Breakfast Is My Favorite!

I have probably said it before and will definitely say it again... breakfast is SO GOOD.  I think one of the reasons I like it so much is because the work always feels so minimal compared to preparing dinner, and way more exciting than eating lunch.  Maybe that's why I am constantly trying to upgrade to the newest "best" breakfast recipe.

Eric laughs at me every time I get in the kitchen because I can never just follow a recipe.  I tried it once, the results were horribly bland.  Seriously, I rarely trust other's suggestions.  This may seem snobby, but I like my food, and none are more important to me than a quality breakfast muffin.  As you all know, I have definitely posted my share of muffin tin recipes, but can't stop trying new twists or ideas.  Hey, there is always room for banana or pumpkin or chocolate chip!  Maybe I have a problem, but you get to profit from it so no harm done.

So, in honor of breakfast, and my inability to simply leave a recipe alone, this post features two muffin recipes and a new twist on hash browns.  First up is a muffin originally from one of my new favorite recipe sites.  When I first made these following her recipe (yes, I did!), it was almost perfect.  It was very muffin-esque, but I wanted a smoother texture and stronger banana taste so I messed around until I found something that worked.  Of course I also add raisins while Eric prefers his with walnuts and chocolate chips.  Regardless, you don't even miss the flour!

Banana Bread Muffin

(for real) 

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp butter (melted)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/8 cup coconut milk
• walnuts, raisins or choc chips (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl mash your banana with all wet ingredients, then add to mixing bowl.  Stir everything together, then add any optional extras.  Place in a greased muffin tin and bake at 350 for 20-25 mins.  Knife should come out clean and top should be browned.  Butter or cream cheese is a great end addition!

Another fiddled with muffin recipe but this time from a friend and my only goal was to primalize.  This is a dense muffin that's quick to mix up, perfect for breakfast on the go, or a hearty snack.  Also very moist so be sure to cook it as long as you can!

Sweet Ginger Muffin

• 1 mashed banana
• 1/2 cup sweet potato puree
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2tbsp coconut flour
• 2tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1tbsp agave syrup (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, making sure there are no lumps.  Put in a greased muffin tin and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.  Again, they are very moist so I leave them in until I think they might burn, but the choice is yours.

(Sorry there are no pictures, I always make them on a busy day because they are just that convenient!)

My cousin sent me this last breakfast joy after an excited phone call regarding her switch to primal eating.  Of course I couldn't just leave it alone, although I blame the fact that I had butternut squash and not sweet potato.  Regardless, the result was easy and so so good.

Butternut Parmesan Hash Browns

• 1 1/2 cups grated butternut (or sweet potato)
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp almond meal
• 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder (or flour)
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Grate the potatoes on the large side of box grater and season with salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then squeeze by the handful to drain out the excess liquid.  Combine with the rest of the ingredients.  Form thin patties and heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Carefully place in pan and let cook about 2-3 minutes a side.  Cook until crispy, then place on plate, add toppings, as always I recommend serving with eggs, bacon, and coffee.  Eat up and enjoy!

Sugar on the Brain: Desserts Galore!

Two things.

First, I came here today to look up my blueberry crumble recipe for dessert tonight and was horrified, mortified, and slightly embarrassed that I have not posted for the whole month of February.  I could blame it on a shortage of delicious recipe creations but that would be a lie.  The truth is as usual time slipped away, and so to apologize there will be plenty of recipes.  That's why you read anyways, right?

Second, you know when you give something up and then you can't stop thinking about it?  Yup, sugar on the brain.  Eric and I decided to give up sugar for Lent.  No we are not Catholic.  No we do not go to church.  But we were sick of explaining "sugar detox" to people.  Therefore it was decided that everyone would give us less cr*p if we just said we were doing it for religious reasons.  Sorry for the offensive language (heh heh), but there are times when people's reactions our "primal lifestyle" drive me crazy.  See, right there.  Even the fact that I had to use "quotations" to explain something that we've been doing for over a year and plan to do for the rest of our lives is silly.  Sorry.  I will stop now.  I blame the detox.

Okay, I am focused.  So.  Eric calls this phase "not eating sugar," or at least non-fruit sugars.  I call it horrible.painful.angry.suffering.  But only for a week or two, then it gets easier, I swear.  It doesn't happen with everyone, but my body goes through a type of withdrawl.  Seriously, did you know our bodies are addicted to the stuff?  Not only is it addictive, but if present, our bodies will use sugars as energy before fats.  It's easier to break down and this means that the fat you eat can then get stored elsewhere (helloooo, it's fat) for later use, which would be great if we lived in the wild.  It is incredibly possible to function without these sugars (our ancestors didn't even have them!), but it takes time for the body to remember.

Anyways, this is why we do the torture, I mean detox, to get our bodies back on track after a particularly lousy month of following the 80/20 principle. Sure it's delicious at the time, but eventually all those sugary treats start to catch up with us and really slow us down.  If this doesn't make sense it's because you've never been there.  Try it some time, you might be surprised by the results.

