Day Seven: Paleo Beverages and Inside-Out Wraps

I woke up this morning still feeling full of sushi... mmmm!
Along with my egg muffin, I felt myself wishing I had some kind of juice to go with breakfast. Then, I spotted my collection of teas in the pantry: why not combine my organic Countess of Seville tea (a really delicious orange inspired green tea from Davids Tea), with a little lemon juice, and some ice? My own, paleo-friendly juice! After boiling water and using my handy tea infuser ball, I left it to sit and cool for an hour. Then, I transfered it to a pitcher with ice, the juice of a whole lemon and voila! Really tasty and refreshing!

Lettuce, Babaganouj and Mustard in Ham

For lunch, I grabbed my nitrate and preservative free blackforest ham from the package (president's choice baby!), and some sassy baby greens, including rockette, spinach and arugula. I assembled the lettuce, some babaganouj, and some brown mustard inside the cold cut, and rolled it as if it were a wrap (or in light of yesterday... a sushi roll!). These were really light and crunchy due to the filler, and I barely felt like I was missing out on a bread component at all!

Rolled up and ready for eating!

As dinner, I went simple as I was pressed for time. Two hard boiled eggs, some cherry tomatoes, red onion and sliced red peppers tossed with the same baby greens used in my inside-out wraps made for a great, filling meal to get me through the night at work in the bar!

Day Six: Sake and Super Easy Sushi

Hey,
So the site was right about the egg muffins, TOTALLY AWESOME COLD! I had two to tide me over at work last night (long shift until about 3 am), and really enjoyed them. The added paprika was really good too.

Sake w/ Peach Schnapps & Grapefruit

I was actually looking forward to dinner tonight, as I decided to go ahead and try something most people quail at: making sushi. With my nori (seaweed paper), gluten free soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi, I started thinking up ways I could make this happen. My adventurous friend Bryanna came by as well to join in the asian-inspired project, bringing along some sake!

cucumber, carrot, shallot, red pepper & avocado

We decided to make 4 types: almond butter and vegetables, lemon/pepper marinated tofu, shrimp, and egg. The egg one was internet-inspired, and involved replacing the rice with an egg "sheet" of sorts. After baking the tofu, defrosting some shrimp, and cutting up our veggies, with trepidation we started on our first roll.

Me laying out our veggies and almond butter on the nori.

perfecting the technique

Now you might think that almond butter is a really weird and obviously non-traditional sushi ingredient. You would be right... but it turned out to be my favorite. It was so GOOD! The nutty flavor that peanuts usually lend to asian stirfrys and the like was easily bested by the almonds, and with the soy sauce it was a good salty/sweet combination.

Rolled up!

The rolling actually went well for first-timers, and without the binding properties of rice, it was a little more difficult to keep all the ingredients in their proper places. After laying out your filling, on the last inch or so of nori place some lemon juice that will allow the seaweed to stick together and seal the roll up. When rolling keep a firm grip with your fingertips so that you can sort of pull the filler in towards you as you roll, keeping everything tight. What turned out to be crucial to the process was a really sharp knife so that when cutting no sawing is needed that would displace the whole delicate setup.

Egg sushi ready to be rolled

The egg roll also turned out well: after microwaving the filler on a plate to keep the round shape, I transfered it to the seaweed and topped it with cucumber, shallot and avocado.

Now of course any of these can be made with any kind of vegetables you can think of and any protein filler possible. The reality is that the possibilities are endless! This was a really fun way to use many types of good food, and have a lot of fun too (especially with sake involved)! I realize that tofu is not "paleo" per se, but I have a sort of relaxed "every once in a while" attitude towards legumes at this point.

Our masterpieces turned out beautifully! We used 10 sheets of seaweed, and stuffed them all full... and all of them were demolished handily soon thereafter:

Left to Right: Almond-Vegetable, Shrimp, Tofu, Egg, and Hand Roll

As a side-dish, and for a little extra protein, we also fried up some big, juicy scallops in garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes, which made an excellent accompaniment to our experiement, and added a little something warm to a primarily cold dinner!

If I can successfully make sushi, I'm of the idea that I can basically do anything! Just kidding... It was ridiculously easy! Something those overcharging businesses would definately not want getting out! For under $10 each, Bryanna and I had a veritable sushi feast: Take THAT Japan!

