Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate & Delicata Squash

Update: I added new photos of this recipe on 11/13/2017. The recipe is the same and still delicious! Original photo is at the bottom. 

Pomegranate seeds are the sweet taste of winter on it's way. They're a little burst of tart juice, a spot of brightness in the otherwise dreary winter season. Pomegranates were the hallmark of the winter season at my dad house -- the minute I came home to pomegranates, I knew that the holidays weren't far off. We always just ate them plain, straight out of the rind, while sitting on the porch (the deep red juice was too dangerous to mess with inside). This was before you could buy pomegranates pre-deseeded, and it was sweeter that way: every little gem had to be worked for. 

I still buy my pomegranates whole, and I still think they taste better when you do the deseeding for yourself. Most of the time, I still eat them plain, too. When I do add them to dishes, they're simple, like this salad. 

I have been sooooo ready for salads this week-- hearty, nourishing, big bowl salads. Maybe it to counteract the pie? All I know is that I can't get enough brightly colored produce in my life right now.  And let me tell you, the pomegranate seeds make this salad taste like a big holiday treat to me! (Not to mention the delicata squash, which is also pretty high on my end-of-fall list of favorites). 

And the contrast between the creamy goat cheese and those tart pomegranate seeds? Now that's where it's at.  

Massaged Kale Salad with Pomegranate & Delicata Squash

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

This salad gets a burst of freshness from the pomegranate, creaminess from the squash, and bitter bite from the greens.

Serves: 5   |    Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 delicata squash
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil, for roasting squash
• Salt & pepper
• 1 bunch red kale
• Juice from 1/2 orange
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, for dressing
• 1/2 cup pomegranate perils
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/3 cup goat cheese crumbles (optional, use hazelnuts instead)
• A few cracks of black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 450°F. Slice the delicata squash in half, and remove the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch thick crescents, and toss in avocado oil. Spread out on baking pan, and season with salt & pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until squash is cooked through and golden. Once cooked, set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, massage the kale: remove the stems from the kale, and set aside. Place the leafy bits in a salad bowl, and squeeze orange juice over the leaves. Sprinkle with salt. Using your hands, massage the kale until it begins to soften. Drizzle with olive oil.
3. Top with red onion, pomegranate perils, cooked delicata squash, and goat cheese crumbles. Season with freshly cracked pepper. Serve.

Grain-Free Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars

I gotta say-- as cliche as it may sound, I never thought I'd turn out quite so much like my parents. If you had offered me a slice of pecan pie 10 years ago, I probably would've passed it up, and left more for my dad, who loves the stuff. Nowadays, I jump on the opportunity to make pecan pie, and am happy to eat it all myself. 

The first bite still makes me think of my dad, but then I'm overwhelmed by Oh my gosh, soooo gooood thoughts, and I just keep on munching. 

My mom, on the other hand was more about pumpkin pie. She would spend the week leading up to Thanksgiving pouring over copies of Living and other foodie magazines, earmarking her favorites pumpkin pie recipes (along with stuffing recipes, biscuit recipes, etc). When the big day finally came, she'd make all of the classics, with funny twists and tasteful turns. Nonsense, right? I would never spend weeks searching for every odd version of pecan pie and then finally settle on making something completely different... 😉

And if you were to ask how I decided to make Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars instead of regular pecan pie, I'd probably open my mouth to explain. In a voice just like my mom's, I'd say something like "Oh, you know, I just was experimenting," because that's the type of thing I heard her say my whole life. 

But sometimes, experiments pay off: these gooey puppies are caramelly, nutty, and crunchy. They're sticky, but no too sweet. They don't need whipped cream/whipped coconut cream/ice cream just to cut the sweetness, but... we all know that whipped cream isn't really optional when it comes to pie.

Grain-Free Salted Maple Pecan Pie Bars

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

A thick shortbread-like crust topped with a gooey layer of maple butter filling and toasted pecans. Finished with flake sea salt.

Serves: 12   |    Total Time: 1.5 - 2 hours

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Ingredients:

• 1 recipe Paleo Pie Crust dough (unbaked)
• 1 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon cold water
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make the pie crust dough according to instructions. Then, press the dough into the bottom of a 9x9 pan, working the dough so that the crust goes about 1/4 inch up the side of the pan (this creates a reservoir for the filling). The bottom of the crust will be around 1/2 centimeter thick. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in syrup, and cook until mixture is bubbling, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly, 5-6 minutes. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the arrowroot powder and water. Whisk in milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add warm butter mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell, then arrange pecans evenly on top
3. Bake until pie is puffed and set along edges, 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

Grain-Free Brown Butter & Pear Coffee Cake

Let's start from the top with this one, because there is just soooo much to love.

First stop: Streusel. I'm a big streusel fan, and have been in quite the streusel mood lately. I've been finding all sorts of things to top with it -- even this banana bread with an added streusel layer. 😍Streusel is buttery, crunchy, sweet, -- what more could you want? I'm mad for it. 

Next stop? 🍐The pear and raisin filling. Perfectly ripe pears are a delight in any form, but in this cake they are both creamy and light, all in one bite. They're sweet, with a hint of floral flavor. The raisins add a bit of texture, and after being baked in this cozy cake, they soak up hints of vanilla, buttery flavor, and become even more delicious than before they were added into the cake. Together, they make this treat a perfectly delicious and light-enough-for-a-snack cake.

The last part--the cake batter itself- is the best of all. The real magic maker is the browned butter. Have you baked with brown butter? The first time you do it will change your life! Seriously-- once I discovered brown butter I never made cookies the same way again. Browned butter starts as just regular butter, but you cook it low and slow until it becomes a beautiful caramel color. Something happens when butter begins to brown, it goes from tasting like butter to tasting like caramel, butter, and so much more all in one bite. See what I mean? Life changing. Anyways, brown butter is what makes this soft-crumb almond flour cake so drool-worthy. 

If this is what fall tastes like, I'm happy with the seasons just standing still right here. 🍂

Grain-Free Brown Butter & Pear Coffee Cake

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

Brown butter is the secret magic that makes this cake so good, but if you’re dairy-free, go ahead and try it with coconut oil or even ghee.

Serves: 8-12   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

Cake:
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 3-4 tablespoons honey
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (canned)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 pears
• 1/3 cup raisins
Crumble Topping:
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350°F. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter for the cake over low heat. Continue to heat over low until butter turns golden in color and begins to smell of caramel. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, honey, coconut milk, vanilla, and once cool to touch the browned butter. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding until fully incorporated. Next, dice and seed the pears. Fold the pears, along with the raisins, fold into batter.
3. Spread the batter into a grease 9-inch cake pan.
4. Make the crumble topping: melt the butter, and stir in the coconut sugar, almond flour, and coconut flour. A course meal should form. Sprinkle over entire cake in even layer. Place in center wrack of oven and bake for 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.