tapioca flour Archives - Perry's Plate

Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe

Natalie Perry — Sun, 10 Dec 2023 03:05:03 +0000

Making restaurant quality Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup is easier than you may think! With the right cut of chicken and a few key ingredients, you’ll be getting ohhhs and ahhhs from your family when they gather for dinner! Psst… it’s also a gluten free soup, too!

Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup is an All Season Standby!

Friends, this soup is goooood. We're talking restaurant quality soup here! ALL of my kids loved it and so did Steve. It so, so easy, too. And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to ensure this soup will turn out perfectly every time you make it.

Why you’ll love this Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe.

This version is thick and creamy with tender pieces of chicken and chewy wild rice throughout. It's a cozy soup that's comforting, easy to make, and packed with flavor. It’s just… *chef’s kiss*

Yep, this dreamy, creamy soup is also gluten free! I’ll talk more about the details of thickening a soup in a bit, but I wanted you to know that you could make this soup gluten free if you like. (And it's not difficult!)

This recipe is also super adaptable. You can make it on the stove top, in your Instant Pot, or in a Crock Pot! I included instructions for all three below and in the recipe card.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this soup!

Onion
Carrot
Celery
Garlic
No-salt seasoning - This is a salt-free seasoning you can use on a lot of things while being able to control the sodium. Think Mrs. Dash, 21 Seasoning Salute (Trader Joe’s), or the No-salt seasoning at Costco (that’s what I use).
Salt & black pepper
Bay leaves
Dried or fresh thyme
Dried dill
Chicken thighs - This is important. Because the wild rice needs longer to cook than regular white rice, using chicken thighs will help you to avoid overcooked, dry chicken. Chicken breasts are tasty and versatile, but their very low fat content causes them to dry out faster. Chicken thighs are much more forgiving. Alternately, you could shred a rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken breasts and at it at the very end of cooking if you’d rather not use thighs.
Chicken broth — Use any kind you like. I love making my own from stripped roasted chicken bones. Here’s a chicken bone broth recipe if you need one!
Wild rice — Wild rice is black. Sometimes “wild rice” is packaged as brown rice and wild rice mixed together. You could use that too if you like since they have the same cook times.
Heavy cream, half and half, or milk (any kind) — This entirely depends on you, friend. Obviously using heavy cream results in a richer, creamier soup, but you can use any type of cream or milk for this recipe. You can easily make it dairy free by using almond milk.
Tapioca flour, arrowroot starch, or cornstarch — This one is left up to you, too. All of these options are gluten free.

How to make Wild Rice Chicken Soup

How to cook wild rice for soup

You’re going to love this — you just throw the rice in with all the other ingredients and let it simmer away to cook!

If you have some pre-cooked rice handy, you could add it at the end of cooking time. You’ll want to omit the water from the recipe if you do that.

How to make Chicken Wild Rice Soup in Instant Pot

Saute the vegetables using the Saute mode. Add the seasonings.
Add the chicken, broth, water, and rice to the pot.
Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Let the cooker sit for 5-8 before releasing the steam manually.
Transfer the cooked chicken thighs to a large plate or platter and shred them with a couple of forks. Add them back to the soup.
Mix the cream/milk with the tapioca starch and stir it into the soup. It should thicken quickly -- if not, turn the cooker back to the sauce mode to heat the soup up until it thickens. Then turn it off again.
Taste, adjusting seasonings as needed, then serve!

How to make Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup in Crock Pot

Add all of the ingredients to a 6 quart Crock Pot slow cooker (except the milk and thickener).
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Turn the slow cooker to high heat.
Remove the chicken (put the lid back on to keep the soup hot). Shred the chicken, then return it to the pot.
Stir together the cream/milk and thickener. Stir into the soup. If the soup is very hot (but not bubbling) it should thicken really quickly.
Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe Variations

Use brown rice instead of wild rice.
Vegetarian Mushroom Wild Rice Soup: Make a vegetarian version by omitting the chicken and chicken broth and using 1.5 pounds of sliced mushrooms and vegetable broth.
Sausage & Wild Rice Soup: Omit the chicken. Add sliced, pre-cooked sausage at the end of cooking. Andouille sausage would be particularly good here.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe Tips

Make sure you use wild rice or brown rice (or a combination of the two) and not white rice. Because wild rice and brown rice require a much longer cook time using white rice will result in mushy, overcooked rice.
If you use homemade chicken broth, you might need to adjust the salt content of this recipe. I don't salt my broth so I usually need to double the amount of salt in recipes when I use it.
If you are making this in an Instant Pot, make sure you let the cooker release the steam naturally (just let it sit, don't do anything) for 5-10 minutes after the pressure cycle ends so you don't have hot liquid splattering out of the steam valve.
Make sure the soup isn't bubbling when you add the thickener or it'll clump. More on that...

