Apple Pie Energy Balls

When you're in the mood for a healthy treat, Larabars are a go-to for many people - they're one of the few snacks that are gluten free, vegan, paleo, raw and actually taste good.  Apple Pie was always my favourite flavour of Larabar, when I used to buy them, but unless they're on sale, I rarely buy these anymore.  Firstly, because it's really easy to make your own, and secondly, because their parent company opposes GMO labelling. There are dozens of Larabar copy-cat recipes out there on the web, and so many different ways of achieving a common goal!   I've seen recipes made with apple sauce, apple chips, apple rings, and actual apples - but this is my way of making Larabar copy-cats.  These are great little snacks for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or even for an on-the-go breakfast.

Recipe notes:  My brand of apple chips was simply Fuji apples and cinnamon.  Try to find apple chips with as few ingredients as possible, or dehydrate your own apples.  If your chips don't have cinnamon, add about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cinnamon to the mix.

As far as dates go, I've used all different types of dates with success.  Medjool, Algerian, Deglet... they're all good!  There are subtle differences in flavour, so if you prefer one over another, use whatever you like.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 cup dates, pitted
• 1 cup apple chips
• unsweetened coconut flakes
• optional: cinnamon, splash of vanilla

Method:

1. Add dates to food processor or magic bullet and pulse until they're finely chopped.  Add the nuts and apple chips to the food processor.  Pulse until the nuts are finely chopped and the mixture holds together when you mould it in your hand.  (Don't allow the nuts to form into a paste/nut butter).  You should still be able to distinguish small pieces of nuts and dates in the mixture.

2. Prepare a dish with some coconut flakes (about a half cup)

3. Form the mixture into small, 1-1/2 inch balls.  Roll the balls in the coconut flakes.

These should be okay to keep covered on the counter for a few days, but any longer than that, you should store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yield: approx 15 balls

Paleo Peach Crisp for One (or two!)

Living on my own, I don't always get to my produce when it's in the best shape for eating raw, so when I was faced with a giant peach that smelled delicious, but was slightly soft, I thought I could either cut it up and mix it into my yogurt, or I could make myself a delicious Sunday morning treat.  With no grains/gluten and no refined sugar in the house, this was pretty much a no-brainer.  I dug through my pantry and fridge, and came up with a recipe that I think will become a staple in my kitchen (I plan on replacing the peach with apples in the fall - yum!)

Paleo Peach Cobbler for One

Ingredients:

Peach mixture:

• 1 ripe peach, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 1/2 a vanilla bean 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Crisp mixture:

• 3 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2 tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• dash of sea salt
• slivered almonds (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place peaches in a bowl.  Scrape vanilla beans on top of peaches, add cinnamon and combine.

Place the fruit mixture at the bottom of a small oven-proof dish (I used a 23cm dish) or individual ramekins & set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flax, almond flour and coconut until blended.  Add the wet ingredients & spices, and mix until combined.  

Top the peaches with the crisp mixture.  Add slivered almonds if desired.  

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is a light golden brown.  

This makes an awesome breakfast when served warm... or throw some homemade vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt on the side for a quick and easy dessert.  

Lazy Girl's Tortellini Salad

I recently started a new job, and I've found that they like to do potluck food days for various occasions. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries... if there's a reason, there's a food day. So when a surprise potluck was planned for my boss's boss's boss (catch that?), I knew I had to make something with a little more pizzazz than my standard desserts.

So I went to some web friends, who pointed me in the direction of a tortellini salad. It seemed simple enough for even me to make, given that I rarely cook. I thought I'd share my easy, lazy's girls version of Tortellini Salad.

Ingredients:

- One bag of Cheese Tortellini

- Balsamic Vinaigrette

- Baby Spinach

- One jar of Roasted Red Peppers

- Other veggies as you see fit

For my tortellini, I went with a full bag of Barilla's Cheese and Spinach Tortellini. I simply followed the directions on the bag to cook the pasta. Once they were done, I strained out the water and let them sit to cool down.

While the pasta was cooking, I sliced the red peppers into thinner slices, so it could easily be tossed with the rest of the salad. I placed them into the container I'd be taking with me to work and refrigerated it while I waited for the pasta to cool.

