Primal Pumpkin Bread

A month…that’s how long it’s been since I’ve posted a new recipe.  My hopes of quitting my job and being a full time food blogger definitely aren’t going to happen when I can’t even post a new recipe every week!  For those of you that still stick around and look forward to each new post, thank you :)

Last time I was here I shared with you what I believe to be the most amazing artichoke dip ever, and since then I have made it 3 more times.  Really, I need to stop; some of us have a wedding dress to squeeze into in 37 days.  The Boy might have been on to something when he suggested we weigh-in before football season!

It was also still summer last time was here and now that it’s officially fall and I can’t wait to start pigging out on some of my favorite foods of the season.  However this year will be a little different, since us Primal folk don’t eat grains or sugar I am looking forward to reinventing some of my favorite fall dishes.  Primal Pumpkin Pie has nice ring to it don’t you think?  PS…I’ve had it and its AMAZING (thanks Jen!)

So in the spirit of the season today I’m bringing you a recipe for Primal Pumpkin Bread.  I didn’t think it was possible, but believe it or not this bread does not contain one speck of flour or sugar and it’s the most moist, dense cake I’ve ever had.  And trust me when I tell you it makes one hell of a French Toast the next day.  Enjoy!

Primal Pumpkin Bread

1 cup of almond butter
* In this recipe it really does help to make your own.  Toast one 12oz bag of raw almonds with 1 tablespoon of real maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of salt.  Roast at 375º for 10 – 15 minutes, when you can smell them they’re done.  Cool, toss into the food processor and process until smooth.
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ can pure pumpkin
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
A dash and a heap of your favorite fall spices, season to taste.  I used 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup raisins (optional)

Preheat your oven to 325º and butter a loaf pan. 

Mix all ingredients except the lemon juice into a large bowl and beat until well combined with mixer.  Add the lemon juice and fold in the raisins, if using.  Pour the batter into buttered loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool, slice and eat.  And seriously, the next morning dip slices into an egg / milk mixture, top with toasted pecans and real maple syrup…best French Toast ever!

A-Freaking-Mazing Artichoke Dip

I have a new addiction, PINTEREST!  Some of you may know exactly what I’m talking about, and for those of you that don’t…really I’m sorry.  Sorry because if you venture over there I fear you will also succumb to the dark side.  The hours I should spend here with you, blogging about what I’m currently stuffing my face with are increasingly being spent on this devil of a site.  What is it exactly?  The best way for me to explain it would be to call it a virtual ‘favorite things’ folder.  You know how we used to cut things out of magazines and put them in a drawer?  Basically it’s the same thing but online.  Recipes, clothes, decorating ideas, you name it it’s on there.  And I’m obsessed…thanks again Jen!

So what does Pinterest have to do with food?  Well as I mentioned there are recipes out there, and yes Primal and Paleo recipes too!  They don’t advertise them that way but when you click on an image it will jump you over to the website where the main recipe can be found.  And some of these gems end up being Paleo and Primal friendly.

This brings us to the reason you are all here, today’s recipe for A-Freaking-Mazing Artichoke Dip.  I loved the name so much I’m keeping it!  And it definitely lives up to its name; I literally ate an entire pan in one weekend.  With homemade corn tortilla chips, with veggies, plain, even stirred into a frittata for breakfast…this stuff is amazing. And I can’t wait to give those Cheese Crisps a whirl.

I made a couple minor tweaks to the original recipe, and with the start of football season officially kicking off last night tonight I can think of anything better to sit and munch on while watching the big game.  Go Pack!

A-Freaking-Mazing Artichoke Dip

Serves a crowd

1 8oz brick of Farmer’s Cheese at room temperature

* You can also substitute cream cheese, but I prefer the dryness of Farmer’s Cheese
¼ cup of sour cream
1 cup of fresh chopped greens
* I used spinach and kale but frozen spinach will also work
2 cans of quartered artichoke hearts packed in water
1 tablespoon sriracha (of course!) or chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

A couple grinds of fresh cracked pepper

½ cup fresh grated mozzarella cheese, reserve a little to sprinkle on top

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into a greased baking dish.  Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and pop into a preheated 350° oven for 30 to 45 minutes.  Crank your broiler on high and let the top get all crispy and brown.  Then don’t be like me and stuff your face the minute it comes out of the oven, its hot people…enjoy!

Banana Pecan Muffins

I have an addiction, and its spelled B A N A N A S!  My morning breakfast is typically comprised of a protein shake or greek yogurt and a banana.  My evening dessert is more times then not, a slightly chilled banana chopped with toasted pecans, honey and a splash of heavy cream.  I bake with them, I put them in smoothies you name it I’ve tried it.  My only caveat is that I prefer them to be a little unripe.  When there is just a faint touch of green on the tips and the peels are still pale yellow.  They’re not too sweet and have a slight bitterness to them that reminds me of plantains. 

Since I prefer them this way more times then not I usually end up with a stray one or two that never quite made it in to my daily routine.  In the past, before the whole Primal transformation, I would have used this opportunity to make yet another favorite thing, Banana Bread.  But since carbs are a no-no I was at a loss at what to do with the stragglers...until I discovered this site.  Low and behold, what did I find?  Banana Muffins, finally the world made sense again.

