Caprese Salad

I'm on a basil kick lately. One afternoon, Cancy went to Austin Homebrew and ended up coming back with a mozzarella cheese kit too. So, we made fresh mozzarella and had an easy dinner. We grilled some hot italian chicken sausages and made a great salad to go with it.

Caprese Salad

2 tomatoes per person, sliced
fresh mozzarella, cut into bite sized pieces
basil, chiffonade into strips
Balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Layer the tomato, mozzarella, and basil around the plate
Sprinkle with salt & pepper
Drizzle with a bit of Balsamic vinegar

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

So, you've got a thing for pesto but you're not into the whole pasta thing... use pesto with meat. It's great with chicken, but tonight, we had a pork tenderloin that we decided to use instead.

Bacon Wrapped Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 small/medium pork tenderloin
6 slices of bacon ( nitrate free is best if you can find it )
pesto ( see the recipe here )

Set oven @ 400.
Butterfly the tenderloin. ( Basically, slice it almost in half, but leaving enough so that you can lay it open )
Pound the tenderloin until about 1/2" thin.
Lay the bacon strips out and set the butterflied tenderloin on top.
Spread a generous amount of pesto over the tenderloin and then roll everything together.
* The bacon should keep it all together, but you can also use cooking twine or skewers if you need to

Bake at 400 for 30/35 minutes.

This goes great with roast asparagus.

Basil Pesto

So far, my favorite thing about our garden is all of the basil. Our basil plants are both out of control and harvesting the basil only makes it come back fuller. Sooo.... One of the easiest things you can do with basil is make pesto. This is sort of a non-recipe but will give you some super tasty pesto.

Basil Pesto


About 2 Cups of basil leaves plucked from the stem
about 3/4 Cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese
about 1/4 Cup of raw pine nuts
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper to taste
Olive Oil

Add all but the olive oil into a food processor and pulse until blended. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you have the consistency you want. About 3/4 to 1 Cup should do it.

Deconstructed Paleo Pork Egg Rolls

This has got to be the easiest Paleo dish I've made so far and possible, one of the tastiest. :)
I found this recipe on PaleoFoodBlog. I adjusted the recipe, just slightly to make it a little more convenient. This was delicious ( and so easy to put together ). The picture does not do this meal justice.

Deconstructed Paleo Pork Egg Rolls


3/4 lb ground pork
2 Tbsp Bacon Grease ( or your choice of fat )
1 large shallot, shredded
1 bag of shredded coleslaw ( green & red cabbage, carrot ) 
2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos ( The Paleo alternative to Soy Sauce ) 
Red pepper flakes ( judge how spicy you want it )
1 egg, slightly beaten
salt & pepper


Break apart and cook ground pork until brown and crumbled. Add red pepper to pork as it cooks. 


Add bacon fat to pan. Add shredded veggies to pan and saute until cabbage is softened but still slightly crisp. 


Add coconut aminos and a pinch of salt & pepper. Stir well. 

Cook for a few more minutes to let flavors blend.

Chicken and Vegetable 'Lo Mein'

Thanks to Primal Palate, I can love Chinese food again. :)
Even though this dish is mostly vegetables, you really feel like you are eating lo mein noodles in a tasty stir fry. The other bonus to this recipe is that it finally gave me a reason to guy buy a wok. I would have made a huge mess on my stove if not for the wok. It makes a difference for sure.

Chicken and Vegetable 'Lo Mein'


Chicken or beef ( I used 1 lb of chicken tenders )
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 tablespoon minced Ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups broccoli
2 cups shredded cabbage
Toasted sesame oil
Coconut aminos
Sesame seeds to garnish


Clean all vegetables and trim fat from meat (if applicable).
Cut broccoli, chicken and mushrooms into bite sized pieces.
Thinly slice 2 cups of cabbage (about half the head of cabbage).
Chop almonds, green onion, celery; mince garlic and ginger.
Heat wok over high heat.
Add sesame oil, swirl to coat bottom of wok, then add meat.
Cook meat for 3-4 minutes, until mostly cooked.
Add in broccoli, water chestnuts, celery and shiitake mushrooms; cook for 2 minutes
Add in almonds, cabbage, ginger, green onion and garlic. Add a splash of coconut aminos (2-4 tbsp). Cook 2-3 minutes, until cabbage softens a little.
Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Bison Chili

Yum! We haven't had bison in ages, but it was delicious in this chili. I found the recipe on Paleo Plan's site. This was pretty easy to put together and tasted better than the last few times I tried making chili. :) You won't miss the beans at all. The bison meat worked perfectly in here. The flavors all play nicely together.

