(My Pre-Thanksgiving Mini Run) with APPLE CINNAMON MUFFINS

Tonight I wanted to have a very fall supper, almost a Thanksgiving dinner dry run. It wasn't on the scale a traditional end of November meal might be, but it was mighty good!

My family isn't big on turkey, so tonight I cooked a chicken stuffed with pumpkin, mushrooms, and shallots. I served the chunky pumpkin and mushrooms as a side dish along with some sauteed spinach with onions and a side of my cranberry relish for the chicken! Mom and dad both enjoyed it and we even ended with a dessert of Paleo apple cinnamon muffins! I found a few recipes for this that could be done in the microwave, but I didn't have everything on hand so I had to improvise! It worked out really well. Even dad ate dessert! (He doesn't like nuts, but he could hardly tell with his ice cream on top...)

Apple Cinnamon Dessert Muffins
6 Tbsp almond meal
2 eggs
1 tsp walnut oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp raw honey
1 Tbsp apple butter
1 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 apple chopped
1/2 apple sliced

#1 - Mix everything but the apple together in a bowl.
#2 - Divide the chopped apple pieces between three microwave safe tea cups.
#3 - Divide cake mixture between the three tea cups.
#4 - Microwave each tea cup separately for 1 min. The cake will rise above the cup and then settle.
#5 - Let each cup rest 1 min. Place a few apple slices on top and microwave another 30-40 seconds.

Enjoy your hot Apple dessert cake in a cup!

Yield: 3 individual servings

Honestly, there would have been pictures but we were in the middle of dinner. I will have to make them again soon!

Microwave experiment

This afternoon I wanted to try out what I thought was a really neat idea: Microwave sweet potato chips! Well, it still is a great idea, but my results were not as great as the person who came up with them. The sweet potato chips, (courtesy of the Rachel Cooks blog) were very temperamental, at least in my microwave. Maybe she used a lower wattage one.

Many of my chips burned bad enough that they could probably double as charcoal (even though I used less time), but I am not quite ready to throw the towel in just yet. Later in the week I plan on trying a batch using 80% power in the microwave to see if that eliminates my problem. My other idea is that if I (Mostly) cook them in the microwave (until they were just about to start to turn brown but not crisp yet) then transfer them to a baking sheet for three minutes in a 300 degree preheated oven. On the last few slices I had left I tried this method and they came out great.

The reason I am telling you about these chips is because I hope you can find someway to use them! They are a great snack, though not an everyday one due to lots of carbs. I really wanted to try them out because I thought they would make a darling garnish for something. Perhaps on a salad, or an open faced burger, right? So, click on the link above and best of luck to you!

SAVORY CRANBERRY RELISH

Even though Christmas is really my favorite time of year, I absolutely love fall! The colors, the smells, everything about it seems cozy. It's the part of the year where it's not quite as hot and the mad rush seems to slow down to a leisurely stride. (Isn't the imagination a wonderful place?) My mother made a point a few days ago when she mentioned I should start planning ahead for Thanksgiving so that I could get all of the recipes out in time for people to do their own meal planning! So, over the next couple of weeks you will see some of my ideas for that Paleo Thanksgiving Feast. 

This relish is very easy to make and can be paired with chicken, turkey, or lamb. Lamb may not be a normal pairing with cranberries, but it is delicious! (Guess what I'm eating for lunch tomorrow!)

SAVORY CRANBERRY RELISH
1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp minced or finely chopped onion
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
1-2 large fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (about 1 tsp)
2 tsp finely chopped orange rind
1 tsp raw honey
1/4 tsp salt

Put all of your ingredients into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat. From start to finish it took me about 35 minutes for everything to cook down. As the sauce thickens you will need to stir it more frequently so that it does not burn. When it starts to lose that glossy appearance and is really thick, it is done. I placed my pan in an ice bath and stirred the relish occasionally before putting it in a plastic container for storage. It can be served hot or cold.

Yield: 1/2 cup of relish

This project takes a little more attention than some others so that is does not burn, but it makes up for it by being super easy and super tasty. As the mixture cooks down and the water in the orange juice boils off, the relish will become sweeter so a teaspoon of honey really is plenty! 

If you are making this just for a meal with lamb, and not a more general purpose, try adding in some fresh chopped mint in place of the sage!

