Paleo Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-free and Vegan)

Paleo Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Paleo Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

I generally use coconut flour for Paleo dessert recipes because our oldest son, Benjamin, is allergic to nuts. But after hearing great things about it, I finally ordered some blanched almond flour. I started out to create paleo chocolate chip cookies but creativity got the best of me and I ended up with something a little different. I decided to make a Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie instead. And remembering how coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate, something I learned when making the Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake, I also added a packet of Starbucks Via (instant coffee) to the cookie batter.

Starbucks ViaThere’s enough of a resulting coffee flavor in the cookie that the word “mocha” seems appropriate to describe the coffee and chocolate combination.

It seems a little mean to bake these mocha chocolate chip cookies when Ben cannot eat them. But he was a good sport about it saying, “it’s okay, I’m used to it.” I’m not really sure what he meant by that since I go out of my way to ensure he can eat most of my recipes. But he let me off the hook so I won’t worry too much about it. He knows I’ll make him something tasty that he can eat a little later.Paleo Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies

Update:

During subsequent allergy testing, we discovered Ben is not allergic to almonds. His allergist even told me I should feed him almonds or almond flour goods every so often to keep up his immunity.

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Paleo and The City: Greensquare Tavern

Greetings, everyone! “G,” here, filling in for Lea to write a glowing review of Greensquare Tavern, a very Paleo-friendly, “farm to table” restaurant in New York City.

Lea and I really enjoy dining out – probably too much, if my wallet has anything to say about it – but her celiac disease adds an extra dimension of difficulty to finding a suitable restaurant. On more than a few occasions we’ve found great restaurants unfortunately using ingredients that make it virtually impossible to dine safely, so we have been forced to cross them off our list. Therefore, it was a genuine pleasure to come across the Greensquare Tavern.

Located at 5 West 21st Street in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, Greensquare Tavern is spacious, airy, and inviting. A picture window in the front by the bar and a large, overhead skylight flood the dining area with soft, bright light even on a gray rainy day like the day of our visit.

We arrived just before the lunch rush and were greeted by Renee Typaldos, one of the managing partners. There were still plenty of seats, but that didn’t last long. Within 10 minutes, most of the tables were full of hungry office workers and assorted cube mice looking for a healthy, delicious lunch.

Greensquare Tavern

I started off as I usually do, by checking the beer list, and was pleased to inform Lea that Estrella Damm DAURA, a gluten-free ale from Spain, was available! She clapped her hands with delight and promptly ordered one in a large, frosty glass. There aren’t many gluten-free beers, and seemingly fewer restaurants that serve them, so a nice, tasty bottle of DAURA was an unexpected treat.

Estrella Damm Daura

After delivering the gluten-free beer, our waiter returned to tell us about the daily specials. Lea and I both started off with the Chilled Beet Soup. Chilled Beet Soup

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Wild Rice with Pistachios and Cilantro

Wild Rice with Pistachios and Cilantro paleo

Wild Rice with Pistachios and Cilantro paleoLast week my son Benjamin posted his review of the book “The Hunger Games” followed by a recipe for Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums. In the book, the dish is described as being served with wild rice. Now, ordinarily I would not advocate eating a lot of rice. Rice is a grain (some argue wild rice is a grass, but still) so it is not officially part of the Paleo Diet which encourages elimination of grains. Grains are the source of certain anti-nutrients (lectins, phytates, gluten, etc…) that can interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. They are also not as nutrient dense as meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Additionally, grains are high in calories and carbohydrates which is not necessarily what you need when trying to lose weight or maintain your weight.

That having been said, I DO eat rice now and then. The small amount of rice in my diet is usually found underneath a big slab of raw tuna at a sushi restaurant. But when I read about the wild rice dish served with the fictional Lamb Stew with Dried Plums I figured there was little harm in creating a wild rice recipe. My boys are very active and can use energy from starchy carbs. They also think it is super cool to be eating a Hunger Games dish. Even though wild rice still has some of the anti-nutrients found in other grains, it does not contain gluten like wheat, rye or barley. So if you have room in your diet for some starchy carbs now and then, especially if you or your family are very active, then you might consider having wild rice as a side dish.

