Paleo Brunch: Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

We were supposed to have our last speech tournament before regionals today. Needless to say, we didn’t go. In fact, no one in northern Illinois went to any IHSA events today because they postponed everything due to the predicted snowfall. When the Weather Channel says there’s a 100% chance of snow and is predicting 10-18 inches of total accumulation, you don’t bust out the busses to head to your events. You stay home. Which is exactly what I’m doing today.

There’s just something about snowy days that makes me really want carbs. Maybe it’s a Christmas-ey feeling (and we all know how I feel about food and holidays), or maybe it’s just me wanting to actually feel full for five minutes – which is hard to do on the Paleo diet.

Whatever the reason, I woke up today really craving some coffee cake. I don’t usually eat coffee cake, even when I’m cheating, and I almost never crave sweet things. Today was different, though. Mysterious.

I don’t often question my motives when it comes to food cravings. I feel that when you want something, your body probably needs it for some reason, so you should eat it. So when I want coffee cake, I will have coffee cake.

Of course, it’s snowing like a beast right now and none of the roads are plowed, so I hit up Pinterest to find a Paleo recipe I could make without having to go to the store. I found lots of recipes, but this one from Gluten Free Homemaker caught my eye. I’m not a huge fan of honey flavor, so I made some substitutions, but it turned out absolutely amazing. This is definitely going to be my new go-to for brunch with the ladies in my book club along with my cheeseless, crustless quiche, for sure. It’s filling, moist, and sweet without being too sweet. Plus, no sugar, dairy, or wheat makes it guilt-free, too!

Paleo Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake
adapted from Gluten Free Homemaker

Ingredients:

For the Topping:
1 cup pecan pieces
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons honey

For the Cake:
1 cup almond flour (using almond meal would probably work, but almond flour gives the cake a nice, smooth texture and color)
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with extra coconut oil and set aside.
2. Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and coconut milk together.
5. Add egg/milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Then add coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until all ingredients are combined.
6. Spread the batter evenly in the cake pan. This may take some work as the batter will be very dense.
7. Add the topping over the batter and spread evenly.
8. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes and serve warm.

Paleo Dessert: Apple Crumble

Like many people, we had two Thanksgivings this weekend. Since I get nervous about desserts since I’ve gone Paleo, that means I made two desserts. They were both awesome, and highly recommended. This apple crumble was stolen directly from Empowering Mommy.

Paleo Apple Crumble

Ingredients:
6 medium size apples, peeled and diced
2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw honey
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 35o degrees and lightly grease a pie pan with cooking spray.
Whisk together the honey and vanilla extract in a bowl with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the flour and whisk until smooth and combined.
Cut in the coconut oil and stir with a fork until it forms a crumbled mixture. Spread the apples in the bottom of the pie pan and top with the crumbled mixture.
Cover with foil then bake for about 45 minutes until the apples are tender. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Paleo Meal: Slow Cooked Lamb Roast with Sweet Potato Pumpkin Puree

Just that title makes you salivate a little bit, doesn’t it? Slow cooked lamb. Sweet potato pumpkin puree. All of the tastes of fall and comfort and happiness – and most of it is ready for you in the slow cooker when you come home from work. Yum, indeed.

Last weekend, Tim and I attended the beautiful wedding of my cousin, Dani, and her new husband, Matt. When we got home late Sunday, we didn’t have the time nor the energy to do any of our normal meal prep or to plan out any meals. We made do with what we had in the kitchen for that night and breakfast and lunch the next day, until Tim could get to the grocery store. When he asked what I wanted, I told him to get a bunch of meat we could easily throw in the slow cooker. He came home with a bunch of stuff, including a 4-pound boneless leg of lamb. It is perfectly slow cooker-sized and looked like I could plop it in the bowl, turn it on low, and be done with it (lamb is really flavorful without anything on it), but we didn’t get around to making it this week. Since Sundays are slow cooker days, and since we were afraid that if we waited any longer it would spoil, we busted out the slow cooker and a new recipe and got to work on this lamb. If only you could smell my kitchen right now. SO. GOOD. This recipe is adapted from Dinner with Julie.

Slow Cooked Lamb Roast
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
4-pound boneless lamb leg roast
1 lemon
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine

Directions:
1. Zest the lemon into a small bowl. Add garlic, rosemary, and olive oil. Mix together.
2. Prepare the lamb on a cutting board or plate. You may need to cut off netting or plastic holding the roast together.
3. Rub garlic mixture into lamb. If desired, let sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes up until overnight. (I didn’t do this step, and it was still tasty.)
4. Place lamb in slow cooker. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour wine over the lamb.
5. Turn slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
6. Serve warm and drizzled with red wine sauce from the slow cooker.

The last time I had lamb, I was out at an Irish pub in the area, and it was the special. Whenever I see lamb on the menu, I almost always order it, because it is delicious, a healthy alternative to beef, and I see it so rarely that I just want to eat it when I do. This Irish pub served their lamb over a sweet potato puree that I’m sure was laden with butter, cream, and other non-Paleo items, but was amazing nonetheless. Since we were making lamb in the slow cooker and had some sweet potatoes and pumpkin left over, I decided to make my own, Paleo-friendly sweet potato pumpkin puree (how’s that for some alliteration?) as a side. This recipe is adapted from Chef Amber Shea

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Puree
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (just pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix)
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter (or honey or maple syrup)

Directions:
1. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Put them in a pot and fill with enough water to cover potatoes. Cover and boil. Once the water reaches boiling, boil for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, add the remaining ingredients to food processor or blender and process.
3. When potatoes are cool enough, add them to food processor or blender. (WARNING: Be sure to put the lid on and hold it tight! You do not want hot sweet potato hitting your face!) Process until pureed.
4. Serve warm, chilled, or room temperature.