Paleo Cookbook For Dummies (87 page)

Ingredients

4 to 5 cups watermelon flesh, frozen solid

12 ounces frozen raspberries

¹
⁄
₂
cup unsweetened applesauce

Pinch sea salt

3 large fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish

Directions

1
Process all ingredients with
¹
⁄
₂
cup water in a blender until perfectly smooth.

2
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and churn for about 30 minutes.

3
Serve immediately; garnish with leftover mint leaves if desired.

Per serving (1 tablespoon):
Calories 72 (From Fat 4); Fat 0.5g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 50mg; Carbohydrate 18g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 1g.

Note:
If you don't have an ice cream machine available, you can serve the mixture just after the blending step. It makes this recipe a delicious and kid-friendly raspberry peppermint smoothie.

Tip:
Four to five cups of watermelon equals about ten ice cream scoops full.

Tip:
If you want the sorbet little firmer, put it in the freezer in another container for an hour or so. If you don't want seeds, you can puree the raspberry and then strain it before adding it to the other ingredients.

Recipe courtesy Audrey Olson, author of Primal Kitchen: A Family Grokumentary (
www.primalkitchen.blogspot.com
)

Raspberry Cheesecake Bites

Prep time:
45 min, plus refrigerating time •
Yield:
8 servings

Ingredients

8 to 10 ounces dark chocolate, divided

²
⁄
₃
cup cashew butter

¹
⁄
₃
cup palm shortening

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground sea salt

¹
⁄
₃
cup maple syrup, or to taste

¹
⁄
₂
tablespoon vanilla extract

8 fresh raspberries

Directions

1
Melt half of the chocolate in a double boiler. When the chocolate is melted, stir it with a clean, dry spoon until it's entirely smooth.

2
Line 8 cavities of a mini muffin pan with paper liners. Spoon the melted chocolate into the cavities.

3
Let sit for 5 minutes. Reheat the chocolate in the double boiler and repeat Step 2 to thicken the chocolate base in each cavity.

4
In a large bowl, combine the cashew butter, palm shortening, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the mixture until you achieve a cream cheese consistency. Beat in the maple syrup and vanilla.

5
Spoon
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture onto the chocolate in each cavity.

6
Press a fresh raspberry into the center of the cream cheese mixture in each cavity. Top each raspberry with another
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture.

7
Put the pan in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

8
Repeat Step 1 to melt the remaining (previously unmelted) chocolate. Spoon the melted chocolate over the cream cheese mixture in each cavity; the melted chocolate should be level with the top of the cavity.

9
Place the pan in the fridge until the chocolate sets fully.

10
Remove the cheesecake bites from the pan and very gently peel off the paper liner. Serve the cheesecake bites within 24 hours of creation so the raspberries are at their juicy best.

Per serving (1 tablespoon):
Calories 422 (From Fat 270); Fat 30g (Saturated 12g); Cholesterol 1mg; Sodium 80mg; Carbohydrate 32g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 6g.

Tip:
If you don't have a double boiler or don't want to mess with one, warm the chocolate in the microwave for 2 minutes at half power.

Vary It!
Try other fresh berries (such as chopped strawberries or blueberries) or small pieces of fresh fruit in place of the raspberry. To make the bites nut-free, substitute unsweetened organic sunflower seed butter for the cashew butter. For sweetness without carbs, substitute a few drops of stevia extract for the maple syrup.

Recipe courtesy Audrey Olson, author of Primal Kitchen: A Family Grokumentary (
www.primalkitchen.blogspot.com
)

Star Fruit Magic Wands

Prep time:
10 min •
Yield:
6–8 servings

Ingredients

2 large star fruits

Directions

1
Wash the star fruits and slice them
³
⁄
₄
-inch thick.

2
Use a toothpick or steak knife to gently pry out any large seeds from the slices.

3
Insert the pointy end of a bamboo skewer into the bottom of each star fruit slice, about 1 inch deep.

4
Serve immediately or freeze for 20 minutes to create popsicle-style treats.

Per serving (1 tablespoon):
Calories 7 (From Fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrate 1.5g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 0g.

Recipe courtesy Audrey Olson, author of Primal Kitchen: A Family Grokumentary (
www.primalkitchen.blogspot.com
)

This recipe has been vetted by the team at Whole9 (
http://whole9life.com
) and is considered acceptable for a cleansing 30-day Paleo launch.

Part V

The Part of Tens

Compare what you think you know about Paleo cooking to some common myths debunked at
www.dummies.com/extras/paleocookbook
.

In this part . . .

Make your life in the kitchen easier by picking up ten tools that are essential for Paleo cooking.

Eat like a Paleo aficionado with ten favorite Paleo staples that you can use in meals or enjoy as snacks.

