Recipes
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on May 03 2014
Prep time: 15 min • Cook time: 30 to 35 min • Yield: 4 servings
Equipment
An 8- to 9-inch frying pan that can be used in the oven or a 1½ to 2-quart oven-proof casserole
Ingredients
3 teaspoons ghee, divided
1 cup asparagus, cut diagonally in to 1-inch lengths
1/8 cup shallots, chopped
4 to 5 ounces ham, sugar- and nitrite free, cubed or sliced into 1-inch pieces
8 large eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Place 2 teaspoon ghee in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat and sauté scallions and asparagus for about 4 to 5 minutes. Grease casserole with 1 teaspoon melted ghee. (If you are baking in the same skillet, you don’t need the additional teaspoon of butter; just add ham and go to next step.) Remove vegetables from skillet and spread evenly in the baking pan. Add ham, sprinkling evenly over the vegetables.
In a medium bowl crack eggs, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture into baking pan.
Bake uncovered for about 30 to 35 minutes until the frittata is set. Test by inserting a knife in the center. If it comes out dry, the frittata is done. Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes: The frittata will puff up in the oven. When you remove it and it begins to cool, it will deflate.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 27 2014
Ravigote (pronounced rav-vee-gaughť) is a classic sauce in French cuisine made with fresh herbs, capers, eggs, and oil. The word itself comes from the French, ravigoter, to freshen up, to perk up, which is exactly what this sauce does to plain meats and vegetables. There are probably as many versions of ravigote as there are cooks in France because everyone varies the ingredients or technique slightly. This is my favorite version!
Prep time: 10 min • Yield: about 2 cups
Ingredients
6 tablespoons white wine*, white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¾ cup good quality mild olive oil or macadamia nut oil
4 hard-boiled eggs, separate yolks from whites and chop whites
⅓ cup fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
¼ cup capers, drained and chopped
¼ cup shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon prepared fresh horseradish
Dash cayenne
½ teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
Directions
In a blender whip together vinegar and mustard until well blended. Very gradually pour in a thin stream of oil.
Add hard boiled yolks; reserving the chopped egg whites for the next step. Blend in yolks until fully incorporated into mixture.
Pour mixture in to a medium bowl and mix in remaining ingredients. (This is where you add the chopped egg whites.) Cover and let come to room temperature before serving.
Notes: This sauce is absolutely divine on fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, or any leftover cold sliced meats. There are also many other ways to serve it (….other than eating it right out of the bowl! It’s so good.) It makes a fabulous salad dressing for any salad and it’s especially terrific on a Cobb, Nicoise, or spinach salad. Spoon over a sliced avocado, blanched green beans or asparagus.
Serve with sliced fresh summer tomatoes. Cube cooked meat and vegetables, pile into a lettuce cup, and top with ravigote.
* Do not use white wine if you are on the Bone Broth Diet or 10-Day Belly Slimdown.
Recipes
Southwestern Salmon with Cilantro Pesto
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 20 2014
Prep time: 25 min • Cook Time: 8-10 min • Yield: 4 servings
Equipment
Food processor
Salmon Ingredients
4 (4 to 6 ounce) salmon steaks or fillets
Coconut oil spray
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, about 1 lime
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Dash of cayenne
4 teaspoons maple syrup or raw honey
Cilantro Salsa Ingredients
½ cup raw sliced almonds, toasted
2 cups cilantro leaves, lightly packed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, about 1 lime
1 to 2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce, i.e. Cholula
Salmon Directions
Preheat broiler to high and position rack 6-inches below heat source. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray/brush foil with coconut oil. (Do not use parchment paper. It will catch on fire!)
Place salmon on baking sheet, leaving room between the pieces for even cooking and pour lime juice over fish.
Mix all spices and seasonings in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly on fish. Spray top of fish lightly with coconut oil.
Broil 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).
When the fish is almost done, remove from oven, drizzle maple syrup/honey over fish and broil for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Cilantro Pesto Directions
Process almonds until they become almost powdery. Add cilantro leaves, lime juice, and garlic and continue to process until the cilantro is well chopped.
With motor running, add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Store covered in the refrigerator.
To serve, top fish with pesto and serve with a fresh slice of lime.
Notes: You can grill the salmon if you choose.
The Cilantro Pesto is also excellent with chicken, beef, or lamb. Try it on top of a burger or serve with grilled lamb kabobs.
Pesto will last for about one week in refrigerator, or longer if you seal the top with olive oil. It also freezes well.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 14 2014
The following makes for a fun project for kids and helps them discover natural color in foods. It’s near impossible for me to tell you exactly how long it’s going to take you to dye Easter eggs using these natural dyes. It depends on how many colors you want to create, how many eggs you want to dye, and of course, how many children are involved in the process. But what I can tell you is that it is an incredibly fun project.
It’s like creating a chemistry lab in your kitchen! It’s also a great history lesson for them to experience how natural dyes were a part of everyone’s lives in the past, not just to dye eggs, but all hand-woven fabrics and yarns. This is also a lesson in patience. The colors will be more intense if the eggs are left in the dyes (refrigerated, of course) for 24 hours.
