Tapioca Pudding (Primal)

I've never liked pudding. I mean, really, it's weird. It's all gelatinous, and just kind of sits in your mouth. When everyone ate those little pudding cups in their lunches I never understood. That pudding in particular was kind of slimy and just...fake tasting. It jiggled. I don't like milk, so why would I like cooked, thickened, sweetened milk?! It wasn't until I was an adult that I actually tried real pudding. Even then, I was like.. meh, it's alright I guess.
When I first had tapioca, it was in boba milk tea. I was really confused. I didn't understand why anyone would voluntarily put chunks of things in their drink. To me, there is nothing worse than drinking what you think is a lovely liquid, and all of a sudden having to deal with a weird texture. I'm a texture person, and it was confusing. After I drank most of my tea, I kind of liked it.
When I first tried tapioca pudding I finally got it. I understood why people like pudding, and I understood why they like tapioca. There was some giggling involved; I was hooked.
One of the first things I thought of "primalizing" after my initial 30 days of strict primal eating was tapioca pudding. I had never made it before, but I instantly knew I could make it primal friendly. I remember exclaiming in excitement to Mikey, and him just kind of reacting like any sane person would: "...yeah? So?" That was a year and a half ago. Now it's time.
It's a rainy Spring day. It is gloomy and gray. The type of day that makes me feel Autumn, and crave all things pumpkin flavored. Or at the very least something satisfying with a hint of spice. It's a slow day. A day to stand in front of the warm stove stirring something hot, fragrant, and bubbly with a wooden spoon. This pudding is just that thing. Rich, and creamy, with just a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. Eaten hot right off the stove, it's satisfying. Chilled, and eaten cold, it's wholesome and lovely. With a spoonful of Chocolate Syrup, it's downright indulgent.

Tapioca Pudding
primal / paleo option / grain-free / gluten-free

Yield: 6 servings

1/3c, or up to 1/2c, small pearl tapioca*

3c whole milk, divided**

2 egg yolks

1/3c honey***

1/4t sea salt

1/2t cinnamon, or to taste

1/4t nutmeg, freshly ground, or to taste
1/2t vanilla extract

Begin by combining the tapioca and 1c of the milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan and soak for 30 minutes. Do not drain; add the remaining 2c milk, egg yolks, honey, and salt. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, then reduce heat. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes and stir the mixture frequently using slow, gentle strokes. The pudding should have a nice consistency, and coat the back of a spoon. The tapioca should be soft, gooey, and slightly translucent. 

Add the vanilla extract and allow to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes, then store in the refrigerator with plastic wrap touching the surface of the pudding. 

Enjoy!

*If you prefer a thicker pudding, use more tapioca pearls
**I haven't tried this, but you could try subbing almond/coconut milk to make Paleo

***I use 1/3c of honey for my sweetness preference but you can use up to 1/2c

What food texture did you find strange at first?

Chocolate Syrup (Primal/Paleo)

Who doesn't love chocolate milk? It's a simple, satisfying treat. A jarful of fresh, cold milk with just a teaspoon of this chocolate syrup stirred in is what I've been craving lately. For those who don't tolerate dairy, I imagine cold coconut milk would be equally delicious. It's also wonderfully versatile as just a chocolate sauce as well. I'm imagining it spooned over a Coconut Flour Brownie or a Primal Biscuit with some fresh strawberries and some freshly whipped cream.  How about as a dip for seasonal fruit or whipped into coconut cream? I'm pretty sure this sauce won't last long in our fridge.

Chocolate Syrup
primal / paleo option / grain-free / gluten-free / egg-free

1/2-3/4c local honey

1c raw cacao powder

pinch salt

1t vanilla extract

pinch cayenne, optional

Add 1c water to a saucepan with the honey, cacao, and salt. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5-8 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat, let cool slightly, then add vanilla, and a pinch of cayenne, if desired.

Store in the refrigerator in a glass jar.

