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Cajun Chicken and Avocado Salad paleo diet lunch-min

Recipe: Cajun Chicken and Avocado Salad

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Cajun seasoning is one of my personal favourites, but sadly the shop bought combinations are usually laden with salt and other horrible additives. Nonetheless, it’s super easy to make it yourself, and tastes way better too! It works great with Chicken and Pork, so I like to make sure I've always got some in the cupboard made up. The combination of the punchy Cajun flavours with the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and the creamy avocado in this salad is utterly divine.

Ingredients:

  • 4 free range chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
  • 2 ripe, medium sized avocados, peeled and chopped
  • Salad leaves of your choice: a mix of rocket; spinach and watercress works a treat!
  • 200g Cherry Tomatoes, halved.
  • Juice of 1 lemon

For the Cajun Seasoning:

  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • A little unrefined sea salt, to taste

How To:

1)     Dice the chicken breasts. In a bowl, drizzle half the lemon juice, making sure to watch out for any seeds, over the meat. Evenly coat it in the spice mixture, and set aside.

2)     In a large salad bowl, combine your mix of salad leaves with the chopped avocado and the cherry tomatoes. Toss in the remaining lemon juice – this will stop the avocado from turning brown.

3)     Heat a little oil in a pan to a high heat. Add the chicken, and fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides. Add to the salad, and enjoy!

I’d love to hear how this Cajun seasoning worked for you, and what else you tried it with! Please share in the comments below.

Cajun Chicken and Avocado Salad paleo diet lunch-min

char-grilled chili beef salad recipe paleo diet soy free coriander

Recipe: char-grilled chili beef salad

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I love the combination of lime and chili – it gives this salad a bit of a kick. The dressing will last in a jar for a day or so in the fridge, so shake it well and add it to the salad at the last minute. I used Lebanese cucumber, but continental would work just as well.

Recipe: char-grilled chili beef salad
Recipe type: Salads
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
  • 500g beef (I used rump steak)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 400g sliced cucumber
  • 4 fresh chillies, thinly sliced (seeds removed)
  • 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 250g grape tomatoes
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup fresh coriander (cilantro ) leaves
  • Dash coconut aminos
  • I clove garlic, minced
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, coat the beef in half of the lemon and lime juice, and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.
  2. Drain the beef, and throw away the juice.
  3. Barbeque the beef until it’s cooked to your liking (or cook on the stove or under the grill).
  4. Allow the beef to rest for a few minutes, then slice thinly.
  5. In a bowl, mix the cucumber, chili, onions, tomatoes and fresh herbs. In a jar, add the remaining juice, the coconut aminos and garlic and shake thoroughly to mix.
  6. Add the beef and dressing to the salad mix and toss to ensure it is well mixed in.
  7. Serve and enjoy.

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40 Top Paleo Recipes - Quick and Easy Paleo Diet Recipes

Why you must wash your pre-washed salad

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If you buy a pre-washed ready to eat bag of salad leaves, do you tip straight out onto a plate – or do you thoroughly wash it first? The whole idea of bagged salad mixes is convenience, so it’s no surprise most people don’t wash.

40 Top Paleo Recipes - Quick and Easy Paleo Diet Recipes

But how do they wash the salad before they bag it? Well it turns out diluted chlorine is commonly used. The chlorine is used to kill any harmful bacteria to ensure the lettuce is safe for our consumption. Seemingly even organic produce is allowed to use a weak chlorine solution for this purpose. Whilst there is supposed to be no trace of the chlorine 24 hours after treatment, do you trust your salad to be chemical free?

With outbreaks of e-coli and salmonella, it’s not surprising the salad growers are keen to sanitise their product. With salad available all year round the pressure is on to produce a cheap product – often meaning growers don’t provide sanitary conditions for their workers – hence the contamination risk. Unfortunately sanitising salad doesn’t remove the risk of contamination, it just makes it less likely.

So what’s the answer? If pre-washed salad could still be contaminated and could contain traces of chlorine is it worth paying the price premium?

Wash your own

A far better option is to spend a fraction of the cost buying fresh, unpackaged greens. Get rid of any wilted, torn or bruised leaves and let them sit in a sink full of ice cold water for 20 minutes. Use a salad spinner to get rid of the water and roll in paper towels to get the rest of the water out. If you store in plastic bags with paper towels to absorb any remaining water, they should remain fresh for over a week in the fridge.

