Paleo Food Like a Boss

Ahoy hoy! Here are all my tried and true Paleo recipes, feel free to steal!

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

6 minute sweet potato hash

Alright, plus another five to actually chop up the damn thing. But my goodness compared to how long it usually takes to get sweet potato cooked (and even then you have to nuke it in the microwave). These little popcorn-like golden nuggets are crunchy as well - get ‘em down ya.

Sorry for the artfully blurred shot - excitement overwhelmed the photographer once again. 

Serves 1 hungry hippo

INGREDIENTS

A good swizzle of preferred oil (cover the pan bottom)

1 x medium sweet potato, peeled

Sprinkle of turmeric and paprika (or desired spices)

Salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Using a sharp knife, chop the sweet potato into small cubes, roughly 1/2 - 3/4 cm in diameter - the smaller they are, the quicker they cook!

2. Throw them into a hot pan with the oil and spices, turning them a few times to coat them with the oil. Leave them to sizzle, turning every 2 minutes. After 3 lots of this business, get them draining on a paper towel.

3. Let cool just slightly so they go crispy, then don’t eat them. I dare you.

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Moroccan Fried Eggplant

OH MY GOD SO GOOD. SO GOOD.

INGREDIENTS

aS MUCH EGGPLANT AS POSSIBLE 

Olive oil for frying, heaps of

Bunch of parsley, chopped

Bunch of mint, chopped

Juice of 2 x lemons

2 heaped tsp of:

cumin

coriander seeds

paprika

1 heaped tsp chili flakes

METHOD

1. Cut the eggplant into 1cm-width rounds. Heat the oil to a medium frying temperature, and fry each round for 4 minutes on either side, or until golden brown. Fry these about 5 at a time. Once done, let drain on paper towel for a few minutes both sides, then arrange on a serving plate in a cute spiral pattern.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients and spoon over the warm eggplant slices, letting soak in before serving.

3. NOMMMMMMMMMMMM

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Nectarine Slice

Sometimes on the Paleo diet, it feels like all sweet baked goods are designed to imitate the richest, gooiest, often chocolate-y fast foods around. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! But sometimes us primal eaters just want something fruity and a little lighter. This nectarine slice turns out just great and is perfect if you’ve got just a little too much stone fruit lying around. For this recipe I used a loaf tin, so it comes out a little narrower than a normal slice but comes out nice and tall. 

INGREDIENTS

Base

1 tbsp honey

Dash of vanilla

1/3 soaked chia seeds

1 x egg

1 x cup almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

Topping

3 x large nectarines, washed and sliced into slivers (skin on)

1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (none of this skinny stuff)

3 x eggs 

1 x extra egg yolk

2 tbsp honey

Dash of vanilla

3 tbsp coconut flour

METHOD

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160 degrees Celsius, and line a loaf tin with baking paper. 

2. For the Base, combine all of the dry, then the wet ingredients together in a mixing bowl, making sure everything is very well combined. Pat down firmly into the base of the loaf pin, spreading evenly. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until it has risen slightly and is golden brown in colour. Take out of the oven and let cool. 

3. Arrange your nectarine slices on top of the slightly cooled base, not being too precious about the arrangement (you won’t see it anyway because it’s about to get covered anyway). Do make sure that there is nectarine right up to each corner.

4. Combine the rest of the topping ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine well, before pouring this mixture over the nectarines and base in the loaf tin, making sure to cover all the nectarines. Return this to the oven and bake for around 45 minutes, or until the top turns golden and a knife comes out clean. As this is a very moist slice, it can take a little longer - just play it by ear. 

5. Let cool slightly, the cut into rectangular slices. Enjoy!

Pro-tip: These are also great popped into the fridge once they’re at room temperature to keep them fresh. Perfect for an Australian summer :) This slice can be made with any stone fruit - peaches, apricots, even cherries. Go nuts, so to speak!

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Super-food Scones

Look, I realize that my photos are horrible (and as you can see, I’d already started nibbling in this one) but I think they convey the fact that these recipes are too good to waste time with perfect photo composition. These are so filling and honestly don’t need anything on them, but in the name of science I tried both sweet and savoury toppings and found them both delightful. Swap out the carrot for anything similar that you’ve got on hand - zucchini, sweet potato, even pumpkin. The other good thing about these are that they’re crunchy on the outside and sweet and soft in the middle (like me) and hold up to dunking. 10/10 would dunk.

Makes 4 scones.

INGREDIENTS

1 x large carrot, grated

2 heaped tbsp coconut flour

2 heaped tbsp starchy flour, i.e. tapioca, sweet or normal potato flour, etc.

