Category Archives: Paleo

Papaya Avocado Smoothie

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Here’s my latest smoothie crave. Papaya, avocado, coconut milk, and lime! It was rich, creamy and delicious. The only thing that wasn’t great was the color. As you might know from painting, that’s what you get when you mix red (papaya) with green (avocado)! But who cares right?

Happy Thursday! 🙂


Ingredients

  • 1/2 papaya
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup (or more) water
  • 1 tsp (or more) honey (optional)

Directions

  • Combine ingredients
  • Using a blender or inversion blender mix ingredients adding more water as needed
  • Enjoy!

dit-elle-Esther

Blackfish Cafe Coleslaw‏

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This coleslaw is not only colorful and beautiful, it is delicious! The fresh ginger, minced fresh garlic and sesame oil make this dressing totally yummy. Add some roasted chicken and mandarin oranges and call it a meal! 🙂

black fish cafe coleslaw blog

Salad:

  • 6 c. Napa cabbage (about one head, thinly sliced). (Used regular cabbage as could not find napa cabbage in season when I made this.)
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 1 c. radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 c. green onions, thinly sliced
  • 4-6 ounces sugar snap pea pods (slice diagonally)  (I substituted green pepper.)
  • 1 c. cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted (single layer at 350 degrees for 5-7 mins; good idea to stir; watch closely, they burn fast)
  • Optional: roast chicken for protein and satsuma or mandarin oranges
Dressing:
  • 3 T sugar (I used 1/2 that)
  • 3 T white wine vinegar
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1/2 t. grated fresh ginger
  • 1 clove garlic minced (I used more to taste; maybe triple)
  • 1/4 t. sesame oil
  • dash cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 c. mayonnaise (or substitute 1/2 c. yogurt)
 Directions
  • Prepare salad
  • Mix salad ingredients
  • Toss and serve and enjoy! 🙂
Serves 6
dit-elle-Esther

Sweet Potato Hash with Spinach and Eggs

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Good morning! Sweet potatoes, sausage, egg and greens tossed in a skillet makes an excellent breakfast. There are a few steps, so this is a great weekend breakfast to make during that first cup or two of coffee. 😉 Paleo, gluten free, and wonderful served with fresh fruit or berries!

yam spinach egg hash blog (3) yam spinach egg hash blog (2) yam spinach egg hash blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons high-heat oil, divided
  • 1 pound fresh sausage (optional)
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds garnet or jewel yams, or sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 bunch spinach or kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped
  • Salt, black pepper, and/or red chili flakes to taste
  • 4 eggs

Directions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage (if using); crumble and cook until no longer pink. Add onion, garlic and cook until onion is soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove mixture from pan.
  • Heat remaining oil in skillet and add yams. Cook until golden and tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Return sausage mixture to the skillet. Stir in spinach or kale and toss with potatoes and meat. Now, using a spoon, make 4 shallow indentations in the hash and crack 1 egg into each indentation. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until whites are set, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
  • Enjoy!

Thanks PCC Natural Markets for the inspiration (modified and shortened recipe from the original and it was still great)!

dit-elle-Esther

Winter Greens Casserole Made Easy

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I LOVE winter greens and if you’re wondering what winter greens are think chard (rainbow or swiss) or kale or those types of leafy greens. So I read this recipe that took sausage, onions, winter greens and sautéed it all.. and then you put it in a casserole dish and poured cream all over it and topped it with cheese. While that was super delicious, but WAY too rich and a few steps too many, I simplified the recipe with the option (of course! :)) of adding cream and cheese or not!

winter greens and sausage blog (2) winter greens and sausage blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for dish
  • 2 shallots, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage (or pre-cooked sausages like roasted red pepper turkey, feta and spinach, etc.. there’s a great selection out there and if you get something pre-cooked you are also saving some cooking time)
  • 3 pounds braising greens (kale, mustard, chard, collard, etc.), tough stems removed and leaves, cut into small pieces
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
  • Red chili flakes (optional)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Additional optional steps for Baked Casserole version

  • 1/2 cup chicken stock (optional, see below)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (optional, see below)
  • 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (I used Parmesan)

Preparation

  • In a skillet, melt butter and add shallots and garlic and cook for a few minutes until fragrant but not starting to brown
  • Stir in sausage and cook, breaking into small pieces, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain off fat, if desired.
  • Add braising greens, in batches, stirring until cooked down. When all greens have been added, cook and stir for 5 minutes; season with nutmeg, salt and pepper and red chili flakes.
  • This is where I stop and serve with freshly grated Parmesan! Voila! Finished!
  • But if you want to get fancy, add chicken stock and cook 5 additional minutes. Transfer greens to the prepared dish. Drizzle with cream and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cream is bubbling and cheese is golden, 20 to 30 minutes.

