Wake me up, I must be dreaming... Keto Bagels

Delicious, chewy, toasted to perfection outer crunch, flavorful, no guilt 

low carb KETO BAGELS. Let's just say...YUM.

What I absolutely love about these ketogenic bagels is that they are so simple to throw together, just a few simple ingredients swirled together create an outstandingly flavorful bagel.  The crunchy texture leaves you wondering if it is actually a low carb / keto recipe?  No worries, when you see the list of ingredients on the recipe you will have no doubts AND when you taste the final product you may just scream at the top of your lungs... "Wake me up, I must be dreaming!" 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup                  coconut flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 
• 2 oz                          cubed cream cheese 
• 2 large beaten eggs
•  Everything but the Bagel - sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper 

or use stoneware greased with coconut oil.

2. Stir together the almond flour, coconut flour and baking powder. Set to the side.

3. Combine the shredded mozzarella and cubed cream cheese in a large bowl. 

4. Microwave for 2 minutes, stop and stir halfway through. Stir briskly & thoroughly 

once completed.

5. Stir the flour mixture and the eggs into the melted cheese mixture.

6. Knead with your hands until a soft dough forms. The dough will be very sticky, 

but just keep kneading. If the dough becomes too firm before fully mixed, 

or is too difficult to mix, you can microwave for 15-20 seconds to soften it.

7. Divide the dough into 6 parts. Form a long log with each part, then press the 

ends together to make a bagel shape on the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the 

remaining dough. 

8. If using the delicious sesame seeds, sprinkle them over the bagels and gently 

press into the dough.

Bake for approx. 12 minutes, until the bagels are golden and firm. Serve warm or 

toast just before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 360Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 28g43%

Total Carbohydrates 8g3%

Dietary Fiber 3g12%

Sugars 1g

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A9%

Calcium42%

Iron9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Net carbs each: 5g - or can make smaller bagels to lower net carbs. 

Topping the bagels with these delicious sprinkles takes them to a whole new level of deliciousness. 

 My family,  keto eaters (or the carb inhaling others) all gobble these down in no time. 

If you are looking for something that is delicious, crunchy-chewy as close as you can get bagel-licious than this is the recipe for you. When you bite into this you simply will not believe it is low carb. Who knew gluten free could be so delish. Kid you not.

Arise & Shine Freezer Meal: Paleo - Gluten Free Bacon Egg Cups

If you are one to browse through pinterest, you may have seen some of these egg cup recipes already. Since our family has been whipping up quite a few quick grabbing, easy gobbling on the run, recipes I thought I would try coming up with my own version.

I sprayed my muffin trays with olive oil, wrapped the perimeter of each cup with bacon strips, trimmed to fit around without overlapping. Then in a large mixing bowl I added the eggs {about one per egg cup}, green onion, spinach, browned ground sausage {yes, more meat because my Man is a MEAT-EATER} chopped red bell pepper, and I tossed in some grated parmesan (for paleo omit the cheese). Seasoned with Himalayan Pink Salt, because I love the color and pepper. 

This was so simple - I filled the cups 2/3 of the way. Baked at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes I think. Just enough for them to not jiggle. Then I simply bagged them up into freezer bags. My hubby and kiddos grab them and toss them in the micro (yeah, we still use it sparingly) for a little over a minute and voila.... breakfast is served. 

These are SO YUMMY!

-Simply Sublime

Paleo-ish Gluten Free Outdoor Firepit Snacks: S'mores Healthy Style

There is nothing that says summer as much as a good ole' campfire. Our family LOVES sitting down and chatting round the snapping, crackling fire with the warm glow lighting up our faces. There is something primitively rugged and romantic about it at the same time.

The family favorite of this time together for our kiddos is probably the roasting of marshmallows and the gobbling of the s'mores. In the last couple years with our family trying to eat a more healthy, paleo, gluten free diet I decided to try to make up some healthier fire roasting & gobbling ingredients. 

After some searching on the web-o-sphere, I found the two following recipes. I tried 'em out and they were delish. My kiddos didn't even question them. 

Paleo Graham Crackers

{Source: Thepaleomom.com}

Paleo Homemade Marshmallow Recipe: GAPS, GF

{Source: UrbanPoser via Mommypotomus}

With this recipe the marshmallows are very moist. I would suggest letting them dry out for a couple days prior to roasting. They got a little drippy on our sticks - but they were DELICIOUS!!!