How to Thicken Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Thickening gluten free soups is a little different from regular soups. When you're using all-purpose flour you'll create a roux (butter/oil + flour mixture) at the beginning of the recipe and then cook from there.

With gluten free thickeners, often time they'll lose their ability to thicken if cooked for long periods of time. That's why I thicken the soup at the end. Here are some things to remember when thickening this chicken wild rice soup as well as other types of creamy gluten free soups:

Blend the thickener with some type of liquid. If the soup is creamy, I whisk it into the cream or milk I'll be using. This helps to prevent any clumping. You can also remove a ladle full of the soup liquid and pour it into a cup or bowl and whisk the thickener into that when it has cooled some.
Don't add the thickening mixture to boiling liquid. If the soup is simmering with visible bubbles, it will make your thickener clump and you'll get these weird, gummy bits in your soup. Ew. The soup needs to be hot and steamy, but not bubbling when you add the thickener.
If your soup isn't thickening you may need to heat it up. Once the thickening mixture has been stirred into the soup, you can crank the heat up and let the soup simmer. It'll only take a minute or two for it to thicken. If it still hasn't thickened, maybe you haven't used enough starch/powder.

What to serve with Wild Rice Soup

I love this soup with a sprinkling of parsley and some crusty bread (it's easy to find gluten free crusty bread these days! Adding some Parmesan cheese shavings is also delicious here.

If you're wanting to serve this with a salad, here are some suggestions:

Sweet Kale Salad - A knock off of the sweet kale salad kit I love buying at Costco. Whether you make it from scratch or get a kit, it'll go well with this soup!

Syrian Salad with Za'atar Dressing - Such a tasty, versatile salad! It has a bold flavor that would pair well with this creamy soup.

Avocado Green Salad - Love this green salad with Parmesan shavings, salty bacon, and creamy avocado dressing.

How to store Wild Rice Chicken Soup

After the chicken wild rice soup has cooled, transfer it to a lidded container and store chilled for up to a week.

Freezing Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

If you'd like to freeze this soup, I recommend using these deli containers on Amazon. I have dozens of them and use them all the time for freezing soups, broth, and storing leftovers in the fridge, too.

How to reheat Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Microwave: I don't love microwaving leftovers, but if I'm heating up one serving, it's usually the easiest way. Cook on high for 20 second increments, stirring after each one, until the soup is hot.

Stovetop: Transfer the soup to a pot. If the soup has thickened considerably (it does that often after being chilled) then add ½ cup of water and stir it up. Because creamy soups tend to scorch easily, warm the soup at medium-low, keeping a close eye on it and stir it often.

More Creamy Soup Recipes on Perry's Plate

If you like this Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup, try another one of my creamy soups!

Dairy-Free Clam Chowder - This one is also gluten free and is delicious with bacon sprinkled on top!

Buffalo Chicken Chowder - One of my favorites to make in the winter! It has a touch of heat (as little or as much as you'd like) and a drizzle of creamy ranch. It's also gluten and dairy free.

Southwest Chicken Soup - A riff of of my favorite chicken soup recipe with southwest inspired spices and a touch of creamine/ss.

Dairy Free Cream of Mushroom Soup - A family favorite -- don't forget the bacon on top!

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe

Yield: Serves 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons butter or avocado oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 small)
1 cup chopped carrot (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped celery (about 2 large stalks)
6 cloves garlic, crushed or Microplaned
1 Tablespoon no-salt seasoning
1 Tablespoon sea salt
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 quart chicken broth
3 cups water
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
1 ½ cups milk of any type
⅓ cup tapioca starch

Instructions

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion becomes translucent.
Add the no-salt seasoning, sea salt, dill, thyme, black pepper and bay leaves. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the chicken thighs, broth, water, and rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer for 45 minutes.
The rice should be cooked through at this point. Transfer the chicken to a large plate or platter, shred, and return to the pot.
Whisk together the milk and tapioca starch. If the soup is still simmering with visibile bubbles, turn off the heat until it cools some. Pour the milk mixture into the hot soup and stir well. If the soup doesn't thicken within a couple of minutes, turn the heat back on to medium and cook until it does -- maybe another 5 minutes or so.
Taste, adding any extra salt if needed. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can use any type of milk here. Or a combination of milk and cream. If you use cream, I recommend using 1 cup of milk and ½ cup of cream.
Feel free to use a different type of gluten free thickener, like arrowroot powder or cornstarch. They all require the same measurements.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: Follow the saute instructions using the Saute mode in your 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot. After adding all the ingredients (except for the milk & thickener), close the lid, sealing the steam vent, and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Let it release steam naturally for 5-10 minutes and then release the rest of the steam naturally. Shred the chicken as directed above and whisk together the milk and tapioca, adding it to the pot when there are no visible bubbles in the hot soup. If you need to warm the soup a little more to get the soup to thicken, turn on the saute mode again for a few minutes.

