Bacon & Caper Topped Scallops

After spending the day with The Domestic Man a couple of weeks ago, he inspired me with his talk of seared scallops.  With a photo result and the idea of delicious scallops and bacon in my mind, I went to town on a version of my own.  We had purchased capers for another recipe, and I have always loved how they paired with salmon and salads.

Make it Paleo: A Thanksgiving Giveaway!

If you've been traveling the paleosphere for any amount of time, I'm sure you've come across Bill and Hayley.  Originally of the Food Lovers Primal Palate, and then later the Food Lovers Kitchen, these two have been a great inspiration of mine in terms of taking beautiful pictures of food that is not overly complicated or contrived, but still as satisfying as some of the SAD foods many of us grew up on.

Orange-Cranberry Bread

We had quite a few fresh cranberries leftover from Thanksgiving. I searched our cookbooks and the web for inspiration–trying my best to avoid the typical muffins, breads, and other sweets. I know, that sounds a little silly; but seriously, the holidays are so full of baked goodies, I wanted to make something different. Alas, my efforts to make craisins failed miserably, and the cranberry sauces and baked goods recipes abound.

Memphis Dry Rub Ribs

Ribs are one of my favorite things to cook and eat; I remember in middle school having the whole rack of baby bbq ribs at a restaurant on Broadway across the street from my grandmother's apartment.  My parents used to point out Jerry Stiller and Anne Merea (Ben Stiller's parents, who happened to go there often) when we'd both happen to be there at the same time.  I would take down the ribs and a chocolate moose, and I looked like a movie extra from Heavyweights. 

Spinach-Prosciutto Chicken Roulade

Sometimes, chicken thighs get old. So, we recently decided to mix things up a bit. Instead of baking or grilling, we thought, why not transform these regular thighs into a roulade? I'm sure more people would use breast meat, but we love thigh meat and it's what we had in our freezer.

This seemingly delicate dish takes time but its actually very easy to make. The only tricky part (in my opinion) is pinning the roulades just right with the toothpicks. Thankfully, Brent was very successful with that part.

This was our first time attempting to make any kind of roulade. I have to say, they turned out better than we imagined! The chicken was super moist and the edges of the prosciutto were just a little crispy. Meanwhile, the slight saltiness from the prosciutto blended beautifully with the savory mustard and earthy spinach. No need to add salt, pepper or other spices--the food speaks for itself here. :)

Our 2012 Paleo Thanksgiving

We had a full house this Thanksgiving. Brent's mom, Kathy, did an amazing job decorating the table for us.

Hey everyone!

We hope you've enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving and are recovering from the food comas with rest and relaxation this weekend. ;) Having successfully hosted our first Thanksgiving, I (Heather) am feeling a bit sentimental.

Colonel Cole Slaw

This recipe is an attempt to pay homage to the cookbooks that attempt to have the same effect as The Masked Magician Secrets Revealed.  I really hope the reaction to this recipe doesn't result in a similar style of exile and anger.  We all know of the famous Southern Colonel who is known for his poultry and sides, and we decided to try and rip a page out of his book without the associated diabetes.  

Restaurant Style Chinese Pork Ribs

Whenever I'm stressed out, I always have the same temptations–I either am ready for pizza and wings, beer, or Chinese takeout.  In the case of the last one, I traditionally order General Tso's Chicken and boneless spare ribs.  

Coq au Vin (sans Vin)

While visiting my parents in Virginia, we were lucky to visit the local farmer's market.  We found some great local produce as well as a few local farmers.  This chicken (and our turkey on its way for Thanksgiving) is from Moving Meadows Farm, and it was absolutely delicious.  I really am looking forward to the turkey later this month, as well as visiting them more often when we go to visit my parents.  

Chipotle Chops

It's been a long week. Who am I kidding? It's been a long month... year, really. And yet, somehow, we're already through October! WTF?!?

A few nights ago, Brent and I were "this close" to throwing all sense and good judgement out the window and just ordering Chinese food. We were tired. We were hungry. And we had made grand plans to cook at least two meals to finish out our week but neither of us had any interest in cooking.

Almond Flour Crusted Rack of Lamb

We recently picked up a few racks of Australian lamb from Costco because it was on sale.  We wanted to take a stab at 'breading' the lamb to see what kind of result we would get.  This recipe is definitely one to add to the books.  The crust adds a nice flavor to the lamb without taking away from the juiciness and flavor of the meat.    

Crumbly Choco-Pumpkin "Cheesecake"

I swear it tastes better than it looks! ;)

Do you love chocolate? What about cheesecake? And pumpkin too? "YES, YES, YES!" should be your answer. ;) I know that's what I would say. Anyways, this is my humble attempt to combine some of Brent's and my favorite treats--chocolate, pumpkin, and cheesecake. 

