Category: paleo

Crab and Peach Salad with Balsamic Reduction

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Friday morning I found myself staring at the few, scattered items in my refrigerator wondering what on earth I could make for breakfast and lunch. Grabbing a can of not-so-paleo-friendly soup crossed my mind; it would be fast and simple. Not only was having a can of processed veggies and chicken in over-salted water not too appealing, but the weather has also been way too hot lately for soup. Unless, it’s homemade gazpacho. Wow, that’s such a good idea. I might have to try that soon. 😉 Don’t steal my idea! Just kidding. In fact, if you have a good gazpacho recipe that is, or could be made, paleo-friendly, please let me know!

OK, so back to Friday morning: You may have already seen my morning concoction. If you haven’t, check it out: Ancho-Chipotle Over-hard Eggs with Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Avocado

For lunch, I was inspired by the crab meat (freshly plucked, just the other night, from way lots of home cooked crabs–we got them live at the seafood market at the D.C. Warf and man, oh, man, were they feisty until we finished steaming them!) and the HUGE peach that remained from the quart I purchased at the Kings Street farmers’ market. Yummy…. 🙂 Here’s what I came up with:

Crab and Peach Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients (for 1 serving)

  • 3-4 medium or large romain lettuce leaves
  • 1/2 – 1 cup of fresh crab meat 
  • 1 large peach
  • 1 small shallot
  • 1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (mine was frozen, and it was fine, but fresh is best)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
Method
  1. Mince the shallot.
  2. In a very small pot or pan, simmer the balsamic, shallot and olive oil together for at least 5 minutes, but no more than 10 minutes. In the meantime, you can prepare the rest of the salad…
  3. Chop the lettuce and place on your plate, in your bowl, or (if you’re like me and taking this to work) into your plastic container.
  4. Chop the peach into bite-size (or smaller) pieces. If you’re planning to eat this right away, go ahead and toss the pieces over the romaine. If you’re taking it to work, put them into a separate plastic container. (Mixing everything before toting it off to work or where ever you plan to go will result in the salad getting rather soggy from the peach juices.)
  5. Chop the cilantro and parsley. Go ahead and toss those in with the romaine.
  6. Sprinkle the crab meat over the lettuce mixture.
  7. Once the balsamic mix is reduced: Again, if you’re going to eat right away, drizzle it over the entire salad, toss together and enjoy. If you’re taking it to work, pour the reduction into a separate small travel container.
  8. Once you’re at your destination and ready to eat, mix all the ingredients together and gobble up! 
Leftovers really can be a gold mine! This salad was delicious. Here are a few photos…

However, I couldn’t help but think of some alterations. Spinach in addition to or instead of the romaine would have been perfect for this salad. Also, the parsley wasn’t necessary. A little more fresh cilantro would be great. Finally, I don’t think I needed to add the olive oil to the balsamic reduction. Ok, last one: I could have cooked the shallot just a smidgen before adding it to the balsamic vinegar for the reduction.
Do you have any ideas for alterations to spice this up or improve it? Let us know by leaving a comment. Thanks! 🙂

Ancho-Chipotle Over-Hard Eggs, Roasted Bell Pepper and Avocado

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I’ve decided I’m my most creative with food when there’s very little food in the house. Crazy or logical? Maybe it’s a little bit of both?


Anyways, for breakfast this morning, I wanted to do something different but quick and easy. We still have a jar of roasted red bell peppers in olive oil in the fridge, plenty of eggs and bacon, some veggies (carrots, zucchini, avocados and the ingredients for Brent’s cabbage slaw which I didn’t want to use), a few green apples, one peach from the quart I bought for just $2 at the King Street market on Wednesday, and a variety of condiments. Oh, and there was that crab meat too… but I’ll get to that when I put up the post about my lunch. 😉

OK–so, what’s a girl to do other than the traditional scrambled eggs and bacon we have almost every morning… Eggs over hard? YES. Roasted red bell pepper on the side? Sure! What about those yummy avocados… I can’t resist. To make them work harmoniously, I just threw in some spices.

Ancho-Chipotle Over-Hard Eggs, Roasted Bell Pepper and Avocado

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ghee or the fat/oil of your choice
  • 1/2 – 1 roasted red bell pepper
  • 1/2 of an avocado, sliced
  • Ancho chili powder, chipotle chili powder, salt and pepper to taste
Method
  1. Place the roasted bell pepper on a plate (or in your plastic container, like I did, if you’re planning to carry this to work). Sprinkle some ancho chili and chipotle chili powder over it. 
  2. Melt the ghee in your pan over medium-high, then crack your two eggs into it and fry those babies up! Within the first minute of them cooking, sprinkle some salt, pepper, ancho chili powder and chipotle chili powder over the eggs.
  3. Note: If you’re like me and you prefer sunny-side up with a fully cooked yolk, let the eggs fry for a couple minutes on medium-high, then turn the heat down to low, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. 
  4. Once the eggs are done, simply add them to your plate or container.
  5. Top it off with the avocado and you’re all set to eat and enjoy or run off to work with a delicious breakfast in hand. 🙂

Scampi with Red Bell Peppers and Scallops over Spaghetti Squash

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Last week, Brent and I wanted to have a seafood dish that deviated from our normal baked/broiled/grilled salmon. We had cod recently, and a few weeks before we had gone down the road of tilapia. So, we agreed on with shrimp.

