Paleo recipe dinner On the Side Broccoli with Garlic, Chilli and Cashews-min

Recipe: On the Side Broccoli with Garlic, Chilli and Cashews

As the name suggests, this super quick and healthy broccoli makes a great side dish to just about anything. It's even great to have as a mid afternoon pick me up or an evening snack  – so make sure you make plenty!

If you haven’t used it before, coconut aminos is a great paleo alternative to soy sauce, and for that reason I’ve included it in this recipe to give a real depth of flavour.

Broccoli Ingredients:

  • 500g broccoli
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 handful cashews
  • Juice of a lime
  • A splash of coconut aminos

Broccoli How To:

1)     In a frying pan, add the garlic, chilli and olive oil and bring to a medium heat. Fry until golden and slightly soft, taking care not to burn,

2)     Cut the broccoli into medium sized florets. Add to the pan along with the cashews, and coat well with the chilli and garlic oil.

3)     Add your coconut aminos, stir, then simmer for 3 – 4 minutes. Finally, add a squeeze of lime, stir again, then serve.

Paleo recipe dinner On the Side Broccoli with Garlic, Chilli and Cashews-min

North African Carrot Slaw recipe paleo primal carrots-min

Recipe: North African Carrot Slaw

Wonderfully Moroccan, this carrot based ‘slaw’ is fruity and gently spiced, and teams up perfectly with some chicken wings or drumsticks.

North African Carrot Slaw Ingredients:

  • 5 carrots, grated
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1tbsp sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp sultanas
  • 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp mint, finely chopped
  • 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

North African Carrot Slaw How To:

Leave the sultanas to soak for 5 minutes in hot water whilst preparing the rest of the veg.

Mix all ingredients together, dress with the olive oil and lemon, and season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

North African Carrot Slaw recipe paleo primal carrots-min

Guacamole paleo recipe dip sauce avocado primal-min

Recipe: Guacamole Dip

Guacamole is another one of those things that is definitely worth making instead of buying. That way, you can be sure what’s in it – and know that it won’t contain any nasties!

This is how I make mine.

Guacamole Ingredients:

  • 4 chillies, finely sliced
  • Small bunch coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
  • 3 tomatoes, finely diced
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 4 ripe avocados

Guacamole How To:

Use a pestle and mortar to grind together the chillies, coriander (cilantro), tomatoes, sea salt and onion, until you reach a paste consistency.

Add the lime juice, and a dash of water if required, to make the mixture more fluid. Finally, mash in the avocados, just before you’re ready to serve!

Guacamole is great with almost any Paleo meal, and a great dip for raw vegetables – particularly alongside some homemade Pâté!

Guacamole is one of those foods best made fresh. It will store in the fridge for a short time, but won't look as appealing! If you need to make it up in advance, using more lime will help it to keep that bit longer.

Do you make your own dips? I’d love to hear what your favourites are, in the comments below!

Guacamole paleo recipe dip sauce avocado primal-min

Paleo recipe Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Carrots and Fresh Thyme-min

Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Carrots and Fresh Thyme

Sweet potatoes are a great side dish for a Paleo dinner. Bright orange and packed with vitamins A, B and C, don’t be surprised if you’re wearing sunglasses indoors and singing the alphabet whilst tucking into these!

Roasted Sweet Potato Ingredients:

  • 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into wedges
  • 6 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • Olive oil
  • High grade maple syrup
  • 2 cloves
  • A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Roasted Sweet Potato How To:

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

2)     Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and carrots. Transfer to a roasting dish. Drizzle over a little olive oil and maple syrup in equal parts, giving the vegetables a light coating.

3)     Throw in the cloves and fresh thyme. Toss the vegetables, then roast for around 40 minutes until well cooked.

Paleo recipe Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Carrots and Fresh Thyme-min

Recipe paleo hummus houmous chick peas legume free-min

Recipe: Paleo Hummus

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

IngredientsChick 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: 
Total time: 
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.

Recipe Lemony Broccoli paleo network-min

Recipe: Lemony Broccoli

If you're trying to get more greens into your diet (and you should be!) you might as well make sure they taste amazing. I have a lot of broccoli and find it can get a bit samey, so I came up with this recipe to give it a bit of a kick. You can give it an even bigger kick by increasing the amount of chilli you add!

Recipe Lemony Broccoli paleo network-min

Recipe: Lemony Broccoli
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Sides
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
This is a great side dish to make an ingredient that's often not popular, the star of the show!
Ingredients
  • A clove of garlic
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1½ tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoons freshly diced chilli (increase for more of a kick!)
  • 1 lemon, juice & zest
  • 150ml (5 floz) hot water
  • 1 handful fresh broccoli
  • Pinch flaked almonds
Instructions
  1. Peel & grind up the garlic and salt using a food processor (or pestle & mortar). Add in a dash of the olive oil and stir the mixture.
  2. Transfer the mixture to a pan and add in the rest of the olive oil and the chilli. Heat over a medium heat and stir until it starts to simmer. Add in the lemon juice and water as necessary to stop it sticking to the pan. Keep the mixture warm over a medium heat.
  3. Steam the broccoli for three minutes until tender.
  4. Dry fry the almonds in a pan until they turn golden.
  5. Combine the broccoli, sauce & lemon zest and top with the almonds.
  6. Serve and enjoy!
Paleo Diet Recipe Primal Herby Almond Nut Pâté-min

Recipe: Herby Almond Pâté

Almonds really do have to be one of the most versatile foods in the world, and are life savers for those following a Paleo diet. Whether you use them for Paleo baking as a replacement for flour, or enjoy as a dip for veggies, you may be surprised to know they make a delicious Almond Pâté! Great as a dip for crudités or just on its own as an appetiser.

