Paleo Chocolate Cake

I hate Chocolate ! I never have sweet tooth and never crave for chocolate. But I just love baking chocolate cake.

I saw this recipe at Elana's Pantry and has been waiting for an occasion where I could bake a chocolate cake ! Perfect opportunity came today when my running coach invite us for a BBQ at his place.... Oh yes ! Time to bake a chocolate cake !

A perfect Paleo chocolate cake... I think it taste good.

For the frosting, I used the recipe from Lifefoodjourney Site . I replaced the coconut oil with grapeseed oil and my frosting could not set...BIG OPPPSS! But it still looks good !

Chocolate Cake
¾ cup coconut flour, sifted
¼ cup cacao powder
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 eggs 1 cup grapeseed oil
1 ½ cups agave nectar(I use honey)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon orange zest(I omitted this)

Direction
1. In a small bowl combine flour, cacao, salt and baking soda
2. In a large bowl using an electric hand blender, blend eggs, oil, agave nectar, vanilla and orange zest
3. Add dry ingredients into large bowl and continue to blend
4. Oil (2) 9-inch cake pans and dust with coconut flour ( I used a single pan and bake it as a single layer cake)
5. Pour batter into pans and bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes
6, Remove from oven, allow to cool completely then remove from pans Frost and serve

For the Frosting
1 cup of cocoa powder
 3/4 cup of virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup of honey ( I used one cup of honey)
 dash or two of sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Direction
1. Gently melt the coconut oil in a saucepan (you don’t want to heat it, just melt it)
2. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and pulse until well combined.
3.  Scrape into a small bowl and place in the freezer or refrigerator until it has hardened to desired consistency.

Enjoy
~bel~

Paleo Coconut Bread

This is another version of bread made from coconut flour. The BF and I agreed that this is much better than bread made from almond flour. Its more flavorful. It iss a really easy recipe from Paleo Plan website

As like the previous post, this is really a small bread. I used a 8x3.7 inch loaf pan. I could not find a decent small pan and used the disposable aluminum pan which I got from HEB.

Also, it is important to whip the eggs till it is forthy. 

I really like this recipe. I think I am going to make this my base for other bread. Thinking of adding blueberry or strawberry next time :)

Direction
6 eggs
1/2 cup virgin coconut oil ( or any fats.. I have tried butter and canola oil. We prefer the butter version )
2 Tbs raw honey (optional) ( I use the regular honey)
½ tsp sea salt (optional)
3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted 1 tsp baking powder

Instructions
1. Blend eggs, oil, honey, and salt together. Set aside.
2.  In a separate bowl, combine coconut flour with baking powder.
3.  Whisk this into the egg batter thoroughly, until there are no lumps.
4. Pour into greased 9x5x3 inch or smaller loaf pan and bake at 175C (350F) for 40 minutes.
5.  Remove from pan and cool on rack

~bel~

Non Gluten, Non Dairy, Non Soy Paleo Friendly Bread

Sandwich and Bread... can't remember the last time I had a sandwich since we started the Paleo diet ! I did the meal plan for this week ( the BF decided to take a break this week from meal planning)  and decided on French Toast for tomorrow.. which means we need bread !

After much research on the web, I finally decided to settle on Elana's Paleo Bread. She has two bread recipes on her site. Both looks good. I settled for this one as its the latest improved version:) This is an really easy recipe. 5 minutes preparation time and 30 mins bake time. Easy !

I can't wait for my french toast !

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
 ¾ cup arrowroot powder
¼ cup golden flaxseed meal
 ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
 ½ teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 teaspoon agave nectar ( I use honey)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar ( I use lemon juice)

Direction : 
1. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot, flax meal, salt and baking soda
2. In a larger bowl, blend eggs 3-5 minutes until frothy Stir agave and vinegar into eggs
3. Mix dry ingredients into wet Pour Scoop batter into a well greased 7.5" x 3.5"  Loaf Pan
4. Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean Cool and serve

Tips :
1. This make a small loaf. Best to use a small loaf pan so to give height
2. Use a cake mixer to whisk the eggs till frothy (3 to 5mins). This is crucial as we do not use baking powder or yeast.

~bel~

Non Gluten, Non Soy, Dairy Free , Paleo Friendly Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf.... I never had them !  Just because most of them contains bread crumbs.. and I was on south beach for a while before switching to this Paleo Style of living... so bread crumbs was a NO NO to me

We were watching Food Network and Paula Deen was making meat loaf.. I told the BF that I wanna one ! So lucky me.. got one.

