RECIPE: Cinnamon Bun Muffins

I am ALWAYS on the search for new recipes for uses for cinnamon. Seems like I crave it more than any other seasoning or spice. I found this recipe on Elana's Pantry and just couldn't wait to try it! Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls!?

Cinnamon Topping:

• 2 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil (I used Wildtree)
• DIRECTIONS:
• Combine agave, cinnamon and grape seed oil in a measuring cup or small bowl.
• Set aside. 
• Muffin Mixture:
• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 2 tablespoon coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ cup grape seed oil
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• DIRECTIONS:
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.
• 3. In a large bowl combine oil, agave, eggs and vanilla. (I used my immersion blender)
• 4. Blend dry ingredients into wet and spoon about 1/4 cup into greased or lined muffin cups. (I use my MISTO sprayer to lightly spray grape seed oil into silicone cups.)
• 5. Spoon cinnamon topping onto the muffins.

6. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes on center rack of oven.

• 7. Cool completely before frosting them with Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 9 - 10  muffins

Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
3 tablespoons organic Agave
3 tablespoons Half and Half (The recipe calls for heavy cream, but we didn't have any. Half and Half works just fine!)
A dash of Cinnamon for good measure!

1. To make frosting combine cream cheese and agave in a medium bowl until well blended
2. Whip in cream until frosting is nice and thick
3. Spread over Cinnamon Bun Muffins 
4. Serve

RECIPE: Moroccan Marinated Chicken

I often refer to Gavan Murphy's website for cooking adventure ideas. Everything I have made from his recipes has been outstanding, so I rest assured that each new attempt will be delicious, as well. For years I trusted Southern Living cookbooks (and still do!!) but I just don't cook like a Southern gal anymore. Paleo cooking is much for rewarding, so why tamper with a good thing! (Actually, at some point I will refer back to some of my favorite Southern recipes and I will attempt to 'convert' them to Paleo.
I bought chicken breasts at the store yesterday, so I decided to try a recipe I've been curious about ... Moroccan Marinated Chicken. I paired it with some roasted zucchini filled with grape tomato halves, herbs, and mozzarella cheese ... That recipe will be posted shortly, too. Dessert was AMAZING! I made Paleo Strawberry Coconut Sorbet! Yes, I'll be posting that recipe, as well! 
***Please note***The chicken must marinate for 4 hours, so there is preparation that needs to be done in advance.

MOROCCAN MARINATED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:
4 large organic Chicken Breasts (Gavan used 2 whole organic chickens)
Marinade:
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon groung Coriander
2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Lemon Pepper
1 teaspoon organic Agave

DIRECTIONS:
Preparing/marinating the chicken ...
Combine the marinade ingredients together and blend well. (I used my immersion blender) Taste and set aside.
Preheat large skillet on high heat. Lay chicken pieces on foil or a paper towel then sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to hot pan, then add pieces of chicken to sear all sides. This should take 2 or 3 minutes per side. You may need to sear the chicken a few pieces at a time rather than all at once.

Once all the chicken is golden brown, add the chicken to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Baking the chicken ... 
***Allow the chicken to return to room temperature to insure even cooking.***


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Place chicken pieces on a foil-lined baking dish.

If you're cooking mixed pieces of chicken you will need to pot the dark meat pieces in first, as they take longer to cook.


After the dark meat pieces have baked for 8 minutes, add white meat pieces and return to the oven for approximately 12 minutes. 


Check for doneness. I used my meat thermometer and checked the thickest part of a breast.  At 20 minutes the inside temperature of the chicken was 139 degrees, so I returned the dish back to the oven for 5more minutes. If you're checking with a meat thermometer you want the internat temperature to be 160 degrees. It's easy to tell with dark meat ... cut into the meat and see if juices next to the bone are clear. If so, it's done.

Remove the dish from the oven and allow the meat to 'rest' for at least 3 minutes. This allows for the juices to be reabsorbed back into the meat for maximum juiciness.

RECIPE: Carrot Spice Smoothie

Yes, I am branching out and making smoothies with different vegetables ... This time I tried a carrot. Guess what? We both LOVED it! I have seen a few recipes with carrots, so I did my own experimenting and this is what I came up with ...
CARROT SPICE SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond milk (I'm sure Coconut milk would be great, too!)
1/2 cup ZOI unsweetened vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 large Carrot
1 Banana
1 teaspoon Agave
1 tablespoon unsweetened grated coconut
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spices (or some combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and/or cloves will do!)
6 Ice Cubes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash and peel a large carrot then cut it into chunks.
2. Put ingredients in a blender. 
3. Blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Mango Smoothie ... With Avocado and Spinach!

