
Make Your Own Butter (plus Maple Spice Compound Butter)

Creative paleo and gluten-free recipes
By Becky 6 Comments
By Becky 2 Comments
By Becky 8 Comments
Have you ever made zoodles? If you get yourself a julienne peeler, you can be making zucchini into low-carb noodle stand-ins in no time. It’s actually really good. You may not be able to fool people into thinking they are eating actual spaghetti, but I don’t think anyone will be complaining.
By Becky 4 Comments
Okay, I know I’ve been posting a lot of pancake recipes recently. But, I had to make these because I went berry picking yesterday, and all those adorable, sweet blueberries were begging to be made into pancakes. And, I had to share this recipe with you because I snuck in one of my favorite secret ingredients.
It’s green. It’s delicious. Can you guess what it is?
I just got back from Austin last night, and I miss it already! Despite the sweltering heat, I love that city all of the time. Great food, great people, and beautiful scenery.
On Sunday, we drove out to Wimberley for my cousin’s wedding. It’s about an hour outside of Austin along Cypress creek. Some of my cousins own a really beautiful piece of land there where my great aunt Sada used to have a sleepaway camp for girls in the forties and fifties. My cousin and her now-husband were married outside under the pavilion, with the creek in the background. It was so pretty! Some of the trees there (like the big cypress on the other side of the river in this picture) are over 1,000 years old.
After the ceremony, we had barbecue from Franklin for lunch. I was really glad to get to try Franklin at the wedding, because unless you order a large amount for a party, you have to wait in line to get served before they run out. The line starts before nine even though they don’t open until eleven. That is too intense for me! I thought the barbecue was very good–we had brisket, sausage, ribs, and pork. I am not sure it was the best barbecue I have ever tasted, but I did enjoy it. I’m glad I didn’t have to wait in line for two hours to get it!
I am going strong on the fourth day of my Whole30! I’ve been taking a look at my recipe index, trying to find more recipes I can tweak to make them paleo. I like variety, and it can’t ALL be about almond flour pancakes and zucchini noodles. The more dishes I have in my paleo arsenal, the more likely I am to successfully stay full and on track.
This weekend is going to be a big challenge, because I’m heading down to Austin for my cousin’s wedding. It’s going to be really hard to say no to tacos and wedding cake! I’m thinking about relaxing my standards a TINY bit while I’m there…nothing too crazy, but maybe a little barbecue sauce. Do you guys know any great Austin restaurants where I might be able to get great food without straying too far from my paleo intentions? If you do, leave me a comment! I’ll take some pictures while I’m out and about and share with you when I get back.
So, without further ado, here are ten recipes from my index along with easy ways to make sure they’re paleo.
1. Gambas al ajillo–this recipe is ALREADY paleo! It would be great over zucchini noodles.
3. Berry Coconut Smoothie–leave out the protein powder, or use a paleo version (I just discovered this site and haven’t tried their products, but it looks interesting!).
4. Chocolate Mousse–sweeten with honey to taste instead of sugar. If you haven’t tried this, check it out–there is a secret ingredient and it’s SO easy and decadent!
Ingredients (serves 2):
For the steak:
2/3 pound thin sliced top round steak (or another thin cut)
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red chili paste
Juice of half a lime
For the salad:
2 zucchini, cut or peeled into thin, noodle-like matchsticks
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon almond butter
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon coconut aminos
1 tablespoon apple juice
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Lime wedges
To make the marinade, combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and toss with the steak to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to two hours. If you marinate in the refrigerator, take the meat out 30 minutes before you plan to cook it to let it come to room temperature.
Heat a George Foreman grill or a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steak to your desired doneness. Set steaks aside on a plate, covered.
In a medium bowl, combine the almond butter, sesame oil, coconut aminos, and apple juice to make a smooth sauce. Toss the zucchini to coat it with the sauce, and divide the zucchini between two plates. Slice the steak into strips and place it on top of the zucchini. Top the steak with the avocado slices and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Serve warm or chilled with lime wedges.
The almond flour pancakes I made a few days ago were so good that I was eager to try another version of paleo pancakes. This time, I was inspired by a cinnamon banana pancake recipe in Easy Paleo Diet Recipes, and added a twist to make them even better.
Do you have a favorite diner? Mine is the Maugus, which is just down the street from my mom’s apartment in my hometown. It’s run by a big Greek family, and the hardest part of being a regular there is when they close for three weeks every summer to go to Greece. They are closed right now and I have to tell you, it has been rough. One of my favorite things to get there is pancakes–their pancakes are HUGE! I’m a big fan of both the strawberry and the banana pancakes. They have nice rounds of freshly sliced fruit cooked right in. They will even make you pancakes with both strawberries AND bananas if you can’t decide. And, if you are not into fruity pancakes (who are you and why are you still reading?) you can get chocolate chip pancakes or cinnamon walnut french toast.
Anyway, inspired by the Maugus, I put sliced strawberries into these banana pancakes. The banana is mashed up with the batter so the pancakes do not have a strong banana flavor, but they are pleasantly reminiscent of banana bread. And if you have never tried sliced strawberries in your pancakes, you HAVE to. They are cooked just to the point of being fabulously juicy, and it is much more exciting than just putting sliced strawberries on top of your pancakes. Trust me.
Since I am doing the Whole 30 for real now, I omitted the honey from the original recipe. However, with the bananas and the strawberries, I thought these pancakes were sweet enough. I ate mine with the extra banana and strawberry slices on top and a little butter, and my boyfriend enjoyed his with some syrup.
Ingredients (serves 2; makes 6-7 pancakes):
1 and 1/2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup mashed banana (about half a medium banana–slice the rest to serve with the pancakes)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut milk
4 eggs
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, thinly sliced, plus extra for serving
Butter or coconut oil for cooking
Combine all the ingredients except the strawberries in a food processor and process until smooth. Heat some oil or butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot (a drop of water will dance across the surface), add about 1/4 cup of batter. Place some strawberry slices on top. Cook until many bubbles have formed on the surface (the bottom should be browned). Carefully slide a large spatula under the pancake and flip it quickly. If you flip these pancakes too soon or use a small spatula, you may lose some of your strawberries during the turn. Cook for a minute or less on the second side, until browned and cooked through. Add more oil or butter before cooking a second pancake. Top with fresh fruit and butter if desired and serve hot.
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Pancakes! The perfect breakfast food. When I spotted a recipe for almond flour pancakes in one of the paleo cookbooks I picked up, I was eager to try it. Surprisingly, these pancakes are a lot like regular pancakes. Since the batter is made in the food processor, it’s nice and smooth without any noticeable chunks of almond. These pancakes also make a hearty and high-protein breakfast since the recipe calls for four eggs. With the blueberry compote and a few sliced almonds on top, you will be in your pancake happy place. I’m starting to think regular flour is totally superfluous!
Ingredients (makes 6 large pancakes; serves 2):
For the blueberry compote:
1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen)
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
For the almond pancakes (adapted from Easy Paleo Diet Recipes):
1 and 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
Butter or coconut oil for cooking
Sliced almonds, for serving
To make the blueberry compote, place all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until some of the blueberries have collapsed and the liquid is syrupy, 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
To make the pancakes, process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Heat the butter or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat, and add about 1/4 cup of batter. Cook the pancake until the top is covered with bubbles. Flip and cook until golden on the other side. Add a little more butter or oil before cooking the next pancake.
Serve hot with blueberry compote and sliced almonds.
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All text and photographs (c) Rebecca Winkler 2013-2020 unless otherwise noted.