Powerballs (Primal/Paleo)

These are lovely little snacks. They're great for on the go: in your car, purse, workout bag, whatever! They are also sweet enough to satisfy a craving. We love to keep them on hand for quick fixes that feel more indulgent than a handful of nuts. These take less than 15 minutes to pull together and keep for weeks.

The best thing about powerballs is there is tons of room for flexibility; play around with it! You can use any nuts you prefer for a total of 12 ounces/1.5c (measured when whole). Sometimes I add chia and flax seeds as well. My sister likes to add coffee. You can pre-chop the figs if you'd like to ensure there are no chunks if you're particular about it but I prefer them to be added whole; I like the slight inconsistency. For substitutions, I'd keep at least half the dried fruit mixture as dates or figs for their binding ability. You can use any type of nut butter that you'd like. I use 80-100% dark chocolate, whatever I have on hand. If you are looking for some fancy presentation, you could roll them in chopped nuts, coconut flakes, or cocoa powder before refrigerating and serving. I have lots of ideas for variations such as nutella powerballs, chocolate covered strawberry powerballs, and PBJ powerballs...

Powerballs
primal / paleo / grain-free / egg-free

Yield: About 2 dozen

Guideline:
1-1/2c nuts
1-1/2c dried figs or dates
1.65 ounces dark chocolate
4T nut butter
1/4t sea salt

My go-to:

1/2c pecans

1c walnuts 

1-1/2c dried black mission figs
1.65 ounces 80%+ dark chocolate

4T sunbutter

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Using a food processor, pulse the figs or dates first until chunky. Add the nuts, pulse, then add pieces of the chocolate. Pulse again, then add the nut butter and salt. Process until fully blended, mixture begins chasing itself around the bowl, and you can form into balls. I use a 3/4 ounce disher (loosely packed) then roll with my hands to make about 22 balls, but you can make them whatever size you'd like. Store in the refrigerator.

What's your favorite primal or paleo friendly snack on the go?

Coconut Flour Brownies (Primal/Paleo)

This is a repost from last year. I made these a few times last year, but never got around to actually taking photos of them. These brownies are wonderful.

At the beginning of our primal/paleo journey, this was the first baked good I made after our first 30 days strict. My husband has a huge sweet tooth, and when he proclaimed them better than grain- and refined-sweetener-filled brownies, I knew they were a hit.

I made them again today to photograph them as I hadn't had sweetener or chocolate lying around in a long time and finally got around to purchasing some, and also to celebrate our four year anniversary. Not a bad excuse to make them ;)

Coconut Flour Brownies
primal / paleo / grain-free / gluten-free

6 ½ oz good dark chocolate (72%+)

4 1/2 oz butter (one stick + one tablespoon)

¾ cup granulated sweetener of choice

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 eggs

6 T coconut flour

1/2 t sea salt

1 c chopped walnuts/mix-ins

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees.

Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment for easy removal.

Melt butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over low heat.

Remove from heat, and add sweetener of choice. Let cool before adding vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking until fluffy.

Stir in flour, salt, and walnuts.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until tester comes out mostly clean (the top may appear undercooked or shiny).

Cool in pan for at least 10-15 minutes, then lift the slab out by the parchment.

Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!

Have you tried baking with coconut flour before? How do you like it? 

Coconut Flour Brownies (Primal/Paleo)

Ever since we started eating primally two months ago, all I've wanted to do is start baking. I love baking, and with an added challenge it's way more exciting. I've started doing a few recipes here and there just to get a feel for the alternative flours. So far I've made: almond meal cookies, almond meal biscuits, vegan chocolate nut butter cake balls, almond meal and coconut flour cobbler with apple/pear/blueberry, coconut flour banana bread, and coconut flour brownies. Huge successes: cookies and brownies. Great but need minor tweaking: biscuits, cake balls, and cobbler. Need a good deal of work: banana bread. I found out I prefer almond meal cookies over grain flour and refined sugar brownies. I now know I prefer primal coconut flour brownies over regular brownies, which is really exciting for me guys. Because I crave brownies more than basically any other baked good.

