This is one of my favorite quick meals: a couple of bags of broccoli slaw and some pre-cooked salad shrimp get magically transformed into this Paleo-adaptation of a take-out favorite, all in under 20 minutes.  You can even use frozen shrimp, with a mere extra minute or two of cooking time.  To make this Autoimmune Protocol-friendly, simply omit the chopped cashews at the end.

Paleo Shrimp Pad Thai Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 2 to 3

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or other cooking fat
• ¼ cup fish sauce
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 12-oz bags broccoli slaw (8 to 10 cups)
• 2-3 large carrots, julienned or thickly grated
• 12-16 oz salad shrimp, precooked and tails off
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted unsalted cashews (omit for AIP)

Directions:

1. Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add coconut oil, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, broccoli slaw and julienned carrot. Cook stirring frequently until broccoli slaw and carrot are cooked al dente, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes just until shrimp are warmed. Add cilantro and green onions, cook 30 more seconds.
3. Garnish with chopped cashews.

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Of all of my cake recipes, this is my favorite so far.  The cake flavor and texture is fabulous and what better (or more classic) way to top a vanilla cake than with a light and fluffy dark chocolate frosting (you can also skip the whipping step for a more ganache-like texture).  You can definitely serve this cake to non-Paleo company (I just did at my daughter’s third birthday party and everyone loved it!).

I have made this cake both as a layer cake and as cupcakes.  It works very well either way.  A note on frosting:  I actually like to make a 1.5X batch of this frosting for a three-layer cake, but I’m a big fan of Pollyanna style cakes, piled high with light creamy frosting (anyone else love that movie as a kid?).  I wrote the recipe this way because it’s a perfect quantity for the cupcakes, and if you aren’t too generous with the amount of frosting in between layers (or if you prefer using something like raspberry jam).  The first time I made this cake, I used the frosting unwhipped.  I definitely prefer the texture whipped, but thought I would include both options.  You can control how sweet the frosting is by how dark of chocolate you use.  I used semisweet for my daughter’s cupcakes but 80% for my husband’s birthday cake.  Just remember that adding palm shortening to the chocolate will dilute the sweetness.

This recipe makes three 8” or 9” round layers or makes 24 cupcakes (this would probably work as a sheet cake too, but you’ll have to experiment with the cooking time).

Yes, this recipe calls for a whole lot of eggs.  No, it is not a typo.  No, it does not make for an eggy cake.  Trust me on this one.

Vanilla Layer Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Prep Time: 20 minutes + frosting preparation

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Yields: 1 cake or 24 cupcakes

Ingredients (Whipped Dark Chocolate Frosting):

• 8 oz semisweet to bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup palm shortening

1. Melt chocolate and palm shortening together on the stove top or in the microwave, being careful not to burn.  Mix to completely combine.
2. Let cool to room temperature (this takes several hours, but you can hurry it up in the fridge).  Use as is, or:
3. Whip frosting in a standing mixer with whisk attachment for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

Ingredients (Vanilla Cake):

• 12 eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted
• ¾ cup palm shortening
• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup arrowroot flour
• ¾ cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 Tbsp vanilla
• Beans scraped from one Madagascar vanilla bean pod
• Palm shortening and arrowroot powder to grease and flour the cake pans

1.  Prepare cake pans or muffin pans.
   • If using round cake pans:  trace the bottom of the pan on a piece of wax paper and cut out the circle (3 of them, actually).  Grease the pan with palm shortening, lay the wax paper circle over the bottom and then grease the wax paper.  Add a little arrowroot powder (1-2 Tbsp) to the pan and tap and swish around the pan to coat (discard any leftover after then pan is coated).  Repeat with the other two cake pans.
   • If you are using muffin pans for cupcakes: line each muffin cup with a paper liner or silicone muffin cup liner.  I think you could probably grease and flour each muffin cup if you wanted to, but I haven’t tried so I can’t vouch for how cleanly the cupcakes would come out.
   • If you are using silicone cake pans or muffin pans, then lucky you!  You don’t need to do anything!
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Beat eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer for 1 minute.  Add honey, palm shortening, coconut oil, and vanilla.  Slice vanilla bean open lengthwise with a sharp knife.  Scrape the seeds out of each half of the pod with your knife and add to the batter.  Beat to combine (don’t worry if they don’t really come together yet).
4. In a separate bowl, combine arrowroot powder, sifted coconut flour, baking soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Beat on high for 1-2 minutes, until batter is smooth.  Allow batter to sit for 1-2 minutes to thicken.
5. Pour batter into prepared cake pans, dividing evenly.  Use a rubber spatula to spread batter out to the edges.  If making cupcakes, fill each liner approximately 2/3 full.
6. Stagger cake pans or muffin pans in the oven.  Bake round layers for 27-28 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown on top and a toothpick poked in the middle comes out clean.  Cupcakes only take about 22 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let cake pans cool on a wire rack completely before removing from pan.  Cupcakes can be removed from the muffin pans earlier.
8. To remove cake layers from round cake pans, first run a knife around the edge of the cake.  Put your hand over the top of the cake and invert the pan.  The cake should fall into your hand (if not, try putting the pan upside down on a cutting board and tap the bottom gently).  Put a plate or cutting board where the pan used to be and flip back right side up.  Voila!
9. Now it’s time to frost!  The frosting doesn’t pipe that well, but you can if you want to (it tends to melt with the heat of your hand, but if you can work quickly, go for it!).  If you’re frosting cupcakes, just spread a nice dollop over the top with a pastry knife.  If your frosting a layer cake, place layer one on your serving dish, add some frosting and spread it over the top of the layer, add another cake layer, repeat with the frosting, add the last cake layer.  Use the rest of the frosting to coat the top and the sides.
10. Enjoy!!!!