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

Everyone on the planet is susceptible to temptation, and sometimes people will fall off of their horse. In this case, that horse would be the Paleo way of life. Maybe money suddenly got tight, maybe your work schedule suddenly changed for the worst, maybe friends and family starting cooking large quantities of food and now you went from "cheating" to 85/15 to grazing to falling off that Paleo shaped horse! (Okay, now that the metaphor has been beaten to death - no animals were harmed in the writing of this blog - we can move on.)

"I've eaten gluten several times over the last few days and now my cravings are off the wall! Help! What do i do?"

Well, that's easy, and it isn't. You start over.

Now, if you really have only fallen off for a week or two, and not several months, the good news is you probably are not starting back at square one! That's great! If you are having some serious cravings (I want french toast, I want cookies, I want a bucket of ice-cream) then you have your work cut out for you. Still, you got over those cravings once and you can do it again! Plus, if you think back to the first time you purged your system of all of those complex carbohydrates, gluten, processed sugars and preservatives, at least this time, you know that those cravings will end. That should give you some hope, and if it doesn't, pretend anyway and go back to my August 2013 posting about the importance of a support network.

We all need to vent sometimes, and a lot of that time the very act of venting solves a lot of our stress! Having a solid support network (or partner) can really help you climb back up to where you want to be, sooner.

I am not a veteran to the Paleo world but if you have fallen off the band wagon and are wanting to get back on, my advice is this:

#1- Figure out WHEN you started to slip and WHY. Knowing these two pieces of information will be invaluable to help you avoid the same flub-up in the future.

#2- Even if you are (Mostly) Paleo, like me, start fresh with your super strict rules for the first couple of weeks back. This will help reset your brain and your body. You don't want that bit of full fat milk you put in your morning coffee to turn into a trip to Marble Slab. Ya know?

#3- REREAD your favorite starter Paleo book. This will reinforce nutrition, the rules of Paleo, and all of the BENEFITS of eating this way! Remember, you are doing something positive for you. You should be happy to be here and treat yourself and your family with rich whole foods!

Cooking En Papillote

En Papillote (pah-pee-YOHT) is a French term meaning "in parchment". This technique gently steams your food and is an excellent way to cook fragile types of fish or other foods that may otherwise fall apart (or turn to mush) by using other cooking methods. It is also a great way to cook other things such as shrimp and vegetables.

The advantage to using this cooking method is if you have picky eaters, you can create special packages that include whatever your family or guests may prefer. Also, the en papillote method steams your food so you don't have to worry about extra calories and fat, plus there is no scrubbing of dishes afterwards! Wahoo!

To help prep your parchment pouch, it is better to cut out a piece too large and have to trim it down. Take into account the width and height of what you plan to put inside, plus an extra half inch that you will need to seal the edges of your pouch.

First take your piece of parchment and fold it in half. Draw a half heart shape - just like you did in first grade - and then cut out your parchment heart. This will become your pouch. [If you have kids who like to help in the kitchen, this is a great project for them!] Place your fish and any desired vegetables in the center, fold your parchment in half, and then starting at the top of your heart, fold down the edges and really get a good crease. You must have a well sealed pouch to steam the food.

For something like salmon I would preheat the oven to 375. I would use a 5 oz piece of fish, placing it squarely on top of whatever vegetable you desired. I used green beans and sliced red bell pepper. Then I took a wedge of lemon, squeezed it over the fish, and then sealed my pouch with the lemon and everything inside. Feel free to add any desired salt, pepper, or herbs before sealing. Cook it for 12 minutes, then you can remove it from the oven, place it on a plate and carefully snip the top of the pouch to release the steam! You can cut or tear it to display the food. You do not have to remove the food from the parchment before serving. The exact cooking time will depend on the size of the piece of fish and the type.

Another great idea is using the method of en papillote for dessert! That's right! How about a fat-free, hot, delicious dessert? I'm so in!

Here I used some slices from a fresh red pear since they are in season. I sprinkled it liberally with cinnamon and drizzled it lightly with honey. I also added a quarter teaspoon of vanilla because I love it! I sealed all of it in my parchment pouch and cooked it at 375 for 10 minutes. It was perfect, hot, and the pears did not become mush! I will be doing this again for sure. You can substitute the pear for any other kind of fruit you would like. For something a bit harder, like an apple, I would recommend cooking for 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your slices.

