Creamy Smoked Salmon & Caper pasta (dairy and gluten free)

I have always loved smoked salmon and recently found some marked down drastically at the store. I decided to indulge, but I also didn’t want to just eat it straight out of the package like I usually do! 😂 
Thankfully I was able to muster up some creativity and came up with this dish tonight. It’s gluten AND dairy free (if you skip the butter) and every bite was a delight! 😍 

* Creamy Smoked Salmon & Caper pasta *

1 bag brown rice linguini 

Smoked salmon 

Vegan Parmesan 

Sauce: 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 

1/2 teaspoon paprika 

1-2 tablespoons capers 

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Sir Kensington’s)

Dash of cayenne (optional) 

Sea salt and black pepper (to taste) 

1-2 tablespoons butter or ghee (optional) 

Step 1: Cook and drain pasta and set aside. 

Step 2: Add olive oil and garlic to pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat until soft. Add mayonnaise, all seasonings, capers, and optional butter. 
Step 3: Mix well and add pasta. Toss and serve topped with smoked salmon, Parmesan, and basil or dill. 
Enjoy! 👩‍🍳 
❤️Stephanie 

Cinnamon Roll Protein Cake...

This vegetarian cinnamon roll protein cake (my own recipe) with vegan “buttercream” icing reminded me of visits to my grandma who would serve us steaming bowls of oatmeal with honey and cinnamon and also carrot or spice cake! I felt so nostalgic with every bite. ❤️ 🥕 

All three kids gave it two thumbs up (Hudson did say he felt like I was trying to trick him) 😂 and they still have no idea how healthful this cake really was 😂

The frosting recipe is from Detoxinista and I’ll post her link below! 

Cinnamon Roll Protein Cake 

with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting...

3/4 cup cinnamon roll protein powder (I used the vegan cinnamon roll protein flavor from Arbonne, which is now out of stock, but vanilla vegan would be a perfectly fine substitute)

1/2 cup almond butter (I like the smooth kind from Maranatha) 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup raw honey or Pyure sweetener

2 eggs

3/4 cup unsweetened Almond milk 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder

Add all ingredients to mixer! Mix well and scrape sides with a spatula and make sure all of it is mixed together. Pour into a lightly greased glass or ceramic square baking dish (you can also line with parchment paper). 

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes (or until center is cooked). Refrigerate overnight and serve with vegan frosting for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. 
Go here for frosting recipe:Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting! 

Let me know what you think! 😍
❤️Stephanie 

Curried Chicken Soup for 2...

I absolutely adore curry. Vegetable curry, chicken curry, seafood curry, and my personal favorite, lamb curry. I could literally eat it every.single.day and never get sick of it. I'm sure Michael gets tired of me constantly asking to go get Indian food when we actually get to go on a date (but thankfully he loves it too). ;-)

I was in one of those food funks today and couldn't figure out what to eat for lunch. I realized I had all the ingredients to throw something together. :-) Here is my delicious "concoction". Enjoy!

1-2 cans full fat Coconut Milk (start with 1 can and add more as needed)
1-2 large boneless chicken breast(s), cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup natural chicken stock
1-2 teaspoons curry powder (depending on how strong you like your curry, start with 1 teaspoon and add more as you like)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Sea salt to taste
2 cups loosely packed baby kale

Saute the chicken in the oil at medium/high heat. Slowly deglaze the pan by adding stock and let it boil. Add coconut milk and spices. Cook until thickened somewhat and add kale. Stir well and serve! Add salt to taste. Enjoy the variety of flavors!

* Yes, you can see bacon in the picture. That was a last minute add because hey, everything is better with bacon right? But just in case you are doing whole30 or avoiding sugar, skip the bacon (unless you are using sugar/nitrate free of course) ;-)

Not-Your-Grandma's Sausage Gravy...

As a girl who grew up in Florida (it IS the South whether you like it or not. There are parts of Florida as rooted in Southern culture as Tennessee or Mississippi), I love my grits, biscuits and gravy.

Now that I'm 100% paleo all of the time (and sometimes I am doing Whole30), it's hard to see other people eating good ol' southern cooking and know I can't join in! There just isn't anything like the smell of southern cuisine!   

I still can't have my comfort grits, but I *am* happy that I can smell my gravy and eat it too, even when I am doing a Whole30 (and occasionally served over an almond or coconut flour biscuit when I'm just basic Paleo). 

I really hope you like my Sausage gravy alternative!  

*Dairy/Grain free Southern Sausage Gravy* 

1 lb homemade turkey or pork sausage (I use THIS recipe) 

1 can full fat coconut milk (stirred well) 

1/4-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I would start with this amount and then add more as desired) 

Salt to taste 

1/4-1/2 teaspoon Arrowroot powder  

*Directions*

1. Saute sausage, crumble well, and drain (do NOT rinse). Set aside.   

2. Bring coconut milk and pepper to a medium boil (not a full boil). Add sausage and stir well.

3. Whisk in arrowroot powder (start with a 1/4 tsp and use more if it doesn't thicken). Stir well until thickened to your liking, add salt to taste (be careful because the sausage is already salty) and serve over eggs, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, or Paleo biscuits! Enjoy your downhome experience and don't forget to let me know how you liked it!