Summer Ground Beef Stir Fry (paleo, scd)

I've really been into one-dish meals lately, I truly hate kitchen clean-up. This dish smells so good while it's cooking, it will have everyone in your house asking what's for dinner. (The taste stands up to the smell, too.) A stir-fry is a great way to use up that produce you have from your garden or farmer's market. Lots of color and flavor and super easy to make in a hurry.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs lean ground beef (93/7)
4 large peppers (I used New Mexico Big Jim Chili Peppers)
2 small summer squashes (I used a local variety)
1/2 jar sliced kalamata olives (3 oz)
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp Spanish paparika
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
salt, to taste

Directions:

Chop squash into one inch cubes. Slice peppers into half inch strips.
Throw all of the above ingredients into a large frying pan over medium high heat and use spatula to mix around.
Keep over heat until ground beef cooked through, about 12 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer for another three minutes.
Serve hot.

Greek Artichoke Salad (scd, primal, paleo)

A light dish perfect for the hot weather that corresponds with summertime. Would also make a great side to bring to a paleo potluck, if you are so lucky to be a part of one. You can always throw your own- make it a block party!

Ingredients:

1 large seedless English cucumber
1 cup fresh cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 cans artichoke hearts (14oz each)
1 jar roasted red peppers (8oz)
1 jar kalamata olives, sliced (6oz)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp high quality olive oil
salt, to taste
* 1/4 cup cheese optional: Feta for Primal, Parmesan for SCD, or omit for strict Paleo.

Directions:

Dice cucumber into bite size pieces and halve or quarter cherry tomatoes.
Drain the jars and/or cans of artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and olives.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Eat right away or let marinade for at least 6 hours before serving for more intense flavors.

Flounder Stuffed Peppers

This is a super simple dish that, served cold, is rather refreshing on a hot summer day. Low in calories and carbs, high in protein.

6-8 mini bell peppers
1 cup freshly cooked flounder filets, cooled
2 Tbsp mashed avocado (or guacamole)
1/8 cup chopped banana peppers
10 green olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbsp prepared mustard

1. If you haven't already cooked the fish, saute the filets in coconut oil until flaky and cooked through, set aside and let cool.

2. Cut the mini bell peppers in half and discard the seeds and membranes. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, use a fork to break up the fish into shredded meat.

4. Add avocado, banana peppers, olives, and mustard.

5. Mix well.

6. Stuff peppers with flounder salad. Enjoy!

Cabbage Noodles and Meat Sauce (scd, paleo)

At some point in your Paleo life you give up the dream that any vegetable will ever come close to actually substituting the taste of wheat-based pasta. Yes, the noodle texture is duplicated in zoodles and such, but to be quite honest, there is just no Paleo food that will every compete in the same game as pasta. At the same time, however, you may begin to realize that your relationship with food is not what you once idealized. Realizing that sometimes we crave- not flavors and textures, but ideas of food. For instance, having a pasta-type base of stringy food that fills up the majority of a plate topped with a red sauce infused with herbs, spices, and bits of tender meat will trick your brain more than first presumed. Perhaps these cabbage noodles on their own will not inspire any dishes in Italy any time soon, but they may bring some comfort back into your Paleo food palate. That being said, this dish is truly delicious in its own faux-noodle kind of way.

Ingredients:

1 medium head green cabbage
1 lb 92/8 (lean/fat) ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
salt, to taste

Directions:

Cut cabbage into quarters after removing outer leaves. Cut out core. Slice lengthwise into thin strips. Place cabbage into large pot and cover with water. Add vinegar to water in pot. Boil on high for about ten minutes, or until cabbage is tender-crisp but not mushy. Strain off water when appropriate consistency is reached.

Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in large frying pan or wok. Add diced onion and cook until translucent. Add turkey and spices and cook until no longer pink. Add drained tomatoes and simmer for about ten minutes.

Top cabbage "noodles" with turkey sauce. Add salt to taste. Enjoy.

Paleo Baked Stuffed Bananas (scd, paleo)

Evolved monkey food. It's delicious.


