Paleo Key Lime Pie

When I met my boyfriend I told him I would make a key lime pie that he could enjoy without spiking his sugar. He is diabetic after all. About 8 months later I finally got around to it. The recipe called for clear flavorless jello. Ummmm yea it was a total fail, it came out way to limey/sour. A couple months after that experience, I found a new recipe but for the life of me I don't remember where I found it. Nonetheless this one came out amazing!! I tweaked it a bit I am not a huge fan of honey so I used agave instead

For the crust:
6 pitted dates
1.5 cups unsalted almonds
1.5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Pinch of sea salt

For the filling:
4 tsp lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice
4 tablespoons honey (I used agave)
1 cup canned coconut milk
3 eggs

At the end I ended up having to bake mine for 40-45 mins it was still ooey gooey after 30 mins. I suggest following the instructions and leaving it in a little longer if that same thing happens to you.

1. Pre heat oven to 350
2. In a food processor mix all crust ingredients until they are the consistency of almost a nut butter.
3. In a pie pan, spray with a non stick cooking spray and then press crust ingredients onto bottom of pan
4. Bake 6-8 minutes
5. While that's baking, mix all filling ingredients. Then pour on top of crust
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes. 
7. Let cool, even refrigerate if you have time before serving.

Make this and thank me later!
Let me know how it comes out!
Bon Appetite!!

Spaghetti Squash a la Karina

Spaghetti squash!!! OMG why has no one ever shared this amazing squash with me before! Truly loving it, also gets rid of that pasta craving, which in my case is a life saver. 

Lately my cousin ChefNia has been introducing me to the world of Paleo and let me tell you, it's not too shabby. I am actually enjoying the idea of cooking every day, and being more creative. Now lets face it Rome was not built in a day, and neither are were my eating habits. It is an everyday challenge but one I am enjoying along the way.

Main Ingredients

• 1 Spaghetti Squash

Sauce

• Pam or Coconut Cooking Spray
• 1 lb Ground Chicken
• 1 Onion
• 10-15 whole mushrooms
• Heavy Whipping Cream or Coconut Milk
• Light Savory Garlic cooking cream cheese
• 2 pinches of Sea Salt 
• Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic (I love garlic)

Optional 

• Bill Bragg’s amino acids
• Red pepper flakes
• Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

On a plate place Spaghetti Squash in the microwave. Now I put mine in for 20 minutes and this is what happened!

DON'T DO THIS! It still came out perfect but it was just messy. I did it this way because the oven just takes too long. So I recommend if you want to go the lazy way like me, just make sure you know your microwave. Once it exploded, I put it in the fridge to cool down. Do not forget to wear gloves because it will be pipping hot!

Now for the SAUCE! First chop the onions and the mushrooms. I used a slap chop after just to have smaller pieces. As for the mushroom I cut them in two ways, the first was small pieces and the second was just normal slices to have big chunks.

Once the chopping is done, saute each item separately. As I have learned the hard way that they cook at different speeds. I did not season them though, all I used was Pam. Then place them in a small bowl and set aside. 

Next start cooking the ground chicken. This is were I added some seasoning. I just added sea salt and pepper. While that is cooking...grab the spaghetti squash from the fridge and scoop out the spaghetti. Be careful the middle has seeds. I used a spoon to scoop it all out.

Now that you have your "spaghetti" in a big bowl, you can start putting the finishing touches on the sauce.

Once the chicken is done add the heavy whipping cream and garlic cream cheese. Now the  amount you add depends on how much sauce you want. Let that sit for 2 minutes and then add the onions and mushrooms we set aside earlier. Mix it all together for 2 minutes. 

If you haven't noticed this is a pretty low sodium dish and it was done on purpose. Not only is too much sodium bad for us but I also like it when my food doesn't taste all the same. If you have ever had spaghetti squash before, you know it is a tad sweet. Which is why there is no seasoning on it. When you mix the sauce with the "spaghetti" it is a perfect marriage, especially after adding some Parmesan cheese. If you need just a little more salt add Bill Bragg’s amino acids and some pepper flakes for a little kick.