Dangerously Yummy Paleo Pumpkin Apple Muffins

…try saying that 3x fast. LOL. They really are dangerous though…

Paleo Pumpkin Apple Muffins

4 eggs
2 1/4 cups almond meal
1 large apple (or 2 small apples) peeled and finely chopped
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp honey
1 heaping Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large handful chopped walnuts
optional: 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Whisk eggs in large mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients except chopped walnuts and mix by hand.  The batter will not be super thick, but more like a cake batter.  Using a bit more coconut oil or olive oil, grease a muffin tin.  Fill the tins about 3/4 of the way full.  Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of each muffin. Bake on middle rack for about 20 minutes. You will know they are done when you can insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin and it comes out clean.  Serve warm out of the oven. Word of caution, they tend to stick to the sides of the tin, so be careful taking them out – a lightly oiled plastic knife works fairly well. Another note of caution – these muffins are so good you might just eat them all at once…. :-)

Paleo Crepes!!

The other morning we discovered how to make paleo crepes – best breakfast ever! And the recipe is surprisingly simple, the only tricky part is flipping the crepes without breaking them – it gets easier with practice!

Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup coconut or almond milk
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

If you have a griddle the flat surface is fantastic for making these, otherwise use a large frying pan or skillet. Preheat your cooking surface. I didn’t use any oil or cooking spray because our griddle is non-stick, but if you’re worried about sticking, use a small amount of olive or walnut oil. You will also need a utensil to spread/smooth the crepe batter and a utensil or two to flip it. The flat side of an egg spatula or the back side of a large spoon will work as a smoother, and the egg spatula will work for flipping, but unless you have a very large spatula, you’ll prob need some other flat-ish utensil to help with this step. Be creative! (If you’re gonna make these a lot, they make special crepe spatulas you can get)

Whisk ingredients together until mostly smooth, the batter may be slightly lumpy but that’s ok. Pour batter into your pan, use an amount about the size of a CD. Take your smoothing implement of choice and using a circular pattern, smooth/spread the batter into a nice circle, in the process also thinning it so that it is more crepe thickness as opposed to pancake thickness. Just keep in mind, if you make it too thin, it will be harder to flip over. Depending on how hot your pan is, the underside should start to brown in 3-5 minutes. At this point, go around the edges of the crepe with your spatula making sure it is separated from the pan, then very carefully flip the crepe over. I had to use a second flipping utensil to help flip my crepes. Another 3-5 minutes and your crepe should be done! Fill with your choice of yummy paleo filling and enjoy!

Some filling recipes:

“Apple Pie” Filling

- 1 whole apple of a softer/sweeter variety
(pink lady, fuji, gala)
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon (or to taste)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp agave nectar (or to taste – can also use honey)

Finely chop apple either by hand or in blender, depending on how big or small you’d like your apple chunks (or slices if you so desire). Mix apple chunks with cinnamon, vanilla and agave nectar. In microwave safe bowl heat about 2 minutes or until apple chunks are soft. Scoop filling into crepe, fold crepe, eat crepe, be happy!

If you’ve ever had either SoDelicious Coconut Milk ice cream or Coconut Bliss ice cream, their vanilla is actually paleo and goes amazingly with this filling – it’s just like apple pie!!

“Thanksgiving Dinner” Filling

- 1 can (5 oz) chicken or turkey meat
OR shredded or chopped chicken/turkey, leftover meat from a roasted bird would work great!
- 1 very generous handful dried or fresh cranberries
- Apple butter

With crepe laid flat, spread apple butter on crepe, as much as you like! I found thicker was better otherwise you couldn’t taste it past the chicken and cranberries. If you’re using canned chicken/turkey, make sure you rinse it well to rid of the salty taste it gets from being in the can. Mix your chicken/turkey shreds/chunks in a bowl with the cranberries then warm in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Put your nice warm filling in the crepe right on top of that delicious apple butter, fold and eat!
If you want to be daring, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of the crepe, yummy….