Monthly Archives: February 2010

Eat your greens!!

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There are so MANY wonderful reasons to eat your greens (kale, chard, collard greens, etc….)  Eating greens provide the body with vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, dietary fiber, copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid. Need I say more??  YES, I should say more.  Eating greens has also been associated with cancer prevention, better eye sight, lowering inflammation, and slowing the aging process (I think I might just start wrapping my body in the stuff too…)  Here’s a link for more in-depth information as to why you should eat your greens…

One problem I have with managing my greens consumption is how much room the uncooked greens take up in my fridge. One of my rock-star clients Jillian H. gave me a great idea that has helped ensure that I eat my greens before my greens eat up all the space in  my fridge.  She suggested to cook ALL of my greens at once and make a giant greens mixture to keep in a big tupperware and serve up as needed.  I like to chop my greens up, smash them all down into a giant pot, poor in about 2 cups of water, cover and steam until tender.  This way you can season your greens how you want to depending on what you decide to serve them with later. That’s just what I did this week and I discovered how great greens and scrambled eggs are with a little salsa verde on top, how easy it is to serve some greens up with the Already Cooked Wild Caught Salmon I found from Trader Joe’s, and that greens are great with just about everything else I ate this week.  Thanks for the great tip Jillian and for helping me save some space in my fridge!

Also, here’s an awesome salad recipe to use with the salmon I mentioned:

Wild Salmon Salad

Salad greens of your choice

Already Cooked Wild Caught Salmon from Trader Joe’s

Roasted yellow and red peppers diced

1 organic apple diced

handful of slivered almonds

1 avocado diced

Olive oil, black pepper, dried dill and lemon juice to taste

A splash of white balsamic vinegar.

Toss all together and EAT!!

Sirloin Dijon and Brussel Sprouts

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This dish reminded me of beef stroganoff, but better!!  I did use some heavy whipping cream so if you want to stay away from the dairy component in this dish, I would substitute with chicken broth and add more mustard to make it a bit tangier rather then creamy.

Sirloin Dijon

1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced sirloin (I used the pre-sliced sirloin from TJ’s)

1 red onion diced

3 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste – sprinkle meat in pan while cooking

2/3 cup heavy cream

3 crushed garlic cloves

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 ½ tbsp Dijon mustard

Saute diced onion in olive oil until tender, add sirloin and brown.  While sirloin is browning, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  In a separate bowl, mix together heavy whipping cream, garlic, tarragon and mustard.  Pour mixture over the sirloin and bring to a simmer.  Serve immediately.

Brussel Sprouts

Approx 1/2 lb brussel sprouts

1 tbsp dried dill

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste

Quarter brussel sprouts and steam for 3-5 minutes.  Saute the steamed sprouts in olive oil until a little crispy and add remaining ingredients, stir and serve.  Yummy!!

Garden Fresh Meatballs

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These meatballs are a great spin on the classic meatball – no need for sauce with these and they are full of fresh garden flavors!   I just made them this morning for the kids to have for dinner and I packed a few for myself to take with me to they gym…  Enjoy!

Garden Fresh Meatballs

1.5 lbs ground turkey

1 lb grass fed ground beef

2 zucchinis

1 yam

2 big handfuls spinach

1 12 ounce jar of roasted red peppers

2 cloves garlic

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

2 eggs

1/4 to 1/3 cup almond meal

Grate zucchini and sweet potato.  In a food processor, finely mince spinach, roasted red peppers, and garlic.  Hand mix all ingredients and form into meatballs (I made mine a little bigger then golf ball size).  Bake at 375 in a large baking dish tightly covered with foil  for 40-45 minutes.  Makes 20-25 meatballs

Pork Loin with Peppers, Mushrooms, N’ Onions

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This meal only took about 20 minutes to prepare and it tasted gourmet - even as my two year old cave boy sat on the table and tore into his piece like it was still trying to get away….

Pork Loin with Peppers, Mushrooms, N’ Onions

2 organic red bell peppers sliced

1 package of sliced porcini mushrooms

1 red onion sliced

1 thinly sliced pork loin

1/2 cup of Kerrygold Pure Irish butter

4 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 – 1/3 cup chicken broth

1-2 tbsp caraway seeds

sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

2 tbsp of olive oil

In a large saute pan melt the butter and saute the peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and onions until the veggies are tender. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, reduce down until it turns into a thick sauce.  Meanwhile, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in another saute pan.  Place the thinly sliced pork loin in the oil and season with a little sea salt, black pepper, and caraway seeds. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side and make sure to season both sides of the pork loin.  Serve on a platter topped with the peppers, mushrooms, and onions.

