Paleo Roasted Grapes with Thyme and Cashew Cheese topped Focaccia:(Serves 8)

*This recipe uses a bread mix from Simple Mills. This is the first recipe I’ve posted using a Paleo mix, but I feel like it’s worth it for all my Paleo viewers out there. If you haven’t heard of Simple Mills, they are a GREAT company. The have the ONLY Paleo baking mixes I will use. They use only organic, Paleo, ingredients and every mix they have is GREAT! This recipe uses their sandwich bread mix, while can also be used to make a focaccia flatbread. Just follow the flatbread recipe on the back of their sandwich bread mix box. You can order Simple Mills mixes online at their website, at Fresh Market, Earthfare, and Whole Foods.

*The cashew cheese in this recipe uses my cashew cheese recipe found on my website.

Ingredients for the Roasted Grapes:

-4 cups organic red seedless grapes

-1 Tbsp. olive oil

-1 heaping Tbsp. honey

-1/4 tsp. finely ground Himalayan sea salt

-1/8 tsp. finely ground black pepper

-1 Tbsp. chopped Thyme (dried or fresh may be used)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Mix your ingredients well in a large bowl
3. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil and dump your grape mixture onto the foil.
4. Bake at 450 F for 5 to 7 minutes.

Ingredients for the Sweet Cashew Cheese:

–1/3 cup cashew cheese melted (recipe found on website)

-2 tsp. vanilla extract or vanilla powder (preferred if you have it!)

-1 Tbsp. organic stevia powder

-1 Tbsp. Grade B maple syrup

Method:

1. Mix your ingredients well and pour over your prepared focaccia flatbread.
2. Top with your roasted grapes and return to the 450 F oven for 5 minutes or until heated.
3. Enjoy this as a savory, salty, and sweet dessert that is SURE to impress!

Paleo Kale, Mandarin, Walnut, and Cranberry Salad:

(Serves 2 LARGE servings)

 *This is one of the fastest and easiest salads I make on a regular basis. This is great for a healthy lunch, dinner, or side to any dish. This dish is also PACKED with immune boosting nutrients. Did you know kale provides you with a hefty dose of vitamin B6, dietary fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B2, iron, magnesium, vitamin B1, omega-3 fatty acids phosphorus, protein, folate, and niacin. It is also great for the digestive system and is easier for the body to break down than many other types of fibrous veggies. It is also great for the skin! Eat this salad on a regular basis to feel radiant inside and out!

Ingredients/Method:

-1 large bunch of organic kale (with the stem removed and leaves chopped-to remove stem lay each kale leaf flat and cut along either side of the kale stem to remove the leaf. Then chop the leaf. Trust me you will want to remove the stem. If not you will have tough kale stems in your salad…not good for the texture of your salad or your digestive system!)

-2 10 oz. cans of organic mandarin slices in mandarin orange juice. Make sure to strain the mandarin juice from the mandarins into a large separate bowl (the juice should equal a little over half a cup. Then put your strained mandarins in another large wide rimmed bowl with your chopped kale. The brand I use is Native Farms 100% Organic Mandarins in Organic Mandarin Orange Juice. Found at Fresh Market.

-1/2 cup organic dried cranberries

-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

-2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

-2 naval oranges chopped (optional if you want even more oranges in your salad)

 1. Combine all of these ingredients, except for the mandarin orange juice, in a large, wide rimmed, bowl (so you can toss your ingredients with your salad).

 2. Add the following ingredients to your smaller bowl with your strained mandarin orange juice to create the dressing:

-1 Tbsp. sesame oil

-1 heaping Tbsp. Organic Raw Honey

-1 ½ Tbsp. coconut aminos (found at Earthfare and Whole Foods..it’s a Paleo soy sauce without the soy…love this stuff!)

-2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

3. Mix your dressing well and pour over your salad. Toss well with clean hands.

4. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up), and dump your salad on the baking sheet.

5. Bake the 250 F for 5 minutes.

 *Serve warm or chilled. Make sure to pour the extra dressing over the salad after you take it out of the oven and put in a container or bowls. Baking it for only 5 minutes at the low temperature allow the juices from the dressing to really incorporate into the salad without causing the salad to cook and loose any nutrients. You will want your salad to be slightly swimming in your delicious dressing. Enjoy and be well!!!

 P.S. You can also freeze this salad if you want to make it in bulk with more for later!

Paleo Naan or Onion Kulcha Bread:

(Makes 6 to 8 depending on your size of each)

*My husband and I LOVE Indian food. One of the great things about Indian food is the fact that most things are Celiac-safe, except for the wonderful naan and kulcha breads and other breaded side items, such as samosas. Indian foods utilize the use of spices for flavor instead of other allergens, and the spices used are wonderful for your health due to their antioxidant power. The only allergen found in many sauces is yogurt, which can be substituted for coconut milk in most Indian recipes. It is very hard for me to eat our beloved Indian foods without the fluffy naan or onion kulcha. If you are not an Indian food lover, naan and kulchas are wonderful fluffy flatbreads used with Indian food to soak up the extra sauce and as a wonderful side to any Indian dish. Traditionally, Indian food is not eaten with utensils, which is why naan and kulchas are used to help scoop up the food! Please don’t picture my husband and I eating Indian with our hands and not a fork…my cultural competence does not reach to incorporating this practice in my own Indian eating enjoyment. But if that’s your style, more power to ya! So I have finally discovered a paleo naan and kulcha recipe that is as close to the real thing as you can get! WOO HOO!!!! Enjoy with Indian or as a wonderful fluffy flatbread for other dishes!

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup coconut flour (Almond flour may be used if sensitive to coconut flour, the texture may be just a bit different)

-1 cup arrowroot powder

-1 ½ tsp. baking powder (aluminum free)

-1 tsp. finely ground Himalayan sea salt

-5 Tbsp. ground flax seeds

-4 eggs (pasture raised if possible)

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar (Braggs brand preferred…found at Publix, Fresh Market, Earth Fare, and probably others)

-3/4 cup coconut milk (So Delicious Dairy Free Culinary Coconut Milk Lite if possible…found at Fresh Market…lower in fat and saturated fat than regular coconut milk and very little guar gum added (less than 1%)…not enough to upset the tummy)

-Kelapo Nonstick Coconut Oil spray (organic and found at Earthfare, Fresh Market, Publix, and probably others)

-Organic extra virgin coconut oil

-1/4 organic white onion chopped (if you want to make onion kulchas)

Method:

1. Mix all of your ingredients in a food processor until smooth and ground finely. I used my Vitamix. Add the onion at the very end and pulse twice to incorporate but not blend the onion). The mixture will be very thick.
2. Heat your skillet on medium high heat and spray with nonstick coconut oil spray. Drop 1 Tbsp. coconut oil onto the pan and let melt.
3. Put 2 to 3 Tbsp. of our mix onto the hot skillet and CAREFULLY spread into a circle with wet fingers (wet fingers will keep the dough from sticking to your fingers while spreading).
4. Cook on each side for 2 minutes and repeat with the rest of the dough.
5. Enjoy!!!