Ingredients for Colors
Pink-- cranberry juice
Reddish Pink-- beets
Golden Orange-- safflowers
Rich Amber-- brown onion skins
Golden Yellow-- turmeric
Natural Green-- spinach
Various shades of Blue and Teal-- purple cabbage with ½ teaspoon or more baking soda (no vinegar), shade will depend on the amount of baking soda used.
Purple-- purple cabbage
Brownish Burgundy-- black cherry juice
Brown-- black tea
Dark Rich Brown-- dark coffee (I used expresso)
Directions
Hard-boil the eggs first. You can put warm, just cooked eggs into warm or cool dyes, but if you make the eggs the day before and refrigerate them, let the dyes cool before submerging the eggs. Don’t put cold hard-boiled eggs in to a warm/hot dye bath.
After hard-boiling, wash the eggs with clear water and gently rub them to dry and to remove any residue. Some companies coat the eggs with mineral oil after they sterilize them. If you get fresh eggs from the farm, they still might have the chicken’s natural protective coating on them called the bloom or cuticle.
To make the dyes that use vegetables or vegetable skins, i.e. beets, purple cabbage, onionskins or spinach, use 1 to 2 cups of the ingredient in about 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes to reduce the liquid. Using more of the ingredient adds a deeper pigment.
To make dyes from coffee or tea, boil several tablespoons ground coffee or 3 to 6 tea bags in about 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes to reduce the liquid. Using more of the ingredient adds a deeper pigment.
To make dyes from spices or dried flowers, i.e. turmeric or safflowers, boil several tablespoons in about 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes to reduce the liquid. Using more of the ingredient adds a deeper pigment.
To make dyes from premade juices, i.e. cranberry, black cherry, etc., just use the juice.
With the exception of creating blue dye from cabbage, add about 2 tablespoons white vinegar to the dye bath before adding egg(s). The vinegar helps the dye penetrate the eggshell. However, the vinegar tends to cause more speckles on the egg. Experiment with and without to see which results you prefer.
Making blue dye requires using purple cabbage juice and adding ½ teaspoon or more baking soda to the juice. The alkaline quality of baking soda reacts with the acidic cabbage juice and turns purple cabbage juice blue. Do NOT use vinegar in the blue dye. It will change it back to purple!
Mason jars with lids make great containers because you can put the egg(s) in the dye bath, screw on the top, and refrigerate the jar. Also makes for fewer spills!
IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO EAT THE EGGS, STORE THEM IN THE REFRIGERATOR WHILE THEY ARE IN THE DYE BATH. Hard-boiled eggs are perishable and must be refrigerated.
After you remove the eggs from the dye they will be matte. If you want shiny eggs, put a little olive or coconut oil on a paper towel and very gently rub the egg on the cloth.
Farm fresh eggs with their all natural "dye" look. A few more tips: There is no exact amount of each of the above ingredients to use. I usually put a couple of handfuls of each of the bigger items. When using spices, I just use a few tablespoons. What it comes down to is a basic boiling operation and your preference. In my house, we bring to a boil the water and our fave dye product, then reduce heat to low and let simmer anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour or longer, until we like the color we see in the water.
Get the water to a color/shade you like and try it out. Pour liquid through a coffee filter or you can use a mesh strainer, and into a bowl or jar that will be deep enough to put your eggs in. I love using Mason jars. Don't forget the vinegar, this is to help the dye absorb into the eggshell and is important. Some people even add another tablespoon to the 'dye' before they put the eggs in. Use a slotted spoon (or tongs) to put the eggs into the liquid.
P.S. Take a trip to the grocery store before you get started and let your imagination run wild. You can experiment with many other ingredients to create colors. You might try carrot juice, orange or lemon peels, granny Smith or yellow delicious apple peels, green tea, rose blossoms, violet blossoms, grape juice, red onion skins, chili powder, paprika, pomegranate juice, raspberry juice, a variety of flower petals … there’s an endless (bunny) trail of ingredients to try
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 12 2014
An egg-cellent Easter treat! Everyone’s favorite sugary, fluffy Easter treat can be made just as delicious with healthy ingredients. We skip the artificial chemical-drenched marshmallows of our youth and use gelatin. And since these are homemade, you can use real vanilla, not some imitation flavor. Adding toasted coconut makes it even tastier and cuts out the harmful trans fats in the marshmallows' hydrogenation process.
Prep time: 20 min active; 6 hours inactive • Cook time: 30 mins • Yield: One 9- x 13-inch pan or 10 large cutouts using 4-inch cookie cutters
Ingredients
1 cup water, divided into two ½ cups (use a liquid measuring cup)
2 ½ tablespoons grass fed beef powdered gelatin (you can use Knox brand gelatin if you can’t find the grass fed)
1 cup honey or maple syrup (use a liquid measuring cup)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or flavor of your choice, i.e. mint, lemon, orange, etc.
2 cups shredded coconut, toasted and sugar-free, divided
Directions
Line a 9- x 13-inch pan with parchment paper in both directions, leaving extra paper over the edges to use as handles. Evenly cover the bottom of the prepared pan with ¾ cup toasted coconut.
Pour ½ cup water into the bowl of your stand mixer, and add gelatin powder. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes to soften.
Pour the other ½ cup water into a medium saucepan, add honey/maple syrup, and salt. Insert candy thermometer into saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and don’t move away from the stove. The mixture can quickly bubble up and foam, and you don’t want it to boil over.
