OK.  I can honestly say that I haven’t yet tried this recipe but am so intrigued by the cooking method – a slow cooker!

I found this in Real Simple and am thinking of trying this next week.  I will let you know how it turns out!

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. yellow cornmeal
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. kosher salt
• 12 T. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 1/4 c., plus 6 T. granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1//2 t. pure vanilla extract
• 1 T. grated lemon zest, plus 3 T. lemon juice
• 1 t. poppy seeds
• 1 T. confectioner’s sugar
• whipped cream, optional

In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 1/4 c. of the granulated sugar on medium-high until smooth.  Add the eggs and beat until fluffy, 2 minutes.  Add the sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and poppy seeds to combine.  Reduce speed to low and slowly incorporate the flour mixture.  Place a 15-inch piece of parchment paper in the bowl of a slow cooker, letting the excess come up the sides.  Transfer the batter into the bowl of a slow cooker.  Set the cooker to high and cook, covered, until set and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 2 1/2 hours.  Combine the lemon juice and the remaining granulated sugar in a bowl and drizzle evenly over the top of the cake.  Holding the parchment paper, transfer the cake to a rack.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Dust with the confectioner’s sugar and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

These cookie bars are great when you want a little snack but don’t want to feel too guilty about your snack.

• 10 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/4 t. kosher salt
• 3/4 c. rolled oats
• 1/2 c. seedless raspberry jam
• 1 c. fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 375.  Butter an 8-inch square pan.  In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to combine.  Add the butter and pulse just until the dough comes together.  Transfer to a bowl and gently knead in the oats.

Press all but 1/2 c. of dough into the prepared pan.  Spread the dam evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges.  Scatter the raspberries over the jam and sprinkle with the remaining dough.

Bake until the edges are golden, 25-28 minutes.  Let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.

I haven’t yet tried this in a partial-Paleo adaptation but think that substituting almond flour and maybe almond slices instead of oats make make this a sweet treat that is mainly Paleo.  If you try it, let me know how it works.

I was looking for some options for flavors while trying to stay Paleo.  This does have a small amount of dairy, but will work on proteins, vegetables, and just about anything else you can think of!

• 1 c. fresh oregano, washed, tried and chopped
• 3 T. shredded parmesean cheese
• 1 T. shredded romano cheese
• 2 T. softened butter
• pinch salt
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• olive oil
• 15 hazelnuts, toasted

Turn the hot nuts into the bowl of a mortar and break into a few pieces using a pestle.  Add the oregano, salt and garlic and combine beating and grinding motions to break down the ingredients further (You could also do this in a food processor with small, quick bursts).  Add a little oil and use the grinding motion to further reduce the pesto to paste.  Stir in the cheeses and butter.

Turn the mixture in a saute pan and stir the pesto with the proteins, vegetables, or pasta (including some pasta water).  Let it sit in the hot pan for a minute or two allowing it to coat whatever you’re trying to flavor.

This is also a good dipping sauce for bread.

This was a great Paleo find.  I used the spicy ketchup from an earlier posted recipe to avoid a lot of sugars.  This is a great low and slow recipe that could probably be adjusted to a slow-cooker method.

• 1 pork shoulder or butt roast, about 5-6 lbs.
• 3 T. smoked paprika
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1 T. dry mustard
• 3 T. sea salt

Spicy Sauce:

• 1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 c. homemade ketchup
• 1 c. Dijon or homemade mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. sea salt
• 1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

Prepare the dry rub by combining the paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard and sea salt in a bowl.

Rub the pork roast all over with the spice rub and place in the refrigerator for the flavors to penetrate the meat for a minimum of and hour but up to overnight.  If marinating for only 1-2 hours, leave the roast at room temperature to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place the marinated pork shoulder or butt roast in the oven in a baking pan for 6 hours, until the meat is falling apart, and fork tender.

While the pork is cooking, prepare the sauce by combining the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, mustard, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a saucepan.

Gently bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally and simmer for about 10 minutes.

When the pork is ready, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Pull the meat apart from the roast with two forks and place meat shreds into a bowl.

Combine with the spicy sauce with the pulled pork and serve with vegetables or salad.

