Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala

So here it is, possibly one of the most loved curries of the British, the Chicken Tikka Masala and boy is it delicious! This is ultimate comfort food at it’s best! In fact it is thought to have originated in the an Indian restaurant in the UK! You can read more about that here.

This dish doesn’t take a particular amount of skill to make but it will require you to marinade your chicken the night before if you want it to taste that little bit more special. You will then have to bake it before making your masala sauce.

This curry is pretty spicy so if you’re not a spice fiend just add 1/4-1/2 tsp of chilli powder to your masala rather than the 1/2 tbsp.

Most of all – enjoy!!!

Serves: 4 people

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (plus overnight wait for marinating chicken)

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the marinated chicken:

3 cloves garlic (peeled)
2″ piece of root ginger (peeled)
Seeds from 5 green cardamom pods
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg or mace
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red chilli powder
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 cup coconut yogurt
Juice 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
500g chicken breast (cubed)
2 tbsp raw grass-fed butter (to baste)

For the masala sauce:

4 large tomatoes
3/4 cup tomato purée (roughly 200g)
2 cups of water
2 garlic cloves (peeled)
1″ piece root ginger (peeled)
1 green chilli (deseeded & finely diced)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (ground)
1/2-3/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt (dependent upon your tastes)
1 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tbsp red chilli powder
6 green cardamom pods (crushed)
2 tbsp raw grass-fed butter
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp raw honey

To garnish:

Small piece of root ginger (julienned)
Small handful of fresh coriander (roughly chopped)

Method:

1. The night before cooking start by making the marinade for your chicken. In a pestle and mortar grind your garlic, root ginger and spices into a paste
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl mix together the coconut yogurt, lemon juice and olive oil. Add in your spice paste and mix thoroughly. Add your cubed chicken breast and mix until covered evenly. Cover the bowl in cling film and place into the fridge overnight.
3. The following day pre-heat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4 and place your marinated chicken into a pyrex/baking dish.
4. Melt your butter and set aside.
5. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes but give it a quick stir and baste it twice with some of the melted butter. Drain off the excess marinade and juices and baste with the remaining melted butter. Return to the oven for a couple more minutes until it is lightly golden on the outside but still slightly undercooked. Remove from the oven and leave to one side.
6. In a pestle and mortar grind your ginger and garlic into a smooth paste.
7. In a large saucepan combine the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and water. Stir until evenly mixed then add your ginger and garlic paste, diced green chilli, salt and the rest of the spices. Cook on a low heat for roughly 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and become very thick. Remove the pan from the heat.
8. Strain the sauce through a large sieve into another container. Pour the strained sauce back into the saucepan and then bring to the boil.
9. Reduce the heat to a low heat and then add the butter, coconut milk and raw honey. Stir thoroughly.
10. Stir in the chicken and warm through.
11. Serve up and garnish with ginger juliennes and chopped fresh coriander.

Raw Paleo Carrot Cake Squares

I have always been both heavily obsessed, and inspired by DAMY & Clean Eating With a Dirty Mind both pages literally make me lick the screen – no joke!!! Those two blogs will just blow your mind with the amazingly naughty yet delicious creations that they come up with. Before I had Anya I used to love making raw desserts – especially raw cheesecakes and I guess I wanted to perfect my own raw & Vegan dessert. I guess that’s why I came up with this gorgeous raw carrot cake.

This recipe calls for some rather juicy and succulent dried pineapple to be used in the base instead of just plain old medjool dates, and as much as I love medjool dates I do feel that they can end up overpowering the taste of most recipes rather than complimenting the overall flavours. The whole cake is packed full of flavour and juiciness – even the frosting stays solid enough to not melt off unlike most cashew cream cheese frostings I have tried out before. In fact I actually think that this is better than regular baked carrot cake!