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 x large egg

2 heaped tbsp chia seeds

salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a tray with baking paper. Prepare the chia by letting sit in 1/3 cup water for about 5 minutes.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the grated carrot and a small sprinkling of the coconut flour, mixing together. This will dry the carrot out and make it easier to combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl and combine well.

3. Add in the chia and egg, mixing well to combine. The dough should be quite dense and stick together very easily at this point. Divide the dough evenly into scone shapes on the tray and bake for 30 - 35 minutes. 

4. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then serve by itself or as a side!

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Easy Nut-free Banana Pancakes with Summer Fruit Compote

A different angle on the Paleo pancake for when you’ve already overloaded on nuts, or only have a few ingredients left but still just need pancakes (that’s a thing). I don’t have a photo of these ones as they’ve never lasted long enough! 

Makes approximately 10 medium sized pancakes.

Pancakes

2 x large bananas, mashed finely

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 x eggs

Cinnamon

A few tbsp Coconut oil

Compote

2 x nectarines, roughly chopped and pitted

A handful of cherries, pitted

1/2 cup of coconut water

Diced pear, peach or apple (you know the little ones you get in the grocery store - check for added sugar though). 

METHOD

1. Combine all ingredients for the pancakes except for the coconut oil, making sure the mixture is quite smooth (no need to get too fussy though, banana chunks are life). If you want to add any other flavourings go right ahead - banana makes a good base for just about anything. 

2. Melt some coconut oil in a non-stick pan and then drop in the pancakes - you know what to do. Make sure you stay vigilant for burning pancakes - the high sugar content in the bananas makes it easy to go overboard quickly. 

3. Heat up a small saucepan in the meantime and throw in all your fruit and the coconut water - let simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until it all turns into a beautiful syrupy mess. Ugh.

4. Enjoy.

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Crispy Baked Hash Browns

These use sweet potato and come out really crispy and not oily in the slightest! The best thing is, they don’t fall apart and you can even pick them up. Team with eggs and bacon, or go a little bit fancy with some smoked salmon. 

Makes 10+ small hash browns

INGREDIENTS

1 x medium sweet potato

1 x brown onion

1 x large egg

2 tbsp flour of choice, i.e. tapioca, sweet potato, etc. I would recommend using a starchy flour to hold them together.

A sprinkle of dill leaves or other herb of choice

Pepper and salt, to taste

METHOD

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 160 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper. Rinse or skin the sweet potato.

2. Using a hand grater, grate the sweet potato and onion into a mixing bowl. At this point, it may be a good idea to drain the mixture as the extra liquid will make it harder for the hash browns to crisp up in the oven.

3. Add the flour, egg, and seasonings, mixing well. The mixture should be sticking together slightly - if you feel the need, add another egg in, or some more flour if it needs (this is one of those recipes). 

4. Using two tablespoons, pack rounds of the mixture together and drop onto the tray, making sure extra liquid from the vegetables is left in the bowl. Bake on 160 degrees for 20 minutes, before turning down the temperature to around 150 for another 20 minutes to make sure the hash browns crisp up well.

5. Remove from oven when the hash browns have taken on a golden brown colouring, and allow to cool slightly before serving. 

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Quick and Easy Baked Eggplant

This only takes a moment to prepare before whipping in the oven for half an hour. You could easily experiment with different spices on the eggplant too!

INGREDIENTS

Eggplant (as many as you want, whatever variety you have!)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Crushed garlic paste

Paprika

1 x lime

METHOD

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with grease-proof paper. 

2. Wash your eggplant and slice lengthwise. Each slice should be approx. 1cm in thickness. Arrange these on the baking tray, without overlap if possible.

3. Score the eggplant diagonally, and then the other way, with a sharp knife. Take care you don’t pierce through to the other side.

4. With a pastry brush or similar, brush on a very thin layer of garlic paste onto each eggplant slice, followed by a sprinkle of salt, pepper and paprika. When finished, lightly drizzle the slices with the olive oil.

5. Bake the eggplant for 30 minutes, checking every now and then to make sure they aren’t burning.

6. Squeeze the lime juice over the eggplant and enjoy right away as a side or a quick lunch served with some avocado or salad.

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Banana Walnut Muffins

For when there are too many brown bananas around to just throw into a loaf. This recipe could easily be tweaked to make more (I got about 6 medium cupcakes out of these ingredients). If doubling the recipe, swap out the second amount of coconut flour with something a little less dry, i.e. almond flour.

