Blueberry Pancakes (gluten free, dairy free)

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This is an easy recipe that is EXACTLY like my other pancake recipes, but they are blueberry.  I am trying to get through consuming some of my frozen blueberries from last year at the ranch in order to make room for this year’s crop!  I used frozen making these, but you could easily use fresh.  When choosing blueberries, it’s important to consider buying organic because they have a very thin skin, which means pesticides can soak in fairly easily.  If you buy a bunch of organic blueberries when they are in season and freeze them, you will never have to pay crazy prices….and they taste better.
Consider making a double batch because these can be eaten throughout the week as a snack or grab-and-go breakfast.  They can also serve as the “bread” for a nut butter and jelly sandwich in a kid’s lunch!
Blueberry Pancakes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup cashew milk (any liquid will do)
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
blueberries
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together except the blueberries until slightly runny but smooth.  Warm skillet over medium high and place some coconut oil on the surface.  The skillet is ready when you flick water on it and it sizzles.  Place batter onto skillet in whatever size you prefer and drop blueberries onto the batter.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the underside is golden brown.  Flip the pancakes over and cook for another couple minutes COVERED.  Serve warm, with grassfed butter, and pure maple syrup!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

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Once again, this is barely a recipe because there is really nothing to it.  However, I’m trying to share simple recipes with everyone, so people do not get stuck in the idea that every meal needs to be elaborate and take forever.  These bacon wrapped scallops can be thrown over a salad, like I have in the picture, eaten alongside veggies, act as an appetizer, etc.  They are quick and easy on top of being super tasty!  Adding more seafood to your diet will also increase your intake of vital minerals you may not receive otherwise. You could easily sub shrimp for scallops, but I would cut down the cook time by about half during the first step.
Bacon-wrapped Scallops
Ingredients:
Scallops
Bacon, uncured
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F. Cut bacon in half.  Wrap the bacon around the scallop and secure with a toothpick. Bake the wrapped scallops for 15 minutes, then flip.  Once flipped, turn the broiler on high and cook for another 5-10 minutes until bacon crisps up!

Veggie Pizza Rounds

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Pizza is the number 1 favorite food in America.  However, what we like most about foods is usually the flavor.  So, if you can reproduce the flavor of pizza, people are usually just as satisfied as they are eating the real deal.  I have a couple different pizza crust recipes on my blog, but this is a recipe you can do really easily without having to have anything special.  No need for cast iron skillets, tapioca flour, coconut milk, etc.  It is pretty basic which is why I even hesitate to call it a recipe!  However, if one person decides to try it and likes it, then it was worth posting. ;)
Veggie Pizza Rounds
Ingredients:
butternut squash, peeled, neck cut into rounds
pizza sauce (I make my own, but you can use your fave)
uncured, organic pepperoni
Italian seasoning
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a baking sheet and place the butternut rounds on the sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes and flip.  Bake another 10 minutes until fork tender.  Take the baking sheet out and spoon some sauce over each round, place pepperoni on top and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  Place back in the oven under the broiler on HIGH for about 4-5 minutes.  When the pepperoni gets crispy edges, remove from the oven and serve!

Chicken Tenders

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I recently had an old friend message me and tell me that she has a picky eater on her hands…her husband.  I am a former picky eater, and I am pretty sure I spent about 10 straight years eating nothing but chicken tenders at fast food restaurants and regular restaurants.  That may have even been the criteria for choosing where to eat: Does the menu have chicken tenders?!  I’ve outgrown the picky eating thing but that doesn’t mean I don’t still have a place in my heart for the nostalgic foods of my picky days.
These chicken tenders taste so good.  I chose to fry them but my guess is that you could bake them just fine?  I just haven’t tried it. When choosing spices, you can use your imagination.  Even if all you used was salt and pepper, they would be great!
Chicken Tenders
Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breasts, skinless, boneless
1 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
2 eggs with a splash of water
1/2 cup palm shortening or bacon grease
Directions:
Place chicken breasts in a large ziploc bag and beat it with a heavy bottom pan in order to thin out the chicken.  Once thin enough, cut the breasts in to strips.
In 2 shallow dishes, one will have the eggs and water whisked together.  This will be the first stop for the chicken.
The next dish will have all the dry ingredients and spices.
Heat oil over medium high heat until it sizzles when water hits it.  As it is heating, dip strips in egg wash and then coat in flour.  When the oil is hot enough, place the coated chicken in the oil and fry 3 minutes on each side.  Remove and place on a dish with a paper towel to soak up any extra oil and sprinkle salt on immediately.  Keep frying in batches without overcrowding the pan because this will decrease the temperature of the oil.
Serve with veggies!

Zucchini Muffins

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Zucchini is something that gets so overwhelming in the summer that people can’t find enough uses for it! I do not find that it freezes very nicely, so you have to get creative on how to make this bounty last. Everyone needs a good zucchini muffin recipe, and these little guys can freeze easily for later months. I use more spice than most other recipes because I want my muffins to have that cinnamon flavor I crave from zucchini bread. This is an all coconut flour recipe, too which means it uses quite a few eggs. Use this to your advantage and eat a couple for breakfast!

Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

  •  3/4 cup coconut flour
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup grassfed butter, melted (or coconut oil)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt the butter and add all the ingredients together except for the zucchini. Once combined, fold in the zucchini and portion among 12 lined muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes and let cool completely in the pan after removing from the oven (they will keep cooking slightly). Store in the fridge!

 

Blueberry Cobbler

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Remember how I told you that the Organic Blueberry Ranch was finally open?  Well, the other weekend, I was craving blueberries and really wanted to go pick some.  The only issue was that the variety being picked was not my favorite.   My absolute favorite is “bluecrop.” However, I decided to go anyway and figured I’ll have plenty of opportunity to get some bluecrop later.  When I showed up, guess what they decided to pick that day?!  Bluecrop!  I was in heaven.  I picked 4 lbs of blueberries, and less than a week later, they are almost gone.  I have made this cobbler twice now…in 1 week.  I have to say that it is the easiest dessert you could ever make and it is heavenly right out of the fridge.  I’m hard to please, and crisps/cobblers/and pies are not my thing.  So, for me to love this, it’s gotta be good!  Don’t blame me if the awesome blueberries are what make it so freakin’ delicious!

*Lurong Challenge: use honey instead, add 1/8 cup to the berries and 1/8 cup to the topping.  Sub coconut oil for the butter.  1/4 of the entire thing would be your sugar quota for the day)

Paleo Blueberry Cobbler

  • 3 cups blueberries
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 Tbsp arrowroot powder
  • 1 and 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a cast iron skillet, fill the bottom of the pan with blueberries.  Depending on the skillet, you may have to use 4 cups.  Just make sure you fill the bottom.  Pour in the maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.  Fold in the arrowroot powder until you can’t see white anymore.  (This thickens the sauce that the berries make as it cools….so good).  In a bowl, use a fork to crumble together the almond flour, cinnamon, and butter.  Sprinkle over the top of the berries, drizzle the top with maple syrup and put in the oven for 30 mins.  Turn the oven to low broil and cook another 3 minutes or until the top of the almond flour starts to brown.    Watch it carefully!  No one wants burnt cobbler!  Get it out, let it cool.

I’m super impatient…so I could not wait to try it.  I ate it warm.  It was good.  I wouldn’t make it again.  I ate it again before bed while putting it away…holy moly!  It was amazing!  Hence making it twice in one week!   Wait until it cools down.  The flavors shine and combine much better at room temp! Follow my lead and eat it straight outta the fridge.

Summer Squash Casserole

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Let’s face it, I love picking vegetables from the garden! However, when I turn around and see that I am 5 zucchini deep because I haven’t used any in a couple days, it’s nice to have an awesome casserole that can use LOTS of squash, taste amazing, and be a little different from the typical grilled version. This is a recipe that I created a couple years back but didn’t realize it wasn’t on the new blog until I went looking for my own recipe yesterday! I made sure to get it on the new site just in time for all your squash needs. ;)

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Balsamic Marinated Chicken with Strawberry Salsa

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I have been really slacking on getting recipes posted! I’ve been so crazy busy, that they are piling up in a folder, and I need to purge a little. Several months ago, I posted about a cooking date with my friends that we do periodically. One of the dishes we made was balsamic marinaded chicken with strawberry salsa. It was super yummy and one of my other friends texted me the other day with chicken and strawberry, avocado salsa, which is what spurred me to post! The fruit pairs really well with protein and feel free to change it up for traditional tomato salsa instead. Tomatoes will be in season shortly and my guess is that you will need to find a use for them! Balsamic Marinaded Chicken w/Strawberry Salsa (credit to EMeals!)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb chicken (boneless, skinless)
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions:

Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic and place in a large plastic bag. Add the chicken and allow to marinade for 3 hours to overnight. When ready to cook, discard marinade, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and grill. While the chicken is grilling, Mix together the strawberries, hot pepper, and lime juice. Serve the cooked chicken with salsa to top!

Ginger Curry Cookies

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Have I lost my mind?!  Quite possibly.  The other day, I made chicken with garam masala and thought to myself: “This is savory but it has a lot of the traditional warming spices we use in baking. I wonder what it would taste like in a cookie?”  After that, I had to try it.  Since Garam Masala is more smoky and earthy in flavor, I wanted to pair it with something that had a little bit of brightness and sweetness.  Candied ginger was the perfect pairing for the garam masala!

This is not a cookie to eat when you want a sweet treat.  This is not a cookie to make when you need some for a party.  This is not a cookie that is for the faint of heart!

This is, however, a cookie that would be great for those that love curry and ethnic cuisine.  This is a cookie that is perfect for people that see interesting flavor profiles as enjoyment.  This is a cookie that will take you out of your chocolate chip cookie rut.

Ginger Curry Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 4 TBSP honey
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix all the ingredients together and bake on a lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes.

Banana Pancakes

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How do you spend your first morning home after listening to 20+ hours of lecture?  With banana pancakes that you cooked in the ghee you brought back, topped with pure maple syrup, and drinking a cup of your favorite Redband Coffee.  That’s how.  Mmmm.

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Preheat griddle to 325 and throw some ghee on there (or coconut oil).  Mix all the ingredients together and mash in the banana.  Ladle pancake batter onto the griddle until browned and flip!  Eat…and save the leftovers for tomorrows grab-n-go breakfast!