We found a really good recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen. The BF said it taste as good as those with bread crumbs.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean ground beef (less than 10% fat)
1 pkg. (19.5 oz.) hot turkey Italian Sausage ( We use Chorizo)
2 T dried chopped onion
1 T garlic powder
1 T dried basil
1 T dried parsley
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1 tsp. Vege-Sal (or 1/2 tsp. salt)
1 T ground fennel
1 cup finely chopped slow roasted tomatoes (or use sun-dried tomatoes - rinse with hot water if oil packed) 2 eggs slightly beaten

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove ground beef and turkey sausage links from refrigerator and let come to room temperature.
2. In bowl, combine dried onion, garlic powder, dried basil, dried parsley, flax seed meal, Vege-sal or salt, and ground fennel.
3. Squeeze turkey sausage out of casings in small pieces into large mixing bowl. Break ground beef into pieces and place in same bowl.
4. Add dried herb/flax seed meal mixture, tomatoes, and eggs to meat mixture and use your hands to combine well.
5. Try to mix the meat enough to get spices and eggs evenly distributed without overmixing.
6. Shape meat into two loaves and put in oven for about an hour and 15  minutes or when the thermometer indicate that it is done



~bel~

Gluten Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free Paleo Friendly Chocolate Bacon Burbon Brownie

Hm....hm....Chocolate Bacon Burbon Brownie ... this has been in my head since the BF had it a few weeks back. It was so good that the BF declared it the best thing he ever had.

I was so glad when I found this Paleo friendly chocolate bacon brownie recipe.  I substituted the coconut milk with Bourbon.. and Bingo... I have my chocolate Bacon Bourbon Brownie.

Surprisingly, the recipe does not call for use of any flour. Only almond butter and cacao

The BF said it taste with the "real thing".. ie comparable to those made from flour

The original recipe as follow :

You are here:
Ingredients:
2 Cups of almond butter
2 Eggs
1 /2 Cup Raw Organic Honey ( I used regular honey)
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Cup Cacao Powder
1/2 Tsp Sea salt
1 Tsp baking soda
1/8 Cup Coconut Milk  ( I use burbon)
8 Slices crispy cooked bacon, chopped in food processor ( The bacon needs to be very crisp. I used more bacon and used the extra as toppings)

Direction
1. Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F
2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer blend your almond butter to make it a smoother consistency
3. Next blend in your two eggs Now blend in the honey and the vanilla Add the salt, baking soda, and then SLOWLY add in the Cacao powder.
4. Add the Coconut milk and continue to mix well
5. Now fold in the bacon and mix well by hand to ensure an even distribution of it all
6. Divide your batter between your 24 Cupcake Cups and bake for 30-35 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.  ( I used a 8x8 cake pan!)

~bel~

The Paleo diet says NO to sweet dessert and bread ! This does not really bother me as I do not have sweet tooth.  However, BF is suffering greatly from lack of dessert and bread.

To help him feel better, I decided to bake him a pumpkin bread with a recipe from Elana's Pantry. Instead of using store purchased almond flour, I decided to make my own almond flour. The almond flour from store is too course for bakes. They do not give cakes and bread a smooth texture. Further, it is cheaper to make my own flour. Its really easy... drop some blanch almonds in the blender for a few second... sift them and its all done !

The BF declared this an Awesome pumpkin bread  !

Ingredient
1 cup blanched almond flour
 ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
 1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ cup roasted pumpkin ( I used canned pumpkin)
2 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon stevia ( I omitted this as I am not a fan of Stevia)
3 eggs

Direction
1. In a food processor combine almond flour, salt, baking soda and spices
2. Add pumpkin, honey, stevia and eggs and pulse for 2 minutes
3. Scoop batter into a 7 inch loaf pan ( I double the recipe and use a bigger pan)
4. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes
5. Cool for 1 hour

~bel~

Gluten Free Soy Free Dairy Free Sesame Cracker

Crackers !!!!! I knew I have to bake these when I saw the recipe at Elana Pantry's.  This is the first time I bake my own crackers.  It is really easy. Took me only ten minutes.

However, I did not bake them long enough in the over. I took them out when they are just about to brown. I should have taken them out when they are golden or almost golden.
 