How to you wash yours?

Papaya and prawn salad paleo diet recipe summer

Recipe: papaya & prawn salad

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I love the combination of sweet fruit in a salad. With summer in full flow, papaya (also known as pawpaw) is a great choice. Adjust the amount of chili for an extra kick in this Thai inspired salad.

Recipe: papaya & prawn salad
Recipe type: Salads
Prep time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
  • Green papaya
  • 15-20 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 3-4 chilies, de-seeded and finely chopped
  • Handful of prepared prawns
  • squeeze fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ⅓ cup of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
  • 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • handful of snake beans, cooked (optional)
Instructions
  1. Peel the papaya and quarter to make it more manageable. Remove seeds, then grate.
  2. In a bowl, combine the papaya, tomato, chili and prawns. Add the juice, fish sauce, garlic and half of the coriander and gently toss to ensure it is all well mixed and coated.
  3. Arrange the lettuce on plates and spoon the salad on top.
  4. Finish with the remaining coriander, basil and beans (optional)

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This is a great summer time main meal, but I also like to make up a large salad to give me lunches for the week.

Tuna Celery salad paleo network-min

Recipe: Tuna & Celery Salad with Tartar Dressing

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If you're eating the same old salad day in, day out, it's time to change it up! This Tuna and Celery Salad is a personal favourite – and the homemade dressing finishes it off nicely.

When buying canned tuna make sure you get a good brand. Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna is a good go-to brand as it's wild and line caught. You'll need to refer to my paleo mayonnaise recipe too, but don't worry, it's so simple you'll never buy shop mayonnaise again!
paleo_network_recipe_lunch_tuna_celery_salad_tartar_dressing-min

Recipe: Tuna & Celery Salad with Tartar Dressing
Recipe type: Salads
Prep time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
  • Juice ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 1 x 130 g (4.5 oz) can tuna in brine, drained
  • ½ red capsicum (bell pepper), seeded & finely diced
  • 1 stick celery, finely sliced
  • 4 iceberg lettuce leaves
  • 2 tbsp paleo mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp finely chopped capers
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the tuna, capsicum, celery and some seasoning and combine.
  2. Arrange lettuce leaves on a plate and the tuna mixture on top. Mix mayonnaise and capers together in a small cup and drizzle over the tuna. Finish with olive oil, salt and pepper.

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Tuna Celery salad paleo network-min

Recipe carrot citrus salad paleo network-min

Recipe: Carrot Citrus Salad

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Why have a boring salad, when you can have this zingy brightly coloured salad instead? With a few oranges and lemons still left on the tree, this is a great way to enjoy them! The main ingredient is carrots, but the herbs and spices and citrus make it quite unlike any other carrot you've had before!

This is a great side dish for a summers day, or even enjoy it on top of a paleo burger.

Recipe: Carrot Citrus Salad
 
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
  • 4 large carrots
  • pinch of cumin seeds
  • pinch of mustard seeds
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • splash of extra virgin olive oil
  • juice of ½ a lemon
  • juice of ½ an orange
  • small bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
  • sea salt & fresh pepper
  • pinch of orange zest
Instructions
  1. Peel and grate the carrots
  2. Heat the seeds in a pan to release the flavours, then grind them in a pestle and mortar. Add in the cinnamon and mix in with the carrots over the heat for a couple of minutes
  3. Add in the olive oil, citrus juice and coriander (cilantro) as well as the zest and mix in thoroughly.
  4. Allow the flavours to marinate for an hour before serving.

Recipe carrot citrus salad paleo network-min

Teriyaki Beef Salad recipe dinner lunch Asian grass-fed-min

Recipe: Teriyaki Beef Salad

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Does a big bowl of beef strips, cauliflower rice and colourful vegetables smothered in copious amounts of paleo approved teriyaki sauce count as a salad? Of course it does! Dig in and enjoy the sweet, sticky asian flavours that marry together so well in this lunchtime favourite.

Teriyaki Beef Salad Ingredients:

  • 400g grass fed beef strips
  • 1 cauliflower, leaves removed
  • 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and chopped into wedges
  • 1 yellow capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and chopped into wedges
  • 2/3 carrots, grated
  • 2/3 spring onions, finely chopped

For the sauce:

  • 2 tbsp date paste, or ¼ cup raw honey
  • 1/2 cup coconut aminos
  • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
  • Pinch of black pepper

Teriyaki Beef Salad How To:

1) Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat. Allow to simmer gently for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture thickens slightly and bubbles. Taste and add more date paste / coconut aminos depending on your preference. Set aside.

