Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

25 Apr

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Bars (Dairy & Grain Free)

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Dairy-Free, Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Oh man, I couldn’t wait to share this recipe with you!  Since I discovered it from my good friend, Casey, I have already made it twice.  The first time I made it was for my mom’s group, called MOPS.  I wasn’t sure how it would go over, but apparently they liked it so much that it was all gone.  Josh didn’t even have a chance to try them, so I figured I owed it to him to make another batch.

You can play around with the nuts and the type of chocolate you use.  The first time I made them, I used this dark chocolate from Whole Foods, and the second time, I used the good ‘ole Enjoy Life dairy free chocolate chips. As for the nuts, her recipe calls for almonds but I used cashews since that’s what I had-I was pleasantly surprised (even though cashews are my favorite nut).  Do check out her blog to see her step by step pictures to make sure you are doing it correctly.

whole foods dark choclate

Now on to the deliciousness!

Gluten Free Cookie Dough Bars (Paleo)

From Purely Thriving

gf gluten free dairy free grain free paleo cookie dough bars

  • 1 ½ cup ground almonds
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup raw cacao nibs (or chopped chocolate or chocolate chips)
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/2 C coconut oil
  • 2 Tbsp raw honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla

1. If you don’t already have ground almonds, place plain almonds in a food processor and process until you have ground almonds. Be sure not to process too much or you’ll end up with almond flour or butter.

2. Place ground almonds, unsweetened shredded coconut, tahini, salt and cacao nibs in food processor. Pulse approximately 10 seconds.

3. Carefully heat coconut oil in a sauce pan (not the microwave!), being careful not to burn.

4. Add honey and vanilla to coconut oil and mix well.

5. Add mixture in sauce pan to nut mixture in food processor and process until creamy.

6. Pour into an 8×8 pan. You can line with parchment paper or plastic wrap to make removal easier if you’d like.

7. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

8. Remove from refrigerator and slice into 16 squares.

Optional: Melt 1 oz of dark chocolate in a sauce pan.  Remove refrigerated cookie dough and drizzle melted chocolate over the top. Return to refrigerator for 30 minutes. If you don’t have any chocolate, don’t let that stop you from making these. They’re plenty sweet without it.

More options: Try almond butter or sunflower butter in place of tahini, or walnuts in place of almonds. Use what you like or what you have on hand and change it up until you find your favorite combination.

19 Apr

Paleo Coconut Flour Waffles (Gluten, Dairy, And Grain Free)

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Dairy-Free, Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

I found this recipe from Wellness Mama, and since I’m in the mood to post on food, how about this one to start your weekend off right?  When I initially made her recipe, it was dry and dense, so I played around with it and added some more liquid to it.  We were making these for our celiac group’s annual waffle breakfast and I was put in charge of coming up with a Paleo recipe.  I was not about to serve something dry and dense and possibly turn people away from the thought of going Paleo, so here goes!

Paleo Coconut Flour Waffles

Adapted from Wellness Mama

paleo gluten free grain free dairy free coconut flour waffles

  • 8 eggs
  • ½ cup melted butter or coconut oil
  • ½ cup coconut flour (plus a little more)
  • heaping Tbsp of homemade applesauce
  • Almond milk
  • 1 tsp-1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • fresh or frozen berries (optional)

1. Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl and beat with a whisk or immersion blender.

2. Add the melted butter or oil, applesauce, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and baking soda and mix well.

3. Add the coconut flour and mix well (immersion blender is best for getting rid of clumps).

4. Batter should be thick. If it is too thin, add a little more coconut flour. *I added a splash or two of almond milk, because I did want it a little thinner and less dense.

5. Spoon into heated and greased waffle iron and cook until light brown and firm to the touch. My iron told me when they were done, but if you need to time it, it should be about 3 minutes.

6. Serve with a pat of butter and homemade strawberry syrup (heat frozen strawberries and blend) or pure maple syrup or almond butter and frozen berries.

