Rainbow Carrot Cake

Having a blog is perfect for my inner (and outer) math geek. I get limitless entertainment from reviewing my stats. With 10,000 hits last night and visitors from over 50 countries, I get pretty excited. I love seeing what people are searching for like "sooo hungry now paleo" and "paleo dessert asap". I think the common theme is that all you paleo followers out there love good food, want it fast, and are dying for new dessert recipes. With that in mind, I am posting dessert #2 from ladies night this past weekend. The cobbler/crumble was a huge hit, and the carrot cake did not disappoint either. This recipe made a lot of cake, so I sent everyone home with a little piece. I figured that was a better idea than devouring the entire rest of the cake in bed at midnight when they all left! Carrot cake has always been one of my favorite desserts. The frosting is my least favorite part, so I didn't even bother making a paleo version. Next time I will probably attempt it just to see how it comes out. This cake was extra special because it used fresh rainbow carrots and eggs from the farmers market. It was beautiful to make and delicious to eat! If you don't want an enormous cake, you could cut the recipe in half, bake it in a round pie dish or an 8x8 square pan, and bake it for about 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Rainbow Carrot Cake: Serves 12-15, Prep time: 20 min, Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

- 3 cups almond flour

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

- 5 eggs

- 1/3 cup organic grade B maple syrup

- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

- 3 cups carrots, shredded

- 1 cup raisins

- 1 cup pecans 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon

3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil

4. Add carrots, raisins, and pecans to the wet ingredients 

5. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and pour into a 9x12 baking dish

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

7. Let cool, frost if you like, and enjoy!

  

  

Apple Cinnamon Autumn Meatloaf

Paleo on-the-go can be easier at times than others. While in Stamford last week, I took a lot of heat from my coworkers about ordering the same lunch from the same restaurant three days in a row. I talked about this salad enough over the course of the week to convince some colleagues, friends, and family all to check it out. Tabouli Grill is a cute little Mediterranean restaurant in Stamford with great service and fresh, delicious food. They have had this Moroccan salad on special for the past few weeks full of seasonal ingredients. It has spiced butternut squash, beets, red peppers, avocado, sliced carrots, almonds, hard-boiled egg, and grilled chicken. I substituted the pomegranate dressing (which did sound amazing) for some olive oil and balsamic, and it was a perfect paleo meal. I highly recommend trying out the restaurant if you are in CT, and if not, whip this up yourself when you're craving a hearty salad. 

Now that I am home and back in the kitchen, I have decided to create some new fall-inspired recipes. I have always loved a good meatloaf, so I tried to get a bit creative this one. I added apples, cinnamon, and raisins for a new twist, and I loved it! I bought super jumbo raisins by mistake (no idea this was even an option), and for the record, I would recommend your typical average-sized raisins. Bigger is not always better.

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
- 1/4 onion, chopped (I got carried away and used a whole onion and can still taste it 2 days later...)

- 1 apple, chopped

- 1/4 cup raisins (optional)

- 1/2 cup almond flour

- 1 egg

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1 tsp. cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl (you are going to need to use your hands for this one)

3. Put mixture into greased loaf pan (can use coconut oil, spray, other fat of choice, or silicone loaf pan)

4. Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top

5. Bake for about 40 minutes or until cooked through and set

6. Let sit for at least 10-15 minutes before serving 

7. Delicious with a side of sweet potatoes or squash and your favorite green vegetable!

  

  

Cashew Raisin Paleo Bread!

One of the most common things people say to me about my paleo lifestyle is that they could never give up bread. I have actually been shocked how easy it has been to say no to the bread basket at restaurants and pass on sandwiches I used to order all the time. That being said, I do miss my favorite fruity/nutty breads, and I knew I could create a delicious paleo version to have once in a while. Raw cashews are my favorite because my grandma always had them in her house in Brooklyn when we went to visit. To this day, every single time I eat a raw cashew I can picture being in her house and seeing her smile knowing that we were eating one of her special treats (she loved to feed us). 

This is a simple, dense bread with just a hint of sweetness. You can omit the maple syrup, substitute it for honey, or use another sweetener of choice. I stored the bread in foil overnight after it cooled. It was much easier to slice on day two, so don't get frustrated!

Ingredients

- 1 cup almond flour

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 Tbsp. all natural organic maple syrup (can also use raw honey)

- 3 eggs

- 1/2 cup cashews, chopped/crushed

- 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all ingredients other than nuts and raisins

3. Fold in nuts and raisins

4. Put batter into a parchmont-paper lined loaf pan (you can also use a silicon loaf pan)

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick or fork comes out clean

6. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, then lift the paper out of the pan and remove your loaf

7. This bread is delicious plain but would be great to experiment with for sandwiches, toast with almond butter and/or fig jam, french toast, etc. Enjoy!