Cauliflower Pizza Crust- healthified!

A very smart client/friend once asked me why people eat cauliflower pizza crust thinking it's healthy, when anyone knows that with ALL THAT CHEESE there's no way that junk is "healthy". Well, she's a smart cookie and here is a truly healthy pizza crust, and it's yummy!

Ingredients:
3 heads cauliflower florets
2 eggs
1.5 cup almond meal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 T italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Stick the florets into a food processor until it's totally "riced". Pour the cauliflower rice into a large pot, cover with water, boil, the cover and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower, and if you'd like, freeze to cool it off. Otherwise, just use a cheesecloth to strain out all the liquid so that the cauliflower is totally dry. Pour that mixture into big mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix. Press into 2 pizza dishes in whatever shape you'd like, but not thinner than 1/4 inch. Cook for 30 minutes, then top, and cook just to heat the ingredients of your choice, and serve!

Got (non-dairy) Milk?

            Many disagreements exist regarding the health benefits of dairy, as well as the concerns of consuming raw, unpasteurized dairy. Much of the information concerning dairy is conflicting based on who is paying for the research and advertising. The choice of whether or not to consume dairy or what type of milk to consume is best made according to the priorities of the consumer, such as nutritional preferences, risks and benefits, and individual digestive reactions.

            The CDC and FDA post many warnings against consuming raw milk. These organizations claim that there are nothing but harmful bacteria and germs that have caused 79% of dairy related outbreaks between 1998-2011. However, other studies have shown that more illnesses have been recorded due to bacteria in deli meat. They also claim that almost no nutritional values and hardly any enzymes are lost in the pasteurization and homogenization processes. However, studies have shown better growth in children who drink raw human milk as opposed to pasteurized milk. Studies have also shown that enzymes and bacteria in raw milk protect people against asthma and allergies, and the hormones in raw milk strengthen the immune system. Due to the loss of lactobacilli bacteria through pasteurization, people who are lactose intolerant are more likely able to digest raw milk. Raw milk was found to be more digestible in 86% of lactose intolerant people.

            During pasteurization, the process of heating milk to kill bacteria, the milk is heated to 161 degrees for 15 seconds, or ultra-pasteurized, and heated to 280 degrees for a minimum of 2 seconds. The CDC claims that this does not significantly change nutritional value, but admits that some enzymes are inactivated and immunoglobulin are killed. Lactobacilli is killed which helps to digest lactose, and lipase is killed first in order for homogenization to even out the texture of the milk. Among enzymes killed in pasteurization are lipoprotein lipase, which increases the shelf life of milk once killed, plasmin protease, alkaline phosphatase, lysozyme which is the antibacterial, amylase, catalase, lactase, lactoperoxidase, and phosphatase. Milk contains 3.3% total protein, and the biggest cause for denatured proteins is the sensitivity of light of proteases, methionine and cystine. The high temperature of pasteurization causes whey and casein to interact but supposedly does not affect the nutritional value of milk, but only the functionality. After pasteurization, homogenization takes place so that the protein-heavy fat globules are broken down so there is not a cream layer on top and milk is more even throughout. This also makes the separation of whole, low fat, and skim milk easier. Because of the killing of lipase, there are an increased number of allergic reactions to the milk.

            The fat content in milk is another highly debated topic. Several decades ago, people only drank whole milk. Just a couple of decades ago, low fat milk was introduced to households and to school lunches by the FDA in attempt to make children healthier. However, whole milk is linked to lower body fat while low fat milk is linked to faster weight gain in children. The belief is that low fat foods makes one hungrier, and especially for carbohydrates. Not only does skim milk possibly cause a faster weight gain, but also with the absence of B vitamins combined with a person’s attempted metabolism of cow milk protein, homeocysteine is caused to buildup and that is a cocktail for heart disease. Also, in order to make milk appealing to children, flavored milks such as strawberry and chocolate are given to them that are filled with sugar, which negates any possible nutritional benefit of consuming milk, regardless of fat content.

