Hey guys, I’m sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve posted but I haven’t been cooking much this past week. With amazing friends helping to nourish my family while I rest and heal, who needs to cook, thank goodness? Anyway, one of my sweet neighbors thought I would enjoy this chocolate almond treat and man was she right. Ok, so I haven’t had a milkshake in well, many years, but I swear this was the next best thing. Scott loved it too but said it was more like a smoothies than milkshake. It’s all about expectations! Anyway, milkshake…smoothie…whatever, this was fabulous and felt so good going down. Thanks D!
This is what you need for this Chocolate Almond Drink:
1/2 cup almonds
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark local honey
4 cup ice cubes
Place all ingredients into the Vitamix (you can use any high speed blender). Turn the blender on and quickly increase the speed from variable 1 to variable 10, then to high. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency. Serve immediately and enjoy!
I’ll be back to cooking this week so promise to get back to posting more soon! Have a great week everyone!!
Dasha -Hi Landria, this milkshake looks fabulous! I gotta try it . Your site looks amazing with so many wonderful.recipes that I can’t wait to try out. Thanks for letting me know about it. DashaReplyCancel
While I was lying on the hard black pavement, resting my head on my bike helmet, I remember looking around at the overcast sky, seeing my riding buddies & some people in uniforms all around me, and a young 16 year old driver over me, crying. I kept thinking, ‘This is ridiculous! How did i just get hit by a car?’. What a crazy Sunday! Seven hours later, I got out of Grady’s Trauma Center with only 4 broken ribs. I was the most fortunate person in the world. Someone was watching out for me for sure. A one second difference and it could have been a very different story. Appreciate every precious day…
On a lighter note, while on our bike ride and just before the accident I was telling my friends about this most amazing pizza I had sitting at home waiting for me. Yes, I had to end up waiting a really long time to eat it, so maybe that is why it was the best pizza ever, but I wanted to share it regardless (good thing I had made this pizza and took pictures early that morning!). My only complaint is that it’s not crunchy (trying to set expectations here), but other than that, this is still a phenomenal pizza!!
As I was making it, honestly I thought, there is no way this will be good, but I was so wrong. So just follow and trust the instructions, and you will enjoy!
Here’s what you need:
For the crust
1 large head of cauliflower
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup soft goat cheese (chevre) so 5-7 0z. package
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp celtic sea salt
For the toppings
sauce (I used LeRoselli’s all natural from publix)
shredded mozzarella made without rBST (i took the cheese off of mine and still loved it)
and anything else your family loves
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degree
2. Blend cauliflower until rice like
3. Steam cauliflower for about 5 minutes and then strain and rinse with cool water.
4. Now put the “rice” in a good sized kitchen towel and squeeze out all of the water, or at least as much as you can.
5. In a large bowl, beat the egg and goat cheese together.
6. Add in cauliflower”rice”, oregano, and salt and mix well.
7. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, use a spoon and your hands to flatten the dough. Keep it about 1/2 inch thick. Thin as you can get it, but not so thin there are any holes in it.
8. Now cook on 400 for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden brown
Add your toppings and cook for another 10 minutes and enjoy!
I will be making this again soon, well, as soon as I can move around again!
And for those of you wondering how in the world I can think about pizza, on a day where breathing, moving, and eating hurts — well, like probably most of you, I don’t like to rest, ever. So for these next few days, if I start rambling off a random post or two, please just ignore me. 🙂
Oh and lastly and most importantly, I wanted to say thank you so much to all of my friends and family for the love and support you have shown. It has been amazing and truly heart warming. I can’t express enough what it has meant!
