Lamb Chops with Figs and Olivies

FOR THE FIG AND OLIVE MIXTURE:
1 cup dried figs, stems removed
1 cup boiling water
¾ cup mix of green and kalamata olives, plus ¼ cup for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

FOR THE LAMB CHOPS:
2 pounds lamb chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or heat up your outdoor grill
2. Meanwhile prepare the fig and olive mixture. Place the figs in a medium-size bowl, add the boiling water and soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.
3. Combine 3⁄4 cup of the olives, the olive oil, pine nuts, vinegar, garlic and rosemary in a food processor and process until smooth.
4. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper. Once your grill pan or grill is hot, grill the chops for 3 to 4 minutes per side, cooking them longer or shorter depending upon your desired doneness.
5. Slice the remaining 1⁄4 cup olives. Serve the chops with the fig and olive mixture, and garnish with the sliced olives


 Recipe from "Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Food"

Tart Apple Coleslaw

This is a great side dish to bring to cookouts and is refreshingly sweet and tart from the addition of apples. Granny Smiths are the best choice for flavor and texture, but any apple will do in a pinch. If you use a sweet apple, you can omit the honey.

• ½ head green or purple cabbage, or a combination, grated
• 1 Granny Smith apple, grated
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss well to mix. Chill for an hour or more before serving.
Serves 4

Recipe from "Paleo Cookbook by Rockridge Press"

Cerviche

1/3 pound Pacific halibut
1/3 pound Yellowtail snapper
1/3 pound cocktail shrimp
½ cup lime juice (about 4–5 limes)
½ cup lemon juice (about 4–5 lemons)
1 avocado, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped½ red onion, finely chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped (Remember, the seeds and inner membrane are the spiciest parts. Discard them if you don’t like food too spicy.)





INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut the fish into ½ inch squares, removing all skin and bones. Lightly salt the fish.
Bring a few cups of lightly salted water to boil. Add peeled and cleaned shrimp for 1 minute. Put shrimp in a bowl of ice and water to chill. Cut the cooled shrimp into ½ inch pieces (it will still be fairly raw inside). Combine fish and shrimp with lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.
When you cut into a piece of the fish or shrimp, it should be “cooked” through, meaning the shrimp will be light pink and the fish will be white, not grayish or translucent. However, if you prefer more of a raw texture (as some sushi lovers do) you might want to marinate the seafood for less than two hours.
When the seafood has finished marinating, drain and discard the lime and lemon juice. Combine the seafood with the rest of the ingredients. Add salt to taste.

Recipe from "The Primal Blueprint Cookbook- Primal Low Carb, Paleo, Grain Free & Gluten free"

Chicken and Fennel Stew

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds chicken thighs (about 8 small thighs)
½ onion, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
½ pound of mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, finely chopped until powdery
½ teaspoon saffron threads
2 cups Belgian beer or chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream or coconut milk
1 small bunch kale, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped parsley




DIRECTIONS:
In a deep ovenproof pan, brown chicken over medium-high heat with a little bit of oil, about 4–6 minutes a side. Remove thighs from pan. Add onion, fennel and mushrooms and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. If there isn’t enough fat from the chicken, add some oil or butter to the pan.

In a small bowl combine a tablespoon of beer or broth with the saffron, and break and mash the threads with the back of the spoon so the saffron threads bleed out some color. Add this mixture plus the rest of the beer or broth to the pot, followed by the garlic and fennel seeds. Bring to a gentle boil for several minutes. Return chicken to pot. Put on lid and simmer about 25 minutes, until chicken is done. Remove from heat and stir in cream or coconut milk and kale. Garnish with chopped parsley.

 Recipe from "The Primal Blueprint Cookbook- Primal Low Carb, Paleo, Grain Free & Gluten free"

Citrus Carnitas

3-4 pounds pork shoulder, boneless or bone-in

1 rounded tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon coarse (granulated) garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

water

With a sharp knife, cut the pork shoulder into a few large chunks. You don’t want

them bite-sized; I make mine about 3-4 inches across. Place the pork pieces in a large

zipper storage bag.