This raw carrot cake is a total doddle to make, you actually can’t go wrong; all you need is a food processor, a small brownie tin (I used an 8.5″ x 6.5″ tin), some clean hands and maybe a little taste tester to help along the way. This recipe will also require you to soak your raisins in some orange juice and also your cashew nuts in a bowl of water (for the frosting) overnight. It is best to do the same with your pecans and walnuts too but they will need dehydrating before use which can be done by transferring onto a large baking tray and cooking in the oven on the lowest heat until sufficiently dry enough. The choice is yours!

Yields: Roughly 6-8 squares

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Setting Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the base:

1.5 carrots (peeled & chopped)
1 cup dried pineapple
1/2 (packed) cup pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1 tbsp coconut oil
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
3/4 cup pecans (activated)
3/4 cup walnuts (activated)
Juice 1/2 orange
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 carrot (peeled & finely shredded)

For the faux cream cheese frosting:

1.5 cups cashews (soaked overnight)
Juice 1 lemon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut cream (solid part of a chilled can of coconut milk)
1/8 coconut oil
1/8 cup cacao butter (melted)
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (optional)

Optional toppings:

1/4 cup walnuts (crushed)
1/4  carrot (spiralized/shredded)

Method:

1. The night before making place a can of coconut milk into the fridge and leave your raisins to soak in the orange juice overnight in an airtight container, be sure to store them in the fridge until needed. You will also need to soak your cashews in a bowl of water with 1 heaped tsp of Himalayan pink salt. Make sure that you cover them with enough water so that there is about an inch of water above the nuts. Cover with cling film and leave in a cool dry place overnight. In the morning drain and rinse your cashews thoroughly. Set aside until later.
2. In the bowl of your food processor add all of the ingredients for your base except for your pecans, walnuts, and orange juice soaked raisins. Pulse the ingredients a few times before processing until smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides frequently with a spatula to ensure that everything gets processed thoroughly.
3. Add in the nuts and pulse until some of the nuts have processed smoothly and the rest have left small chunks.
4. Stir in your orange juice soaked raisins and shredded carrot.
5. Line a brownie or small cake tin (I used an 8.5″ x 6.5″ tin) with some greaseproof paper and transfer the mixture in. Using your hands ‘knuckle in’ the mixture until nice and even. Place into the freezer whilst you prepare your faux cream cheese frosting.
6. Clean the bowl of your food processor and add in all of your ingredients for your frosting. Pulse a few times before processing and process until completely smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides frequently in order keep your mix really smooth!
7. Remove the base from the freezer and pour over your cream cheese frosting. Using a spatula spread out the frosting evenly. Sprinkle over your crushed walnuts and place the tin into the freezer, leaving to set for around an hour.
8. Remove the tin from the freezer when set and carefully lever out the sides of the carrot cake using a large sharp knife. Cut into 6-8 large squares.
9. Top each square with a small amount of spiralized/shredded carrot and tuck in!!!

Paleo Black Sesame Banana Bread

Nothing like a good old bit of Banana Bread right?! Wrong! You mean nothing like a good old bit of Georgie’s Banana Bread! I am not even ashamed to say that I have eaten half of this loaf already and that there is only a small slither of it left (in a good hiding place).

The kids and my significant other told me that this is even better than Banana Bread, that it is just too good to be true – I agree with them. This is perfection in a loaf. It is light and fluffy yet moist, it springs back when you give it a little poke and it’s flavours are intense but not over powering. This my friends is some rather sophisticated Banana Bread you got going on here.

Although I have stated that you will need a food processor you could make this by hand the traditional way but it won’t come out as smooth. You will also require a 9″ x 5″ loaf tin. If at anytime you find that the top of the loaf is browning too quickly cover the tin loosely with tin foil, shiny side facing upward, this will prevent it from burning.

The best part is that this is both gluten and nut free! This is one of my first bits of Paleo nut free baking and boy has it paid off. Just divine! It is great served with a cup of coffee or even a matcha latte!

