Carrot Top Pesto (nut-free) with Roasted Carrots

I didn't always like cooked carrots. My first memories are of those mushy, boiled ones. Probably from a can. They made their appearance at home and were a regular feature in school lunches. That was when my strong dislike for cooked carrots began. Once I hit adulthood, I was free. No more cooked carrots for me. Even when I moved into my first apartment and begin cooking everyday, carrots were off the menu. The blurry memory of sitting at the dinner table with nothing but carrots left on my plate was enough to make me swear them off forever.

Or so I thought...

It wasn't until I started following paleo over a year ago that I decided to try out roasted carrots. I was roasting every other vegetable known to man (I like to exaggerate), so there was no reason to leave out the carrot. At first, I sliced them and tossed them with coconut oil and cumin. They were divine and I was hooked. No mushy carrots are welcome here. But, although these roasted carrots are delicious on their own, this recipe isn't really about the carrots...

No Bake Mini AIP Pumpkin Pies with Coconut Whipped Cream (Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol, GAPS)

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen me post about a pumpkin recipe a few weeks months ago. I started working on this back in August or September (and neglected to take pictures until recently) and it took some time to get these as I imagined them. When I have an idea for creating desserts that are allergy-friendly and I have to try to make them. I'm a little obsessed. I'm also obsessed with mini desserts. See here and here. This recipe actually started as somewhat of a pumpkin fudge. I was making this almond butter fudge and decided to try it with pumpkin. It tasted similar to a pumpkin pie, but then I decided that I wanted to create something that really was like pumpkin pie. But without eggs and nuts, and of course without gluten and dairy. A perfect and fun substitute for traditional pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving!

Crispy Avocado Fried Egg with Yolk Only Option (Egg in a Basket)

There were two motivations behind this recipe. I'm not really sure I can call it a recipe. It's more of an idea, I guess. A few months ago, my sister was testing out possible allergens to determine the cause of her child's severe eczema. So the main reason for this idea was for my niece. She had a possible sensitivity to egg whites, so I wanted to create some way for her to consume egg yolks. I wanted something easy, but also something she would really enjoy. (She wasn't having any issues eating gently washed egg yolks.)

Citrus-Herb Chicken Kabobs

While I don't have my own kids (yet), I'm always trying to make sure my nieces and nephews know that real food can be delicious (and not taste like lunch room food). Most of them are pretty adventurous and are willing to try the majority of the food I make or eat. They've tasted my roasted seaweed and kombucha. (They are now obsessed with seaweed. "Spicy" ginger kombucha, not so much.) They tasted and loved my kale chips and molten chocolate brownie. Some of the normal food stuff, like different types of chicken and fried zucchini coins, is a little harder to get them to try. It's new and weird. Chicken is usually a win but the zucchini coins needed to be very thin and crispy for those to be devoured.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles and Spinach (Gluten Free, AIP, Paleo)

There was this pasta dish I used to make often -- back when I ate pasta. It involved butter (eh, I probably used margarine back then), wine, tomatoes, garlic, shrimp, and of course, pasta. I actually rarely eat shrimp anymore (I'm all about sardines now), but I wanted to try to recreate this dish. I started out making it with zucchini noodles and it was very good. But I decided to leave out the tomatoes and wine (and just drink it instead) to reduce the time it takes to make this. I'm all about the quick and easy lately. Instead I added some herbs and baby spinach. Feel free to adjust garlic and lemon to taste.

(By the way, did you know you can freeze lemon juice. Just defrost the cubes as needed.)

No Bake Coconut Banana Cream Bites (Grain-free, Paleo, Autoimmune, GAPS)

So yeah...there's this:

I made these coconut tarts and after all the testing, I was ready to give up sweets for good (I actually gave away dried mango, so I think that's it for the sweets for awhile). Then a family member gave me some ripe bananas that needed to be used. My obsession to make the perfect coconut butter left me with, well...tons of coconut butter. (The first time I discovered coconut butter, I made this peppermint bark.) And a banana version of the coconut tarts was born. I'm not calling these tarts because it doesn't seem right. Cream pies, maybe. But I don't want to disappoint anyone looking for a real banana or coconut cream pie, so I'll calling them "bites." Yeah, it might take two bites to eat one of these, but you get the idea.

No Bake Mini Coconut Lemon Tarts plus berry versions (paleo, autoimmune, GAPS)

This recipe was created because of these Hail Merry Lemon Tarts. Have you heard of them? Seen them? I was in Earth Fare almost a month ago picking up a few things. While I was concentrating on picking out some greens...There. They. Were. In the produce section. Enticing me. Telling me to drop my kale and chard and eat a lemon tart. I can't turn down a lemon tart (or anything with lemon).

Ginger Garlic & Lime Grilled Chicken

What's not to like? Ginger, good. Garlic, good. Lime, goooood.

Five Minute Freezer Fudge: Nut & Nut-free versions (paleo, gluten free, dairy free)

If you are familiar with coconut oil, you are aware that it melts at about 76° F. The cool thing about coconut oil's ever changing state is that frozen coconut oil makes for great candies and other goodies. I usually make candies out of coconut oil to keep in the freezer. I prefer these little frozen treats to baked goods, because it's easier to control how much I eat (and measuring is not absolutely necessary...and that is always a plus for me). If I see a batch of cookies staring at me every time I walk through the kitchen, I'll probably chow down on 3 or 4 a day. The candies are tucked safely in my over-packed freezer. If I really, really have to want some, I have to shuffle things around, potentially dropping jars on my toes, in order to grab a bite. (Truthfully, this has gotten a lot easier since my last Whole30. While I definitely enjoy some dark chocolate, this fudge, or something sweet occasionally, I don't indulge every night like I used to do. Now, I usually just eat some fruit. I love me some fruit.)

Spaghetti Squash with Basil Avocado Sauce and Grilled Chicken

I actually made this recipe years ago...but with regular pasta (which you can do if you eat pasta). I was cooking up dinner for two and realized there wasn't much going on in the fridge. So, I smashed up an avocado and threw it on some penne pasta. I added sun-dried tomatoes and some grilled chicken breasts on top (at a time when the breast meat was all I ate) and dinner was served. At the time, I was certain I invented this creamy avocado sauce (you guys know how much I love using avocado to make things creamy like here and here). But now there are avocado cream pasta dishes all over the Internet. I knew I shouldn't have taken my leftovers to work...

Tandoori Chicken: On the Grill or in the Oven (Paleo, Dairy free)

Who's been waiting for this?

I teased you with this chicken long, long ago. But trust me, it's worth the wait. That is...if you don't run off after you look at the ingredient list. Yes, it's a long list. But it's mostly spices (I get some of these in bulk here.). Truthfully, this is not a throw-together dinner. This chicken will take planning and some time (mostly marinade time). You might want to try it out on your day off or the weekend. And make enough for leftovers. It's good cold too.