            An array of health problems exists that are linked to dairy. Dairy is considered an inflammatory food that can cause arthritis flare-ups, as well as Rosacea and IBS. Alzheimer’s is also closely linked, as milk tainted with bovine tuberculosis is directly found in Alzheimer’s patients. 20-40% of dairy herds are infected with bovine tuberculosis. Also, Casein kinase 1 is found in the brains of patients, which builds up amyloid beta and notch cleavage.  As for Chron’s Disease, mycobacteria in cattle stops white blood cells from killing E. Coli by releasing the molecule mannose, and triggers the antibody protein ASCA. Infant ear infections are very likely caused by dairy, as there is 300% more casein in cow’s milk than human milk, and casein is very mucous forming. As for Osteoperosis and milk companies’ advertising that milk builds strong bones, the intake of milk has shown no effect on reducing the instance of fractures. This may possibly be due to increased urinary excretion of calcium when dairy is consumed. Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis could be caused by dairy as people have the same abnormal autoimmune response to milk. Diabetes may be caused by cows’ milk when children are given cows’ milk formula before 3 months of age. Autism is famously linked to dairy, as diets that eliminate diary, most importantly eliminating casein, get rid of the gastrointestinal problems that are thought to worsen behavioral problems in autistic people. As our immune system is such a large part of our digestive system, casein irritates the respiratory system and causes allergies. Prostate and breast cancer are also shown through studies to be caused by dairy, most specifically IGF-1, which is increased with the injection of rBGH in cows. The hormone oestrogen secreted in cow’s milk is thought to cause breast cancer. 

            Among all of the concerns with drinking dairy, there is the treatment of cows, as well as the results of what cows are treated with. Cows are given rBGH, bovine growth hormone, in order to increase their milk production. These cows then have diarrhea, and with the proximity of the utters to the excretion, the utters and milk are contaminated with the bacteria in the diarrhea. Farmers admit that about 90% of dairy products in grocery stores have fecal matter. These cows also suffer from mastitis, and with mastitis, they have somatic cells in their milk. There is an estimated 1,120,000 somatic cells in each spoonful of milk. This means there is approximately 1 drop of pus in every cup. This is not a huge serving of pus, but it just depends on how much pus the consumer is okay with consuming.

            The drinking of milk is thought to have begun 7500 years ago between the Central Balkans and Central Europe. Europeans seem to have the highest rate of lactase persistence and are the only people who can continue to digest milk without issues. Cultures who tend to be lactose intolerant are African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, American Indians, and Asian Americans. These cultures have lactase deficiency, which causes lactose malabsorption. At 3 years old, the age by which children normally wean, they stop producing lactase and rennin that helps them to digest milk.

            For all the controversy over whether dairy milk actually does a body good, there are several other milk sources that are beneficial to our health, and have good sources of vitamins and protein, among other nutrients. Whole milk has 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, 35 mg of cholesterol, 8 grams of protein, 12 grams of sugar, and 120 milligrams of sodium per cup. All other sources have fewer calories, fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates (with the exception of rice and oat milk). Soy milk has between 70-130 calories, 2-4 grams of fat, 7-9 grams of protein, and 4-5 grams of carbohydrates. Almond milk has 30-50 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, and 1-5 grams of carbohydrates. Hemp milk, which is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, has 70 calories, 6 grams of fat, 8-20 grams of protein, and 1 gram of carbohydrates. Oat milk has 110-130 calories, 1.5-2.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of protein, and 24 grams of carbohydrates. Coconut milk has 50 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, and 1 gram of carbohydrates. According to the numbers, coconut milk is a great milk source if fat is a nutrient preference, whereas hemp milk is a great alternative if one needs protein. Also available are goat milk, which is high in fat, sheep milk which is high in protein, and buffalo milk which is very high in fat. Most of these alternative milks are fortified with calcium; a nutrient for which dairy milk is widely drunk. However, the calcium in dairy milk is not easily absorbed. One must have Vitamin D in order to absorb calcium. The only natural source of vitamin D is sunlight, although vitamin D is added to dairy milk. As a matter of fact, the combination of retinol and saturated fat in dairy milk can actually weaken bones. Instead of drinking milk, calcium can be found in better sources such as leafy green vegetables, beans, and supplements.

