Coffee Cake Muffins - Grain Free

I adore coffee cake and the flavour of these are really great!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup coconut flour sifted
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger 
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 cup strong coffee brewed
• 6  eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 170C

In one bowl melt the coconut oil, then brew your coffee and add the coconut sugar to that so it dissolves.

Once all has cooled add your eggs and beat mixture. 

 In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients well and then combine wet and dry and whisk together well, mixture should be runny.

Pour into a glass Pyrex jug so you can easily pour into muffin cups, once filled all 12 then bake for 25-30 minutes. 

These taste pretty great and are best once they are cold, the texture improves after a while!

Pasta Carbonara with Bacon!

While I personally eat mostly fresh real food I do like to indulge every now and then, not every person who does primal/paleo chooses to have these kinds of treats but I on the other hand am a realist and prefer not to stress about those kinds of 'rules'.

I made this dish with Rice noodles but if you like you can always make your own (Recipe link below)

Serves 1

So cook your pasta el dente! About 8 minutes for the rice pastas.

In a bowl combine 2 egg yolks and 1/4 cup cream, add in 2-3 Tablespoons of Grated Parmesan Cheese, salt and pepper. Once pasta is cooked drain the water out and keep cooked pasta in the pot, add the creamy mixture and put back on the stove on a very low heat stirring constantly for about 1 minute (this prevents the eggs from scrambling), add in cooked chopped bacon and viola you have an amazing treat pasta dish :)

http://www.paleocupboard.com/paleo-pasta.html

Banana Walnut Cranberry Muffins

Here's another brilliant recipe from one of my readers Megan Roberts.  They look delicious, I haven't tried them yet but thought they were worth sharing! I personally don't use Splenda as a sweetener but you could substitute it for stevia or honey depending on how closely you watch your carb counts.

Banana Walnut Cranberry Muffins

Makes 6 Texas sized Muffins

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon macadamia oil
• 1/2 cup cream

Mix these ingredients together in one bowl

• 1/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Splenda or other sweetener

Mix these ingredients together in a separate bowl

• 1/2 cup of thread coconut
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Mix the wet mixture with the coconut, walnuts and cranberries and then combine the dry.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius

Zucchini Pesto Muffins

This awesome recipe was sent in by one of my readers Megan Roberts who is a fantastic cook, she has even worked out how much they will cost you! Thank you so much Megan, you are a legend!!!

Zucchini Pesto Muffins

• 6 free range eggs
• 90gms cream cheese, softened
• 40gms pesto (a large tablespoons worth)
• 1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 2 decent sized zucchini (150gm each), grated and moisture squezzed out

Mix all these together, I whisked the eggs, cream cheese and pesto together so there were well combined, then added the veggies.

• 20gms coconut flour
• 20gms almond meal
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• a good pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper

Sift all these together and then mix the wet and dry together, spoon into large texa muffin cups (I use silicon ones) bake at 180C degrees for approx 40 minutes, I checked mine at 20 minutes, then 30, then took them out at 40 minutes when they were starting to go golden brown.

I cost these out on my spreadsheet and for 6 muffins it was NZD $11.80, $3.00 for the free range eggs (at 50c each), $3.00 for the zucchini and $1.40 for the tomato - these two things will get cheaper as the weather gets warmer.

Toasted coconut & almond chocolate

Ingredients:

200gms 85% Lindt

100gms 70% Old Gold

(you can use any brand, I just try and keep the percentages high so that it's richer and I eat less ;))

150gms Butter or Coconut Oil

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

100gms Sliced Almonds

100gms Coconut chips

Prep work: Preheat your oven to grill 200C, Line a dish with parchment paper.

Directions: 

Melt your butter or coconut oil, once melted then take off the heat and add in the chocolate, this will ensure you don't cook the chocolate and then you will have a melt in your mouth consistency. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract.

Put your almonds onto a baking sheet and place under the grill to toast, watch it very carefully as they will burn, check constantly and turn to ensure most of the almonds get toasted.  Do not burn or it will ruin the chocolate.  Next do the coconut, you need to watch the coconut even more or you will burn it, coconut has a very high fat content and will toast much faster than the almonds.  This will get your house smelling amazing too I might add! This can also be done in a non stick frying pan but I find it is easier to mess it up plus you don't always get an even toasting.

Add your toasted almond & coconut to the chocolate mixture and then pour into your lined dish, pop in the fridge for several hours and then cut when it's nearly set, place back in the fridge and then break it up and put into a container and store in the fridge. 