Totally worth trying. As for the chocolate - we just went with good old Hershey's. So, no we weren't completely paleo - but I think the options were WAY better. Somethings just aren't worth changing...and some are. Let me know if you have a great chocolate alternative.

-Simply Sublime

BEST & EASIEST Paleo Barbeque Side Dish: Grilled Veggie Kabobs

Since completing our June challenge of 7:Food month with some success, and great learning experiences, we have been trying to keep a clean & simple meal plan. We are trying hard to keep some forever change after our month of deliberate simplicity surrounding our food choices. 

Well, it is sunny out here in the Pacific Northwest, which is rare for June. With the sun comes get-togethers, barbeques, gatherings, festivities...ALL SURROUNDING FOOD! 

This particular weekend we had a family barbeque where burgers and big 'ole dogs would be fired up on the grill. Yummers and at the same time yuckers as the sides are so often the stick to your gut type of filler food. Since we were asked to bring dishes to share we decided on two: 1) grilled veggie & fruit kabobs & 2) my daughter Madison made this incredible triple layer chocolate dessert made with avocado, dates and more hidden deliciousness. (link will be provided when she gets it posted)

 The Kabobs were my work-my-fingers-to-the-bones contribution - haha. Hey, she loves to bake paleo desserts and I am SUPER-dee-duper, crazy, busy fundraising for our upcoming Africa trip. Don't be a judger!

I painstakingly chopped up the mushrooms, onions, zucchini, green bell pepper, red bell pepper. I also took the possibly-chop-a-finger challenge of slicing discs of corn on the cob. Oh, yes I did! And - wait for it.... I perfectly sliced each single piece of the pineapple for the sweet, tart addition that these veggie creations needed to create the perfect balance on each precisely and artistically placed skewer! Gotta love it, am I right?

Aren't they B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L???

and they were SO yummy.

I would have some lovely photos of the finished, oh-so-perfectly-grilled, product from our PART-AYYYY - BUT...

we had a wee lil bit of a crank-fest happening due to over-crowding on the host homes grill. Oops! 

For those planning to bring this as a gift-offering to a potluck barbeque... do yourself a favor and give advance warning to the Bar-B Chef, that is if you want to remain on the guest list for the next party.

These really were simple & delish. A MUST try! 

***If using wooden skewers make sure and soak them for a good hour before skewering. 

-Simply Sublime

Free GF (Gluten Free) Cookbook. CHECK.IT.OUT!

Check out this free Coconut Flour cookbook on Amazon. Here!



Not sure how long it will last - so head on over and grab it while you can!

Paleo Berry & Lime Salad Dressing: Refreshing & Yummy

The other day we decided to whip up a dressing inspired by color. Purple and Green - YUM-Oh!

Last summer I made a point of buying flats of locally grown berries to freeze for winter use. SO glad I had my lil' brain cap a-thinking. So I pulled some out, muddled it with some other ingredients and VOILA!

This one whips up in no time - easy-peasy. It was SO good on our spinach & steak salad. 

I used the following ingredients:

1 Cup Berries

Juice of 1 Lime

1/2 Cup Local Apple Cider Vinegar 

(totally worth seeking out your local options - way more flavor) 

Blue Agave to taste (depends on strength of vinegar)

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

...and time to muddle the berries & other ingredients together. Then it is ready to serve.

I am telling you this was so simple and delicious. I loved how fresh the flavor was. I mentioned earlier we were having a steak salad. It was very Paleo except for one ingredient ---> Goat Cheese. We couldn't imagine having a perfectly peppered flank steak without it's heavenly pair. I'll tell you what we chose to include in our salad and you can decide for yourself what you would like to drizzle this dressing on for your lil' taste buds to devour. 

Our salad was what we call a LOADED salad. You know the kind you keep tossing ingredients into way beyond that which would be suggested in any salad recipe known to man? Yeah - that was us. An everything but the kitchen sink salad. We started with spinach and added: cucumber, zucchini, celery, mushrooms, carrot, tomato, pecans, goat cheese, chopped fresh basil and avocado. Grilled flank steak seared to perfection with a peppered crust. Then topped it off in our newly created Berry-Lime Dressing. 