Ingredients:

3 medium bananas
a few Tablespoons almond butter
a few raisins
scant palm-full unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions:

Using a sharp knife make a cut lengthwise down the center of each banana. Cut through almost all of the banana without puncturing the bottom side of the peel.
Stuff some almond butter into the crevice created by said cut.
Push a few raisins down into the center of the banana as well. (if there are any left on the top they are likely to burn)
Sprinkle with a few coconut flakes.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the coconut flakes are golden brown and the insides of the banana are mushy.

Enjoy.

Paleo Turkey Stir Fry (paleo, scd)

One of the advantages of living in a country full of lazy people is that some things are far easier for those of us who normally do not take shortcuts. For example, the steamed vegetables in a bag are becoming ever more popular but the idea of steaming vegetables in a plastic bag is very not-Paleo. However, just because food is packaged and marketed a specific way does not mean that it has to be used as the manufacture intended. I'm sure you've seen pre-packaged items in the store like vegetable stir fry mix. Read the ingredients to make sure there aren't any unnecessary additives, just plain, unadulterated veggies that happen to be pre-cut. Is everything I buy always organic? No. Do I wish it was? Yes. But we can't have everything in life. If you are looking for a quick and easy Paleo meal try this timesaver.

 

Ingredients:

1 package of stir fry veggie mix (12 ounces broccoli, cabbage, carrots, snow peas)

1 pound 99% lean ground turkey

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp pepper

salt, to taste

Directions: 

Heat coconut oil in large frying pan over medium high heat.

Add ground turkey. 

Break into pieces with a spatula, stirring occasionally.

When turkey is about half way cooked through, add stir fry vegetables and spices.

Cover and reduce heat to medium.

Stir occasionally and continue to cook for about ten to fifteen minutes, until veggies are tender-crisp and turkey is cooked thoroughly.

Enjoy.

Apple Pie Smoothie (scd, primal)

The great thing about having my Vitamix is that it's so powerful it not only pulverizes ice, it also creates incredibly smooth drinks even when cores, seeds, and skins are left on fruits. Apple seeds contain cyanide but I blend them into the smoothie anyways. I have heard that they actually have anti-cancer properties. While eating a bowlful of them is probably not encouraged, I think in small doses there's nothing wrong with ingesting them. Seems Paleo to me.

Ingredients:

1 apple, quartered
1/2 cup plain yogurt (for strict Paleo use coconut milk yogurt)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or apple pie spice)
1/4 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp honey
1 cup ice

Directions:

In above order, put ingredients in high speed blender, like Vitamix.
Blend on high for about two minutes, or until completely smooth.
Enjoy!


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Banana Poppy Seed Cookies (scd, paleo)

No added sweeteners! Yay!
These cookies use only the sugar from bananas to make them just sweet enough to not feel guilty about eating. They kind of taste like delicious banana bread with a twist. Word to the wiser: don't try to take a drug test after eating poppy seeds. You will fail.

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas
3 eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 Tbsp softened coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp poppy seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans

Directions:

Mash the bananas very well and add the eggs, stir until well combined.
Add coconut flour and stir again until well combined.
Add coconut oil, salt, poppy seeds, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.
On a greased baking sheet or stone form into cookies about two inches in diameter and one centimeter in height. Pat them down to form an even cookie. (coconut flour does not allow the cookie to spread out from a ball shape to a flat cookie like wheat flour does.)
Place walnuts on top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.
Remove from baking sheet and let cool.
Enjoy!

Garlic Seasoned Green Beans

There is no shame in using frozen vegetables instead of fresh. In fact, frozen produce often contains higher quantities of naturally occuring vitamins and other good stuff because it gets frozen at the peak of ripeness, just after being picked versus the "fresh" produce that is offered in most grocery markets that is sometimes picked prematurely and left to ripen on a shelf. Unfortunately, for a creative kitchen, frozen vegetables cannot perform in the same way their never-been-cold counterparts can. This does not mean there is no way to spice them up, however. Here is a super simple recipe that contains basic spices for maximum flavor impact using frozen vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 1lb bag frozen green beans
1 Tbsp grass-fed butter (or coconut oil)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
salt, to taste

Directions:

Boil green beans until cooked, but not mushy.
Drain water and add butter and spices.
Mix well and serve.

Snickers Yogurt

The fact that this recipe qualifies neither as SCD or Paleo is irrelevant. I hope that at some point in your own journey to health you come to realize that recipes can be adapted, quite easily. For instance, to make this SCD-legal just omit the cacao powder (maybe add extra cinnamon if so), or to make this Paleo use coconut milk yogurt and replace peanuts with almonds. I hope this satisfies your sweet tooth enough to stay away from an actual candy bar.

