Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes

The last thing I want to do the week before vacation is to cook. I will probably be eating a lot of hot dogs or roasted chicken. Seriously, I'm already on vacay-mode. Anyway, today I will make an exception and make myself the obligatory Sunday Pancake/Waffle brunch because well, pancakes drenched (okay not drenched, but drizzled) with maple syrup and a side of eggs and nitrate-free bacon just sounds delicious to me. I want!

Fluffy Almond Flour Pancakes

What you'll need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 TBSP arrowroot starch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• coconut oil or butter, for frying

What to do:

1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until foamy. Then whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla, and milk until combined. 
2. In another bowl, sift together the almond flour, arrowroot, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until there are no lumps. Pour all the dry ingredients into the bowl of the wet and whisk to combine. 
3. Heat a pan or griddle over medium low heat. Add a little bit of coconut oil or butter to the pan. Swirl to coat it all around. 
4. Turn the heat down to low and add 1/4 cup or 1 ice cream scoop full of batter. Cook on low for ~2 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for another 30-45 seconds on the other side. Repeat for remaining batter. Makes about eight 4 inch pancakes.

Kale Caesar Salad

When I'm not in a mood to cook (really, I just don't want do a ton a dishes), I try to think of simple and fast meals to prepare. This took about 30 minutes start to finish, but it was a little labor intensive. Why do I do that to myself? HAH.

Kale Caesar Salad
What you'll need:

• 1 bunch of kale, washed and stems removed
• 1/2 - 1 lb chicken breast or thighs (see recipe at the end)
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed meal
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1/8 cup (2 TBSP) coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• pinch of paprika
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1-2 TBSP of Caesar dressing
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup lemon garlic Tessemae's dressing
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• scant 1 TBSP anchovy paste
• fresh cracked black pepper

What to do:

1. After the kale has been washed and stems have been removed, roughly chop the leaves into smaller pieces. Set aside. 
2. Make the dressing. Add a whole egg to a tall bowl or cup, then add the lemon juice and Dijon mustard. Let it stand for about 30-45 seconds. Add the Tessemae's and olive oil. Let it settle for another 30 seconds. Using an immersion hand blender, place the blade all the way to the bottom of your bowl or cup. Turn it on, without moving the blender, allow it to mix for about 20-30 seconds until you start to see an emulsion form. Slowly move the blender up and down, but make sure not to completely remove the blender from the top of the mixture. The entire process should take about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the anchovy paste and fresh cracked black pepper. Season to taste and set aside.
3. Make the chicken. Preheat your oven to 375F. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, mustard, and hot sauce. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flax seed meal, tapioca, and coconut flours with the paprika, salt and pepper. Take one of your strips and dip it into the egg mixture. Remove excess by wiping it on the side of the bowl. Coat it in the "breading" mixture making sure to coat all sides evenly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone. Repeat for remaining strips. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
4. While the chicken is baking, prepare the kale by massaging olive oil into the leaves, working with 1-2 tsp at a time. You don't want the leaves to be drenched in oil, just enough to coat all parts of the leaves. The oil breaks down the fibers of the leaves, softening them, making it easier to chew and digest. Set aside until chicken is done. 
5. Remove chicken from the oven and allow to cool. Toss a TBSP or two of the Caesar dressing with the kale. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional).

Chunky Monkey Pancakes

I like pancakes, especially on Saturday mornings. I turned my soft baked Chunky Monkey Cookies (on my Instagram) into pancakes. Then I made a warm caramel banana topping to go with and WHOA, a perfect Saturday morning breakfast on a beautiful Southern California day.