And now for the recipes.  Since I can't HAVE these things right now they are of course all I can THINK about, so what better time to share them than now.

First up, my finalized, officially the best, chocolate chip cookies!

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a mixing bowl combine wet ingredients. Add dry to wet ingredientsand beat with hand mixer until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, drop balls of cookie dough, be sure to flatten. Bake for 15 minutes, then let cool and serve with a cold glass of milk!

**an R&E original

This next recipe is so easy it made me laugh when I ate it because it's so  freaking good!
 

Vanilla or Chocolate Pudding

(or custard if you can't wait a full night)

• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (or chocolate chips powdered in food processor)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Put the can of coconut milk and the coconut oil into a saucepan and heat it on medium, whisking frequently.  Once it starts to simmer remove it from heat and put it into the food processor with the powder.  Blend until smooth, pour into bowls or ramekins or whatever, and refrigerate overnight.  Serve with whipped cream, cinnamon, berries, or all!







**modified from http://www.elanaspantry.com/


Last up is something you might not *think* is dessert, but I assure you if you mix it with a little bit of yogurt it is amazingly delicious.  Come on, would I ever steer you wrong?

Primal Honey Nut Granola

(oh, I went there)

• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1 1/4 cups sliced almonds
• 1 1/4 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all above well in a big bowl and set aside.

• 1/8 cup honey (more if you want but I swear it's enough)
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

Melt coconut oil and honey in the microwave, about one minute.  While still liquid add to big bowl and mix mix mix until everything is combined and sticky.  Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 for 50 minutes.  Then take out and gently stir and bake another 15 or so minutes until crispy but not burned.  Let it cool completely and store in container lined with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture.

Sorry there's no picture it was really that good.
*modified from http://www.paleotable.com/


Enjoy, next up will be double chocolate brownies and ice cream once this detox is over.
Oh, and try not to make (and eat) them all at once!

Chocoholics Anonymous (Part I)

Hello, my name is Rachel and I am a chocoholic.  That's right, you heard me... I'm finally confessing.  I have a problem, and that problem is chocolate.  Or desserts.  Or bread.  Hmmmm... well for the sake of this post let's say my problem lies in the dessert field with a special concentration in chocolate.  Sounds like a good major, no?

So here's the deal; as I mentioned before I have been on diets similar to the primal lifestyle.  Therefore I have grown accustomed to little to no grains and carbs, eating burgers without the bun, and pasta without the pasta.  I can deal with it.  Sure you might catch me cheating here or there but no biggie.  However, when it comes to dessert?  Real honest-to-goodness dessert?  As in homemade frosting and cake, fresh baked pie with apples from the orchard, or Duncan Hines Funfetti?  Well, the truth is I don't care as long as it's fresh and made with love.  Did someone say Ho-Ho's?  Alright I have a problem.

For 5 years I have struggled and it always came down to me choosing the lesser evils, such as those sweets processed with cane sugar or molasses, but never did I meet complete success.  You have no idea how hard it is to find a dessert that contains no sugar (including splenda, xylitol, etc), is minimally processed (can you say all the words?), holds no hidden wheat, and doesn't look and taste like cat vomit.  Seriously.  Go out there and look, I dare ya.

(maybe I should have eaten before this post)

Well today marks the day when I can proudly say... we have dessert!  That's right, not one but TWO delicious delicacies that make me (and therefore you and Eric) happy.  Not only that but they are easy to make.  Okay, one is technically a shake, but I count it as a dessert because 1) I am excited to share it and 2) it tastes like one.  Don't judge, just read.

I stumbled upon both of these in a rebellious effort to use up leftovers.  As a general rule of thumb I try to make sure nothing goes to waste.  This can result in some epic moments of failure, but also brings out some of my greater culinary discoveries.  So, since I had ricotta cheese left from a recent attempt at gnocchi (so not ready to share yet), butternut squash from pancakes (ditto), and enough laziness to not cook or open anything new I decided to make two things... a shake and "ice cream."

Here they are...

Chocolate CocoButter Shake

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (from can)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1/4 cup pre-cooked/mashed butternut squash (trust me on this)
• 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• if you are a wimp add agave or honey to taste

It's pretty straightforward; put all ingredients in a blender, hit blend, stop, blend, stop (or pulse if you have that fancy technology) and once shake-like, pour it in a glass, and enjoy!

(Sorry there's no picture it was just too delicious.)

Chocolate Cannoli Ice Cream

• 1 lb Ricotta cheese (don't panic it's small)
• 8 Trader Joe's freeze dried mango slices (soaked in water)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• again, if you are a wimp...

Put the mangoes minus the water in the food processor and puree.  This means it should be smooth with no chunks.  Once smooth, add rest of ingredients and blend blend blend! It's done when it is creamy and delicious (see below).

You can eat it straight up or put it in the freezer for a few hours for a more ice cream like state.  It will lose some of it's sweetness and all of it's mousse-ness in the freezer, but Eric and I still liked it just fine.  If you are feeling really ambitious, add some fruit or whipped cream, or both to the top!

I plan to go eat mine now...

* These have both been R&E original creations*