Boil the mixture until it comes to 240º to 242º F. Be precise. This is the soft ball stage, when a drop of syrup dropped into ice water forms a pliable ball. (Unless you’re a seasoned candy maker, I wouldn’t make these without a candy thermometer.) Timing to reach 240º to 242º F can greatly vary based on the size of the pan and the burner. It will mostly likely be between 15 – 25 minutes, but it could take longer.
Using the whip attachment, set mixer to medium speed and slowly pour the syrup into the mixing bowl in a steady stream. When mixed thoroughly with the gelatin mixture, add vanilla or flavoring, and turn mixer to high. Continue to whip until the volume has tripled and you have a fluffy bowl of marshmallow cream. It’s ready when you lift the whip from the mixture and the marshmallow cream holds it shape.
Working quickly before the gelation sets, pour marshmallow cream into the prepared pan. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula or an offset spatula and top with ¾ cup toasted coconut.
Wait 4 to 6 hours until firmly set. Don’t try to rush the process; the marshmallows could turn out soggy or too wet on the inside.
Lift marshmallows out of pan using parchment paper, loosening the parchment from around edges with a sharp knife or scissors. Grease the sharp edge of the cookie cutter and press into the marshmallow through to the bottom. Lift out and place on a parchment lined surface. Continue cutting until you have used up the marshmallows. You will have all the edges left.
Lightly oil your hands, put a 1-to 2-teaspoon-size portion between your palms, and roll into little marshmallow eggs. Roll in toasted coconut to cover.
To cover the cut edges of the cutouts, lightly spray with a fine mist of coconut oil and pat on toasted coconut. Store for 3 to 5 days in a sealed plastic bag or container.
Notes:
Candy making is a practiced art (and never foolproof). If you are precise in the temperature and add the syrup slowly and evenly to the gelatin, you should have success. However, don’t make these on a humid day; they won’t set up properly and they’ll turn out soft and soggy.
The peeps can be made using a piping bag, but unless you have the steady hand and piping skills of a professional baker your peeps may look more like little marshmallow blobs.
Thanks to Jenni Hulet, author of the Urban Poser, for the original marshmallow recipe.
Recipes
All Natural Sports Drinks (I Call RocketFuel)
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 10 2014
Nothing could be easier than making your own sports drinks. Whether they are for you or your kids there is a simple basic recipe. From there, you can play with the amount of natural sweeteners and fruit juice(s) to develop the flavors you like. You can mix up the juices any way you choose and use honey or maple syrup. We prefer the maple syrup because its flavor is more subtle than honey. Here is a basic recipe, along with several of my favorites.
Basic Sports Drink Prep time: 10 min • Yield: a little over 4 cups (1 quart)
½ cup pure filtered water (to make a simple syrup)
¼ cup raw organic honey or organic Grade B maple syrup (you can use a little more if you want it sweeter, but ¼ cup seems to sweeten it perfectly to my liking)
¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
3 ½ cups pure filtered water or coconut water
¼ to ½ cup freshly squeezed juice or organic juice (You might want to add more juice for your kids. There are no rules. Just be sure to use an unsweetened juice.)
Instructions
Bring ½ cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in sweetener and salt. Let cool. Pour remaining ingredients into a pitcher or jar. When honey/syrup mixture is cool, add to pitcher, stir, and refrigerate.
My Three Favorites
Lemon Mint Sports Drink
Prep time: 10 min • Yield: a little over 4 cups (1 quart)
½ cup pure filtered water (to make a simple syrup)
¼ cup organic Grade B maple syrup
¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
3 ½ cups pure filtered water
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 2 lemons (I love Meyer’s lemons when I can get them)
2 or 3 sprigs fresh mint
Directions
Bring ½ cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup and salt. Let cool. Pour remaining ingredients into a pitcher or jar. When syrup mixture is cool, add to pitcher, stir, and refrigerate.
Dark Cherry Sports Drink
Prep time: 10 min • Yield: a little over 4 cups (1 quart)
½ cup pure filtered water (to make a simple syrup)
¼ cup organic Grade B maple syrup
¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
3 ½ cups pure filtered water
1/3 cup dark cherry juice (unsweetened)
Directions
Bring ½ cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup and salt. Let cool. Pour remaining ingredients into a pitcher or jar. When syrup mixture is cool, add to pitcher, stir, and refrigerate.
Cranberry Orange Sports Drink
Prep time: 10 min • Yield: a little over 4 cups (1 quart)
½ cup pure filtered water (to make a simple syrup)
¼ cup organic Grade B maple syrup
½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
3 ½ cups organic coconut water
¼ cup cranberry juice (unsweetened)
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
Directions
Bring ½ cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup and salt. Let cool. Pour remaining ingredients into a pitcher or jar. When syrup mixture is cool, add to pitcher, stir, and refrigerate.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 05 2014
Never use any of those toxic food dyes in your baking again. You can use these natural dyes to add color to your frostings. Don’t worry about the spinach or cabbage adding flavor to your frosting. The berries and mango will add a bit of fruity sweetness depending on how much you use.
