Day Eighteen: Squash Spaghetti and CHOCOLATE!

Hello again!
I got a comment a little while ago that I was missing a key component of the day: Dessert! I decided then to make a fully paleo version of chocolate balls, a sort of fudge-y round bite of heaven. But first I needed a good, healthy dinner!

Sauce cooking up!

On a tip from my friend Adrienne, I had bought a spaghetti squash in anticipation of using it as an innovative replaement for actual noodles. Using the rest of the tofu in my fridge (I know, terrible source of nutrients, soy = not good, but as a student, I couldn't justify throwing it out!) I started a delicious sauce. Chopping up mushrooms, zucchini, yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and shallots, I seasoned the mixture with garlic, bay leaves, chives and black pepper. Letting the vegetables get a little softer, I cut my squash in half (TOUGH to do by the way), scooped the seeds out, and with the oven at 350 I placed each piece face down on a cookie sheet with a little water in it. This went for about 30 minutes, and I added a little more water about halfway through. The topping was then thinned with some chicken stock, before I let it reduce to give it the consistency of spaghetti sauce rather than stew.

Then I scraped out the insides of my squash and assembled my dish! Top with more fresh basil and black pepper to taste and there you have it! Paleo Spaghetti to warm you up on cold winter nights, of which we have many in Canada!

For dessert, as I mentioned, I made some really good chocolate confections. These dont really become hard, and are best kept in the freezer. This also helps them last longer because you don't see them staring at you every time you go into the fridge for a healthy (-er) snack! Very easy to assemble, the hardest part is keeping the batter off your fingers, as it can be very sticky. I find that once mixed, let it sit in the freezer for about half an hour, making it much easier to work with.

Chocolatey Goodness!

Mix a 1/4 cup of cocoa powder with 1/3 cup almond meal in a small bowl. In a separate bowl place 1/4 cup water, 1/8 cup maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, making sure to smooth out any lumps. I like to do this with a fork, but if you were going to make a larger batch you might want to pull out the electric mixer!
Once melded, add a large spoonful of almond butter and repeat the process. Chill the batter and prepare a bowl with some more cocoa powder and coconut flakes. When enough time has elapsed, make small ball shapes out of the chocolate, which should now be much easier to handle! Roll these shapes in the cocoa and coconut for a coating which is both delicious and practical: your balls will stick to the dish you place them in without it. Once you have assembled this, you're ready! Dig in guilt free (just don't go making anymore for a little while!)

I keep the quantities pretty small because I know myself, but if you have more self control I'm sure the recipe could easily be doubled, tripled, or made however big you want. Because these are raw, they keep for a long time, especially if you freeze them. Hypothetically you could keep them at room temperature, but they really don't stay as firm and become messier to eat. As a contribution to a cocktail party, just stick a toothpick in each one and no one will believe that there is no dairy in these babies!
I'm off to fall into a sugar coma, though to be fair it's a naturally induced one! Maple syrup sure is delicious!

Day Seventeen: Almond Pancakes and Trouty Goodness

This morning I woke up well before my alarm, and taking this as a sign that I was meant to devise a breakfast that consisted of more than leftovers and fruit, I began searching for a Paleo Pancake recipe!

Pancake Batter.

Luckily enough, I found one that was perfect for my needs: Almond Pancackes! The only rough patch was my distinct lack of applesauce. Adding a little cinnamon to the recipe, I whipped together two eggs, some vanilla and about a cup and a half of almond meal (my supply is dwindling quickly!), while I microwaved a peeled an cored apple in a covered dish with water for 3-4 minutes. Then, without even mashing them at all, I transfered the now soft apple bits into my batter, and ran the beaters a little while longer to get a smooth(ish) consistency!

With that done, I heated my pan with some olive oil, and grabbed my frozen strawberries, slicing them for optimal distribution on my batter. The pancakes filled the whole pan, so basically I just divided the recipe and found myself with one big plate and one leftover for another morning.

Almond Pancake with Cinnamon, Cocoa and Coconut

These were EXCELLENT! Practically like I remember pancakes but less sweet and more dense. As a topping, finding myself out of both maple syrup and honey (this was pretty much deliberate, as I didn't want the temptation of reaching for one or both in a craving moment!) I sprinkled cinnamon, cocoa powder and some raw coconut flakes ontop! Combined with the strawberries and the apple already in the pancake, my breakfast powerhouse was complete! Mmmmm!

Veggies and Fish working up!

For dinner I decided to get some of those great fatty acids, and pulled my steelhead trout fillet out of the fridge. I used another great Livestrong recipe (tweaked of course): Pan Fried Trout with Tomatoe Basil Sauce. Oiling my pan I threw in some chopped red pepper (about 1/2 of one), garlic, shallots, sliced cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Then I seasoned it up with black pepper, sea salt and some garlic, before putting about a tablespoon of all natural pesto down and a splash of white wine vinegar. Then in went my fillet, and I let the pan start cooking.

When the trout was cooked through and the veggies were soft, I assembled a few lettuce leaves and transfered it to a plate! Very quick, easy and flavourful!

Day Ten: Super Salads and Chicken Fingers

Hello all!
So after my boring leftovers day yesterday, I resolved to try and spice things up again! When I was back in Ottawa, I made it a priority to pick up some almond meal as I have seen this all over the internet with regards to Paleo recipes, and was anxious to use it in my cooking.

Lunch however was an entirely different animal, even though it didn't contain any (haha, I know, terrible pun...)! At a local vegan and organic restaurant I ordered the most paleo-friendly thing on the menu: the Three-Salad Plate. It consisted of carrot and raisin salad, house salad and quinoa tabouleh. Although quinoa is actually not a grain, but more of a seed, it still sort of falls into that non-paleo grouping that needs to be consumed only in moderation (or not at all according to some camps), it is an excellent replacement for couscous, which contains gluten, making it the lesser of two evils. I was actually pretty full afterwards, even though I did not have any protein...

Carrot and Raisin Salad, Quinoa Tabouleh, and House Salad

For dinner I pulled out the almond meal and got my chef on: Almond Flour Chicken Fingers! First I sliced two chicken breasts into about half-inch thick strips and threw together a spice rub made of pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder and chives. Taking my now zesty pieces, I whipped up two eggs and placed my almond flour on a plate.

Chicken and spices, beaten egg and almond flour.

Instead of the 1/2 cup of flour the recipe called for, I ended up using at least a whole additional cup, although this may have been my dredging technique more than anything else...

Crisping up!

First I took my spiced chicken and rolled it in the flour, then dipped it lightly in the egg and dredged it back through the almond meal before setting it aside. This is key to keeping everything sticking together, and the fingers need to sit for at least 5 minutes to gel. I heated about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and began frying up half the chicken. It took 3-4 minutes per side, and then I transfered it over to a paper towel-covered plate to drain.
The few crispy almond pieces that fell off were to die for, and though this took a lot of oil and the almonds themselves are pretty high in fat, its all "good" fats. I am planning on doing some research on alternative cooking oils that might be better for me, seeing as I now find myself using so much more than I'm used to what with the new diet!

I stacked the remaining fingers onto a plate as I searched for the best way to reheat them once I had my fill. These were SO delicious! Next time in order to cut down on the almond meal used and the fat component, I might just coat the entire fillet to add character to the dish rather than have it be such an integral part. But this is an excellent treat that I'll definately make again!

Ready for eating!