Tag: paleo-ish

Cuban Style Citrus Garlic Bowl

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This recipe came out of missing the goodness that is Trader Joe’s grab-n-go food. DH stumbled upon a roundup of the top go-tos for nutritionists somewhere on the Internets, and thought a few of the dishes sounded great – too bad we don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby.

I was sure I could create something that tasted at least good from the description. Probably isn’t what their version tastes like, but good nonetheless. We also didn’t know at the time, but we have been sorely missing Cuban food. Semi-passable Mexican is hard enough to find here; Cuban is impossible.

This recipe also uses cocktails in place of the bitter or sour orange featured heavily in Cuban meat marinades – I think it worked out pretty well, but were I to make this again, I’d maybe slip a teaspoon or two in after cooking to add a little bitter punch to the dish. I don’t think it would taste *quite* the same, but it will at least give that element that’s present in my favorite Cuban dishes. If you have access to mojo sauce, that would also be fantastic sprinkled over top.

gluten-free, can easily be made paleo with substitutions

Cuban Style Citrus Garlic Bowl

For the chicken:

1 roasting or stewing chicken

4-6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small white onion, chopped

1 bell pepper – any color, chopped

4 ounce can puréed tomatoes

2 teaspoons salt

Generous sprinkle black pepper

3-4 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Juice & zest of 1 orange

1 Tablespoon orange cocktail bitters + more if desired

1.5 cups nice broth

1.5 cups water

1.5 teaspoons your favorite stock starter powder (you want about 3 cups of liquid – I had some nice mixed meats bone broth and use chicken-free chicken bouillon starter powder to make my quick-n-dirty stocks)

For the bowl base:

1 cup long grain rice (or cauli rice if you’re paleo)

1 cup reserved stock from the (cooked) chicken

1 cup water

Generous pinch salt

1 Tablespoon ghee or butter

Bowl accents:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small white onion, diced (reserve 2 Tablespoons)

1 bell pepper of any color, diced (reserve 2 Tablespoons)

Neutral oil

Salt & pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon “chicken” bouillon starter

Your favorite black beans (optional. DH found some pre-cooked Cuban style beans in a pouch – they’re amazing if you can eat them. Fillos is the brand)

2 plantains

Toppers:

Reserved raw pepper & onion

Chopped cilantro

Your favorite hot sauce (ours came from the Hot Ones sampler pack we got for Christmas – Hot Ones, if you’ve never heard of it is not only a hilarious YouTube channel filled with celebrities eating ridiculously hot wings, but is also a fun way to play wing roulette at home )

First, dump all the chicken ingredients in your electric cooker or stew pot. I cooked mine for 1 hour on the “meat” setting of my electric cooker. Your mileage may vary.

When the chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone, remove from the cooker and set to cool.

Add the rice ingredients to your cooker (swiping a cup of that yummy chicken liquid you just emptied out of the pot). Set your rice to cook. I left mine in the pot on the warming setting for awhile (half an hour-ish) after it finished, and the bottom browned and crisped a bit – y-u-m.

While the rice is cooking, sauté your diced pepper and onion in 1 teaspoon neutral oil. Season with cumin, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. Remove when softened and starting to brown. Wipe the pan.

To your wiped pan, add enough neutral oil to cover the bottom. Set over medium-high. Quickly slice the plantains into half inch thick rounds while the oil heats to shimmering.

Add the plantains one at a time (carefully so you don’t splatter oil on yourself) so they are flat and not crowded in the pan (I did mine in two batches). Once they are all nestled in the pan, flip, starting with the first. Let brown and remove to a few paper towels folded in on themselves a few times. Sprinkle immediately with coarse salt.

Repeat with your second batch, remove and salt.

Heat your black beans if using.

To serve, use the rice (or rice analog) as a base, add the chicken and accents and sprinkle with the toppers. Add some hot sauce if desired.

Serves 4 (the rice and accents) and more (the chicken)

Caramelized Squash with Pepita Pesto

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This was a big hit at a potluck – the pepita pesto was addictive, and I’m sorry to have only made the one squash — there was enough pesto for two, and enough demand for more.

Gluten-free, vegetarian, paleo-ish


Caramelized Squash with Pepita Pesto

For the squash

1 butternut squash – peeled and cut into roughly 1-inch chunks
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. oil of choice

Preheat your oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil. Prep your squash if not done already, and combine the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the squash and toss to combine. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the squash is soft and starts to brown.

Meanwhile, make your pesto.

For the pesto

1/2 cup raw pepitas
1 hand full arugula
4 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lime
Big pinch Kosher salt
Few cracks black pepper
4 glugs olive or avocado oil

Blend all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. If you find the pesto is too thick, add a little more oil.

Toss the squash with the pesto to serve.

As written, this recipe would make enough for 2 dinner portion sides – maybe 3; if you’re bringing somewhere, consider doubling the squash. 

Maple Bourbon Bacon Brussels

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Drool. This dish is fantastic, and a real show-stopper when shared with friends in some sort of seasonal bacchanalia.

