Paleo Larb

Our friends Amy and Greg came over for dinner a few weeks ago and they brought "larb" with them--it's a minced meat salad (don't let that throw you!) that's considered the national dish of Laos.  It was delicious--the herbs and citrus and spice mix is so complex. We gobbled it up and ever since then I've been wanting to recreate it.  Here's my go at it:

1lb ground turkey (I'm sure you could used ground beef, pork, or chicken or a combo)
1 stalk lemongrass--white part only, finely chopped (probably not a deal breaker, but I had some in the fridge and was excited to use it)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 "nub" ginger, finely chopped (probably about 2TBS)
1 red chile, finely chopped (you can take the seeds out or not, depending on your heat preference)
stalks from 1 bunch cilantro
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1-2 limes (we found we wanted a bit more than what I added)
3 TBS Red Boat fish sauce
3 TBS coconut aminos
1 TBS coconut oil
chopped cilantro
chopped mint (don't leave out--it really rounds out the flavor!)
lettuce leaves, julienned red bell pepper, carrots, and cucumber to serve

1) Chop lemongrass, garlic, ginger, chile, cilantro stalks and combine in small bowl.  Add lime zest.
2) Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  A ingredients from step 1 and cook for a minute or two, stirring often and careful not to burn.
3) Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
4) Add lime juice, fish sauce, coconut aminos and stir to combine.
5) I served ours in lettuce leaves with some julienned veggies and chopped cilantro and mint.

Seared Sesame Crusted Ahi with Ginger Glazed Baby Bok Choy

We're on Day 6 of a W30 and needed something...different.  This dish lived up to that! As my husband said, "this has everything!" (a la Daniel Tosh, which is why we'll probably end up referring to this as "Tosh Tuna").We live on Oahu, so fresh fish is readily available--we will be taking advantage of that much more often now that I know it's so easy!

Seared Sesame Crusted Ahi (2 hearty portions)
2 Ahi steaks, as fresh as possible (I think mine were about 8oz each)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp sea salt
3 TBS toasted sesame seeds
2 TBS coconut oil

Mix fennel seeds, ground mustard, ground pepper, salt, and sesame seeds together in a small bowl and then pour onto a small plate so that it's an even thickness.  Heat coconut oil in a pan (I used non-stick) over medium high heat until pan is nice and hot.  Dredge each side of the tuna steak in the sesame seed mixture and place in pan.  I cooked mine for about 2 minutes per side (maybe a little less), but you can cook it longer if you don't like it rare. Serve with Ginger Glazed Baby Bok Choy and sliced carrots and cucumbers.

Ginger Glazed Baby Bok Choy
About 8 baby bok choy, washed and halved
2 TBS coconut aminos
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS fresh ginger, minced
3 TBS coconut oil

In a small bowl, combine coconut aminos, ACV, and sesame oil. Heat oven to 400.  Place 1TBS coconut oil in a roasting pan and place in oven until oil is melted (it won't take long).  Remove from oven and place bok choy in the pan in a single layer, cut side up.  Roast for about 6 minutes until just wilted.  While it's roasting, add 2 TBS coconut oil, garlic, and ginger in a small pan over medium heat and cook for about 20 seconds being careful not to burn.  Add the coconut amino mixture and continue to cook for a few minutes while the bok choy finishes roasting.  Drizzle the sauce over the bok choy to serve.

Persimmon Chips

Even here on Oahu, persimmons are in abundance in late October (at least at our commissary). We've been eating them raw, either like an apple or peeled and sliced over a salad.  I wanted to try persimmon "chips".  So easy, and quite delicious.

Preheat oven to 350.  Slice your persimmons (I used my scary mandoline) thinly.  Put on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (I sprayed mine with coconut oil) and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and cinnamon.  Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for 10 minutes more.  At this point, I decided I wanted mine more crispy and did 1 min per side on High Broil.

Drunken Hawaiian Stew

So, Jason used to make this amazing fish based stew that we called "Drunken Italian Stew"--it was bold and rich and really great with thick slices of garlic bread.  As we recently moved to Hawaii, we thought it was time to update this a bit (and I didn't realize that it's been so long since I've posted a recipe!).  We experimented last night and it was a hit!

