A Very (Sorta) Paleo Thanksgiving!

Hello all, So it has been a few weeks since thanksgiving, I know, but I thought I'd share with you my fully gluten and dairy free experience! I want to warn you all though... there was some startch involved... BUT it was for a good cause! A pumpkin pie! (because really, what is thanksgiving without the pie!)

Luckily having convinced the family of the benefits of going gluten free, I was delighted to find gluten-free stuffing, gravy and pie crust mix all awaiting in Ottawa upon arrival. We hit the grocery store to get a few more items for the table, and got started!

Joined by my sister, in from lennoxville, and her roommate Lauren, we had a good bit of girl time in the kitchen, drinking our gluten free beer and some wine, and just generally being in a festive mood.

We started with cranberry sauce, which is usually packed with all kinds of poisonous white sugar, and emptied a pack of cranberries into a saucepan with a cup of fresh orange juice for sweetness. Then, adding about 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and stirring until all the berries popped, the sauce was ready! This was delicious, tart and sweet at the same time, and went perfectly with our farm fresh bird.

To add some green to the meal, I grabbed a few brussel sprouts, the oft misunderstood cruciferous veggie that really was delicious! With olive oil, garlic salt and sesame seeds, I tossed the steamed and halved sprouts and set them in a serving dish.

With dessert on the brain, my Mom and I started figuring out the dough for our pie crust. This was harrrrd. It crumbled and stuck, and really should have been chilled before we tried to handle it, but ah well, the lesson was learned. It turned out well regardless though, and we were pleased with the end result!
The filling was made up of pureed pumpkin, cloves, cinnamon, eggs and a bit of honey, and it was amazing!! It is super simple to search a recipe online for a paleo pie filling, so google away!

The leftover crust we made into stars and set on top, and they were deliciously crispy at the end! Everyone else had theirs with whipped cream, but for us paleo people, the starch is enough of a cheat!

Such a healthy, happy and awesome homecoming! Great times had by all!

Sesame Nori Chips and Good Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

In the mood for a salty snack, I trolled the web for some awesome paleo chip replacements, and noticing my remaining nori sheets, I settled on this one!
Sprinkle the sheets with water, and fold them in half to get a thicker final chip. Cutting them with kitchen shears, I spread them out on a baking sheet. At 375 celsius, and watching them carefully, I put the pan in the oven after spraying the strips with Pam Olive Oil and sprinkling garlic salt and sesame on them.
These were realllllly good! I sushi-fied them with pickled ginger and wasabi on the side, YUM!

For dinner, I decided to make a dish that used to make me groan: Meatloaf. The term really just used to imply boring and tasteless meat gunk, I'm not sure why as my mom never made anything that wasn't delicious, but I was intrigued by the idea of making it myself. To bind the dish together, instead of bread crumbs or flour (baddddd bad gluten and starch!), I used an egg and some mushrooms, and I'm not sure why, but it held together beautifully, even staying together outside the dish!


Preheating to 375, I combined my extra lean ground beef, garlic, onion, mushrooms, egg, black pepper, sea salt and oregano. Cooking it uncovered, I put it in the oven for 15 minutes while I prepared a glaze for the top.

This consisted of some soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, chives, diced tomatoe juice and pepper, I combined it all in a bowl and took my meatloaf out again, spreading it over the top before letting it cook another 45 minutes. I wish this had been thicker, so some paleo ketchup (if you've got a recipe for it) would've been a good addition. The top did come out nice and golden browned though, thanks in part to the onions that carmelized!

This had me in meals for at least... ummm, a day. It was so darned good that I went back for more and had it for lunch AAAAND dinner. SO AWESOME. With some steamed broccoli on the side, this was a really great combination!

Talk to you all soon, hope I stay strong! The success of this diet doesn't mean that I can just go back to eating crap all the time, though I have to remember my cheat meals!