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour

4 tsp honey

3/4 cup coconut butter

1 and 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice

1 and 1/2 tsp honey

1/4 cup 100% coco powder

1/2 cup coconut cream from can of coconut milk*

1/4 cup organic pumpkin

1/16 tsp freshly ground clove (or a few good shakes)

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cinnamon

*Tip: Let the can chill in your fridge for a few hours before, then skim off the cream that rises and settles at the top.

Method

Start by blending the cup of almond flour and 4 tsp of honey in a Ninja or blender. Then, press into your dish round or pie pan using a spoon or your fingers to form a crust.

In a medium or large mixing bowl, blend the coconut butter, lime juice and 1 and 1/2 tsp of honey. This is the "cheesecake" base. Split the mixture, scooping about half of it into another medium or large mixing bowl.

Next, blend the coco powder and coconut cream with first half of "cheesecake" base in the large bowl.

Mix the organic pumpkin, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon in with the second half of "cheesecake" base.

Finally, layer the mixes over the crust, pressing each layer gently down with a spoon (or your fingers--who doesn't love to use their fingers?!) to form a solid surface. 

As you can see, I chose to have a layer of chocolate mixture, then a layer of the pumpkin mixture, and lastly a second layer of the chocolate mixture. 

Allow the whole thing to chill in your refrigerator for at least 5 minutes before serving.

I'll be the first to admit, it's a little dry; but Brent and I think the flavors are good. I'll be sure to keep tinkering with this recipe (and post successful updates) so that it's in prime condition for our Paleo Thanksgiving. This year, we're hosting both parents and some of my siblings--it's going to be a zoo! I'm hoping this dessert will tame the masses, that is, if the tryptophan from the turkey doesn't. :-p

Hearty Stovetop Chili

It may come as a surprise, but Heather and I are huge fans of chili.  Even in the peak of summer, it's likely that we have plans to make chili, are making chili, or are eating leftover chili.  Our recipe has always relied on cooking up the meat, onions, and peppers in a skillet, transferring that to a crock pot with salsa and diced tomatoes, and then cooking it overnight or all day.  While this makes a great chili, we wanted to attempt something in one pot, and done in under an hour.  This worked out quite well, and I think this may be my preferred method of making chili.  We also experimented with a faux-corn bread, which is so close to being ready.  We will link to it as soon as it's perfected.

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef

2 chorizo chicken sausages

4 slices of bacon

1 and 3/4 cup bell pepper slices
1 onion, diced

8 cloves of garlic

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chills

1 16 oz jar of chipotle salsa

1 8-oz can of tomato paste

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chipotle pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

Method

Place bacon and crushed garlic in dutch oven over medium heat until both bacon and garlic are fragrant (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Add in ground beef and stir frequently to brown on all sides.

Add in onion, jalapeño, bell pepper, and chorizo.  Mix in and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add in salsa, diced tomatoes with green chilis, and spices.  Simmer covered for 15 minutes.

Add in tomato paste, and mix thoroughly.  Simmer an additional 5 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy this fantastic chili.  It's got great flavor and is not an all-day endeavor.  Keep an eye out for when I have the faux-corn bread figured out because it's an amazing companion to this chili.  Right now it's just not quite there.  Soon.  

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Mushroom & Steak Wrap

While visiting my parents in Virginia and taking advantage of the farmer's market in their town, we needed to do something for lunch.  My parents are supportive of our eating habits, but haven't decided it's time for them to take on the same dietary approach.  Growing up in the midwest, I can totally appreciate that after 50+ years of eating a certain way without any glaring health issues they aren't convinced what we are doing is necessary or right for them.  They usually will eat what we make, and like it, so that's one fewer meal full of grain and dairy.  We ended up with thinly cut NY strip, even though we were looking for sandwich steaks–the strip was on sale and they didn't have the other.  Either way, this was a great lunch that was filling and finished in under 15 minutes.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs thinly sliced steak

1 avocado, sliced

2 C sliced mushrooms

Romaine lettuce leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Heat olive oil in your cast iron skillet on a medium-high heat and sear steaks (seasoned with salt and pepper) for 3-4 minutes per side.

Sauté mushrooms in the skillet while steak rests, about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

Slice steak into thin strips, and place steak and mushroom, with sliced avocado, in a romaine lettuce leaf.  Enjoy!

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Gulai Kerbau (Spiced Bison)

We worked on this recipe partially out of our love for curry and other similar cuisines, but also because we had 2 lbs of bison stew meat in the freezer that was ripe for cooking.  This stew looked especially inviting, and we are pleased with the results.  It's worth mentioning that bison is much leaner than the meat that would typically be used in this dish (lamb), so if you don't have bison, you might add a little time to the whole process.

