Paleo Condiments

Here is my take on our favorite condiments: ketchup and barbeque sauce!

KETCHUP 

What you need:

• 6 ounces of tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 dash ground cloves
• 1 dash ground allspice
• 1 dash cayenne pepper 

What you do:
1. Simply mix all the ingredients together until smooth and blended. Refrigerate overnight for a stronger flavor.


BARBEQUE SAUCE
What you need:

• 1 onion, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1 Tbsp minced garlic)
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 c water
• 1/4 c homemade ketchup
• 3 Tbsp mustard (you can make homemade mustard or use French's)
• 1 dash ground cloves
• 1 dash cinnamon
• 1 dash smoked paprika
• 1 dash hot sauce

What you do:

1. In a large sauce pan, brown onion. Add garlic and continue to brown for another minute. 
2. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 30 minutes. 
3. Taste and adjust with hot sauce or paprika to taste. 

 For a complete list of condiments made paleo, check out this website.

Paleo Ice Cream...yep, ICE CREAM!

What if I told you you could make ice cream without the sugar, milk, cream? What if I told you that it tasted as good, if not better (better in my opinion)? I didn't think it was possible, but it is! And you don't need to just stick with plain old boring vanilla, either! In this post, you will find variations for vanilla, chocolate, chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, and strawberry banana.

A quick note before we get started: If you have an ice cream machine, awesome!! If you don't, fear not! You can still make paleo ice cream!! The trick if you don't have an ice cream machine is to fully let the custard cool (in refrigerator) before putting it in the freezer. Once in the freezer, you'll need to vigorously whisk the mixture every 30 minutes for 2 - 3 hours while it freezes.

So, without further ado...

What you need:
Base

• 1 can coconut milk, full fat (full fat = 9 - 14g/serving)*
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tbsp vanilla extract (or seeds from 2 fresh vanilla beans) 
• 3 tbsp honey *

What you do: 

Pot + heat safe bowl= double boiler!

1. In a double boiler (or a pot filled a few inches with water and a glass bowl placed on top...see right), bring water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
2. Add in coconut milk, vanilla, and honey. Whisk continuously and heat until hot, but not boiling. [If making mint chocolate chip ice cream, steep mint now (see below for instructions)]
3. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl. Add cupfuls of the now hot milk mixture to the eggs and whisk. This is called tempering. You are slowly bringing the temperature of the eggs up so they don't scramble.
4. Add the now tempered eggs to the coconut milk and continue to whisk for several minutes. [Add chocolate to melt if making chocolate ice cream]
5. Remove bowl from heat and allow to cool on the counter or in refrigerator. I do 30 minutes on the counter and 30 in the refrigerator. Prior to putting the ice cream in the machine or freezer, you want it to be cold to the touch. The colder, the better!
6. Once chilled, you can add flavors like strawberries, banana, or other berries.
7. If using an ice cream machine, follow the instructions as usual. If you don't have one, place the cooled mixture in the freezer for 2 -3 hours. Stir every 30 minutes.
8. Store ice cream in an airtight container.


Flavors
Chocolate: 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted (add to mixture prior to cooling)
Strawberry: 1 cup mashed strawberries (add to cooled mixture)
Strawberry-Banana: 1/2 cup mashed strawberries, 1/2 cup mashed bananas (add to cooled mixture)
Chocolate Chip: 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, chopped (ice cream machine: add as it is churning, freezer: add after one hour in freezer)

Steeping mint

Mint Chocolate Chip: steep 1 packet of mint (about a cup) in base (to steep: add mint to base in double boiler while on medium-low heat. As soon as the base is hot, turn the burner off and let it sit for 30 minutes. Turn burners on and let base get hot again. Once hot, turn burners off and let it sit for another 30 minutes. Strain mint leaves from mixture. I squeeze the mint leaves dry...I'm all about collecting every last bit of minty awesomeness!! Chop up 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips.