Rum & Raisin Truffle Chocolate

This chocolate is ultra rich and very decadent, you could almost get drunk from it ;) it has a truffle like texture and I promise it will take care of any sweet cravings you have! If you don't like super rich dark chocolate then use all 70% and add some form of sweetener.

• 2 x 100gm blocks 85% Lindt
• 1 x 100gm block 70% espresso chocolate (or just use normal and add a shot of coffee if you like it, won't matter to leave it out)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
• 1/4 cup Appleton Estate Rum
• 1 cup Raisins

Melt the coconut oil, once melted take off heat and add chocolate and let it melt, if needed pop back on heat but not on high or the chocolate won't melt in your mouth once it's set!

Add the rum (less if you don't want it so rich), mix well and then add raisins.

Line a tray with baking paper, pour in mixture and refrigerate for several hours, remove and cut into pieces!

Tip: the way it tastes in the pot is the way it tastes once set so adjust ingredients while you can!

Chocolate lava cake!

Before I start all the credit goes to this awesome blog! http://healthfreakrevolution.com/?p=607

This is my second attempt at the best chocolate pudding ever....it's now lava cake!
This is revolutionary and I'm so happy I stumbled across the recipe, thanks to Joanne from Bellatrix Nutrition for sharing it! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=456968350997260&set=a.306377172723046.93130.149444195083012&type=1&ref=notif&notif_t=photo_reply&theater

It's definitely considered a 'treat indulgence' even though dark chocolate and eggs are super foods I don't recommended having this all the time..have it when you are really feeling like a treat or everyone else is having something non-primal then you could indulge in this.  A very high fat, high calorie treat, maybe half it if you are trying to lose weight!
I'm a real lover of super dark chocolate so if you aren't I suggest going for a 70% cocoa content, this version is very rich!

My little tweaks:

• 14 pieces of 85% Green and Blacks
• 2 pieces of 70% Old Gold
• 1 square of 85% Lindt
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil

Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a mug, microwave on a medium setting for about 2 minutes, the coconut oil will stop the chocolate from burning and makes the pudding taste unreal!
Let the melted chocolate cool enough to add in the egg without it scrambling.  Place the square of lindt in the centre and microwave the whole thing for 60 seconds.  
Tip out on a plate, it doesn't stick at all and then serve with whatever your heart desires.  I love pears with chocolate, it reminds me of an old favourite "Upside down pear pudding".

Nutritional stats for this chocolate lava cake are:
Calories: 616
Fat: 52gms
Carbs: 25
Net Carbs: 18
Protein: 11
 

The best chocolate pudding ever!

This chocolate pudding is unreal! I just had to share it with you guys...I found it here: https://www.facebook.com/BellatrixNutrition#!/photo.php?fbid=456968350997260&set=a.306377172723046.93130.149444195083012&type=1&theater

I just followed the instructions and it came out perfect except next time I'll cook it a little less and add some more unmelted chocolate into the centre to make it like Lava Cake!  I used 70gms of 70% old gold, I also let the melted chocolate cool a bit before adding the egg so it didn't scramble, I cooked mine for 1.30 minutes, next time I'll just do a minute.  I halved the pudding as above and then served it for husband and I with some pears and whipped cream, simply AMAZEBALLS!!!!

The original recipe post is here: http://healthfreakrevolution.com/?p=607

Nutritious Chocolate Cake: 2 ingredients, 5 minutes

"It is a healthy variation of the popular 5-minute mug cake. This recipe is very simple, and makes a lot of sense when you begin to understand how ingredients work together to create new ...textures. "

Serves one (decent sized dessert)

Ingredients:
40-80g of Dark chocolate* (as dark as you can enjoy)
one egg

Less chocolate will create a lighter ‘cakier’ texture, more will create a denser brownie-like texture. I recommend starting with 70g on your first time. If you want a massive cake, experiment with upping the ingredients, and feel free to put it in an oven (oven tray not coffee mug though).

[* if you're using Lindt chocolate, 1 square = 10g
so 7 squares = 70g]

Optional:
baking powder can help it rise a little more
nuts
honey
serve with fruit, banana is good
serve with cream

Method:
Melt chocolate in a mug using your microwave. If you cant do this without burning go learn.
Beat your egg into the melted chocolate.
Microwave again, 30 seconds at a time to check how fast your microwave works, won’t take more than 1:30 seconds.
Tip on a plate or eat it out of the mug after letting it cool a bit.

