Work Smarter, Not Harder

First off--hello! This is me, knocking the cobwebs out of the corners of my all-but-abandoned blog. :) Lots has happened since I last posted, but for the most part, I've simply been slacking in the blogging department because it's just easier to cook without taking photos and notes about recipes. Sorry! Forgive me? ;)


Ok…so, it's no major secret that we eat a ton of fruit around here, and that pineapple is no exception to that. In fact, we almost always have a pineapple or two laying around waiting to be cut--we munch on it, I serve it with dinner, and I even incorporate it into lots of breakfast, dinner and dessert recipes.

All that said, it's such a pain in the butt…I often spend 10-15 minutes neurotically trimming one, only to watch it basically vanish in less time than it took me to cut it up. However, I had a lightbulb moment a few months ago! I have always used my teeny tiny little biscuit cutter to cut out the core after I've trimmed and sliced the pineapple. I am not sure why it never occurred to me before…but the larger biscuit cutters are perfect for trimming off the skin!

Simply slice the pineapple into 1/2-3/4 inch disks, choose the largest one that will fit inside the skin, and press (or pound) them through the pineapple!

So easy peasy--today I cut up 3 whole pineapples and it took me about 5 minutes total. :)

Paleo Brownies

I'm not even sure what to call these other than "FABULOUS"!!! These are entirely sugar-free and Paleo-friendly! So yummy!

1/3 cup coconut oil (solid)
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 egg
3 mashed bananas
2 heaping tablespoons cacao powder (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp baking powder (more or less optional...will be a bit denser without it)
2 tbsp arrowroot powder (optional…use a bit more coconut flour if you omit this)
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup coconut flour (more or less…didn't measure)

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil.

Beat the coconut oil, honey, vanilla, applesauce and egg until well blended. In another bowl, mash the bananas, and mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, arrowroot powder and cacao powder. Add to the coconut oil mixture. Add coconut flour 1/4 cup at a time until batter reaches desired consistency (think thick cake batter). Stir in almonds and cranberries.

Fill muffin tin half way with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted half way between the edge and the center comes out dry. They will be heavy for their size, but so unbelievably good!

Pineapple Grilling Sauce

I've been big on grilling sauce made from fresh fruit the last few months. I threw this one together today in about 5 minutes total, plus 2 hrs in the crock pot.

2 quart bags full of frozen pineapple--probably 2-3 pineapples worth
1 cup honey
1-2 tbsp five spice powder
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 inch fresh grated ginger
pinch of kosher salt
15-20 grinds of fresh black pepper
1 vanilla bean (split & scraped....and put the whole thing in the pot)

Cook on high for about 2-3 hours, and then transfer it to the blender and puree. This made exactly 3 pints for me. :)

Tonight I slathered it on grilled pork chops, and served it with grilled zucchini/red onion/yellow bell peppers, orange honeydew melon and a green salad. Absolutely, positively wonderful!

Pina Colada Granita

I should preface this post by saying that this "recipe" is really probably not worth blogging. We all know how to make a granita, right? The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze so you can eat it. haha!! That said...here we go! :)

What you will need:
1 fresh pineapple--peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt (optional, helps with creaminess)
1/2 cup of rum (I used Sailor Jerry's)
1 tbsp vanilla extract (or about half the guts of 1 vanilla bean)
coconut sugar to taste (more or less depending on how ripe your pineapple is--taste as you go!)
a pinch of kosher salt

Mix it all up in your blender and pour into a glass baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap (push it down on to the surface of the liquid to prevent a "skin" from forming), and freeze until solid (likely overnight).

When you are ready to serve it, remove from freezer and scrape the surface with a metal spoon to achieve the "shaved ice" look and texture. Serve in a pretty martini glass and garnish with a sprig of mint....or be like me and just throw it in a cereal bowl and hand it to your husband. ;)

Cherry Teriyaki Sauce

This is easily the *BEST* thing I have ever eaten--out of my kitchen or otherwise. So unbelievably yummy!! And it is completely Paleo-friendly!

6 fresh dates, pitted
1/2 pound fresh or frozen & thawed bing cherries, pitted
1/3 cup of HOT HOT water
3-4 cloves of fresh minced garlic
1" fresh minced ginger
3/4 cup coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce if you don't care about the paleo aspect)
1/2 tsp salt (omit the salt if you use soy sauce)
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice

Blend the dates, cherries and hot water until smooth. Pour into a pot along with all of the other ingredients and simmer. As is, this would make an awesome marinade for meat. Tonight, however, I quadrupled it and threw this into my crock pot on high with frozen chicken breasts. I cocked the lid in the last hour or two so the sauce could reduce once the chicken was cooked through, and I garnished it with green onions when I served it. :)

(adapted from strictlypaleoish.com's Paleo Teriyaki Sauce recipe)

Zucchini & Summer Squash Skewers

Stupid simple BBQ side dish. :) I took these up to my mom's BBQ today and they were a big hit. Simply yellow summer squash and zucchini, cut into thick slices. I squeezed a lemon over them all, and then drizzled some olive oil and then hit them with salt, fresh black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. You could also add some onion, asparagus, etc. The sky's the limit! :)

Throw them on the grill over hot coals for about 5 mins per side and enjoy! :)

Pineapple/Mango Salsa

Blogging this is kind of an afterthought, so bear with me. I had a couple mangos and a very ripe pineapple that needed to be used, so I thought I would throw together a pineapple/mango salsa. I basically followed my rule about pico de gallo--equal parts cilantro, onion and tomato with a bit of jalapeno--but without tomato, of course. I made approximately 12 cups of this salsa and served it over grilled pork chops and salads last night (OMG YUMMMM!!!). Everyone around me has been going to town munching on it and putting it on top of things all day today. I can confirm that it is awesome with multigrain tortilla chips (BAD husband for bringing those into the house!!), celery sticks, and green bell pepper slices. :)

What you need:
1 medium sized pineapple
2-3 very ripe mangos
2 red onions
1 bunch of cilantro
2-4+ jalapeno peppers

No brainer, really. Basically, just dice everything uber tiny and mix it all together. I used 2 jalapenos, and it barely had any heat...so I've been adding another jalapeno to just about every 8 ounce jar as I serve it and it is perfectly hot for my tastes. :)