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Dairy-Free

Hummingbird Cupcakes (GF/DF)

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Straight on shot of hummingbird cupcakes sitting on a cutting board.

These hummingbird cupcakes are the perfect spring-time sweet treat! They taste incredibly decedent despite being grain, dairy, and refined sugar-free. These adorable cupcakes are chock-full of delicious crushed pineapple and shredded coconut. And in case you thought they couldn’t get any better, they’re also topped off with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting that is out-of-this-world good.

Hummingbird cupcake topped with pineapple and toasted coconut with a bite taken out.

It’s funny because I’m literally eating a hummingbird cupcake (and getting cream cheese frosting all over my keyboard) as I write this. I’m full-on addicted to the babies. They’re sweet, but not too sweet. Incredibly versatile – enjoy them as a snack, dessert, or heck you can even eat them for breakfast!

The first time I ever ate a hummingbird-anything was at this cute little muffin place by my parents house. My mom got me to try one of their hummingbird muffins and I’ve truly been hooked ever since. I then discovered hummingbird cake and was like – woahhhh, I didn’t know life could get EVEN better! And in case you’re like, Sam WTF is a hummingbird cupcake?! It’s similar to carrot cake, but has crushed pineapple and shredded coconut instead of carrots. It also features a cream cheese frosting, just like carrot cake. If you’re looking for a muffin instead of a cupcake, simply make these without the cream cheese frosting. My suggestion here is – take a plain cupcake, top it with a little crunchy almond butter, and enjoy it as a sweet afternoon snack!

What You Need To Make Hummingbird Cupcakes

Almond Flour – I chose almond flour as the base of these cupcakes for two reasons. One, it’s grain-free, making these cupcakes so light and healthy that you could literally eat them for breakfast if you wanted to. And two, it yields a soft, crumbly cupcake that doesn’t fall apart when bitten into, but also isn’t too dense.

Coconut Sugar – Just a 1/2 cup of coconut sugar is all you need in these cupcakes! This is what I mean by they’re sweet, but not too sweet. Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index than the usual white sugar. It also contains many more vitamins and minerals than most other sugars. If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can either use brown sugar, cane sugar, or white sugar instead.

Mashed Bananas – You won’t find a single hummingbird recipe without mashed bananas in it. In conjunction with the pineapple and coconut, a little banana is truly magnificent. It adds a touch of sweetness and incredible flavor. You can use 1 cup of apple sauce instead, if you’d like.

Crushed Pineapple – Like I said earlier, crushed pineapple is a main ingredient in these hummingbird cupcakes. I buy canned crushed pineapple and rinse out the liquid before using in this recipe. Though you can use finely chopped fresh pineapple instead.

Shredded Coconut – Similar to the crushed pineapple, these wouldn’t be hummingbird cupcakes without a little coconut. My one thing when baking with coconut is to make sure it is unsweetened. Our cupcakes are sweet enough, we don’t need the coconut adding to that.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

  • Make it Paleo – Leave out the dairy-free cream cheese frosting and you’ll have yourself delicious little paleo hummingbird muffins!
  • Make it Vegan – Use your favorite egg-substitute in place of the eggs in this recipe. I have not tested this recipe using flax eggs, though I can image that it will yield less-fluffy but still tasty cupcakes.
  • Make it Sugar-Free – Leave out the frosting and sub 1/2 cup of your favorite sugar-free sweetener for the coconut sugar. You can also leave out the coconut sugar altogether, if you’d like!
Hummingbird Cupcakes (GF/DF)
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Hummingbird Cupcakes (GF/DF)

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate
Servings

12

cupcakes
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Almond Flour, see NOTES

  • 1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar

  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

  • 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

  • 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted, see NOTES

  • 1 Cup Mashed Banana, about 2 bananas

  • 2 Eggs, see NOTES

  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

  • 1/2 Cup Crushed Pineapple, drained

  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut, unsweetened

  • For the cream cheese frosting:

  • 1/2 Cup Dairy-Free Cream Cheese

  • 1/4 Cup Dairy-Free Butter, softened

  • 2 Cups Powdered Sugar

  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.Hummingbird Cupcakes Process Photo 1
  • In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.Hummingbird Cupcakes Process Photo 2
  • In a small bowl, mix together the coconut oil, mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla extract.Hummingbird Cupcakes Process Photo 3
  • Add the wet ingredients, crushed pineapple, and shredded coconut into the dry ingredients and mix to combine.Hummingbird Cupcakes Process Photo 4
  • Fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup of batter and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.Hummingbird Cupcakes Process Photo 5
  • Transfer cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.DSC_0118Hummingbird Cupcakes Process Photo 6
  • Make the frosting by adding all ingredients to a bowl and beating with either a hand or stand mixer until combined. Dollop frosting onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!DSC_0118Hummingbird Cupcakes Process Photo 7

Notes

  • Almond Flour: Be sure to use almond flour, not almond meal.
  • Coconut Oil: You can use 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or melted butter instead.
  • Eggs: I like to remove my eggs from the fridge a couple hours before baking. If your eggs are too cold when added to the batter, they might cause your coconut oil to re-harden.

