Paleo Brownies!

One of the biggest challenges with trying to keep our diet paleo has been desserts. I just don't think it's possible to go without desserts now and then. And it's not just me; Hubby has a sweet tooth too!

I've tried some cookie recipes and some pudding recipes. Spoiler alert: avocado pudding is no bueno. At least the kind I tried. I'd skip that one if you haven't tried it yet. Some of the cookie recipes aren't bad, but I kind of feel like a cookie isn't a cookie unless it has chocolate chips. And I haven't picked up any paleo chocolate chips yet, so they've been lacking something up til now.

I happened to come across this recipe for brownies, one of my favorite desserts, on Taylor Made It Paleo. I was skeptical at first, but I did my quick scan of the ingredients and they all seemed reasonable (we're ok with some honey).  



I did need to pick up a few of the ingredients, and in the process I ended up swapping out the sunflower seed butter for regular peanut butter (much cheaper). I whipped everything together pretty quickly; it's a pretty easy recipe to follow and didn't take a ton of time either. The hardest part was waiting for them to cool before I could try them! ; )

I was immediately impressed. First bite! It was delicious! Hubby was impressed too. I've since made them for my parents and they both liked them. Again, my dad was not completely blown away by them like we were, but you can't win them all!

So this has become a recipe that I keep and make now and then when we've got a sweet tooth. I bet you could even freeze some and pull them out later for a quick treat. I can imagine it now, warmed up in the microwave with some ice cream on top, like she suggests. Mmm... I'm thinking I need to go whip up another batch right now!

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup coconut flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp coconut crystals
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 5 eggs
• ¾ cup honey
• 3 1/2 tbsp grass-fed butter, softened
• 2 tbsp full fat, canned coconut milk
• 1/4 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)
• ½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup sunflower seed butter (or other nut/seed butter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine coconut flour, cocoa powder, coconut crystals, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, butter, and coconut milk.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well combined.
5. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter evenly into baking dish.
7. Pour sunflower seed butter over top and “swirl” evenly into batter.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean in the center.
9. When finished, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe: Honey Mustard Burgers and Sweet Potato Apple Mash

This is another one of the new recipes that I have tried recently. This one, very quickly, moved to the top of my list of favorite meals! I really wish I had doubled the recipe because the amount of mash that came from the recipe only lasted through one meal. The six burgers was fine, but I think I will double or triple the mash recipe next time. I'm also not that great at keeping burgers in one piece (not a lot of practice), so I didn't take any pictures of my own this time.

I really love this recipe from Civilized Caveman Cooking because the two different pieces go so well together. The mash is sweet and tart at the same time while the burgers are sweet and savory. It's a perfect combination. I also love this option because I can make burgers and not need a bun. I even think the mash could be used as a dessert or with pork chops too.

Credit: civilizedcavemancooking.com

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs Ground Beef
• 1/2 Cup Honey
• 1/2 Cup Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tsp Sea Salt, 1 Tsp Pepper

For the Hash:

• 2 Cups peeled, diced Sweet Potato
• 1/2 Red Onion Diced
• 1 Granny Smith Apple peeled, Diced
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

 Cooking Steps

Taken from: http://www.civilizedcavemancooking.com

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine your ground beef, honey, dijon mustard, sea salt, and pepper.
2. Using your hands, mix the meat well to ensure an even coating.
3. Once mixed, make 6 patties about 1/2 inch thick and set on a plate.
4. Grill over medium high heat about 7-10 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second side
    until done to your liking.
5. Serve over a bed of Sweet Potato Apple Hash below

For the Hash:

1. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Melt a cooking oil of your choice, I used coconut oil.
3. Add your apples and onions and saute until the onions start to caramelize.
4. Next add your sweet potatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Now take some water and pour it into the skillet, mixing well, and ensure nothing is stuck to the
    bottom of the pan.
6. Cover the pan and let the water steam your potatoes.
** If after all your water has evaporated your potatoes still aren’t done, add more water and repeat.
7. Once done to your liking, turn off the heat and add the cinnamon and mix well, then plate.