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp cacao powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 cup peanuts

Directions:

Mix everything together.
Eat.

Apple Coffee Cake Muffins (paleo, scd)

First of all, sorry that I am terrible at keeping up with posting on this blog on a regular basis. I feel like I have to apologize for being remiss more often than I actually post as frequently as I should. In any case, I know this recipe will make up for it. Oh and there's a handwritten note on your dresser from me. Yeah, that should cover the bases.

Know what goes with coffee? Coffee cake. If you guessed that, you are really smart. Pat on the back for you. Now make these.


Ingredients:

Muffins:
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup almond flour
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut milk (or water)
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 cup diced apples

Icing:
1/4 cup coconut cream concentrate
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 Tbsp honey

Directions:

Combine flours, eggs, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and coconut milk (or water), honey, and oil together in a medium bowl. Mix well.
Fold in the diced apples.
Lightly oil the insides of a muffin tin.
Spoon batter into muffin tin, it should make 9 muffins.
For the icing- if needed, soften the coconut cream concentrate and coconut oil in the microwave for ten seconds. Add honey and mix well. Set half of this icing aside.
Using the other half, spoon a small dollop of icing on top of each muffin.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, until tops turn light gold and insides of muffins are cooked through.
Let cool and remove from pan.
Use remaining icing to top.
Eat.

Sweet Squash Stacks (scd, paleo)

Easy recipe win. Squash and coconut combine for a surprisingly nice flavor. What I have found to be true is that some squashes are sweeter than others. The butternut squash I used in this recipe was naturally very sweet and therefore I felt it completely unnecessary to add any extra sweeteners to these snacks. If you, by chance, get more of a bland tasting squash then I would suggest adding perhaps 1/4 cup of honey to the batter before baking for a sweeter taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked squash (pureed)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp vanilla 
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins
pinch of salt


Directions:

Combine all of above in a medium mixing bowl.
Place in one inch piles on baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Let cool.
Enjoy!

Paleo Butternut Squash Pie (scd, paleo)

To be quite honest I am not the number one fan of pumpkin. In fact, I am a far cry from the title. I mean, it's alright, I guess, but it doesn't have much flavor in my humble opinion and is far from being sweet. Hence, the figurative birth of this butternut squash pie. It's a nice alternative to it's more popular pumpkin cousin and I'm willing to be some pretty awesome stuff on the fact that you're going to love this version just as much, if not more than, traditional pumpkin pie. Added bonus: you don't really even need to add any sweeteners to this, just squash, spices, and a little egg. So all those Paleo-treat-haters can shush. Take this pie and eat it too.

Perfect Crust
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
pinch of salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl mix well together all of the above ingredients. Using your hands pat down into a pie pan, pushing the crust up the sides.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until edges turn golden brown.
Let cool.


Pie Filling
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cooked butternut squash
2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1 egg
pinch of salt
drizzle of honey (optional)

Directions:
Blend or process the squash until smooth and there are no more strings in it.
Add spices and stir in the coconut flour very well. 
Add egg and salt.
Mix well.
Pour mixture into pre-baked crust.
Optional to drizzle a tablespoon or so of honey over the top of the pie.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until pie is set and edges of crust are a nice tanned color.
Eat hot or cold.


You're welcome.

Bacon 'n' Beans (scd, paleo)

Taken that absolutely no one who has ever tasted bacon disliked it, I'd say it's pretty much one of the best foods ever. That being said, who wouldn't also love vegetables cooked in bacon grease? Paleo side dishes are often requested and this is one that is super easy, as it only takes one pan and can be done in the oven with little prep time.

Needed:

1 lb package bacon
1 lb package of frozen green beans

cookie sheet (with raised edges)
cookie cooling rack (that will fit inside edges of sheet)

Directions:

Spread the frozen green beans out on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Place the cooling rack on top of the cookie sheet lined with green beans. Lay single pieces of bacon across the cooling rack, fitting as many as possible on the sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your bacon. Let cool when done and serve. You can cut the bacon into pieces and mix with the green beans, if desired, but I prefer my food to stay separate. Salt and pepper to taste.