Pear and Mango Sponge

Ok so here's my second attempt at Peach Clafouti using Marina's recipe from her awesome blog! http://marinasprimalcooking.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/marina%E2%80%99s-peach-clafoutis-gluten-free/

This was an awesome dish that I would call more of a sponge! Slight alterations made to my batch.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp honey
• ½ cup cream
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup tapioca flour
• 3 cups sliced pears and mangoes

Instructions:

In a blender or food processor combine the ingredients.  Into a shallow dish that has been buttered or oiled first arrange 3 cups of sliced fruit in the pan. Pour on the batter and bake at 350F or 190C until the top puffs and starts to turn golden-brown, about 40 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or greek yoghurt, even good as leftovers!

Peach Clafouti

I've just had my braces adjusted so I'm back on soft food for a couple of days.  So I pulled out Mark Sissons The Primal Blueprint Cookbook and made the Peach Clafouti (calw-foo-tee).  I followed the recipe as is, the only thing I would do differently next time is use fresh peaches or to drain my sliced peaches completely to the point of drying them with paper towels, there was a little too much liquid in this batch!  Delicious primal desert and amazing with greek yoghurt or whipped cream.  Who says you can’t have desert for Breakfast!!

 Peach Clafouti

• 2-4 Tbsps Pure Maple Syrup
• 3 cups sliced peaches (I used tinned)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup cream
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup flour (coconut, almond flour or a combination will work)
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Instructions:

Butter a shallow pie dish, Place sliced peaches in dish.  Blend all remaining ingredients for 2 mintues.  Pour the batter over the peaches and bake for 190C or 375F for about 40-45 minute or until clafouti is golden.  Let cool slightly, but it’s best served when warm.

Primal Banana Crepes

Primal Banana Crepes

• 2 Whole Eggs
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 Medium Banana
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until all the banana is blended in. Have pan on a really low heat, melt a little butter and fry in small batches, they will be thin and delicate but the end result is well worth it. Flip once but be careful as they will probably break much like mine has in this picture. Or fry much smaller pancakes but you’ll just be there for longer, you have to be patient that they don’t cook too fast and burn, becasue banana is sweet it will burn like sugar does. Once ready drizzle lemon juice over, roll up and eat like you would a normal crepe.
Simple and delicious, such a treat.

Happy 2012! I'm Back :)

Happy 2012 Everyone!!! Well I'm back into the swing of things finding my rhythmn and routine.  Taking time off is lovely but it's pretty hard to get the motivation to start work again, especially since I work for myself, it's a lot harder. 

I'm very pleased with myself that I didn't pick up an ice cream habit while away on holiday nor did I pile on pounds :) I had a few minor flucuations with water weight etc but happy to say I'm still hovering in the 68's so that's an achievement compared to last year.  I recall I gained a fair few pounds and they are never as easy to take off as they are to put on.  I'm also really pleased with the way I handled the indulgences.  I was able to just hold back a little, normally I tend to go nuts, I think ah I've fallen off now to hell with it and eat everything in sight! This time I was so proud of myself that I would maybe have a naughty lunch but then I would do a primal dinner or vice versa, or just because I had a non primal pudding the night before did not mean I also needed to have that for breakfast which is how I usually roll when I'm indulging.  So the skinny girl in me won this time!

A great way to start the new year was to recieve the updated and expanded edition of The Primal Blueprint! Featuring in the success stories section are some amazing stoies, all up there are 6 and I am blown away that I am one of them.  I still can't believe I'm in the book, it seems like not that long ago that I was starting my journey reading the 2009 edition, crazy how much it affected my life. I'm pretty excited about this and it's a sure fire way to help keep me motivated to keep the weight off.  Just another thing to add to my list of why I'll never be fat again.

My braces are going well and my teeth are starting to move which is super exciting.  I've wanted braces since I was a kid and it's wonderful that I finally get to straighten my teeth which I've always felt self conscious about. 

I met up with my old boss over the holidays and I don't see him often as he lives in Australia now.  He remembers the old me, fat, depressed, always sick and hating my job!  He couldn't stop commenting on how amazing I look, happy I seem and how well my business is doing! It's a really nice reminder of my hard work and the transformation on my life in general.  Suffice to say I walked away feeling very very happy that I'm no longer that person nor in that situation. 

Anyway on to food which is far more important! As you all know how much of a foodie I am here's some of my recent eats, of course there's some there that aren't as primal, it was Christmas! Enjoy :)

First is the Christmas indulgence food!

