Paleo Milk - Walnut Milk

Sometimes I just want a glass of milk - or something made with milk.  Homemade nut milk is a great alternative to dairy.  It is creamy and has a great taste.  I like to use it in smoothies, in my morning coffee or to make paleo hot cocoa.  Plus it's super easy to make!

Many nut milks are readily availiable at the supermarket.  While these are good - I find they have many non-paleo addititives.  I like walnut milk better than other nut alternatives because it has omega-3s in it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Walnuts
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• Favorite Paleo Sweetner to taste

Instructions:

1. Soak walnuts in water for at least 8 hours in the refridgerator.
2. Rinse walnuts and place in blender with about 4 cups water (use 2 cups if you want very rich milk, 5 cups if you like skim milk - 4 is similar to 2% milk to me)
3. Add vanilla and sweetener.  I used about 10 drops of stevia.
4. Blend for 2-3 minutes.
5. Use cheese cloth or wire strainer (or cheese cloth in wire strainer) to strain out remaining walnut chunks.  If you use a cheesecloth you'll need to fold up the cloth and squeeze the liquid out.  I simply use a wire strainer - my milk has some "solids" in it.  The small solids don't bother me - maybe I'm just lazy!

Bonus!

The remaining walnut solids can be used in future recipes!  Take the wet solids and throw them on a cookie sheet then put them in the oven at 250 F until dried out (~30 minutes).  

Nutritional Info - I don't know what the nutritional info is on this!  I find that you end up with a large amount of walnut solids after making this recipe - so it's difficult to quantify how much you ended up with vs how much is actually in the milk.  

Paleo Jambalaya

This recipe was inspired by a recipe found on Mark's Daily Apple.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Andouille Sausage (I found mine at Trader Joes)
• 1 Yellow Onion
• 1 Large bell pepper chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 14.5oz Can Diced Tomatos
• 1.5 cups Chicken Stock
• 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
• 1 Tbsp Parsley (fresh if you have it)
• 1 Tsp Chili Powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cayenne Pepper (optional, to taste)
• 1 Pound peeled raw Shrimp
• Cauliflower Rice

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, brown sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic.  
2. Add tomatos, chicken stock and spices.  Cook for 20-30 minutes.
3. Add shrimp and cook just until shrimp is pink.  Remove from heat (cooked too long shrimp becomes rubbery).
4. Serve Jambalaya over cauliflower rice.

This recipe is quite good as leftovers!  

Nutritional Information:

Paleo Jambalaya (this does not include the cauliflower rice)

Paleo Rice - Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice can be used whenever you would want to use normal rice.  Cauliflower has a distinct flavor; however, it is easily overpowered by other strong flavors.

I don't know where I originally found the recipe for cauliflower rice - it is now all over the internet.  Below are the instructions to make this basic dish (there are many variations out there).

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower

Instructions:

1. Wash and chop cauliflower into managable pieces.  Use a cheese grater or food processor to grate cauliflower into rice sized pieces.
2. Microwave cauliflower in microwave safe dish with lid for 2-3 minutes until cauliflower is cooked and hot.  
3. Serve with favorite dish.  I recommend only cooking the amount you plan to use during that particular meal.  Re-heating the cauliflower several times often results in very soggy cauliflower.

 Nutritional Information:
Cauliflower

Paleo Egg McMuffins

This is my new favorite breakfast.  It takes me about 5 minutes to make in the morning.

Ingredients:

• Paleo Biscuit
• 1-slice uncured bacon
• 1-egg

Instructions:

1. Place paper towel on plate.  Fold bacon in half, cover with another paper towel and cook for about 1-minute - until bacon reaches desired crispness.
2. Spray round microwave safe dish with non-stick spray or grease with oil.  Crack egg into dish and puncture yolk.  Cook for 45 seconds to 1-minute - until egg is cooked.
3. Cut biscuit in half and assemble sandwich.

Enjoy!

This recipe will also work with breakfast sausage patty.

Nutritional Information:

Paleo Breakfast McMuffin

Paleo Biscuits

I actually couldn't believe how well this recipe turned out.  These little biscuits are the answer to several paleo roadblocks I've had.  These make a ridiculously good breakfast sandwich! (I'll post that recipe soon!)

This recipe is inspired by: Healthy Indulgences

Ingredients:
- 1/4 C Coconut Flour
- 1/2 C Blanched Almond Flour
- 1 TSP Baking Powder
- 1.5 TBSP grass fed butter softened (coconut oil works as well if you're okay with butter)
- 6 Egg Whites

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Sift coconut flour, almond flour and baking powder together.
3. Using a pastry blender or a fork, blend the butter and flours together.  The mixture will be quite dry.
4. Put the flour/butter mixture in the freezer or the the fridge.  This allows the butter to get solid and will help the biscuits be flaky.
5. While the biscuits are chilling, use hand beaters or the blender to make the egg whites frothy.  This recipe is a great place to utilize the freeze dried egg whites.  
6. Quickly mix the egg whites into the flour mixture until just blended.
7. Spoon the batter into a greased muffin pan.  I use the "Texas-size" muffin tin to make 4 larger biscuits.  Using a regular muffin tin will result in 6 smaller biscuits.
8. Bake 15 minutes (until biscuits start to look brown on the top and don't "give" when you tap the tops).

