Paleo Tea Party!

Mom's wedding china.

My mom just had her 75th birthday.  We celebrated all weekend long!  Part of the celebrations included a Tea Party (just us girls, of course).  I experimented in the kitchen to create a gluten-free, sugar-free, grain-free, dairy-free -- and because of my sister-in-law's food allergies, cashew-free and almond-free -- feast. 

Paleo baking without almond flour can be tricky, since most recipes include it.  Did you know that you can substitute sunflower seed flour for almond flour?  I made my own by grinding my sunflower seeds in my food processor, but when that didn't get them fine enough, I poured them into my blender.  That created a nice flour-like texture.

You can always substitute coconut milk for almond milk.  There are many ways to get around almonds and cashews if you're allergic to them.  If you're not sure, make a half-recipe to experiment. 

The Menu:

Alyssa's Quinoa Coconut Macaroons
found at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free 
egg whites, honey, shredded coconut, quinoa, salt

Coconut Lemon Meltaway Cookies
found at Addicted to Veggies 
sunflower seed flour, shredded coconut, coconut flour, salt, honey, lemon juice, vanilla, lemon zest, coconut oil

BLT Sandwiches on Macadamia Bread
bread recipe from Against All Grain (substitute macadamia nut butter for the cashew butter and coconut milk for the almond milk) 
macadamia nut butter, eggs, honey, vinegar, coconut milk, coconut flour, baking soda, salt

Cauliflower-Lemon Fruit and Veggie Dip
(tasty on grapes, strawberries, carrots, and celery!)
my Lemon Pudding recipe, made with coconut milk instead of almond milk 
cauliflower, coconut milk, honey, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice

Almond-Free Crackers
found at Elana's Pantry (substitute seeds and ground nuts of your choice for the almond flour) 
sesame seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, salt, fresh rosemary, figs, olive oil, egg

Mini Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
found here (pour the batter into a gallon ziploc, cut off the corner, and squeeze into muffin tin) 
eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, coconut oil, honey, lemon zest, coconut flour, baking soda, poppy seeds

Assorted Herbal Teas with Honey

Quinoa Coconut Macaroons

Macadamia Bread

Coconut Lemon Meltaway Cookies

Mini Lemon Poppyseed Muffins