The post Vanilla Layer Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting (Nut-Free and Makes Great Cupcakes Too!) appeared first on The Paleo Mom.

This recipe features zucchini as a mock noodle, which has such a lovely flavor for Italian-inspired dishes.  Omit the walnuts to make this recipe autoimmune protocol-friendly.  This recipe makes enough for 3-4 hearty side dish portions.  Alternately, you could add some grilled steak, prawns or chicken and turn this into a main dish for two.  If you don’t have an oversized frying pan (which is another kitchen must-have!), you could try using a Wok.

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Bacon-Basil Zucchini “Pasta”

Prep 15 mins

Cook 1 hour, 10 mins

Total 1 hour, 25 mins

Yield 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 large zucchini (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tsp salt (to salt the zucchini)
• 1/3 cup bacon grease (crispy bits make it even better)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional, omit for AIP)

Instructions

1. Finely julienne zucchini lengthwise to create long strips of zucchini.  Toss with salt in a colander and let sit in the sink for 1 hour.
2. Rinse the zucchini very, very thoroughly (have a taste to make sure it’s not salty at all).  Drain on a tea towel or paper towels to get rid of as much moisture as possible.
3. Heat bacon grease in an oversized frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and zucchini and sauté, stirring frequently until zucchini is  cooked “al dente”, about 4-5 minutes (should be a very hot pan).
4. Toss in basil and walnuts (if using) and cook another 2 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

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One of the biggest complaints about Paleo pancakes is that they are difficult to flip.  Because almond flour batters don’t hold together very well, you have to make small 2-3” diameter pancakes that also take an eternity to cook.  Coconut-flour pancakes hold together marginally better, but many people (myself included) don’t like either the texture or the flavor, and they still take 15-20 minutes to cook over low heat so they don’t burn on the outside before cooking on the inside.  Paleo pancakes also tend to be very dense.  I have tried 7 or 8 different Paleo pancake recipes from other blogs, looking for one that works or was at least close enough to use as a base to experiment with.  I never found one I liked… until now!

These plantain-based pancakes are not dense; instead they are so light and fluffy.  They cook quickly (about 6 minutes total, which is comparable to traditional pancakes).  They are so easy to flip that you can make them as big as your pan (I made mine 5-6” in diameter) or as small and dainty as you like.  They also happen to be nut-free, and you can sub any fat you want for the coconut oil to make them coconut free.  See my recipe for plantain crackers for tips on picking and storing green plantains.

What can you top these with?  My kids love maple syrup and butter (total shocker, right?), but berries, sliced peaches, sliced bananas, or pretty much any sliced fruit would be delicious.  Nuts or a dust of cinnamon would be good additions too!  You could throw some coconut cream on top to be extra decadent. You can buy coconut cream in a box or you can take the thick fatty top part of a can of full fat coconut milk that has been sitting in a cool pantry or refrigerator overnight.  However you choose to dress these pancakes, I hope you enjoy them!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of your skillet)
Servings:  6 large 5-6″ diameter pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 large green plantains (about 2 cups pureed)
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/8 tsp salt (a generous pinch)
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Extra coconut oil for frying

1. Peel plantains (I find it easier to quarter them before I peel them) and place pieces in your blender (preferred) or food processor (okay) with the eggs.  Blend to form a smooth batter (if your blender has a smoothie function, that works well here).
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender or food processor and process on high for an additional minute (or 2-3 with a food processor to get a really good smooth batter).
3. Heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil in a frying pan or on a griddle over medium-high heat.  Pour batter into the frying pan until your pancake is the desired size.
4. Let cook 4-5 minutes on the first side, until the top looks fairly dry with little bubbles in it (just like regular pancakes!).
5. Flip!  And cook on the second side for 1½-2minutes.
6. Repeat with remaining batter, adding a little more coconut oil to your pan as needed.

Watch this video from my YouTube Channel to learn more about green plantains:

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