TwoFaced Tuesday: Ginger

"TwoFaced Tuesdays" is a joint venture between CupcakesOMG! and Jenna from The Paleo Project. Each week, we select one secret ingredient and put our own "paleo"/primal spin on it. You can catch up on the entire series here. Also, if you have any special ingredient requests, you can always tweet us (@CupcakesOhMG and @ThePaleoProject) using the hashtag #TwoFacedTuesday.

You wouldn't know it by my usual breakfast of sausage and eggs, but my favorite breakfast items are sweet things: french toast, doughnuts, pain au chocolats, etc. But it's pancakes that really get me. My mom used to make them with blueberries when I was growing up. And not those shit ones that come from a box, but the real kind from scratch, with flour and baking soda. Until recently, the perfect "primal" (I dunno if I like this word any better than this one, but I'm trying here...) pancake eluded me. I really love this version that my mom whipped up, but after they cool, they deflate a bit, kinda like a souffle. They're absolutely delicious, and I encourage you to try them if you haven't, but this weekend I wanted something more substantial. And I wanted it to taste like fall, because following a pretty wicked tornado on Saturday, we had an amazing cool front blow through. Clearly, I needed gingerbread pancakes.

{Surprisingly, not that much ginger goes into gingerbread cupcakes...who knew?}

{Here's what the finished batter should look like--I think that's an important picture
that's often left out. So if it doesn't look like this, you're doing it wrong.}

These pancakes are crazyyyyyy!! They're a little time consuming to make, but what do you expect for something that tastes like fall in your mouth???

I'll be honest--I don't normally put one huge pat of butter on top of a stack of pancakes like this. I normally put a huge pat of butter on top of each pancake so that there's a whole pancake-butter pat-pancake-butter pat situation going on. I just did this for pictures.

I do, however, always douse them in maple syrup...

...lots and lots of liquid amber goodness.

So, are you gonna make these or what??

Yeah, you're gonna make these.

You're also totally gonna make Jenna's Ginger recipe too!!

Primal Gingerbread Pancakes
Makes about 8 medium pancakes or 12 silver dollars

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour, finely ground 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 3 eggs, yolks removed from egg whites
• 1-2 Tbsp. raw honey (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 1/3 cup almond milk (or non dairy milk of your choice)
• coconut oil for cooking

1. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients with a whisk to gently sift and combine.

2. In a small bowl, combine eggs, honey, molasses, and milk.

3. In another medium bowl, whisk egg whites until medium peaks form (about 3-4 minutes with an electric hand mixer).

4. Add egg yolk and molasses mixture to dry ingredients. Mix well until incorporated.

5. Gently fold egg whites into batter, spooning about 1/2 cup in at a time, until all egg whites have been incorporated.

6. Heat a non-stick pan with about a Tbsp. of coconut oil over medium heat. Spoon a couple tablespoons of batter into the pan--about however much you need to make them the size you want, keeping in mind, the smaller the pancake, the easier it will be to flip. 

7. Cook until the first side is set, but not burnt. About 2-3 minutes, depending on your burner. Then, using a thin, flat metal spatula, flip pancake and cook other side another 2 minutes or so. You may have to continue flipping until it's cooked all the way through. Ya know, like a regular pancake.

8. Serve warm with grass-fed butter and real maple syrup.

TwoFaced Tuesday: Strawberry

"TwoFaced Tuesdays" is a joint venture between CupcakesOMG! and Jenna from The Paleo Project. Each week, we select one secret ingredient and put our own paleo spin on it. You can catch up on the entire series here. Also, if you have any special ingredient requests, you can always tweet us (@CupcakesOhMG and @ThePaleoProject) using the hashtag #TwoFacedTuesday.

When I went home for my birthday a few weeks ago, my mom was using this little red gadget to hull strawberries. My mom, who is just as practical as she is excessive, is a firm believer AGAINST a unitasker in the kitchen. In her mind, a good set of knives and few appliances are really all you need. And I agree. So when she told me that this strawberry huller was one of the smartest unitaskers she's ever used, I knew I wanted one. And so did she. So she went out and bought me one the very next day. Aren't moms swell??

This week, Jenna and I got a request from Megan to feature one of summers greatest pleasures: berries. Naturally, I saw this as a ripe (eh...??) opportunity to try out my new unitasker and make yet another GENIUS paleo dessert. Allow me to present to you Paleo Strawberry Mousse.

I've never had a strawberry mousse, but I have had white chocolate mousse and it's one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. Mousse is basically just eggs and cream, so it's pretty much the perfect canvas for a paleo treat.

I did make this in the traditional way, which means there are raw egg whites in it. If you're worried about it then...don't make this. You NEED the eggs whites. But if you're worried about it and up for the "risk", try to get the freshest eggs you can. That's what I do.

This is a simple recipe with only a few ingredients, and although the steps are straightforward, it's important not to rush things. You'll be folding egg whites and it's important to take your time when doing so to prevent losing the air you're going to whip into them.

But if you're willing to take your time (and eat raw eggs), you'll have a delicious and fresh dessert to enjoy.

As a disclaimer, I haven't perfected the texture of this mousse--it's more foamy than it is creamy, but it's still totally nom-able. It's kinda like a really soft ice cream that isn't as cold as ice cream. That said, when I try this again, I think I would add another batch of whipped coconut cream at the end, since the first round of coconut cream becomes runny after adding the strawberry puree. 

But I mean, my god! How can you NOT want to eat this????

I'm also excited to try this with other fruits, since I'm pretty sure you can do it with anything that will puree in a food processor. Peach is next on my list, but they don't make a unitasker for that.

Head over to The Paleo Project to see Jenna's take on berries!

