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Recipe: Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins

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I find myself wanting to eat baked goods like muffins, cookies and cakes very rarely now I’m Paleo. There’s always an abundance of ‘real food’ like meats, veggies, eggs, fruit and nuts sitting in my fridge, and nine times out of ten I will always go for something from this list rather than starting a batch of Paleo brownies or cupcakes. There are times, however, when the aspiring chef within you wants to make a sweet treat for the whole family; but its often a battle finding a recipe that is full of goodness.

These sweet potato muffins are one of the exceptions to the rule. They pack in a ton of goodness from the nutrient dense eggs, coconut flour, flaxseed and the sweet potatoes themselves. The sweet potato and cinnamon combination is divine, and the chocolate chips add an extra bit of indulgence. Give them a try – you won’t be disappointed!

 Makes 8

Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins Ingredients:

  •  1.5 cups roasted sweet potato, mashed and left to cool
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3rd cup raw, organic honey
  • 2 heaped tbsp. ground flaxseed
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • 100g dark chocolate chips (at least 70%) or a 100g bar of dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 tbsp gluten free baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

 Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins How To:

1)            Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Line an 8 hole muffin tray with paper or silicon cases.

2)            In a bowl, combine the sweet potato mash with the coconut oil, eggs, almond milk and honey. Whisk together until smooth.

3)            In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, before folding into the wet ingredients to make a batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4)            Pour the muffin batter into the cases, filling to about 2/3rds of the way up. Bake on the top shelf of your oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Sweet Potato and Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe paleo sweet treat dessets cake-min

http://paleo.com.au/recipe-sweet-potatoes-turkey-mango-lime/

Recipe: Refilled Sweet Potatoes with Turkey, Mango and Lime

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A great way to use up leftovers from a roast dinner – substituting the turkey for chicken or any other free range bird will be just as good! This recipe is an easy lunch to do the night before, as you can simply bung the sweet potatoes in the oven to roast whilst you carry on enjoying your evening. When it’s done, whip it out of the oven, and the rest will take minimal effort to finish!

Refilled Sweet Potatoes Ingredients:

  • 1 Sweet Potato (or to small)
  • ½ cup shredded roasted turkey
  • ¼ mango, finely chopped
  • 1 spring onion, finely chopped
  • Juice ½ lime
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)

Refilled Sweet Potatoes How To:

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Pop the sweet potatoes in the oven, and leave to roast for around 45 minutes, depending on size. Remove, and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

When cooled slightly, but still soft, cut a slit across the sweet potatoes lengthways with a sharp knife, taking care not to break the rest of the skin. Scoop out the insides and transfer to a separate bowl.

Combine the sweet potato with the mango, onion, lime and coriander. Mash together, then add the shredded roast turkey.

Return the filling to the sweet potato skin, and look forward to a healthy lunch the next day where all you need is a spoon!

Paleo recipe diet Refilled Sweet Potatoes with Turkey, Mango and Lime dinner lunch primal-min

5 Ways to get more coconut oil in your diet paleo diet primal fat nutrition-min

5 Ways to get more coconut oil in your diet (I did number 4 today)

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You know the health benefits of coconut oil by now. It’s loaded with MCT’s (Medium Chain Triglycerides) and is a wonderful source of healthy saturated fat. It’s antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-fungal, is excellent at improving gut health and even boosts your metabolism. There’s also a lot of research indicating it’s great for dementia/ Alzheimer's patients.

If you’re not the greatest fan of eating it by the spoonful (personally, I love nothing better, but we’re all different!), then it can be tricky getting copious amounts of the stuff into your diet. I get a lot of emails from people really keen to consume it – but who hate the flavour. Whilst you can get refined coconut oil, with none of the taste, it is a refined product – far better to go for the purest oil you can find.

If you’re looking to up your intake of coconut oil in a delicious way, then check out some of the great ideas below.