            As for infants, human milk is higher in carbohydrates and amino acids cystine and tryptophan, which make it much better for infants to digest. Milk consumption in childhood, especially before the age of 3 months is linked to type 1 diabetes. Milk allergies are also the leading cause of ear infections in children. Milk also causes behavioral problems and asthma. Although enzymes and chemicals are added to infant formula in order to help them to digest the cow milk protein, more information should be provided to parents to inform them against using formula if the ability to feed their children breast milk if available. Giving children cow’s milk after weaning is also unnecessary and parents should be informed of milk alternatives and their benefits versus the use of dairy.

            Heard often, each argument depends on who is paying for the research. Each individual should weigh the benefits of dairy consumption. However, more information needs to be made more widely available to people in order to make informed decisions. Most importantly, people should have proper information so they can make good decisions for the sake of their children, as their decision can impact whether their children will get diabetes, asthma, allergies, eczema, issues with autism, bacterial infections, and even cancer. With all of the alternatives available, dairy milk is not the only option, or even the best option for all the benefits its consumption supposedly has.

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Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications

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Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 22 July 2014.

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for Real Milk. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2014.

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Company, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 23 July 2014.

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NutritionFactsorg. N.p., 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 20 July 2014.

"A Guide to Good Nutrition - Potassium and Sodium Guidelines - Dairy Products." A

Guide to Good Nutrition - Potassium and Sodium Guidelines - Dairy Products.

N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2014.

Hartke, Kimberly. "Stanford Study on Raw Milk Digestibility: Conflicting

Interpretations." Weston A Price. N.p., 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 20 July 2014.

Hartley, Jo. "The Amazing Health Benefits of Raw Milk." NaturalNews. N.p., 23 Apr.

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Web. 20 July 2014.

"Homogenization: A Closer Look." A Closer Look At Homogenization. N.p., 21 June

2012. Web. 20 July 2014.

"How Bacteria In Cows' Milk May Cause Crohn's Disease." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily,

13 Dec. 2007. Web. 20 July 2014.

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            2014.

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 15 Sept. 2009. Web. 20 July 2014.

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Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 July 2014. Web. 25 July 2014.

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Web. 20 July 2014.

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Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 July 2014. Web. 25 July 2014.

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National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 20 July 2014.

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Can Pose a Serious Health Risk. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 July 2014.

Paleo Spaghetti Squash simple pasta

I have been wanting to try this for a long time. Recently, many friends have been telling me to give it a go, that I would really like it. I'll admit, I'm still not a huge fan of the texture since I'm a big perfect pasta texture person, but this was really delicious all the same.

Ingredients:
2 spaghetti squash, cut into halves with seeds scooped out
2 T olive oil, 1 T butter from grass-fed cows
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the squash cut side down (after the seeds have been removed) for 30 minutes. While that is baking, saute the rest of the ingredients. Once baked, use a fork to scrap out the "pasta" and scoop into the sauce. Serve with salad and steak and enjoy!

Paleo Coconut Pancakes

There are so many recipes for protein pancakes or "clean eating" pancakes out there that people swear by. I've tried several of them, and I don't see how anyone can get them past the tip of their tongue, much less say how delicious they are. A friend asked me to try out a recipe she found, and although skeptical at first, these turned out to be the most perfect healthy pancake I've ever tried. They are toddler approved by my son, but then again he will eat pretty much anything so long as it's not a prune. These really are healthy too, with all the coconut fiber and several eggs that make up a large protein content. We enjoyed them with a drizzle of honey and they were perfect!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
3 T coconut sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter from grass-fed cows
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
oil for pan

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, powder, and salt. In a smaller bowl add all liquid ingredients. Mix the liquid into the dry with a whisk and heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 T oil to pan, then ladle in large scoops of batter. Once it begins to cook half-way through, flip and cook through on other side. Serve with honey or maple syrup!

