Appetizers

Tis' the season for parties, special dinners and get togethers. It can be very hard to stick to a primal diet when going to and from family dinners, work parties and holiday festivities. With these 3 appetizers you may be able to help you and your family make some better choices when it comes to snacking and they are pretty and festive to boot. Oh and dont worry you will not miss out on flavor!

Proscuitto Wrapped Asparagus

1 3 oz Pkg Proscuitto
1 lb Asparagus
1 Lemon

Blanch the Asparagus for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Pour right into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Bundle 3 pieces of the asparagus together and wrap with a piece of Proscuitto. Arrange on a platter, zest the lemon and sprinkle over the dish. Lastly juice the lemon and pour the juice over the dish right before serving.

Sweet and Salty Melon

1 Cantaloupe

1 Honeydew Melon

Prosciutto

Cut the melons into bite size pieces and wrap with a slice of proscuitto

BLT Deviled Eggs

12 Hard Boiled Eggs

2+ TBSP Clean Mayo

2 TBSP Grated Onion

2 tsp Dijon Mustard

A Few Dashed Paprika

1/4 C Crumbled Bacon

Grape Tomatoes and Lettuce for garnishing

Mix the the egg yolks with the ingredients listed above excluding the tomatoes and lettuce. Mix wll and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put filling into a zip top bag and cut a hole in the corner and pipe the filling into the center of the egg. Garnish with a few sliced of tomatoe and finely chopped lettuce.

Another Fabulous Find

I absolutely love love LOVE Aidell's sausages and to my great pleasure found them at our local Grocery Outlet store here in Coeur d Alene Idaho. How exciting is that you are thinking to yourself... or maybe your thinking so what they sell them at all the local grocery stores... Well I'm going to drop this like its hot... $7.99 for the double pack!!! That is a serious savings considering you can get a double pack at Costco for $12.99. They also had various flavors on the 4 pack for $3.79 which is also a great deal I typically see them ranging from $4.99-6.99. I asked the manager of Grocery Outlet if this is a common item for them to carry and he said they have them almost all the time! The variates will vary, today they had Mango, Chicken apple, Hobenaro, Tomatoes and Cheese and some turkey sausage patties as well. AWESOME!

"The Best One Yet"

I take the quote from nearly every one at our Crossfit holiday party. This is the best dessert recipe to date and could be dangerous to have around your house! It takes a little work, but in the end its totally worth it! The frosting is especially good and would be nice on a number of things it is very sweet, rich and creamy. You've got to try this one! I used coconut flour which is something I hadn't used before and was surprised how light and airy it was. Not to mention much more affordable than almond flour. I got a 1 lb bag at Pilgrim's for just over $5.00, It is so light that 1 lb looks to be at least 4 cups.

Chocolate Cake with Cashew Icing

2/3 C Almond Flour

1/3 C Coconut Flour

2/3 C Arrowroot

1/2 C Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Baking Powder (Clabber Girl brand is clean)

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 Very Ripe Banana

3/4 C Coconut Milk

1/4 C Coconut Oil

1/2 C Honey

2 tsp Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Ground Flax

1 Pkg Gelatin

Mix the dry ingredients together and add the mashed banana mixing well.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat warm the coconut milk and coconut oil, add the gelatin and let it sit and thicken off the heat for about 5 minutes.


Add the gelatin mixture and the remaining ingredients to the dry mixture and blend together.


Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes in a 9 inch round pan that has been greased well.
Cool slightly and turn out of the pan to ensure it doesn't stick.

Icing:
1 5oz Jar of Cashew nut butter
1/2 C Honey
1/3 C Cocoa Powder

blend the ingredients together and stir until it is smooth and a little glossy. Ice the sides and top of the cake with the icing.

Banana Pancake Remix

Back in the first few posts I did I made banana pancakes they were good, but I will admit they were very difficult to flip and didn't really have the right texture. I stumble upon a recipe on MDA and tried it with huge success! I did change a few things to suit what I like though.

2 Bananas- very ripe and mashed

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Salt

3 TBSP Almond butter

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

Mash the bananas first and add the remaining ingredients mixing well.

Cook using oil of some sort on a very hot skillet.

Squash Your Hunger

With this cold weather we have been having here in Idaho I have been eating alot of soup and this one has become sort of an addiction to me. It is smooth, flavorful and nutritious and it warms you right up!