  

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, garlic powder, salt, coriander, black pepper,

and cayenne; mix with a fork. Add the spice blend to the bag, zip it closed, and shake

assertively until all the pieces are coated with the spices. Feel free to add hips to the

shaking action.

  

Place the pork in a large, deep pot. Pour the lime and lemon juice into the bottom

of the pot, then add water to just cover the meat.
  

Place the pot on high heat and bring the water to a rip-roaring boil. When it’s

rolling, reduce the heat to keep a steady, strong simmer with the pan uncovered.

The liquid should bubble a fair amount, but should not be a vigorous boil. While

it’s cooking, it will look like uninspired soup. Do not be discouraged! As the water

evaporates, the powerful acidic qualities of the citrus juice tenderizes the meat.

  

At about the 2-hour mark, check the pot. The water should be much lower and

maybe even almost gone. Things are about to get interesting! Allow all the water to

cook out of the pan and watch as the meat magically fries and caramelizes in the pork

fat and fruit juice. It is a thing of beauty – but now you need to pay attention so the

alluring exterior doesn’t burn.

  

Carefully turn the hunks of meat – without shredding them – to brown all sides,

then remove the hunks to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes before eating.

 Recipe from "Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People who love to eat"

Best Stir Fry Sauce Ever

INGREDIENTS:

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons coconut aminos

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, red pepper flakes, five-spice powder, and rice vinegar with a fork to form a smooth paste.  Stirring continuously with the fork, pour in the orange juice, then add the coconut aminos.




Recipe from "Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People who love to eat"  

Grandma's Easy BBQ Pork

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil or high quality lard
8 pork chops or about 4 pounds of pork shoulder roast, use bone-in chops or a bone-in shoulder roast instead of boneless for the richest tasting sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ cup ketchup
1 cup water
1/3 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 bay leaf


INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Brown meat on all sides in fat/oil over medium to medium-high heat in a flameproof casserole or Dutch oven.
While the meat is browning, combine remaining ingredients and stir to mix well.
When meat has browned, remove from heat and pour mixture over the meat
Cover with lid or foil and bake at 325°F for ½ hours for chops and about 2 ½ hours for roast. Check halfway through baking time, adding a small amount of additional water if necessary.
Remove bay leaf, transfer chops or roast to a warm platter and pour sauce in a gravy boat or pitcher. Spoon or pour some sauce over the meat to moisten.


Recipe from "Primal Blueprint Cookbook-Primal, Paleo, Low Carb, Dairy Free, Grain Free & Gluten Free"

Chocolate Cinnamon Sweet Potato Waffles

DRY INGREDIENTS
1 cup almond flour
¼ cup coconut flour, sifted
3 TBSP arrowroot starch
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp cinnamon

WET INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
½ cup mashed cooked sweet potato
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 TBSP pure maple syrup
½ cup coconut milk (use only if needed)
(makes 8 Waffles)



Recipe from "Make Ahead Paleo"

Prep Day:
Preheat a waffle iron.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, sweet potato, vanilla extract, and maple syrup and blend with a hand mixer. If the batter is too thick, which can happen if your sweet potatoes are on the dry side, slowly add some coconut milk until a semi-thick batter forms. It should look like traditional waffle batter.
Pour 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot waffle iron, and cook according to the waffle iron manufacturer’s instructions. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve the waffles hot with syrup, or freeze for later. Freeze the cooled waffles in a freezer-safe zip-top bag.

Serving Day:
Simply toast a frozen waffle in the toaster or toaster oven until it is warm and crisp. No need to thaw first!

Southwestern Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SWEET POTATOES:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup to ½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (more if you like it hotter)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE FILLING:
1 tablespoon oil or cooking fat of choice
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cups frozen sliced peppers (fire-roasted is great or use fresh if you prefer)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
One 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe from "Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Food"

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Prepare the sweet potatoes. Fill a medium-size pot with a few inches of water, and place a steamer basket inside. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic to the basket, and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook the potatoes until they are soft, about 12 minutes.

