Along with having a lot of fun with our cooking demos, I am also inventing new words, and if anything, giving my family yet another reason to laugh at me!!

In this demo we make Savory Cauliflower Fried Rice, Pork Chops, and my Walnut Pesto Sauce.

Savory Cauliflower Fried Rice

1 head organic cauliflower – steamed

1/2 red onion – minced

3 garlic cloves – minced

2 tbsp fresh basil – diced

1 egg

2 tbsp coconut flour

1 tsp sea salt

black pepper to taste

3-4 tbsp coconut oil

In a large mixing bowl, add the minced onions, garlic, and basil.  Place the steamed cauliflower in the bowl as well and add the egg, coconut flour, salt, and pepper.  Using a potato masher, mash the cauliflower down to the consistency of rice.  Mix all the ingredients well.  Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the cauliflower rice and saute for 7-10 minutes or until the “rice” starts to crisp up a little and the onions are tender.  Remove the rice and keep warm in the oven.

Pork Chops

4 pork chops (I used thin cut pork chops, they cook faster…)

2 tbsp olive oil

pinch of sea salt

black pepper to taste

2 tbsp coconut oil

In a large mixing bowl, drizzle the pork chops with the olive oil, add the salt and pepper, and let the pork chops sit (if you have time) in the fridge for about an hour.  In the same skillet as you cooked your cauliflower rice in (no need to even clean it), add the coconut oil and heat over medium high.  Sear the pork chops for 5-7 minutes on each side.  Slice and serve on top of the cauliflower rice and drizzle with the walnut pesto sauce.

Serve with a green salad.

Enjoy!!

How Hot is YOUR Kitchen?? – Another cooking demo…. is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Crispy Baked Okra

About 20 pieces of okra cut into bike sized pieces (makes about 3 cups after cut)

4 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Put the cut okra into a large mixing bowl, cover with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix well.  Spread the okra evenly on a cookie sheet and bake in a 450 degree oven for 25 minutes. Be sure to stir half way through the cooking time for even crispiness.  Eat immediately!

Stuffed Eggplant

2-3 small eggplants ( I used 2 small Italian and 1 giant Japanese eggplant)

1 red bell pepper diced

1 small red onion diced

6 garlic cloves minced

5 tbsp olive oil

3/4 C julienned sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

1 ½ C chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Remove the green stems from the eggplants and cut in half lengthwise. Using a paring knife, gently cut out the insides of the eggplant, leaving a eggplant “shell”.  Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil into the bottom of 9×13 glass baking dish and place the shells of the eggplant on top of the olive oil in the baking dish.  Dice the insides of the eggplant that have been removed.  In a large saute pan, add the 5 tbsp of olive oil, diced eggplant, bell peppers, and onions.  Saute over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.  Add the minced garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Mix well and cook for another minute.  Pile the mixture into the eggplant shells and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the shells are tender.

We served grilled chicken with the eggplant and okra.

Enjoy!!

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Stuffed Eggplant and Crispy Baked Okra is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Everyday Paleo Pizza

Crust:

2 cups almond meal

2 eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp baking soda

1 tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tbsp fresh rosemary chopped

Toppings:

1 cup organic marinara sauce from Trader Joe’s

1 lb Italian pork sausage nitrate free

2 crook neck yellow summer squash diced

3 green onions chopped

Handful of torn basil leaves

2 small tomatoes diced

1/2 cup roasted red peppers diced

Handful of sliced black olives

Preheat your oven to 350. Using a spoon mix all crust ingredients together until it becomes very thick.  Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.  Lightly grease a pizza pan or a cookie sheet with olive oil.  Place the ball of dough in the center of your cookie sheet or pizza pan and using your hands, push and pat the dough down into the shape of a circle (or an oval in my case…).  You want to make the dough as thin as possible.  Your pizza will be about 12 inches across.  Bake JUST the crust in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.  While your crust is cooking, prepare your toppings.  If you use sausage like we did, this is when you should crumble it into a large saute pan and brown.  After the crust if done, remove from the oven and evenly spread the marinara sauce over the crust.  Add the sausage and all remaining toppings evenly over the sauce and bake again for an additional 25-30 minutes.  Get creative and use whatever toppings you might like – ours was great but I also suggest trying chicken, artichoke hearts, and even broccoli!!  Go wild with it and as always: Enjoy!