We did not regret one delicious ingredient. It was...

-Simply Sublime

Paleo Recipe Must Try's : Black Doughnuts, Raw Cheesecake, Morning Cakes, Cauliflower Fritters

AS I have been meandering some around pinterest some delightful dishes have been appearing. This put me on a quest of my own. I was on the hunt for unique, colorful and satisfying paleo dishes. Savory or sweet it did not matter. So,  I decided to post some  of the B E A U T I F U L and delicious paleo recipes I found  in this post.

I plan on trying them the scrumptious morsels within the next month, so I will let you know how tasty they really are.  I think you will quickly see why I picked this to try first.

In the Raw: Meyers Lemon & Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

{source: Roost}

Black Garlic Chocolate Doughnuts

{Source: GROKGRUB} 

Chicken Curry Tacos with Purple Slaw

{source: The Paleo Prize}

Double Coconut Muffins

{source: smitten kitchen}

Cauliflower Feta Fritters w/ Pomegranate

{Source: smitten kitchen}

Roasted Fennel & Orange Morning Cakes

(contains yogurt)

{Source: Roost}

If you have an equally appealing Paleo Recipe you think is a MUST try - please do share! 

-Simply Sublime

What in the Garlic Scape? Recipes & Ideas

Last spring our family decided to venture out into the wild, fresh and daring world of home delivery by joining in a local organic home delivery group. This new adventure would be bringing us fresh, local and fun ingredients straight to our door once a week or every other week. We had the choice of deciding every item we would like the box to contain or.... we could be a bit more daring and pick a Locavore Box which comes with enough ingredients to create three meals plus a bit more. Frequently it will contain items that drag you out of your boring dinner menu doldrums.

There are Surf, Turf, Gluten Free and Paleo Options which vary the protein and grain items that are included in your yummy delivery crate. We worked our way through quite a few of the options as we try to eat Paleo most of the time (despite the grumbling of my dear hub who LOVES him a good sandwich or burger) We tried the gluten free which had some delightfully delicious GF Bread and rolls. We also tried a box that included some fresh pasta. YUM! This was probably my favorite - but I do better if I stick to gluten free - even better if I stick with completely grain free. 

The selection of produce always seems to include a salad type green - then boy does the produce vary. It has been SO FUN finding new recipes for these new-to-us veggies. One such delivery item was the Garlic Scapes. I have fun trying new ingredients in the kitchen - frequently I will find myself with some interesting looking produce. Garlic Scapes, however, were not something I had ever recalled seeing in any recipe ingredient list.

{Source: a garden for the house}

Well these cute little scapes arrived at our door a week before we were leaving for Africa. In the chaotic crunch of time finding a yummy recipe for these scapes was just not going to become a reality. As much as I would like to have an orderly life all mapped out from minute to minute... I Don't! So scapes stayed in their cute little produce keeper box while we headed out the door. 

Now - don't you worry. There is no need to fret over the lost scapes....They did not go to waste.  Welcome to the scene: Dear Mom. She searched the web and found the perfect pesto recipe with the main ingredient....duh-duh-da-da-  Garlic Scapes.   

Not only did she make yummy pesto with it, she froze some for us to taste when we got back. Delightful, yes? Yummy - OH YES!!! 

This recipe could be used as a dip or you could toss some chicken on the grill with it. 

I have also sought out a few more Garlic Scape Recipes so I am ready to go when they show up in my box again. Here are a couple links if you would like to try them out too!

Bacon Wrapped Garlic Scapes

{Source: Coldgarden.com}

Garlic Scape Vinegar

{Source: Pitchforkdiaries.com}

Stir-Fried Scapes & Veggies

{Source: Redcook.net}

For those of you following my new fermented FRENZY with the beginnings of our KOMBUCHA makings here is another thing we will be adding to our list:

Brine-Pickles Garlic Scapes

{Source: nourishedkitchen.com}

There are also a lot of yummy recipes out there for those who enjoy themselves some yummy grains / gluten - it is TORTURE for me to post many of those recipes though. I swear I consume the calories by just looking at the photos. HA! 

I hope you find yourself searching for some scapes when they are in season - mid summer. 

