Fall Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I got a great deal on some Pie Pumpkins last week, so I wanted to show some of the MANY things that can be done with pumpkins, outside the pie plate. One of my favorites are roasted pumpkin seeds, and there are so many ways to do them besides just salted. These seriously remind me of 'Cinnamin Toast Crunch' cereal, they are so good! You can use this as a template to play with. Throw in the seasonings you like, and see where it goes!

Fall Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
3/4 C Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 Tbsp Butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 275. Cut pumpkin in half and clean out the gunk.

  Separate the stinginess from the seeds and wash the seeds completely.

 On a paper towel, dry seeds completely.

 If you don't, the seasonings will not adhere as well. Mix together all ingredients except seeds.

Add in seeds and stir to coat. 

Place on a parchment or silpat mat lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to ensure they don't burn. Remove when they are dry and crisp. Enjoy!

Fish Sticks

Just to be clear, I dislike seafood, GREATLY! I don't eat shrimp, or salmon, or tilapia. When I became Paleo I realized I liked even fewer varieties than I had previously thought. I didn't actually like Tuna, I liked the mayo and relish it was covered in. I didn't actually enjoy crab, it was the cream cheese and fried won ton I liked. So, needless to say, our intake of seafood is fairly low. I am trying to change that, and I actually created a recipe that not only the kids would eat, but one that I like too!! If you are trying to get your kids to eat more variety, try this recipe. I called these chicken strips, and they eat ate 3 or 4!

I seasoned these very minimally as I was making them more for the kids than for the adults, but you could easily change up the flavor profile in these with a variety of seasonings.

Fish Sticks
5 Tilapia Fillets, or other mild flavored white fish
3 Eggs
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/4 C Coconut Flour + 1/8 C
1/4 C Arrowroot Powder
1 tsp Salt
Avocado Oil- for frying

Start by cutting fish into stick shapes, ensuring consistency in size is maintained so they all cook at a similar speed.

In two separate bowls, scramble eggs in one and combine remaining ingredients (except avocado oil and 1/8 C Coconut flour) in the other.

 Sprinkle cut fish sticks with extra 1/8C of coconut flour. This will help the batter adhere to the fish and not just flake off. Dredge sticks first into egg and then to prepared flour mix. 

Heat enough oil in a heavy bottom pan to cover the bottom 1/2 of the fish sticks when laid in.

Fry prepared sticks 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, on each side and allow to drain on paper towels.

Enjoy, Colton did!

Rosemary Beef Stoup

I say this is a Stoup, because it isn't quite as thick as a stew, but it is thicker than a soup, so Stoup it is. Anyway, I love the depth of flavor I was able to get in this dish. I used my pressure cooker to make this, but the ingredients would work just as well in a slow cooker all day. We had a lot going on Saturday morning, so we missed our usual trip to the farmers market.  The veggies I used were what I had left in the crisper, and they melded really well. Mmmm!

Rosemary Beef Stoup
1.5lb Sirloin Beef
1 Carrot
2 Celery Stalks
1/2 Cabbage
1 Onion
4 C Beef Stock
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Rosemary
1 tsp salt (may need to adjust depending on the stock you use)

Cut beef into bite size pieces. Brown pieces in Avocado oil with salt and onion powder.

 (I used my pressure cooker to brown and then cook the stoup, but if you are using a crock pot you may need to brown the meat on the stove top and then add into the crock.)

Once meat is browned, add all remaining ingredients.

 I cooked mine for 1 hour in the pressure cooker, or you could do this on the stove top for a couple hours, or the crock pot for about 6 hours.

Thank You!!

Wow, I am so humbled and thankful for everyone’s response to my website over the past couple days! When I started this blog 4 months ago I could have never dreamed I would someday have a response like this. I was just trying to share my journey in hopes of showing others that Paleo for a family was not only possible, but tasty and fun! I am just a normal, everyday, mom of 2, trying my best to live as healthy as possible. You all encourage me and inspire me with your words, and I pray I can continue to help others! Thank you all, again!!

Pumpkin Bread

I made this pumpkin bread for a brunch with friends today and oh wow, was it ever good. I actually had a friend say to me, 'Oh, so you guys aren't doing Paleo anymore' after tasting this. She could not be convinced that there was not any traditional flour in this recipe.  Try this for the fall breakfasts and brunches you have coming up, it will be a hit!!