Heather -Cant believe u are posting! Rest ! Sweet Scott, cooking for u. I’ll see u later today. Rest!ReplyCancel
landriav -Having many hours in the bed, I needed something to do! Also, I had already downloaded the pics from my camera before the ride, so it was easy. 🙂 Loved seeing you!ReplyCancel
Wendy Burge -Never been so happy to see a post from you! We are all very fortunate to have you safe!ReplyCancel
Cheryl Mosley-Umm..oh my gosh. At first I thought, “she must have been dreaming.” For real? So, glad you are okay. Many prayers for a quick recovery! And oh, the pizza looks great too!ReplyCancel
landriav -For real. It was crazy!! Thank you for your well wishes and prayers Cheryl. I’m feeling better already! And hey, good luck on your half. You’ll do awesome!!!! Can’t wait to read about it!ReplyCancel
Alex -This pizza was FAB! My 7 year old said it was better than school pizza–and that is as big a compliment as you’ll ever get out of her!ReplyCancel
Chowstalker-I can’t imagine how frightening that had to be for you, the driver and your loved ones. I sure hope the healing process goes quickly, and I’m very very glad your are alright.ReplyCancel
landriav -Thanks so much Patty! It was the most surreal experience of my life, for sure. Thanks for your thoughts and healing wishes! 🙂ReplyCancel
Kiersten -Just made this for dinner tonight- it was fantastic!!!ReplyCancel
Rob King -Made it today! It will definitely be made again! =). I do have a question though: “Blend Cauliflower till rice like”. I first tried to do this with my Vitamix but it did not work. The fine cauliflower got beneath the blade and got stuck making the blade spin out. So then moved on to a small food processor we have. I was able to get the job done there but only in small batches which was time consuming. What has worked for you guys? Thanks. RobReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Rob, so the first time I made it, honestly, I just used my ulu knife while the steamed cauliflower was in the colander. The next time I used my blender (see here). I think both worked fine. The blender probably a little better, but a little more messy. I think next time I’ll stick with my ulu knife. You just have to use it a lot to get the cauliflower fine enough. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked good enough. Hope that helps and thanks for asking!ReplyCancel
sarah k.-That crust is awesome! I left it in the oven, like you said, and it was magnificent. I might start making it to eat plain, kinda like focaccia. It was pliable enough that my daughter could fold it like a sandwich (sandwiches! that’s next) and everybody loved it.ReplyCancel
landriav -Oh awesome Sarah!! Yeah, it really is good enough for focaccia or something, great thought! Thanks so much for letting know you made it and loved it! That makes me so happy!!ReplyCancel
Ida-The best pizza cutter I have ever used! We eat a lot of pizza, ecespially on the weekends and nights when we work and need a quick dinner. All the previous cutters we have used either are not sharp enough to cut all the way through, or the handle is awkward to hold. THIS one does not have either issue- it is AWESOME!ReplyCancel
landriav -Yay, that is great Ida! The other night it was just me and my hubby and we didn’t want any cow cheese, so we just broke pieces off and dipped it in a pizza sauce like bread sticks and it was REALLY good, and easy that way. It has become a staple for us and hopefully it will for you guys too! 🙂 Thanks for posting!!ReplyCancel
Amya -This was seriously good! My husband was dubious, but we both enjoyed the pizza. I used my blender to chop the cauliflower really fine and it worked well. Thanks so much!ReplyCancel
landriav -So glad y’all liked it!! This is a staple around our house!ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Amya, so glad to hear you guys liked it!!! I was dubious as well when I first tried it but after that initial bite, I was in love!!ReplyCancel
Mary -I just discovered your blog the other day while doing some initial research on paleo and primal diets and love how informative and attractive it is. I literally read all 35 pages in one sitting. Tonight I made the pizza and thought it was delicious! But I’m guessing it wasn’t intended to be one serving. 😉ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Mary! Thanks so much for your note. So glad you are liking my blog! As for the pizza, yeah, it’s suppose to fill my whole family, but I could eat the whole thing too! It’s THAT good, isn’t it?? 🙂ReplyCancel
Rob King -Lan…just letting you know still out here and making your recipes all the time! Just made this one again last night! Yum!ReplyCancel
landriav -YAY, so nice to hear from you Rob!!! 🙂ReplyCancel
Alison -LOVE your recipes. I made this pizza crust, which was fantastic but I’m not a goat cheese fan. What’s a good substitute? Thanks!ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey! Thanks Alison! I think mozzarella would probably do just fine? But I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure. But think it would probably actually be really good! Thanks for your comment!! 🙂ReplyCancel
Joellen fabiani -I wonder if you could use food processor on raw cauliflower then mix with the other ingredients then bake it & it might be more crunchy? Versus cooking cauliflower then squeezing out water then mixing with other ingredients to bake it…hmmm..I might give that a whirl bcuz I’m a crunch girl….ReplyCancel
landriav -Let me know if that works. I’m a crunch girl, too! Getting the water out seems to help with the crunch. Once I am done cooking it, lately I’ve been turning the stove off and then keeping the crust in the oven for another 30 or so minutes and that gets it pretty crunchy! I hope you like it Joellen!!ReplyCancel
When we were in San Francisco, I was lucky enough to get some of my Aunt Seiko’s cooking. Man, ever since I was a little girl, I lived for her food. Anyway, this was the first of let’s just say a couple of plates of food I ate that day.
