Some New Favorites

We found a couple of new recipes to share.  The first one is a salad I found on Better Homes and Gardens.  The dressing is so good a just enough different that it was a nice change of pace. Here it is:

Market Stand Pasta Salad with Garlic and Shallot Dressing
6 cloves garlic
1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot (1 medium)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
8 oz. noodles (we used brown rice pasta from Costco)
3 cups assorted fresh vegetables (carrots, green beans, sugar snap peas, summer squash), cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups baby kale, arugula, or spinach
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, slivered
6 oz. hard salami, cut into 1/2-inch-thick cubes (we used chicken)

For dressing, lightly smash garlic cloves; remove skins.  In a small saucepan combine the garlic, olive oil, shallot, salt, and pepper.  Cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes or until garlic and shallot are very tender and caramelized.  Let cool. Scrape garlic mixture into a blender.  Add lemon peel, lemon juice, and honey.  Cover and blend until smooth.
Cook the noodles in a large pot. Add the vegetables for the last 5 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Drain and rinse with cold water.
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and pour dressing over the salad.  Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.

*When I made it, I didn't have the shallot or the basil and it was still really good.  I don't add the pasta for me and I thought it was very filling and good without.

The next recipe is a pineapple upside-down cake that Ethan absolutely LOVES!  It is actually pretty good for breakfast.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

2/3 c. coconut flour
1/2 coconut oil
8 eggs
1/4 c. honey or maple syrup (optional)-can also add extra juice to thin the batter
Dash of salt
1 tsp. baking powder
Juice from pineapple
Pineapple slices

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix the coconut flour, oil, eggs, honey, salt, and baking powder to form a thick dough.  Thin with pineapple juice or coconut milk to get a spreadable (but not pourable) consistency.  Line the bottom of a baking dish with pineapple slices (mine was 8"x 11.5").  Spread the batter over the pineapple until smooth.  Bake for 25-40 minutes until cooked through and no longer soft in the middle.  The time depends on the size of pan and how much you thin the batter.

Lindy, we found a granola bar that we like that you could use for snacks.  It is a bit crumbly so I think I would add some egg or something next time I make it.
  
 Paleo Chewy Granola Bars  

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups Sliced Almonds
• 2 cups finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
• 1/3 cup Raw Sunflower Seeds
• 1/3 cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sesame Seeds
• ½ cup Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup unsweetened, natural Almond Butter
• ¼ cup Honey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ¾ tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal
• 1½ Tbsp water
• ¾ cup Mini Chocolate Chips or your favorite chopped dried fruit (optional)

 1.    Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease a 9”x13” baking pan with coconut oil.
2.    Mix ground flax seed with water and let sit for 3-4 minutes.
3.    Pulse pumpkin seeds in a food processor a couple of times to break up to the size of sunflower seeds.
4.    Add coconut oil, almond butter, honey and vanilla to flax goop and mix well.
5.    Add almond flour and baking soda and stir to combine.
6.    Add slivered almonds, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and chocolate chips or dried fruit.  Stir to combine.
7.    Spoon batter into prepared baking pan.  Spread out and flatten well with your hand or the back of a spatula.
8.    Bake for 22-23 minutes, until golden brown.  They will puff up slightly while baking, so immediately after removing from the oven, flatten the bars with the back of a spatula or something else heat resistant and flat.
9.    Let cool completely in pan before cutting into bars (I actually like to refrigerate before cutting).  Cut into bars (I usually get 18-20) and wrap individual bars in plastic wrap for easy travel.  I prefer to store these in the refrigerator.

Note:  This recipe is very sensitive to small changes in the wet to dry ingredient ratio.  Please measure carefully


I have heard that roasting garbanzo beans with some seasonings and oil make a good snack as well.  I haven't tried it yet but I've heard they are good.

Also, Jon Gabriel does a lot of nut and seed balls that have nut butters, seeds, cocoa powder, dates and things like that in them.  They use chia, hemp, and ground flax seeds so they get omega 3's and protein.
If  I think of more ideas, I will send them to you.  Good luck to you!
Jen

Paleo Wraps

Okay people, Paleo Wraps. Google it. We have got to learn how to make these because otherwise they are literally $2 each. I've been hearing a lot about them and Sprouts doesn't sell them. I found some at the Real Food Market and splurged. They are so good and so nice to throw a bunch of vegetables into!

They can't be that hard to replicate. 3 ingredients: coconut meat, coconut water, and coconut oil. Ready go!

On another note, does anyone have any favorite pack-able snacks? I'll be heading off to EFY in a couple weeks and I think the meals will be fine, but I would like to have some snacks on hand, especially since i'll be travelling. If not, no worries. Just thought i'd ask. 

Breakfast Cereal

We had a rough month.  I don't really know why.  We ate things I thought we'd given up.  I gained weight.  blah blah blah.

May is here and I'm recommitting!!!  I have really struggled with breakfast from the begining of this journey.  I am okay with eggs and veggies for awhile, but I can't do it everyday.  I also can't do green smoothies for very long.  And if you fail at breakfast, it's so easy to fail the rest of the day.  I decided I was missing cereal in my life.  I guess I didn't realize how much we ate it.  It's quick, cold and easy.

So I went looking for inspiration last night.  There are many ideas for Paleo granola and cereal.  I picked this one:


You can find it here.

Anyway, I changed it a little.  But honestly, I could eat this every morning!!!  It was quick, light, fresh, filling, everything I've been looking for.

Here's what I did:

2 Tbs chia seeds
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped (soaked if you've thought about it)
sprinkle of raw pumpkin seeds
a few chopped up strawberries
tiny drizzle of agave (the strawberries were sweet, I probably didn't even need this)

Soak the chia in the milk first.  Add everything else.  Add more milk (or water) if you want.

You could add anything!!  Bananas, apples, blueberries, cinnamon, flax, different nuts, etc.

Anyway.  Thought I'd share a quick, Summer breakfast.

Oh Jen!!  We all (especially Stephen) LOVE the banana waffles.  I was telling Lindy that I misread the recipe the first time and ended up nearly doubling the flax.  It can handle it.  They are SO good.  We eat them with sliced bananas and agave on top.  Calleigh always has seconds.  Thanks for a winner!!!  We've had them for dinner several times :o)