Strawberry, Rose, and Coconut Milkshake (Dairy-Free)

The air is becoming warmer, the flowers are poking through their soil, the little birds are chirping, and animals are having their young. It must be springtime! To me, this treat fully embraces spring with its sweet, creaminess of the fresh coconut, the bright, fruity strawberry, and the floral, springy hint of rose.

This milkshake is very rich, creamy, and soooooo easy to make! Just pop everything in a blender, and boom! Pure yumminess.

Fresh, young Thai coconuts are chock-full of nutrients, and they add an amazingly sweet creaminess to this drink. I buy my coconuts at Whole Foods, and then open them using the awesome Coco Jack, which I highly recommend buying! If you don’t have a Coco Jack, the employees at Whole Foods can open your coconuts for you. Then, all you’ve got to do is pour the coconut water into your blender, and scoop out the coconut meat using a large metal spoon.

Serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

The meat and water of 2 Young Thai Coconuts (about 2 cups meat, and 2¼ cups water)

1 heaping cup frozen strawberries (if you use fresh strawberries, I recommend adding a handful of ice cubes too, to make it cold)

1 Tbs food-grade rose water

Optional topping:

Coconut cream (the thick stuff at the top of a can of coconut milk that’s been chilled overnight)

Directions:

1.     Whip the coconut cream in a large bowl

               using a hand or stand mixer, until fluffy.

2.     Place the coconut meat and water in a high powered blender, and blend on high, until smooth and creamy

3.     Add the frozen strawberries and rose water, and continue to blend until there are no lumps.

4.     Pour the milkshake into glasses, and top with the whipped coconut cream, and serve.

Paleo Coconut Macaroons

These coconut macaroons require 37 ingredients and corn syrup. 

April Fools! Hahaha! I probably didn’t get you, did I?

This April Fools' day, I filled a Juice Squeeze (fizzy fruit juice) bottle with Sriracha, cherry juice concentrate, water, and raspberry jam, which made it look exactly like the pomegranate drink it was supposed to be. I left it in the fridge, just waiting for my brother to try it… Right after he woke up, he saw it in the fridge, opened it and took a huge gulp, and yelled,  “Ewww! This is disgusting!! Who did this?”

Ha.

And now, back to the macaroons. They really only require four ingredients: egg whites, shredded coconut, maple syrup, and vanilla. Perfect for a quick Easter treat!

When you pop a little macaroon into your mouth, the lovely coconut flavor will erupt, as your teeth break into the crispy outside shell. Then, as you devour the soft, moist inside, you get to enjoy the wonderful maple-vanilla sensation!

I swear, that is not an April Fools’ Day joke.

Makes 17 macaroons.

Ingredients:

5 egg whites

2 ⅔ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1.     Preheat your oven to 350° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2.     In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until white, fluffy, and a stiff peak forms.

3.     Stir in the coconut, maple syrup, and vanilla.

4.     To make the macaroon shape, use a cookie scoop and tightly pack the mixture into it, then drop the cookies onto the lined baking sheet. In order for them to hold together, you must tightly pack it. If the cookies start to slightly fall before they get into the oven, you can mold the edges of each one with your hands, before they get baked.

5.     Bake the macaroons on the middle rack of the oven for about 26 minutes. Then, let them cool on a wire cooling rack for at least ten minutes, to set.

Store the macaroons in a container in the freezer, then remove at least 30 minutes before serving.

Mini Chocolate Cupcake Bombs

Chocolate cupcakes, covered with walnuts and encased with a rich chocolate shell; decadence in its purest form. People, you need to make these! Right now! Don’t you want them? I sure do, just writing this!

I made these little treats for a get-together last weekend, and they were a huge hit. No one could believe that they were made of cashew butter, and contained no grains or dairy!

One tip: Before announcing to your whole family that the cupcake bombs are done, make sure to eat a few in secret! (I was not very smart the first time I made these.)

Makes 12 mini cupcake bombs.

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbs coconut oil, melted (for greasing)

½ cup creamy salted cashew butter, unsweetened (if your cashew butter is unsalted, add another pinch of salt to the recipe)

1 large egg

1/3 cup raw honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup cacao powder

1 Tbs coconut flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

3 Tbs walnuts, coarsely chopped

¾ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1.     Preheat your oven to 350° and heavily grease a mini muffin tin with the melted coconut oil.