10.5kgs of Ham!!!

My mum's famous Christmas Pudding

Mum's famous Tiramisu

Chocolate Truffles

Christmas Eve Spread with friends in Auckland, homemade sweet n sour pork, ribs, homemade lasagne, sweet potato salad and feta salad

Desert of Triffle, ambrosia, chocolate dipped strawberries

The rest is mostly primal with a little 20%! We just bought a deep fryer so I was testing it out ;) I use beef tallow and the food tastes amazing, the crumbing is a gluten free crumb fairly low in carbs made from Potato and Rice.  The last picture is a meal my husband made me out of the Jamie's 30 minute meals, it's satay chicken skewers and it's delicious, yes there are noodles there but I can't expect him to know how to make a primal alternative, he's just starting out making meals so I think he did well :)

 Raw Salmon on greens, deep fried calamari and prawns with japanese mayo

 Deep fried prawns, surimi, edamame and japanese mayo

 Kumara chips, calamari and japanese mayo

 Battered snapper, deep fried pumpkin and fresh aparagus with japanese mayo

 Out to dinner at my favourite japanese resturant - Tuna tataki

 Satay Chicken skewers with a homemade sauce, noodle, cashew coriander salad with greens

30th Birthday and a hair chop!!!

Hi everyone! Just want to apologise for the lack of posts, May has been a crazy month! I have just turned 30 last week and had an amazing birthday with my closest family and friends! I had my hair chopped off, have reached 66kgs and feeling pretty damn good, 30 is feeling like it's going to be my best years!

So I have been useless with my food diary so unfortunately I don't have the updates like I said I would, sorry for those of you that have been enjoying that.  I've been eating really well apart from my birthday and a couple of little slips I'm still pretty strict primal.  I definitely indulged way too much on my birthday but it's not every day you turn 30.  Hope you enjoy the pics...

 30 amazing cupcakes from Petals cupcakes in Newmarket, I know it's a primal blog but just wanted to share

My seafood platter om nom!!!

Blueberry Muffins

Now before I get into the recipe....my week has been going well, haven't gone down in weight, and probably to blame is too much food in general, think it's time to tweak for weight loss again.
Yes I know the blog design has changed yet again, as I said it's kind of like changing my room around!

Anyway I’ve been inspired to make a few sensible vice treats; this is also to help dh stay healthy as he has been slowly making the transition to more primal eating. He’s very much a sugar addict and I know it’s been hard for him so these experiments are to help him and so I too can have a little treat :) but obviously not too often because I don't want to stop losing weight.

The blueberry muffins I've made are from Elana’s Pantry. http://www.elanaspantry.com/blueberry-muffins/ However I made a few adjustments, the recipe is here:

Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

½ cup coconut flour, sifted
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
⅓ cup dark cane sugar (depending on sweetness)
100gms of melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla and blend well with a hand mixer
Mix dry ingredients into wet, blending with a hand mixer
Gently fold in blueberries
Place batter in paper lined muffin tins
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes
Cool and serve

Now you may be thinking woah sugar….well I hate artificial sweeteners and so does dh, 1/3 cup of dark cane sugar divided into 12 muffins is 1tsp sugar per muffin so that’s pretty good I think. They aren’t overly sweet at all but very very good, the butter makes them pretty damn nice too even dh like’s them.
Tip: make sure you buy cupcake liners, I buttered the muffin tray and they still stuck, took a little while to get them out!

Now I almost find these too yummy so I think next time I might try savory muffins with cheese, I think they would be awesome. Will let you know!

Macadamia Chocolate

I love Macadamia Chocolate but the only one I can find that I love is one called MacBar which is only 70% choc and costs $3.50NZD for only 30gms!! Also I prefer 85% and it’s lower in sugar. So I went to the organic shop the other day and bought a handful of shelled macadamias and sat outside on the concrete with a hammer and uncovered the delicious macadamias, if you’ve only ever had packet roasted or salted ones and you’re not sure about them then you need to try raw ones. I personally only like the raw ones, they are divine and expensive to buy unshelled in a foil packet something like $7-8 for 100gms!!