INGREDIENTS

2 x large, very ripe bananas

Generous pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger

2 tsps vanilla extract (or generous dash of essence)

1 tbsp maple syrup (if using)

1 tsp baking soda

1 x cup coconut flour 

2 x eggs

1 x cup of walnuts (whole or crushed)

1/2 x cup of dried currants

2-3 tbsp water

METHOD

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius and whip some cupcake wrappers into a cupcake tin.

2. Mash up the two bananas before adding the coconut flour, all spices and vanilla extract. Combine well, then add in the baking soda.

3. Add in the two eggs, checking the consistency of the mix. If looking a little too dry, add in approximately 3 tbsp water, or nut milk of your choice, until the consistency improves.

4. Add in the walnuts and currants, stirring to mix in evenly.

4. Spoon into muffin wrappers and bake for 25 minutes. Best eaten right away!

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Chocolate Banana Bread

In the shocker of the year, this actually makes enough banana bread for more than one person without using a whole carton of eggs.

INGREDIENTS

3x bananas

2x tbsp cacao powder (or more if you like your bread as bitter as I am)

pinch of cinnamon

dash of vanilla extract or vanilla bean

tbsp maple syrup (may not need, if your bananas are very ripe)

2x cups almond meal

3x eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1x cup mixed chopped walnuts and almond flakes, for texture

METHOD

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a medium-sized loaf tin with baking paper.

2. Mash the bananas into a fairly smooth pulp (I find chopping them up and giving them a 1-minute whiz in the microwave also aids in this process) and add them to a large mixing bowl along with the cacao, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup, mixing to form a smooth paste. 

3. Add in the almond meal and mix to combine. If the bananas have been in the microwave, this should adequately cool down the mixture before you add in the eggs.

4. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly before sprinkling over the baking soda, making sure there are no lumps.

5. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 1 hour, checking at the 50 minute mark. As there is a lot of mixture, it may not be completely cooked through at this point - if so, cover with some aluminium foil and bake for a further ten minutes before checking again.

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Cashew ‘Bechamel’ sauce

This recipe is super easy and can be adapted for a whole range of purposes - it works particularly well in lasagne and its cheesy flavour makes it perfect baked on broccoli and cauliflower. The most surprising thing about this recipe is that it actually tastes like what it’s meant to imitate - the universe is full of surprises.

INGREDIENTS

1x can of coconut milk OR 1 1/2 cups almond milk (coconut milk will make a thicker sauce, but doesn’t leave any unwanted flavour).

2 heaped tbsps cashew butter

1 tsp garlic

lots of salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Pour preferred milk into a small saucepan and let simmer until the liquid will coat the back of a spoon.

2. Turn down the heat slightly and add in the remaining ingredients, stirring constantly to prevent catching on the bottom of the saucepan.

3. Continue stirring for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened and takes on a glossy shine. If a thicker sauce is preferred, add more cashew butter or a flour such as tapioca or coconut. 

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

SPICED PEAR COOKIES

Makes approx. 12

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup coconut flour, plus extra for tweaking density

2 eggs

1 diced pear cup

1/5 cup coconut oil

1/5 cup maple syrup

sprinkle of salt

2 generous tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking powder

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Combine dry ingredients (reserving extra coconut flour) and then drain the diced pears before adding them with the eggs to the mixture. For a smoother consistency, mash the pears into the mixture (or not, if you hate yourself that much). 

3. The mixture should have a loose dough consistency - if it’s looking too batter-y, put in an extra tbsp of coconut flour at a time, stirring it in before adding another until the desired consistency is achieved. 

4. Using two spoons to shape the biscuits, make small round biscuits on the tray and press down with a fork. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. The biscuits will still be a little soft. Let cool for a few minutes and they should firm up a little, but who doesn’t love a chewy biscuit to be honest.

5. Try not to eat them all and to leave some for someone else, why don’t you. 

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

EASY SEED ROLLS

Makes 5-6 (but can easily be tweaked for more or less!)

INGREDIENTS:

1 2/3 cups almond flour

5 tbsp coconut flour

generous sprinkle baking soda

10 tbsp oil (can use ghee, coconut/olive oil, etc.)

4 large eggs

Salt, pepper, other desired seasonings

Pepita and sesame seeds to top

METHOD

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Combine all ingredients (except seeds) until a loose dough consistency is formed. You don’t want it to be too doughy - more like a scone than actual bread.

2. Form roll-shaped three-dimensional objects vaguely resembling food on a lined baking tray (these can be as small or as large as you feel like) and sprinkle with the sesame and pepita seeds. I recommend also just scattering some extra seeds around the tray to go into the oven too, because baked pepita seeds are the absolute bomb diggety.