 

Thanks PCC Natural Markets for this one!

dit-elle-Esther

 

Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Sliders

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So I’ve made various pulled pork crock pot recipes in the past, and while those are more of the BBQ saucy style, I wanted something to use to make sliders.. with coleslaw and fresh rolls! This is a GREAT recipe just for that! Make your coleslaw the night before, set the pulled pork ingredients in the crockpot in the morning and let it do all the work! Easy dinner! And excellent for leftovers.

pork shoulder slider blog

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
  • 3 to 3 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut in half

Instructions

  • In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the first six ingredients (all of the spices) with a fork.
  • Pour in the honey, vinegar, and olive oil and stir to form a paste.
  • Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top it with the 2 pieces of pork and then pour the honey paste over all sides of the pork pieces. It’s okay if some of it (or a lot of it) just drips down to the bottom.
  • Turn the slow cooker on to low and cook for 7 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender enough to be easily shredded with a fork.
  • Serve warm with coleslaw and rolls.
  • Ps. Minus the rolls, this is a great paleo dish! 🙂 Serve with some optional avocado on the side (because avocado goes with almost everything!).

Thank you 100 Days of Real Food!

dit-elle-Esther

Chicken Sausage, Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins | Paleo, Whole30

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I’ve seen so many variations of eggs in a muffin tin.  The possibilities are almost endless!  I saw a version of this recipe posted on the @Whole30Recipes page on Instagram by @dollyessfit, although I couldn’t find it on her website, Unapologetically Living, but there are a lot of other yummy recipes there.

I changed it a little, but basically stuck to what she did, and these were amazing!  And better yet.  I had breakfast every day for a week, and Maya asked for them for lunch too!

She also helped with almost every step.  She’s totally getting into cooking with me and wanting to help with everything!  Yes, it takes a little longer, and some ingredients are lost along the way, but it’s so worth it for her to know that she helped make what we are eating!  Especially when it’s healthy!  I mean, what kid doesn’t want to make cookies?  I love that she was excited to make these with me, and more importantly that she wanted to eat them!  Although, that last part isn’t a real shock.  She eats just about anything. 🙂Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-1 Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-2 Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-3What you need… (12 Muffins)

  • 6 Large Eggs
  • 2 cups spaghetti squash, cooked with water squeezed out.
  • 4 precooked chicken sausages, chopped into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup spinach, kale (or any leafy green) chopped
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or fat of choice)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do…

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Squeeze out all the moisture from the spaghetti squash with a paper towel and evenly distribute into greased muffin tins (overly grease!!  I had to do a lot of scrubbing to get all the egg off after, because I only lightly greased).  I had Maya push a paper towel into them to get even more moisture out.  She thought it was fun, and it helped pack them in there!
  • Bake for 10 minutes til the spaghetti squash gets slightly browned at the edges.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-4
  • While that is baking…In a large frying pan, heat up your oil (or fat of choice), and cook diced onions until soft.  I let Maya stir these up.  🙂Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-5
  • While these are cooking you can dice up your chicken sausage.  Once the onions are soft, add in the chicken sausage for a few minutes to warm them up and release the juices.
  • After the spaghetti squash has cooked, reduce  your heat to 350.
  • Evenly distribute the onion/chicken sausage on top of the spaghetti squash in the muffin tins.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-6
  • Whisk 6 eggs in with diced greens.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-7
  • Pour that evenly over muffin tins til the mixture reaches the top.  They don’t rise that much.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-8
  • Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the eggs are all the way cooked through.Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-9
  • Store in an air tight container, and eat through out the week!

Keeping it Real…

The number one hardest part of cooking and baking with a toddler?  Or at least MY TODDLER, is stopping them from licking the spoon and eating along the way.  But…whatever.  Oh, and we made these at 5:00 at night, so there was NO natural light, which bums me out, but such is life.

Blog Paleo Whole30 Egg Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Squash Egg Muffins-10The second hilarious thing that happened (which I’m only admitting at the very end of this post, knowing most people won’t get this far hahaha.)  I accidentally turned the oven off when I thought I was turning it down to 350.  So…I put the muffins in, checked them at 20 minutes and thought.  WHY don’t they look more cooked??  Did I not get enough moisture out of the squash??  SO…10 more minutes.  STILL not looking done.  5 more minutes.  Then I started getting confused on how long they’d been in there and wondered how I would tell people how long they should cook!  SO, I checked them again, and realized…my hand wasn’t hot when I stuck it in to shake the pan.  Um….hmmm, yeah, turning the oven on.  Important step!!!!  I was actually making these for dinner and had to scrap it and make something else while they cooked for their appropriate 20 minutes.  GRRRR.

ENJOY!! 🙂dit-elle-Lauren

Classic Creamy Coleslaw

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If I need to make a “fail proof” recipe or am in a hurry and need something you just know is going to be good.. I turn to Martha Stewart. Her recipes are thoroughly perfected, if sometimes a little elaborate. I guess that is my only hesitation with some of her stuff.. perfect yes, but sometimes a real commitment in the kitchen. (Usually worth the effort though.) This coleslaw is delicious AND quick! I added the option of green pepper, green onions and parsley!

This is a fantastic side to pulled pork which I will publish a recipe for later this week!

creamy coleslaw blog (2) creamy coleslaw blog (1)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 small green cabbage, (about 1 3/4 pounds), finely shredded
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks or coarsely grated
  • 1 small onion, coarsely grated (optional)
  • 1 green pepper, shredded or finely diced (optional)
  • Small bunch of green onions, sliced, for garnish (optional)
  • Parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Whisk together mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a small bowl. Refrigerate dressing, covered, until ready to use, or up to 2 days.

