My oldest always asks, "What's for dinner?" I don't think he does it in an attempt to say, "What are you feeding me?" I think he does it because he's genuinely curious. I don't frequently duplicate recipes, so he'll see the start of something and wonder what it could possibly end up being.
I had a bit of a dilemma for dinner. I was really craving some beef stroganoff, but it was chicken I had thawed and needed to be cooked. I looked at dozens of recipes for a paleo version of stroganoff and figured it would be simple enough to substitute chicken and chicken friendly spices. The problem was that I couldn't find a paleo stroganoff recipe that I was in love with. Many of them still called for heavy cream. I get that primal allows for full-fat dairy products, but I thought paleo avoided them. Whatevs. Either way that wasn't going to work for me.
Another challenge I was facing was that the majority of recipes I found relied heavily on garlic. Le Sigh. Once again, I was on my own.
Being allergic to tomatoes and garlic really sucks. I mean, really sucks. These are, well, um, were, two of my favorite things to cook with. I remember my allergy doc saying, "Well this is good news. At least you're only allergic to a few things and it's easy enough to eliminate them." Easy enough? Easy enough?? Obviously it's your wife/girlfriend/kids/dog who does the cooking.
I had a huge spaghetti squash sitting on my counter, and that was going to be just as good - if not better - than the zucchini noodles many other recipes were calling for. Did you know that stroganoff has been around for over a hundred years, originally developed in Russia? Or so I read, anyway. I also read that the original stroganoff recipes did not include a rice or pasta bed, it was hearty enough to be eaten as a stand-alone dish. So sure, you could substitute cauliflower rice or squash or something else for the bed (as I did), but I had never considered serving it on its own.
One of these days I really want to pick up a grass fed steak and make paleo beef stroganoff. This chicken stroganoff was just amazing. There was very little left for my lunch. That's fine by me, though, as long as I know my guys are getting enough healthy stuff in them. There was a little, so I took it to work with a spinach and salmon salad. Worked out just great.
Interestingly, any time I make a dish with spaghetti squash, I end up with lots of spaghetti squash left and very little of the topping. I find that very interesting.
Why does everyone hate my squash?
I came across an interesting recipe the other day for what essentially amounted to spaghetti squash fritters, and I think I might try that with the leftovers. I don't think anyone likes the squash but me, and that's fine. If the fritters turn out tasty, that's just more for me! :o)
I've just started cooking with ghee. On one hand, it's considerably more expensive than butter (for obvious reasons), so I don't really want to be baking with it or anything like that. On the other hand, it seems to tolerate higher heat better (and longer cooking times without burning), and the flavor is just absolutely to die for. So, while it's more costly than butter, I think it's going to be making regular appearances in my cooking in small amounts.
As a side note, check the can of coconut milk before you attempt to open it from the bottom. I was able to get one small hole poked in it before I realized my can opener was only going to open it from the top. If you do this, I highly recommend you do not turn it over and shake it. Such an action just might cover you and your kitchen with splashes of coconut milk. I'm still looking around to make sure I got all the splatters cleaned up. It was kind of like a coconut milk crime scene.
Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash
Drizzle olive oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
3 T. ghee, divided
1 onion (any type), chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 10 large)
2 large chicken breasts
Sea salt & ground black pepper
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp organic chicken base (check the label to keep it paleo)
1/2 T. Dijon mustard (again, read your label to keep it paleo)
Sea salt & ground black pepper
1 T. nutritional yeast (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Put in a 13x9 baking dish, cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil. Lightly sprinkle with salt & pepper. Add about a cup of water to the dish to preven burning. Bake for 40 minutes or until soft (mine was gigantic this time and took about 50 minutes, but 40 is the average for most of the squashes I buy).
While squash is baking, melt 1 T. ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until starting to carmelize. Add mushrooms and sautee until they are soft. Transfer from skillet to a plate or bowl.
Put chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Pound with a meat clever (a rolling pin or other solid object will work if you don't have a meat clever) until about 1/4 inch thick all the way around. Sprinkle each side lightly with salt & pepper.
Use the same pan you used for the onions and mushrooms and melt 2 T. ghee in the pan. Add chicken breasts so they are not overlapping, and cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the middle. For you chefs with a well-stocked kitchen, that's at least 160 degrees on your meat thermometer. Transfer chicken to a clean cutting board.
Pour coconut milk directly into hot pan and whisk well. It will take a little patience for the residual ghee to blend into the coconut milk. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off any little chicken bits that stuck to the pan. Add sage, rosemary, chicken base, mustard, salt & pepper to the pan and whisk well. Let cook for about five minutes, whisking frequently, until sauce starts to thicken. Whisk in nutritional yeast, if using.
Chop chicken into bite sized pieces. Add chicken to coconut sauce, then stir in the mushrooms and onions. Heat through.
Use a fork to shred spaghetti squash (I use tongs to help transfer the squash shreds into a serving bowl). Serve chicken over spaghetti squash.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Paleo Breakfast Hash
I've mentioned before how I first started dabbling in paleo recipes because, by definition, they eliminated two of our no-no foods: wheat and dairy. I also liked them because there was a strong emphasis on vegetables - something I wanted to be cooking more of.
I think for a while I was doing paleo "wrong." You might wonder how you could do it "wrong" when there was such an emphasis on whole, healthy foods. But I was. I put too much emphasis on nuts, nut butters, coconut and proteins. For example, I would make a pot roast, make it with mashed potatoes (paleo friendly, of course) and serve. See what was missing? Or, I'd make Paleo Chick-Fil-A chicken strips and not pair it with lots of fresh veggies. I'd make paleo desserts and think they were healthy just because they included only paleo ingredients. Or, I'd make chicken alfredo from a cashew sauce, and vegetables would barely get an honorable mention as a bell pepper and maybe some shredded zucchini stirred into the sauce.
So, you can see how I was doing it wrong. Now, my focus is on vegetables and fruits first, followed by meats and healthy fats. Now, this is contrary to the primal philosophy, where healthy meats should take center stage. But for me, I have to put the veggies in the spotlight or they won't get the attention they deserve.
Breakfast seems to be a tricky one for a lot of people. Personally, I could eat eggs every morning and never get sick of them. I prepare them different ways - "over poached," scrambled or hard boiled - which helps prevent them from getting boring, and I change up the vegetables regularly so it's like I'm eating a different meal every time. BTW, "over poached" is my name for how I make eggs over easy. Any time I try to flip those little suckers I invariably break a yolk. So, I combine the "frying" and poaching method. Grease the pan and crack the eggs directly over the skillet. Season, then add a few tablespoons of hot water, cover with a tight fitting lit, and leave them alone until the egg whites cook over top of the yolk. I like a glass lid for this task because I can watch the eggs without removing the lid and letting the steam escape. See? Over poached.
Anyway, if you hate eggs or get sick of them, try switching out chicken, beef or pork from last night's dinner. Sometimes I'll deliberately make more meat than I plan to use for a dish, because then I have cooked meat on hand I can just toss into a recipe to simplify things. But eggs? They're my go-to in the morning. In addition to switching up the vegetables, you can also switch up the seasonings. Some mornings I'll use sea salt, black pepper and onion powder. Sometimes I'll use sage and rosemary. Other times I'll use corriander or chili powder or...anything, really.
This is what I had this morning, and one of my favorites. I like the over poached eggs in this recipe because 1) the runny yolk gives a kind of "sauce" that mixes well and 2) I'm not a huge fan of the taste of kale, and the runny yolk helps mitigate it. I eat kale for the health benefits, not because it's delicious. If you like kale and/or you don't like runny egg yolks, you can, of course, cook your eggs longer. Don't like eggs? Add some cooked meat to the skillet when the vegetables are almost cooked.
Ingredients:
1/2 T. coconut oil
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and diced small
1 large kale leaf, stem removed and finely chopped
1/2 summer squash, shredded with a cheese grater (use the whole squash if it's on the smaller side)
**I would usually throw some mushrooms into this as well, but I ran out. Sad face.**
Sea salt, ground black pepper and onion powder
2 large eggs
Directions:
Melt coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring frequently, until soft. Add kale and cook about 30 seconds, then add squash. Add seasonings as desired, then cook and stir until squash and kale are cooked. Transfer vegetables to a serving dish (or in my case, a to-go container) and return hot pan to the burner.
Add a touch more coconut oil to the pan (if needed). Crack eggs directly into the hot pan. Season as desired. Pour a couple tablespoons hot water around the edges of the eggs and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Let cook, undisturbed, until the egg whites over top of the yolks are no longer runny. Use a spatula to transfer eggs from pan to directly on top of the vegetables and eat.
Note: this method of cooking eggs will obviously leave some liquid in the pan (a combination of the oil and water). Don't sweat it. Just use a slotted spatula and it will not effect the final outcome of your meal.
I think for a while I was doing paleo "wrong." You might wonder how you could do it "wrong" when there was such an emphasis on whole, healthy foods. But I was. I put too much emphasis on nuts, nut butters, coconut and proteins. For example, I would make a pot roast, make it with mashed potatoes (paleo friendly, of course) and serve. See what was missing? Or, I'd make Paleo Chick-Fil-A chicken strips and not pair it with lots of fresh veggies. I'd make paleo desserts and think they were healthy just because they included only paleo ingredients. Or, I'd make chicken alfredo from a cashew sauce, and vegetables would barely get an honorable mention as a bell pepper and maybe some shredded zucchini stirred into the sauce.
So, you can see how I was doing it wrong. Now, my focus is on vegetables and fruits first, followed by meats and healthy fats. Now, this is contrary to the primal philosophy, where healthy meats should take center stage. But for me, I have to put the veggies in the spotlight or they won't get the attention they deserve.
Breakfast seems to be a tricky one for a lot of people. Personally, I could eat eggs every morning and never get sick of them. I prepare them different ways - "over poached," scrambled or hard boiled - which helps prevent them from getting boring, and I change up the vegetables regularly so it's like I'm eating a different meal every time. BTW, "over poached" is my name for how I make eggs over easy. Any time I try to flip those little suckers I invariably break a yolk. So, I combine the "frying" and poaching method. Grease the pan and crack the eggs directly over the skillet. Season, then add a few tablespoons of hot water, cover with a tight fitting lit, and leave them alone until the egg whites cook over top of the yolk. I like a glass lid for this task because I can watch the eggs without removing the lid and letting the steam escape. See? Over poached.
Anyway, if you hate eggs or get sick of them, try switching out chicken, beef or pork from last night's dinner. Sometimes I'll deliberately make more meat than I plan to use for a dish, because then I have cooked meat on hand I can just toss into a recipe to simplify things. But eggs? They're my go-to in the morning. In addition to switching up the vegetables, you can also switch up the seasonings. Some mornings I'll use sea salt, black pepper and onion powder. Sometimes I'll use sage and rosemary. Other times I'll use corriander or chili powder or...anything, really.
This is what I had this morning, and one of my favorites. I like the over poached eggs in this recipe because 1) the runny yolk gives a kind of "sauce" that mixes well and 2) I'm not a huge fan of the taste of kale, and the runny yolk helps mitigate it. I eat kale for the health benefits, not because it's delicious. If you like kale and/or you don't like runny egg yolks, you can, of course, cook your eggs longer. Don't like eggs? Add some cooked meat to the skillet when the vegetables are almost cooked.
Ingredients:
1/2 T. coconut oil
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and diced small
1 large kale leaf, stem removed and finely chopped
1/2 summer squash, shredded with a cheese grater (use the whole squash if it's on the smaller side)
**I would usually throw some mushrooms into this as well, but I ran out. Sad face.**
Sea salt, ground black pepper and onion powder
2 large eggs
Directions:
Melt coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring frequently, until soft. Add kale and cook about 30 seconds, then add squash. Add seasonings as desired, then cook and stir until squash and kale are cooked. Transfer vegetables to a serving dish (or in my case, a to-go container) and return hot pan to the burner.
Add a touch more coconut oil to the pan (if needed). Crack eggs directly into the hot pan. Season as desired. Pour a couple tablespoons hot water around the edges of the eggs and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Let cook, undisturbed, until the egg whites over top of the yolks are no longer runny. Use a spatula to transfer eggs from pan to directly on top of the vegetables and eat.
Note: this method of cooking eggs will obviously leave some liquid in the pan (a combination of the oil and water). Don't sweat it. Just use a slotted spatula and it will not effect the final outcome of your meal.
Paleo Turkey au Gratin
Every once in a while it's good to have an experience where you're reminded that going above and beyond the call of duty is unnecessary and mediocrity is the standard by which we should all live.
Okay, that's not true. I don't believe that at all. But when you put your heart and soul into something because you believe it's the right thing to do, it really sucks to have someone shat all over it.
End rant.
In my humble but correct opinion, cheesy potatoes of all varieties are the be all, end all of comfort food. Scalloped potatoes, funeral potatoes (do they make those outside of Utah?), au gratin potatoes, cheese smothered hash browns, you name it. Feeling a bit like Bubba from Forrest Gump at the moment. If there's cheese and potatoes involved, you really can't go wrong. As you can tell from my little rant, I was in need of some comfort food, but cheese is out on so many levels. I looked up several different recipes trying to find a "paleo" version and just couldn't find anything that was to my liking. I felt like I had the concept down, but based on all the comments about what did and didn't work, I prepared myself for a bit of a gamble.
Even after I had it all assembled, I put it in the oven without a great deal of confidence. I made a big salad to go with it just in case it wasn't edible. I felt defeated before I even tried it.
This just goes to show that looks can be deceiving. I was so happy with how this turned out and I wouldn't have changed a thing. It got the double seal of approval: my BF said it was yummy (not that he ever complains), and my youngest asked, "You gonna want any of this for work?" as he headed to the kitchen for more. Of course I wanted some for lunch the next day, but I wasn't going to deny him if he was still hungry. The fact that he went for more food instead of cereal or ice cream was great news in my book.
I ended up having too many potato slices so I've adjusted the recipe to account for that. If you do end up having extras, just stick them in the fridge and you can chop them up or use the slices for another recipe. It can never hurt to have chopped potatoes on hand. I used a combination of red potatoes I picked up at the farmer's market and sweet potatoes. I used a mixture as I thought all sweet potatoes would be a little overpowering, but the mix of the two turned out great. You could either do full layers of red and sweet as I did, or you could alternate them on the same layer, making a calico type effect.
There seems to be some debate about whether nutritional yeast is considered paleo. It seems like the paleo purists abhor it because it wasn't around during the paleolithic era, while others accept it as paleo because it is a complete protein, provides vitamins and other nutrients, and is good for the gut. So, you'll have to decide for yourself, but I highly recommend using it in this recipe as it adds a depth to the sauce you wouldn't otherwise get.
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
2 large red potatoes
Drizzle olive oil
1 onion (any variety), coarsely chopped
1 lb ground meat of choice (I used turkey in this case, but grass fed beef would have been amazeballs, too)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
For the sauce:
2 T. ghee (or butter)
1 T. coconut flour
1 can (14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp organic chicken base
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 T. nutritional yeast
Directions:
Scrub potatoes well but leave the skins on. Use a mandolin to slice potatoes into 1/8 inch slices and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle a little olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until very soft and starting to carmelize. Add ground meat and stir until broken up. Add fennel seeds, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper and stir well. Cook until meat is completely cooked through. Turn heat to the lowest setting to keep the meat warm and stir occasionally while preparing the sauce.
Melt ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in coconut flour until just starting to brown (this will only take a couple of minutes). Whisk in coconut milk until smooth, then whisk in the remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook a few minutes, whisking frequently, until sauce begins to thicken. Whisk in nutritional yeast and set aside.
Grease a 13x9 baking dish. Arrange potato slices in a layer (slightly overlapping is fine). Spread half of the meat mixture over the potatoes, followed by another layer of potatoes, the remaining meat, and a third layer of potatoes. Pour sauce over top, taking care to hit all the little nooks and crannies.
Bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft (I suck a toothpick in the center to test). Let stand about 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.
Okay, that's not true. I don't believe that at all. But when you put your heart and soul into something because you believe it's the right thing to do, it really sucks to have someone shat all over it.
End rant.
