Roasted Sarandeado-Style Whole Snapper

Today at the market I couldn’t resist the beautiful, fresh, whole snappers for sale. I decided to give this recipe from the Food Network a try. I turned out to be delicious and super easy. I served this with some sautéed asparagus and a green salad.

Ingredients:

2 Tbl high quality butter*

1 ½ to 2 lbs whole snapper, cleaned, head and tail removed, and butterflied open, bones removed (ask the store to do this for you)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbl garlic powder

1 Tbl tomato paste

1 teaspoon of hot sauce

2 limes, halved

1 orange

Preheat to oven to 350°. Line a large baking sheet with foil and dot with 1Tbl of butter.

Open the fish and place skin side down on the baking sheet. Roll up the edges of the foil to come close to the edge of the fish to prevent the juices from spilling onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the fish with the garlic powder and then spread the tomato paste onto the fish. Drizzle the fish with the hot sauce and then squeeze the limes over. Cut and squeeze the orange juice all over the fish. Then, using the flesh side of the orange, brush the fish all over to form a wet paste on top of the fish. Dot the fish with the remaining butter.

Bake the fish until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

*Substitute olive oil for the butter if you’re dairy free.

 

Chipotle-Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie is one of my favorite comfort foods. The use of sweet potatoes, instead of the traditional white potatoes, makes this really special. I tweaked the recipe, which is from Cooking Light Magazine, a bit to make it paleo friendly. I love the use of the chipotle pepper to give the sweet potato topping a bit of spice-not too much, but enough to make it interesting. The beautiful thing about Sheperd’s Pie is that you can make it the night before, hold it in the refrigerator and just bake it for a delicious, one dish meal. It also freezes great, so you could easily double the recipe and make two; one to enjoy now and another to freeze to enjoy another time.

 

Topping:

1 (7 ounce can) chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

2 ¼  pounds peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces

6oz coconut milk

1 tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Filling:

2 lbs ground meat (beef, buffalo, lamb or a combination)

1 Tbls olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped carrot

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup crushed tomatoes

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

3 Tbls red wine

2 Tbls tomato paste

½ ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°

To prepare topping, remove 1 chili and 2 tsp of sauce from can, reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use. Coarsely chop 1 chile.

Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain. Place potatoes, chopped chili, 2 tsp of adobo sauce, coconut milk, salt and ¼ tsp pepper in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.

To prepare filling, cook meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from pan, drain.

Wipe pan and then heat with 1 Tbls olive oil. Add onion, carrot, red pepper and garlic; sauté about 8 minutes, or until tender. Return meat to pan, stir in remaining ingredients. Cook 2 minutes.

Spoon meat mixture into a 3 quart casserole; top with sweet potato mixture, spreading evenly. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

 

Beef Brisket

This recipe comes from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. This is Eastern European comfort food at its best. It’s one of those great recipes where the finished dish is so much more than the sum of its simple ingredients. The brisket is great the day it is made, but improves on succeeding days. It also freezes and reheats beautifully. The only change I’ve made to the original recipe is to add more carrots. The original only called for one carrot, but we love the flavor of slow cooked carrots, so I usually put in 4 or 5.

Ingredients:

1 first cut brisket of beef (5 to 6 lbs)

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup olive oil

8 onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings

2 Tbls tomato paste

1 ½ tsp coarse salt

2 cloves garlic, quartered

4-5 carrots, peeled and sliced into inch pieces

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Trim the brisket of most of its fat. Sprinkle with pepper.
  3. Heat the oil in a large heavy flameproof casserole. Add the brisket, brown on both sides over medium high heat until some crisp spots appear on the surface.
  4. Transfer the brisket to a dish. Keeping the heat medium-high, add the onions to the casserole and stir, scraping up brown particles left from the meat. Cook until the onions have softened and developed a handsome brown color, 10-15 minutes.
  5. Remove the casserole from the heat, and place the brisket, along with any juices that have accumulated, on top of the onions. Spread the tomato paste over the brisket as if you were icing a cake. Sprinkle with pepper and the coarse salt. Add the garlic and carrot, and cover tightly. Place the casserole on the middle rack in the oven, and bake for  1½ hours.
  6. Remove the casserole from the oven, and transfer the meat to a carving board. Cut it into 1/8-1/4 inch thick slices. Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. (In effect reassembling the brisket, slightly slanted) Correct the seasoning if necessary, and if it seems dry, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of water to the casserole.
  7. Cover and return the casserole to the oven. Cook until the meat is brown and fork-tender, 1 ¾ to 2 hours.
  8. Transfer the meat, onions and carrots to a platter. Serve and enjoy.