Conrad isn't completely sold on the idea of "drinking vegetables" mixed with fruit, so I took yesterday's recipe and added avocado and spinach and drank it myself. It was awesome! Smooth, rich, creamy, nutritious ... green ... what more could one ask for!


STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE WITH AVOCADO AND SPINACH

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup ZOI vanilla Greek Yogurt
6-8 fresh Strawberries (I used fresh)
1/2 cup chunks of Mango (I used frozen)
1/4 Avocado
2 cups fresh Spinach
1 teaspoon Agave
6 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Even though "Smoothie Month" is officially over I am still making and loving drinking them. With Spring and Summer just around the corner, I am going to be trying even more varieties. I will post my findings as I progress.


STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup ZOI vanilla Greek Yogurt
6-8 fresh Strawberries (I used fresh)
1/2 cup chunks of Mango (I used frozen)
1 teaspoon Agave
6 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Power Smoothie

I have to admit - This is not one of the prettiest smoothies I have ever seen, but it tastes fantastic! When you were a kid you probably colored easter eggs with the little fizzy tablets in vinegar. (I know I did!) After all the pretty eggs were ready it seemed to be tradition to experiment with the dyes by putting one egg into every color or by mixing them all together to see what the final outcome would be. Inevitably, you'd have one brownish egg from that process. Well, this smoothie is somewhat of a 'brown easter egg' experiment!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 banana
4 large strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon agave
6 ice cubes
2 - 4 cups raw spinach

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in blender. Place spinach in last. Fill blender to the top with spinach.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste. Add more agave (to taste) if you prefer a sweeter smoothie.

 Enjoy!

***Interestingly, the longer this smoothie rests the greener it becomes! Here's a view just before the last sip!

RECIPE: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans

I love sweet potatoes and I am very glad that the Paleo Lifestyle allows for the occasional consumption of such a wonderful, tasty vegetable. I found a recipe earlier today that contained sugar, so I decided to give it a more Paleo flair. I was serving this dish with a meal based on a Mexican theme, so I decided to spice it up some. When making this dish you can change the "heat index" by adjusting the final ingredient. (By the way, I often cook for two, so feel free to adjust the quantities accordingly.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 large sweet potato
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter)
1 tablespoon agave
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and peel sweet potato.
3. Cut into sections approximately 1/2 inch thick, then cut in half.
4. Coat each piece with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt.

5. Roast potato sections for approximately 25 minute, stirring occasionally.
6. Melt coconut oil or butter, then add agave, cinnamon, nuts and cayenne pepper, and stir well. 
7. Pour over sweet potatoes and enjoy!

RECIPE: Paleo Hot Chocolate

It's cold and rainy outside. Something we're not used to this winter in Northern California. I'm cold. I want something hot to drink. Something chocolaty. I go on the Internet in search of answers. Is it possible to make Paleo Hot Chocolate? I'm sure it is! I found this recipe - Paleo Hot Chocolate. It looked pretty good, but I'm used to a sweeter version of hot chocolate. So, I decided to tweak it a bit. Here's what I came up with.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1 tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 - 2 teaspoons organic Agave (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine coconut milk, water, cinnamon and cocoa powder - stirring well.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in vanilla and a teaspoon agave.
4. Taste. Adjust sweetness as desired.
(I almost forgot to take a picture of the finished product! Here it is after I've tasted it several times! Good stuff!)

RECIPE: Roasted Butternut Squash

So I had about 2/3 of a butternut squash left after making the lasagna on Saturday and my Paleo project includes trying new recipes with foods and finding secondary uses for left overs. I found an interesting recipe that included a few items I didn't have, so I improvised. (Me? Alter? Improvise? Yep!!)
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 of a butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into bite sized cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon agave

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel the butternut squash and remove seeds.
3. Slice, then cut into bite sized cubes.
4. In a seal-able plastic bag, mix olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, thyme, and agave. Pour in squash, seal, and shake. This can be done in a bowl, as well. I used the bag because I had stored the leftover squash in it.
5. Place well coated squash cubes on a baking tray in a single layer.

6. Place on rack in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until pieces are tender.

YUM!