Carob Ganache Mini Tortes

The Paleo Approach Cookbook has been on bookshelves for just over a week and people are loving it!!! WOOT!

The Paleo Approach Cookbook is currently available from several popular retailers: Amazon (USA), Amazon (CA), Barnes&Noble, Independent Bookstores, and Book Depository for international locations.

I know that many of you already know what this book is about and as excited to see it out in the world as I am. For those of you who aren’t familiar, here is a summary:

• over 200 recipes!  Each recipe includes cook time, prep time, servings, tips, variations, nutrition facts, FODMAP alerts, and a photograph for every recipe!! This huge number of recipes guarantees that there’s something for everyone!
• hundreds of recipe variations!  So you’re never bored!  In fact, this recipe preview includes three delicious variations at the bottom.
• 6 one-week meal plans!  Complete with Shopping Lists and Plan Ahead guide. Two of the meal plans are low-FODMAP.
• summary of the Paleo Approach diet!  Without all the detailed science.  Includes complete food lists, budget tips, important things to keep in mind when making food choices, and where to source quality foods.
• over 100 pages of resources!  Including cooking guides, kitchen How-Tos, shopping lists, food storage guides, kitchen tool essentials, cooking glossary of terms, time management strategies, how to read labels, recipe Top Ten, alphabetical Yes-No-Maybe-So list of foods, and MORE!
• 8 tear-away guides!  Including the six meal plans with shopping lists and reading labels guides.
• easy navigation!  Complete Table of Contents, Chapter Contents, Visual Thumbnail Index, and Complete Topic-Ingredient-Recipe Index!

Cookbook FAQ

What’s the difference between The Paleo Approach and The Paleo Approach Cookbook ?  The Paleo Approach is the guidebook.  It includes detailed scientific explanations behind each facet of how to eat and which lifestyle factors to prioritize to regulate the immune system and heal the body, including 1200 scientific references.  This is the book for people who want to understand the detailed Why’s behind this diet, along with tips for transitions, working with your doctor, medical test and treatments that might be helpful, troubleshooting, and when and how to reintroduce foods.  The Paleo Approach Cookbook is the companion cookbook which includes over 200 recipes, all strict autoimmune protocol (AIP), and lots of resources (over 100 pages worth!) to help you be successful in the kitchen while you tackle the diet recommendations in The Paleo Approach (The Paleo Approach does not contain any recipes).

Is The Paleo Approach Cookbook all weird stuff and hard-to-find ingredients?  A few reviewers have commented that after flipping through The Paleo Approach Cookbook, they couldn’t find any recipes for which they could source ingredients or the book was entirely recipes using offal and other weird ingredients.  It may seem overwhelming for someone who isn’t used to eating this way to flip through The Paleo Approach Cookbook and see so many recipes using ingredients they aren’t familiar with, but only one third of the recipes use ingredients that you might not find in your standard grocery store (but can find from local farmers, specialty stores like Whole Foods, and/or online).  Pages 34-36 detail how to go about finding specialty ingredients used in the cookbook.  Pages 37-41 detail strategies for following this diet on a tight budget.  While we’re at it, pages 72-76 provide strategies for minimizing time in the kitchen.  The majority of the recipes in this book also contain variations, and most of the recipes using more unusual ingredients contain variations to swap out harder-to-find ingredients for more conventional ones.  For example, the recipe for Beef Cheek and Daikon Radish Stew contains instructions on how to swap out ingredients to make a Basic Beef Stew.  The reason why there are so many recipes in The Paleo Approach Cookbook compared to other cookbooks at this price point is so that including these more innovative and unusual recipes was extra, a bonus over an already big cookbook (it’s typical for cookbooks at this price pint to have 100-120 recipes compared to over 200 in The Paleo Approach Cookbook).  It makes sure that there’s plenty for everyone.  Even if half of the recipes don’t appeal to you, there’s still 100 to make!

Why are there dessert recipes in The Paleo Approach Cookbook?  Yes, if you’ve read The Paleo Approach, you know that sugar and high fructose consumption can be problems.  However,  two dozen dessert recipes are included  in The Paleo Approach Cookbook for the very simple reason that they help make following this diet sustainable.  Some of these recipes are simply dessertlike presentations of fruit, which could be enjoyed daily (keeping total fructose consumption in mind and making sure that blood sugar is well regulated).  Some, like this preview recipe for Carob Ganach Mini Tortes, are much more decadent and should be reserved for special occasions.

Carob Ganache Mini Tortes

Need a decadent chocolate fix or a beautiful but simple dessert to serve company? This recipe definitely fits the bill. The combination of carob powder, vanilla, coconut, and cinnamon is surprisingly similar to chocolate. This ganache is beautiful when chilled in a silicone mold and inverted onto a plate. However, you can also keep it simple and pour into individual ramekins or even a big serving bowl and just spoon out individual servings when you’re ready.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes, plus 3 to 4 hours chilling time
• Servings: 2 to 4
• Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• ²⁄3 cup homemade Coconut Milk or canned full-fat coconut milk
• ¹⁄3 cup extra-virgin coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract or 1½ teaspoons vanilla powder
• ¹⁄3 cup carob powder
• Dash of ground cinnamon

1. Bring the coconut milk, coconut oil, and vanilla to a low simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. If using vanilla extract, let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, to burn off the majority of the alcohol (if using vanilla powder, skip the simmering and simply heat to melt the coconut oil).
2. Pour the coconut milk mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the carob and cinnamon and blend for 30 seconds, to 1 minute to thoroughly combine.
3. Pour into individual ramekins, silicone molds, or a large serving bowl. Chill until set, 3 to 4 hours.
4. Enjoy plain or serve with berries.

Special Equipment:

• Blender or food processor
• Ramekins, silicone molds, or serving dish

Tips:

Simmering the vanilla in the coconut milk burns off only about half of the alcohol. If you know that you are very sensitive to alcohol, use vanilla powder or omit the vanilla.

Variations:

• Mint “Chocolate” Ganache Torte. Instead of using cinnamon, add a few drops of peppermint oil.
• Rum-Ball Ganache Torte. Heat 4 tablespoons dark rum and simmer until 2 tablespoons are left. Use in place of the vanilla.
• “Chocolate” Mousse. Increase the amount of coconut milk to 1 cup. Pour into individual ramekins or a large serving bowl to chill (the mousse does not work in silicone molds).

FODMAP Alert:

If you do not tolerate coconut milk, skip this recipe.

Want more? The Paleo Approach Cookbook is currently available from several popular retailers: Amazon (USA), Amazon (CA), Barnes&Noble, Independent Bookstores, and Book Depository for international locations.