*Recipe Notes:
There are a ton of different brands of coconut milk out there. I have found that the Thai Kitchen brand works the best! It contains guar gum which keeps the milk from getting too hard. Gold Star Coconut Milk will produce a mixture that freezes very hard and is not easy to scoop out.  Thai Kitchen is a tad more expensive but the end result is smooth, creamy deliciousness!!
In other recipes, honey is listed as an optional ingredient. A "flavor", if you will. I have found it to be a necessity :)

Keeping a food journal? Mint Chocolate Chip & Chocolate chip, Paleo Chocolate Ice Cream, Paleo Strawberry Ice Cream

Chicken & Mushrooms

Chicken, mushrooms, and that's it...well, a little salt and pepper and there you have it! One of the easiest paleo recipes out there! Yes, I know, you could add some thyme, a little basil, some garlic, or anything else you have floating around in your pantry. However, the point of this super simple recipe is to actually be able to taste the awesome flavor that comes from chicken and mushrooms....JUST chicken and mushrooms! And let me tell you...it is SO flavorful!

What you need:

• 4 chicken breasts
• salt and pepper (no measurements...just go with it!!)
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced thick
• 1/2 c water
• 1 tablespoon butter (grass fed, if you can find it! Check out Mark's Daily Apple for brands)

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Salt and pepper each chicken breasts on both sides. 
3. Use olive oil or coconut oil and coat an oven safe pan. Place pan over medium-high heat and let it get hot. 
4. Sear chicken breasts for 5 minutes on one side. 
5. Flip chicken, sear for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt while searing. 
6.  Place pan (with chicken and mushrooms in it) into the oven for 15 minutes. 
7. Remove pan from oven and place on medium-high heat. Place chicken on a plate and cover loosely with foil. 
8. Saute mushrooms for 5 minutes. 
9. Add water and butter. Let it simmer until the butter is melted. 
10. Pour over chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. 

 Keeping a food journal? Paleo Chicken & Mushrooms

Paleo Zucchini Chips

I wanted to post this recipe even though I am still tweaking it. The original recipe can be found here. These aren't quite crispy enough for my liking, so I am messing with the length of cook time/oven temperature. I'll update when I have it figured out!

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup almond flour/meal
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 zucchini, cut 1/4" thick
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional, depending on how paleo you are feeling!)

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. *

milk mixture & "breading" mixture

2. Combine coconut flour and milk in a small bowl.
3. Combine almond flour/meal, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cheese (if using) in a bowl and stir with a whisk until evenly mixed.
 4. Dip zucchini slices in milk/coconut flour mixture and dredge in almond flour mixture. *
5. Put coated slices on baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until browned and crisp.

**Recipe Notes:
1. Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper helps prevent the chips from getting too done on the bottom. I used foil once and the chips stuck, peeling the breading off. Cooking spray on a baking sheet worked better than foil but not as good as the parchment paper.
2. Almond flour/meal has the tendency to clump very easily. If you find this happening, you can hold the chips and sprinkle the "breading" mixture on.

This batch has cheese in the breading mixture.

Keeping a food journal? Check out the nutritional facts: Paleo Zucchini Chips

Chinese Honey Chicken...Paleo Style

I was having a severe craving for some Asian food...soy, teriyaki, anything! I found this recipe for honey chicken and was excited until I read "cornstarch", "flour", "rice vinegar"...none of which are paleo!! I'm often hesitant to take non-paleo recipes and attempt to make them paleo, mainly because I hate when I screw up dinner, but also because certain paleo ingredients (cough, cough, almond flour, cough, coconut flour!) are expensive and I hate to waste!! I'm also fairly new to the paleo world, so I usually just take a paleo recipe and change up some things here and there.
I am so glad I attempted this recipe because it was awesome. And by awesome, I mean AWESOME!!

So, here goes!
What you need:

• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
• Coconut/Olive/Macadamia Oil (for deep frying) 

Batter:

• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white (equivalent to 2 tablespoons egg white)

Sauce: 

• 1 ½ tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 2 teaspoons coconut flour

What you do: 
1. In a large bowl, mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Add chicken and cover with plastic wrap or foil for 30 minutes. 
2. Heat a deep fryer to 350 degrees OR fill your pot of choice with a moderate amount of oil (olive, macadamia, coconut)...enough to cover the chicken. Fry chicken in small batches so as not to significantly lower the temperature of the oil. I used a pot on the stove and it took about 5 minutes per batch to fry. Using a deep fryer, allow to cook for about 2 minutes. For more info on deep frying without a deep fryer, check out this website. 
3. To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a wok, or similar saucepan. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Add 2 teaspoons of coconut flour to thicken. Simmer for 2 minutes.  You can add more or less honey to achieve thicker or thinner sauce.
4. Coat your chicken with the sauce by pouring it over, or (which is what I did) toss the chicken in the wok and stir! 

