Great new recipe – Ham and Potato Soup

This recipe is perfect for a rainy day. Central Pennsylvania has been very rainy  lately, so this soup was ideal. I know that summer is coming and this is more of a winter recipe, but it’s too delicious not to share. The main reason I decided to make this soup now was because of Easter leftover ham. My aunt asked who wanted the ham hock and the juices, and I said “ME!”

That picture definitely does not do the taste justice. But here we go.

• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage
• 1-2 tablespoons almond flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 ham hock (optional, but really adds flavor)
• 6 cups ham broth (juice from the pan. If not available, any stock will be fine)
• 1 large russet potato
• 1 can white beans (optional. Not paleo, but go very well with this soup)
• 1 bunch baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 6 oz leftover cooked ham

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and garlic. After they sweat out a bit, add the almond flour. DO NOT salt this soup. The ham broth and the meat are already very salty, so taste before you salt. Add the bay leaves and sage. Stir until the flour has cooked some. Add the ham hock and meat. Combine and add ham broth. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Add the chopped potato and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Add beans if desired, spinach, and almond milk.

Enjoy!

Paleo Tortilla Chips

I haven’t made these yet, but I love guacamole. I usually just eat it on salads with salsa, but I do miss tortilla chips.

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Zucchini Latkes, Potato-Free

Photo From Elana’s Pantry
Recipe Modified

 

Here is another egg recipe. Yes, they are my fave. But this one tastes like it’s straight out of the drive-thru. Some fried up latkes. YES

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded root vegetables – I think zucchini tastes the best, but a combo with carrots would be good.

3 large green onions, chopped

1 teaspoon coconut or almond flour

Coconut oil for frying

Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, sriracha whatever seasoning you want. Old Bay is pretty good, too.

Directions:

This first step is very important. The shredded veggies must be dried in a paper towel. Soggy latkes are yucky. Shred zucchini and carrots into a paper towel-lined strainer and press dry.

Add coconut oil to a sautee pan at high heat. Enough to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan.

Add chopped scallions and seasonings. Crack in eggs and some flour. Mix well, hands work best. Form small, flat latkes that fit within your palm. The thinner they are, the more evenly and thoroughly they will cook.

Place latkes in one layer into the pan. The oil should sizzle. Don’t crowd them too tightly. When you can see the eggs bubble, flip them over. They should be nicely browned. Watch closely, this doesn’t take too long. When they are done, place them on paper towels to drain.

Enjoy!

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Egg Muffins Recipe

 

This recipe is very very easy, even easier than the frittata. Egg breakfasts are my favorite, and anyone that goes paleo tends to get sick of cooking them. This is another recipe that can be made ahead of time and heated up in the microwave for a quick, satisfying breakfast.

Ingredients

• 1 dozen eggs
• 12 slices bacon or 6 deli slices ham or 6 deli slices turkey
• half cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup cheese (optional) If you eat cheese, these are best with feta or cheddar, but are just fine without cheese

Directions

• Preheat over to 375 degrees F.
• Grease a 12-muffin muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
• Line each hole with 1 slice bacon or half slice ham or half slice turkey
• Crack one egg into each hole. You can beat them if you want, but I kind of like the whole yolk in mine
• sprinkle the top with scallions and cheese (optional)
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the muffins no longer jiggle when you shake the pan
• These are easiest to get out if you let them cool and use a butter knife around the edges

Makes 12 muffins.

These muffins are as diverse as the asparagus and bacon fritata. You can add any veggie you like although I recommend cooking firmer veggies a little before adding them to the muffin pan. I have tried this with all three suggested meats and had success. You can also dice the meat and put it inside the muffin instead of using it as a liner. Either way is good. I like to enjoy 2 at a time with a little sriracha and a side of fruit.

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Paleo Lemon Pound Cake Recipe

The following recipe has been adapted from The Civilized Caveman. This recipe is not Whole30 approved because of the “fakeness” of it, but it is completely paleo.