Coconut Beef Curry with Fennel Cucumber Salad

Hello again,

So this is an update on my progress and a few new tasty Paleo recipes I whipped up!
I've fallen off the bandwagon a few times lately, namely with potatoe chips (JUUUUST a few times) and soy milk in those tasty cappucinos that are so helpful during midterm season!

Curry beginnings

For a while there I was subsiting off of cabbage and almond butter, but I went and did quite a few rounds of shopping and along with my staples foods (eggplant, veggies and lots of fruits) I decided to get creative and picked up some fennel, beets, coconut milk and a bunch of new spices (coriander being my favorite!)

I started with a good easy coconut curry, grilling up some beef strips and combining a few veggies in my pan!
I added the coconut milk and some spices, using curry powder, cumin, chilli flakes, coriander, pepper, salt and chives, letting it cook up and reduce a little.
I served it over some fake rice (i.e. mashed steamd cauliflower) with a side of sliced cucumber!

The cucumber gave me a great idea for using my fennel, and I took a look at my favorite paleo recipe index on theclothesthatmakethegirl.com, where I found a delicious looking salad! The recipe called for paleo mayo as a dressing component, but instead I made a great emulsified one with mustard, maple syrup, lemon juice, salt and garlic in my blender! With a mandoline I sliced my fennel (GREAT FREAKING KITCHEN TOOL, i love these things) and cut up my cucumber. This was an amazing salad and the dressing really made it amazing. The key is to combine everything and then add the olive oil really slowly, drizzling it into the moving blender.

Chop the good fennel tops and sprinkle over the salad for a good garnish!

There's a few more posts on the way from my cooking adventures, but I hope you're all inspire to try these ones out. The curry is really good with all kinds of meat, and I've found the leftover coconut milk is awesome in teas and coffee as a dairy substitute!

Caveman Sign-Off (For Now!)

Here it is, the summary!

From when I started, I haven't lost hardly any actual weight (145 to 140), but to explain that to people is utterly impossible. People won't believe that I haven't dropped at least 15, and I get the questions from everywhere. School, home, work, people all want to know about if the "weight loss" is healthy its so dramatic! How can unlimited calories, and a diet high in fat cause such dramatic change? But I've seen it firsthand!

The real facts are this, even with a slight downturn in actual pounds, I've gone from a 29 size to a 27, a 6 to a 3, and down a whole clothing size. Where I used to wear large I'm now swimming in fabric, and tighter medium tanktops don't quite cut it any longer.

I feel great, though still prone to tiredness (which could be due to late night drinking and working in the bar... actually now that I think about it, that's probably it haha!), and I can't wait to see what differences will manifest when I actually start going to the gym! That's what's so crazy! All this difference and no gym time at all!

So I hope you've all gotten some good dinner ideas, and that it makes being paleo that much easier and more fun! I'm clean out of groceries after coming back from a whirlwind trip in the states, I think I'll get a little creative with the cooking in no time! Just gotta wait until monday, when the students get a great discount!

It's been really motivating sticking to this, and I hope that I can keep it going (with regular cheat days of course... I'm thinking the next one will be thanksgiving!) for the rest of the good days!

Day Twenty-Eight: More Sushi Experiments and Pesto Bison Burgers

So these are some backlogged posts, as by now I have completed my thirty days! I had a few hiccups over the birthday weekend in Vegas, namely with corn chips and rice (guacamole and sushi!), but I plan on getting back on track as soon as possible!

With the sushi theme in mind (lets admit it, the kind with rice really really beats this), I whipped out my nori again and this time tried it with a can of tuna!


I wasn't as finicky with these, as I was hungry at the time, but they turned out well regarless!

I didn't even bother cutting these haha!

So for another meal I decided to use more of that great bison meat! I whipped up some pesto, garlic, paprika, pepper and egg, and added the ground goodness!
Then I split it in 4 and set it in the pan!

They didn't stick together extremely well, but They turned out pretty well regardless! I put them with some babaganouj,
almond butter, and grilled yellow zucchini and green peppers! They were great as leftovers as well, just reheat and serve up!