Ingredients:
To make red: ½ pint raspberries
To make purple: ½ pint blackberries
To make green: 1 cup spinach, tightly packed
To make blue: 1 small- medium head purple cabbage and ¼ - ½ teaspoon baking soda
To make yellow: ½ large mango
Directions Raspberries (red) and Blackberries (purple) The process for making food dye from raspberries and blackberries is the same. A half pint of berries will yield about 1 – 2 tablespoons colored concentrated paste.
Put berries in blender and blend on high until liquefied.
Press through a fine mesh sieve to remove all seeds.
Put in a small saucepan over medium heat and reduce until you have a thick paste.
Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
Directions for Spinach (green)
Put spinach in blender and gradually add enough water, 1/3 to ½ cup, so leaves fully liquefy. (Use as little water as possible.) You can also use a juicer, and you will get a more concentrated color.
Press through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids.
Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
Directions for Cabbage (blue)
Cut cabbage into 1- to 2-inch pieces.
Place in a large pot and fill with water so all cabbage is submerged.
Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 20 to 30 minutes until water turns dark purple.
Remove cabbage from pot and retain all liquid in the pot.
Simmer liquid until reduced to ½ to ¾ cup.
Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon baking soda to achieve the blue color you like.
Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
Directions for Mango (yellow)
Place ½ large mango in blender or food processor and blend/pulse until very smooth.
Because mangos have such stringy fibers process/blend for several minutes.
Press through a fine mesh sieve to remove as much fiber as possible.
Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.
Directions for Orange
Combine red and yellow.
You can also follow the instructions for spinach but use carrots in a juicer, but it’s more work.
Notes: Because you are working with fresh fruits and vegetables, these natural dyes will only stay fresh in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. You can freeze the dyes in individual cups of ice cube tray to use as needed. If frozen, they will last for up to 6 months.
When using these natural dyes to color Creamy Vanilla Frosting, place desired amount of frosting in a small bowl, add dye little by little, stirring with a fork, until desired color is reached. If you will be using for piping, refrigerate until ready for use. It’s much easier to pipe when cold.
To decorate, put frosting into a piping bag with desired tip, or use a plastic sandwich- or quart-size food storage bag and cut the tip of one of the corners. Start with a very small cut; you can always cut more. As you are decorating cookies, the warmth of your hands on the bag will warm the frosting. If you are doing a lot of decorating, you may need to refrigerate bags intermittently.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 05 2014
Prep Time: 10 min • Yield: about 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
One 13½ ounce can coconut cream
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 teaspoon arrowroot
Natural food dyes for coloring (optional)
Directions
Refrigerate coconut cream overnight, or open can and place in freezer until very firm but not frozen.
Scoop out coconut cream that has solidified at the top of the can and reserve coconut water for another use.
Place coconut cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, add honey and whip until smooth and creamy.
Refrigerate until ready to use. Frosting is easier to work with when cold or slightly cooled.
Notes: To frost cookies or cakes, use an offset spatula. To use frosting to decorate, put frosting into a piping bag with desired tip, or use a plastic sandwich- or quart-size food storage bag and cut the tip of one of the corners. Start with a very small cut; you can always cut more. As you are decorating, the warmth of your hands on the bag will warm the frosting. If you are doing a lot of decorating, you may need to refrigerate bags intermittently. Optionally, you can use natural food dyes to color your frosting.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Apr 05 2014
This recipe is very versatile and can also be used for thumb print cookies or coconut covered gems. See notes for how to’s.
Prep time: 45 min • Cook time: 10 – 12 min • Yield: About 16 - 18 cookies, will vary based on the size of cookie cutter(s) Equipment
Stand mixer
Sheet pan(s)
Parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s)
Ingredients Cookies
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup coconut butter
½ cup raw honey
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut flour
Decorating Options
Natural food dyes (optional)
Creamy Vanilla Frosting (optional)
Unsweetened shredded coconut for decorating (optional)
Miniature Paleo chocolate chips i.e. Enjoy Life brand (optional)
Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer put melted coconut oil, coconut butter, and honey. Mix for about 2 to 3 minutes until well blended and coconut butter has fully blended into the liquid ingredients.
Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
Add coconut flour and mix, stopping to scrape down bowl, until the flour is completely blended into liquid ingredients. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Gather dough into a ball and put in a covered container. Refrigerate for at least one hour or put in the freezer for 25 minutes before rolling out.
Line baking sheet(s) with parchment or silicone mat(s).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven.
Remove about ¼ of the dough, leaving the rest in the refrigerator, and roll between two sheets of parchment or waxed paper to about ¼-inch thick. Using a cookie cutter cut out cookies and place on baking sheet. Continue rolling out dough in batches, always keeping remaining dough refrigerated.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not remove cookies from cookie sheet until they are cool or they may break.
Notes and tips: Facts about coconut flour: I’ve offered this note in other recipes using coconut flour, but it never hurts to restate it, especially to those new to baking with coconut flour. Cookies made with coconut flour are soft, not crispy. They tend to have more of a cake-like texture. There are many factors that are different between baking with coconut flour than with grain flours.
Coconut flour is essentially the fiber from the coconut meat after almost all the oil has been extracted to make coconut oil; thus it is very dry and needs about twice the hydration of wheat flour. Baking with coconut flour also requires more eggs and sticky binders such as honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar, etc. Why room temperature eggs you ask? The whites and yolks of room temperature eggs will combine easier when whisking. This means the eggs will disperse more evenly into the batter.
