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Recipe paleo hummus houmous chick peas legume free-min

Recipe: Paleo Hummus

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Hummus (or houmous, if you prefer) used to be one of my go-to dips before I went paleo. With the main ingredient being mashed chickpeas – yep there’s no doubting that they’re legumes* – it’s most definitely not on the paleo menu. Which is a shame because this Middle Eastern sauce is great as an appetizer or a dip for raw veggies.

Besides, even if it were paleo – have you checked out the ingredients recently? These are the ingredients of two of the popular brands of hommus sold in my local Coles supermarket:

Savion Dairy Hommus Dip

Ingredients: Chickpeas (47%), Sesame Seed Paste (23%), Canola Oil (Antioxidant 320), Lemon Juice (Preservative 202), Water, Salt (Anti-Caking Agent 554), Food Acid (330).

Yumi's Traditional Hommus Dip

Ingredients: Chick Peas 45%, Water, Vegetable Oil, Sesame Seed Paste, Vinegar, Salt, Garlic, Citric Acid, Preservative (202, 211), Acidity Regulator (575).

Canola oil, vegetable oil and all of those additives and preservatives – no thanks.

Recipe paleo hummus houmous chick peas legume free-min

So what are the options for making a paleo hommus?

Well I've tried with both zucchini and cauliflower – and I like the zucchini best. And it’s great with kale chips.

Recipe: Paleo Hummus
Recipe type: Sides
Prep time: 
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Hummus (or houmous, if you prefer) used to be one of my go-to dips before I went paleo. This recipe takes out the chickpeas (no legumes here!) and uses paleo alternatives to make this delicious hummus!
Ingredients
  • 3 small zucchini’s, peeled and roughly chopped
  • Juice of a lemon
  • 50ml (3 tablespoons) Tahini
  • 30ml (2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Paprika or cut chives, to serve
Instructions
  1. Put the zucchini and lemon in your food processor and blend
  2. Add the tahini, olive oil, cumin, seasoning and garlic. Blend until smooth
  3. Put in the fridge for half an hour or so before serving
  4. Top with paprika or chopped chives, to serve

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*And what’s so wrong with legumes I hear you say? Well legumes contain phytates and lectins which are to be avoided as they inhibit nutrient absorption and cause inflammation.

Paleo pizza sauce recipe tomato basil oregano

Recipe: Pizza Sauce

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The secret to a good paleo pizza is in the pizza sauce! This combination of onion, garlic, oregano and basil is super easy to make and creates a perfect base for your toppings. No one will ever suspect your pizza isn't made the conventional way with gluten heavy flour! Find out how to make my grain-free paleo pizza base here

Recipe: Pizza Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Sauces & Condiments
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Ingredients
  • 200g tomato paste
  • 250ml water
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
Instructions
  1. mix the ingredients together thoroughly with a whisk
  2. spoon the pizza sauce out onto the pizza bases as required

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I've seen a few brands of tomato paste with added herbs – make sure the one you use is plain, with nothing added.

You don't need to cook the pizza sauce, as you'll be cooking it with the pizza. But if you want a thicker sauce, you'll want to heat and stir it until it thickens up. This is great to freeze in small pizza-size batches, so it's ready to go whenever you fancy a home-made paleo pizza! Frozen, it should last for up to three months.

Tomato & Chilli Relish Paleo diet recipe sauce dip

Recipe: Tomato & Chilli Relish

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What better way to finish off a paleo burger, than with a generous serving of home-made relish? This relish is tomato and chilli – but unlike most relish recipes, I've used medjool dates instead of sugar to add some sweetness.

If you like your relish hot, add some more chillies to your mixture.

Recipe: Tomato & Chilli Relish
Recipe type: Sauces & Condiments
Prep time: 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • ½ eggplant (aubergine)
  • 3 medjool dates, diced
  • 80ml red wine vinegar
  • 4 chillies, chopped (try a mixture of red and green)
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp coriander seeds
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • celtic sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a low heat
  2. Add the onion and garlic, and fry until they start to turn soft & translucent
  3. Add in the eggplant and dates, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often
  4. Pour in the red wine vinegar and reduce the temperature to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid has reduced to approximately half its original volume
  5. Add in the chillies, fennel, coriander and tomatoes, the reduce the heat to a low setting and stir regularly
  6. After about half an hour, season, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool before serving.