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Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums

Paleo Hunger Games Lamb Stew

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET THE 74th ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES BEGIN! AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR… Hi, my name is Ben. I am an enormously, epically, hugely, giantly, largely-big fan of THE HUNGER GAMES! I am here to do a quick book review before Paleo Spirit (aka my mom) shares a Hunger … Read more

How to Poach an Egg

poached egg on tomato

poached egg on tomato

Favorite Way to Eat Poached Eggs

How do you feel about Eggs Benedict? Personally, it’s a favorite dish that was a consistent restaurant brunch selection prior to my going gluten-free. There’s the rare restaurant that carries a gluten-free English muffin to go with the poached eggs, but most times I have to pass. The best way to have the dish is to make it at home and that means learning to poach eggs. Through some experimentation and practice I finally mastered the technique.

Quality Eggs

Eggs have been on my mind lately and I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it has something to do with the arrival of Spring and the colorful eggs of Easter traditions. It could be my admiration for the beautiful Ameraucanas chickens belonging to a neighbor. Or perhaps my preoccupation with eggs is a direct result of a recent trip to a garden center that displayed very fancy chicken coops. That got me dreaming of the day when I can have my own chickens. I found myself longing for one of those little dwellings outfitted with automatic feeders and waterers and boasting such luxuries as copper gutters. Never mind the $5,000 (well, $4,999) price tag because it comes with FOUR chickens! What a deal! Unfortunately, my husband quickly nixed my fantasy of a luxury chicken coop. And it remains to be seen if he’s volunteering to build one for us this year. So for now I will have to settle for enjoying the farm fresh eggs offered by a couple of my neighbors.

Eggs from “Easter Egger” chickens are gorgeous and they have been the subjects of many a private photo shoot at our house. The photo below is enhanced via Instagram but these are actual eggs that have not been colored or dyed. Amazing. Beautiful.

So far I have mastered (I think) the scrambled egg, the fried egg “over-easy” and “over-medium”, and hard-boiled eggs. Next up on the agenda is poached eggs. When I was in Austin, TX recently for Paleo FX, I was able to meet up with a friend of mine for lunch at a restaurant called Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar. We ordered from the brunch menu which boasted a number of creative and paleo-friendly (with a little tweaking) dishes. We both chose the Crab Florentine Eggs Benedict – without the English Muffin, of course. It was delicious and ever since then I have been on a mission to recreate this dish at home. The problem is it requires the skill to successfully poach eggs and this is something I had yet to master.

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A Grass-Fed Elevation Burger

pants on the ground

During Spring Break week the boys and I took a little side trip to a burger joint called Elevation Burger. We had heard good things about this restaurant and decided to make the drive to a nearby city to check it out.

Before going into Elevation Burger, the boys spied some interesting characters walking down the busy street. pants on the ground
It was a serious “pants on the ground” situation.


Once we regained our composure we ventured into Elevation Burger for lunch. It turns out we were somewhat color coordinated.

Elevation Burger supposedly gets its name from the aspiration to “elevate” the burger to a higher level. When it comes to ingredient quality that certainly is the case. After hearing that Elevation Burger serves organic beef from grass-fed cows I knew we had to visit. The importance of organic, free-range, grass-fed beef is one of the first things I learned when I adopted the paleo diet.

Elevation Burger Serves Better Beef

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Baked Eggs in Prosciutto Cups

baked egg in prosciutto cups

baked egg in prosciutto cupsBaked Eggs in Prosciutto Cups is an easy recipe that qualifies, in my humble opinion, as “good enough for company”. Both my boys loves these – even my son who does not especially like to eat eggs. I have made a similar recipe using a muffin tin but find it easier and with better results when using ramekins. Muffin tins must to be greased in order to keep the prosciutto and eggs from sticking. And they never seemed to come out clean unless I spent a lot of time carefully lining the tin with the prosciutto so the egg could not seep through. With the ramekin it does not matter because you are eating the egg cups right out of the dish. That being said, you can still use a muffin tin for this recipe. Just be sure that you grease the tins well.

