Quinoa bowl with green tahini sauce

 Ingredients

750g sweet potato, cut into 1cm thick half moons

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt

½ brown onion, sliced into 1–2cm wide slivers

¾ cup quinoa, rinsed

1½ cup chicken or vegetable broth, see tips above

1 x 400g can black beans, drained and rinsed

A squeeze of lemon juice

2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted, see tips above for substitutions

For the green tahini sauce

35g (a generous handful) flat leaf parsley leaves

1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon (25g) hulled tahini

¼ teaspoon garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon ginger, minced

2 teaspoons runny honey

A tiny pinch of fine sea salt

Method

Roast sweet potato in air fryer

Over low heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small to medium-sized heavy-based saucepan for which you have a lid. Add the onion and a small pinch of salt and stir. Cook the onion for around 10 minutes — slow and steady over low heat — until soft and sticky. Then add the quinoa and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer with the lid slightly ajar. Allow the quinoa to cook for around 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the centre of the quinoa grain/seed is translucent. Remove from the heat, place the lid on the pot and leave for 10 minutes.

Place the black beans in a mixing bowl and add a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt. Stir then taste, and adjust seasoning as desired.

To prepare the green sauce place the parsley, oil and lemon juice in a mini food processor and blitz until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until smooth. Taste and adjust the flavour as you wish — more lemon, more salt, etc. 

To serve, place a spoonful of quinoa in a bowl, followed by a spoonful of beans and roast sweet potato. Drizzle the sauce over the top and scatter some toasted seeds. Finish with an extra drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Instant Pot Roast Potatoes

Ingredients
1 pound fingerling or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into uniform 1 – 1½ inch cubes
2 tablespoons of ghee or favorite animal fat
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup minced chives or Italian parsley (optional)
Juice from ½ medium lemon (optional)

Instructions
Add ½ cup of water (or the minimum recommended by the manufacturer) to the cooking insert of an Instant Pot.  Dump in the potatoes.
If you’re using an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot, simply press the Manual or Pressure Cook button and program it cook for 5 minutes under high pressure.
When the potatoes are done cooking, turn off the Instant Pot and let the pressure release naturally (~10 minutes).
Melt the ghee or butter over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once it starts sputtering, carefully add the potatoes to the pan.
Season generously with salt and pepper. Leave the potatoes undisturbed for 1 minute before flipping to brown the other side for an additional minute.
Squeeze on the juice from half a lemon and toss with fresh chives or Italian parsley.

Twice baked potatoes with spinach and artichoke

INGREDIENTS

4 small/medium russet potatoes
5 oz container fresh baby spinach
½ of a 14 oz can artichoke hearts
½ medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can (5.3 oz) coconut cream
1.5 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¾ tsp fine grain sea salt
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp ghee

INSTRUCTIONS

Rub the potatoes with coconut oil and sprinkle with salt if desired, Bake the potatoes at 400 for 1 hour or until soft inside
Once cooled, cut each potato open lengthwise and scoop out the inside, leaving a thin layer.
You will use the inside of 3 of the potatoes, discard the inside only of the 4th, or save for another use
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil. Add the onions and cook until soft, then the garlic and cook until just softened.
Add the chopped spinach and saute, stirring until wilted, then add the chopped artichoke hearts and a sprinkle of salt and cook one more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
Mash or blend together the insides from 3 potatoes with the coconut cream, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, ghee, plus ¾ tsp of salt
Combine the potato mixture with the spinach artichoke mixture, then scoop into the hollowed potatoes
Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes or until beginning to lightly brown.

Sweet Potato, Kale and Mushroom Gratin (Blue Apron)

¾ Cup Milk
6 Ounces Cremini Mushrooms
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Sweet Potatoes
1 Apple
1 Bunch Kale
1 Head Butter Lettuce
1 Lemon
3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Crumbled Blue Cheese
2 Tablespoons Roasted Pistachios
¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Remove and discard the kale stems; thinly slice the leaves. Peel the sweet potatoes; thinly slice into rounds. Using a peeler, remove the yellow lemon rind, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter and deseed the lemon. Roughly chop the pistachios. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut off and discard the lettuce root. Core and thinly slice the apple; place in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon wedge.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned and softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until wilted. Add ¼ cup of water; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the water has cooked off. Turn off the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside in a warm place.

