Paleo Choco Banana Bread

Mmm I love the smell of banana bread baking in the oven.  I think this recipe is better than the traditional banana bread recipe.  You won't feel guilty eating a slice as this is gluten, dairy, and sugar free.  Enjoy!
Paleo Choco Banana Bread
1 c almond butter
1 c almond flour
3-4 very ripe bananas (I used 4 as I like a more moist banana bread)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c chocolate chips (homemade) or pure cacao powder

Method

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until the bananas are no longer in visible chunks. Pour the batter into a loaf pan (or muffin tin, just adjust the cooking time).
Bake for approx. 35-40 minutes, until the center is hard to the touch. Let the banana bread cool before removing from the pan.

Moroccan Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a cold Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup and is refreshing on a hot and humid summer day.  This is an elegant and delicious recipe with beautiful flavors; yet, it is so simple to make.

Moroccan Gazpacho Yield 5-6 cups

1 cup water
4 tomatoes chopped
1 tomato diced
1 cucumber peeled and chopped
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup raisins

Blend all of the ingredients, except for the 1 diced tomato, pine nuts, raisins and cilantro, until creamy. Pulse in the cilantro. Stir in the diced tomato, pine nuts and raisins. Enjoy!

Yummy coconut chocolate chip cookies

Everyone loves a great chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Growing up I was nicknamed the cookie monster, cookies were something I could easily eat all day long.  These days I like to enjoy the odd cookie with a cup of tea.  This recipe allows you to enjoy cookies in moderation without feeling so guilty because they are dairy and gluten free. Yay!

 

Coconut chocolate chip cookies
Ingredients:

1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp of raw honey (or natural sweetener of choice)
4 omega 3 eggs
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/8 tsp of celtic sea salt
1/2 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup of 70% dark chocolate chips (or raw cacao nibs)
Parchment Paper (optional)

Process:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a medium sized bowl, combine eggs, coconut oil, honey*, vanilla extract and salt. Once this is mixed, blend in the coconut flour.
Stir in shredded coconut and chocolate chips
On parchment lined baking sheets, drop heaping tablespoons of cookie batter **
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes----
If you don't have raw honey, agave nectar or regular honey will do the trick.
I used the dairy and gluten free semi-sweet chocolate chips that are sold in the natural section of Zehrs. The brand is called Enjoy Life! I made these before with the cacao nibs and they didn't turn out that well. Cacao nibs really have no flavour and they are expensive!  You can also make your own chocolate (refer to my chocolate recipe in an older post) and break it up into pieces.
Make sure you melt the coconut oil before mixing everything in to avoid clumping!

Enjoy!

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

We just got back from our honeymoon last week so my apologies for the lack of posts!  We went on a 7-day cruise that left from Miami.  Besides the beaches, palm trees, warm sun, and lushness of Miami, one of my favourite things is Mahi Mahi.  It is so delicious and tender.  I was craving it a few nights ago and decided that I was going to bbq some.  I used frozen Mahi Mahi since I didn't have any fresh available. 

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa
Make sure your Mahi Mahi is thawed out completely if you are using frozen.

Marinade (enough for 3 pieces of fish)
1/2 cup of olive oil
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic
Sea salt and pepper
Blend these ingredients well in a blender and cover over the Mahi Mahi fillets.  Cover and store in the fridge over night.  I allowed mine to marinade for about 24 hours.

Mango Salsa
1 large whole fresh mango
1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro
1 tomato chopped
1/4 cup of red onion chopped
Mix ingredients together and set aside in a bowl.

After you have allowed the Mahi Mahi to sit in the marinade and you are ready to cook it, put it in a tin pan or on top of tin foil and grill on the bbq 5 minutes per side (or until you can see that it is cooked through).

Add the mango salsa and voila, it will taste just like it does in the Caribbean.  Enjoy!

Bumble berry crumble

I was nominated to bring dessert for our family Easter dinner! I modified a recipe I was given for cherry crumble to make bumble berry crumble. It was yummy and even the non-paleo'ers enjoyed it!

Preheat oven to 350F

Filling
Mix together 2lbs of frozen mixed berries and 2 tsp of xanthan gum in a 9x9 baking dish.

Crust
2 cups of almond meal
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Mix the almond meal, cinnamon, nutmeg then add the coconut oil, agave nectar and vanilla. Blend well and spoon the mixture over the fruit. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

The lowdown on sugar

Sugar...aka the white poison! Our ancestors did not eat this white toxic substance and they did not have the diseases and ailments that we experience today! I always cringe when people tell me that they don't eat sugar but they use sweeteners like sweet n low! Yikes! Sweeteners are chemicals and are worse than sugar! And brown sugar is white sugar with molasses!

So why is sugar so bad? It negatively affects the body in the following ways:

-Depresses the immune system
-High insulin demand
-High enzyme demand
-Hyperactivity
-Fatigue

A true test to see how sugar affects you is to come off of it for 30 days! It is amazing to see how this white substance can wreak havoc on our bodies! People who I have done nutrition work with that come off of sugar immediately notice the following results: better sleep, no gas, no bloating, weight loss, better blood sugar control, no cravings, and more energy.
So the next time you reach for those sugary treats ask yourself if it is really worth it?

My recommendations if you crave something sweet is to eat fresh fruit or some dates! If you feel that you have to have dessert, bake some apples with cinnamon or grab a medjool date, remove the pit and stick a pecan in it (tastes like pecan pie). And if you are making a recipe that calls for sugar, replace it with palm sugar, real maple syrup (sorry Aunt Jemima doesn't cut it), agave nectar, or honey (I prefer raw)! Eat these sugar replacements in very very small quantities and sparingly! I know we are only human and everyone craves sweets from time to time. I am not saying that these sugar substitutes are healthy and won't negatively affect your body, all I am saying is that if you absolutely have to have something sweet than choosing palm sugar or agave is still a better choice than white and brown sugar!

And remember that sugar has no nutrition value whatsoever! Fuel your body with foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and enzymes!

Almond butter cookies

These are great for when you have those peanut butter cookie cravings!

1 cup almond butter
2/3 cup of coconut (palm) sugar
1 whole egg beaten
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl mix almond butter and sugar. Add the egg, baking powder, and vanilla and mix well. Roll small amounts of the mixture into a ball. Coat the ball in a little more sugar and Place on a greased cookie sheet. With a fork press the balls flat. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until cookies are light brown. Let them cool before serving.