Oh So Creamy Paleo Chocolate Pudding

After offering to bring dessert for a dinner party, I set out to find a Paleo and nut-free concoction made without coconut. So, ya that was a tough one. Over and over I kept seeing recipes for chocolate pudding made with avocado but, quite honestly, thought it sounded weird so I continued my search. Well, long story short, I made the pudding and it was FABULOUS! I am so glad I went for it and made this yummy batch of creamy chocolate goodness.  The following recipe is my take on several recipes I found. 

• 1 large avocado, peeled and seeded
• 1/4 cup and 1T (or 5T) cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1T coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Spoon into bowls (2-4 bowls depending on how hungry you are) and chill for 1-2 hours. Chilling isn't crucial but it makes it even better.  Serve and enjoy!!

Paleo Carrot "Fries"

I don't crave many specific foods, but french fries, I'm always craving. This recipe takes the monotonous carrot stick to a whole new level. Yowza!

• whole carrots, peeled and sliced like fries
• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• fresh or dried herbs, to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 425. After you slice the carrots, place in a bowl, drizzle with desired amount of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss until all carrot sticks are well coated then spread evenly on a veggie sheet (a.k.a. a cookie sheet). Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. If you pull them out too soon, the outsides will be beautiful but the insides will be crunchy and too reminiscent of regular carrots, sad day.

Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic

I purchased a head of cauliflower on a whim today (I know, I'm so reckless) and made a huge batch of cauliflower rice and mashed cauliflower. We'll be eating the "rice" with lunches this week and I am going to freeze the mashed cauliflower for later. I could probably eat all of this in one sitting if I knew I wouldn't regret it ;)

• 1/2 head cauliflower (or 1 small), stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1T butter or ghee (optional)
• 2T chicken broth or other liquid (optional) 
• salt and pepper to taste

Steam cauliflower and garlic cloves until tender. Transfer to a food processor with butter and broth and mix until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. Voila!

Colorful Kale Salad

This recipe is my version of a recipe from the Whole Foods app. It is mostly "my" version because we went grocery shopping half an hour before the grocery store closed on a Sunday and couldn't purchase many of the original recipe's ingredients (whoops!). Oh, this makes a TON of salad so you may want to half the recipe if you aren't so sure about kale yet.

1 bunch of dinosaur kale, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

1 small head of red cabbage, shredded

2 navel oranges, segmented and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/4 fresh orange juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

salt and black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine kale, cabbage, and oranges. In a small bowl, combine mustard, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar. Add mustard mix to kale mix and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 3-4 days (depending on age of kale and cabbage).

Turnip Curry

This is Jeremy's favorite Paleo/Whole30 recipe. Don't be afraid of the turnips-give them a chance. I served this with brined and roasted chicken breasts.

•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 large turnip, peeled and diced
• 2 cans fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, cumin, and curry powder; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the turnip and tomatoes. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the curry has thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

This makes 4-6 servings depending on how hungry you are ;)