So, I asked her to send me her recipes so I could paleo-fy them (minus the sugar) and tonight, Scott ate almost all of it. I think he liked it! I know I really did! Thanks to Seiko, we now have a new staple.
Okay, so this looks like a lot of ingredients but honestly, it didn’t take 5 minutes to put them all together. Oh, and I accidently put the sesame oil in there twice, so it’s not as much stuff as I’ve included.
This recipe was so easy to make. I didn’t even have to cut up the cabbage (thanks Trader Joe’s!). All I had to do was cut the cilantro, scallions and chicken (you could do this without chicken too) and then mix everything together…
Oh, and earlier in the week, my good hubby grilled about 2-3 lbs of chicken breast (marinated in just evoo, lime, salt and pepper) so I could use it all week. I used some for this dish, he had some for his lunch one day, I had some for snack today, and then I used the restd for another new dish I will post in a few days. What a time saver!!
So here’s what you need for Seiko’s Chinese Chicken Salad:
10 oz. shredded cabbage
2-3 chicken breasts
bunch of cilantro (a handful or two)
1/2 bunch of scallions
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp coarsely ground pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
15 drops stevia (or 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
¼ cup sesame oil
¼ cup EVOO
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 slivered almonds (optional)
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Put the cabbage in a large bowl. Then cut up some cilantro and scallions and add that to bowl.
2. Add in almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds to the bowl.
3. In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients (except for the chicken) for salad dressing and set aside.
4. Cut up grilled chicken into small bite sized pieces (I added some to the salad dressing to let it start soaking up the flavor but that probably wasn’t necessary).
5. Pour dressing in large bowl, mix everything together and enjoy!
Lisa -You have stevia listed twice – is that a typo?
Also – if we don’t use/have stevia – what “sugar equiv” are we going for with 15 drops – e.g. 2 tsp, 1/4C?ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Lisa, Good catch, thank you for that. I just corrected it as stevia should only be on there once. And as for a sugar equivalent, my aunt’s recipe called for 1/4 cup of sugar. Or if you were using stevia packets, it would be 2 packets. Hope this helps!!ReplyCancel
Alex V -We LOVED this recipe! Thought there would be leftovers, but we scraped the bowl clean! We’ll double the recipe next time!ReplyCancel
Emilia-I am trying this for dinner tonight. I used to eat this growing up but never got the recipe from my step-mom. Now we don’t eat wheat and I don’t use anything with msg which I know her recipe had, so I am looking forward to trying this recipe.ReplyCancel
landriav -I hope you like it Emilia! Actually, thanks for the reminder. I haven’t made it in awhile and we all love it! I will make it again soon. Thanks for your comment Emilia!ReplyCancel
Robin-Can’t wait to try this!! How many people does this recipe feed?ReplyCancel
landriav -Hey Robin! I think it would feed about 4. I am going to make it this week and double the recipe for leftovers. Hope you like it!ReplyCancel
Natalie -I herb.com sells a coconut “soy” sauce for those who don’t do soy. Coconut Secret, Raw Coconut Aminos, Soy-Free Seasoning Sauce
So while it’s unusually cool (and wonderful!!) here in Atlanta, I thought I would post one last winter-like meal so here goes…
So when we got home from our trip last weekend, I was craving just A LOT of protein. It what makes me feel full and satisfied and honestly, I eat a good amount of it. So, not having much time to prepare dinner after we flew in, I made Scott run us by the store on our way home so I could pick up 2 lbs of ground chicken, a can of diced tomatoes, some olives, and already cut up fresh onions.
I didn’t have to cut a thing and it only took me a few minutes to prepare. It was the perfect dinner that night, and of course breakfast the next morning.
