Celery-Apple Slaw

This is a really nice simple side dish that goes well with any grilled meat.

All quantities are to taste:
celery, cut into matchsticks
apple, cut into matchsticks
parsley, minced
lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt

Just toss everything together. This is also great if you add in some thinly sliced fennel bulb and then use minced fennel fronds instead of parsley.

German-ish Dinner?

Tonight we had bratwurst, braised broccoli rabe, and fried apples. I fried the apples in butter, which isn't really paleo, but you can do the same thing with coconut oil or lard or something and it would turn out equally yummy. :)


Sausages cooking. I simmered them in 1/4 inch of water for about 15 min, then drained the pan and let them get a little brown.


Apples frying. Just apples and butter, nothin' else.


Broccoli rabe before and after wilting down. I minced a shallot and sauteed it in olive oil until it just barely started to turn brown, then added a bunch of broccoli rabe, about 1/2 cup chicken stock, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Covered it and let it simmer for 20 min or so.


Dinner is served! I actually only ate one of the sausages. We had some mustard with it too.

Meal Photo: Breakfast

Just a photo for you. Roasted almonds, pear slices, black coffee, and braised red cabbage with two medium-boiled eggs. With a spread like this, you don't even miss all that sugary, grainy breakfast food that is usually the norm.

Veggie Hash

This is a concept more than a recipe. Just throw whatever veggies you have around into a big pan with some coconut oil or meat drippings and cook until everything is tender. My particular hash has onion, red cabbage, carrot, broccoli, and a very small amount of potato. I also put some chorizo in there. Top it with some eggs and you've got a tasty meal.

Pork in Pumpkin Mole Sauce

serves 3-4

note: the recipe contains cocoa powder, which is a questionably paleo ingredient - use with your own discretion

ingredients:
1 T of cinnamon powder
1 T chili powder or paprika
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp garlic powder or several cloves of garlic
1 14.5-oz can of pureed pumpkin
1/2 a large onion, thinly sliced
1 lb pork, chunked
2 chipotle chilis canned in adobo, minced
approx 1 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T raisins
4 T fat (lard, coconut oil, etc - whatever you have)
sea salt to taste

In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the spices, garlic, pumpkin, onion, pork, and chipotles. Keep the pumpkin can and add about 2 cans full of water to the pot. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust with salt. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

At this point you can refrigerate the mole to serve later, or you can continue.

When ready to eat, stir in cilantro, raisins, and fat and heat through for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with a green salad. Leftovers reheat well.

Recipe adapted from: http://forums.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=362685

Paleo Fruit Crumble

serves 3-4

ingredients:
fruit of your choice (I used one can of apricots canned in juice and about 1/2 cup frozen raspberries)
1/2 tsp arrowroot powder, optional
1/4 cup prunes or dates
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup walnuts or pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
stevia to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your fruit of choice in an oven safe dish of the appropriate size and sprinkle with the arrowroot powder (this will make the filling more syrupy/cohesive, but is optional).

Puree the prunes or date in a food processor along with the almond flour. Add the whole nuts and cinnamon and pulse briefly to combine. Taste and adjust sweetness with stevia. The mixture should hold together when you squeeze it, but be crumbly if you rub it between your fingers; if it's too dry add a little splash of juice, if it's too wet add some more nuts.

Press the nut mixture down firmly over the fruit. Place in the oven and bake for 30 min. Let cool for 15 minutes before eating.

This refrigerates well for at least one day and is excellent reheated for breakfast.



Recipe was modified from: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showpost.php?p=7315732&postcount=97

Easy Breakfast

Super easy breakfast. Two eggs over easy with some cantaloupe wedges. :)

Fennel Roasted Pork Loin

serves 2

ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 T rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fennel seed, cracked
large pinch of salt
black pepper
1/4 cup walnut pieces, coarse ground w/mortar and pestle (or you can put them in a plastic baggie and smash them with a meat pounder or a bottle)
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 lb pork tenderloin

heat the olive oil in a skillet
saute the onions and fennel until they get soft, about 10 min
add the rosemary, garlic, fennel seed, walnuts, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 more min
add the lemon zest and cook for 2 more min
take off the heat to cool

butterfly out the pork tenderloin so it is flat
season both sides with salt and pepper
place the fennel mixture on the tenderloin and roll it up
secure with toothpicks

heat oven to 450F and roast the tenderloin until the thermometer says it's done (30-40 min).

I based this dish very loosely around this recipe: http://www.esquire.com/features/recipes-for-men/porkshoulder



Served with the pork tenderloin are mashed acorn squash (I just put a small acorn squash in the same pan as the pork and they roasted together, then I mashed it with a fork) and steamed asparagus.

Mixed Greens Salad with Smoked Trout and Cantaloupe

This is just a meal photo, not really a recipe per se. The salad is "spring mix" lettuce, celery, walnuts, and flaked smoked trout. It is dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Side of cantaloupe wedges.

Over Easy Eggs with Fennel Cucumber Relish

serves 1

ingredients:
2 eggs
1 T olive oil

1/4 of a large fennel bulb, finely diced
2 inches of cucumber, seeded and finely diced
3 kalamata olives, diced
small handful of parsley, minced
zest of 1/2 a lemon
pinch of salt
1/2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T olive oil

Combine all the relish ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat the 1T olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Crack the eggs directly into the skillet. Once the eggs have begun to set, carefully flip them and try not to burst the yolks. Cook for a further 30-60 seconds. Serve the relish over the eggs.

Inspiration for the fennel relish was taken from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/106594

introduction

This is a blog for people who are interested in or are following a Paleolithic style diet. My focus will be on providing delicious paleo recipes to inspire people and make this diet a practical reality. :)