More Pancakes...

I have another post about pancakes, but tried another recipe and just had to write about them.  These are soooo good!  And the topping took some time, but so worth it!  Fruit puree or plain fruit works just as well for a topping.  These taste and have the texture more like "regular" pancakes.  They are dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free - added bonus.  :) (Well, I made them sugar-free by substituting the agave nectar with applesauce)


Pancakes
(The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook)
2 large eggs
1/4 unsweetened applesauce
1 T. vanilla extract 
1/4 c. water
1 1/2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 T. arrowroot powder
2 T. grapeseed oil


In blender, combine eggs, applesauce, vanilla extract, and water; process on high for about 1 minute, until smooth.  Add almond flour, salt, baking soda, and arrowroot powder, and blend until thoroughly combined.
Heat grapeseed oil in large skillet over medium-low heat.  Ladle 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter onto the  skillet for each pancake.  Cook until small bubbles form on the top of each pancake; when the bubbles begin to open, flip each pancake.  When fully cooked, transfer the pancakes to a plate.  Repeat with remaining batter.


Cinnamon Apple Syrup
(The G-F Almond Flour Cookbook)
2 c. apple juice
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4" thick
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 T. arrowroot powder
1/4 water
In large saucepan, bring apple juice and apples to boil.  Whisk in cinnamon, then decrease heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.
In small bowl, dissolve arrowroot powder in water, stirring to make a slurry.  Raise heat under saucepan to high.  Add arrowroot slurry to apples and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute.  Simmer over medium heat for 12 -15 minutes, until the mixture reaches the consistency of syrup.
Store in a glass Mason jar in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Disappearing Tenderloin

Dean is the master of the grill.  Sun, rain, wind snow - nothing will stop him from grilling us the most amazing meals.  So, we got him his own cookbook "Weber's Big Book of Grilling" (he calls it his "man book").  Everyone that enjoys grilling should get this cookbook!  This meal was so good - we fought for the leftovers.  Don't be afraid of all of the ingredients - I promise this tenderloin is worth it!

Disappearing Tenderloin with Pico de Gallo

Marinade:

1/3 c. fresh squeezed orange juice

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

2 T. worcestershire sauce

1 T. honey

1 T. minced garlic

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each

Rub:

2 t. chili powder

1 t. cracked black pepper

1 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/4 t. granulated garlic

Pico:

2 c. finely diced ripe tomato

1 c. finely diced red onion

3 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 t. minced serrano chiles, including seeds

1 t. salt

To make marinade: In small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.  

Trim any excess fat from the tenderloins.  Place tenderloins in large, resealable plastic bag and add the marinade.  Press the air our of the bag and seal tightly.  Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place in a bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, turning occasionally.

To make rub: In small bowl, combine rub ingredients.

To make pico de gallo:  In medium bowl combine the pico ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Cover wiht plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour to fully incorporate the flavors.

Remove tenderloins from the bag and discard the marinade.  Coat evenly with the rub and lightly brush or spray with olive oil.  Allow to stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling.

Grill over indirect medium heat until the centers are barely pink and the internal temperature reaches 155º, 25-30 mins.  Turning once halfway through grilling time.  Remove from the grill, loosely cover with foil, and allow to rest for 3-5 mins. before cutting in thin slices on the bias.  Serve warm with pico de gallo.

Chipotle Orange Chicken

I have several recipes for roasting a whole chicken and this one is my favorite.  We all (yes, even my little gals) love the flavor.  Spicy, tangy - yum!  I have made this a couple of times already.  






Chipotle Orange Chicken
(elanaspantry.com)
1 whole chicken
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon herbes de provence
¼ cup of 1/2 raw honey, 1/2 grapeseed oil 
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 tablespoon chipotle chile
1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
-Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel.
-Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish.
-In small bowl, combine garlic, herbs de provence, honey, grapeseed oil, salt, chipotle chile.
-Rub mixture onto chicken.
-Pour orange juice over chicken.
-Marinate chicken in refrigerator, up to 3 hours.
-Bake at 350 for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Whoopie Pies