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 C Almond Flour
1/2 C Arrowroot Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg

1 C Canned Pumpkin
4 Eggs
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1/4 C Coconut Oil

Topping:
1/8 C Coconut Oil
1/8 C Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 C Walnut

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease 1.5 quart bread pan with coconut oil. 

In separate bowls, combine wet and dry ingredients.

 Stir wet into dry and pour batter into prepared bread pan. Combine topping ingredients and spread on top of prepared batter and place in preheated oven. 

Bake bread for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out from the center of the loaf cleanly.  Allow to cool in the pan and slice. Serve plain or smeared butter or creamed honey.

Happy Fall- Pumpkin Pancakes

Ahhh, my favorite time of year has arrived! I love everything fall; the food, the weather, the decorations, the holidays! I started on my fall baking a week early (as well as my decorating ;) ... did I mention I LOVE fall?), but I've been waiting to post it till today.  So here it is, delicious pumpkin pancakes! My kids ate these up plain, but they would make an awesome treat with a drizzle of pure maple syrup and some crushed pecans!!

Pumpkin Pancakes
1/2 C Canned Pumpkin
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Honey
1/4 C Coconut Oil- Melted
1/4 C Coconut Milk
1/4 C Coconut Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder

Preheat griddle or pan to 325. In separate bowls, mix wet and dry ingredient.

Combine wet into dry. Spoon mixture onto griddle and cook 2-4 minutes per side. These need to cook lower and slower than traditional pancakes for them to set-up well in the middle and to be able to flip them properly. Be patient!

Enjoy as is, smeared with more coconut oil, or topped with pure maple syrup and pecans. Mmmm!

Crackers

I tried my hand at a Paleo Chili last night, and wanted some kind of cracker to go with it. This is what I came up with on the fly, and it turned out really good. I will be trying the same recipe and mixing up the spices I put in it. I am thinking these would be a great alternative on a meat and cheese platter for the upcoming holiday parties!

Crackers
1 C Almond Flour
1/4 C Coconut Flour
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1/8 C Avocado Oil + extra to grease pan

Preheat oven to 325. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Liberally grease a baking stone, or parchment a baking sheet.  Place dough onto stone/sheet and cover with parchment paper.  Using a rolling pin, or other cylinder, roll out dough as thin as you can without being able to see through it.

Mine covered the whole 9X13 stone.  Score dough in the cracker shapes you want and place in preheated oven. 

Mine took 22 minutes, but will probably be 4-6 minutes less if you are using a traditional sheet pan instead of the baking stone.  Keep an eye and remove them when they become toasty brown.

'Peanut Butter and Jelly' Thumbprint Cookies

Yummm!! These taste like a real Peanut Butter cookie and have an almost identical texture to the traditional variety.  Great recipe to keep on hand for the upcoming holidays!

'Peanut Butter and Jelly' Thumbprint Cookies
Cookie Batter:
   3/4 C Coconut Flour
   1 1/2 C Almond Flour
   1/4 C Arrowroot Powder
   1 tsp Baking Soda
   6 Egg Yolks (I had a ton left from making Macaroons this weekend. I believe it would work similar using 3 whole eggs instead.)
   1/2 C Honey
   1/2 C Coconut Oil
   1/2 C Sunflower Seed Butter
   1/2 C Prepared Paleo Jam (Recipe I use at end)

Preheat oven to 375.  In large bowl, mix Coconut flour, almond flour, arrowroot powder and baking soda.

 In a small bowl, melt coconut oil and sunflower seed butter.  Mix together melted Sunflower seed butter mix, yolks, and honey.  Stir wet ingredients into dry to combine.

Scoop batter by Tbsp onto silicone lined cookie sheet. Using the back of a measuring spoon or a regular spoon, form a small well in the cookie mixture.  Fill created well with prepared jam.

Place in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. 

This recipe made 24 cookies. Enjoy!

Blackberry Jam
4 C Fresh Blackberries
1/4 C Water
4 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
4 Tbsp Water

In a saucepan, combine fresh berries and 1/4 C Water. Bring to a boil and reduce to allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Combine arrowroot powder and remaining water.  Stir arrowroot mixture into berry mix and remove from heat.  Jam will start to set-up immediately.  Use in place of traditional jam.
This recipe is not nearly as sweet as traditional jam, but if you wanted a sweeter product you could add honey to taste.

