This is the formula I came up with. Store this in a ziploc bag or airtight container and just mix it up whenever you need a delicious salad dressing. (You can always use your protein shake mixer or your old Good Season dressing cruet to make this)

Paleo Italian Dressing Mix

1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp dried parsley
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp maple sugar (optional)

Mix together all ingredients and store in airtight container.

To make dressing mix together 1/4 cup vinegar (cider or balsamic), 2 tbsp water, and 2 tbsp dressing mix. Add 2/3 cup oil (mix together a variety of oils so there is no overwhelming flavor of almonds, olives of coconuts). Mix well to combine.

Paleo Lemon Squares

Yes yes...I know. Baked goods are not paleo. But honestly with the holidays around it has been tough to completely ignore all sweets. Rather than indulging on peanut butter chocolate pie or sinful brownies, I have been making lower sugar gluten free alternatives. This one I made for my friend Kelly tonight when she and her kids came over. She is a lemon fanatic, so I hoped she would appreciate my super tart lemon bars. She called them "freckled lemonade bars" since the almond flour crust left little crumbs of almond on top. They were delicious!



Paleo Lemon Squares

Crust
4 dates
1.5 cup almond flour
4-5 tbsp oil of choice

Preheat oven to 350. Puree dates and oil in food processor until dates are about the consistency of the almond flour. Add almond flour and blend until well combined. Press crust crumbs into 8x8 or 9x9 square pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Filling
4 eggs
1/2 cup agave (or maple syrup or honey)
zest of 1.5 lemons
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp coconut flour

Mix all filling ingredients together until well blended. Pour onto prepared crust. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator. Serve and enjoy!!

Paleo apple crisp

Now technically no baked good is paleo. However, when we are approaching the holiday season it is hard to deny yourself all treats. I say if you are going to indulge why completely spoil your paleo way of living (also I bet traditionally desserts do not taste all that great any more. Far too sweet). Here is a great apple crisp. Not too sweet but very enjoyable even for non paleo eaters.

Paleo apple crisp



6 apples, peeled and sliced (pick a variety of sweet, tart, mushy and hard)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp maple syrup

Crumb
1.5 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 almond oil (or other nut oil)
2 tbsp agave (or honey)
2 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Mix apples, lemon, arrowroot, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Pour into 8x8 or 9x9 casserole. Mix crumb ingredients in bowl. If the mixture is sticky and moist, add more almond flour until somewhat crumbly (it will be more sticky than traditional crumb mixtures). Break crumbs apart over the apple mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Serve and enjoy!

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Paleo Porcupine Meatballs

My husband's family has always made porcupine meatballs as a special meal for birthdays or gatherings. These little beauties contain rice, condensed tomato soup and other things that are not paleo approved. I decided to up the paleo-ness of these meatballs and wrap them in cabbage leaves. Feel free to skip the cabbage leaves if you do not like cabbage. Either way this is comfort food at its best!



Paleo Cabbage Wrapped Porcupine Meatballs

1 head of cabbage, remove all of the leaves
1 head of cauliflower, remove florets

Heat a large pot of water to boil. Boil cauliflower for 6 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and grate into rice (use food processor or potato ricer). Boil cabbage leaves for 4 minutes, drain.

Filling
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp tomato paste
Riced cauliflower

Sauce
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
remainder of tomato paste
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup vegetable stock

Combine all of the above ingredients. Add cauliflower and mix well with your hands. Fill cabbage leaves with meat mixture and fold over ends, place in skillet on low heat. If there is extra meat make some meatballs out of them. Pour sauce ingredients in bowl and mix. Pour over the rolls in the skillet. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hours. Serve and enjoy!

Beef lo mein stir fry

I know that there is mixed info on soy sauce for paleo. Some people say gluten free tamari is acceptable, some say liquid aminos is a better choice, yet others abstain completely. If you chose to abstain, then this recipe is not for you. However, if you use tamari or liquid aminos, then please enjoy this yummy dinner! My best suggestion is to prep all of the veggies and meat before you heat the skillet. Place them each in separate bowls so they are ready to be added whenever you need them.



Beef Lo Mein Stir Fry

2-3 lbs lean grass fed beef (we used filets), sliced into strips
1 onion, halved and sliced thinly
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 bag baby carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
1/4 cup gluten free tamari
2 packages sea kelp noodles
2 tsp arrowroot powder

Heat large skillet to high heat. Swirl with olive oil. Add carrot and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add beef. Saute until partially browned. Add onion. Saute until onion is soft. Add garlic, ginger and celery. Saute for 2-4 minutes. Add tamari. Saute for another 2-4 minutes, you can cover and allow to sit if it looks like it needs more time. Add sea kelp noodles and saute until noodles soften. Add arrowroot powder, to thicken sauce. Stir to combine then turn off the heat. Serve and enjoy!

Paleo Apple Oven Pancake

When I was growing up my Mom always made this delicious apple puff pancake. It was soooooo yummy and one of my absolute favorite dishes. I, too used to make this dish all of the time. Now I have developed a much healthier version of this protein rich dish.