That concludes my recipe portion of the challenge, but I have decided that this is the lifestyle for me! I think I'll probably put a little less effort into meals, but there are a few that will absolutely be getting repeats!

I've decided to update infrequently, when I make something ESPECIALLY awesome and get excited enough to take pictures!
And now, onto the finale!

Day Twenty-Seven: Wilted Kale Salad

Keeping with the salad theme I changed my mind at the last second as I was about to make some more kale chips. Remembering a delicious meal I'd had once at my grandparents', I pulled out my recipe book to finally make Wilted Kale Salad!

The dressing is another I can add to my slowly growing list, and its packed with good fats. With a 1/4 avocado, black pepper, garlic powder, olive oil a tiny bit of soy sauce and a little lemon juice (one wedge's worth should do it!), I just mixed it all up with a fork!

To wilt kale, first you have to take the stems out. Once it is in bite sized pieces in a bowl, add a little bit of water and a little sea salt. Then basically just squeeze it and mash it up with your hands until it goes an even darker green and begins to look wet all over, spinach-like sort of.
I combined this kale with my dressing, before topping it with cucumber, chickpeas, pumpkin seeeds, mushroom and red onion. This was a great salad, if maybe a little sour. I think this was a combination of too much lemon juice and my not being very used to using salt, but next time I'll tame it down on both counts!

A great lunchtime fix! Probably not great for leftovers, though perhaps once everything sets it might gain a little more subtlety that would add even more layers!

Some might be asking where the protein component is here, but rest assured I paired it with some leftover chili and felt plenty full and recharged!

Adios for now!

Day Twenty-Six: Asian Salad with Rainbow Trout

So pulling out another one of my fish fillets, this time trout again, but a different variety, I decided I needed to add another dressing to my repetoire. With a little research I came up with one that combined the nutty and salty flavors often found in asian cuisine.

With almond butter, ginger, olive oil, water and some soy sauce I whipped it all together for a nice touch.
As a base, I used some spinach, avocado, cucumber, chickpeas, red onion and mushrooms. On the trout I rubbed some ginger and black pepper, before tossing it in a pan with a little soy sauce and some garlic. I used the last of my cherry tomatoes, pan searing them for ultimate flavor.

cooking up the trout and tomatoes!

Then I assembled the healthy and filling salad!

Day Twenty-Five: Ground Turkey Sweet Potatoe Curry

Sorry I've been M.I.A. lately, I really underestimated how much time I'd have when life picked back up!
So, an update about the fallout from my boxing adventures: HOLY COW was I sore! The legs, the triceps, but mostly all the tiny muscles in my back that I had no idea I possessed have been SCREAMING at me since wednesday night! Its Sunday and I still feel a little achy!
Getting out of bed Thursday was not fun , namely because moving was paaaaaaaaainful. Gotta love excersize! Its kind of good though, because that one hour of class had some reprecussions, which means that with a little effort, I can get some kind of results. Its a twisted form of motivation though!
So, I have been cooking lately, and I found a few more recipes that I tried out with success.

First up was a Ground Turkey Sweet Potatoe Curry that I found on the Livestrong website. This was great because I got to use my tumeric again, which means I've now found two delicious dishes that it is an integral part of!
The main ingredients consist of Lean Ground Turkey, onion, sweet potatoe and canned tomatoes. Spice-wise I added tumeric, chili flakes, garlic, black pepper, curry powder, cumin, and some ginger.

Browning the turkey in a pan large enough for the whole concoction, I added in my onion and garlic, letting them get soft and cooked up. Then the rest of the flavors went into the dish, along with about a half cup of water, before I added in my diced yam. Then, cover the whole dish with a lid and allow the sweet potatoe to soften. If you don't have a big enough lid, just use some tinfoil, it worked just as well for me!

Garnish with chives and serve it up in a big bowl. You're going to want to make lots, because this dish is really great and reheats perfectly!

Great Indian dish all ready to eat!

