Category Archives: Gluten Free

Marzipan Cookies

Marzipan Cookies are awesome because they are slightly less rich than pure marzipan, use only three ingredients, and are chewy and delicious!

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Ingredients

1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups almond meal
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3 egg whites
whole raw almonds (optional)

Directions

In food processor mix almond meal and sugar
Add egg whites until a stiff dough forms
Remove from food processor and knead with a little almond meal as needed so that a workable dough forms
Shape 1″ diameter balls and press down on cookie sheet with an almond in the middle if desired
Bake at 350 for ~12 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden
These store very well in an airtight container in freezer for a few weeks!

dit-elle-Esther

Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin with Apples + Onions | Paleo + Whole30

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Every time I make a meal in my crock pot, I think…

“WHY don’t I do this more often!??” As in…ever single day?! HA!

Alas, I get brain dead with the day to day, and fail to think ahead. That is pretty much the only prep time with a crock pot meal. Thinking of it ahead of time. Once you do. You toss everything in to the pot in the morning/early afternoon. Your entire house smells amazing ALL DAY LONG, and then when it’s dinner time-it’s DONE! Seriously, what’s better than that??

NOT MUCH. 😉

BUT…can we all agree that crock pot meat does NOT look appealing? Everything you cook ends up looking about the same color, BUT all that really matters is that it tastes delicious! I may have thrown a few greens on top to break up the monotony haha 🙂 I snapped these pictures about 5 minutes before we ate dinner, as always (with a flash *UGH*)…yet wished I could have made the meal look a liiiiiiiittle more appetizing. Styling dreams that may never come true.

Added bonus? The meat easily shreds, so no slicing on a cutting board necessary, aka child friendly and one less thing to clean!! Blog Paleo Whole30 Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin Apples Onions-1 What You Need…

Pork Loin (depends on how many people you want to feed) I used one pack from Costco, which is equivalent to 2 small ones from other grocery stores.
1 Can of Chicken Stock (have it cover about half the pork loin)
1 teaspoon Rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 small apples or one large apple (I used Gala, but any strong flavor type would be good)
2 small onions or one large onion
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

What to do…

Chop the onion and apple into approximately 1 inch slices.
Layer everything into your Crock Pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or or low for 7-8 hours.
THAT’S IT! 🙂

Serve with any kind of side or all by itself!

Enjoy! dit-elle-Lauren

Marzipan Chocolate Miniature Sandwiches

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I grew up making marzipan, but just last year discovered the secret ingredient to marzipan perfection.. rose water! See the recipe here. This year I made tiny Marzipan “sandwiches” for a holiday party. You roll a bit of marzipan into a ball and press two discs of chocolate to make the sandwich. I found dark chocolate ‘discs’ at the local gourmet foods grocery store, but chocolate coins could work well too! Because the marzipan is quite sweet, the less sweet dark chocolate is a nice complement!

I made these for Christmas, but marzipan is popular year round in Scandinavia and Germany (especially again around Easter).

marzipan chocolate sandwich blog (4)

Ingredients

One batch of Marzipan (you can also find this pre-made at some grocery stores.. look for almond paste if not marzipan)
Chocolate ‘discs’ (dark chocolate, should be around 1″ in diameter)

Directions

Roll a bit of marzipan into a ball (the size of a large marble) and press two discs of chocolate to make the sandwich.
Store in an air tight container and refrigerated for a week or more, or frozen for a month or so!

Super Mom Tip: Marzipan has the consistency of play dough and is a lot of fun for (older) kids to roll into various shapes and cut out with small cookie cutters, or decorate with chocolate chips!

Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Rosemary Almonds

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Earlier this week I published Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts. Enjoy the more savory notes of the rosemary almonds, below!

rosemary almonds blog (2) rosemary almonds blog (1)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw almonds
1 tsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions

Heat oven to 350*
In a bowl, combine almonds, syrup, rosemary and salt
Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden brown, about 10 minutes

dit-elle-Esther

Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts

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Nothing fills the house with the comforting warmth of holiday cheer like toasted nuts.

I made a bunch of new dishes over the Christmas holiday that I will post here in the next few weeks. Related posts include Rosemary Almonds and Spiced Honey Almonds!