Gluten-free, paleo-ish

  

Maple Bourbon Bacon Brussels

1 lb. brussels sprouts
1/2 – 1 lb. bacon
2 Tbsp. grainy mustard (I prefer Maille)
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
Sprinkle something hot (I used dried ghost peppers)
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Bacon fat or other Fat Of Choice
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup maple syrup

Brown the bacon in your largest pan over medium heat. While your bacon is browning, shred the brussels. Remove bacon to paper towels – don’t ditch the fat. If you have a bunch of kinda burnt bacon bits, pour the fat off into a bowl or cup, deal with the bits, and put the fat back into the pan and the pan back over heat.

Add the shredded brussels to the pan with the fat, along with 2 generous pinches Kosher salt. Stir to combine fully. Add the mustard and stir to incorporate fully. Add the nutmeg and hot stuff; stir again.

Sautee, stirring frequently, until the brussels begin to brown. If your brussels look a little dry during this time, add more fat – more fat = more better; it’s the holidays.

When the brussels are a little browned at the edges, add the apple cider vinegar, bourbon and maple syrup. Stir to combine. Sauté until the liquid cooks out and the brussels are as browned as you’d like, making sure to stir frequently so nothing burns.

Crumble the reserved bacon and sprinkle over top. Taste and add more salt/heat/acid as needed.

Serves a bunch as a holiday side

Primal Chicken Carbonara

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Mmmmmmmm….. carbonara. How I have missed thee.

Carbonara was the very first dish I learned to make – the one dish, according to my mother, that one should always have in her back pocket to be broken out at a moment’s notice. 

Short notice dinner guests and no time to make some sort of roast beast? Carbonara. Need a quick (but better than pizza and beer) way to say ‘thank you’ to the house full of dudes that just helped you move? Carbonara. Want to impress a boy? Carbonara. The in-laws? Carbonara. 

Needless to say, this dish was an absolute favorite growing up and made appearances at my house often.

“My” version has changed over the years – first with fresh ingredients (no more shakey parmesan for me!), then to include veggies (peas, asparagus and spinach are all fantastic), then fresh pasta (to die for), and now a primal version. Not full paleo – I still love a touch of a nice salty cheese (sheep in my case) – but close. 

If you’re squicked out by the raw egg, I’ll tell you what my mother told me over arched eyebrow when I first heard that IwoulddieifIateraweggsandtheworldwouldexplode: You’ll be fine. Rocky didn’t die when he ate all those raw eggs, now did he? You’re much less likely to expire from salmonella than getting hit by a bus.

 

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Gluten-free, primal, paleo-ish 

Primal Chicken Carbonara 

1 spaghetti squash 
4 pieces bacon 
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs 
3 cloves garlic 
1/4 c. flat Italian parsley 
2 Tbsp. pecorino, romano or parmesan (I used sheep) 
1 egg 
Green olives (pimento stuffed is best) 

First, prep and cook your squash to make “noodles”. To prepare, lop off the ends of the squash so it can rest stably on a cutting board. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seed guts. 

Place cut side down in a shallow dish or bowl, add a few Tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave on High for 14 minutes or until soft. Pull from the microwave and let cool. 

Next, crisp your bacon in your largest skillet over medium heat. 

Cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces and chop the garlic. 

When crisp, remove the bacon to paper towels to drain. 

Add the chicken and garlic to the bacon fat in the pan and hit with a big pinch Kosher salt and couple grinds black pepper. Sauté until cooked through. 

While the chicken is working, halve your olives (the quantity varies – I love olives and will happily eat half a cup in mine; my husband doesn’t like them at all and wants nothing to do with them), chop the parsley, and scrape the spaghetti squash out with a fork to form noodles. 

Lightly beat your egg.

When the chicken is cooked through, add the spaghetti squash “noodles” to the pan along with the parsley, cheese, and crumbled bacon. Toss to combine. 

If everyone in your party loves olives, add them; if not, add them to the individual bowls.
 

Remove from the heat and make a well in the middle of the noodles. Add the beaten egg and toss quickly to coat everything – make sure to work quickly to combine and that your pan is off the heat, you don’t want scrambled eggs.

Divvy up and serve. 

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch

Miso Pepita Broiled Squash

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I know I have a winner on my hands when the first taste of something horrifies my mouth – but subsequent tweaks and tastes cause me to salivate, eat too much, and wind up having to pour water over the bowl to cease the smorgasboarding. (sidebar: you don’t even want to know how many times I typed Smorgasburg instead of smorgasboard – I may have been living in Brooklyn too long)

Back to topic. This side is pretty great. The topping is sweet and salty and rich and a little crunchy – while the squash is a little sweet, soft and a touch velvety. The two play well nicely together.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, paleo-ish [miso is not strictly paleo (neither is rice wine vinegar for that matter), but as far as soy products go – fermented isn’t quite the devil that unfermented is. I will also love my rice wine vinegar forever, regardless of what the paleo police say]

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Miso Pepita Broiled Squash
Adapted from Broiled Spaghetti Squash with Walnut-Miso Glaze by Saveur

1 medium butternut squash
Coconut oil
1/2 c. pepitas
1/4 c. white miso
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
Pinch red chili flakes
Pinch kosher salt

First, prep a baking sheet with tinfoil and set your oven to heat to 400 F.