Paleo Apple Oven Pancake

6 eggs
1.5 cups almond milk (can also use coconut)
1/2 cup coconut flour (scant, do not pack the coconut flour in)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp maple sugar (can sub maple syrup in a pinch)
2 apples, cored, peeled and sliced
4 tbsp oil of choice (I used 2 tbsp almond, 2 tbsp walnut)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In blender mix eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and maple sugar. Blend until smooth. Pour oil into 9x13 in baking dish. Place oiled dish into preheated oven for 3 minutes. Remove and add apple slices. Bake for 3-4 minutes, remove before the apples brown. Remix batter (as it tends to separate when it sits). Pour over apples. Place pan back in oven (middle to low rack), bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and serve with a drizzle of maple syrup. Enjoy!

Great (and easy) German Brats!

My hubby loves German food. He is a good part German, so he naturally loves the food. I was always scared of it as a child, I too now love it. I am just learning how to cook it though. I know there are a lot of wurst and cabbage, but I really have very little clue how to cook it. While I was at Whole Foods I found some great chicken brats. They are not preserved, and are just chicken and seasoning. I used these in this dish.


Brats and Cabbage

12 brats, sliced on an angle
olive oil
1 head cabbage, shredded
1 onion, shredded or minced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
sea salt
pepper

Saute brats in olive oil over medium heat. Once brats begin to brown, add cabbage and onion. Saute until softened. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. If you like vinegar, feel free to add some more. Cook until well combined. Enjoy!

Mmm granola

I found a recipe for a raw granola, and the first time I made it, it did not turn out all that well. I have since decided to fashion my own granola recipe. It is yummy! You can really change it to suit your tastes. Use the dried fruit you like best, or add some extra honey if you want it sweet. Season with cinnamon or other spices to your hearts content. Have this in a bowl with some almond or coconut milk, or crumble it over some fresh fruit. Its so good and you won't miss the grains or sugar.

Paleo Granola

1 cup raisins
1/2-3/4 cup water
4 cups of nuts (mix it up, pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, macadamias and pistachios all work well)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flake (if you don't like coconut, then feel free to skip this)
drizzle of honey
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Put raisins in bowl, add water. Allow to soak overnight or for at least 4-5 hours. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Put raisins and water in food processor and puree. Add nuts and coconut, pulse until reaches a course granola texture. Add honey, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pulse to combine. Spread thinly onto two parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Turn off oven and allow granola to sit in warm oven until granola is just about crisp. It will continue to crisp as it cools. Remove from oven, cool and enjoy!

Blueberry Almond Bread

Every week we have a play date. A bunch of Moms and preschools (about 95% boys) get together to let our little ones play and to let us relax and chat. This week, I was scrounging around trying to find something to make. I decided to make a fruit bread so that my friends could be further introduced to the paleo lifestyle. I like making things like this because it really starts the questions about why paleo. The ladies of the play group loved the bread and helped themselves to seconds (and some had thirds).

Blueberry Almond Bread

1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
5 eggs
1/4 cup almond oil
1/4 cup macadamia oil
2 tbsp agave
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp almond extract
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan using coconut oil (or other fat of choice). Combine dry ingredients in small bowl. Blend together the wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Gently fold in blueberries and almonds. Pour into loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. If the bread begins to over brown, then cover with foil. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then cool on rack. Slice, serve and enjoy!

A Mediterranean feast

Tonight we made one of my hubby's favorite types of foods, Mediterranean! We always used to do grilled chicken lettuce wraps filled with homemade hummus and tabbouleh. Now we tried a different take on it. We used some recipes from www.health-bent.com, and modified them a little to our tastes and to what we had on hand. My kids loved it because they got to have meat on a stick, hubby loved it because he got to eat his favorite flavors and I loved it because it was veggie loaded and delicious! Something I didn't think of, but feel free to take the meat off of the stick and enjoy in a tasty lettuce wrap with the dipping sauce and salad. I am sure it would be amazing!

Meat on a stick (aka. meat kabobs)

2 lbs ground beef (grass fed preferable)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dry parsley
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste

Soak bamboo skewers for 30 minutes or more. Heat grill to Medium-High. Mix beef and seasoning in large bowl. Form meat into large hot dog or sausage like shapes around skewers. Grill until brown throughout. Enjoy!

Veggie Baba Ganoush

5-6 summer squash
7-10 cloves garlic, with skin on still
olive oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste, can also use sesame seeds or sesame oil)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Remove steams and halve summer squash. Place on sheet to roast, drizzle with olive oil. Place garlic on sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap up in foil. Place the squash and garlic in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove and allow to cool until garlic can be touched with bare hands. Place the squash, garlic, olive oil, juice, tahini, salt and pepper in food processor. Blend until pretty smooth. Serve along side the beef kabobs for a delicious dipping sauce.

Tafooleh salad

1 english cucumber, diced
1 pint grape/cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 sweet onion (vidalia), minced
4 lemons, zested and juiced
handful of fresh mint leaves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for about an hour or two before serving.

Mashed Faux-tatoes

Making this mashed cauliflower dish can trick most people into thinking they are eating a delicious plate of seasoned mashed potatoes. Throw some crumbled bacon and some scallions on the top and they would never know the difference. Skip the cheese though, or it won't be Paleo.



Mashed Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
olive oil
sea salt

Cook the cauliflower in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until just barely fork tender. Remove and drain completely. Place cauliflower into food processor. Add seasoning, drizzle of oil and salt to taste. Puree until reaches your desired smoothness. Enjoy!