Desserts, Uncategorized

Paleo Vegan Mini Pecan Pies

by thebananadiariesLeave a Comment on Paleo Vegan Mini Pecan Pies

When you’re ready for summer, but you can’t stand the heat, I’ve got you covered!

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Enter in these delicious mini freezer pecan pies! Yep, they’re a few bites and so refreshing on a hot summer day!

Plus, get this: they’re no sugar added (any sugar is natural from the sweet potato), completely paleo, vegan, flour-less, and are made with only 4 ingredients. Yep, you heard me right! So get baking! I mean…freezing lol.

Mini Freezer Pecan Pies

Serves 12

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • 1 jar of pecan butter (my favorites are Georgia Grinders and Artisana!)
  • 100% dark chocolate or your favorite chocolate bar
  • A few dashes of cinnamon
  • Optional: sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F (you’re only baking the crusts a little! Then you freeze!) and use a medium saucepan to bring about 1 cup of water to simmer on the stove.
  2. Slice sweet potato length-wise into little sweet potato rounds.
  3. Place sweet potato rounds into saucepan and steam on medium heat, until slightly soft in the middle (enough to be malleable).
  4. In a mini cupcake tin with 12 liners, slice sweet potato round half way to the middle and make into almost a rose, just enough to be circular and fit into the cupcake liner.
  5. Do this for each liner, sprinkle with cinnamon, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
  6. Remove sweet potato from the oven and spoon about 1 tsp-1tbsp of pecan butter into each mini piecrust.
  7. Freeze for at least 5 hours.
  8. Before removing sweet potato crusts, melt dark chocolate in a small bowl.
  9. Remove sweet potato crusts and drizzle with a little chocolate over each. Optional sprinkle with cinnamon.
  10. Enjoy with melty chocolate or freeze them again!
Breads and Baked Goods, Breakfast, Desserts

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Dough Bars

by thebananadiariesLeave a Comment on Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Dough Bars

Happy June, friends! Today I’m bringing you a completely paleo, completely flourless, optionally VEGAN…Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Dough Bar. Oh, and the only sugar that comes from these babies is from the banana and the sweet potato! What?!

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Mic drop.

These guys are SO doughy and sweet and yummy and EASY to throw together whenever you feel like it, but I will recommend that they’re perfect in the morning with some tea and yogurt or at night for dessert with coconut milk ice cream!

You only need about 7 ingredients, one bowl, and a smidge of patience to let these guys bake because man are they worth it!

Happy Baking and happy June!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Dough Bars

Serves 9

Ingredients:

  • 1 large Japanese or regular sweet potato, baked, cooled, and mashed
  • 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 inch vanilla bean pod for seeds
  • ½ cup 100% cacao wafers, broken, or your favorite chocolate chip
  • 3 eggs or 3 flax eggs
  • ½ cup melted raw and organic coconut butter
  • ¼ cup melted ghee or coconut oil
  • More ghee or coconut oil for greasing the pan

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9×9 baking dish.
  2. Mash sweet potato, banana, vanilla bean seeds, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
  3. Combine eggs, ghee/coconut oil, and coconut butter to the bowl. Stir thoroughly.
  4. Fold in chocolate chips.
  5. Pour batter into baking dish and bake 35 minutes.
  6. Enjoy!
Breads and Baked Goods, Breakfast, Desserts

Paleo Strawberry Coconut Bars

by thebananadiariesLeave a Comment on Paleo Strawberry Coconut Bars

Where did springtime go?! I feel like we just skipped to summer in NYC! This warmer weather is definitely making me crave something refreshing and tropical (if I have to be surrounded by concrete buildings, at least I can close my eyes and pretend I’m on a beach haha!).

Enter in these paleo strawberry coconut bars that are just sweet enough from the natural sweetness in the coconut and strawberries, but still allow for all of the flavors to shine through. They taste like a virgin strawberry daiquiri in bar form to me! As soon as they were out of the oven, I topped with a little coconut milk ice cream and coconut flakes, and WOW was this a dream!