Banana Pecan Muffins

Makes 9

2 medium bananas

3 eggs
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

Preheat your oven to 350º and insert liners into your muffin tins.

Place bananas, eggs, oil and honey together in a bowl and mix until well combined.  I tossed everything in my food processor (love that thing) and pulsed it a couple times.  Add in the coconut flour, salt and baking soda and mix until smooth.

Transfer the batter from the processor to a medium sized bowl and fold in the chopped pecans.  Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the nuts to sprinkle on top.

Using an ice cream scoop or a ¼ cup measure, scoop the batter into the lined muffin tins.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Fast and Easy Homemade Hummus

I admit it, I have addiction to hummus, however in the past I have never truly been able to produce one that I have loved as much as the one I can get in a certain Greek restaurant in a certain town, located off of 7th Avenue that the mere thought of makes me swoon. Light, creamy and down right delicious! That is until now, turns out the secret lies in juice I always pour down the drain when straining the beans from the can. Normally I am an advocate for all things fresh but when I want hummus, I want it now! I don’t have the time to let the beans soak overnight to get tender so I always have a couple cans of garbanzo beans (or chick peas) in my pantry. This can be whipped up in the food processor or blender in about 5 minutes, serve with some toasted whole wheat pitas and you have one amazing appetizer, snack, whatever you want a call it, it’s GOOD!

Homemade Hummus

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed but liquid reserved
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons tahini, can be found in most supermarkets in the peanut butter aisle
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon smoked paprika

In a food processor or blender, combine the minced garlic, beans, lemon juice, tahini, cumin and salt. Set the speed on low and blend until evenly mixed, while on low begin to slowly stream in the reserved liquid from the beans. You want the mixture to become light and fluffy; this of course is to your preference but in all you will need about ½ a cup of the reserved liquid. Transfer to a medium bowl, sprinkle with smoked paprika and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Cut pitas into wedges drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of dry oregano. Make sure pitas are well coated on both sides with oil and herbs and pop into a preheated 325º oven for about 7 minutes. Serve along side hummus with carrot sticks, tomato wedges and olives for a healthy and delicious snack.

Ooey, Gooey Granola Bars

Alright health food nuts, this ones for you! I don’t know about you but I whole heartedly adore granola, whether is big, gooey bars for a mid day snack or crumbled up in my yogurt for breakfast it’s something I pretty much eat on a daily basis. Only problem is, majority of the stuff tastes like cardboard and the brands that are half way decent cost and arm and a leg. I don’t know about you, but these days I’m saving every penny I can get my hands on so thus began my mission…to create homemade granola bars that aren’t just budget friendly but flavor packed as well. Yes my friends, this is what granola is supposed to taste like!

This is probably the most adaptable recipe you can find out there, and where you can get your creative juices flowing! Experiment each time you make these with different types of nuts, dried fruits, chocolates, etc. Let your mind run wild and make a different batch each week! Also important to note is that these bars freeze wonderfully.

Ooey, Gooey, Granola Bars
Makes 10 bars

1 2/3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (now don’t go out and buy a bag of oat flour, simply put 1/3 cup of oats in the food processor or blender and process until finely ground)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
3 cups of dried fruits and nuts (my mix is 1 cup of chopped pecans, 1 cup dried cranberries, ½ cup sunflower seeds and ½ cup of semi sweet chocolate chips)
1/3 cup peanut butter (or almond butter or nutella, whatever you have on hand)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons of melted butter
¼ cup of honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (I use honey)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9x9 baking ban with a piece of parchment paper making sure the ends go all the way up the walls of the pan, then coat the pan with non stick cooking spray. This will help easily remove the bars from the pan once they are cooled.

Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the dried fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl combine the peanut butter, vanilla, melted butter, honey or maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of corn syrup and water then whisk until well incorporated. Toss the wet ingredients in with the dry and combine until the ingredients are well coated and the mixture is nice and crumbly. Spread mixture into prepared pan and press firmly. I cover mine with a piece of plastic wrap first so as to keep the mixture in the pan and not all over my hands.

Pop the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until the edges are nice a brown. Don’t be afraid to get a little color on these, it’s a sign that your nuts are getting nice and toasty…just make sure you don’t go too far and burn them. I find 40 minutes works perfect for my oven. The middle will seem a little under done when you take them out but don’t worry, they will firm up as they cool.

Now this is the hard part because they smell so good, let the bars cool in their pan on a cooling rack completely. This means at least 2 hours. However after about 30 minutes you can grab the edges of your parchment and lift the bars out of the pan to continue cooling. You want your bars to be completely room temperature before cutting into them, in fact I even pop mine into the fridge for a good 30 minutes just to be sure. Using a serrated knife, cut into desired sizes, if they start to crumble they’re not completely cool pop ‘em back in the fridge and try again in 15 minutes.

To store wrap bars individually in wax paper or stack in an airtight container. For us Florida folks I recommend keeping them in the fridge cause of all the humidity but those in cooler climates should be fine with leaving them out.