Day Twenty-One: Pork Spare Ribs

So yesterday was a leftovers buffet, with some ham, fruit and vegetables thrown in as a light snack!

I worked most of the day, basically grazing on the good stuff, like nuts and salad!

sauce simmering!

Today however I worked out for the first time in too long, following my friend to his boxing gym for a class that (literally) kicked my ass! With all the skipping rope, punching bags and learning basic combinations I'm WIPED! and my arms feel like lead!

In need of some new dishes, I picked up some pork ribs at the store on my way home, searched my fridge for marinade components and started cookin'!

Boiling the ribs seemed the fastest way to get what I wanted, so I started them off for about 45 minutes while I sauteed some onions and garlic with paprika, soy sauce, black pepper, chili flakes and just a titch of cinnamon. Then, transferring my ribs to a baking dish, I covered them in my sauce and with the oven at 325 and the aluminium foil on tight, I sat back to wait!

Ready to go in the oven!

These were great! The cinnamon was a little interesting, but it was such a small amount that it worked out well! A small salad sealed the deal.

Mmmmm, the crispy top on these ribs was awesome, and they literally fell right off the bone!

I've been researching good ways to work out that wont take too long (think around an hour) and wondered if anyone has some good suggestions that wouldn't really require a gym and that might be a little more fun than weights (not that those aren't great... really).

As dessert I had a chocolate, Yep surprise! there are still quite a few left! They're still great and still frozen, if you haven't made these yet, what are you waiting for!?

Tonight for dinner I ate out at the new Gordon Ramsay restaurant for a friend's birthday and as usual, Paleo options were prettttty slim. The ribs was amazing though (I scraped a lot of the sauce off), and the salad was full of candied pecas, shaved anise, dill and dried acorn squash. I declined the creamy dressing though and took just olive oil.

Tomorrow will most likely be a leftover day, but maybe I'll find time to cook a lil something! I'm getting all my finances in order. Now that I've cleaned up my eating, lets see if I can find a few dollars here and there to finally go organic!

Day Nineteen: Hearty Bison Chili

With a helluva work day coming up tomorrow (3 hours of class, followed by 8 hours of work, followed by a night out with the girls), I knew I needed to make something especially filling and easy that I could transport for easy eating!
In comes chili!
With some thawed lean ground bison, and half a can of chickpeas I simply tossed together a big ol' pot of delicious spicy goodness.
In a big pot get the ground meat going (you can use virtually anything, but I do like the taste of bison!), and add in whatever vegetables you can spare! I went with an onion, yellow pepper, zucchini, cabbage, and diced canned tomatoes (no salt added). Then I added garlic, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1 cup of water and a plethora of spices. Ginger, cumin, curry powder, chili flakes, black pepper, paprika and oregano were the main players, with a bay leaf thrown in for a little extra something!

Let it reduce, let the veggies get tender, and then enjoy! I put some fresh basil up on top for an interesting mouthful and a pretty picture:

Easy, quick, and utterly painless!

Day Eighteen: Squash Spaghetti and CHOCOLATE!

Hello again!
I got a comment a little while ago that I was missing a key component of the day: Dessert! I decided then to make a fully paleo version of chocolate balls, a sort of fudge-y round bite of heaven. But first I needed a good, healthy dinner!

Sauce cooking up!

On a tip from my friend Adrienne, I had bought a spaghetti squash in anticipation of using it as an innovative replaement for actual noodles. Using the rest of the tofu in my fridge (I know, terrible source of nutrients, soy = not good, but as a student, I couldn't justify throwing it out!) I started a delicious sauce. Chopping up mushrooms, zucchini, yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and shallots, I seasoned the mixture with garlic, bay leaves, chives and black pepper. Letting the vegetables get a little softer, I cut my squash in half (TOUGH to do by the way), scooped the seeds out, and with the oven at 350 I placed each piece face down on a cookie sheet with a little water in it. This went for about 30 minutes, and I added a little more water about halfway through. The topping was then thinned with some chicken stock, before I let it reduce to give it the consistency of spaghetti sauce rather than stew.