Acorn Squash Soup with Kale and Bacon

1 Large Acorn Squash
1/2 Lb Bacon
1-3 Cups Water
1 Large Onion
1 Bunch Kale
Salt and Pepper

Bake or microwave your squash with a little water until its soft. Scoop out the buttery delish innards and puree them until they are velvety smooth.
Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry up until they are nice and crispy

Pour off most of the bacon fat but leave a little in the pan for flavor and saute the onions until they are soft. Cut the kale into bite size pieces and add to the onions. Season with salt (if needed the bacon makes it pretty salty) and pepper.

Add the squash into the mix and gradually add water until your desired thickness. Let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes and serve topping with the bacon bits.

Exciting News!!!

Trader Joe's is coming to town! This is one of my favorite stores, think Pilgrims with three times the selection and retail costs of a whole lot less! They have a wide selection of organic produce, meat, eggs and ready to cook items. They have vitamins, green cleaning products and a great wine and beer selection. They keep their prices down by using their own consumer brand and I have yet to get an item at Trader Joe's that I don't like! They are scheduled to open in the spring on Spokane's South Hill at 29Th and Regal according to map quest that's 32 miles and 41 minutes away. Totally worth it for one stop shopping! Can you tell how enthused I am?!?!?

The Veggie of the Week...

I missed the veggie of the week post last week due to the holiday I did make a wonderful dish to make it up to you! This week we are on E and I decided to do an eggplant dish. I had not ever used eggplant in cooking and was pleasantly surprised. It had a great flavor and was not as hard to prepare as I had previously heard.

Native to South East Asia eggplant is grown in tropical climates as a garden vegetable and is a staple in many middle eastern countries. It comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors including purple, black, white and striped. Eggplant is available in the US year round but is best eaten August-October when they are at their peak. Eggplants are part of the night shade family which include tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. Eggplants are a nutrient dense food containing over 80 nutrients, it contains high amounts of B vitamins and potassium.

Eggplant Lasagana

You can either make a sauce or use a pre-made one like Classico Tomato Basil which is what I did it makes this recipe simple! Heat up the sauce and add a few leaves fresh torn basil, this will make is taste homemade. In a hot skillet scramble 2 eggs and add to the sauce. I know this sounds wierd but trust me when I say that this makes the recipe. It actually seems like cheese when its all put together not to mention another way to get some extra protein!

Slice 2 eggplants to about a 1/4 inch thickness and about 6 roma tomatoes thinly, put on sheet pans and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes crank up the heat to 450 and roast an additional 10 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender.

Make a layer of eggplant on the bottom of a cassarole dish, follow by adding a layer of your roasted tomatoes. add about 1/2 C of sauce and add 1# cooked ground beef, next add a layer of fresh or frozen drained spinach top with another 1/2 C of sauce. Over that add another layer of the tomatoes and end with a layer or the eggpant. Add the remaining sauce and bake covered for 1 hour in a 350 degree oven, it is best to let is set for an hour before serving to insure the layers stay together.

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is the last recipe in my Thanksgiving holiday repertoire, but have no fear I have already started my Christmas menu!

4-6 Peeled, diced and boiled sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 C Pure maple syrup + a few extra TBSP's
1/2 C Coconut milk
1 C Pecans

Mash the boiled potatoes with the spices and maple syrup until smooth. Slowly pour in the coconut milk and blend until its creamy. Put into a baking dish and top with the pecans and drizzle a few TBSP's of maple syrup over the nuts. Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes to toast the nuts.

Apple Pie

Here is yet another recipe from my Thanksgiving spread. This one was the biggest hit out of all the food I brought to my family's house. My hubby loved it and made sure we had a big slice to bring home for later!

Crust:
3/4 C Pitted dates
1 1/2 C Almond flour
1 Tbsp Coconut oil

In a blender or food processor blend all the crust ingredients until they start to stick together and the dates are broken down. Press into a pie pan that is greased with coconut oil. Now I didn't bake the crust before filling but I think it would be a good idea. So lets say bake at 350 until the crust is firm and a little dry to the touch I would guess 10 minutes or so.


