RECIPE: Lemon Bars

One of Conrad's most favorite treats is lemon bars. My mother has always made exceptional bars, but in her elder years she just isn't able to make them as often ... Be sides that fact that we live 2400 miles apart! So, I was looking around on the Internet (Primal Women In The Kitchen) and came across some Paleo Lemon Bars. Well, you guessed it ... I HAD to give them a try! They taste fantastic! Tart and fresh, sweet and nutty! 

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:

6 whole Eggs
1/2 cup Honey
1 cup Lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
1/2 cup Coconut oil

Crust:

1 cup raw Almonds
1 cup raw Pecans
1/4 cup Honey
1/2 cup melted Coconut oil
2 Eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Filling:

1. Whisk eggs, honey, and lemon juice together in a medium sized sauce pan.
2. Heat on medium/high and add coconut oil. Stir until the coconut oil has melted.
3. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles.
4. Remove from heat and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken further.

Crust:

1. Place almonds and pecans in a food processor or blender until finely chopped, do not puree. They should be in tiny pieces but not as fine as almond flour.
2. Mix the nuts with the remaining ingredients until they are well combined.
3. Spread over the bottom of a well greased 8 x 12 pan. I used olive oil spray.

4. Heat oven to 400* and bake for 15-18 minutes. The crust will be done when you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.

5. Cool crust completely before layering the filling over the top. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

RECIPE: Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Since it's the time of year for Pumpkin pie, I decided to transform my mother's      recipe to fit my more Paleo-friendly lifestyle would be my first challenge. 

The original recipe my mother has always used is as follows:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 (15 ounce) can of organic pumpkin purée
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 unbanked 9 inch (4 cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

What is okay: 
Sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, eggs, and pumpkin purée.

What must be replaced:
Sugar, evaporated milk and pie crust.

My Revised Version:
3/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spices
2 tablespoons almond flour
3 large eggs
1 (15 ounce) can of organic pumpkin purée
1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

Crust:
2 cups finely ground pecans
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spices

9 inch (4 cup volume) deep-dish pie pan

My mother is 80+ years old and is pretty set in her ways. She didn't want me to 
tamper with a recipe that's tried and true, but if I was going to spend hours in 
the kitchen preparing the family dinner I was certainly going to make my 
favorite dessert with foods I eat. Mom wanted a traditional flour pie crust, but 
she always eats the filling and leaves the crust anyway, so why should she 
really mind? Besides, one of her favorite desserts is a dish I make that has a 
nut crust. To me, this is a match made in heaven ... Or in my kitchen! 

The Paleo Pumpkin Pie turned out perfectly and there were NO leftovers!            Everyone raved over how good it was, so I just smiled and thanked them for their 
compliments. I will make another one and include photos later.