19 Apr

Sausage And (Sweet) Potato Soup With Collard Greens

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

I know I can’t complain too much about Texas weather right now, but it just so happened that a cold front came through, so this recipe was perfect.  It originally called for sweet potatoes, but as we have been eating both sweet and regular, I went with regular since they were on hand.  I also added some collard greens that I just picked up from the local market in Denton, called Earthwise Gardens.  This was my first time to use them and I was pleasantly surprised-not what I thought they would be.  Don’t be afraid to get out there and try some exotic greens, they’re so good for you and your body will thank you.  I give credit to Emma for giving me the idea to grill the sausage first; then I sliced it up and added it to the onions.  Brilliant!

Note: do yourself a favor and start making your own broth, it tastes 10x better and is more nutritional for you.

Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup

From Paleo Intensified

sausage and sweet potato soup

  • 1 ½ Tbsp ghee, butter, or bacon grease
  • 1 pound Organic Sausage
  • 1 sweet potato or 3 medium-sized regular potatoes
  • 2-3 carrot sticks
  • 2-3 celery stalks
  • 1-2 yellow onions
  • 3 green onions
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ of a bunch of collard greens, Swiss chard, or kale, washed and torn into small pieces
  • 1 ½ tsp curry powder (optional-I left it out since I don’t care for it)
  • 7-8 cups homemade chicken broth
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Start by peeling the sweet potato (I leave the skins on regular ones), roughly chopping all the veggies, and mincing the garlic.

2. Heat ghee in a large skillet on medium-high.

3. Sauté the onion and garlic for a minute or two, then add the sausage. Use a big spoon or spatula to break up the sausage into chunks. Don’t make the chunks too small. You’ll want some bigger chunks that turn into delicious little meatballs when it’s finished. Cook the sausage until it’s just starting to brown.

4. Add all the veggies and sweet potato. Add the curry powder, using as much as you want.

5. Sauté everything together, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato and carrots start to soften. While that’s cooking, add the broth to a large pot and bring it to a boil.

6. Once the potatoes and carrots are soft, throw everything in the pot, add collard greens, and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Once it’s ready, you can eat it as is or put it in a blender or food processor and puree it. I left it chunky.

8. Enjoy!

26 Feb

Two 2-Ingredient Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes (Gluten And Grain Free)

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Whew, after I finally cooled down from my rant last week, I thought it would be nice for those of you who are on this dairy-free journey with me, to have some indulgences (so as not to go crazy).  I discovered these recipes around Valentine’s Day but didn’t have the chance to post them.  *You know you have success when your non-dairy-free hubby approves!  Score one for this mama.

These two recipes are reediculously easy and call for an ice cream maker or a blender.  We happened to have both, one from our wedding, and the other from a hand me down (best one yet).  You don’t have to have these specific brands, but these are what I used.

Without further delay, let’s move on to the goods!

Two Ingredient Decadent Chocolate Ice Cream (Ice Cream Maker)

From Homemade Mommy

2-ingredient dairy free decadent chocolate ice cream

Note: You choose how much chocolate you want to use– if you are more of a milk-chocolate fan, then go for one bar, if you like it darker, then use more.

1. Empty half of your can of coconut milk into a saucepan or double boiler.

2. Break your chocolate bar into pieces, and add it to the coconut milk.

3. Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring frequently.  The only way you could mess this recipe up is by burning the chocolate, so be mindful of that.  It doesn’t need to boil, just get it warm enough to melt all of the chocolate.

4.  Add the remaining coconut milk and blend it together by stirring.

5.  Pour your mixture into the ice cream machine and blend until thick! I intended to wait only 20 minutes but pulled it out at 45. No biggie.

6. For optimal texture, enjoy immediately, otherwise, store in an airtight container in the freezer.

7. You can top with additional chocolate chips or diced bananas, if you like.  Enjoy!

If you thought that recipe was easy…wait until this guy!  Their recipe called for peanut butter, but since that’s not allowed with eating Paleo, I opted for almond butter and was not let down.