While the vegetables cook, add the sweet potatoes to the pot of boiling water and cook 12 to 14 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain thoroughly; transfer to a plate and set aside in a warm place. Rinse and wipe out the pot.

In the same pot, heat the butter on medium-high until melted. Add the garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the flour and cook, whisking frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined. Slowly whisk in the milk and ½ cup of water; cook, whisking frequently, 2 to 4 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread about ⅓ cup of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Evenly top with ⅓ of the cooked sweet potatoes, then ⅓ of the cooked vegetables, then ⅓ of the remaining sauce. Repeat twice with the remaining sweet potatoes, cooked vegetables and sauce. Evenly top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown and heated through. Remove from the oven. Let stand for at least 2 minutes before serving.

While the gratin bakes, squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon wedges into a bowl. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until well combined; season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, in a large bowl, combine the lettuce, apple, blue cheese, pistachios and enough of the dressing to coat the salad (you may have extra). Toss to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the baked gratin with the salad on the side.

Paleo Cauliflower au Gratin

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
1 Tbs minced garlic
a scant ½ cup of minced shallots (This was 2 large shallots for me)
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup of coconut cream (I like the Savoy brand)
½ cup of organic chicken stock (make sure there is no sugar in the ingredient list)
½ tsp of salt
¼ tsp of pepper
¼ tsp of ground nutmeg
2 tsp coconut flour (I like the Nutiva brand)
4-5 strips of nitrate-free bacon, crumbled
optional-1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese (skip to make strictly Paleo)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the cauliflower head into smaller cauliflower florets.
Fill a big pot of water, put a dash of salt it in, and heat over high heat until the water boils. Put the cauliflower florets into the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.
Put 2 tsp of olive oil into a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Put the minced shallots and garlic into the pan, mix into the olive oil with a spatula, and cook for 4 minutes.
Add the coconut cream, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg to the pan.
Whisk the coconut flour into the mixture.
Increase the heat to medium/high heat and let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, while mixing often. Remove from heat and set the saute pan aside.
Cover a plate in paper towels, put 4-5 strips of bacon onto the paper towels, and cover with another paper towel. Cook the bacon in the microwave for 4 minutes. The bacon should be cooked to the point where it crumbles easily.
Crumble the bacon and put into the white sauce. Put the cauliflower into the sauce, mix with a spatula and then pour everything into an 8 X 8 inch pan.
Put the pan into the oven, and cook the cauliflower for 20 minutes.
Then, set the oven to broil.
If you are adding goat cheese, remove the cauliflower from the oven and top with the crumbled goat cheese.
Then broil the cauliflower (with or without goat cheese) for 5 minutes. Make sure to check on it regularly to make sure it doesn't burn.
Allow the cauliflower to cool for a bit, serve, and Enjoy!

Sweet potato hash browns

Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup green onions, chopped (plus some for garnish)
1/4 cup coconut oil

Instructions
1. Pierce one of the sweet potatoes with a fork. Wrap it in a damp paper towel and place it in a small bowl with 1/2 inch of water. Microwave for 7-9 minutes, or until tender.
2. Let this sweet potato sit for 5 minutes. Then drain the water, peel the potato, and mash it with a fork.
3. Take the other 3 sweet potatoes and peel them. Then grate them on a box grater using the large holes. In your bowl of grated sweet potatoes, add the previous mashed potato, the 2 eggs, almond flour, sea salt, and green onion. Combine with a spoon.
4. In a skillet, pour coconut oil and heat over medium until your cast iron is hot. If you have a thermometer, it should read 350 degrees. Then drop in sweet potato "cakes" in about 2-3 tablespoon batches. Flatten them with a spatula. Cook on each side for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Once cooked, place on a plate with paper towels to drain the oil. Serve HOT!