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Everyday Paleo Pizza is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Ginger Shrimp Salad

1 lb medium shrimp (tails removed, cooked, and de-veined – I buy them frozen and already cooked)

3 green onions

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

Pinch of sea salt

Palm full of red pepper flakes

Juice from 1 lemon

Fresh Arugula

Olive oil to taste

1 Avocado

If you are using frozen shrimp like I did; thaw, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.  If using fresh shrimp, remove tails, de-vein, and toss into boiling water.  Bring the water back to a simmer.  Once the shrimp rise to the top remove them and place in ice water.  Then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Toss the cold shrimp with the lemon juice, ginger, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Serve on a bed of arugula garnished with sliced avocado and top with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Curried Hash

2 sweet potatoes

2 zucchini

2 shallots

2 omega 3 enriched eggs

1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

5 tbsp coconut oil

Peel the sweet potatoes and rinse.  Using a food processor or a cheese grater, shred the sweet potatoes and the zucchini.  Using a hand held chopper, finely chop the shallots.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded potatoes, zucchini, shallots, eggs, and spices.  In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium, add the hash, and cook stirring frequently until the potatoes are soft and start to crisp up.  Serve immediately.  This is a great post workout snack!!

Enjoy!

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Ginger Shrimp Salad and Curried Hash is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Pictured is the lunch created yesterday by my 6 year old, and the dinner cooked solely by my 14 year old (lettuce wrapped burgers with grilled onions and sauteed brussel sprouts.)

Also, here is my new favorite pot roast recipe that I adapted from a recipe that I saw on the Food Network.

Pork Pot Roast

1 Boston pork roast (4.5 lbs) or beef chuck roast

6 carrots

5 celery stalks

2 leeks

2 yellow onions

6 fresh thyme branches

6 garlic cloves

2 14 oz cans of diced organic salt free tomatoes

2 cups red wine

1 1/2 cups organic free range chicken broth

4 tbsp organic butter

1/4 cup coconut flour

Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste

In a large soup pan or dutch oven add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Sprinkle a bit of  sea salt (if desired) and the crushed black pepper all over the roast. Roll the seasoned roast in the coconut flour.  Sear the roast in the large soup pan for 4 minutes on each side (make sure you get the top and bottom of the roast seared as well).  While the roast is searing, chop the veggies into large pieces.  When cutting leeks, make sure to cut in half lengthwise and rinse well because they are full of sand and dirt in between the layers. Remove the roast from the pan and add  all the veggies and cook in the drippings from the roast until the onions and leeks become tender.  Add the wine, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, thyme branches (tie them together with some cooking twine so they are easier to remove later), and a bit more sea salt and pepper.  With the flat part of your knife blade, crush the whole garlic cloves (as pictured) and toss those in as well.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  In the meantime, place your roast in a crock pot (this will only work if you have a big crock pot).  Pour the vegetable mixture over the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours and on low for 1 hour.  If your crock pot is not big enough, you can cook the roast in a dutch oven or large roasting pan at 325 for 2 1/2 hours and then turn down to 250 and cook for another hour.  After the roast is done, remove  the roast from the vegetable mixture.  With scissors, remove the string holding the roast all together, and slice thin.  Remove the thyme branches from the vegetable mixture and pour half of the veggie mixture into a food processor or blender, add the butter, and blend until smooth.  On a large serving platter place the sliced meat and top with the remaining cooked veggies and pour the blended sauce over all of it.

This recipe is a good one to make on a weekend when you have a bit more time.  I made this for my sister and her family and in my haste, I forgot to take a picture of the final product but it turned out so good, I had to share it with you all anyway.

Enjoy!!