Two-Ingredient Banana Almond Butter Ice Cream (Blender)

From Two Peas

2-ingredient dairy free banana almond butter ice cream

  • 4 very ripe bananas, sliced into coins
  • 2 Tbsp almond butter

1. Peel bananas and slice into ½ inch coins/discs.

2.  Arrange banana slices in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet. Freeze for 1-2 hours.

3. Place the banana slices in a food processor or powerful blender (Vitamix). Puree banana slices, scraping down the bowl as needed. Puree until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

4. Add the almond butter and puree to combine. Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream consistency. If you prefer harder ice cream, place in the freezer for a few hours and then serve.

5. Enjoy!

Note-if you have a hard time creating a creamy consistency, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of almond or coconut milk to help puree the banana slices. Make sure you use a powerful food processor or blender!

Come on people-it doesn’t get any easier than this!!  Now you can’t feel sorry for yourself because you gave up dairy and have nothing ‘human-like’ to eat.  No excuses.

Emma eating dairy free chocolate ice cream

Seriously, Emma couldn’t get enough of either recipe, but she really liked the banana one.  This is the kind of recipe that I don’t mind giving to her at any time throughout the day…it’s no different from her snack of almond butter on banana coins.  No worries here.  Oh, I think I will have to try pouring it into my popsicle molds next time I make these puppies!  That would be a great way to beat the Texas summer heat-when it finally comes around.

There ya have it, easy as pie ice cream in a blender with only two ingredients dairy-free recipes!  Are you running to the kitchen right now to make one or both of these bad boys?  I still have both in my freezer, and intend to savor them a little at a time.

Hopefully your dairy-free journey is going well and you’re not falling off the wagon (it’s not worth it!).  I actually have a good friend who’s going dairy-free while nursing her daughter, so we are keeping each other in check.  Maybe an accountability partner could help you, too.  It always helps to let someone know when you are about to cave, so they can walk you back from that ledge, my friend.  Stay strong little root!

14 Feb

Valentine’s Schmalentine’s….Let’s Just Eat!

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Holidays, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , .

♥ Happy Valentine’s Day ♥

valentine's day heart2

Or something like that.  I’m still not sure of the point of this alleged ’holiday;’ unless it’s just to keep Hallmark in business.  Despite that, and despite the fact I do have a special someone(s) to share it with, to me it’s about the food!  Ya’ll know by now that food is my life, so let’s make this day, or any other day for that matter about food.

In my post on Arizona, I purposely left out the part about a cake we made for Josh’s mom.  I brought 3 of my 4 Paleo cookbooks and decided on a decadent cake for the kids to make her.  The kids had a blast and I highly recommend getting little ones involved.

kids helping to bake a cake

Mind you, a two and a seven-year old were my main helpers, so while it didn’t turn out pretty, it was quite tasty.  I went with a recipe from my Make It Paleo book and it was rich a hit!  There’s nothing like seeing four cousins all get together over chocolate cake.

frosting a cake

So, without further ado, let’s get baking.  Pardon the picture; it wasn’t the prettiest of cakes due to mismatched baking pans.

Dark Chocolate Cake

From Make It Paleo

Make It Paleo dark chocolate cake

  • ¾ cup coconut flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 10 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup melted coconut oil
  • ½ cup Hazelnut Frosting (below)
  • 1 cup Chocolate Ganache (below)

Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 35 minutes, Makes: 1 cake

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. In a small bowl, combine sifted coconut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.

3. In a large bowl, or mixer, blend eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, and melted coconut oil.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet and blend.

5. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with coconut oil.

6. Pour batter into pans.

7. Bake for 35 minutes.

8. Test center with a tooth pick—if the tooth pick comes out clean, then the cakes are done.

9. Remove cakes from oven and cool.

10. Frost the middle layer of the cake with Hazelnut Frosting.

11. Frost the outside of the cake with Chocolate Ganache.

Hazelnut Frosting

  • 1 ½ cups roasted hazelnuts
  • 3 Tbsp macadamia oil
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place nuts and oil into food processor and blend until you have created a creamy consistency.