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Dinner

Paleo Chicken Pot Pies (GF/DF)

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Overhead shot of three mini paleo chicken pot pies with a scoop taken out.

These paleo chicken pot pies are equal parts delicious and adorable! Extremely cozy, rich, and satisfying – this recipe will quickly become one of your favorites. These individual paleo chicken pot pies contain all of the flavor of traditional chicken pot pie, but are much lighter and healthier.

Overhead shot of three mini paleo chicken pot pies with a scoop taken out.

I was super worried about this recipe. It seemed like a bit of a stretch and I just wasn’t too confident that it would work. You guys, not only did it work, but it turned out INCREDIBLE! These paleo chicken pot pies quickly moved to my #1 favorite recipes I’ve ever made, knocking my healthy hot chocolate out of its spot. The crust on these pies is incredibly buttery, without actually containing any butter. The filling is super rich and creamy, without actually containing any cream. I honestly just can’t believe the sorcery of these paleo chicken pot pies! I had heard that miracles exist, but didn’t truly believe it until now.

What You Need To Make Paleo Chicken Pot Pies

Almond Flour – Almond flour creates the base of this paleo chicken pot pie crust. If you don’t already have almond flour and plan on doing more paleo baking, I definitely recommend you buy some. Though be sure to use almond flour, and not almond meal.

Palm Oil Shortening – This is the paleo equivalent to vegetable shortening. Therefore, if you’re not paleo you can use vegetable shortening instead. In my experience, shortening makes the BEST pie crusts – better than butter. Though if you’d like, you can use cold butter instead of shortening.

Arrowroot Starch – This is the paleo equivalent of corn starch! Since we don’t use heavy cream in this recipe, we rely on a thickener, such as arrowroot starch, to thicken up the filling. If you’re not paleo, you can use corn starch instead.

Coconut Milk – I promise your pot pies won’t taste like coconut! This is another ingredient that will help thicken the filling. Coconut milk also makes these paleo chicken pot pies taste super rich and comforting.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Dietary Needs

  • Add Dairy: Use 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter instead of palm shortening and 1/2 cup of whole milk instead of coconut milk.
  • Make it Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and about 8 ounces of white button mushrooms in place of the chicken in this recipe. If using mushrooms, chop and then add them in with the vegetables in step 5.
Paleo Chicken Pot Pies
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Paleo Chicken Pot Pies

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

40

minutes

These paleo chicken pot pies are equal parts delicious and adorable! Extremely cozy, rich, and satisfying – this recipe will quickly become one of your favorites. These individual paleo chicken pot pies contain all of the flavor of traditional chicken pot pie, but are much lighter and healthier.

Ingredients

  • For the pie crust:

  • 1 Cup Almond Flour

  • 1/2 Cup Tapioca Starch

  • 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

  • 1/3 Cup Palm Shortening, see Notes

  • 1 Egg

  • Cold Water, as needed

  • For the filling:

  • 1 Tablespoon Olive oil

  • 1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped

  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

  • 1/2 Cup Carrots, chopped

  • 1/2 Cup Celery, chopped

  • 1 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme, see Notes

  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

  • 2 Tablespoons Arrowroot Starch, see Notes

  • 1 Cup Chicken Broth

  • 1/2 Cup Full-Fat Coconut Milk, unsweetened

  • 2 Cups Cooked Chicken, cubed

  • 1/2 Cup Peas (fresh or frozen)

  • For the egg wash:

  • 1 Egg, whisked

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
  • Mix together the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-01
  • Add palm shortening and gently break apart with a fork until mixture is crumbly.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-02
  • Fold in the egg and gently mix until a dough forms. If mixture is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until it forms into a ball. Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-03
  • Roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4-inch thick, then place in the freezer.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-04
  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are just barely tender.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-05
  • Add in arrowroot starch and cook for 1 minute before adding in the chicken broth and coconut milk. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-06
  • Add in the cooked chicken and frozen peas, mix to combine. Transfer filling to 4 ramekins.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-08
  • Remove pie crust from freezer and remove one side of parchment paper. Carefully cut into circles large enough to cover each ramekin. Gently transfer each circle to each ramekin, patching the dough as needed.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-09
  • Brush each pot pie with egg wash and cut a 2-inch slit in the center of the crust.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-10
  • Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.Paleo-Pot-Pie-Process-Photo-Low-Res-11

Notes

  • Palm Shortening: You can use vegetable shortening or cold unsalted butter in place of the palm shortening in this recipe.
  • Fresh Thyme: If you can’t get your hands on any fresh thyme, use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead.
  • Arrowroot Starch: You can use corn starch instead or arrowroot starch in this recipe.