2 TBS coconut oil
1 sweet onion, sliced into half moons
1 jalapeno, deseeded and sliced into half moons (you could definitely get away with a 1/2 of one, as ours was pretty spicy)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 TBS minced ginger
1 tsp Hawaiian pink salt (more or less, depending on your tastes)
8 oz Portuguese sausage, sliced (could omit if doing strict Paleo)
juice of 1 lime
1 can coconut milk
1 can chicken stock
1 TBS coconut aminos (a soy sauce substitute)
1 TBS McCormick "Asian" seasoning (optional, but I had it on hand, so I added it)
2 heads baby bok choy, sliced
2 lbs mixed seafood medley--mine was from Costco and had shrimp, squid, and mussels
1 lb Opah, cut into chunks (a Hawaiian white fish--could sub cod or other similar hardy white fish)
Couple of shots of white rum (optional--I didn't add it to mine, and it was just as good, but Jason enjoyed a shot in his bowl)
Chopped cilantro
Diced or shredded green papaya (optional, but added a nice sweet hit)

Heat coconut oil in large pan or pot (mine is one of those deep 18" saute pans that has a lid).  Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and ginger and cook until tender, stirring often, seasoning with the salt.  Add sausage and  continue tossing it around a bit.  Add the lime juice, coconut milk, chicken stock, coconut aminos, and seasoning and bring to a gentle boil.  Add seafood medley and the Opah and cook covered until the fish is opaque and shellfish are open, probably about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the bok choy about 5 minutes before you anticipate it being done so that it's just cooked through.

I served mine in a big bowl over Shirataki noodles (sooo, I'm not sure how 100% paleo those things are, but they're amazing and don't seem to have any "bad" ingredients in them--as long as you don't get the soy based ones--and they're calorie free), and garnished with cilantro and diced green papaya.  Jason had his over white rice and added a shot of white rum.  They had totally different tastes, but were equally delicious.

No Kidding Paleo "Tortillas"

Here is another recipe that is not my own, but one that is simple and works well.  These tortillas really stand up well and you can roll them up and freeze them for later use (if you don't eat them all at once).  They're about 1 carb block each if you're doing the Zone (more on that later....).  My husband has been asking for them often since I started making them.

(from stupideasypaleo.com)

Makes about a dozen 8" tortillas

8 eggs
4 tsp melted coconut oil
4 TBS water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup arrowroot powder
4 tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt

Crack eggs into large bowl and whisk in melted coconut oil and water.  Add dry ingredients and whisk well.  Heat a nonstick 8 inch crepe pan over medium heat and pour in about 1/4 cup of the mixture and swirl to coat pan.  Let cook 1 minutes per side. If using later, cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Easiest Mayo Ever and Garlic Dill Ranch Dip

I can't take the credit for this one, but I needed some mayo for a Ranch dip I was making for the Super Bowl.  So many of them want you to "baby" the recipe, but this one is as easy as it gets.  The Ranch dip is delicious as well.  My kiddos and husband loved it!

Easiest Mayo Ever (from thehealthyfoodie.com)

1 large egg

1 cup LIGHT tasting olive oil (make sure it's light!)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 pinches of salt

*Immersion blender and small jar that will fit the blender*

Crack the egg into the jar.  Add the lemon juice and salt.  Pour in the olive oil.  Let it sit for a minute or so to let the egg settle underneath the oil.  Insert your immersion blender and push it all the way to the bottom.  Push the power button and do not move for a full 20 seconds.  Suddenly, your mayo will start climbing to the top of the jar.  Slowly start raising the blender until you get to the top.  Move it around a little to get all of the oil mixed in (be careful not to pull it out too much!).  Easy peasy.  It will last for about a week in the fridge.  Makes about 1 cup.

Garlic Dill Ranch Dip (from ourpaleolife.com)

1/2 cup paleo mayo (see above recipe)

1 small (5.46oz) can (or 1/2 cup) of full fat coconut milk

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 large clove garlic

salt and pepper to tast

2 TBS fresh dill (I used about 2 tsp dried dill and it turned out just fine).

Wisk mayo and coconut milk together.  Wisk in apple cider vinegar.  Crush the garlic clove with a little bit of salt to form a paste and add to mayo mix along with salt, pepper, and dill.  Refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors meld.  

