Paleo Brownie Bites

These paleo brownie bites may be one of my favorite things I've ever made. But if you aren't paleo don't let the title mislead you, these are something that EVERYone can enjoy. Seriously. They are vegan brownie bites also! And they are basically homemade Lara Bars, but waaayyyy better. This has to be one of my favorite recipes. I know I probably say that a lot, but seriously, I urge you to give these a try if you are looking for a healthier sweet treat. And let's be real, who isn't always looking for a healthier sweet treat?

It's got to be every woman's, blogger's, and most likely man's dream to be able to eat sweets and call them healthy. And here we have delicious paleo brownie bites that are void of flour, refined sugar, and butter and are still so freaking good! Yes, paleo chewy brownies that are also happen to be vegan chewy chocolaty brownies. It's for reals, guys. And did I mention they are super easy to make and are no bake! The best brownie bites you've ever had and they have no flour or refined sugar and you don't even have to bake them! Folks, it's a pretty magical situation we have going on here.

I used to buy Lara Bars as my sweet treat. Every day after lunch, I would have a chocolate chip Lara Bar. I always knew I could make them at home and probably save myself some money, but what I didn't know (until now) was that homemade Lara Bars are like a gazillion times better, especially when they are bite size chocolaty brownie batter balls rolled in coconut. My husband even ate these and he doesn't like chocolate or coconut. Although, he didn't know there was coconut involved.... not quite sure how he missed that...

Seriously, these are amazing. Amazing fudgy goodness. Whether you are paleo or not, vegan or not, these are insanely good and so easy to make! So you MUST make them. Do. It. Now. xoxo

Paleo Brownie Bites

adapted from Averie Cooks

makes 12 - one inch balls

(PRINTABLE)

2/3 cup raw walnut halves and pieces

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 heaping cup soft medjool dates, pitted (about 17 - 20 medium sized dates)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons coconut milk OR any liquid sweetener, like honey, agave, or maple syrup if you want your brownie bites to be sweeter. I used coconut milk and thought the brownie bites were perfectly sweet. 

2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

Pulse coconut in food processor for 30 seconds to a minute to form coconut crumbs. Remove from food processor and set aside.

Place pitted dates in a bowl of warm water for a minute to soften them up.

Add unsweetened cocoa powder and walnuts to food processor, blend until walnuts become fine crumbs, but do not over process or you will get some kind of chocolate walnut butter. 

Drain dates and place in the food processor with the cocoa walnut crumbs. Add vanilla. Process until mixture starts to combine. It may not fully combine until liquid is added. Add coconut milk or liquid sweetener (if desired) half a tablespoon at a time. Pulse. You will know the consistency is right when the dough combines into a ball in the middle of the food processor. 

If dough is too runny add a tablespoon or more cocoa powder to bring it back to a dough like state. 

Transfer dough to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cold dough is much easier to work with. I left my dough in the fridge over night. You could put it in the freezer if you need to speed the process up. 

Once dough is cold, put coconut crumbs from earlier into a shallow bowl. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and roll them between hands to form balls. Roll balls in coconut crumbs, pressing the crumbs gently into the ball. Continue until all dough is gone. You can moisten your hands with water if the dough begins to stick to your palms as you roll.

Keep chilled, they taste best that way. Bites will keep in fridge for quite some time, and freeze well also. 

They are soooo good!!

Love, Luck, and Happiness!

Mushrooms in Cream and Ale Sauce: Recipe Revamp

This mushroom recipe is seriously one of my favorite recipes on the blog. It can turn a meal into something truly special, if you like mushrooms that is. I make these decadent cream and ale mushrooms almost every Christmas. We top my Dad's perfectly cooked prime rib with the mushrooms and I swear it is my favorite meal of the year.

This is a recipe that has been up on the blog for quite some time, but hasn't really gotten the love it deserves. I've been wanting to spruce up the pictures, but I don't get a lot of opportunities to cook mushroom recipes since I live with a mushroom hating monster. Well, he's not really that much of a monster, but he does hate mushrooms, which is a bummer. So when my mother in law mentioned that she was eager to try my mushrooms in cream and ale sauce I had two things to say: 1. Why in the world doesn't your son like mushrooms???!!!! 2. Yes, I would love to make that for you!!!! (Squeal of excitement).

These mushrooms are my favorite as a steak topper, but I wouldn't hesitate to pile them high on some creamy mashed potatoes, or parsnip pureé. They would also be a great way to fancy up some simple grilled chicken or pork chops. But honestly, I could eat them alone by themselves in all their creamy ale-y mushroom glory. 

Mushrooms in Cream and Ale Sauce

adapted from Vegetarian Food for Friends 
serves 6-8 as a side or as a topper
(PRINTABLE)

4 to 5 cups sliced mushrooms, use a variety -  I suggest any combination of cremini, baby bella, shiitake, or oyster 
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 teas paprika
1/2 cup dark beer (Newcastle works well)
3/4 cup heavy cream
squeeze of half a small lemon (probably about 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice)
1/4 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
freshly ground pepper to taste

Clean mushroom caps. I read once that mushrooms absorb liquid quickly so it is best to wipe the caps with a damp paper towel instead of running them under water. I try to do this, but sometimes when I'm lazy I put them in a colander and quickly run them under water or swirl them in a bowl of water and then put them on a towel to dry. Slice mushrooms. 