3. Pour the potatoes and garlic into a large bowl, and add the coconut milk, some of the chicken stock, and the chipotles. Using a hand potato masher, an immersion blender or a hand mixer, mash the potatoes to the desired consistency, adding in more chicken stock as needed. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

4. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling by heating the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the ground meat and cook until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the meat to a large plate or bowl, reserving the oil in the pan.


5. Add the onions to the skillet in which the meat was cooked and sauté until softened. Add the peppers and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper and then stir in the reserved meat. Stir well and cook the meat filling until just heated through.


6. Divide the meat filling among 8 ramekins (about 11⁄2- to 2-cup size) and top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Bake in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the shepherd’s pie is slightly bubbly.


 NOTES: If you are sensitive to the coconut flavor of coconut milk, feel free to decrease the amount of coconut milk used and increase the amount of chicken stock to your desired taste. Or, if you eat dairy, use some butter or heavy whipping cream in place of the coconut milk. If you have leftover chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes (194), feel free to use those.

Green Turkey Chile

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons oil or cooking fat of choice, plus 1 tablespoon for sautéing
2 pounds ground turkey or chicken

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 poblano peppers, seeded and minced
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
One 28-ounce can tomatillos
2 cups chicken stock
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into bite-size pieces (2 cups)
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chipotle powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat

2. Add the ground turkey, and cook completely, breaking it up with a fork as it browns, about 10 minutes. Remove the turkey to a bowl or a plate.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot, stir in the onions, poblanos and jalapeños, and cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers are slightly softened, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add the browned turkey to the pot, along with the tomatillos, chicken stock, squash, lime juice, cumin, chipotle powder and oregano, and cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, or until butternut squash is cooked through.
5. Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired

Recipe from "Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Food"

(If you don't like ground turkey you can substitute the ground meat or your choosing"

Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast

 INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds chuck roast, removed from refrigeration 1 hour before cooking
3 or 4 inch section of oxtail (optional, but it really makes a difference in the sauce flavor and texture)
2 tablespoons fat1 large onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 inch sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 cup water, beef or chicken stock, or dry red wine
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups finely chopped tomatoes





Directions:
Warm a few tablespoons of fat or oil in a big, heavy skillet and brown the chuck roast on all sides. Put the section of ox-tail in the bottom of the slow cooker. Put the roast on top of the oxtail. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary on top of the beef.

Add water, stock or wine to the pan and deglaze by scraping and dissolving the brown bits on the bottom. Add the liquid to the slow cooker, along with the balsamic vinegar and tomatoes.

Don’t Shock the Meat

Meat that goes directly from a cold refrigerator to a hot pan has a hard time adjusting to the extreme temperature change and won’t cook evenly or in the amount of time a recipe suggests. Before you cook meat, let it sit out (covered, of course) for at least a half hour. This is enough time for the meat to come up in temperature for so it will cook evenly, but it is too short a time to promote any significant bacteria growth due to lack of refrigeration.

Cook covered on low setting for 8 hours. Remove roast to a warmed serving platter. Strain the liquid, discarding the oxtail bones and rosemary stem (leave the leaves), then place remaining onions and tomatoes on top of the roast. Cover the roast with foil to retain heat.
Simmer strained liquid until reduced by half—it will be rich and flavorful due to the oxtail section that cooked along with it.
Spoon some of the reduced sauce over the roast and pass the rest of the sauce in a gravy dish at the table

  Recipe from "The Primal Blueprint Cookbook- Primal Low Carb, Paleo, Grain Free & Gluten free"

Roasted Butternut Squash Dip

From "Quick & Easy Paleo Comfort Food"

INGRDIENTS:
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into
½ to 1-inch pieces (you will need 2 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 2 table­spoons for dip
1½ tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the butternut squash on a foil-lined sheet pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, or until the squash is fork-tender, turning over halfway through cooking.