3. Bake the rolls in the oven for 45 minutes. Best enjoyed straight out of the oven, but can last in a sealed container. To reheat, pop them in the toaster or oven (microwave will turn them into bricks!)

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

The biggest macadamias I have ever seen - organic, homegrown and just waiting to be brutally cracked open and their innards turned into deliciousness.

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Paleo chocolate crackles

Yeahhhh that’s right y’all. Easter’s just been and I came up with this little number - and let me tell you, when you see someone sneaking into the kitchen to eat  ten of these when they think no one is looking, you know you done good. So without further ado...

Makes approx. 12 crackles

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup almond meal

1 cup cacao powder

1/2 cup coconut cream (more, if you want it to be lighter, or none at all if you want it reallly dark - it tastes amazing either way)

1/2 cup good quality honey

Then add in as much as you want of...

Coconut flakes

Flaked almonds

Currants/dried berries/raisins

Chopped walnuts/pecans/brazil nuts/macadamias

Whatever else you wish to see in there - be creative!

METHOD

1. Melt the coconut oil and combine the first five ingredients, tasting to check the balance of flavour.

2. Add in as much as you like of the rest! I would recommend adding in a lot of everything - the batch size will be bigger and then you’re not just biting down into pure (extremely rich) chocolate. 

3. Pour into cupcake wrappers (or if you want a slice, into a rectangular cake tin) and freeze for 10 minutes before transferring to the fridge. These bad boys are ready to eat whenever!

Aaaaand that’s it! Super easy and guaranteed to be a favourite with everyone. These will go fast, I bet you anything. With coconut cream, they last about a week (not that they’ll stick around that long!); without, they last in the fridge indefinitely. GET MIXING!

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Cauliflower Naan

Makes 10 small naan

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower, grated into cauliflower rice

2-3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut flour

Cumin seeds

Salt and pepper

1 tsp baking soda

METHOD

1. Combine all ingredients and mix to form a loose dough, using 2 eggs to start with. If too dry due to the coconut flour, add in the last egg. 

2. Using a knife, spread the mixture on lined baking trays to make round naans of approximately 1 centimetre thickness and 10 centimetres in diameter (you can of course make them larger or even smaller to suit the occasion). 

3. Bake the naan for 10 minutes in a 180 Degree Celsius oven. After this time, take the naan out and flip over, then bake for a further 10 minutes. If you want the naan to be slighter more golden, add another 5 minutes to this time. 

4. Remove the naans from the oven and let cool for 10-20 minutes before serving (they will firm up as they cool down and can then be handled). 

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Red Lamb Curry

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2 tsp of: Parpika, Cinnamon, Coriander powder, Garlic, Chilli, Ginger, Garam Masala, Ground Cumin, Oregano

Diced lamb

Shredded Chinese spinach

Cubed sweet potato

Cubed pumpkin

Carrot, finely diced

1 can diced tomato

1 can-full of water

Juice of 1 lemon

Shredded coriander and mint, to serve

METHOD

1. Place your diced potato and pumpkin in a microwaveable bowl with 1 cup of water and microwave on high for approximately 7 minutes. 

2. Fry the spices and onion in the olive oil until golden and fragrant.

3. Add in the lamb and seal the meat before adding in all the vegetables. 

4. Add in the can of diced tomato, the water and the lemon juice. Let the curry simmer and reduce for at least half an hour to intensify the flavours and get rid of excess liquid.

5. When the curry liquid has reduced to roughly half its volume and thickened, serve immediately with shredded coriander and mint.

[paleofoodlikeaboss]

Quick and Easy Sweet Potato Crisps

Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum. These won't be exactly like a normal crispy chip, but they can get pretty damn close if you put in the effort! They will certainly be crunchy and that is all one can ask for in this life. Once you've done the prep, the actual baking takes no thought at all and you can have crunchy, healthy chips in no time.

Serves 1-2

INGREDIENTS

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1/2 cup olive oil

Himalayan salt (and any other desired flavourings - rosemary goes well)

METHOD

1. Using a sharp knife or mandolin, cut millimetre-thick cross sections of sweet potato and toss lightly in the olive oil.

2. Arrange on as many baking trays as needed (you don't want any of the chips to lie underneath one another because then they won't go crispy). Season with salt and sprinkle your other desired toppings now.

3. Bake in an oven on 180 Degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, then take out and flip the chips before baking for a further 10 minutes on the other side. They should be looking a lot dryer and may have charred edges (yummmm).

4. Take the chips out of the oven and let cool for 10-12 minutes to crisp up before eating.