Tag: dairy free

Heavenly Eggs and Baconnaise (yes, two recipes in one post!)
April 3, 2023

Heavenly Eggs and Baconnaise (yes, two recipes in one post!)

It’s the little things that you miss when you start eating Paleo. On the surface, it seems that if you give up gluten, peanuts, soy sauce and cheese, you’ll be all set. But if you dig into the details of the paleo diet, you’ll see that …

Ultimate Paleo Chicken Salad
March 20, 2023

Ultimate Paleo Chicken Salad

For years and years, we ate strictly paleo in my house. Then we were all feeling so well (and the kids got older) and we started easing up a bit. We ate more dairy and we ate more gluten free foods like bread and pizza. …

Luscious Lemon Cookies
March 6, 2023

Luscious Lemon Cookies

When the weather starts to warm, I want everything in my life to feel like spring! I want a fresh, bright color on my front door, a wreath with pretty flowers, pretty colors in my wardrobe and light and luscious foods on my table.

To me, lemon just screams spring and these lemon cookies will hit the spot if you’re craving a little taste of spring.

If you’re interested, here’s a little insight into the creation of this recipe…While we were traveling over Thanksgiving, I was cruising some of my favorite recipe websites looking for meal ideas. The internet wizards started showing me commercials for food items and Crumbl cookies kept popping up. Being entirely gluten free and mostly paleo, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about chain bakeries. But those cookies looked amazing! I found a copycat recipe for Crumbl lemon cookies and decided I would try to make those gluten free. But come mid-February, I was feeling really ready to get back to my paleo ways and even a gluten free cookie didn’t appeal. So instead of working to make a gluten free version of this cookie that very closely resembled the original, I opted to keep it paleo and just make a delicious lemon cookie suitable for those of us who really need to keep it paleo and still want a treat from time to time.

I hope you enjoy these cookies even if they don’t look just like the pretty fancy once you find in a bakery at the mall.

Luscious Lemon Cookies

A little chewy, a little crispy, a lot lemony!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Rest time 30 mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Comfort Food
Servings 24 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup palm shortening
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup maple sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest
  • 3 cups finely ground almond flour
  • 1 1/4 cups arrowroot
  • 3/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Optional Glaze (this will be brown due to the maple sugar)

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup maple sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. arrowroot

Alternative Glaze if you don't like the look of brown glaze

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp. water
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar maybe a little more

Instructions
 

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add palm shortening, honey, maple sugar, and egg and mix until smooth, light in color and creamy.
  • Wash and zest a large lemon. This should yield enough zest for both the cookie recipe and the glaze. Then juice the lemon. Add 1 Tablespoon of juice to the cookie dough and mix in well.
  • Add the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda and salt and mix thoroughly.
  • Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper (or work in batches if needed) and scoop approximately 2 Tablespoons of dough for each cookie. I fit about 8 cookies per cookie sheet. Bake approximately 15 minutes or until just starting to look golden brown all over.
  • Allow cookies to cool completely before drizzling with glaze.

To make glaze

  • Combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl, mix well and drizzle over cookies. Allow to set before storing cookies in an airtight container. As with all paleo cookies, they will keep longer in the refrigerator, but you can keep these at room temperature for a couple days if you prefer.
Keyword Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo
Teriyaki Chicken Wings – For Super Bowl or Any Day!
February 6, 2023

Teriyaki Chicken Wings – For Super Bowl or Any Day!

*This recipe is a blast from the past – 2016 to be exact. That little wing taster pictured below can now legally drive a car. Yes, this breaks my heart a little. She is the number one fan of these wings now and begs for …

Sweet and Spicy Pecan-Encrusted Chicken Tenders
January 16, 2023

Sweet and Spicy Pecan-Encrusted Chicken Tenders

So many years ago, 22 to be exact, my husband took me to Florida and proposed. He also took me to eat at one of the restaurants owned and operated by Emeril Lagasse. That restaurant is long gone, but the memory of that meal lives …

New and Improved Raspberry Almond Bars
December 12, 2022

New and Improved Raspberry Almond Bars

Many years ago, I was in a meal exchange group. This was an amazing gift for a mom of little, little kids. There were eight of us and we would each make eight recipes of our chosen dish for the month and then pass them out to the other members. So we all went home with eight meals in our freezer. It was awesome! At Christmas time, we added a cookie exchange to the meal exchange and that is where this recipe came from. One of the awesome ladies in my group, shared a FEW of these raspberry almond bars and she (somewhat reluctantly) gave me the recipe. This quickly became my husband’s favorite recipe.

When we became a paleo family, I knew this was a recipe I HAD to figure out. The key ingredient in these cookie bars is the almond paste, an ingredient you can find in your grocery store (and it’s usually gluten free). At the time I first created this, I was needing to stick as close to paleo as possible, so I made my own almond paste. I’ll include that recipe for you in the notes section below the recipe. If you can take a few short-cuts in your diet from time to time, using the store-bought almond paste is a real time saver.

Either way, this recipe is delicious and special and not your typical Christmas cookie.

Do you have a special Christmas treat that always shows up on your holiday table? Let us know in the comments!

