Monthly Archives: November 2017

Grain Free Apple Tart

This is one of the desserts I am making for Thanksgiving this year. I love the warmth of the spices in apple desserts. It’s no surprise how popular apple pie scented candles are, and an apple tart baking in the oven makes the whole house smell amazing! I make a homemade non-toxic air freshener on my stove top with apples, oranges, cloves and a cinnamon stick. Here’s how if you want to do this……smells wonderful!

Apple Tart - Grain Free

I use coconut butter, maple sugar and cinnamon in the crust, which is similar to a sugar cookie crust. The apples are sweetened with maple sugar and apple butter. Because there is no top crust on this tart, I found tenting the pie while baking holds in the moisture and makes the apples retain their juiciness.

Apple Pie Tart Pin

Grain Free Apple Tart

Preheat your oven to 350° F and line an 8″ tart pan with parchment. I used a ceramic one, a pie pan will work as well. I have also made this recipe in a square metal baking pan.

Crust:

1/2 Cup of Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup of Coconut Butter

1 Egg

1/3 Cup of Maple Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

In a food processor, process the crust ingredients until it is crumbly and blended well. Pour the crumbly mixture into the prepared pan, and press firmly and evenly with your fingers to form the crust. Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Apple Filling

I used Cortland apples in this recipe. You can use any tart apple or combination of apples that are good for pies including McIntosh or Granny Smith.

Ingredients:

6 Cups of Tart Apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/2″

1/4 Cup of Apple Butter, I use this clean brand, just apples and juice

1/4 Cup of Maple Sugar plus 1 Tablespoon for the top

2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil or Coconut Oil, melted

1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon of Allspice

1/4 Teaspoon of Cardamom

1/4 Teaspoon of Ginger

1/8 Teaspoon of Nutmeg or Mace

1/8 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Toss the apples with the lemon juice. Then, add in the maple sugar, spices and salt, and toss to coat evenly. Finally add the apple butter and olive oil or melted coconut oil and toss. Spread the apples evenly on top of the crust. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and seal the edges. Bake in your preheated oven for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, and pierce an apple slice with a fork to make sure it is tender. Then, sprinkle the apples with the remaining one tablespoon of maple sugar, and bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

This tart is great as is, but I do believe I will be adding my recipe for coconut whipped cream to embellish the top on turkey day! The recipe is here for that.

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream

Paleo Pilgrim Burgers

Paleo Pilgrim Burger

Here is a delicious Paleo rendition of the Pilgrim Burger with all the flavors of Thanksgiving! It is a burger with a squash or sweet potato bun, mashed celeriac or potatoes, a turkey burger, and fresh cranberry sauce on top! Thanksgiving flavors in a burger!

Paleo Pilgrim Burger

Fresh and Quick Cranberry Sauce:

Fresh and Quick Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

8 ounces of organic fresh cranberries

1/3 Cup of Maple Syrup

2 Teaspoons of Fresh Organic Orange Zest

3 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1/8 Teaspoon of Ground Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Bring the cranberry mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook 7 – 8 minutes until the cranberries pop. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes, and then take a potato masher and mash until there are still some cranberry pieces in it, but is creamy. Place in a serving bowl.

For the “bun”:

Preheat your oven to 400° F. Lay out a rimmed cookie sheet covered with parchment.

Bun Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash, Top half without seeds peeled and sliced into 1/2″ rounds

1 Large Sweet Potato, Peeled and sliced into 1/2″ rounds

Directions: Place the rounds onto the baking sheet and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes until soft when pierced with a fork.

For the Mashed Celeriac or Potatoes you will need:

2 medium Celeriac Root peeled or 2 to 3 large russet potatoes

1 Cup of Chicken Broth or Bone Broth, more if needed

1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil or Ghee

Sea Salt to Taste

Directions: Cook the cubed celeriac or potatoes in the chicken broth, covered at a simmer until tender. Place in a food processor, and add the coconut milk, fat of choice and salt to taste. Puree until smooth and creamy. Now for the burger!

Paleo Pilgrim Burger with Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients for the Burger:

2 lbs. of Ground Turkey

1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup

2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons of Grated White Onion

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Sage

1/2 Teaspoon of Thyme

Chopped Green Onion for the top.

Directions: Mix all the ingredients together, and form into 6 patties. Heat a cast iron skillet to hot, and place additional olive oil in a cast iron skillet to coat the pan. Cook three burgers at a time. To assemble, place the squash bun or sweet potato round on the bottom, add a generous scoop of mash, the burger and then top with the fresh cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with green scallions. Serve hot!

You can make this as often as you like, but it is especially delicious over the holidays! A fancy way I like to serve them is to assemble them all on a large turkey platter, and let everyone pick their favorite!

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Biscotti is my all time favorite cookie! They just go so well with coffee. I like to munch on biscotti when I play cards with friends. What’s your favorite card game? Mine is Euchre. I hope you still take time to play cards if you enjoy it! It seems harder to find the time anymore, but always leaves me feeling happy and connected. Here’s a great recipe for a cookie with holiday flavors, but you can enjoy it anytime of year.

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Biscotti On a Plate with a Pug Mug - Grain Free

It is made grain free with coconut flour and has heart healthy olive oil in it.

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Biscotti

Note: If you are eating strict SCD Low FodMap, substitute chopped pecans or walnuts for the chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup of Coconut Flour, scooped and leveled

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

1/4 Cup of Honey

1/3 Cup of Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips (here is the link for Amazon, but they are available at many grocery stores as well)

1/4 Cup of Apple Juice Sweetened Dried Cranberries (I use these)

Zest of one Organic Orange

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the eggs, honey, vanilla, orange zest and olive oil. Beat with a hand held mixer for one minute. Sift together the coconut flour, baking soda and salt, then add it to the wet mixture. Beat for two minutes until the batter begins to thicken. Then, fold in the cranberries and chocolate chips, distributing evenly. Let set for 5 minutes to thicken. Coconut is very absorbent.

Scoop the cookie batter onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, an offset spatula, shape it into a rectangle measuring approximately 12″ x 4″ x 1″ high. Alternatively, you can shape it with slightly damp hands. This keeps the dough from sticking to your hands.

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Orange Biscotti Dough

Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Orange Biscotti Dough Log

Bake in your preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are starting to brown.

Baked Biscotti Log

Remove from the oven and cool on the sheet for one hour. Reduce your oven’s heat to 325° degrees. Place the cooled cookie log onto a cutting board, and with a serrated knife, carefully slice the log on a diagonal, cutting the cookies into long rectangles about 1 inch thick each.

Biscotti Ready For Second Bake Place the cut side down back onto the parchment paper, and bake 3 minutes per side. After the first 3 minutes, take the cookies out of the oven and flip them over to the other cut side. Take care not to over brown, as all ovens are slightly different. Remove the biscotti from the oven and cool completely.