CROCK POT INSTRUCTIONS: Add all of the ingredients to a 6-7 quart Crock Pot slow cooker (except the milk and thickener). Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until the rice is tender. Shred chicken as directed above, keeping the soup as warm as possible while you do this. Whisk together the milk and tapioca and stir it into the hot soup when there are no visible bubbles. If you need to heat the soup more to encourage it to thicken, turn it on high.

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Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1.5 cups
Amount Per Serving Calories 303Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 125mgSodium 1507mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 2gSugar 6gProtein 25g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

The post Chicken Wild Rice Soup Recipe appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Fiesta Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets (Paleo)

Natalie Perry — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 02:44:56 +0000

These tasty gluten free chicken nuggets are also grain free and have a tex-mex twist! They're a perfect pairing with my Chipotle Vegan Queso dip!

Homemade chicken nuggets are one of those things we never get tired of.

I try to make extra so I can have some leftovers to heat up for lunch, but the little buggers almost always eat everything.

Luckily homemade gluten free chicken nuggets are super easy to make, so I'll just keep making bigger batches until I have a respectable amount left for a meal later in the week.

This particular gluten free chicken nuggets recipe has my Smoky Chipotle Taco Seasoning in the marinade AND the breading to give it have a boost of Tex-Mex flavor. (You can use any taco seasoning you like. I'm just partial to that one at the moment.)

And it goes beautifully with my Chipotle Vegan Queso recipe.

Let's make some!

These healthy gluten free chicken nuggets start off with a simple marinade. You can marinate the chicken pieces at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes or you can prep it several hours ahead or the night before.

Did I mention these are egg free chicken nuggets? No eggs needed, so if you avoid them, you're in luck.

Simple Chicken Marinade Ingredients

Lime juice
Salt
Smoky Chipotle Taco Seasoning (or any taco/mex inspired seasoning blend)

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets Breading Ingredients

The breading is easy, too!

I love the addition of nutritional yeast to give it a boost of flavor. And the mixture of cassava & tapioca (or arrowroot) flours is the perfect grain-free breading ratio.

Using all cassava flour makes the coating a little chalky.

Using all tapioca flour makes it gummy when the chicken cools off.

Using a little of each gives you a light, crispy coating that keeps its texture.

I buy my cassava flour and nutritional yeast on Amazon. I really like the brand Anthony's.

Can I make them plain instead?

I added a tex-mex spin on these gluten free nuggets, but if you'd rather make them plain that's fine, too!

Omit the taco seasoning. Maybe use some all-purpose seasoning or an herb-garlic seasoning instead.

You can omit the nutritional yeast, too, but keeping it in would give it a nice flavor.

How to make the best gluten free chicken nuggets

I use the shake & bake method by combining the breading ingredients into a gallon-sized bag.

I used to think this method would make a big mess and the breading would be clumpy.

It surprises me every time how well it works!

Tips for Pan-Frying Breaded Chicken

Cover the pan with ¼" of oil and let it get really hot before you add the chicken. Not smoking, but pretty close.
Shake off the excess flour before putting the chicken pieces in the pan. If you have too much "sediment" in the pan it'll end up burning after the 2nd or 3rd batch.
Don't overcrowd the pan.
Once you put the chicken in the pan, DON'T TOUCH IT FOR AT LEAST 3-4 MINUTES. Especially if you aren't using a non-stick pan. It'll stick and then you'll be sad.
Once the chicken has formed a crust on the bottom it should be easy to flip them over.
Don't over cook them! They should be firm to the touch, with the slightest amount of give. And the crust should be golden brown.
Transfer them to a wire rack on top of a sheet pan instead of a plate with papertowels. This will allow them to cool without getting soggy on the bottom. I like to keep the pan in a warm oven while I cook the rest of the chicken.

Can I bake these nuggets in the oven?

Yes, but make sure you line your baking sheet with parchment so they don't stick. You'll also want to spray them with some kind of oil-based spray to help them get a nice, browned coating.

I'd bake them at about 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces.

Can I put them in an air fryer?