2. In a pot, or double boiler, melt chocolate chips over low heat.

3. Add hazelnut butter to melted chocolate chips, then remove from heat and refrigerate.

4. Place 1 cup of chilled dark chocolate hazelnut butter in a small bowl and whip with a hand mixer until fluffy.

Chocolate Ganache

  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 4 Tbsp butter or coconut oil

1. In a pot or double boiler, melt chocolate chips over low heat.

2. When chips are completely melted, transfer into a small bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes.

3. Add butter or coconut oil to melted chocolate and blend with a hand mixer until combined.

4. Quickly pour over cake and spread to frost while it is still warm; when it cools it hardens to a ganache.

If that doesn’t get you excited, how about some of these:

chocolate dipped strawberries

I just melted about ¼ cup chocolate chips and stirred in 1 Tbsp of coconut oil and then dipped.  After watching a commercial for chocolate-dipped strawberries, I decided to get creative with some chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

My next inspiration was from this blog.  I had pinned this a while ago but never executed it…until now.  I decided to sweeten the pot but brushing some pure maple syrup on them before the baking process.  All I can say is DE-VINE!

bacon hearts

I also whipped up some plain chocolate dipped bacon just for fun.  If you couldn’t tell, I was on a rampage to make sweets AND incorporate bacon.  Does it get any better than that?

chocolate covered bacon

And because I couldn’t.stop.making.hearts., I kept the trend going with breakfast this morning.  I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter I had lying around, sprayed it with some EVOO, and cooked the eggs on the griddle, in the bacon grease from the other hearts.  This is the BEST bacon EVER!  Here is what that looked like for Emma and me.

Valentine's Day breakfast

I was going to do these heart-shaped eggs, but didn’t feel like messing with it this morning; my kitchen was messy enough.  I am still planning to make these cupcakes before Josh gets home, so I will let you know how they turn out, and add them to my recipes pages when I’m done gorging.

It may seem like I’m big into Valentine’s Day, which I’m not, but any excuse to bake/cook/eat chocolate is alright with me.  And if you have a gorgeous day like we did, you could always grab a trusty helper and get a few tasks done.

v-day carwashing

I know I’m not typical, but it’s all good.

I hope everyone has a great day, whether you celebrate this made up day or not.  Do you have any plans or traditions that you do?  Are you one of those who celebrate it as Singles Awareness Day?  Either way, it’s cool, let’s all get together and JUST EAT!

Note: Photo from here.

17 Jan

Ridiculously Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Recipe

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Dairy-Free, Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , .

Alright people, let’s do this!  I’ve been blogging about this and that, but now it’s time to get back to the food!

Slow Cooker Chicken

gluten free grain free paleo slow cooker chicken

  • 8-12 chicken parts (breasts*, legs, thighs)
  • 6 TBSP grass-fed butter (Kerrygold)
  • ½ cup flour blend (coconut, almond, and tapioca)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 4 hours, Serves: 4-5

1. Rinse and pat chicken dry with a paper towel and place in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Sprinkle flour mix evenly over all chicken parts.

3. Dot with butter. Cover.

4. Cook 4 hours on LOW heat setting.

5. Enjoy!

*Note: The breast meat dried out for me, so next time I will do all dark meat.

Seriously, how easy was that?  I served this with some sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes (use the drippings from the chicken in with your potatoes or as a gravy on top) and it was delicious!

11 Dec

Cooking For The Holidays: Spaghetti Squash Gratin and Raspberry Torte

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Alright, let’s get real.  It’s round two of the eat.until.your.stomach.hurts time of year and I for one am down like Chinatown.  Well not really, but I wanted to pass along two yummy Paleo/Primal recipes that I recently discovered.

I have learned to love and embrace this pasta substitute that is the almighty spaghetti squash, but I have never CRAVED spaghetti squash like I do now.  If you haven’t discovered this cool little squash yet, get ready!  You can use it like you would for regular spaghetti but without having all the carbs (if you’re eating Paleo or not).

spaghetti squash

So, after getting 12 links deep into Paleo blogs, I came across Spaghetti Squash Gratin from Paleo Spirit and it has taken gratin to a whole new level.  I will warn, like Lea does, that it contains dairy-so skip to the dessert recipe, if dairy isn’t your BFF.