Wild mushroom soup and sweet potato cakes

INGREDIENTS
3 lbs mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
4 large shallots, diced
2 tbsp fresh thyme
14 cups chicken stock
2 cups full-fat coconut milk
6 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
4 tbsp tapioca starch (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 lbs sweet potatoes, quartered
8 slices of good quality bacon (gluten, nitrate & nitrite, and sugar free), chopped
6 green onions, sliced thinly
2 eggs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking fat
 
PREPARATION
Melt the ghee in a large saucepan placed over medium high.
Add the shallots and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook for about 8 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk, season to taste, and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
Stir in the tapioca starch if you like your soups thicker.
Mix in the chopped parsley and serve.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan. Add cold water to cover, and bring to a boil; then lower the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
In the mean time, fry the bacon in a skillet placed over medium-high heat until crispy. Set aside.
Smash the potatoes in a large bowl. Shred and add the cooked bacon as well as the onions and the eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Form 8 patties using the sweet potato mixture.
In a large skillet placed over a medium-high heat, melt some cooking fat and fry the potato cakes until the outsides are golden and the insides are heated through, about 4 minutes per side.

Ratatouille

INGREDIENTS

1 medium eggplant, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (tomato should be the only ingredient)
2 small zucchini, cut into ½ inch dice
2 small yellow squash, cut into ½ inch dice
1 red onion, chopped
½ cup pine nuts, toasted (optional, but recommended)
6 garlic cloves, minced
15 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
½ cup good quality chicken stock
2 tbsp cooking fat
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

Place eggplant in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt and let sit in the kitchen sink to remove some excess moisture while you are preparing the other vegetables.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, once hot add cooking fat and swirl it around the pan.
Add the onion, garlic and pine nuts and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion softens.
While the onion is cooking pat the eggplant dry with some paper towels, then add to the skillet once the onion has cooked for 5 minutes.
Stir occasionally and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the eggplant becomes tender.
Next add in the tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, basil, and oregano. Lower the heat slightly and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, reserve ½ of the portion for leftovers and transfer other half into a serving bowl.
While the ratatouille is simmering prepare the steaks:
Heat 2-3 tbsp of cooking fat in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the steaks with salt and pepper on each side, cook for 2-3 minutes.
Turn the steaks once and cook for another 2-3 minutes for medium rare.
Transfer to plate and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

BBQ sauce

INGREDIENTS
2 ½ onions, minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 ½ cups (20 oz) tomato paste (tomato should be the only ingredient)
1 ¼ cups + 1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup Dijon or homemade mustard
2 ½ tbsp coconut aminos
⅛ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 ¼ tsp + more to taste smoked salt
Smoked paprika to taste
3-4 tbsp ghee or bacon fat

PREPARATION
In a large frying pan or sauce pan heat cooking fat over medium heat.
Add onion and cook for about 4 minutes, until translucent.
Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste the sauce and adjust with more smoked salt, paprika, or vinegar to the desired taste.
Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Tomato soup and zucchini cakes

INGREDIENTS

• Tomato Soup:
• 5 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 large white onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• ¼ cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp cooking fat
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Zucchini Cakes:
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• ½ cup almond flour (optional)
• ⅛ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• Coconut oil or ghee
• Cheese cloth

Chicken and coleslaw with apples

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken:
• 7 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste

• Coleslaw:
• 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 1 red apple, cored and chopped
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and chopped
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• ¼ cup homemade mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  PREPARATION

• Chicken:
• Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a sealable glass container or re-sealable plastic bag and mix well, add the chicken and seal, let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.
• Preheat the grill to high heat (450 F), once hot place the chicken breasts on the grill and let them cook 4-5 minutes with the cover closed.
• Flip the chicken and cook another 4-5 minutes with the lid closed.
• The chicken is done when the internal temperature is 160 F.
• Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Coleslaw:
• Combine the cabbage, carrot, green onion, and apple in a large bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and stir until well combined.
• Refrigerate for at least one hour.
• Serve the chicken with a good size portion of coleslaw.

Twice-Baked Delicata Squash

Spiced nuts

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Squash

• 4 medium delicata squash, halved, seeds removed
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 oz goat cheese

| Preparation – Spiced Nuts | Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix sugars and spices in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine egg white and water and beat until frothy (you should not be able to see the bottom of the bowl). Add nuts and toss to coat with egg. Add spices and toss to coat. Spread mixture onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper, flattening with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

| Preparation – Squash | Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Rub each seeded squash half with butter (including skin), then place skin-side down on a baking tray or dish.