Sure! These nuggets can be made in an air fryer, but make sure you grease that tray really well.

Try cooking them at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Don't these gluten free chicken bites look delicious??

Steve and I loved them with my Chipotle Vegan Queso. Make sure to soak your cashews the morning before you make these. Or pour boiling water over them and let them sit for 20 min if you forget to soak.

You could also serve them with another kind of dip -- like Roasted Jalapeño Ranch, enchilada sauce, guacamole or a drizzle of Hot Honey Cilantro Glaze.

More Ideas for Serving gluten-free chicken nuggets

Popcorn chicken is usually an appetizer, but we eat it as a main dish! Here are a few ideas of how you can make this into a meal:

CRISPY CHICKEN SALAD -- Add them to a bed of lettuce or some Southwest Cabbage Slaw and drizzle them with some paleo ranch and a side of avocado. And your favorite taco salad fixings.
CRISPY CHICKEN TACOS -- Since this chicken has Tex-Mex/Latin flavors, it would be totally delicious in a taco. You can even chop them up to make them easier to put into tacos. A drizzle of my Citrus Crema would be delicious with this!
CRISPY CHICKEN SNACK PLATTER -- Serve this alongside some fresh veg crudites or sweet potato fries with a couple of dips and you won't even need utensils! My kids love meals like that.

If you like this recipe, try my delicious Paleo Fish Nuggets! My kids are just as wild about those as they are about paleo chicken nuggets.

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Paleo Fiesta Popcorn Chicken with Vegan Queso

Yield: Serves 6

This tasty paleo friendly popcorn chicken has a tex-mex twist! They're a perfect pairing with my Chipotle Vegan Queso dip!

Ingredients

1 ½ - 2 pounds of chicken breast or thighs, cut into 1 - 1/12 inch pieces
2 juicy limes
5 teaspoons taco seasoning, divided
½ teaspoon + pinch of sea salt
⅓ cup cassava flour
⅓ cup tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour)
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
Coconut oil or avocado oil, for pan-frying
1 batch Chipotle Vegan Queso

Instructions

Be sure to soak the cashews for the queso dip either the morning before you eat or an hour or two before by pouring boiling water over them. (See queso recipe for details.)
Put the chicken pieces in a shallow dish. Squirt the juice from one of the limes over the chicken. Sprinkle 3 teaspoons of taco seasoning and ½ teaspoon of salt on top and mix everything around until the chicken is evenly coated. Let it sit for 30-45 minutes at room temperature to marinate or up to 24 hours chilled.
While the chicken is marinating, make the Chipotle Vegan Queso dip and set it aside while you make the chicken.
When you're ready to cook the chicken, put the cassava flour, tapioca flour, nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning into a large gallon-sized zip-top bag. Shake it around to mix it well.
Add the chicken pieces to the bag and shake it around really well to coat all of the chicken in the breading. Let it rest inside the bag while you get the oil ready.
Put enough oil in a large skillet to cover the bottom in about ¼" of oil. Bring it to high heat. The oil should "shimmer" on the bottom and a drop of water should sizzle loudly.
Fry the chicken in 2-3 batches, depending on the size of your pan. When you put a batch of chicken in the pan, don't touch it for at least 3-4 minutes to allow it to form a crust. Otherwise it's going to stick.
Flip the chicken pieces over and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side until the chicken is cooked through and mostly firm when you poke it with a pair of tongs.
Transfer the chicken to a wire rack sitting on a rimmed sheet pan to cool. (I put it in a warm oven to keep the chicken warm.)
Cook the remaining batches of chicken, cut the remaining lime into wedges, and serve with the queso dip and lime slices. A shake or two of hot sauce is good on these, too!

Notes

Nat's Note:

I highly recommend using my Smoky Chipotle Taco Seasoning for this! My Chorizo Seasoning would be great as well. And if you're a purist, try my Homemade Taco Seasoning!

The post Fiesta Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets (Paleo) appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt + Low Carb Cookies

Natalie Perry — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 11:57:04 +0000

I can't tell you how excited I am about these paleo cookies. AND the cookbook it came from. Normally I'm not a huge fan of paleo chocolate chip cookies because the texture is usually way off, which makes me sad -- particularly because chocolate chip cookies are my favorite.

This recipe is super, though -- a little goo on the inside with slightly crisp edges. And if cake-y cookies are what you like better, just leave them in the oven for a couple extra minutes.

AND if you're looking for low carb cookies, these are REALLY easy to adapt to be low carb. I even put the macros in the comment section of the recipe.

