Category Archives: Food

Indian-Spiced Cocktail Nuts

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With hints of cinnamon, coriander, cumin and the heat of cayenne, these nuts fill your house with a savory warm aroma while baking and make a delicious snack (with or without cocktails). Garam masala is a fragrant Indian spice blend, often found in bulk.Blog indiannuts

Ingredients

  • 2 cups lightly salted mixed nuts
  • 1 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 325
  • Combine all ingredients and toss to coat
  • Spread in a single layer on a parchment paper lined pan
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring once or twice during cooking
  • Store tightly covered, up to one week

dit-elle-Esther

Coconut-Sugar Butter Cookies

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Super yummy, crispy & light butter cookies made with coconut palm sugar and almond flour! Let the holiday season begin! Oh wait..  Blog buttercookies1

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I used half and half rice flour and almond flour)
  • extra almond flour or unsweetened coconut flakes for rolling cookies in
  • 1 c coconut palm sugar
  • 1/2 cup potato starch (or tapioca flour)
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 2 sticks of cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp milk
  • 1tsp vanilla

Directions

  • In your food processor, combine all dry ingredients and pulse until well blended
  • Add pieces of butter and pulse until dough becomes crumbly
  • Add egg, milk and vanilla and pulse until dough starts to resemble.. well, dough!
  • Refrigerate for 2 hours
  • When ready to bake, set oven at 350*
  • Shape dough into small balls (about the size of large marbles) rolling some in almond meal if desired
  • Bake for ~12 minutes or until they are golden brown
  • Serve warm or freeze (yummy as a crispy cold snack too!)

Blog buttercookies2

dit-elle-Esther

Salmon, potato and spinach soup

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I’ve been making a lot of soups recently – especially since we are having this unusual cold spell with temps in the teens at night and barely above 32 in the day! Brrr…! Hot soup to the rescue – easy, yummy and quick!

Blog salmonspinachsoup

 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 leek (white and pale-green parts only) — halved, rinsed and thinly sliced (or 1 onion, chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4-8 small red or gold potatoes, scrubbed and halved (some paleo purists don’t eat white potatoes, so cauliflower would be a great substitute)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet — skinned, boned and cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half (or coconut milk for paleo)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill  (I used 1 tsp dry)
  • 5 ounces baby spinach

Directions

  • Melt butter in a heavy sauce pot over medium heat.
  • Add leek and garlic, stirring occasionally, until leek is soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in potatoes and cauliflower; season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour in stock and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are fork tender, 7 to 9 minutes.
  • Add salmon and simmer until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Stir in half-and-half, dill and spinach and briefly cook until spinach wilts and soup is heated through.

You can make this paleo by substituting coconut milk for the dairy.

dit-elle-Esther

Chicken with Sauteed Spinach and Gingery Peanut Sauce

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This is another crowd pleaser at my house.  Even though I sneak spinach in there!  Hey, what’s not good smothered in a peanut sauce??

I originally got the recipe from Real Simple’s “10 things to do with rotisserie chicken”  It’s the last one “Gingery Peanut Noodles with Chicken”, but made a few changes.  One of which is that I don’t use a rotisserie chicken.  I’m not a big fan of the dark meat, so I only use the breasts.  To each his own though!Blog Chicken With Sauteed Spinach and Peanut Sauce-1Ingredients

    • 1/2 cup peanut butter
    • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (I cheat and use this)
    • Box of Pasta or use Quinoa or…nothing at all.  It’s great on it’s own!  This time I used quinoa.
    • 4-6 Chicken Breasts.  Depends on how many people you have and how soupy you want it.  I use 6 and either cube it and then cook or have the Huz grill them on the BBQ and then cube after (this is obviously my preferred choice :))
    • 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
    • Salt and Pepper to taste
    • 5-6 cups of spinach.

2 green onions sliced (optional)

Directions

  • Either cube the chicken breasts and cook in a large pan with a little olive oil, salt, and peopper or toss the breasts in olive oil, salt, and pepper and BBQ it and then cube.
  • Start to cook the pasta/quinioa/whatever you want to use/not use.
  • While all of that is cooking…
  • In a blender, combine 1 cup water with the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger. Blend until smooth.
  • Add the peanut mixture to the cooked chicken, and toss in the spinach.  Serve over the pasta, quinoa, rice or serve alone!  Garnish with the green onions.  DELICIOUS!  I add Siracha on mine too~mmmmm.Blog Chicken With Sauteed Spinach and Peanut Sauce-2dit-elle-Lauren

Paleo Spaghetti.. before the Italians even invented Spaghetti!