Peel your squash with a vegetable peeler, cut into two easier-to-manage hunks, and cut into potato wedge looking sizes (scooping the guts from the bell end as you go). Lay on the prepped cookie sheet and drizzle a little coconut oil over. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake 30 minutes or until soft and just starting to brown a bit on the edges.

While your squash is baking, make the crumbly goodness.

Combine the pepitas, miso, maple syrup, vinegar, chili flakes & salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined and gravelly looking. Taste. The mixture should be weird but strangely delicious and addicting after the second taste or so.

If you need to cut the weirdness, adding a little more maple syrup would work; adding some “warmer” spices (like cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice) may also help. I kept it weird.

When your squash is done, move your rack up and kick the oven on to broil.

Top your squash with the miso pepita mixture – I used the whole batch when I made it (mostly because I was already obsessed with the taste, but in hindsight this was a wise choice).

Broil 3 minutes or so, until the top is nice and crunchy and browned.

Serves 4 as a side. 

Spicy Broccoli Slaw with Snap Peas & Bacon

Categories Life, Recipes3 Comments on Spicy Broccoli Slaw with Snap Peas & Bacon

This dish received the highest of praises from the DH. He not only ate every bite, he also said he really liked it. Sweet. Into the repertoire you go. While not strictly paleo as-written, you can easily swap something more paleo-friendly for the snap peas — tiny broccoli florets (broccoli overload!), kale, even celery would go great here. As would mango. Mmmmm … spicy mango.

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Spicy Broccoli Slaw with Snap Peas and Bacon

4 ounces thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 tsp. grainy mustard (I use Maille)
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (I use the kind with the chicken and flecks of garlic)
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg)
1 tsp. honey
3 Tbsp. almond oil (or any neutral oil – grapeseed would be great)
6 ounces broccoli slaw
5 ounces sugar snap peas
Flaky salt and pepper to taste

Brown your bacon, drain and set aside. Make a vinaigrette out of the wet ingredients and whisk to form an emulsion. Toss everything together and serve.

Serves 2 for dinner. Great with a grilled meat (or in our case, some really substandard bratwurst).

Lemon & Chive Flecked Broccoli Soup

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This is a great little soup – chock full of vegetables with enough backbone to be satisfying on its own as a dinner bowl.

Vegetarian, gluten-free and paleo-ish. While Parmesan cheese is not paleo, if you buy good quality from grass-fed milk, a hand full + a rind in a big pot of soup is not going to kill you.

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Lemon & Chive Flecked Broccoli Soup

Adapted from Broccoli Soup with Lemon Chive Cream from Orangette

Soup:

1 big bunch broccoli
1 yellow onion
2 leeks
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive or coconut oil
5 c. Turkey stock (or chicken or vegetable – whatever light stock you have on hand)
1 Parmesan rind (about 2 inches square – omit if strict paleo or vegan)
Kosher salt to taste

Make the soup. Slice your leeks (white and green parts only) into thin discs and rinse to clean, making sure to separate the rings to get into all the places grit likes to hide. Halve and slice your onion thin.

In a heavy-bottomed stock pot or dutch oven, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. When the fat is warm, add the leeks and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent (about 10 minutes).

While that is working, dice the garlic and chop the broccoli (stems included).

When the onion is translucent and the leeks are nice and soft, add the garlic and cook a minute or two more (until you start to smell the garlic). Add the broccoli, stock, Parmesan rind and a big pinch of salt and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook partially covered about 20 minutes or until the broccoli is tender.

While your soup is working, get your lemon and chive cream ready to go.

Cream:

The top layer of thick cream from 1 can of full-fat coconut milk that has been chilled + a little extra coconut milk for added body
2 scallions (white and pale green parts only)
Chives
1/2 a lemon
Grated Parmesan
Big pinch salt

Slice the scallions into thin rounds. Snip or mince chives until you have a big hand full. Zest and juice the lemon.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut cream with the scallions, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a big hand full of grated parmesan cheese. Add a big pinch of salt and taste. If it needs more, zap it again. You’re going for light, bright and acidic but not overly bracing. If you need a little more body or things are looking not creamy enough, add coconut milk a little at a time (tasting as you go) until it looks just right.

Back to the soup.

When your soup is done, remove the Parmesan rind and either whiz with an immersion blender or buzz in a regular blender until mostly smooth. I left a few chunks here and there for added interest but a velvety smooth soup would be just as nice. Don’t forget to remove the Parmesan rind, especially if you’re going the immersion blender route. I forgot, and while my Vitamix disappeared it just fine, Parmesan rind is still not good eats.

Top with the lemon & chive cream and serve. Serves 2 for dinner with 1-2 lunches.