Before I dive into that recipe, I wanted to show you Michelle Smith's new cookbook, The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook. Do you follow Michelle's site, The Whole Smiths? Well, you should. Especially her Instagram account because she's funny and relatable and so down to earth.

I've known Michelle online for a long time, and she's one of my favorite people to follow. It was super fun to meet her in person when I went to the natural foods expo in L.A. last year. I could have chatted with her all night. #girlcrush

Her book is endorsed by Whole30, but not all of the recipes in the book are compliant -- it's designed to be a resource to take you through the Whole30 program and through the reintroduction phase afterward, along with clean recipes to use no matter what phase you're in.

Michelle shared these Chipotle-Lime Butternut Fries a while back and converted me to the butternut zig-zags at Trader Joe's.

(Have you had them? So, so good.)

This Roasted Eggplant Bake has my name allllll over it. It's grain-free, but with a gooey cheese topping. (That basically sums up my diet.)

I should show you the to-do list I've made from this book!

Not now, though. We've got to get talking about these soft and chewy cookies.

These cookies are so easy to make. And I like that it only makes a dozen. I used to roll my eyes at small batch baking because it just wasn't practical unless you had less than three people in your house.

Now I realize that a dozen cookies is perfect. One thing I've learned about myself is that my thoughts on how many cookies I eat is mainly about the dent I leave in the pile. If there are 3 dozen cookies, I could easily eat 6-7 in a day and no one would notice.

(I realize that I should be more focused on how I feel afterward and my health goals, but I haven't evolved that far yet when it comes to cookies.)

If there are only a dozen cookies with six people in the house, welllllll.....it keeps me from eating six. And I don't have to deal with multiple batches, so they all bake up on one pan.

I love that Michelle gave me another reason to pull out my Maldon sea salt flakes.

If I haven't convinced you to buy a box, then maybe this recipe will do it. You can also use it as a finishing salt for steaks or in Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning or the Keto Chocolate Tahini Fat Bombs I posted recently. Or a million other ways. I love how delicate and light they are -- it's not like putting rock salt on your baked goods.

The recipes in the photo are actually a low-carb keto friendly version (see recipe notes!). I swapped out the coconut sugar for granulated erythritol and used a 70% cacao Lily's Stevia-Sweetened Dark Chocolate Bar.

These came out to be just 3.1g net carbs per cookie. (As opposed to 11g per cookie using coconut sugar + Lily's chocolate.) You can find the rest of the nutrition info for the low-carb version in the recipe notes.

They also have the usual ingredients for a paleo or keto cookie recipe -- almond flour (or almond meal), coconut flour. And vanilla extract baking soda and salt, of course. If you're not eating low carb or following a keto diet, you could use a natural sweetener. Don't use a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup, though, or the texture will be way off.

One note, though. There IS butter in this. Some paleo peeps eat butter. Some don't. I haven't tried it with coconut oil, so I can't guarantee a good outcome. But if you need them to be dairy free, you could try palm shortening, which tends to act more like butter than coconut oil in recipes.

Maybe peanut butter, too? I'm totally curious about a peanut butter version now that we're talking about making tweaks.

This is such a great recipe, guys. I can see all kinds of

Give these a try and let me know what you think! Also, grab a copy of The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook. You'll love it.

If you're looking for more chocolate chip cookie-like treats, try these recipes, too!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabars -- Definitely not low carb, but they're only sweetened with dates and a little stevia if you use Lily's chocolate chips.

Paleo Cookie Dough Bites -- You don't even need to bake these! They're a fun little take on raw cookie dough -- without the eggs.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars -- Remember those oat cookie bars swirled with fudge? I made a grain-free, gluten free version that's naturally sweetened!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Yield: 12 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

These are the best grain free or paleo chocolate chip cookies I've ever had! You can easily make them low-carb by following the adaptation in the notes below.

Ingredients

1 cup blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
5 tablespoons grass-fed butter, at room temperature
½ cup + 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 large egg
½ cup dark chocolate chunks
A few pinches of sea salt flakes, for sprinkling (I highly recommend Maldon)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
In a large bowl, combine the almond, coconut, and tapioca flours. Add the baking soda and pinch of salt. Whisk well.
In a separate medium sized bowl, beat the butter until softened and pale yellow with an electric mixer or a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sweetener and beat for about a minute longer.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula, mixing until well combined. Add the egg and mix thoroughly until a dough forms.
Stir in the chocolate chunks until just combined.
Spoon the dough onto the prepared baking sheet in 1 ½-2 tablespoonful mounds leaving a couple inches of space between each cookie. You should have 12 cookies.
Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the baking sheet from the oven. If the cookies haven't flattened much, press the centers gently with a fork, then sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Return the cookies to the oven to cook for 3-5 more minutes until the edges of the cookies have turned golden brown.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool a bit longer.