In my humble but correct opinion, cheesy potatoes of all varieties are the be all, end all of comfort food. Scalloped potatoes, funeral potatoes (do they make those outside of Utah?), au gratin potatoes, cheese smothered hash browns, you name it. Feeling a bit like Bubba from Forrest Gump at the moment. If there's cheese and potatoes involved, you really can't go wrong. As you can tell from my little rant, I was in need of some comfort food, but cheese is out on so many levels. I looked up several different recipes trying to find a "paleo" version and just couldn't find anything that was to my liking. I felt like I had the concept down, but based on all the comments about what did and didn't work, I prepared myself for a bit of a gamble.
Even after I had it all assembled, I put it in the oven without a great deal of confidence. I made a big salad to go with it just in case it wasn't edible. I felt defeated before I even tried it.
This just goes to show that looks can be deceiving. I was so happy with how this turned out and I wouldn't have changed a thing. It got the double seal of approval: my BF said it was yummy (not that he ever complains), and my youngest asked, "You gonna want any of this for work?" as he headed to the kitchen for more. Of course I wanted some for lunch the next day, but I wasn't going to deny him if he was still hungry. The fact that he went for more food instead of cereal or ice cream was great news in my book.
I ended up having too many potato slices so I've adjusted the recipe to account for that. If you do end up having extras, just stick them in the fridge and you can chop them up or use the slices for another recipe. It can never hurt to have chopped potatoes on hand. I used a combination of red potatoes I picked up at the farmer's market and sweet potatoes. I used a mixture as I thought all sweet potatoes would be a little overpowering, but the mix of the two turned out great. You could either do full layers of red and sweet as I did, or you could alternate them on the same layer, making a calico type effect.
There seems to be some debate about whether nutritional yeast is considered paleo. It seems like the paleo purists abhor it because it wasn't around during the paleolithic era, while others accept it as paleo because it is a complete protein, provides vitamins and other nutrients, and is good for the gut. So, you'll have to decide for yourself, but I highly recommend using it in this recipe as it adds a depth to the sauce you wouldn't otherwise get.
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato
2 large red potatoes
Drizzle olive oil
1 onion (any variety), coarsely chopped
1 lb ground meat of choice (I used turkey in this case, but grass fed beef would have been amazeballs, too)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
For the sauce:
2 T. ghee (or butter)
1 T. coconut flour
1 can (14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp organic chicken base
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 T. nutritional yeast
Directions:
Scrub potatoes well but leave the skins on. Use a mandolin to slice potatoes into 1/8 inch slices and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle a little olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until very soft and starting to carmelize. Add ground meat and stir until broken up. Add fennel seeds, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper and stir well. Cook until meat is completely cooked through. Turn heat to the lowest setting to keep the meat warm and stir occasionally while preparing the sauce.
Melt ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in coconut flour until just starting to brown (this will only take a couple of minutes). Whisk in coconut milk until smooth, then whisk in the remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook a few minutes, whisking frequently, until sauce begins to thicken. Whisk in nutritional yeast and set aside.
Grease a 13x9 baking dish. Arrange potato slices in a layer (slightly overlapping is fine). Spread half of the meat mixture over the potatoes, followed by another layer of potatoes, the remaining meat, and a third layer of potatoes. Pour sauce over top, taking care to hit all the little nooks and crannies.
Bake for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft (I suck a toothpick in the center to test). Let stand about 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve.
Monday, August 25, 2014
The Evil Cookie Dilemma
Dude, let me tell you, it is so hard to eat out and eat paleo. You pretty much have to settle for "good enough." My team was going for a work lunch. Originally they were talking Mexican, so I simply declined to go. Even if it weren't for the paleo aspect, I can't eat tomatoes, garlic or cheese, which pretty much rules out everything Mexican or Italian (unless, of course, I make it myself). They were nice to me, though, and ended up choosing Red Robin. I figured I couldn't go too far astray - just get a chicken patty with some avocado and maybe some steamed veggies.
We get there, though, and I realize I have absolutely zero will-power. There is something about seeing the words Sweet and Potato and Fries together that just makes me lose control. That was mistake number one. I was good, though, in that I didn't take any of the bottomless steak fries the waitress kept plopping down in front of me while we were waiting for our food. I ordered the chicken sandwich on lettuce instead of a bun, sans tomato of course, and added avocado. Did pretty good.
Until the fry sauce came, then it was over.
BTW, PSA going out to Red Robin: a quarter head of iceburg lettuce does not exactly consistute a "lettuce wrap." First, iceburg lettuce is just wrong. If we're going sans bun, give us some bibb or Boston or romaine or pretty much anything but iceburg. Please. Second, it took me a while to find that tiny little processed chicken breast in the middle of all that lettuce. I used, what, maybe 1/3 of the lettuce you gave me? Just think about it.
Interestingly, as soon as we got back to the office I had the most intense cravings for cookies. Chunky, chocolately, chipp-y cookies. And, of course, there was a package of chocolate chip cookies on the breakroom table. I walked past them once and almost caved. Got back to my office, realized my water bottle was empty, and had to go back to the break room to fill it up! What a cruel world. I took the long way to the water cooler, trying to avoid looking at the cookies. It didn't help. It was almost like their sugary energy was pulsing in every direction.
I tried to ignore them. I really did. I thought about what things I had at my disposal to eat instead of the cookies. I had chicken, stir-fried broccoli and squash with a sweet potato sauce for lunch (I wasn't hungry, just dealing with a craving, so that wouldn't do). I had a couple of donut peaches and an apple in my office. Hmm, those might work. But again, not hungry, just wanted the sweet goodness. Thought about the tea in my drawer. Sometimes tea helps with sweet cravings. All these thoughts are flowing through my mind as I'm filling my water bottle. Meanwhile, even though I'm not looking, I'm positive the cookies have escaped their package and are kicking me in the back of the head.
Fortunately I was able to shift my thinking. My first thought was from my Doritos bender the other night and how lousy I felt after and the next day. Hmm. Didn't want that again. My second thought was how not-as-good these "favorite" foods have tasted the last few times I've cheated. It's true, your taste buds do change. Was it worth the calories? I don't count calories on paleo, but I knew that cookie was in excess of 250 calories and loads of unhealthy fat. Did I really want to un-do the positive changes I was making? Not that one food can undo all the work you've done, but why eat the cookie?
I resisted. I would not let those cookies get the better of me. I took a big gulp of water, headed out of the breakroom, but stopped dead in my tracks in the hallway.
WATERMELON! I completely forgot about the container of watermelon I'd brought with me this morning. My lunch was a little on the lower-carb side today and thought I might need some fruit to balance it out (if I didn't need it I could just take it home). At this point, watermelon sounded like candy. I ran back into the breakroom armed with a new found confidence that I was going to kick that cookie's ass if it so much as looked at me wrong.
The moral of the story: don't give in to your cravings. If you make a decision to eat healthy, eat clean or have other goals, no matter how "hard" it gets, stick to them. I kicked my craving for that cookie in under five minutes. At the time, it was all I could think about. But I didn't give in. I feel good. I don't have the cookie hangover (or Doritos hangover or donut hangover or any other type of unhealthy food hangover), and I don't feel guilty for letting my stupid cravings get the better of me.
As a side note, I expect part of the reason the craving came in the first place is I didn't have a clean lunch. Had I eaten the wonderful paleo lunch I brought with me to work, I would have been satisfied. But since I didn't, it left me vulnerable to the Evil Cookie.
I win this time, and now I'm stronger, Evil Cookie. Go crumble in a corner.
We get there, though, and I realize I have absolutely zero will-power. There is something about seeing the words Sweet and Potato and Fries together that just makes me lose control. That was mistake number one. I was good, though, in that I didn't take any of the bottomless steak fries the waitress kept plopping down in front of me while we were waiting for our food. I ordered the chicken sandwich on lettuce instead of a bun, sans tomato of course, and added avocado. Did pretty good.
Until the fry sauce came, then it was over.
BTW, PSA going out to Red Robin: a quarter head of iceburg lettuce does not exactly consistute a "lettuce wrap." First, iceburg lettuce is just wrong. If we're going sans bun, give us some bibb or Boston or romaine or pretty much anything but iceburg. Please. Second, it took me a while to find that tiny little processed chicken breast in the middle of all that lettuce. I used, what, maybe 1/3 of the lettuce you gave me? Just think about it.
Interestingly, as soon as we got back to the office I had the most intense cravings for cookies. Chunky, chocolately, chipp-y cookies. And, of course, there was a package of chocolate chip cookies on the breakroom table. I walked past them once and almost caved. Got back to my office, realized my water bottle was empty, and had to go back to the break room to fill it up! What a cruel world. I took the long way to the water cooler, trying to avoid looking at the cookies. It didn't help. It was almost like their sugary energy was pulsing in every direction.
I tried to ignore them. I really did. I thought about what things I had at my disposal to eat instead of the cookies. I had chicken, stir-fried broccoli and squash with a sweet potato sauce for lunch (I wasn't hungry, just dealing with a craving, so that wouldn't do). I had a couple of donut peaches and an apple in my office. Hmm, those might work. But again, not hungry, just wanted the sweet goodness. Thought about the tea in my drawer. Sometimes tea helps with sweet cravings. All these thoughts are flowing through my mind as I'm filling my water bottle. Meanwhile, even though I'm not looking, I'm positive the cookies have escaped their package and are kicking me in the back of the head.
Fortunately I was able to shift my thinking. My first thought was from my Doritos bender the other night and how lousy I felt after and the next day. Hmm. Didn't want that again. My second thought was how not-as-good these "favorite" foods have tasted the last few times I've cheated. It's true, your taste buds do change. Was it worth the calories? I don't count calories on paleo, but I knew that cookie was in excess of 250 calories and loads of unhealthy fat. Did I really want to un-do the positive changes I was making? Not that one food can undo all the work you've done, but why eat the cookie?
I resisted. I would not let those cookies get the better of me. I took a big gulp of water, headed out of the breakroom, but stopped dead in my tracks in the hallway.
WATERMELON! I completely forgot about the container of watermelon I'd brought with me this morning. My lunch was a little on the lower-carb side today and thought I might need some fruit to balance it out (if I didn't need it I could just take it home). At this point, watermelon sounded like candy. I ran back into the breakroom armed with a new found confidence that I was going to kick that cookie's ass if it so much as looked at me wrong.
The moral of the story: don't give in to your cravings. If you make a decision to eat healthy, eat clean or have other goals, no matter how "hard" it gets, stick to them. I kicked my craving for that cookie in under five minutes. At the time, it was all I could think about. But I didn't give in. I feel good. I don't have the cookie hangover (or Doritos hangover or donut hangover or any other type of unhealthy food hangover), and I don't feel guilty for letting my stupid cravings get the better of me.
As a side note, I expect part of the reason the craving came in the first place is I didn't have a clean lunch. Had I eaten the wonderful paleo lunch I brought with me to work, I would have been satisfied. But since I didn't, it left me vulnerable to the Evil Cookie.
I win this time, and now I'm stronger, Evil Cookie. Go crumble in a corner.
Paleo Beef Eggplant Bake
I suppose I could have called this a casserole, but there's just something about the term "casserole" that automatically turns people off. I think we're conditioned to think of the canned tuna, mushy noodles and peas we all ate as kids. A casserole is really just layering a bunch of ingredients in a big casserole dish and baking it. But still, the word...
The farmer's market is still in full swing. Sadly I didn't get there until around 11:00 so a lot of the stuff was gone, and I wasn't able to get any berries (which is what I really wanted). I still came away with a couple of bags of those yummy donut peaches, an eggplant and some new squash I'd never seen before. It resembled an acorn squash, except that the skin was white with green stripes on it. I couldn't remember what the farmer called it, but I did a Google search and figured out it was a sweet dumpling squash. It was softer and sweeter, similar to a delicata squash, but shaped exactly like an acorn squash. I baked it up and put some of it on my salmon salad for lunch, but saved the rest and put it in the sauce for this dish. Slightly sweet, and so tasty. I could easily just eat it plain with some balsamic drizzled on it.
BTW, when I was shopping this weekend I came across some canned, wild caught salmon that had only two ingredients: salmon and salt. The whole can was $3, so I decided to try it. BAD IDEA. I was expecting something similar to canned solid tuna. What I got was pieces of fish smooshed together that still had the skin and bones. I don't mean the occasional bone, I mean a full skeleton. Trying to remove bones from a fish filet that has been cooked and processed, then smushed together in a can is NOT an easy feat. Once I got it all de-skinned and de-boned as best I could it was pretty tasty, but frankly I'd rather just cook the damned fish. Oh well, live and learn. It's still not bad for an emergency meal you need to put together quickly.
My BF said this dish "looked kinda weird, but it was tasty." I don't think the boys liked it because 1) there were leftovers and 2) I caught my oldest eating cereal shortly after I went upstairs to get ready for bed. Caught like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. I liked it, though, and my BF liked it so I guess that's still a win. I used my mandolin to cut the eggplant into strips about the size of french fries. If you don't have a mandolin, you can still cut it into strips with a knife. I don't think it would take much longer, either, just try to get them as uniform as you can so they cook evenly.
Ingrediets:
1 medium eggplant (I chose one that was longer and thinner), cut into strips
Drizzle olive oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 lb grass fed beef
2 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Sea salt & ground black pepper
For the sauce:
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 sweet dumpling squash (or delicata would work, too), seeded and baked until soft
1 T. honey
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Approximately one cup packaged coconut milk (not the canned stuff), more or less as needed for consistency
Directions:
Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant strips in a 13x9 baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Toss with tongs. Put under the broiler, tossing with tongs every 3-4 minutes, until eggplant is soft. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn. When done, set oven to 350 degrees.
Drizzle a little more olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized. Add beef and cook, continuing to stir frequently until almost cooked through. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt & pepper. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Add meat mixture to baking dish, spreading evenly over eggplant slices.
For the sauce, put cashews in a blender and process on low until mostly broken up. Add squash, honey, vinegar and spices. Add a little of the coconut milk and begin processing on high speed, adding additional coconut milk until it reaches a pourable consistency. Drizzle sauce over the meat (you may end up with leftover sauce - save for another recipe).
Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
The farmer's market is still in full swing. Sadly I didn't get there until around 11:00 so a lot of the stuff was gone, and I wasn't able to get any berries (which is what I really wanted). I still came away with a couple of bags of those yummy donut peaches, an eggplant and some new squash I'd never seen before. It resembled an acorn squash, except that the skin was white with green stripes on it. I couldn't remember what the farmer called it, but I did a Google search and figured out it was a sweet dumpling squash. It was softer and sweeter, similar to a delicata squash, but shaped exactly like an acorn squash. I baked it up and put some of it on my salmon salad for lunch, but saved the rest and put it in the sauce for this dish. Slightly sweet, and so tasty. I could easily just eat it plain with some balsamic drizzled on it.
BTW, when I was shopping this weekend I came across some canned, wild caught salmon that had only two ingredients: salmon and salt. The whole can was $3, so I decided to try it. BAD IDEA. I was expecting something similar to canned solid tuna. What I got was pieces of fish smooshed together that still had the skin and bones. I don't mean the occasional bone, I mean a full skeleton. Trying to remove bones from a fish filet that has been cooked and processed, then smushed together in a can is NOT an easy feat. Once I got it all de-skinned and de-boned as best I could it was pretty tasty, but frankly I'd rather just cook the damned fish. Oh well, live and learn. It's still not bad for an emergency meal you need to put together quickly.
My BF said this dish "looked kinda weird, but it was tasty." I don't think the boys liked it because 1) there were leftovers and 2) I caught my oldest eating cereal shortly after I went upstairs to get ready for bed. Caught like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. I liked it, though, and my BF liked it so I guess that's still a win. I used my mandolin to cut the eggplant into strips about the size of french fries. If you don't have a mandolin, you can still cut it into strips with a knife. I don't think it would take much longer, either, just try to get them as uniform as you can so they cook evenly.
Ingrediets:
1 medium eggplant (I chose one that was longer and thinner), cut into strips
Drizzle olive oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 lb grass fed beef
2 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Sea salt & ground black pepper
For the sauce:
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 sweet dumpling squash (or delicata would work, too), seeded and baked until soft
1 T. honey
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Approximately one cup packaged coconut milk (not the canned stuff), more or less as needed for consistency
Directions:
Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant strips in a 13x9 baking dish. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Toss with tongs. Put under the broiler, tossing with tongs every 3-4 minutes, until eggplant is soft. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn. When done, set oven to 350 degrees.
Drizzle a little more olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized. Add beef and cook, continuing to stir frequently until almost cooked through. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt & pepper. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Add meat mixture to baking dish, spreading evenly over eggplant slices.
