I would like to give a huge thank you to Paleo by Maileo for sending us a box for us to try and unbox and show you. Paleo by Maileo is a completely grain-free, dairy-free, additive-free and refined sugar-free snack box that packs in 5-8 paleo food items (sometimes, a self-care product) chock full of healthy ingredients like nuts, dried fruit or jerky! The snacks are also great for those that follow a gluten-free diet, have Celiac’s Disease or just want to start a healthier lifestyle. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s dig in!

Paleo By Maileo Goodies:

First out of the box is a full size bag of Crunchies freeze-dried bananas and strawberries. The bag contains over 3 servings of fruit and is a great alternative for those who don’t like the mushy texture of fruit or need an easy way to get your fruits in at work or while traveling. Also, it’s a great zombie apocalypse prep item, since they have great shelf life! Raf likes to use freeze-dried fruits for paleo baking due to the punch in flavor without the added moisture or into his protein shakes when he is on the go!

Next out of the box is a very tasty looking cherry vanilla Share Bar. This chewy bar is made with dates, coconut, watermelon seeds, cherries, cocoa and honey! It reminds me of the Larabars. If you need a midday pick-me-up or need to grab something fast before work or class or even just need a little something sweet, this Share Bar will satisfy the sweet tooth without the sugar crash.

What is the best food to deal with holiday stress or any kind of stress? Chocolate, duh. I know you were thinking about the brewsky but not for this article. In this instance, Paleo by Maileo has your back. Included in this box was a bar of Wilde 70% cacao coconut nectar crunch chocolate. The bar is proud to announce that it is made with just 5 ingredients: raw organic cacao, organic coconut sugar, raw organic cacao butter, Himalayan sea salt and raw organic vanilla bean. Raf is a complete chocolate snob so this may be the item in the box that he’s most excited about. I doubt he’s going to share this one.

***Raf here, I finally had the chance to try the Wilde bar. I’d like to preface this review and say that this is all personal opinions and that I am extremely critical when it comes to chocolate. Regrettably, the Wilde Bar did not live up to the hype. Personally, it is a bit too gritty for me. I understand that this was by design, but if I am going for a coarse ground chocolate, Taza is still my go to. As far as flavoring goes, I love using salt to bring out the sweetness of desserts but I feel that the bar is a bit too heavy on the salt. I might’ve also judged it with high expectations due to great reviews out there. It is definitely a wonderful choice for those who are have a soy lecithin or sugar sensitivity. For those who are not, there are definitely better choices out there that are also more affordable. I am all for supporting small or local businesses but there is a line that I draw. For the price of one Wilde bar (1 ounce), I can get a very good chocolate bar (non-paleo but extremely high quality made by a local chocolatier) that is twice the size. I do understand that the price of coconut sugar is a lot higher compared to regular sugar, so that might explain the difference in price. Whether or not you can justify the extra cost is totally up to your discretion . But to thoroughly review a product, I have to touch on the subject of pricing (Believe me, I’m not cheap when it comes to chocolate). ***

Raf is a complete carnivore, so meat snacks are definitely something he keeps around. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see a Chomps stick in this month’s box: a free-range turkey snack stick. The Chomps meat sticks have great texture and are not overly dry. The flavor is well balanced and it’s not so over powering that you cannot taste the quality of the protein. Raf met Chomps at PaleoFx last year and had nothing but great things to say about them, both the products and those who represent them.

The keto diet is huge right now. Everywhere you look on social media, the keto diet is what people are doing to lose weight and have a healthier lifestyle. Included in the Paleo by Maileo box is a single serving of vanilla Ancient Nutrition keto protein. This protein has caffeine and can be mixed with coffee, almond milk, tea or plain water. It is flavored with vanilla, maple, rosemary and monk fruit. For those on the go, these protein powder packs can save’em a headache in the morning.