Sprinkle each half with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. After 30 minutes, check every 2 minutes until a knife easily slices through the squash.

Remove squash from the oven and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Let squash cool until it’s cool to the touch. Carefully scrape squash meat into a bowl, leaving a thin layer of squash so the skin can act as a boat. The skin is very thin and you’ll need six squash boats, so be very careful while scraping out the meat.

Mix squash meat with goat cheese. Add more salt and pepper if desired. When squash mixture is smooth and no lumps remain, split mixture between six squash boats. The amount in each boat depends on the size of your squash – just ensure each boat has approximately the same amount of filling.

Place squash boats back on the baking pan and bake at 350°F for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until filling is heated through.

| To Serve | Using a fork or your hands, break apart the sheet of spiced nut brittle into small pieces. When the squash filling is heated through, remove from the oven and top with a small handful of nut brittle.

Butternut Squash Harvest Bake

• melted butter
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 1 acorn squash, peeled, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, washed and sliced into thin rounds
• 3 apples, washed, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup sliced dried figs
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup local honey
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ cup pecan halves
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

| Preparation | Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with melted butter.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Place butternut and acorn squash in boiling water and allow to boil for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes and allow both to boil for 20 minutes.

Remove squash and sweet potatoes from heat, drain and rinse.

In the greased baking dish, layer boiled squash and sweet potatoes in a spiraling pattern starting at the inside edge of the pan and working your way toward the center. Layer sliced apples in the same pattern. This should give you one or two nice layers, depending on the size of the squash. Sprinkle cranberries and dried sliced figs on top of the harvest bake.

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir well. Drizzle mixture over harvest bake dish, taking care to cover entire dish. Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes or until apples are golden. Add nuts and bake for an additional 5 minutes to lightly toast walnuts and pecans. Serve warm.

Mushrooms!!!

• 3-4 c oyster mushrooms
• 2 tbsp ghee or avocado oil
• garlic powder or fresh garlic salt f
• fresh tarragon & chives for garnish

Melt 2 tbsp ghee in pan and add mushrooms (I actually used a variety here but made sure I had plenty of oyster because they get crispy easier). Sautee, sprinkle with a little salt and keep sautéing. Add a little garlic powder, or wait until they are done and throw in fresh garlic for 30 seconds. Keep sautéing until they start to get crispy. Maybe 15-20 minutes. Top with fresh tarragon and chives.

Something new to do with baked sweet potatoes

• 4 sweet potatoes
• avocado oil
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Cashews, chopped
• Unsweetened dried cherries, chopped

Slice potatoes carefully at 1/4 inch intervals, stopping just above the bottom of the potato (instead of cutting through) until the whole potato is sliced. Repeat with each potato. Chopsticks placed on each side of the potato make a good stop for your knife. Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Pour enough avocado oil over each potato to coat it, making sure to pour in between cuts. Mix flours, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes.  Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Remove from oven and top with chopped raw cashews and unsweetened dried cherries.

Sweet potato side dish

2 lbs sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
1 green apple, cored and grated
3 leeks, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/8 inch thick, and rinsed well
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
Course salt and freshly ground pepper
2 ounces grated gruyere cheese (1 cup)

Toss together potatoes, sweet potatoes, apple, leeks, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.

Transfer to a 9-by-12-inch oval baking dish, spread into a thin layer, and cover with parchment-lined foil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Raise oven temperature to 400. Remove, uncover, and top with Gruyere. Bake until bubbling and top is browned, about 30 minutes.

Flatbread recipe with dessert modification

Ingredients

• 1 cup Tapioca Starch
• 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
• 3 Tbsp Flax Seed Meal
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp dried Oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried Basil
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Water, warmed
• 2 whole Pastured Eggs
• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 2 Tbsp fresh Thyme
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder

Process

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza stone in the oven while it preheats.
2. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Add warm water, olive oil and slightly whisked eggs.
4. Mix thoroughly, adding additional coconut flour as needed. It should end up being a very sticky dough that can be flattened with a spatula.
5. Let sit a few minutes to let coconut flour absorb water.
6. Pour onto parchment paper and spread with spatula to 1/4 inch thick.
7. Carefully* place parchment paper on pizza stone and bake 8-12 minutes or until crispy.
8. Remove and add optional toppings. I mixed garlic and butter and spread over the top and then added herbs and cheese (optional).