5 Ways to get more coconut oil in your diet paleo diet primal fat nutrition-min

  1. Bulletproof coffee – I've covered Bulletproof Coffee before as it is a fabulous way to enjoy the saturated goodness of coconut oil in liquid form. To make a DIY Bulletproof coffee, put a generous spoonful of coconut oil into a black coffee, and enjoy the creamier, mellower beverage it creates. Bulletproof coffee is also a proven energy boost and is a great start to the day if you are practising intermittent fasting.
  2. Coconut oil chocolate – who doesn't love chocolate!? Home made chocolate bites are a fantastic way to get a little more coconut oil in your life. Simply melt down 1 tbsp coconut oil, and mix in 1 tsp cacao powder and half a teaspoon of raw honey. Leave this to set in the freezer for 20 minutes, and you’ll have a delicious block of coconut oil chocolate to enjoy! It’s extra tasty with a couple of chopped macadamias or goji berries thrown into the mix too.
  3. Smoothies – if you’re making smoothies, why not add an extra dose of healthy fats by adding a tablespoon of coconut oil to the blender? You won’t notice the taste, but it will add a subtle creaminess to the mix.
  4. Roasted Veggies – As one of the healthiest oils to roast with, coconut oil is a fantastic choice for tossing your favourite veggies in before roasting. It’s flavourless when used in this way, so works brilliantly if you’re adding herbs and spices to the mix. My favourite mix is sweet potato and delicata squash, tossed in a generous amount of melted coconut oil then sprinkled with cinnamon, rosemary, thyme and black pepper. Delicious!
  5. Paleo baked goods – I'm not the biggest fan of Paleo baking, but when the occasion arrives, you could do a far lot worse than using generous amounts of coconut oil to make super moist muffins or melt in the mouth cookies.

These are just a few tasty ways to ramp up your coconut oil intake. Have I missed any?

Recipe Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs schnitzel paleo network 680 min

Recipe: Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs

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The clue is in the name – these chicken thighs are suitably spicy and oh so satisfyingly crispy, thanks to a mix of ground almonds and desiccated coconut. Throw the soggy, batter coated, southern fried chicken portions in the bin – these are where it's really at. I used ginger, cayenne pepper for a bit of a kick and garam masala – but highly recommend experimenting and finding your favouite blend of herbs and spices. I used chicken thighs, but you can use the coating on wings – or whichever piece of chicken you prefer!

Recipe Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs schnitzel paleo network 680 min

Recipe: Crispy Spiced Chicken Thighs
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Southern
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Print
Everyone in the family will love these spicy chicken thighs!
Ingredients
  • 8 free range chicken thighs
  • 200ml thick coconut milk
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 50g desiccated coconut
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • Pinch salt
Instructions
  1. ) Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4
  2. ) In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk with all the spices. Stir in the almonds and coconut.
  3. ) One by one, add the chicken thighs to the mixture, ensuring an even coating covers each piece of meat. Arrange on a roasting dish, then transfer to the oven.
  4. ) Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with a fresh green salad.

 

Paleo Tabbouleh bulgar wheat free recipe dinner lunch-min

Recipe: Paleo Tabbouleh

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Who needs Bulgur Wheat when you have the oh so versatile cauliflower? The magic in Tabbouleh lies in the fresh herbs and seasoning, not the grains, so it isn’t something you should go without enjoying. Works great with Moroccan style chicken or lamb.

Paleo Tabbouleh Ingredients:

  • 1 cauliflower, leaves removed
  • 2 large handfuls fresh parsley
  • 1 large handful fresh mint
  • 1 red onion
  • 15 – 20 ripe cherry tomatoes
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil and red wine vinegar, to taste

Paleo Tabbouleh How To:

1) Add the cauliflower florets to the food processor, just as if you were making cauliflower rice. Lightly process until it forms light and fluffy ‘grains.’

2) Finely chop the herbs, red onion and cherry tomatoes, and add to a large bowl. Pour in the cauliflower and mix really well. Season generously with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar to serve. Easy as that!

Paleo Tabbouleh bulgar wheat free recipe dinner lunch-min

Teriyaki Beef Salad recipe dinner lunch Asian grass-fed-min

Recipe: Teriyaki Beef Salad

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Does a big bowl of beef strips, cauliflower rice and colourful vegetables smothered in copious amounts of paleo approved teriyaki sauce count as a salad? Of course it does! Dig in and enjoy the sweet, sticky asian flavours that marry together so well in this lunchtime favourite.

Teriyaki Beef Salad Ingredients:

  • 400g grass fed beef strips
  • 1 cauliflower, leaves removed
  • 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and chopped into wedges
  • 1 yellow capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and chopped into wedges
  • 2/3 carrots, grated
  • 2/3 spring onions, finely chopped

For the sauce:

  • 2 tbsp date paste, or ¼ cup raw honey
  • 1/2 cup coconut aminos
  • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
  • Pinch of black pepper

Teriyaki Beef Salad How To:

1) Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat. Allow to simmer gently for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture thickens slightly and bubbles. Taste and add more date paste / coconut aminos depending on your preference. Set aside.