New and Improved Raspberry Almond Bars

Not your typical Christmas cookie, but be prepared to hand out this recipe!
Print Recipe
Course Dessert, Snack, treat
Cuisine American, Comfort Food

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • 1/2 cup palm shortening
  • 1 1/4 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
  • 1/2 tsp. pink or sea salt
  • 1/4 cup maple sugar* see note or coconut sugar

Filling

  • 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Topping

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. palm shortening
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
  • 8 oz. gluten free almond paste** see note
  • 1 Tbsp. maple syrup or water

Optional Glaze

  • 4 Tbsp. powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. water

Instructions
 

  • Line an 11×7 or 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. If you spray some cooking oil spray (I like avocado oil) on the pan, it will help the parchment paper stay in place.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix the crust ingredients until well combined. Pat into bottom of prepared baking dish. It doesn't have to be perfect, but try to get it fairly even.
  • Bake for 15 minutes or until just starting to brown.
  • While the crust is baking, place the jam in a bowl and microwave for a few seconds to loosen it up, which will make it easier to spread without disturbing the crust.
  • Also, make the topping while the crust is baking: mix all the topping ingredients until you have a thick crumb mixture.
  • When the 15 minutes is up, remove the crust from the oven and spread the jam evenly over crust.
  • Sprinkle the topping on evenly and gently press down just a little bit.
  • Return pan to the oven and bake 20 more minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and cool completely.
  • Drizzle with glaze if desired. Cut into fairly small pieces (these are rich so you just need a small piece) and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*A note regarding the sugars used in this recipe: It is not a mistake that in the crust, I call for maple sugar, but note that you can substitute coconut sugar, and then in the topping, it’s the reverse. You can use any of the paleo sweeteners you like, but these sugars have a strong flavor, unlike regular cane sugar, and I think the finished result is best when you don’t use too much of any one of them. Coconut sugar, in particular, has a very strong flavor and a little goes a long way. Just know that I think the recipe turns out best when made as I have written it, but you can certainly adjust the sugars used if needed. 
**To keep this recipe more paleo, make your own almond paste following this recipe:
9 oz. raw, unsalted almonds
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp. almond extract
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. arrowroot starch
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth. You can do this up to several days ahead and store in the refrigerator.
Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole
December 5, 2022

Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole

Ah, the holiday staple, green bean casserole. I admit that I was never a huge fan of this dish. What I did love were those crispy onions that I could eat by the can full if allowed! But because those onions and that gloopy soup …

Thanksgiving Dressing (or Stuffing)
November 21, 2022

Thanksgiving Dressing (or Stuffing)

This dressing is just as good (may I say better?) than the old gluten filled version. It’s so chock full of flavors, no one will suspect it’s “healthy” in any way! For a step-by-step video of the preparation of this recipe, see the link below.

Paleo “Corn” Bread
November 18, 2022

Paleo “Corn” Bread

With fall in the air and Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s time to think about cornbread. Cornbread is delicious alongside a steaming bowl of chili and it’s an essential ingredient in the very best Thanksgiving dressing recipe – coming at you soon!

Thanks to some flax seeds and a screaming hot cast iron skillet, we can have the most delicious cornbread, minus the corn and gluten and dairy.

Smothered with some ghee and dripping with honey, this cornbread even makes a delicious breakfast….mmmmm….make this!

P.S. If you want more delicious paleo holiday recipes, you can find them in my holiday cookbook here.

So you can see with your very own eyes just how delicious this cornbread is, I’ve made you a little video. I’m sorry your mouth has now watered all over your computer.

Paleo Cornbread

No actual corn kernels were harmed in the making of this recipe
Print Recipe
Course bread, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Comfort Food

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tbsp. ghee or grass-fed butter
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup palm shortening melted
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup almond milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add ghee to a 9 inch cast iron skillet and put the pan in the oven to heat.
  • While the skillet and oven heat, make the batter by combining all the dry ingredients in one bowl (almond flour, flaxseed meal, arrowroot, salt, baking soda and coconut flour) and all the wet ingredients in another bowl (eggs, shortening, honey and almond milk).
  • Mix the dry ingredients well and mix the wet ingredients well. Now add the wet to the dry and mix to combine. Don't over work the batter, just get it all combined. A rubber spatula works well for this.
  • Remove skillet from oven, swirl to make sure the melted ghee is coating the entire bottom and sides of the skillet. Remember that it is hot! Put a pot holder over the handle so you don't accidentally touch it. Pour the batter into the pan, being careful not to splatter the melted ghee. Spread the batter evenly.
  • Bake 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just one or two crumbs attached. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into desired pieces.
Keyword Dairy Free, dairy free option, Gluten Free, Paleo, Primal
Paleo Hallo-weenies (or mummy dogs)
October 28, 2022

Paleo Hallo-weenies (or mummy dogs)

Have you seen the commercials or magazine adds for the refrigerated crescent roll dough wrapped around hotdogs yielding these cute, little mummified hot dogs? Well, I have too and I wanted to make them for my kids for fall. One quick change to my autoimmune …