Minion Basket

It's my friend Tori's birthday week and what better way to celebrate than with a basket full of her favorite things (minions!)?

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Totally got this idea off of Pinterest and then tweaked it a little. Really easy and good! Forgot to add sesame seeds but they would have been good on top.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef or pork
Sesame oil
2 bags of shredded cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 cup bean sprouts
3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Fresh grated ginger
Garlic
Coconut oil
Cilantro for topping

Brown meat in a tablespoon or so of sesame oil. Stir fry remaining ingredients over medium heat and add cooked meat. Top with cilantro and dive in!

Turkey Veggie Burgers

Really tasty but I would add some more fat next time to make them more filling, maybe fry them in coconut oil? The original recipe made these into burgers with roasted sweet potato slices and lettuce/tomato/mayo.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 Tablespoon each of dried rosemary, thyme, and oregano
3 carrots, finely shredded
1 small zucchini and yellow squash, finely shredded
1/2 cup each of chopped cilantro and parsley, minced
3-4 scallions
1 1/2 tsp sea salt, cracked black pepper

Mix all ingredients together well and form into patties. Bake in 425 degree oven for 25 minutes or until firm and cooked through.

Salmon with Leek and Vegetable Succatash

Not strictly paleo because of the corn, but this is what we had in our CSA bag this week, so this is what got used! Shucked four ears of corn, cleaned and sliced five leeks, and peeled/sliced about 5 rainbow carrots on a mandoline and sauteed everything over medium heat in about half a stick of butter for 10 minutes. Added garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and a single zucchini slided thinly on the madoline and cooked another 5 minutes or until everything was soft. Topped with pre-cooked salmon from Earth Fare (the hubby had chicken on his). Simple, pretty, and yummy!

Baked Chocolate Coconut Donuts

These did not turn out like the pretty picture on Pinterest but they tasted good and were actually stellar the next day after firming up in the fridge over night!

Donut Ingredients
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix coconut flour, flax seed, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in one bowl until combined. Beat eggs in separate bowl then mix in. Add coconut oil last.

2. Pour into donut pan and bake for 10 minutes or until done.

Glaze Ingredients
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 drops peppermint extract or other flavoring (optional)

Mix with whisk in sauce pan over medium heat until smooth. Drizzle over cooled donuts.

Original Recipe:  https://www.grassfedgirl.com/chocolate-baked-donut-recipe/

Paleo Tomato Pie

We got a bunch of colorful, ripe tomatoes in the CSA this week and they were screaming to be made into a tomato pie. I was worried about a paleo crust holding up and how the filling would work without tons of cheese (full disclosure--there are about two tablespoons of cheese on the very top here but it would work just fine without it). The crust was sturdy and flavorful and work well for a quiche too. Definitely doing this again!

Crust Ingredients
3/4 cup almond flour plus 1 Tablespoon almond flour
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon ghee
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons basil (I used frozen cubes but fresh or dry would work too)

Add flours, salt, and pepper to food processor.  Pulse 5 or so times to combine. Add remaining ingredients. Pulse until ingredients are thoroughly mixed and dough resembles cookie dough. Press into a greased pie dish (dough will be thin) and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Filling Ingredients
4 ripe tomatoes
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons almond flour
Garlic salt, parsley, salt and pepper

Slice tomatoes into 1/4 inch slabs and remove seeds. Place on folded paper towels and salt one side. After about 10 minutes (you can do this while crust is baking) flip tomatoes over and salt the other side. Press with paper towels on top right after they have rested on both sides. This should get the majority of the liquid out.

Combine mayo, almond flour, and seasonings, and place a thin layer on top of the pie crust. Layer tomatoes on top and spoon remaining mixture over tomatoes evenly. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, until slightly browned on top.

Original Recipe:  http://charlieeats.com/2013/09/16/an-obsession-tomato-pie-paleo-crust/

Paleo Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

Holy delicious, Batman. This is so easy and good. Fill the bottom of the crockpot with about an inch of broth. Add in a bunch of veggies (I used a sweet potato, three medium sized red potatoes, a head of cauliflower, and a few carrots) and a few giant spoonfuls of garlic. I added salt, pepper, ghee, about a 1/2 cup of coconut milk and a little more broth, then let it cook on low 6 hours. Mash or blend with an immersion blender and season more to your liking. Reheats really well and goes with everything!