Maryland Crab cakes and Coconut Shrimp

Last night was a beautiful warm evening and that always calls for seafood! Being from North East corner of Maryland (tip of the Chesapeake Bay), Brandon and I are seafood snobs. No one makes a crab cake like Woody's crab cakes or my mom and you can't get crabs any fresher than Captain Chris'or catching them yourself. We were so lucky to live on the Chesapeake Bay and have amazing seafood whenever we wanted it. ...mmmmmm! Anyway, we wanted seafood last night and this is what we came up with. Since my mom taught me how to make crab cakes, we are used to very little filler and just bites of delicious crab meat. 

Kimberly's Maryland Crab Cakes


Ingredients: 


1 jar of Fresh lump crab meat (I am not a fan of canned imitation crab but to each his/her own)
3 Tbsp Almond Flour
2 tsp Old Bay (+ a little extra to your taste- we love old bay-hence Maryland crab cakes)
1/8 tsp Celery Seeds
1/4 tsp Ground Mustard
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper to taste


Process:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Form into small patties and set in fridge until ready to cook.
3. In a skillet, heat 1-2 Tbsp. coconut or olive oil on medium heat. 
4. Cook Crab cakes until light brown (3-5min on each side).

Coconutty Shrimp


Ingredients:
1/4 C Coconut Flour
1/4 C Unsweetened shredded Coconut
1 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Old Bay
1 Egg
1/2 Lb. Shrimp





Process:

1. In a bowl, crack 1 egg and whisk well.
2. In a second bowl add dry ingredients.
3. Drain shrimp and peel shell to the tail. (Leaving shell on tail provides a nice holder.)
4. Dip shrimp in egg then dry mixture then egg then dry mixture again.
5. In a skillet, heat 1-2 Tbsp. Coconut or olive oil on Medium heat.
6. Cook Shrimp until light brown (2-3 min on each side).

Note: If you aren't a fan of coconut Shrimp just take some shrimp, olive oil and Old bay. Mix it in a skillet and allow it to heat up for about 6 minutes, stir occasionally. *Pictured above on the plate*

Omega 6, Omega 3- I hate Science

Should we use Agave Nectar? Is it Paleo? 
 Agave Nectar is extracted from Agave plants but it is highly refined and basically raises your insulin level the same way that high fructose corn syrup does. Don't be fooled like I was with the "All Natural" label. I have switched to honey or maple syrup when I use sweeteners.


Grape seed oil is high in natural sugar and also has a really high Omega 6 content but it does have some Omega 3. Use it in moderation. The only thing I really use it for is Paleo crunch but I haven't made that in a long time.


Coconut oil has one of the lowest omega 6 count but it doesn't have any Omega 3.


Check out this picture of our oils- should make it more clear. This was from http://paleozonenutrition.com/





Your goal with using oils is to make sure that they are as close to an even ratio of Omega 6 and Omega 3. Notice Safflower oil- 74.6g Omega 6 and 0 Omega 3. Clearly not a great choice.


Why should we balance our Omega 6 and Omega 3 Fatty acids?
You don't want to burn yourself in the shower so you balance the hot and the cold right? Well that is what we are doing with Omega 6 and Omega 3. Omega 6 is linked to inflammation where Omega 3 is linked to anti-inflammatory. The best ratio is about 4:1 to 1:1. This information comes from here.  Check out their site and see what the Omega 6 and Omega 3's are for other foods.


Keep in mind that you can't stress out about the foods you eat, your body will evolve and you need to listen to what it is telling you. If you stress about what you are eating, you are adding unhealthy energy to your body and causing health issues due to stress. Make healthier choices and eliminate as needed.

Red Brownie Cupcakes

This is a recipe that I said- eww those ingredients are disgusting! With my new open mind and a handful of ingredients on hand, I baked it up and I am so in love. This is a delicious recipe from Paleo Parents: Eat Like a Dinosaur  I was going to hold out on posting this until next week when I perfected my pictures and thoughts on it but I have had so many great responses and requests for this recipe from Paleo and non- paleo friends that I decided to throw it on the blog tonight.
I made these for a backyard BBQ, Easter and again today for my school friends. I have one particular co-worker that is a super picky eater. This week he thought it was crazy because he ate 3 salads in one week. I had him try one of these cupcakes today and he ate it even after I shared the ingredients with him. Throughout the day several co-workers stopped by room to get more of these little treats. I am so glad that they were delicious for all eating types! Hope you try this recipe, check out Paleo Parents and more ways to start adding healthier foods into your diet. 