For the sauce, put cashews in a blender and process on low until mostly broken up. Add squash, honey, vinegar and spices. Add a little of the coconut milk and begin processing on high speed, adding additional coconut milk until it reaches a pourable consistency. Drizzle sauce over the meat (you may end up with leftover sauce - save for another recipe).
Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Paleo Stuffed Peppers
I'm certainly not one who needs to be lectured on the benefits of eating organic fruits and vegetables, nor do I need to be told that eating grass-fed beef and truly free range chicken is better for you by leaps and bounds. And, after eating paleo for a while now, you don't need to convince me that grains are an unnecessary part of the Standard American Diet.
The part you won't convince me of, though, is that buying organic, grass-fed, free range, grain free foods is affordable for everyone. Sure, in a perfect world, we'd all have access to the perfect foods that were raised perfectly and prepared perfectly. Unfortunately that isn't reality. Sure, in the long run you'll save money on doctor's bills, and if you already eat an abundance of fast food you can use that money for healthy food instead. On the other hand, the argument that grass-fed beef at $6 per pound is healthier than commercially produced ground beef at $2.99 per pound probably isn't going to be at the front of your mind when you're trying to figure out how to pay rent this month.
If you can afford it, though, there is nothing like grass fed beef. The texture is better, the flavor is better, and you're not ingesting ammonia or other harmful things that happens to the meat when it's processed in a factory. I found a little market yesterday that sells meat from a farmer in Central Utah. I've bought from them before, and I remember it being more expensive. Maybe I'm just more financially comfortable right now. I picked up a few packages and used it to make these paleo stuffed peppers. Of course, I also used peppers and squash from the farmer's market, and tossed in some mushrooms. There wasn't quite enough stuffing for each pepper, so I whipped up a cashew sauce to put on top. They were a hit.
On a different note, I was all excited about these purple beans I got at the farmer's market this weekend. I tossed them in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and black pepper, then roasted them in the oven. More than half were completely inedible. One, they weren't purple anymore when they came out of the oven, which was a disappointment. Two, they were so tough you couldn't even get a fork through them, let alone chew them. What a let down. Fortunately the peppers turned out good, and I made a raspberry cobbler (of course with fresh raspberries from the farmer's market) for dessert, so we did have enough to eat, even with the inedible beans.
But they were purple! That's so cool!
Oh well. Let's make the peppers.
Ingredients:
4 bell peppers, assorted colors
1 sweet onion, diced
1 T. coconut oil
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup shredded summer squash (I used the large holes in a cheese grater)
2-3 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
For the sauce:
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
Water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the stems and seeds from peppers. Bring a large stock pot full of water to a boil. Submerge peppers in water, working in batches if necessary, for 45 seconds. Remove and drain upside down.
Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and saute until soft. Add beef, stirring until almost cooked through. Drain some of the fat if excessive. Add mushrooms and squash, stir to incorporate, and then add remaining ingredients. Stir well and let simmer for a few minutes, adjusting seasonings to your taste if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut peppers in half lengthwise and arrange cut side up on prepared baking sheet. Fill peppers with meat mixture, distributing evenly between the peppers. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.
While peppers are in the oven, prepare your cashew sauce. Pulse cashews in a blender until they are mostly broken up. Add lemon juice, honey and sea salt. Add about 1/3 cup water and process until smooth. Add additional water as needed until desired consistency is reached.
When peppers are heated through, remove from oven and spoon cashew sauce over each, smoothing out with a spoon if necessary. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until cashew sauce is warm. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
The part you won't convince me of, though, is that buying organic, grass-fed, free range, grain free foods is affordable for everyone. Sure, in a perfect world, we'd all have access to the perfect foods that were raised perfectly and prepared perfectly. Unfortunately that isn't reality. Sure, in the long run you'll save money on doctor's bills, and if you already eat an abundance of fast food you can use that money for healthy food instead. On the other hand, the argument that grass-fed beef at $6 per pound is healthier than commercially produced ground beef at $2.99 per pound probably isn't going to be at the front of your mind when you're trying to figure out how to pay rent this month.
If you can afford it, though, there is nothing like grass fed beef. The texture is better, the flavor is better, and you're not ingesting ammonia or other harmful things that happens to the meat when it's processed in a factory. I found a little market yesterday that sells meat from a farmer in Central Utah. I've bought from them before, and I remember it being more expensive. Maybe I'm just more financially comfortable right now. I picked up a few packages and used it to make these paleo stuffed peppers. Of course, I also used peppers and squash from the farmer's market, and tossed in some mushrooms. There wasn't quite enough stuffing for each pepper, so I whipped up a cashew sauce to put on top. They were a hit.
On a different note, I was all excited about these purple beans I got at the farmer's market this weekend. I tossed them in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and black pepper, then roasted them in the oven. More than half were completely inedible. One, they weren't purple anymore when they came out of the oven, which was a disappointment. Two, they were so tough you couldn't even get a fork through them, let alone chew them. What a let down. Fortunately the peppers turned out good, and I made a raspberry cobbler (of course with fresh raspberries from the farmer's market) for dessert, so we did have enough to eat, even with the inedible beans.
But they were purple! That's so cool!
Oh well. Let's make the peppers.
Ingredients:
4 bell peppers, assorted colors
1 sweet onion, diced
1 T. coconut oil
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup shredded summer squash (I used the large holes in a cheese grater)
2-3 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
For the sauce:
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
Water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove the stems and seeds from peppers. Bring a large stock pot full of water to a boil. Submerge peppers in water, working in batches if necessary, for 45 seconds. Remove and drain upside down.
Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and saute until soft. Add beef, stirring until almost cooked through. Drain some of the fat if excessive. Add mushrooms and squash, stir to incorporate, and then add remaining ingredients. Stir well and let simmer for a few minutes, adjusting seasonings to your taste if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut peppers in half lengthwise and arrange cut side up on prepared baking sheet. Fill peppers with meat mixture, distributing evenly between the peppers. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.
While peppers are in the oven, prepare your cashew sauce. Pulse cashews in a blender until they are mostly broken up. Add lemon juice, honey and sea salt. Add about 1/3 cup water and process until smooth. Add additional water as needed until desired consistency is reached.
When peppers are heated through, remove from oven and spoon cashew sauce over each, smoothing out with a spoon if necessary. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes or until cashew sauce is warm. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
Open-Faced Turkey Sliders
I'm still on my Farmer's Market high. So many delicious fruits and vegetables, I just can't cook them fast enough! Of course yesterday I was doing some digging around, looking for ideas for paleo recipes, and came across a brilliant idea: sliced sweet potatoes as "hamburger buns." How cool! The sweet potatoes I had at home weren't big enough for "buns," but they were perfect for sliders.
All the recipes I came across used a top and bottom "bun," but that seemed like a lot of sweet potato to me. Despite all the different ingredients I had to bake on separate baking sheets, these came together fairly quick and easily. My guys loved them. I went back for seconds and they were GONE! That's always a good sign.
Perspective is such an interesting thing. For example, my BF loves rain. Absolutely loves it. As I walk out the door to work I realize it's pouring. Of course it was raining - my hair turned out pretty cute this morning. I grumble as I pull out my umbrella. While I'm driving, I get a text from my BF saying he's sure I'm driving to work in this beautiful, warm rain. I can just picture him outside, taking a break from work, holding his arms out and enjoying himself.
I've been immersed in Paleo Land for a while now. I read not only recipes, but also articles. One of the key principals of becoming more primal is to slow down and enjoy life as it comes, and also take time to play and appreciate the things life offers. I thought about this in terms of the rain. In our modern, fast paced society, many of us often see rain as an inconvenience. "Of course it's raining, I just washed my car!" or me this morning, "Of course it's raining, my hair turned out cute!" I started thinking about how our paleo ancestors would have regarded rain. For one thing, it would have provided a source of water (though there is some debate about how much water they actually drank vs getting water from fruits and vegetables). Two, it would have cooled things off on a hot day. Three, it would have watered the plants they foraged for food. Four, I can imagine little cave children running around, playing in the rain and splashing in puddles. Yes, I think our paleo ancestors would have welcomed the rain.
Looking at it from that perspective... the rain is going to wash all the gunk out of the air so I can breathe. The rain is cooling down the air (it was a bit of a scorcher yesterday). The rain is nourishing all those local crops I plan to buy this weekend. The rain is quite pretty looking out my office window. The rain is making my BF happy, which in turn makes me happy. I got a nice walk in this morning before it rained, and I have an umbrella to keep my hair from being messed up. To quote the country song, "Rain is a good thing!" I'm really making efforts to slow my life down. I read more. I take walks. I try really hard not to sweat the small stuff - real or imagined. :)
Speaking of small stuff, let's make some sliders!
Ingredients:
3 good sized sweet potatoes - look for ones that have a nice, wide circumference
2 large beets
Drizzle olive oil, sea salt & ground black pepper.
2 lbs ground turkey (or other ground meat of choice)
1 egg
1/2 T. coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
Ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Toppings:
1 whole avocado, thinly sliced
Lettuce or spinach
Drizzle balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scrub sweet potatoes well. Slice into approximately 1/2 inch rounds (my mandolin only goes to 3/8"). Arrange in a single layer on one of the baking sheets. Use a pastry brush and lightly coat the potato slices with olive oil, then lightly sprinkle sea salt & black pepper.
For the beets, I use gloves to avoid staining my hands. Peel beets, then use a mandolin to slice into 1/4" slices. Arrange in a single layer on the second baking sheet, brush with olive oil, then lightly sprinkle with sea seal & black pepper.
Put both sheets in the oven at once. Bake 15 minutes. Remove, flip, coat with olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper. Return to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. When cooked, remove from oven and set aside.
While vegetables are baking, prepare burgers. Combine meat, egg, coconut flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and rosemary in a mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix until well combined. Shape into patties using 2 T. meat mixture at a time, and press flat. My sweet potato slices were oval shaped, so I made my patties oval shaped. Arrange on yet another baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
When vegetables are finished cooking, reduce oven heat to 375. Bake burgers for 7 minutes, turn over, and cook an additional 7 minutes or until cooked through.
To assemble sliders, arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer. Top with a slice of beet (I cut the bigger beet slices in half). Top with spinach or lettuce, then burger, and finally avocado. Secure in place with a toothpick (if needed). Drizzle a few drops of balsamic vinegar over each slider and serve.
All the recipes I came across used a top and bottom "bun," but that seemed like a lot of sweet potato to me. Despite all the different ingredients I had to bake on separate baking sheets, these came together fairly quick and easily. My guys loved them. I went back for seconds and they were GONE! That's always a good sign.
Perspective is such an interesting thing. For example, my BF loves rain. Absolutely loves it. As I walk out the door to work I realize it's pouring. Of course it was raining - my hair turned out pretty cute this morning. I grumble as I pull out my umbrella. While I'm driving, I get a text from my BF saying he's sure I'm driving to work in this beautiful, warm rain. I can just picture him outside, taking a break from work, holding his arms out and enjoying himself.
I've been immersed in Paleo Land for a while now. I read not only recipes, but also articles. One of the key principals of becoming more primal is to slow down and enjoy life as it comes, and also take time to play and appreciate the things life offers. I thought about this in terms of the rain. In our modern, fast paced society, many of us often see rain as an inconvenience. "Of course it's raining, I just washed my car!" or me this morning, "Of course it's raining, my hair turned out cute!" I started thinking about how our paleo ancestors would have regarded rain. For one thing, it would have provided a source of water (though there is some debate about how much water they actually drank vs getting water from fruits and vegetables). Two, it would have cooled things off on a hot day. Three, it would have watered the plants they foraged for food. Four, I can imagine little cave children running around, playing in the rain and splashing in puddles. Yes, I think our paleo ancestors would have welcomed the rain.
Looking at it from that perspective... the rain is going to wash all the gunk out of the air so I can breathe. The rain is cooling down the air (it was a bit of a scorcher yesterday). The rain is nourishing all those local crops I plan to buy this weekend. The rain is quite pretty looking out my office window. The rain is making my BF happy, which in turn makes me happy. I got a nice walk in this morning before it rained, and I have an umbrella to keep my hair from being messed up. To quote the country song, "Rain is a good thing!" I'm really making efforts to slow my life down. I read more. I take walks. I try really hard not to sweat the small stuff - real or imagined. :)
Speaking of small stuff, let's make some sliders!
Ingredients:
3 good sized sweet potatoes - look for ones that have a nice, wide circumference
2 large beets
Drizzle olive oil, sea salt & ground black pepper.
2 lbs ground turkey (or other ground meat of choice)
1 egg
1/2 T. coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
Ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Toppings:
1 whole avocado, thinly sliced
Lettuce or spinach
Drizzle balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scrub sweet potatoes well. Slice into approximately 1/2 inch rounds (my mandolin only goes to 3/8"). Arrange in a single layer on one of the baking sheets. Use a pastry brush and lightly coat the potato slices with olive oil, then lightly sprinkle sea salt & black pepper.
For the beets, I use gloves to avoid staining my hands. Peel beets, then use a mandolin to slice into 1/4" slices. Arrange in a single layer on the second baking sheet, brush with olive oil, then lightly sprinkle with sea seal & black pepper.
Put both sheets in the oven at once. Bake 15 minutes. Remove, flip, coat with olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper. Return to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. When cooked, remove from oven and set aside.
While vegetables are baking, prepare burgers. Combine meat, egg, coconut flour, salt, pepper, onion powder and rosemary in a mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix until well combined. Shape into patties using 2 T. meat mixture at a time, and press flat. My sweet potato slices were oval shaped, so I made my patties oval shaped. Arrange on yet another baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
When vegetables are finished cooking, reduce oven heat to 375. Bake burgers for 7 minutes, turn over, and cook an additional 7 minutes or until cooked through.
To assemble sliders, arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer. Top with a slice of beet (I cut the bigger beet slices in half). Top with spinach or lettuce, then burger, and finally avocado. Secure in place with a toothpick (if needed). Drizzle a few drops of balsamic vinegar over each slider and serve.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Chicken with Butter and Capers
I can always tell when something I make is a winner because my BF will thank me not once, but twice (or more!) for dinner. He's always really great about saying thank you. I made this last night and he not only thanked me several times, but twice emphasized how tasty it was. This was also significant because he is not a fan of chicken breasts - he prefers recipes that have chicken chunks. His face lit up after I told him how simple and quick it was.
This is NOT a low-fat dish. I've been doing a ton of reading lately, and I've come to embrace healthy fat in cooking. Basically, without boring you with a lot of scientific details that I can't remember anyway, protein serves specific functions in your body. Fat serves specific functions in your body. Carbs are just fuel. But, if you eat clean and healthy (ie paleo) your body can learn to use fat for fuel, thus reducing the need for a high level of carbs in your diet. Carbs are the only macronutrient that don't serve a specific function.
Now, that does NOT mean you should wrap a stick of butter with bacon and eat it on a toothpick (I love Homer Simpson). But it does mean there is little benefit - and some might even argue that it's harmful - to buy into the whole low-fat craze. For one thing, low fat foods (processed ones) are often loaded with sugar or sodium or other un-natural ingredients to make them taste better. If you go low-fat and you're sticking to whole foods, you're probaby going to find your meals unsatisfying. Oh, and one other thing, when I'm talking about having fat in your diet, I'm talking about things like nuts, avocado, eggs (the whole egg - yolk, too), coconut (all types), olive oil, etc. Even grass-fed butter is thought to be an acceptable form of fat. Don't forget about the healthy fat in fish like salmon.
Anyway, I digress. So yes, there's a lot of fat in this dish, but it's all healthy fat. I can tell you first hand, there's a big difference between the fat from, say, chicken nuggets and fries and this dish in how I feel after eating it. I felt good! I served this with a green salad (full of veggies I picked up at the farmer's market) and some leftover potato salad from this weekend. So, so good. I got this off Mark's Daily Apple website and scaled it down.
Ingredients (serves 4):
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt & ground black pepper
Olive oil
3 T. capers (with brine)
Lemon wedge
2 T. butter (grass-fed is best, but I'm still using up my traditional butter)
Directions:
Cut chicken breasts in half (as if butterflying). Arrange in a single layer on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a meat clever (or rolling pin) to pound to 1/4 inch all the way around. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, just enough oil to cover the pan. Add chicken pieces, touching is okay, but not overlapping (may require a second batch depending on the size of your skillet and chicken breasts). Cook 3 to 3/12 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Transfer to a serving plate.