Ya’ll know by know that I feign willpower when it comes to dairy, i.e. cheese, but was too intrigued to pass this one up.  I kept staring at the recipe wondering what could I make this for and Bingo!, it hit me.  We had our annual holiday party coming up for our local Gluten Intolerance Group here in Dallas, so I knew that was the answer.  It seemed to be a big hit for those folks who could tolerate dairy, and I’ve decided this is my new go-to potluck dish.  Without further ado, enter Spaghetti Squash Gratin!  Oh, and I will add a hooray for happy accidents-the recipe called for plain Greek yoghurt and I accidentally bought the honey flavored one and have to say it turned out much better!

WARNING: This recipe will even have non-spaghetti squash lovin’ peeps on board.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

gluten free primal spaghetti squash gratin

  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (I used half)
  • ¾ cup plain (or honey flavored) Greek yogurt
  • 1 ¼ cup grated Gruyère cheese (divided)
  • 1 ½–2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 75-80 minutes, Serves: 8-10

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place rind side up on a baking sheet. (If you have trouble cutting the squash you might consider microwaving for a couple of minutes just to soften a bit before baking.) Pour enough water in the pan to come up about ¼”. Bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool.

3. Use a fork to “shred” the flesh of the spaghetti squash and set aside. Can be made ahead of time.

4. Heat butter in a medium/large pan.

5. Add the finely diced onions to the pan and sauté until translucent (approximately 12 minutes). Stir in the salt, pepper and nutmeg.

6. Add the Greek yogurt, spaghetti squash and ¾ cup of the Gruyère to the pan, stirring to combine, and heat for a couple of minutes on medium.

7. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and spread it evenly.

8. Top with the remaining ½ cup of grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes until hot and bubbling. If the top is not browned you can broil on high for a few minutes until the Gruyère cheese is nicely toasted.

Now we move on the sweet part of this post…Raspberry Torte!  I found this recipe from my Make It Paleo cookbook and it was yet another hit at our celiac party.

Raspberry Torte

gluten free grain free dairy free raspberry torte from Make It Paleo

  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ½ cup organic coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup maple syrup, Grade B
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¾ cup organic raspberries
  • 6 eggs

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 30-35 minutes, Serves: 8-10

1. Preheat oven to bake at 350°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine coconut flour, eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and baking soda.

3. Blend batter with a hand mixer until smooth.

4. Once batter is combined, fold in 2/3 cup raspberries.

5. Pour into a 9-inch spring-form cake pan.

6. For easy removal, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

7. Bake for 30–35 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and let cool.

9. To make raspberry coulis, puree remaining raspberries with 1 tablespoon of water in a blender until smooth.

10. Slice the cake and top with fresh berries, whipped heavy cream, and raspberry coulis.

Notes: You may use fresh or frozen raspberries for this torte. Both work fine to combine into the batter. Lightly stir the raspberries in so that they do not break up and blend into the batter; rather they should be gently folded in, and distributed evenly.

lil monster

After it was all said and done A) both recipes went over very well and B) we actually had leftovers to enjoy a few days later.  Who doesn’t love that?  Now I just need to wean myself off the cheese and find yet another way to use amazing little spaghetti squash.

Happy eating Holidays ya’ll!

Note: Photo from here.

29 Nov

Make It Yourself: Homemade Almond Milk

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Crunchy, Dairy-Free, Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Make It Yourself, Organic, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Welcome to my newly created category, called Make It Yourself (MIY).  I’m pretty sure this acronym will catch on just like DIY did, right?  Yeah, I didn’t think so.

This time, though, I’m going to show you how to make delicious, dairy-free almond milk.  Since going Paleo a year ago, and knowing dairy sensitivity comes with Celiac Disease, our family doesn’t drink cow’s milk.  That’s not to say I can 100% give up on cheese though I do try; my nickname growing up was mouse and I’m trying REAL hard not to live up to it.

