Fall Pictures from the Garden and Beyond

View from the top

 

Awkward Teenage Chicks

Stonecrop

primrose

Late Apples

Hydrangea

Blueberry

Maple

Post-Corn Maze shoes

Hitchhiker

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

What's better than a chocolate chip cookie? A Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookie, that's what!

The kids and I had a lazy day last week when they had the day off from school. We slept in, watched a movie, played and made cookies. The kids voted for Chocolate chip cookies, but I took them a step further and added more chocolate! They were one of the best cookies I've had. They were crispy on the outside, fudgy on the inside and just plain yummy.  I started with Cavegirl Kate's cookie recipe then made a couple minor modifications to stuff more chocolate into them.

I usually use coconut oil in my cookies, but I happened to have some grass-fed, raw butter on hand. So I used that instead. I'm not sure if it made a difference, but if you do dairy, try that and see what you think.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie

3 cups almond flour

1/2 cup coconut oil or grass-fed butter, melted

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 eggs

1 t baking soda

1 t sea salt

1 T vanilla extract

1 T cocoa powder

1 cup Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips

Bring all ingredients to room temperature and preheat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients except chips with a hand or stand mixer. Fold in chocolate chips then drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

My kids wanted marshmallows on theirs, so I let them put 2 minis on each of their cookies. They were delighted! :)

The Ultimate Chocolate Waffle - Paleo/Primal

Sunday morning was a waffle morning at my house. On such mornings I've been making my classic Ultimate Paleo Waffles. But this week we wanted something a little more special, and what, pray tell, is more special than chocolate? So, our family classic got an update with a bit of chocolaty goodness. They turned out extra special and very yummy. Give them a try!

Paleo/Primal Chocolate Waffles
4 Eggs – room temperature
1 Banana
1 C Coconut milk – room temperature
1/4 C + 2 T coconut oil – melted
3/4 C Water – room temperature
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 T vanilla
1/2 C coconut flour
1/4 C almond flour
3/4 C tapioca flour
2 T cocoa powder
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you begin. Pre-Heat waffle iron. Mix all ingredients in a blender or in a large mixing bowl (if using a bowl, mash banana thoroughly!). Pour about 1 Cup of batter in the middle of your heated waffle iron then close lid. Cook waffle until your little “done” indicator light goes off then continue to cook as long as a significant amount of steam is still coming out of the waffle iron. If you pull the waffle out before it finishes releasing it’s steam the waffle will be floppy rather than crispy. Check for crispy-ness when you think the waffle is done by tapping the top of the waffle with your fingernail (at least this is how I do it).

Note: I use tapioca flour in these pancakes. Although tapioca flour is a “safe starch”, gluten-free and paleo-friendly it is still a starch and not low-carb.

A Few Images From My Garden

saw this guy sitting on the back deck the other day. As far as I know he didn't eat any chickens...

Baby Chicks!

Caught this nice wing fan on one of the chicks.

Late season raspberries. The white ones are especially sweet.

Calendula

Dandelion. :)

It's spider season! We caught a showing of the spider mating dance the other day. At first we thought it was a spider fight, but then realized it was hapening all over the garden at the same time.

Paleo Dinner Menu

Looking to throw a paleo dinner party? I did just that over the weekend. We had a fabulous dinner that contained no grains, no dairy, no refined sugars, no legumes, no nightshade veggies and no citrus (an allergy of one of the attendees). We were all very well fed and had happy taste buds! :)

Grilled Pork Shoulder
1-2 lbs boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (do not remove the fat!)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper

Mix seasonings in a small bowl then sprinkle on pork then rub spices into the meat with your hands. Let the meat set for a few minutes to absorb flavors. Heat grill to medium high, then add meat and grill until meat's internal temperature is about 160F. Use a meat thermometer to tell temperature. Let rest for a minute or 2 before cutting.

Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C vinegar
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove tough stems from kale then chop into 2 inch pieces. In a bowl or a zip lock bag, combine olive oil, vinegar and salt. Add kale and massage oil mixture into kale. Place on cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 20 minutes or until kale is crispy.

Sauteed Carrots and Kale
1T bacon grease or coconut oil
2-3 C sliced carrots
small bunch of kale
salt and pepper to taste

Slice carrots into disks and chop kale into 1 inch pieces. Heat bacon grease or coconut oil in a skillet. Saute carrots until they start to get caramelized. Add Kale, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes until carrots are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Apple Crumble
1 1/2 C almond flour
3 tsp cinnamon divided
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 C coconut oil
2 Tbs maple syrup or honey
3 tsp vanilla extract
3 apples, peeled, cored then chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 C unsweetened apple sauce (I just blended my apple peelings with water to make this)

Directions:
1. In one bowl combine flour, nutmeg, salt and 1 tsp of cinnamon. In another bowl combine oil, syrup/honey and vanilla. You may need to warm the coconut oil until it’s a liquid.
2. Stir wet ingredients into dry to make the topping.
3. Place apples in a 1-2 qt glass dish then sprinkle them with remaining cinnamon. Pour apple sauce on top of apples.
4. Crumble topping over apples.

5. Cover and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. When filling is bubbling up around crisp, remove cover and bake for another 5-8 minutes until crisp is golden.

Coconut Ice Cream
2 Cans full fat coconut milk
1/2 C Honey
2 T vanilla

Mix all ingredients then pour into an ice cream maker. Follow directions for your ice cream maker to harden the mix.

We used one of these camping ice cream maker contraptions to make ours. We put the kids to work, kicking the ball around before dinner. By the time it was meal time we had ice cream ready.

Meatballs with Fried Cauliflower and Kale Chips

Oven-baked Meatballs
2 lbs ground beef (grass fed, local is best)
3 eggs (pastured or backyard is best)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper or chili powder
1 tsp herb of choice (I used oregano)

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl using your hands to really mash it all together! Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment, form 1 to 1.5 inch diameter meatballs out of mixture and place on cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 20 minutes then turn each meatball over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until internal temperature reaches 140F or until baked to your preferred doneness.

Fried Cauliflower
2 T bacon grease or coconut oil
1/2 head cauliflower
salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop cauliflower. Melt grease or oil in a skillet (I use cast iron). Fry cauliflower in oil stirring often until browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C lemon juice
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove tough stems from kale then chop into 2 inch pieces. In a bowl or a zip lock bag, combine olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Add kale and massage oil mixture into kale. Place on cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 20 minutes or until  kale is crispy.

Name That Carrot - The Results

A few weeks ago we had a naming contest on the Northwest Cavegirls Facebook page to name my strangely shaped carrots. You people are hilarious and slightly abnormal, I must say, and I loved the results. Thanks for participating in my hair-brained schemes. Here are the winning names!

Carrotpox - by Sue

Red Gummy Bear - by Angie

Stub - by Holly

Tiny Tim - by one of the cavegirls

Roasted Chicken - Angie

Manatee - by Peggy

 

Group Hug - by Tracy

Twisted Sister - by Holly

En Pointe Carrotina - by Kate ?

 

Bootylicious - by one of the Cavegirls

Twisted Robot - by D-M

I've got Legs and I know how to use them - by D-M 

 

Gonzo - by Rachel

Dr. Mephisto - by Chris

 

Bowlegged Cowboy with a Sunburn - by Dawn and Miina

Something Dirty - by Licia ;o)

Here are a couple more that the kids named.

Yoga Tree Pose

The Cobra

 

Jester Hat

3 Eyed Alien

Slasher Movie

The Brain