Because eggs trap air the result will be a lighter texture. When baking with coconut flour, room temperature eggs will make a difference in the final texture. Since coconut flour baked goods can sometimes come out too dense, room temperature eggs will make them lighter and fluffier. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, soak them in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
In cutting out the cookies, they may remain in the cookie cutter. Gently place them on the baking sheet, by holding the cookie cutter just above the parchment and use your fingertips to release them from the cookie cutter. After every few cookies, wipe the cookie cutter edge to keep it clean and easier to use. Don’t remove from the cookie sheet until they are fully cooled; they are apt to break if moved while still warm.
These cookies deserve to be frosted with Creamy Vanilla Frosting. You can add natural food dyes and pipe fanciful decorations or frost the entire cookie and optionally top with shredded coconut. If you’re using animal cutouts, miniature chocolate chips make great “eyes”, and shredded coconut makes great “fur” and “feathers”.
You can optionally use this dough for thumb prints or coconut gems:
For thumb print cookies: Roll about 1 ½ tablespoons dough (a bit smaller than a golf ball) between your hands to form a ball. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and, using your thumb, press an indentation into the center of the cookie. Fill thumb print with miniature chocolate chips and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
For coconut gems: Place a sheet of parchment paper on the counter and pour out about ½ cup shredded coconut onto parchment. Roll about 1 ½ tablespoons dough (a bit smaller than a golf ball) between your hands to form a ball. Place cookie in coconut and flatten into a round with the palm of your hand, to cover cookie with shredded coconut. Turn cookie pressing other side into coconut to cover. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Mar 29 2014
Happy Sunday! Here’s a slice of sunshine. Every once in a while, we all need a pick-me-up. Do I ever get that!
It’s been an ultra-busy week! My business has been exploding in many arenas. I am this second considering and fielding many offers that are beyond my wildest dreams, have booked 18 upcoming television appearances and I’m just about ready to launch a new product for doctors on April 15.
This project for doctors is the most exciting project I’ve ever done because not only do I get to help Docs discover primal eating, but their patients will also discover the joys of primal living, too. This is very impactful — I’m honored to help make a difference in health and wellness. These Docs are really important to me, and so are their patients. So I have been burning the midnight oil to launch this product with total excellence.
With all this work, I sure could use a little breather — a breath of fresh air and a ray of golden sunshine! My sons — whom I lovingly call Niles and Frasier due to their competitive spirit — are a great source of inspiration to me. Always curious about what I’m up to, they often chime in like this “Mom, are you sure you want to write THAT?” or “Mom, are you saying that to any KIDS because they won’t like that!” or “Mom, are you really wearing THAT on TV – that does not look like you one bit!” and “Mom, it’s called INSTAGRAM … really Mom???”
But it’s not always like that … every day they tell me they love me, without fail. Every day they circle around me at night wanting to tell me about their day. Every day they look at me with such proud eyes, and I do the same.
So, I decided to make them this cake, and can’t wait to hear: “Wow, Mom! This is REALLY good.” Then of course the inevitable … “You’re going to post this on Instagram, right?”
Sigh … Yes boys; I’ll post this to Instagram.
This cake is surprisingly moist and really tasty. So, if you want to spread a little sunshine, my Paleo Lemon Cake is your ace in the hole … and kids love it too. Just in time for spring!
Prep time: 15 min • Cook Time: 35-40 min • Yield: One 8- to 9-inch cake round/6 to 8 servings
Equipment
Electric mixer
One 8- or 9-inch cake pan
Parchment paper
Ingredients
¼ cup (for the cake) plus 1 tablespoon (to grease the pan) coconut oil, melted and divided
6 eggs, at room temperature *
¼ cup full fat coconut milk
6 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and move rack to middle of oven. Grease an 8- or 9-inch cake pan with 1 tablespoon coconut oil.
Combine ¼ cup coconut oil, eggs, coconut milk, honey, vanilla, lemon extract, and zest in the bowl of stand mixer (or use an electric hand mixer), and mix well for 2 to 3 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top has browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry. Place cake on wire rack to cool. Do not cut the cake until it is completely cool.
Serve with sliced strawberries if desired.
Notes: Why room temperature eggs you ask? The whites and yolks of room temperature eggs will combine easier when whisking. This means the eggs will disperse more evenly into the batter. Because eggs trap air the result will be a lighter texture. When baking with coconut flour, room temperature eggs will make a difference in the final texture.
Since coconut flour baked goods can sometimes come out too dense, room temperature eggs will make them lighter and fluffier. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, soak them in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. If you are new to baking with coconut flour, it helps if you understand how it differs from grain flour.
Coconut flour is essentially the fiber from the coconut meat after almost all the oil has been extracted to make coconut oil; thus it is very dry and needs about twice the hydration of wheat flour. Baking with coconut flour also requires more eggs and sticky binders such as honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar, etc. This explains why the recipe uses 6 eggs, ½ cup liquid, and 6 tablespoons of butter to a mere ½ cup of coconut flour.
Keep thinking big and living bold!
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Mar 27 2014
Tapenade is a condiment made with puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies, and olive oil. Its name comes from the French word for capers, tapenas. Well before the French fell in love with tapenade, the ancient Romans made olive-based tapenades with anchovies. Recipes were first found in Roman cuisine from the first century A.D.! Some foods seem to always satisfy.
