Paleo-friendly Chocolate Bark

Paleo Bark

Here is one of the most simple and easy "treat" recipes to make - Chocolate Bark! Use good quality ingredients in this one - and make them your favourite. This recipe gives you free range of what ingredients you want to mix into your bark to make it your own :)



Ingredients:

1lb Dark Chocolate (75% or higher the better), chopped into small pieces
1 Cup Favourite Nuts (I like cashews or pistchios - or mix them up)
1/2 Cup Favourite Dried Fruit
Sea Salt (Try Himalayan Pink Sea Salt)

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving a little bit extra on the edges, this will allow for easy removal of the bark when it is done.
2. In a double boiler, or use a stainless steel bowl over a pot of boiling water (use gloves or a towel to hang on - it will get hot), melt the chocolate. Make sure you are constantly stirring (use a rubber spatula to help scrape the bowl) so that the chocolate melts evenly.
3. When the chocolate is melted, pour it onto the lined baking sheet and spread evenly using your spatula.
4. Sprinkle the nuts and dried fruit evenly across the chocolate, you may have to apply slight pressure to ensure that the pieces are sunken into the chocolate. Sprinkle a touch of salt over the entire pan - this will give it a sweet and salt taste, but the salt also brings out the flavour of the chocolate.
5. Place in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes until the chocolate has harden; remove and break into snack size pieces. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for snacking :)

Sweet Potato Hummus!

Sweet Fancy Hummus!

If you were at the Canuck Games, you got to taste Whisked Gluten Free's awesome flax seed bread...vegan-friendly and gluten-free...AND it tasted like REAL BREAD! Our very own Canuck Melanie L, who owns WGF, had us try this awesome bread with some tasty homemade hummus spreads. It is a perfect pairing, so I tried making my own...with Sweet Potato! The trial run turned out okay, so hopefully it will work for you too! You can pair this spread with veggies for a great quick snack, or you can order that awesome flax seed bread online at www.whiskedglutenfree.com/bakery and they will deliver it right to the box! Remember, they have other great, healthy treats for you to try! But first...make the Sweet Potato Hummus! 

Ingredients:

1lb Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (this helps with processing)
1 Can Chick Peas, rinsed thoroughly
Juice of 1 Lemon (no seeds!)
1/4 Cup Tahini
2 Tbsp Avocado Oil, or good quality Olive Oil
2 Tsp Ground Cumin
Pinch Cayenne (depends on how much kick you want)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper (Or you can use white pepper so you don't see any specks in the hummus)

1. In a large pot, steam cook the sweet potatoes. They are done when they are tender - around 12-15 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are cut. Bigger pieces may take longer than smaller pieces.
2. Place the potatoes into a food processor, along with the remaining ingredients, except for the salt and pepper. Puree for approximately 1 minute. If it is too thick, you can add a little water to thin it out, but probably is not necessary.
3. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to use. This will last approximately a week....if you don't eat it all within the first couple of days!

Nutty Goodness

Sweet Nutty Goodness

Snacks you depend on to get you through those between meal periods can get repetitive and put you into an eating slump. They just get boring sometimes! Almonds, or nuts in general are one of those snacks - they are great for you, do wonders, give you that nutrition you need to keep you going, but they just get plain and boring. Try out these sweet roasted nuts that have a little kick to them next time! Oh... and they kinda taste nice with a nice cold beverage in the summer :)

Ingredients

4 Cups Almonds (or you can have a mixture of different ones!)

1/2 Cup Raw Honey

3/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

3/4 Tsp Kosher Salt

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly grease it with coconut oil, or other oil you may have. Since you are working with honey, you don't want it to stick and rip the paper.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.
3. In a saucepan, melt the honey over medium-low heat - ensure it doesn't boil. Add in the nuts and the cayenne pepper and completely coat all the nuts with the melted honey.
4. Pour honey-nut mixture onto the baking sheet and spread out evenly into a single layer.
5. Bake for approximately 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Immediately place the nuts in a large bowl and toss with the salt. Place it back down on the baking sheet and allow to cool.
6. Occasionally stir them around to prevent clumping. Once cooled - eat up or store into snack packs!