After about 30 minutes, I checked to make sure the pasta had cooled down, then put the pasta into the container with the red peppers. I chopped up some baby spinach and added that on top, then poured some balsamic vinaigrette over it all. With a large spoon, I mixed it all up to get it nice and covered with dressing.

You'll want to let it cool for a few hours. Be sure to mix it up again when serving to ensure you get the peppers and spinach, since they may settle. Then enjoy!

Voila! I got compliments from my co-workers on it and I look forward to the next occasion to make this easy dish again.

Paleo General Tso-Inspired Chicken

When I found some ground chicken on sale for a great price at the grocery store, I just had to pick up a package... but then I found myself wondering what to make with it.  I could have made fajitas or meatballs, but I wanted something different - and I was really in the mood for broccoli.  Fajitas and broccoli just don't go together in my mind, so I had to come up with something new!

I used ingredients that are staples in my fridge & pantry - and because I was super hungry, I had to come up with something quick.  The little bit of tapioca included in the sauce thickens it up nicely, and it tastes so good.  This recipe serves two, but I must admit - I definitely went back for seconds after finishing my first dish!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tamari sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• ½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• ½ tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ tbsp. raw honey
• ½ tsp hot sauce (optional, according to preference)
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp tapioca flour
• Spices to taste (I used a few shakes of chili pepper, and crushed red pepper)

Chicken:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250 grams ground chicken (1/2 package)

Side:

• 1 cup frozen broccoli

Method:

• Add all ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.

• Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a pan. Add the chicken once the oil is hot. Once the chicken is browned, add the sauce to the chicken. Cook a few minutes longer until the sauce thickens.

• Meanwhile, steam your broccoli using a steamer and a shallow pot of water.  If desired, you can add a little bit of minced garlic to the broccoli for a little bit of extra flavour.

• To serve, place the broccoli in the bottom of a dish, and spoon the chicken on top, allowing the sauce to drizzle over the broccoli.  

Note: this would also taste great with some jasmine or basmati rice, if you allow rice into your diet!

Servings: 2

The recipe doesn't take long at all to prepare - maybe 30 minutes max from ingredient gathering to final meal, so it makes it perfect for a work night.  I think it would taste great as leftovers too, however, I would probably steam the broccoli fresh the next day - microwaved/reheated broccoli doesn't always have the same flavour.

I'm pretty sure that this recipe will be added to my current rotation of weeknight dinners - how about you? Are you going to give it a shot?  Leave tips in the comments if you try it or customize it for yourself!

Grain-Free Chocolate-Coconut Kiss Cookies

As part of my Influenster #jadorevoxbox, I was given a family size bag of Hershey's Kisses to try and enjoy.  Let me repeat that: a FAMILY sized bag.  That's a lot of kisses for one girl - especially one girl who's trying to be conscious of her eating habits.  I prefer eating primal/paleo most of the time, but I don't mind the occasional splurge, so I came up with this recipe for chocolate cookies that use mostly primal friendly ingredients.  Of course, the Kisses aren't, but if you don't mind the splurge, go for it!

These cookies are rich, and sweet, and irresistible!

Ingredients:

• 2 oz chocolate (I used Kisses, you can experiment with other milk/dark/bittersweet chocolate)
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 18 Hershey Kisses (or more/less depending on how many cookies you get out of your batch)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Melt 2 oz of chocolate either in the microwave or over a double-boiler.
3. To the base of a food processor add almond flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and coconut sugar.  Pulse together until well blended.
4. Add cubed butter.  Mix until dough is crumbly.
5. Add eggs, vanilla, and melted chocolate.  Mix until smooth and fully incorporated.
6. Pulse in coconut flakes.
7. Drop by tablespoon-full onto a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet (note: I ran out of parchment so I used foil that was greased with coconut oil).  They will spread quite a bit while baking, so make sure you leave enough space around each cookie.  I fit 9 on an oversized cookie sheet.  Press a Hershey Kiss into the top of each cookie.  
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.  They'll still be soft, but will firm up out of the oven.

These were pretty darn delicious.  Everyone who tried one gave me lots of compliments, and didn't even realize that they were made with my "crazy" ingredients! Love when that happens.

** Note: I do have process photos of all the steps, so if you need them, feel free to leave a note in the comments.  I'm not sure that they add much to the recipe, because it's all pretty straight forward.  But let me know if you need help with any of the steps!

World Nutella Day 2014: Pinterest pin tested!

