Author Archives: ebchr

Paleo Lemon Bars

When life gives you.. lemons? Paleo lemon bars (pure deliciousness) to the rescue! These are a perfect cool summer dessert. Crowd pleasers and a great protein rich, not too sweet, not too tart dessert.

These did not last very long in my house.. just a warning, they are super yummy! 🙂

Crust

1/2 cup almond flour (or sesame flour if allergic to nuts)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3 Tbsp raw honey
2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil (warmed if solid)
Zest of 1/2 lemon

Filling

5 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 cup raw honey (warmed if solid)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix almond flour, tapioca flour, raw honey and lemon zest in a food processor until a crumbly dough forms
Press into the bottom of an 8×8 glass baking dish
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes
To make filling, whisk eggs in a medium mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl whisk the lemon juice and tapioca flour until fully combined.
Whisk lemon mixture and eggs together, being careful to not over-whisk
Whisk in the raw honey
Pour filling over crust
Place in oven and let bake for ~25 minutes or until just set (firm on outside, a little wiggly in center)
Remove from oven and allow to cool, refrigerate until set, about 4 hours

Thanks for the inspiration http://www.paleocupboard.com/lemon-bars.html

Easy Herb and Parmesan Baked Salmon

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This is a super easy way to prepare salmon! Brush with a little olive oil, fresh herbs, some cheese and bake! Even my kids loved it (to my surprise, because they have not been fans of fish lately) – win win! 🙂

Ingredients

1lb slab of salmon
1 Tbsp olive oil
Some sprigs of fresh herbs (I used thyme and oregano), torn
Handful of parmesan cheese (omit if strict paleo)

Directions

Oil baking dish
Add salmon and brush lightly with oil
Sprinkle fresh herbs on salmon
Top with cheese
Bake @ 350 for 25-28 minutes

Red Currants

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Red currants are an awesome berry! This plant needs a cold winter to thrive and does very well in cold harsh climates. I remember it well from Norway, and you can find it in other parts of Western Europe. I found a great selection of currant plans in a local Seattle nursery and so far they have been very happy – yielding huge amount of berries in late spring. Ours are starting to ripen right now!

The berries come in many variations.. red, white and black. They are part of the gooseberry family and are widely used in jellies, jams, juice and can certainly be eaten raw as well! They’re a little tart, but are a great source of Vitamin C, antioxidants, iron, and fiber. So yes, pretty much a super berry!

Try them as a topping to ice cream or Greek yogurt. They are also a fabulous berry for little tots to pick and snack on directly from the plant – as the berries are very easy to spot and reach.

As the berries ripen I will experiment with recipes in the next few months (that is if the kids don’t eat them all!) – so stay tuned and let us know if you have a favorite recipe to share! 🙂

Marzipan

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Marzipan is a totally delicious treat with Scandinavian roots. In it’s most simple form – it’s ground almonds and honey. You work the two ingredients together into a sticky dough and then make balls or a loaf that you cut into slices. I remember as a kid making marzipan.. I don’t think you could get almond meal/flour in the stores where we lived in Norway so this was quite the cooking project.. First you had to blanche, dry and grind almonds (or just grind them with skins intact) with a hand held grinder until you had a fine almond meal. Then you would work in the honey. The best part was making shapes with mini cookie cutters. We would often make marzipan for Easter. We would roll the dough into small egg shapes and dip them in chocolate. After they were dry we wrapped them in tinfoil and hid them outside for our Easter egg hunt!

You can definitely make the honey/almond version, but the recipe below is a total winner. You use almond meal (yes, from a bag! :)), powdered sugar, egg whites, almond essence and the secret ingredient – rose water! Totally delicious and tastes like marzipan from a gourmet candy shop in Europe. I’ve made about 5 batches in the last few months but they kept disappearing (house elves?). I finally got a chance to dip them in chocolate and take some pictures! 🙂

Have fun, unleash the creativity and enjoy!

Ingredients

1½ cups almond flour/meal
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3/4 teaspoon quality food grade rose water (it is strong!)
1 egg white (this is a few tablespoons and I used pasteurized egg whites from a carton)

Instructions

Place the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined and any lumps are broken up. Add the almond extract, rose water and egg white and process until a thick dough is formed. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add more powdered sugar and ground almonds. Keep in mind that it will become firmer after it’s been refrigerated.
Turn the almond marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. Form it into a log, wrap it up in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
This will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before using in any recipe.
Makes about 12 ounces of marzipan or almond paste

I modified this from the original – thanks for the inspiration Daringgourmet.com

Paleo Carrot Cake

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Love Carrot Cake? Yes, please! You could top this with some chopped walnuts or toasted coconut! Even just the carrot cake and cream cheese frosting is delicious. Make this as a cake or 12 individual muffins. 10 eggs seem like a lot for a recipe like this? It’s just under 1 egg per muffin. I think of it as a great source of protein! Ingredients

