Grain Free Sugar Cookies

Working on a birthday party this week.  My GF kiddo is turning 10 and we are having a swim party.  I enjoy making frosted sugar cookies for parties, so I found some cute beach themed cutters and mixed up a batch of sugar cookie dough.  Since it's her party, I don't want her to have to pass on any snacks.  Here is a yummy, very cut-outable sugar cookie recipe.  I did not use the frosting recipe.  I used the same sugar-filled Royal icing I used on the other cookies.  :)  I froze these ahead of time and frosted them the day before the party.  It will be a great joy for her cookie to look like the other children's, plus they taste delicious!

Paleo Ranch Dressing

One of my kiddos has recently discovered a love for celery...... as long as there is ranch dressing to go with it!  I tried this ranch dressing recipe today.  I used homemade mayo and only about 2 Tbsp of coconut milk.  It would have been really runny if I used the whole 1/2 cup of milk.  The flavor of this is great.  I had a happy swimmer tonight with celery & ranch, and I was happy for a healthier option.   

Frappuccino

I have seen several recipes for iced coffee or mocha frappuccinos lately.  I typically like my coffee hot and black, or with a dash of cinnamon and a Tbsp of coconut oil.  But, with the hot weather, I keep thinking one of those sweet and creamy Fivebuck's coffee drinks over ice sounds delish!  Many of the recipes are complicated or call for ingredients that I don't use.  I really don't like to have things around that I only use for 1 recipe, so this is what I've come up with.  It made enough for a friend and I as we were heading out to do some party shopping for some special kiddos in our lives.  We both enjoyed sipping on these and chatting. 

1.5 cups cold coffee
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (I used my homemade)
1 Tbsp coconut nectar (I think honey would work, but I like the carmely flavor of this product)
10 drops English toffee stevia

Blend all together and serve over ice.
 

Homemade Mayo

This is the recipe and procedure I have done the best with when making homemade mayo.

3 large eggs 
1 1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup light olive oil or avocado oil


Place all ingredients in the Vitamix except oil.  Turn on high and slowly pour oil through the lid.  Pour faster when mixture begins to thicken.  Process should take no longer than 60 seconds. Refrigerate and use within 2-4 weeks.

 


If you like a bit more spunk, swap some of the oil for chili pepper infused oil and try chili mayo!

Quick & Easy Salmon Salad

Here is a quick go-to lunch, especially in the summer.  I can mix this up in less than 5 minutes.  I ate mine on baby spinach with peppers, tomatoes and diced avocado.  Black pepper ground on top.

Salmon Salad:
1 can salmon (choose wild caught)
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp minced onion (I used dried)
1/4 tsp salt
1 stalk celery, diced

Combine all together and serve.  Serves 1-2 people.  It's even better when refrigerated for awhile, but I often forget to think ahead. 
 

One of my kiddos ate it on an organic crispbread.
 

Pumpkin Waffles (a recipe review from The Paleo Kitchen)

This recipe uses a mixture of banana, pumpkin, almond butter, coconut flour and eggs.  It had good texture and flavor.  My kiddos had mixed reviews on this one.  1/2 ate them and said they were "OK."  1/4 did not eat it.  1/4 said they were "amazing!"  I would give them about a B.  It was a great way to use up the 2 ripe bananas on my counter.  I ate mine with coconut butter and maple syrup.  Email me at renaeats@gmail.com if you are interested in the recipe.

Marvelous Meatballs

I made these meatballs tonight.  The only thing I did different was I swapped out the pork for ground turkey and inadvertently omitted the almond flour.  I felt that they lacked flavor, but were fairly good overall.  The author of the recipe does not have specific amounts, so go ahead and add plenty of spice, I was wishing I would have had more in mine.  I served mine over spaghetti squash and with a yummy spinach salad & fruit.

Here is the dressing I like to make for spinach:

 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
25 drops stevia
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried parsley
6 frozen strawberries, about 1/3 cup
1 cup oil (I used olive)

Combine all ingredients in a blender, except oil, and blend until smooth.  Slowly add oil until emulsified.   Store any leftover in the fridge.

