Paleo Maple Candied Nuts Recipe (Plus 5 Other Paleo Holiday Recipes!)

Our Christmas decorations are up early this year, and now I want all the sweet Christmas things: the Trader Joe's peppermint Joe Joe's, the peppermint bark, the fudge, the snickerdoodles.

I'm limbic system retraining with all these foods now (THREE CHEERS HURRAY!), and the Great British Bake Off makes me want to eat them with every meal, amen. I'm still trying to care for my body with food, though, which means I limit my refined sugar intake, which means WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH MY AROUND-THE-CLOCK SWEET TOOTH?

These maple candied nuts are exactly what.

They're 2-ingredient simple, and they're Paleo!


Here's what you need:

• 2 1/2 cups of roasted nuts (I use pecans, and I roast them myself for extra yummy flavor)
• 3/4 cup of pure maple syrup
• Optional: sea salt 

Here's what you do:

1. Pour the maple syrup into a sauce pan or skillet. I use my 10-inch skillet from this set.  Heat it to a boil over medium heat, stirring regularly.

2. When the syrup reaches 235 degrees F (110 degrees C), turn off the heat. Add 2 1/2 cups of nuts and stir until they are coated.

If you don't have a candy thermometer, put a droplet of the mixture in a glass of cold water. If it hardens into a semi-firm ball of candy after a couple of seconds, then it's ready!

3. Spread the nuts across a silicon pad with a spatula or spoon and, if you like salty sweet snacks, sprinkle sea salt over the top.

That's it! Easy as 1-2-3!

The maple syrup crystallizes into maple sugar on these nuts, and they're divine. Your non-Paleo friends and family will love them as much as you do!

But wait! There's more! Here are five more Paleo dessert recipes that'll send your sweet tooth soaring through happy skies this holiday season:

The recipe titles are live links; so if you click 'em they'll take you to the recipe!
 
1. Paleo Fudge

2. Chocolate Mousse Parfait

3. Peppermint Hot Chocolate

4. Banana Chia Seed Pudding 

5. Banana Nut Butter Ice Cream

Bon appetit!

Merry, hopeful holiday season, friends.

Onward and upward,

Sarah


© by scj

Banana Pecan Butter Ice Cream: Vegan and Paleo

For many years now, I have resisted making ice cream out of bananas, because it seemed to me it would take nothing short of MAGIC to make ice cream out of bananas, and I am fresh out of magic.

But then my husband bought me some banana ice cream from a food stand in Laguna Beach, and it was smooth, creamy, and sweet, just like real ice cream, and I was converted right then and there. I decided to make my own banana ice cream, with a twist: I added salty nut butter. And you guys, that salt is the ticket to pleasure town.

This stuff is so easy, and it's the perfect dessert for all you folks adhering to Paleo, vegan, and anti-inflammatory diets.

Here's what you need:

Except, I was spacey when I took this photo, and I included the wrong salt. I used sea salt instead of Morton's iodized salt. I love putting sea salt in dessert!

You'll notice my nut butter (on the far left) is homemade. I made it by first roasting the nuts, and then blending them, with sea salt, in the food processor. Homemade nut butter is a game-changer.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 very ripe bananas (with speckles!)
• 1/4 c. of nut butter, smooth or chunky (I used pecan, but peanut, almond, and cashew butter would be yummy, too!)*
• 1 TB of coconut oil
• A pinch of salt

Optional mix-ins:

• Chopped nuts (I used pecans)
• Nut butter (to create a ripple effect with stripes of nut butter throughout, in addition to the nut butter mixed in)
• Chocolate chips (you can make your own if you follow a Paleo diet!)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the bananas into 1/4-inch thick rounds, put them in a Ziploc bag in a single layer, and pop them in the freezer. Let them freeze overnight. These slices will make it much easier to blend your frozen bananas and will ensure a nice, consistently creamy texture.

2. Put the frozen banana medallions, nut butter, and coconut oil in your food processor or high-powered blender. Blend. Add the salt, to taste, and blend.

3. If you want to mix in nuts, chocolate chips, or extra nut butter, mix 'em in by hand.

4. I like eating the ice cream at this point, because I think its texture is ideal; but if you want to save it all for later, scoop it into a container and put it in the freezer. 

And there you have it! Easy as 1-2-3! Enjooooy!!!!!

A a very happy Sunday, Home Skillets!

-Sarah

Are we Instagram and Facebook friends yet?! Let's be!



© by scj

Maple Syrup Snow Candy Recipe

On Wednesday we woke up to over a foot of snow.

We are glorying in all the beauty.

Roo has never seen this much snow before and loves sniffing, digging, and bounding across the yard. The snow is up to her neck, so her bounding looks more like bouncing (she's our Kanga-Roo), and it is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

I am also delighted to report that I enjoyed a major limbic system retraining victory after the snow fell:

I went cross country skiing!

We all did, actually.

It was much easier than walking anywhere.