Ingredients

Lemon Pound Cake

• 2 cups almond flour (185 grams)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (63 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda (3 grams)
• 2/3 cup raw honey, melted
• 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons pure lemon extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/2 cup Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips

Glaze

• freshly squeezed lemon juice from 2 lemons
• lemon zest from 1 lemon
• 1 vanilla bean pod
• 4 tablespoons raw honey

Instructions

Lemon Pound Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare a 9×9 baking pan by coating the interior lightly with coconut oil.
3. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place it over the coconut oil.
4. Sift dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to combine.
5. Place oil and honey in the bowl of a food processor for 2 minutes.
6. Add eggs, mixing after addition of each.
7. Add coconut milk, lemon extract, and lemon zest, until combined.
8. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients and thoroughly combine until smooth
9. Fold in the chocolate chips
10. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until it passes the toothpick test,  approx. 30 mins
11. Let cake cool in the pan for 10 mins

Glaze

1. While cake is in the oven, cut vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the beans into a small saucepan.
2. Add the vanilla bean pod, lemon juice, zest, and honey to the pan over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Let cool to room temperature. Remove pod and discard.
5. Using a fork, poke several holes in the top of the cake
6. Pour glaze over the cake
7. Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator.

I was not a big fan of the glaze. I liked this cake better without it. The chocolate chips were my brilliant addition though 🙂 This cake is great for breakfast with some strawberries or as a nice bite after dinner. Some warm it up, but I really liked it cold.

Paleo Chili Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 pound grass-fed ground beef

1/2 yellow onion

1 can Rotel

1 jar roasted red peppers and garlic in olive oil

1 cup greens of your choice (spinach, beet greens, kale, etc)

1-2 bay leaves

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1 tbsp coconut milk (optional)

1 cup chopped cauliflower (optional)

If you choose to add cauliflower as a substitute for rice, boil it in water until soft. While it boils, sautee ground beef in some olive oil from the peppers. Remove beef when it it browned, and add onions. While the onions sweat out, blend Rotel and peppers in a blender. Do not drain the peppers. Add the blended peppers and tomatoes into the translucent onions. Drain the cauliflower, and use a food processor to make “rice.” Add the bay leaf, cauliflower, and browned beef to the peppers, tomatoes, and onions. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Wilt in the chopped greens, and add the coconut milk if desired. Add chopped green onions when ready to eat.

Serves 4-6.

The coconut milk is more just a visual thing for me. I think it looks more appetizing with the coconut milk.

I’m not going to tell you that Paleo is easy

Living fully paleo takes some work. You will have to shop. You will have to cook. You will have to read labels, and be that annoying person at restaurants who makes special requests. But no matter how you handle it, everyone likes to hear how others have overcome their difficulties. Here are a few examples from my personal paleo journey.

1. I am not a morning person. I have no desire to move, converse, or even eat until about 10 am. I do understand the importance of a good nutritional start to my day, but when trying to eat paleo, “quick” breakfasts are hard to come by. Fruit is acceptable, but usually gives me a tummy ache if that’s all I eat. Eggs and bacon never fail, but I usually don’t give myself enough time to cook. I posted the recipe for the fritata that just needs to be warmed up, but sometimes, I really just need something more grab-and-go. So I came up with this recipe which I adapted from this site: http://www.againstallgrain.com/2012/02/10/dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-granola-bars/

This recipe is paleo, but because of the honey and chocolate chips, it is not Whole30 approved. This is my adaptation.

1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup natural unsweetened almond butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw walnuts
(2 cups of any raw nuts will do. Mix however you want)
5 dried unsweetened apricots
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup chocolate chips, Enjoy Life brand (allergen-free)

Combine honey, coconut oil, and almond butter over low heat. While this heats, grind nuts, seeds, and apricots into a fine meal.Mix in coconut shreds and chocolate chips. The online recipe recommends waiting and sprinkling the chocolate chips on top. I like them mixed in. Combine liquid ingredients with the nut mixture. Scoop mixture into a Saran wrap lined pan (I use 8×8) and press the mixture out to fill the pan evenly. Freeze. I have this nifty tool called an ulu that I used to cut the bars after they’re frozen.