2. Combine the roasted squash, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until well combined.

3. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve cold later.

The Healthiest Way to Cook Bacon

Baking Bacon

This is the hands-down easiest and cleanest way to cook bacon, but it isn’t the fastest by a long shot, so plan ahead. The cooked strips will lay flat and be evenly cooked.


You can also remove the bacon when cooked about two-thirds through, rendering out most of the grease. Then chill or freeze the bacon strips in wax-paper layers for a quick finish or reheat later. Precooking is a great time saver for busy mornings, or while camping and grilling outside, as it is more efficient and reduces clean-up and flare-up problems that can accompany large amounts of dangerous hot grease. At the low temperature of 250°F, the bacon grease will not splatter and soil the oven, but instead will drip slowly through the rack and collect in the bottom of the sheet pan for easier cleanup.





From "The primal Blueprint Cookbook"

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 250°F.

Place a flat cooling rack inside a large sheet pan. Place slices of bacon on rack, evenly spaced and close together but not overlapping or bunched up. Quantity to be baked is only limited by number of oven racks and pans.

Place pan of bacon in oven and bake. Check on bacon after one hour and then every 20–30 minutes, until bacon reaches desired level of chewiness or crispness. Depending on bacon thickness, fat-to-meat ratio, and moisture content, it may take an average of about 2 hours to achieve crisp bacon, less time for chewier bacon.

Bacon fat may be strained through a very fine steel mesh strainer and chilled for later use (bacon fat mayonnaise!)

Paleo Cooking Recipes: Molten Chocolate Lava Cake (no eggs)

Paleo Chocolate Lava Cakes 

from "The Paleo Chocolate Lovers Cookbok"

DRY INGREDIENTS
1 & 1/2 cups (168 g) almond flour
1/4 cup (34 g) coconut sugar
2 tablespoons (17 g) arrowroot flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

WET INGREDIENTS
3 ounces dark chocolate, melted over a double boiler
1/4 cup applesauce with no added sugar
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon liquid vanilla stevia

ADD IN
1 ounce dark chocolate, cut into large pieces

1) Preheat your oven 400°F.
2) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients—almond flour, coconut sugar, arrowroot flour, baking soda, and baking powder
3) In a separate mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the wet ingredients—melted chocolate, applesauce, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and liquid vanilla stevia.
4) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and combine with the electric mixer.
5) Grease 4 small (1/3 cup) ramekins, and divide the batter evenly among them. The batter will be quite thick and look almost like cookie dough.
6) Press the chocolate chunks partially into the batter in the middle of each ramekin.
7) Place the ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
8) Let cool for only a few minutes before serving. The chocolate centers will solidify as the cakes cool.
Makes 4 small cakes

The Paleo Diet: Scotch Eggs Recipe

Delicious Scotch Eggs Recipe

       




















INGREDIENTS

2 pounds ground pork

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch cinnamon

pinch cloves

1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves




Recipe from Well Fed Paleo Recipes
for people who love to eat

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon dried chives

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

8 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

1 bag (2 ounces) fried pork rinds (optional)

2 large eggs, raw (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the ground pork in a large mixing bowl.

Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon,

cloves, tarragon, parsley, chives, and garlic. Knead with your hands until well mixed.

Divide the pork mixture into 8 equal servings.

Roll each piece into a ball, then

flatten it in your palm into a pancake shape. Wrap the meat around a hard-boiled egg, rolling it between your palms until the egg is evenly covered. This is much easier than it sounds. If the meat sticks to your hands, moisten them with a little water. Place the meat wrapped eggs on the baking sheet.

If using the pork rinds, place them in the bowl of the food processor and process

until they resemble bread crumbs; pour them onto a plate or in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, beat the 2 raw eggs. Gently roll each meatball in pork rind crumbs; you want just a thin dusting. Then roll each meatball in the raw egg and roll
a second time in the crushed pork rinds to evenly coat. Place on the baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes, then increase the temperature to 400 F and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until the eggs are golden brown and crisp.