Yesterday I got really hyped up about primal baking. And proceeded to research/order a ridiculous amount of primal/gf/alternative baking flours/additives. So much for that budget, huh? Worth it. While researching, I came across a website that describes some of the grain free/gluten free flour options. There was a recipe for coconut flour brownies I wanted to try. I'm just so curious about the quirks of coconut flour. It's like a game, and never the same. It's so finicky! So I had to try making something else with it since my banana bread was more or less a wet mess without much banana flavor (better with honey!). I didn't really want to go with a random recipe that had no reviews on some slightly sketchy looking website about grain/gluten free living. I like reviews. I want to know that if I'm being lazy enough to start with a pre-existing recipe, at least I'm starting somewhere off the ground to make it worth it. I was really interested in this, because I love zucchini and have a lot of it right now, but I didn't have all the ingredients. Somewhere along the way, I felt drawn back to the original recipe, because the more I thought about it, the more it resembled, perfectly, the method of preparation my boss uses in her amazing brownie recipe. I'm so glad I did, it was perfect.

Coconut Flour Brownies (Primal, Gluten-free, Grain-free)

Source: original recipe

6 ½ oz good dark chocolate

4 1/2 oz butter (one stick + one tablespoon)

¾ cup granulated sweetener of choice

1/2 t vanilla extract*

2 eggs

6 T coconut flour

1/2 t sea salt*

1 c chopped walnuts/mix-ins

Preheat the oven to 320 degrees (yup).

Grease an 8x8 dish and line with parchment for easy removal.

Melt butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over low heat.

Remove from heat, let cool slightly (I transferred to a different bowl) and add sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking until light.

Stir in flour, salt, and walnuts.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until tester comes out mostly clean.

Cool in pan for at least 10-15 minutes, then lift the slab out by the parchment.

Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!

*Added to original recipe

when primal meets vegan: "cake balls"

Yesterday it was my friend's birthday. We were going to do a get together with drinks and desserts. I really wanted to make him something specific he wanted, but he just kept being all real, talking about how my presence was enough, blah blah blah.

THIS GUY. 7 years ago.

ANYWAY, I decided I would try to make something vegan in addition to being primal for my vegan friend. This is what he looks like, also 7 years ago. Yeah, dad's gonna be so upset with me.

Sorry, dad. The only reason I added these photos is because I conveniently had them in a desktop folder to share when I recently copied them off my external hard drive.

You would think vegan combined with primal basically means to eat leaves and some tree bark. But you, my dear, are incorrect, it does not! So I was searching for recipes. A lot. Because I didn't have a lot of time to experiment. I had, maybe, an hour to figure something out before my pre-party plans began (not involving drinking, by the way, who do you think I am?). It was getting really challenging, so I decided to take a simple vegan recipe and just primalize it. Yeah I just made that word up. I found this chocolate cake recipe that looked fairly simple. So I went for it. It came out really yummy smelling and tasting (my mouth might be burnt). Then shit got crazy. They fell apart. It was messy. It's a funny story which you should ask me about when you see me next (in real life). Normally I curl up in a ball and cry until I'm dehydrated when things like this happen to me in the kitchen because I'm really perfect and never do anything wrong (oh haaayyy sarcasm). I was like, well, my options are to serve people cupcakes they can't even hold, let alone pick up, or serve cake crumbs in a bowl with a community spoon. I came up with something better: cake balls. I've never made these stupid things before, because they're trendy and silly, and a smaller, stupider version of cup cakes. No offense. Actually, take offense, I don't really mind--I don't like cupcakes. And I know I've cursed myself for life, cupcakes are out to get me, and every time I make them something goes wrong ever since I went around preaching how much I hate them. ANYWAY, back to cake balls. I pulled out my stand mixer to whip up some vegan/primal frosting (yeah, whip up, like it's that easy to make frosting primal AND vegan). I realized I didn't have, like, anything, to make this frosting with. But, thankfully I'm perfect, and genius (and rich), because I decided nut butter would work out super well. The still warm chocolate chunks in the cake, combined with peanut butter, made a fantastic glue to hold together these super rich vegan AND primal cake balls!