Crockpot Coconut Curry Shrimp

Here's an easy dish for a week night meal that is super healthy! Without the rice, it would be paleo :)

Ingredients:
2 T curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 can coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 lb shrimp
2 cups brown basmati rice

Mix all ingredients except for rice in the crockpot, and stir. Cook on high for about 3 hours. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Chicken and Brussel Sprouts - serious goodness

I HATE brussel sprouts. I have experimented with them several times and always hated them. I've even made them with bacon because bacon makes everything better, and still was quite disgusted. I think I hate the texture and the bitterness doesn't do it much good either. However, I made this dish and I was so pleased we might just have it every single week in this house. It was that good!

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
a bunch of brussel sprouts
2 T soy sauce or liquid amines
1 T honey
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 T sesame oil
4 shallots
4 cloves garlic
pinch of ginger
salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. In a large baking dish, mix the marinade, then toss with chicken and sprouts. Bake for 30 minutes, then flip chicken and bake for another 20 minutes, or until chicken is done. Go have some mind-blowing chicken and brussel sprouts!!

Paleo Almond Dog Bites

My guilty pleasure was always a good corn dog. Since finding out I have Celiac back in 2010, I haven't had one of those delicious ultra-processed babies. I made these out of Almond and Coconut flour for the Super Bowl, and was very impressed!

Recipe adapted from: http://glutenfreefix.com/corn-dog-bites/3126/

Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs
2 T honey
1/4 cup almond flour
2 T coconut flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
4 hot dogs cut into fourths
mini muffin pan

Preheat oven to 325. Mix the butter, eggs and honey. Add in and mix the flours, baking soda, and salt. Mix well, then pour into the mini muffin pan, filling each tin half-way. Press in hot dog pieces. Bake for about 15 minutes. Perfect!

Sausage and Cabbage stir-fry

You know you're an Irish Korean when you douse your sausage and cabbage with soy sauce/liquid aminos! I always giggle when I make this. It's so yummy, so quick, and nutritious. You can add in whatever other veggies you have in the fridge and need to get rid of.

Ingredients:
1 T sesame oil
Sausage, sliced (any is fine... make sure it's nitrate/nitrate free!)
purple cabbage, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce
black pepper
Korean red pepper or crushed red pepper is fine
sesame seeds

In a wok on medium-high heat, toss the garlic and onion in the sesame oil for about 1 minute. Add in the sausage and stir until heated. Add in the cabbage and rest of the ingredients, stir, then cover for about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve!

Paleo French Onion Soup

You really love someone when you make them French Onion soup. Slicing a bunch of onions can really bring a big man... or in my case a tough girl... to tears. Anyway, the hubbs requested this and it turned out pretty good!

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
4 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T arrowroot starch
1/4 water
2 shredded carrots
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp sage

In a crockpot (if your insert is removable for frying) or in a large skillet, sauté the onions, garlic, and oil until onions get soft. Sprinkle the starch and stir for about 1 minute. Add water to deglaze the pan (this is really good if you use a gluten free beer or wine instead). Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then put the pot back into the crockpot and cook on low for a couple of hours until you are ready to eat.

Paleo Poppers

You know those delicious grilled Jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon? Well these are incredibly similar, only I used avocado instead of cream cheese and broiled them since it's freezing outside. Be careful when you handle them, because I apparently picked up the world's hottest jalapenos and my hands were pretty numb for a couple days... ouch!

