Chocolate Coconut Mousse/Ice Cream

While searching for the perfect chocolate coconut ice cream recipe, I came across a combination of ingredients that resulted in a very versatile dessert.  This recipe can be used to make either chocolate mousse or chocolate ice cream, depending on your mood.  The bonus: it's Paleo and allergy-free!


'Slap Yo Mama' Caramel

For those of you with a dairy allergy, on the Paleo diet, or who eat only raw foods, caramel is typically out of the picture.  Well, this is your lucky day!  I have found a no-cook, dairy-free, 5-ingredient caramel sauce that will make you 'slap yo mama,' as Tim Hawkins would say. The original recipe can be found here, but I made some slight changes to make it creamier and closer in flavor to the caramel I've been so fond of.  


Coconut Crack Balls

Thanks to Pinterest, I found this recipe the other day for Coconut Crack from the yummy food blog This Chick Cooks. I made some for a luncheon I had at my house this week, and every time someone bit into one, their eyes widened in delightful surprise.  They are incredibly delicious, and are a great choice to have if you're wanting to wean yourself off of your refined sugar stupor of the Holidays and Valentines Day.  The recipe makes about 12 balls and contains a total of 1/4 c of maple syrup.


Another bonus, the recipe only contains 5 ingredients and takes very little time to prepare.  Try them! You can find the original recipe here, but for those of you who want fewer clicks, here it is:


Coconut Crack Balls


Ingredients
  • 1 c shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • 1/4 c maple syrup (grade B is fine)
  • 2 T coconut oil, softened
  • 1/2 t vanilla extract
  • dash sea salt
  • shredded coconut for garnish
Cooking Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until well mixed and the mixture sticks together. If the mixture is too gooey to form into balls, stick it in the fridge for a little while.
  2. Form into balls, sprinkle with additional shredded coconut, and chill for at least an hour.

Shared on: Whole Foods WednesdayHealthy Vegan Friday, Gluten Free Friday, Gracelaced MondaySlightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Wheat Free Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Raw Foods Thursdays

Simple Oven-Roasted Ribs


The other day, I found a great deal on some baby back ribs, so I scoured the internet for oven-baked rib recipes.  I found quite a few and combined what I thought was the best of all of them into one easy allergy-free recipe.  Lucky for all of you Whole30 people, it happens to be Paleo too!


After preparing my pan with aluminum foil, I mixed up the spices in a small bowl. Chances are, you have all of them in your pantry.  


I then rubbed the rib rub mixture into both sides of the ribs and sealed up the foil.



After baking for 3 hours, I removed the foil (you can simply open up the foil as well) and returned it to the oven for 20 minutes to brown up.


The finished ribs had a nice crust and were so deliciously tender! What's your favorite way to eat ribs, wet or dry?  Why?  Add your answer in the comments below.



Recipe:

Simple Oven Roasted Ribs


Ingredients
  • 2 racks baby back ribs
  • 6 T rib rub (see below)
    *Rib Rub* 
    (makes about 2/3 cup)
  • 2 T paprika
  • 1/2 t cayenne pepper
  • 1 T black pepper
  • 1 1/2 T garlic powder
  • 2 t onion powder
  • 1 1/2 T salt
  • 1 1/2 t dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 t dried thyme
  • 1 t dried mustard
Cooking Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, and line a large baking sheet with a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil or two sheets of regular aluminum foil, enough to cover the pan twice (you will seal this up around the ribs later)
  2. Place the ribs on the foil, not overlapping. Rub about 3 T of the rib rub onto both sides of each rib (6 T total), fold the foil over the ribs and seal tightly.
  3. Place ribs in the oven and bake, undisturbed, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The ribs should be very tender.
  4. Remove the ribs from the oven and peel back the foil so that the ribs are exposed. Return the exposed ribs to the oven to brown for about 20 minutes longer.
  5. Take the ribs out of the oven and set aside to cool briefly before cutting between the ribs and serving.

Millet-Sorghum Bread

There are lots of delicious gluten-free breads out there, but not if you are allergic to dairy and eggs as well.  Udi's has some lovely-looking loaves, but all of them contain egg whites.  So, I have to bake my own allergy-free bread.  The other day, I came across this blog post by Authentic Simplicity for a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free bread made from millet and sorghum flours.  I slightly adapted it to be a little sweeter and discovered an easy, delicious gluten-free bread.