Tag Archives: protein

Kale Salad with Chicken and Avocado

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This is a wonderful paleo salad with Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing – add chicken and avocado – and call it dinner!

Blog kale chicken avocado salad-2 Blog kale chicken avocado salad-1

Ingredients

  • large bunch of kale deveined and chopped finely
  • 1/2c dried black current, raisins or cranberries
  • 1/2c. toasted sunflower seeds
  • 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
  • 2-3 cups of chopped cooked chicken or turkey
  • One batch Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing

Thanks for the inspiration: http://cavemanstrong.com/2014/08/paleo-kale-salad/

dit-elle-Esther

Crème Brulee

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Crème Brulee! This is one of my all time favorite desserts. Chilled creamy custard is topped by a hard crunchy sugar crust. Serve with some fresh berries and garnish with mint. Yes – there are a lot of steps, but it’s SO worth it. I’ve made this three times now, and this recipe has not failed me yet!

Blog creme brulee (1)

Blog creme brulee (4)

Ingredients

  • 4 cups chilled heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped out
  • 12 large egg yolks
  • 8-12 tsps turbinado or demerara sugar (these are coarser sugars, but you can certainly use regular granulated sugar)

Directions

  • Set oven to 300 degrees and set a pot of water to boil over high heat.
  • Combine 2 cups of the cream, sugar and salt in saucepan
  • Add vanilla seeds including the pod and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to ensure sugar dissolves
  • Remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes to infuse flavors
  • Place kitchen towel in bottom of large baking dish or roasting pan and arrange eight 4 or 5 oz ramekins on towel.
  • After vanilla has steeped, stir in remaining 2 cups cream to cool mixture.
  • Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk in about 1 cup of the cream mixture, repeat with cups of the cream mixture until all evenly combined
  • Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or clean bowl (discard solids from strainer)
  • Pour or ladle mixture into ramekins
  • Now pour the boiling water into the dish holding the ramekins – taking care not to splash water into the ramekins and cream mixture – until water is about 2/3 of the way up the outside of ramekins
  • Bake about 30-35 until the centers of custards are just barely set – an instant read thermometer should register 170-175 degrees at this point
  • Transfer to a wire rack and cool at room temperature for 2 hours
  • Once cool, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, 4 hours or up to 4 days.
  • Uncover when ready to serve – remove any condensation that may have formed with a paper towel – and sprinkle each dish with 1 tsp sugar. Shake a little to distribute sugar evenly on top of custard.
  • Ignite torch and caramelize the sugar.
  • Ready to serve or return to refrigerator for no more than 45 minutes
  • Garnish with fresh berries

dit-elle-Esther

Shepherd’s Pie

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This is some serious comfort food – perfect for this dreary January weather – juicy ground beef and spices are tossed with vegetables and topped with golden and buttery mashed potatoes! 🙂

Blog shepheards pie

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

  • Preheat oven to 375° F.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; run through a food mill, ricer or mash. Stir in butter and milk; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
  • Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and garlic; cook, until soft, about 7 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the fat.
  • Stir in tomato paste, peas, and parsley; season with salt and pepper.
  • Transfer meat mixture to an ovenproof dish. Spread potatoes over the top and crosshatch with a fork. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Super Mom Tip: Make days to weeks in advance and freeze! When ready, defrost in fridge overnight and bake per directions above.

Thanks to PCC Natural Markets and note that this recipe has been modified from the original.

dit-elle-Esther

Coconut Apple Pancakes

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Coconut Flour Pancakes with Apples – yum! Even the little tummies in this house were fans! Perfect grain-free and paleo breakfast for a cold winter morning and great way to start off the new year. Happy New Year everyone! 🙂

Blog paleo apple pancakes (2) Blog paleo apple pancakes (1)

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey or agave
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 apple, sliced in very thin boats
  • coconut oil or butter for frying

Directions

  1. In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy, about two minutes (I used a food processor for this – works great!). Mix in milk, vanilla, and honey or agave.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl combine coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt and whisk together. Stir wet mixture into dry until coconut flour is incorporated.
  3. Grease pan with butter or coconut oil. Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into pan for each pancake. Spread out slightly with the back of a spoon. The pancakes should be 2-3 inches in diameter and fairly thick. Lay sliced apples on pancakes.
  4. Cook on low to medium heat for a few minutes on each side, until they start to turn golden brown.
  5. Serve hot with butter, coconut oil, honey, syrup, or fruit.

Inspired and modified from the Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes on NourishingDays.com.

dit-elle-Esther

Scandinavian Shrimp Pie

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Scandinavian shrimp pie – a delicate blend of flavors – eggs with cream cheese, chopped fresh dill, and a golden toasted cheese topping!