Then I scraped out the insides of my squash and assembled my dish! Top with more fresh basil and black pepper to taste and there you have it! Paleo Spaghetti to warm you up on cold winter nights, of which we have many in Canada!

For dessert, as I mentioned, I made some really good chocolate confections. These dont really become hard, and are best kept in the freezer. This also helps them last longer because you don't see them staring at you every time you go into the fridge for a healthy (-er) snack! Very easy to assemble, the hardest part is keeping the batter off your fingers, as it can be very sticky. I find that once mixed, let it sit in the freezer for about half an hour, making it much easier to work with.

Chocolatey Goodness!

Mix a 1/4 cup of cocoa powder with 1/3 cup almond meal in a small bowl. In a separate bowl place 1/4 cup water, 1/8 cup maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, making sure to smooth out any lumps. I like to do this with a fork, but if you were going to make a larger batch you might want to pull out the electric mixer!
Once melded, add a large spoonful of almond butter and repeat the process. Chill the batter and prepare a bowl with some more cocoa powder and coconut flakes. When enough time has elapsed, make small ball shapes out of the chocolate, which should now be much easier to handle! Roll these shapes in the cocoa and coconut for a coating which is both delicious and practical: your balls will stick to the dish you place them in without it. Once you have assembled this, you're ready! Dig in guilt free (just don't go making anymore for a little while!)

I keep the quantities pretty small because I know myself, but if you have more self control I'm sure the recipe could easily be doubled, tripled, or made however big you want. Because these are raw, they keep for a long time, especially if you freeze them. Hypothetically you could keep them at room temperature, but they really don't stay as firm and become messier to eat. As a contribution to a cocktail party, just stick a toothpick in each one and no one will believe that there is no dairy in these babies!
I'm off to fall into a sugar coma, though to be fair it's a naturally induced one! Maple syrup sure is delicious!

Day Seventeen: Almond Pancakes and Trouty Goodness

This morning I woke up well before my alarm, and taking this as a sign that I was meant to devise a breakfast that consisted of more than leftovers and fruit, I began searching for a Paleo Pancake recipe!

Pancake Batter.

Luckily enough, I found one that was perfect for my needs: Almond Pancackes! The only rough patch was my distinct lack of applesauce. Adding a little cinnamon to the recipe, I whipped together two eggs, some vanilla and about a cup and a half of almond meal (my supply is dwindling quickly!), while I microwaved a peeled an cored apple in a covered dish with water for 3-4 minutes. Then, without even mashing them at all, I transfered the now soft apple bits into my batter, and ran the beaters a little while longer to get a smooth(ish) consistency!

With that done, I heated my pan with some olive oil, and grabbed my frozen strawberries, slicing them for optimal distribution on my batter. The pancakes filled the whole pan, so basically I just divided the recipe and found myself with one big plate and one leftover for another morning.

Almond Pancake with Cinnamon, Cocoa and Coconut

These were EXCELLENT! Practically like I remember pancakes but less sweet and more dense. As a topping, finding myself out of both maple syrup and honey (this was pretty much deliberate, as I didn't want the temptation of reaching for one or both in a craving moment!) I sprinkled cinnamon, cocoa powder and some raw coconut flakes ontop! Combined with the strawberries and the apple already in the pancake, my breakfast powerhouse was complete! Mmmmm!

Veggies and Fish working up!

For dinner I decided to get some of those great fatty acids, and pulled my steelhead trout fillet out of the fridge. I used another great Livestrong recipe (tweaked of course): Pan Fried Trout with Tomatoe Basil Sauce. Oiling my pan I threw in some chopped red pepper (about 1/2 of one), garlic, shallots, sliced cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Then I seasoned it up with black pepper, sea salt and some garlic, before putting about a tablespoon of all natural pesto down and a splash of white wine vinegar. Then in went my fillet, and I let the pan start cooking.