2) Blitz the cauliflower florets in a food processor to make cauliflower rice. Transfer to a large salad bowl, along with the rest of the vegetables. Stir well to combine.

3) Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan to a high heat. Flash fry the beef strips for a minute each side (for medium). You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan.

4) Add the beef to the salad bowl, then drizzle over the teriyaki sauce. Serve immediately.

Teriyaki Beef Salad recipe dinner lunch Asian grass-fed-min

Raw Kale Salad with Goji Berries, Sprouts and Pumpkin Seeds paleo primal lunch dinner-min

Recipe: Raw Kale Salad with Goji Berries, Sprouts and Pumpkin Seeds

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Packed with nutritional super foods, the key with this raw kale salad lunch recipe is the marinating time – the longer it is given, the greater the flavour will be. Not only that, the apple cider vinegar softens the kale to make it easier to digest at its nutritional best (raw!). Make a big batch to see you through lunch for the next couple of days. Throw some shredded chicken in for extra protein!

Raw Kale Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 large handfuls thinly sliced kale leaves
  • 2 medium carrots, grated
  • 2 medium celery stalks, peeled and finely chopped
  • ½ cup mixed sprouts, such as broccoli, radish, clover, alfalfa etc
  • ¼ cup goji berries
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Raw Kale Salad How To:

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl. Whizz together the oil and vinegar, then drizzle over the salad, tossing as you go. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with gladwrap/ cling film and keep in the fridge until required!

Raw Kale Salad with Goji Berries, Sprouts and Pumpkin Seeds paleo primal lunch dinner-min

Paleo Lunch Box Recipe Five DIY Salad Dressings-min

Paleo Lunch Box Recipe: Five DIY Salad Dressings

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If you’re leaving home with a pre-prepared salad for lunch, there’s nothing like having a small pot of on-the-go dressing to take with you. We all have our favourite salad dressings, but here are five delicious ideas for you to try so that you’re never caught with a boring salad again!

All of the following make enough for between 4 – 6 salads, and keep in the fridge for a week. I’ve made a note on each recipe saying ‘blender’ or ‘jam jar.’ In short, if it says blender, blitz your ingredients in a blender. If it says jam jar, just combine all contents in any kind of jar and shake to combine. Not rocket science, I know!

Paleo Lunch Box Recipe Five DIY Salad Dressings-min

Oil Free Raspberry Dressing (blender)

  • 125 grams fresh raspberries
  • ¼ of an onion, chopped
  • 100ml apple juice
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Lime and Coriander Dressing (blender)

  • 150ml extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice 1 1/2 limes
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • 1 large handful fresh coriander

Balsamic Vinaigrette (jam jar)

  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 100ml balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Pinch of salt and black pepper

Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette (jam jar)

  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 50ml cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed

Lemon and Dill Dressing (jam jar)

  • 100ml olive oil
  • Juice and zest 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp runny honey
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
Paleo Diet Recipe Primal Spinach Courgette Salad Orange Sesame Dressing-min

Recipe: Spinach and Courgette Salad with Orange and Sesame Dressing

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Fresh, green salad combined with an incredibly delicious dressing. Perfect for al fresco eating with some barbequed protein.

Spinach and Courgette Salad Ingredients:

  • 3 courgettes, thinly sliced
  • 4 large handfuls fresh spinach
  • 12 sundried tomatoes, halved
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
  • Handful of pine nuts
  • For the dressing:
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tbsp tahini paste
  • Juice of ½ orange
  • 1tsp honey
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Spinach and Courgette Salad How To:

Heat a little oil in a pan to a medium heat. Add the sliced courgettes and peppers a little at a time so they are not too bunched up. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes each with a little sea salt, ensuring they are nicely chargrilled.

In a large salad bowl, toss together the spinach and sundried tomatoes. Add the courgettes and peppers, then toss again. Scatter the pine nuts on top.

To make the dressing, whizz together all the ingredients bar the olive oil to make a thick liquid. Gradually add the oil, stirring as you go, until you reach the desired texture.

Drizzle the dressing generously over the salad, toss and serve.

Paleo Diet Recipe Primal Spinach Courgette Salad Orange Sesame Dressing-min