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30 Minutes or Less

Paleo Chicken Nuggets + Healthy Honey Mustard (GF/DF)

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Paleo Chicken Nuggets Recipe

These paleo chicken nuggets are incredibly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Impressively simple to make, this recipe is the healthier answer to your fast food craving. And don’t forget the healthy honey mustard – it’s just four ingredients and the PERFECT companion to these paleo chicken nuggets!

Paleo chicken nuggets are finally here! I’ve actually been making this recipe for months, fine-tuning it every time. I’m a firm believer in chicken nuggets always having a place in our lives. They’re not just to enjoy throughout childhood, but adulthood too …and eventually senior-hood.

I also have a secret for how to eat these paleo chicken nuggets that makes them just a little more grown-up. I make a double batch at the beginning of the week, and throw them in all my salads as a crispy, delicious protein! Now I will say, if you plan on doing the same, to reheat these chicken nuggets I highlyyyy recommend warming them up in the oven as apposed to the microwave. The microwave makes these a little soggy, whereas the oven keeps the outside layer nice and crunchy. To do this, set your oven to 400° Fahrenheit and heat your paleo chicken nuggets on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes or until they’re warm throughout.

And of course, you can enjoy these nuggets anyway you’d like! Another favorite method of mine is serving them with my air fryer sweet potato fries. I also included a BONUS healthy honey mustard recipe for you guys below. Paleo chicken nuggets, air fryer sweet potato fries, and healthy honey mustard is a killer combo. It honestly tastes like you ordered fast food for dinner, but is WAY HEALTHIER.

What You Need To Make Paleo Chicken Nuggets and Healthy Honey Mustard

Almond Flour – If you don’t already have a bag of almond flour in your cabinet, I highly recommend you go out and buy one. I use almond flour in a TON of my recipes, and not just the paleo ones. It’s a great gluten-free and paleo flour substitute, and that’s exactly how we use it in these paleo chicken nuggets.

Tapioca Starch – Another item I highly recommend you pick up next time you’re at the grocery store. Tapioca starch is a great item to have if you intend to cook more paleo recipes. It can act as a substitute to corn starch and since almond flour alone can be kind of dense, tapioca starch really helps to lighten up the crispy coating.

Dijon Mustard – Well, obviously! Dijon is my personal favorites of all the mustards. In my eyes, it’s a more mature yellow mustard. I wouldn’t recommend subbing a different kind of mustard for the dijon in this recipe. Dijon adds a little spice, helping this healthy honey mustard tasting almost identical to your regular ole’ honey mustard.

Paleo Chicken Nuggets + Healthy Honey Mustard (GF/DF)
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Paleo Chicken Nuggets + Healthy Honey Mustard (GF/DF)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: American
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

These paleo chicken nuggets are incredibly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Impressively simple to make, this recipe is the healthier answer to your fast food craving. And don’t forget the healthy honey mustard – it’s just four ingredients and the PERFECT companion to these paleo chicken nuggets!

Ingredients

  • For the chicken nuggets:

  • 1 1/2 Pounds Chicken Breast, see Notes

  • 1 Egg

  • 1 Cup Almond Flour

  • 1/4 Cup Tapioca Starch

  • 1 Teaspoon Paprika

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

  • 2 Teaspoons Salt, divided

  • For the healthy honey mustard:

  • 1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard, see Notes

  • 1/4 Cup Honey

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice, see Notes

Directions

  • Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the almond flour, tapioca starch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.Paleo Chicken Nuggets Process Photo 3
  • Using one hand, place each piece of chicken into the egg, then with the other hand, dredge chicken in the flour mixture.Paleo Chicken Nuggets Process Photo 4
  • To fry: Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a pan over medium/high heat. Working in batches, as to not overcrowd the pan, fry each chicken nugget for 2-3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
    OR
    To bake: Preheat your oven to 425° Fahrenheit, place nuggets on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.Paleo Chicken Nuggets Process Photo 5
  • For the healthy honey mustard:
  • Add all honey mustard ingredients to a bowl and whisk until combined.Healthy Honey Mustard Process Photo

Notes

  • Chicken Breast: You’ll be cutting the chicken into bite-sized chunks in the first step of this recipe. I usually cut mine between 2-3 inches big. However, you can definitely cut your chicken into whatever shape/sized you’d like, just take that into consideration when you’re frying or baking your nuggets.
  • Dijon Mustard: I would not recommend subbing any other type of mustard, dijon works BEST in this recipe.
  • Lemon Juice: You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar instead of lemon juice, if you’d like.

