Lettuce Wraps

The recipe below calls for ground pork because that's what I had leftover from my grass-fed meat CSA (Mmmmmm, meat!) . But you could certainly use any other ground meat you feel would suffice. I am also taking suggestions on other asian-style flavorings you add to recipes. Any ideas? Also, while the iceberg is the usual lettuce for these types of wraps...I'm wondering if maybe a butter lettuce or other leafy variety would actually work better. I'll try it out and get back to you...

1 head of iceberg lettuce

1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh grated or finely chopped ginger*
1 teaspoon chopped garlic, mine was from a jar
1 tablespoon tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
zest of about 1/3 of an orange (I know, it doesn't seem like much, but it helps)

Finely chopped cabbage
Toasted, sliced almonds
Extra tamari

*Go with your gut here. I only used about a teaspoon in my meat and while I think it could have used a bit more, I'm afraid to increase the amount listed here for fear of turning your meat into gingered pork.

Mix the pork in a medium bowl along with the sesame oil, ginger, garlic and tamari. Let sit for 15 minutes. Then heat a skillet over medium heat, and add the meat mixture once it's hot. No need to add oil, there's enough oil and fat in the meat. Stir it around until fully cooked, about 7-8 minutes. While the meat is cooking, separate the lettuce leafs as best you can. Once the meat is fully cooked, you're ready to eat! Spoon some pork into a lettuce leaf and top with cabbage, almonds, and a drizzle of tamari as needed.

Serve with your favorite veggie and/or fruit.

BEEF!!....it's what's for dinner...(plus pesto greens and carrot-coconut-curry soup)

Beef has been fairly under-represented on this blog...until now. The sauce for the meat below is citrusy and tasty. I highly recommend it not only for the meat, but also to add on greens and to use as a salad dressing. And please don't look at that soup and think "Really Amy? Carrot soup? Who eats carrot soup?". Try it...you will be converted!!

For the BEEF:

3-4lb Tri Tip Roast
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of two lemons
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
5 cloves garlic
1/2-2/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over and into the roast (i.e. give it some TLC). If you've got the time, let that sit for about 30 minutes. If not, no big deal...pop it right into the preheated oven. The meat will cook for about an hour, depending on how thick your roast is. Check it with a meat thermometer...it should get to about 150-160 degrees depending on how well done you want it.

While the meat is cooking, juice the lemons into a food processor. Add in the thyme, oregano and whole garlic cloves. Whirl that around for a few seconds to chop up the garlic and mix it all together. Then, with the processor on, slowly pour in the olive oil (in a thin stream). Let that continue to process a few seconds...and then set aside in a small bowl. Clean your food processor (you'll need it for the soup).

For the Carrot-Coconut-Curry goodness:

1.5 pounds carrots, peeled
1/2 a head of cauliflower
2 leaks, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 can lite coconut milk
2-3 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Start by heating the olive oil over medium heat, in a large soup pot. Add in the leeks (make sure you rinse the leek slices well to get all that dirt off) and onions and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. While that's cooking, chop the carrots into 1/2 inch slices, and chop the cauliflower into 1-2 inch chunks. Pour in the carrots, add in a few tablespoons of vegetable stock and cover. Let the carrots cook for about 10 minutes or so. Add in the cauliflower and curry, cumin and ginger. Stir well and cover again. Cook until the cauliflower and carrots are both very soft, another 8-10 minutes or so.

Let the veggies cool about 5 minutes or so. Then add half the carrot mixture into your cleaned food processor. Blend the veggies together for a few seconds, and then pour in half the can of coconut milk to help it along. Then pour in one cup of vegetable stock. Blend until combined and carrot mixture is smooth. Pour this out into another soup pot, or bowl. Repeat with the other half of the carrot mixture, adding the coconut milk and 1 cup (or so) vegetable stock. Pour this into the other soup pot, and put over low heat. At this point, taste your soup and add sea salt and some cracked pepper accordingly. If you think the soup's too thick, add the remaining stock according to your preference. Keep the soup over low heat while the meat finishes in the oven, and you make the greens below.

For the Pesto Greens:

1 bag Southern Mixed Greens (Trader Joes) or 20 oz other mixed greens
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup pesto sauce (see here)
2 tsp olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt and pepper if needed

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Pour the mixed greens on top of the oil, and add the broccoli on top. Cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the greens are cooked through. Remove from heat and toss with the pesto sauce, and any additional salt and pepper if you'd like.

When all is complete, serve the meat with the sauce and get ready to dig in!!

If you time it right, you can get all of this done in the time it takes to cook the meat. It looks like a lot to juggle, but it's really not that bad. Enjoy your dinner!!

Shrimp and Crab Soup

I've been playing around more lately with coconut milk. I've also been trying to find ways to eat more fish and seafood, just to get some variety into the diet. Behold....this seafood soup!!