Chunky Monkey Pancakes
What you'll need:

• 1/2 cup toasted pecan butter, or any nut butter
• 2.5 TBSP Nikki's Coconut Butter Midnight Mocha 
• 1 medium very ripe banana, mashed  
• 1 large egg 
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/3 tsp cream of tartar 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda 
• pinch of fresh nutmeg 
• pinch of salt 
• pecans or walnuts (for topping)
• dark chocolate chips/Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips 

For the caramel banana topping:

• 1 banana, green tipped, sliced
• 2 TBSP coconut sugar
• 2 TBSP water
• 1 TBSP butter/ghee

What to do:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer except for the whole pecans/walnuts and chocolate chips. Mix until smooth. The batter will be thicker than normal pancake batter. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Heat a pan/griddle over low heat and melt a little coconut oil or butter. Scoop the batter using an ice cream/cookie scoop and spread the batter around to get a nice even circle. Cook on low for about 2 minutes before flipping. Cook the other side for another minute. Repeat for the rest of the batter.
3. While the pancakes are cooking, make the caramel sauce. In a pan, heat the coconut sugar and water over low heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Toss in the butter/ghee and turn the heat up to medium low. Stir to melt the butter. 
4. Allow the mixture to boil and turn the heat back down to low to allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add the banana slices and toss to coat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer for another 1-2 minutes. 
5. Plate your pancakes and top with your caramel banana sauce, nuts, and additional chocolate chips. 

Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Cheez-ish Crumble

Happy National "Pi" Day! Yes, this isn't pie, which I totally wished I had right now, but this is spring time on a plate!  I pan roasted the fresh asaparagus  in a mixture of garlic and lemon juice. For texture, I crumbled some left over cheez-ish from my spicy bacon chili pot pies. And for a burst of freshness, I added some julienned basil from my garden. Yum!

Pan Roasted Asparagus
What you'll need:

• 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 egg
• crumbled Cheez-ish (see below)
• 1 mini sausage, cooked and chopped (optional)
• basil, sliced thin (optional)

What to do:

1. In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the asparagus and stir to coat them with the oil and garlic mixture. Allow the asparagus to cook untouched for 1-2 minutes before turning. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Cook another 1-2 minutes on the other sides.
2. Remove asparagus from the pan. Set aside. Wipe down the pan and add another 1 tsp of olive oil. Fry the egg over low heat. Cooking just until the whites set, you want the yolk to be nice and runny. 
3. Top your plated asparagus with the crumbled Cheez-ish, mini sausage (if preferred), and your fried egg. Sprinkle with a little fresh cracked black pepper and the thinly sliced basil. 

For the Cheez-ish Crackers (adapted from Adventures of a GF Mom)

• 3/4 cup packed tapioca flour
• 5 1-inch cubes of raw white cheddar (about 5 oz)
• 3 TBSP ghee, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum/guar gum
• 2-3 TBSP water, room temperature

1. Preheat your oven to 400F. In your food processor, pulse the cheese until it it looks like tiny peas. Then add the tapioca, ghee, turmeric, cayenne, baking soda, sea salt, and xanthan/guar gum. Pulse to combine, it should look like crumbly sand. 
2. With the processor on, slowly drizzle in 2 TBSP of water. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the processor bowl and form a ball. If not, then add up to 1 additional TBSP of water, but add 1 tsp at a time. Slowly! You might not need all of it, just until the dough comes together is when you're good to go.
3. Divide the dough into 2 even sized parts and wrap with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge or freezer for at least 10 minutes (since the dough is ridiculously soft) to firm up a bit. 
4. After cooling, working with one part at a time, sprinkle the dough with a little extra tapioca flour to keep it from sticking and roll it between two pieces of parchment (I used my silicone mat and a sheet of plastic wrap) to about 1/8 inch thick. 
5. Using a knife, make score lines in the dough before baking for easy break-apart crackers. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow the crackers to cool completely before breaking them into pieces. 

Spicy Bacon Chili Pot Pie (with Cheez-ish Crust)

Spicy, bacon-y, cheesy bowl of delicious is what that is. Like, WHOA. I used thai chilies to spice this up since they're about 10x spicer than your average jalapeno, you could say, I like it HOT. Also, the "Cheez-ish" crust tastes amazing and is nut-free!