Prep time: 15 min • Yield: A little over 1 cup
Equipment
Food processor.
Ingredients
1 cup olives, i.e. Kalamata, Nicoise, or other black cured olive
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, leaves only
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only
1 tablespoon anchovy paste, or 1 – 2 anchovy fillets rinsed
2 tablespoons cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Rinse the olives and capers in cool water.
Put all ingredients in food processor and pulse, stopping to scrape down the sides, until the mixture is a coarse paste, about 1 – 2 minutes.
Add olive oil and pulse to blend.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.
Notes and Tips: Tapenade is very popular in Provence where it is most often eaten as an hors d’oeuvre spread on bread, but here are a number of ways you can use it in your Paleo cooking: serve it with crudités, spread it on your burger, stuff a spoonful inside a chicken breast before you roast it, add it to a simple vinaigrette to dress your salad, put a dab on baked or broiled fish, add a dollop to your Greek salad, serve as a condiment with steak, add it to bison burgers, mix it into your breakfast omelet, or serve it in a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, drizzled with a bit more olive oil.
Tapenade is a very salty condiment; a little goes a long way. If you are one who cringes at the thought of eating those little “hairy” anchovy fillets, leave them out, but they are tamed by the bold olive taste. I use anchovy paste because it takes forever to use a full can of anchovies, but anchovy paste lasts for months in the frig. This is one recipe where I believe you should use fresh herbs, not dried. Thyme can be tricky. Sometimes even fresh thyme has very hard, dry leaves. Unless they are tender, leave them out.
The woody texture ruins the soft smoothness of the tapenade. Marjoram is my favorite herb so I use it in tapenade, but you can’t always find it fresh. If you’re not familiar with marjoram, do try it. It has a sweet, soft, fragrant quality more delicate than oregano. You can play around with adding any number of flavors in your tapenade. Some recipes blend in a variety of olives and include green olives. I enjoy the sweetness of adding oven roasted tomatoes.
Chef and author, David Lebovitz, who worked with Alice Waters, the godmother of cooking with locally grown organics at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, adds a sweet note to his tapenade with figs. I tried adding ½ cup of pureed organic raisins I soaked overnight and found the sweetness to be a fine balance with the intense saltiness of the tapenade.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Mar 22 2014
The key to making mayonnaise is understanding that adding oil in a very slow, thin stream should be taken quite literally and seriously because you are creating an emulsion, which means you are combining two liquids that normally don’t combine — oil and water (lemon juice). The vigorous mixing and the very slow addition of oil create an emulsion … mayonnaise!
Prep time: 15 min • Yield: A little over 1 cup
Ingredients
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup macadamia nut oil or mild, cold-pressed olive oil
Salt to taste
Equipment
Food Processor
Blender
Directions
Bring all ingredients to room temperature.
Place egg yolks in a food processor.
Add mustard and lemon juice. Pulse/blend ingredients until completely combined.
With motor running, add oil in a very, very slow, steady stream. Mixture should become thick and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
Refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 5 days.
Notes and Tips: Use very fresh, organic, free range, properly-refrigerated eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks and the shell. If you’d like, use pasteurized eggs.
Because this is a fresh egg product without all the preservatives found in store-bought mayo, keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator and use within 5 days. That’s why the recipe is for 1 cup instead of a larger quantity, but you can easily double the recipe if you plan to use it right away.
How to Make Flavored Mayonnaise. That is, How to Add that Certain Star Quality to Plain ‘Ol Mayo:
You can add a lot of pizazz to mayo by introducing additional ingredients. There is no right or wrong way to add flavors to mayonnaise. Experiment and taste as you create.
For roasted red pepper mayo, add roasted red peppers and fresh, finely minced garlic. About ½ to 1 teaspoon garlic and about 2 teaspoons roasted red peppers for ½ cup mayo work well, but remember, there are no rules. I like to leave bits of the roasted red peppers, or you can completely puree them. Trust your taste buds. I suggest adding about 1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco) per ½ cup of mayonnaise to give it a little zing. A dash of cayenne will also work.
To make a hot and smoky mayo, use ½ -1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo and ½ -1 teaspoon finely minced garlic per ½ cup mayo. Just as in the lime chipotle mayo, you can also substitute lime juice for the lemon juice in the mayo recipe. You can also add smoked paprika.
Send me your suggestions and how you’ve used them in your Paleo recipes and I’ll post your suggestions!
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Mar 15 2014
Prep time: 5 min • Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
1 cup unrefined coconut sugar
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
Directions
Blend sugar and arrowroot powder in a blender or food processor. Blend for about 2-3 minutes until sugar is soft and powdery. Store dry in an airtight container. Use just as you would use confectioner’s or powdered sugar in your baking.
