My second installment for cheesecake! Actually it's still the same recipe as the birthday cake but this time I added a fresh cherry sauce. It's June and it's my husband's birthday - cherries are in season and I wanted to mix it up. So, I added the optional sauce, which was phenomenal! I found that with reducing the sugar content the cake can taste a little dry and this sauce certainly made up that. Enjoy!
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups ground almonds or walnuts
1/3 cup melted butter
2-3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together all ingredients until well combined. Press into the bottom of a 12-inch spring form pan that has been tightly wrapped around the base with aluminum foil.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before adding filling.
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar (less if you can handle it - I only put in 1/2 cup)
5 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 pound ricotta cheese
In a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on low speed until well incorporated, smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add lemon zest and continue to mix, remembering to scrape down the sides as necessary. Slowly add the ricotta cheese to the batter and mix until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake in the middle of the oven until it starts to set, about 45 minutes. Lower the oven temperate to 325 and cook for another 20-25 minutes. The top should be a nice golden brown and it should have risen above the edges of the pan by this point. There should be no "jiggling." Remove from the oven, use a thin sharp knife and run the blade around the inside of the cake to loosen the sides. Loosen the outer ring (but don't remove!) and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. When completely cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.
For the sauce:
2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon warm water
In a medium saucepan combine cherries, honey and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and let simmer a few minutes before removing from heat. Don't let it simmer too long or it will release too much liquid. While your cherries are heating in a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin over the warm water and let dissolve, then add to the cherry mixture. Transfer to a bowl or container with a lid and put in the refrigerator for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Once it starts to "set" you can cover the top of your cheesecake with the cherry sauce or drizzle over individual slices as you serve it.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Life happens to the best of us.
I realize that I have been MIA for almost 2 months (where the heck does the time go?!?).
Never fear though - I have not fallen off the wagon and been hit by a bread truck.
What can I say? Life happens. Kids happen. Easter happens. Family happens. Do I need to go on? I'm sure you've all been there. And, if you haven't you will be someday because: life happens...
My goals for this site have changed a little though. For one thing I don't plan on adding anymore food journals for now. I figure that a 6 week guide should be enough for anyone wanting to look through it. And, I was getting a little self-conscience about everyone reading what I was eating everyday! Especially when it was the same thing over and over. Life can also be boring while it happens.
So: my new goals are to post a few recipes a week as well as any eating insights I come across. Hopefully it will still be helpful. Comments and questions are always welcome! Love to all you fellow budding paleo people as well as those of you who just dabble in it.
Never fear though - I have not fallen off the wagon and been hit by a bread truck.
What can I say? Life happens. Kids happen. Easter happens. Family happens. Do I need to go on? I'm sure you've all been there. And, if you haven't you will be someday because: life happens...
My goals for this site have changed a little though. For one thing I don't plan on adding anymore food journals for now. I figure that a 6 week guide should be enough for anyone wanting to look through it. And, I was getting a little self-conscience about everyone reading what I was eating everyday! Especially when it was the same thing over and over. Life can also be boring while it happens.
So: my new goals are to post a few recipes a week as well as any eating insights I come across. Hopefully it will still be helpful. Comments and questions are always welcome! Love to all you fellow budding paleo people as well as those of you who just dabble in it.
Roasted Carrots
Ok - I have a dirty little secret: I love burnt vegetables.
I know it sounds weird, but there is just something about the added flavor a little char can add to an otherwise boring, healthy food. I'm talking carrots, asparagus, brussels sprouts and even lettuce - yes lettuce! But that is a different post. For this post I am taking on the lowly carrot. Not one of my favorites. Normally consigned to the veggie tray at a party or the thing I tell my kids they can eat if they are really "that" hungry - in baby form, of course. And while I do like them dipped in humus (another go figure) still not something in my "go to" book of recipes. But, carrots are CHEAP! So I thought it couldn't hurt. For this recipe I even spring for the organic bunch that still has the green tops! I know, I know - not cheap anymore... except they still only cost me about $1.50 for the bunch, plus a little of the green left on and roasted is nice too, plus the smaller they are the more tender they are and the less time they take to cook.
I saw this recipe originally on pinterest and can't quite remember how it went. It was something like what is below, but as you can see I sort of throw it all together differently every time. And every time I have been happy with the result.
1 bunch small carrots, olive oil, lemon or lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper, scallions
Preheat your oven to 425 (or your grill - directions for that at the bottom).
Trim all but about 1 inch off the tops of your carrots. then wash by gently scrubbing with a potato brush. A lot of the vitamins are in the top layer of the carrot - so don't peel them!
Put all remaining ingredients (to taste), except scallions, in a large plastic bag. Add the carrots and toss to coat, let sit for about 5 minutes.