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Tomato & Chilli Relish Paleo diet recipe sauce dip

Recipe paleo ranch dressing sauce dip-min

Recipe: Paleo Ranch Dressing

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A ranch dressing is great to go with crudités of raw vegetables like carrots, cucumber and broccoli. Unfortunately ranch dressing is usually not paleo thanks to all of the dairy, as it's typically made with buttermilk – or sometimes yoghurt or sour cream. The other problem is the shop bought stuff. Yuck! Have you seen the ingredients?

Recipe paleo ranch dressing sauce dip-min

This is the list of ingredients in the popular Paul Newman brand of ranch dressing:

Soyabean Oil, Water, Vinegar, Buttermilk Powder, Whey Powder, (Milk), Garlic (2.0%), Salt, Egg Yolk, Cane Sugar, Onion Powder, Food Acid (Lactic), Lemon Juice (0.1%), Natural Flavour (Vegetable Gum [ Acacia]), Parsley, Vegetable Gum (Xanthan), Spice.

Soybean oil, sugar and all of those “additions”, no thanks. So best to make your own, don't you think?

Recipe: Paleo Ranch Dressing
 
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Recipe type: Sauces & Condiments
Prep time: 
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Another great paleo friendly sauce to have up your sleeve!
Ingredients
  • 250ml (1 cup) paleo mayonnaise
  • 250ml (1 cup) coconut milk
  • Half a lemon, juiced
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • Pinch of paprika
  • Sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill (or half this quantity dried)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (or half this quantity dried)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives (or half this quantity dried)
Instructions
  1. Mix together the mayo, coconut milk and squeeze in the juice from the lemon
  2. Add in the garlic and dried ingredients thoroughly
  3. Mix in the fresh herbs
  4. Try with raw vegetables, or served with chicken wings.
Paleo recipe simple salsa-min

Simple Salsa

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What to do when you have too many tomatoes? Make salsa of course! Salsa is a great dip and I often serve it with my home-made burgers. This recipe plays it safe, but for an extra kick, add some finely chopped fresh chilli to the mixture!

Simple Salsa
 
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Recipe type: Sauces & Condiments
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Ingredients
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 red onion, diced finely
  • 3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Splash of olive oil
  • Sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. It couldn't get much simpler - mix the ingredients together & season to taste. I immediately transfer into a jar that I can serve from.
  2. The jar should last for a few days in the fridge, make sure it's air tight.

How do you make salsa? I'd love to hear your secret ingredients and tips!

Paleo recipe simple salsa-min

Smoky Pulled Pork with Sugar Free Apple BBQ Sauce paleo recipe-min

Recipe: Smoky Pulled Pork with Sugar Free Apple BBQ Sauce

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Although it requires a lot of patience, pulled pork doesn’t actually require a great deal of time in the kitchen. Cure it overnight in the fridge, then cook slowly for 5 hours – and you have a seriously juicy, melt in the mouth cut of meat.

The tricky part is getting the balance of flavours right, but you just can’t beat the classic; smoky bbq. The dry rub is packed with complex flavours, whilst the apple bbq sauce is the perfect complement – and sugar-free to boot!

Recipe: Smoky Pulled Pork with Sugar Free Apple BBQ Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Pork
Prep time: 
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Ingredients
  • Smoky Pulled Pork Ingredients:
  • 1 pork shoulder, approx. 2kg
  • 50ml Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Sea Salt
  • For the marinade:
  • 2 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp chipotle paste
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 heaped tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp blackstrap molasses
  • For the Apple BBQ Sauce:
  • 250ml tomato passata
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 heaped tbsp unsweetened applesauce
  • 50ml apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
  1. The night before you wish to cook your pork, remove the skin and place in a large food bag. Pour in the vinegar and sprinkle over the sea salt, before tying up the bag and giving it a good shake. Leave in the fridge overnight.
  2. The next day, make your marinade by crushing the coriander, fennel, black peppercorns and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well to make a paste. Set aside.
  3. Preheat your oven to 220C / 425F. Rub the marinade all over the pork, taking care to massage it deep into all the nooks and crannies. Place the pork in a foil lined roasting dish, and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 140C / 275F, cover loosely with foil and leave to roast for 5 hours.
  4. minutes before serving, begin to make the bbq sauce by heating the passata in a saucepan until it begins to simmer. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes, until it reduces to about half its size.
  5. Remove the pork from the oven and shred with a fork to get your pulled pork. Serve with a generous dollop of the bbq sauce.