Included in the box are six single serving packs of Nutiva coconut oil. Coconut oil is widely known for its health benefits when ingested or just used on the skin or hair. Many people will make their bulletproof coffee with a spoonful of coconut oil and these are super portable to slip in a purse or pocket to take to work or the coffee house. If coffee isn’t something you like, you can just inject the oil straight from the pouch if you choose. For those that have nut allergies in your home, this brand of oil is packaged in a facility with peanut oil.

The last two items in this months Paleo by Maileo box are the ones we had to outsource to a friend to try. Our son has nut allergies to peanuts and cashews, so those are the nuts to avoid, much to Raf’s dismay because he loves peanuts and cashews. In the box was a limited edition Pumpkin Spice RxBar with almonds, cashews and dates, as well as an impressive full-size bag of Raw Food Central cashew crunch flax crackers. We passed those two items on to a nut-friendly trusted source and both got two thumbs up of approval on taste and quality, although the RxBar nudged the crackers out by a little bit.

There you have it, folks! Our very first unboxing! With the holidays coming up, boxes like these take the headache out of trying to keep eating right as well as being a great gift for friends or family. The box is $39 for a single month but offers plans up to six months. There is free shipping in the US (whaaaaaat??) and all of the products inside are an amazing quality. You can pick up your own box here and we will be back soon with more unboxings, more articles, and more food fandom!

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Drunk Unicorn Popsicles are boozed and catered for adults. These are completely paleo friendly(sans sprinkles… I like my food pretty). There are a lot of buzz around using pitaya powder and blue spirulina. Those are definitely a healthy alternative and I recommend using them if you don’t like alcohol. Anyhow, I’m going to keep this article fairly short before the unicorn runs away. Let’s get  POPPING (get it??)!

Paleo Drunk Unicorn Popsicles:

1 – Red fleshed Dragon Fruit (Mashed)

4-1/2 Cups – Sprouts Unsweetened Coconut Milk

1/4 Cup – Blue Curacao Liqueur

1 Cup – Honey

1-1/2 Tsp – Xanthan/Guar Gum (Optional)

2 Tbsp – Fresh Lemon Juice

Various Sprinkles

White Chocolate Drizzle

Various Unicorn Colored Sprinkles (Optional)

Useful Tools:

Popsicle Mold

Fine Strainer

Emulsion Blender

Drunk Unicorn Popsicle Instructions:

1.) First, divide the coconut milk in 1-1/2 cup in three containers. Mix 1/3 cup of honey into each.

2.) Add blue curacao liqueur into first container, 1/2 tsp guar gum and blend with emulsion blender.

3.) Add mashed dragon fruit and lemon juice into second container of coconut milk with 1/2 tsp guar gum. Blend with emulsion blender and strain the seeds out.

4.) Add 1/2 tsp into last container of coconut milk and blend. Sit all ingredients in fridge to cool for 10 minutes.

5.) Use a tbsp and spoon the 3 different colored coconut milks into the popsicle mold in a random order. The guar gum will thicken the consistency of the liquid so they don’t blend together when in the popsicle mold, but if you prefer, you can skip the gum and make layered popsicles.

6.) After you fill  up the popsicle mold, sit them in the freezer to freeze for 6 hours to overnight. Once frozen, soak the mold in warm water for 20-30 seconds for easy removal.

7.) Once out, drizzle with white chocolate drizzle and quickly put on sprinkles before the drizzle solidifies. There you have it, my Drunk Unicorn Popsicles. Until next time, eat up, my friends!!!

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Toluca Burger? What’s that? It is a Mexican chorizo burger. Why did I name is Toluca Burger? History has it that chorizo was spread to Mexico from the Spaniard invasion. It was told that the conquistador Hernan Cortez started the first pig farming operation in the Toluca Valley. It is a known fact that the  Spaniards brought domesticated pigs to the Americas. With all that said, Toluca was one of the first place Mexican chorizo originated from and is a chorizo making center to this day. That is why I named the burger the Toluca Burger.