Spicy Bacon Chili with Cheez-ish Crust
What you'll need:

• 8 strips of bacon
• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 10-15 (about 1 lb) sweet mini peppers, chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 birds eye chili/thai chili or 1 jalapeno, minced (thai chilies are spicy, they're little but pack a punch. use a de-veined/de-seeded jalapeno if you dont want too much heat)
• 1 large sweet potato, diced into 1/2 in cubes
• 1 13.5oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 1.5 cups tomato sauce
• 1.5 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 TBSP paprika
• 2 TBSP garlic powder
• 2 TBSP chili powder (medium)
• 2 TBSP cumin
• 2 TBSP cayenne
• 1 TBSP onion powder
• 2 tsp marjoram/oregano (they're interchangable, marjoram is just slightly sweeter than oregano)
• 3 bay leaves
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

     For the Cheez-ish Crust (adapted from Adventures of a GF Mom)

• 3/4 cup packed tapioca flour
• 5 1-inch cubes of raw white cheddar (about 5 oz?)
• 3 TBSP room temperature ghee
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2-3 TBSP water, room temperature

What to do:

1. Fry the bacon until nice and crispy. Set aside and reserve the rendered bacon fat, at least 2 TBSP.
2. In a large dutch oven (mine is 5.5 qts), heat 2 TBSP of the reserved bacon fat over medium heat. Be sure to coat the entire bottom of your pot otherwise everything will stick. Toss in the onion and thai chilies or jalapeno. Cook until the onions start to become translucent. The oils released by the chilies will make the steam irritating to the eyes, so be careful not to stick your face in it. Unless you want a spicy facial..HAHA
3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Then add the chopped peppers. Stir and cook until the peppers become fragrant. 
4. Add the beef, break up any large chunks and season with some kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Throw in all the spices, except the bay leaves. Stir to coat all the meat in the seasoning. 
5. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, stir, then add the tomato sauce, beef stock and water. Crumble the bacon and add that to the beef mixture. Bring the chili to a boil and turn down the heat to low. Stir in the bay leaves and sweet potato. 
6. Cover with the lid and simmer on low for 40-45 minutes. Stirring every 10 minutes or so, you don't want the bottom of your chili to burn. After 40 minutes, partially uncover the lid and allow the chili to reduce just a bit. This will help concentrate all that flavor. 
7. Once your chili is done cooking, remove from heat and set aside while you make the crust. 
8. Preheat your oven to 400F. In your food processor, pulse the cheese until it it looks like tiny peas. Then add the tapioca, ghee, turmeric, cayenne, baking soda, and sea salt. Pulse to combine, it should look like crumbly sand. 
9. With the processor on, slowly add 2 TBSP of water. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the processor bowl and form a ball. If not, then add another 1 TBSP of water. Slowly! You might not need all of it, just until the dough comes together is when you're good to go. 
10. Divide the dough into 2 even sized parts and wrap with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge or freeze for at least 10 minutes (the dough is ridiculously soft) to firm up a bit. 
11. After cooling, working with one part at a time, sprinkle dough with a little extra tapioca and roll it between two pieces of parchment (i used my silicone mat and a sheet of plastic wrap) to a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Set aside while you prep your chili.
12. Scoop some of the chili into an oven safe bowl. Then take your rolled our dough and slowly transfer the dough to lay on top of your bowl. I took my silicone mat and flipped it upside down onto my bowl and peeled it off. 
13. Pinch any broken areas of the dough and break away any excess. Repeat with any additional bowls. Sprinkle with some fresh cracked pepper and pop the bowls in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Thai Red Pineapple Curry

I meal prep during the weekend so I'm not staring at the fridge for 20 minutes deciding on what to make when I get home. This week, I felt lazy, so what do I make when I'm feeling lazy? Curry! It's super simple and so versatile. I purchased the curry paste from my local asian market (Aroy-D brand), simmered some protein in a combination of stock and coconut milk and added some veggies. Boom, Done!

Thai Red Pineapple Curry
What you'll need:

• 1-1.5 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast or thighs, diced
• ~1.5 cups pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in strips
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut in strips
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 inch cube of ginger, minced
• 2 TBSP red curry paste
• 1 13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3-4 Kaffir lime leaves
• handful thai basil
• 2-3 thai chilies (will be spicy, optional)
• 1 cup eggplant, diced (optional)
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots (optional)
• salt or fish sauce to taste

What to do:

1. In a pot, heat about 2 TBSP oil (I used olive) over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and thai chilies (if using). Saute until fragrant.
2. Add the curry paste and stir, breaking it up and coating the ginger, garlic, and chilies. Add the chicken and stir. Then add the peppers (eggplant and bamboo shoots too, if using). Once the chicken is mostly cooked through. Deglaze with the coconut milk. Stir.
3. Add the chicken stock, Kaffir lime leaves and thai basil. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
4. After about 20 minutes, add the pineapple chunks (you could add a few TBSP of the juice too). Stir and let it come to a simmer and allow to bubble for another 5 minutes. 
5. Remove lime leaves prior to serving. Season with salt or fish sauce, to taste. 

