Best grain free chocolate chip cookies - EVER!

Just made the easiest (and most delicious) grain free chocolate chip cookies EVAR!!

3.5 cups almond flour
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil (softened)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
Cook at 350 for 6-10 min.
Cool for 10 min.

The best part? Since there are no eggs in the recipe -- cookie dough by the spoonful!

(this time I used coconut oil. Next time - butter!)

Creamy chicken casserole

Adapted From PaleOMG.  http://paleomg.com/creamy-chicken-casserole/

Ingredients
1.5-2lbs chicken breasts, diced
5 medium heads of broccoli, stems removed, chopped into florets
1 head of cauliflower, stem removed, chopped into florets
1 container of sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove minced
1 cup vegetable broth
2 (14oz) cans of coconut milk
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil (or other fat)
2 tablespoons bacon fat (or other fat)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place your cauliflower and broccoli florets in a 9×12 glass baking dish. Pour your olive oil on top of the florets and salt and pepper, as well. Mix around to coat the florets.
3. Baking for 15-18 minutes or until your broccoli and cauliflower have a slightly darker color to them.
4. While your florets are cooking, place a large skillet over high heat and add your bacon fat.
5. Once skillet is very hot, add your chicken. You want your skillet to be very hot so you will get a nice sear to your chicken.
6. Salt and pepper your chicken while it cooks in your pan.
7. Cook on both sides for 4-5 minutes, depending on how small you diced your chicken.
8. Once chicken is ALMOST cooked through, remove from pan and place either on a plate or directly into your baking dish with your florets if that has come out of the oven.
9. Now add your minced garlic directly to your pan that is placed under medium heat now.
10. Then add your diced onions in. Cook until translucent.
11. Then add your coconut milk and vegetable broth, as well as your garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and a bit of salt and pepper and mix well.
12. Once it is all thoroughly combined, pour directly onto your chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower dish.
13. Now toss in your mushrooms.
14. Add in a bit more salt and pepper.
15. Mix it all together into one large mess.
16. Bake for 20-22 minutes.
17. Let cool to help the sauce thicken.

Paleo Orange Chicken

Recipe from http://www.health-bent.com/poultry/paleo-orange-chicken

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
• 3 T fat (coconut oil works well here)
• juice of 2 oranges*
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 t fresh ginger
• 3 T coconut aminos or wheat-free soy sauce
• 1 t chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• 3 green onions, chopped

Method

In a medium size sauce pot, add the orange juice, zest, ginger, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce or sriracha. Set over medium heat and let simmer to reduce and thicken while the chicken cooks. In a saute pan, heat 3 T of the fat of your choice, over medium high heat. Add the chopped chicken breast and cook until a nice brown crust has developed on the chicken pieces, about 6 minutes. Add the chicken to the sauce pot and stir to coat with the orange sauce. Serve topped with sliced green onions. *Taste your oranges. If they don’t taste orange-y, then neither will this dish. Use tangerines if you gotta or add a teaspoon of sweetener until you’re satisfied with the flavor.

Cauliflower Pancakes

WOOT!  WOOT!  Original Recipe!   WOOT!  WOOT!

Ingredients:

Cauliflower, riced, 2 cups
2 Eggs
Finely Shredded Cheese, 1/2 cup
Dried Oregano, Garlic powder, Salt, Pepper
Coconut oil for cooking

Method:

Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. Beat eggs in a bowl, add the cauliflower, shredded cheese, garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste.
Mix it all up.
Heat up some coconut oil in a saute pan.
Drop by spoonfuls into the oil.  Flatten them a bit with the back of the spoon.
Check the bottom for brown-ness before flipping.
Flip and brown the other side.

Yum yum!  Delicious as leftovers.  Even better with the Basil Dressing drizzled over the top!

Meatballs a'la Barb (with mushrooms and basil)

WOOT! WOOT!  Original Recipe!!!  WOOT!  WOOT!

No picture for this one, but trust me.  They looked as good as they tasted.

Ingredients:
4lbs grass-fed ground beef
1/2 cup (or more?) almond flour (to hold everything together)
2-3 whole eggs
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 pint (?) of white mushrooms, very finely chopped
1 oz basil leaves, very finely chopped
2-3 stalks of fresh rosemary leaves, very finely chopped
Salt & Pepper

Method:
Mix all ingredients by hand in a big bowl.
If it's too dry, add some liquid (chicken or beef broth).
If it's too wet, add more almond flour.
Roll into meatballs.

Cook:
Option 1)  Brown the outsides in a saute pan before putting on cooking sheet in 375 degree oven until done.
Option 2)  No browning first, just bake at 375 until done.

