Paleo Kitchen: Pizza + Truffles

Ah! Today's my first installment of my favorite paleo recipes that you need to try out! I'm going above and beyond the basic paleo staples and give you a meal.

I was craving, and I mean craving, some pizza and a nice decadent chocolate dessert. So guess what I did? Made some :). I was so close to running (like actually running, sprinting) to the Pizza Hut behind my house to get some pizza. I keep getting bombarded with Pizza Hut's latest pizza and the resistance has been great until the craving began.

So today I will tell you what I made and how I made it, starting first with the pizza (obvi!)

Goat Cheese Pizza (12 inches)

Guys, I really hope you can eat goat cheese. It is the weirdest best thing I have ever eaten. It's strong and a bit bitter but it grows on you. Plus, it makes a GREAT pizza topping if you can't or won't eat dairy products from cows. I bought goat milk cheese from a local certified farm that lets its animals roam free, pasture-raised, healthy eating... You know, all the good things. So, without further ado...

Ingredients

• 6 oz Tapioca Flour/Starch + 4 oz (separated)
• 2.5 oz Coconut Flour + 2 oz (separated)
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup warm-hot water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 whisked egg
• 6-8 oz Pizza Sauce (I have a bomb-ass recipe for my homemade pizza sauce. I'll share it in the next couple of days, but more or less I used diced tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, chives, oregano, basil, cilantro, salt all blended in a blender, then simmered for 12-15 minutes, then added 3 ounces of tomato paste and simmered for another 10 minutes.)
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, diced bell peppers, and onions cooked in coconut oil, drained
• 1 cup diced chicken, cooked (I sautéed mine in some rum!)
• 1 oz raw onions, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded goat cheese
• 1 tbsp melted ghee (organic, clarified butter)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• In a medium-large bowl, mix the 6 oz of tapioca flour, 2.5 oz of coconut flour, and salt.
• Add the olive oil and warm water. Mix.
• Add the whisked egg. Mix.
• Slowly add the rest of the coconut flour until it is easily formable into a ball of dough.
• Sprinkle an ounce of tapioca flour on a cutting board and then knead about 2 ounces of tapioca flour into the ball of dough.
• Sprinkle a little bit of tapioca flour onto parchment paper (and then place that parchment paper on top of a pizza pan, if you have one), and sprinkle the rest of the flour on your rolling pin.
• Roll out your dough on the parchment paper to a 12 inch circle, making sure the dough is even (because we do not want the edges to crisp)
• Bake for about 10 minutes.
• Make sure your ingredients/toppings are warm.
• Remove from oven. Lower heat to 350 degrees.
• Apply 2 ounces of pizza sauce.
• Then add the mushroom/peppers/onions.
• Then add the rest of the pizza sauce (depending on how saucy you want it!)
• Add the chicken.
• Add the raw onions.
• Sprinkle the cheese.
• Brush the ghee on the crust area.
• Place back in oven. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese starts slightly browning.
• Enjoy!

Coconut Date Truffles

Healthy, not overly sweet, customizable, and just all around amazing. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of dates, pitted, diced (try to use fresh ones as opposed to pre-packaged ones_
• 1/2 cup of coconut flakes, broken
• 100% cacao powder
• 1 oz cacao chips
• 2 cups of strongly brewed warm coffee
• 1 tbsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg powder

Instructions

• Let the dates sit in the coffee for about 5 minutes. 
• Drain.
• Using a wooden spoon, mash and mix the dates with the cacao chips, cinnamon, and nutmeg until the dates have a paste-like consistency. 
• Mix in the coconut flakes.
• Form the paste into round 1 inch balls and then roll them in the cacao powder until it is all coated. 
• Place in fridge to harden for at least 30 minutes. Leave refrigerated until use.
• Enjoy with a nice glass of wine ;). Pictured is a "wine" made out of plums! It works perfectly for both red and white dishes.  

I made these for my family and they loved it! Being paleo has been a bit tough, especially we are a huge rice-eater family. I miss rice, ugh. But from time to time, they let me cook for the family, which has definitely made my life so much easier because then they're doing it with me. I love cooking and baking and I can't wait to discover more recipes and find out what works and doesn't work so that I can share them with you guys! Let me know if you have good recipes I need to try out :).

Voilá! Bon appetite, mon cheri.