Here’s what you need:
2 lbs ground chicken
1 pack of chopped fresh onions
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can all natural sliced olives (I used most of the can)
some celtic sea salt
some garlic powder
some chili powder
and a dash cayenne powder
The olives of course are optional but I thought they made the dish. The chili reminded me of a “tamale pie” that I use to eat growing up so maybe I’m partial.
Here’s what I did:
Heat some butter in a pan and add the onions. Once the onions are starting to become transparent, add the chicken and brown. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 45 minutes. And that’s it!
Enjoy!
Oh, and I’m on day 3 of making those kale chips and I still love them. I’m sure I’ll get sick of them soon enough but for now, I’m enjoying them. I did want some for lunch so I cooked them on 300 for about 20 minutes (with the added extra virgin olive oil) and they were still so delicious! I used the EVOO last night too, and it does make them a bit crunchier, but also they feel thinner. So, my vote is to cook them a little EVOO (on 170 degrees), but the family preferred them with the EVOO. I would love to hear what you think!
Shana -Thanks for this simple, quick recipe! I threw in some chard from the garden at the very end! Can’t wait to eat for breakfast tomorrow!ReplyCancel
landriav -Hmm, good idea. It is a great breakfast, isn’t it? Thanks for posting Shana. Hope you’re doing well!!ReplyCancel
We ate so much good fresh food while out in California, but I have to say, kale was my favorite thing we ate, and it was everywhere. From different kinds of kale salad, to kale chips, it was all delicious. A favorite in particular, was a kale chip my aunt Jane and I discovered at the SF Embarcadero Farmer’s Market. It was honestly the best snack I’ve had.
These chips really were the perfect snack. You have kale (and we all know the health benefits of kale), plus it’s raw (so you keep the nutrients), and, lastly, all of the ingredients are so good for you! Unfortunately, I also learned within minutes that this snack doesn’t last long. So at $7 a bag, I decided I had to figure out how to make this myself.
First, I saw on the bag the ingredient “nutritional yeast”. I have heard of it before but knew nothing about it. Turns out, it is what gave these chips so much flavor. It’s sort of a nutty, yet cheesy (parmesan) flavor. And, as added bonus, it is great for you. It is very rich in B vitamins, including B12, which is what gives it that yellow color. One serving of nutritional yeast, about ½-1 tbsp, provides the full amount of B12 needed for an adult in day. It is also a great source of 18 amino acids, protein, folic acid, biotin and other vitamins. And, it is rich in 15 minerals including iron, magnesium, phorphorus, zinc, and chromium, and selenium. Oh, and one ounce has 14 grams of protein. What a super food! I’m looking forward to adding this to soups, my cauliflower mash, salads, etc.
So after making atrip to Whole Foods (in the bulk section) to get some nutritional yeast, and Trader Joe’s to get some pre-cut, pre-washed kale, it was time to try to make this yummy snack. Unfortunately, I don’t own a dehydrator, not yet anyway, so I had to just cook these on as low a temperature as my stove would allow. You have to plan ahead because it takes a while to cook, but they’re super easy to make. Here’s what you need:
1 bag of kale (Trader Joe’s has the perfect size at 10 oz.)
3/4 cup cashews (blended until flour-like consistency)
This mixture makes 2-3 servings worth so save the remaining in a sealed container and next time you make it, it will be super quick!
Here’s what you need to do:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Remove the stems from the kale and put in an extra large mixing bowl.
Add lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and set bowl aside.
Blend cashews in blender and pour in a small bowl.
Add nutritional yeast and salt to cashews and stir together.
Pour the above mixture (about 1/3 cup) in with the kale and stir.
Lay parchment paper on cookie sheet and lay kale out flat on pan.
Sprinkle nutritional yeast, cashews and salt mixture over the top and place in oven.
Cook for 15 minutes, turn stove off, allow to sit for a couple of hours. I make this in the morning and it’s always such a nice surprise by lunch time!
If you only have so much time at home, I’ve learned the quickest method is to preheat oven to 300, cook for 15 minutes, turn stove off and leave it in there to dry out. When you get home later on (hopefully at least 2 hours later) it will be ready for snacking!