Makes: 1 small loaf (10-12 slices)

Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the banana bread:

2 medium ripe bananas
2 eggs
100g raw unsalted grass-fed butter (or coconut oil)
100g coconut sugar
75g Sukrin Sesame Flour
75g tapioca flour
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the sugar ‘crust’:

2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp raw honey (melted)
1 tsp black sesame seeds

Method:

1. Start by pre-heating your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Line a 9″ x 5″ loaf tin with baking parchment and grease. Set aside until needed.
3. Combine all of the ingredients for the banana bread into the bowl of your food processor and process until smooth. This will take no longer than 5 minutes.
4. Transfer into the lined loaf tin and place into the oven. Cook the loaf until it is hot in the middle but a toothpick does not come out clean. You want your loaf to be on the verge of being ready.
5. Remove the loaf from the oven and pour over and spread your sugar crust mix.
6. Return the loaf to the oven until fully cooked – this time your toothpick should come out clean and hot to the touch.
7. Remove the loaf from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before carefully turning out and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

 

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Paleo Blood Orange & Cocoa Nib Marmalade

Yeah this stuff is pretty darn special! As you can clearly see!

I have always had a thing for jams and marmalade. I used to absolutely love making jams but what I always had hated was the sheer amount of sugar that you had to put into the damn stuff! Not this marmalade, no siree – this marmalade uses only 1/3 of a cup of sugar to 6 oranges. Not too shabby.

The texture of this marmalade isn’t a solid jelly type that you would get it is a lot softer and more spreadable but it still tastes like marmalade and not any ordinary marmalade. Yes it is bittersweet but the flavour is just so much more than that – it is a fresh orange taste coupled with a complex chocolate flavour. It truly is beautiful. In a nutshell it smells and tastes like the best and freshest chocolate orange you could ever imagine.

This is perfect generously spread over some of my Paleo Granary Bread, Superfood Pancakes or even spooned over some coconut yogurt!

So, what an earth made me chuck some cocoa nibs into my marmalade mix? Quite simply I love anything chocolate orange but the wonderful folk over at Naturya supplied me with some of their exquisite products to get creative with and I have had these gorgeous nibs sat around getting nibbled on and sprinkled over everything and anything. All I will say is that there will be a lot more of the cocoa nib coming your way in the near future, but in a savoury form!

I have made the method for this recipe as simple as possible as real marmalade making is all faff, muslin cloths, you name it – it is just not for me, at least not when I am running a house full of children and animals. All you will require for this recipe is a stove top, a pan, a wooden spoon and something to store your marmalade in. Simples.

This recipe will require you to add in some orange rind, however if you aren’t a fan of the rind in marmalade simply zest 1 of the oranges before juicing.

Yields: Roughly 350g 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20- 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Juice & pulp of 6 blood oranges (reserve the rind of 1/2 blood orange)
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup Naturya cocoa nibs
1 tsp tapioca flour dissolved into 1.5 tsp water

Method:

1. Juice all of the oranges and save the pulp too – I find that this gives the marmalade that bit more of a fruity bite to it. Ensure that you save the rind of 1/2 of an orange.
2. Cut the rind in half and slice thin strips lengthways, I definitely wouldn’t cut a strip any thicker than 5mm.
3. Combine all of the ingredients (except for the tapioca flour) into a pan and place onto a medium heat. Bring the mix to the boil being sure to stir frequently to prevent burning.
4. Once boiling reduce the heat and leave the mixture to simmer. Simmer until the majority of the liquid has reduced and it coats the back of your spoon well.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in your tapioca flour thickener stirring vigorously. Return the pan to the heat and heat for 1 minute until thick.
6. Pour the marmalade into a clean airtight jar and cover with a wax disc or cellophane lid before closing. Store in a cool dark place and use within one month.

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The Paleo Isotonic Super Booster

Well with such a boring picture I had to give this an interesting name! This is the ultimate Paleo sports performance drink!