This was created due to a fridge purge. It seems like some of the greatest recipes are created with what’s available to us. It forces us to put on our pointy witch hats and use our creative magic. One day, I wanted burgers and all we had was extra lean ground beef. That’s a big nope. Lean burgers cause cottonmouth! No, thank you! It is the equivalent of receiving a lump of coal for Christmas! I knew I needed to add fat to the ground beef, so I started digging in the fridge to see what was available. Low and behold, there on the shelf was a tube of nearly expired pork chorizo. That is the birth of the Toluca Burger.

Disclaimer, before someone crawls up my behind, no, those are not Paleo hamburger buns in the pictures. I used buns for picture and presentation purpose but there are many paleo options out there. For example, there are many brands of Paleo English muffins, you can use lettuce wraps or even portabello mushrooms as buns. Use whatever you see fit. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s get grilling!

Paleo Toluca Burger:

2lb – U.S. Wellness Meats 85% Lean Ground Beef

8-9oz – Raw Mexican Pork Chorizo

2 Tbsp – Sauteed Fine Diced Red Onions

2 Tsp – Minced Garlic

1 – Jalapeno (Diced and seeded)¹

2 tsp – Smoked Paprika

1 Tsp – Ground Cumin

2 Tbsp – Nutritional Yeast

1 Tsp – Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

3 Tsp – Smoked Sea Salt (Or to taste)

Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Garnish:

Sliced Tomatoes

Lettuce

Sliced Red Onions

Cheese (Optional)

Burger condiments of your choice (I recommend Chipotle Mayo)

Paleo Toluca Burger Instructions:

1.) There really isn’t much special instructions to making burgers. First, sautee your onions and garlic until they are caramelized. Let the mixture cool off before mixing into the ground beef.

2.) In a mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and form your patties. A chef friend of mine taught me to use two take out container lids to form burger patties and they make the perfect sized burgers.

3.) Depending on your cooking methods, you will want to shape your burgers differently. If you are grilling, make your burgers slightly bigger than your “bun” due to shrinkage and indent the center to ensure there will be no bulge. This will not be necessary if you are using a skillet.

4.) If you are grilling, leave it to cook and flip them only once to prevent them from falling apart.

5.) Top your Toluca Burger with whatever you see fit. The standard lettuce, tomatoes and onion? Guac? Pepperjack cheese? The options are only limited to your imagination! There you have it, and until next time, eat up, my friends!

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Eww Gross! Right!? Absolutely not. The tongue and the cheek are considered delicacies in many countries outside of the United States. Many cuts get written off simply because people do not know how to cook them. The secret here is low and slow. We will be utilizing our kitchen cauldron, the crock pot! If you have an instapot, that makes things even easier. These Tongue N’ Cheek Tacos will change your life!

We will make these Tongue N’ Cheek Tacos with a method I created, the reverse braise. We will slow cook the meat until it falls apart, shred it, then brown it in a skillet to reserve all of the flavor. This is one of my favorite methods to cook with because the outcome is tender yet crispy. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Let’s get cooking!

Paleo Tongue N’ Cheek Tacos:

1 – U.S. Wellness Meats Beef Tongue

1 lb – U.S. Wellness Meats Beef Cheek

Enough Chicken Stock to cover in Crock Pot

1 Can – Rotel

10 – Garlic Cloves

1 – Medium White Onion

1 Cup – Fresh Cilantro (Chopped)

½ Tsp – Fresh Thyme

1 Tsp – Dried Mexican Oregano

1 Tsp – Ground Cumin

¼ Tsp – Ground Coriander Seeds

2 – Heaping Tsp Guajillo Chili Powder

1 Tsp – Crushed Red Pepper

1 Tsp – Smoked Paprika

2 Tsp – Nutritional Yeast

½ Tsp – Orange Zest

Gold Nugget Ghee

Juice from 1 Lime

2 Tbsp – Coconut Sugar

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Chipotle Ranch:

1 Cup – Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing

2-3 – Canned Chipotle Chili¹

Tacos:

My Paleo Tortilla Recipe²

Sliced Avocados

Cilantro & Onions

Note¹: Canned Chipotle contains sugar and  non-paleo oils. If you want, soak your own Chipotles or you can use Primal Kitchen’s Chipotle Lime Mayo

Note²: I used my own recipe because they look more like corn tortillas for picture purpose, but I use Siete Tortillas to cut back prep time. 

Tongue N’ Cheek Tacos Instructions:

1.) Put tongue and beef cheek in the crock pot. Add in carrots, rotel, 4 cloves of garlic and enough chicken stock to slightly cover the meat. Cook for 10-12 hours.

2.) Remove tongue and cheeks from the water. Peel the thick skin form the tongue. Shred both cheek and tongue meat.

3.) In a skillet, heat 3 tbsp of ghee over medium high heat. Add in 6 cloves of minced garlic, ½ cup diced white onions.

4.) Let that cook until onions are softening. Add in guajillo chili powder, smoked paprika, fresh thyme, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, Mexican oregano, orange zest and nutritional yeast. Cook that until a paste forms.

5.) Add shredded beef to the pan, ½ cup fresh cilantro (loosely packed), coconut sugar and squeeze of lime juice. Let that cook until meat is evenly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6.) To make chipotle ranch sauce for these Tongue N’ Cheek Tacos, I mix 1 cup ranch dressing with 2-3 canned chipotle peppers with an immersion blender.

7.) I made my own Paleo tortillas for picture purposes, but to cut down prep time, I recommend Siete’s Tortillas. Heat it in a hot griddle until they are slightly toasted.

8.) Add meat, chopped white onions, cilantro, sliced avocados and a drizzle of chipotle ranch to assemble these delicious Paleo Tongue N’ Cheek Tacos. There you have it and until next time, eat up my friends!

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What is a Boba Frap? It is a boba tea frappe. Boba tea a tea based drink that originates out of Taiwan back in the 80’s. Usually blended with milk or fruit served cold with large tapioca pearls. It is an extremely popular drink with a cult-like following. I’ve created a healthier, frappe version with natural ingredients that will fit your Paleo needs.  This makes for a fantastic summer drink.

There are so many things you can do with the Boba Frap. Here are just a few basic versions. You can add liquor, smoothie powder, protein powder, make it with coffee. Your imagination is your limit. For this recipe, we will need a decent blender, tapioca pearls and boba straws. Without any further delays, let’s get blending!

Paleo Boba Frap:

1-2 Cups – Desert Farms Raw Camel Milk

3 Cups –  Coconut Milk

½ Cup – Coconut Cream

2 Cups – Cooked Boba Pearls

1 Cup – Honey

½ Cup – Stevia

2 lb – Bag of ice

1 Cup – Thai Tea

½ – Roasted Ube (Purple Sweet Potato) Diced

2 Tsp – Matcha Powder

3-4 – Large Strawberries

1 – Champagne Mango (Diced)

½ Tsp – Ube Flavoring

Useful tools:

Blender

Boba Straws

Boba Frap Instructions:

1.) Cook boba pearls as directed on the package. Run through ice bath, drain and mix honey or sweetener of your liking. I used half a cup of honey.

2.) We will start off with the most simple one: mix matcha, 1 tbsp stevia, 2 tsp honey, 1 cup coconut milk, 12-15 cubes of ice and blend until smooth.

3.) Add about ¼ cup of cooked pearls and pour frap over it. Voila!

4.) Strawberry/Mango: Strawberry/Mango, 1 cup Coconut Milk, 1 tbsp Stevia, 12-15 cubes of ice, blend.

