Paleo- Nut Free- Cherry Thyme Mini Bread

I have developed an allergy to tree nuts and eating paleo has thus become a little bit of a challenge when baking. I have tried to replace almond flour with sunflower flour, but I am still figuring out the oil ratios. I had some cherries which needed to be used and had a craving for coffee cake. I found a recipe the called for blueberries which I attempted to adapt a little, based on the ingredients I had on hand.

Blueberry Bread-http://www.elanaspantry.com/mini-blueberry-muffins-video-tutorial/

Cherry Thyme Mini Bread

• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup cherries finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme, chopped if fresh, crushed if dried

1. In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl, combine coconut oil, honey and eggs
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet, then gently fold in the cherries and thyme
4. Grease a mini muffin tin with coconut oil
5. Spoon the batter 1 tablespoon at a time into the mini muffin tins or mini bread loaf
6. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes (for muffins) 30-35 minutes (mini bread loaf), or until firm
7. Cool and serve

My husband has been my taste tester along this adventure. He didn't notice the thyme until I said something to him. He said it was definitely one of the better breads I have made!

Microwave Bread

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sunflower seed flour
• 1 tablespoon chia bran (or flax meal or coconut flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, whisked
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons ghee (or butter, coconut oil, or olive oil), melted
• herbs to taste

Instructions

1. Grease a mug.
2. Mix together all the ingredients with a fork.
3. Pour mixture into mug.
4. Microwave for 90 seconds on high.
5. Cool for a few minutes.
6. Pop out of mug gently and slice.

Sunflower Seed Pear Bread

I have discovered that I might be allergic to nuts, so I have been searching for another flour for my breads and such. I read an article about using sunflower seeds and grinding them to make flour. I had a recipe that I had tried and substituted sunflower seed flour for almond flour.

Makes 1 mini loaf

Ingredients
1 cup sunflower seed flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil raw
1 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup diced pear

Method

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all the ingredients except the pear in a bowl and whisk until well combined.

Mix in the pear until evenly distributed. 

Place in greased mini loaf pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown (or toothpick comes out clean.)

Supper Bowl Snacking - Mostly Paleo Adaptations

We invited friends (both paleo and non-paleo) over to watch the big game.

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!

Dates stuffed with cream cheese and almonds wrapped in bacon

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Emeril's Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates

 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

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. 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. 
3. Arrange dates, bacon seam down and 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.
4. Bake 7 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 6-7 minutes more. 
5. Drain on a paper towel or parchment. 
6. Serve

Sweet Potato Chips with Goat Cheese and Bacon

Whole Foods Bacon Bites

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:
  

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
2. Bake bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet until almost crisp, about 15 minutes.
3.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain, and then finely chop 8 pieces. Cut 4 remaining pieces into about inch pieces.   
4. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with flour and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
5. 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.  
6. In a small bowl, stir together goat cheese, chopped bacon, onion, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. 
7. To serve, top each round of sweet potato a small piece of bacon and the cheese mixture.
8.  Put in oven for about 5 minutes to warm-up the cheese.
9.  Serve.

 

Jerk Chicken Wings in Crockpot

 About.com Crockpot Jerk Chicken

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

Directions:

1. Place chicken wings on a cookie sheet or baking pan with a lip. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
2. Combine ingredients in crockpot, adding chicken and chicken juices. Stir ingredients until chicken is coated.  
3. Cover, set on low, and cook for 1-2 hours. For more intense flavor, slow cook for additional time.  
4. Serve. 

Bacon Wrapped Avocado with Cream Cheese

 Bacon Wrapped Avocado

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

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
3. Cut the avocado into equal slices.
4. 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.)
5. 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).
6. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
7. Serve

Paleo Banana Breakfas Cookies

I had bananas that had become to ripe for me to eat so I searched for possible recipes to try. I had found breakfast cookies before starting the paleo lifestyle and was intrigued by the idea of a breakfast cookie I could make ahead of time. It would be a quick, easy breakfast that I could ask grab and eat on the go. This recipe was adapted from The Preppy Paleo at http://www.preppypaleo.com/2013/03/paleo-banana-breakfast-cookies.html

Paleo Banana Breakfast Cookies

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup raw almond butter or other nut butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. All-Spice
1-2 cups total mix-ins (coconut, nuts, dates, dried fruit, cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, etc)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients until well blended. Drop by tbs. onto a greased or Silpat-lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.

These will spread a bit more than traditional cookies, so leave sufficient space between your cookies.

Carmel Pecan Bites

We had guests over for a Norwex Party and I wanted to have some treats I could eat along with treats that I knew my guests would eat. I found this recipe and decided to try it. I used my Silk Coconut milk instead of canned (since it is what I normally buy.) The second time I made this I made more of the caramel filling since I was using an 8x8 pan and the crust was pretty thick. My husband loved it and it is definitely a recipe we will use frequently. I will continue to adjust the recipe as I keep trying things out. I didn't like the graininess of the first batch so reduced the almond meal and added some coconut flour.

http://paleomg.com/caramel-pecan-bars/

Caramel Pecan Bars

Prep time:  15 mins (1 hour to soak the dates)

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  40 mins

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1.5 cups pecans
• 1/2 cup almond flour/meal 
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• ¼ cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon Raw Honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, whisked

For the caramel

• 12-14 medjool dates, pitted and soaked in water for an hour
• 5-6 tablespoons coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Add your pecans to a food processor and blend until you get more of a meal or flour.
• Add your almond flour/meal, baking soda and powder and salt.
• Put in a large bowl. Add your melted coconut oil, raw honey and vanilla until you get a very delicious pecan butter.
• Add your egg and whisk all ingredients together.
• Grease a bread loaf pan with coconut oil and then add your crust ingredients to the pan and use a spoon to spread out evenly.
• Put in oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes or until middle is cooked completely through. Use the toothpick method to test it.
• While the crust bakes, lightly clean out your food processor, then add your dates.
• Turn on until dates have broken down. Add your coconut milk tablespoon by tablespoon to the dates while the food processor is still running. Then add your water as well. (The smoother you want your filling, the longer you will want to blend them)
• And add your vanilla extract and pinch of salt.
• Process until you get a caramel. BOOM.
• Once your crust is done baking, let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
• Top caramel over crust using a spoon to smooth out.
• Put in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to set. Or consume right then really.
• Keep in fridge if you have leftovers!

A New Beginning

My sister decided to do a Whole30 Challenge to see if it would help some of her health issues. Since her husband didn't want to give up dairy and beer, she asked me if I would be willing to do it with her. I told her if she was serious about it, and would do it with her. Some how I managed to talk my husband into doing it with me. A month later and we have changed how we eat and look at food. This is to help keep me motivated, organized, and inspired to continue down the paleo lifestyle path.