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Paleo Tabbouleh bulgar wheat free recipe dinner lunch-min

Recipe: Paleo Tabbouleh

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Who needs Bulgur Wheat when you have the oh so versatile cauliflower? The magic in Tabbouleh lies in the fresh herbs and seasoning, not the grains, so it isn’t something you should go without enjoying. Works great with Moroccan style chicken or lamb.

Paleo Tabbouleh Ingredients:

  • 1 cauliflower, leaves removed
  • 2 large handfuls fresh parsley
  • 1 large handful fresh mint
  • 1 red onion
  • 15 – 20 ripe cherry tomatoes
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil and red wine vinegar, to taste

Paleo Tabbouleh How To:

1) Add the cauliflower florets to the food processor, just as if you were making cauliflower rice. Lightly process until it forms light and fluffy ‘grains.’

2) Finely chop the herbs, red onion and cherry tomatoes, and add to a large bowl. Pour in the cauliflower and mix really well. Season generously with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar to serve. Easy as that!

Paleo Tabbouleh bulgar wheat free recipe dinner lunch-min

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine paleo recipe Moriccan Eastern European-min

Recipe: Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine

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This recipe is deliciously fruity and fragrant, capturing a blend of Eastern European and Moroccan flavours. It's brilliantly Paleo as well, as all the cooking is done in the fat that is released naturally from the duck legs!

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine Ingredients:

  • 4 free range duck legs
  • 3 – 4 medium shallots, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • Juice and zest 1 lemon
  • Juice and zest 1 orange
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • Fresh chopped coriander, to serve

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine How To:

1) Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4

2) Heat a large heavy based frying pan to a high heat. You won’t need any oil here, as the duck legs will release their natural fat. Pan fry the first two duck legs for 2 – 3 minutes each side, until browned. Reserve the fat, then repeat with the other two – but keeping the duck fat in the pan this time when finished. Arrange side by side in a large tagine.

3) Lower the heat on the frying pan. Add the shallots, and fry gently in the duck fat for 5 minutes. Add the reserved duck fat back to the pan, along with the spices. Cook for a further 2 minutes until really fragrant, then pour in the stock, lemon and orange (juice and zest). Stir in the honey, then pour all of the liquid over the duck legs to fill the tagine.

4) Cover the tagine with the lid, and place in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes. Remove, and serve immediately.

Fragrant Citrus Duck Tagine paleo recipe Moriccan Eastern European-min

Moroccan Chicken Tagine paleo recipe-min

Recipe: Moroccan Chicken Tagine

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If you've never cooked in one before, tagines are wonderful things. Originating from North Africa, a Tagine is traditionally made from clay and formed of two parts; a circular base, and a tall, cone shaped lid. The shape of the Tagine encourages condensation to return back to the food, locking in all the flavour and moisture. It guarantees delightfully tender, succulent meat and melt in the mouth vegetables every time – which is extra special for us Paleo folk. If you don’t have a tagine, a casserole dish will be almost as good.

This Moroccan chicken tagine recipe encapsulates everything that is good about North African Cuisine – and is perfectly Paleo. Warming, fragrant spices, juicy apricots and ultra tender meat. I defy anyone to not enjoy it!

Moroccan Chicken Tagine Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 2cm piece of ginger, grated
  • 2 tsp ras-el-hanout spice blend
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • 5 fresh apricots, chopped
  • 1 x 400ml can chopped tomatoes
  • Handful fresh coriander
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 200ml water

Moroccan Chicken Tagine How To:

1)     Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / gas mark 4

2)     In a non stick pan, heat the coconut oil to a medium heat. Add the onions, and cook for 3 – 4 minutes until golden brown. Add the ginger and spice blend, and infuse for another 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer to the tagine.

3)     Add the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, apricots and garlic cloves and stir well. Transfer the chicken and the squash to the tagine, and add the hot water. Leave to roast in the oven for 40 minutes.

4)     Remove the tagine from the oven, then take off the lid, watching out for steam! Skim off any fat that may have risen to the top, then stir in the fresh coriander.

Have you cooked in a tagine before? What do you make in it?

Moroccan Chicken Tagine paleo recipe-min

Moroccan Pork & Dressing paleo lunch recipe-min

Paleo Lunch Recipe: Moroccan Pork & Dressing

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Further to her guest post yesterday, Stormy Sweitzer, owner of Maoomba, the Real Food for Active Lives blog, and author of Paleo Power Lunch: Easy, Filling & Delicious Workday Meal Strategies, has very kindly shared one of the recipes from her book.

This is the lunch that started it all. In the dead of winter, wanting something colorful to go with a leftover pork chop, I threw it together with a handful of berries, seeds, and avocado. It’s earthy, but light. Add a handful of raw mushrooms for more vegetables.

Moroccan Pork & Dressing
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Moroccan
Print
Ingredients
Pork
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 3 ounces pan-fried pork loin chop, sliced
  • ½ avocado, cut into chunks
  • ½ cup fresh blackberries
  • 2 Tbsp raw pepitas
Dressing
  • ⅓ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp dry mustard powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp chives, chopped
Instructions
Pork
  1. Layer all ingredients in a lunch-sized food storage container.
  2. Pack 3 Tbsp Creamy Lemon Chive Dressing in a separate container.
  3. Paleo Diet Lunch Recipe
Dressing
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, except oil and chives.
  2. Slowly drizzle in the oil while the blender is going.
  3. Stir in chives when done.