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I highly recommend under-baking them too so that they’re a little gooey in the middle. The best part is that these were so easy to throw together! Literally 10 minutes prep time and then 30-35 minutes to bake! I also love how these are vegan-friendly, don’t require nuts (a.k.a. nut-allergy and AIP friendly!), and don’t use any added sweeteners, not even stevia! The entire sweetness comes from the natural sugars found in the sweet potato, strawberries, and coconut! How’s that for cool?

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So let me know what you think below and how they turned out for you! Enjoy this beautiful weather too!

Paleo Strawberry Coconut Bars

Serves 9

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1 large Japanese sweet potato, baked, cooled, and skin removed
  • 2 eggs or 2 flax eggs
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1/3 cup raw organic coconut butter (I like Artisana Organics!), melted
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ inch of a vanilla bean pod seeds
  • Coconut oil for greasing dish

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease 9×9 baking dish with coconut oil.
  2. In a large bowl, mash sweet potato.
  3. Fold in eggs, coconut oil, and coconut butter.
  4. Next, mix in coconut flour, cinnamon, and vanilla bean seeds.
  5. Fold in the sliced strawberries last and pour batter into the baking dish.
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool.
  8. Serve with coconut milk ice cream, nut butter, coconut flakes, and more berries!
Breads and Baked Goods, Breakfast, Main Meals

Paleo Nut-Free Bagels

by thebananadiaries1 Comment on Paleo Nut-Free Bagels

If you live in New York City, bagels are kind of a hot commodity. Yeah, it meets the stereotype! But since living here, I actually have not had a New York bagel…say what?!

Being gluten-free kinda does that to ya haha! Lately, though, I’ve really been craving them, especially since it’s sandwich-in-the-park weather (it’s a thing, I swear!). So Sunday, I decided enough was enough. I’m going to have a damn bagel!

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But how do I make it not just gluten-free, but paleo as well? And I’m talking my kind of paleo: easy, simple, whole foods that I’ve already got in my kitchen. Not the paleo that uses some abstract superfood ground into a powder that you can only find in the middle of South America and costs a fortune. Yeah, I like my kind of paleo haha!

So if you know me by now, you know my love of all things sweet potato. They’re nutrient dense, satiating, and truth be told, a great substitute for anything with flour. I’m serious. I use sweet potato as the flour for most of my recipes because it gives you that dough texture without having to go out and buy a bunch of expensive organic flours!

Now, I don’t call them “sweet potato bagels” because honestly, I think I’m going to turn everyone away from sweet potatoes if I keep saying that, AND you don’t call traditional banana bread “flour banana bread,” right? So hear me out. Swap in your sweet p (Japanese, Hannah, jewel, stoke…you name it!) for flour and thank me later 😉

I don’t know about you but I’m getting the lox and cream cheese ready!

Paleo Nut-Free Bagels

Makes 6 halves, 3 whole bagels

Ingredients:

  • 1 extra large Japanese sweet potato, baked, cooled, and skin removed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour (or any flour you have on hand)
  • Sea salt
  • Pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with tin foil.
  2. In a large bowl, mash sweet potato.
  3. Add in eggs, flour, sea salt and pepper and combine thoroughly.
  4. Take a small handful and form into a small dough ball, sticking your thumb through the middle to create a hole.
  5. Place on the baking sheet and repeat for the remaining dough.
  6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 min.
  7. Remove from oven, let cool, then serve with your favorite spreads!
Breads and Baked Goods, Breakfast, Desserts

Paleo Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

by thebananadiariesLeave a Comment on Paleo Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Decided to whip up a classic recipe over the weekend because who could ever turn down a classic? That’s why it’s CLASSIC, right? *hums “Baby You’re So Classic” to self*

I’m sharing these paleo, no-added-sugar, nut-free, flourless SEA SALT CHOCOLATE CHIP cookies with you today because they will knock your old cookie recipe off the plate! I swear, biting into these felt like I was transported back to childhood with a big glass of milk in front of me for dipping. Now that scene is a little bit different (I swapped in almond and coconut milk instead haha!), but it tastes just the same. You’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between a cookie made with flours versus a cookie made with plants!