Notes: As you make the powdered sugar, it will look like a sandstorm in your blender. Optionally put through a fine wire sieve before using to obtain a smoother consistency. Arrowroot is a large perennial herb that grows in rainforests. It is cultivated for the starch obtained from its rhizome roots. It is a thickening agent that can be used as a one-for-one replacement for cornstarch. It is flavorless, so it perfect for a thickener in cooking and baking. It is also the easiest starch to digest. In gluten free baking it creates a lighter and softer texture to baked goods.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Mar 15 2014
Prep time: 10 min • Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
1 cup unrefined powdered sugar (click here for recipe)
4 teaspoons arrowroot powder
½ cup raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa
½ cup coconut cream*
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Put powdered sugar, arrowroot, and cacao or cocoa into the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add about half of coconut cream and mix well, scraping down sides of bowl. Add the remaining coconut cream and vanilla and blend for about 2 - 3 minutes until frosting has become glossy and stiff enough to spread
Notes and Tips: This is an outrageously delicious, thick, fudgy chocolate frosting to use on cookies, cakes, and brownies. Any leftover frosting keeps well in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
*An important note about coconut cream: coconut cream is not the same coconut milk; the label must read “Coconut Cream.” You can find it in any health oriented grocery or in the Asian section of many large supermarkets. The top of the can will contain the coconut cream. This is what you will use. The watery liquid in the bottom of the can is coconut water, and you can discard it.
Coconut cream is similar to coconut milk but contains less water. It has a thicker, more paste-like consistency, while coconut milk is generally a liquid. Coconut cream has a mild non-sweet taste and a very high fat content.
If you want to make a flavored frosting, such as chocolate mint, omit the vanilla and add ¼ teaspoon pure peppermint extract. For chocolate orange frosting, omit the vanilla and add ¼ to ½ teaspoon pure orange extract.
Recipes
Sunflower Sweeties (Paleo version of “Peanut Butter” Cookies)
by Alex Wittenberg
on Mar 01 2014
Prep time: 20 min • Cook time: 10 min • Yield: 30-32 cookies
Ingredients
⅓ cup unsalted butter made from pasture-raised cows
¼ cup raw honey
¼ cup coconut nectar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup sunflower seed butter (see notes)
4 large eggs
1 cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon salt (omit if you are using salted sunflower seeds)
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, raw or toasted
Equipment
Stand mixer
Sheet pans
Parchment paper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line sheet pan(s) with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat(s).
Combine butter, honey, coconut nectar, vanilla, and sunflower seed butter and mix well in a stand mixer.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Add coconut flour by the ¼ cup, mixing after each addition.
Add salt unless you are adding sunflower seeds that are already salted.
Add sunflower seeds and gently mix.
Scoop by rounded tablespoon (see notes) and bake for 5 minutes. Using a fork, press cookie to flatten it and bake for 4-5 minutes more until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.
Remove from oven, cool, and store in a covered container.
Notes: Keep in mind that cookies made with coconut flour are soft not crispy. They tend to have more of a cake-like texture. There are many factors that are different between baking with coconut flour than grain flours.
Coconut flour is essentially the fiber from the coconut meat after almost all the oil has been extracted to make coconut oil; thus it is very dry and needs about twice the hydration of wheat flour. Baking with coconut flour also requires more eggs and sticky binders such as honey, maple syrup, coconut nectar, etc.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Feb 24 2014
Prep time: 20 min • Cook time: 10-12 min • Yield: Approximately 24-25 bars, 2- x 3-inch bars
Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw pistachios
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 cup dried apricots
½ cup ground flax seed meal
2 cups large flake unsweetened coconut
1 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
1 cup dark chocolate chips (i.e. Enjoy Life brand)
2/3 cup butter made from pasture-raised cows or ghee
¾ cup raw honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt (see notes)
Equipment
Jelly roll pan 14 ¾-inch x 9 ¾ -inch
Parchment paper
Food processor
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in the center of the oven.
Line pan with parchment paper.
Into a large bowl, measure all 3 types of nuts and 2 seeds and mix well.
Measure out 2 ½ cups and roughly chop.
Put the remaining 2 ½ cups into the food processor and pulse into smaller pieces than those already chopped. You want to have varying sizes of nuts and seeds for the bars, thus half are hand chopped to produce bigger pieces, and half are processed in the food processor to create smaller pieces.
Recombine all nuts and seeds into bowl.
Add apricots to food processor and pulse to a rough chop. Add to bowl of nuts.
Add ground flax, coconut, cranberries and chocolate chips and mix well.
In a small saucepan mix butter and honey and bring to a boil on medium heat. Cook stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla. If using salt, add to honey mixture.
Pour warm honey mixture into the bowl of ingredients and mix well.
Press evenly onto the parchment-lined pan. Cover with another piece parchment and press very firmly to flatten mixture.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Watch carefully because nuts and coconut get toasty and brown very quickly.
Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight before cutting.
Tips and Notes If you can’t find all raw nuts and seeds, you can use some that are already roasted. If some are salted, omit the salt. If you prefer a different combination of nuts, use what you like. This combination happens to be my personal favorite. Here’s a good tip for pressing down the mixture into the pan. After you have evened out the mixture, covered it, and flattened it as well as you can with your hands, use a can as a rolling pin to compress the mixture even more.
Recipes
by Alex Wittenberg
on Feb 22 2014
Prep time: 40 min • Cook time: 15-20 min • Yield: About 1 ¼ pounds chocolate candy
Ingredients
1 naval orange, medium
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoon pure orange extract or 2 tablespoons orange liqueur optional
1 cup whole-roasted, salted cashews, very roughly chopped
16 ounces dark/bittersweet chocolate i.e. Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels or Equal Exchange Bittersweet Morsels
Equipment
Sheet pan
Parchment paper
Directions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a square about 10” x 10”. Flip paper over onto pan. This gives you a template for where you’ll spread the chocolate.
