Paleo Friendly Cookies/Bar

By: Victoria Kulig

I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. I love cookies, so having a cookie on hand that is safe to eat is always welcome.

After I made these, I did alter the recipe a tiny bit, and I found they were more like small granola bars almost. They weren't as sweet as I would like in a cookie, but they are great as just a snack. I also found that they were much more tasty cold!

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped
• 1 apple, finely diced
• 1 cup coconut milk (I did not have coconut, so I used sweetened almond milk)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• Optional: cup shredded coconut, or cup of dark chocolate chips. Or if you're me, both!

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel your bananas, put them in a bowl, and use a fork to smash them up.

 

3. Add the coconut flour, almond butter, and baking soda, and mix well. Chop up your walnuts as finely as you can, and dice your apple.

4. Add the walnuts, apples, coconut milk (or almond milk) and cinnamon to the bowl and mix well.

Optional Step: If you want to add shredded coconut, or dark chocolate chips - now is the time!

5. Grease your cookie sheet, and spoon our big tablespoons of the mix onto it, about two inches apart. Bake for 30 minutes.

As I said, they're big, and a bit more like a granola bar than a cookie. They aren't sweet - but they are delicious! They're quite filling, however. I kept them in the fridge and would use them as an afternoon snack at work.  My husband was rather fond of them as well.

Tips:

Almond milk and coconut milk are becoming more and more popular, so you can likely find them in the milk section at your local grocery store. I've been able to find both at Winn-Dixie, Publix, and Wal-Mart.

Coconut flour (or almond flour) are not quite as common. I've found them in Publix in the Greenwise section, or in Wal-Mart in their 'gluten-free' section.

Almond butter can be found near the peanut butter, and I've seen it in Winn-Dixie, Publix, and Wal-Mart.

Ginger Sour Cream Bundt Cake

By Kari Baker-Lott

This is a delicious cake that is quick to prepare. I love it because it is as simple as making a plain bundt cake, but the sour cream creates a density and moistness that most bundt cakes lack. It took me about twenty minutes to prep the pan and make the batter and the baking took about an hour.

Ingredients:

• Softened butter for buttering pan (I softened 2 tablespoons but I could have just used 1)
• ½ cup raw sugar
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup crystallized or candied ginger (chopped)

 

I pulled all my ingredients out first to make sure I had everything. (There is nothing worse than starting to cook something and realizing you need one more egg than you have.) I prepared the pan after I made sure I had all the ingredients.

 

 

To prepare the pan, first you need to rub the small amount of softened butter in the pan with a paper towel. Then you sprinkle the raw sugar into the bundt pan and turn the pan to cover all areas (if you don’t spread the butter over the entire pan the sugar won’t stay properly). I didn’t measure exactly ½ cup of sugar. For this I eyeballed it because you just need enough to coat the pan.

 

 

Next, mix the flour, ginger, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer. Add the sugar to the butter and beat. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Separate the egg yolk from egg number 5 and add that to the mixture with the vanilla.

 

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with sour cream in 2 additions. Mix well after each addition to create a smooth, thick batter. Chop the ginger and mix into the batter.

 

Spread the batter into the pan carefully as to not dislodge the sugar coating. The cake will rise as it bakes, so don’t be concerned if the batter only comes halfway up the pan. Bake 55 minutes to 1 hour until top is golden brown and a knife comes out with few, small crumbs.

Let cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Tap the pan on the counter to loosen cake, and then place cooling rack face down on top of the cake. Flip cake on cooling rack and let cool completely.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

By Courtney Patach

Ingredients:

Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup 1 cup Picante Sauce ½ cup Sour Cream 2 tsp Chili Powder 8 oz Pepper Jack Cheese 8 Flour Tortillas 1-1 ½ lbs Chicken Yields 8 enchiladas Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Directions:

1. Start by cutting up the chicken into bite size pieces or use precooked shredded chicken. While the chicken is cooking or heating depending on the method chosen (cooked diced or previously cooked shredded). Grate your cheese; I use the entire block.  
2. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Divide salsa mixture and shredded cheese in ½ and set each ½ aside.
4. Mix chicken and ½ of the shredded cheese in with ½ of the salsa mixture.
5. Lay out all eight tortillas and divide chicken/salsa mixture evenly among tortillas.

6. Roll up each enchilada and place in the pan, seam-side up. Making sure to tuck in the corners so the mixture doesn’t ooze out in the cooking process.
7. Cover evenly with the remaining sauce and bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden.

8. Top with the remaining cheese and place back in the oven for 5 or so minutes, just enough for the cheese to melt.
9. Enjoy those YUMMY easy cheesy chicken Enchiladas!