Single Serving Chocolate Birthday Cake + A Special Giveaway (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

A Year in the Life

This past weekend, we celebrated a very special moment. One year ago we met our beautiful little girl for the very first time. We brought her home to our house and introduced her to her three fur siblings and then thought, now what? LOL. Let's face it, no one knows what the heck they are doing as first time parents. It's nerve wrecking, and terrifying and wonderful all at the same time. As each month passed, my husband would say to me, "well we made it one more month." We all still had our fingers and toes and everyone, for the most part, was doing well. Those first few months felt like years of time as the passed. All the time and energy I spent trying to have a beautiful breastfeeding relationship with Emily now seems so distant and a drop of water in the ocean (read about our journey here).

Then in a blink, it was time to let Emily enjoy all my favorite foods as we began baby-led weaning. No surprise at all, she was a natural foodie baby and loved everything I gave her. If you don't already, follow me on Instagram where I often share pictures of what she is having each day. Right around 6 months, was the moment I am sure the world started spinning faster and time sped up because the next thing I knew, it was less than two months until her first birthday and it was time to plan to celebrate a whole year of her life.

To Smash Cake or to Not Smash Cake?

I must be honest, I was not even originally planning on having a smash cake for Emily's birthday. I just didn't see all the hype, and since she is such a fantastic eater, I didn't expect there to be any smashing. BUT after attending a few of her friends first birthdays I couldn't help myself. I wanted her to experience that as well, and then one day we can look back at those pictures and I can share the whole crazy day with her.

When I finally decided to have a birthday cake for Emily, I knew two things right away.

1. I will be making it from scratch.
2. It will use my most favorite flour ever, Otto's Cassava Flour.

Recently, I shared this AIP Chocolate Mug Cake recipe which was in inspiration for the cake. I decided to remove the sweeteners from the cake and add applesauce. This required a little adjusting of the other ingredients. For the frosting, while I knew a simple coconut cream frosting would work just fine, I really wanted something that was more frosting like in texture. While Emily does not eat strict AIP (she does eat eggs and many other paleo foods), I decided to keep this as an AIP cake so that I could use it for other occasions.

I have tested this recipe three times now and Emily has had it twice. I can say for certain it's a winner for both mommy and baby. What I also love about this cake (having tested it so much) is that both the cake and frosting can easily be separately  made ahead and assembled wherever you need them. Or you can make then entire cake ahead, freeze it, and travel to your destination. For Emily's birthday, I made the cake and frosting two days before the party and kept them in the fridge. Then the day before, I put the cake together and froze it and drove to my parents house (2 hours away) and it kept in their fridge until the party the next day. It turned out perfect!

Emily's Birthday Giveaway

Not only am I sharing this delicious birthday cake recipe with you all, but Otto's Cassava Flour has so graciously agreed to giveaway a 5 lb bag of cassava flour to help celebrate Emily's birthday. To enter for a chance to win a bag of cassava flour comment below who you plan to make this birthday cake recipe for next! The winner will be chosen on Sunday, April 23 at 12:00 pm EST. (for U.S. participates only). This giveaway is over. Congratulations, Rebecca Nicodemus for winning a bag of Otto's Cassava Flout. Thank you for all those who entered.