Pour capers with brine into the pan, stirring to get up any little chunks of chicken that stuck to the pan. Add the butter and squeeze in the lemon wedge. Stir constantly, until butter is melted and starts to brown. Remove from heat and spoon sauce with capers over chicken. Serve.
This is NOT a low-fat dish. I've been doing a ton of reading lately, and I've come to embrace healthy fat in cooking. Basically, without boring you with a lot of scientific details that I can't remember anyway, protein serves specific functions in your body. Fat serves specific functions in your body. Carbs are just fuel. But, if you eat clean and healthy (ie paleo) your body can learn to use fat for fuel, thus reducing the need for a high level of carbs in your diet. Carbs are the only macronutrient that don't serve a specific function.
Now, that does NOT mean you should wrap a stick of butter with bacon and eat it on a toothpick (I love Homer Simpson). But it does mean there is little benefit - and some might even argue that it's harmful - to buy into the whole low-fat craze. For one thing, low fat foods (processed ones) are often loaded with sugar or sodium or other un-natural ingredients to make them taste better. If you go low-fat and you're sticking to whole foods, you're probaby going to find your meals unsatisfying. Oh, and one other thing, when I'm talking about having fat in your diet, I'm talking about things like nuts, avocado, eggs (the whole egg - yolk, too), coconut (all types), olive oil, etc. Even grass-fed butter is thought to be an acceptable form of fat. Don't forget about the healthy fat in fish like salmon.
Anyway, I digress. So yes, there's a lot of fat in this dish, but it's all healthy fat. I can tell you first hand, there's a big difference between the fat from, say, chicken nuggets and fries and this dish in how I feel after eating it. I felt good! I served this with a green salad (full of veggies I picked up at the farmer's market) and some leftover potato salad from this weekend. So, so good. I got this off Mark's Daily Apple website and scaled it down.
Ingredients (serves 4):
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt & ground black pepper
Olive oil
3 T. capers (with brine)
Lemon wedge
2 T. butter (grass-fed is best, but I'm still using up my traditional butter)
Directions:
Cut chicken breasts in half (as if butterflying). Arrange in a single layer on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a meat clever (or rolling pin) to pound to 1/4 inch all the way around. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, just enough oil to cover the pan. Add chicken pieces, touching is okay, but not overlapping (may require a second batch depending on the size of your skillet and chicken breasts). Cook 3 to 3/12 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Transfer to a serving plate.
Pour capers with brine into the pan, stirring to get up any little chunks of chicken that stuck to the pan. Add the butter and squeeze in the lemon wedge. Stir constantly, until butter is melted and starts to brown. Remove from heat and spoon sauce with capers over chicken. Serve.
Eggplant Breakfast Sammiches
The Farmer's Market is like my Disneyland: the happiest place on Earth. I've been trying to get to the Farmer's Market downtown on Saturday for quite a while now. It just seems like my Saturdays are so busy that I just can't spare the couple of hours it would take to drive downtown, find a place to park, and wander through the market, visiting all the wonderful vegetable stands. A few years ago I hit up a Farmer's Market that was closer to me, but I wasn't overly impressed with the offerings.
This week I'd woken my son up early because he needed to go shopping for some school stuff and I didn't have all day to wait around. As we were out shopping, it dawned on me that we were in the vicinity of the local Farmer's Market. With not too much protesting, he agreed to go with me. I was still in "turbo mode," trying to get everything done, so I hit the stands with gusto. I was impressed with how much the market has grown since I last went. Lots of farmers, lots of selection and great prices. They still didn't have the local meats, but the fruits and vegetables were in abundance. I found a few new items, too: purple "green" beans, lemon cucumbers and donut peaches. I've seen donut peaches before (at like $3 a pound or something like that) but the purple beans and lemon cucumbers were brand new. How fun!
I found some eggplant that looked incredible, too. I usually don't pick up eggplant at the grocery store because it often isn't fresh. Obviously much safer at a Farmer's Market.
But what to do with it? There are so many options, but many of those are boring. I did a little Google-ing and found some unique recipes. I took a few suggestions from each and came up with these little sammiches. My kids were not a fan, but I loved them and my BF said they were "very tasty." They're quite dense, so you will probably only serve one or two per person, with a side of fresh fruit. The guys got bacon on theirs, but of course mine was sans bacon.
The recipe has several steps and you can do the baking in any order you like. I did the pepper first, then the bacon, then the eggplant.
Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper
1 medium eggplant (bigger ones have more seeds, so I avoid those)
3-4 T. coconut oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
8-12 slices bacon
1 cup raw cashews
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup water
Dried (or fresh) basil
Balsamic vinegar
Directions:
For the pepper: Set oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil - but do not grease. Wash bell pepper (but leave whole) and set on baking sheet. Roast, turning every 5 minutes or so, until pepper is slightly charred on all sides. Put in a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit, allowing the heat from the pepper to "steam" the skins off. When cool enough to handle, pop the center out by pulling gently on the stem, then peel. The skin should slide right off without much effort. Slice into strips.
For the bacon: Set oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange bacon in a single layer, not touching. Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy. Let cool.
For the eggplant: Set oven to 400 degrees. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice eggplant into thick rounds (mine were 3/8 inch). I got 18 rounds - so 9 sammiches. Be sure to get them as uniform as possible to ensure they cook evenly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange eggplant slices in a single layer. Touching is fine, but not overlapping. Melt coconut oil. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat eggplant slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip, coat with coconut oil, sprinkle salt and pepper. Bake 3-4 minutes, flip, then bake an additional 3-4 minutes.
For the stuffing: Combine cashews, lemon juice, sea salt and water in a blender. Pulse until cashews are well chopped, then blend on high speed, stopping to scrape sides frequently, until desired consistency is reached. It should be creamy, but some chunks of cashews will remain. Transfer to a small mixing bowl (to make assembling easier).
Now, to assemble:
On a fresh baking sheet with fresh parchment paper, arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single layer. (Use a mixture of bigger and smaller slices so they can be matched to another slice of similar size when you top them with the other half of the eggplant slices). Layer with pepper slices, then top with cashew stuffing. Sprinkle a little basil over each, then drizzle a small amount of balsamic vinegar. Layer bacon over stuffing (breaking pieces in half or even thirds if necessary), then top with remaining eggplant rounds. Return to oven and bake about 5 minutes, just enough to heat it up. Serve with a side of fresh fruit.
This week I'd woken my son up early because he needed to go shopping for some school stuff and I didn't have all day to wait around. As we were out shopping, it dawned on me that we were in the vicinity of the local Farmer's Market. With not too much protesting, he agreed to go with me. I was still in "turbo mode," trying to get everything done, so I hit the stands with gusto. I was impressed with how much the market has grown since I last went. Lots of farmers, lots of selection and great prices. They still didn't have the local meats, but the fruits and vegetables were in abundance. I found a few new items, too: purple "green" beans, lemon cucumbers and donut peaches. I've seen donut peaches before (at like $3 a pound or something like that) but the purple beans and lemon cucumbers were brand new. How fun!
I found some eggplant that looked incredible, too. I usually don't pick up eggplant at the grocery store because it often isn't fresh. Obviously much safer at a Farmer's Market.
But what to do with it? There are so many options, but many of those are boring. I did a little Google-ing and found some unique recipes. I took a few suggestions from each and came up with these little sammiches. My kids were not a fan, but I loved them and my BF said they were "very tasty." They're quite dense, so you will probably only serve one or two per person, with a side of fresh fruit. The guys got bacon on theirs, but of course mine was sans bacon.
The recipe has several steps and you can do the baking in any order you like. I did the pepper first, then the bacon, then the eggplant.
Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper
1 medium eggplant (bigger ones have more seeds, so I avoid those)
3-4 T. coconut oil
Sea salt & ground black pepper
8-12 slices bacon
1 cup raw cashews
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup water
Dried (or fresh) basil
Balsamic vinegar
Directions:
For the pepper: Set oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil - but do not grease. Wash bell pepper (but leave whole) and set on baking sheet. Roast, turning every 5 minutes or so, until pepper is slightly charred on all sides. Put in a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit, allowing the heat from the pepper to "steam" the skins off. When cool enough to handle, pop the center out by pulling gently on the stem, then peel. The skin should slide right off without much effort. Slice into strips.
For the bacon: Set oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange bacon in a single layer, not touching. Bake for 15 minutes or until crispy. Let cool.
For the eggplant: Set oven to 400 degrees. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice eggplant into thick rounds (mine were 3/8 inch). I got 18 rounds - so 9 sammiches. Be sure to get them as uniform as possible to ensure they cook evenly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange eggplant slices in a single layer. Touching is fine, but not overlapping. Melt coconut oil. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat eggplant slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip, coat with coconut oil, sprinkle salt and pepper. Bake 3-4 minutes, flip, then bake an additional 3-4 minutes.
For the stuffing: Combine cashews, lemon juice, sea salt and water in a blender. Pulse until cashews are well chopped, then blend on high speed, stopping to scrape sides frequently, until desired consistency is reached. It should be creamy, but some chunks of cashews will remain. Transfer to a small mixing bowl (to make assembling easier).
Now, to assemble:
On a fresh baking sheet with fresh parchment paper, arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single layer. (Use a mixture of bigger and smaller slices so they can be matched to another slice of similar size when you top them with the other half of the eggplant slices). Layer with pepper slices, then top with cashew stuffing. Sprinkle a little basil over each, then drizzle a small amount of balsamic vinegar. Layer bacon over stuffing (breaking pieces in half or even thirds if necessary), then top with remaining eggplant rounds. Return to oven and bake about 5 minutes, just enough to heat it up. Serve with a side of fresh fruit.
Cinnamon Apple Chips
One of the most difficult things for me to give up when I switched to Paleo is nacho cheese Doritos. Yes, they are my guilty pleasure. Last night there was a bag of them that would not get off my back. Like at all. The sat in the corner screaming at me. Try as I might, I could not stay away. I am totally the victim here. But I tell you what, I am sure regretting it. My body is obviously pretty pissed at me today.
But I'm a snacky kind of person. I like snacking. There aren't a lot of low-cal paleo snacks out there. In the past when I wanted something just to nibble on I'd go for Quaker Pops. They offered sweet and savory (my favorites were the caramel and the cheddar), but those have so many chemicals in them I just can't justify them anymore - especially the cheddar with all that sodium.
I used to not be able to live without my food dehydrator. I was constantly making jerky. When I found out about some of the food allergies, though, that negated many of the jerky mixes I had. So, the poor little food dehydrator got sent to the back of the storage closed.
I found a new use for it yesterday, though, and it got to come out and play. Of course, I got to pull out my trusty mandolin, too. I highly recommend using a mandolin for this task, as you absolutely want the apple slices uniform. If they're not, they won't dehydrate evenly and you're going to have to mess with them constantly, removing them a few at a time as they finish. If they're completely uniform, though, you can just turn it on and walk away, coming back only to check periodically.
If you don't have a dehydrator you can use a very low temperature in the oven, but you'll have to watch them closely and flip them. You don't need any added sugar or added anything - just a little sprinkling of cinnamon. Three apples filled all the trays in my dehydrator and made two good sized snack bags.
Ingredients:
3 apples (I used Fuji)
Cinnamon
Directions:
Use a mandolin to slice the apples very thin. I set mine at 1/16th inch. Not paper thin, but almost. Arrange in a single layer on dehydrator trays. Hold trays over the sink and lightly sprinkle cinnamon over slices. Let run in the dehydrator for 3-4 hours. Go for a little less time if you want them slightly tacky (dried fruit consistency) or a little longer if you want them ultra crispy, like chips.
Store in an airtight bag for up to a week.
But I'm a snacky kind of person. I like snacking. There aren't a lot of low-cal paleo snacks out there. In the past when I wanted something just to nibble on I'd go for Quaker Pops. They offered sweet and savory (my favorites were the caramel and the cheddar), but those have so many chemicals in them I just can't justify them anymore - especially the cheddar with all that sodium.
I used to not be able to live without my food dehydrator. I was constantly making jerky. When I found out about some of the food allergies, though, that negated many of the jerky mixes I had. So, the poor little food dehydrator got sent to the back of the storage closed.
I found a new use for it yesterday, though, and it got to come out and play. Of course, I got to pull out my trusty mandolin, too. I highly recommend using a mandolin for this task, as you absolutely want the apple slices uniform. If they're not, they won't dehydrate evenly and you're going to have to mess with them constantly, removing them a few at a time as they finish. If they're completely uniform, though, you can just turn it on and walk away, coming back only to check periodically.
If you don't have a dehydrator you can use a very low temperature in the oven, but you'll have to watch them closely and flip them. You don't need any added sugar or added anything - just a little sprinkling of cinnamon. Three apples filled all the trays in my dehydrator and made two good sized snack bags.
Ingredients:
3 apples (I used Fuji)
Cinnamon
Directions:
Use a mandolin to slice the apples very thin. I set mine at 1/16th inch. Not paper thin, but almost. Arrange in a single layer on dehydrator trays. Hold trays over the sink and lightly sprinkle cinnamon over slices. Let run in the dehydrator for 3-4 hours. Go for a little less time if you want them slightly tacky (dried fruit consistency) or a little longer if you want them ultra crispy, like chips.
Store in an airtight bag for up to a week.
Cranberry Zucchini Salad
I've read a ton of blogs, a ton of websites, and a ton of recipes in my search of healthy food for my family. I'm particularly interested in the Paleo way of life, primarily because the focus is on whole, healthy foods - most of which I'm not allergic to.
I think a lot of people assume that just because something is labeled "paleo" you can eat as much as you want with abandon and still be healthy. There is so much more that goes into it than that. The primary focus of paleo is two-fold, but I think too often people get caught up on only one side. First, you want to eliminate processed foods, dairy and grains. Getting rid of the processed, chemical filled foods is very important. But the foods you replace it with is probably even more important.
If your diet is laden with paleo desserts, steak and bacon - even these things are all paleo approved - you're not going to see results. The main component of a paleo diet should be vegetables, followed by fruits, lean protein and healthy fats. I will be the first to admit I do not eat as many vegetables as I probably "should." I do great with the fruit, lean protein and sticking to only healthy fats, but I need to do a better job of eating more veggies. The challenge for me is that I get bored with traditional vegetables (even if they're roasted, which is amazing, by the way).
I'm thinking of doing a Whole30. I'm still in contemplation mode, though. I remember how I felt trying to manage the carb flu not on a Whole30, and I'll be honest, the thought of feeling like crap for a couple of weeks terrifies me. In the meantime, my focus is simply including more vegetables.
Last night I was making flaky chicken tenders. My focus is usually on the main dish, with sides as an afterthought. Since there was no vegetables in the main dish I needed to add something. Salad is a really good way to get your veggies in. I'm not a big salad fan, though. I don't care for lettuce (call me weird). I was digging around for some recipes yesterday and knew I wanted to use zucchini or broccoli (since that was what I had in the refrigerator). I just wasn't finding anything that was doing it for me. I don't know how I thought of it, but a zucchini salad sounded really tasty. Keeping it simple was the best strategy.
I sliced up the zucchini with the mandolin and then just stared at it, trying to decide what to do next. I thought a sweet and tangy dressing would work. Oh, cranberries go good with sweet and tangy. Mmkay, needs some crunch. Sunflower seeds! Including the slicing it came together really fast. I made it first before proceeding with the rest of the dinner, so it had marinated wonderfully by the time dinner was served. I recommend you do the same, because it was fairly bland when I first tossed it. Make it about an hour ahead of when you plan to serve it, but not much more, as you don't want the zucchini getting too mushy. If you don't have a mandolin you can use the large holes of a cheese grater to shred the zucchini or, if you're feeling really ambitious, julienne by hand.
Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
1 heaping spoonfull date paste (about 1 1/2 T.)
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. light extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp onion powder
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried cranberries (low- or no-sugar added)
2 T. raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
Directions:
Julienne or shred zucchini and put in a large mixing bowl.
In a small mixing bowl, combine date paste with about half of the vinegar and olive oil, then sprinkle seasonings. Whisk well. Add more of the vinegar and oil (trying to keep ratios even) until sauce is still thick but pourable. You may need slightly more or less of the vinegar/oil mixture.
Pour sauce over zucchini and toss with a wooden spoon. Add cranberries and sunflower seeds, tossing again to combine. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour. Toss well before serving.