These Spicy Maple Glazed Nuts are wonderfully delicious – sweet, salty and a little spicy! A great holiday treat, but really.. who doesn’t like glazed nuts any time a year? Great for gifts, taking to parties, as an appetizer with cheese, meat and fresh fruit perhaps, or a simple dessert!

spicy candied nuts blog (2) spicy candied nuts blog (1)

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1 tsp cayenne and it was perfectly spicy.. for my taste, but keep in mind a little goes a long way. If you are sensitive to spice, just omit this ingredient!)
4 cups shelled nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, pecans)
3 tablespoons turbinado or muscovado sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 250° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large saucepan combine butter, syrup, water, salt, cinnamon and chili powder. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, then mix in nuts and stir to coat evenly.
Spread nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (I forgot this part and the nuts were fine!).
Spread on waxed or parchment paper to cool.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Thanks PCC Natural Markets!

dit-elle-Esther

Gingersnap Cookies // Paleo, Nut Free

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Happy NEW YEAR!!!

Truth be told, I made these last week. I’m not going to lie. I almost said &*^% it to the cookies for Santa this year (BAD MOMMY!!!), but…someone kept me honest. AND…I’m always on the hunt for a healthier version of a cookie that I love. Honestly, I set out to make Gingerbread men…decorated and all. AND THEN…life happened. So, honestly, we are lucky these cookies happened at all! Our entire family is a sucker for gingersnaps, so I thought this might be the perfect thing to try.

The biggest dilemma (in my opinion!) is underbaking vs overbaking vs just right baking. WHO KNOWS??!! I’m usually a fan of underbaking. The ooey gooey goodness is spot on as far as I’m concerned. BUT…when you are talking Ginger SNAP…well, snap leads you towards the more crunchy aspect, no?

I cooked the two batches a little differently. One for a little longer, and one for a little less. I’m still on the fence about which one I liked better ha! Blog Paleo Nut Free Ginger Snap Cookies-1 What you need…(makes 2 dozen cookies)

1 cup Sun Butter (you could use any nut butter if you have no dietary restrictions)
3 Tablespoons Pure Molasses
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root
3/4 cup coconut sugar
¼ cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground pumpkin spice (originally called for all spice)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
A pinch of freshly ground pepper (sounded weird to me, but I went with it ha!)

What to do…

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I wouldn’t skip this as they really are pretty gooey and sticky.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand, beat together the sun butter, molasses, eggs and freshly grated ginger until smooth. It’s STICKY, as an fyi, so hand mixers won’t work as well because they just get really stuck in all the blades…I actually tried, and then switched over. Not a deal breaker, just a warning 🙂
Into a medium bowl, sift together coconut sugar, coconut flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, salt and pepper.
Slowly add the sugar and spice mixture to the almond butter mixture while mixing on low until just combined.
Drop the dough by the rounded Tablespoons about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for about 10-12 minutes of you want a softer cookie go on the 10 side, crisper on the 12 side.
Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets out of the oven then transfer the parchment paper with the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.Maya deciding exactly which one she wanted 😉

Adapted from Gourmand In The Kitchen- Thank you!

dit-elle-Lauren

Pistachio Cherry Bark

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Chocolate bark is a lovely and festive holiday treat! This was my first batch and it was easy to make and as delicious as it looks. I used crushed pistachios and pecans, dried cherries, toasted coconut and sea salt to top melted dark chocolate – make this for an easy dessert, hostess gift or party favor! 🙂

Pistachio Cherry Bark blog (4) Pistachio Cherry Bark blog (3) Pistachio Cherry Bark blog (2) Pistachio Cherry Bark blog (1)

Ingredients

5 oz dark chocolate (e.g. 65-70% cacao), roughly chopped
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp maple syrup
Parchment paper
3 Tbsp crushed pistachios
3 Tbsp crushed pecans
3 Tbsp toasted coconut flakes
3 Tbsp dried cherries, chopped
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

Directions

In a double boiler or heatproof bowl over simmering water, melt chocolate, coconut oil and syrup, stirring until just melted and smooth.
Pour onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread with spatula until 1/4 inch thick.
Top with nuts, coconut flakes, cherries and salt
Freeze until set, about 3 hours
Remove and break into pieces
Serve chilled
Store in airtight container in cool place

dit-elle-Esther

Soft Boiled Eggs + Bacon on Avocado Toast…Breakfast for dinner!