Mistake Spiced Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Balls
(Vegan and primal subs)

1 1/2 c flour of choice (AP for just vegan, or almond for primal)

1 c granulated sugar of choice (I used sucanat)

1/4 c raw 100% cacao powder (or cocoa)

1 t baking soda (check your labels for corn if primal)
1 t cinnamon (optional)
1/4 t ginger (optional)
1/4 t cloves (optional)
1/2 t nutmeg (optional)
1/8 t cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 t sea salt

1/3 c coconut oil (you can sub any oil if you're unconcerned)

1 t vanilla extract

1 t balsamic vinegar

1 c water

1/2 c chunks/chips of dark chocolate (check labels for dairy, whey and casein if vegan)

1/2 c, give or take, nut butter

Oven at 350. You know the drill. Prep about 10 muffin tins.

Melt your coconut oil in a medium size mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract, balsamic vinegar, and water. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sweetener, cacao, baking soda, spices, and salt. Sift if you find it necessary.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chunks. If you are using a substitute flour, you can mix as much as you want, but if you used AP flour, mix just until combined.

Portion into muffins tins (I got 10 cupcakes out of this). Bake for 20-25 minutes. Alternatively, you could use a cake pan or loaf pan. A 9x5 loaf pan would probably take about 45 minutes. Your call, batman.

Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes and experience the amazing crumbling action that is this disastrous cake. Actually, I'm sure you could pull this off in a cake pan or loaf pan as a real cake if you let it cool completely and didn't care about presentation. Also, if you aren't vegan, throw an egg in there if you're going for real cake and not balls.

Now, I was short on time, so I mixed my ball batter together while the ingredients were still warm which created a dense, smooth cake ball. If you had time, and wanted lighter, more cake-like balls, I would recommend cooling the crumbles for as long as you can, preferably overnight, and mixing lightly.

Throw the peanut butter in there. Mix it all up. Use a disher to form portions, then roll in your hands. Store in the fridge, or alternatively, freeze, then let sit for about 10 minutes before dipping in melted chocolate.

Chocolate Peanut Granola

the granola gave us enough energy to do this! ^^

So, I've been following this awesome blog for a while, and want to make every single one of her recipes. The other day I decided to make her Chocolate Peanut Granola to take with us on a 9-day beach cabin vacation.

Oh. My. Gosh. It's the best granola I've ever had. Along with everyone who has tried it.

The great thing is that it's not too sweet to enjoy in the morning. It's a perfect balance of salty and sweet, and satisfyingly crunchy. I absolutely love it for breakfast, a snack, and dessert, in a bit of whole milk. You could enjoy it in yogurt, on ice cream, with fruit, or just plain, though. It's fantastic. It's also made with coconut oil, plenty of seeds, nuts, and maple syrup, so you know you're not ingesting crap :)

And, for once, I made the recipe exactly as directed, and have absolutely no reasons to change it. (Weird!)

Here's the recipe, if you're too lazy to click over to her blog; you should seriously look, though, she's got some awesome recipes.

Chocolate Peanut Granola

(from Deliciously Organic, adapted from Food Network)

1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup white sesame seeds

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup sucanat, you may substitute organic whole cane sugar
2 cups raw peanuts

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 300°F and adjust rack to middle position. Mix everything together very well in a large mixing bowl.

Spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper (I used my silicone baking mats) and bake for 45 minutes, turning over half-way through baking. Cool completely before serving. Crumble and store in an airtight container. (Your house is going to smell AMAZING.)