I think a lot of people assume that just because something is labeled "paleo" you can eat as much as you want with abandon and still be healthy. There is so much more that goes into it than that. The primary focus of paleo is two-fold, but I think too often people get caught up on only one side. First, you want to eliminate processed foods, dairy and grains. Getting rid of the processed, chemical filled foods is very important. But the foods you replace it with is probably even more important.
If your diet is laden with paleo desserts, steak and bacon - even these things are all paleo approved - you're not going to see results. The main component of a paleo diet should be vegetables, followed by fruits, lean protein and healthy fats. I will be the first to admit I do not eat as many vegetables as I probably "should." I do great with the fruit, lean protein and sticking to only healthy fats, but I need to do a better job of eating more veggies. The challenge for me is that I get bored with traditional vegetables (even if they're roasted, which is amazing, by the way).
I'm thinking of doing a Whole30. I'm still in contemplation mode, though. I remember how I felt trying to manage the carb flu not on a Whole30, and I'll be honest, the thought of feeling like crap for a couple of weeks terrifies me. In the meantime, my focus is simply including more vegetables.
Last night I was making flaky chicken tenders. My focus is usually on the main dish, with sides as an afterthought. Since there was no vegetables in the main dish I needed to add something. Salad is a really good way to get your veggies in. I'm not a big salad fan, though. I don't care for lettuce (call me weird). I was digging around for some recipes yesterday and knew I wanted to use zucchini or broccoli (since that was what I had in the refrigerator). I just wasn't finding anything that was doing it for me. I don't know how I thought of it, but a zucchini salad sounded really tasty. Keeping it simple was the best strategy.
I sliced up the zucchini with the mandolin and then just stared at it, trying to decide what to do next. I thought a sweet and tangy dressing would work. Oh, cranberries go good with sweet and tangy. Mmkay, needs some crunch. Sunflower seeds! Including the slicing it came together really fast. I made it first before proceeding with the rest of the dinner, so it had marinated wonderfully by the time dinner was served. I recommend you do the same, because it was fairly bland when I first tossed it. Make it about an hour ahead of when you plan to serve it, but not much more, as you don't want the zucchini getting too mushy. If you don't have a mandolin you can use the large holes of a cheese grater to shred the zucchini or, if you're feeling really ambitious, julienne by hand.
Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
1 heaping spoonfull date paste (about 1 1/2 T.)
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. light extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp onion powder
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried cranberries (low- or no-sugar added)
2 T. raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
Directions:
Julienne or shred zucchini and put in a large mixing bowl.
In a small mixing bowl, combine date paste with about half of the vinegar and olive oil, then sprinkle seasonings. Whisk well. Add more of the vinegar and oil (trying to keep ratios even) until sauce is still thick but pourable. You may need slightly more or less of the vinegar/oil mixture.
Pour sauce over zucchini and toss with a wooden spoon. Add cranberries and sunflower seeds, tossing again to combine. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour. Toss well before serving.
Flaky Coconut Chicken
I make coconut chicken tenders on occasion, and serve them with a jalapeno sauce. So tasty. I don't make them often because they are so time consuming. You wouldn't think so, but as much food as I have to prepare to feed everyone in my house, that is a TON of chicken tenders to coat, press, flip, press and transfer to baking sheet. It wouldn't be a big deal if I weren't feeding three guys, but since I am...
I love the Paleo Chick-Fil-A strips inspired by Stupid Easy Paleo. Similar problem with the time on these, too. Marinade, dump, mix seasonings, coat, dip, smush, then fry - and only so many fit in a pan at a time. So tasty, but it seems to take forever. I really like using coconut flour as a coating, but because it absorbs so much moisture, you absolutely have to fry them (yep, I learned that one the hard way).
But it got me thinking. Coconut is a great coating, but because shredded coconut is so thick you have to work to get it to stick to the chicken without falling off. Even the finer shreds require some work. So, I pulled out my handy dandy BlendTec and pulsed it until it came close in consistency to a flour.
This worked out better than I could have hoped, and it allowed me to bake them! There's still some fat because we're using coconut oil, but it's much better than shallow frying them.
Ingredients:
1 package chicken tenders (about 2.5 pounds)
1/2 lemon
Drizzle olive oil
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp corriander
Sea salt & ground black pepper
1 egg
2 T. coconut oil
Directions:
Rinse chicken tenders and put in a large mixing bowl. Juice the half lemon over the chicken and drizzle a litte olive oil (about 1/2 tablespoon). Toss tenders with tongs and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Pulse coconut shreds in the blender or food processor until it resembles a coarse flour, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary. The amount of time will depend on how thick your coconut is shredded to start. Transfer coconut to a gallon sized bag, ideally one with a slider top. Sprinkle onion powder, corriander, salt and pepper into bag, close and shake gently to combine.
Whisk egg, then pour over chicken. Toss with tongs. Pick up one piece of chicken at a time, shaking off any excess egg, and transfer to bag of coconut. Once all tenders are in the bag, blow some air into the bag and seal. Shake bag, turning over so that sides of all tenders are exposed to the coconut.
Melt coconut oil in a small bowl. Use a silicone pastry brush to coat the foil-lined baking sheet with about half of the coconut oil. Remove tenders from bag and arrange in a single layer on oil-covered baking sheet. Use the pastry brush to drizzle remaining coconut oil over the chicken tenders. You don't want to brush it on, because you will take the coconut off. Just touch lightly with the tip of the brush.
Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, flip tenders, and cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
If you want a crispier coating, reduce baking time on each side by a minute or two. Put chicken under a broiler for about 30 seconds on each side. Watch it very carefully so it doesn't burn.
Serve with vegetables!
I love the Paleo Chick-Fil-A strips inspired by Stupid Easy Paleo. Similar problem with the time on these, too. Marinade, dump, mix seasonings, coat, dip, smush, then fry - and only so many fit in a pan at a time. So tasty, but it seems to take forever. I really like using coconut flour as a coating, but because it absorbs so much moisture, you absolutely have to fry them (yep, I learned that one the hard way).
But it got me thinking. Coconut is a great coating, but because shredded coconut is so thick you have to work to get it to stick to the chicken without falling off. Even the finer shreds require some work. So, I pulled out my handy dandy BlendTec and pulsed it until it came close in consistency to a flour.
This worked out better than I could have hoped, and it allowed me to bake them! There's still some fat because we're using coconut oil, but it's much better than shallow frying them.
Ingredients:
1 package chicken tenders (about 2.5 pounds)
1/2 lemon
Drizzle olive oil
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp corriander
Sea salt & ground black pepper
1 egg
2 T. coconut oil
Directions:
Rinse chicken tenders and put in a large mixing bowl. Juice the half lemon over the chicken and drizzle a litte olive oil (about 1/2 tablespoon). Toss tenders with tongs and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Pulse coconut shreds in the blender or food processor until it resembles a coarse flour, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary. The amount of time will depend on how thick your coconut is shredded to start. Transfer coconut to a gallon sized bag, ideally one with a slider top. Sprinkle onion powder, corriander, salt and pepper into bag, close and shake gently to combine.
Whisk egg, then pour over chicken. Toss with tongs. Pick up one piece of chicken at a time, shaking off any excess egg, and transfer to bag of coconut. Once all tenders are in the bag, blow some air into the bag and seal. Shake bag, turning over so that sides of all tenders are exposed to the coconut.
Melt coconut oil in a small bowl. Use a silicone pastry brush to coat the foil-lined baking sheet with about half of the coconut oil. Remove tenders from bag and arrange in a single layer on oil-covered baking sheet. Use the pastry brush to drizzle remaining coconut oil over the chicken tenders. You don't want to brush it on, because you will take the coconut off. Just touch lightly with the tip of the brush.
Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven, flip tenders, and cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
If you want a crispier coating, reduce baking time on each side by a minute or two. Put chicken under a broiler for about 30 seconds on each side. Watch it very carefully so it doesn't burn.
Serve with vegetables!
Paleo Mocha or Paleo Latte
Finally! For some time now I have been on a quest for the perfect coffee creamer that was paleo friendly. I'd come across a couple of recipes, but nothing I was overly thrilled with. I was so in love with my International Delight with all those delicious chemicals and the sugar bleached from charred animal bones that I just couldn't find a decent substitute.
Yesterday I was looking around online trying to understand the science behind paleo baking. It seems that paleo baking recipes are all over the board. Some use nut flour, some coconut flour, and others a combination of fruits and/or vegetables. With traditional baking I understand how it works - the gluten in the flour binds the recipe together, and if you're using something gluten free like rice flour, sorghum flour or oat flour, you need extra eggs to help bind it all together. But paleo baking? It eludes me.
My key search terms did not bring up what I was looking for, but it did point me in a very interesting direction: the science behind why paleo works. I came across a boatload of useful information about carbohydrates, why certain "healthy" foods are considered "bad" on the paleo diet, and perhaps more importantly, I read a very interesting article on coagulation.
While on this little search, I came across a recipe for a Paleo Coffee. I simply could not believe what I was reading. The author suggested blending three egg yolks into a cup of coffee with a little maple syrup. Barf! I just don't know that I can bring myself to do that. The thought of drinking raw egg yolks blended with coffee first thing in the morning is not appetizing in the least. But, I thought I might be able to apply the coagulation concept in making my own morning brew.
I've put coconut milk (the canned kind) in my coffee in the past, and it left an oily residue at the top that I didn't care for. The most recent paleo coffee creamer I tried was made from date paste, coconut milk and almond extract. Problem was that it didn't taste good enough to justify the carbs and sugar, because I had to put three giant scoops in to make it taste decent.
But this... this is GOOD! I loved loved loved the mocha version - but it will be a treat more than a regular drink because of how many carbs are in the square of chocolate. Without the chocolate, it's still totally yummy and has virtually no carbs. Totally stoked about this. It's a little bit of work, but if I can do it first thing in the morning, it's not bad at all!
Now, I will say here, I've tried Stevia in the past and hated it. I mean absolutely could not stand it. Like, I'll take anything over Stevia. But, it seems to be the sweetener of choice in Paleo Land if you're looking for something besides honey or maple syrup (so low carb). Personally, I'd rather get my carbs from fruit, so I thought I'd give it another shot. Also, when I was at the store, I read the ingredient list on several brands of Stevia. I noticed that all of them have "added" ingredients, and the liquid was worse than the powder! The Truvia brand was the only one that didn't have extra gunk in it, so I tried that one.
I used only a half packet in my coffee this morning and it was perfect. My third cup (yes, I drink a lot of coffee) I put in a little more than the first two and I got the after-taste, so it became clear to me that the trick is to use just a little to get the sweetness but avoid the after-taste.
Anyway, enough blah-blah-blah out of me. Here are the recipes for two of the best paleo-friendly cups of coffee I've had thus far.
Paleo Mocha
1 cup coffee (mine is around 12 ounces)
1 square dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) OR 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 packet Truvia
1/2 T. full-fat coconut milk
Dash cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Pour coffee into a Magic Bullet (or other blender), break up chocolate square and add to coffee. Stir until chocolate is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until everything is well combined and coffee is frothy. Pour into coffee mug and serve. If you want to be fancy, you could top it with a little more cinnamon and/or some finely grated dark chocolate.
Paleo Latte
1 cup coffee (again, mine is around 12 ounces)
1/2 packet Truvia
1/2 T. full-fat coconut milk
Dash cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Optional: a drop or two of any flavor extracts you'd like
Pour everything into a Magic Bullet (or other blender) and pulse until well combined and frothy. Serve. Again, for a fancy serving, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.
Yesterday I was looking around online trying to understand the science behind paleo baking. It seems that paleo baking recipes are all over the board. Some use nut flour, some coconut flour, and others a combination of fruits and/or vegetables. With traditional baking I understand how it works - the gluten in the flour binds the recipe together, and if you're using something gluten free like rice flour, sorghum flour or oat flour, you need extra eggs to help bind it all together. But paleo baking? It eludes me.
My key search terms did not bring up what I was looking for, but it did point me in a very interesting direction: the science behind why paleo works. I came across a boatload of useful information about carbohydrates, why certain "healthy" foods are considered "bad" on the paleo diet, and perhaps more importantly, I read a very interesting article on coagulation.
While on this little search, I came across a recipe for a Paleo Coffee. I simply could not believe what I was reading. The author suggested blending three egg yolks into a cup of coffee with a little maple syrup. Barf! I just don't know that I can bring myself to do that. The thought of drinking raw egg yolks blended with coffee first thing in the morning is not appetizing in the least. But, I thought I might be able to apply the coagulation concept in making my own morning brew.
I've put coconut milk (the canned kind) in my coffee in the past, and it left an oily residue at the top that I didn't care for. The most recent paleo coffee creamer I tried was made from date paste, coconut milk and almond extract. Problem was that it didn't taste good enough to justify the carbs and sugar, because I had to put three giant scoops in to make it taste decent.
But this... this is GOOD! I loved loved loved the mocha version - but it will be a treat more than a regular drink because of how many carbs are in the square of chocolate. Without the chocolate, it's still totally yummy and has virtually no carbs. Totally stoked about this. It's a little bit of work, but if I can do it first thing in the morning, it's not bad at all!
Now, I will say here, I've tried Stevia in the past and hated it. I mean absolutely could not stand it. Like, I'll take anything over Stevia. But, it seems to be the sweetener of choice in Paleo Land if you're looking for something besides honey or maple syrup (so low carb). Personally, I'd rather get my carbs from fruit, so I thought I'd give it another shot. Also, when I was at the store, I read the ingredient list on several brands of Stevia. I noticed that all of them have "added" ingredients, and the liquid was worse than the powder! The Truvia brand was the only one that didn't have extra gunk in it, so I tried that one.
I used only a half packet in my coffee this morning and it was perfect. My third cup (yes, I drink a lot of coffee) I put in a little more than the first two and I got the after-taste, so it became clear to me that the trick is to use just a little to get the sweetness but avoid the after-taste.
Anyway, enough blah-blah-blah out of me. Here are the recipes for two of the best paleo-friendly cups of coffee I've had thus far.
Paleo Mocha
1 cup coffee (mine is around 12 ounces)
1 square dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) OR 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 packet Truvia
1/2 T. full-fat coconut milk
Dash cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Pour coffee into a Magic Bullet (or other blender), break up chocolate square and add to coffee. Stir until chocolate is dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until everything is well combined and coffee is frothy. Pour into coffee mug and serve. If you want to be fancy, you could top it with a little more cinnamon and/or some finely grated dark chocolate.
Paleo Latte
1 cup coffee (again, mine is around 12 ounces)
1/2 packet Truvia
1/2 T. full-fat coconut milk
Dash cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
Optional: a drop or two of any flavor extracts you'd like
Pour everything into a Magic Bullet (or other blender) and pulse until well combined and frothy. Serve. Again, for a fancy serving, sprinkle a little cinnamon on top.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Product Review: Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Protein Powder
Since becoming die hard about paleo and clean eating, I've often wondered what to recover with after a rigorous workout. Really, for me, it depends on the type of workout I do. If it's a run or a largely cardio workout (such as a Jillian Michaels yoga video), I'll have a piece of fruit and a big bottle of water. If it's another yoga workout, I don't see much need for recovery other than water.
But, when you lift weights, you're causing little micro tears in your muscles. The muscles need protein to recover post-workout. A liquid is the best way to send that protein straight to your muscles to aid in recovery. Here's why: You have about a 30 minute window after you stop your workout when muscles are most receptive to the protein. If you eat protein, such as eggs or lean chicken, it's going to take at least that long to digest it, and that doesn't account for any prep time before you start eating! A liquid protein is going to significantly cut down on digestion time, allowing your body to take full advantage of the recovery.
Here's the problem, though. Most protein powder supplements contain loads of chemicals, and often have lots of sweetener - usually artificial. I used to buy whatever was cheap. Then I was introduced to Syntha-6, which was higher quality that what I had used in the past and tasted, OMG, incredible. It was 200 calories per scoop, and most of that was from filler ingredients. After a while I came across Iso-100. That was my go-to protein of choice for a long time. It was 100 calories per scoop and because it was an isolated protein it didn't have a ton of fillers.
But it still had fillers. Chemicals. Artificial sweeteners. As I transitioned more and more into paleo, I noticed it started upsetting my stomach. At first, I just accepted it, thinking the benefits of the post-workout recovery outweighed the stomach upset. I knew, though, there had to be a better quality protein out there. I hadn't looked too hard because I still had half a jar of my Iso, but it was on my radar.
Then, lo and behold, I was at Whole Paycheck and a petite little thing was doing a demonstration - with samples - of the Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Protein Powder. She was making smoothies out of fruit, ice, almond milk and the protein powder. It was delicious! I checked the label and there was nothing offensive. Just natural ingredients. My big question was, how does it mix with just water? She admitted she'd never tried it, but said it blended up just fine in her Blender Bottle with almond milk, so she suspected it would do fine in water.
Given her suggestion, I decided to try it in coconut milk. I filled up my little Blender Bottle halfway with coconut milk, added the powder, shook it up and took a big gulp.
I almost vomited.
This was, hands down, at the top of my list of Most Disgusting Things I've Ever Put In My Mouth. I took a deep breath and tried again, making efforts not to breathe and just get it down. No dice, I almost vomited again. It was really thick, so I tried adding some water, and at that point was at least able to get it down the ol' pipe.
Obviously there's a dilemma here. On one hand, you've got chemically enhanced protein that tastes really yummy, and on the other hand you've got a natural, quality protein that is completely unpalatable. You're just going to have to decide which is more important. I didn't feel lousy after I drank it (and got the taste out of my mouth) so that was a huge plus. And, it fits better with my feelings about food and nutrition. So, for my money, the Warrior Blend is going to be my protein of choice.
The way I see it, I have two options. One, I can mix it with water and just buck up and drink it. Or two, I can mix it with fruit like the cute little blonde did at Whole Paycheck. I think it's going to depend largely on how much time I have, because that little treat she made was pretty darn tasty.
Overall this product is a win. Sunwarrior, feel free to send me my endorsement check now. I'm waiting. Still waiting. No check? Okay, fine. This one's a freebie.
Shrimp Fried "Rice"
I don't know about you, but it has been a week! I think it's finally catching up to me, because I'm so exhausted this morning I can hardly keep my eyeballs open. Bed late, up early, more stress than I care to deal with - not a good combination. Ever feel like the stars are aligning against you?
Let me just rant for a second. I can't even keep track of how many websites and blogs I've been to looking for inspiration for my recipes. I've learned one fundamental truth: people are haters. Not all people, of course, but on every blog, on every post, there's one person who has to be critical for the sake of being critical. In my humble but correct opinion, the comments section of any blog or website should be reserved for comments about what worked or didn't work, or to ask the author questions. Comments that are negative and critical without even having tried the recipe just rub me wrong. For example, I found a recipe for Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies that I made last night. In the comments section, someone ran down the list of ingredients and basically stated that cavement would not have been able to procure these ingredients, and therefore the author was a horrible person for having labeled it paleo.
Here's the thing: recipes are personal. Food is personal. Everyone's journey to a healthier self is personal. See a recipe you don't like? Don't make it. See ingredients you don't eat? Either swap it with something else or move on to another recipe. There is nothing gained by being an uptight prude and putting someone else down to "prove" how superior you are. Well, except making yourself look like an uptight prude. To him I would say, "Do you live in a house with running water and electricity? Do you shop in a grocery store? Do you wear clothes manufactured on a machine? Are you using a computer to spread your negativity? Yes? Funny, I don't think cavement had access to this stuff. Shut the hell up." Do the world a favor and don't be that guy!
End rant.
I enjoyed making this recipe because I was able to get my son to help. I was rushing to get dinner cooked because I'd spent way too much time dinking around on dessert (which was phenomenal, BTW). He helped me chop vegetables and sautee. Every time I make a dish with shrimp I remember why I don't often make a dish with shrimp. It takes FOREVER to peel those little suckers. I use an entire two pound bag, which means a LOT of shrimp. I learned, though, if you use bigger shrimp, you get more meat and less peeling. Win.
As always, I used the original recipe as a guide and ended up making quite a few adjustments. I don't know if the original recipe was intended as a main dish or side dish. I think as a side dish it would have been okay "as is," but because I was serving it as a main dish I wanted a ton more flavor that what the author called for. I added and added and mixed and stirred, and I think I finally came up with something that tasted good. When I make this again, I might play around with a sauce I could toss in to it. Here's the real bummer - I picked up some fresh ginger root specifically for this recipe, but completely forgot to use it. I ended up using dried ginger, but I'm bummed out because I was really looking forward to the fresh ginger taste. Oh well. Like I said, it's been a week and I'm working to accept it.
Anyway... this recipe is fairly time consuming and a little labor intensive, primarily because of all the vegetable chopping and shrimp peeling going on. If you have someone to peel shrimp while you chop vegetables (or vice versa), I recommend recruiting some extra hands. If not, just plan on about an hour to get dinner on the table.
Ingredients:
2lb package frozen shrimp
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
Drizzle olive oil
1/4 cup frozen peas (you can use more if you'd like)
1 head cauliflower
Drizzle olive oil (yes, again)
Sea salt, black pepper and onion powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 T. fish sauce (more or less to taste)
1/4 fresh lemon
2 eggs
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Directions:
Put shrimp in a large mixing bowl and fill with lukewarm water - enough to cover the shrimp. Stir them around so they don't clump together as they thaw. Once thawed, peel. Let them sit in a strainer while you continue with the recipe to drain off any residual water.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly caramelized. Stir in frozen peas and thawed shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp are pink. Be careful not to over cook or the shrimp will be tough. Remove from heat and set aside.
Chop cauliflower into chunks. Pulse in a food processor until cauliflower resembles rice. Drizzle a little olive oil in another large pot and add cauliflower. Season lightly with salt, pepper and onion powder. Cook, stirring constantly, until cauliflower softens. Remove from heat and set aside.
Choose the pan that is biggest and will give you the most surface space, and pour the contents of both pots into one. Bring back up to temperature over medium heat. Stir in ginger, paprika, red pepper and fish sauce. Squeeze lemon. Stir well to combine. When mixture is hot, make a few little "wells" in the mixture. Crack eggs over the pot, trying to get as much into the wells as possible. Let cook another minute or two or until egg is cooked through. Stir to distribute the egg, and garnish with green onions.
This should have made about 6-8 servings. But, feeding 3 hungry guys, it made about 4. There was a little left for me to take to work for lunch, but less than a serving even for me.
I guess they liked it.
Let me just rant for a second. I can't even keep track of how many websites and blogs I've been to looking for inspiration for my recipes. I've learned one fundamental truth: people are haters. Not all people, of course, but on every blog, on every post, there's one person who has to be critical for the sake of being critical. In my humble but correct opinion, the comments section of any blog or website should be reserved for comments about what worked or didn't work, or to ask the author questions. Comments that are negative and critical without even having tried the recipe just rub me wrong. For example, I found a recipe for Paleo Sweet Potato Brownies that I made last night. In the comments section, someone ran down the list of ingredients and basically stated that cavement would not have been able to procure these ingredients, and therefore the author was a horrible person for having labeled it paleo.
Here's the thing: recipes are personal. Food is personal. Everyone's journey to a healthier self is personal. See a recipe you don't like? Don't make it. See ingredients you don't eat? Either swap it with something else or move on to another recipe. There is nothing gained by being an uptight prude and putting someone else down to "prove" how superior you are. Well, except making yourself look like an uptight prude. To him I would say, "Do you live in a house with running water and electricity? Do you shop in a grocery store? Do you wear clothes manufactured on a machine? Are you using a computer to spread your negativity? Yes? Funny, I don't think cavement had access to this stuff. Shut the hell up." Do the world a favor and don't be that guy!
End rant.
I enjoyed making this recipe because I was able to get my son to help. I was rushing to get dinner cooked because I'd spent way too much time dinking around on dessert (which was phenomenal, BTW). He helped me chop vegetables and sautee. Every time I make a dish with shrimp I remember why I don't often make a dish with shrimp. It takes FOREVER to peel those little suckers. I use an entire two pound bag, which means a LOT of shrimp. I learned, though, if you use bigger shrimp, you get more meat and less peeling. Win.
As always, I used the original recipe as a guide and ended up making quite a few adjustments. I don't know if the original recipe was intended as a main dish or side dish. I think as a side dish it would have been okay "as is," but because I was serving it as a main dish I wanted a ton more flavor that what the author called for. I added and added and mixed and stirred, and I think I finally came up with something that tasted good. When I make this again, I might play around with a sauce I could toss in to it. Here's the real bummer - I picked up some fresh ginger root specifically for this recipe, but completely forgot to use it. I ended up using dried ginger, but I'm bummed out because I was really looking forward to the fresh ginger taste. Oh well. Like I said, it's been a week and I'm working to accept it.
Anyway... this recipe is fairly time consuming and a little labor intensive, primarily because of all the vegetable chopping and shrimp peeling going on. If you have someone to peel shrimp while you chop vegetables (or vice versa), I recommend recruiting some extra hands. If not, just plan on about an hour to get dinner on the table.
Ingredients:
2lb package frozen shrimp
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
Drizzle olive oil
1/4 cup frozen peas (you can use more if you'd like)
1 head cauliflower
Drizzle olive oil (yes, again)
Sea salt, black pepper and onion powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 T. fish sauce (more or less to taste)
1/4 fresh lemon
2 eggs
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Directions:
Put shrimp in a large mixing bowl and fill with lukewarm water - enough to cover the shrimp. Stir them around so they don't clump together as they thaw. Once thawed, peel. Let them sit in a strainer while you continue with the recipe to drain off any residual water.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly caramelized. Stir in frozen peas and thawed shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp are pink. Be careful not to over cook or the shrimp will be tough. Remove from heat and set aside.
Chop cauliflower into chunks. Pulse in a food processor until cauliflower resembles rice. Drizzle a little olive oil in another large pot and add cauliflower. Season lightly with salt, pepper and onion powder. Cook, stirring constantly, until cauliflower softens. Remove from heat and set aside.
Choose the pan that is biggest and will give you the most surface space, and pour the contents of both pots into one. Bring back up to temperature over medium heat. Stir in ginger, paprika, red pepper and fish sauce. Squeeze lemon. Stir well to combine. When mixture is hot, make a few little "wells" in the mixture. Crack eggs over the pot, trying to get as much into the wells as possible. Let cook another minute or two or until egg is cooked through. Stir to distribute the egg, and garnish with green onions.
This should have made about 6-8 servings. But, feeding 3 hungry guys, it made about 4. There was a little left for me to take to work for lunch, but less than a serving even for me.
I guess they liked it.
Sausage Curry
Before I decided to jump whole-heartedly into the Paleo universe I picked up a couple packages of turkey kielbasa at the grocery store. They were on sale, and while I generally try to avoid overly processed foods anyway, I thought it might be nice to switch things up a bit. My youngest suggested cutting it up and putting it into macaroni and cheese (which, I'll admit, is one of my guilty pleasures - I just don't eat it more than once every 9 months or so), but having eaten so extremely clean the last couple of weeks and pretty darn clean before that, I knew it would SHRED my insides. I didn't have a lot of veggies left since shopping day was tomorrow, so this was one of those "just start throwing a bunch of stuff together and see how it turns out."
There's not a lot of ingredients and it came together quickly. I truly had no idea the coconut milk would thicken up like it did. Surprise! It was a good surprise though. My original idea was for more of a soup/stew type meal, but I think the thicker sauce actually made it better. I did not serve it over the cauliflower rice as I suggest in the directions, but I just know that would have been heavenly.
Here's the downside: it did hurt my tummy. Too clean for too long, I suppose. Or, it could be that there's a miniscule amount of garlic in curry powder. There isn't much, but it could have been enough. Looking at the list of ingredients I suspect curry powder has less garlic than chili powder - which I can tolerate - so I really believe it was the overly processed sausage that got me. Oh well, live and learn. Once you go clean, you'll know what I mean! HAHA! Sorry, guess I'm being a bit of a nerd today. I'm going to look for some paleo-friendly sausage and try again, because the flavors were just wonderful.
Ingredients:
1 package turkey kielbasa sausage
3 red potatoes (mine were on the larger side)
1/2 sweet onion
Drizzle olive oil
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened packaged coconut milk
1-2 T. curry power
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 red potatoes (mine were on the larger side)
1/2 sweet onion
Drizzle olive oil
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened packaged coconut milk
1-2 T. curry power
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Slice sausage into thin discs. Scrub potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks. Quarter and slice onion (I sliced mine a little thicker than normal because I wanted it to be a part of the dish rather than just a flavor).
Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a large pot. Add onion and potato. Cook, stirring frequently, until potato and onion are soft but not completely cooked. Add sausage slices and cook until they start to brown. The potatoes should still be slightly undercooked at this point.
Add coconut milks, curry powder, salt & pepper. Stir well and check seasonings, adding more if needed. Keep in mind the flavors will intensify as the sauce reduces. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are completely cooked and sauce has thickened (about 20 minutes).
Serve hot, over cauliflower rice if desired.
Date Paste
If you've followed any of my recent posts, you'll know that I am obsessed with Paleo of late. There are so many little "rules" that go along with Paleo, but the biggest one is No Processed Foods. Largely I do really well with this, but I just can't give up my coffee with sugar and International Delight Cold Stone Sweet Cream Coffee Creamer.
I've been saying for a while now that I wanted to find a Paleo coffee cream recipe, but I knew it was going to be difficult to replicate those delicious flavors you get from all the chemicals in commercial creamer. I found one that looked promising made from coconut milk, date paste, and assorted flavorings (mostly extracts) depending on the desired end result. It was good - but not great. I'm going to keep looking and hopefully come up with something that will satisfy the coffee snob buried not so deep inside me.
The date paste, though, that's a keeper. From what I've read, you can use it fairly interchangeably in recipes that call for honey or agave, though more wet ingredients may be required because the date paste is obviously much thicker. I found a recipe for sweet potato brownies that are TOTALLY getting made soon, and it calls for date paste. I'm actually really excited to start playing with this. I'm thinking some sort of salad dressing, too. I can't tell you how many times I've wished with all my might that honey was thicker. Date paste is the answer to that wish.
This is so simple it's stupid. I used my food processor instead of my BlendTec and I'm glad I did. The final product was so thick I don't think it would have fared well in my BlendTec. Maybe, but it turned out perfectly in the food processor. The trick here is to be p..a..t..i..e..n..t. It's going to take a while for the paste to get really smooth and creamy. If you stop short, you're going to end up with little chunks in it, which is no bueno. Process, scrape. Process, scrape. Keep doing this until you can't see any chunks around the side as it's processing.
The ingredients are pretty complicated. Ready?
Ingredients:
Pitted dates
Water
The amount of each you need will depend on the size container you are using. I used a small Mason jar, but any container with a tight fitting lid will work.
Directions:
Pick your jar. You're going to pack the dates in, so use one to fit the amount of dates you plan to use.
Pack jar with dates. You don't want them smashed in there, but there shouldn't be big gaps. Leave a little headspace at the top of the jar.
Fill jar with just enough water to cover the dates. If you need a "speed" method (i.e. there's a recipe calling for date paste you need to make RIGHT NOW and your date paste is gone) fill with very hot water; if you have time to soak overnight use tepid water.
Seal jar and let soak: a minimum of one hour for speed method and at least overnight for the I Ain't No Procrastinator! method.
When dates are done soaking, pour the contents of the jar into your food processor. Yes, that means dates and the soaking water. Turn food processor on high. Watch it go. Watch it some more. Go little dates, go! Stop every few minutes (and yes, I literally mean minutes) and scrape the sides and bottom to pull up any little date pieces that want to stick. Turn it back on. Step back. Watch it. Watch it go. Spin baby, spin! And now, after a few more minutes, you may stop and scrape again. Continue processing and scraping until the remaining product is completely smooth and you can't see any little date pieces. The time will vary widely depending on a number of factors - how dry the dates were to start, how powerful your food processor is, how tightly you packed the dates, how long you soaked, etc. Mine was done in around 8 minutes.
Store date paste in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and use in your favorite recipes.
I've been saying for a while now that I wanted to find a Paleo coffee cream recipe, but I knew it was going to be difficult to replicate those delicious flavors you get from all the chemicals in commercial creamer. I found one that looked promising made from coconut milk, date paste, and assorted flavorings (mostly extracts) depending on the desired end result. It was good - but not great. I'm going to keep looking and hopefully come up with something that will satisfy the coffee snob buried not so deep inside me.