5.) Ube: Roasted Ube, 3-4 tbsp Coconut Cream, ¾ cup coconut milk, 1 tbsp Stevia, 1 tbsp Honey, Ube flavor, 10-15 cubes of ice, blend.

6.) Thai Tea: Steep 3 bags of Thai tea to 1 cup of hot water. Mix with 3-4 tbsp coconut cream, 3 tbsp Stevia, 10-15 cubes of ice, blend.

There you have it, my Paleo Boba Frap! Until next time, eat up, my friends!

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You definitely heard me right, Paleo Blue Corn Tamales. The faux “blue corn” is a combination of red cabbage water and Organic Gemini Tiger Nut Flour. I prefer these over actual corn because tiger nut lends a nutty and sweet flavor, like a very high quality corn meal made from heirloom corns. These are completely guilt-free and chock full of resistance starch for your gut health. Without further delays…vamos a empezar!

Paleo Blue Corn Tamales:

“Masa” Dough:

2 Cups – Organic Gemini Tiger Nut Flour

¼ Tsp – Baking Soda

Pinch – Salt

1 Cup – Red Cabbage Water¹

Chili Paste:

3 Cloves – Garlic (Minced)

2 Tbsp – Ground Chipotle Pepper

2 Tbsp – Chili Powder

1 Tbsp – Ground Cumin

2 Tbsp – Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast

1 Tsp – Smoked Paprika

2 Tsp – Mexican Oregano

½ Tsp – Thyme

1 Tsp – Guajillo Chili Powder

½ Tsp – Stevia

1 Tsp – Garlic Powder

1 Tsp – Toasted Onion Powder

½ Tsp – Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

1 Tsp – Sea Salt

¼ Cup – Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Other:

Corn Husks

2 Cups – Shredded Chicken

Mango Pico de Gallo

Tools:

Mixing Bowl

Coffee Grinder

Steamer

Strainer

Note¹: Boil half a red cabbage (rough chopped) in 4-5 Cups of water for 20-30 minutes and strain. Add acid/base to achieve the right  color. Add natural purple food coloring to enhance the color if wanted.

Instructions:

1.) In a mixing bowl, combine all chili paste ingredients and allow it to meld together for half an hour.

2.) While the chili paste is getting ready, soak your corn husks in warm water for half an hour.

3.) After chili paste is ready, mix together with shredded chicken. This will be the filling of your Paleo Blue Corn Tamales. If you would like, you can add whatever else you have in them.

4.) In a mixing bowl, mix the blue corn masa dough.

5.) To assemble these Paleo Blue Corn Tamales, take a corn husk, inspect for tears and holes. Spread a thin layer of “masa” dough in the middle, leaving a small border around the edge. Fill with chicken, fold and tie with another thin piece of corn husk.  (Refer to video above for visual learners)

6.) Steam the tamales for 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your tamales. Remove from steamer, top with mango pico, fresh cilantro and maybe some queso fresco and you have yourself a party in your mouth! There you have it, my Paleo Blue Corn Tamales. Until next time, eat up, my friends!

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This week, we have little Chef Rue in the kitchen with me and he is such a little big helper! I really love being able to have him work with me. He loves being like daddy and it really makes me happy. As you can see in the video, he loves it and it definitely makes filming interesting haha. Hope you enjoy this week’s recipe!

Paleo Chinese Almond Cookies:

2 Cups – Otto’s Natural Cassava Flour

1 Cup – Blanched Almond Meal

¼ Cup – Ground Sesame Seeds

¼ Tsp – Salt

8oz – Gold Nugget Ghee (Room Temp)

2 Tsp – Almond Extract

2 – Pasture Raised Eggs

1 Cup – Paleo Friendly Powdered Sugar¹

• 1 Cup – Non-GMO Beet Sugar
• 1 Tbsp – Tapioca Starch

1 Tbsp – Black Sesame Seeds

Special Tools:

Moon Cake Press

Food Processor

Note¹: You can substitute powdered sugar and 2 eggs with ½ Cup honey 

Chinese Almond Cookies Instruction:

1.) To create the Paleo Friendly Powdered Sugar, blend beet sugar with tapioca starch in a food processor until it resembles powdered sugar.

