Category Archives: Dessert

Avocado Chocolate Frosting (Paleo and Vegan)

Posted on by G
9

Paleo Avocado Chocolate Frosting

Today’s post is by my husband G who did a great job making a beautiful, delicious, healthful (uh, yes, I think it is – at least relatively speaking!) birthday cake for me recently. 

My wife’s birthday always falls near – and sometimes on – Mother’s Day. This often makes for a fun and enjoyable weekend as we celebrate both events, but it can also be kind of hectic as the boys and I shop for gifts and attempt to divvy them up appropriately and in secret.

Well, this year I vowed to get an early and efficient jump on things. The boys and I did our shopping, wrote our birthday and Mother’s Day cards, wrapped our gifts, and were busy clapping each other on the back for our efforts when my wife suddenly asked the dreaded question:

“Are you making me a cake?”

A cake?!?!

D’OH!!!

I forgot the cake!

After hemming and hawing about whether she REALLY wanted a cake (lame, I know), and whether I had enough time to make one, she said “Just look at my website. You know I’ve posted cake recipes!”

My eyes quickly darted back and forth like a deer caught in the headlights. “Ummm…yeah! Duh! Of course I…hee-hee…of course I know that, Sweetie!”

She rolled her eyes, handed me my iPad, and said “Here. Get busy!”

And I have to admit it…it WAS easy. And it DID have avocado in the chocolate frosting. An avocado chocolate frosting. And it WAS delicious!

Paleo Avocado Chocolate Frosting

We’ve had this cake (Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake) before, but it’s the first time I’ve actually made it myself. Now, I’m fairly competent in the kitchen so I wasn’t wary of the task…but I was a tad skeptical when my wife told me that avocado was a primary ingredient in the frosting.

Paleo Avocado Chocolate Frosting

Avocado?

Isn’t that for guacamole? I mean, I love guacamole but this is chocolate frosting! Well, what it all comes down to is trust, and I trust my wife. After all, she’s like the Professor on Gilligan’s Island – she can make ANYTHING with coconut! – so I had to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Paleo Avocado Chocolate Frosting

Not only is this frosting really tasty, but it doesn’t taste anything like avocado! It tastes exactly how it’s supposed to taste – like rich, creamy chocolate cake frosting. In fact, when you serve it to your friends don’t tell them it’s made with avocado until after they eat a piece! Just enjoy their surprised expressions.

Avocado Chocolate Frosting

Paleo Avocado Chocolate Frosting Continue reading →

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Mango and Mandarin Orange Paleo Cheesecake Tart

Posted on by Lea
2

Paleo Cheesecake Tart

There is almost nothing better in spring than taking walks to enjoy the first flowers of the season. The emergence of daffodils always signals for me that winter is truly over and all the wonderful weather months of the year are yet to come. William Wordsworth also appreciated daffodils, writing a masterpiece of a poem dedicated to these symbols of rebirth. The poet not only exulted in the sight of the daffodils but realized his indulgence in such displays of natural beauty carried over to more mundane times when they would “flash upon” his “inward eye”. More reason to make time to appreciate beauty as a way to enrich your life and sustain your health.

Daffodils

by Williams Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.yellow daffodils

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
Hipstamatic daffodils 4x6
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed–and gazed–but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
Single daffodil
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Mango and Mandarin Orange Paleo Cheesecake Tart

Daffodils* blooming is also the time of year when fresher flavors are in order. Following on the heels of the Paleo Key Lime Pie I share this recipe for a frozen paleo cheesecake tart that also incorporates the refreshing flavor of citrus. This no-bake, grain-free paleo dessert contains a dairy-free “cheesecake” layer of mandarin orange flavored cashew cream topped with a puree of mangos and mandarin orange juice.