The date paste, though, that's a keeper. From what I've read, you can use it fairly interchangeably in recipes that call for honey or agave, though more wet ingredients may be required because the date paste is obviously much thicker. I found a recipe for sweet potato brownies that are TOTALLY getting made soon, and it calls for date paste. I'm actually really excited to start playing with this. I'm thinking some sort of salad dressing, too. I can't tell you how many times I've wished with all my might that honey was thicker. Date paste is the answer to that wish.
This is so simple it's stupid. I used my food processor instead of my BlendTec and I'm glad I did. The final product was so thick I don't think it would have fared well in my BlendTec. Maybe, but it turned out perfectly in the food processor. The trick here is to be p..a..t..i..e..n..t. It's going to take a while for the paste to get really smooth and creamy. If you stop short, you're going to end up with little chunks in it, which is no bueno. Process, scrape. Process, scrape. Keep doing this until you can't see any chunks around the side as it's processing.
The ingredients are pretty complicated. Ready?
Ingredients:
Pitted dates
Water
The amount of each you need will depend on the size container you are using. I used a small Mason jar, but any container with a tight fitting lid will work.
Directions:
Pick your jar. You're going to pack the dates in, so use one to fit the amount of dates you plan to use.
Pack jar with dates. You don't want them smashed in there, but there shouldn't be big gaps. Leave a little headspace at the top of the jar.
Fill jar with just enough water to cover the dates. If you need a "speed" method (i.e. there's a recipe calling for date paste you need to make RIGHT NOW and your date paste is gone) fill with very hot water; if you have time to soak overnight use tepid water.
Seal jar and let soak: a minimum of one hour for speed method and at least overnight for the I Ain't No Procrastinator! method.
When dates are done soaking, pour the contents of the jar into your food processor. Yes, that means dates and the soaking water. Turn food processor on high. Watch it go. Watch it some more. Go little dates, go! Stop every few minutes (and yes, I literally mean minutes) and scrape the sides and bottom to pull up any little date pieces that want to stick. Turn it back on. Step back. Watch it. Watch it go. Spin baby, spin! And now, after a few more minutes, you may stop and scrape again. Continue processing and scraping until the remaining product is completely smooth and you can't see any little date pieces. The time will vary widely depending on a number of factors - how dry the dates were to start, how powerful your food processor is, how tightly you packed the dates, how long you soaked, etc. Mine was done in around 8 minutes.
Store date paste in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and use in your favorite recipes.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Creamy Mushroom Chicken
Sometimes the best things happen by accident. Two days ago I had been planning to make Hawaiian Haystacks. I'd had a chipped tooth fixed at the dentist earlier, so I was home recovering. I'm the biggest baby ever when it comes to the dentist. One, I require literally four times the normal amount of novocaine than the average person. My dentist said most people get 1/2 a shot, and he had to give me two full shots. I could still feel that drill inside my tooth. Luckily it was a fairly quick fix so I just grit through it. Second, I have to have that happy gas or my fingernails will become a permanent part of the arm rails on the chair. See? Biggest baby ever. Unfortunately, the massive amounts of novocaine and nitris oxide leave me feeling less than stellar.
Anyway, I was home resting, letting the drugs clear my body. When I woke up, I decided to be proactive about dinner. I put some chicken breasts in a large slider top bag, squeezed in a full lemon, drizzled some olive oil and smooshed it all around. I thought if I let it sit for a couple of hours it would be nice and tender by the time I cooked it. I ended up not feeling up to cooking so we grabbed some Chick-Fil-A which, by the way, is the first non-Paleo thing I've eaten in some time now. That left the chicken to sit overnight in the lemon juice and olive oil.
If you've read all my posts, you probably remember me saying my partner at work told me about a method used in another country where meat is "cooked" in an edible acid. Weirdest thing, when I finally pulled the chicken out of the refrigerator after about 27 hours, it looked almost cooked. Of course, I wasn't about to eat it that way, but it was incredibly interesting. Let me tell you, after this chicken was baked, it was seriously the most tender, flavorful, juicy chicken I've ever eaten. If you are able to plan ahead enough to marinate it overnight, I highly recommend giving it a try.
I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this mushroom sauce. It didn't thicken up the way the recipe promised, so I had to add a thickener plus changed a few other things. When all was said and done, I thought it was quite tasty. The full-fat coconut milk from the can is absolutely the trick here.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any visible fat
Juice from one lemon
Drizzle olive oil (about a tablespoon)
Sea salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and dried sage
For the sauce:
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
6-8 baby bella mushrooms (depending on size), thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
1 T. coconut flour
Directions:
Put chicken breasts in a gallon size slider top bag (or mixing bowl). Add lemon juice and olive oil, mixing well to combine. Let marinate at least 15 minutes, up to overnight! :)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat lightly with cooking spray. Arrange chicken in a single layer and sprinkle each breast lightly with sea salt, pepper, onion powder and sage. Bake for 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (or no longer pink).
While chicken is baking, prepare the sauce. Drizzle a little olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and cook until very soft and fragrant. Add mushroom slices and continue cooking until soft.
Add chicken stock and stir well. Bring to a simmer, then add coconut milk. Bring to a simmer again and sprinkle coconut flour over top of the sauce. Do not just "dump" it in or you're likely to get lumps. Whisk well and let simmer at least 5 minutes, or longer if necessary, until sauce is thickened slightly but no longer grainy.
When chicken is done remove from oven. Spoon sauce over each chicken breast, about 2 tablespoons on each. Serve it with your sides of choice - I did roasted red potatoes and sweet peas.
Anyway, I was home resting, letting the drugs clear my body. When I woke up, I decided to be proactive about dinner. I put some chicken breasts in a large slider top bag, squeezed in a full lemon, drizzled some olive oil and smooshed it all around. I thought if I let it sit for a couple of hours it would be nice and tender by the time I cooked it. I ended up not feeling up to cooking so we grabbed some Chick-Fil-A which, by the way, is the first non-Paleo thing I've eaten in some time now. That left the chicken to sit overnight in the lemon juice and olive oil.
If you've read all my posts, you probably remember me saying my partner at work told me about a method used in another country where meat is "cooked" in an edible acid. Weirdest thing, when I finally pulled the chicken out of the refrigerator after about 27 hours, it looked almost cooked. Of course, I wasn't about to eat it that way, but it was incredibly interesting. Let me tell you, after this chicken was baked, it was seriously the most tender, flavorful, juicy chicken I've ever eaten. If you are able to plan ahead enough to marinate it overnight, I highly recommend giving it a try.
I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this mushroom sauce. It didn't thicken up the way the recipe promised, so I had to add a thickener plus changed a few other things. When all was said and done, I thought it was quite tasty. The full-fat coconut milk from the can is absolutely the trick here.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any visible fat
Juice from one lemon
Drizzle olive oil (about a tablespoon)
Sea salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and dried sage
For the sauce:
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced
6-8 baby bella mushrooms (depending on size), thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
1 T. coconut flour
Directions:
Put chicken breasts in a gallon size slider top bag (or mixing bowl). Add lemon juice and olive oil, mixing well to combine. Let marinate at least 15 minutes, up to overnight! :)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat lightly with cooking spray. Arrange chicken in a single layer and sprinkle each breast lightly with sea salt, pepper, onion powder and sage. Bake for 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (or no longer pink).
While chicken is baking, prepare the sauce. Drizzle a little olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and cook until very soft and fragrant. Add mushroom slices and continue cooking until soft.
Add chicken stock and stir well. Bring to a simmer, then add coconut milk. Bring to a simmer again and sprinkle coconut flour over top of the sauce. Do not just "dump" it in or you're likely to get lumps. Whisk well and let simmer at least 5 minutes, or longer if necessary, until sauce is thickened slightly but no longer grainy.
When chicken is done remove from oven. Spoon sauce over each chicken breast, about 2 tablespoons on each. Serve it with your sides of choice - I did roasted red potatoes and sweet peas.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Zucchini Boats
Most of the time when I can't decide what to make for dinner, I will browse through a whole bunch of recipes - on this blog, online, in my ChefTap app - anywhere I can find a recipe. My boyfriend sometimes gives me a hard time, saying, "Are we going to eat tonight?"
In this case, I already had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do and I was just looking for some inspiration. A lot of the recipes I came across called for tomato sauce/paste, had loads of garlic (I miss garlic so much!), or were topped with cheese. All no-no's. I was going to have to come up with something on my own.
It seems like I usually use the same combinations of spices. Chili powder is almost always in the rotation. My guys have never complained that it's too "boring," so I guess I'll just go with it. Or, I might try a Spice of the Month. Discover a new flavor every month and learn how to incorporate it to change up the flavors of the dishes. That seems a bit too ambitious for me at the moment though.
The trick to scooping the zucchini seeds out and making the boat shells is using a melon baller. Mine is two sided - a small scooper and a bigger scooper - and it worked perfectly. If you don't have a melon baller you can use a spoon, but I assure you it will be more challenging. You want to scoop out enough of the insides to make room for the meat, but not so much that the little boats break. Also, be sure to pick the right zucchini. You don't want them too small, as there won't be any room to stuff them, but you don't want them so big that it's all meat. You know, avoid those zucchini that get left in the garden all summer and then you're all like, "Whoa! Monster zucchini!" Mid-sized is good. Look for zucchini that are fairly straight - if they're curved they're going to be more difficult to work with.
If you don't have some weird ass allergy to garlic, I HIGHLY recommend putting garlic in the sauce. The onion was a bit overpowering (I don't think I let it carmelize quite long enough), and I just know in my little heart garlic would have been a-mah-zing!
For the Boats
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced (save the other half for the sauce)
1 lb ground turkey
2 T. chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp parika
Ground black pepper
Hot water (if needed)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
Trim all but a little of each stem. Cut zucchini's in half lengthwise, taking care to make them even. Use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds and part of the flesh, leaving about 1/8 inch around the sides and bottoms. Save flesh.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sautee until tender. Add ground turkey and stir until broken up, then add spices and continue cooking until cooked through. If sauce gets too thick (chili powder absorbs quite a bit of moisture) add a little hot water.
Arrange boats cut side up on prepared baking sheet. Scoop meat mixture evenly between boats, taking care not to let it spill over the sides. Bake for 20 minutes. While boats are baking, prepare your sauce.
For the sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Drizzle olive oil
1 cup zucchini flesh from boats (save any remaining for another recipe)
Juice from 1 small lemon
1/2 avocado
1-2 T. honey
Sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
Directions:
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I used the same skillet as for the meat mixture and just wiped the crumbs out with a paper towel). Add onion and bell pepper and sautee until carmelized. You can substitute garlic gloves for the onion if desired. Add zucchini and cook until soft.
Pour vegetables into a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice, avocado, honey, salt, pepper and paprika. Puree until very smooth. Add a little coconut or almond milk if mixture is too thick.
When boats are done baking, remove the from the oven. Spoon sauce over the meat (you'll probably have a little sauce left over you can use on another recipe). Return to the oven for five minutes until sauce is heated through. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
In this case, I already had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do and I was just looking for some inspiration. A lot of the recipes I came across called for tomato sauce/paste, had loads of garlic (I miss garlic so much!), or were topped with cheese. All no-no's. I was going to have to come up with something on my own.
It seems like I usually use the same combinations of spices. Chili powder is almost always in the rotation. My guys have never complained that it's too "boring," so I guess I'll just go with it. Or, I might try a Spice of the Month. Discover a new flavor every month and learn how to incorporate it to change up the flavors of the dishes. That seems a bit too ambitious for me at the moment though.
The trick to scooping the zucchini seeds out and making the boat shells is using a melon baller. Mine is two sided - a small scooper and a bigger scooper - and it worked perfectly. If you don't have a melon baller you can use a spoon, but I assure you it will be more challenging. You want to scoop out enough of the insides to make room for the meat, but not so much that the little boats break. Also, be sure to pick the right zucchini. You don't want them too small, as there won't be any room to stuff them, but you don't want them so big that it's all meat. You know, avoid those zucchini that get left in the garden all summer and then you're all like, "Whoa! Monster zucchini!" Mid-sized is good. Look for zucchini that are fairly straight - if they're curved they're going to be more difficult to work with.
If you don't have some weird ass allergy to garlic, I HIGHLY recommend putting garlic in the sauce. The onion was a bit overpowering (I don't think I let it carmelize quite long enough), and I just know in my little heart garlic would have been a-mah-zing!
For the Boats
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini
Drizzle olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, finely diced (save the other half for the sauce)
1 lb ground turkey
2 T. chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp parika
Ground black pepper
Hot water (if needed)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
Trim all but a little of each stem. Cut zucchini's in half lengthwise, taking care to make them even. Use a melon baller to scoop out the seeds and part of the flesh, leaving about 1/8 inch around the sides and bottoms. Save flesh.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sautee until tender. Add ground turkey and stir until broken up, then add spices and continue cooking until cooked through. If sauce gets too thick (chili powder absorbs quite a bit of moisture) add a little hot water.
Arrange boats cut side up on prepared baking sheet. Scoop meat mixture evenly between boats, taking care not to let it spill over the sides. Bake for 20 minutes. While boats are baking, prepare your sauce.
For the sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Drizzle olive oil
1 cup zucchini flesh from boats (save any remaining for another recipe)
Juice from 1 small lemon
1/2 avocado
1-2 T. honey
Sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
Directions:
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I used the same skillet as for the meat mixture and just wiped the crumbs out with a paper towel). Add onion and bell pepper and sautee until carmelized. You can substitute garlic gloves for the onion if desired. Add zucchini and cook until soft.
Pour vegetables into a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice, avocado, honey, salt, pepper and paprika. Puree until very smooth. Add a little coconut or almond milk if mixture is too thick.
When boats are done baking, remove the from the oven. Spoon sauce over the meat (you'll probably have a little sauce left over you can use on another recipe). Return to the oven for five minutes until sauce is heated through. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Coconut Cupcakes
Sometimes you just need a treat and that's how it is. This recipe uses whole, natural ingredients, but you need to keep in mind it's still a treat. This is not something you should eat several of, or even eat every day. Even though I'm not tracking macronutrients right now, I was still curious what the specs were on it, because it had quite a few calorie-dense ingredients. It came out at about 224 calories per cupcake. So, proceed with caution. I also recommend making these on a night you make a lighter dinner.
The trick to the frosting for this recipe is refrigerating the coconut milk before opening and DO NOT SHAKE it. Also, be sure to use the full-fat can of coconut milk because that's what's going to thicken it up. These are actually less work than traditional cupcakes - even from a box. I also made a happy mistake. I used cold maple syrup, so when the melted coconut oil hit the cold syrup, it helped solidify it a little bit. The batter looks like it will not work - but I promise, it will!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 eggs
1/3 cup pure maple syrup - cold
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 T. milk of choice (I used coconut - from the package, not the can)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
3.5 oz dark chocolate - I used Lindt half 70%, half 90%
1 can full fat coconut milk, separated - see directions - keep in refrigerator until ready to use.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper cups, and coat lightly with a cooking or oil spray.
Combine coconut flour, baking powder and sea salt in a mixing bowl, whisking to combine. Whisk eggs, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla into coconut flour. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle melted coconut oil into batter, and continue whisking until completely blended and no lumps remain. Spoon batter evenly between the 8 cups (they will be quite full).
Put muffin tin in the oven and immediately reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
While muffins are cooling, prepare the frosting. Break chocolate into pieces. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring well between each, until chocolate is completely melted. Remove can of coconut milk from the refrigerator and use a can opener to pull the top completely off (don't poke holes in the top). Use a spoon to scoop the "cream" off the top. You'll know when you get it all because the milk underneath will be considerably thinner. It will be about a third cup of cream. Stir it into the chocolate until you get a thick and creamy frosting. Let stand until cupcakes are completely cooled.
Spread frosting over each cupcake. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Save any leftover frosting for another recipe. (I used just over half).
The trick to the frosting for this recipe is refrigerating the coconut milk before opening and DO NOT SHAKE it. Also, be sure to use the full-fat can of coconut milk because that's what's going to thicken it up. These are actually less work than traditional cupcakes - even from a box. I also made a happy mistake. I used cold maple syrup, so when the melted coconut oil hit the cold syrup, it helped solidify it a little bit. The batter looks like it will not work - but I promise, it will!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 eggs
1/3 cup pure maple syrup - cold
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 T. milk of choice (I used coconut - from the package, not the can)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
3.5 oz dark chocolate - I used Lindt half 70%, half 90%
1 can full fat coconut milk, separated - see directions - keep in refrigerator until ready to use.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper cups, and coat lightly with a cooking or oil spray.
