Tomato Pesto Salad

As we’ve spent almost 3 years now following a paleo diet (wow!), many of our tastes have changed. Heather is now a big fan of brussels sprouts, mustard, collared greens, and many other items she otherwise thought were off limits. For me, the greatest addition to my life has been the tomato. I thought it was the occasional obligation on a restaurant hamburger, or a small part of a salad.

Recently I came to the conclusion that I now pick up a tomato how I used to pick up an apple. This salad challenges the assumption that a salad has to be a bed of greens with some accoutrement; don’t allow your salad to be boring! This time of year, we thought the bright red and green was perfect for the holidays. We hope you have a delightful time with family and friends this week, regardless of how (or what) you decide to celebrate.

Citrus Salad

This week, I’m keeping things short and sweet, and tangy and bright.  We experimented with this salad this past Thanksgiving because we wanted a light salad to balance the hearty, savory, and sweet components of the entire menu. Plus, we didn’t want to do a traditional romain or iceberg salad; we can do that any day, really. Holidays call for a little some special, right?

This refreshing citrus salad will brighten any meal. Serve it on the side or as a dessert. Or, use it as a palate cleanser between courses if you’re serving a more elaborate dinner menu. It’s versatile, and will taste great year-round. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Cider-Stewed Mashed Sweet Potatoes

The story of this epic sweet potato mash goes back to July, when Heather and I ran the Spartan Super in Wintergreen, Virginia. Nearby in Nellysford, there is a cidery by the name of Bold Rock. They have some fantastic hard ciders, and we have admired their product for a long time. Made with apples grown right in Virginia, we were happy to support a local business with a great product.

Cider-Stewed Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe (paleo, primal, gluten-free)

Following the race, we took our bruised, muddied, and exhausted selves to the cidery for a tasting. During our visit, we found ourselves in a conversation with John “Johnny Apple Cider” Washburn, Bold Rock’s Chairman and CEO. John radiates positive energy and seems utterly in love with the venture and creating a great product locally with minimally processed ingredients.

Artichoke Heart Salad

When in a pinch for a quick meal, I will often go to the local supermarket to find something healthy to eat. Most of the time, I end up either picking up some no-filler meats, e.g. Applegate hot dogs, or the salad bar. More often than not when going for the salad bar, I end up with mixed greens, cucumber, hardboiled egg, and olive oil with salt and pepper. This was somewhat bland, but pretty satisfying, until I came across an artichoke salad. I started putting this atop mixed greens, and I haven’t gone back since.

Determined to remake this at home to save money and time, we developed the following recipe. I love how this improves as it sits in the fridge, and it is fantastic on its own or on a bed of greens. Plus, it is ready in under half an hour. This is a must-have to improve your salad game.

Buffalo-Style Cashews

It’s football season, so I am admittedly slightly obsessed with buffalo-flavored everything (did you know that Buffalo Wild Wings has a great chart for what is gluten-free on their site? Perfect for going out for the game and navigating the menu). That being said, one of my favorite previous treats was Snyder’s of Hanover’s buffalo-wing pretzels. They’re greasy, salty, crunchy, and awesome—they just make me feel like garbage with the additives and wheat.

These cashews are a great way to get that kind of experience at home and make a fun project of it, too. The instructions have variations depending on how intense of flavor you want and level of crunchiness. We know you will love these in addition to your Sunday (and Saturday, and Thursday, and Monday) ritual, just so long as you don’t wipe your hands on your jersey.