Paleo Chocolate Pecan Pie

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Just after Thanksgiving I share a recipe for paleo pie crust with you, and then promptly moved on to recipes for puréed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pork mole. Sorry! I didn't mean to leave you hanging. Because that pie crust really did become a pie, studded with pecans and oozing bittersweet chocolate... and now that I think about it, it's crazy that I even went so long with out writing about it. 

A slice of this pie, with layers of two of my favorite things--chocolate and pecans- is like a slice of a giant, warm, chocolate chip cookie with extra chocolate. And in between all of that are big bites of caramelly goodness. 

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Ok, so I shouldn't have left you hanging. It's true. I should've shared the chocolate love the minute I could. But guess what?! There's still time! This pie is the kind of dessert that deserves to sit on a table full of warmth, and with the holidays around the corner... I see it in your future very, very soon! 

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So now that I've made you wait, you want the recipe right now? It'll all yours! 

Paleo Chocolate Pecan Pie

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

The finish pie tastes sort of like a giant chocolate chip cookie, but stickier.

Serves: 12    |    Total Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 paleo pie crust
• 1 cup whole pecans
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup honey, melted
• 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spread the chocolate chips into an even layer in the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange the pecans in a single layer over the chocolate.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the melted oil and honey. Allow the honey and oil to come to room temperate, and whisk in the eggs quickly, along with the vanilla and salt.
3. Gently pour this mixture over the pecans. Place the pie on center rack of the oven. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick, inserted 1 inch from edge, comes out clean.

Paleo Cran-Apple Relish

Last week, I shared a recipe for coffee cake that was inspired by my grandmother. This recipe also makes me think of her, because for years I thought it was a family tradition--you know, passed down from my Grandmother, to my father, and finally to me. My Grandmother taught me to make blueberry muffins, and inspired so many other dishes: Every time she had guests over for dinner, she would spend the next day on her typewriter, writing up a thank you letter and a recipe card for the meal she had made. 

So it only seemed natural that this recipe, like so many others, was one of hers. Pass down the family line.  This was such a nice thought that somehow, it stuck. It stamped out my memories of canned cranberry sauce, jiggly and can-shaped. It made me forget that I used to despise cranberry sauce. 

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But one day, many years after trying this recipe for the first time, I told my dad that I had made his favorite cranberry sauce--his mom's version. He gave me puzzled look, trying to figure out what "recipe" I may have used, since in reality she had always just used canned cranberries. Quickly the truth became clear: I was confused! My dad had actually found this recipe years ago on his own. When it was passed to me, and described as "our family recipe," well, things got confusing.

It is still a family recipe, in a sense--two generations counts, right? But mostly, it's just the best cranberry sauce I've ever had. It converted me from a cranberry sauce hater (or a cranberry sauce poker — someone that just pokes the slice of canned red stuff with their fork, never taking a bite), into a cranberry sauce fanatic (someone that can’t wait to make cranberry sauce come November).

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This, my friends, is what cranberry sauce is all about. Refined sugar has been taken out of the equation, and what's left is a pure, delicious, tangy cranberry and apple relish. Studded with pecans, for a bit of texture, too.

Cranberry sauce isn't just for dinner! It makes a pretty awesome desert, served over ice cream or a slice of pound cake. If you eat dairy, it's delicious on yogurt, cottage cheese, or perfect for making an appetizer platter with baked brie or gruyere. Or, try it on french toast!  

TIP: You can make this sauce a week ahead of the big day! Store in the fridge in air-tight containers. 

Paleo Cran-Apple Relish

Published December 15, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2 cups   |    Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup diced apple
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Optional: 1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine the cranberries, chopped apples, water, and honey. Cover and bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes.
2. After ten minutes, the cranberries should be puffed or popping, and the honey should be dissolved. Add the lemon, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir. Simmer for five more minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted pecans. Serve immediately or allow to cool and place in an air tight container to serve later.

Brussels Sprouts, Apple & Bacon Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

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My brain? Fried. The last two weeks have been a power-haul of finals and end of the year projects. But after finishing two tests on Wednesday, I could instantly breath better, sleep better and think clearer. (Funny how that works--I wish the clear thinking came along with the tests instead of after it, but there's just something about looming tests that make me want to hold my breath until it's over... and holding my breath really doesn't do much for brain function). 

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Going to the monthly Paleo Potluck Club dinner last Sunday was a bright spot between study sessions last weekend. The feast was exactly what my brain needed. This brussels sprout salad, with it's absurdly long name, was a winner: fresh crunch from the shredded brussels sprouts, a sweet kick from the apples, and a savory-salty bonus from bacon pieces. Pepitas give it a nutty crunch. 

I ended up recreating the salad twice during the week. It's variety of flavor and textures are just delicious! And while salad usually feels meh in the winter, this salad feels just right.

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If you're new to salad with brussels sprouts you're probably having a lot of doubts right now. I don't blame you. To be honest, I tasted my first brussels sprout less than 3 years ago (though I can't remember when...), so I'm no sprout veteran. What I can tell you, is that if you're a brussels sprout newbie, this salad is not a bad place to start. (Come on, it has bacon in it!) And, if you are an brussels sprout veteran, add this one to your arsenal--it will not fail you. 

Brussels Sprout, Apple, & Bacon Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

Published November 22, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2-4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded brussels sprouts, cut them with the mandolin attachment of your food processor or thinly with a knife 
• 1 cup shredded dino kale 
• 2 slices bacon
• 1/4 yellow onion 
• 1 gala apple, cored and diced (optional, save 1/4 of the apple and slice thinly to use as garnish)
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds 

For the Vinaigrette:
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat medium sized skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crispy. Move to a plate, and once cool, crumble into small pieces. Then, slice onion into thin strips and sauté in bacon grease until golden. Set aside to cool.
2. Place shredded brussels sprouts and shredded dino kale in a salad bowl and toss until distributed.
3. Make vinaigrette in a small jar: place all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar with a lid, and close. Shake until combined. Pour over greens, and toss until coated.
4. Add crumbled bacon, cooled onions, diced apple, and pumpkin seeds and toss. If desired, top with reserved apple slices for garnish.