Paleo Tarragon Salad Dressing

I know for many people going paleo or doing a Whole30 means sacrificing many of your favorite foods.  One that frequently comes up is salad dressing.  Traditional bottled dressing is full of garbage and sugar.  Homemade dressings are simply delicious!  Here is a new one to add to your repertoire.  I based this dressing off of one my all time favorites that is at our family's favorite restaurant (the Tarragon dressing at Biergarten in Epcot, Walt Disney World).  If you have a chance, stop into the Biergarten, its super kid friendly and so fun to eat at.  Not the best for nutrition, but heck, its Disney World!



Paleo Tarragon Salad Dressing

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp dried tarragon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp dried mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and thickened.  Serve over your favorite salads and enjoy!  Dressing will keep in the fridge for a week or two.

Paleo Butternut Squash and Carrot Mash

I made this recipe a while ago when I wasn't on the Whole30.  I decided to give it another go and adapt it to make it Whole30 ready.  I know that orange juice sounds like a strange addition, but it makes a fantastic tart tangy flavor.  This would be a wonderful thing to serve with Easter dinner for anyone on a Whole30, living a paleo lifestyle or just looking for a tasty side dish!  If you don't like using half a cup of juice, you can use less juice and more water.



Paleo Butternut Squash and Carrot Mash

3 tbsp ghee
1 onion, minced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2-3 lbs butternut squash, cubed
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
Salt (to taste)

In large pot on medium heat, saute onions in ghee until translucent.  Add carrots and squash, cook for about 8-10 minutes, until they just start to soften, stirring frequently.  Add liquid, bring to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 20-25 minutes of until most of the liquid is gone and the squash is good and soft.  Use an immersion blender or food processor and puree until smooth.  Season with salt to taste.  Serve warm and enjoy!

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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