Single Serving Chocolate Birthday Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon carob powder
• 1/4 teaspooon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon applesauce
• 3 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons cassava flour
• 1/2 cup of palm shortening (tallow  or lard can also be used)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Option: fruit juice or vegetable juice to color frosting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two 4-oz ramekins or a muffin tray.
2. Start making the cake batter by sifting the cassava flour, coconut flour, carob powder, and baking soda into a large bow. Whisk to fully combine.
3.  Add applesauce, coconut milk, and avocado oil and stir to incorporate all ingredients.
4. Evenly distribute the batter between the two greased ramekins or two muffin molds. If using ramekins, place them on a sheet tray so they are easier to take in and out of the oven.
5. Place cake batter in preheated oven and back for 25 minutes, or until they pass the tooth pick test (stick a tooth pick in the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, they are done)
6. While the cake is baking, you can get started on the first two steps to make the frosting.
7. In a small sauce pan, combine coconut milk and cassava flour and warm over medium low heat. Stir until it turns into a paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a fridge safe bowl with a lid, and place in fridge
8. Using a standing mixer with whisk attachment or a large bowl and a hand-mixer, add the palm shortening and maple syrup to the mixer or bowl and whip on high until it is light and fluffy and peaks begin to form. About 10 mins. If it gets too soft and melted, place in fridge for a few minutes to firm up.
9. By now the cakes should be done. Remove them from oven and let them sit for 5 minutes undisturbed. Then carefully remove them from the ramekins or muffin tray and place on cool rack. You will want them completely cooled before your frost them. If you have time, you can allow them to cool at room temperature, or you can place them in the fridge or even freezer to cool faster.
10. While the cakes cool, finish preparing the frosting. Remove the coconut milk/flour paste from the fridge, be sure it is completely cooled. Add the paste to the bowl with the whipped palm shorting, and mix until fully combined and fluffy. About 10 mins. 
11. Once cake is cooled it's time to decorate. Carefully slice the two cakes in half, making four even layers. Begin building your layers. Lay the bottom layer of cake on wax or parchment paper (so you can easily move it to another surface after it's assembled), then add some frosting, then another layer of cake, and so on until you have built your 4 layers.
12. If you want to be fancy, you can first do a crumb coat. Which means you use a light layer of frosting all over the cake. It is just enough to catch all the crumbs so that you don't see them when it is fully frosted. If doing a crumb coat, place cake back in fridge or freezer to allow the frosting to set before doing the final layer of frosting.
13. Now you can be as creative as you want. You can simple use a knife and cover the full cake with thick layer of frosting. You could use a piping bag and make a fun design. You could even mix in a little fruit or vegetable juice (a 1/4 tsp or less) to color the frosting. Similar to what I did for Emily's birthday. 

Note; If frosting gets to soft, simply place in fridge or freezer to let it firm up a little. Or if you leave it in the fridge too long and it is hard, use standing mixer or hand mixer, to whip it back to fluffy goodness. 

Note 2.0: The cake and frosting can be kept in fridge for up to 3 days. Which means, you can make the cake a few days ahead and not stress about it as you finish all other preparations. Or maybe you all aren't procrastinators like myself?

BBQ Beef Pizza (AIP, Paleo)

Last week, I was lucky enough to receive samples of KC Natural AIP Paleo BBQ sauce, and to say I was excited is an understatement. Don't get me wrong there are some awesome AIP BBQ recipes out there, but there is something so nice about having a pre-made version you can dig right into.

Immediately after getting the bottles, I had to open each to test them out. First, I tried the Primal Cherry. It has a nice sweet and smokey flavor which would be amazing drenched over some ribs. Then I tried the Mastodon flavor. It has this sweet, peppery kind of tone that I knew would make a perfect topping for either shredded meat or ground meat like in this recipe. It actually reminds me a little of a sloppy joe type of flavor. Both sauces have such great notes of flavor that make them so different, but really encompass that smokey and sweet flavor you want in a bbq sauce.

This recipe combines my most favorite AIP pizza crusts, from The Healing Kitchen, and this new AIP product by KC Natural to make a yummy pizza that won't make you feel like you are missing anything.

BBQ Beef Pizza

Ingredients

• One Pizza Crust from The Healing Kitchen
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 celery stalks, finely diced
• ½ a medium onion, finely diced
• ½ cup, KC Natural AIP Paleo Bbq Sauce, Mastodon
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar or just balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ packed cups arugula