For World Nutella Day (that's today - February 5th!) - I decided to celebrate by testing out one of my easiest recipes on my Recipes To Remember Pinterest board - the 3-Ingredient Nutella Brownie.  Unfortunately, this does not in any way fall into the "paleo" or in any way healthy category... but if you're looking for an easy and delicious treat, this pin is definitely approved!

With only three ingredients involved (nutella, flour and eggs), this recipe had the potential to be either REALLY good, or REALLY bad.

Thankfully, it turned out to be really good!  The ingredients are all things I had on hand, so it was easy to just pull everything out and not have to worry about shopping for anything special.  If I'd had nuts or chocolate chips, I might have mixed them into the batter, or put a few on top.  But they tasted great without any additions at all!

The batter was a little bit sticky, but easy to work with.  And once they were in the oven, the entire house smelled divine within 15-20 minutes!

My brownies only needed about 25 minutes to bake (and even then, I could have probably taken them out a minute or two earlier to get that gooey centre!), but they were perfect with an afternoon cup of tea!

They puffed up nicely after being baked and they looked and tasted awesome!

Future serving options:
- with vanilla ice cream and maybe some raspberry coulis
- with fresh strawberries and whipped cream
- with nuts or chocolate chips mixed into the batter.

So many other ways to serve this!  How would you do it?

Happy World Nutella Day!

Halloween Oreo Peanut Butter Brownies

Yes, you read that title right. :)

This is a chocolate lover's dream and the recipe is super simple! I made these to thank one of my Howl-O-Scream co-workers for being incredibly helpful to me during our dress rehearsals.  I hope you'll pardon my somewhat unscientific way of making these.

Ingredients:

- Halloween Oreos (or regular Oreos, your choice)

- Peanut Butter

- Brownie Mix (I used a 13 x 9 mix, that yields about 8-9 good, big brownies - an 8 x 8 mix would likely get you a good half dozen)

- Eggs  *for brownie mix

- Vegetable Oil  *for brownie mix

- Muffin Tin

- Non-Stick Spray

Directions:

- Open Oreos and the peanut butter - and be sure to check the Oreos for quality! ;)

- Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on one side of two Oreos; stack this and place to the side

- Repeat this until you have at least 6 stacks - you can make more stack later if you have enough mix

- Preheat oven to temperate recommended by brownie mix - this was 350 for me

- Prepare brownie mix according to mix instructions

- Spray muffin tin generously with non-stick spray

- Place Oreo stacks in the center of each muffin cavity

- Carefully pour mix over the stacks, covering completely (I use a large spoon to do this)

- If you have leftover mix, make more stacks!

- Bake for at least 25 minutes - the mix instructions don't really have recommendations for making brownies in a muffin pan

- Using a toothpick, check for doneness of the brownies on the sides (otherwise, you'll just hit the Oreo cookie!) - if the toothpick isn't clean, leave the brownies in there for a few more minutes (but don't forget!)

- Slide the brownies out of the muffin tin and let cool

- Enjoy!

Other Questions:

Can I use Peanut Butter Oreos/Winter Oreos/Double Stuf Oreos?

Yes! You can use whichever Oreo cookie you like best, if you think they'll go well with the peanut butter and brownie mix! Just make sure to cover the cookies with batter if you go with the Double Stuf ones!

What peanut butter should I use?

Creamy peanut butter is the easiest to spread, but if you like crunch peanut butter, go for it!  Totally personal preference!

Can I make these in a cupcake pan?

My first attempt at these was in a cupcake pan, and I found that two cookies stacked came to the top of the pan and didn't really allow me to cover them in brownie mix. But you are welcome to try it! I just personally think a muffin pan that is deeper works better. 

These have been an absolute hit with my friends, so I hope you'll enjoy them as much as we do! Happy baking!

Primal Eggplant Parmigiana Stacker

I bought an extra large eggplant with the intent of making eggplant fries.  So I chopped the eggplant in half and began fastidiously breading and frying.  The eggplant fries were delicious, but very time consuming.

So then I was left with half an eggplant, and I wasn't sure what to do to it.  Being Italian, eggplant parmigiana was a staple in our household, and I always loved it, but I had never made it before.  I searched out a couple of recipes online for a basic idea, and added some things that I had learned from my mom & grandmother, and voila!