A pizza cutter could work, but it won’t get the edges. I’m sure a heated butter knife would be fine. I put Saran overtop of the dish in the freezer so they don’t get freezer burn. Yummy grab-and-go breakfast/snack.

2. I have always liked pasta. Never LOVED it, but liked it. With paleo, sometimes meat and veggies doesn’t feel like enough. It is, don’t get me wrong. It’s just the mentality that I grew up with ingrained in me that a complete meal is meat-veggies-starch/carb. So when I’m really craving starch, I have a few little tricks.

• Cauliflower and celery root puree – half a head of cauliflower and half a chopped, peeled celery root boiled until soft and blended with clarified butter, salt & pepper, and garlic. It’s like mashed potatoes, maybe even better.
• Squash and zucchini – these veggies have a more starchy feel to them, but are way more nutrient-dense than potatoes. Sweet potatoes are allowed on the paleo and Whole30 plans, but I don’t like them.
• THIS is the lifesaver. Miracle Noodles – http://www.miraclenoodle.com/ They are allergen-free and take on the taste of whatever you cook them with. They look like pasta, feel like pasta, but they are made of shirataki which comes from a tuber called a konjac yam. The noodles are very low carb, gluten-free, and nearly calorie-free. Their sole purpose is to make you feel like you’re not deprived!

3. Always be prepared with paleo snacks. The fridge where I work is half full of my stuff. I stash it everywhere. I carry a little baggy of my grain-free granola bars, a bag of raw almond, or… my favorite paleo snack in the whole world: baby carrots with fresh-ground almond butter from Whole Foods. HEAVEN. I have another favorite snack that most people think is gross. It’s fresh sliced cucumber with vinegar and pepper. Like a quick pickle. A QUICKLE!! I dunno, it’s just delicious. Get up off my back about it. To make this more palatable, some people dilute the vinegar with a little olive oil, add tomatoes, and make sort of a salad. But that seems like extra work.

4. Get your sleep 7-8 hours. It makes cravings so much more bearable.

5. Tequila is paleo. –> http://ultimatepaleoguide.com/norcal-margarita-recipe/

Recipe Time! Bacon and Asparagus Fritata

OK, everyone. I’ve been very sciency and stone-faced on this blog so far, but eating just puts me in a better mood. This is the most versatile paleo recipe ever. It’s great for any meal of the day, although I usually prefer it for breakfast right after my CrossFit workout (and a shower).

On the left is half a gala apple, but that’s not what’s exciting. The other part of my breakfast is the fritata. Eggs, asparagus, bacon… nomnomnom

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Grease a baking pan. Any size will work, but 8×8 is about as small as you wanna go.

Sautee the ingredients you want to include. I started with 6 pieces of nitrate free, gluten-free bacon. After the meat was cooked, I added half an onion and 12 asparagus stalks. (This is what’s so great about this recipe! Don’t like asparagus? Use broccoli! Can’t find gluten-free bacon? Use grass-fed ground beef! Or eliminate the meat all together!)

While the meat and veggies cook, thoroughly combine 6-8 eggs (depending on their size) with a teaspoon of arrowroot powder for thickness and a half cup of milk. I was able to find grass-fed organic cow’s milk, but almond milk works just fine.

To the egg mixture, add whatever spices you like. I have a fabulous garlic spice mix that I use. I also add some nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. Cayenne pepper or cumin are good, too.

Before combining eggs with sauteed meat and veg, let the sautee cool to near room temperature. You don’t want it to start cooking your eggs. Combine thoroughly and pour evenly into baking pan. Bake 20-30 minutes depending on how big of a baking dish you’re using. To tell if it’s done, I open the oven and jiggle it. If the eggs move, I keep baking.

This keeps a little over a week in the fridge. I’ve frozen it before, but it kinda ruins the consistency.

This is also great to take to a brunch. Guarantees you will have something paleo to eat at your next gathering!

Serves 6-8. I haven’t been very specific with the measurements because it honestly doesn’t matter. This recipe turns out different every time I use it, but it’s always delicious.

Ideas for other ingredients: bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, organic sausage, organic nitrate-free ham, chopped steak, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, chia seeds, olives, the list goes on…