Baked Eggplant Fries (Paleo)

I’ve been to the beach a lot this summer. This, of course, means I’ve also been on the NJ boardwalk.

And have been assaulted by all the delicious-smelling foods. 

Now, I might not want to eat said food, but I’m not gonna lie, it smells good! 

Case in point: french fries. Boardwalk food or not, I rarely like the taste. Yet, their smell is ever so alluring…

So, I decided to make my own fries that would taste yummy to me. And might I say, they are ever so addicting. 

And delicious-smelling 🙂

Baked Eggplant Fries 

Ingredients:

1 eggplant 

Salt 

1/3 cup coconut flour 

3 eggs

2 tbsp water 

1 cup almonds 

4 tsp garlic powder 

2 tsp basil 

2 tsp oregano 

2 tsp thyme 

1 tsp rosemary 

Salt and pepper 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 and grease baking pans. Cut eggplant into fry-sized pieces, place in a single layer on the baking pans, and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes to sweat.

Meanwhile, spread coconut flour in a bowl*. Set aside.

Whisk together eggs and water in another small bowl*. Set aside. 

Grind almonds into very fine pieces in a food processor. Transfer to a third bowl* and mix in garlic powder, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Take the eggplant and place in coconut flour until coated. Next, dunk in the egg bowl until wet. Finally, roll in the almond mixture until completely coated. Return to the baking pan and repeat until all eggplant fries are “dressed.”

Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Take out, roll eggplant to its opposite side (I found rolling to be easier than flipping) and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve! 

*When I first made these, I took each individual eggplant fry and transferred it from bowl to bowl. Although this method works very well, it is time consuming. However, taking a handful of fries at a time, placing them into a bowl WITH A LID, and shaking them up until they are covered in coconut flour/egg/almonds speeds up the prep time. 

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Chicken Pineapple Coconut Stir-Fry (Paleo)

I have a love-hate relationship with pineapple. On the one hand, it’s pineapple: yummy, refreshing, and bursting with juice. Plus, it makes images of tropical islands pop into my head.

On the other hand, I have a bad physical reaction to the enzymes found in fresh pineapple. My mouth begins to burn and my lips puff up 😦 Grrrrr. And the first time I realized I had this reaction?: the night before my first day of school. Lovely, right? 

But does this deter me from my love of fresh pineapple? Certainly not! I bravely (and yes, I’ll give you stupidly) eat on. 

I just stop before my lips blow up 😉 

Fortunately, I’ve come to discover that when cooked, pineapple loses it’s stinging quality to me. Therefore, I decide to throw some in to this recipe:  

Chicken Pineapple Coconut Stir-Fry (Paleo) 

Ingredients:

1/2 head of uncooked cauliflower 

1 lb organic chicken breasts 

1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil

1 onion, chopped  

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 tsp dried ginger 

1/2 tsp curry powder 

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cups pineapple chunks 

3 tbsp canned coconut milk (full-fat) 

1 tbsp pineapple juice

1 tbsp cilantro 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions: 

Cut cauliflower into florets, place in a food processor, and pulse until cauliflower resembles rice (do not over-blend, or else it will turn to mush!). Set aside. 

Chop chicken into bite-size pieces. Heat coconut oil over low heat and cook chicken. 

Add in onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add in red bell pepper and cook for 5 more minutes. 

Add in pineapple chunks, coconut milk, pineapple juice, and cilantro. 

Stir in cauliflower rice, add salt and pepper, to taste, and cook for 10 more minutes. 

 

 

Paleo Mini-Layered Chocolate Cake

It seems that everybody in my family (except for me) was born in the summer. And all within a week of each other. Needless to say, I’m pretty poor this time of the year 😦 And lacking in the creative-presents department.

Mothers Day and Fathers Day always falling not too far from both of my parents birthdays do not help either. 

This past week, we’ve celebrated 2 birthdays. Well, technically. My brother’s birthday is being celebrated over a 5-day time period this year. Lucky kid. 

So, with all the birthdays and what not, I figured it would be perfect timing to post a chocolate cake recipe! And the awesome part? Each person gets their own mini layered cake! No fighting over the biggest/smallest piece! And I don’t know, layered cakes just seem more fancy to me. Plus, it allows for more icing!  

Paleo Mini-Layered Chocolate Cake 

Ingredients: 

2 eggs

2/3 cup water

2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla 

1/2 cup coconut flour 

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 salt

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Pour dry into wet and combine. Spread into 6 greased ramekins and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. LET COOL (will seem undone once they first come out of the oven) FOR 10 MINUTES. Spread icing (I used avocado mousse for mine) and stack with how many layers you want. Makes 2 3-layered cakes or 3 2-layered cakes evenly.

 

Cauliflower Dip

I never get tired of cauliflower. As a quasi-scientist, I love testing what new forms I can make it take on. Mashed potatoes, pizza crust, rice, chicken, etc.
Hmmm, I never really seem to just eat plain, raw cauliflower though. I just can’t help trying more elaborate recipes with it…

Cauliflower Dip 

Ingredients: 

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets 

1 cup of your favorite cheese, shredded 

1/3 cup plain, whole milk yogurt 

2 tbsp mustard with horseradish 

salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish: black pepper, paprika, and thyme 

Directions: 

Place cauliflower in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to food process and blend until mush-consistency. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer to a greased baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Add garnishes before serving.