Grilled Starship Squash

At the farmers market this week, I picked up a variety of new produce, one of them being Starship Squash.  I did a quick search around the Internet for what I should do with it, and I found out it could be used like any other summer squash. One of my favorite ways to serve summer squash is grilled, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Grilled Starship Squash
3 Medium Starship Squash
Avocado Oil
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Salt
Lemon Juice

Preheat grill.  Slice squash across the middle and take out the seeds. (Be sure to save and dry them if you are putting in a garden next year).

Brush or spray oil over both sides of squash and sprinkle with seasonings.

Place squash on medium high grill for 8-10 minutes per side, removing once squash is desired consistency.

  Serve with a splash of lemon juice and another drizzle of avocado oil.

Enjoy!

Local Organic Apple Time

I wanted to let my locals, here in Western Washington, in on a great deal that you might be interested in taking advantage of. A local company, called LocalFoodsList. 

They are a company that brings in local, generally organic, foods in bulk at a great price. I used them to get Pears and Peaches a couple weeks ago, and I am so happy I did. The fruit was wonderfully fresh, with little to no imperfections in them. I now have canned peaches and canned pear sauce to get me through the winter months, and I know exactly what is in them, and what is in it.

Right now, they are taking orders for 3 varieties of Organic Apples and one Pesticide Free Variety HERE. You can not beat $.70-.87/lb for Organic Apples, and because they are fresh from a local source, they will last in the fridge up to 6 months, according to the company!

I will be making freezer applesauce, canning applesauce, as well as stocking my fridge.  If you are in the local area, look into this company. If you are not, check around your area for a similar company or organization where you may be able to get great produce at great prices!

Paleo Coffee Creamer

I have mentioned before my long time love of coffee, and more specifically, the anti-Paleo, chemical filled, coffee creamers that exist to accompany it.  Mmmmm... one of my favorite change of season activities was checking out the new creamy, syrup concoctions that filled the dairy section of my local grocery store.
Obviously, that is a thing of the past, but I still, after months and months of living Paleo, miss it.  I have tried several alternatives, and none of them really seem to give me the right texture or mouth-feel. Until now... this is delicious! I am so excited to use this recipe as we come into fall.  Canned Pumpkin has already been added to my grocery list so I can work on a Mock Pumpkin Spice Latte, mmmm! Here is the basic formula though, and some of the flavors I have used. HERE is where I got the wonderful idea!! 

*The original recipe is much sweeter than the version I made, due to me using much less date paste for the amount of coconut milk. After being off traditional creamer for so long, I prefer a less-sweet option. You can add more date paste if you want a sweeter product.

Basic Paleo Coffee Creamer
1 Can Coconut Milk
1/4 C Date Paste (See below)

Whisk milk and date paste together until combined. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any chunks that may have remained in the date paste. That is it, and you can add in any combination of ingredients to make it flavored. Some may require heating in a saucepan to get them combined well.

 I have done French Vanilla by adding a couple tsp of Vanilla Extract, but I imagine it would be even better with Vanilla Beans simmered in the creamer, which I will be trying very soon. I have also made a Cinnamon Almond by adding 1 tsp Cinnamon and 1 tsp Pure Almond Extract, which was really yummy. 

Date Paste
Equal Parts Dates and Hot tap water

Pulse dates in the food processor to get them broken down. Add in water and puree dates and water till it become a liquid.

Blackberry Rhubarb Cobbler

 We are hitting the end of the blackberry season here in western Washington, so we have been getting the last of what we can. I made this cobbler, and the tart Rhubarb was a great compliment to the sweet, juicy blackberries.

Blackberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Filling:
1 1/2 C fresh Rhubarb
2 1/2 C fresh Blackberries
2 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp cold water
2 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder

Topping:
1/3 C Almond Flour
1/2 C Coconut Flour
1/8 C Honey
1/2 C Coconut Oil- Solid
1/2 C Chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.

 Chop Rhubarb into 1/4 inch slices.  In a large bowl, mix rhubarb and blackberries. In a small bowl, mix honey, vanilla, water and Arrowroot Powder and toss berry/rhubarb mixture to coat. Place mixture into baking dish.

 In a bowl, mix all topping ingredients except walnuts.  Fold in walnuts and dollop on top of prepared fruit filling.

  Place in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes till top is browned slightly.

My mom is in town from New York visiting. Loralei enjoyed berry picking with grandma!