Yep, that's my little one licking the beater. I am not the only one adjusting to a new "diet." My girls have had to try lots of new things, too. They don't seem to mind testing out my desserts, though. :) These "Whoopie Pies" (which I call "Oatmeal Creme Pies") were a hit in this house. I don't make baked goods often, but I don't feel guilty when I do. I would rather feed my family a "healthy" dessert, than a packaged, processed one with ingredients I can't pronounce. :)

Whoopie Pies

(from The Label Says Paleo)

2 cups of blanched almond flour - subbed 1 c hazelnut flour, for 1 c each of almond and hazelnut
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ginger (dried)
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
1 cup of honey (or other sweetener)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
-Blend all the dry ingredients together, and then add all the wet ingredients and blend well.
-On baking sheets covered with parchment paper, place heaping tablespoon about 2 inches apart in circles, across the sheet.
-Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The smaller and thinner the cookie, the less time this will take.
-Cool completely – at least 15 minutes – before sliding them off the mat with a spatula.
-Take one pie and spread frosting on it. Place another pie on top of the frosting. Serve.

Coconut Frosting

(The Label Says Paleo)

8 tablespoons of shortening (I used coconut oil)
4 tablespoons of honey (adjust sweetness to your liking)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
-Blend all the ingredients together with a whisk.

-Spread, serve, and store sealed at room temperature.

Ribs and Salad

Looks good, right? Well it was! :) We recently received our butchered 1/4 grass-fed cow and are enjoying the beef. Dean made us some tasty ribs and I made the yummy salad/dressing.

BBQ Ribs

4 grass-fed ribs

olive oil

garlic pepper

Bottle of BBQ sauce

Sprinkle ribs with garlic pepper, spray with olive oil. Grill for a few minutes to brown the meat. Add ribs and sauce to crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Pine Nut Salad

(Creme de Colorado cookbook)

1/4 c. pine nuts

2 cloves garlic

1 cup water

1/4 t. salt

1 t. dijon mustard

2 T. white wine vinegar

1/2 c. olive oil

1 large head romaine lettuce, torn into pieces

1/4 c. coarsely shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Toast pine nuts under broiler until golden brown; watch carefully. Set aside.

In small saucepan, boil garlic in water for 10 minutes; drain. In large salad bowl, mash garlic and salt to a paste. Whisk in mustard and vinegar. Add oil in a stream; whisking dressing until oil is emulsified. Add romaine; toss well and season with pepper. Sprinkle parmesan and pine nuts over salad and serve.

Stuffed Peppers

Sometimes Dean and I need a "to go" dinner - without ordering food from a restaurant. These peppers were a great solution! I had prepared them earlier in the day and just had to bake them before we had to go. The stuffed meat and veggies stayed nice and warm and they were easy to transport. So, the original recipe called for stuffed eggplant, which I fully intended on doing until I noticed the eggplant I had had gone bad. Oops. These were a good substitution, though. :) I added a little more spice and zucchini - yum. Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

(marksdailyapple.com)

4 bell peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
16 oz ground bison, cooked - seasoned with chipotle chile pepper
¼ cup almond flour
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut tops off of peppers and clean out seeds and pit. Add oil to skillet and sauté onions and garlic for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add tomatoes, zucchini, thyme, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste and cook over medium-high heat until the majority of the moisture evaporates and you are left with a stew-like mixture. Remove from heat and mix in cooked meat. Next, stuff the peppers with the stew-like mixture, top with almond flour (a stand in for breadcrumbs) and bake in a 350° pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, top with chopped parsley.

Veggie Meatballs

Meatballs

(everydaypaleo.com)

Mix together (with your hands):

2 lbs. grass-fed beef

1 lb. pork sausage

chopped celery, onion

shredded carrots, zucchini

3 eggs

1/2 c. almond meal/flour

lots of dried oregano, garlic powder, cracked black pepper, a little cayenne

small drizzle of raw honey

Form into large meatballs and cover bottom of crock pot. Cover with jar of spaghetti sauce. Cook on low all day. Or bake meatballs (without sauce) in shallow baking dish at 350 for 40 minutes.

If you can't tell, we love meat in this house. I have no problem getting everyone to eat meat, but getting the girls (and me) to eat vegetables is another story. So, I made these meatballs and we all ate them with no problem. The girls didn't even notice the hidden veggies. :)