Friday 26 August 2011

Paleo Chocolate Peppermint Creams


INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup coconut crystals (or honey)
1-2 teaspoon peppermint oil
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate pieces, melted (I used 90% dark)


PROCESS
1. Gently melt coconut oil & coconut butter in microwave until just a few clumps remain. Add peppermint oil and coconut crystals and mix well
2. Line a flat surfaced pan (that has sides) with wax paper and pour in the mixture so that it is around 1/2cm thick (or however thick you'd like the patties). If you're using the coconut crystals make sure these are evenly distributed throughout the mixture or you will end up with clumps of crystals and then some patties with none
3. Place this in the fridge and wait till it solidifies. Using a freezer will speed this up
4. Carefully remove the hardened mixture, lay on a flat surface and using a sharp knife cut into small bars (makes about 16 depending on size). Place back in the fridge.
5. Melt the chocolate (either in a double boiler or in the microwave - in 30 second increments)
6. Take peppermint bars out of the fridge, and line a cookie sheet with wax paper. One at a time, dunk the peppermint bars into the melted chocolate and quickly take them out once they are coated with the chocolate (a fork works quite well). Be quick or the bars will begin to melt. Spread them in a single layer on the wax paper, trying to avoid excess chocolate pools around each bar
7. Place back in the fridge until the chocolate hardens
Enjoy as an occasional treat!

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Paleo Bacon Wrapped Dates (or Prunes)


INGREDIENTS
6 slices of bacon cut in half length-ways
12 dates (or prunes if you prefer)
macadamia nuts
toothpicks


PROCESS
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
2. Stuff each date/prune with a couple nuts
3. Wrap each one in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick if necessary
4. Place on a sheet of baking paper in the oven for about 12 minutes
These are a scrumptious easy snack - careful not to eat them all at once!

Monday 22 August 2011

Paleo Meatball Tacos

INGREDIENTS
MEATBALLS
500g ground turkey
500g ground beef
1 egg
4 mini courgettes
1/2 an onion
a bunch of kale
garlic, salt, pepper & herbs


GUACAMOLE
2 ripe avocados
1/8 onion
4 cherry tomatoes
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt & garlic

1 head of cabbage



PROCESS
MEATBALLS
1. Place onions and vegetables into a food processor and chop (or chop finely by hand)
2. Place ground meat in a large bowl, add veggies, spices and the egg and combine using your hands (it's the easiest way to get everything together)
3. Roll meat mixture into balls (slightly smaller than golf ball size works pretty well)
4. Using coconut oil to grease a pan, fry the meatballs until cooked all the way through
(This makes a lot of meatballs - so feel free to keep some for left-overs - they freeze well)
GUACAMOLE
1. In a bowl, mash up ripe avocados with a fork
2. Finely chop onion and tomatoes and add to the mashed avocado
3. Squeeze in lime juice and add garlic and salt and you're done!
TO EAT
1. Peel off pieces of cabbage, place a spoonful of guacamole in the leaf and then top with meatballs
2. Roll up and eat!

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Mousse

INGREDIENTS
1 100g bar of dark chocolate (I used 90% cocoa)
1 can coconut milk (chilled for a few hours in the fridge)
1 tsp vanilla


PROCESS
1. Break up chocolate, place in a microwave container and microwave for periods of 30 seconds until it is melted (be careful not to overdo it so take it out when it's mostly melted and stir to melt in the rest)
2. Open the can of coconut milk and scoop out the cream from the top (this should have separated in the fridge)
3. With an electric whisk, beat the coconut cream for 2-3 minutes until it thickens
4. Add the vanilla and then the melted chocolate and whisk it all together by hand until thoroughly combined
5. Spoon into small dishes and place in the fridge to set


If you want this sweeter, either go for a less dark chocolate, or add a little maple syrup

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Paleo Double Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 cup almond butter
1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/5 cup dark chocolate chips
1/5 cup chopped macadamia nuts
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp maple syrup


PROCESS

1. Preheat your oven to 180C
2. Mix together all the ingredients until thoroughly combined
3. Spoon out the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and flatten into the desired cookie thickness
4. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the cookies are firm to the touch
Warning: these are a little crumbly so you may want to eat them over a plate!

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Bacon Wrapped Mini Paleo Quiches

INGREDIENTS
8 eggs
1 cup kale
1 medium zucchini
1 spring onion
12 slices of bacon (or prosciutto)
12 small sardines (you can substitute for shrimps which work really well too)
salt, pepper, herbs to flavour
Coconut oil to grease pan


PROCESS
1. Preheat oven to 180 C and grease muffin pan with coconut oil
2. Beat eggs in a bowl and add spices
3. Either chop finely or food-process raw vegetables
4. Line each muffin cup with a slice of bacon or prosciutto (try to cover the whole thing)
5. Places a spoonful of the veggies in each cup (dividing the whole amount evenly)
6. Carefully pour the egg mixture over each cup
7. Place a sardine/shrimp into each (submerging it slightly)
8. Place in oven for 18-22 minutes (until firm to the touch)

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Paleo Salmon Cakes

INGREDIENTS
3 cans of wild caught Alaskan Salmon
3 eggs (omega 3 enriched if possible)
4 chopped spring onions
3 tbsps of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp dried dill
1/2 tsp ground ginger
salt 
pepper
garlic seasoning (if you like)
grape seed oil


PROCESS
1. Place drained canned salmon into a large mixing bowl 
2. Add the eggs, spring onions, lemon juice, spices and mix well  
3. In a large pan, heat the grape seed oil over medium to high heat (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)
4.  Form the salmon mixture into patties and place gently into the oil. Fry for 3 minutes on each side before placing on a piece of kitchen towel to drain
6. Serve the patties with lemon and vegetables of your choice (I chose sautéed kale, broccoli and purple cabbage)