2) Blitz the cauliflower florets in a food processor to make cauliflower rice. Transfer to a large salad bowl, along with the rest of the vegetables. Stir well to combine.

3) Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan to a high heat. Flash fry the beef strips for a minute each side (for medium). You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan.

4) Add the beef to the salad bowl, then drizzle over the teriyaki sauce. Serve immediately.

Teriyaki Beef Salad recipe dinner lunch Asian grass-fed-min

Where Canola's Grow Rapeseed oil vegetable oil healthy paleo diet-min

Ever Wondered Where Canola’s Grow?

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Canola oil, otherwise known as rapeseed oil, is an oil growing in popularity in the Western world due to its supposed ‘healthiness’ as well as the fact that it is cheap to produce, and therefore, consume. Many people who follow conventional wisdom are switching to canola oil as their oil of choice for frying, roasting and baking – but the more you learn about it, the more you realise it really isn't a good choice…

It may seem strange, but the name ‘canola’ actually has no relevance to the plant it is made from whatsoever. In fact, ‘canola’ was a name chosen by the board of the Rapeseed Association of Canada – the ‘Can’ part standing for Canada, and the ‘Ola’ referring to oil. These marketing companies really aren’t geniuses, are they!?

Where Canola's Grow Rapeseed oil vegetable oil healthy paleo diet-min

Like any seed oil, rapeseed requires industrial scale processing to be turned into an oil. It is made my heating and then crushing the seed, before refining with hexane, bleaching with clay, and then deodorizing using steam distillation. You wouldn't eat an animal or vegetable that had been refined, bleached, and deodorized, so why should your oil be any different? We are all wise enough to know by now that ‘refined’ is a word that is most definitely doesn't fit the Paleo blueprint.

Canola oil is marketed as a ‘healthy’ product because it is low in saturated fat. We know by now that saturated fat isn't a bad thing – nope, quite the opposite. Saturated fat provides us with a pure, easy to metabolise form of energy – and that’s why I cook in coconut oil whenever I can. Canola oil also doesn't stand up well to heat, and goes rancid at fairly low temperatures – especially in comparison to stable fats like coconut oil, palm oil and ghee. Canola oil is high in erucic acid, a well known toxin that causes myocardial lipidosis (fatty degeneration of the heart). The majority of Canola oil is also genetically modified to be herbicide resistant.

Canola oil is also marketed as ‘healthy’ because it has a good Omega 3:6 ratio – approximately 2 parts omega 6 to 1 part omega 3. We know that the ideal ratio is 1:1; but, it’s worth holding our hands up and admitting that a 2:1 ratio is pretty good. However, we also know that omega 3s do not stand up well to heat. As Canola oil is processed using high temperatures, the omega 3 turns rancid quickly and is rendered useless – or even worse – toxic. What you are left with is a nasty, omega 6 rich liquid. Oh, and it doesn't even taste good!

The more you learn about Canola oil, the more you realise you are better off without it. It’s not a healthy choice at all, it’s just another product devised by intelligent marketing companies trying to sell a product at the expense of your health.

What are your opinions on Canola oil? Do you use it, or do you prefer olive oil, coconut oil, lard and ghee?

Steamed Red Curry Salmon paleo recipe dinner Indian fish-min

Recipe: Steamed Red Curry Salmon

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In my opinion, there is no better way to cook salmon than gently in the oven, covered with foil. It circulates all the flavour, and the fish stays beautifully moist as the condensation returns to the roasting dish. This Thai inspired recipe is both spicy and fragrant, and makes a wonderful, quick and easy midweek supper.

Steamed Red Curry Salmon Ingredients:

  • 4 salmon fillets
  • 2 red chillies, de seeded and chopped
  • 1 x 400ml can coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste (watch out for additives)
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves

Steamed Red Curry Salmon How To:

1) Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4. Arrange the salmon in a roasting dish, skin side down.

2) In a non stick saucepan, mix together the curry paste with the chillies and 1tbsp coconut milk, skimmed from the top so it is at its thickest. Heat gently until it starts to bubble and become fragrant. Add the remaining coconut milk and stir well.

3) When it starts to boil, pour evenly over the salmon. Drizzle over the fish sauce and sprinkle with the coconut sugar, then cover the dish with foil. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.

