Friday, February 3, 2012

Paleo Snacks for the Super Bowl

A few Super Bowl paleo/primal friendly snacks

With the Super Bowl around the corner and the end of the Paleo/Primal Challenge, I decided to make a few Paleo/Primal treats so I do not end up eating 5 bags of chips I don't even like on Sunday.  After all if I am going to "cheat," it better be on something ridiculously delicious that I cannot make.  

 These are snacks I plan on making for Sunday: Guacamole, Plantain Chips, Bacon and Guacamole Sammies, Deviled Eggs, Kale Chips, Cran-Ginger Cookies, and of course, meatballs!  They are super quick recipes, and delicious enough for all your non-Paleo/Primal friends to enjoy while wasted.

 Get ready for a bunch of recipes, including a Paleo dessert, which is a first!

Guacamole | Plantain Chips | Bacon and Guacamole Sammies | Deviled Eggs | Kale Chips | Cran-Ginger Cookies | Marvelous Meatballs 

 ... and more (2013 post!):
Deep Fried Guacamole | Spicy Buffalo Wings + Blue Cheese Sauce | Sweet Potato Fries | Stuffed Mushrooms | Mozzarella-Basil-Tomato Bites

Tools (overall):

Guacamole: ~15-20 minutes.  I literally eat this daily and with almost everything.  
  • 5 Hass Avocados
  • 2-4 Jalapenos, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Red Onion, finely chopped
  • 1-2 small Roma Tomatoes, chopped
  • Handful of fresh cilantro leaves (maybe about 1/4 cup after chopped), finely chopped
  • 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh Lime Juice
  • Salt and Pepper
Using the food processor, pulse and mix the jalapenos, red onion, cilantro, and garlic.  Put the contents in a mixing bowl.  Add the chopped tomatoes.  Cut and remove the avocados from it's skin.  Toss out the seed and add them to the mixing bowl.  Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper.  Use a fork, spoon, or two spoons, whatever, to mash the avocado and mix up the ingredients.


Plantain Chips (from Everyday Paleo): ~15 minutes.  A very delicious Paleo treat.  This tasted awesome with the guacamole above!
Leave the peel on the plantain and cut off the ends.  Slice the plantains (peel still on to prevent smashing) as thin as possible.  Remove the peel and place plantains in a skillet of hot coconut oil.  Fry for ~2 minutes on each side.
2. Plantain chips and guacamole.


Guacamole and Bacon Sammies (from Nom Nom Paleo): ~8 minutes.  Saw this on Nom Nom Paleo.  Super simple, mindless, and quick.  Who doesn't love bacon?!
  • Guacamole from above
  • 1 pack of Bacon
Cook the bacon until crisp.  Cut each piece of bacon in half and put guacamole in between.
3. Bacon and avocado sammies.
Deviled Eggs (from Everyday Paleo):  ~15-20 minutes.  I've always had a thing for deviled eggs. I chose to make the more traditional version of deviled eggs instead of my guacamole with bacon deviled eggs to avoid overkill on the guac.  I used Good Mayo (?) from Whole Foods instead of making my own to save some time.  It's made out of free range eggs, organic ingredients, and I think olive oil.
  • 12 Hard Boiled Eggs
  • 1/3 cup all natural Mayonnaise (or make your own)
  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 Tbsp fresh Dill, minced (optional)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Paprika
Peel eggs and cut them in half, lengthwise.  Scoop the yolks into a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork/spoon.  Add in all ingredients except the paprika.  Fill the egg halves with the mixture and sprinkle paprika on the top.

4. Deviled Eggs!


Crispy Kale Chips: ~20 minutes.  This and guacamole are probably my favorite foods to munch on at work.  Made these in the oven instead of the dehydrator.  One bunch of kale goes out quickly so I suggest multiplying this recipe.  They're quick to make (most of the total time is spent in the oven) and way cheaper than buying kale chips at the store (the ones I like are ~$7 for a small bag).
  • 1 bunch of Green Kale, rib removed and cut into pieces
  • 1-2 Tbsp Macadamia Nut Oil, or whatever oil.
  • Garlic Powder
  • Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to 350F.  Make sure the kale is super dry.  I like to use the OXO salad spinner to help me with this.  Remove the rib and cut the kale into bite-sized pieces.  Toss kale in macadamia nut oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Arrange kale leaves flat onto a large baking sheet.  Bake at 350F for about 12-15 minutes.  Flip at least once, halfway.
5. Crispy Kale Chips.
Paleo Cran-Ginger Cookies (from Civilized Caveman Cooking):  ~30 minutes.  This is the first recipe I tried from Civilized Caveman Cooking... and the first Paleo recipe where I used a sweetener!  He has a lot of Paleo/Primal dessert recipes.  I'm not big on Paleo treats and desserts, since I rather have the real deal as a cheat.  But since it's Super Bowl time, Paleo challenge is over, and just out of curiosity, I decided to give one of his recipes a try.  
  • 2.5 cups Almond Meal/Flour
  • 1/2 cup Almond Butter (if you use salted almond butter, skip the salt)
  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
  • 1/2 cup Honey (I used Coconut Nectar, and I think this could be 1/4 cup, others seem to disagree.  I'm not a fan of sugary cookies)
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Ginger (or 2-3x this if you only have fresh ginger)
  • 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt (skip this if you used salted almond butter)
  • 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (you can get the juice sweetened ones at Whole Foods)
Preheat the oven to 350F.  Combine all the ingredients above except for the cranberries and mix them well with a hand mixer (or if you don't have one like me, with spoons and a fork).  Using a cookie scoop, or your hands, place scoops of cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet (or foil greased with oil), leaving some room between the cookies.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Start checking at around 10 minutes so they don't burn.  Cool and serve.

6. Cranberry Ginger Cookies.

.... and of course, meatballs!
7. Marvelous meatballs with extra sauce.
Hope you guys enjoy the snack recipes and lets go Pats!

Related Posts: Primal Snacks for the Super Bowl 2013
Related Recipes: Guacamole Deviled Eggs with Bacon | Crispy Caramelized Grilled Kale | Roasted Brussels Sprout Chips
Posted by Jes at 10:48 AM
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