I found this recipe from Everyday Paleo‘s website and am in love…Sarah Fragoso has yet to let me down with her Paleo posts of inspiration and amazing cookbooks.

This recipe was really easy, though it requires some prep work, and is fun to have your 2-year-old help squeeze the bag (and make a total mess).

Almond Milk

Note: this is a two day process so you do have to plan ahead

  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 2-3 cups of water
  • 3 dates (Medjool are best)
  • ½ tsp organic vanilla extract
  • 1 nut milk bag (you can use cheese cloth and a strainer if you can’t find a nut milk bag)

Day One

Soak one cup of raw almonds in a bowl of water for 12-24 hours in the fridge.

Day Two

Drain the almonds you had soaking for 12-24 hours, add them into your blender (Vitamix) along with 2-3 cups of water (the less water you add the more creamy the almond milk will be-I did 2 ½ cups), dates without pits, and vanilla extract. Blend for a minute or two. Once it is completely blended and mixed, pour your almond milk through the nut milk bag (or cheese cloth and strainer) into a bowl. Squeeze as much of the liquid from the nut milk bag as possible. Once all the milk has drained through the bag you can either toss the remaining almond pulp or lay it on a cookie sheet covered in foil and dry it out in the oven at 175°F until it is all dried out and you will have your own homemade almond meal.

This recipe makes about 2-3 cups of fresh almond milk that will keep in the refrigerator for about three to four days. Make sure to store it in an air tight container.

Tips: I bought my cheesecloth from Bed Bath and Beyond, but know you can find them at any cooking store or even most grocery stores.  Also, it can get a bit messy when squeezing, so don’t get discouraged if bits of the pulp make it in there–it’s just added texture.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with almond milk.  We use it just like you would with cow’s milk-you can put in your mashed potatoes/cauliflower, add them to smoothies, put them in your cereal, etc.  I have noticed my hubby’s migraines are less frequent since cutting out milk.  I found this delicious recipe from Little Dog Lost that inspired me to make my own ‘cereal,’ since grains are a no-no with Paleo.

Coconut “cereal & milk”

dairy free grain free cereal with homemade almond milk

  • 1 oz (about 1 cup) organic unsweetened coconut flakes
  • ¼-½ cup slivered almonds
  • ½ cup strawberries (or any kid of berry)
  • coconut milk, coconut cream, milk, half & half, cream, almond milk, etc.
  • stevia (optional)

1. In a dry pan, toast the coconut chips and slivered almonds over medium high heat. Keep shaking and stirring so the chips brown, but don’t burn. Transfer the chips to a bowl or bowls to cool a bit.

2. Wash, stem, and slice the strawberries.

3. If using stevia, stir it into the milk and stir. Stevia tends to leave little super sweet pockets of sweetness, so mix well.

4. Top your cereal with the strawberries, then pour in the “milk.”  If your “milk” is too thick, you can dilute it a bit.  (I added some homemade almond milk to mine.)

There you have it, two easy recipes and your own homemade almond milk that will spare you the added sweetener and carrageenan.  Enjoy!

2 Nov

Hippie Halloween: Paleo Sweets

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Crunchy, Dairy-Free, Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

To continue with the Halloween festivities, I found this delicious recipe from Food Renegade and thought they’d fit nicely with the fall theme.

I couldn’t let Emma go all day without getting something sweet, even if she didn’t go trick or treating, now could I? If you know me, I love to bake sweet treats even if that means they are gluten-free and grain-free. When I came across these bars I knew they’d be perfect for Halloween. The recipe calls for Cinnamon Icing, but since mine didn’t turn out and I ran out of coconut butter, I just left it out. But please help yourself to making both and letting me know what you think.

Pumpkin Cake Bars with Cinnamon Icing

Cinnamon Icing

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine.

3. Pour into an 8×8 oven safe baking dish (I suspect you could squeeze 12 cupcakes out of this recipe if you use a muffin tin). Bake until completely cooked through, about 30 minutes.