  2. Put cabbage, carrots, and onion (if desired) in a large bowl. Pour in dressing, and toss thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, until slaw begins to soften, 1 to 2 hours. If not using immediately, refrigerate, covered, up to 2 days. Just before serving, toss coleslaw again.

Thank you Martha Stewart!

dit-elle-Esther

Pomegranate

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Pomegranates.. what a sweet and juicy and beautiful fruit. Each seed is like a small sparkling ruby. Pomegranates are supposed to be a super food (remember the pomegranate juice craze?), but we think they are just delicious as is and love adding them to all sorts of recipes when the fruit is available.. usually winter season. I add the seeds to drinks (see my New Years Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail here), salads, yogurt, as garnish to oatmeal or cereal for the kids, in fruit salad, or just.. plain!

When I was in Barcelona a few months ago, a restaurant I visited one day served pomegranate seeds in a small oval bowl for dessert. I also learned from a friend that in Persia they sprinkle a little salt on the seeds before eating.. sound a little odd? Try it! Delicious!

pomagranate blog (2) pomagranate blog (1)

dit-elle-Esther

4 Ingredient Healthy Banana Maple Sunbutter Mini Muffins!

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Every once in a while, I stumble upon a food blogger than not only makes me want to make every single recipe they post, but also…makes me die laughing!

One of those would be Arman, from The Big Man’s World.

I finally dove in on his Healthy 4 Ingredient Chunky Banana Bread, but subbed out the almond butter for Sun Butter (I have a bit of a nut intolerance and with most schools being nut free now, it’s all we eat + YUM!)

I made them into mini muffins instead of a loaf, because…portion control 😉  He is totally right.  The texture is gooey deliciousness!!  I mean, is there ever an adjective that makes you want to dive into a dessert other than “gooey”???!!  No. 🙂Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-1 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-2 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-3What you need… (made 19 mini muffins)

  • 3 cups overripe banana, mashed roughly
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
  • 1/2 cup smooth Sun Butter (can sub for any nut butter, if you’d like)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

What to do…

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease mini muffin tins
  • In a large mixing bowl mash bananas til they are smooth with a few chunks.
  • Add in sifted coconut flour, sun butter, and maple syrup.  If spills occur, guess on how much more to add 😉  Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-6 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-7 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-8
  • Lick the measuring cup…oh, wait 🙂  BUT…the great thing about only 4 ingredients (with no eggs!) is that you totally CAN lick the spoon and measuring cup worry free!  Although, let’s be real.  In my day, I made cookie dough with eggs and ate so much dough while making them, that I didn’t even want the cookies. 😉 I turned out just fine, but…whatever.  Play it safe, no?Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-4 Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-5
  • Spoon out about 1/4 cup into each mini tin.  Or, if you want to make regular muffins, until they look like this.  They don’t rise much.Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-9
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to sit until completely cool. Blog 4 Ingredient Paleo Banana Maple SunButter Mini Muffins-10Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren

 

Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin with Apples + Onions | Paleo + Whole30

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Every time I make a meal in my crock pot, I think…

“WHY don’t I do this more often!??”  As in…ever single day?! HA!

Alas, I get brain dead with the day to day, and fail to think ahead.  That is pretty much the only prep time with a crock pot meal.  Thinking of it ahead of time.  Once you do.  You toss everything in to the pot in the morning/early afternoon.  Your entire house smells amazing ALL DAY LONG, and then when it’s dinner time-it’s DONE!  Seriously, what’s better than that??

NOT MUCH. 😉

BUT…can we all agree that crock pot meat does NOT look appealing?  Everything you cook ends up looking about the same color, BUT all that really matters is that it tastes delicious!  I may have thrown a few greens on top to break up the monotony haha 🙂  I snapped these pictures about 5 minutes before we ate dinner, as always (with a flash *UGH*)…yet wished I could have made the meal look a liiiiiiiittle more appetizing.  Styling dreams that may never come true.

Added bonus?  The meat easily shreds, so no slicing on a cutting board necessary, aka child friendly and one less thing to clean!! Blog Paleo Whole30 Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin Apples Onions-1 Blog Paleo Whole30 Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin Apples Onions-2 Blog Paleo Whole30 Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Loin Apples Onions-3What You Need…

  • Pork Loin (depends on how many people you want to feed) I used one pack from Costco, which is equivalent to 2 small ones from other grocery stores.
  • 1 Can of Chicken Stock (have it cover about half the pork loin)
  • 1  teaspoon Rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 small apples or one large apple  (I used Gala, but any strong flavor type would be good)
  • 2 small onions or one large onion
  • 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste

What to do…

  • Chop the onion and apple into approximately 1 inch slices.
  • Layer everything into your Crock Pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or or low for 7-8 hours.
  • THAT’S IT! 🙂

Serve with any kind of side or all by itself!

Enjoy!dit-elle-Lauren