Blog scandiavian shrimp pie

Ingredients

  • 1 frozen pie shell (I use a gluten free version)
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked shrimp (I get small salted frozen shrimp)
  • 1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, Havarti or fontina work well)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

Directions

  • Beat eggs, add cream cheese and milk and beat until well blended
  • Put shrimp in pie shell, sprinkle with dill and pour egg/milk mixture over
  • Top with cheese
  • Bake at 375 for ~50 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean

dit-elle-Esther

Hot Artichoke and Crab Dip

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We just had our annual Iron Chef party – the challenge was to use ONE of the following ingredients in a dish: crab, chocolate or cranberries. I picked crab and made this dip. Guess who won the iron chef challenge!? Yep, that’s right – Hot Artichoke & Crab Dip! 🙂

This dip is everything you would expect from a hot creamy artichoke and crab dip – plus more! The 1/2 tsp cayenne adds a fabulous kick. Spicy but not too spicy. If you’re not into spice and heat – omit! Definitely not recommended for kids, but a wonderful “grown up” dish. I served this with cucumber and red bell pepper slices, but toasted baguette or pita would be great if you prefer!

blog crab artichoke dip

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked crabmeat
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onion + 2 tsps for garnish
  • 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper + 2 tsps for garnish
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Serve with

  • 1 hot house cucumber, sliced (for dipping)
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced (for dipping)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
  • Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth; stir in garlic and cayenne. Gently stir artichoke hearts, crab, Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup green onion, 1/3 cup red bell pepper. Transfer the dip to a 9-inch pie dish and sprinkle top with rest of cheese.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until topping is golden brown and dip is hot, ~30 minutes. Garnish with 2 teaspoons green onion and 2 teaspoons chopped red bell pepper.

dit-elle-Esther

Paleo Chili

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This is a hearty and delicious paleo chili recipe – legume/bean free, full of veggies and a rich flavorful meat sauce. You can do this in a crock pot or regular stove top pot. This makes a wonderful meal served with Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins!

Blog paleo chili

Ingredients

  • 2Tbsp cooking oil (I chose coconut oil or olive oil)
  • 2lbs. ground beef (or ground meat of choice)
  • 1-2Tbsp chili powder
  • 1-2Tbsp cumin
  • 1tsp oregano
  • 1tsp allspice
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 4oz. tomato paste
  • 28oz. crushed tomatoes
  • 1cup water or enough liquid to cover the meat/sauce
  • Serve with avocado slices and your favorite chili toppings

Directions

  • In a large pot, add hamburger meat and onions and cook through.
  • Once thoroughly cooked, add the spice mixture and stir until combined.
  • Add remaining ingredients and simmer 1-2 hours. I usually simmer 1 hour and it tastes great. (I can’t wait too long when good food is cooking.)
  • Do not drain the liquid that’s produced when the meal/onions cook. It’s keeps the healthy fat in the dish and adds great flavor. Promise!

Thanks EasyPeas-y for the inspiration!

dit-elle-Esther

Grain Free Lasagna

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This lasagna uses zucchini for noodles! Yes, it’s true, and what’s even better? It’s super yummy and tastes like lasagna! You slice the zucchini into thin noodles, layer with a hearty meat sauce, ricotta, and cheese, and voila – not only gluten free, but grain free lasagna! 🙂

Blog grain free lasagne

Ingredients

  • 1 very large or 3-4 small zucchinis
  • 1 lb hamburger meat
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large can of tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or marinara sauce
  • 1 16oz tub of ricotta
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tsp dried parsley
  • 2 cups of cheese
  • Oregano, salt, pepper – to taste (optional)
  • Bay leaf (optional)

Directions

  1. Wash and peel zucchini
  2. With a mandolin slicer, a cheese cutter, or a sharp knife (this is the hardest) – slice the zucchini lengthwise
  3. Heat olive oil in pan and add chopped onion
  4. Sautee until fragrant and soft and add hamburger
  5. Brown meat and then add tomato sauce and some oregano, let simmer on low heat
  6. Beat egg and mix with ricotta until well blended, add dried parsley
  7. Now you are ready to layer and bake the lasagna – alternating meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, extra tomato sauce (optional) and cheese on top
  8. Bake for 45 minutes on 350
  9. Enjoy with a fresh green salad dressed with olive oil & vinegar and chopped veggies!

dit-elle-Esther

Taco Scramble

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Leftover tacos? Scramble them up with some eggs for breakfast!

Blog Taco scramble

Ingredients

  • Eggs
  • Leftover taco fixings (cooked beef or chicken, chopped tomatoes, onions, salsa, cilantro, cheese)
  • Butter or oil for frying eggs

Directions

  • Whisk eggs
  • Pour into greased frying pan and scramble
  • When almost done (no longer runny) add your taco leftovers (meat, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese)
  • Toss with a fork until heated through
  • Serve hot!

 

dit-elle-Esther

Salmon with Dill Cream

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One of our weekly staples is baked salmon as the kids still like and eat it (yay! :)). Salmon and dill are a Scandinavian specialty (think Lox and dill), and the flavors work very well together. Here’s a quick and easy salmon dressing!

Blog dill cream salmon

Ingredients

  • 1/4-1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 2-3 Tbsp Fresh lemon juice or till you reach desired consistency
  • 1-2 lb slab of salmon

Directions

  • Whisk together dressing ingredients
  • Lather on slab of salmon
  • Bake for 25-28 minutes
  • Garnish with fresh dill and lemon wedges

dit-elle-Esther