Mom’s Watermelon-Mint Salad

It’s that time of year for those of us here in the mid-Atlantic area where the weather is starting to warm, the flowers and trees are in bloom, and summer is on its way. During our holiday time together over Easter weekend, my mom was at it again with another tried and true recipe. If you haven’t noticed, she’s often providing, or giving the inspiration for, new recipes on our blog: here are a few examples (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Growing up, I loved having a slice of watermelon here and there, but was never a fiend for it. That being said, this salad has me coming back for seconds and thirds every time. I’m a big fan of refreshing, healthy, and simple; and this hits all three right on the head.

Huí Guō Ròu 回鍋肉 (Twice Cooked Pork)

Lately we have been on a little bit of a Chinese food kick, and this week’s post is in homage to that hankering we’ve had. My go to has always been General Tso’s Chicken, but if you haven’t heard, our friends Bill and Hayley have already cracked that nut in their cookbook, Gather.

Twice cooked pork, sometimes called double cooked pork, is traditionally known as Huí Guō Ròu, translating to “return pot pork.” We love all pork products (hello, bacon), and thought this was an interesting opportunity. Plus, it gave us an opportunity to return to our paleo hoisin sauce (which we made a long, long time ago, back when our camera was an iPhone 4s).

Western Meatloaf

I did not like meatloaf as a kid. It was bland. It was dry. It was grayish brown and completely unappetizing. I needed a lot of ketchup to get it down; and I liked ketchup, but the experience wasn’t ever truly satisfying.

Then, a few weeks ago, Brent suggested we make a meatloaf. Thankfully, at this point in my life, I know there are a lot of foods that I didn’t like as a kid, that I love now. Plus, he didn’t want to make regular meatloaf. He wanted to make a meatloaf that reflected one of my favorite kinds of burgers: the western burger. Bacon, barbecue sauce, onion rings, yum.

This western meatloaf is savory, tangy, and super moist. I love it and I know you will, too!

Tom Kha Gai ต้มข่าไก่ (Thai Coconut Soup)

This weekend we had the pleasure of doing some cooking, and hanging out, with our friend Russ of the Domestic Man. We cooked for almost a solid 5 hours, and came up with some great recipes to share with you all as a result.

This first piece is a Thai soup based off of what I had ordered from a local Thai restaurant, Tom Kha Hed (ต้มข่าไก่). This soup, sometimes also known as Tom Kha Gai, Kai or just Tom Kha, is literally “chicken galangal soup.” We forwent the chicken itself, but one could easily add chicken and or prawns for a heavier soup.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today Brent and I are celebrating our 4-year anniversary, and I wanted to share something to celebrate. Both Brent and his dad love all things mint-chocolate, so when I saw mint chocolate-chip cookies in his parents’ pantry a few weekends ago, I knew I needed to find a way to recreate them for him—paleo style.

It took a couple of tries, but I think this cookie recipe was worth it. The mint-chocolate flavor is awesome. Plus, they are super soft and moist! We hope you enjoy this delicious paleo cookie recipe.