Instructions

1. Follow instructions to make one pizza crust. This can be prepared ahead of time.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
3. Place pizza crust on a parchment paper lined cooking sheet and set aside.
4. Heat medium frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Add ground beef and sea salt to pan, and brown.
6. Once ground beef is cooked, add carrots, celery, and onions to pan allow to cook for at 5-6 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
7. Reduce heat to low and add bbq sauce, balsamic vinegar, coconut sugar, and garlic powder to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Cook for about 3-4. Stir frequently.
8. Remove meat mix from heat. 
9. Use extra virigin olive oil to lightly coat pizza crust. This will help keep the meat mix on in the pizza, but also prevent it from soaking into the crust.
10. Spread the meat mix on top of pizza. Depending on the size of pizza you make, you may have leftover meat. You can either super load up your pizza, or just snack on it.
11. Place pizza in preheated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and top with fresh arugula. 
13. Devour and enjoy!

3-Ingredient Carob Pudding (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

This pregnancy has brought back my sugar dragon like it's no bodies business. I have done my best to fight it off with veggies and all the good stuff, but sometimes you just need something sweet and chocolaty. Since I have not had any success reintroducing chocolate, carob has become my best friend when the sugar craving comes along. The other thing that is becoming very clear, I am always tired now, guess that is what the third trimester does to you. With this in mind, I often want quick and easy, and this treat meets my needs.

3-Ingredient Carob Pudding

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can coconut milk stored in the fridge over night
• 2 tablespoons carob powder
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

1. Remove the cream from the coconut milk and add to medium size mixing bowl.
2. Using a hand mixer, whip until it fluffs up.
3. Sift in carob powder, and add maple syrup. Mix in both with a spoon.
4. Serve in a bowl or simply eat out of mixing bowl.

Semi-Sweet Plantain Fritters (AIP, Low-FOMAP, Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30)

Plantains have become one of my favorite starches since going AIP. Just a year ago, I didn't even know what a plantain was, much less what in the world what to do with it. Then I made tostones, and my world was forever changed. I tend to mostly use green plantains and never quite sure what to do with then start to tern yellow.

Usually I just slice and fry them up (which is delicious), but the other day I decided to try something new. I had a few plantains that were just yellow and turning a little soft. There are just becoming sweet, but still have a good bit of starchiness in them that helps them become perfect fritters.

Semi-Sweet Plantain Fritters

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 yellow plantain
• 1 ½ tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon cassava flour 
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

Instructions

1. Peel plantain and cut in large chunks. Add to food processor and do 2-second pulses (about 2-3) until it is finely chopped up, but not pureed.
2. Add chopped plantain to small bowl and mix in water, cassava flour, cinnamon, and sea salt.
3. Heat a medium pan over medium/low heat. You want it to be warm enough to heat the oil, but not too hot or they will stick.
4. When pan is hot, add oil to warm.
5. Fill a 1/4 cup with plantain mix and use that to put mix in pan. I found when I tapped the edge of the pan with the cup handle, it plopped right into a nice patty. Lightly press it down with a spatula to shape.
6. Allow to cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes. 
7. Carefully slide spatula under the fritter, if it is sticking, give it another minute. If it is ready, flip it over and cook it for another 2 minutes.
8. Remove from pan and enjoy.

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (AIP, Paleo)

This simple salad combines some of my favorite flavors to make a delicious and light salad to go with any meal or make it a full meal by topping with your protein of choice.

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon
• ½ a bunch of large leaf kale (about 5-6 leaves), chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• ½ cup grapes, halved
• ¼ cup bacon fat (reserved from cooked bacon)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. In a medium frying pan, cook bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on a paper towel lined plate. Pour drippings into a medium glass bowl.
2. Add kale, grapes, carrots, and avocado to a large bowl to combine or distribute between plates for fancy plating.
3. Add  the vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and garlic powder to bacon fat and whisk together
4. Drizzle dressing over salad portions and enjoy! To make it a meal, top the salad off with some grilled chicken, salmon, steak, or your choice of protein.

Sugar(less) Cutout Cookies (AIP, Paleo)

Apparently pregnancy has turned me to a baker. Have I mentioned I usually hate baking? I love baked goods, but making them myself almost never turns out. The fact that this is my second cookie recipe in a month that has came out on basically the first try, I have to say it is pregnancy hormone magic.