When I first got back into running after having my first two kids I started to drink those awful sugary isotonic drinks, and well I started to learn that they were actually no good for performance and I would often burn out fairly fast. I deecided to switch back to regular water and up my salt intake. This did work well but not well enough. Fast forward 5 years and going strong on the Paleo diet I started to become more familiar with chia seeds and their benefits within sports performance. I also started to become more aware of the roles of carbohydrates, citrus and sea salts aiding in hydration and electrolyte/isotonic balance. That’s when I came up with this little number.

It is super quick to make and will help you blast out a good endurance run or hour and a half of intensive exercise.  This is best consumed about 30 minutes before you do exercise but you can also drink this first thing in the morning as it will hydrate you and help get those adrenals going!

This drink is also ideal for kids – my kids love this because it is nice and fizzy from the bicarbonate of soda! But this drink isn’t just for athletes and kiddies it is great for the elderly and anyone who is suffering from the flu or a stomach bug with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

So what is so great about all of the ingredients in this drink and what do they do?!

• Carbohydrates from the raw honey will help to replenish your muscle glycogen whilst increasing the intestinal water absorption rate. It also contains fructose, glucose and maltose which all absorb into the bloodstream at different rates thus making it the ultimate energy source for sports performance.
• The Himalayan pink salt contains 84 minerals and trace elements including the electrolytes sodium, magnesium, potassium & sulfate.
• The bicarbonate of soda contains sodium chloride which again aids in topping up your electrolytes.
• The lemon and lime juice is a great substitution for potassium citrate as it contains high levels of both potassium and citric acid. It also chelates calcium which basically means that it stays firmly attached for better absorption.
• On to my favourite little power houses – chia seeds. Chia seeds are hydrophillic meaning that they love water, so much so in fact that they can hold up to 12 times their weight in water! This again extends your timeframe for hydration. Chia seeds are also hight in omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fibre, protein and antioxidants. These beauties were used by the ancient aztecs and I have never turned back. They fuel you for a good hour or so of exercise.
• Water… well yes I think we all know what water is good for!

But anyway now onto the actual recipe! Just to let you know these make excellent freeze pops too for the summer!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

400ml filtered cold water
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tbsp raw honey (or maple syrup for Vegan substitution)
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp milled or whole chia seeds

Method:

1. Start by pouring your water, lemon juice & lime juice into a large glass container and stir.
2. Add in your raw honey and Himalayan pink salt and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in your bicarbonate of soda and chia seeds and leave to sit for another 10 minutes to allow the chia seeds to absorb the water thoroughly.
4. Alternatively you can place all of the ingredients except for the bicarbonate of soda into a blender and blend for a couple of minutes before leave to sit the 10 minutes. You can then stir in your bicarbonate of soda at the end before drinking otherwise the gases will build up and you will be likely to have a little explosion on your hands!!!

Paleo Spicy Cumin, Ginger, Lime & Roasted Queen Squash Soup

I have had a Queen squash staring me in the face all week and I couldn’t decide what to do with it – that was until the weather became horrid which naturally led to me craving soup!

It is very rare these days that I get to indulge in a little bit of spice with my food, I mean real wholesome spice! You know, the kind that makes your nose run and your heart pump like a lion. As the baby was having her nap I thought I could sneak my lunch in before she woke up and so I got to work.

This soup is creamy, spicy, has a little tang and a whole lot of flavour, and what I like the most about it is the fact that I do not have to use any stock – I am actually a very lazy cook, I can’t be bothered with stock and if I were going to bother I would be making it from scratch, and I only use vegetable stock – I hate literally any meat stock.

This recipe will require you to roast your squash and some garlic first but it is pretty effortless. You will also need a food processor or immersion blender!

If you’re a bit shy on the spice you might want to use half the amount of chilli as it is at the higher end of ‘medium’. Anyway enough of my blabbing, get to work on this perfect Winter warmer!!!