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I was inspired by Elana’s Pantry’s post on how to EASILY make Spaghetti Squash. It IS super easy, super fun, and makes super awesome paleo noodles! 🙂 Yes it takes a while to bake, but plan ahead, throw this squash in the oven while you are doing other things and the actual preparation part (scraping out the flesh into noodles takes <1 minute)! Serve with a hearty Bolognese meat sauce, like this Paleo Sloppy Joe’s sauce, or simply as a dessert with some butter (or coconut butter) and cinnamon! 🙂

Blog spaghettisquash2 Blog spaghettisquash1 blog spaghettisquash_cinnamon3 Blog spaghettisquash_cinnamon2 Blog spaghettisquash_cinnamon1

Ingredients

  • One large spaghetti squash (~3 lbs)

Directions

  1. Place whole (uncut) spaghetti squash on a parchment paper lined baking sheet
  2. Bake at 350° for 60-80 minutes
  3. Allow to cool
  4. Cut squash open (long side) with a knife
  5. Scoop out seeds
  6. Scrape the flesh out of the squash into stringy noodles
  7. Voila!

dit-elle-Esther

Carmelized Onion Tart

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This is a delicious onion tart. Not quite paleo with the dairy, but great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Blog oniontart1 Blog oniontart2

Ingredients

  • 3 onions
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, half’n’half, milk or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup Swiss or cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

  • Melt butter in large frying pan
  • Thinly slice onions by running them through the food processor on the slicer blade (takes <60 seconds)
  • Saute onions in butter for 30 mins on medium heat, stirring once in a while, until onions are translucent, soft, and started to brown and caramelize
  • If they have not started to brown, turn up heat and caramelize them a bit, stirring so as not to let them burn
  • While onions are cooking, whisk eggs and milk or yogurt
  • Cover glass pie pan with cooking spray, add onions, cheese, and pour egg/milk mixture evenly over it
  • Bake for 30 minutes on 350* or until golden brown around edges, bubbly and hot
  • Serve warm, great paired with soup and salad!

dit-elle-Esther

Spicy Pork and Sweet Potato Stew

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This is a wonderful hearty fall stew. Serve with a crisp apple cider!Blog spicyporkstew

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp high-heat oil like coconut
  • 1-2 lbs boneless pork shoulder or pork loin, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsps. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, plus 2 Tbsps adobo sauce (look for gluten free as some adobo sauces have wheat as an ingredient)
  • salt/pepper, to taste
  • 1 (12 oz) bottle beer
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 2 large sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
  • Top with fresh cilantro and sour cream

Directions

  • Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat
  • Brown the pork and transfer to a bowl and set aside
  • Reduce the heat and add onion and cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes
  • Add the garlic
  • Add reserved pork, cumin, coriander, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, salt and pepper, stir to combine
  • Pour in beer and chicken stock and bring to a boil
  • Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for an hour, stirring occasionally
  • After 1 hour, add sweet potatoes and simmer until pork is tender and potatoes are cooked through, ~30 minutes or so
  • Serve with cilantro and sour cream (or omit sour cream and add avocado as a paleo option)

dit-elle-Esther

Spiced Honey Almonds

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A great snack for the holidays – or anytime really! 🙂Blog honeyalmonds

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 Tbsp butter
  • 3/4 tsp garam masala (find in bulk section)
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup raw almonds

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 325* and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Melt honey, butter, garam masala, sesame seeds and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat
  • Add almonds and stir to coat
  • Spread mixture on the baking sheet in a single layer
  • Bake for 10 mins, cool and serve or store in an airtight container for ~4 days

These store well in an air tight container for up to 4 days.

dit-elle-Esther

Pumpkin Bread Bars

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Perfect fall treats! Serve warm or cold, eat them as dessert or breakfast or a snack on the go. Inspired by Elana’s Pantry, these are delicious pumpkin ‘bread bars’! I call these pumpkin bread bars, because they are a sort of cross between bread and bars. I used raisins, but you could use chocolate chips (and or chopped nuts) as an other yummy variation! 🙂Blog pumpkinpaleobread3 blog pumpkinpaleobread2 Blog pumpkinpaleobread1

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup coconut flour (1/3 cup is NOT a typo 🙂 – coconut flour is very different than wheat)
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup fresh roasted pumpkin or winter squash (I used acorn squash – excellent)
  • ⅓ cup honey or agave syrup
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup raisins or chocolate chunks

Directions

  1. In a food processor, combine dry ingredients
  2. Pulse in eggs, pumpkin, honey and oil until well combined
  3. Stir in raisins or chocolate chips by hand
  4. Transfer batter to an 8 x 8 inch baking dish or a pie dish
  5. Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes
  6. Cool and serve

dit-elle-Esther

Chipotle Butternut Squash Stew

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I clipped this original recipe out of Fitness Magazine back in 2011, and I love it!  I’ve made some alterations to it, but feel free to check out the pure vegetarian version here.  It makes a HUGE amount!  You could freeze some, but I think the leftovers are almost better the 2nd day!blog Chipotle Butternut Squash Chili-2Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons  Olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped (I cheat and use 1 tsp out of the jar :))
  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons  chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons  ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon  unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon  cinnamon
  • 1 26 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, diced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (if you have small kids that are eating this, I suggest putting this as an add on for adults.  It’s DELICIOUS, but spicy!)
  • 2 cups  low-sodium chicken stock (use vegetable if keeping it vegetarian)
  • 4 cups  chopped kale
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15 ounce can canellini beans, rinsed and drained (I have also used kidney beans)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Meat source (not needed, but I have hungry boys that really aren’t vegetable fans :)).  I’ve used chicken sausage, ground turkey (seasoned with salt/pepper/garlic), or really any kind of meat you want 🙂

Directions

1. In a medium stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add the sweet potato and squash; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder and cinnamon; cook 1 minute.

2. Add the tomatoes, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, and vegetable/chicken stock. Partially cover and simmer 20 minutes.  Mix in the kale and stir until wilted. Add the beans and meat; stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste; serve.  Can serve with crusty bread, crackers, or eat as is!dit-elle-Lauren