Okay, it’s not pretty but this picture still makes my mouth water! I think next time I will add some extra virgin olive oil with the apple cider vinegar and lemon mixture, maybe 2 tbsp, to add a little extra crunch. While we all loved this, Scott still preferred the original kale chips a little more. I think it was because he likes the texture of the original chips with the EVOO. I’ll let you know the results (with the EVOO added ) after I test it out in a day or so. Yes, I am making them again this week!
Cheryl Mosley-So glad to find this recipe. I have tried several, but this looks the yummiest!ReplyCancel
landriav -It is Cheryl!!! I already made them again today, with the EVOO, and they were extra crispy and yummy. Kids liked them better this way, I like both ways! Thanks for posting. 🙂ReplyCancel
Kati -Can’t wait to try these! My kale is growing like crazy so I was trying to find some new twists for our usual kale chips. If you have a sunny spot in your yard, kale is SO easy to grow and you have it at your disposal anytime you want it. Last summer we steamed it and added it to smoothies…Tyler was my green smoothie man…the girls weren’t quite as adventurous but I’ll keep trying :).
I want to make your muffin recipe also…haven’t tried baking with almond meal yet…do you make your own or buy it? I think I need to dehydrate the almonds first to get them into a smoother flour texture. Let me know if you have any tricks :).
Enjoy the ride today…one of these times I’ll be able to sync up with the schedule.ReplyCancel
landriav -I would love to grow kale Kati!! I think if I were to grow anything, after reading your email, that would be first on my list! That is my goal, one day! Love it for smoothies, salads, and of course chips. Doesn’t it make you feel so good when your kiddos eat, or drink it?
For the almonds, I either buy almond meal from Trader Joe’s or almond flour from Honeyville, so sorry, no tricks here. I did research dehydrators yesterday so again, hopefully one day soon I dehydrate some nuts.
Missed you this morning! We had a really nice ride. The weather was amazing!! Hopefully you can make it soon! 🙂ReplyCancel
Susan -Can’t wait to try this! Have some nutritional yeast taking up space in my pantry that I bought this winter for some macaroni (that bombed). We devour regular ol’ roasted kale chips over here so these will be interesting to try.ReplyCancel
landriav -I don’t know if it’s the cashews with the yeast that makes it so yummy but either way, this stuff is amazing! It’s suppose to be good on popcorn too. I tried it on cauliflower and it was pretty good, but so far. the kale is my favorite! I hope you like it Susan!!ReplyCancel
Ashley -I love you for posting this! I had them and wanted to learn how to make them. Sooooo gooood!ReplyCancel
landriav -Ha! That is great Ashley! 🙂 Were you trying to make the Pachamama brand? They are amazing, aren’t they??? Thanks for posting!!ReplyCancel
Jill hyland -How long woul you put them in a dehydrator if you used one? I am thinking the oven may make them more crispy? Am looking forward to making them this weekend.ReplyCancel
landriav -I would put them in overnight so maybe 8-10 hours from what I’ve read. I tend to like the dehydrated ones better because they can be just as crispy and they also just feel a little thicker to me. You’ll have to let me know how they turn out for you. I’m dying to get a dehydrator! For a quick cook lately, we’ve also been cooking them on 300 for 10 minutes. There are so many different ways to cook them but either way, they’re good. I hope you like them!ReplyCancel
Rob King -Made these as well today (see Little Debbies and Chicken Salad) Word of advice to those that try. The Cashew/Nutritional Mix/Etc
mix is meant for TWO pans of Kale. My wife and I used it on one pan of Kale and it was too thick, so just a heads up so no one makes the same mistake. Our next attempt will be the Paleo Pizza i think!ReplyCancel
landriav -I love that pizza! Have been making it weekly per request from my son. And you are totally right on the kale! I need to correct that for sure. Thanks for bringing that to my attention Rob. I actually ended up saving half to use for the next day. I can’t believe I forgot to mention that. Thanks for all of your great comments!!! I appreciate it!ReplyCancel
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Dasha - Hi Landria, this milkshake looks fabulous! I gotta try it . Your site looks amazing with so many wonderful.recipes that I can’t wait to try out. Thanks for letting me know about it. Dasha
landriav - Ha, thanks Dasha!!