*My friends who don't normally cook like this, go to Wegman's and get all of their ingredients there!*

Red Brownie Cupcakes


Ingredients:

• 1 Medium red Beet (yes a beet in cupcakes-it's for color and nutrition, you can't taste it. I PROMISE)
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1Cup Fresh dates (about 15, cut and de-pitted)
• 1/2Cup Coconut oil
• 1/2 Cup Butter (I use Kerrygold Grass-fed)
• 1/2 Cup Palm Sugar (Paleo parents use unrefined sugar)
• 1/2 Cup full fat Coconut Milk
• 2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 Tbsp  Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest (about half a lemon)
• 8 eggs
• 1Cup Almond Flour
• 1/2Cup Coconut Flour
• 1/3 Cup cocoa Powder
• 1tsp Baking Powder
• 1tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Sea Salt

Process:

*It is a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps so read through the recipe first and then start baking. Don't be frightened, it isn't hard- just a lot ingredients. I have made some changes to the original recipe because I only have a small food processor (and my blender couldn't handle it)

1.  Wash, peel and dice the beet into small pieces. Coat evenly with 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil and roast for 20 minutes at 425 Degrees until the texture is mushy like a banana.
2. De-pit and puree 15 dates and place in mixing bowl with Coconut milk and roasted dates. Mix on high and scrape sides of bowl often until batter is a reddish color. Take all of this mixture and puree until smooth. *If you have a large food processor, you can omit the mixing bowl and just put it all straight in your processor. *
3. Transfer puree back in the mixing bowl and add butter, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, vinegar, and lemon zest.
4. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each one. 
5. Sift together all of the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
6. Slowly add to mixing bowl with the puree mixture and beat until batter is formed. 
7. Fill lined muffin cups 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Because of the large egg quantity in this batter, you'll want to store these in the fridge. Up to a week or more

I made 16 large cupcakes and 24 cupcakes

Sam having a cupcake for a pre- Easter treat

Jaden having some cupcake

Brandon enjoys them cold and I enjoy them with a cup of coffee or hot tea. We've also put some marshmallow fluff on top to eat like a cupcake. 

(Fluff recipe will be up soon, still a work in progress)

Cajun Fried Chicken Salad

On my way home I pass not 1 but 2 Popeye's! If you know my eating, you know that I LOVE some good fried chicken. I remember my family always laughing because anywhere we went, I would order Fried chicken, chicken strips, fried chicken on salads... I love the crunchy breading and the textures together. Any healthy lifestyle kicks fried food out ASAP along with sugar and junk foods. It has been a long time since I have had fried chicken and tonight, I had to have it. So I left work early, came home, threw on my apron and got to work on making my own Popeye's chicken.

Kimberly's Cajun fried Chicken Salad


Ingredients: 
4 Chicken breasts (thawed)
1 C. Almond Flour
1 TBS Cajun seasoning (we use 'Slap ya mama') If you don't like Cajun- you can
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
4 TBS Coconut oil
2 Eggs

Process:
In a skillet, heat coconut oil until completely melted. Allow coconut oil to stay warm (without boiling). I kept my temperature at about 5.5 or 6 (a little above medium).

Assembly line style!

While coconut oil is heating prepare the other items in separate bowls.


Bowl 1: 2 eggs whisked

Bowl 2: Almond flour, seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, mix well.

One at a time place your chicken breast in the egg, then in the flour and then place them in the pan. (I double dipped Brandon's chicken and that gave it an extra crispy coat- to do this you would just repeat the process.)

Place chicken in the pan and allow it to cook at a medium temperature for 10-15 minutes. (Cut a breast in the center to make sure it is cooked all the way through.) If you notice your chicken burning, turn the temperature down to a medium low range and allow them to cook for a longer amount of time.

Because chicken breasts are all different sizes, cooking times and temps may vary. The best thing to do is to put them in the pan and watch them cook. You only want to flip them once so that the breading doesn't fall apart.

Plate the chicken on top of a nice fresh salad and enjoy!

Mine is single breaded, the batter stays on better this way

Brandon's Double breaded, is is really crispy and delicious.