The fun part about these cookies are that the cookie itself has absolutely no sugar in it. The sweet potato acts as a the sweetener. Also, I share two frosting recipes, both use the same base but are flavored a little different. They do use maple syrup or honey, but if you want to keep the cookies totally sugar free, just leave off the frosting.

Sugar(less) Cutout Cookies

Ingredients

• ½ cup cooked white sweet potato, mashed (I used Japanese sweet potatoes for this recipe)
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon cassava flour
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons organic palm shortening, melted
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• 3 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

1. In a large bowl whisk together sweet potato, cassava flour, arrowroot starch, coconut flour and baking soda.
2. Stir in palm shortening and avocado oil, it will be a little crumble still. 
3. Lastly add in water and stir to fully incorporate. You should have a sticky dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let cool in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, pull dough out and begin to preheat oven to 350 F.
5. Place a large piece of parchment paper on counter and put unwrapped dough ball on it.
6. Place another piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on top of dough ball and roll out dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. 
7. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. The dough will still be a bit sticky. The best way to move them to the cookie sheets is using a spatula.
8. Bake in oven for about 12-13 minutes or until the edge just start to brown.
9. Immediate remove and place parchment paper and cookies on a cooling rack.
10. Let cool completely and then enjoy on their own or top with one or both of these two frosting options.

Cookies can be kept on the counter in an airtight container for about 4 days.

Frosting Options

Both recipes are developed to cover all cookies. If you would like to make both, half each recipe.

Tangerine Frosting 

Ingredients

• ½ cup organic palm shortening, softening
• 5 teaspoons tangerine juice
• 3 teaspoons cassava flour
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoons tangerine zest

Instructions

• Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until full combined.

Maple Syrup Frosting

Ingredients

• ½ cup organic palm shortening, softening
• 3 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cassava flour
• 1 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract

Instructions

• Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until full combined.

Cherry Turnovers (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

It's cherry season on east coast and while I could eat them by the handful on the their own, I thought it would be fun to try something new. With the discovery of Otto's Cassava Flour, the Paleo baked good game has really changed. I know I've gone on about this flour before, but it is seriously my favorite. When testing, I have been able to successfully sub it 1:1 with regular flour. which is more than any other options out there. Ok, enough about the flour, it's time to get to these yummy treats.

These cherry turnovers are actually pretty easy to make, though they do take some time due to allowing the dough to rest. My favorite part is that the filling uses no sweeteners at all, not even natural ones.

Cherry Turnovers

Ingredients 

Shell

• 1 ½ cup cassava flour
• ¼ cup arrowroot starch/flour
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¾ cup organic palm shortening
• ½ cup ice water

Filling

• 1½ cups cherries, pitted and quartered
• ½ tablespoon arrowroot starch/flour
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoons lemon zest

Instructions

Shell

1. Combine cassava flour, arrowroot starch, and sea salt in a food processor. Just a few pulses to combine.
2. Cut up palm shortening into small pieces (about a teaspoon each) and add to food processor with the flour. 
3. Plus mix a few times, 1-second a time, until it is a mix of crumbled flour.
4. Transfer mix into a large bowl.
5. Added half the ice water and mix until just combined. Add in remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time until it can be clumped by your hand.
6. Transfer mix onto a clean work surface such as a granite counter or parchment paper lined counter top. Your mix should look crumbly.
7. Slowly, one bit of a time, use the bottom of your palm to push and drag out the dough in quick movements. This will help it slowly come together. Do this all the way through twice
8. Once you have made it through the dough, gather it and mold it into a small loaf.
9. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 45 mins.
10. Place dough on a parchment paper lightly dusted with cassava flour.
11. Roll out into a rectangle. The dough should be about a ¼ thick.
12. Fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, then following the narrow edge, roll the dough into a circle. It will fall apart a bit, just mold it into place.
13. Press down the dough into a rectangle and then repeat the process from step 11 once more.
14. After you coil the dough once more, press it down into another loaf.
15. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge while you prepare the filling. You can make the dough about to a day ahead or you can freeze the dough for later use.