Herby Almond Pâté Ingredients:

  • 1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight
  • 50ml olive oil
  • 40ml apple cider vinegar (or 20ml cider vinegar + 20ml lemon juice)
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 1 cup fresh parsley
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp raw honey (optional)
  • Good pinch sea salt

Herby Almond Pâté How To:

Drain and rinse the almonds.

Add to the food processor along with all the other ingredients. Blitz until combined – around 30 seconds was plenty for me.

The flavours combined perfectly, but there was still a nice crunch to the Pâté. You could blend for longer if you would prefer it smoother!

Paleo Diet Recipe Primal Herby Almond Nut Pâté-min

sun-dried tomatoes recipe paleo diet oven dehydrator how to

Recipe: Sun-dried tomatoes

Ok so my recipe isn’t strictly accurate, as my tomatoes are oven-dried rather than sun-dried – and my method doesn’t take 7 days, but the end result is the close enough. These are such a simple alternative to buying sun-dried tomatoes, and come with no preservatives or added nasties.

Use different colours and varieties of tomatoes and put these in a jar, to make a beautiful and practical gift.

Instead of basil, you can experiment with your favourite combinations. Try some other Italian herbs, garlic or even lemon for some variety. Capsicum (bell pepper) is also great dried out using this method and complements the sun-dried tomatoes perfectly.

Recipe: Sun dried tomatoes
Recipe type: Sides
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 250g tomatoes (I used regular cherry tomatoes, but have got some colourful varieties growing in my garden to try next time)
  • Splash of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of dried basil
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 150C (300F)
  2. Slice the tomatoes in half, lengthways (it helps to keep them all evenly sized)
  3. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients, ensuring the tomato halves are evenly coated.
  4. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper, and arrange the tomatoes evenly (it’s fine if some face up and some down)
  5. Bake for 2 – 3 hours, ensuring they don’t burn. You’ll want the tomatoes to retain a little moisture to ensure a nice texture.
  6. Store you sun-dried tomatoes in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Alternatively you can simply dry out the tomatoes in a dehydrator, if you have one.

I love sun-dried tomatoes as a simple stand alone, with goats cheese, avocado and pine nuts, but they’re also a great addition to lots of recipes. Try them in omelettes, on pizza, in chili or even as a secret ingredient in some homemade ketchup.

sun-dried tomatoes recipe paleo diet oven dehydrator how to

Recipe Grain-Free Crackers Potato Rosemary Dehydrator Paleo Network

Recipe: Grain-Free Crackers

One thing I've really missed from my pre-paleo days is the humble cracker. They're just the perfect thing to go with cheese, hummus, all sorts of dips.

Recipe Grain-Free Crackers Potato Rosemary Paleo Network

But with fairly typical cracker ingredients looking like this:

Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil, Salt, Malt Extract, Yeast Raising Agent (E336, E500), Emulsifier (E322:Soy), Milk Solids

That's a high price to pay for a vessel for a bit of cheese….

So I've been experimenting with my dehydrator, and have come up with these paleo crackers. Yes, the main ingredient is white potato. But these would work just as well with sweet potato or parsnip. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

Recipe: Grain-Free Crackers
Recipe type: Snacks
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
A simple grain-free alternative to shop-bought crackers.
Ingredients
  • 1 large potato, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons rosemary
  • sea salt &black pepper
Instructions
  1. Boil the potatoes as you would to make mashed potatoes (this helps to breakdown the starch)
  2. Drain, and mash in with the olive oil
  3. Add in the rosemary and season.
  4. Spoon a spoonful of the mixture onto a dehydrator sheet and use the back of the spoon to shape into whatever cracker shape and size you prefer.
  5. I dehydrated for about 16 hours on 145 degrees - but please check regularly and adjust accordingly!
  6. You an also make these in an oven if you don't have a dehydrator (but please research times and temperatures carefully!)

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Recipe Grain-Free Crackers Potato Rosemary Dehydrator Paleo Network-min (1)

Recipe Raw Zucchini Shoe-String Fries Paleo Network 680-min

Recipe: Raw Zucchini Shoe-String Fries

So I had a couple of trays free in my dehydrator, and some zucchini's that had to be used… so I came up with some zucchini fries that are a great snack, or would make a perfect side dish for dinner. I know a lot of people miss crunchy textures when they go paleo – if that's you, you'll love these!

recipe_raw_zucchini_shoe-string_fries_paleo_network_3-min

If you don't have a dehydrator, get one! No seriously, you can also make these in an oven on a very low heat.

Recipe: Raw Zucchini Shoe-String Fries
Recipe type: Snacks
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
A tasty side dish, or a snack on it's own. Crunchy zucchini shoe-string fries!
Ingredients
  • 2 zucchini's
  • splash of olive oil
  • sea salt
Instructions
  1. Slice the zucchini into thin strips
  2. Toss the strips in a drop of olive oil and season
  3. Arrange on a dehydrator sheet
  4. I dehydrated for 16 hours at about 145 degrees - but check regularly!

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recipe_raw_zucchini_shoe-string_fries_paleo_network_2-min

This would be great with so many other vegetables too, carrots, parsnips even capsicum. Note by adding the oil, they won't keep for as long as if you dehydrate them on their own.