Lemon Bars

We have been trying out some paleo treats and found this recipe for lemon bars. My husband loved it. It has a very strong lemon flavor (he loves water with a squeeze of lemon juice plus other kinds of citrus flavored foods, which I do not.) I think I might like it better if some coconut was mixed into the filling. Something to try in the future.

http://popularpaleo.com/2013/07/08/lemon-bars/

Ingredients:
CRUST
1 cup almonds
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup medjool dates (about 6 of the regular size)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 egg

FILLING
the juice from 4 large lemons (approx. 3/4 cup)
1 tsp lemon zest
8 eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw honey
1 TBSP arrowroot flour or tapioca flour + 1/2 TBSP of hot water

Prep:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (Fahrenheit).
Make the crust first by dumping all of the ingredients, except for the egg, into a food processor. Let this go until it gets to a “pebbly-sand” texture—well before it turns into butter. Then add the egg and process again just until the egg is fully incorporated and the nuts break down into “coarse sand.”

Press the crust batter evenly into the bottom of an ungreased baking dish and set aside,  9 x 9 or an 8 x 8 for a thicker crust.

For the filling, combine all of the ingredients using an electric mixer or by hand with a whisk except for the last line item—the arrowroot and water.  Once the lemons, eggs and other stuff is mixed up, make a slurry using the 1/2 TBSP of hot water and tablespoon of flour. Mix the slurry into the batter and gently pour over the pressed nut crust waiting in the baking dish.

Bake this for 30 minutes in a 325 degree oven. Don’t worry if it gets a little crackly once it’s done cooking. I haven’t met a Paleo lemon bar that doesn’t do this.

As tough as it is, this needs to be cooled completely before eating. Do your best!

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!