The method above is based on the one found here.

Filling

1. In a small bowl, mix cherries, arrowroot starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest until well combined.

Turnovers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pull out dough from fridge and roll it out until it is around 1/8 inch in thickness.
3. Cut out circles. I used my Pyrex 2-Cup Round Dish, which is about 4½ inches in diameter to cut out my circles.
4. Pull and roll out dough as needed to get circles. Using my dish, I got 8-10 circles.
5. Place circles on a parchment paper lined baking dish.
6. Carefully spoon filling into the center of each circle, you will use about a tablespoon or so in each. 
7. Lightly wet the edges of the dough and fold over to crease the middle edge. It will come a part a little on top but that's ok. If it doesn't use a knife to make a few slits on top. You can crimp the edge with a fork if you like, but I personally liked the open look.
8. Place in oven for 25-30 mins, or until the edges start to brown and the filling starts to pour out.
9. Cool turnovers on a baking rack.
10. Once cool enough to eat, enjoy on their own, or drizzle with a little melted coconut butter.

Blueberry-Pomegranate Gummies (AIP, Paleo)

Who doesn't love a yummy, simple gummy recipe? As most recipes go in my kitchen, it was created when I grabbed a few things that were already in the kitchen and played with a combo that sounded good to me. These gummy treats only use three ingredients and no additional sweeteners, like honey or maple syrup.

A little fact about me, I have a growing collection of gummy molds. Earlier this year, my sister went to Australia and brought me back a mold that had a koala, kangaroo, and map of the country. It was basically the most awesome thing ever, and goes so well with the cat and dog molds I already had. You can basically find mold for anything you want, but the good news is, you can make this even if you don't have a mold.

Pomegranate-Blueberry Gummies

Ingredients

• ½ cup fresh blueberries
• 3/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 3 tablespoons gelatin (I use Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin)

Instructions

1. Add the blueberries and pomegranate juice to a small sauce pan over medium-low heat and set timer for 5 minutes.
2. When time is up, use immersion blender to blend up blueberries with pomegranate juice.
3. Take pan off heat and slowly whisk gelatin in ½ tablespoon at a time. 
4. Pour mix immediately into molds or in a parchment paper lined baking dish.
5. Place in fridge for at least an hour or until it gels. 
6. Pop out of molds or cut into squares if using a baking dish.
7. Enjoy! 

Keeps in fridge for about a week, if they last that long

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable
Featured on Autoimmune Paleo Recipe Round-Up June '15

Homemade Italian Dressing (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

One of the hardest things to find is an AIP friendly or even Paleo friendly salad dressing. Most salad dressing you find at the store include about 20 ingredients that make no sense and about 4 that you actually feel comfortable consuming. As an alternative, many of us learn to live with a little olive oil and vinegar, and that works a good bit of the time. However, sometimes you really want a salad dressing that tastes like one.

When I set about coming up with an Italian Dressing recipe, it was partially because I missed it, but what I missed more was a dressing that can also be used to make Grilled Marinated Summer Vegetables. This dressing can be tossed on a leafy green salad or as a marinade or in anything you would normally use Italian dressing.

Homemade Italian Dressing

Ingredients

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¾ teaspoon dried basil
• ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Place everything but the olive oil in a large wide mouth mason jar or large bowl. 
2. Use an immersion blender or whisk to combine ingredients.
3. Once other ingredients are combined, slowly add in the olive oil while blending or whisking.
4. Store in a mason jar in fridge for up to two weeks. Recipe makes 1 cup of dressing.

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable
Featured on Autoimmune Paleo Recipe Round-Up June '15

Strawberry and Pomegranate Pie (AIP, Paleo)

PIE. I am actually not the biggest pie fan, BUT my mom's strawberry pie was the definition of summer to me. Loaded with sugar and topped with whipped cream, it was my favorite treat growing up. Obviously, there was no way I could have a piece of that now, so I had to figure out how to make something that was just as worthy, but appropriate for my new lifestyle.