4) Remove from the oven, and serve garnished with some fresh basil or coriander.

Steamed Red Curry Salmon paleo recipe dinner Indian fish-min

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine paleo recipe Moriccan Eastern European-min

Recipe: Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine

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This recipe is deliciously fruity and fragrant, capturing a blend of Eastern European and Moroccan flavours. It's brilliantly Paleo as well, as all the cooking is done in the fat that is released naturally from the duck legs!

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine Ingredients:

  • 4 free range duck legs
  • 3 – 4 medium shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • Juice and zest 1 lemon
  • Juice and zest 1 orange
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • Fresh chopped coriander, to serve

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine How To:

1) Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4

2) Heat a large heavy based frying pan to a high heat. You won’t need any oil here, as the duck legs will release their natural fat. Pan fry the first two duck legs for 2 – 3 minutes each side, until browned. Reserve the fat, then repeat with the other two – but keeping the duck fat in the pan this time when finished. Arrange side by side in a large tagine.

3) Lower the heat on the frying pan. Add the shallots, and fry gently in the duck fat for 5 minutes. Add the reserved duck fat back to the pan, along with the spices. Cook for a further 2 minutes until really fragrant, then pour in the stock, lemon and orange (juice and zest). Stir in the honey, then pour all of the liquid over the duck legs to fill the tagine.

4) Cover the tagine with the lid, and place in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes. Remove, and serve immediately.

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine paleo recipe Moriccan Eastern European-min

6 Unusual Meats You Should Try paleo diet-min

6 Unusual Meats You Should Try

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One of the many luxuries of a Paleo diet is all of the high quality meat, fish and poultry there is to enjoy. For me, it doesn’t get better than a grass fed fillet steak, a crisp wild salmon fillet or a couple of juicy chicken thighs. However, there are times when it feels like you have hit meat monotony; which is the perfect time to shake things up and introduce something new to dinner times. There are plenty of exciting, more unusual meats just waiting to be enjoyed…

Which of the following have you tried?

Ostrich

Ostrich is a delicious, rich red meat that is a brilliant alternative to beef or lamb. The meat actually comes mainly from the legs and back of the bird – there isn’t any breast meat available! It makes excellent burgers, and the steaks are lovely simply pan fried and served rare. It’s a very good source of protein, iron and calcium – and almost always free range too.

Kangaroo

Like Ostrich, Kangaroo meat is almost always free range – I'm still yet to visit a kangaroo farm! It has a texture that is somewhat like liver, and is best served rare and paired with rich flavours like garlic, sun dried tomatoes and caramelised onions. I've also seen kangaroo sausages, although they were made with wheat flour and some strange looking ingredients, so I decided to give these a miss – but making my own is definitely on the to do list.

6 Unusual Meats You Should Try paleo diet-min

Zebra

A mild tasting meat, Zebra has delicate ‘gamey’ flavours similar to venison. As it has a low fat content, it’s important not to overcook it and make it too tough – serve the steaks medium rare and enjoy with roasted root vegetables or a big green salad. Demand is increasing for Zebra year on year, so it can be pretty expensive. Make sure it’s from a good source with humane hunting methods and fast shipping from its country of residence.

Bison

Bison is very similar to beef, but it’s always wild – so not subject to any of the artificial hormones, drugs and feeds found in modern day beef production. For this reason, it’s more expensive, but definitely worth it. Bison mince makes excellent burgers and Paleo Bolognaise, and the steaks are perfect just as they are. It has a more well-rounded amino acid profile than beef as well, and is very rich in Iron and Vitamin B 12.

Crocodile

Likened to chicken, crocodile is a mild tasting, lightly coloured meat that works well in curries and stir-fries. You’ll find most of the good meat in the tail, which means it’s very lean. Make sure you source this meat sustainably though, as some species of crocodile are at high risk of extinction.

Camel

Camel has been enjoyed for centuries across Africa and Asia, and is a popular choice with Muslims as it is considered Halal. The flavour is slightly sweet and similar to mutton, and it benefits from slow cooking as it can be rather tough. One camel yields an exceptionally high amount of meat, as almost the entire animal (including the hump!) is edible. Camel blood is also consumed by many indigenous tribes in Africa – but I’d recommend staying clear of this one!

Are there any unusual meats that you have tried that I've missed? Please feel free to share them with me below!