Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffin Poppers

It's official!! I LOVE these poppers. I made them and took them to work last week and made another batch today. Zucchini is in abundant supply and this is a great way to get some green food. I used my Cuisinart to grate my zucchini.

I think a Cuisinart is worth the investment just for the grater feature. ZOOM ZOOM and you have a bowl full of grated carrots, zucchini, or whatever veggie you need to chisel away at.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffin Poppers

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup grape seed oil
• 1/4 cup agave or pure maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini (do not pack when measuring)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips semi-sweet

1. In small bowl mix coconut flour, salt, soda, cinnamon and set aside.
2. In medium bowl, combine eggs, oil, agave and zucchini.
3. Mix dry ingredients into wet thoroughly.
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Line mini muffin tins with mini muffin papers and spray lightly with cooking spray.
6. Spoon approx 1 Tbls batter into each muffin tin.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes.
8. Makes 24 mini-muffins.
9. Cool and serve.

ENJOY!!

I got this recipe from www.elanaspantry.com. Love that woman!

Bison Meatballs, Greek style

Who loves meatballs?!?!?
I DO. I never thought about all the different ways I could make meatballs until I actually made meatballs from scratch for the first time. My first meatball recipe was bison/pork meatballs in enchilada sauce, a recipe from Everyday Paleo. It was so easy and fast to make, it inspired me to explore other meatball recipes. In my search, I found a Greek style lamb meatball recipe on the Balanced Bites blog. I LOVE Gyros!!
I used bison in place of the lamb. It has an incredible combination of different flavors that meld so well in this meatball.

Bison Meatballs, Greek Style

• 1 lb ground bison
• 2 Tbls minced garlic ( I used the minced organic garlic in a tube from the produce dept)
• 1 Tbls lemon zest (I used dried lemon peel)
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 small lemon, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine all the ingredients except the lemon slices thoroughly.
3. Grease shallow dish with coconut oil.
4. Form bison mixture into balls slightly smaller than golf balls and place in greased dish.
5. Place the lemon slices on top of the meatballs.
6. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes. Meatballs will be slightly pink in the center.

I will be serving this one with diced tomatoes and onions, olives(no olives for me please), feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce on a bed of romaine lettuce. 

Sorry I don't have a picture of my baked meatballs but we ate before I took the time to take a picture.

I'll be sharing a dairy-free tzatziki recipe in a future post. 

Let me know how you like this meatball variation and what is your favorite variation?

ENJOY!!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan Torte (Raw)

This recipe is a decadent dessert that takes almost no time to prepare. SERIOUSLY!! You will actually spend more time cleaning your food processor between layers than making it.
This torte is totally raw and has no refined sugar or grains.
You will need a food processor or VitaMix or BlendTec for this recipe.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan Torte

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan Torte

Crust

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups pecans
• 1 1/2 cups dates (pitted)

1. Pulse dates and pecans in the food processor until it forms a ball. You might need to add a little water (I did).
2. Grease a 9 inch pie dish with coconut oil.
3. Press dough in the dish evenly.
4. Set aside.

Caramel filling

Caramel filling

• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 6 Tbls maple syrup or agave or coconut nectar
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

1. Make caramel by blending together the dates and your sweetener of choice in the food processor until smooth and a golden color.
2. Add sea salt and mix gently.

Chocolate Filling

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or agave or coconut nectar
• Course sea salt and pecan halves for garnish

1. Put cocoa, coconut oil and sweetener of choice in processor and mix until well blended.
2. Pour chocolate filling over caramel filling.

Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and pecans as desired.

Refrigerate for about 45 minutes or until the filling sets.

Remove from the refrigerator about 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

I store uneaten portions in the freezer.

Drag out your food processor and make this torte. It is crazy easy and fast to make. Like I mentioned above, most of the time is spent rinsing your processor canister between layers.
I know you'll love it so much it will become one of your last minute "company" desserts.
ENJOY!!
Thank-you to thewannabechef for sharing this recipe on his blog.

Honeyville Grains

Hey peeps!!
An important part of being able to cook this new healthier way is stocking your pantry with odd ingredients to make these deliciously odd recipes.

WELL it's time to stock your pantry!!!

I get my almond flour and coconut flour at Honeyville Grains. They occasionally have a sale and guess what. They are having a sale.

15% off until next Tuesday, August 14, 2012. Just use the code SPLASH at checkout.Remember to click the apply button to activate your discount. Don't expect to get a discount on the shipping cost. It's already really low. $4.49 to ship your WHOLE order, no matter how much you order.

Everything you order is 15% off. So check out the site and buy some blanched almond flour and coconut flour.
These are vital pantry items that will make it so much easier to make the incredibly delicious recipes you will find here and other paleo recipe blogs.

My hope is you will find recipes that are satisfying and healthy and entice you to think differently about what foods your nutrition comes from.

Delicious nutritious REAL foods are easy and fast to make when you have the foods in your pantry.

ENJOY!!