Day Five: Egg Muffins and Chicken Drumsticks

So the party yesterday was quite the success, all went well and I managed to find amongst the other contributions things I could eat as there were a wide variety of salads and suchlike. The only thing I technically should have avoided that I ate was a small amount of quinoa in some tabouleh and chickpeas/beans in the various hummus contributions that were trotted out. Another possible cheat (though this didnt technically isn't considered "unpaleo") was some mexican mole, a cocoa based chicken sauce that I ate, which is still dairy, starch, processed sugar and gluten free. The thing I really wish I could've tried was my friend Rachelle's "Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes". Now for those of you who don't work in bars/spend all your time in one, an Irish Car Bomb is when you take a half pint of Guinness beer, and drop in a shot of Baileys mixed with Jameson Irish Whisky, and then proceed to chug the whole concoction before it curdles. Not really the most appealing thing for me, as it has both dairy and gluten in it, and it just sounds un-fun. However, these cupcakes had Guinness in the batter, and Baileys in the icing, which made for what seemed to be a freaking delicious combination!

Today I thought I'd try my hand at something that might qualify as real people's breakfast food! I'm making Egg Muffins with Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Shallots. The recipe I adapted this from was using spinach rather than shallots, but I do love some onion in there! I obviously omitted the cheese as well, as it doesn't follow my guidelines.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes

After deseeding and dicing up the zucchini, chopping the mushrooms and shallots and shredding some fresh basil, I placed an equal amount into my greased muffin tin. Then I added some black pepper, sea salt and paprika to 6 eggs, and about 2 tbsp of water and whisked it all up! Then I poured it almost to the very top into the tins and to my dismay, had undercalculated somewhere, leaving me with about 5 empty cups! I redistributed the veggies as best I could and whipped up another 2 eggs which ended up doing for 3 of them, and resolved that I would only have 10 muffins.

Just out of the oven!

After the timer went off, (the muffins rose really far out of the tray!) I sought out my one remaining chorizo sausage, and cutting it into coins, I fryed it up with some onion as my accompaniement while the pan cooled. These weren't my absolute favorite Paleo dish, but they did turn out pretty well considering!

Now, according to the initial recipe, these keep very well and can even be frozen! So I popped 7 into a bag and into my freezer, keeping out two as a quick snack option. I'm crossing my fingers that they are indeed good cold as the site says!

Egg Muffin surrounded by Chorizo rounds, fried onions and some leafy greens! Yum!

For dinner I went a more traditional route, with a central meat component and sides all 'round! Having defrosted some drumsticks, I removed the skin and whipped up a spice rub that was sure to be a winner. Armed with red pepper flakes, mustard, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, ginger and vanilla (yes, vanilla, just the smallest amount makes all the difference), I rubbed down my drumsticks and placed them in about half an inch of water in a 9"x11" dish.

Then I popped them in the oven at about 375 for 15 minutes a side, flipping them over once. Now these would be absolutely killer, and probably crispy if you did them on the BBQ, but unfortunately I don't have that luxury, and the water is needed to keep them tender and keep your dish from blackening.

While they cooked, I threw together a side salad with a dressing of olive oil and fresh garlic combined with cucumbers, avocado and cherry tomatoes. A dollop of the now ubiquitous babaganouj sealed the plate and when the chicken was ready I dug right in! I have to say, they turned out beautifully, just the right amount of spice to keep things interesting, and really juicy. Plus, who doesn't like to eat things with their hands right?
All in all a delicous Paleo day!

Day Four: Bison Meatballs

Hey!
So this morning I woke up anticipating the BBQ later today (for which I prepared sweet potatoes and fall fruit crisp), but neede to get a good breakfast in me as I knew there would be some *ahem* libations around later...
I had recently defrosted a ton of things in my freezer, knowing that I would be needing lots of protein in the coming month. Along with some salmon and a package of chicken drumsticks, I had grabbed a hunk of bison meat that was sent to me a few months back from Brockville. This stuff has already been used to make burgers, and twice to make chilli, but I figured it needed a new form this time 'round. So, in the spirit of adventure, I decided to make... MEATBALLS!
Alright... so I know that's not entirely different from burgers, but as I said in an earlier post, smaller things = more fun! Plus, I basically just ended up eating them as mini sliders, as meatballs devoid of pasta really doesn't feel the same!

I actually didnt use a recipe here, but rather just took a look at my spice shelf and started grabbing things!

Right to Left: Cumin, Black Pepper, Fresh Basil, Steak Spice, Avocado, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Shallot, Egg and Brown Mustard.

The Avocado pictured didn't end up IN the actual meatballs, but was really good once they were done!

just frying away!

After chopping the shallot finely, and slicing up the basil, I combined all these ingredients, and began shaping up rounds with about a 3 cm diameter. Meanwhile on the stove in a skillet I heated some olive oil and some red pepper flakes so as to give just a little bit of kick to the dish. Then, I placed the meatballs into the pan, and covered them with a lid for about 2 minutes. Removing the lid, I flipped each portion and, still uncovered, I let them go for another 3-4 minutes.