This isn’t a Paleo recipe but you could forgo the beans if you wanted to, adding other vegetables to fill it up – carrots, celery, parsnips.  However this recipe is fantastic and very hands -off!  A great Real Simple find.

• 1 medium red-onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. ground cumin
• 2 t. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 t. ground cinnamon
• salt &  pepper
• 1  28-oz. can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1  15.5-oz. can black beans, drained
• 1  15.5-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 medium sweet potato (about 8 oz.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• sour cream, for garnish
• sliced scallions & radishes and tortilla chips, for garnish

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. black pepper.   Add tomatoes and the juices from the can, beans, sweet potato and 1 c. water.

Cover and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chili has thickened, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Serve the chili with sour cream, scallions, and/or tortilla chips for garnish.

This can be refrigerated or frozen and kept for up to 3 months.

I was craving some serious Mexican food and found this America’s Test Kitchen recipe online.  It’s a lot more involved than I usually like to take on but these are amazingly good and worth the effort when you want to pig out or impress.

This will make a full meal for 4-6 people.

• 4 t. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped with a medium dice (about 1 c. )
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 T.)
• 1/2 t. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I actually used a rotisserie chicken from the market but the chicken prep info is still below)
• 1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos (16-20 medium size), husks and stems removed, rinsed and well dried.  If you can’t find fresh tomatillos, you can use 3 11oz. cans of tomatillos, rinsed and drained.  Halve anything larger than 2-inches in diameter adn place skin side up for broiling.
• 3 medium polano chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded.  You can substitute 4 large jalapenos (with or without seeds and stems, depending on your desired level of heat. More seeds & ribs  = more heat).
• 1 – 2 1/2 t. sugar
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
• 8 oz. Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 2 c. )
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• cooking spray
• 2 medium scallions, sliced thin for garnish
• thinly sliced radishes, for garnish
• sour cream, for garnish

Adjust oven racks to the middle and highest positions and preheat the broiler.  Heat 2 t. oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering; add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 6-8 minutes.  Add 2 t. garlic and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Decrease heat to low and stir in broth.  Add chicken and cover, simmering until and instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 degrees, to 15-20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.  (Don’t skip this step if you’re using a rotisserie chicken but obviously, you don’t have to wait 20 minutes.) Transfer chicken to a large bowl; place in the refrigerator to cool, about 20 minutes.  Remove 1/4 c. liquid from saucepan and set aside; discard remaining liquid.

Meanwhile toss tomatillos and poblanos with remaining 2 t. oil; arrange on rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, with poblanos skin-side up.  Broil until vegetables blacken and start to soften, 5-10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking.  Cool 10 minutes, then remove skin from poblanos (leave tomatillo skins intact).  Transfer tomatillos and chiles to food processor.  Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Discard foil from baking sheet and set baking sheet aside for warming tortillas.

Add 1 t. sugar, 1 t. salt, remaining teaspoon of garlic, and reserved cooking liquid to food processor;  process until sauce is somewhat chunky, about eight 1-second pulses.  Taste sauce, season with salt & pepper and adjust tartness by stirring in remaining sugar, 1/2 t. at a time.  Set sauce aside, you should have about 3 cups.

When chicken is cool, pull into shreds by using hands or forks, then chop into bite-sized pieces.  Combine chicken with cilantro and 1 1/2 c. cheese; season with salt.

Smear bottom of 9×13 baking dish with 3/4 c. tomatillo sauce.  Place tortillas on 2 baking sheets.  Spray both sides of tortillas lightly with cooking spray.  Bake until tortillas are soft and pliable, 2-4 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.  Place warm tortillas on countertop and spread 1/3 c. filling down the center of each tortillas.  Roll each tortillas tightly and place in baking dish, seam-side down.  Pour remaining tomatillo sauce over top of enchiladas.  Use back of spoon to spread sauce that it coats the top of each tortilla roll.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. cheese and cover the baking dish with foil.

Bake enchiladas on the middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with scallions, and serve immediately, passing radishes and sour cream separately.