For a cobbler like twist, mix a little almond meal with a smidgen of butter and honey until it clumps together and becomes crumbly. Sprinkle this on top of your fresh fruit out of the oven for a quick and easy cobbler variation.

PALEO ACTIVE BARS

This is a very high-calorie, high-carbohydrate food, great for those who are active! As I was making them I was also thinking about how great they would be to toss in a backpack for a snack at school or you could even take them hiking and camping since they don't need to be refrigerated! Great Paleo snack for kids!

I used to be a huge energy bar person. They're convenient, they come in a ton of flavors and varieties, and they were reliable because I could toss it in my backpack or in the glove-compartment (at least during the fall and winter). A protein bar would leave me satisfied for a couple of hours and it fended of my grumpy alter ego.

Last night I was thinking about how to make a Paleo meal bar and I believe I succeeded! I buy my dried fruit and raw nuts in bulk so that the cost to make these really isn't bad at all. I cut mine into squares rather than bars which gives me a smaller snack rather than a meal replacement. There is no meal bar that will replace the desire for real meat and veggies in my heart.

You will need: parchment paper, a large loaf pan, a baking sheet, a 2 quart pot or larger

Preheat oven to 325

ACTIVE BARS:
2 cups nuts, unsalted
1 cup dried fruit
1/3 cup raw honey
3 scoops unflavored grass-fed whey protein (dissolve with a few table spoons of water)
2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Prep: I had whole cashews and sliced almonds, so I put those in a bag with my fruit and pounded at them with the side of a meat hammer until they were small pieces. The smaller the nut pieces, the easier it will be to cut your bars later. (In hind sight I should have pounded mine a little more)

 
#1: Place your butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves in your sauce pot over low-medium heat. Combine it well with a wooden spoon. You will see it starting to create tiny bubbles and turn lighter in color. Let it boil like that for about a minute or so. For those of you familiar with baking candy, we are approximating a soft-ball stage but it isn't critical. The longer you cook this, the harder your bars will be.

#2: Now toss in your dried fruit and nuts and stir vigorously until everything is coated. Reduce your heat, then add in your slurry of protein powder and stir again. I used goji berries, cherries and cranberries.

#3: Line your loaf pan with parchment and spread your mixture into the pan, use another piece of parchment to press your mixture down and pack it down into the corners. It's a lot like making rice crispy treats. Be careful, the mixture will be hot!

#4: Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, remove and let cool for about half an hour to set.

#5: Remove your mixture from the pan and place on a cutting board, cutting into your desired size. If you want them to be more firm, place your sliced pieces on parchment on a cookie sheet and bake them another 10-12 minutes on 275, then they will need to cool again before wrapping them.

#6: After they are completely cool, wrap them in saran wrap and they will keep for about a week.

ALMOND & GOJI BERRY DROP COOKIES

These are wonderful cookies. Usually two of these small cookies knocks out my mid-day hunger craving for a couple of hours! So good! Don't worry if you have left overs, just toss 'em in a zip-lock and plop them in the freezer.

Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients:

2 c almond meal

3 Tbsp. coconut flour

1 egg

3 Tbsp. grass-fed butter

¼ c raw honey

2 Tbsp. molasses

3 Tbsp. walnut oil

1 Tbsp. coco nibs (optional)

¼ goji berries (or raisins)

¼ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. almond milk

2 Tbsp. warm water

2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Before I use the goji berries I soak them for a few minutes in some warm water, then drain them. The same can be done with raisins. This keeps the dried fruit from pulling the moisture from the dough and leaving you with dry cookies.

#1 – Make a slurry with the warm water and cocoa power. Then mix all of your wet ingredients together with your egg.

#2 – Combine all of the remaining dry ingredients together and then beat them into the wet ingredients. 

#3 – Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a plate and place in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Then I used a small cookie scoop and placed the cookies an inch or two apart. If you don’t have a cookie scoop you can roll them into balls. I lined my cookie sheet with parchment and brushed it with a little coconut oil.

Bake for ten minutes, turn and bake for another ten or until the cookie browns along the bottom. Set the cookies on a rack to cool.

Yield: 2 ½ dozen small cookies.