Bison Chili

1 Tbs coconut oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
* I added a few diced baby bella mushrooms
1-3/4 lb ground bison (elk, venison, or beef may be substituted)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp thyme
1 (12 oz) jar salsa
1 (8 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (7 oz) can mild green chiles
2 tsp sea salt (optional)

Heat a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat.  

When the pan is hot, add coconut oil.
Add onions, celery and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes.

Next, add ground bison, cumin, thyme, and chili powder.

Stir while this cooks, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Pour in salsa, tomatoes, green chiles and salt.

Simmer for at least 1 hour.

Cauliflower...rice?

This was a little bit of an experiment for us. We had 1/2 a head of cauliflower in the fridge that needed to be used. Since going Primal, we're not missing rice too much, but it was interesting to get a very similar texture using a vegetable.

Cauliflower Rice

1/2 a head of cauliflower

1/2 yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic

your favorite seasoning. ( I used Greek seasoning from one of my favorite Greek restaurants back in Minnesota )

1 Tbsp coconut oil

Pulse the cauliflower florets in your food processor until they resemble the size of rice. If you do it just a little more, it will resemble couscous.

Heat the coconut oil in a sauté pan. Sauté the onions and garlic until translucent.

Add your cauliflower rice and stir together. Keep covered, but stir every few minutes. In about 5-8 minutes, your rice will be ready for you to eat.

Grilled Smokey Skirt Steak with Cucumber Mango Salad

So the lesson to be learned here is that paprika = magic on steak. :)
I found this recipe on Health-Bent which by the way is quickly becoming my favorite place for Paleo recipes. Skirt Steak is such an easy piece of meat to work with and it's pretty inexpensive at the grocery store so it's a win all around. We really liked this recipe. I had to add avocado to the salad... we had some, i love it, and it went perfectly with the other flavors.

Grilled Smokey Skirt Steak with Cucumber Mango Salad

For the steak:
2 1/2 lbs. skirt or flank steak
4 T smoked paprika
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Rub the ingredients on both sides of the steak. Place on a preheated grill and let cook for about 12 minutes…that’ll get you a nice medium rare.

For the salad:
2 mangoes, cubed
1 English cucumber, cubed
1/2 red onion, finely diced
* ½ an avocado, cubed
2 limes, juiced
handful of mint, chopped
S&P

Combine all ingredients. Let marinate in the fridge for a few hours or eat immediately.

Crock Pot Pork Stuffed Peppers

Thank goodness for my Ninja. This recipe consist of an onion, a couple carrots, & 1/2 a head of cauliflower all diced into little tent tiny pieces. My Ninja gave me the consistency of little rice size pieces of all of the veggies. We had so many veggies tonight, but in a way that felt really hearty & filling. This recipe was found on Mark's Daily Apple.

Crock Pot Pork Stuffed Peppers

1 pound ground pork ( we used hot Italian sausage ) also, the original recipe calls for 2 pounds of meat, with our 1 pound of meat + all of the veggies, our peppers we overflowing

4 large green peppers

1 large onion

2 carrots

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 head of cauliflower

6 ounce can of tomato paste

1 tablespoon dry oregano

1 tablespoon dry or fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tops of the peppers and clean the seeds out.

Arrange peppers in the Crock-Pot standing up and make sure they fit securely.

Grate onion, carrots, garlic and cauliflower in the food processor. You can also just chop them into small pieces with a knife if you don’t have a food processor.

In a big bowl, combine ground pork, shredded vegetables, seasonings and tomato paste.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the peppers with the mixture and arrange leftover meat between the peppers. Add half a cup of water, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

If you don’t have a slow-cooker, the dish can be cooked in the oven, covered, for 1-2 hours.

Deconstructed Hamburger ( salad )

Since going primal, we're really not missing bread as much as I thought we would. While I was in Minnesota last week, Cancy created this yummy little salad. We recreated it last night. It tastes just like a delicious hamburger without the heaviness of a giant bun.