Ingredients:
8 Jalapenos, halved and seeded
8 slices of bacon, cut in halves
2 avocados, meat scraped out

Stuff each jalapeno with avocado and wrap with a half of a slice of bacon. Place the stuffed peppers into a 8x13 casserole dish or directly onto the grill. If using the oven, bake at 400 for 10 minutes then broil on high for about 5 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Serve and enjoy!

Paleo breakfast pudding

I've been on a vegan kick lately, and really enjoyed my new meals. However, my doctor was concerned that although my weight gain is on track for this pregnancy, I tend to gain my weight at the end. I also have a big boy in there apparently, and since I'm going for a much-needed VBAC and I'm a small person, I should focus on the baby gaining the weight necessary for him to be healthy, and not in excess of that. Therefore, I need to slow down and try to cut out all carbs other than fruits and vegetables. I don't have an issue with sugar, since I just put honey in my tea and that's about the extent of my sugar intake. My problem is rice and quinoa pasta. So, paleo it is for the rest of this pregnancy. I'm still keeping it at plant-based and all of my meat and eggs will be organic/grass-fed/free range. I'm not sure why people think paleo is all about meat.... or who came up with that bogus chart with meat on the bottom of the pyramid. You can be Vegan and Paleo if you wanted, it would simply cut out a ton of food groups and wouldn't be incredibly healthy. So anyway, here's to a Paleo rest of my pregnancy!

This is delicious. I actually meant to go a particular store to get coconut yogurt, because it's the only one that carries it. However, I got lazy. As I was making my delicious pineapple smoothie with coconut milk, I saw a recipe on the back of the carton for pudding. I modified it quite a bit, but the end result turned out great! I decided to use this instead of yogurt, and I'm glad I did.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup tapioca starch (next time I'm using coconut flour to make this truly Paleo)
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups coconut milk (you could also use 5x protein almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup ground flax seeds

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar, starch and salt together. Add in the milk slowly and whisk constantly until it comes to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer and continue to whisk until the pudding thickens. Stir in vanilla and flax seeds and cool. Store, then top with berries or fruit of your choice (I chose berries and walnuts) when ready to serve.

Roasting Seaweed

I've posted a while back about how great of a snack seaweed is. I love it with a bit of rice. In some households, kids eat chicken fingers all day. Well in mine growing up, my brother and I were all over seaweed and rice. I guess we both still are! You can buy little packets of it in the store, but it's incredibly expensive, especially when it takes all of 5 minutes to do in your own kitchen and it tastes so much more fresh.

This is all you need:
A package of seaweed... as much of it as you like.
A brush for food
sea salt
sesame oil
large pan... my mom just used her stove top

Lay out each piece of seaweed, paint on thin coat of sesame oil, then sprinkle with the amount of salt to your preference. I love salt so I throw it on very generously. You may want to hold back and just sprinkle a very light amount. With the pan heated on high, use your fingers or a tong to lay a piece of seaweed in there for about 3 seconds (until it starts to crinkle a little) then flip for a couple of seconds and continue until all seaweed is done. You can chop it into fourths, which is what I prefer since I like a mouth full of seaweed, or into sixths which is what is normal. Serve it alone or with a teaspoon of rice per piece of seaweed for a light lunch or snack.

Paleo (or not) BISCUITS!

Biscuits make my heart sing :) Biscuits and gravy, even more so. I have been trying out hundreds of biscuit recipes ever since I started eating gluten free, and have never succeeded until now. Sure I got fluffy biscuits every now and then, but they were never tasty like they should be.

Tonight, there will be a full moon, and seeing as this baby only has one more week to stay in my belly, I am thinking maybe he might make his debut tonight. As soon as he makes his entrance, I have to clean up my diet completely, not that I eat very unhealthfully as it is. However, all the extra dairy and sugars have to go. Just to be prepared, I wanted to make biscuits and gravy one last time and share the lovely recipe with you. Side note: no worries, I'll be eating 500 extra calories when the baby gets here for nursing, so no lecture necessary, the calories will simply be pulled from more greens and lean protein :).