For the Cinnamon Icing:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and use either your mixing blade attachment or a whisk to beat the ingredients until fluffy.

2. Once the pumpkin cake has cooled, cut it into 9 squares and remove from the pan. If the cake isn’t completely cool you are not allowed to proceed.

3. Use a small offset spatula or a spoon and drizzle the frosting over the top.

4. Store the Pumpkin Cake Bars you haven’t immediately annihilated in the fridge. The icing will harden in the fridge, let it come to room temp if you’d like it soft. If you’d like it softer faster, the frosting will melt beautifully if you stick the cake bar in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Goes great with your morning coffee or tea!

Yeah, these were pretty freakin’ tasty, even after they were in the fridge for a day or two.

I also made some more of the bark inspired from Practical Paleo, but changed the ingredients up a bit.

Pistachio Golden Raisin Bark

Adapted from Balanced Bites

  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp bacon grease or coconut oil
  • 2 TBSP golden raisins
  • 2 TBSP pistachios, roughly chopped
  • 2 TBSP walnuts, roughly chopped
  • Pinch of coarse sea salt

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook time: >5 minutes; Yields: 10-12 pieces

1. Melt the chocolate chips with the bacon grease over a double-boiler (with an inch of water in the bottom) on low heat or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir vigorously before adding more chocolate chips. Add microwave time only in 10-second increments to prevent burning the chocolate.

2. Stir in the golden raisins, pistachios, walnuts, and sea salt, and spread the mixture on parchment paper over a cookie sheet. Place in the refrigerator to cool. After it has set, chop the chocolate roughly.

9 Oct

Cookbook Challenge Week 1: Make it Paleo

Posted by Crunchy Hot Mama in Dairy-Free, Food, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, Recipes. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Welcome to my menu planning and cookbook challenge for this nice and cool October.  After getting inspired from a speaker at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) a few weeks ago, I decided I need more scheduling in my life…at least in the cooking department.

First, I sprawled out my five Paleo/Primal cookbooks to see which recipe(s) I wanted from each one, but soon realized that was silly.  I honed in on Make it Paleo because I am in lurve with their photos AND recipes, which usually turn out delish.  My hubby did get me Sarah Fragoso‘s new Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook, but I’m not excited like I was with her first book.  Don’t worry, I promise to do a week’s worth of recipes and let you know how they turn out.

After nailing down which book, I pulled out my trusty dry erase board and started jotting down a recipe for each day, including a side or two.  There was no real method to my madness, but I did try to find a few recipes that had some of the same ingredients and made sure to change up the meat so I wasn’t have beef back to back.  I also tried to plan it if I knew I’d be gone all day, or for mornings where we were working in the garden and could get something in the crock pot.  In the end, it looked like this:

I did try to allot for leftovers so Emma and I could have them for lunch and still have enough to pack for Josh’s lunch.  I have to say 95% of it turned out quite tasty and it was fun knowing what meal to expect the upcoming day!  So, without further ado, here is what we had (I will post them on my recipes page).

Breakfast

French Omelet

Grain-free Granola

Egg Muffins

Veggie Scramble

Lunch/Dinner

Monday: Tomato Basil Soup

Baked Chicken Thighs

Tuesday: Taco Salad

Wednesday: Pulled Pork Barbecue (Easy Crock Pot Recipe)

Thursday: BBLT • Bison, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

Friday: Date Night

Saturday: Pan-seared Scallops

Sunday: Family dinner with friends (on the smoker)

Treats: Pistachio Bark

Coconut Fudge

Woah!  There you have it, a week’s worth of yummy, healthy, and easy recipes all at your fingertips.  No more excuses of not knowing where to start and what to eat.  It’s in the grocery bag baby!

Are you a menu planner?  Do you know what you’re having the month in advance or do you scramble eggs at the last-minute and throw something together (like me)?  My hope in posting this, is that it will keep me inspired to at least know a week at a time what’s for dinner.  Who knows, maybe that will help me to keep my sanity.

Up next is Paleo Comfort Foods…stay tuned!

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