Paleo Cheesecake Tart

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Paleo Key Lime Pie: Dairy-free, Nut-free and Vegan

Posted on by Lea
14

paleo key lime pie

Spring has finally sprung around here and it feels like time to celebrate. This Paleo Key Lime Pie was inspired by the beautiful green hues that emerge as spring arrives. Far from the hearty stews, braised meats, roasted veggies and even rich dark chocolates featured in our kitchens and dotting the food blog landscape in winter, this key lime pie feels a world apart and just right for spring!

paleo key lime pie

The other inspiration for the pie came about after an email from a woman desperately hunting for a birthday dessert recipe for her friend. The trouble, you see, is her friend is Paleo AND vegan. And if that wasn’t challenge enough, the friend is also allergic to nuts. Impossible, you say? Well, at first I thought it was but keep reading and you will see the ingredients that make this dream come true.

paleo key lime pie

The day after I made the pie we had a scary experience with our youngest son. We thought Nathaniel had managed to dodge the allergy bullet. We found out the hard way that is not the case when he ingested a bit of walnut and ended up needing an Epi-Pen injection to stop his throat closing up. Thank God he is fine now and I will write more about what happened in a future post. But it seemed all the more fitting that we have a paleo dessert recipe that is safe for almost anyone.

Paleo Key Lime PIe

The Paleo Key Lime pie has no dairy, no nuts, no eggs, no soy, no grains and free of refined sugars. The taste is tart and refreshing and you will never detect the main, and surprising, ingredient – avocados. Continue reading →

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Salted Coconut Sugar Caramels (Paleo & Vegan)

Posted on by Lea
7

paleo caramel

Salted caramel must be one of the all-time best taste sensations. With the holiday season fast approaching I thought it would be fun to try making coconut sugar caramels and topping them with some beautiful finishing sea salt. There may not be such a thing as paleo candy but I suppose this comes pretty close.

We happened upon the sea salt at a food specialty store while down the Jersey Shore this past summer. The store stocked many indulgences from around the world including exotic olive oils and infused vinegars. But the Hawaiian Black Lava and Red Alaea Sea Salts caught our attention. We procured them with the hope they would find their way into a recipe deserving of their beauty and flavor.

Behold Salted Coconut Sugar Caramels!

paleo salted caramel

paleo caramelSalted coconut sugar caramels are made with coconut sugar, coconut sap (liquid version) and coconut cream. This means the caramels have a lower glycemic index than if we had used white sugar. Does this mean that people with diabetes or weight issues should be eating this candy? I would say no. However, if you are looking for something sweet and fun as a treat, this coconut sugar caramel might be for you. They make great gifts too.

This is what your friends and loved-ones will see after opening one of your homemade salted caramels.

paleo salted caramel

The taste imparted by the coconut sugar/sap is different from regular sugar. The coconut sugar is a little more like brown sugar and the coconut sap has a definite tang to it. It imparts a very distinct flavor as does the use of coconut cream. The vanilla, cinnamon and ginger serve to accent and mellow out the tanginess of the coconut sugar and the ghee gives it that smooth and creamy taste that can only be achieved with the use of dairy products. If you do not have ghee or prefer a vegan option you can try it with coconut oil which will give it a more distinctly coconut flavor.

paleo salted caramel

The first time I made this salted caramel I only cooked it to 250 degrees F before immediately pouring it into the pan to set. It created a very soft finished product that was delicious but hard to work with. I reheated the caramel and allowed it to go to 265 or 270 and quickly poured it out into the prepared pan. This created a soft caramel that held its shape. The next time I made the coconut sugar caramel I let it go to 270 and it stayed there for a few minutes. This created a much harder finished caramel. G actually preferred this version and my boys did as well, likening it to the texture of a tootsie roll. Personally, I liked the slightly softer version the best and thought it was much easier to handle and cut. Continue reading →

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Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies (Paleo & Vegan)

Posted on by Lea
3

Double Chocolate Paleo Cookies:: PaleoSpirit.com

The following recipe for Paleo Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies was originally posted at the wonderful site Against All Grain as a guest post. Danielle gave me the opportunity to share a recipe and a few thoughts on the importance of beauty in our lives on her site. If you are not already familiar with Danielle’s site you are in for a treat. Like me, Danielle has been able to manage an autoimmune disease through diet. She specializes in recipes that are grain free and consequently gluten-free, free of refined sugars and low to minimal dairy. Check out my Guest Post at Against All Grain and stick around a while and enjoy Danielle’s amazing and healthful recipes and beautiful food photography. Continue reading →

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Paleo Banana Cardamom Bread

Posted on by Lea
25

Well, today a new chapter in my life begins. I’m starting a new job after being home full-time with my boys for almost two and a half years.