Now, I’ve always loved scampi. Yes, it’s simply called “scampi”; not “shrimp scampi,” just “scampi.” The name “scampi” implies shrimp is involved. Being an English major, I can’t help but nit-pick on these kinds of details sometimes. Don’t believe me? Look it up. I’ll even make it easy for you. Here’s a link to Merriam-Webster’s definition for scampi. 😉

Usually, I make my scampi with white wine, but we didn’t have any in the house and I didn’t want to go buy some. I used chicken broth instead. Two other variants: the baby scallops and red bell peppers. When we were at the store buying the raw shrimp, we saw the baby scallops and our mouths watered. How could we resist? I added the bell peppers because I wanted a little color variety. Pink shrimp, white scallops, yellow spaghetti squash–it all seemed like it might be a little, well, boring for the eyes. I thought about tossing in some asparagus, but the store didn’t have any good looking stalks.

So, here it is, my latest version of scampi…


Scampi with Red Bell Peppers and Scallops over Spaghetti Squash


Ingredients

  • 1 medium-sized spaghetti squash
  • 1 large red bell pepper, halved and sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 1 and 1/2 lbs large, uncooked shrimp
  • 1/2 lb uncooked baby scallops
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons ghee
  • a dash of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (to taste)

Method

  1. Microwave the squash for 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before handling.
  2. Cut the squash in half, length wise.
  3. Then, scoop out the seedy core and discard it (or save it for another recipe).
  4. Using a fork, shred the flesh of the squash and set the “noodles” aside in a bowl.
  5. Cover it to keep warm; discard the tough skin of the squash.
  6. Saute the red pepper with 1 tablespoon of ghee and 2 of the garlic cloves over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
  7. Set aside in a bowl and cover to keep warm.
  8. Saute the shrimp with the other tablespoon of ghee, 3 garlic cloves, salt and pepper over medium heat.
  9. Just before the shrimp turn pink, add the scallops and last garlic clove.
  10. Saute for about 30 seconds.
  11. Then, pour in the chicken broth and sprinkle in the red pepper flakes.
  12. Bring the liquid to a simmer.
  13. Toss in the sauteed red bell pepper and garlic.
  14. Allow the entire mixture to reduce very slightly (no more than 5 minutes because you don’t want to overcook the shrimp or scallops).
  15. Finally, serve over the spaghetti squash and enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this as much as we did! The leftovers did not last long, haha.

Next time, I will add green bell peppers or asparagus, or perhaps we’ll serve this over spinach instead of spaghetti squash. That will make it more visually interesting, as well as add some other yummy flavors. 

Puerco De Salsa Y Pimiento

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OK–this isn’t a brand-spanking new recipe. It’s a variation of our Desayuno de Cinco de Mayo. But, it was so yummy, I couldn’t resist sharing.

Last night before bed, Brent and I laid out our plans for today. Dorks? Yes, and no. 😉 Today is a busy day. Brent has work, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Meanwhile, I need to get laundry done, return a couple of blouses that I bought in a rush and don’t fit right, write up (or, at least, draft) a whole bunch of these blog posts because we’ve been slacking lately, and pack us up for our visit his parents for the first time in their new home (we’ll leave immediately after he gets off work and stay overnight with them so we can celebrate Fathers’ Day and visit a farm near them tomorrow). Plus, I have plans to meet with one of my gal pals for a few hours this afternoon. Oh, and of course, there’s the daily stuff of cleaning dishes, giving our dog plenty of outside play time, and maybe–just maybe–if there’s time, I’ll mow the lawn.

So, last night, we agreed, we needed a hearty breakfast this morning and we were kind of tired of eggs. (Have I ever mentioned that we eat eggs almost daily? Yep, and we recently learned that too much of any one food product can actually cause your body to become allergic to it. Can you believe that?! So we really ought to mix things up more often, even if it’s only for our tastebuds’ sanity.) OK, what did we have other than eggs…?

First, we checked the fridge: Leftovers? Not really… there’s that awesome baked chicken we made the other night (recipe to come soon!) but I really want to save that for lunches. Besides, indian flavors just didn’t sound appealing. One banana… that’s not very hearty, and certainly not enough for two of us. Half an avocado… Some leftover coconut milk… “well, we could make coffee smoothies with that and the banana? But we just did that this morning.” “Yea, let’s having something more substantial.” Three bell peppers–one red, one yellow, and one orange. That could be promising. Three lemons and a partial lime… Onions… plenty of those. Salsa, mustard, coconut amines and a variety of other condiments. Hmmm.