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Kids Picks and Pot Roast is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Grilled Chicken with Walnut Pesto Sauce

Chicken

3-4 Chicken Breasts

Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning to taste (or just some cracked black pepper)

Pesto Sauce

4 oz fresh basil (3 ½ cups)

1 cup walnut halves and pieces

6 garlic cloves

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Juice from ½ a lemon

Heat your grill over medium high heat for approximately 10 min.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with either the Trader Joe’s seasoning or with just some black pepper. Turn grill down to low and place the chicken on the grill.  Close the lid and grill for 7-10 minutes.  Flip the chicken, close the lid, and grill for another 7-10 minutes.  Remove the chicken and cover with tinfoil and set aside.  Now it’s time for the pesto.  In a food processor add the walnuts, garlic, sea salt, and olive oil.  Process until smooth.  Add the basil and lemon juice and process again until smooth.  Slice the chicken and spoon the pesto sauce on top to serve.

Warm Arugula Salad

6 strips nitrate free bacon diced

2 shallots finely chopped

7 oz arugula

1/4 cup olive oil

Handful of chopped walnuts

Ground black pepper to taste

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and set aside.  In a medium sized skillet brown the diced bacon.  Add the shallots and saute with the bacon until the shallots are translucent.  Add the olive oil to the pan and heat just until warm.  Pour the olive oil, bacon, shallot mixture over the arugula and mix well.  The heat from the bacon mixture will slightly wilt the arugula – this is what you want!  Add some fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately topped with a sprinkle of walnuts. 

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Grilled Chicken with Walnut Pesto Sauce and Warm Arugula Salad… is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Spice Rub Crock Pot Chicken

1 5-6 lb free range organic chicken - giblets removed, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels

1 white onion sliced

1 tsp sea salt (optional)

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

Cover the bottom of the crock pot with the sliced onions.  Mix all spices in a small bowl and then rub the spice mixture all over the whole chicken.  Place the spiced chicken on top of the onions in the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours (depending on your crock pot).  No need for any liquid, the chicken will cook in it’s own juices.  Make sure you spoon the onions and a little bit of the juices over the chicken when you serve it.  I served my chicken with our favorite brussel sprouts, steamed for 5 minutes and then sauteed with a little olive oil, dried dill, garlic powder, and pepper.

Enjoy!

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Spice Rub Crock Pot Chicken is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

This dry rub recipe works well on burgers but is also bangin’ on rib eye steaks and probably on chicken too (haven’t tried that yet, but could imagine it would be tasty…)

Also, a big shout out to AJ at www.nutritionize.net for sharing the awesome sweet potato recipe, it’s simply delicious! 

Dry Rub Burgers

1 ½ tbsp chili powder

2 ½ tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp ground white pepper

2 1/2 lbs grass fed ground beef (makes about 7-9 medium sized burgers)

sea salt to taste

Mix all dry rub ingredients together.  Form hamburger meat into patties and cover both sides generously with the dry rub.  Let the burgers sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before cooking.  Either grill or pan fry about 4 minutes each side for medium, less for rare, more for well… (sprinkle on sea salt once the burgers are in the pan or on the grill).

Sweet Potato Rounds

2-3 yams

3-4 egg whites

21 seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s or Oregon, Thyme, and Garlic Powder

ground black pepper

sea salt

olive oil

Slice sweet potatoes into round discs.  Separate eggs and add as much 21 seasoning spice blend and black pepper as you like.  Dip each sweet potato round into the egg mixture and lay flat on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Drizzle the rounds with olive oil and sprinkle on more seasoning – this is key – and then sprinkle on a little sea salt.  Bake at 350 for 30 -40 minutes.  The egg whites make these a little crispy, and I actually finished them under the broiler for about a minute which made them even crispier, but still soft and yummy in the middle. 

Enjoy!!