 

 

 

Paleo Granola Bars

I happen to love granola bars. I find them to be a great preworkout snack. Since going Paleo, however, I haven’t been able to find an affordable bar that I really like, so I decided to make my own. I’ve been experimenting for a while and I’m pretty happy with this version, so I thought I’d share it. Feel free to make this recipe your own by varying the nuts, adding some dried fruit or coconut. As long as you keep the proportions the same, it should all work out fine. If you come up with something delicious, let me know.

I like to eat them plain, but some of my taste testers like to  spread almond butter on the bars or for a really decadent treat, drizzle them with melted dark chocolate. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup walnuts

1 cup pecans

½ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup pumpkin seeds

2 scoops Isagenix IsaPro Whey Protein Powder

½ cup raw honey

2 eggs, beaten

2tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp nutmeg

¾ tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350degrees.

Spread almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Coarsely chop nut mixture in food processor. Place in a large bowl. Stir IsaPro into nut mixture.

If your honey is firm, warm it until it’s liquidy. Stir cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla into honey.  Add the honey mixture and the beaten eggs to the nut mixture. Stir well to combine. Hands work well for this.

Line a 9”x12” baking pan with foil and grease liberally. Spread the mixture into the  pan. Press and flatten the mixture as much as possible.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cut into 24 squares while still warm. Cool squares on a wire rack.

 

 

 

 

Paleo Carrot Cake

I made this wonderful carrot cake yesterday for a friend’s birthday. I wish I could take credit for such a great recipe, but I found it at www.elanaspantry.com a site filled with all sorts of gluten-free treats. On Elana’s site she recommends icing it with her coconut cream frosting. Instead, I iced my cake with a Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting which I found at http://simplysugarandglutenfree.com . If you’re dairy free, stick with the coconut cream,  but if you’re like me and want the traditional cream cheese frosting,  try this one, it’s delicious.

Ingredients:

3 cups almond flour

2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

5 eggs

½ cup raw honey

¼ cup grapeseed oil (or almond oil)

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup dates, chopped

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, honey and oil.

Stir carrots, dates and walnuts into wet ingredients.

Stir wet ingredients into dry.

Place batter into 2 well greased, round 9 inch cake pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Cakes are done when a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans for one hour.

Frost cakes with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

8 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons light agave nectar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup cold heavy cream

Whip Neufchatel cheese, vanilla, agave and salt with electric mixer until smooth and light.

In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.

Stir ¼ of whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Gently fold remaining whipped cream into Neufchatel cheese mixture until combined.

Can be made one day ahead. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Hint: Put mixing bowl and beaters that you’re going to use to whip the heavy cream in the freezer for 10 minutes before using them. The chilled bowl and beaters will help the cream to whip properly. Also, make sure the cake has cooled completely before icing it.

Roasted Vegetables

 

Roasting is an easy delicious way to prepare just about any vegetable. I wish I could remember who taught me about roasting veggies because I’d like to give them a huge hug.  Two of my three children were great eaters, but the third wanted nothing to do with a vegetable. When she was young, I was thrilled when she’d eat a carrot stick smothered in ranch dressing! Once I started roasting veggies that all changed. Suddenly roasted asparagus was her new favorite food-the rest of us had to be quick at dinner or we wouldn’t get any. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, green beans, beets, squash, peppers, onions, tomatoes-you name it-just about any vegetable can be roasted. The roasting process brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetables, adding a wonderful depth of flavor. Roasted vegetables are sooooooo much better than plain old steamed veggies that you won’t believe your eating the same food! You can roast a single vegetable or make a medley of veggies. In the picture here, I roasted butternut squash, broccoli, red pepper, red onion and grape tomatoes. Yum!

Here’s the method I use:

Prepare the veggies but cutting or trimming to the size you want. I usually leave asparagus and green beans whole-just trim off the woody ends.

Toss with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Stir to combine everything.

Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven. The timing depends on the veggies and the size you cut them. Mine are usually done in about 20-30 minutes.

For the veggies in the picture I roasted everything but the tomatoes for 20 minutes, then I added the tomatoes for another 10 minutes of roasting.

Enjoy!

 

Grilled Spicy Lamb Burgers

Dinner tonight was delicious Grilled Spicy Lamb Burgers and a medley of roasted vegetables. I started making these burgers around a year ago and they’ve quickly become a house staple. I always make extra burgers to freeze because they make a delicious, quick lunch or dinner. In fact, we had these for dinner tonight because my husband informed me the other day that “we” have some cooking to do, we’re out of lamb burgers.

I serve this with tzatziki sauce (recipe follows). If you’re not including dairy in your diet, just use your favorite Paleo approved condiment instead.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground lamb

4 Tbs. chopped fresh mint leaves

4 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 Tbs. garlic, chopped

2 tsp. dry marsala wine

2 tsp. white vinegar

2 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Place the lamb in a large bowl and mix in the mint, cilantro, oregano, garlic, marsala, and vinegar. Add the cumin, allspice, red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper. Mix well. Shape into 6 patties.