Then, we checked the freezer: Ground beef… a whole leg of lamb… pork chops… chicken thighs… pork tenderloin slices (from his mom, “for sandwiches”). We have a winner! Brent’s idea: Cut the pork slices into strips and cook that up with the onion, one bell pepper, and some salsa. Top it off with the avocado. “It’ll be somewhat like that Cinco De Mayo breakfast.”
So, without adieu, here is! 

Puerco De Salsa Y Pimiento (Salsa and Bell Pepper Pork)

Ingredients

  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 4 “sandwich slices” of pork tenderloin (I should have weighed it, but my guess is that, in total, we had about 3/4 lb of pork tenderloin.)
  • 12-13 oz salsa (Nearly a full 16-oz jar; we like, and happen to have in the fridge, Nature’s Promise Chipotle Organic Salsa, but any salsa you prefer should do just fine.)
  • salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder to taste
  • approx.  1 tablespoon of bacon fat (or olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee)
  • 1/2 avocado (or a full one, if you prefer)
Method

  1. Slice the bell pepper and onion. 
  2. Slice the pork tenderloin into strips, then cut each strip in half (or in thirds), so the pieces are not overwhelming.
  3. Sauté the bell pepper and onion in the bacon fat over medium heat.
  4. Once the onion is translucent, remove the bell pepper and onion from the pan and set aside.
  5. Use the same pan to cook up the pork. While it’s cooking (this should only take a couple minutes, depending on the size of your pieces, so keep a close eye on it), sprinkle a little salt, pepper and ancho chili powder over the pork.
  6. Once the pork is cooked, toss the bell pepper and onions back into the pan.
  7. Immediately add the salsa.
  8. Mix it all around and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
  9. Serve in bowls with avocado sliced or in chunks on top.
  10. Eat up!

The heat from the ancho chili was subtle. The creamy and cool avocado served as a nice foil for the smokey goodness of the chipotle salsa. Plus there’s a great underlying flavor of bacon throughout — courtesy of the yummy bacon fat and pork. 😉
We hope you enjoy this variation. We thought it was delicious! 

Baked Lemon & Rosemary Rainbow Trout

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Last night, we wanted to have fish and the plan was to grill it. The plan was to pick a couple fillets up at the grocery store, let the coals heat up while we each did a quick workout, and then grill those babies. Oh, and given how hot and humid it was, we wanted a side dish that would keep things cool–like a fresh salad (check it out Brent’s creation: Fresh Rainbow Pepper Salad).

Well, we forgot to buy coals (just a couple nights ago, we forgot to put the grill and coals back into the shed after dinner… and then it rained…). We were too tired to go back to the store–Isn’t it disappointing how the weeks shortened by holidays can sometimes feel like the longest ones?–so we decided to bake our trout. Oh, yes, we bought rainbow trout. I forgot to mention that detail, but you already knew that from reading the title of this post. 🙂

So, anyways, we looked for some basic recipes, took the ideas and came up with this little number. It was quite yummy. We hope you like it as much as we did!

Baked Lemon & Rosemary Rainbow Trout


Ingredients

  • 2 Rainbow Trout (approx. 1.5 lbs each), cleaned
  • Half of a lemon, sliced in rounds as thinly as possible
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (just enough to brush both sides of each fish)

Method

  1. Rinse the fish and pat dry.
  2. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
  3. Line a large baking pan with tin foil and then place a baking rack inside (so that it rests on top of the foil). The foil isn’t required, but it will make clean up a LOT easier. 🙂
  4. Open up each fish so the flesh is exposed.
  5. Sprinkle the flesh of both fish with salt and pepper.
  6. Lay out the slices of lemon on one side of the each fish’s flesh.
  7. Lay one spring of rosemary inside each fish and then close both by folding one flap of flesh and skin down over the other.
  8. Brush the outside of both fish with olive oil until well coated (this will help prevent the skin from sticking to the baking rack).
  9. Lay the fish side by side on the baking rack in the pan.
  10. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the flesh of the fish is milky, white and somewhat flakey. (FYI: We learned last night that Trout doesn’t flake quite as much as Salmon, so we don’t think flakiness is the best guide for knowing when the fish is done.)
  11. Plate each trout over a generous helping of Fresh Rainbow Pepper Salad (or by itself with the salad on the side or even over any kind of greens/salad you like), and enjoy.

The fish was perfect. A little milky and soft in texture, with a fresh tang of lemon and the slightest hint of savory rosemary.

Oh, and we were so eager to eat, we completely forgot to take “before” and “during” pictures. So, all I have is this [hopefully] appetizing “after” picture.

Yes, by “after” I meant, “after eating,” haha. Sorry!

P.S. You may have already realized, “Ha! Their dinner was full of rainbows.” And you have even wondered, “Did they intent to do that?” Answer: No. But, indeed, I realized soon after we started eating and I began formulating these posts in my head that yes, there’s an odd appropriateness or simple weirdness, depending on your perspective. Take it as you will. We had a rough (albeit short) week, and maybe fate or karma or whatever decided we simply needed a few rainbows to cheer us up last night. 🙂