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Dry Rub Burgers and Sweet Potato Rounds is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chicken mixture

4-5 chicken breasts

3 tbsp of Tamari Wheat Free soy sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

garlic powder to taste

2 zucchini diced

6-8 mushrooms diced

sesame oil

Condiments

1 head iceberg lettuce cored and leaves removed for wraps

Shredded green or purple cabbage

1 red bell pepper finely chopped

3 green onions chopped

1 can water chestnuts diced

sliced or slivered almonds

2 – 3 carrots finely chopped

I like to cook the chicken in the crock pot on low for 6 hours or until falling apart.  Place the chicken in the crock pot and cover with garlic powder and cover with the soy sauce and chicken broth.  When the chicken is done, shred with a fork or throw it in the food processor and pulse it a few times.  In a large soup pan saute zucchini and mushrooms in a generous amount of sesame oil until the veggies are tender.  Add the shredded chicken and mix well.  Serve the chicken mixture in lettuce leaves and add your condiments.  Top with more sesame oil, hot chili oil if you like, and San-J  makes a good gluten free Thai Peanut sauce if your feeling crazy.  I have made my own  “Thai Peanut Sauce”  with almond butter that’s a tasty substitute as well but these wraps are also great just on their own.

Also pictured is lunch the following day: I sauteed the left over chicken, chopped veggies, and almonds with some left over steamed brussel sprouts that I found in the fridge.  It was a fast and delicious way to make the best of my leftovers!

Enjoy!

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Chicken Lettuce Wraps is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Sun Dried Tomato Salad Dressing

1/2 a jar of sun dried tomatoes

generous amount of olive oil (about 1/2 cup or more if making marinade)

1 big spoonful of capers

juice from 1/2 of a lemon

3-4 garlic cloves

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  I put this over an organic spring lettuce mix salad with some broccoli slaw and 1/2 diced apple.

Meatballs in Minutes

2lbs grass fed ground beef

generous amount of the following: garlic powder, ground marjoram, black pepper, and fresh rosemary

sea salt to taste

Mix all ingredients with your hands.  Form golf ball size meatballs and place in a well oiled skillet over medium heat.  Brown on all sides, cover and steam for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.  Serve alone or with the following sauce.

Sauce

1 can of tomato bisque soup from Trader Joe’s

1/4 cup organic heavy cream

drippings from meatball pan

Whisk all together in a pan and bring to a simmer.  Serve over meatballs if desired.

Also pictured is mashed yams – pressure cook yams for 7 minutes and mash with organic butter, 1/4 cup apple sauce, a dash of nutmeg and ginger, and tons of cinnamon.

Enjoy!

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Tangy Salad Dressing/Marinade and yes… More Meatballs!! is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

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!!

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Sirloin Dijon and Brussel Sprouts is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

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

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Garden Fresh Meatballs is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

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.

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Pork Loin with Peppers, Mushrooms, N’ Onions is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Caraway Chicken With Belgian Endive

2 lbs boneless chicken thighs

8 strips of cooked and chopped bacon

1 apple sliced

1/2 cup apple juice

2 tbsp caraway seeds

3 Belgian endives

1 tsp sea salt

cracked black pepper to taste

Place chicken thighs in the crock pot and mix with caraway seeds, salt, and pepper.  Slice endives in half lengthwise, remove core, and slice into long strips.  Layer sliced endive on top of the chicken thighs, then sprinkle bacon pieces over the endive, and layer the apple slices on top.  Poor the apple juice over the entire dish and cook on low for 6 hours or until the chicken is tender and falling apart.

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Caraway Chicken With Belgian Endive is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

Chicken Sausage n’ Shrimp

2 packages of gluten free chicken sausages halved and sliced (I used sun dried tomato from Trader Joe’s)

1 bag of frozen already cooked shrimp

2 sliced leeks

1 sliced red bell peppers

1 big bunch of chopped asparagus

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tbsp all spice

garlic powder to taste

3 tbsps coconut oil

Saute leeks in coconut oil until soft, add bell peppers and asparagus until crisp but tender. Add sausages and all other remaining ingredients except for shrimp.  Bring to a simmer and add shrimp just until the shrimp are hot.  Serve over Winter Squash Puree.

Winter Squash Puree

Steam or pressure cook winter squash of your choice.  Peel squash and put into food processor with a big drizzle of walnut oil, a few shakes of garlic powder, and a dash of sea salt.  Process until smooth and creamy.

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Chicken Sausage n’ Shrimp over Winter Squash Puree is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License

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London Broil… is a post from Everyday Paleo - licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License