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For more Paleo lunch recipes and strategies, check out the Paleo Power Lunch book.
Moroccan Pork & Dressing paleo lunch recipe-min

Handling Social Gatherings Whilst Remaining Paleo diet primal party dinner friends socialising-min

Handling Social Gatherings Whilst Remaining Paleo

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Throughout my “official” Whole-30 period, I found it really easy to keep on the Paleo-straight & narrow, without a single cheat.  I think I'm especially fortunate living in Sydney, where many restaurants pride themselves on fairly whole, local (and often organic) food.  I eat out fairly often, and continued to do so during the 30-day challenge.  I've always avoided certain types of restaurant, so that wasn't a problem.  In the restaurants I did eat in, without exception there have always been a few meals on the menu that are Paleo (for example fish and vegetables) and even more meals that I can “tweak” to make them Paleo (swapping the fries for a salad for example, and asking for no sauce/ dressing).

Last weekend however, I encountered my first Paleo difficulty.  I was invited out for a friend’s Birthday as a Moroccan restaurant in the Sydney.  However, as we were such a large group, we had to have the set menu.   I’d been quite busy, so just had a cursory glance at the menu a few weeks ago.  I saw “beef” and “chicken” and assumed I’d be able to make it work, and left it there.  Had I looked properly, I would have called the restaurant ahead as often, with notice, they can be very accommodating.  Fortunately I played it safe and had a late lunch on the day, a tactic I often employ before social events.  I've found there is nothing worse and more challenging than being ravenously hungry, surrounded by less than optimal food options.

We started with bread and dips.  One of the dips seemed to be egg plant, but with nothing to “dip” in it, I gave that a miss.

We were then presented with a Tabouli Salad, which after asking about the ingredients I dived into.  It contained parsley, mint, onion, olive oil, lemon & something called Bulgar.  After the first two mouthfuls I found out Bulgar is basically wheat, so didn't have any more of that.  Why put wheat into a lovely salad?

Handling Social Gatherings Whilst Remaining Paleo diet primal party dinner friends socialising-min

With the salad came Halloumi Cheese (I’m avoiding dairy, as I’ve felt so good since I eliminated it for my Whole30), Fried Cauliflower with Eggplant jam (sugar!), pinenuts and yoghurt (more dairy).  I was starting to get a bit embarrassed by this stage that I hadn’t eaten more than two mouthfuls, so I was very relieved when the next dish was BBQ Garlic & Harissa Octopus & Skordalia.  Octopus – perfect.  One of the things I love about eating out is having things like Octopus that I would never have at home.  Octopus is supposed to have a good amount of Omega 3, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and selenium, so a good option.  I’ve since found out that sometimes Skordalia is made stale bread in the puree; or potatoes, walnuts or almonds in olive oil; but I guess you can’t win them all.  The other dish in this course was the Moroccan equivalent to Spring Rolls; spicy lamb & pinenut boreks, with yoghurt sauce.  Didn’t have any of that either.

I was sat with lots of people I’d not met before, who were very interested in my “unusual” diet and why I was quizzing the waiting staff about what was in every dish.  I love talking about Paleo, and it definitely helps to be upfront about what you’re doing.  I always find it interesting to hear how others perceive Paleo – the main response I get time after time is how impossible they would find it to give up bread.

The main dishes would have to be more Paleo, surely!  Fortunately they were, we had: –

  • Lemon Pepper Chicken Shish Kebab with Tomato Caraway Sauce, Served with Chickpea & Nut Pilaf Lamb Kafta Shish Kebab with Pomegranate Glaze, Served with Chickpea & Nut Pilaf
  • Beef Cheek Tagine with Sweet Potato & Caramelised Onions, Served with Carrot Steamed Couscous

Served with

  • Fattoush Salad Sumac and fries
The Chicken and Beef Tagine were great, and better still my fellow dinners were so full up on the bread, pastry and beer that there was plenty left for me.  Luckily I realised the Fattoush salad contained pita bread pieces (why?) before I took any.Dessert was a beautifully presented sugar laden meringue with ice cream and lots of miniature sweets and cakes.  I used to have such a sweet tooth, but I noticed my attitude towards food like this has completely changed. I wasn't even remotely tempted by these items.  When I look at food like this, instead of the enjoyment and taste I used to see, I now see the unwanted insulin spike it will give me, the less than par feeling I’d get an hour later and the Gluten, Phytates & Lectins in the grains creating all sorts of problems I just don’t want.

I left the meal $57 lighter, but feeling great – which certainly wouldn't have been the case had I indulged as I would have pre-Paleo.

Going to a social event with non-Paleo friends soon?  Here are my top three tips to make the occasion as Paleo friendly as possible: –

1.       Find out what food will be offered in advance – call the restaurant several days in advance to explain your requirements and see if they can help you out

2.       Be open with the people you’re with about what you’re doing & why

3.       Don’t go to the event hungry, this will make it much harder for you to find your way through the maze of SAD food to the best Paleo choices

How do you manage social situations with SAD food?  Are your friends supportive?  Do you find particular social events better than others?  Let me know in the comments!