Combine coconut flour, baking powder and sea salt in a mixing bowl, whisking to combine. Whisk eggs, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla into coconut flour. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle melted coconut oil into batter, and continue whisking until completely blended and no lumps remain. Spoon batter evenly between the 8 cups (they will be quite full).
Put muffin tin in the oven and immediately reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
While muffins are cooling, prepare the frosting. Break chocolate into pieces. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring well between each, until chocolate is completely melted. Remove can of coconut milk from the refrigerator and use a can opener to pull the top completely off (don't poke holes in the top). Use a spoon to scoop the "cream" off the top. You'll know when you get it all because the milk underneath will be considerably thinner. It will be about a third cup of cream. Stir it into the chocolate until you get a thick and creamy frosting. Let stand until cupcakes are completely cooled.
Spread frosting over each cupcake. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Save any leftover frosting for another recipe. (I used just over half).
Almost Paleo Spicy Orange Chicken
It seems like there are about a million ways out there to make Orange Chicken - some are healthy and some are not. Have you ever noticed how everyone has a favorite Chinese food place? It's the one, the only - but if you try theirs, you end up wondering what they were raving about. I think it's the same thing with dishes like this where there are a lot of variations out there. You have your favorite and the one everyone else swears by just doesn't stack up.
I have an orange chicken recipe that I really like. It uses orange marmalade, and since I'm trying to steer clear of processed foods right now I opted to try something different. I had to modify the original recipe, of course. What I took from it was using fresh squeezed orange juice in place of any kind of pre-made sauce, adding a bunch of seasonings and letting the sauce cook down. Le Sigh, the sauce wasn't reducing fast enough, the chicken was starting to get tough, and it was getting late - so I thickened it up with a little arrowroot powder. Voila! Dinner.
It's possible I made it a little too spicy, so it's possible I added a little more honey to counter the spice. If you don't like it spicy just leave out the red pepper flakes and you should be good to go. The original recipe called for chili sauce, and I didn't have any, so I used Frank's, and I'm still working on using up my bottle of Bragg's before I switch to coconut aminos, but aside from that the dish is paleo. For a non-paleo version you could serve it over brown rice.
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 T. coconut oil
Juice from 2 oranges
1/4 cup liquid aminos
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp onion powder
1 T. hot sauce
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
10 dashes fish sauce (or to taste)
Optional: arrowroot powder and cold water
6-8 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
Directions:
Preheat coconut oil in a large pot. Add chicken and cook until starting to brown but not cooked through. Add remaining ingredients except mushrooms, stir well, reduce heat and simmer until sauce reduces to your liking. When chicken is cooked through, add mushrooms and continue cooking until they are soft (this won't take long).
If sauce doesn't reduce enough, combine a little arrowroot powder and cold water. Stir into sauce to thicken.
Serve over spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice or brown rice.
I have an orange chicken recipe that I really like. It uses orange marmalade, and since I'm trying to steer clear of processed foods right now I opted to try something different. I had to modify the original recipe, of course. What I took from it was using fresh squeezed orange juice in place of any kind of pre-made sauce, adding a bunch of seasonings and letting the sauce cook down. Le Sigh, the sauce wasn't reducing fast enough, the chicken was starting to get tough, and it was getting late - so I thickened it up with a little arrowroot powder. Voila! Dinner.
It's possible I made it a little too spicy, so it's possible I added a little more honey to counter the spice. If you don't like it spicy just leave out the red pepper flakes and you should be good to go. The original recipe called for chili sauce, and I didn't have any, so I used Frank's, and I'm still working on using up my bottle of Bragg's before I switch to coconut aminos, but aside from that the dish is paleo. For a non-paleo version you could serve it over brown rice.
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1-2 T. coconut oil
Juice from 2 oranges
1/4 cup liquid aminos
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp onion powder
1 T. hot sauce
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
10 dashes fish sauce (or to taste)
Optional: arrowroot powder and cold water
6-8 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
Directions:
Preheat coconut oil in a large pot. Add chicken and cook until starting to brown but not cooked through. Add remaining ingredients except mushrooms, stir well, reduce heat and simmer until sauce reduces to your liking. When chicken is cooked through, add mushrooms and continue cooking until they are soft (this won't take long).
If sauce doesn't reduce enough, combine a little arrowroot powder and cold water. Stir into sauce to thicken.
Serve over spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice or brown rice.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Mini Meat Cakes
I've learned one fundamental truth: dudes like meat. Most dudes, anyway. Any time I think of meatloaf, I hear Bart Simpson's voice saying, "Aww, meatloaf! My most hated of all loaves!" When I was a kid, I remember hating it. Of course, I also hated spaghetti, tuna fish sandwiches and peanut butter sandwiches, mostly because we had them like three times a week. The thing I remember hating about the meatloaf, though, is it was just a chunk of dry meat covered in a ketchup/brown sugar sauce.
After I modified a meatloaf recipe and came up with a gluten-free version, my guys did not balk at eating it. In fact, it became one of my 16-year-old kid's favorite foods! My primary objection was how long it took to get dinner on the table - the loaf was in the oven for about an hour.
Then I came across an idea for mini meatloaves. The only thing I took from the original recipe was the fact that they're cooked in muffin tins - everything else I changed completely. This recipe has TONS of vegetables in it, but they still cook up into tight little "meat cakes" (my son's name for them). In fact, the guys liked them so much that they were actually fighting over the leftovers. Okay, maybe not fighting, but they both wanted them. And the next day when we were talking about dinner they both said, "More mini meat cakes!"Maybe I should be making quadruple batches of these.
If you make these with the coconut flour, they are 100% paleo approved. In the past I've used oat flour to thicken the meatloaf, and that would work as well, you'd just need to use quite a bit more.
Feel free to substitute beef or pork for half of the turkey if you'd like.
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey
Drizzle olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, shredded with a cheese grater
3-4 baby bella mushrooms, depending on size
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp sea salt
Crushed black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two muffin tins (24 slots) with cooking spray.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and pepper. Sautee until starting to caramelize. Add mushrooms and zucchini and continue cooking until soft. Remove from heat and drain liquid, allowing vegetables to cool slightly.
Put turkey in a large mixing bowl, breaking it up with a spoon. Whisk seasonings into eggs until no lumps remain. Add vegetables, eggs and coconut flour to turkey, mixing well. I use my hands and sort of "squish" it all together. If mixture is too wet add a little more coconut flour.
Spoon turkey mixture into the muffin tins, distributing evenly. Mine came just below the rim. Bake for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. The sides should pull away from the pan just slightly. Let cool about 5 minutes and removed from tins to a serving plate.
Makes 24 mini meat cakes.
After I modified a meatloaf recipe and came up with a gluten-free version, my guys did not balk at eating it. In fact, it became one of my 16-year-old kid's favorite foods! My primary objection was how long it took to get dinner on the table - the loaf was in the oven for about an hour.
Then I came across an idea for mini meatloaves. The only thing I took from the original recipe was the fact that they're cooked in muffin tins - everything else I changed completely. This recipe has TONS of vegetables in it, but they still cook up into tight little "meat cakes" (my son's name for them). In fact, the guys liked them so much that they were actually fighting over the leftovers. Okay, maybe not fighting, but they both wanted them. And the next day when we were talking about dinner they both said, "More mini meat cakes!"Maybe I should be making quadruple batches of these.
If you make these with the coconut flour, they are 100% paleo approved. In the past I've used oat flour to thicken the meatloaf, and that would work as well, you'd just need to use quite a bit more.
Feel free to substitute beef or pork for half of the turkey if you'd like.
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey
Drizzle olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small zucchini, shredded with a cheese grater
3-4 baby bella mushrooms, depending on size
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp sea salt
Crushed black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 T. chili powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray two muffin tins (24 slots) with cooking spray.
Drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and pepper. Sautee until starting to caramelize. Add mushrooms and zucchini and continue cooking until soft. Remove from heat and drain liquid, allowing vegetables to cool slightly.
Put turkey in a large mixing bowl, breaking it up with a spoon. Whisk seasonings into eggs until no lumps remain. Add vegetables, eggs and coconut flour to turkey, mixing well. I use my hands and sort of "squish" it all together. If mixture is too wet add a little more coconut flour.
Spoon turkey mixture into the muffin tins, distributing evenly. Mine came just below the rim. Bake for about 25 minutes or until cooked through. The sides should pull away from the pan just slightly. Let cool about 5 minutes and removed from tins to a serving plate.
Makes 24 mini meat cakes.
Stuffed Breakfast Peppers
I am sitting here typing away fervently in an attempt to get these next few recipes down as quickly as possible. Yesterday I discovered a new website - Paleo Grub. I've said before that I like Paleo sites because they eliminate a lot of our no-no's by virtue of the fact that they're Paleo. I don't go strict Paleo, nor do I think I could, because I like cooking with things like brown rice, black beans and quinoa.
If you're trying to eat clean, Paleo is a great way to start. With Paleo (or Primal) you're not using anything processed. Okay, that's not entirely true - coconut oil, canned tuna, olive oil and even seasonings are all technically processed, so really it comes down to how we're defining "processed." To me, processed means foods that have all sorts of added chemicals and preservatives. I really try to keep those out of my diet as much as possible. I don't do it 100%, but it's my goal.
So far, all of my meals today are Paleo approved. Pretty stoked about that. And let me tell you, these peppers are the perfect start to the morning. I had it with some leftover creamy fruit salad I made this weekend. Yum!
I recommend selecting your peppers very carefully. You want peppers that have the stem set in deep, allowing for a little lip to hold the egg in after you cut it and remove the stem and seeds. I like red peppers, but any color will work.
Since I was making this just for myself, the recipe is for one serving.
Have you ever roasted a bell pepper? If you haven't, you should try it. Roasting the pepper brings out a hint of sweetness, and those skins come right off. I noticed that with this recipe as well. The pepper cooled off before I got to work and could eat it, and the skins slipped off, leaving a sweet, tender pepper shell underneath. Win!
Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper
1 small handful baby spinach, chopped
1 mushroom, chopped
2 broccoli florettes, chopped
2 eggs
Few dashes each: Sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, chili powder (or other seasonings as desired)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise. Very carefully remove the stem, seeds and membrane, taking care not to rip the little "lip" around the stem. Rinse to remove any stubborn seeds and pat dry. Place cut side up on baking sheet.
Divide spinach, broccoli and mushrooms between the two pepper halves (in that order). Whisk one egg in a small bowl with seasonings, then pour into pepper. Try to cover the veggies as much as possible without running the egg over the side of the pepper. Repeat with the second egg and second pepper half.
Bake for 35 minutes or until eggs are set. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
If you're trying to eat clean, Paleo is a great way to start. With Paleo (or Primal) you're not using anything processed. Okay, that's not entirely true - coconut oil, canned tuna, olive oil and even seasonings are all technically processed, so really it comes down to how we're defining "processed." To me, processed means foods that have all sorts of added chemicals and preservatives. I really try to keep those out of my diet as much as possible. I don't do it 100%, but it's my goal.
So far, all of my meals today are Paleo approved. Pretty stoked about that. And let me tell you, these peppers are the perfect start to the morning. I had it with some leftover creamy fruit salad I made this weekend. Yum!
I recommend selecting your peppers very carefully. You want peppers that have the stem set in deep, allowing for a little lip to hold the egg in after you cut it and remove the stem and seeds. I like red peppers, but any color will work.
Since I was making this just for myself, the recipe is for one serving.
Have you ever roasted a bell pepper? If you haven't, you should try it. Roasting the pepper brings out a hint of sweetness, and those skins come right off. I noticed that with this recipe as well. The pepper cooled off before I got to work and could eat it, and the skins slipped off, leaving a sweet, tender pepper shell underneath. Win!
Ingredients:
1 large red bell pepper
1 small handful baby spinach, chopped
1 mushroom, chopped
2 broccoli florettes, chopped
2 eggs
Few dashes each: Sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, chili powder (or other seasonings as desired)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise. Very carefully remove the stem, seeds and membrane, taking care not to rip the little "lip" around the stem. Rinse to remove any stubborn seeds and pat dry. Place cut side up on baking sheet.
Divide spinach, broccoli and mushrooms between the two pepper halves (in that order). Whisk one egg in a small bowl with seasonings, then pour into pepper. Try to cover the veggies as much as possible without running the egg over the side of the pepper. Repeat with the second egg and second pepper half.
Bake for 35 minutes or until eggs are set. Let cool a few minutes before serving.
Lemon Thyme Salmon
I've talked before about how the preparation of salmon has always eluded me. My dad suggested the "3 minutes per side" rule, which worked quite well. Last night I realized my biggest failure: I was using frozen salmon. I have never attempted to cook fresh salmon (though I realize it was frozen at some point - it just hasn't been sitting in a vacuum-packed freezer bag for years).
After discovering Paleo Grub, I found a salmon recipe that seemed so simple even I couldn't screw it up. The recipe called for a 32oz piece of salmon, which obviously will need to come from the butcher case. My choices were farm raised salmon at $6.99 per pound, or wild caught salmon at $10.99 per pound. Normally, I am the biggest cheapskate on the planet, but there was something about that wild caught salmon I just couldn't turn away from, despite the fact that it was almost double the price. It had a deep red color to the meat (compared to the off-pink color of its farm-raised counterpart), and because I'd spent the day reading Paelo stuff, I was already in the mindset of "natural is better." I swallowed hard and asked for the biggest piece of wild caught salmon he had.
My fish was just over 24oz, so a far cry from the 32oz called for in the online recipe. I'm glad I didn't go any bigger, because the fish barely fit on the largest baking sheet I had - and it was at an angle. Aside from this difference, I followed it to a "T." So, can't take credit for anything here, but it was so yummy I had to share. Kudos to Paleo Grub for a salmon recipe that is fail-proof.
As an aside, I don't think I can ever eat farm raised salmon again. The wild caught salmon melted in my mouth.
Ingredients:
1 large piece of wild caught salmon
1 lemon
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
Drizzle olive oil
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
2 T. capers, drained well
Directions:
Do NOT preheat your oven. According to Paleo Grub, the salmon will turn out so much better if it comes up to temperature the same time as the oven. I trust her.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the fish, skin side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
Slice lemon very thinly (I used a mandolin). The thinner the better. Sprinkle sea salt and pepper over the fish, then drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle thyme leaves and arrange capers evenly over the fish. Last, arrange lemon slices in a single layer, covering the fish entirely.
Place fish in the oven, and set oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from oven. Check fish at the thickest point to ensure it flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately.
This probably should have made about 6 servings, but we killed it in 3.
After discovering Paleo Grub, I found a salmon recipe that seemed so simple even I couldn't screw it up. The recipe called for a 32oz piece of salmon, which obviously will need to come from the butcher case. My choices were farm raised salmon at $6.99 per pound, or wild caught salmon at $10.99 per pound. Normally, I am the biggest cheapskate on the planet, but there was something about that wild caught salmon I just couldn't turn away from, despite the fact that it was almost double the price. It had a deep red color to the meat (compared to the off-pink color of its farm-raised counterpart), and because I'd spent the day reading Paelo stuff, I was already in the mindset of "natural is better." I swallowed hard and asked for the biggest piece of wild caught salmon he had.
My fish was just over 24oz, so a far cry from the 32oz called for in the online recipe. I'm glad I didn't go any bigger, because the fish barely fit on the largest baking sheet I had - and it was at an angle. Aside from this difference, I followed it to a "T." So, can't take credit for anything here, but it was so yummy I had to share. Kudos to Paleo Grub for a salmon recipe that is fail-proof.
As an aside, I don't think I can ever eat farm raised salmon again. The wild caught salmon melted in my mouth.
Ingredients:
1 large piece of wild caught salmon
1 lemon
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
Drizzle olive oil
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
2 T. capers, drained well
Directions:
Do NOT preheat your oven. According to Paleo Grub, the salmon will turn out so much better if it comes up to temperature the same time as the oven. I trust her.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the fish, skin side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
Slice lemon very thinly (I used a mandolin). The thinner the better. Sprinkle sea salt and pepper over the fish, then drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle thyme leaves and arrange capers evenly over the fish. Last, arrange lemon slices in a single layer, covering the fish entirely.
Place fish in the oven, and set oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from oven. Check fish at the thickest point to ensure it flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately.
This probably should have made about 6 servings, but we killed it in 3.
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