Mounds of Primal Goodness

Ok so don't we all have a sweet tooth? I know at least all of us here at Crossfit Lakecity do! I get everyone drooling while we stretch after a hard wod talking about the recipes I'm working on or something I had made. These were no exception, in fact I think we are planning a game night just so I can make these for the group...

I'm a sucker for chocolate and I never like coconut growing up, however since going primal almost a year ago I have grown fond of it. I have to say I've never eaten a mounds, but I imagine that they taste like these little bit of heavens that I made a few weeks ago. Enjoy and beware it is easy to eat way too much of these. The good side is they are chock full of healthy fat!

For the filling:
1/4 C. Coconut oil
1/8 C. Honey
2/3 C. Shredded coconut
1/4 C. Almonds

Melt the coconut oil and honey together in the microwave add the coconut, if you are using flake coconut you will want to pulse it in a blender or food processor a few times to break it down a bit. If its shredded coconut I think it would work as is.

Put the coconut filling into molds or small muffin tins. Toast the nuts until they are fragrant (don't skip this step, it brings out the flavors) You can use sliced nuts and sprinkle them over the coconut filling or like I did use whole almonds and chop them before adding them to the mix.

Chocolate topping:

1/4 C. Cocoa powder

2 TBSP Honey
1/3 C. Coconut oil

2 tsp. Vanilla

Heat in a bowl in the microwave and stir until it is smooth. Spoon over the coconut filling and chill in the freezer until set.

The finished product! These would be perfect for a Valentines day treat that is clean and delicious! I know I'll be making them for my Valentine, I found some cute heart molds at Michael's that will really add a nice touch.

Stuffed!

Here I go with the squash again! I just cant get enough of this stuff, at least its good for you. I used some of the Aidells sausages that I got from our local Grocery Outlet for a screaming deal.


Recipe for 2:
1 Acorn squash
1 Tbsp Oil
1 Green bell pepper
1/2 Onion
10 Stalks asparagus
2-3 Sausage links- I used chicken apple
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 TBSP Curry powder
1 lime

Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and bake or microwave in a little water until its soft.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Slice the sausages and fry in the hot oil until they start to get a little crispy and browned. Chop and add all the veggies to the skillet. Add the spices and cook until the veggies are tender.

Scoop the veggies into the cavity of the squash and serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top.

Garlicky Egglant Maranara

I saw this recipe on Rachel Rays daytime talk show and with few tweaks it was squeaky clean and tasty.

1 head garlic
2 red bell peppers
1 eggplant
1 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 large spaghetti squash

Take the garlic and cut off the top just far enough down to be able to see the tops of the cloves. Wrap it in tin foil and place on a cookie sheet. To the same cookie sheet add the peppers and the eggplant cut in half with the cut side up. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. On a separate cookie sheet cut the squash in half and put cut side down add about 2 cups of water to the pan. Put both pans in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

At this point if the pepper doesn't have nice black charred spots put it over the flame on your stove turning frequently. Cut off the stem and scrape out the seeds.

The eggplant will look like this when its done. Spoon out the insides of the eggplant leaving the purple skin.

I used my handy dandy food processor, but you could use a good blender to puree all the ingredients together (excluding the squash!). Take the garlic out of the foil and squeeze the root side, the cloves will have liquefied and turned into a paste. Add the garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, eggplant insides, and the bell peppers and blend until it is smooth. Scrape the squash into spaghetti like strands. I cooked some ground beef and put it right on top of the squash and sauce.

Are You Sweet Or Savory?

I Personally am sweet, not only in personality(hehe), I have a huge sweet tooth! I am waist deep in my love for winter foods right now. What says comfort like a nice winter squash? My personal favorite is a butternut squash. It is so sweet and I feel that it can be used interchangeably with pumpkin. Its a super food and is great for a post wod re-fuel. So pick your poison are you sweet or evil I mean savory?

Step 1: For either dish is to peel your squash, use those muscles and your patience for this job!

Step 2: I like to cut it into round disc's, then cube it or cut it into strips from there, you can see both ways here.

We will start with the savory version first. I like to use the cubed squash for this. Take about 3 cups of the cubes squash and put it on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Pour over a few TBSP balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. cayenne (you can leave this out I just LOVE the added spice) and a few dashes salt and pepper. Give it a quick toss right on the pan and put into a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the squash is fork tender.

Here is the finished product, it gets all nice and caramelized and is so tasty!

Now for the sweet this is simple and tastes like candy to me! Just take some of the squash and cut it into strips. Place on a lightly greased sheet pan and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and nutmeg. Add a little sprinkle of sea salt and put in the oven using the same directions as above.

Look at how good they look! They get a crust of tasty deliciousness and really are like candy trust me! I like to make a batch of both and snack on them throughout the week.

My take on a bibimbap

I'm a big fan of making ethnic type foods and foods that I haven't tried or heard of. In saying that this dish was lovely. Its a clean take on a traditional Korean dish called a bibimbap which means "mixed meal". Traditionally it is made with rice, a variety of veggies, beef and egg. To clean it up I just substituted cauliflower "rice". It was so good and like nothing I had ever made before. Try this one its a winner!

Korean Bibimbap

8 oz Sirlion Steak cut into thin strips

2 tsp. Tamari Sauce (wheat-free soy sauce)
1 TBSP Fresh Ginger peeled and minced

3 Cloves Garlic minced

6 Green Onions chopped

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2 Large Carrots julienned with a veggie peeler

1/3 of a Cabbage cut into thin strips

1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 head Cauliflower grated to resemble rice

4 Eggs

Prepare all your veggies and set aside.

Make a marinade for the thinly sliced beef using 1 green onion, 1 tsp ginger, the garlic, tamari and the red pepper flakes. Let it all set and get happy for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile steam the remaining green onions, cabbage and carrots until they are crisp-tender about 4-6 minutes. Heat the sesame oil and add the sirloin cooking 1-2 minutes per side. Add the remaining ginger, the cauliflower and the steamed veggies and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is tender. This should take about 10 minutes. Uncover and make 4 indentations in the cauliflower with the back of a spoon. Crack 1 egg into each, and cook, covered, until the whites are set but the yolks are stilll runny, about 4 minutes.

Serve with an egg on top of each plate and stir in right before eating.