Cuban Beef Waffle Taco

I'm on a quest to cook just about anything in my waffle iron. The waffle is made entirely of eggs and nothing else, okay, and a little salt and pepper. But that's it! The beef filling was some leftovers from the papas rellenas I made last week (on my instagram, also no recipe for the papas rellenas yet, I have to figure out a better method of making them). This literally took about 5 minutes to make, so if you're in a hurry and want a quick and filling meal, this is it.

Cuban Beef Waffle Taco
What you'll need:

• 2 eggs, scrambled
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/3 cup onion, finely minced
• 1/3 cup green and/or red pepper, finely minced
• 3 gloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 TBSP tomato sauce
• 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar or lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TBSP raisins (optional)
• 2 TBSP green olives, chopped (optional)

What to do:

1. Use a food processor to finely mince the onions and peppers. But do them separately. Drain the peppers, squeezing out as much water as you can. Set aside. 
2. Heat about 1 TBSP oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic. Cook until they are fragrant. Add the minced peppers, stir to combine.
3. Add the spices, tomato sauce, salt and pepper to the beef mixture. Cook until all the beef is no longer pink. Add the apple cider vinegar or lime juice and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to cook for about 1-2 minutes. 
4. Turn off the heat and add the raisins and olives if using, toss to combine. Set aside. 
5. Preheat your waffle iron to a low setting. Make sure your waffle iron is seasoned otherwise the eggs will stick. Once your iron is ready, pour enough egg mixture to just barely come up to the edge of the bottom. If you pour exactly to the edge, it will expand and spill out as you close it. Close the lid and turn, or cook as per manufacturer's instructions.
6. The eggs will cook quick, mine took about 1 minute. Once they're ready, use a spatula and carefully remove the egg waffle (they're delicate, so move it slowly).
7. Fill your egg waffle with your filling. 

Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Pancake Cake

Can I call this a cake if these are plated on a cake stand? Maybe? Okay. I love blueberries and I love cinnamon rolls. So why not combine two things I love into one beautiful stack of awesome?! These have grassfed protein powder in them, so they're not strictly paleo (dairy). I added the protein because this was my post-workout meal. I need the protein to keep my GAINZ. Haha.

Blueberry Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
What you'll need:

• 3 eggs
• 2 TBSP coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 scoop protein powder (I used Vanilla Formulx)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• coconut oil/butter for frying
• 1 cup blueberries
• juice of 1/2 lemon

What to do:

1. In a food processor or blender, blend together the eggs, coconut oil, almond milk, and vanilla together (for about 30 seconds), making sure everything is blended well.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the apple cider vinegar, and blend until combined. Once combined, pulse in the apple cider vinegar.
3. Allow the batter to stand for a few minutes to thicken up a bit.
4. In a pan, heat a little coconut oil or grassfed butter/ghee over low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup (I used an ice cream scoop) of batter into pan and let it cook for about 1 minute. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds on the other side. Repeat until you've made all your pancakes from the batter. Set aside to make the blueberry sauce.
5. In a saucepan, heat the blueberries and lemon juice over low heat. Stirring to keep it from burning prior to all the juices from the blueberries are released. Allow to cook for low heat for about 3-5 minutes or until most of the blueberries have burst and released its juices, swirling the pot occasionally. 
6. Top the pancakes with the blueberry sauce. Eat. 

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (Muy Choi Kau Yoke)

If you enjoy pork belly, then I recommend you try this. The pork belly is braised in a mixture of coconut aminos, coconut sugar, homemade beef/pork broth, and pickled mustard greens for 4 hours resulting in the most tender, succulent, and creamy pieces of meat you will probably ever put in your mouth. HAHA, enough said.

