Shrimp Scampi (Dairy Free, Paleo)

I love shrimp but Mike my husband is severely allergic, so I don't have shrimp in the house when he is here.  So since he is away for his annual fishing trip I am taking advantage of making shrimp.   I wanted to make it paleo and a healthy version.

Shrimp Scampi
1/2 pound shrimp
1 whole head of garlic, crushed  (I love garlic!)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 cup white wine (I used a pinot grigio)
1 spaghetti squash
1/2 tomato, seeded and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with a little but of olive oil and place in oven and cook for about 45 minutes until tender.  Remove from oven and flake with a fork to make it look like spaghetti.

Peel the shrimp and remove the vein that runs along the back part of the shrimp.  I use a knife and make a slit along the top and pull/wash it away.  It is like you are butterflying the shrimp.

In a skillet over medium high heat add coconut oil.  Once heated, add garlic and stir.  Add shrimp and toss around in the garlic.  Add wine, red pepper flakes and parsley.  Let cook until shrimp is cooked (shrimp will turn from an opaque color to white) and liquid has been cooked down.  Add some spaghetti squash to the pan and toss.   Add tomato and toss.  Serve.

Coconut Milk Blueberry Jam Ice Cream

After the last batch of coconut milk ice cream I made, I became a huge fan.  The texture of it is so creamy, very similar to gelato.  This summer we bought a bunch of organic blueberries that we froze. Well I just had to make ice cream with it.

Coconut Milk Blueberry Jam Ice Cream

For the Jam part:
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons almond extract
pinch of salt
Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir to incorporate the honey.  As the blueberries heat up they will begin to break open.  Continue to stir so that it doesn't burn.  The mixture will thicken to the consistency of jam.  Remove from stove and place in a glass container.  Place in refrigerator to cool.

For the Ice Cream part:
2 cans - 14 ounces coconut milk
2/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons almond extract
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend.  Place mixture into refrigerator for about 1 hour to cool.

Place ice cream part into a ice cream maker.  Process until just about done and then add the blueberry jam.  Let it continue to process and then remove to a container and freeze.

Pulled Pork Waffle Sliders (Gluten Free/Paleo)

There are a lot of blogs that I enjoy following and every once in a while a recipe will really stand out and I just have to make it.  This recipe was no exception.  The recipe come from PaleOMG.  

Of course I had to adjust it slightly for my food allergies but I will give you the recipe as is.  It was an absolutely delicious meal and to think it was gluten free/paleo.  It was super easy and the great part is that we now have leftovers for lunch!   Now if you are one to watch how much fat you eat, we are not, then you might want to skip over this recipe (you use bacon and bacon fat in the waffles).  

Pulled Pork Waffle Sliders

for the pulled pork

2 pounds pork butt (I didn't have small enough one that would fit into the crock pot so I used a fresh ham)

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

salt and pepper, to taste

for the mayo

2/3 cup avocado oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon juice (I used vinegar due to my allergies)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard (made the mustard myself)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon maple syrup

for the waffles

2 cups almond flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

3 eggs, whisked

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

2 tablespoons bacon fat

3 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped

2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped (I used dried)

for the toppings

5-6 pieces of bacon, cooked

sliced pickles (I used our homemade pickles which added a really nice flavor)

Place pork in crockpot.  Add sliced onions around it and top with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours until it falls apart.  Once pork is done cooking, shred it in the crockpot.  To shred pork just use two forks and pull the meat apart, you can also pull any fat out that you don't want to eat.

I made the mayo a little different than the recipe.  Pour egg, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder and salt and pepper into a blender.  Once it is blended, with the motor running, slowly add the oil, a little at first and then a constant stream of oil.  Once blended add in the maple syrup and blend.  Place in a container and refrigerate. 

For the waffles, mix together almond flour, baking soda, garlic powder, and a bit of salt and pepper.  Add eggs, coconut milk, bacon far, chopped bacon and chives; mix well.   Add about 2 tablespoons of the mixture to the center of a hot waffle iron. You want small buns so the batter won't take up the whole space.   Cook until crispy.  To keep my waffles warm and crispy, I placed them on a cooking rack in the oven that was about 170 degrees Fahrenheit.  

Once waffles are done, begin layering: waffle bun, mayo, pork, pickles, bacon, mayo, bun.  ENJOY!

Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot

Waffle Slider

Serve with a salad

Chicken with Waffles and Gravy (Paleo/Gluten Free)

Okay I know what you are thinking...waffles with gravy?  I have actually heard people say "that is so weird" and "yuck" all my life.   If you are from Pennsylvania you will understand, at least I hope so, what this is about.  I have some Pennsylvania Dutch in my blood and that is where some of these recipes like this have come from.   It is the ultimate comfort food and a great way to use leftover gravy.

I found a recipe online for a paleo style waffle.  The waffles were very good but I found that they didn't get crispy like they did when I used regular old white flour.  So I have decided that I am going to take my old classic recipe and adapt it to a gluten free/paleo style waffle.

The chicken was actually leftover from last night.  We grilled chicken and put it on a salad.  The gravy is actually leftover from Thanksgiving.  I usually freeze my gravy in jars.

Waffles (Paleo/Gluten Free)
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
Preheat your waffle iron.  Place dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together.  Add wet ingredients and whisk to incorporate.  Place about 2/3 cup of the waffle mixture onto the waffle iron (it will depend on your maker).  Cook until browned.  Remove and serve with cut up chicken and gravy.

Homemade Deodorant

I came across this recipe the other day, it is from one of the blogs I follow called Healthy Holistic Living.  I have found that most of the deodorants that are natural on the market I don't really care for.  I saw this and thought this might be nice to try.  I decided to share this since I made it in my kitchen and thought you might enjoy the recipe.

Homemade Deodorant
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
essential oils: I used 5 drops lavender and 5 drops tea tree oil
Mix baking soda and arrowroot in a small bowl.  Add coconut oil and blend with a fork.  Add essential oils.  Add more coconut oil or baking soda to achieve your desired consistency.  This is a deodorant not an antiperspirant, so you will sweat but you won't smell.

NOTE:  I found that mixing this with a fork was really hard so I decided to throw everything into my food processor which worked so much better.  Just be sure to properly wash your food processor bowl as the essential oils could leave a residue.

Coconut Crusted Chicken Breasts (Gluten Free)

I wanted to make a coated chicken that I could just bake.  I decided to try out a new flour that I picked up at the store.  It is garbanzo bean flour.


Coconut Crusted Chicken Breasts (gluten free)
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
salt
2 eggs
4 chicken breasts, flattened to about 1/4 inch
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  In one dish put the flour, in another bowl put in the eggs and whip with a fork, in another bowl add coconut and cayenne pepper, mix well.  Take each chicken breast and coat with flour. then into the egg and then into the coconut making sure that each has a nice coating on it.  Place it on a oiled baking sheet and place in oven and cook for about 30 minutes.   Serve with a vegetable and salad.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

We have a monthly get together where we bring something for a pot luck dinner.  Sometimes it is hard to come up with something to make (really have to think about it) but this time I had it right off the bat.  I am making this ahead to sit overnight in the refrigerator, it will allow the flavors to meld.

I made the mayonnaise and mustard homemade so that I can control the ingredients.  With food allergies you really want to know what is in the product, instead of taking the word for what is in something.  The word spices in a product can mean a lot (I mean what does that mean?)

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad (paleo)
This is a recipe that came out of the Paleo Indulgences Cookbook
4-5 large sweet potatoes, peeled cut into cubes (mine were very large so I actually used only 3)
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
fresh ground black pepper (of course I am allergic so I couldn't use this)
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 - 5.75 ounce can of sliced black olives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup homemade mayonnaise - See below for recipe (most mayo contains lemon juice which I currently cannot have)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
sea salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl, add the coconut oil, and stir to coat.  Add salt and pepper.  Place sweet potatoes in an even layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and browned.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack.  Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Add cooled sweet potatoes and stir to combine.  Adjust the seasonings to taste.  Chill salad for 1 hour before serving.  Store salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Homemade Mayonnaise
2 eggs
2 cups walnut oil or another light tasting oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard - recipe below
1 teaspoon sea salt
In a food processor add eggs, mustard, salt and vinegar and blend.  While the processor is running slowly add a few dribbles of oil at first and then slowly begin to add more.  You don't want to add too much at once.  You will begin to notice a the mixture getting thicker as you are adding the last of the oil.  Continue to blend until completely blended.  Transfer to a jar and add to the refrigerator.

Homemade Mustard
You can make as much as you want it just takes equal parts of each.
1 tablespoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon water
In a small bowl mix the ingredients.  Let sit for about 15 minutes.  It will be hot when you first taste it.  The longer it sits the flavor mellows out.