Besides being super easy and delicious, one of my favorite things about this recipe is the use of prosciutto. Unlike many other cured pork products, prosciutto does not (normally) contain nitrates/nitrites because it is cured with salt. In fact, salt is generally the only ingredient, besides pork, you will see listed on the label. This is great news for me, and others like me, who have a reaction to nitrates/nitrites and other preservatives.

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Paleo and the City: Peking Duck House

This week is Spring Break for my two boys. While we may not be going on a big vacation, we are determined to find a few fun things to do in the nice weather. We kept our eyes on the forecast and picked the perfect day for a jaunt into New York City. I initially dragged Nathaniel (aka Sweet Pea) and Benjamin (aka Big Boy) to B&H Photo/Video Superstore where I did a little shopping. (That place is absolutely mind-blowing. But I’ll save that post for another day….) Our primary destination was Chinatown, which is my boys’ favorite part of the City for a few reasons. Our first stop was Peking Duck House at 28 Mott Street for lunch. The three of us were able to enjoy the full Peking Duck experience with a little twist in the appetizer department.

The boys ordered soup to start the meal but I was drawn to the cold appetizer menu which boasted such things as Spicy White Cabbage.
And…drum roll please….Boneless Duck Feet.
Boneless Duck Feet

Ordering duck feet was more for the culinary adventure than a strong desire to dine on feet. Let’s be honest, eating duck feet does not sound especially awesome. But I have to say they were not half bad. The waiter seemed a little surprised I ordered it and I suspect the dish is enjoyed more by locals than the tourist crowd. The duck feet were mildly flavored like broth and soft enough to be cut with a fork. As nutrition goes, duck feet are full of cartilage which is a really great food for joint health -assuming you can get past the texture.

Benjamin was unconcerned with his joint health. Even though he was initially willing to give it a try, once he realized the duck feet are served cold, he changed his mind. Imagine that! But Nathaniel decided he wanted to go for it and I am completely impressed by his courage and adventurous spirit. Here are a few shots of Nathaniel on his culinary adventure.

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Paleo FX 2012: Movement and Fitness

In addition to lectures and Mastermind panel discussions, the Paleo FX Ancestral Momentum – Theory to Practice Symposium included several movement and fitness sessions. I tried to plan my schedule so I could participate in a few movement sessions without missing too many other things of special interest. Here are some highlights from the main fitness/movements sessions I attended.

MovNat

One of my main goals was to attend a MovNat session. MovNat was founded by Erwan Le Corre who has been proclaimed “one of the fittest men in the world” and a “fitness visionary” by Men’s Health magazine.

Erwan Le Corre via www.movnat.com

MovNat is a physical education and fitness system based entirely on using the full range of our natural, human-specific movements and is aimed at the real-world competency and conditioning that allows optimum physical and mental development.

There are thirteen basic MovNat movement skills:

  1. Lifting
  2. Carrying
  3. Throwing
  4. Catching
  5. Striking
  6. Grappling
  7. Walking
  8. Running
  9. Balancing
  10. Jumping
  11. Crawling
  12. Climbing
  13. Swimming

Here’s a short video that gives some examples of a MovNat workout.

Our instructor Brian led us through some MovNat skill training.

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Roasted Beets with Blood Oranges

beets and blood oranges

beets and blood orangesRoasted Beets has become one of our favorite side dishes. The first time I roasted beets myself was several years ago after purchasing Ina Garten’s cookbook “Barefoot in Paris”. Before going Paleo it was one of my favorite cookbooks. In fact, I liked it so much I stood in line for quite a while to meet Ina and have her sign my copy. See, I’m seriously a fan!

There are still a few recipes in that cookbook that fit with a paleo diet and roasted beets is one of them.

I love beets. See how gorgeous they are. red beetsI think they like having their photo taken.

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