A few months ago I got motion sickness just turning my head, rolling over in bed, or walking across the room, so it was wild to be gliding across the snow and feeling fine.

The second day we skied it was much icier.

Much, much icier.

So icy that I took a hard fall on my tailbone.

The fall seemed to have caused some whiplash, and since then my body has been in a bit of a tizzy that feels like a flare-up in my chronic symptoms. So, I've decided to cozy up with Anne of Green Gables and some maple syrup snow candy for the rest of the afternoon.

If you've ever read the Little House on the Prairie series, then you may remember that in Little House in the Big Woods Laura enjoys maple syrup snow candy at her grandmother's house. I first made this candy after reading the book as a kid and was so excited to make it today.

It's super easy (and delicious!), and I've posted the step-by-step recipe below for those of you with snow outside your window.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
2 TB butter (optional)
A pinch of sea or pink Himalayan salt

Instructions:

1. Put the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. Boil for a few minutes until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage or 235 degrees Fahrenheit for those of you who have a candy thermometer.

I didn't have a thermometer, so after the mixture had boiled for a few minutes, I drizzled a bit of it into a glass of cold water. It formed a soft ball upon hitting the water, so I knew it was ready.

3. Once the mixture is ready, take it outside and pour it into a clean bed of snow. Be sure to wear your boots while you're cookin' so you can make a mad dash outside when the mixture is ready!

I recommend you use a rubber spatula to coax the mixture into the snow in bigger ribbons than the ones I made, since the thin ribbons can be hard to fish out of the snow. 

You could also pack snow into a pie pan and bring it inside for this step.


4. After you've finished pouring your candy, it is ready to eat!

And boy oh boy is it GOOD.


I hope you are all having a lovely Friday!

Cheering for you, Home Skillets,

Sarah





© by scj

Chocolate Mousse Parfait: dairy, gluten, egg and refined sugar-free

Several weeks ago I had to modify my Paleo diet to accommodate my stricter medical needs. As a result, I've been eating absurd amounts of cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and squash. I've also started having reoccurring dreams in which I am stuffing my mouth with cake, cookies, and slabs of German chocolate. Bless it.

When I wake up from these dreams, my tummy is usually grumbling for something rich and sweet and non-vegetable-y. Enter: this dessert I like to call "The Elixir of Happiness and Spreader of Peace on Earth," alternatively known as "Chocolate Mousse Parfait."

This parfait is dairy, gluten, egg and refined-sugar free, but don't let the absence of these ingredients fool you: this is AMAZING. I made this for the first time last week, and since then, I've eaten it every day. I've also begun to have dreams about eating it. Take that, you dreamy piles of cake, cookies and German chocolate, you. 

Here's what you'll need to make this simple, quick dessert:

For the chocolate mousse:

• One 14-ounce can of FULL FAT coconut cream, minus the watery liquid at the bottom of the can

• 5-6 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

• 7 tablespoons of cocoa powder

For the vanilla cream:

• One 14-ounce can of FULL FAT coconut cream, minus the watery liquid at the bottom of the can

• 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Optional garnish: semi-sweet chocolate
 

Preparation Directions: 

This dessert requires some planning as the cream needs time to thicken in the fridge both before and after you make the parfaits. 

1. Put both cans of cream in the fridge overnight. This allows the cream to thicken and separate from the watery liquid at the bottom of the can. (Not all cans of cream will have this liquid.)

2. After the cans have had a night to sit, open one can and scoop out all the thick cream, leaving any watery liquid at the bottom of the can. You can dispose of this liquid or save it for a recipe requiring light coconut milk (I save it for baking projects).

3. To make the vanilla cream, put the cream in a food processor, along with the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Process ingredients until they are thoroughly blended.

4. Pour the cream in a bowl. If the cream is still runny, cover it and put it back in the fridge for several hours (all day or overnight is best).

5. Open your second can of coconut cream and separate the cream from the liquid. You can dispose of this liquid or save it for a recipe requiring light coconut milk.


6. To make the chocolate mousse, put the cream in the food processor with 7 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 5 tablespoons of maple syrup. Process the ingredients until they are well blended.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because every can of coconut cream has a different ratio of thick cream to coconut water, the cocoa powder and maple syrup measurements may need to be adjusted to taste. 


Instructions for parfait assembly:

1.  Cut off the tip of one of the bottom corners of a large Ziploc bag to create a piping bag of sorts. Spoon the chocolate mousse into the bag.

2. Pipe the chocolate mousse into a parfait, wine, or champagne glass until the glass is 1/3 full.

3. Make a second Ziploc piping bag and scoop the vanilla cream into it. Pipe the vanilla cream on top of the chocolate mousse until the cup is 2/3 full. Your vanilla cream may be runnier than your chocolate cream. That's okay; it will still work. The chocolate mousse base should be thick enough to keep the vanilla cream from running to the bottom of the glass.

4. Pipe chocolate mousse on top of the vanilla cream until the glass is full.

5. If you'd like, grate semi-sweet chocolate on top of the cream for a garnish.

6. Put the parfaits in the fridge to set for a few hours before serving.

Is that easy or what?!