It’s a big day for me and I’m excited and a little nervous. Being home has been wonderful and I have enjoyed every second of the time with my children. Having the time to be able to focus on healing my body and soul has been priceless. With help from God, a few good friends and loved-ones, I have come a long way. Working on this website has been a creative outlet for me and I have enjoyed all the comments and emails I have received over the months. But, with new found health and vitality, the time has come to take on a new challenge. While I will definitely be busier than ever I fully intend to keep posting here.

In fact, I am quite sure I will need to come up with strategies for managing our paleo diet while working a very intense schedule. When I was preparing for my busy week ahead I decided to make some paleo banana bread to store away for breakfasts for at least a couple of days. We usually eat meatier fare in the mornings and I have had the luxury of time to devote to kitchen clean-up. Now, not so much!

Paleo Banana Cardamom Bread

The addition of cardamom came about mainly because I wanted to make something a bit different from the standard banana bread flavor. But the motivation to use this particular spice was the result of my own disorganization when it comes to grocery shopping. I was recently making a recipe that called for cardamom as one of about a zillion ingredients. When I was in the grocery store I could not for the life of me remember whether or not I had ground cardamom. So, of course, I bought a big jar of it. Come to find out, I already had two other jars! So I tried desperately to figure out what flavors go with cardamom. This spice has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic, resinous fragrance. In addition to being used in Indian cooking, cardamom is used in baking in many Nordic countries. Once I heard this news it occurred to me that it might compliment the flavor of banana – and I was right. Whew! That’s a relief. Something to do with the cardamom now.

paleo banana bread

When using almond flour I almost always add some coconut flour. Almond flour seems too wet and the addition of coconut dries it out a bit. The combination of the two seems to hit the “sweet spot” in grain-free baking. I had to make this a few times to come up with the right ratio as well as the best sized pan and oven temperature. The recipe for paleo banana cardamom bread you will find below is moist and aromatic – perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or tea in the afternoon.

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Homemade Nutella (Paleo & Vegan)

Posted on by Lea
10

Paleo Nutella

One of the exciting things about traveling to other countries, at least for me, has always been finding local food products. It was exciting to bring home some of these packaged foods to share with my family as a souvenir of travel. While finding local foods is still fun, the world has undoubtedly become smaller. Foods that were once found only in Australia or Italy are now widely available either in local stores or via an internet order.

While I may not be ordering large quantities of Vegemite (no offense to my Australian readers!), Nutella, which I initially found when living in Italy, remains near and dear to my heart. I have not eaten this hazelnut and chocolate spread in ages and ages because it simply has too much sugar (first ingredient). But I recently had this epiphany about Nutella. There is nothing in the basic recipe for Nutella that is absolutely outside of what would be allowable in the paleo way of eating providing we make a few tweaks. Yay!

homemade paleo nutella breakfast

This recipe for homemade paleo nutella will get you pretty close to the real thing. One difference is the texture which is a bit less smooth due to the fact that we are making our own nut butter. It is also less sweet. But this, for me at least, is a bonus. My taste for sugar and sweet things is far less than it has been in the past so I am completely pleased with the level of sweetness of this homemade version of the chocolate hazelnut spread. When I put the finished product in the refrigerator it did not harden up to a brick but remained nicely spreadable without requiring warming up. The oils also did not separate and it did not require stirring.

Do you remember seeing this ad for Nutella touting its health benefits?

Does that ad crack you up as it does me?

The company behind Nutella ended up paying about $3 Million dollars in a class-action lawsuit because of their health food claims. I’m a staunch believer in personal responsibility so the idea that vast numbers of people would believe eating what is essentially a spreadable candy bar is healthful and then blame the manufacturer is a little beyond me. Not to mention, the idea we should be eating sugary carbs for breakfast is fairly common as evidenced by the TV commercials for so-called healthy cereals loaded with sugar. Can we sue the federal government for the ridiculous food pyramid? Just asking.

Even Homemade Nutella is Not a Health Food

Please, this is not a health food – it will not make you healthier. But it is a reasonably healthful treat that won’t completely derail you if eaten in moderation. If you decide to make this homemade paleo Nutella recipe the only downside would be if you become addicted to it. So sue me. (No, not really.)