When the trout was cooked through and the veggies were soft, I assembled a few lettuce leaves and transfered it to a plate! Very quick, easy and flavourful!

Day Sixteen: Mexican Taco Salad

So in order to help me keep track of my diet more efficiently, I've set up an account at the Livestrong website, which gives an approximate count on the calories contained in most food! I was a little surprised to find out how many are in an avocado... but that's besides the point! I was ambushed by my roommate today who demanded to know how I'd shrunk so much lately! I feel much better, I've found that I actually feel good about eating instead of feeling guilty, and that my clothes fit a little looser. I bet if I was smart(er) and cut out the booze as well, I'd see a radically different body in less than a month... alas, the bar scene is a bitch.

Today I made Taco Salad, keeping with the ethnic theme started yesterday. Now anyone who has been to a mexican restaurant can tell you, this usually is served in a charming little corn chip bowl, which is probably the best part of the whole dish. That bowl however, is usually deep fried and often made with gluten. I made my version sans adorable food bowl, but it was nonetheless very good!

Again using the Livestrong website, which has a fantastic collection of Paleo recipes, as well as their nutritional information alongside! I decided to whip up some of the Chorizo Shrimp Sautee, and use it as the protein in my salad! Easy enough to make I combined tomatoes, onion, shallots, mushrooms, half a red pepper and two uncased chorizo sausages with some frozen salad shrimp and garlic! In the meantime I assembled my lettuce and avocado, no dressing required as the fats and liquid from the stirfry are more than adequate!

Chorizo Shrimp "Taco" Salad with tomatoes and avocado

I also had to replenish my baba ganouj supply after polishing off the last bath with my remaining raw veggies. New dip to go along with the haul I got from the store the other day!

The seafood component has been pretty weak the past few days, I think tomorrow I'll grab one of the exotic type fish fillets I snatched up! Perhaps try a Mediteranean dish, eh?

Day Fifteen: Butter Chicken

So today I finally had the chance to cook again after doing a very large (and prettttty expensive) grocery run yesterday! The past two days have been really hectic with work and class and socializing with returned friends!

Yesterday was a little bit of a cheat day, as I went out for dinner and indulged in the chevre and beet salad (so amazing, if you're ever in Montreal you must go to Jane). Today however I invited my friend Priscilla for lunch and introduced her to my Paleo style cooking!

In the spirit of globalization, I decided to try an Indian dish that I have been craving: Butter Chicken. I was keen to use some of the tumeric I picked up in anticipation, as I can't remember ever cooking with the spice before! After picking out virtually every spice in my arsenal I started my cubed chicken breasts in a frying pan. Then when they were about done I transfered them to a plate and heat my spices up in some olive oil. I used ginger, tumeric, chili flakes, cinnamon, garlic powder, cumin, curry powder and paprika. Adding to this, I used (again for the first time in cooking!) a small tin of coconut milk and some garlic before letting it all simmer a tad. After a while I added some canned diced tomatoes (no salt added!), some lemon juice and a 1/4 cup of almond butter. Then I transfered my chicken back into the mixture and let it all reduce for about 15 minutes.

I know, it doesn't LOOK appetizing, but it really was great!

While this was going on, I cut some cauliflower up and added it to a pot for steaming. I thought this would be a great substitute for the rice that so often pops up in Indian cuisine, and I was right! Really great texture and the subtle flavour was a good addition to the dish.

"Butter" Chicken served with "rice"!

Then it was time to serve! And voila! at home, incredibly healthy, very paleo ethnic food! Now I don't have to feel like I'm missing out at all on Montreal's varied dining scene!

Day Twelve: Tacos, Arrrrrriba!

So the good news: I have made enough for some quality groceries this week. The bad news: I need to get them done ASAP, as my supply of healthy Paleo leftovers and snack ingredients is dwindling rapidly, and those chips my roommate brought home are looking better and better. EEP!

Taco filling in the pan.

