Category Archives: Dairy and Soy Free

Shakshuka

What’s Shakshuka? That’s what I wondered too when I saw this recipe. Apparently it’s a popular dish in Tunisia and Israel – a thick sauce made of onions, peppers and tomatoes simmered with spices. Then you poach eggs directly on top of the sauce and serve. Yum!

The recipe below makes 12 servings – a lot! You can easily cut it in half, or the sauce freezes very well!

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon cayenne or harissa (optional)
6 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 quart low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt or to taste

Toppings

Eggs (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Feta cheese (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

In a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onions, and stir for several minutes, cooking until translucent and pale gold, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add garlic and cook for several more minutes, being careful not to brown the garlic. Stir in spices, cayenne or harissa and bell peppers. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add tomatoes with their juice and broth, stirring gently to blend. Simmer uncovered for 30 to 60 minutes, until liquids have reduced to a thick sauce. Taste and add salt as desired.
Warm the sauce to medium and poach one egg per person directly in the sauce.

To store: Divide equally between 3 large freezer tubs. Label with the name and date. Use within 6 months.

Thanks for the inspiration PCC Natural Markets.

Kale Salad with Chicken and Avocado

Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing

2 Replies

This is a wonderful paleo dressing – great for salads, on roast chicken or as a dip! On Thursday I’ll post a recipe for Kale Chicken Avocado salad with this dressing! 🙂

Creamy Lemon Garlic Paleo Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 c olive oil
juice from one entire lemon
1 garlic clove (large)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 c walnut pieces
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper

Directions

Add all items to a food processor (or use an inversion blender) and blend until smooth
Refrigerate till ready to use

Thanks for the inspiration: http://cavemanstrong.com/2014/08/paleo-creamy-lemon-garlic-dressing/

Mashed Potatoes

1 Reply

What says comfort food like hot mashed potatoes with very simply some melted butter, salt and pepper..! Mashed potatoes are incredibly easy to make. And you can do so much with them. Mix in some fresh or roasted garlic, sour crème or milk, finely chopped chives or green onions, bacon bits and cheddar cheese. The combinations are endless! The secret to good mashed potatoes however is simple.. it lies in the quality and type of potatoes. I’ve found red potatoes and gold potatoes to be excellent options for mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

2 lbs potatoes
dash of salt
Butter and/or other favorite toppings

Directions

Peel potatoes (if desired), chop in 1″ pieces
Cover potatoes with water in pot and bring to boil
Cook until knife inserts in a potato easily
Pour off water and let cool a bit
Use an inversion blender to mix, adding butter and other toppings as desired

Paleo Apple Crisp

1 Reply

I was inspired by Lauren’s recent Apple Pie post and wanted to make a gluten free and paleo version!

This is a delicious paleo version of a classic apple crisp. Instead of flour and oats, you use almond meal which pairs beautifully with the apples. So yummy topped with some cold coconut milk.

Ingredients

2 cups blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup coconut oil or butter (melted)
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 large apples, peeled and diced (I like Granny Smith apples)

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cinnamon and nutmeg
In a smaller bowl, combine oil, honey and vanilla
Stir wet ingredients into dry
Place apples in a glass baking dish
Crumble topping over the apples
Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350° for 50 minutes on low rack
When apples are soft and their juices bubble, remove cover and bake 10 more minutes to turn golden brown
Serve warm with coconut milk

Inspired and modified: http://cavemanstrong.com/2010/09/apple-crisp/

Coconut Apple Pancakes

2 Replies

Coconut Flour Pancakes with Apples – yum! Even the little tummies in this house were fans! Perfect grain-free and paleo breakfast for a cold winter morning and great way to start off the new year. Happy New Year everyone! 🙂

Ingredients

4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon honey or agave
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of sea salt
1 apple, sliced in very thin boats
coconut oil or butter for frying

Directions

In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy, about two minutes (I used a food processor for this – works great!). Mix in milk, vanilla, and honey or agave.
In a medium-sized bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt and whisk together. Stir wet mixture into dry until coconut flour is incorporated.
Grease pan with butter or coconut oil. Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into pan for each pancake. Spread out slightly with the back of a spoon. The pancakes should be 2-3 inches in diameter and fairly thick. Lay sliced apples on pancakes.
Cook on low to medium heat for a few minutes on each side, until they start to turn golden brown.
Serve hot with butter, coconut oil, honey, syrup, or fruit.

Inspired and modified from the Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes on NourishingDays.com.

Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip

1 Reply

We just had our annual Iron Chef party – the challenge was to use ONE of the following ingredients in a dish: crab, chocolate or cranberries. I picked crab and made this dip. Guess who won the iron chef challenge!? Yep, that’s right – Hot Artichoke & Crab Dip! 🙂

This dip is everything you would expect from a hot creamy artichoke and crab dip – plus more! The 1/2 tsp cayenne adds a fabulous kick. Spicy but not too spicy. If you’re not into spice and heat – omit! Definitely not recommended for kids, but a wonderful “grown up” dish. I served this with cucumber and red bell pepper slices, but toasted baguette or pita would be great if you prefer!

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked crabmeat
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
1/3 cup chopped green onion + 2 tsps for garnish
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper + 2 tsps for garnish
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Serve with

1 hot house cucumber, sliced (for dipping)
1 red bell pepper, sliced (for dipping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth; stir in garlic and cayenne. Gently stir artichoke hearts, crab, Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup green onion, 1/3 cup red bell pepper. Transfer the dip to a 9-inch pie dish and sprinkle top with rest of cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden brown and dip is hot, ~30 minutes. Garnish with 2 teaspoons green onion and 2 teaspoons chopped red bell pepper.

Chocolate Pumpkin Chiffon Pudding

9 Replies

This is an amazing, rich and silky chocolate pudding inspired by Elanaspantry.com. Yes it has pumpkin in it, but no it did not taste like pumpkin! So if you are looking for a pumpkin flavored pudding this is not it. But a great way to add some pumpkin to a dessert.

The original recipe called for raw egg, which I’m not a fan of, so I’ve modified the recipe to allow for cooking the egg.

I bet this would be amazing with some Coconut Cream Pumpkin Spice Frosting (Let me know if you try it :))

Ingredients

½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup coconut milk
2 eggs
½ cup coconut sugar
1 cup chocolate chunks, melted
dash of celtic sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

In a double boiler (I use a stainless steel bowl in a pot of 1-2″ of water) combine pumpkin, coconut milk, and eggs
Whisk while mixture heats, and keep whisking till hot and bubbly
If egg starts to turn solid (clumping) use an immersion blender to fix
Mix in chocolate, sugar, salt and stir till chocolate is melted
Add vanilla and remove from double boiler
Transfer into ½ cup jars, and place in fridge for 2 hours to set

Paleo Chili

3 Replies

This is a hearty and delicious paleo chili recipe – legume/bean free, full of veggies and a rich flavorful meat sauce. You can do this in a crock pot or regular stove top pot. This makes a wonderful meal served with Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins!

Ingredients

2Tbsp cooking oil (I chose coconut oil or olive oil)
2lbs. ground beef (or ground meat of choice)
1-2Tbsp chili powder
1-2Tbsp cumin
1tsp oregano
1tsp allspice
Salt to taste
1 large white onion diced
4oz. tomato paste
28oz. crushed tomatoes
1cup water or enough liquid to cover the meat/sauce
Serve with avocado slices and your favorite chili toppings

Directions

In a large pot, add hamburger meat and onions and cook through.
Once thoroughly cooked, add the spice mixture and stir until combined.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1-2 hours. I usually simmer 1 hour and it tastes great. (I can’t wait too long when good food is cooking.)
Do not drain the liquid that’s produced when the meal/onions cook. It’s keeps the healthy fat in the dish and adds great flavor. Promise!

Thanks EasyPeas-y for the inspiration!

Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa, Apples, and Chicken Sausage

4 Replies

I’m an equal opportunity gourd lover! I’ve been itching to make an acorn squash meal, and when I saw them at Costco when was there earlier this week, I pulled the trigger. I honestly just made this up as I went along with ingredients that I had on hand. I ended up adding the Craisins and avocado in at the end because I wanted more color for the pictures haha. BUT…it tasted amazing, so I’m so glad I did!Ingredients (feeds 4)

3 Teaspoons Coconut Oil (half for the squash/half for the quinoa mixture)
3 Teaspoons Organic Pure Maple Syrup (half for the squash/half for the quinoa mixture)
2 Acorn Squash
1 Cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 medium size sweet onion
1 medium apple- I used HoneyCrisp because they’re on SALE at Costco for 1.27 per lb!!
1/2 Teaspoon crushed garlic
Sea salt and Pepper to taste
4 Aidells Chicken and Apple Sausages
1/4 Cup Craisins
1 Small Avocado

Directions

For Squash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Fill baking pan with about 1/2 inch of water
Cut Acorn Squash in half, and lightly coat each with 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, and freshly ground sea salt/pepper
Place in oven for an hour

For Quinoa Mixture

Place the uncooked quinoa, 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic, diced apple, and 1/2 diced onion and a few grinds of sea salt and pepper all in a rice cooker (I tend to use my rice cooker like a “fast” slow cooker-dump a bunch of stuff in and voila haha.) Start it cooking, and dice up the Aidell’s sausages. Towards the end of the quinoa cooking (about 20 minutes), dump the sausage in as well as the 1/4 cup craisins.Enjoy!

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