Then I prepared the "buns". Using a little of yesterday's babaganouj, a halved cherry tomatoe and a slice of avocado, I built my foundation on a piece of lettuce. To this I added one meatball, and a few sliced of grilled mushroom, done in the now empty, but still unwashed, skillet. The final presentation looked quite colorful, and it came to me that this would be a good idea for a pub fare-inspired dinner party or the like!

I topped the lettuce with the meatball and mushrooms, and folded the top of the "bun" down to get the dip right on top. Messy, but oh-so-satisfying! I deemed three to be an acceptable portion for breakfast, and sealed the others in a glass container for future meals!

Hopefully today at the shindig I can keep my paleo ideals strong! I'll just remember I have great food waiting for me back home and that'll keep my hands off all the nono items! Plus, I have that great looking apple, nectarine, peach and strawberry cinnamon confection to look forward to!

Cheers all!

Day Three: Babaganouj Experiments and Party Planning

So at the market the other day, I made extra sure to pick up some serious vegetables. I'm not kidding, at least 3/4 of my haul was made up of this food group. I got carrots, broccoli (stem included so I can chow on that as well), celery, radishes, peppers and cucumbers: The Paleo Staples! Problem is, I'm not really crazy about just eating raw veggies all the time. Then it came to me: being as hummus is usually my go to, but I now have to stay mostly away from the legume family (this will probably last until my next bison hunk defrosts and I am overcome with the need to make chilli... but at least I'll try!) Why not try BABAGANOUJ? Armed with eggplants, tahini and lemon I endeavoured to make a dip that would spruce up my veggie selection!

I found a great recipe for it and with my old as hell blender (thanks Dad!) I started off!
First I had to steam the eggplant, and I assembled my ingredients: lemon, black pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, chives, garlic, tahini and basil:

Tossing it all into the blender, after a few taste tests that established that I needed the whole lemon's juice, I had my spread! This was the finale: Let the vegetable massacre begin!

Broccolli Stems, Radishes, Carrots, Cucmber and Celery!

The rest of the day was preeeeetty boring, and my meals were made up of leftover cabbage rolls, (I was right, they were really good cold!) and a nectarine for dessert! Really starting to get the hang of this Paleo thing!

I did however get started on my contributions for a potluck party that I'm going to tomorrow (read: no one will have anything there that I can eat so I'm going it alone)...
I'm going to bring some of those chorizo sausages so I have something easy to grill up, and I decided to make a paleo dessert (well, almost... I'll make a portion of it for myself that's paleo anyways...)
As a side dish I took 5 yams and 2 apples, along with some cinnamon, ginger and a tiiiiiny bit of vanilla and mixed it all up:

Then I spooned it into a pyrex dish (8" by 10") and topped it with some chives and chopped pecans before throwing it into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes just to brown the top. Hopefully I can use the oven there to reheat it when I get there!

Does look good though... hmmmm, maybe not all of it will come with me?

Paleo Fruit Crisp

As my dessert idea, I'm sticking with the apple theme and doing an apple, nectarine, strawberry and peach crisp with cinnamon. I added some brown sugar for the guests, and a topping to the party-friendly version of butter, rolled oats and brown sugar. I'm going to bake it all at the event (so as to serve it piping hot!) Hope it goes quickly or I'll have to bring it home... and then the temptation may be too great!

Doncha wish everyone ate Paleo so we wouldn't have to limit ourselves at events like this?

Day Two: Smoothies and Cabbage Rolls

Hello Again! Today I decided due to the crappy weather that I would prepare some delicious Paleo meals, with lots of leftovers so I'll be eating healthy in the coming week when I'm running around with work and school!

Super yummy, Super fruits!

Breakfast started with a hunk of that leftover salmon and a mini cucumber (aren't smaller things more fun??) before I headed to the grocery store to stock up on ingredients!
Getting back I made a really great smoothie out of frozen strawberries, bananas and a nectarine to tide me over until my masterpiece was finished:

Mmmm, now I know there was no protein in there, but it was really delicious and full of good vitamins!

Then I started on these Rice-Less Cabbage Rolls, which I have been dying to try out since my friend began going on and on about the deliciousness of this Cruciferae! I combined tomatoes, oregano, paprika, pepper, red onion, cumin, red pepper flakes with an uncased chorizo sausage (gluten free of course!) and ground turkey while the cabbage started to steam and get a little soft:

Once it was all ready I began the rolling process, which was really a lot easier than I thought it would be! Just put the mixture at the base of the leaf and roll it like a tortilla!