Today I took basically the same filling used in my Stuffed Peppers from yesterday and added a few more veggies (effectively wiping out my crisper drawer). Stacking my filling into a lettuce leaf, which I let simmer on low heat in some tomatoe juice for about half an hour so as to really get the juicy factor, I ruminated on just how awesome leafy greens are as a substitute for buns. Seriously though, the crunch is still there, only you don't find all the flavours of the sandwich/burger/etc get lost amongst all that white, useless bread. With some avocado thrown in for good measure, I had a few wonderful tacos for dinner!

Day Eleven: Stuffed Peppers

So day three of the beerfest, and I have indulged again in gluten-free beer, this time a raspberry pepper brew. It's ridiculously hard not to when you work in a microbrewery all the time and have still yet to try one of the homemade beers... this is making up for all of that (or at least, that's how I'm justifying it!) I got home and decided that I needed to remind myself how amazing no-starch food really can be, and therefore decided to make delicious Paleo Stuffed Peppers!

Now this was just a thrown together piece of work, without any real recipe, but as usual my spice cubby was instrumental in making this dish excellent! I combined my essentials: ground beef (President's Choice Free From variety), zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoe and onion. To this mixture I threw in garlic, steak spice and chili flakes for good measure just to get some heat in the dish. Hollowing out my peppers (I chose pretty yellow ones, but I imagine that all of the colours work just as well...), I left the lids intact as a pretty accent to the whole shebang. Preheating the oven to 350, I took an oven safe casserole dish and set my lidless peppers in the bottom, simply placing the lids in the spaces between them. These took a while, but not wanting to take any chances with having the meat come out uncooked, I let them go for a full hour.

Peppers roasting away!

I loved these! The sweetness of the pepper, the spice of the filling, and the general heartiness of the whole dinner was nicely offset by some avocado slices, giving the dish a TexMex type of feel.

Avocado and Stuffed Pepper!

With two peppers leftover, its all I can do to remind myself that I will want to have leftovers, rather than gobbling them up myself!
I need some sort of coping mechanism for those times when I'm not hungry, but eat because I am bored or because I know just how good things taste!

So far I've really found great, easy recipes that turn out beautifully, just like I wanted to; soon I think I'll reward myself at the halfway point with a crack at a real Paleo dessert, and see if my baking skills are up to snuff!

Day Ten: Super Salads and Chicken Fingers

Hello all!
So after my boring leftovers day yesterday, I resolved to try and spice things up again! When I was back in Ottawa, I made it a priority to pick up some almond meal as I have seen this all over the internet with regards to Paleo recipes, and was anxious to use it in my cooking.

Lunch however was an entirely different animal, even though it didn't contain any (haha, I know, terrible pun...)! At a local vegan and organic restaurant I ordered the most paleo-friendly thing on the menu: the Three-Salad Plate. It consisted of carrot and raisin salad, house salad and quinoa tabouleh. Although quinoa is actually not a grain, but more of a seed, it still sort of falls into that non-paleo grouping that needs to be consumed only in moderation (or not at all according to some camps), it is an excellent replacement for couscous, which contains gluten, making it the lesser of two evils. I was actually pretty full afterwards, even though I did not have any protein...

Carrot and Raisin Salad, Quinoa Tabouleh, and House Salad

For dinner I pulled out the almond meal and got my chef on: Almond Flour Chicken Fingers! First I sliced two chicken breasts into about half-inch thick strips and threw together a spice rub made of pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder and chives. Taking my now zesty pieces, I whipped up two eggs and placed my almond flour on a plate.

Chicken and spices, beaten egg and almond flour.

Instead of the 1/2 cup of flour the recipe called for, I ended up using at least a whole additional cup, although this may have been my dredging technique more than anything else...

Crisping up!

First I took my spiced chicken and rolled it in the flour, then dipped it lightly in the egg and dredged it back through the almond meal before setting it aside. This is key to keeping everything sticking together, and the fingers need to sit for at least 5 minutes to gel. I heated about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and began frying up half the chicken. It took 3-4 minutes per side, and then I transfered it over to a paper towel-covered plate to drain.
The few crispy almond pieces that fell off were to die for, and though this took a lot of oil and the almonds themselves are pretty high in fat, its all "good" fats. I am planning on doing some research on alternative cooking oils that might be better for me, seeing as I now find myself using so much more than I'm used to what with the new diet!