2.      In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix together the cashew butter, egg, honey and vanilla until smooth.

3.     Blend in the cacao powder, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.

4.     Scoop the batter into the greased mini muffin tin using a cookie scoop (or just a spoon). Fill them up almost all the way. The batter should fill the 12 cups in the tin evenly.

5.     Place a few pieces of walnut on top of each muffin, then put the tin in the oven.

6.     Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

7.     While the muffins are baking, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over high heat, or a small saucepan over medium/low heat.

8.     Let the muffins cool in their tin for 5 minutes, then gently remove from the tin, and onto 2 plates lined with parchment paper.

9.     Pour a spoonful of melted chocolate on top of each muffin, then place them in the freezer. Cover them with aluminum foil.

10. Keep the muffins in the freezer until the chocolate on top hardens, then serve!

To Store: Keep the muffins in the freezer until 30 minutes before you want to serve them. For those last 30 minutes, put them in in the fridge.

Leprechaun Pancakes (Grain-free, Dairy-Free)

Oh, the sunflower seed butter and baking soda reaction! I remember the moment so vividly…

It was about a year ago. I was concocting a recipe for oatmeal cookies, made with sunflower seed butter. When the delicious cookies came out of the oven, they seemed to look a bit yellow. The longer they cooled for, the greener, and greener they got. When I bit into one, they tasted perfectly normal, but the inside was a deep green! How strange!

Recently, I was browsing recipes online, when I found a recipe for green oatmeal cookies! It was then I learned that when you combine baking soda and sunflower seed butter, it turns green. Amazing! And perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

These pancakes are deeeeelish, and can be made in a jiffy!

Just don’t let the leprechauns eat them! You know how greedy they get with paleo pancakes.

Makes about 16 pancakes.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened sunflower seed butter

2 Tbs maple syrup or honey

3 large eggs

½ cup almond milk (or coconut milk for nut-free)

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

scant ¼ tsp sea salt

1-2 Tbs coconut oil, for greasing

Directions:

1.     Place a large cast iron skillet on your stove, and turn the heat up to medium.

2.     In a high speed blender, blend the sunbutter, maple syrup, eggs, and almond milk until smooth.

3.     Blend in the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

4.     Spread a bit of coconut oil all over the preheated griddle, and then spoon the batter onto it. I use about 2 Tbs of batter per pancake. Then, spread out the top of the pancake with the back of a spoon, to make it thinner.

5.     Let each side of the pancake cook for about 2 minutes, or until the edges start to curl slightly under, before flipping.

6.     Serve the pancakes! NOTE: The greenness may start to form a few minutes after the pancakes have been cooked, because it takes a little while for the baking soda to activate.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo, Vegan)

Every food blog needs a chocolate chip cookie recipe, right? Well, I thought it was about time to post one. This recipe is incredibly easy to make, and requires only seven ingredients. These cookies taste incredible! They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a perfect balance of salty and sweet; pure egg-free, dairy-free, grain-free goodness!

Need I say more?

Makes about 16 cookies.

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour (not packed)

¼ tsp + a pinch sea salt

¼ tsp baking soda

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup maple syrup

1 Tbs vanilla extract

¼ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.     Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.     In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, salt, and baking soda.

3.     In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.

4.     Mix the wet into the dry until the dough forms, then stir in the chocolate chips.

5.     Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and scoop the dough onto the sheet using a cookie scoop (or a tablespoon, for slightly smaller cookies). Make sure to space the dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the sheet, then flatten them out with the palm of your hand.

6.     Bake on the second-to-upper rack of the oven for 11-15 minutes. Remember that the thicker your cookie, the longer it will need to bake for.

7.     Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for  a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack, then repeat this process with any remaining dough. Serve the cookies, and enjoy!

Three-Layer Paleo Cake: Maple-Almond, Coffee-Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla

Happy birthday to me! And to celebrate, cake!  Not just a maple-almond cake. Not just a coffee- chocolate chip cake. Not just a vanilla cake, but ALL of them combined, and topped off with a luscious chocolate frosting!

Seriously, people! This cake wants to be in your mouth. And you know you want it. Do you want to know the most tempting thing on the face of this earth? A giant slab of this cake just sitting there, on your counter, all. day. long. I speak from experience.

