Here is what we served (plus friends brought some treats to share.) I included my adaptations of the recipes (since some were not paleo.) In our house we still eat some dairy products, so some include cheese. Thankfully I remembered to take pictures before everything was gone!
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| Dates stuffed with cream cheese and almonds wrapped in bacon | . |
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008
Total Time: 26 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Level: Easy
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates
Ingredients
18 (1 by 1/4-inch) pieces cream cheese
18 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
18 salted and roasted whole almonds
6 slices bacon cut crosswise into thirds
Special equipment: 18 wooden picks
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Stuff 1 piece of cheese and 1 almond into each date, then wrap one piece of bacon around each date and secure bacon with a toothpick if desired.
- Arrange dates, bacon seam down and 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.
- Bake 7 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 6-7 minutes more.
- Drain on a paper towel or parchment.
- Serve
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| Sweet Potato Chips with Goat Cheese and Bacon |
Adapted from Whole Foods Market Bacon Bites Recipe
Total Time: 60 min
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Level: Easy
Sweet Potato Chips with Goat Cheese and Bacon
Ingredients:
- 12 slices Bacon
- 2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut crosswise into (1/2-inch) thick rounds
- 1 tablespoon tapioca powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
- Olive spray oil
- 1/2 cup goat chees
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bake bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet until almost crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain, and then finely chop 8 pieces. Cut 4 remaining pieces into about inch pieces.
- In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with flour and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
- Spray a large baking sheet with oil and then arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer. Spray tops with oil and bake on the bottom third of the oven, flipping once, until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes; set aside to let cool until warm.
- In a small bowl, stir together goat cheese, chopped bacon, onion, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- To serve, top each round of sweet potato a small piece of bacon and the cheese mixture.
- Put in oven for about 5 minutes to warm-up the cheese.
- Serve.
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| Jerk Chicken Wings in Crockpot |
Adapted from About.com Southern Cooking
Total Time: 1.5-3 hours
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 1.5-2 hours
Level: Easy
Quick Jerk Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
- 1 large red onion, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup freshly minced ginger
- 1 dried chilaca chili or similar (personal preference)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 tablespoons dry mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sweet wine balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder (or fresh garlic, crushed and minced)
- 3 to 4 pounds chicken wings
- Place chicken wings on a cookie sheet or baking pan with a lip. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
- Combine ingredients in crockpot, adding chicken and chicken juices. Stir ingredients until chicken is coated.
- Cover, set on low, and cook for 1-2 hours. For more intense flavor, slow cook for additional time.
- Serve.
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| Bacon Wrapped Avocado with Cream Cheese |
Adapted from PaleoLeap
Total Time: 25 min
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 15 min.
Level: Easy
Bacon-Wrapped Avocado Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-6 strips of bacon per avocado
- Avocado(s)
- Goat Cheese or Cream Cheese
- Chili powder
- Cayenne powder
- Sea Salt
- Preheat your oven to 425 F.
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Cut the avocado into equal slices.
- Cut a piece of goat cheese the size of the space where the avocado pit was. Wrap each avocado slice with bacon, (1 slice of bacon should should be good for 1 or 2 avocado slices.)
- Sprinkle some cayenne powder, chili powder, and salt over the bacon-wrapped slices, and line them up on the baking sheet. (If you would like more of a bite, sprinkle more powder).
- Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Serve