Very thinly slice orange into rounds. If you have a mandolin definitely use it. Cut rounds in half.
Place 1 cup of water in a saucepan on medium-high heat and add coconut sugar. Add liqueur or orange extract (optional). Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add orange slices and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and oranges are in thick syrup. Remove oranges from pan and set on waxed paper or parchment to cool.
Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Pour chocolate onto parchment paper in the area you measured out. Top with orange slices and cashews.
Set aside for several hours until firm.
Slice into desired-size pieces and serve at room temperature.
Notes: Please remember: This is a Paleo treat and should be enjoyed in moderation. This also makes a fabulous gift! If you have extra orange slices or a bit of syrup, you can use it to garnish/baste chicken or pork.
Recipes
BLT Dip… also a Fabulous Lettuce Wrap!
by Alex Wittenberg
on Feb 14 2014
Prep time: 15 min • Cook time: 15 min • Yield: 1 ½-2 cups
Ingredients
6 strips of crispy cooked bacon, cut into a ¼-inch dice (save a few pieces for garnish)
6 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup diced Roma tomatoes, about 2 large Romas (save a few pieces for garnish)
2 scallions, sliced into ¼-inch diagonal pieces (save a few pieces for garnish)
¼ cup Paleo mayonnaise
1 medium avocado
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon honey
3 drops tabasco sauce
Scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook 6 slices bacon until crispy, according to package instructions. When cool cut into a ¼-inch dice.
Hard boil eggs. Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover entirely with cold water. Bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a medium simmer and cook for 10 minutes. When done, immediately immerse in an ice bath. When cool, cut eggs in half and coarsely chop the whites of 3 of the eggs. Put the remaining 6 yolks and 3 whites (6 halves) into a food processor and set aside.
Scoop out the seeds from the tomatoes and dice the flesh. Set aside.
Slice scallions into ¼-inch diagonal pieces. Use most of the green part also. Set aside.
Add mayonnaise, avocado, smoked paprika, Dijon, garlic, lemon juice, honey, tabasco, cayenne, salt, and pepper to food processor and pulse with the eggs until creamy.
Remove egg mixture from the food processor and blend in chopped egg whites, bacon, tomatoes, and scallions by hand. Adjust salt and pepper and refrigerate in a tightly sealed container.
Before serving, garnish with reserved pieces of bacon, tomatoes, and scallions.
Notes: The flavors are greatly enhanced when stored overnight. The smokiness of the bacon and smoked paprika need time to meld into the mixture.
Serve with: Julian Bakery Paleo wraps, Crudité, plantain chips or roll into lettuce leaves for a fabulous wrap. You can also add more tomatoes, chopped cabbage, or any other vegetable you like to make your lettuce wrap a heartier “sandwich”. This dip is fabulous for breakfast, lunch, or as a snack.
Tips: The method listed above for hard boiled eggs should make them easier to peel, but if you have a favorite method, go for it
Recipes
by Kellyann Petrucci
on Feb 08 2014
Prep time: 10 min • Yield: 10-12 truffles
Ingredients
½ cup chopped dates
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder or cocoa
2 tablespoons coconut butter
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
1 scant tablespoon coffee or water
2 tablespoons nuts of your choice: walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, pecans or hazelnuts
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Coat with:
Raw cacao powder or cocoa, unsweetened shredded coconut, or melted dark chocolate
Directions
Pulse all ingredients in food processor until they form a sticky ball.
Roll into 10 to 12 individual balls and place on a sheet of waxed paper or parchment. If you intend on coating in dark chocolate, place truffles in freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. If you are coating in coconut or cacao, you can do so immediately.
To coat in cacao powder, gently sift cacao in a fine mesh sieve over truffles. To coat in coconut, place coconut on a flat plate and roll truffles in coconut. To coat in dark chocolate, melt about 3 to 4 ounces dark chocolate in 10-second intervals in a microwave or melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Dip truffles individually in chocolate. To remove truffles from the melted chocolate, use two toothpicks near bottom of the truffle to maintain a smooth surface.
Store in the refrigerator. Remove about 30 minutes before serving.
Here’s a fun food fact: Cacao has the scientific name Theobroma, which means “food of the gods” — no surprise to me or most other folks!
Recipes
No Bake Paleo Chocolate Sweet Balls
by Alex Wittenberg
on Feb 08 2014
These no-bake paleo chocolate sweet balls are delicious, and are very similar to Fat Bombs, which contain a serving of healthy fat to support weight loss.
Prep time: 10 min • Cook time: 0 min • Yield: 24 chocolate balls
Ingredient
16 oz almond butter
1 tablespoons cacao powder
3 tablespoon honey (optional)
3 tablespoon coconut flour
1¼ cup shredded coconut (divided)
¾ cup Enjoy Life chocolate chip
Directions
Mix almond butter, cacao powder, honey, coconut flour, ¼ cup of shredded coconut and chocolate chips together in a bowl.
Using a spoon to separate, roll into 24 round balls.
On a separate plate have remaining coconut flakes. Coat nut balls with coconut and refrigerate.
Note: Best kept refrigerated