I also have to give a special shout-out to The Domestic Man who helped me stay accurate with my naming of this dish.  If you aren't aware of Russ, you should take a moment and check out his work.  His recipes are delicious and well referenced to be culturally accurate.  Plus, he takes awesome pictures and helped me find the glory that is a 50mm lens.

Ingredients

2 lbs bison stew meat, cut into cubes

3 Tbsp coconut oil

1 onion thinly sliced

1 C chopped onion

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp minced ginger

2 tsp tumeric

 1 tsp coconut aminos

1 red chili, deseeded and thinly sliced

1 13.5oz can of coconut milk

fresh cilantro for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

Method

After melting coconut oil in skillet on medium-high heat, quickly sear stew meat.  This will happen quicker than you expect, so keep a close an eye on it.  Place meat aside, and then quickly brown the thinly sliced onion and set aside with the meat.

Add garlic, ginger, and diced onion to the pan and cook until ginger and garlic are fragrant and onion translucent.  Stir frequently–this takes about 5 minutes.

Next add in chili and tumeric to sauté quickly (no more than a minute) and then add coconut milk and coconut aminos.  

Return the meat and onions to the mixture, and simmer for 40 minutes.  Be sure to stir regularly and make sure that the simmer hasn't gone out of control.

Serve up and enjoy!  While not terribly spicy (next time I plan to double the red chili), this was a hearty meal with flavors unlike our traditional fare.  The change of pace was definitely welcome.  We'll have to do more of this in the future.  Enjoy! We had this over a bed of cauliflower rice, but there's no reason you couldn't have it on its own.

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Langostino Bisque

This recipe came about as we were trying to figure out what type of seafood we would have for the week.  Typically we will get our seafood from Costco, but this time their salmon was less than desirable, and most of the other seafood was either ridiculously expensive or farmed.  The only wild caught option we could find was langostino.  After enlisting Siri, we found out what a langostino is.  The "squat lobster", as it is nicknamed, really does look a bit like a tiny lobster.  After cooking with it, I would say that it meets the requirement for a lobster-like taste and consistency (not as buttery) for a fraction of the cost.  Some food purists don't like how the langostino is used as a lobster impostor in some fast food campaigns, e.g. lobster bites, but there were no smoke and mirrors here.

In our typical fashion, we said, let's buy it!  We'll figure out what to make with it later.  I'm happy to say that this one actually did turn out well, and I hope we run into them again.  Definitely not what I was expecting, but a whole lot less expensive than crab or lobster but did the trick for this hearty bisque.

Ingredients

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 extra large onion

8 garlic cloves

1 large carrot

2 lbs langostinos

2 Tbsp ghee

1 tsp old bay

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme 

3 C chicken broth

1 16 oz can coconut milk

6 oz tomato paste

Method

Add onion, garlic, bacon, carrot, ghee, to your dutch oven and sprinkle with thyme, and oregano.  

Roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350ºF.

After roasting the vegetables, place vegetables aside and sauté langostinos with old bay in the dutch oven over the stove for 3-5 minutes, mixing regularly.  In small batches, process the vegetables and langostinos in your food processor.  

Place the processed mixture back into the dutch oven with your coconut milk and chicken broth.  Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes, and then stir in tomato paste.  Continue to simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.

Serve into your favorite soup bowl or mug, and enjoy!  This recipe fed us for about a week and a half eating it at least every other day.  We will do it again if we run into more langostinos.  What's the craziest thing you decided to impulse buy at the grocery store/farmers market that was a success? a dud?

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Prosciutto-Wrapped Beet Sticks

This was a dish we came up with after having picked up some MASSIVE beets from the farmers market in Culpeper, Virginia when visiting my parents.  They were about to go bad, and we were about to leave town, so we needed something that would be a fun and easy vehicle to cook them.  For whatever reason, prosciutto came into my mind (because it's like fancy bacon), and this was born.  This used about half of our beet supply, with the other half going into a mason jar for pickled beet sticks.

This is super easy to do, and took maybe 20 minutes total prep and cook time.  Good as a finger food or to put on a plate with a main dish, as you can see above.

Ingredients

2 large beets, washed and (partially) peeled

1 tsp coconut oil

6-8 slices of prosciutto

Method

Preheat oven to 350ºF and rince, peel, and chop beets into sticks about 1/4" in width and height.  Add coconut oil to a pan and heat on medium heat to sauté the beet sticks. 

Sauté for just about 3-4 minutes, enough to really draw out the color of your beets without making them soggy.  Be sure to mix constantly.  Remove from heat and allow to cool about 5 minutes.

Wrap 8-10 beet sticks per slice of prosciutto, and place into a glass baking dish. 

 Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove from oven, and either plate as an appetizer or along with your main course.  This is a great addition to any meal.