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Dairy-Free

Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

These paleo spaghetti and meatballs are next level. Tender meatballs are met with a homemade tomato sauce loaded with flavor and fresh herbs! This is my all-time favorite Sunday dinner, you can’t beat this healthier recipe.

Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

I was pretty much raised on spaghetti and meatballs. To this day, it is my all-time favorite meal. I was a little spoiled growing up, both my Mom and Nonna made their meatballs from scratch. I have one especially vivid memory of helping my Nonna roll meatballs at the kitchen table. With these incredible spaghetti and meatball memories sitting in the back of my mind since I launched this blog, I knew I needed to create a dairy-free and gluten-free meatball recipe ASAP. And then I figured, while I’m at it, might as well make ’em paleo. So that’s exactly what I did!

What You Need To Make Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ground Beef and Ground Pork – A 1:1 ratio of these meats yield the world’s most perfectly tender and moist (sorry!) meatballs. I’ve tried them with just ground beef and let me assure you, they are not the same.

Dairy-Free Milk – I recommend almond, cashew, or soy milk here! If you’re not dairy-free, feel free to use just regular ole’ milk instead.

Almond Flour – This takes the place of breadcrumbs in our recipe. Almond flour is necessary to help bind the meatballs and give them that nice, soft texture. If you don’t have almond flour, you can use almond meal instead. If you’re not gluten-free or paleo, you can use regular breadcrumbs instead.

Whole Peeled Tomatoes – These pack the most flavor for your sauce. You might notice a few whole tomatoes lingering after you cook your meatballs. If this happens, then gently press down on them with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up.

Jovial Grain Free Cassava Spaghetti – This product is relatively new to the Jovial lineup and oh boy am I excited it exists. For the longest time, zucchini noodles were the only paleo pasta option and they always failed to curb my pasta cravings. This cassava spaghetti is the closest paleo version you’ll get to the real thing. I set my expectations low, but was pleasantly surprised by both the taste and texture! Even my gluten-loving Dad and Boyfriend had nothing bad to say about it – I definitely recommend.

Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

FAQs

Can I just use one type of ground meat?
I highly recommend using both ground beef and ground pork for the ultimate meatballs. Though, you can use just ground beef if you’d like. Simply sub an extra pound of ground beef for the pork.
Can I leave out the eggs?
Definitely not. The eggs are what hold our meatballs together. If you leave out the eggs, then your meatballs will totally fall apart on you – no thanks!
What if I don’t have fresh parsley?
If for some reason you can’t find fresh parsley, you can substitute fresh basil instead. And if you can’t find fresh basil, try using 1/4 the amount of dried basil.

Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Russo Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Intermediate
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

40

minutes

These paleo spaghetti and meatballs are next level. Tender meatballs are met with a homemade tomato sauce loaded with flavor and fresh herbs! This is my all-time favorite Sunday dinner, and I love that this recipe is much healthier.

Ingredients

  • For the meatballs:

  • 1 Pound Ground Beef

  • 1 Pound Ground Pork, see NOTES

  • 2 Garlic Cloves, minced

  • 2 Eggs

  • 1/4 Cup Non-Dairy Milk, see NOTES

  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, finely chopped

  • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

  • 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

  • For the sauce:

  • 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

  • 28oz Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes

  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped

  • 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

  • 1 Teaspoon Salt

  • 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

  • For serving:

  • Jovial Grain Free Cassava Spaghetti, see NOTES

  • Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped

Directions

  • For the meatballs:
  • Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing together with your hands.
  • Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, measure out 2 tablespoon of meat per meatball and roll into a ball using the palms of your hands. Then place each prepared meatball on a baking sheet of large plate and set aside.Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs Process Photo 1
  • Once all meatballs are prepped, heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.
  • Working in batches, sear your meatballs for 2-3 minutes per side. They do not need to be cooked through, you are just forming a nice crispy crust on the outside. Remove all meatballs from the pot and then set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs Process Photo 2
  • For the sauce:
  • Sauté the garlic in the same pot your cooked your meatballs in over medium-low heat for 2 minutes.
  • Add all other sauce ingredients and then give everything a quick stir to combine.Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs Process Photo 3
  • Gently add your meatballs back into the pot (it’s ok to stack them on top of each other).Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs Process Photo 4
  • Cover pot with lid, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Serve over grain free pasta of choice!Paleo Spaghetti and Meatballs Process Photo 5

Notes

  • You can omit the pork and use 2 pounds of ground beef instead.
  • I recommend you use almond, cashew or soy milk for this recipe. You want a milk with a very mild flavor, so avoid using coconut milk.
  • Jovial’s Grain Free Cassava Spaghetti is my recommended pasta option. You can use zucchini noodles or any pasta you’d like!

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