Homemade Paleo Nutella: PaleoSpirit.com

 

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Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti (Paleo & Vegan)

Posted on by Lea
22

Paleo Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti:: PaleoSpirit.com

Living in Italy many years ago I first became acquainted with biscotti. It was long enough ago that biscotti were not well-known in the United States. After returning home, I hosted a feast for my extended family that included an authentic almond biscotti recipe. It was something new for my family. The recipe I used was from an Italian cookbook I had purchased in that country and the resulting confections were quite crunchy and dense. In fact, I will never forget how my great aunt Ann enjoyed them. She enjoyed them in spite of the fact that she might have popped her jaw out of place trying to crunch one!

The recipe I have for you today is quite different. This is a grain-free, paleo and vegan recipe for chocolate pistachio biscotti. It uses almond and coconut flours and the resulting cookies are nicely crunchy but not so dense and hard that you will break a tooth or hurt your jaw. My great aunt Ann has passed away now, but I’m quite sure she would have enjoyed these biscotti even more than the “authentic” version.

Paleo Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti:: PaleoSpirit.com

School is back in session for us this week. After school my boys and I enjoy having a snack together and talking about our day. Taking the time to connect with loved ones is important. But it is also important to nourish other friendships by spending time together. Sharing food and drink can be an important part of bonding. It is also a great way to show hospitality – something that seems almost a lost art these days.

I love the poem “A Time To Talk” by Robert Frost. It reminds us of a simpler time when life had a more leisurely pace. It speaks of a man working in his field but taking time to enjoy the company of a good friend who had stopped by. He forgets, for a little while, his responsibilities and chores and simply enjoys spending time with his friend. We should all take a little “time to talk” with people we love and maybe even open our homes in hospitality to someone new, someone who might become a friend.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:2)

Paleo Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti: PaleoSpirit.com

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Rum Raisin Ice Cream (Primal)

Posted on by Lea
1

primal rum raisin ice creamThe twenty year anniversary of my father’s death came and went a couple of weeks ago. He has come to my mind at least once a day for the last twenty years but marking the date caused me to talk about him more than usual. In telling my sons a few fun facts about the grandfather they will never meet (in this life) the subject of ice cream came up. My youngest son, Nathaniel, upon hearing my dad’s favorite ice cream was rum raisin, became fascinated with this fact. He also knows I never saw my father take a drink of alcohol so Nathaniel was a little perplexed about the rum raisin situation. I tried to reassure him the amount of alcohol in rum raisin ice cream is pretty negligible but it made for an interesting conversation.

cup of primal rum raisin ice cream: PaleoSpirit.com

The recent dairy-free Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream recipe went over well (surprise!) so I thought taking on homemade rum raisin ice cream might be a possibility. This time I’m using milk and cream in an effort to recreate my father’s favorite ice cream flavor. It is sweetened only with raisins and maple syrup and has lots of nutritious egg yolks. The taste is exceptionally creamy and our family loved it. We even fought over the ice cream a little but I took that as a positive sign of a delicious result!

Primal Rum Raisin Ice Cream: PaleoSpirit

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Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream (Paleo & Dairy-Free)

Posted on by Lea
18

Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream @PaleoSpirit

This post should probably be titled “Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream and Perfectionism.” It’s been a while since my last post and I’ve been pondering why I have been so slack. It IS summer and we DO have a lot going on. But I realize the other major reason is I am letting my tendency to perfectionism take over. This is not a good thing.

Perfectionism does not mean everything one does is perfect. Far from it!  Having a streak of “perfectionism” means, among other things, the tendency to be highly critical of oneself and to set standards impossibly high. I want my posts to be relevant and useful in some way. But recently I have gotten into a mode of avoiding making a post if I not able to do it “perfectly”.

It can become a crippling habit!

Take this recipe of Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream for example.

Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream @PaleoSpirit

I have tested it a few times and each time it has turned out delicious – as verified by my ice cream connoisseur husband, G. I have wanted to share the recipe with all of you because it is a great dairy-free, lower sugar alternative to “normal” ice cream. But I have delayed in posting it. Why? Because I have been doubting my ability to photograph it properly!

How silly is that?!

I could lay some of the blame at the feet of Pinterest with all its amazing food photography. But the truth is it is my own issue born out of a tendency to be perfectionistic when I have high expectations of myself.

Making recipes is fun and so is taking photos and I want to keep it that way. I plan to continue working on my photography and let my perfectionism drive me to improve. But I am resolving to chill out a bit more, stop comparing myself to others and be happy with the best I am able to do right now.

Enough with my personal angst. Now on with the recipe. :-) Continue reading →

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