Heat butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. 

Once butter is melted add sliced mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms start to brown and soften, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with paprika. Stir and cook for 1 more minute.

Add your 1/2 cup beer and 3/4 cup cream. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until liquid reduce by half - about 15 minutes.

Finish with a squeeze of half a lemon and salt and pepper. (Seriously, don't forget the salt! I tasted my mushrooms before I added salt and the salt definitely made the dish.) Taste and season more as needed. Serve warm.  

Love, Luck, and Happiness! 

The Best Way to Cook Bacon

It's no secret by now that I love a good recipe using bacon. I mean, bacon has it's own category in my recipe index. And it may shock you to know that we eat bacon probably 3 to 5 days a week. I think our favorite part of going paleo was that bacon was no longer viewed as a naughty food and transitioned easily and happily into an everyday dining staple. Although, there are times when I do believe we are taking advantage of this whole bacon thing. I'm pretty sure we aren't meant to eat it every single day, paleo or not. But it's just SO darn good, we can't seem to help ourselves!*

Tip number 1 if you are planning on integrating bacon into your life more (as you should, duh) - get no nitrates / nitrites added bacon. There are still nitrates / nitrites in the bacon from celery juice that is added to the bacon - but at least it's coming from a natural vegetable product. There is a lot of hub bub back and forth about nitrates / nitrites and nitrates / nitrite "free" products. Like most things, there is an argument for both sides. I'll just say that I swear by Trader Joe's Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon, it's thick cut, and simply delicious.

Now on to the good stuff - perfectly cooked bacon. This method yields delicious crispy bacon with minimal clean up. Thank goodness!  No more wiping grease off your entire stove for like ever after cooking up some bacon. Or standing as far away from the stove as you can with your arm fully extended to avoid pops of grease as you try to flip your bacon. I also really like how the pieces come out flat. Bacon in a frying pan always curls and twists and just never ends up looking as pretty as I want it to. Maybe that's just me.

So, what is this miraculous way to cook bacon, you ask? I'll tell ya  - in the oven! This method also leaves more space on your stove and more of your hands (all two of them) free to make the other parts of breakfast. Once we started cooking bacon in the oven we never went back. I seriously can't imagine cooking it any other way. This is the only way we seem to get perfect evenly cooked bacon every time. Here's the thing though, you've got to learn your oven and your bacon. Cooking times can drastically vary depending on what type of oven you have and what kind of bacon you buy. My mother in law says it takes her 40 minutes for her bacon to cook in the oven. It takes me only 18. And if I ever switch up from my usual Trader Joe's bacon I almost always burn the stuff because the cut is thinner and it cooks faster. You've basically got a one to two minute window with this cooking method to get the perfect level of doneness. Surprisingly, Adam is the best at not messing this up. He's the bacon master in our house.

So that last paragraph may have made oven cooked bacon seem a little more daunting than it really it is. Go back and read the part where I said Adam is the bacon master. I assure you it's really quite easy, I just want you to know that it's a little bit of trial and error to figure out what works for you and your oven. But once you figure it out, I swear, you will swear by oven baked bacon.

Oven Baked Bacon Method

(PRINTABLE)

1 package bacon

1 or 2 baking sheets

parchment paper or foil

Preheat oven to 400.

Line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or foil. Place bacon in an even layer side by side on the baking sheet(s). 

Place the baking sheet(s) in the oven. I often stick the bacon in before the oven it is all the way heated up if I don't feel like waiting, it never seems to affect the time too much as long as the oven was some what heated up once I put the bacon in. The slow cooking of the bacon will help render the fat. 

This is the timing that works for me with thick cut bacon: I set the timer for 10 minutes after I stick the bacon in the oven. After 10 minutes, I remove the pan from the oven and carefully flip each piece of bacon. Then I place the bacon back in the oven for 7 to 8 more minutes. I've never had to go over 18 minutes both at my Long Beach house and at our new house. But while cooking bacon this way on vacation, my bacon took close to 30 minutes. So start watching your bacon after 15 minutes, but don't be surprised if you end up needed to cook it longer. 

*If you are concerned about our bacon consumption, it's not as bad as it seems. We often eat one slice in the morning with eggs. And we take bacon breaks and switch it up with some chicken apple sausage here and there. 

Now what to do with that delicious perfectly cooked bacon? (Well besides just eat it.) Here are two of my favorite recipes that call for already cooked bacon:

Breakfast Bacon Apple Tart

Buffalo Bacon Cheesy Fries

Love, Luck, and Happiness! 

Buffalo Bacon Cheese Steak Fries

Buffalo Bacon Cheese Steak Fries. Or, as they are known to us, Beachwood BBQ's Smothered Steak Fries - the most perfect restaurant appetizer ever to be made. I dare you to tell me what isn't perfect about crispy steak fries smothered in buffalo sauce, bleu cheese, cheddar cheese and topped with bacon and green onions. Can't come up with anything can you?