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Peep the recipe below and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

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Paleo Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves 10-15

Ingredients:

  • 1 large white sweet potato, baked, cooled, and skin removed
  • 2 organic, pastured eggs
  • ½ inch vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla extract…but this tastes better!)
  • ¼ cup melted ghee
  • ¼ cup melted coconut butter
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup Imlak’esh 100% cacao wafers (or your favorite chocolate chip!)
  • 1 pinch sea salt (plus more for topping!)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, mash white sweet potato
  3. Add in eggs, cinnamon, vanilla been seeds, and sea salt, mixing until well combined
  4. Pour melted ghee and coconut butter into the bowl and mix until completely combined
  5. Fold in chocolate chips
  6. With clean hands, form about a tbsp. per ball and place on the baking sheet, giving them enough room to expand
  7. Sprinkle with sea salt
  8. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes
  9. Remove from the oven, cool, and enjoy!
Main Meals, Sides, Soups

Paleo Ramen Noodle Soup

by thebananadiariesLeave a Comment on Paleo Ramen Noodle Soup

Did you read that recipe title correctly?! PALEO. Ramen noodle soup? Are you sure?

Absolutely, my friends. And this one doesn’t even include coconut aminos, so no need to go buy fancy ingredients!

This soup comes together with simple, whole foods and packs in a boatload of protein (if you use bone broth!)…you won’t miss your local ramen shop!

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Instead of regular ramen noodles, Jared and I spiralized some yellow squash, threw in a few classic veggies (red cabbage, scallions, carrots, and onions!), soaked some ginger in the bone broth for flavor, and topped with some soft boiled eggs!

It was so easy and so delicious! Check out the recipe below and let me know what you think!

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Paleo Ramen Noodle Soup

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

  • 1 large yellow squash, spiralized
  • 2 cups red cabbage, chopped
  • 2-3 medium whole carrots, sliced
  • ½ an onion, chopped
  • 1 bunch of scallions, diced
  • 1 knob of whole ginger, skinned and sliced into chunks
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 package of Bonafide Bone Broth or 3 cups chicken or beef stock
  • Sea salt/pepper
  • Ghee/coconut oil for cooking vegetables
  • Toppings: soft boiled eggs, scallions, micro greens

Directions:

  1. In a medium sauce pan, sauté red cabbage, whole carrots, onion, and scallions with a little ghee/coconut oil, sea salt, and pepper.
  2. Once those veggies are cooked, set aside.
  3. Add the spiralized yellow squash noodles into the pan and lightly sauté so that they are still firm but cooked through. Set aside with the other veggies.
  4. In a large pot, pour bonafide bone broth into pot and add chunks of ginger and turmeric.
  5. Heat until boiling and then reduce to a simmer.
  6. Add in the veggies, stir and cover.
  7. Let sit on simmer for 20-30 minutes.
  8. Serve and top with extra scallions, soft boiled eggs, etc.
Breads and Baked Goods, Breakfast, Desserts

Paleo Brownie Sweet Potato Loaf

by thebananadiariesLeave a Comment on Paleo Brownie Sweet Potato Loaf

So I did this thing where I took my absolute FAVORITE recipe of mine and I made it again…in loaf form!

Cue the slow jams because this baby is so freaking good, you’re going to want to savor every bite!

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It’s also completely flourless (read: no fancy shmancy flours required), and you most likely have all of the ingredients on hand so this recipe is easy peasy 😉 There’s a reason why I make this every single week as a part of my meal prep: it’s just so dang GOOD!

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Check out the recipe below, and let me know what you think J

Happy Baking!

Brownie Sweet Potato Loaf

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 2 large white sweet potato, baked and skin removed
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup vanilla ghee, melted (I love Fourth & Heart! You can also sub in regular ghee or coconut oil and add vanilla powder or scraped vanilla beans)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup raw cacao powder (I love Imlak’esh!)
  • ½ cup raw or roasted coconut butter, melted (I love Artisana Organics, but you can also sub in a nut butter)
  • 1 bar of your favorite dark chocolate (I love Imlak’esh’s cacao wafers)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 and grease a 9×4 loaf pan with ghee or coconut oil.
  2. In a large bowl, mash sweet potato.
  3. Pour in eggs, ghee, and coconut butter, and mash to combine.
  4. Add in cinnamon and cacao, mash to combine.
  5. Once the batter is completely mixed, break up the chocolate wafers and fold in the chunks.
  6. Pour batter into the loaf pan and place in the oven.
  7. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
  8. Remove and let cool before serving.