Monthly Archive: May 2015

Chimichurri

Chimichurri is an amazing fresh green sauce that is delicious slathered on grilled meats and fish. I have seen it served with steak most often but it is incredible on veggie kebabs, talipa, or burgers. It’s a great condiment to have on hand for your next barbecue.

Chimichurri

A nice handful of flat Italian parsley- chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small shallot minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Blender or food processor

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.

2. Pulse until the sauce is well chopped but not pureed.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian, Whole 30

Hamburgers with Grilled Portabella Mushrooms & Eggplant

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper
olive oil
1 medium eggplant
4 large portabella mushroom caps

To make the the hamburgers:
1 pound ground beef
1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
a few grinds of black pepper

1. Add above ingredients all together and mix well.
2. Shape into 4 hamburgers
3. Grill over a heated grill for a few minutes on each side until it reaches the desired doneness.

To make the grilled the eggplant:
1. Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds.
2. Sprinkle the slices with some kosher salt and place in a colander in the sink or over a bowl to drain for 15 minutes.
3. Rinse the slices of eggplant well then pat them dry.
4. Brush each side of the eggplant with olive oil.
5. Grill slices over low until browned and cooked thoroughly.

To make the grilled portabella mushroom caps:
1. Clean the portabella caps by using a damp vegetable scrub brush and brushing the top of each.
2. Cut off the stem and use a spoon to scoop out the black gills.
3. Brush each mushroom cap with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
4. Grill over low heat until browned and cooked thoroughly.

To serve stack the burgers together with the mushrooms, eggplant, and other desired toppings such as tomato, onion, mayonnaise, pickles, etc & desired side dishes. I like to serve my burgers with Herbed Potato Salad.

Paleo, Recipes, Whole 30

Herbed Potato Salad

Herbed Potato Salad

2 pounds of small golden potatoes
2/3 cup of mayonnaise
1/3 cup each of chopped herbs: Italian parsley, basil, cilantro, and green onions
1 medium shallot in a small mince
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Begin by scrubbing the potatoes. Place them in a large pot and fill with enough water to just cover. Add a sprinkle of salt and heat over medium-high heat. You want to leave the skins in tact. Let the pan simmer, covered for about 20-25 minutes. You will know that the potatoes are done when you can pierce the flesh of the potatoes with a knife with minimal resistance.

2. Gently, pour the potatoes in the colander in the sink, and lightly rinse them with cold water. Let the potatoes cool completely.

3. Once cooled, cut the potatoes into desired sized pieces.

4. In a large bowl toss the potatoes, mayonnaise and herbs together and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

5. Cover and chill the salad in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving.

I serve my potato salad as a side dish to barbecued meats, burgers, or any type of picnic foods.

Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Whole 30

Fennel and orange salad

Fennel and orange salad
1 smaller bulb of fennel
2-3 small to medium oranges
1/2 red onion
1 Tbs. grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Start by removing the stalks and fronds (the leafy bits on the top) off the bulb of the fennel. Set aside some of the fronds for garnish.
2. Julienne both the fennel and red onion and set in bowl. Bon appétit has a great tutorial here if you need help with figuring out how to slice up the fennel.
3. Remove the peel of the oranges and slice into small chunks and add to the fennel and onion.
4. Combine the oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Add the dressing to the other ingredients and toss to combine.
5. Garnish with some of the reserved fronds.
Eat this salad as a side to grilled fish or chicken. Or eat it as a meal by itself atop a pile of arugula or baby spinach.

Other additions to consider adding to this salad to spruce it up:
Dried cherries or cranberries
Slivered almonds
Fresh herbs like mint or cilantro

Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Whole 30

30

Thai Pineapple Cauliflower Rice

Thai Pineapple Cauliflower Rice
1/2 head of cauliflower processed into rice sized pieces by grating or processing into a food processor
1/2 large red pepper thinly sliced
1 cup sugar snap peas cut in half on an angle
1 carrot cut into a small dice
1/2 yellow onion diced
2 small Thai chilies- thinly sliced (optional if you want it spicy)
1 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple chunks
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 large clove of minced garlic
2 Tablespoons coconut aminos
1 teaspoon Red boat fish sauce
4 scallions thinly sliced
5-6 Thai basil leaves cut into ribbons
1/3 cup cashews
Sesame oil- for drizzling

1. Heat wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt the coconut oil.

2. Once heated, add in the red pepper, carrot, sugar snap peas, onion, Thai chilies, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add in the riced cauliflower and stir-fry for 2 additional minutes.

