Dark Chocolate Coconut Cakies

The is not my usual post, but I needed to bring a treat to a function and wanted to try out some "paleo-ish" baking.  I got the recipe from www.mulitplydelicious.com.  Not my own at all, but it was good, so I wanted to share with you all!

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup blanched almond flour

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus additional for topping

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

6 organic dates, pits removed

1/2 cup smooth organic almond butter

1 small ripe banana

1/3 cup canned organic pumpkin

2 medium eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 4 ounces dark chocolate (anything over 70% cacao – and soy free), chopped – reserve some for topping cookies--I used the "Enjoy Life" brand

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together coconut flour, almond flour, shredded coconut, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a small microwave-safe bowl add pitted dates and 1 tablespoon water.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Remove dish from microwave and mash dates into a paste using a fork or spoon.

Add the date paste to the bowl of a food processor along with almond butter, banana, pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Process until well combined.  Then add dry ingredients to food processor and process until everything is incorporated.  Remove blade and stir in chopped dark chocolate.  The batter will be sticky.

Using a ice cream scoop or large tablespoon, scoop dough into balls and place on prepared cookie sheet.  About 2″ apart.  With wet fingers press gently on tops of cookies.  Sprinkle additional dark chocolate and shredded coconut flakes onto the tops of cookies.

Bake cookies for 18 to 20 minutes or until cookies are golden.  Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack. 

The cookies are great after they are cooled and even better the next day.  If you don’t eat them all right away I would suggest storing them in a air tight container in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy!!

Grilled Lemon Salmon with Dill and Garlic

I wanted to do something other than my usual baked salmon (which usually has that weird white stuff because it's cooked too hot too quickly, even though it tastes good) and decided to try grilling it again.  Well worth it!

2 lbs salmon fillets, rinsed and dried (should be about 4 fillets)
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 TBS dill (could have used more, but I ran out)
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Place lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings in a large ziploc bag, mix well, and add salmon fillets.  Marinate in fridge for a few hours.  About 30 minutes before you're ready to grill, take them out to warm up a bit.  Grill at about 300-350 degrees for 15 minutes, skin side down, or until done.  Let rest 5 minutes.  I served mine with wilted garlic spinach.

Baked Fajitas

This is a super simple dish that I found via Pinterest (again) from sixsistersstuff.com.  I tweaked it a little, wrapped in lettuce leaves instead of tortillas and it becomes Paleo!

2 pounds chicken tenders
2 bell peppers, cut into strips
2 onions, sliced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (sugar free)
1 4 oz can diced green chilis
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a large baking pan.  In a small bowl, mix oil and spices and set aside.  Place chicken, peppers, onions, diced tomatoes and chilis in pan, drizzle spice mixture over chicken and veggies and toss to coat.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  I served mine in lettuce leaves with some sliced avocado and chopped fresh cilantro.