Pull out carrots and put on a foil lined cookie sheet and put in the oven. Pour the remaining marinade in a small bowl. Every 5-10 minutes (as often as you remember) turn your carrots and baste with the marinade. Roasting them will take anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your carrots. They are done with they are soft and have taken on a golden brown hue. To serve you can drizzle with more marinade if you choose and sprinkle with the scallions.
On the grill: basically they same idea, but you'll want to keep a good eye on them. *I have yet to not actually burn one side - but they were still good. You will still want them on foil or in a grill pan. Cook them alongside whatever else you are cooking and baste every few minutes to keep them from drying out.
Good luck!
I know it sounds weird, but there is just something about the added flavor a little char can add to an otherwise boring, healthy food. I'm talking carrots, asparagus, brussels sprouts and even lettuce - yes lettuce! But that is a different post. For this post I am taking on the lowly carrot. Not one of my favorites. Normally consigned to the veggie tray at a party or the thing I tell my kids they can eat if they are really "that" hungry - in baby form, of course. And while I do like them dipped in humus (another go figure) still not something in my "go to" book of recipes. But, carrots are CHEAP! So I thought it couldn't hurt. For this recipe I even spring for the organic bunch that still has the green tops! I know, I know - not cheap anymore... except they still only cost me about $1.50 for the bunch, plus a little of the green left on and roasted is nice too, plus the smaller they are the more tender they are and the less time they take to cook.
I saw this recipe originally on pinterest and can't quite remember how it went. It was something like what is below, but as you can see I sort of throw it all together differently every time. And every time I have been happy with the result.
1 bunch small carrots, olive oil, lemon or lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper, scallions
Preheat your oven to 425 (or your grill - directions for that at the bottom).
Trim all but about 1 inch off the tops of your carrots. then wash by gently scrubbing with a potato brush. A lot of the vitamins are in the top layer of the carrot - so don't peel them!
Put all remaining ingredients (to taste), except scallions, in a large plastic bag. Add the carrots and toss to coat, let sit for about 5 minutes.
Pull out carrots and put on a foil lined cookie sheet and put in the oven. Pour the remaining marinade in a small bowl. Every 5-10 minutes (as often as you remember) turn your carrots and baste with the marinade. Roasting them will take anywhere from 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your carrots. They are done with they are soft and have taken on a golden brown hue. To serve you can drizzle with more marinade if you choose and sprinkle with the scallions.
On the grill: basically they same idea, but you'll want to keep a good eye on them. *I have yet to not actually burn one side - but they were still good. You will still want them on foil or in a grill pan. Cook them alongside whatever else you are cooking and baste every few minutes to keep them from drying out.
Good luck!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Greek - Style Chicken
Bored with grilled chicken? Try topping with with something fabulous!
Stop the monotony and add a few extra vegetables to your dinner.
This recipe came into existence by not having 1 critical ingredients to 5 different recipes. So, I threw out the cookbook and threw a lot of things in a pan. The result: yumminess! My husband doesn't really care for onions but cleaned his plate.
Serves 4
4 grilled chicken breasts to top
1 red onion, diced
2 strips bacon, cut into small strips
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (a good way to sneak in a tablespoon of this fabulous oil)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet. Add bacon and red onion - saute until onion is soft and bacon is starting to crisp. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and kalamata olives and cook until just warmed through, about 2 minutes. Top your already cooked chicken and enjoy.
Stop the monotony and add a few extra vegetables to your dinner.
This recipe came into existence by not having 1 critical ingredients to 5 different recipes. So, I threw out the cookbook and threw a lot of things in a pan. The result: yumminess! My husband doesn't really care for onions but cleaned his plate.
Serves 4
4 grilled chicken breasts to top
1 red onion, diced
2 strips bacon, cut into small strips
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (a good way to sneak in a tablespoon of this fabulous oil)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet. Add bacon and red onion - saute until onion is soft and bacon is starting to crisp. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and kalamata olives and cook until just warmed through, about 2 minutes. Top your already cooked chicken and enjoy.
Chipotle Cream Sauce
This is a great sauce for either fish or chicken tacos.
*Tip: since you will only use a small portion of the can of peppers you will have to purchase you can freeze the remainder in individual portions for use later.
o 1/2 cup plain
nonfat yogurt
o 1-2 Tablespoons Lime Juice (enough to thin the yogurt to a nice, creamy consistency)
o 2 teaspoons
chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce
Finely mince the chipotle pepper and mix all indregients, adjusting measurements to taste.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Week 6 Food Journal
My birthday was this week. A week fraught with food issues! Cake and eating out. Luckily for me I never really liked cake - in my family it was all about pie. But, alas, neither pie nor cake is a viable option anymore. I honestly didn't really care one way or another, but it is important to my kids to have a "birthday party." So, to appease the 3 and 5 year olds we set out in search of a good, semi-healthy choice. We came up with cheesecake - what turned out to be a great alternative. And, in the end my husband came through and also surprised me with a giant pink kettlebell. It's a competition bell, so no matter the weight they are all the same size. This one is a 10kg, and that's a 12kg next to it. Let me tell you: the fact that I was actually excited to get this and not mad says a LOT about how much I've changed... But: I'm also firm in places that weren't a few weeks ago, so what can I say? It works.