So I managed to get 50gms of unshelled macadamias for about $1.00! all it meant was I needed to hammer the crap out of the shells but it was therapeutic and soo much better than paying more. This also means that the chocolate I buy doesn’t feel so exuberant when you save on the macadamias… I buy Rapunzel chocolate for 80gms is $6.90 which is fairly expensive but compared to the MacBar it’s a lot cheaper, you also don’t need a lot because it’s so rich. The 85% Lindt bars which are cheaper are also good but no way near as nice or smooth as Rapunzel, I think Rapunzel has more fat in it which is why it’s smoother plus it’s organic fair trade which is great.

Here’s the fun I had in the kitchen:
De-shelled the macadamias and chopped them coarsely then prepare the chocolate broken into pieces.



Bring to the boil a double boiler or a pot with a stainless steel bowl as seen here, melt the chocolate down then add the chopped macadamias. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and pour in the chocolate mix. I had to set mine in the fridge and take it out just before it sets so I can cut it, but I also found it didn’t set too solid so could be cut after anyway.



So I think the texture is actually better after it’s been melted it’s more melt in your mouth for some reason. The finished product is OMG!! I cannot tell you just how good this tastes and is a real treat and a sensible vice :)


Another idea I’ve had is to try it with Lindt 85% because it’s a bit cheaper and add a little coconut oil to the process which might make it smoother and I guess a little lower in carbs also, that will be my next try if I’m trying to be careful with cash. Otherwise the Rapunzel is the ultimate!

Berry Cheesecake

So yesterday was my wedding anniversary and instead of going out for dinner (my fav place was closed) I made a beautiful meal of eye fillet with creamy peppered balsamic sauce with zucchini, red peppers and carrots cooked with butter and smoked paprika it was soo good. Then for desert I made a Low Carb cheesecake, I was soo good even my dh loved it.

Base:
Ground up 3/4 cup Pine Nuts and Pecans
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp vanilla pod
2 tsp honey
butter
combined and pressed into little ramekins and refridgerated.

Filling:
125gms Creme Fraiche
125gms Marscarpone
1/2 cup Blueberries
1/2 cup Raspberries
1 tsp vanilla pod
3 tsps gelatin dissolved in tiny bit of hot water.

Topping:
Grated 85% chocolate

This cheesecake is not really sweet but sweet enough and fairly rich so you don't need much, it was heavenly and something I would only eat on a special occassion otherwise I would want to eat it everyday!

Sushi 'low carb style'

I make some pretty good sushi, obviously in my old higher carb days rice was used, however it seems when we transition to a low carb/primal/paleo lifestyle the one missing more than bread is sushi.  This post is my most searched blog post, it remains to be extremely popular.  I hope this satisfies and gives you a sense of relief that you can enjoy a form of sushi without blowing your good eating plan!

Above are two different versions of low carb sushi, the one on the left is made with egg and the one on the right is made with cauliflower rice and mayo! The perfect lunch!

The photo to the left I used Nori which is the toasted seaweed, you can use raw seaweed but I prefer the toasted one, it's darker in color. Then I fried 2 eggs into a flat omelette, layered with avocado then crab meat mixed with homemade mayo, to the mayo add ginger juice (the juice that comes from grated fresh ginger, discard the ginger meat), lime juice and ofcourse wasabi YUM!!! Then to top it off with Tamari or Kikkoman do a Gluten free Soy Sauce.

I just made it the same as you do with rice, it's a little harder to roll because the rice makes it easier, but as you can see from the photo it came out pretty darn good if you ask me. Even my family who love traditional rice sushi even liked this. After experimenting with cauliflower rice I have decided I prefer the sushi made with cauli rice than the egg, however the egg is still awesome, just personal taste really!
The photo on the right...Cook the cauliflower rice, mix in your mayo, s&p and vinegar. Spread out the cauliflower as you would the rice, lay your smoked salmon atop of the cauli rice, then layer avocado, carrot, zucchini and cream cheese, roll up and then eat immediately or let sit for 15 mins, do not leave this to sit in fridge for longer than an hour, it will be gross!

Ingredients:
1 Cup (approx) Cooked Cauliflower Rice
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsps Japanesse Mayo (any mayo will work)
Toasted or Raw Nori Sheet
A few strips of Smoked Salmon
1/2 Avocado
Slices of Carrot and Zucchini
1-2 Tbsps Cream Cheese

Nutritional Stats for whole recipe: (this is for the cauliflower rice sushi)
Calories: 494
Fat: 39
Protein: 9
Carbs: 11
Net Carbs: 7

Per one sushi piece (divided into 7 pieces)
Calories: 70.5
Fat: 5.6
Protein: 1.29
Carbs:1.6
Net Carbs: 1