I stacked the remaining fingers onto a plate as I searched for the best way to reheat them once I had my fill. These were SO delicious! Next time in order to cut down on the almond meal used and the fat component, I might just coat the entire fillet to add character to the dish rather than have it be such an integral part. But this is an excellent treat that I'll definately make again!

Ready for eating!

Day Nine: Pretty Boring and Bunny Rabbits

So today was the first of my four day stint manning the booth for my bar at the Chambly beer festival just off the island of Montreal. It was a gorgeous, busy day, and I wolfed down my portions of leftover Shepherd's Pie as well as some carrots and celery. Ate a few sporadic pears here and there, and then called it an early night with some almond butter as dessert.

I did however find two amazing things:
1) Gluten-free beer! Now this was made with all natural ingredients, and although there was rice in it, I couldn't resist having a glass. So good!
aaaaand
2) My first ever taste of rabbit! This was maple syrup and pepper glazed and fell right off the bone. Just amazing. This will be on my list of things to make when the work schedual slows down!

I now fully appreciate the fact that I made so much more of everything than I could actually consume in one seating! Leftovers are a lifesaver!

Day Eight: Kale Chips and Shepherd's Pie

Hey Again!
So today I'm cooking in Ottawa up on the parents' farm at Piper Hill! I was given free license of the kitchen (and at Farm Boy beforehand...) so I decided to make a pan of delicious hors d'oeuvres, and top it off with a hearty farm-worthy meal!

Checking out the spice rack for inspiration!

Leafy greens ready for the oven!

First up was a pan of kale chips, which I had never made before! I was completely unsure of how to go about doing this, and utterly skeptical about how they would turn out, but I decided to sacrifice the whole head of kale and come what may!
I put about two tablespoons of olive oil and salt & pepper in a medium sized bowl, and then dropped in the destemmed kale pieces. I coated them thoroughly, bruising them a bit on purpose, and then spread them out on a pan.
With a little lemon juice, I spruced the pan up a tad, and popped it in a 300 degree oven for about 12 minutes, before flipping them once. Some pieces were a little brown (these are the best ones) but they turned out beautifully with just the right amount of satisfying crunch. I'd venture as far as to say they were akin to potatoe chips (GASP!). Even the dog Kiera was begging for them (among others in the group...)

Kiera begging for a kale chip

The Shepherd's Pie, which is traditionally made with a mashed potatoe topping, was in need of a little creative thinking. How to replace all that naughty starch with something that would satisfy and lend the same kind of  texture and look? Why, cauliflower of course! Keeping most of the dish simple, I began assembly.
First I shredded some cabbage, and cut up some mushrooms, which I tossed with canned tomatoes and set aside as my first layer. After mixing ground turkey, ground beef, garlic, fresh basil, chives, tomatoes and whatever spices I could find, I got the second layer working in a frying pan.

Meat mixture and Cabbage Mushroom base.

Layered Pie with delicious red wine!

Preheating the oven to 350 degrees, I steamed the cauliflower until it was soft when prodded with a knife. After draining, and adding a little of the fat from the ground meat for softness and to promote a smoother consistency, I simply mashed the veggies right in the same pot! Then I carefully ladled them up on top of the layered cabbage and protein and sprinkled some paprika on top. To get a bit of a crispy finish on top, the whole thing went in the oven for 30 minutes, before the serving began!

Plated and ready for the fork!

This was extremely messy to serve, but really delicious! I'm told by my non-paleo tasters that it was especially good with some tomatoe-chili sauce up on top, but I enjoyed mine just fine straight out of the dish!
All in all a very hearty, country-style dish, with plenty of good leftovers for on-the-go meals, or dinner in a pinch!