Chapter 20

Ten Favorite Paleo Foods

In This Chapter

Checking out great Paleo substitutes

Focusing on nutritional powerhouses

If you're new to the Paleo lifestyle and wonder whether the food is boring, you'll soon find that eating Paleo is actually exciting. Some fantastic foods are a big Paleo yes, and this chapter gives you the inside scoop on these primal favorites.

What I love so much about these ten Paleo foods is that they're loaded with good stuff: vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants; Paleo-approved proteins; squeaky-clean carbs; and healthy fats. You can't go wrong. These foods taste great and have the
nutrient density
(lots of nutrients relative to their calories) to give your body the deep nutrition it craves. They're options that any true cave man or cave woman would love.

Organic, Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Coconut flakes are a Paleo staple. What's so great is that they're a super-good-for-you fat. They're delicious on their own and one of my favorite travel foods; add some in a mixture of nuts and even some dark chocolate for a trail mix.

You can also sprinkle them on top of many dishes for rich flavor and some texture. My favorite place to add coconut flakes is to sweet dishes, such as on top of fruit (mango and pineapple are the best). Coconut flakes are one of those Paleo foods that after you buy them once, you'll always want to have some on hand.

I always call coconut the great wrinkle eraser. It has properties that heal the gut, and when your gut is healthy, your skin becomes radiant. It's better than any cosmetic cream you can buy in a jar.

Organic, Full-Fat Coconut Milk

Coconut milk
is the meat of a coconut grated and squeezed to produce a milky product. It's perfect for replacing milk, yogurt, and cream in your diet. I also love adding it to specialty dishes like curries, creamy sauces, or soups; whipping some up to create a blissful whipped cream for plopping over fruit; and putting it in smoothies or drizzling it over berries for treats kids love.

Purchase organic, full-fat coconut milk. The organic stuff is healthier, and full-fat seems to work better in recipes. Always check the labels and avoid the brands with sulfites or sugar.

Full-fat coconut milk is always sold in cans. With cans, you have to watch for BPA (Bisphenol A), which is a chemical used in consumer goods that has been linked to some pretty nasty stuff like cancer, infertility, diabetes, and heart disease. Here are some good coconut milk choices that are BPA free:

Natural Value:
www.amazon.com/Natural-Value-Organic-Coconut-13-5-Ounce/dp/B001HTI708


Native Forest:
www.edwardandsons.com/native_shop_coconut.itml


Almond and Coconut Flours

When I talk about my ingredient swap — that is, replacing non-Paleo pantry foods with Paleo-approved ones — I must say these flours always top the list. They replace traditional flours and grains used in recipes for baked goods, granola-type products, and even breaded coatings to make them Paleo-approved and avoid the I-swallowed-a-bowling-ball feeling those grains can cause.

Just because these flours make your treats Paleo-approved doesn't give you license to load up on cookies and such regularly. Your Paleo template of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats should still be the rule, with Paleo treats as the exception.

Organic, Pasture-Raised Bacon

There's nothing like the flavor or the crunch of a piece of bacon. Bacon appears in so many Paleo dishes — soups, stews, salads, wraps, seafood entrees, you name it — and can even be dipped in chocolate for a treat.

Here's what you need to keep in mind about bacon: It must come from a quality source. Get your bacon from an animal that was pasture-raised, and make sure the bacon contains very few other ingredients (no nitrates/nitrites, corn, wheat, or unnatural preservatives). Even better yet, go for bacon that contains no sugar.

The best bacon on the market comes from U.S. Wellness Meats:
www.grasslandbeef.com/Detail.bok?no=1186
. This bacon contains pork and sea salt only — no sweeteners, nitrites, or nitrates. Plus, it's Whole30 approved (see
Chapter 4
).

Organic, Cage-Free Eggs

Eggs are a Paleo staple that gives you what I call
flash protein
(a quick protein option). Whenever I travel, I almost always bring hard-boiled eggs for the trip.

Eggs are super versatile and are nutritionally just about the perfect food. They're filled with vitamins, including biotin, and minerals such as choline, which helps move cholesterol through the body. Flip to
Chapter 6
for guidance on deciphering the labels on egg cartons to make sure you're getting the healthiest stuff.

If you have an autoimmune condition such as eczema, psoriasis, asthma, lupus, MS, Crohn's disease, or Type 1 diabetes, eggs may irritate your gut and create a sensitivity. If you're experiencing symptoms or flare-ups of these conditions, try omitting eggs until you heal your gut by eating other nutritious Paleo foods first.

Organ Meats

Before you say, “Yuck, organ meats?”, hear me out. Paleo is about getting the deepest nutrition into your body in the most natural way. Organ meats are rich in protein, vitamins, and nutrients; liver, kidney, heart, and even tongue can provide you with a deep blast of serious nutrition.