Serves: 4-6 people

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hr 05 minutes

Ingredients:

For the soup:

1 queen squash

4 cloves garlic

4 tbsp good quality olive oil

5 shallots (peeled & roughly chopped)

1 red chilli (diced)

2″ root ginger (peeled & sliced)

4 tbsp raw grass-fed butter (can be substituted with 2 tbsp coconut manna 2 tbsp coconut oil)

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

500ml water

250ml nut or diluted coconut milk

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lime

A generous handful of fresh coriander

For the garnish:

A few sprigs of fresh coriander

Cracked black peppercorns

Oil of your choice

Method:

1. Firstly you will need to roast your squash. Pre-heat your oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5.
2. To prepare your squash, wash it thoroughly and cut in half. Scoop out all of the seeds with a spoon and then cut each half once more so that you have quarters.
3. Place your squash quarters onto a baking tray and pour 1 tbsp of olive oil onto each quarter. Brush the oil evenly all over the bottom, top and sides of the squash.
4. Using the back of a knife carefully bash your cloves of garlic to loosen everything up and get the flavours going. Do not remove the skin! Place the garlic on top of each squash segment and lightly brush a little oil on top.
5. Place into the oven for 30-45 minutes until soft all the way through and slightly browned/caramelised around the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
6. Once cool enough to handle peel away the skin and cut the squash into cubes and set aside until needed later.
7. Now start prepping your shallots, chilli and ginger. In a large, heavy bottomed pan melt 2 tbsp of your butter until frothy and add your shallots, chilli and ginger. Now peel your roasted garlic cloves and add to the pan. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
8. Add your cubed squash, spices and Himalayan pink salt and stir. Cook for around 10 minutes on a low heat until lightly caramelised.
9. Now pour in your water, nut milk and lime zest. Leave to simmer until almost all of the liquid has reduced. Remove from the head and pour into a food processor.
10. Add your remaining butter and lime juice and process until smooth. You may have to do this in batches depending upon the size of your food processor!
11. Add your handful of fresh coriander (stalks and all) and pulse in until lightly chopped.
12. Serve immediately, drizzle with an oil of your choice and garnish, or reheat when ready to eat! You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days or alternatively freeze and use within one month.

Paleo Purple Potato, Parsnip & Parmesan Savoury Muffins

I know what you’re thinking – savoury Muffins – weird right? Right! I too have never been able to get my head around the idea of a savoury muffin, it just seems ummm utterly repulsive! Well, after my muffin making escapades last week, and my children moaning about their Paleo school packed lunches being so boring I decided that I would try and make something a little more appealing and fun. So why not muffins? They’re super easy to make and packed full of nutrition. Turns out that these beauties are actually pretty tasty.

Unlike the majority of my baking recipes you will not find a speck of tapioca flour, but you will find quite a substantial amount of coconut flour. I decided to opt for coconut flour to keep these nice and moist and to give them an almost cakey edge – dry savoury muffins just for some reason seem like my worst nightmare. Being so moist also means that they are fast to devour so even if you have one of the slowest eaters in the household (like I do) you know that this is likely to not be left behind. I have also used some xanthan gum to help with moisture retention and some vitamin C to aid the ‘rise’ of these muffins to make you a beautiful muffin top.

Now if you can’t get hold of any purple potatoes, or want to stay away from those starchy beasts like I do then simply sub them for 1 small sweet potato. My kids, like all kids, however are carbofiends!

This recipe requires you to use a muffin tin or you could just use some large muffin case but I just prefer the simplicity of the tin and love the shape that it comes out in.

Yields: 8 medium sized muffins

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 small purple potatoes (finely grated)
1 large parsnip (finely grated)
1/2 cup Sukrin Almond Flour (I used this as it is fat reduced and thus less likely to burn)
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp milled chia seeds
1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp Vitamin C powder
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
80g raw Parmesan (grated)
50g raw grass-fed butter (melted)
2 eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
100ml nut milk

Method:

1. Start by finely grating your purple potato and parsnip. I used the small holed grater attachment (I totally just made the name of that blade up sorry) and it was done in a matter of seconds. Once grated squeeze out the excess moisture using your hands and place the dried mass into a large mixing bowl. Pour away your excess liquid as you won’t be needing this for anything!
2. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.
3. Add all of your dry ingredients including the grated Parmesan and stir until the potato and parsnip is covered evenly.
4. Melt your butter and pour over.
5. In a separate bowl whisk together your eggs, olive oil and nut milk. Pour into your potato mix and stir until you have a nice smooth and thick batter.
6. Lightly grease your muffin tin. Take a generous handful of the ‘batter’ and form into a ball. Pat it down into one of the indentations of the mufffin tin. You want it to be slightly higher than the indentation by about 0.5cm. Repeat until you have filled all of your indentations.
7. Place the muffins into the oven until they are lightly golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean and hot to the touch. This will take around 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a couple of minutes before gently tipping out onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely (or just dive in and eat away!).

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Paleo Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Do you ever crave those super syrupy and junk loaded beverages from your favourite high street coffee shops? I know I sure do! So much so that I just had to figure out a solution to this sticky little problem. I often find that I want something simple to make and that doesn’t involve indulging in any real syrup, yes even Paleo syrup. Having said that though this is amazing served with a little drizzle of my Orange Salted Caramel from my Tangerine Dream Truffle Tart.

So by now I am sure that you have all heard of Bulletproof Coffee, it is a genius creation and I have one every morning for my breakfast. In fact I cannot drink a hot drink anymore without adding in some coconut oil and grass-fed butter – it just gives me that brilliant boost that I need to get through the day but also combats depression and improves my sleep. I wanted to apply the same principle to my salted caramel hot chocolate and I really believe that this is what gives it that genuine buttery caramel flavour. If you are Vegan don’t worry you can easily sub the butter for coconut or MCT oil and it will still taste of salted caramel as I have added in a little lucuma powder too for good measure.

What I will say though is that it may be best to consume this in the evening after your dinner as a dessert as it is quite high in carbohydrates and could easily make you crash out and tired – yes even though it is loaded full of good fats! I think this is my new bedtime bevvy!

The ingredients in this are fairly minimal but the recipe does call for a decent food processor, or even better something like a Nutribullet.

I can assure you that there is nothing out there like this right now that is as creamy and delicious! So why not go give it a whirl?!

Makes: 1 large cup or 2 small cups

Preparation Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

3 medjool dates (pitted)
1 tbsp coconut oil (or MCT oil)
1 tbsp raw grass-fed butter (can sub for coconut oil)
2 tsp cacao powder
1.5 tsp lucuma powder
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1/3 cup nut milk (or diluted coconut milk 50:50)
1 cup freshly boiled water

Method:

1. In your blender add all of the ingredients except for your nut milk and hot water. Blend into a smooth paste.
2. Add your 1/3 cup of nut milk of your choice and blend thoroughly.
3. Finally add 1/3 of a cup of your hot water and blend. Repeat this process until all of the water has been used and the hot chocolate is nice and frothy. Pour and serve into your favourite mug! You may want to add a tablespoon of coconut cream and a drizzle of some of my Paleo Orange Salted Caramel I mentioned before!

Paleo Crepes

Ok so a super quick post on how to make Paleo Crepes for you all. I tried to keep the ingredients as simple as possible as I know people don’t always have everything in stock at home! And to be honest I didn’t either really!

Everyone loves crepes on Pancake Day so I felt a little guilty for not posting the traditional ones up! I filled mine with some whipped up chilled coconut cream with some vanilla powder and raw honey, a few sliced strawberries and some gorgeous raspberry icing sugar that I had left over from my Valentine’s Truffles… mmmm…

So anyway here you go guys! Paleo Crepes!

Makes: 8-10 crepes (really depends on how thin they go)

Preparation Time: 5 minutes (plus 15 minutes resting time)

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup Sukrin Almond Flour (I used this as it is fat reduced and thus less likely to burn)
4 eggs
250ml nut milk (or 50:50 coconut milk/water)
Zest of 1 lemon (finely zested)
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (optional but delicious)
Pinch Himalayan pink salt
75g raw grass-fed butter (melted) (can also sub for 50g coconut oil)
2 tbsp raw honey (melted)
A little extra butter/coconut oil for frying.