Notes

Nat's Notes:

1. Low-Carb/Keto adaptation: Use granulated erythritol or xylitol sweetener in place of the coconut sugar and use low-carb chocolate chips or chunks. I chopped an entire Lily's 70% chocolate bar, and it was a perfect amount. Nutritional info for low-carb option using erythritol + Lily's 2.8oz 70% bar: (1 cookie) 3.1g net carbs | 119 calories | 2.8g protein | 10.9g fat

2. The original recipe also called for 1 tablespoon of unsweetened almond milk, but after making it twice with the milk I found that they spread a lot more in the pan and were pretty gooey. Not a bad thing at all, but they didn't look like the ones in the cookbook or in this post. If I made them again, I'd add 2 teaspoons of almond milk.

3. If you need these to be completely dairy-free, replace the butter with palm shortening or half palm shortening/half coconut oil.

Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made by using these links don’t cost you any extra and helps to keep my content free.

The post Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt + Low Carb Cookies appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Chai Paleo Gingerbread Waffles with Pomegranate & Cranberry Cream

Natalie Perry — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 12:46:43 +0000

Yeah, I know. The fifth chai recipe in just a few weeks. What can I say? I’m obsessed! When I made these paleo gingerbread waffles using my Homemade Chai Spice Blend, I was surprised how close it came to traditional gingerbread spices! You still get that familiar taste of ginger, cloves, and cinnamon with a little bit of something extra — that you can’t put your finger on, but you love it.

My 5-year-old was home from school that day so I put her to work. I can’t believe how lanky she’s getting. Those arms, man. And it still surprises me how fair she is since I’m rather dark and my husband is a quarter Mexican with jet black hair and olive skin — the only blonde-haired, blue-eyed member of our family. Our little ball of recessive genes.

OK, don’t hate me for this, but splitting the eggs and whipping the egg whites separately is really the best option for waffles. If you REALLY don’t want to do it, you can just put them in whole, but I feel like the waffles are floppier that way and don’t have as much fluff.

Also, I can usually get an extra waffle or two out of the batch because whipped egg whites creates more volume in the batter.

I swear, I’ve been making waffles for most of my life and almost every batch will have at least one waffle that spills out the sides. *facepalm*

I don’t know why I keep overestimating my waffle iron’s capacity. We were gifted a Belgian waffle iron when we got married that lasted about a decade. When it died I replaced it with a traditional waffle iron. (this Cuisinart waffle iron which is inexpensive and gets the job done. I would love to spring for this double Belgian waffle iron, but…. storage space.)

It took me a while to get used to putting half as much batter in my new iron. Overfills ALL. THE. TIME. And a few years later I’m still doing it. Can anyone relate or am I just destined to have a crusty waffle iron my whole life?

Want to know a secret? Don't stack your waffles. It'll make them soggy faster.

Put them on a wire rack on a cookie sheet, and try not to overlap them too much. Then put them in your oven on the warming setting. It'll keep some of that fresh-from-the-iron crispness.

No, this isn't leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. (Our leftovers went the way of Paleo Orange Cranberry Bars. Twice.)

I actually bought more cranberries (At Costco. *Facepalm* Triple batch it is!) to make some paleo Wassailed Cranberry Sauce so I could put it on these waffles. It was a round about way of getting what I wanted, but it was worth it!

And now I have over a quart of extra cranberry sauce for something else. But if we're being honest here, it'll probably end up on a couple more batches of these paleo gingerbread waffles.

I mixed the cranberry sauce with some whipped coconut cream to make a creamy sweet-tart topping for my waffles. If you can handle some dairy, I highly recommend using real whipped cream.

A sprinkle of pomegranate arils was the perfect touch!

These waffles are on the sweet side because I was anticipating a more tart topping. If you decide to serve them with something sweeter you can hold back on the sweetener in the waffle batter.