Paleo Strawberry Mousse

Makes about 6 servings

• 6-8 strawberries
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 Tbsp raw honey
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 4 egg whites

1. In a food processor, combine strawberries, lemon juice, and honey. Blend until pureed. It will  be runny.

2. In a stand mixer, whip coconut milk into whipped cream. When using coconut milk, you only want to use the milk solids (none of the water). Some people find that it's easier to scoop out when you refrigerate your cans first, but for some reason that never works for me. Bottom line, just scoop out the opaque white stuff. Leave the clear stuff in the can and save it for a smoothie or whatever.

3. Using another mixer (hand will work just fine), beat egg whites into a stiff peak. 

4. Slowly drizzle in the strawberry puree into your whipped coconut cream. About a Tbsp at a time. You don't have to use all the puree, just as much as you like. The more you use, the runnier your mixture will become. I whipped the coconut cream and strawberry puree mixture again at the end to incorporate more air into it.

5. Add about a cup of the whipped egg whites to the coconut/strawberry mixture, folding gently to incorporate. Continue adding about a cup at a time until all the eggs whites have been added. 

6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

*This will also save pretty well for about a day, just store in an airtight container.

TwoFaced Tuesday: Deviled Eggs

"TwoFaced Tuesdays" is a joint venture between CupcakesOMG! and Jenna from The Paleo Project. Each week, we select one secret ingredient and put our own paleo spin on it. You can catch up on the entire series here. Also, if you have any special ingredient requests, you can always tweet us (@CupcakesOhMG and @ThePaleoProject) using the hashtag #TwoFacedTuesday.

If you follow me on Instagram (it's "cupcakesomg", obvi), not only would your life be complete, but you also would have seen these from a couple weeks ago. They're pickled deviled eggs from a new restaurant in Adam's Morgan called Mintwood, and they are one of the most surprisingly delicious things I've ever eaten.

So, naturally, I had to figure out how to make them. A little clicky clicky on the internet later and I find out these things have been around forever! It's knowing that there are still things in this world to discover like pink deviled eggs that just slightly eases the blow of getting older--I'm 28 in 9 days...send me presents!!

How do they get pink, you might be wondering? Beets, duh! They "pickle" in a beet and apple cider vinegar brine overnight and absorb the gorgeous pink you see before you.

 Then, you make the filling just as you would any deviled egg recipe.

Fill them with a pretty icing tip and voila! You have a showstopper appetizer that would excite anyone, Paleo or not!

Anyone else had pickled deviled eggs before? Am I totally out of it for just NOW discovering these things?? What's your favorite pink food?

Head over to The Paleo Project to see how Jenna tackles Deviled Eggs!!

Pickled Deviled Eggs

• 6 eggs
• 1 can beets, drained
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 sprigs thyme

• 1/3 cup real mayonaisse
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 Tbsp dill relish
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper

1. Hard boil your eggs. Place eggs in a pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes. Turn off water and allow eggs to sit for at least 10 minutes in water.

2. To make eggs easier to peel, plunge warm eggs into a bowl of ice water to bring down the temperature. When cooled, peel eggs.

3. To make pickling bring, combine vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and thyme in a large mason jar. (You'll need a really large jar or bowl to make sure you have enough room for the eggs).

4. Add beets and eggs to the brine. Cover the top of the eggs with a layer of beet slices.

5. Shake eggs in brine a few times to thoroughly coat. Place in refrigerator and allow to pickle for at least 24 hours.

6. After 24 hours, remove eggs from brine. Slice in half.

7. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl. 

8. Add mayo, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper to yolks. Whip with a fork until mixture is smooth and creamy.

9. Using a Ziploc bag and a frosting tip, pipe filling into egg whites.

TwoFaced: Heart of Palm

"TwoFaced Tuesdays" is a joint venture between CupcakesOMG! and Jenna from The Paleo Project. Each week, we select one secret ingredient and put our own paleo spin on it. You can catch up on the entire series here. Also, if you have any special ingredient requests, you can always tweet us (@CupcakesOhMG and @ThePaleoProject) using the hashtag #TwoFacedTuesday.

Last weekend at the lake, Megan's mom put together an incredible antipasto plate with cured meats, marinated olives, and what looked liked mozzarella cheese. Feeling about 6 years old, I hurriedly reached for the stringy cheese. What I then proceeded to eat was not at all cheese, but in fact, heart of palm.

When you pull one of these bone-looking things apart, it's almost identical to cheese, I kid you not. And while it doesn't taste like mozzarella, it's still totally delicious. The texture is that of a cooked bean. I realize that's a weird thing to say, but I'm sorry, it's true. Which got me thinking, as anything bean textured does...this would make a perfect dip!

So, there at the lake, in the pool, I told Jenna we were going to feature heart of palm as our next TwoFaced ingredient. 

 In the biggest shock of the day, heart of palm is exactly what it sounds like. It's the heart of a palm tree.

It's super mild in taste, making it the perfect base for a dip that could be transformed in so many ways. Since it reminded me so much of a white bean, I decided to take on a white bean dip and blended it with lemon, olive oil, and italian parsley.

And since I just had my mind blown at Bandolero, I realized that pork rinds would be the perfect vehicle for getting this dip into my mouth.

Would you believe I had to go to three stores, only to finally end up snagging these from Walgreen's?!! Of course you can! They're pork rinds.

 But dammit if they aren't delicious.

You could also easily turn this dip into the paleo hummus 20-something ladies have been dreaming of by adding tahini and omitting the parsley. In fact, I think I'll do that this weekend. Big plans, folks. Big! Huge! Plans!

Click here for Jenna's take on the Heart of Palm!

Heart of Palm Dip

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

• 1 can heart of palm
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp. Italian parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with pork rinds or carrots and sliced cucumber.