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl sieve in your flours.
2. In a separate, smaller bowl whisk together your eggs. Make a well into your flour and gently whisk in your eggs.
3. Carefully whisk in half of your nut milk. Be sure to whisk gradually to prevent the batter from becoming lumpy.
4. Now whisk in your lemon zest, vanilla powder and Himalayn pink salt.
5. Whisk in your remaining nut milk.
6. Carefully whisk in your melted butter and raw honey.
7. Leave the mixture to rest for 15 minutes then give a quick whisk. The batter will be about as thick as single cream but slightly thinner. You should be able to feel a tiny bit of resistance to it but not much.
8. In a large non stick pan melt a small knob of butter. Place the pan on a medium heat.
9. Pour an even layer of your batter into the pan and pour around until you have covered the base of the pan with a fine layer of the crepe batter.
10. Place the pan on the heat and cook until the crepe begins to bubble upward and the underside is golden brown. This will take a few minutes. Flip the pancake over (or use your pancake flipper over like I do – my significant other). Cook for a further minute until lightly golden.
11. Repeat until all your crepes are cooked and either cover in your favourite filling and roll of fold into half and half once more. Happy Shrove Tuesday guys!!!

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Paleo Blueberry Pancake Muffins

Yup and just when you thought breakfast (and a Paleo Pancake Day) couldn’t be much fun – BAM! I throw these crazy bad boys in your face!

This takes all of the faff out of making pancakes, is relatively low in sugar and is a complete breakfast in well ummm a muffin? puffin? no that’s a bird… well some sort of muffin and pancake hybrid anyway. The texture is very similar to a pancake but slightly more airy and muffin like. If you have made my Paleo Superfood Pancakes before then you will be familiar with most of the ingredients within this recipe.

Not only are these a great on-the-go brekkie they are also great for workout fuel and recovery! Splendid!

To create a beautiful muffin top (the only time when a muffin top seems to be socially acceptable) like in my pictures you will want to add 1/4 tsp of Vitamin C to the batter, although I have noted this down as being optional it really does gives a brilliant rise. But don’t worry they will still rise although probably not as spectacularly. I have also noted down using milled chia seeds, this is just my personal preference as it creates a really smooth texture to the muffins but if you have just some regular ones they won’t change the mix too much.

This recipe will require you to possess a muffin tin… obviously.

Makes: 7 medium sized muffins

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large banana
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or 2 tbsp raw honey/maple syrup)
4 eggs
1 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp almond flour
2 tbsp milled chia seeds
2 tbsp raw grass-fed butter or coconut oil
1.5 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp Vitamin C (optional but gives a great rise!)
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (optional but delicious)
50ml almond milk (or 50:50 coconut milk:water)
3/4 cup blueberries (packed)

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Combine your banana, coconut sugar and eggs into a food processor or mash by hand until a smooth puree.
3. Process in the rest of your ingredients except for the blueberries until smooth. If you aren’t using a food processor then just whisk in the dry ingredients. Also pre melt your butter or coconut oil and then gradually add in your nut milk bit by bit to escape any nasty lumps.
4. Stir in your fresh or frozen blueberries. Leave the mix aside to rest for a few minutes. It will thicken up slightly due to your chia seeds.
5. Lightly grease your muffin tin. Spoon in enough mixture to fully fill each indentation. That was roughly around 1/4 cup and 1 tbsp for me.
6. Place into the oven and bake until fluffy and golden brown all over. They should be firm to the touch and bounce back. To make sure they are fully cooked place a knife into the middle and it should come out very hot to the touch and clean. This will take anywhere between 15-20 minutes but always keep an eye on them as everyone’s ovens differ!
7. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes before gently tipping out of the tray and leaving to cool on a wire rack- MUFFINS!!!