Grain-Free Granola Bars

2.5 cups mixed nuts and seeds (add about 1/2 cup of each variety of nut/seed)
1/2-1 cup dried fruits
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons cacao nibs or mini chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup almond butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg


Begin by pouring the nut/seed ingredients into a food processor. If using large pieces of dried fruit you can also add them to the processor at this time or chop them by hand.
Pulse ingredients for a short time. You aren’t trying to get them super tiny – larger chunks are okay.
Add the coconut, chopped dried fruit, coconut and chocolate chips to the mixture.
In a saucepan, warm and mix together the remaining ingredients.
Turn off the heat and pour the nut mixture into the saucepan to combine all ingredients together.
Pour the mixture into an 8×8 silicone pan or similar size container lined with parchment paper.
Press firmly and evenly to make a square.
Place in the freezer for two hours.
Store in refrigerator or freezer.

From: http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/appetizers-snacks/grain-free-granola-bars-a-favorite-for-school-lunches/

These are soooo delicious you don't want to stop eating them.

Chicken thighs and potatoes

2 lbs. chicken thighs
5-6 medium size red potatoes
seasoned salt
fresh cracked pepper
fresh chives, chopped
6 twigs of fresh rosemary

Coat the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Place thighs in the bottom, spread out.

Dice potatoes in 1/2-1" chunks. Put in a bowl and toss with olive oil, seasoned salt, pepper, and chives. Pour on top of chicken and spread out. Place twigs of rosemary on top. Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

The chicken came out super moist and the flavor from the herbs is wonderful.

Red Snapper

Red Snapper fillet
sea salt
cayenne pepper
olive oil

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil. Generously sprinkle salt and cayeene pepper over the oil.  Heat oil over medium-high heat until hot (but not smoking). Place snapper fillets, skin sides down, in skillet and sprinkle the top side with more salt and cayenne. Press on fish with a spatula for 1 minute to prevent curling. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip, and cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes more.

I don't like fish, but I actually enjoyed this.

Crepes / Tortillas

3 large eggs
1/2 c. potato starch (or tapioca or corn or arrowroot)
1/3 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
butter or oil

1. Put a drop of oil in the bottom of a non stick skillet. Wipe the oil out with a napkin or a cloth so that just the tiniest smudge of oil remains.

2. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl, whisking well to ensure no clumps.

3. Heat up the skillet, then pour between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet, then pick up the skillet and move it around so the entire bottom gets covered by batter. (If there is a thick puddle of batter at the bottom of the skillet, use less batter for the next crepe. If there isn't enough batter to cover the bottom, use a little more batter for the next crepe.

4. Cook on a medium high heat until the edges of the crepe start pulling away from the edges of the pan.

5. From the edge that is pulling away from the pan, use your finger to pick up the crepe and flip it over. Cook it on the other side for about 10 seconds, then slide the crepe onto a plate.

Makes about 8 crepes.

Fill them with your favorite fruit filling and real whipped cream. Yum!  (I have heard that you can make crepes with just eggs and water; I just haven't tried it yet.)

From http://www.pennilessparenting.com/2012/04/gluten-free-grain-free-crepes-recipe.html

Nut Butter Bread

1 cup nut butter (or seed butter)
1/4 cup honey
3 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 T vinegar or lemon juice


Combine all ingredients except for the vinegar and mix well (this usually requires an electric mixer for me). Add the vinegar or lemon juice and mix well, then pour into a greased loaf pan.

Bake about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. It is done when a knife or toothpick comes out clean.

For a sweet bread, increase the honey to 1/3 or 1/2 cup and add cinnamon and whatever other spices you like, such as nutmeg or ground cloves. Adding more honey will extend the baking time so keep an eye on this.

To make it savory, reduce or omit the honey, and add a little more salt as well as crushed garlic, onion powder (if it is SCD-legal), and other savory spices such as thyme.

From: http://grainfreefoodie.blogspot.com/2009/09/nut-butter-bread.html

This is good stuff. I tried 1/2 peanut butter and 1/2 tahini, and it came out great.

BBQ Sauce

1 can tomato puree (14 oz)
1 c. honey
1/2 c. vinegar
4 T. tomato paste
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Place all ingredients in a saucepan set over medium-high heat and whisk to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins.

Adapted from the book: Against all Grain: delectable paleo recipes to eat well & feel great, by Danielle Walker; "Smoky Barbecue Sauce," p. 326.

This is soooooo good. Even better than Stubbs --and I never, ever thought I would say a thing like that.

Buttermints

1 c. butter
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
4 Tbs. raw honey

Have the butter at room temperature. Stir together all ingredients then scoop it into a disposable pastry bag or zip-top bag. You can use a metal pastry tip like I did, I just stuck the metal tip into the end of a zip-top bag and then cut off a corner of the bag (see picture above). If you don't want to use a tip, just snip of the corner of the bag.
Squeeze bite-sized buttons onto a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Place in the fridge until firm, about 2 hours, then transfer to a storage container and store in the fridge.

From: http://empoweredsustenance.com/stop-sugar-cravings/

Love these!