2.) In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients.

3.) Mix together ghee and dry ingredients until everything is incorporated.

4.) Add rest of the ingredients and knead into a ball then divide it into two balls. Add black sesame seeds to one of the balls and knead thoroughly.

5.) Take 2 tbsp of dough, press into moon cake press and press down on a flat surface firmly. Tip: Lightly greasing the mold allows easy release.

6.) Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes at 350°F. I like mine snappier, so I bake them for as long as I can but I watch them closely so they don’t brown. There you have it, my Paleo Chinese Almond Cookies! Until next time, eat up, my friends!

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I remember the very first time I had ‘Merican Chinese. It was at my aunt’s house. They ordered take out and in it is the infamous orange chicken. My first thought was, “This is not Chinese food… what the heck is up with the overly racial containers???” I took a bite and thought… “That’s really sweet but damn that’s delicious!” It’s deep fried and tossed in a sweet and sour sauce. YUM! I see what the rave is all about. It’s not authentic but it sells like water in a dessert and very understandably so. Two things that our brains are wired to want more of, fried foods (fat) and sugar (pretty much crack).

There are two major components in this recipe. First, the fried chicken nuggets. Second, we have General Raf’s sauce. Both of these are wonderful to prep ahead and freeze. The nuggets heat up very crispy in the oven and the sauce can be heated in a pot of hot water or you can nuke it. It might look like a long ingredient list, but there are a lot of repeated ingredients. It’s I’m not going to bore you with any additional rambling, let’s cook some General Rafs Chicken!

Paleo General Rafs Chicken:

Chicken Nuggets:

Marinade:

2lbs – Boneless Skineless Chicken Thighs (1″ pieces)

3 Tbsp – Coconut Amino

1 Tsp – Garlic Powder

½ Tsp – Ground White Pepper

½ Tsp – Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 Tbsp – Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast (Heaping spoon)

1 Tbsp – Tapioca Starch

2 Tbsp – Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 – Pasture Raised Egg White

2 Tsp – Sea Salt

Dredge:

1 Cup – Otto’s Natural Cassava Flour

¼ Cup – Tapioca Starch

1 Tsp – Paleo Baking Powder

2 Tbsp – Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast

1 Tsp – Garlic Powder

½ Tsp – Ground White Pepper

½ Tsp – Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

1 Tsp – Sea Salt

Paleo Oil for Frying¹

General Raf’s Sauce:

6 Cloves – Fresh Garlic (Minced)

1 heaping Tbsp – Fresh Ginger (Minced)

2 Tbsp – Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ Cup – Coconut Aminos

¼ Cup – Organic 100% Apple Juice

¼ Cup – Water

3 Tbsp – Raw Honey

1 Tbsp – Coconut Sugar

1 Tsp – Sriracha Hot Sauce

1 Tsp – Ketchup

¼ to ½ Tsp – Crushed Red Pepper

1 Tsp – Penzeys Smoked Paprika

Pinch – Black Pepper

2 Tsp – Otto’s Natural Cassava Flour

1 Stalk – Fresh Green Onion (Diced)

1 Tbsp – Fresh Cilantro (Finely Chopped)

1 Tsp – Toasted Sesame Seeds

1/4 Cup – Fried Shallot (Optional)

Note¹: I used pasteurize lard from a local farmer

General Rafs Chicken Instructions:

1.) First step for General Rafs Chicken is to trim fat and dice BLSL chick thighs into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. That way it cooks evenly and quickly.

2.) Toss all marinade ingredients together and marinate for 30 minutes.