This is the most delicious way I have ever had eggplant prepared before!

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

• 1 bottle of Strained Crushed Tomatoes (I use a 660 mL bottle by Aurora, the only ingredients are tomatoes & salt)
• A few leaves of fresh basil
• salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano 

For the eggplant:

• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1-2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
• salt, pepper garlic powder
• 1 egg
• Olive Oil for frying

Method:

1. First start your sauce by dumping the entire bottle of crushed tomatoes into a sauce pan.  Add a few leaves of fresh basil and your spices (the spices are always done to taste, rarely measured, in an Italian household - just taste the sauce as it's cooking and see if you need to add more).  Start the sauce at a medium heat, and then lower it as it simmers.  You can give it a stir once in a while, but mostly, it should be okay just sitting there.

2. In a shallow dish, combine your almond flour, parmesan cheese, basil and spices (again, spices are to taste... just give them a couple of shakes and you should be okay).  In a separate dish, crack your egg and whisk it.

3. Slice your eggplant into rounds about 1/4 inch thick (mine was already sliced in half from the previous recipe, but rounds would be even better).  Dip the eggplant into the egg, and then into the almond/parmesan to coat both sides.  (If you need to make more breading, just keep the ratio of parmesan and almond meal at 1:1)

4. Place your eggplant into a hot skillet with a small amount of olive oil for frying.  Cook on each side until the almond coating is browned and the eggplant is tender.  Then place on a plate with a paper towel on the bottom.

5. When you are ready to plate the dish, serve in stacks with sauce in between each layer of eggplant (I found that stacking them 3-high was perfect).  On the top layer, you can add some shredded mozzarella, more parmesan cheese, or a basil leaf for presentation.  

This was honestly the best parmigiana I have ever had!  I made enough intending for my husband to take it to work for dinner, but we both went back for not only seconds, but THIRDS! We ate the entire batch in one shot.

If you decide to try it out, leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Primal seafood medley with garlic-butter sauce

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes, I have stockpiles of stuff in my freezer, and no real ideas for it.  We had a couple of bags of seafood that were buy-1-get-1-free at our grocery store... I think they were originally bought for Christmas Eve, but we didn't end up making them that day and they just remained.  This recipe is a really simple way of bringing out the natural flavours of the seafood without being either too bland, or being drenched in sauces.  It does feature a garlic-butter sauce, which was perfect for dipping - we also drizzled it over the green beans served on the side for some extra flavour.  It was perfect for a gorgeous Florida afternoon, and we ate it outside on the back porch in the sun!

For seafood:

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
bag of mixed seafood
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 a lemon
oregano and parsley to taste
(salt if desired)

Method:

1. Melt butter in pan.  Add minced garlic and sautee over medium heat.

2. Once you can start to smell the garlic & butter melting together nicely, it's time to add your seafood.  If it's frozen, it's best to defrost it first (at least partially), so that you don't get a lot of water in the pan as it cooks down.

3. Continue to sautee over medium heat, and slowly add in your white wine, juice of half a lemon, and spices.

4.  Remove from heat when cooked - should be about 15-20 min.

(Serve with garlic-butter sauce, and a veggie on the side - we liked green beans!)





For sauce:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
2 tsp minced garlic
salt to taste

Method:

1. In a small saucepot, melt 1/3 cup butter.
2. Once melted, add 2 tsp minced garlic, and salt to taste.  Allow the butter to cook down and clarify.
3. Remove from heat right before serving.

(This should be more than enough butter for the seafood, plus some left over)


Serves 2-3.

Do you have a favourite way to prepare seafood?  Did you try this recipe?  Leave a note in the comments and let me know!

Pineapple & Avocado Salad

When I was coming up with our menu plan last week, I was searching for a side dish for this coconut chicken dish.  I love coconut flavour, but there aren't too many veggies that go with it!  So I started to think about fruits instead, and instantly thought of pineapple.  I started my research for a pineapple salad or salsa on pinterest, but most recipes led me to something containing sugar.  In my opinion, pineapple is sweet enough on its own, so you definitely don't need the added sugar.  I based my recipe on this one, but I made significant changes to it, so... here it goes!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a pineapple (about 1.5-2 cups)
• 1/4-1/2 cup diced red onion (depends on how much of the flavour you like)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 
• squeeze of lime juice
• salt & pepper
• 1 avocado

Method:

1. Core your pineapple,  chop it into small pieces, and add to a mixing bowl. Add your diced red onion.

2. In a measuring cup, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, orange & lime juice, and spices.  Whisk together.  (I squeezed half of a medium sized orange, and got about a quarter cup - so I decided to dice up the other half of my orange and add it into the salad - anything goes here!)