We were invited to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving and I was faced with the all too familiar quandary…what do you take as a hostess gift on the biggest food day of the year? Wine is a tough guess – can’t be too inexpensive or too expensive. Food is just unnecessary on Thanksgiving. No one needs more to eat on Turkey Day. Then I stumbled on recipes in Bon Appetit and Real Simple. Chocolate Nut Bark! And when two of my favorite magazines recommend it, how can you pass it up?

This is the perfect homemade gift to take. It’s not too time consuming and who doesn’t love chocolate!

• 12 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate – I made one 6 oz. batch of semisweet and one 6 oz. batch of dark, just to mix it up for those who like darker chocolate.
• 2½ cups mixed nuts

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally.
Spread the chocolate evenly on a parchment-lined 9-by-13-inch baking pan and sprinkle with the nuts. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Break the bark into pieces. Keep at room temperature for up to 1 week.

I then picked up a cute food tin and food safe tissue paper to give the bark in. It was the easiest thing and was the perfect gift for our hostess. She could relax on the day after Thanksgiving with her secret stash of chocolate.

Losing condiments is one of the most difficult things to give up when we started the Paleo diet. I found this ketchup recipe on one of the Paleo site that are great resources for recipes. And while this is Paleo, there’s no reason that anyone wouldn’t LOVE this recipe. It makes about 2 cups. You’ll run out of this ketchup long before it goes bad.

1 lb. fresh plum tomatoes, chopped + 1 lb. canned plum tomatoes, chopped OR
2 lbs. fresh plum tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
1 celery stick, cut into cubes
chopped fresh piece of ginger, about the size of a thumb
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 red chili, seeded and chopped finely
large bunch of fresh basil; picked leaves and chopped stalks
1 t. coriander seeds
2 cloves garlic
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Place the onion, fennel and celery in a large saucepan with some olive oil, ginger, garlic, chopped chili, basil stalks, coriander seeds, and garlic cloves. Season with salt and the 1 t. black pepper.

Over a low heat, cook for about 12 minutes, until the vegetables have softened, stir occasionally.

Add 1 1/2 c. water and the tomatoes. Let simmer gently until the liquid is reduced in half.

Add the basil leaves, pour the sauce into a blender or food processor and process until very smooth.

Strain the sauce through a sieve into a new or cleaned up saucepan and add the vinegar.

Simmer again until it reaches the desired ketchup consistency. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Cool, then put in the refrigerator and enjoy. The recipe can be bottled in sterilized jars and kept for up to 6 months in a cool, dry place.

Another comfort food meal, this meatloaf recipe was a great find from www.PaleoDietLifestyle.com . Without adding all the usual breadcrumbs, this meatloaf is dense with amazing flavor and should make about 5 servings.

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 1/2 T. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
1 egg
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 c. white button mushrooms, finely chopped (we’ve also used crimini mushrooms, for a great flavor)
1 t. chili pepper flakes
3 t. fresh thyme, minced
1 t. fresh oregano, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. homemade ketchup (recipe to follow in another post)
1 T. honey, optional
1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce, optional
1 T. paleo cooking fat, we use coconut oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized skillet placed over medium heat, melt the cooking fat and then add the mushrooms. Saute for 2-3 minutes, until soft.

In a large bowl, combine the meat, salt, pepper, egg, onion, chili pepper, thyme, oregano and garlic. Mix well, making sure to break up the meat. Add the cooked mushrooms as well. It’s very important that the mushrooms are evenly distributed to ensure the loaf bonds well.

Lightly grease loaf pan with additional cooking fat and fill it with the meat mixture. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce to make the sauce for the top of the meatloaf.

After cooking for 15 minutes, gently spread the sauce on top of the meatloaf.

Continue cooking for another 40 minutes.

Let sit for a couple minutes then serve.

While I haven’t made these since getting on the Paleo wagon, these are great cookies from the Real Simple recipe library. They’re moist and have a great coconut flavor without being overwhelming.

This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

1 14-oz. package sweetened shredded coconut
1 c. sliced almonds
3/4 c. sugar
1 t. grated lemon zest
1/4 t. kosher salt
4 large egg whites

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the coconut, almonds, sugar, lemon zest and salt. Mix the egg whites.

Drop the mounds of mixture (about 2 t. each) onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake, switching the baking sheets halfway through for even baking, until the edges begin to brown, about 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly on a baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week.