Filling:
5 Peeled and sliced apples I like to use gala or granny smith for a little tartness
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 C Honey
Juice of 1/2 a lemon or 2 Tbsp
A dash of cloves

Mix together and let set in the bowl for 5-10 minutes to get the juices flowing. Pour into crust it will be heaping this is a good thing we are going for mile high here!

Topping:

1 C Coconut

1 C Pecans

2 Tbsp Coconut oil

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Vanilla

Put in a food processor and give it a few pulses to break down the nuts and coconut. Pile over the apples.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes covered with foil. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to get a nice golden topping.

A Clean Holiday Delight

This was one of the recipes that I brought to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a hit especially with my nieces they kept coming back for more!

Primal Eggnog

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 Fresh Nutmeg

4 Egg yolks

3 C. Coconut milk

1 Tbsp. Pure maple syrup

In a sauce pan on meduim low heat 2 cups of the coconut milk with the egg yolks. This needs to be a very slow process otherwise you will have scrambled eggs. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the milk starts to thicken and coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the stove and place in an ice bath. Stir to cool for about 5 minutes add the remaining milk, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla. Transfer to a pitcher and cool for a few hours to thicken. Serve in glasses with fresh nutmeg ground on top.

The finished product yummy!

Happy Holidays in My Paleo World

Wow Thanksgiving come and gone and less than a month until Christmas... Can you believe it??? Sorry for the post hiatus I have been crazy busy with preparing for the holiday at home and at work. Never fear I did have time to make some scrumptious dishes for Thanksgiving! I will post one today and the rest through out the week and maybe just maybe you out there will want to make some of them over the holiday season.

Holiday gatherings can be tough when you are the only (Paleo-ite Paleo-un Paleo-odian???) Whatever you want to call it... My family was so great this year, we all decided to take a healthier approach to traditional dishes. My sister ground her own wheat and used a fresh pumpkin to make her pies and my mom made a jello mold with completely Paleo ingredients (GO MOM). I contributed a Dutch Apple Pie, Sweet Potato Casserole, Eggnog and Bacon Mashed Sweet Potatoes. Everyone raved over the dishes and were amazed that they were made with Paleo ingredients!

My mom with her delish side dish.

My Mom Debbie's Holiday Cranberry Mold

1 20 oz Can crushed pineapple- drain and reserve the juice

12 oz Fresh cranberries

3 Envelopes unflavored gelatin ( I searched and didn't see why this wouldn't be considered clean)

1/2 C Honey

1 Orange peeled and cut into chunks

1 C Diced Celery

1 Tart apple-grated

1/2 C Walnuts-chopped

Mix the gelatin into 1/4 C. of the pineapple juice let set and thicken. In a saucepan over medium heat cook remaining pineapple juice with the cranberries for about 5 minutes or until they start to burst open. Add the gelatin mixture and honey and cook 1 minute longer to incorporate. Put the orange in a blender with 1 C. of the cranberry mixture and blend until it forms fine pieces. Add the remaining cranberry mixture and pulse a few times to slightly break down the cranberries. Pour into a bowl and add the celery, apple and walnuts. Pour into a glass dish or jello mold and chill until you are ready to serve.

Meal on a Budget 3rd Edition

If you were at the Halloween Party this is the dish I brought to share with one modification I substituted Kelp Noodles for the spaghetti squash. Either way its a great dinner! As with the other "budget" meals I've featured this will feed a family of four for under $10.00 I'll break that part down further in the recipe. I did my shopping at Super 1 Foods

Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Greens

1 Large spaghetti squash ($3.56)
1 LB Sausage ($.99)
1 Bunch spinach ($1.68)
1 tsp Crushed red pepper ($.20)
6-8 Mini peppers or 1 Large bell pepper ($1.25)
1 Onion ($.40)
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning ($.10)
1 C. Chicken stock ($.25)

I get these pepper's from Costco they are $3.99 for 2 LB's. They are crisp and flavorful and I love love LOVE them!
Cook the sausage and drain. In the same pan cut up all your veggies excluding the spinach and put them with the chicken stock and cook them with the spices until they are soft.


Add back in the sausage and let it cook together for a few minutes to let all the flavors mix. Put the spinach over the veggies and meat and stir together to wilt this will only take a few minutes.


In the meantime, halve the squash place in a microwaveable dish add 1/2 cup water and heat for 10-15 minutes on high. Repeat with the remaining squash half. Discard the seeds. Using a fork, comb the squash into strands into a bowl.