This would also be yummy with alternating layers of raspberries or sliced strawberries. And if you can eat cookies (gluten-free or not), this would be delicious with alternating layers of crushed chocolate cookies!

And of course, the chocolate mousse is divine on its own. I make it regularly, and eat it straight out of a big ol' tub. 

Bon appetite, my friends (and SWEET dreams!)!

Cheering for you, Skillets,


Sarah

Are we Instagram and Facebook friends yet?! Let's be!


© by scj

Another List: Holidays, a Festive Recipe, and [Not] Moving

I'm full of lists these days because lists make me feel organized, efficient and productive. It's an illusion that gets me all warm and fuzzy inside, so I embrace it.

And so, in honor of the weekend, I have another list of rather disparate items:

1. I met my sister, who lives in Portland, at my grandma's house in Arizona for Thanksgiving last week. It was so lovely to see them both.

Sister and I enjoyed long walks in the desert warmth....

...a trip to the zoo...

...and, of course, junk food.

There is little in this world that soothes the soul like eating an entire bag of cheese puffs with your sister whilst watching the movie Holes.


2. Third graders are some of the most [delightful, hilarious and fun] germy human beings on earth. Or so I thought. But then I started teaching college, I discovered it is possible to be sick more severely and often than 9-year olds.

These crazy kids. I love 'em. Third Grade, you were good to me

When I taught third grade, my students started dropping like flies at Halloween and stayed sick until Easter. But college students start getting sick the first day of class, in August, and they stay sick every week until the last day of class in May.

When I taught third grade, I got sick every two weeks or so. But this semester? I've been healthy as healthy can be, with the exception of a VIOLENT bug back in August that had me wondering if I was tasting death.

I have a number of tricks to staying healthy when everyone around me is getting the flu, mono and strep, but my secret weapon is this: I eat raw garlic every night before bed. It chases away bugs, bacteria, and vampires.

 Because: Team Jacob. 

Avoiding refined sugar, exercising regularly, having flowers around the house, spending time with funny friends, and getting lots of sleep will help with fighting off bugs and bacteria, too. Although they won't be much help when it comes to fighting off vampires. Consider yourself warned.


3. I lifted weights yesterday for the first time in 4.5 years. Just four months ago I thought I'd never be able to lift weights again. But here I am, 24 hours after lifting, and although my body is flooded with lactic acid, and although my triceps feel like they've been pumped full of water, and although my hamstrings feel like very tight violin strings, I FEEL GOOD, like a fish thrown back in the water. Praise God.


4. This week I've been full of ambition. I'm going to do an Iron Man! I'm going to write a book! I'm going to make four batches of Christmas fudge! I can tell you one thing with certainty: my response to that last proposal is Y-E-S.

Here is the source of all this dreamin':

Peppermint hot chocolate with whipped cream. You've gots tah make some. It'll put a lift in your step. 

Here are the directions for one serving of this dairy and refined sugar-free nectar of delight:

Measure a mug full — about 1 1/2 cups — of SO Delicious unsweetened, vanilla coconut milk and pour it in a saucepan.

 If you get the plain coconut milk then be sure to add a splash of vanilla to your hot chocolate.

Add:

• About 2 T of cocoa powder
• About 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (I usually just add the syrup to taste)
• 2 of these honey mints from Trader Joe's:
  

Whisk the ingredients together until the chocolate mints are melted and the mixture is frothy and steaming.

Pour the hot chocolate into your favorite mug and top with coconut whipped cream.

To make coconut whipped cream, put a can of full fat coconut cream in the fridge overnight — Trader Joe's brand is by far the best for whipping cream. Take it out and whip its contents and maple syrup (add the syrup to taste — I usually put in about 2 tablespoons) in your food processor until ingredients are thoroughly blended.

And voila! You're ready to rumble.


5. Earlier this fall, when I started thinking seriously about PhD programs, I decided I wanted to move to Scotland for school. My dream school is in Scotland and I figured I'd shoot for the stars.

My great grandparents came over from Scotland on a boat, so this beautiful place is my homeland.

With time, however, I realized it wasn't wise for me to go traipsing off to Scotland to complete a stressful PhD program so soon after a full return to health. I figured I should give my body some time to get strong before throwing myself in the deep end like that.

And then, this week, it rained for three days straight, and I knew I'd made the right choice, as Scotland is one very green and very rainy place.

When the sun shines here I often feel like Life is reaching her arms inside my soul and tickling me. But when it rains for three days straight? I tend to feel like Life is reaching her arms inside my soul and playing a mournful tune on the cello strings she's found there. That, and I feel like a fat, oozing slug that has just been doused in salt.

So the sun: it's a good thing. And Scotland: it's a dream I may revisit next year. In the meantime, I'm looking at a program here in the sunny south, and I'm applying sunscreen while I hit the beach.



I hope your weekend is off to a merry and restful start, my friends!

-SJ


© by scj