Crockpot Fajita Steak

I wanted to try doing a flank steak in the crockpot, and this is what I came up with.

1 decent sized flank steak
juice of 2 limes
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced

Combine lime juice and seasonings in large ziploc bag.  Add steak and veggies and let marinate at least overnight (this is one of those easy to prep at the beginning of the week meals that you just throw in the crockpot when you need it).  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Another Kale Salad

The Commissary had some beautiful organic kale on sale the other day, and I decided to try my hand at a kale salad.  I know it's been done a gazillion times before, but I couldn't find a recipe that was exactly right, so I threw some stuff together and this is what I came up with.  I could eat the whole recipe by myself.

2 bunches fresh kale, stems removed and torn into small pieces
1TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Place kale in a large bowl and massage olive oil and salt into the leaves.  It will break them down a little bit and make them more tender.

Dressing:
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1 lemon
2 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
Combine and blend with a hand blender.  It will be really thick.  Add to kale and massage to combine.
Add:
2 TBS each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, and dried cranberries
1/2 apple, diced

Enjoy!

Paleo Christmas Bark

I needed something "festive" to bring to a holiday party, so I went on searching on good old Pinterest. Although this looks nothing like the beautiful picture of the recipe that I found from a blog called "She Talks", it actually tastes delicious.  I didn't have any coconut butter, so I ended up making my own.

1 cup coconut butter, melted (instructions to follow if you don't have any on hand)
2 TBS coconut oil
2 TBS cocoa powder
4 TBS maple syrup (you could probably get away with 3, maybe 2, but 4 made it nice and sweet)
dried fruits and nuts for topping (I used dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds)
sprinkle of coarse sea salt (my own addition, and it added a really nice touch)

Melt coconut butter in small pot over low heat stirring constantly.  Add coconut oil and keep stirring until melted.  Add cocoa powder and maple syrup and stir until smooth. Pour mixture onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (I had to kind of press it down and smooth it out with my fingers until it was about 1/4 inch thick).  Add toppings and press into chocolate (this is when I sprinkled the sea salt on).  Freeze for 15 minutes. Cut or break into pieces and store in airtight container in the fridge.

For the coconut butter:
Blend 4 cups of coconut flakes in food processor for about 10 minutes, scrapping down the sides as needed.  It goes through a couple of different stages: grainy, lumpy liquid, and then finally smooth liquid.  It just takes patience.  :-)

The Only Chili My Kids Will Eat (Crockpot)

I've been meaning to post this for awhile now.  Another recipe from "Make Ahead Paleo", but I adjust the recipe as needed, based on what I have.  This is the only chili my girls have ever eaten willingly, so it's a win in my book!

Con Carne
1lb ground beef
1/2 lb Italian sausage (I just use one package, not sure of weight, probably closer to a lb)
1/2 lb chuck roast, cubed (I use much more than this, probably closer to 1-2lbs)
1/2 lb boneless pork chops, cubed (I've never made it with pork chops)
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, cored, seeded, and diced (I just use 1)
Sauce
1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
2 cups brewed coffee (you could probably use chicken stock)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 TBS chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp granulated onion
2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

1) Crumble ground beef and Italian sausage into crockpot.  Add chuck roast and pork cubes on top.
2) Sprinkle onion, pepper, garlic and jalapeno over the meat
3) Combine sauce ingredients
4) Pour sauce over meat in crockpot
5) Cook on low 7 hours, stirring occasionally

I served mine with my "cornbread" muffins, diced avocado and chopped cilantro.

Crockpot Apple Cider Chicken Thighs

This recipe is taken directly from a new cookbook I got, "Make Ahead Paleo", by Tammy Credicott.  I've tried a few recipes out of it, but this is the best one so far.  I tried my own version of this recipe a few weeks before I saw this one, but this one nails it.

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 apple (I used a Honeycrisp), peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)

Place chicken in slow cooker and season with S&P.  Sprinkle shallot, garlic, sliced apple and bay leaf over chicken.  Mix cider, vinegar, oil and thyme together and pour over chicken.  Cook on low 6 hours.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve (I ladled some of it into a small saucepan and simmered over medium heat until reduced by about half, which thickened the sauce a bit and concentrated the flavors).

"Cornbread" Paleo Muffins

This is totally not my recipe (I've decided that while I cook many things well, I'm not the best baker).  I got it from here, with a few tweaks.  I changed up the amounts of flours (instead of all coconut flour I added almond flour as well) and I made muffins instead of a skillet cornbread.  Let's just say that the recipe made 15 muffins and I don't have any left after dinner (we had them with my Spicy Turkey Chili/Stew).  It tastes even better than the real cornbread muffins we used to eat a few years ago.  Enjoy. And try not to eat them all in one sitting.

Ingredients

• 1/2cup of Coconut Flour 
• 1/4 cup of almond flour
• ¾ cup of Tapioca Flour 
• 4 Eggs
• ½ cup + 1 TBS Coconut Oil, melted
• ¼ cup of Raw Honey
• ½ cup of Full Fat Coconut Milk (room temperature)
• ¼ cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1½ teaspoon of Baking Soda
• ½ teaspoon of Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine the apple cider vinegar and coconut milk in a glass and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, salt, and baking soda and whisk together.
4. Melt the coconut oil and add to the dry ingredients and beat on medium until combined.
5. Whisk the eggs and add them to the mixing bowl. Beat until thick and pasty.
6. Stir in the honey into the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar mixture.
7. Using a hand mixer, add the liquid in two batches and finish with the 30 second high beating.
8. Add batter to muffin tins (if not using silicone ones, then grease really well).
9. Bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Stacey's Thighs

My awesome SIL came up with this recipe.  My husband loved it because it has a bunch of his favorite flavors.  My kids liked it because it had bacon in it.  I made two pans worth, because that's just how I roll, but you could probably halve the recipe if you don't like to eat as much as we do.

4-5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or two packages)
3 TBS coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard (no sugar added)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
S&P to taste
A bunch of brussels sprouts (I used one of the bags from Costco-- 2lbs?), trimmed and cut in half
6 strips of bacon, chopped

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix melted coconut oil, mustard, balsamic and S&P in a large bowl and add chicken.  You could probably do this step ahead of time and keep it in a ziploc bag until needed (I love to do most of my prep on Sundays).  The only issue is that the coconut oil would solidify. Not sure if that would be a problem or not. Pop the chicken in the oven in a decent sized roasting pan and set the timer for 20 min.  While the thighs are roasting, cook your  chopped bacon in a large pan and when cooked (I actually precook bacon on Sundays as well, so it was already cooked for me), add halved brussels sprouts and saute until tender (medium-ish heat), seasoning with S&P.  Once the oven timer goes off, arranged the brussels sprouts around chicken and bake for an additional 10 minutes or so.  I served mine along with cauli-rice, with some of the cooking juices spooned over.  Thanks Stacey!

Mufflettes

Yep, everyone does these, but a few people have asked me how to do them, so here goes.

Preheat oven to 350.  I highly suggest using silicone muffin cups such as these, and putting them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  I finally broke down and bought some last week and as I said on Facebook, it was life changing.  At least for someone who makes about a dozen of these a week.

You can really put anything in these, but my hubby likes a spinach, onion, mushroom and bacon combo and my girls just like bacon in theirs.  You can line the muffin cups with bacon (in this case I tried pancetta, but it was a bit too salty).  Anyway...

Cook up a bunch of bacon.  You'll probably only need about 6 pieces (chopped), but you can store the rest in your fridge and use for breakfast throughout the week.  In the bacon grease, saute 1 chopped red onion and 1 package of chopped mushrooms.  When they're cooked down, add a few handfuls of spinach and let that cook down as well.  Let cool a bit.

Beat about 8-10 eggs with a couple of TBS almond milk, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if you wish.  Add chopped bacon (at this point I do a few "plain" ones and add to muffin liners).  Mix in veggies.  Fill muffin tins/liners. (With this amount of add ins, this will fill at least 12, probably a few extra)  Bake for 30 minutes.  Store  in an airtight container (I put wax paper between layers) in the fridge.

Pumpkin Coconut "Mouffles"

I don't bake very often, but we're in the process of trying to transition the whole family to Paleo, so I needed another breakfast/snack option for the girls.  Plus, I had some really ripe bananas that needed using.  It ended up being a muffin/souffle hybrid that was pretty tasty, especially the next day!  I hadn't gotten my silicon muffin cups yet when I made this, but that would make the process so much easier (and cleaner)!

Preheat oven to 350.  I highly suggest using silicon muffin cups for this.  Otherwise, line a muffin tin with foil liners.

3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 can pure pureed pumpkin (I despise recipes that only use a part of a can, so I through it all in)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup almond flour
1-2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I only used a tsp, but wished I had used more)
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Mix everything together.  Put in muffin cups.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Crockpot Beef Carnitas

This is a Pinterest find (other than subbing beef for pork), from this site (not sure if it's her original recipe).  It was one of those meals that the whole family loved.  The girls both asked for seconds.  

1 nice sized (3ish lbs) beef roast (not sure what kind I picked up), trimmed and cut into chunks. 

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

juice of 2 large limes

good amount of salt and pepper

2 tsp ground cumin

4 cloves garlic, minced

I try to do as much prep for the week on Sunday as I can, so I mixed up everything and put it in a ziploc bag for a few days before I dumped it into the crockpot for 7 hours on low.  So easy and so good!

 

Yummy No Recipe Burger Dinner

So, my friend Megan W. posted a picture of her egg topped burger the other night and it looked D E L I C I O U S, so I copied her.  This isn't really a recipe, just a dinner idea.

Burgers (I just mix my ground beef with salt and pepper, form patties with indents in the top, and grill for about 4-5 min a side)
Fried egg to your liking (J likes his over easy, I need mine a bit more well done)
Sauteed red onions (just cook the bejesus out of a couple of sliced red onions over low heat, preferably in bacon grease)
Salad mix or baby spinach
cherry tomatoes
sliced avocado

Arrange burgers and fixin's over salad mix.  That's it.

Amazeballs Bolognese

I think I finally nailed down a good Bolognese recipe!  I bought some pastured raised pork sausage from our local Farmers Market and put it to good use.

2 TBS bacon fat
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, finally chopped
1 package mushrooms, chopped
5 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb Italian pork sausage
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup red wine
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
6 oz coconut milk

In a large saucepan, melt 1 TBS of bacon fat and saute onion, garlic, carrot, and mushrooms until tender.  Remove to a bowl.  Add the other TBS of bacon fat to pan and brown bacon, sausage and ground beef until cooked through.  Add veggies back to pan along with remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for a bit.  Serve over spaghetti squash.

Just Peachy Crisp

We recently moved to the midwest, and I was craving something from back home.  Specifically, a good ol' peach cobbler.  I don't normally do much baking, and this is a far cry from my old canned peaches and biscuit topped cobbler, but it hit the spot (and made the house smell heavenly!).  It has honey and coconut crystals in the recipe, so it's not for the purists, but it's a nice once in a while treat.

8 peaches, sliced
1/2 cup raw honey (I also tried using 1/4 cup, and while it was good, it wasn't quite sweet enough for what I wanted, but you can play with it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 TBS vanilla

1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup coconut crystals
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBS cinnamon
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375.  In a small bowl, melt honey for about 30 seconds in microwave, then stir in 1 tsp cinnamon and vanilla.  Pour over sliced peaches and toss to coat.  Place peaches in baking dish.
Melt coconut oil in a large bowl for about a minute, until liquid.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well (I used my hands).  Press mixture over peaches.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Fried Plantains (aka, Little Patties of Goodness)

For one reason or another, I've never tried cooking plantains.  I've always zipped right by them at the grocery store.  Today I picked a few up and actually cooked them.  This is not my recipe--I got it from amazingpaleo.com (I had no idea where to start with plantains!).

2 very ripe plantains
4 TBS coconut oil
sea salt
lime juice

Carefully peel the plantains (you may have to use a knife to start it), being careful not to cut into the actual plantain.  Cut into 1 inch rounds.  Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet until hot.  Add plantains and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned, but not burnt.  Remove from skillet and place on paper towels to soak up some of the oil.  Take a drinking glass and smash each round down a bit.  Sprinkle a little salt on each plantain.  Reheat oil and fry again, this time for 1 minute each side.  Again, place on paper towels, sprinkle some salt on those suckers and drizzle with fresh lime juice.  Enjoy!