This  recipe uses Otto's Naturals Cassava Flour. I am so excited to have found a flour that truly works as a 1:1 substitute to regular flour. It has opened a whole new world for the AIP/Paleo community.

Strawberry and Pomegranate Pie

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 ¼ cup cassavaflour, plus another tablespoon for dusting
• A pinch of Salt (approximately 1/8 teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ cup Organic Shortening
• 2 tablespoons of avocado oil
• Up to 6 tablespoons of cold water

Filling

• 1 cup of blended strawberries 
• ½ cup pomegranate juice
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of gelatin
• 2 ½ - 3 cups of diced strawberries (depending on how much you want to stuff your pie, hehe) 

Preparation

Pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease pie pan with 1 teaspoon of palm shorting. (I have only tested this recipe with a glass pie dish, so I am not sure how another type will bake.)
3. In a large bowl, add cassava flour and salt.
4. Make a small whole in the center of the flour and add in the maple syrup, palm shortening, and avocado oil.
5. Now get your hands dirty. Use them to mix all the ingredients together. It will be crumbly, this is ok, just be sure to combine, so the flour is no longer powder.
6. Finally, add in cold water, one tablespoon at a time. It will begin to become dough like, mixing it with a spatula. First it will get a sticky. Add enough water so that it is no longer stick and can be formed into a ball, but don't over work it either so that it is to smooth.
7. On a clean work surface, lightly dust with cassava flour. Grab your rolling pin and dust it a little too.
8. Form the dough into a large ball and put it on the dusted surface. Roll out the dough to form a large circle. You will need to do this very slowly and work with the dough, be patient. 
9. When crust is ready, transfer to pie dish. Crimp the edges with your finger and use a fork to poke the bottom of the crust.
10. Place in oven and cook for 20 mins. 
11. Once done, remove, and let crust cool.

This crust can be made a day or two in advanced. If you choose to make it on the same day, you will need to allow time for it to completely cool before adding the filling. This could be a few hours.

Filling

1. Add sliced strawberries to cooled pie crust. You want to fill the whole crust and for them to be level with the top edge of the crust or a little over.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine crushed strawberries, pomegranate juice, and maple syrup.
3. Sprinkle on gelatin and let bloom for 1 minute, 
4. Over low heat, warm sauce for 2-3 minutes, lightly whisking as gelatin melts.
5. Once warmed, carefully pour sauce over strawberries so that it evenly covers them.
6. Place in fridge and let it set for at least an hour. Again you can make this pie a day ahead of time.

When ready to serve, let sit out for about 30 mins to an hour. You can eat it right out of the fridge, but letting it warm, just provides a little better of a texture.

Serve it topped with some whipped coconut cream or a little date syrup if you get your hands one some. 

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable

Cabbage and Ground Pork Curry (AIP, Paleo)

Prior to AIP, I was actually never a huge curry fan. Mostly because it always made me feel so icky afterwards. Having now learned about AIP, I realize that is likely I am sensitive to those spices like cumin and coriander. It was not my intention to create a curry recipe. Right now, I am seriously obsessed with putting ginger and turmeric in any dish that works. Additionally, sage and cinnamon are basically the only spices I use when cooking pork, so I decided to through them all in a pan together with some cabbage and see what happened. To my surprise, it tasted great! So I've decided to share this one pan dish with you all.

Cabbage and Ground Pork Curry

Ingredients 

• 1/2 large head of cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground sage or 1/2 teaspoon of rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric* 
• 1/4 cup of bone broth (preferably pork or beef)

*If you have access to fresh turmeric, you can also add another 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated turmeric.