Monday:
- 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup almond butter, 1/4 cup trail mix
- Guacamole and bacon sandwiches, handful of grape tomatoes and almonds
- Grilled chicken with guacamole and grape tomatoes
- FireWOD #1: firebreather; for time: 100 clean/press, 8kg and 100 squats; Time: 10:57. Plank: 48 seconds
Tuesday
- 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup almond butter, 1/4 cup trail mix
- Grilled chicken, tomatoes, avocado
- Grilled salmon with roasted asparagus
- FireWOD #2: firebreather; 300 12kg swings: 140;1H, 160;2H. Plank x 3: 1:02, 1:13, 1:08
Wednesday
- 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup almond butter, 1/4 cup trail mix
- sardines and avocado
- almonds
- Pot roast (from frozen leftovers)
- FireWOD #3: firebreather; 8RFT: 20 12kg 1H swings and 8 forward lunges: Time: 10:06. Plank x 3: 1:23, 2:00, 0:53
Thursday
- 2 fried eggs
- Chickpeas and tomatoes tossed with lemon juice, EVOO and Parmesan cheese
- Greek style chicken and green beans (recipe to come)
- FireWOD #4: firebreather; 300 12kg swings
Friday
- 1/2 cup trail mix with coconut milk
- almonds
- deli roast beef "rolled" with lettuce
- 1/2 cup trail mix with coconut milk
- Out for birthday dinner: chicken vesuvio, chicken with peas, onions and potatoes, red wine and calamari
- Birthday Cake
Saturday
- 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup almond butter, 1/4 cup trail mix
- leftover chicken vesuvio
- Orange chicken stir-fry
- FireWOD #5: smoke eater; 5RFT; 8 & 10kg; 5 thrusters/hand, 10 squat thrusts, 15 swings: Time: 15:10. Plank x 3: 1:19, 0:26, 1:10
Sunday
- 1/2 cup trail mix with coconut milk
- deli roast beef "rolled" with lettuce
- party: deli meat and cheese from sub sandwich, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber and peppers
- Fish tacos with yogurt-chipotle cream sauce (recipe to come)
Birthday Cake
Obviously the "cake" has inherent problems when it comes to eating Paleo. But, this week was my birthday and while I didn't really care about having a cake - my kids did! So, being a good man, my husband set out on a quest to find something that we wouldn't feel too guilty eating. He landed on cheesecake. Perfect! Once you substitute out nuts for crust all that is left is the sugar. And, since we haven't eaten anything sugary in a long time it is also easy to cut way back on that too. If you want to you could use coconut sugar in place of the granulated sugar - but as far as your body is concerned sugar is sugar, so why bother? Plus, if 80% is the goal, then I think a little sugar on your birthday is an ok splurge.
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups ground almonds or walnuts
1/3 cup melted butter
2-3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together all ingredients until well combined. Press into the bottom of a 12-inch spring form pan that has been tightly wrapped around the base with aluminum foil.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before adding filling.
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar (less if you can handle it - I only put in 1/2 cup)
5 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 pound ricotta cheese
In a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on low speed until well incorporated, smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add lemon zest and continue to mix, remembering to scrape down the sides as necessary. Slowly add the ricotta cheese to the batter and mix until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake in the middle of the oven until it starts to set, about 45 minutes. Lower the oven temperate to 325 and cook for another 20-25 minutes. The top should be a nice golden brown and it should have risen above the edges of the pan by this point. There should be no "jiggling." Remove from the oven, use a thin sharp knife and run the blade around the inside of the cake to loosen the sides. Loosen the outer ring (but don't remove!) and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. When completely cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.
Serve with fresh berries or dark chocolate if desired.
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups ground almonds or walnuts
1/3 cup melted butter
2-3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together all ingredients until well combined. Press into the bottom of a 12-inch spring form pan that has been tightly wrapped around the base with aluminum foil.
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before adding filling.
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar or coconut sugar (less if you can handle it - I only put in 1/2 cup)
5 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 pound ricotta cheese
In a mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on low speed until well incorporated, smooth and light, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add lemon zest and continue to mix, remembering to scrape down the sides as necessary. Slowly add the ricotta cheese to the batter and mix until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared crust and bake in the middle of the oven until it starts to set, about 45 minutes. Lower the oven temperate to 325 and cook for another 20-25 minutes. The top should be a nice golden brown and it should have risen above the edges of the pan by this point. There should be no "jiggling." Remove from the oven, use a thin sharp knife and run the blade around the inside of the cake to loosen the sides. Loosen the outer ring (but don't remove!) and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack. When completely cooled to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.
Serve with fresh berries or dark chocolate if desired.
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