-Simply Sublime

Paleo Recipe: What's-in-the-fridge Stuffed Green Pepper - Whole Food

Tonight I had my weekly girly-girls bible study group all lined up. This evening is always a fan-tab-ulous evening where our mind, bodies and spirits get filled to the brim with nourishment. Problem was.... my family still needed to eat. Hubby would be working late. Which left me needing to whip something up and quick. 

It all began with me poking my head into the fridge to find some inspiration. Somehow this particular color palette seemed fitting for a great dish. A- ha... 3 green bell peppers... let's fill 'em. 

So I began chopping like a mad woman.

10 mushrooms, 1/4 of a purple cabbage, 2 carrots, 4 garlic cloves and half a large onion later - and I was ready to start the cooking. I had a pound of ground beef in the fridge. So the browning began - after it was a nice color I tossed in 3 T. new mexico diced green chili along with some onion and as they reached the halfway softened state I threw in everything else. (Typically I would hold off on the mushrooms until the last couple minutes - but on this night I would not be home to make sure this was actually consumed....so the mushrooms needed to be incognito) 

The photos don't do this justice - but it really smelled yummy. After it reached a nicely cooked consistancy it was time to add a little diced tomato to the mix, a sprinkle of salt to enhance the flavors and voila... the filling was ready. 

Next to prepare the green peppers

\

I cut them straight across and cut out the innards.

Yep - they are gloriously green and ready for some scrumptousness to fulfill their purpose.

A few big spoonfuls pressed into them...

A lil' garnish to make it pretty....

Toss it in the oven @ 350 degrees and wait about 30 minutes. YUM! 

I didn't get a photo of the finished product after it had baked due to my.. I MUST run out the door and get to my group - state of mind. They were beautiful though - basically looked similar to this but the green bell pepper had softened a little leaving a delicious aroma in the air. 

What I really love about this is you could add whatever you wanted to this. You really don't need a recipe. Just dig around in your fridge and grab some produce. I was thinking diced sweet potatoes would have been a delish addition - they would need to be cut small and added when the onions go in. Celery and bacon. Pretty much whatever you think would be good to add in - give it a try.  

Paleo Bacon Wrapped Rosemary Garlic Chicken Recipe

This recipe puts the YUM in Paleo. I decided to take some of my VERY favorite foods and wrap them into one little bundle of deliciousness: Bacon, Chicken Breasts, Garlic, Rosemary and Olive Oil. DELISH! My family will tell you this may be one of their new favorites. Even those who may slightly grumble about the missing grains on a Paleo Plate were too busy licking their lips and scooping up every last morsel to notice.

*Paleo Disclaimer* There are Paleo friendly bacon's out there. I have heard Trader Joe's has one that is really good. However - our family is hooked on a specialty bacon. My dear Father-in law used to live in Wittenberg, Wisconsin - home of the BEST SMOKED meats ever - Nueske's! He started giving us meat baskets every Christmas and we are hooked. I did email Nueske's to see if their bacon could be considered Paleo and below is their response:

Nueskes.com

"Given the huge trend of paleo dieting these days, we’ve had this question a lot lately.  We don’t have a complete understanding of paleo diet constraints, but here are some bacon facts that might be important for you (we hear that cured meats and sugar are paleo “no-no’s” but please let us know if there are other things we should be answering):

1     If cured meats are not allowed in paleo diets, you should know that our Applewood Smoked Bacon and Pepper Bacon are cured.  They are not cured with nitrates but they are cured with nitrites – and for curing intents and purposes, they are the same.  We do use the least nitrite allowed by the USDA to still be considered cured, but the meat is still a cured product.

2    Our cure contains a small amount of sugar, so for a 2 oz. serving of Canadian Bacon that gets you 1 gram of sugar.  For 2 slices of Applewood Smoked or Pepper Bacon, it’s doesn’t even equal 1 gram – it’s considered 0 grams."  

I cannot tell you how quickly they responded to my request - and I love that they were so honest as well. So completely paleo or not, our family will continue on in our Nueske's addiction. Their canadian bacon is a must try too. So back to the recipe.

        Once the chicken is cooked it is ready to serve alongside your other favorite paleo dishes. I chose to pair ours with steamed broccoli and roasted butternut squash in olive oil and ghee. YUM!!! This paleo recipe is now one of our new family favorites. 

         Hope you enjoy!

-Simply Sublime