BOHEMIAN CABBAGE (FOR NON CABBAGE LOVERS)

With very few modifications to make it Paleo, this recipe came from my former neighbor, Nancy Davis.  Give this a try if you don't normally like cabbage.  My last batch was devoured with gusto by three non-Paleo eaters.  I wasn't a fan of cabbage before I tried this, either.

Ingredients:

1/2 head of cabbage
3 strips of bacon
1 large onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Fry the bacon in a skillet large enough to hold all the cabbage until is is almost crisp.  Remove the bacon and drain it on a paper towel.  Chop into 1/2" pieces.

Add the olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  Slice the cabbage and onion into thin strips and add to the oil.  Cook the veggies, stirring frequently, until they begin to turn golden at the edges.

Stir in chicken stock, vinegar and bacon.  Cover and cook the mixture until tender, but still slightly crisp.  Season with caraway seeds, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

PALEO LEMON BARS

It all started with a recipe for lemon-lime macaroon bars in the May 2013 issue of Sunset Magazine.  They sounded delicious, but there was nothing Paleo about the nearly three cups of sugar or the butter, flour or cornstarch in the ingredients.  It got me thinking, though.  The trickiest part was figuring out what to use for the filling, since the original recipe was mainly sugar.  I decided to try sweet potatoes and voila!  They worked fine.  I have now brought these to couple of non-Paleo potlucks and people have really liked them.  No one can believe that they contain no flour or sugar.

Ingredients:

Crust

2 cups shredded coconut

1 1/2 cups almond flour

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 large eggs

Filling

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons each lemon and lime zest

1/4 cup each lemon and lime juice

• Peel a couple of sweet potatoes.  Cut them into large chunks, place them in a large saucepan, cover with water and boil until soft (about 20 minutes.)  Mash the sweet potatoes thoroughly until smooth.  You want to avoid leaving any large chunks that could ruin the texture of the filling.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread the coconut on a low sided baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
• Combine the coconut and other crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
• Grease the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
• Spread the crust mixture evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
• Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until light golden brown.
• Remove crust from oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
• Blend the sweet potatoes with the other filling ingredients and beat until smooth.
• Pour the filling over the crust.
• Bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven if the filling starts to crack.  You don't want it to become too dry.
• Let cool and chill for several hours.  Cut into bars and serve.

If any of you out there are cooking for people who don't like coconut, you can substitute extra almond flour for the coconut and ghee for the coconut oil.  The texture of the crust will be more cakelike, but it still works.

PALEO BANANA MACADAMIA NUT PANCAKES

Banana macadamia nut pancakes were popular in our house long before we adopted a Paleo diet.  Since bananas are the main ingredient in Paleo pancakes, it seemed only natural that we ought to be able to make a macadamia nut version.

Ingredients

Three bananas
Three large eggs
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Coconut oil

• Chop your macadamia nuts into small pieces.
• In a medium sized bowl, mash the three bananas.
• Add the almond butter and eggs and stir until well blended.
• Melt a teaspoon or so of coconut oil in a large skillet.  Spread the oil evenly over the skillet with a spatula.
• Drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil to make 4" pancakes.
• Cook over medium heat until golden brown on the bottom (usually when bubbles pop and the batter no longer fills the hole.)
• Turn over and cook for another minute or so on the other side.

Serve with real maple syrup or your favorite fruit.

HAZELNUT FRIED ZUCCHINI

No one who grows zucchini ever has the right amount of the stuff.  One day it's not quite ready and the next day you're overwhelmed.  Turn your back on a fingerling and the next day it's the size of a watermelon.  Here's a recipe for Paleo eaters and anybody desperate for something to do with a slightly oversized zuc.  This reminds me of the deep fried zucchini I used to get at some fast food restaurant a long time ago.

Ingredients

One large (not watermelon sized, mind you) zucchini

One cup  (or so depending on the zuc) hazelnut flour/meal

Salt

Spike, spicy Mrs. Dash or other peppery spice blend

Two eggs

Olive oil

• Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch think rounds.
• Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until mixed.
• Pour some hazelnut flour into a shallow bowl.
• Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large frying pan over medium heat.
• Dip the zucchini in the egg and then roll in the hazelnut flour.
• Place the zucchini in the frying pan and sprinkle with salt and spice mixture.
• Fry until golden brown on both sides (about 5 minutes per side.)
• Place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

It works better if you only put a small amount of hazelnut flour in the bowl at a time.  Otherwise, it absorbs the egg and starts to form a dough.