5 whole Raw Carrot, peeled and shredded
1 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
3/4 cup Coconut Flour, sifted
1 Tbsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
Pinch of Sea Salt
10 Eggs
10 Dates (Medjool)
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Organic Coconut Oil, melted
2 cup Cream Cheese Frosting (below)

Directions

In a food processor, using the grating blade, shred carrots and then place in a large ziplock bag or bowl with lid.
Pour maple syrup over carrots and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a small mixing bowl, add sifted coconut flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
Make date mixture by combining dates and a little water and microwaving for a minute – mash with a fork.
In a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer, blend eggs, vanilla, melted coconut oil, and date mixture.
Add dry ingredients to wet and blend.
Remove carrots from the fridge, and drain the excess maple syrup from the carrots using a colander. Stir grated carrots into cake batter.
Grease two 9-inch cake pans with coconut oil – or – line a 12-muffin tin and pour batter into pan/s.
Bake for 35 minutes, ~25 if making muffins
Test center with a tooth pick—if it comes out clean, then the cakes are done. Remove from oven and cool.
Frost cake with cream cheese frosting, garnish with walnuts or toasted coconut, and serve.

Frosting Ingredients (Ok, cream cheese is not paleo.. but Elana’s Pantry has a coconut frosting that looks delish!)

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
16 oz Full Fat Cream Cheese (bring to room temperature to soften)
2 Tbsp Ginger Root, grated (optional.. sounds good, but I have not tried this option yet!
1 cup Toasted Coconut (for garnish)
Directions: Blend all ingredients (except coconut) with a mixer. Use immediately or refrigerate. Top with toasted coconut!

Thanks and modified slightly: http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-recipe/carrot-cake/

Paleo Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

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This is a variation of the Paleo Cinnamon Coffee Cake I posted a few weeks ago! I added some almond essence and sliced apples to make this Paleo Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake!

Ingredients

Cake

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 tsp almond essence (optional)
2 apples, thinly sliced (I prefer a tart apple like Granny Smith which is also great for baking)

Topping

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or maple syrup also works great)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)
To make topping, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds in a bowl

Directions

Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with coconut oil and dust with almond flour
In a food processor, combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
Pulse in coconut oil, honey, eggs and almond essence
Spread the batter into prepared baking dish
Place sliced apples into the batter
Brush topping over cake batter
Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes
Cool and serve

Chocolate Chia Pudding

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This is a basic and yummy chocolate chia pudding! I eat it for breakfast, or as a power snack. What’s the big deal about chia? Is it just a fad? Well, 2013 definitely seemed to be “year of the chia” but it’s stuck around. Chia seeds are supposed to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and packed with vitamins and minerals. They can be eaten raw or soaked (they absorb ~12 times weight in liquid when soaked) and are an easy add to smoothies, energy bars, yogurt, and more.

I made another pudding with chia seeds recently, the Raw “Tapioca” Pudding. That recipe called for cashews and was very yummy, but this one is nut free. You can adjust the amount of sweetness to taste. Lauren also made a Chia Pudding with Blackberries and Honey and that is another great staple recipe.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk, blended
1/2 cup water
¼ cup chia seeds
2 tablespoon cacao powder
1 Tbsp agave, maple syrup or honey
sprinkle of celtic sea salt

Instructions

Combine blended coconut milk, water, and chia seeds in a jar and shake well
Add cacao powder, stevia, and salt and shake well
Refrigerate overnight to let chia seeds soften and absorb liquid
Serve and enjoy! 🙂

Inspired and slightly modified from the original. Thanks Elana’s Pantry!

Blue, Cream and Gold.. Distressed Jeans and Sweater Weekend Wear

Paleo Cinnamon Coffee Cake

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Paleo coffee cake? This is gluten and grain free and made with high protein almond meal. It turned out fluffy and perfect and the kids loved it as well. I am working on a version with apples that I will post later. 🙂

The flowers shown are from my Dogwood tree. Not edible, but they are a gorgeous rosy pink.

Ingredients

Cake

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey or maple syrup
3 large eggs

Topping

¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup coconut sugar (or maple syrup again works great)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
½ cup sliced almonds (optional)

Directions

Grease a 9-inch round baking dish with coconut oil and dust with almond flour
In a food processor , combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda
Pulse in coconut oil, honey, and eggs
Spread the batter into prepared baking dish
To make topping, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sliced almonds in a bowl
Brush topping over cake batter
Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes
Cool and serve

Thanks and inspired by Elana’s Pantry

Floating Candles and Flowers – Easy Centerpiece!

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Floating candles and flowers are my go to – super easy and elegant centerpiece. This takes <60 seconds to assemble. Pick fresh flowers, leaves or herbs if you have some and add to a decorative bowl with water. The flowers and lights will float. Shown here is the centerpiece for our recent Easter Brunch.. a piece of pink depression glass and I used rosemary flowers because that’s what happened to be in bloom at that moment in time! 🙂

There’s room for a lot of creativity here, but floating candles are beautiful day or night!

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