3.) Mix all dredging ingredients together thoroughly. For General Rafs Chicken, you want this dredge to be

4.) Heat 2 tbsp of EVOO in a sauce pan. Cook garlic and ginger. Before it browns, add in coconut amino and apple juice.

5.) Add in the water, honey, coconut sugar, crushed red pepper, Sriracha Sauce, ketchup, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.

6.) Let it simmer for a minute or two and take it off the heat but keep it in the pan. Sprinkle in Otto’s Cassava Flour and make sure to stir it until there are no lumps. Bring the sauce back to a simmer and it will start thickening. As soon as it thickens, the General Rafs Chicken sauce is ready.

7.) Heat the lard to 325-350°F. Dredge the chicken and shake off all excess flour. Gently submerge the floured chicken in the hot oil and fry it for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Filter you fry oil through a coffee filter. Heat it daily and it will keep for a week. Cool completely and it will keep frozen for a month.

8.) Toss fried chicken in General Raf’s sauce, diced green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds and fried shallots. Put that over a bed of rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy. There you have it, my General Rafs Chicken and until next time, eat up, my friends!

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These Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many different cupcake flavors and combinations in my head that I might just start a cupcake tab in my menu. I have never had a cupcake until I moved to the States. Sweets in Hong Kong are generally much lighter and definitely a lot less sweet. So, to say it was pretty overwhelming when I ate my first cupcake is an understatement.

With that in mind, these Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes are not very sweet since frostings are usually extremely rich. If you don’t want to splurge on a Paleo friendly frosting, or eat too much sugar, definitely opt for a batch of Paleo whipped cream or use my meringue recipe. Enough talk, let’s bake!

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes:

Cupcakes:

½ Cup – Otto’s Cassava Flour

½ Cup – Organic Gemini Tiger Nut Flour

¼ Cup – Coffee Flour

¼ Cup – Tapioca Starch

1½ Cup – Coconut Sugar

3 Tbsp – Dutch Cocoa Powder

3 Tbsp – Instant Espresso Powder

2 Tsp – Baking Soda

Pinch – Salt

¼ Cup – GF Butter/Ghee

¼ Cup – Kasandrinos EVOO

1 Tsp – Pure Vanilla Extract

5 – Pasture Raised Large Eggs

Frosting:

1 Cup – Non-GMO Beet Sugar

1 Tbsp – Tapioca Starch/Arrowroot Starch

5 Tbsp – Gold Nugget Ghee

1 Tbsp – Dairy Free Milk

1 Tsp – Pure Vanilla Extract

Helpful Tools:

Food Processor

Hand Mixer

Piping Bags

Decor Tip

Cupcake Pan

Mini Cupcake Pan

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes Instructions:

Disclaimer: After some research, Non-GMO Beet Sugar is considered Paleo friendly at best. If you would like to opt for more Paleo options, try coconut sugar, blonde palm sugar, honey, maple sugar, etc.

1.) Making cupcakes is not rocket science and very simple. Preheat your oven to 325°F.

2.) In a mixing bowl, mix all of your dry cupcake ingredients together with the exception of the coconut sugar.

3.) In a separate mixing bowl, cream together coconut sugar, butter and EVOO. Add eggs and vanilla once mixture is creamed.

4.) Mix dry and wet ingredients together until there are no lumps.

5.) Fill cupcake tins half way and bake. Bake time depends on the size of cupcakes: minis go in for 10-12 minutes and regular sized go in for 20-22 minutes. Bake until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

6.) While cupcakes are cooling, lets get that frosting going. In a food processor, blend beet-sugar and starch together. Blend until it resembles powdered sugar.

7.) Add ghee, vanilla extract and milk to the food processor and blend. If it is too stiff, add additional milk. If too runny, add a bit of extra starch.

8.) Fill piping bag, pipe on frosting and dust with cocoa powder. There you have it, my simple yet delicious Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes and until next time, eat up, my friends!

