Thursday 30 August 2012

Raw "Cheesecake"

This came from the website "Detoxinista.com" and it was DELICIOUS!!! I could have eaten the entire thing in one sitting :)  I had made this before using a 6 inch pan and played around with the measurements but it didn't quite turn out ...so, after searching for a springform pan, I found the 4 inch springform pan at Walmart (2 for $4.97).

















Make the crust first. You can use this crust as the base for any raw dessert, or as a crumbly topping!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw pecans (i used mostly pecans and ran out so used walnuts to make a cup)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (or stevia, to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
Directions
  1. Grind nuts in a food processor until crumbly. (Be careful not to over-process, or the oils will be release from the nuts, leaving you with a more glossy, oily crust)
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend in food processor until it all sticks together, like cookie dough. Press the dough into a greased or lined pan, and place it in the freezer to set.
Notes
Double this recipe to fill a traditional 9″ pan. (I THOUGHT that this recipe was enough base for the two springform pans but next time, I'll put it all in one)
Next make the filling......
Fills one 4″ springform pan, plus a little extra for snacking… ;) Actually, there was enough left to fill a small ramekin. 
Ingredients
1/2 cup zucchini, peeled and chopped 
1/2 cup raw cashew butter 
2 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (only used 1 1/4 as i ran out !! - could probably sub orange juice here)

2 1/2 Tablespoons raw honey (I only used 1 Tbsp then tasted...was sweet enough for me)
2 dates (i soaked mine first)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
Directions: In a mini food processor, blend zucchini until finely processed. Add the lemon juice, raw honey, dates, vanilla, and sea salt, and blend until smooth. Finally, add in the cashew butter, cocoa powder and blend until well combined. Pour into a spring-form pan, or bowl, and FREEZE OVERNIGHT until set.
*note: You can make your own cashew butter by simply blending 2 cups of raw cashews in a high-powered blender (such as a Vita-Mix) until smooth

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Maple Pecan Muffins

Found this recipe on the "Paleo on Main" blogsot. These are worth making and making again !



These muffins really, really were good!! the zucchini adds a great amount of moisture (even the hubby liked them!) these are probably one of the BETTER  paleo muffins I've made so i'm very pleased that they were as dense as they were. Plus, i got to use up some of the zucchini in my garden.  :) I would keep them in the refrigerator to keep the zucchini from going bad too fast. Hope you enjoy!

Batter:
4 eggs
3 Tbsp Melted Butter
2 C Shredded Zucchini ( i set mine in a colander to drain for a few hours)
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/3 C Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt


Topping:
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 C Chopped Pecans

 Preheat oven to 350. Grease well, or line with cupcake papers, 12 muffin tins.



 In separate bowls, mix wet and dry batter ingredients till well incorporated.



 Stir wet into dry.

Scoop by ice cream scoop into prepared muffin tins. In the same bowl, combine topping ingredients. With a spoon, evenly distribute topping over each muffin.



Place muffins in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.   Enjoy!!

Lemon Pie Macaroons

These are from the DamyHealth.com website. According to her site: This recipe is gluten free, vegan, raw, grain free, dairy free, sweet, tangy and delicious!  For me, they were a little more than "ok" but that's probably cause I don't like to eat anything that's NOT chocolate :)  I would prefer them a little more sour and maybe next time I will make them bigger (using the 1 TBSP scoop) but overall, I nice tangy snack :)




 Prep time: 10 Minutes (Yield: Makes 15 Macaroons) - 
( i got 37 of these macaroons as I used a 1/2 Tbsp measuring spoon to scoop them)

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Dash of Sea Salt
1/3 Cup Pre-soaked Dates
1 Cup Shredded Coconut
1/4 Cup Grond Flax (or Hemp Seeds)
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar (I used the juice from the soaked dates)
Juice of 1 Lime (or Lemon if you are making Lemon Meringue)
Zest of 1 Lime (or Lemon if you are making Lemon Meringue)

Directions:
Place almonds, vanilla, salt, agave, lemon juice and flax into your food processor and blend until smooth.
Place the rest of the ingredients into your food processor with blended ingredients and pulse until mixed.
Using a melon baller scoop out macaroons onto a plate or into a container.
Serve and enjoy!
Tip – Store in a sealed-tight container in the refrigerator.

Sour Gummy

These were so easy and good!! I put mine in a silicone ice cube tray from the Dollar Store (which had 21 holes in it). ready in minutes and a nice treat!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp grassfed Gelatin (I used Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin) - i'm sure regular gelatin would be fine
1/3 cup lemon/lime juice (i fresh squeezed mine)
3 Tbsp honey (I only used 2 Tbsp and for me, they were sweet enough)
Optional - non-toxic, veggie based food coloring (I used a slice of fresh beet and let it soak a bit in the juice)
optional - few drops of lemon extract or lemon oil for increased pucker factor (i used pure lemon oil)

Whisk lemon/lime juice, honey and gelatin in sauce pan until there are no lumps.  Heat over very low h eat until nice and smooth. add food colouring if desired. Grab an ice cube try or silicone mould. you can use a basic pan too and then just cut into squares or use a cookie cutter after its set.

Pour into the mould, pop in freezer for 5-10 minutes to form up. once they are out of the freezer they will stay firm at room temperature.

Great treat for kids!

Here is the silicone mould I used.  I did make a second batch using the grapefruit juice pictured below..... they were ok but not as good as the fresh lemon ones. The ones pictured below are the grapefruit ones.


Sunday 19 August 2012

Paleo Carrot Cake Pancakes

These are my new favorites!  found this recipe on the site http://paleomg.com/paleo-carrot-cake-pancakes/  This recipe will make about 8-10 fair sized pancakes.


Ingredients

  • 1 cup carrots, shredded
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1/2 cup canned coconut milk-full fat.
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • lots of: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg (i used pumpkin spice)
  • handful of raisins
  • 1 tablespoon coconut butter per 3 pancakes
  • lots of maple syrup, obviously!
Instructions
  1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl: almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda and powder, and spice together.
  2. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients: carrots, eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, and raisins. Mix thoroughly.
  3. Heat a large skillet up under medium-high heat and use coconut oil to grease the surface. 
  4. Pour batter into small pancakes onto hot griddle. Cook on both sides for 3 or so minutes.
  5. Top pancakes off with coconut butter and maple syrup.