Or not. #Christmastime

Chai Paleo Gingerbread Waffles with Pomegranate & Cranberry Cream

Yield: Makes 6 round waffles

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

These aren't ordinary paleo gingerbread waffles -- chai spice gives them a familiar flavor with a hint of something interesting. And cranberry cream? *Swoon*

Ingredients

1 cup tapioca flour
½ cup blanched almond flour
½ cup coconut flour
1 Tablespoon Homemade Chai Spice Blend
6 Tablespoons coconut sugar or preferred dry sweetener
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 eggs, separated
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
⅓ cup molasses
½ cup melted coconut oil
1 cup prepared cranberry sauce
1 cup coconut cream, whipped (see note)
Arils from 1 large pomegranate

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, chai spice, coconut sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Separate the eggs, putting the yolks into the bowl with the dry mixture and the whites in a separate, smaller bowl. (Don't mix in the yolks quite yet.)
To that bowl, add 3 eggs, applesauce, molasses, almond flour, and coconut oil. Mix it together only after you have added all of the wet ingredients.
Whip the egg whites using an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form.
Add the whites to the batter and GENTLY fold them in using a rubber spatula, scraping from the bottom and folding the batter over. The batter will be fluffy and aerated when you're done.
Cook the waffles in a heated waffle iron sprayed with non-stick spray (I like coconut oil spray) according to the manufacturer's directions.
Clean off your beaters and then use your hand mixer again to whip the coconut cream, if it's hard. Beat until it's smooth and soft. Stir in the cranberry sauce and set it aside until ready to use.
Serve the waffles with a dollop of cranberry cream and a sprinkle of pomegranate arils.

Notes

Nat's Notes:

1. You can find canned coconut cream in some grocery stores or online. If you have trouble finding it, you can use the separated cream from 2-3 cans of chilled coconut milk.

2. If you put the cranberry cream in the fridge for a while before eating it will harden again. I recommend just letting it sit out if you plan on eating soon. Or prepping it immediately before eating.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made by using these links doesn’t cost you any extra and helps to keep my content free.

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The post Chai Paleo Gingerbread Waffles with Pomegranate & Cranberry Cream appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Paleo Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars

Natalie Perry — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 13:27:48 +0000

When I was a kid my best friend's mom made these oatmeal fudge cookie bars that I was obsessed with. They had soft, chewy crust with a ripple of thick, smooth fudge throughout.

I couldn't stop eating them. I wanted to make a paleo version, so I took the recipe for "A Big Chocolate Chip Cookie" from my cookbook and reworked it into these Paleo Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars.

I also couldn't stop eating these.

A note about palm shortening -- that fluffy white stuff that looks suspiciously like vegetable shortening.

Palm shortening acts like regular shortening in baked goods, giving them some substance and chewiness. Just make sure you use a palm shortening that's made from 100% palm oil and not a blend of different oils.

You don't have to use a food processor for this -- an electric hand mixer would be fine.

I just like using my processor because it's sitting right in front of me on my counter all the time. And my hand mixer is in a plastic case in the pantry behind a bag of coconut sugar. Plus I'd have to get a bowl out of the cabinet. Oy.

Obviously the processor is the clear choice.

I suppose the downside to using a food processor is that you have no beaters to lick.

This chocolate. *swoon* I found some 70% cacao Ecuadorian fair trade dark chocolate in the Sprouts bulk bin last week.

It's my new favorite super dark chocolate.

After trying a lot of paleo chocolate chip cookie recipes, I decided that bars are best. And since paleo baked goods tend to be either super goopy or crumbly, extra chocolate serves as a binder. Convenient, no?

I like my chocolate chip cookies loaded with chocolate -- like a wad of melted chocolate with cookie dough bits scattered throughout that's impossible to eat without your fingers (and face) getting all chocolatey.

To make that rippled effect, save a quarter of the dough and press the rest into the pan. Sprinkle MORE chocolate on top with the reserved dough....

et voila. Ripples.

They come out of the pan beautifully, too! Chocolate acts as a really great binder.

Bring these paleo chocolate chip cookie bars to a party during the holidays and your paleo and gluten/dairy-free friends will love you!

If you're have a hankering for a chocolate cupcake instead, Erin's paleo cupcake recipes are the bomb. Try her chocolately Paleo Cupcakes over at Texanerin Baking!

More Paleo Dessert Bar Recipes on Perry's Plate

These Paleo Samoa Cookie Bars are DELISH and bonus -- there are NO nuts in this recipe! These Girls Scout cookie knock offs are such a great grain-free dessert.

Save some leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and make some Paleo Cranberry Orange Bars!

Flourless Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars only have 5 ingredients! Use any kind of nut butter you like if peanut butter isn't your thing.

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Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Fudge Bars

Yield: Makes about 15 squares

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

You'd never know these gooey chocolate chip cookie bars were grain-free and dairy-free! You can easily make them low-carb or keto, too, by swapping out the sweetener for a low-carb alternative.

