Paleo Lemon Cookies ( With Lot's of Flavor Variations! )

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Need a little zest in your life?

These cookies are the perfect solution. Any lemon dessert is automatically my favorite. It must be the interestingly delicious combination of sweet and sour. Mix that with a warm cookie and you've got a winner!

Packed with lemon zest, our lemon cookies are a wonderfully refreshing treat. They have that sort of melt-in-your-mouth, chewy texture, which I really love, don't you? I mean, a cookie isn't a cookie if it's not chewy. What's with cookies that have a cake-like texture? Shouldn't those just be called 'cakies'? Long live the chewy cookie *end

rant. Ahem, anyway, let's continue.

And if these cookies aren't already good enough, there are ways you could add a little more flavor dazzle.

 For example, you could toss in some blueberries or add white chocolate chips, if that's your style. You could even use raspberries or replace some of the lemon juice and zest with lime. OR, you could add shredded coconut and coconut chips! The options are endless. I don't know about you, but my mouth is watering Leave a comment below and share if you've tried one of these variations (or one of your own) and tell us how it turned out!

Read below to get started baking these little delights.

Yield: 8 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups almond flour
• 2 Tbs. coconut flour 
• 1/2 Tbs. grass-fed gelatin
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of sea salt
• zest of 2 lemons
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• Optional Add-Ins: blueberries, raspberries, lime, coconut, white chocolate chips, etc.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well until a dough forms.
3. Roll the dough into 8 balls, place them on the baking sheet, and slightly flatten each with the palm of your hand.
4. Place into oven and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Enjoy these zesty treats and don't forget to comment if you try one of the variations or invent your own!

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A Spunky Inquiry:

Do you prefer cookies or 'cakies'?

Mediterranean Salmon

Finally some salmon with flavor!

Salmon is often one of the top protein choices for people in the healthy living community, my family included. Lately we've been having salmon for dinner twice a week. Needless to say, like many of you, we've gotten stuck on the repetitive flavor merry-go-round. Our tried and true favorites needed a little TLC!

 This recipe was fueled by the need for some flavor punch in the taste buds after having given up FODMAPs. That means onion and garlic are no longer able to steal the show. Enter some delicious feta cheese. I know, I know, at the mere mention of dairy many of you are already raging in protest. 'Dairy products aren't paleo,' you say, 'some of us can't eat dairy'. Hear me out for a second.

Doing special diets to heal your gut are all about individual needs. I personally tolerate certain cheeses well as do many others, and if you do not or you choose not to consume dairy, that's okay too! And for that portion of my audience, you will be pleased to know, you can just as easily use a dairy-free alternative!

For our dairy-free friends, you can choose any sharp vegan cheese or homemade dairy free cheese in place of the feta. The taste won't be exactly the same, however it will be delicious in its own rite. Yay, for options!

On to the recipe...

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets
• 3 Tbs. grass-fed butter or ghee
• Zest of 1 large lemon
• 2 tsp. dried dill
• 1 Tbs. dried parsely
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 cup feta cheese (Dairy-free option: 1/2 cup sharp vegan cheese or homemade dairy free cheese)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl combine melted butter or ghee with all remaining ingredients except the cheese.
3. Place salmon fillets on the baking sheet and spoon mixture evenly over the top of each fillet.
4. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and plate the fish, garnishing each with the cheese.

I hope you like this recipe as much as we did! Ours was paired with a side of green beans and a sweet potato, but this would go beautifully with just about anything. Enjoy!

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A Spunky Inquiry:

Which recipes need new life in your kitchen?