Paleo “Lasagna”

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My friend Christina, submitted the recipe for the awesome walnut red pepper dip that I introduced in my Super Bowl blog, also sent me a recipe for paleo lasagna.  I revised her recipe based on the ingredients I had on hand and this is what I came up with .  This was a big hit with my family and I hope you all enjoy it as well:

Lasagna

2 lbs grass fed ground beef

1lb mild Italian sausage (I used Sicilian chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s)

1 red onion diced

4 cloves crushed garlic

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp dried basil

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes drained

1 small can of tomato paste

1cup organic black olives sliced

6 zucchinis thinly sliced(I used my slicer blade in the food processor for thin, even zucchini rounds – for more “lasagna” like noodles slice lengthwise with a mandolin slicer).

In a large soup pot saute onions and garlic in the olive oil for about 3 minutes.  Add ground beef and sausage and brown.  Season meat mixture with all dry ingredients and add drained diced tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well.  In a big lasagna baking dish place a layer of sliced zucchini and then ladle on a thick layer of the meat mixture and top with the sliced black olives.  Top meat and olive layer with another layer of sliced zucchini and top with a final layer of the remaining meat mixture.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and back at 350 for 30 min.  Let sit for 10 min before serving.

Super Bowl 2010….

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I will officially admit that I WILL use tomorrow as an excuse, like everyone else in America, to sit on my arse, eat a lot of food, and partake in a couple of drinks…

So, here it is: My Paleo Super Bowl, sit on my arse while not really caring about the game, and falling asleep early menu:

Big Pot of Bean-less Chili

2 lbs of grass fed ground beef

1 lb of spicy italian pork sausage

7-10 celery stalks diced

6 carrots diced

1 white onion diced

6 cloves of crushed garlic

4 tbsp olive oil

1 16 ounce can of diced tomatoes w/ juice

16 ounces of chicken broth

2 big pinches of sea salt

2 tbsp dried oregano

2bsps dried basil

1 tbsps cumin

3-4 tbsps chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy)

Saute veggies in olive oil for about a minute and add meat and brown.  Season the meat mixture with all the spices.  Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and simmer for 35 minutes.  Taste and add more seasoning if desired.  If you are feeling a little frisky, eat this awesome chili with a dollop of sour cream and some crushed corn chips.  If you are keeping it 100% paleo for the big day, it’s good just like it is!!

Deviled Eggs

12 boiled eggs

1/4 -1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s or other all natural mayonnaise

1 tbsp of fresh dill – minced

small pinch of sea salt

1 tsp of garlic powder

crushed black pepper to taste

Bring enough water to cover 12 eggs to a boil, add eggs, and boil rapidly for 8 minutes.  As soon as the timer beeps, drain the hot water from the eggs, add cold water and ice to stop the cooking process.  The faster you cool off your eggs, the easier it will be to peel them!  Leave eggs in the cold water for 5-10 minutes before you peel.  Peel eggs and cut in half length wise.  Carefully scoop out all the yolks into a mixing bowl and mash with a  fork.  Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.  Fill the egg halves with the mixture and sprinkle with a little paprika if you like

Walnut Red Pepper Dip - I haven’t tried this yet but my dear friend Christina gave me the recipe and SWEARS by it, so tomorrow I’ll give it a go and I’ll serve this with an assortment of fresh veggies. – It sounds amazing and a big thanks to Christina for the recipe!

2 cups shelled walnuts (soak them for at least 1 hour to soften them; it’ll be easier to process them this way)

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 – 1/4 tsp. salt

1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers – drained

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. lemon juice

In a food processor, pulse walnuts, cumin, and salt until walnuts are finely ground (like the consistency of Hummus). Add peppers, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Whirl until smooth.

Maybe some meatballs…

If we actually need more food, which I doubt we will, I’ll have some gluten free Trader Joe’s meatballs on hand if the kids really want them… I feel stuffed just thinking about it…