Beginning the rolling process

All nestled in and ready for the oven!

Then I placed them in a dish and covered them with a bit more of the tomatoes (President's choice "no salt added" diced variety), & covered them with some foil before popping them in the oven (350) for 60 min

These were just as good if not better (certainly better for you) than the traditional rice ones! And plenty leftover for those tight jams when I'm just gonna need a quick protein fix! (confession: I ate two straight out of the oven!)

Dinner was the rest of the salmon with a few leafy greens and tomatoes on the side with sesame seeds, and balsamic & oil dressing! Plain and simple for while I'm on shift at work!
I have to say though, I am really looking forward to breakfast tomorrow to see how these cabbage rolls tast cold!

Day One: Here We Go Folks... Tuna Salad, Ginger Salmon, and Fresh Fruits

Here goes nothing! This harebrained idea was born out of boredom, as I sat on my couch contemplating how to get back into a decent shape after my 3 week long trip in Europe. Throughout this particular vacation, although prior I had cut out starch, refined sugar, dairy and of course the ever-evil gluten, poor planning and a desire to taste the cuisine of real Spain led me down the path of potatoes, rice, and oily dried meats... mmmmmmm!
Coming back to Montreal, I had already resolved to make it a priority to eat clean again, meaning no refined sugar (or really sugar of any kind, including maple syrup, agave and honey), no dairy products (sadly this encompasses my favorite, goat products...), and no starches, which is also to say no grains, even the gluten-free ones.
Hoooooly is this going to be an adjustment! The ultimate question came to mind: how will I stick to this after 3 weeks of salty chips, sugary travel candy, and delicious oil and rice laden paella? Why, start a blog of course! Who better to keep me accountable than the world wide net.

So here it is, post one!

Breakfast (or rather, lunch... it was after 12) consisted of a lovely can of tuna, mixed with some brown mustard, shallots, and pepper and uppended unceremoniously on a bed of greens, sliced cucumber and yummy cherry tomatoes! The dressing may have been a bit of a cheat, as I added just a little (gluten-free) soy sauce to some more mustard, ginger (dried not fresh... I know) and a titch of olive oil. I know I've got to be careful with the tuna intake, as mercury levels are extremely high, and most likely rising as we poison what little is left of the fish stock in the oceans, but I figured once every few weeks shouldn't push me over the edge! As a consolation prize to not being able to have the leftover pizza my roommate left in the fridge instead of salad, I had a fresh Ontario peach, which was admittedly delicious!

A few hours later as a brief snack I grabbed an apple and sprinkled some cinnamon on the slices for some extra zing!

Dinner took longer to prepare, but was really awesome, and comes from a recipe from The Clothes Make the Girl, a really great blog full of delicious looking healthy ideas that I am certain will pop up here more than a few times. You can find the untweaked version here: Morrocan Grilled Salmon.

My version, being a poor Uni student with no grill, involved broiling the salmon for about 5 minutes each side on a baking sheet in my oven, but it still turned out wicked delicious!
        Taking my huge piece of defrosted salmon out of the fridge, I realized that this was going to be perfect for lunch or dinner tomorrow as well! I seasoned the slab with some olive oil, ginger, cumin, pepper, sea salt (just a tad) and some red pepper flakes, and left it to soak in a little for about 30 minutes. I'm sure you could skip this step, but I was really excited to try the recipe, so I started the dish just a little too early... and then realized I didn't want to eat dinner at 3:30 this afternoon!
         As an accompaniment I chose a variety of colourful vegetables that I had procured from the Atwater Market, a great spot that furnishes locals with produce from around the area, which while not always organic, has the advantage of being outside of the supermarket! I picked shallots, 1/2 an orange pepper, and a yellow zucchini as the companions to my Atlantic salmon fillet:

Sliced and Diced Veggies!

I placed these bad boys right next to my seasoned fillet on a sheet of parchement paper (I despise scraping things off of baking sheets... bleagh), and after sprinkling a little pepper on top, I popped the whole thing into the oven and proceeded to forget all about it for about 5 minutes:

Then I flipped the fillet over, took the now loosened skin off and shoved the vegetables around a little, and let it go for another 4-5 minutes. Then I threw together a few green leaves, some cherry tomatoes, and crumbled pecans, topped with a little balsamic and olive oil as a finisher to my meal, and compiled my plate!

I ended up eating barely half of the fillet, but it will be a great addition to a salad tomorrow for dinner, which I have to eat at work!

I'll probably snack on a few strawberries (from Quebec!) or another peach before I'm done for the night, but all in all a pretty good start to my challenge! Getting lots of those good Omega fatty acids for the brain so I'll be a genius at school this semester!