(*This recipe was posted in my other blog PaleoCurious in 2013 and I am reposting it here)

Last weekend, I went to Omaha, NE to visit some of my favorite college chums.  We try to get together 1-2 times a year because it's cheaper than therapy.  This past trip was a blast as we laughed, make fun of each other, and watched a movie that we later quoted from the rest of the weekend. (If you haven't seen Sordid Lives, go watch it on Netflix...it is hilarious!) Our friend Stacie made some incredible paleo pumpkin muffins.  I know there are a gazillion pumpkin muffin recipes out there, but I can tell you these were legit.  Her recipe has some honey in it, but if you are doing a Whole30, no sugar version of paleo, they still taste good without the added sugar.  I've made them sans the sugar so I know!

1/4 C coconut flour
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves
***OR  2 t pumpkin pie spice instead of individual spices
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 C pureed pumpkin
6 eggs beaten
4 T coconut oil or unsalted Kerrygold butter, gently melted
1/3 C honey
1 t vanilla extract
1/4- 1/2 C chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 C semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (optional) or 1/2 C raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin pans very well.
Sift coconut flour, baking soda, salt and spices into a small bowl, blend well and set aside.
Place Pumpkin puree in mixing bowl and whisk eggs one at a time into the pumpkin.
Add gently melted coconut oil or butter, honey, and vanilla to pumpkin mixture and combine thoroughly.
Add flour mixture to egg and pumpkin mixture and blend well with a whisk until most of the floury lumps are gone, but don't stir more than necessary to blend.
Gently fold in nuts, chocolate chips or raisins if using them.
Spoon into each muffin tin two thirds full.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.
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I know the name of this recipe sounds disgusting but let me give you some context so you understand.  My husband loves pizza, but enjoys the toppings more than he likes the crust.  So if there is leftover pizza lying around and he's in the vicinity, he will proceed to eat all the toppings off the pizza and leave the "pizza bones" to the unsuspecting person who left said pizza out in the first place. We proceed to chide him for "scalping" our good pizza.  

In an effort to stop the insanity, I decided to make him Pizza Scalp.  Basically this is all the good toppings of the pizza without the crust.  If you are gluten free or going for a lower carb meal, this is a great way to still enjoy the flavors of pizza but without the gluten and carbs.  Sacrilege you might say, but it works for us!  There are no rules to making pizza scalp.  Simply think about the things you love on top of pizza and then arrange them in a baking dish and bake.  We usually eat with steamed spinach or zucchini noodles.    This is the version I made last night:

Pizza Scalp with a Lasagna twist
1 container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and juice pressed out
1 T Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried basil, oregano, garlic and thyme)
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 lb. grassfed beef
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 lb. mushrooms
1 jar quality marinara sauce (I used some from Thrive Market)
8-16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend
1/2 c. fresh parmesan reggiano

Mix ricotta, 1 beaten egg, spinach, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt in a bowl.  Meanwhile, salute the grassfed beef and the Italian sausage until cooked through.  Toss in the mushrooms and cook until slightly softened.  Drain off excess liquid.

In a rectangular baking dish, spread the ricotta mixture along the bottom of the pan.  Pour half of the marina on top and spread evenly with a spatula.  Spoon beef/sausage/mushroom mixture over ricotta and marinara.  Top with a bit more marinara (you may have some leftover because you don't want it too watery) and sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the top.  Shake parmesan over the first cheese.  Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly and top browns to your liking.

Dip zucchini rounds or steamed broccoli into hot toppings or serve on top of zucchini noodles or baked eggplant.

​Variations:  add pepperoni, red pepper and onions, black olives, goat cheese or whatever your heart desires.  You can also omit the ricotta and add different cheeses if you like.

​Cold "scalp" is great the next day as well!  The hardest part is not eating the whole thing in one sitting.

Stop the presses! You don't ever have to search for a good Banana Nut Muffin recipe again.  Ever.  It's right here and it's the last one you'll  need...I'm that confident.  My daughter walked in from school today and the conversation went something like this... "What's that smell...are you making muffins?"  I was like, "Yes, banana nut!".  As I predicted, she responded, "Are they paleo?"  And much to her dismay, my answer was "Yes".  In her mind, any baked paleo treat is crumbly, tasteless and bland and definitely not worth her time.  But these smelled so wonderful and came out hot and fresh.  To no one in particular, she said,  "OK, fine, I'll try it."  After her first bite, she asked if they were really paleo.  "They're really good Mom!"  And it was then I knew that I found the perfect recipe.  Believe me, I've made my fair share of muffin recipes and have a whole folder of paleo banana nut breads, muffins, cookies, and pancakes.  I feel like the Bubba Gump of bananas.  But this one is so much better than the rest.  The combo of almond flour AND coconut flour, along with a few added dates and ripe bananas give these a good texture and the right amount of sweetness.  You must try. ​

Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup dates (or raisins if you prefer)
3 ripe bananas
1 T. vanilla (I prefer Mexican vanilla)
3 eggs
1/4 cup honey
3 T. coconut oil melted
2 T. almond butter

How to:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (In a non stick pan, roast pecans on medium heat until fragrant tossing gently as they roast.  This step is not a must but it adds another level of flavor and complexity to the muffin.)  Set aside.
Mash bananas with a whisk or fork, and add honey and almond butter.  Beat eggs and add to banana mixture.  Add oil and vanilla and blend well.  In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients, including pecans.  Mix wet with dry ingredients.  Spoon batter into lined muffin cups or a non stick muffin pan.  (I love my non stick muffin pan from Sur la Table.  NOTHING sticks to this and it's so easy to clean.)  Bake 15-20 minutes.  Makes 12-15 muffins.
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