Smoky Pulled Pork with Sugar Free Apple BBQ Sauce paleo recipe-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
Recipe paleo pesto side-min

Recipe: Paleo Pesto

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The beauty of pesto is, after hundreds of years, there is still no definitive recipe. It's all about personal preference; chopping, changing, tasting and seasoning as you go along. Bearing this in mind, this recipe is subject to tweaking as you please – be sure to share what you did differently and how it worked out!

Paleo Pasta Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • ½ cup pine nuts
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • Juice of half a lemon

Paleo Pesto Ingredients:

1)     In a food processor, blitz together the basil, pine nuts, walnuts and garlic until coarse.

2)     Mix together the olive oil and lemon juice. Gradually, add this to the mixture, blitzing regularly, until the pesto reaches your desired texture. Often, you won’t need to use all of the oil and will have some left over to use as a salad dressing.

3)     Season to taste with salt and pepper

Recipe paleo pesto side-min

 

Chilli-Lemon Scallops with Romesco Sauce paleo diet recipe fish seafood-min

Recipe: Chilli-Lemon Scallops with Romesco Sauce

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The subtlety and versatility of Scallops mean they pair well with almost any marinade. I've kept this one simple, not only to let the flavour of the Scallops to shine through, but to enjoy the full effect of this marvellous Romesco sauce. Be sure to buy top quality, thick King Scallops from your fishmonger – you’ll notice such a difference.

The main flavour in the Romesco Sauce comes from the chargrilled red pepper. Don’t be afraid to really blacken it!

Scallops Ingredients:

  • 12 King Scallops
  • Juice 2 lemons
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp dried parsley

Romesco Sauce Ingredients:

  • 6 Dried Nora Chillies
  • 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 small ripe tomatoes, quartered
  • 50g roasted blanched almonds
  • 50g roasted hazelnuts
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil, plus extra
  • 2 tbsp Sherry balsamic vinegar

Romesco Sauce How To:

If it’s easier for you, make the Romesco sauce the night before to save cooking time on the day. Alternatively, make in advance the same day.

Drain the Nora Chillies. Blitz in a food processor with the garlic clove until smooth, adding a little olive oil if necessary. Set aside.

Heat a griddle, or if you don’t have one, a frying pan, to a very high heat. Throw in the pepper, whole, and griddle for around 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from the heat when sufficiently blackened. Transfer the pepper to a large bowl, and cover with cling film for 5 minutes to steam. Remove the cling film and leave to cool. The steam will loosen the skin, making it easy to peel.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan and add the shallots. Soften for 2 – 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes and a splash of cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes, allowing to thicken. Stir in the chilli and garlic puree.
Blitz the almonds and hazelnuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped – don’t over process and turn to flour. Peel the pepper, remove the seeds and chop. Add this to the food processor, along with the tomato chilli sauce, and process again until combined.

Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl, and stir in 2tbsp each of olive oil and sherry vinegar. Season to taste.

Scallops How To:

Combine the lemon juice, crushed garlic, chilli and parsley. Toss over the scallops, and leave to marinade for at least an hour in the fridge.

Flash fry the Scallops for 1 and a half minutes each side. Remove from the heat, and serve alongside the Romesco Sauce.

Chilli-Lemon Scallops with Romesco Sauce paleo diet recipe fish seafood-min

 

Paleo recipe tartare sauce dip white fish primal-min

Recipe: Paleo Tartare Sauce

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Let’s face it, even the freshest fillet of white fish can taste somewhat plain when eaten on its own. Tartare Sauce has been traditionally served with fish for years, but of course, the shop bought stuff is a no go. Luckily, I have a recipe on hand that is Paleo approved and delicious at the same time!

Paleo Tartare Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 150ml olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • ½ tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
  • ½ tbsp capers (RRR)
  • ½ tbsp chopped gherkins
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Paleo Tartare Sauce How To:

1)     Mix the mustard powder with a dash of water to form a paste. Whisk in the egg yolk and a little seasoning if required.

2)     In a measuring jug, combine 150ml of olive oil with the juice of half a lemon, watching out for pips. Slowly add this to the egg, a little bit at a time, whisking together well.

3)     Rinse the capers. Stir them into the mixture, along with the tarragon, gherkins and parsley. Taste and check – you may want to adjust the acidity slightly depending on your preference.

So tell me… what’s your favourite fish to have with Tartare Sauce?

Paleo recipe tartare sauce dip white fish primal-min