Enjoy!  I like these with 100% fruit preserves, almond butter, butter, as "Egg McMuffins", etc.

Nutritional Information:

Paleo Biscuits

Favorite Things: Cocoa Roast Almonds

 

Most nights after dinner I crave something sweet.  Sometimes a piece of fruit is exactly what I need.  Sometimes the only thing that can fill that hole is chocolate.  These little Cocoa Roast Almonds by Emerald Nuts are AMAZING.

I classify these as almost Paleo.  Cocoa is not paleo - but has been proven to have health benefits (antioxidants etc).  Also, these nuts contain sucralose  - which is not Paleo.  In moderation, these are a better bad choice.

You can buy them at most grocery stores.  You can also get them online.

Salade Lyonnaise - Breakfast Salad

This photo really doesn't do this meal justice.  I was raving about this meal for a few days afterward.  I never thought I'd have salad for breakfast - alas, now I'm an addict!

Normally Salade Lyonnaise has croutons and poached eggs.  I omitted the croutons (for obvious reasons) and just cooked my eggs over-easy.  You can cook the eggs your favorite way and this salad will still be perfect.

This recipe was inspired from this site.

Ingredients:

• 2 Slices Uncured Bacon
• 3 Eggs
• Organic Spring Mix Lettuce
• 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1/2 TBSP Basalmic Vinegar
• 1/2 TSP Dijon Mustard

Instructions:

1. Cook Bacon in skillet.  When crispy, remove from skillet to paper towels to drain.
2. While bacon cooks, mix olive oil, vinegar and mustard together.  I like to use a tiny plastic container and shake - but a bowl and whisk will work as well.
3. Pour off most of the bacon fat.  Cook eggs in a small amount of bacon grease to desired doneness (I think I made that word up...).  Scrambled, fried, over-easy, sunny-side up, etc will work.
4. Fill plate with Spring Mix Lettuce.  Crumble bacon over lettuce.  Place cooked eggs on top of lettuce. 
5. Pour dressing over salad and enjoy!

Nutritional Information:

Salade Lyonnaise

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

So I found out today that I love Brussel Sprouts!  I never actually tried them before, but roasted they are fantastic!

This recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa.

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Brussel Sprouts
• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• Sea Salt to Taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Cut off brown bottoms of Brussel Sprouts.
3. Place on pan and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, shaking pan a few times to turn sprouts.  Sprouts should be tender and have browned outsides.

Nutrition Info:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Kale Chips

When I heard the ladies at Jogo discussing Kale Chips I knew I had to try them out.  They are fantastic!  They really hit the “I really want some chips!” craving.  Plus they are super simple!  I used a combo of purple kale and regular kale.  The purple Kale is fairly bitter – so I’d recommend using normal green Kale if available.

Ingredients:

• Kale
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Optional: Pepper, other spices

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Wash Kale.  Dry with paper towel or in salad spinner.
3. Tear off bite size chunks of Kale leaf leaving the hard stem part.
4. Place Kale on pan and drizzle with Olive Oil.  Use fingers to spread olive oil all over leaves on both sides.
5. Sprinkle salt and, if desired, pepper and other spices.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until Kale sounds crispy when pan is shaken.

Nutritional Info:

Kale Chips

Cavegirl Court's Coconut Flour Paleo Pancakes

When it comes to eating Paleo, I think breakfasts are the hardest.  I grew up eating sugary cereal, pancakes, waffles, muffins, cinnamon rolls, etc.  The carboholic in me cries when I eat too many eggs & bacon breakfasts.  These Pancakes are the answer!

Original recipe found at ComfyBelly.

Coconut Paleo Pancakes

Ingredients:

·   3 Eggs OR 3 Egg Whites & 1 Egg OR 4 Egg Whites

·   1 tsp Olive Oil

·   1 tsp Honey

·   1 tsp Vanilla

·   1/2 tsp Baking Soda

·   2 Tbsp Coconut Flour

·   Optional: Blueberries, Maple Syrup, Fruit Topping

·   Additional oil, grass-fed butter, coconut oil, or non-stick spray for cooking

Instructions:

1. Blend eggs in blender for 2-3 minutes until eggs are frothy.  If using egg whites, blend egg whites first until very foamy, then add yolks, and blend a little longer to incorporate.

2. Add olive oil, honey and vanilla (if you add them in that order the honey slides right out of the measuring spoon).  Blend for 1 minute.

3. Add baking soda and coconut flour and blend for additional minute.

4. Heat up skillet or pancake pan on medium heat (high will scorch pancakes too quickly and not allow pancakes to rise).  Add oil, butter, coconut flour or non-stick spray to pan.  When skillet is warm, pour batter into small circles on pan (3-4" in diameter seems to work best).  If you are using blueberries add them here.  Also, if you add a few blueberries to the blender with the dry ingredients you can make blue pancakes which are fun for kids (or adults that are young at heart).

5. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear.  This happens quickly and the pancakes get dark quickly, so pay attention!  Allow other side of pancake to cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat.

6. Serve with maple syrup, berries, almond butter, etc.

Nutritional information (without toppings) can be found here:

3 Regular Eggs

3 Whites - 1 Whole Egg

All Whites