Basil Dressing

WOOT! WOOT!  Original Recipe!!!  WOOT!  WOOT!

This one's easy...

2-3 ounces of basil leaves
drizzle of olive oil
lemon juice to taste
salt & pepper

Dump the basil leaves in a blender (better than a food processor for this recipe).  Add enough olive oil and lemon juice to get things going.  Keep blending until really smooth.

Keep tasting until it's perfect.

Use on EVERYTHING.  There's nothing like the taste of fresh basil.

Paleo Chicken Nuggets

Originally from http://www.health-bent.com/poultry/paleo-chicken-nuggets

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 t onion powder
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 c + 1/2 c almond flour
• 1/2 c dessicated coconut*
• 1/2 c coconut oil
• S&P

Method:

In a bowl combine 1/4 c almond flour, 1/2 c dessicated coconut and some S&P. Mix it around with your hands. In a separate bowl, combine the ground chicken, 1/2 c almond flour, onion & garlic powders, egg yolk and some S&P. Mix it with your hands until everything has been incorporated.
In a saute pan, melt the coconut oil on medium heat.
Take about 2 tablespoons worth of the chicken mixture and roll into the shape of a ball. Drop it into the almond/coconut mixture and roll the chicken ball around with the fingers. Make sure it’s completely coated. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Place in the saute pan and cook on each side until nice and brown. I did 3 batches for 1 pound of chicken.
*Dessicated coconut is dried, finely shredded, unsweetened meat of the coconut. It’s the perfect size to replicate a bread crumb. If you can’t find it at your natural foods grocery store, you can always order it from Amazon.

Cauliflower Hummus

Recipe originally from "Practical Paleo" (http://tinyurl.com/9vow7p5)

Ingredients:
4 cups cauliflower, steamed
2 Tbsp tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon  (juice for recipe, zest for garnish)
pinch of cumin
sea salt & black pepper to taste
pinch of paprika for garnish

Instructions:
Combine everything in food processor until smooth.Add more tahini or olive oil as needed.
Garnish with lemon zest and paprika.
Chow.

Notes from the Cooking WOD:  Maybe steam a few garlic cloves with the cauliflower.  Also, wait for it to cool before eating.  Much tastier!
 

Almond Butter Banana Cookies

Recipe originally from http://fastpaleo.com/almond-butter-banana-cookies/

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup creamy unsalted almond butter
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup + 2T almond meal
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg

Process:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, blend all ingredients until well-mixed.
On a parchment-lined cooking sheet, drop small spoonfuls about 1-inch between cookies. Cook for 12 minutes until the edges start to brown.
Let stand for at least 30 minutes so that the cookies can set.

 

Pesto Shrimp and Squash Fettucini

Recipe originally from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo (http://tinyurl.com/9pnof4l)

 Ingredients:
2 dozen large shrimp
4 zucchini or yellow squash
salt & pepper to taste

For the pesto:
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
handful of basil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
sea salt & black pepper to taste

Process:
Make the pesto first.  Combine the macadamia nuts, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in food processor and blend until smooth.

Peel and de-vein  and de-tail the shrimp.

Run a vegetable peeler along the squash making strips (or "noodles") until you get to the seedy part.

Place a steamer basket in a pot of water with about an inch of water in it.  When the water is boiling, place the noodles in a steamer basket in the pot of water and cook for about 3-5 minutes.  Remove noodles from the pot.

Place the shrimp in the steamer basket and steam them until they are no longer pink (3-5 minutes).

Place the steamed noodles in bowl and combine with pesto and toss.

Top with the cooked shrimp and serve warm.

Post WOD Coffee Berry Smoothie - guest post from Mark G

1 cup hot black coffee
1.5 cups frozen mixed berries
1 scoop chocolate protein powder

Blend it all up.

Consume.  Deeeelish!

But wait! What kind of berries?  What kind of protein powder?

Berries: http://www.target.com/p/market-pantry-triple-berry-fruit-blend-48-oz/-/A-13335557?reco=Rec

Protein powder: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=IM-1012

Thanks, Mark!  Keep 'em coming!!

Faux-tmeal - a Trish O'Neill Original!

