"Notella, But it'll Do" (nutella, purposely paleo)

Did you really want a large fry after seeing "Supersize Me"? Me too. Well I saw this article on Nutella http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/today-food-finance-nutella-not-broccoli-162956191.html and like a perfectly sane person, I REALLY wanted some nutella. But seeing as how it has both milk, and sugar in it, and it's obviously unhealthy, I decide to throw some stuff together to make my own. 3 out of the 5 kids here loved it. 1 adult wouldn't even try it (pansy) 1 adult thought it was "meh" and 1 adult loved it. One child said it tasted like chocolate pudding.

1 1/2 Cups Hazelnuts
2 Cups Coconut Milk (I only had vanilla flavored, but ideally you'd use unsweetened)
6 Tbl Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (next time I'm trying dark chocolate)
4 Tbl Honey (or honey to taste- I prefer mine sweeter and darker and the more chocolaty it is, the more
     honey you will probably need)            
dash of Vanilla Extract

Blend 1 cup of hazelnuts in your vitamix (if you're lucky like me) with 1 cup of coconut milk. Keep adding milk until it's decently creamy. Add all the other ingredients, adding the rest of the hazelnuts at the very end. I blended it on high for about 5-7 mins, until it looked like all the chunks had been blended smooth. Pretty sure it needs to be refrigerated.

Upside Down Potato & Onion Tart

This is originally where I got the idea http://hizzoners.com/recipes/vegetables/285-upside-down-potato-a-onion-tart-  but it obviously needs some adjustments because we typically don't eat cheese.  So this is the way I prefer to do it. My husband grew up with a diabetic, so he likes things to be less sweet, which is why I use the yams. Cuts down on the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. For the cheese, I used Yancey's Fancy which you can buy on their website yanceysfancy.com Mine didn't turn out as pretty as the one in the photo, but I PROMISE it is delicious!

2 1/2 Tbl of Kerrygold Butter (it's made with grassfed milk and antibiotic/hormone free)
2 Tbl dried thyme leaves
1 Onion (Cut in thick slices)
1 Yam
1 Sweet Potato
      (Both washed and thinly sliced. If you like the skin on, scrub them before cutting)
2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 Cups Grated Yancy's Fancy Smoked Tangy Applewood (double cream cheddar) It's raw milk cheese.
*Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°.  Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and cook the onions and thyme for about 6 mins. While this is cooking, toss the potato slices in a bowl with the Olive Oil, 1 cup of cheese, Salt, and Pepper. Layer onions in a pan, and spread a layer of cheese on top. Put the rest of the potatoes on top of the cheese and put the rest of the cheese on it. If you're like me, you want to make sure just about every inch is coated in cheese :o) Sprinkle some sea salt on top and bake for 45 mins or until golden brown. If you want, you can turn it upside down and attempt to make it look as pretty as the one in the photo of the original recipe lol.

Do it. Your taste buds will rejoice!

Sweet n Tangy Meatballs

The thing I love the most about this recipe, besides the fact that it's super easy once you get the hang of it, is that since the meatballs are fully cooked, you don't have to worry too much about keeping them in there long. BUT the beauty of it is that they won't get ruined if they're in the crockpot for a long time. It's just a win-win overall. That and, you know... it tastes AM-A-ZAZING. Seriously the taste will totally hit your "F-Spot" (that means it'll give you a food orgasm).

I originally saw this recipe here http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/06/slow-cooker-sweet-and-tangy-meatballs.html   But since Paleo is no wheat, I can't use premade meatballs because all the brands I saw had wheat added. I also can't use the premade chili sauce, because they all have sugar or HFCS in them. And I also can't use a typical jelly jar. So here's my tweaking:

For the chili sauce, http://accidentallypaleo.blogspot.com/2012/04/paleo-chili-sauce.html  make this and put aside. Or if you're a smarty pants, you can bust out the jarred chili sauce that you made from before. Because you thought ahead. Good for you :o)

As for the jelly, any flavor will do: grape, blackberry, etc It's really hard to find a premade jelly without sugar so a close second is danish orchards, which doesn't have a whole lot of sugar or HFCS in it. Ideally, make your own so you can use truvia or honey. I haven't attempted that yet, but it's on the list.

For the meatballs you can use ground beef or ground turkey, or live on the wild side and do a mix of both. I prefer grassfed beef, or free range turkey, but at the very least try to get antibiotic and hormone free.

3 lbs of ground beef or turkey (or something really cool like ground bison)
1 Celery Stalk
1/2 Red Pepper
1/2 Onion
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2-1 Cup Almond Flour
    *Optional 2-3 eggs (if you have a hard time making the meat stay together)

Wash your hands. Because you're about to use them in your meat.

Finely mince vegetables (I loves my Pampered Chef Chopper) and add that plus all the other ingredients into the meat. Use your freshly washed hands to mix the meat well, make sure it's all mixed (sometimes almond flour gets clumpy).

Roll the meat into balls, some people like golf sized balls, I tend to prefer them smaller... easier for the chillens to eat. Either way it doesn't matter because it's all going to the same place anyway. Cook in oven at 375 degrees for 30 mins. Mix around the meatballs to make sure they all get cooked. Cook for 30 more mins.

Once they're mostly cooked scoop them into crockpot. Remember that chili sauce? Mix half a cup of jelly in with it until it's smooth. A wooden spoon does the job just fine. No need to get fancy. Pour chili sauce + Jelly over meatballs move meatballs around to make sure they're fully covered. Cook on low for 2-3 hours.

Don't even think about putting this on top of rice! We did steamed broccoli and snapeas. Yum!

Paleo Chili Sauce

This recipe is purposely paleo, but since I'll be using it a lot for different recipes, I wanted it to have its own separate slot.

It's nearly impossible to find chili sauce without preservatives, sugar, or high fructose corn syrup. So I looked around and found a few recipes that looked good, and made my own with the help of my friend, Lisa (who added the perfect amount of chili powder).  If you like to can, just double or triple the recipe. My intention is to make a huge batch so that I can have jarred chili sauce on hand for those last minute, "Oh crap what am I going to make for dinner?!" moments. Throw the chili sauce in the crock pot with grape Jellly and meatballs, bam, easy dinner that doesn't require much thought.




1 Red Pepper
1 Green Pepper
1 Onion
2 Cans Organic Tomato Paste
2 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbl of Honey (for those who expect it to be less sweet, 1 tbl of honey or none at all)
2 TBL Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Cloves, crushed or ground
1 Tsp Ginger Powder
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1/8 Tsp Chili Powder (or more if you like it spicy)
*Pepper to Taste

Some people like to finely mince the vegetables, but I prefer to blend them in my vitamix. So put the peppers and onions in the blender until smooth and pasty. Pour the two cans of organic tomato paste in a pot on low, add blended veggies. Mix well, add seasonings, Mix well, and simmer for 2-3 hours.

If you like to can, just double or triple the recipe. My intention is to make a huge batch so that I can have chili sauce on hand for those last minute, "Oh crap what am I going to make for dinner?!" moments. Throw the chili sauce in the crock pot with grape Jellly and meatballs, bam, easy dinner that doesn't require much thought.

*Note: For people with allergies to the vegetables, omit peppers and onions. If you can, use onion powder or salt, try dicing up or blending celery, use extra seasonings to make up for the flavor, and if it works for the person, reconstitute dried onions.