3. Pour the dressing over the pineapple & onion, and mix to allow the flavours to incorporate (let it sit about 5 minutes) - in the meantime, peel and cube your avocado. 

4. Add the avocado to the salad right before serving.  Try not to mix it too much, because the avocado will mush up a bit, and you want the chunks to be whole when served.

Enjoy!

Natural air freshener: lemon, cinnamon, vanilla

 As I'm getting ready to pack up and leave my country for love, I'm in the midst of selling my condo.  I'm of the opinion that a nice & clean home will always feel more inviting than the opposite, so in preparation for the open house I was having, after cleaning everything top to bottom, I decided to make it smell inviting too.
I found various recipes for natural air fresheners involving rosemary, lavender, cloves,  etc... but I decided to go with what I had on hand.

I used:
A sauce pot, 2/3 full of water
1 lemon, cut up into slices
2 cinnamon sticks
1 capful (about 1 tsp) of vanilla extract

I set the pot to boil, then after it was boiled, I added the ingredients.  I reduced it to simmer, and through the day, I would add a cupful of water, when I saw it was getting low.

Kept it going all day, and the entire condo smelled incredible!  My agent even mentioned it as soon as she walked in the door.  This scent is absolutely heavenly, and I definitely recommend it.  If you search around pinterest, you'll also be able to find various recipes for different scents. Here is the recipe that originally inspired me!  Let me know in the comments if you have a wonderful combination that makes your house smell divine.

Primal Shepherd's Pie + Long distance date night tip

In a long distance relationship, you have to come up with little things to keep the romance alive.  Our little "thing" that we came up with is Skype cooking date nights!  Every Friday (unless one of us has something scheduled), we choose a recipe (we usually try to pick something primal or paleo), and we Skype with each other while we both make the same dish.  It's the best of all worlds, really - we get to spend quality time with each other, and at the end of it all, we get a great meal!

On Thursday, Tommy decided that we should make primal shepherd's pie, with sweet potato mash.  I looked around everywhere and couldn't find a recipe.  I called my mom and asked for her regular mashed potato recipe, and then continued from there.  My recipe is listed below - I think Tom added a few extra spices to his (rosemary & cinnamon)

For the sweet potato mash:
2 sweet potatoes
1-2 tbsp butter
salt & pepper
1/4 cup (or less) of milk of your choosing (unsweetened/unflavoured almond or coconut, or regular milk)

For the meat:
1 lb. ground beef
olive oil
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 cup peas & carrots (I just use frozen, but if you prefer fresh, go for it)
Spices to taste (I used salt, pepper & garlic powder)

Optional:
shredded cheddar cheese (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

Method:
1. Begin by washing, peeling and cubing your sweet potatoes.  Add them to a sauce pot filled with water. Bring the water to a boil, and boil until sweet potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes ought to do the trick).

2. While the potatoes are boiling, stir fry your meat.  Cook until it's done, then drain it & set aside in a dish.  At this point, you can probably set your oven to preheat to 350.

3. Strain the sweet potatoes and add to either a large bowl & hand mash, or a kitchenaid mixer bowl.  Add 1-2 TBSP butter, salt & pepper to taste.  Mix on low.  Add milk a drop at a time until you get the right consistency - be careful not to add too much at once, like I did!  Continue mixing until the consistency looks right.

4. Clean the frying pan.  Add olive oil, and your chopped onion.  Stir fry until soft.  Add your peas & carrots until cooked.  Add the meat back to the pan.  Add spices of your choosing (I went with salt, pepper & a bit of garlic powder).

5. In an oven-safe dish, add a layer of the meat-veggie mixture.  Then (Tommy's secret ingredient time!) add a thin layer of cheese.  Add the rest of your mixture.  Then top with the sweet potatoes, and add more cheese on top if desired.

6. Add the dish to a preheated oven, and cook for about 15-20 minutes (cheese should be melted, and the top a little browned)

Serve & enjoy!