Instruction

1. Preheat large pan over medium-high heat. Add ground pork and cook until browned.
2. Divide cabbage in half and add half to the pan with pork. Mix and cook for about 2-3 mins, or until cabbage starts to wilt a little. 
3. Add in the remaining cabbage and sea salt to pan and stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Add cinnamon, garlic powder, ground ginger, ground sage, and ground turmeric to pan and stir until seasons cover the pork and cabbage.
5. Lastly add bone broth to pan. Once broth is boiling, reduce heat to low and cover pan with lid or aluminum foil.
6. Cook covered for 20 minutes on low heat. 
7. Remove lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until all liquid has disappeared.
8. Enjoy!

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable

Super Easy Pork Shoulder Roast (AIP, Paleo)

I have absolutely zero luck with pork in the crock pot, there I said it. Phew. I try recipes over and over again, either I over cook or under cook or I grab the wrong cut and it just never seems to work out. This may sound strange, but it's the truth. I am also super bad at following directions, so this may be part of it. This was the reason why I need something that required the least amount of instruction to equal the best results.

The recipe for this came as a bit of a fluke. I picked up a pork shoulder roast for a good deal at the store and had no clue what I was going to do with it, but had to buy it. When I went to prepare it, I literally grabbed a few of my favorite herbs, tossed them on top of the roast, turned the crock pot on low, and walked away. What came out was perfection! I love it when that works out. And best of all, this is completely approved by my non-paleo hubby, so you know it's a hit!

Super Easy Pork Shoulder Roast

Ingredients

• 3-5 lb pork shoulder roast
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons each of the following: oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, and rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Instruction

1. Place pork shoulder roast in slow cooker. If it is wrapped in kitchen netting, you can leave it on.
2. Rub garlic over the top of roast. Mix herbs together and sprinkle over the top of the roast.
3. Set slow cooker on low and cook for 9-10 hrs or until roast reaches 165 degrees F.
4. Remove roast and set on cutting board. Tent it with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 mins. This would be a good time to make your sides, like the Caramelized Fennel and Sweet Potato Sauté
5. Slice, serve, drool, and enjoy!

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable

Shepherd's Pie (AIP, Paleo)

We all have that one comfort food that reminds them of their childhood and just brings you back home. For me it's, without a doubt, Shepherd's Pie. Growing up, I could eat it every day, all day, all the time. Each year for our birthday, my mom would make us a meal of our choice, and I can positively say, this was always my pick. Then after dinner, I would pass through the kitchen and sneak a bite more of it until it was put away in the fridge.

I have tried on numerous occasions to replicate my mom's famous dish with no avail. Even prior to becoming paleo, I still couldn't get it right. Then one magical night, on a cold Wednesday evening, I finally figured it out. The recipe is inspired by Hold The Grain's Individual Shepherd's Pie recipe with some AIP tweaks as well as a few spice tweaks from my mom's recipe. What I love so much about Tess's recipe is that instead of mashed cauliflower or sweet potatoes in lieu of mashed potatoes, she introduces the idea of mashed acorn squash. GENIUS! It is exactly the perfect topping to take me home!

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash
• 1 tablespoons of avocado oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb of grass-fed ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 4 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup of bone broth
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and bake for about 40 mins or until you can press shell with your finger. 
2. Meanwhile, in a large pan, on medium heat avocado oil. Cook ground beef until browned then remove from pan and set aside.
3. Return pan to stove top and add onion, celery, and carrots and cook for about 4-5 mins. 
4. Add garlic, beef, salt, thyme, marjoram, cloves, and bay leaves to the pan with veggies. Stir to combine.
5. Pour bone broth over the mix.
6. In a small bowl whisk together arrowroot flour and water.
7. Add arrowroot flour to pan and stir until sauce begins to thicken (about a minute). Remove from stove and pour mix into 2.5 quart casserole dish.
8. By now your squash should be ready. You will want it to sit out for about 10-15 mins to cool down so you can handle it.
9. Peel skin off of squash and place the good stuff in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until desired consistency.
10. Pile mash on top of meat mixture and spread out evenly.
11. Bake dish for 40-45 mins or until edges start to brown.
12. Enjoy and try not to eat it all in one sitting.

Featured on AIP Recipe Roundtable