  

Mint Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding

This recipe intrigued me.  Since I have some fresh mint right now and about 1/2 bag of EnjoyLife mini chocolate chips, I gave it a whirl!  I made the optional chocolate sauce with 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1.5 Tbsp coconut milk, 1 tsp honey and 10 drops vanilla creme stevia.  This filled  3 of my little 1/2 cup jars.  It is light, fresh a subtly minty.  We weren't sure we liked the texture of the chocolate chips. If mint chocolate chip is your thing, check out this recipe! 

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Sandwich

Yummy sandwich today made from Against All Grain sandwich bread, avocado, Applegate Farms smoked turkey breast, garden lettuce and chili mayo.
 

Raspberry Breakfast Cookie (with revisions)

Earlier this month I posted a recipe for raspberry breakfast cookies.  You can find this post here.  We all really liked them, but I felt they needed 2 improvements.  They were too sweet and too gooey.  With some experimenting, I was able to improve those 2 things.  First of all, the original recipe from Ditch the Wheat.  I chose the raspberry option.

Paleo Strawberry Breakfast Cookies

Yield: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups almond flour (750 mL)
• ¾ cup raw honey or equivalent sweetener, add to taste (175 mL)
• 1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
• 1 tsp salt (5 mL)
• ½ tsp cinnamon (2 mL)
• 2 chia eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
• ½ cup nut butter, just slightly melted (125 mL)
• (almond, cashew, etc.)
• ¼ cup unsweetened dairy free milk (60 mL) (almond, coconut, etc.)* Omit if honey or maple syrup are used.
• 1 cup raspberries or blueberries or strawberries (chop the strawberries) (250 mL)

Instructions

1. Prepare two chia eggs and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. In a bowl, combine the almond flour, sweetener (unless it is liquid), baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Add the chia eggs, vanilla, nut butter, sweetener (if liquid), and dairy free milk.
4. Mix to combine.
5. Add the raspberries, stir to combine, and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
6. Scoop 1 Tbsp of dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and flatten the top of the dough slightly.
7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
8. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Substitute the raspberries with blueberries, strawberries, or blackberries. In a hurry? Freeze in individual servings and defrost overnight. Enjoy in the morning!

http://ditchthewheat.com/paleo-strawberry-breakfast-cookies/


Now, with my current revisions:

• 3 cups almond flour (I reduced 1 cup by 3 Tbsp and replaced with 3 Tbsp arrowroot powder)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 10 drops stevia
• 1 tsp baking soda (5 mL)
• 1 tsp salt (5 mL)
• ½ tsp cinnamon (2 mL)
• 2 chia eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
• ½ cup cashew butter (125 mL)
• 2 Tbsp dairy free milk (60 mL) (almond, coconut, etc.)
• 1 cup raspberries or blueberries or strawberries (chop the strawberries) (250 mL)

These turned out a bit more crispy and will be much more portable.

 

Easy Pot Roast

This pot roast recipe was a hit at our house.  I actually put 2 just over 2 lb roasts in and kept the veggies the same.  I increased the liquid to 3 cups & doubled the garlic.  I cooked mine on high for 5 hours, then on low for 2 hours.  We had leftovers.

I served ours with garlic mashed cauliflower and roasted kale.

Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes (Review from "The Paleo Kitchen")

Tried another recipe from "The Paleo Kitchen" this morning.  These pancakes are fluffy, which is a texture that is difficult to accomplish with paleo pancakes.  The flavor is good.  These were easy to mix up and my kiddos ate them.  They seemed a bit dry, but another drizzle of syrup took care of that!
 
I topped mine with coconut butter, more blueberries, and pure maple syrup. 

The recipe in the cookbook is almost exactly like this recipe with the addition of blueberries.  So, give that a try if you are not a cookbook buying junky like me!

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

I like making my own sausages when time allows.  I can adjust the seasonings according to our taste and have ultimate control of ingredients.  This recipe is a favorite of ours.  I omit the red pepper flakes and broil them for about 5 minutes on each side.