Hasselbeck Sweet Potatoes

Photo courtesy of: http://www.myrecessionkitchen.com/Site/My_Kitchen/Entries/2011/11/18_Hasselback_Sweet_Potatoes.html

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Inspired by: http://www.myrecessionkitchen.com/Site/My_Kitchen/Entries/2011/11/18_Hasselback_Sweet_Potatoes.html

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
2 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup peeled and finely diced apple
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch salt
Olive oil

Method:

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes 3/4 of the way, leaving a strip of peel on the bottom of the potato.
HINT: Lay wooden chop sticks on each side of the potato and slice as thinly as you can.

Rub them with a little olive oil.

Oil a baking dish or line it with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients.

Carefully try to push some of the stuffing mixture between the slices.

Pile the remaining stuffing on top of each potato.

Drizzle any remaining liquid over the potatoes.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. I suggest testing your potatoes at this point.  Mine took more like 55 minutes to soften up.  You want the potatoes to be completely soft, crunchy sweet potatoes are yuck.

Remove the foil and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the topping.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Paleo Coconut Bars

I have been cooking up a storm!  I have a ton of new recipes to post, but it might take me a while to get them all up.  This recipe for coconut bars is super easy, gluten-free, grain-free, and almost guilt free (does contain honey).

Paleo Coconut Bars

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 Cup Coconut Milk (use Thai Kitchen brand, full fat version)
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
1/3 Cup Honey
1 TBSP Vaniilla Extract
1/2 Cup Blanched Almond Flour
1 TBSP Coconut Flour
1 1/2 Cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate (optional, but highly desirable)

Method:

Heat oven to 350 F. Mix eggs, coconut milk, honey, and vanilla in food processor or blender.  Pulse in almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut and salt.

Place mixture into 8x8 dish (glass or metal baking dish is fine).

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.

Place chocolate chips in ziplock baggie and melt in microwave for 1 minute.  Squish chocolate into one corner and snip a tiny hole in the that corner with scissors.  Squeeze chocolate zigzags all over coconut bars to make them pretty.  Cool in fridge.  Serve chilled.