1 stalk rhubarb - veined and chopped into 1/2" chunks
20 med strawberries - stemmed and sliced
2 T maple syrup
~~~~
1/2 c arrowroot flour
1/3 c almond flour
1/3 c coconut flour
2 eggs

Mix first three ingredients in a saucepan. Add 1/4 c water. cover and cook on med/low until boiling and soft/boiling.

Mix remaining 4 ingredients in a medium size bowl until a dough forms.

Drop dough into pot and stir until mixture is lumpy and resembles pink oatmeal (because of the strawberries). Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 min.

Add raisins and additional maple syrup to taste.

Serves 4. Such a nice variation from eggs in the AM!

How to cook a steak without a grill or broiler

(source: http://www.beyondsalmon.com/2007/06/steak-revisited.html)

What you need

• a roasting pan with a rack
• a heavy skillet
• an instant read thermometer
• 1.5 - 2 inch thick steaks (plan on 6-8 oz of boneless steak per person or 1 porterhouse for 2 people)
• salt and pepper
• vegetable or olive oil

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 275F and adjust oven rack to middle position. Wrap the roasting pan with foil (to make clean up easy). Place a rack in the roasting pan.
2. Trim the silver skin and extra fat off the outside of the steaks. Dry steaks well with paper towels and season very generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Set the steaks on the rack and place in the oven until instant read thermometer inserted sideways into the center of the steak registers 90 for rare, 95 for medium-rare, 100 for medium, and 110 for medium-well. If you are cooking a porterhouse, stick your thermometer into the wide part of the strip section so that the tip ends up about 1/2 to 1 inch from the bone. How long it takes to get to this temperature depends on the thickness and structure of the steak. A boneless, 8 oz, 1.5 inch thick steak takes about 20 minutes and a 2 pound porterhouse can take as long as 40 minutes. A thermometer is key!
3. At this point your steak will look extremely unappetizing. Don't panic. Set a heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the oil and wait until it's a little smoky. Add the steaks and cook until browned, 1.5-2 minutes, lifting the steaks after about a minute to redistribute the fat. Flip and brown on the other side. Don't they look better now? Then brown the steaks briefly on the sides and remove to a warm plate to rest loosely tented with foil for 7 minutes.

Serving suggestions: You can serve these steaks as simply or as dressed up as your heart desires. If you are in a saucy mood, deglaze the pan with stock and wine to make a pan sauce. Other options are topping your steak with garlic herb butter while it's resting or drizzling it with a little lemon juice and olive oil. Just let your imagination guide you.

Philly Cheese Steak stuffed peppers!

recipe from http://fastpaleo.com/philly-cheesesteak-stuffed-peppers/

Ingredients

• 8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef
• 8 Slices Provolone Cheese
• 1 Medium Sweet Onion
• 6 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms
• 2 Green Peppers
• 2 Tbs. Butter
• 2. Tbs. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper - to taste

Directions

• Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds.
• Slice onions and mushrooms. Saute over medium heat with butter, olive oil, minced garlic and a little salt and pepper. Saute until onions and mushroom are nice and caramelized. About 25-30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400
• Slice roast beef into thin strips and add to the onion/mushroom mixture. Allow to cook 5-10 minutes
• Line the inside of each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese.
• Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are nearly overflowing.
• Top each pepper with another slice of provolone cheese.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown.
• Serve and Enjoy!!
• Makes 4 servings – 6 net carbs per serving

Coconut Lemon Meltaways

Makes roughly 22 to 24 Cookies

Step 1.

Dry Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups Almond Flour (you can make this, or buy it - however most store bought Almond flour is not raw)

1 & 1/2 cups dried Shredded Unsweetened Coconut (I used medium shred, but fine shred would also work well)

1/3 c Coconut Flour

2 big pinches of Salt

Mix all of your dry ingredients together - set aside and move onto the next step.

-

Step 2.

Wet Ingredients

In a small mixing bowl combine the following:

6 Tbsp Agave (Eep! Agave found it's way into my kitchen!)

4 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Vanilla 

1 Tbsp Lemon zest (Tip: Zest your Lemon before you juice it)

Mix together all of the above ingredients...

Now, it's time to break out your Electric Mixer!

With your mixer on, slowly stream in the wet ingredients...

Almost done...

-

Step 3.

The Thickener

1/4 cup AND 1 Tbsp melted Coconut Oil

While your Mixer is on, stream in your melted Coconut Oil. Your batter will thicken fairly quickly as it mixes with the Oil and the oil cools down.

Oh boy!

Now it's time to form some cookies!

The final step is up to you.

You can either - 

Option 1. (This is the best way to have these cookies in my opinion) 

Warm them in either your Dehydrator or Oven (set at it's lowest heat, leaving the door cracked open). 

Warm your Cookies for 1 hour, maybe a bit longer 

Your finished Cookie will be dry on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth moist on the inside 

Place your cookies in the fridge after they've cooled down, letting them chill and set before you eat them.

-

Option 2. Place your Cookies to set/chill in the fridge for about an hour.

If you opt not to heat/dry your cookies the texture will be soft and moist.