Three layers of paleo cake are just a necessity for any proper birthday celebration. Okay, fine: one or two layer cakes are awesome, but this cake is just special; three layers, each containing a different flavor and texture. This is the best cake I’ve ever (and ever will) have.

I know, I know, this cake seems a bit labor intensive; it is. But I made my cakes over the course of two days, and froze the cakes once they had cooled. Then, I took them out of the freezer about two hours before we were going to eat them, and then frosted them.

Easy as pie! And delicious as cake.

Ingredients:
For the maple-almond layer:

114 grams (about 1 cup) blanched almond flour

7 grams (about 1 Tbs) coconut flour

21 grams (about 3 Tbs) tapioca or arrowroot flour, plus more for dusting

½ tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

2 large eggs

½ cup maple syrup

2 Tbs almond milk

2 Tbs coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing

1 tsp almond extract

½ tsp vanilla extract

112 grams (about 1 cup) shaved almonds

Directions:

1.     Preheat your oven to 350° F and grease a 9” round spring form pan with some coconut oil. Dust the bottom and sides with some tapioca flour.

2.     In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt.

3.     In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

4.     Stir the wet into the dry, then fold in the almonds.

5.     Let the batter sit for 10 minutes so the coconut flour can absorb the liquid, then give it a gentle stir.

6.     Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake for 16 minutes.

7.     Let the cake cool fully before handling, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until assembly.

Ingredients:

For the coffee-chocolate chip layer:

96 grams (about 1 cup) blanched almond flour

24 grams (about 3 Tbs) tapioca flour or arrowroot flour, plus more for dusting

8 grams (about 1 Tbs) coconut flour

2 tsp finely ground espresso

1 pinch sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1/3 cup honey

2 Tbs coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing

3 Tbs almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1.     Preheat your oven to 350° F and grease a 9” round spring form pan with some coconut oil. Dust the bottom and sides with some tapioca flour.

2.     In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, espresso, baking soda, and salt.

3.     In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

4.     Stir the wet into the dry, then fold in the chocolate chips.

5.     Let the batter sit for 10 minutes so the coconut flour can absorb the liquid, then give it a gentle stir.

6.   Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake for 16-18 minutes.

7.     Let the cake cool fully before handling, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until assembly.

Ingredients:

For the vanilla layer: 

88 grams (about ¾ cup) blanched almond flour

31 grams (about ¼ cup) tapioca flour or arrowroot flour, plus more for dusting

14 grams (about 2 Tbs) coconut flour

½ tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

2 large eggs

1/3 cup honey

2 Tbs coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing

2 Tbs almond milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1.   Preheat your oven to 350° F and grease a 9” round spring form pan with some coconut oil. Dust the bottom and sides with some tapioca flour.

2.   In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt.

3.   In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

4.   Stir the wet into the dry.

5.   Let the batter sit for 10 minutes so the coconut flour can absorb the liquid, then give it a gentle stir.

6.   Pour the batter into the cake pan, and bake for 16-18 minutes.

7.   Let the cake cool fully before handling, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until assembly.

Ingredients:

For the chocolate frosting:

1 cups coconut oil

2 cups chocolate chips

1 Tbs vanilla extract

Directions:

1.     In a double boiler on high heat, melt all of the ingredients until they form a smooth liquid.

2.     Pour the liquid into a large bowl, then place the bowl in the fridge so the mixture can harden.

3.     Let it harden for about 30 minutes, then remove from the fridge.

4.     Using a hand blender, mix the frosting until thick and fluffy. NOTE: If you don’t own a hand blender, an electric mixer works too, but you’ll probably

have to let the mixture defrost a little before mixing.

NOTE: if you want lots of frosting on your cake, and frosting around the whole edge, I recommend doubling the frosting recipe. The single recipe made enough for me, but I didn’t frost the edges.

To Assemble:

1.     Place the maple-almond layer of cake on your cake platter.

2.     Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of it.

3.     Repeat this process with the coffee-chocolate chip layer, then the vanilla layer,

       gently spreading a layer of frosting on each time.

4.     Place a topping on the cake, if wanted. I used this beautiful rose from Chocolate FX.

5.     Enjoy the cake!