I like to make the patties a few hours before I plan to cook them. This helps all the flavors and seasoning to really permeate the lamb. If your going to do this place the patties on a plate and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate until ready to cook.

Remove the patties from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Grill over medium heat approximately 5 minutes per side. Serve with the Tzatziki sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce

This is an easy version of the delicious yogurt sauce.

Ingredients:

1 cup full fat Greek-style yougurt

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint

1 Tbs. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

To make the sauce, stir all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps

Lunch yesterday was these delicious and easy Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps. There are countless variations of lettuce wraps. Use this recipe as a starting point. You could easily substitute ground turkey or chicken for the pork if you like or change up the veggies and spices. Enjoy!

Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps

1 ½ lbs ground pork

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons tamari

2 teaspoons sesame oil

¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced

¼ cup carrots, shredded

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, grated

¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted

¼ cup cilantro, minced

leaves from 2 heads of Boston Bibb lettuce

Sauté the ground pork until thoroughly cooked.  Place in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients (except lettuce).  Serve the pork mixture in a serving bowl with a large serving spoon. On a separate platter, arrange a stack of chilled lettuce leaves. Let people fill their own wraps.

 

Heart Disease Myth Exposed

Here’s a great article by Dr. Dwight Lundell, a cardiologist. He has had the courage to admit to the failings of the medical and scientific community regarding the cause and treatment of heart disease. To read the full article go to:

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/242516-World-Renown-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease

Here are a few quotes to give you the flavor of the article:

“The only accepted therapy was prescribing medications to lower cholesterol and a diet that severely restricted fat intake. The latter of course we insisted would lower cholesterol and heart disease. Deviations from these recommendations were considered heresy and could quite possibly result in malpractice.”

“These recommendations are no longer scientifically or morally defensible. The discovery a few years ago that inflammation in the artery wall is the real cause of heart disease is slowly leading to a paradigm shift in how heart disease and other chronic ailments will be treated.”

“The long-established dietary recommendations have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the consequences of which dwarf any historical plague in terms of mortality, human suffering and dire economic consequences.”

“Simply stated, without inflammation being present in the body, there is no way that cholesterol would accumulate in the wall of the blood vessel and cause heart disease and strokes. Without inflammation, cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended. It is inflammation that causes cholesterol to become trapped.”

“The rest of us have simply followed the recommended mainstream diet that is low in fat and high in polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates, not knowing we were causing repeated injury to our blood vessels. This repeated injury creates chronic inflammation leading to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and obesity.”

“Let me repeat that: The injury and inflammation in our blood vessels is caused by the low fat diet recommended for years by mainstream medicine.”

“What are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? Quite simply, they are the overload of simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.”

“There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.”

If you had any lingering doubts about adopting a Paleo diet, Dr. Lundell’s article should go a long way towards quelling them. It’s wonderful to see a physician willing to stand up to the establishment to get the truth out. Bravo Dr. Lundell!

Chicken Satay with Almond “Peanut” Sauce

This recipe has been a family favorite of ours for over 20 years. I found the recipe in a family magazine when my kids were really little. It has wonderful flavors that adults can appreciate; yet the children enjoy as well. When I adopted a Paleo diet and stopped eating peanut butter, I thought Chicken Satay was a thing of the past. It recently occurred to me to try substituting almond butter for the peanut butter in the recipe. The result was delicious!

This sauce would be equally good with some grilled beef or pork skewers. Frankly, I think this sauce would taste good on cardboard!

Chicken Marinade:

1 ½ lbs boneless chicken breast, skinned and cut into pieces

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons almond oil

¼ cup tamari

juice of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

dash cayenne pepper

Satay Dipping Sauce:

4 teaspoons almond oil

2 teaspoons sesame oil

½ cup scallions, minced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/3 cup almond butter, smooth or crunchy

½ teaspoon ground coriander

3 tablespoons tamari

juice of 1 lemon

dash cayenne pepper

1/3-1/2 cup hot water

In a medium, nonmental bowl, combine the chicken with the marinade ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, but preferably overnight.

Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent their burning, or use metal skewers. Thread several chicken pieces onto each skewer. Cook on a grill, over medium hot heat, for 5-7 minutes, turning at least once. If you don’t have a grill, broil the skewers for 5 t0 8 minutes, turning at least once.

In a small saucepan, combine and heat the almond and sesame oils over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger  and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and continue to cook, stirring continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat an stir in the remaining ingredients. Adjust seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature.