Paleo Dill and Garlic Pickles

I have become quite fond of my 12 oz mason jars.  They work great for salads and now for pickles!  I used English cucumbers, because I prefer no seeds, and they are larger!  So more pickles to enjoy!  I hope you like my super simple take on pickles!  If you prefer crispy pickles, leave your sliced cucumbers slightly thicker.  These are good for at least 3 days, I am guessing a week, we just haven't had any last that long.  :)  You can chose to skip the olive oil if you want.  It can thicken in the fridge over the course of a few days.  If you find it lumpy, just let it sit at room temp for a few minutes.


Paleo Garlic and Dill Pickles

6 12oz mason jars
2 large English cucumbers, sliced thin
1/4 cup vinegar per jar (I used balsamic and cider)
1/4 tsp dried dill weed per jar
1/8 tsp garlic powder per jar
pinch of salt per jar
pinch of pepper per jar
drizzle of olive oil per jar
Evenly divide the cucumbers between the jars.  The jars should be about 2/3-3/4 of the way full.  Add vinegar to each jar.  Sprinkle the seasonings in each jar.  Drizzle in olive oil.  Cover and shake!  Refrigerate overnight.  Serve and enjoy!

Paleo Beef Stew

My hubby and I have started our second Whole30, so you are going to find that my upcoming recipes are all Whole30 friendly.  This beef stew is so hearty and delicious.  My hubby licked his bowl clean after having his second helping.  I decided to try rutabaga as a sub for the traditional white potatoes found in beef stew.  They aren't an exact match, but the texture and flavor go nicely with stew.  I made this recipe using a dutch oven, but it could easily be done in a crockpot.  And as always, I made a ton of food.  If you do not need to feed 3 growing boys or do not want leftovers for days, then just cut the recipe in half.




Paleo Beef Stew

6 lbs stew beef or chuck roast cut into cubes
1 large rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1-1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped
3 onions, chopped
1 heart of celery, chopped thin
1 12 oz bag of green beans (or about a pound)
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans tomato paste
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In large dutch oven combine meat and vegetables.  Mix tomato sauce, paste, seasoning and stock in a bowl.  Pour into dutch oven and stir to combine.  Place a piece of parchment over the dutch oven and press down to seal against the stew.  Take a knife and cut some slits into the parchment.  Place lid on top of dutch oven.  Cook for 4-6 hours.  During the last hour remove the lid and parchment so that the stew can thicken up.  Serve and enjoy!!

Paleo Snickerdoodles

Cookies are kind of my thing.  They have been for a long time.  I like making them and I love eating them.  Snickerdoodles are one of the few that I haven't tried making into a paleo-fied version of.  My four year old absolutely loved these.  Which is saying a lot, since he is not a sweets kind of kid.  He ate 5 cookies in one sitting and quite honestly I didn't mind, he is a skinny little man that could use the calories.  :)  Hope you like them at least half as much as he did.



Paleo Snickerdoodles
 
3/4 cup grassfed butter (softened), ghee or coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut sugar/maple sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp coconut sugar/maple sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix well to combine.  Add almond flour, arrowroot, coconut flour, cream of tartar, salt, and baking soda.  Mix until combined.  In small bowl, mix remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Scoop out tablespoons of dough, and roll into balls.  Roll the balls into the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with your fingers or a fork.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on sheets for 2 minutes then move to cooling racks.  Serve and enjoy!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Yeah, you are probably going to hate me for creating these. I got this idea from Pinterest. Evil little website that that is. It's always getting my mind moving. I just can't help but think of how to make something paleo. So enter cookie dough truffles. These are decadent little mouthfuls of chocolate chip heaven. I hope you like them as much as I do (hubby enjoyed the ones I let him have).

If your maple or coconut sugar is a coarse grain then I recommend running it through a food processor to powder it up first before using it.



Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

2/3 cup ghee
1/2 cup coconut or maple sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I like enjoy life), save the remainder of the bag to coat the truffles

In large mixing bowl combine ghee and sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Chill mixture for 1 hour. Scoop out tablespoon sized balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Chill in fridge for another hour. While the balls are chilling set up a double boiler (a small pot of water simmering with a bowl set on top), and melt remaining chocolate. Dip the balls into the chocolate and place back on the cookie sheet. Chill until set then store in an airtight container. Serve and enjoy!

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Paleo Pumpkin Biscuits

I wanted to create a yummy fall inspired breakfast treat. But these could quite easily go in a bread basket at Thanksgiving. My one year old son loved them and gobbled them up. I recommend serving them warm and storing them in the fridge. The oven or toaster oven are the best way to warm them.




Paleo Pumpkin Biscuits

2 cups almond flour
1/4 tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup ghee, melted
3/4 cup pumpkin purée
3 tbsp maple syrup/honey
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl combine dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. Add remaining ingredients and stir until just combined. Scoop 1/4 scoops of batter onto parchment paper, leaving an inch or two between scoops. Bake for 14-16 minutes until start to lightly brown on top. Serve warm and enjoy!


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Paleo Blueberry Muffins

I shouldn't just call these amazing muffins, "paleo blueberry muffins", I should call them "the most fabulously delicious paleo muffins you will ever eat!". No seriously, they are that good. My 5 year old had to be cut off or he would have eaten himself sick over these. My hubby called after eating one and exclaimed "these are better that Otis Spunkmeyer!". Give them a try and let me know what you think. I have tried many muffin recipes and been completely unimpressed. I also don't want my muffins to be sugar laden. These are just perfectly sweet without using too much sweetener.




Paleo Blueberry Muffins

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 ghee/coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup/honey
1/4 cup coconut milk (canned)
2 eggs
3/4 cup frozen blueberries (I prefer tiny wild blueberries)
Maple sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In large bowl combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda and stir to combine. Add ghee, maple, coconut milk and eggs and mix well. Gently mix in blueberries. Evenly divide batter between cups and sprinkle with maple sugar (about a pinch per muffin). Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove to cool the rest of the way. Serve and enjoy!

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Paleo Banana Upside-down cake

I am always looking for new uses for old brown bananas. Here is yet another tasty dessert. I used maple in my cake, but I'm sure honey would be great too. Hope you and your family like this quick and yummy cake.




Paleo Banana Upside-down Cake

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup ghee
2-3 large ripe bananas, peeled and sliced to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness
1 cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup ghee
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple juice or water
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In small sauce pan mix ghee and maple syrup, and stir over low heat. Remove from heat after ghee is melted and well combined with syrup. Pour mixture into a greased 8 inch cake pan (round or square). Arrange bananas in the cake pan. In large bowl mix almond flour, coconut flour, salt, and baking soda. Add ghee, syrup, apple juice, eggs and vanilla. Mix until lumps are just broken up. Pour batter into cake pan, spread gently over bananas. Bake for 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes then use a knife to loosen from the sides of the pan. Flip on to a plate. Serve and enjoy!


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