Seriously...SO GOOD!

*NOTES about the recipe: when you deep fry the chicken, some of the batter will flake off. I have noticed that this happens when cooking with almond and coconut flour. It doesn't "stick" to the food as well as regular flour does. I just scooped the excess batter out with a slotted spoon and put in the saucepan for flavor! 
Keeping a food journal? You'll be pleasantly surprised at these facts: Paleo Honey Chicken

Paleo Pancakes/Belgian Waffles

One of the things I missed most when I first went Paleo was pancakes! My husband and I would have pancakes, waffles, or french toast every weekend. He would cook and I think that's why I loved it so much!! We went several months on the paleo diet before I found this fantastic recipe! The original Silver Dollar Pancake recipe calls for less honey. I added an extra tablespoon and found that the pancakes are more moist and less dense :) 

What you need:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar, real maple syrup, or honey (the nutrition facts below are figured with honey)
• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• olive oil or coconut oil for cooking

What you do:   

1. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, water, vanilla, and honey.

2. Add almond flour, salt and baking soda and mix until thoroughly until combined 

3. Heat olive/coconut oil on skillet over medium low to medium heat or on a griddle at 250 degrees

4. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of batter at a time onto the skillet/griddle

5. I let pancakes cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Bubbles do not form with almond flour. I usually check one pancake and if it looks good, I flip the rest. If not, I wait another minute. :)

6. Remove from heat to a plate

7. Repeat process with remaining batter, add more oil to skillet as needed

 You can use the same batter in a waffle maker and make Belgian waffles:

Yields 16 pancakes or 4 Belgian waffles

Keeping a food journal? Paleo Pancakes or Paleo Belgian Waffles

Paleo Brownies

I have tried several paleo brownie recipes, and this is BY FAR the best one! They taste just like regular brownies! Here we go...
What you need:

• 1 lb of walnuts
• 1 egg
• 1 c honey
• 1/2 c baking cocoa
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 oz unsweetened dark chocolate, chopped *

What you do: 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking dish.
2. Using a food processor or blender, grind up the walnuts until they are smooth...like this:

If there are a few pieces of walnut that don't get ground up all the way, it's ok...nuts are good in brownies!!

3.In a large bowl, beat an egg. Add in the walnuts, vanilla, and honey. Stir to combine.
4. Add in cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in chopped baking chocolate.
5. Pour batter in greased baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes.
6. Let brownies cool for 10 minutes, cut and eat.

Brownies will puff up in the oven and settle once removed and cooled. They will look like this:

YUM!!

*Recipe Note: If you are feeling less than paleo when making these, or it's a cheat day, you can use 1 oz of baking chocolate and 1 oz of dark chocolate chips!


Keeping a food journal? Here is the nutritional 411: Paleo Brownies

Kale Chips

This recipe is really simple, but really delicious. It is a fantastic alternative when you need something salty. My husband LOVES these!! You can also change up the spices to whatever you are feeling (chili powder, pepper, onion powder...the possibilities are endless!).
What you need:

• kale, roughly 2 cups
• garlic powder, 2 tsp
• salt, 1 tsp
• cooking spray *
• cayenne pepper

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Tear off pieces of kale, leaving the stem attached. Place kale on a baking sheet lined with foil or      parchment paper
3. Lightly spray olive oil cooking spray evenly over kale pieces.
4. Sprinkle garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper (or whatever spices you choose). Don't over salt...trust me!
5. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes, until kale is crispy.

 *NOTE: Some recipes call for olive oil to be drizzled in lieu of cooking spray. You can use whatever you have on hand, just note that using olive oil will change the nutritional value considerably.

Keeping a food journal? Here is the nutritional info: Kale Chips