I have tried both versions of the recipe for biscuits, and I honestly loved making them less paleo with the rice flour, milk, and butter, but you can honestly barely taste a difference unless you really are a biscuit connoisseur!

Biscuits:

2 1/2 cups almond flour
2 T coconut flour (or white rice flour)
3 eggs (or 2 eggs and 2 T milk)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp iodized sea salt
1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or melted butter)
2 T honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together well. Add in the wet ingredients. Line a pan with parchment paper and spoon balls of dough onto the sheet, then press down to make slightly flatter like the shape of a biscuit. Bake for 12 minutes, but check them at 10 minutes. They should be slightly browned as shown in the picture above.

You can make these into little delightful breakfast sandwiches, or use them to make delicious biscuits and gravy. My (or my Dad's) all time amazing gravy recipe that is sure to be a hit with ever carnivore? See below!

Gravy:

1 lb hot breakfast sausage (such as Jimmy Dean)
3 T GF flour
Milk to desired thickness
black pepper
crushed red pepper

Brown and saute the breakfast sausage, then drain the grease. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and saute for about 1 minute. Stir in about 1 cup of milk, then add more until it covers the sausage. The gravy will thicken, and you might want to add more milk. Stir in the seasoning and simmer for a few minutes before adding to your biscuits.

Enjoy the breakfast of champions!!

dream cream: peach semifreddo

A while back, I posted my amazing recipe for peach ice cream. I also promised that I would some day find a way to make a healthy peach ice cream. Well spending a week with Mallory was a great motivator, since her diet excludes dairy. Back at Winthrop we would indulge in delicious ice cream, and since she's turned a new leaf, I had to make something amazing for her :)

I found a recipe for peach semifreddo in my clean eating magazine, and changed the ingredients a tad bit to make it a little closer to Paleo. The result was MM MM delicioso!!!

Ingredients:
1 cup non fat vanilla coconut yogurt
1 egg, separated
1/4 cup agave
3 egg whites
2 medium peaches, peeled and mashed

Line a loaf pan or dish with plastic wrap. In a large bowl, blend the yogurt, egg yolks and agave. In a medium bowl, beat 4 egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into yogurt mixture 1/3 at a time and stir until well combined. Add in the peaches and gently stir. Pour into prepared dish and freeze for 2-3 hours or until softly frozen. Flip pan onto a cutting board and slice into desired servings. Serve immediately.

angeled eggs over tuna

I did a recipe overhaul on my usual deviled egg recipe, and these were delicious! This version is packed with even more protein, since I threw in a can of tuna. I also removed the vegannaise so these are now Paleo.

Ingredients:
12 eggs, boiled
1 can tuna
2 T spicy mustard
2 T horseradish
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
black pepper
salt
red pepper
2 T olive oil
1 diced jalapeno

Cut the eggs in half and spoon out the yolks into a large bowl. Mix all of the rest of the ingredients in with the yolks until well blended. Spoon the mixture into the egg whites, which should be overflowing with goodness once you are finished. Enjoy your healthy, delicious, perfect snack!

paleo mixed berry cobbler

Back in high school, my group of friends and I would go to Kaminsky's at least two to three times a week for coffee and dessert. Yeah, we were cool.... at least, we thought we were ;) During my last visit to Charleston a couple of my friends and I were reminiscing those old days and how care free we were. I, on the other hand, miss the mixed berry cobbler I would get more than being back in high school which I relate to being more like in prison. But that's beside the point. I love that berry cobbler. Here's a much healthier, paleo version of my old school favorite dessert.

Ingredients:
Handfuls of fresh berries
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1 egg
2 T coconut oil (or grapeseed oil)
1 T cinnamon
honey

Preheat oven to 350. In a small baking dish, pour in all the berries and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, blend the remaining ingredients, minus the cinnamon and honey. Sprinkle cinnamon and honey atop the berries, then top them with dollops of the dough. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

mom-inspired steak

Again, not a fan of red meat. However, I can make an exception for this steak any day. I threw together a marinade inspired by my mom's carbi marinade, and it was phenomenal. And by phenomenal, I mean phenomenal. Best part? It only took 5 minutes to throw everything together (before marinating for an hour or so).