Deconstructed Hamburger ( for 2 )

For the burger:

3/4 lb of ground beef, grass fed preferred

coconut aminos, S&P

For the salad:

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded

vine-on tomato, diced

red onion, sliced into rings

dill pickle slices

1/2 an avocado

Mix up your burger meat and form into two patties.

Grill to your desired doneness.

While your burgers are grilling, cut up your vegetables for the salad.

Assemble and drizzle mustard over the top... Even better, add some homemade mayo, yum!

But I don't really feel like cooking...

New Year's Day was just one of those days where I didn't really feel like cooking. My 10 day vacation from work was winding down and we just wanted a lazy day. Lucky for us, I went grocery shopping the day before and had some lovely steaks just waiting for us. This really isn't much of a recipe, more of just something to put together.

Steak Dinner

2 New York Strips

1 pkg baby portabellas

1 bundle of asparagus

1 small pkg of pancetta ( or prosciutto )

For the steak marinade:

2 TBSP coconut aminos, 1 TBSP olive oil, S&P

Marinate your steak for about an hour, flipping 1/2 way through.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While waiting on your steak, break the hard, woody ends off of your asparagus and wrap 1 piece of pancetta around the middle. Do this until you run out of asparagus or pancetta. :)

In a 9x13 pan, place your wrapped asparagus and just toss the portabellas in with it. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Grill your steak to the doneness you like and chow down.

Crockpot Carnitas ( Carnita Salad )

My very favorite fast food is the Carnitas Salad from Chipotle. Thanks to Erin @ Nourished Meadow, I have finally found a recipe for Carnitas that comes very close and makes an amazing dinner ( with tons of leftovers ). 

Crockpot Carnitas

4-5lb pork roast (I use a bone in shoulder)
8 oz diced roasted green chilies (2 small cans)
2-4 garlic cloves minced

Dry rub seasoning (measurements are approx, adjust for your own preferences)
-1 tablespoon chili powder
-1 tablespoon cumin
-1 tablespoon powdered chili (I used Chili Molido for this batch, you can just increase chili powder instead)
-1 tablespoon kosher salt, or less (check salt just before serving)
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

(note, if you do anything less then a 4lb roast be sure to reduce salt)

Mix together seasoning, green chilies, and garlic until you have a paste. Coat roast on all sides, no need to make it pretty.

Place roast in crockpot, if you would like more liquid for serving later add about 1/2-1 cup of chicken stock when you put the roast in.

A 5lb roast will need a good 10 hrs plus on low, you can increase heat to high for the last hour or two to speed this up if necessary.

When roast is done, transfer to a large platter or 9×13 glass pan. Using two forks shred the meat and remove any large remaining pieces of fat. If you like your meat a bit crispy, using an oven safe platter place under a broiler for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent burning.

Using a ladle or large spoon skim some of the fat from the juices remaining in the crockpot (they should have settled on the top). This will leave you with less oily liquid to pour over your meat before serving.

* When your carnitas  are finished, for a super yummy salad, chop up some romaine, place the carnitas on top. serve with fresh guacamole, homemade pico, and sour cream ( if you are eating dairy ).

a little catching up...

We have a couple recipes we tried before I left for Minnesota. This Primal Philly Cheeesteak in a bowl is one of them. I'm really beginning to love Health-Bent's site. Anything we've tried from there so far has been good. Please know that this dish tasted so much better than it looks. :)

Primal Philly Cheesesteak in a bowl

1 lb. skirt steak, sliced thinly
2 green peppers, sliced thinly
2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. good melting cheese, sliced
2 T butter
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T hot sauce
S&P

Put your oven on broil and place the rack in the middle of the oven.

In a large, oven proof saucepan, melt the butter over high heat and add hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

Saute the beef, add the onions, peppers and mushrooms. Place a lid/cover on the saute pan and stir occasionally while the peppers and onions soften.

Once that’s happened, top with cheese slices, stick the pan under the broiler until the cheese has reached the desired melty-ness stage. Some like it gooey and some like it brown and bubbly. Take it out of the oven and serve.

back from vacation...

I went up to Minnesota to visit family over the holiday and was a little nervous what that might do to the Primal lifestyle. I survived the sweets & treats. I was probably 85% good, 15% naughty sweets.

I managed not to gain any weight while up there for a week ( i didn't lose anything either though ). Cancy lost another 5 pounds while I was gone. Ive been back for 4 days and have dropped a pound & 1/2 so I think we're back on track. :)