Spoon the sausage and veggies over the squash and serve.

The Veggie of the Week.... Diakon

Diakon is a white radish from Japan, having a long root that is eaten raw, pickled or cooked. Its also known as a Chinese radish, Japanese radish, or an Oriental radish. From the Japanese word Dia (large) Kon (root) this vegetable is in fact a large radish and is mild, crisp and slightly sweet in flavor. Diakons flesh is fresh, juicy and white, while the skin can range from cream colored to black. It ranges from 6-15 inches in length with a diameter of 2-3 inches. Choose a diakon that is firm and had a smooth unwrinkled skin. One serving of diakon (3oz) provides us with over 30% RDA for Vitamin C and contains the active enzyme myrosinase. Here is some information on the enzyme http://www.answers.com/topic/myrosinase.

Pickled Diakon

Take a diakon radish and peel it with a veggie peeler, Cut into 1 inch cubes and put in a bowl with 1 tsp salt and give it a quick stir. Let the radish set out at room temperature for 30 minutes. You will notice that the radish will have released some liquid (pictured below) Rinse the radish to remove the excess salt and water and add 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp sesame oil. Stir and refrigerate over night. The longer they set in the liquid the better they will be.

The finished results, I ate them as a little snack and they were crisp and yummy without the dye and chemicals you find in grocery store pickles.

A Fabulous Find

I Love Costco, even though there is rarely Paleo friendly samples... This is my new favorite Costco find, It is clean and smokey and delicious! You can either heat it up on the stove or in the microwave. It contains 2 lbs of smoked pork goodness and costs $9.99, so worth it! I made it and ate some over sauteed cabbage and onions and then had some plain for lunch the next day. I bet it would be super fantastic to mix the pork with clean BBQ sauce and eat in a lettuce wrap yummy!

Beef Jerky 2 Ways

I am always looking for tasty ways to get protein and its a bonus if they are easy to make and easy to take along to work or for a pre-workout snack. Both of these jerky recipes fit the bill. If you went to the Halloween party this is the recipe I used for the jerky I was handing out. I have a super sweet food dehydrator and its what I used to make the jerky, if you don't have one you can always cook it in the oven at 200 degrees for about 5 hours.
I got this dehydrator at Cabela's for $79.99 and Its been great! With the rectangular shape you can fit so much more on the screens then the round versions that you typically see.

For the traditional Jerky I used a roast that I had the butcher at Safeway cut super thin when it was on sale for $1.99 a lb. ( It happens often in the fall watch the ad's and stock up, jerky usually runs about $8.99 a lb so you save big when you make it yourself!). I made a marinade and soaked the meat for 24 hrs. 1/2 C Tamari (wheat free soy sauce), 1/2 C Pineapple juice, 1 tsp each Salt and Pepper, 2 tsp each Chili powder and Garlic powder, a dash of nutmeg and 1 Tbsp Vinegar (this helps tenderize the meat). I also made a little rub out of the dry spices and sprinkled it on the meat as I put it on the trays to dry.

For the ground beef jerky I mixed 1 lb of ground beef, 2 tsp each Salt, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Curry powder, 1 tsp Cayenne pepper and 1 tsp Black pepper.

with rolling pin roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness between 2 sheets of waxed paper.

Peel the back sheet of paper off and place on the rack then peel off the top sheet.

You have a few options here, you can either roll it into big sheets that cover most of the surface of the rack or you can make smaller pieces, you just have to roll alot more out! If you do it in a sheet cut a hole in the center to get better circulation.

Here is what they look like when I did them out of 1 Tbsp of meat and rolled them out to make medallions.

Here is the Jerky out of the roast when its all dry and ready to eat.

Here is the medallions, I found that its best to take the ground beef jerky out about 1/2 way and dab it with a paper towel to remove some of the excess grease.

This is the finished ground beef jerky that I made into sheets. I took a pair of kitchen shears and cut it into uniform pieces. I think this way looks pretty legit but I like the medallions better they just seem more caveman to me! You can see in the picture the grease that I had dabbed of the jerky during cooking. It really does need to be done I'm not sure how it would turn out if it was left.

Making jerky is NOT as hard as it seems and is totally worth it in the end! If you have a great marinade or recipe for jerky please post it to the comments for us to try!