Ingredients

• 1 whole Grain-Free Flatbread (above)
• 4 Gala Apple, peeled and chopped (for the apple topping)
• 9 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided (4 TBSP for the apple topping, 3 TBSP chilled for the streusel topping, 2 TBSP for the caramel sauce)
• 2 tsp ground Cinnamon, (for the apple topping)
• 1 tsp ground Nutmeg, (for the apple topping)
• 2 Tbsp Grade B Maple Syrup, (for the apple topping)
• 1/3 cup Blanched Almond Flour, (for the streusel topping)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar, divided (2 TBSP for the streusel topping + 1/3 Cup for the caramel sauce)
• 8 oz Coconut Milk, (for the caramel sauce)
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract, (for the caramel sauce)

Process

1. Make the flatbread pizza according to the directions (click the ingredient for recipe). Once the flatbread has cooked, remove from oven and add toppings (per ingredients below.) Once all toppings have been added, place back in oven for 5-7 minutes or until done.
2. [For the Apple Topping] Peel and chop apples.
3. Heat a medium pan over low-medium heat and add butter.
4. Once butter begins to melt at spices and stir until fragrant.
5. Add apples and maple syrup. Let saute until apples are tender.
6. Remove from heat and add to flatbread.
7. [For the Streusel Topping] In a bowl add almond flour and coconut sugar, stir.
8. Cut butter into smaller sections and add to dry ingredients.
9. Cut butter into flour until small pea sized pieces form.
10. Crumble on top of apples.
11. [For the Caramel Sauce] Add coconut milk, sugar and salt to a small saucepan.
12. Bring to a simmer over low-medium heat, stirring frequently.
13. Let simmer 15-30 minutes until reduced to proper consistency.
14. Once reduced, remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter.
15. Let cool slightly, stirring frequently.
16. Drizzle over flatbread

Another plantain pancake recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large green plantains (about 2 cups pureed)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/8 tsp salt (a generous pinch)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Extra coconut oil for frying

1. Peel plantains (I find it easier to quarter them before I peel them) and place pieces in your blender or food processor.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender or food processor and process until it forms a smooth batter (about 1-2 minutes).
3. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a frying pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat.  Pour batter into the frying pan until your pancake is the desired size.
4. Let cook 4-5 minutes on the first side, until the top looks fairly dry with little bubbles in it (just like regular pancakes!).
5. Flip!  And cook on the second side for 1½-2minutes.
6. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more coconut oil to your pan as needed.

Roast cauliflower

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 head cauliflower

1½ cups plain Greek yogurt

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 tablespoons chile powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly grease a small baking sheet with vegetable oil. Set aside.

2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.

4. Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly over its surface. (Excess marinade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days and used with meat, fish or other veggies.)

5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.

First week of WLC and spaghetti squash recipe

I made it through the first week of the WLC and it hasn't been too bad.  Anne and Caroline are unofficially doing it with me, so I have someone watching me that keeps me honest.  The weekend is so much harder than the work week when there is more structure.  I made pizza for Sam and the kids last night and made this spaghetti squash casserole for myself.  I also made meat loaf (one for Sam with goat cheese and one for Caroline and me that has spinach only) and roasted some vegetables.  We bought a new food processor and it helped a lot.....

Ingredients

• 1 large spaghetti squash (about 600 grams)
• 1 pound italian sausage
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup pizza sauce (no sugar added)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 eggs, whisked

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the skin of the squash gives when you press on it. Then reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
3. Once squash is done cooking, remove threads and place in an 8×8 greased baking dish.
4. Place a large pan over medium heat. Add italian sausage and onion. Cook until pink no longer remains in the sausage and it is broken up into pieces.
5. Add pizza sauce, dried basil and salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.
6. Add sausage mixture to the 8×8 dish and mix well with spaghetti squash threads.
7. Lastly, add whisked eggs to the baking dish and mix everything together until you can no longer see the eggs.
8. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust that doesn’t give when you press on it in the middle of the dish.
9. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.