4. Add in the pineapple, coconut aminos, fish sauce, Thai basil leaves, green onion and cashews and stir well.

5. Remove from the pan and drizzle with a little sesame oil.

This dish is great served on it’s own or as a side to Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce.

Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Whole 30

30

Chicken Thighs with Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce

Whole 30 compliant, commercially prepared sauces are sometimes difficult to find. I like a fair amount of sauces for my food so I often just make my own. I came up with some delicious teriyaki sauce to go on some chicken thighs. I love this chicken teriyaki served with Thai Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice.

Begin by preparing the the sauce:

Pineapple Teriyaki Sauce
8 ounces 100% pineapple juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup coconut aminos
1 clove garlic- crushed
1/2 sweet onion diced
4 dates soaked
2 Tablespoons red boat fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon ghee

1. Melt the ghee in a small pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sweet onion for 2-3 minutes until translucent and softened but not browned.

2. Add all the ingredients, including the onion, to a blender and blend well into a smooth sauce.

3. Place blended sauce in a small sauce pan over medium heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken.

Once the sauce is made you can prepare the chicken:

Preparing the chicken
4-6 Bone in and skin on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper for sprinkling
2 teaspoons ghee
Sesame seeds for sprinkling- optional

1. Start by removing the bones from the chicken thighs. Start at one end, and begin to cut out the bone being careful that you do not cut through the meat. Stay as close to the bone as possible to reserve the most meat on the thighs.

2. Season the thighs with salt and pepper.

3. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the ghee.

4. Cook the thighs for approximately 4-5 minutes per side until browned and cooked through or until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

5. Add in a few scoops of the teryaki sauce to coat the sauce and thicken a bit more.

6. Slice the chicken into strips, add a little sauce from the pan to the chicken and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds.

7. Serve with Thai Pineapple Fried Cauliflower Rice.

Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Whole 30

30

Grilled Green Shrimp Skewers

Grilled Green Shrimp Skewers

1 pound large, raw shrimp peeled and deveined
2 scallions roughly chopped
1/3 cup cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few grinds of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper powder- optional

metal or bamboo skewers- if using bamboo skewers soak them for 20 minutes before using.

1. Process the scallions, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender until smooth.

2. Pour the the marinade over the shrimp, cover, and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

3. While the grill is heating, skewer the shrimp. Cook the shrimp about 2 minutes per side or until the shrimp becomes pink and is no longer translucent.

Serve the shrimp skewers with Pineapple Salsa and grilled avocado.

To make the grilled avocado simply slice a ripe avocado in half and remove the pit. Squeeze some lime juice over the avocado halves then simply gill them over the heated grill for a couple of minutes or until they are slightly browned and warmed throughout.

Paleo, Recipes, Whole 30

26

Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple salsa

2 cups fresh pineapple cut into small chunks
1/3 cup of sweet onion diced
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

1. Prepare all the ingredients as listed above.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

3. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve the salsa in the same manner as you would any salsa- with chips, on top of grilled meat, with some grilled shrimp skewers, or grilled tilapia.

Dressing & Condiments, Paleo, Recipes, Vegetarian, Whole 30

26

Grilled Artichokes

I absolutely love artichokes. In the past I’ve simply steamed the artichokes whole and then removed the undesired parts as I ate it. Since we are coming up on summer I wanted to play around with grilling artichokes.I didn’t want to grill them whole because I’m sure it would take forever. I found this great video from Gourmet Magazine on how to trim artichokes.

Here is what you will need:
1/2 to 1 artichoke per person.
1 recipe of Roasted Garlic and Bacon Aioli
To make it vegetarian serve it with Roasted Garlic Aioli instead

1. Simply trim the artichokes as shown on the video (linked above) then cut them in half.

2. Steam the artichokes for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process then pat them dry.

3. Drizzle the artichokes with olive oil, salt, & pepper.

4. Grill the artichokes on heated grill for 3-5 minutes each side to char slightly.

5. Serve them with aioli.

Make it vegetarian, Paleo, Recipes, Sauces, Tips and tricks, Vegetarian, Whole 30

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