Like I said, perfect. I mean honestly, fries are always better with bacon. Bacon fries - yum. And buffalo sauce. Buffalo fries - yum. And cheese. Cheese fries - yum. Bring it all together and what do you got? Buffalo bacon cheese fries!! And well, the green onions seem like they are only there for color, but trust me, they really do help with flavor. So what do you do when the world's best appetizer is located at your favorite restaurant that is now 80 miles away?

You make it at home of course. Because there is nothing better than the world's best restaurant appetizer, than the world's best restaurant appetizer made at home. Plus, did I mention it's Buffalo BACON Cheese Steak Fries. Um, hello. I obviously have a thing for cooking with bacon.

Buffalo Bacon Cheese Steak Fries

Makes 4 appetizer servings

(PRINTABLE)

16 oz package frozen steak fries

4 tablespoons, divided, Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce (or more if you want!)

1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 - 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola or bleu cheese

4 slices cooked thick cut nitrate free bacon, cut into pieces

3 green onions, sliced

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Spread fries in an even layer on baking sheet. 

Cook fries according to package instructions, except cook only until they start to crisp up but aren't overly crisp, keeping in mind you will be cooking them for another 3 to 5 minutes. 

Place cooked fries and bacon pieces in a bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons hot sauce. Spread fries and bacon back out on the parchment or foil covered baking sheets. Cover with both cheeses and sprinkle with green onions. Bake for 3 to 5 more minutes until cheese is melted.

**UPDATE - sticking them under the broiler for the last 3 minutes makes the cheese melty and the fries crispy!**

Place fries in a bowl and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon (or more, if desired) hot sauce over the cooked cheesy bacon fries and serve. 

Love, Luck and Happiness! 

Braised Paprika Chicken

My legs are sore. So insanely sore. And surprisingly it's not because I started back up with CrossFit this week. It's because of yard work. Damn, yard work. Which is why I made Braised Paprika Chicken for our Sunday night dinner. Chicken thighs tucked in a delicious paprika sauce can cure almost anything. I swear. Especially if it is paleo paprika chicken. 

But before we get to the recipe, let's talk about that yard work. This weekend was our first weekend really making strides on this whole fixing up a house thing. We really needed a quick and cheap fix to some major ugly dirt everywhere issues in our yard. The grand plan is to do much more landscaping, but this will get us through the interim until we can bring out the big landscaping guns. Plus, it only cost us $23 and a day of labor. Please excuse the major picture overload, but we are feeling quite proud of ourselves. And if you stick it out, there is a great recipe for Braised Paprika Chicken in store for you. 

Here are the yard before pictures - lots of dirt, holes, dirt, and this ugly half dead bush / tree blocking a window.

{First Step - throw out the old screen door.}

{Damn Half Dead Tree Bush Thing}

{Solar Light Graveyard and Place Where Penny Runs Through the Mud / Dirt}

And after 9 bags of this stuff....

And a lot of digging, level-ing, and transporting of dirt from area to the next from yours truly...

 {Former Solar Light Graveyard and Place Where Penny Runs Through the Mud / Dirt (No Longer)}

In keeping with the theme of the weekend, which was red - red mulch, red under my fingernails, red in my clothes, red mulch in the house - I decided to make a red dinner. And, damn, it was good. 

So thanks for sticking through the home improvement pics - as promised - Braised Paprika Chicken!!

And by the way, it's pretty much paleo - omit the butter and greek yogurt to make it 100% paleo paprika chicken. And it is paleo eating at it's finest. :)

Braised Paprika Chicken
adapted from Eating Well

Serves 4
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 

(PRINTABLE)

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs - trimmed of excess fat

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon butter (I use Kerrygold Irish butter) (or double the coconut oil if making it 100% paleo)

1 large yellow or brown onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

2 tablespoons tomato paste 

1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika

dash of red pepper

dash of cayenne pepper

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup greek yogurt (optional)*

2 green onions, chopped or chives chopped

Trim chicken thighs of excess fat, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the freshly ground pepper. Dice onions and bell peppers. 

Preheat a large saucepan (that has a lid). Over medium heat  melt coconut oil and butter. Add onions and bell peppers to pan. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté, stirring frequently, until onions turn translucent - about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Stir in tomato paste, paprika, crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper. Stir until the mixture become fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. 

Push mixture to the side, nestle chicken thighs in open space, place some of the mixture on top of the chicken thighs. Brown chicken for 2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth. Place lid on top of pan and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and tender. 

Remove chicken thighs from pan and set aside, cover with foil to keep warm. Reduce sauce for 3 to 5 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Season with remaining salt, about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Once sauce has begun to thicken,  remove from heat and whisk in 1/4 cup greek yogurt if desired. 

Place chicken thighs back in the sauce. Top with sliced green onion or chives. Serve on it's own with vegetables, or over rice or pasta. 

* I've made this both with using greek yogurt for a creamy sauce and without, and I would recommend both versions whole heartedly! If you have the yogurt and feel up to it, through it in! If not, don't even think twice about it. 

Love, Luck, and Happiness!