They do taste good though ! This recipe is definitely a keeper

Ingredients:
3 cups blanched almond flour
 1 ½ teaspoons celtic sea salt
1 cup sesame seeds
 2 eggs, whisked until frothy
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil ( I used Olive Oil since I do not have grapeseed at home)

Direction
1.  In a large bowl, stir almond flour, salt, sesame seeds, eggs and oil until well blended
2. Separate dough into two halves Line two large (12 x 16) stainless steel baking sheets with parchment paper
3. Place one half of the dough in the center of each lined sheet
4.  Cut another piece of parchment paper and place it over one of the balls of dough Roll dough out between the two pieces of parchment paper, until it is ⅛ inch thick and covers the entire baking sheet; remove top paper and repeat process with the other piece of dough
5.  Cut the dough with a knife or pizza cutter into 2 inch squares
6. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown
7. Cool and serve

~bel~

Paleo Crockpot Pork Loin

Survived the first week on Paleo!!! *Phew* !!

We have been cooking more at home than usual because of the diet restriction. The BF has been diligent in his cooking and lucky me get to eat ! He made this pork loin last week. Another easy recipe which requires only a crockpot.


Ingredient
1-1/2 lb pork loin
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
2 medium (6"-8") zucchini, sliced
1 head cauliflower, separated into medium florets
1-2 Tbs dried basil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

Direction: 
Add all of the ingredients to a large crock pot.
Cook on high for 6-7 hours.

~bel~

Paleo Banana Muffin

Panning ahead for Day 2 breakfast. It is hard to make breakfast in the morning as we are always rushing for time. After much thinking, I decided that muffin will do the trick... bake a batch today.... have some as pre track work out later today and keep some for breakfast tomorrow. Perfect solution !

I have never bake muffins without flour or butte but I saw this recipe on Robb Wolf blog and it look simple enough and decided to try it ! I like simple bake :)


Ingredients:
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
 4 really ripe bananas (mashed well)
2 tbsp local honey
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

 Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2.  Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3.  In a separate bowl, add the mashed bananas, eggs, honey, and vanilla and mix well. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
4.  Fill greased muffin tins, baking cups, mini-loaf pans or big loaf pans about 3/4 full. Bake muffins for 23-25 minutes and loaves for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

~bel~

Paleo day 1 : Breakfast- Chirozo Scrambled Egg

Officially Day 1 of Paleo Challenge. The BF and I woke up early for the morning pump class. I was tired and really did not want to go. But the BF has promised to make breakfast... so I just need to move my butt and do some weights before breakfast. This Chirozo Scrambled Eggs made my day !

The BF chose this recipe from Paleo Plan. 

This is the first time we use coconut oil for cooking. I really loved it. We used extra virgin coconut oil... it give the scrambled eggs a slight coconut taste... its really good

Ingredients:
1 Tbs coconut oil
 1/2 yellow onion, diced ( We omitted this as we ran out of onion)
1/4 lb chorizo, sliced (with no filler ingredients)
4 eggs dash of sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper hot pepper sauce

Instructions
1. Over medium-high heat, sauté the onions and chorizo in coconut oil until the chorizo gets crispy around the edges and the onion turns slightly translucent.
2. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl and add sea salt and black pepper. Pour the eggs into the pan with the crispy chorizo and translucent onions. Scramble the eggs softly until cooked. Top with hot sauce.

Paleo Challenge Day 1: No Beans About It- Turkey Chili Recipe

Paleo Diet ! The BF and I finally decided to commit to a 30 days challenge. Kudos to the BF.. he actually went to buy the Paleo for Athlete book so that we can research on this diet. We have heard many good things about this diet and thought that we should try it for a month. I figured that this will be good for the BF as he eats pizzas and burgers every week. 

The BF chose 1 May as Day 1 of the challenge. So here we are... on this cave man diet for one month.

Another Kudos to the BF. He planned the menu for this week on Sunday afternoon and went to buy all the ingredients yesterday.

We decide to make a Turkey Chili for dinner last night so that he could have it for lunch today. ( Today being Day 1)

He found an easy but yummy recipe on All Recipe. We both agreed that this a keeper. Its really awesome !

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions :
1. Crumble the ground beef into a stock pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic, and cook stirring frequently until beef is evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
3. Season with chili powder, oregano, cumin and hot sauce. Stir in the tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour - or longer if you have time. Stir occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom.

~bel`