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Breakfast for dinner, you say? Yes, please! It’s healthy, easy, and delicious.

When the Huz is out of town, and we don’t have the boys Maya asks for this a lot, and I couldn’t be happier to make it 😉

I honestly think soft boiled eggs, bacon, and avocado each on their own make any dish better, so putting them all together in one dish?? Y-U-M-M-Y! Blog Soft Boiled Egg Bacon on Avocado Toast-1 I don’t think there’s any big secret on how to make this, except maybe how to soft boil an egg. I like doing it this way sometimes vs over easy in the frying pan. There’s less mess to clean up, and it’s easier to cook multiple eggs.

Bring water to a boil. Lightly place all eggs into the water and let boil for 7 minutes. Remove all the eggs that you want to have a runny yolk, and run cold water over them. If you have a toddler or anyone else that wants their eggs a little more cooked, leave those eggs in the water, but remove it from the heat. While you are peeling your soft boiled eggs, they will continue to cook in the water. Take the other ones out after another minute or two and you’ll get a yolk like this.

Blog Soft Boiled Egg Bacon on Avocado Toast-3 Enjoy! dit-elle-Lauren

Popcorn Ball Snowmen!

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Blog DIY Paleo Healthy Popcorn Ball Snowman-1 I posted last week how to make these Healthy Popcorn Balls.

To be honest, I always had these envisioned in the back of my mind. Weird? Yes, but that’s me!

This was one of those times that I actually thought of an idea, and it ended up turning out pretty close to what I envisioned!! Because obviously…that doesn’t always happen-proof here. 😉 Blog DIY Paleo Healthy Popcorn Ball Snowman-2 What you need…

Healthy Popcorn Balls
Pretzel Sticks
Chocolate Chips
Baby Carrots (cut into tiny slivers)
Seaweed (you could also use fruit leather!)

What to do…

Tightly pack 3 balls in varying sizes. Stick all the various body parts in, and then pray he doesn’t fall over or fall apart hahaha. Truth be told, mine kept falling over, and eventually fell apart. Maya didn’t care! She thought it was super cool and fun…so I’m still counting it as a WIN!!

Enjoy! dit-elle-Lauren

Healthy Popcorn Balls

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I’ll admit. I didn’t think anything could replace ooey gooey sticky sugary marshmallows for popcorn balls, BUT….these are so dang good! No refined sugar, yet naturally sweetened with Raw Honey-YUM!! Oh, and 3 ingredients for the WIN!! Blog Paleo Healthy Popcorn Balls-5 What you need… (made 15 balls)

10 Cups of Popcorn (ok, so I cheated and used Skinny Pop) Yes, I could have easily popped my own, and it’s SO unlike me to pay more for something I can do myself. This is the exception. I eat it everyday, and being able to just pour some into my bowl in 15 seconds? WORTH EVERY PENNY! And, it only has 3 ingredients too, so… :)) Oh, and 10 cups is a rough guestimate when you have a toddler reaching in and eating as we went… 😉
1/4 Coconut Oil
1/2 Raw Honey

What to do…

Melt coconut oil and honey together in a saucepan.
Drizzle over the bowl of popcorn, stirring as you go. Then get down and dirty with your hands to make sure all the popcorn is evenly coated.
Put the bowl into the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to let it cool/solidify a little.
Scoop out in 1/2 scoops and really pack them into the balls. They are still a little crumbly, and you need to reeeeeeally pack them. I tried to let Maya help, but it really was more for her to feel included. Hers just kept falling apart…aka…she ate as she packed. 😉
Refrigerate until you eat, and enjoy!! Check back, because I made the cutest little DIY edible craft out of these. I honestly couldn’t believe it turned out exactly like I pictured in my head-that RARELY happens haha! 🙂

Enjoy! dit-elle-Lauren

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