1/2 white onion, minced
1 Tablespoon chopped garlic
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1-1 pound bag of shrimp, thawed (I used the frozen, cooked shrimp from Trader Joes)
1-1 pound can of crab meat (I used Chicken of the Sea-it's a big, blue can that has to be kept refrigerated)
2 cans light coconut milk
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon of dried red pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
8-10 bok choy, ends cut off and cut into 1-inch strips, rinsed
2 zucchini, cut into 4ths lengthwise, and then into 1/4 inch pieces
Fresh cracked pepper

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. When melted, add the onion, garlic and celery. Stir occasionally until the onion softens, about 2-3 minutes. Add the thawed shrimp, crab meat, coconut milk, Old Bay, celery salt and red pepper. Stir togther and let the coconut milk warm up. Once the coconut milk is warmed, add in the chopped bok choy and zucchini. It will look like you just added a mountain of greens to your soup, but it will cook down a lot. Cover the soup and cook on medium-low until the veggies are done, about 5 minutes or so....and you're done!! I like to throw in some fresh cracked pepper to the top of each bowl when serving, but that's up to you.

Eggs and Smoked Salmon.....a match made in heaven

I know this quiche looks deceptively like the other one I posted not long ago. However....I am in love with this one. I used the wild-caught smoked salmon from Trader Joes that comes as a hunk of salmon....not the gummy, thin-sliced smoked salmon you're probably used to seeing. I know there is a lot of salmon in this thing...that's because I'm trying to get more protein in each of my meals. Going for the 1g/lb of body weight...and the previous version had about 25g per serving. I eat about 4x/day...and no...I don't weigh 100lbs. So that just wasn't cutting it. If you don't want that much protein in the quiche (or you weigh 100lbs) just decrease the amount of salmon you add :).

15 eggs (Omega eggs preferred)
1 lb smoked salmon
1/2-1 can of lite coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped green onions
6 or so, mushrooms sliced thin
1-1lb bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained of all liquid
Fresh cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crack all the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Mix them all together with a fork. Add in the coconut milk and stir. (I used 1/2 a can but if you want/need more fats you could use the whole can...just pour the mixture into a larger pan to cook). Cut up the smoked salmon into small pieces. If you bought the goods from Trader Joes it will have the skin on it...chop that up too and put it in with the eggs. The skin has a lot of the good Omega 3 oils in it. Add the salmon, mushrooms and spinach into the egg mixture and stir well to combine. Toss in some fresh cracked pepper and mix again. This does not need any salt added, as the smoked salmon will add plenty of salt to the mixture.

Oil an 8x12 baking dish with olive oil. (It's an odd size, I know. If you don't have one just pour this into a 9x13 dish and watch the time in the oven. It will cook fine, itjust may not take as long). Pour the egg mixture into the oiled pan and bake in the middle rack for about 25-30 minutes, or until the middle is set. I cut this into 5 yummy servings :). ENJOY!!!!

Chicken and Sausage with Sauteed Bacon-y Greens

For the Meat:

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 links of your favorite sausage, I used a spicy italian variety-precooked
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Greens:

4-6 strips of bacon
1 bag of Trader Joes Southern Mixed Greens, or a 20oz bag of mixed, chopped greens
1/4 a head of cabbage, sliced into 1/4inch strips
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Avocado

Start by cooking the bacon. Cook the bacon in the largest skillet you own, over medium-medium/high heat. Cook the bacon until it's crispy, turning over once. If you don't like your bacon crispy...then just cook it less. Transfer bacon onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Pour the bacon grease out of the pan, leaving about 2 Tablespoons in the skillet for later.

While the bacon is cooking, cut each chicken thigh into three equal pieces. (This is just because while I do enjoy cooking, sometimes I am quite lazy and want my meals to cook faster...) Also cut the sausages into 1-inch pieces. Right about when the bacon is done, heat up another skillet (doesn't have to be large-and-in-charge) with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and let them cook a minute or two, until the onion starts to soften. Then add in the chicken, a little salt and pepper if you so desire, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally.

While the chicken is cooking, heat the "largest skillet you own" with the bacon love (grease) over medium heat. Pour in the bag of mixed greens and pile the chopped cabbabe on top. It's okay if the pan is full...it will cook down a lot. Pour in about 1/4 cup water, sprinkle in some salt and pepper, and cover with the largest lid you own. Continue cooking over medium heat until the greens are cooked, about 10 minutes or so. When the greens have 5 minutes left to cook, add the sausage to the chicken, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally. By now the onions should be a bit brown. Brown onions are good. Brown onions=carmelized onions=FLAVA!

When the timer goes off for the greens, turn the heat off, and crumble the bacon into the veggies. Stir it around to make sure the cabbage and greens are mixed, along with the bacon. Enjoy your chicken and veggies with a side of avocado for more healthy fat deliciousness!!

Egg and Spinach Quiche

This is what I'm eating for breakfast this week...usually paired with a side of broccoli and avocado. This morning I added a dollop of pesto sauce on top as well (recipe is a few posts below).

16 Omega Eggs
2 Spicy sausages - cooked
1-16oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
6-8 mushrooms sliced thin
6 green onions, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Crack all the eggs into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine with a fork. Chop up the sausages into small pieces and mix in with the eggs. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Pour this into an 8x8 baking pan, coated with olive oil. Pop into the middle rack of the oven and bake until the middle is set, about 30-35 minutes or so...

SAY WHAT? ...Who knew making a delicious paleo breakfast could be so easy?? You CANNOT tell me you don't have time to make yourself a healthy breakfast when you can pop one in the oven with less than 7 minutes actual prep time, and have it made for the week. I cut this into five servings for a nice, hearty breakfast :).