Ingredients:
rib-eye steaks (or flank, etc)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup zevia ginger ale
1/2 cup liquid aminos
6 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, chopped roughly
1 T black pepper

Put all ingredients other than steak into a small blender or food processor until pureed. Pour it over the steaks in a shallow dish and allow to marinate between an hour and overnight. Grill it until desired doneness and enjoy!! Serve with asparagus sauteed in garlic and olive oil for an awesome dinner :)

paleo poppyseed vinaigrette

My all time favorite salad dressing is poppyseed dressing. I order it any time I get a salad at a restaurant, since chances are, its made of oil and sugar, sans any gluten problems. My cousin Mike is the owner/chef at Kelley's Courtyard Cafe, and no one makes poppyseed dressing better. There's probably no chance he'll give up the recipe, so I decided to venture out on my own and make a Paleo version. The dressing I ended up with was a total success. It's delicious, nutritious, and very similar to the flavor Mike will someday bottle up like Paul Newman did after his glory days :)

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
juice squeezed from 1 orange
1/3 cup honey
1 T mustard
3 T poppyseeds
dash of salt and pepper

Whisk it all together then store in the refrigerator after serving.

paleo philly burgers -the world's most lip smackingly delicious burgers

I am honest to goodness not a huge fan of burgers. The other day, I went to Ted's Montana Grill and they had a bison burger on the menu, so I had to have one. I love bison. The burger I had was topped with philly cheesesteak toppings, minus the cheese, and was so delicious I had to make one of my own. Don't you hate when you go to a restaurant, try to recreate what you had that tasted so good, and the restaurant food was so much better than what you created yourself? Well this was not one of those time. I didn't have bison, but beef worked just fine, and it was so tasty!

Burger:
75/25 beef, about 2.5 lbs
2 jalapenos, diced
5 cloves of garlic, diced
3 T worstershire sauce
2 T liquid aminos
dash of sea salt, dash of black pepper

Combine all ingredients together and throw on the grill until done the way you like.

Philly topping:
1 T olive oil
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
handful of sliced mushrooms
dash of salt, dash of pepper

Saute it all together in a pan on medium heat until onions and peppers are slightly soft.

The rest:
sliced tomato
lettuce leaves

Wrap a bit of everything into lettuce leaves and you now have a load of a wonderful burger. No lie. 100% guaranteed delicious!

paleo fried "rice"

I am so excited about this. I'm Asian, and I love rice. Rice has always been my food-love. It's always been there... I'm slightly kidding. In all sincerity though, I have probably had it with almost every one of my meals since I was able to eat solid food as a kid. Bread has never been a big deal to me, nor has any other grain. But rice. Dear goodness, rice. Anyway, I ran across an awesome blog that instructs you how to make cauliflower taste like rice and how to incorporate it into your everyday rice dishes. Saved!

Find it here: http://feastingonfitness.blogspot.com/2009/10/cauliflower-rice.html

I decided to incorporate it into my mom's famous fried rice. The other day I was sad that my cousin ate all of my fried rice, but now I'm better seeing as I can make my own healthy version :)

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
1 T olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
3 T liquid aminos
1 T sesame oil
1 T black pepper
1 tsp ground red pepper
3 eggs, scrambled
3 slices bacon, chopped

Cut up florets of the cauliflower then blend in food processor or blender by small amounts, into rice-like texture. Set aside. Heat a large skillet to medium heat, add olive oil, red bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and cauliflower. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the liquid aminos, sesame oil, black pepper, and ground red pepper. Saute for 2 more minutes, then add the eggs and bacon. Stir everything together and let cook until the cauliflower has a rice-like consistency.