Tag: primal

Homemade Fig Jam

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There’s something magical about fruit trees. In our experience, which admittedly is very little, they don’t require much work and reap many benefits. Our fig tree produced a great harvest, more than either of us expected between early August and mid-October. In case you missed our other recipes, we had a lot of fun creating Chicken and Fig Tagine, Cider-Braised Boneless Short Ribs with Figs, Arugula and Fresh Fig Salad, and Fig Coconut Yogurt.

Today, even though we’re away on vacation, we bring you another fig recipe: homemade fig jam. It is great on rice crackers; you might also enjoy it with a soft cheese like brie (if you can tolerate high-quality dairy) or Kite Hill almond-based Cream Cheese Style Spread. Brent’s mom used it with almond butter on sprouted bread (a new twist on PB&J!) and plans to use it instead of store-bought fruit spread in her Linzer cookies for Christmas. Whether you have your own fig tree or find them at the store, we hope you’ll enjoy making and eating this fig jam or any of our other fig recipes. Let us know what you decide to do—we would love to hear from you!

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Bacon, Kale & Onion Sauté

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When I was a kid, breakfast foods were for breakfast and everything else was for lunch or dinner. As I’ve grown up, I’ve slowly come to find that all foods taste good all the time. I love “brinner” (breakfast for dinner) and dinner foods for breakfast.

This is one dish that can be served any time of day, on its own or as a side dish. I love this recipe for its simplicity and its ability to use in a variety of situations. It’s so fast and easy to make—it’s perfect for a quick meal any time of day. I’ve eaten it alone for dinner and with eggs (scrambled, fried over hard, and even poached) for breakfast. You might also want to serve it as a side with a roast chicken or pork tenderloin or even steak. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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“Nashville” Hot Garlic Chicken

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Near our house, en route to the local metro station, is a Kentucky Fried Chicken. While I love their commercials, and their coleslaw, it’s been a very long time since I’ve eaten at one. I also don’t appreciate all the chicken bones littered on the streets in the immediate area (admittedly not their fault). Walking by the restaurant lately, I’ve seen advertisements for Nashville Hot Chicken. I love chicken, and I love hot things—this was a no-brainer to try.

Our recipe is not an exact replica, and we’ve never tasted KFC’s, but we guarantee it’s finger lickin’ good. Fun fact: when KFC first expanded to Asia, one of the translations of their slogan didn’t go quite as planned. As it turned out, the translation was the equivalent of, “so good you’ll eat your fingers off.” Not exactly an appetizing proposition. Don’t worry, you’ll have a full stomach and all of your fingers after this meal. We served it with cauli-mash from Real Life Paleo and it hit the spot.

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Chicken and Fig Tagine

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Having a tagine, or tajine, was always a lofty dream for us—it is a piece of cookware historically from North Africa, and is super cool looking. If you’d like a more in depth review of its history and use, check this out. Imagine our surprise when we received one for Christmas, and our dreams came true. We hadn’t asked for one, but it’s had good use since. You can use a tagine on your cooktop as well as in the oven, and it’s a great conversation piece when hosting dinner.

Do not fear, those of you who are tagine-less, you can cook similarly in a covered dutch oven or crock pot. There is some magic lost in the appearance and cooking process (the conical shape of the tagine collects and condenses steam back down the center), but you’ll still be able to enjoy this recipe. That said, if this is the impetus to go buy a tagine, DO IT! We guarantee you’ll enjoy this new way of making food at home.

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Fully Loaded Potato Soup

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Fall has arrived, as well as pumpkin-spiced everything, and with it comes cooler weather and earlier sunsets. It didn’t take more than a week to start to feel the change in a big way here in the Washington, DC area. Thankfully, we were mentally prepared to make a hearty soup that would warm our bellies. Ever since the paleo/primal community has relaxed on white potatoes, as well as sweet potatoes, we’ve had to remind ourselves to add them back to our menu.

Fully loaded potatoes are an indulgent side I occasionally had growing up when we went out to eat. Making a fully loaded potato soup was a fun challenge, and it came out great. By adding cauliflower to the recipe, it gave us a lightness that didn’t leave us ready for a nap after a bowl. We also cooked with Daiya cheese for the first time. These cheese shreds are dairy-, lactose-, and casein- free, as well as gluten- and soy-free. If you can’t find or don’t tolerate high-quality dairy, these shreds kicked up the flavor of the soup, and were a great addition—we recommend it. Imagine what you could do with a pizza or nachos inspired recipe (stay tuned). Now, on to the soup…

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