Ingredients

½ cup palm shortening
½ cup almond butter
¼ cup honey or coconut sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-12 drops vanilla stevia
⅓ cup tapioca flour
1 cup blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ cup chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick spray.
In the bowl of a food processor (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), blend the palm shortening, almond butter, honey, egg, vanilla, and stevia until smooth.
Add the tapioca flour, almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Blend until smooth again. Add ½ cup of the chocolate chunks and pulse (or mix) until combined.
Spread ¾ of the dough evenly in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the rest of the dark chocolate evenly over the dough. Break up the remaining dough into small bits and sprinkle them evenly over the chocolate.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cookie bars cool completely before slicing -- they'll come out more easily.

The post Paleo Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Paleo Orange Cranberry Bars

Natalie Perry — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 10:00:54 +0000

I REALLY hope you saved some leftover cranberry sauce for these orange cranberry bars. I used my Wassailed Cranberry Sauce, but you can use any prepared cranberry sauce -- bonus points if it has some orange flavors in it.

These would be a good snack to take with you while you're shopping all weekend. Are you a Black Friday fanatic? I wasn't until recently -- if you stay away from big discount stores, department stores, and electronic stores it isn't so bad.

I mostly hit up the fabric store. It might seem like a nightmare waiting in line at the cut counter, but it's not bad -- at least at ours. They've got the young ones working on Black Friday so it's actually faster than it is on a regular day with the 120-year-old women doing the cutting.

Either way, having something to munch on would be nice.

I prepped the dough in my food processor! You can use a bowl and a hand mixer if you like, too. Either way it's a one-bowl deal. One of the benefits of alternative baking is that overmixing isn't as much of an issue because you aren't using wheat flour. I use my processor a lot for stuff like this.

This dough is actually a tweaked version of the Big Chocolate Chip Cookie dough from my paleo slow cooker cookbook with some orange zest.

When you spread the dough in the pan it'll seem like there isn't much there, but it'll puff up when it bakes.

Mmm. I never knew how much I could like cranberry sauce. My Wassailed Cranberry Sauce has a mix of spices mimicking . . . wassail. (My recipe naming abilities are pretty fantastic, right?) It goes so well with the orange in the crust!

Then you mix the reserved dough with the cranberry sauce to make it all swirly like.

Talk about smelling good. These cranberry bars are WAY better than a scented candle.

Honestly, I loved them better chilled. They're also easier to cut and handle with they're cold. Also somewhat crumbly, but even at room temperature you can get them out of the pan pretty easily.

Since they're paleo friendly you could take them to someone who eats gluten-free or is mostly paleo for a holiday treat!

More Paleo Dessert Bar Recipes on Perry's Plate

These Paleo Samoa Cookie Bars are DELISH and bonus -- there are NO nuts in this recipe! These Girls Scout cookie knock offs are such a great grain-free dessert.

If you're wanting something rich and fudgy, make some Paleo Chocolate Chip Fudge Bars. They remind me of the swirled oatmeal fudge bars I ate as a kid.

Flourless Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars only have 5 ingredients! Use any kind of nut butter you like if peanut butter isn't your thing.

Also, check out this round up of Gluten Free Christmas Cookies over at What the Fork for more gluten-free (and probably easily adaptable) Christmas cookie recipes.

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Paleo Orange Cranberry Bars

Yield: 15 bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

I REALLY hope you saved some leftover cranberry sauce for these orange cranberry bars. They're especially good with my Wassailed Cranberry Sauce!

Ingredients

½ cup palm oil shortening (see note)
½ cup almond butter
6 Tablespoons coconut sugar or honey
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-15 drops vanilla stevia
Zest from 1 large orange
1 cup blanched almond flour
⅓ cup tapioca flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup leftover Wassailed Cranberry Sauce (or prepared cranberry sauce)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a food processor prep bowl (or large mixing bowl with a hand mixer) combine the palm oil shortening, almond butter, coconut sugar, and coconut oil. Process until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla extract, stevia, and orange zest. Pulse until smooth.
Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, salt, and baking soda. Blend until smooth.
Transfer ¾ of the dough to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Add the cranberry sauce on top and spread that evenly, too. Add the remaining dough by spoonfuls on the cranberry sauce, and use a knife to swirl the dough around with the cranberry sauce a bit. Make sure that there isn't too much dough piled up around the center -- push it toward the edges of the pan if necessary.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the bars cool completely before slicing. (Chill them if you have time and they'll stay together more easily. I preferred them chilled!)

Notes

Nat's Note: Be sure to find palm shortening that is made from 100% palm oil and not a combination of palm and coconut oils. The consistency of the bars won't be the same if it's not 100% palm oil.

The post Paleo Orange Cranberry Bars appeared first on Perry's Plate.