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (Muy Choi Kau Yoke)
What you'll need:

• 1 pack pickled/preserved mustard greens (found in asian markets)
• 2 lbs pork belly, with skin
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 3 TBSP coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup beef/pork broth (I used homemade)
• ~ 2 cups of water
• 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
• 5-6 gloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tsp chinese five spice
• coconut aminos, for marinating pork belly
• olive oil or fat of choice

What to do:

1. Remove the pickled mustard greens from the packaging and drain its juices. Roughly chop to about ~`1/2 inch (or smaller) chunks and place in a bowl of filtered water. Let the greens soak in the water for at least 2 hours, draining and changing the water at least twice (I ended up letting them soak for a  good 6 hours, changing the water only twice)
2. While your greens are soaking in the water, score the skin of the pork belly (cut them into smaller chunks if a 2lb slab will not fit in your slow cooker). Rub the chinese five spice powder all over the pork, making sure to get it in all its crevices. Add enough coconut aminos to lightly coat the entire piece of pork. I used about 2 TBSP. Cover and marinate the pork for at least 30 minutes (I marinated it for 6 hours in the fridge).
3. Drain the mustard greens well, squeezing out as much water as you can,  set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the coconut aminos and coconut sugar together, set aside. Heat your cast iron, or heavy duty fry pan over medium heat. Add your fat of choice enough to coat the bottom of your pan completely. 
4. Remove the marinated pork from the fridge, sear it SKIN SIDE DOWN for about 3-4 minutes or until nice a crispy. Flip and sear the meat side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and place the pork in the pot of your slow cooker. Add the mustard greens to your fry pan and cook for about 2 minutes until they start to wilt. 
5. Throw in your garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Allow the garlic and ginger to cook with the mustard greens until they are fragrant. Deglaze your pan with the broth, then add the aminos/sugar mixture. Stir to combine and allow the mixture to come to a boil. 
6. Once the mixture starts to boil, turn off the heat and pour the green mixture into the pot of the slow cooker, topping the pork belly. Add enough water just to cover the pork belly. Cook on low for 4 hours. 

Steak n' Eggs over Waffled Hashbrowns

There's just something about steak and eggs. Add some hashbrowns and whoa, AMAZING. So these steak tips I got from The Meat House are marinated in their house marinade (gluten free too, I asked!), which includes fresh black pepper and whole grain mustard, were perfect for this dish. It made whipping this meal for one a breeze.

For the Steak & Eggs + Hashbrowns
What you'll need:

• about 4-6 oz of marinated steaktips from The Meat House, diced
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 1 small red hot portugal pepper (you can use any red pepper, this is just what I have growing in my garden right now)
• 1 small white sweet potato, spiralized
• 1 egg
• grassfed butter, ghee, or olive oil

What to do:

1. Pre-heat your waffle iron. In a pan, melt about 1/2 TBSP of grassfed butter (I used unsalted Kerrygold) over medium heat.
2. Add your onions and peppers and cook until the onions start to become translucent and are fragrant. Add steak tips and stir. 
3. While your steak tips are cooking, add your spiralized sweet potatoes to your waffle iron. Spread it around and try to make one even layer. Add about 1/2 TBSP butter, cut into tiny cubes, to your potatoes. Cook potatoes in waffle iron for about 10-15 minutes. Check on them every few minutes, because they will burn. 
4. Once your steak is cooked, remove from pan and set aside, until your hashbrowns are cooked. In the same pan, over low heat, add about 1 tsp of butter/oil, fry up your egg. 
5. When your hashbrowns are done, remove from waffle iron and top with your steak, then your fried egg. Break your egg and allow that delicious gold to drip all over your plate. 
6. (Take a picture, HAHA) Eat. 

Have you been to The Meat House, Mission Viejo? They offer a variety of grass-fed, organic, and locally sourced meats as well as an assortment of cheese, craft beers, gluten-free items, fresh produce, and more. Oh, and they make their own bacon, in-house, nitrate free! Planning to grill? They've got charcoal and a ton of different rubs. Planning to meal prep? They've got a cryovac machine in the back to package your protein in airtight packaging that'll keep it fresh for up to 12 days. Planning to not plan? They've got pre-made meals, like chili and ribs all ready cooked and ready to eat, you just have to heat. So if you're in South Orange County, please be sure to stop by.