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What is Japchae? How are NOODLES paleo!? Japchae means “mixed vegetables” in Korean. A fun fact, the original dish did not contain any noodles until much later. The noodles used for Japchae is made purely of sweet potato starch. Hence, making it Paleo. I can eat this Paleo Korean Japchae all the time. The colors of the vegetable makes it vibrant and appealing. A well balanced flavor of sweet and savory with the smokiness of sesame oil. Variation of texture between soft, chewy noodles with al dente vegetables makes this absolutely heavenly.

Another thing worth mentioning is, I started my Youtube Channel. I included the video to my Paleo Korean Japchae  below. Please go subscribe and follow me! Let’s get cooking!

Paleo Korean Japchae:

8oz – Sweet Potato Noodles
1lb – Thin Sliced U.S. Wellness Meats Chuck Roast
3 – Pasture Raised Large Eggs
2 Cups – Julienned Carrots
1 – Medium Yellow Onion (Sliced)
1½ Cups – Baby Bella Mushrooms (Sliced)
3 – stalks Green Onions
5 – Garlice Cloves (Minced)
½ Cup – Coconut Aminos
¼ Cup – Sesame Oil
3 Tbsp – Apple Juice
3 Tbsp – Coconut Sugar
2-3 Tbsp – Sea Salt
½ Tsp – Fresh Ground Black Pepper
3 Tbsp – Toasted Sesame Seeds
Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Oilive Oil

Helpful tools:

Kitchen Shears
XL Mixing Bowl

Paleo Korean Japchae Instructions:

1.) First, prep all of your vegetables. To save time, get pre-julienned carrots and sliced baby portobello mushrooms. Some stores even sell minced garlic and sliced onions if you are on a time crunch. Cut 2 of your green onions into 1 inch long pieces and dice the remaining. Marinate the sliced beef with 2-3 tbsp of coconut aminos and 1 tsp of sesame oil. You can find sliced beef at most Asian grocers or you can see if your butcher can do it for you to speed up the process. If you don’t have any options, divide your chuck into ½lb blocks and freeze it for 2 hours. It is much easier to slice thin when semi-solid.

2.) Whisk eggs with ½ tsp salt. In a skillet over medium-low heat, cook very thin pieces of eggs, like creps. Roll the eggs and cut them into ½ inch wide stripes. Writing this is making me want that Paleo Korean Japchae.

3.) Turn the heat to medium-high heat. In a skillet, add KEVOO, and cooked garlic for a minute or so. Before they brown, add in sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until onions are done but not soft. About 3-5 minutes. Longer if you like them softer. I recommend al dente for this Paleo Korean Japchae

4.) In a skillet, add EVOO, toss in carrots and cook for a minute of so. Add in the inch long green onion pieces. Add a pinch of salt. Cook until carrots are slightly cooked. 3-4 more minutes. This adds a nice crunch to the Paleo Korean Japchae.

5.) Turn your heat to high while cooking mushrooms. I like them a bit browned. Cook for a few minutes, toss in a pinch of salt, viola!

6.) Over high heat, cook your beef. When the beef starts to sweat, add in 1 tbsp of coconut sugar and apple juice. Mix well and cook off all excess liquid. Cook for a few more minutes to char the beef. Transfer into a mixing bowl and cut the beef into even smaller pieces with a pair of kitchen shears.

7.) Cook the noodles as directed on the package. Drain and rinse under cold water. In an extra-large mixing bowl, add noodles. Cut the noodles with your kitchen shears.

8.) Add mushrooms, carrots, green onions, onion, beef, 1½ tbsp of coconut sugar, 3 tbsp of coconut amino, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, 2 tsp of salt, pinch of black pepper, rest of the green onions and sesame seed. Mix it up and enjoy. This dish is good served cold or room temp. There you have it, my Paleo Korean Japchae and until next time, eat up, my friends!

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The post Paleo Korean Japchae is King! appeared first on Between Two Forks.