Rice is a great side for many meals – but why have the grain rice, when you can have a far more nutritious Paleo alternative? This recipe is quick and easy and can be varied by using different herbs and spices. You can also stir in an egg whilst cooking, to make an egg fried rice; or make it a dish in it's own right by adding more vegetables such as capsicum (bell peppers) and zucchini.
This rice is so good, I've served it up many times without people even realising it isn't “normal” rice!
Grate the cauliflower florets by hand, or in a food processor, until the consistency resembles rice.
Dice the onion into small pieces and fry in olive oil over a medium heat
Once the onion starts to turn golden add the grated cauliflower and spices and stir for a few moments ensuring it doesn't burn. Add more oil if necessary.
Serve and enjoy! You can also make extra to store in the fridge, ready to be reheated with dinner.
How do you make cauliflower rice? Or perhaps you make a rice alternative using something other than cauliflower? Do share, in the comments below.
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.
As I wrote about yesterday, I'm currently trying to avoid tomatoes and undertake a low-salicylate Paleo diet. I usually use a lot of tomatoes in my cooking, as they are a great base for sauces and meals. My favourite dishes, ragu, bolognese and chilli all use lots of tomatoes, so I've been experimenting to find an alternative.
Since tomatoes are a nightshade, this recipe will be helpful to those avoiding nightshades too. I've also just realized that tomatoes have quadrupled in price in the last few months – so this is also good for the budget!
I used carrots and beetroot to make the “tomato” sauce, which I then used exactly as I would a real tomato sauce with the rest of the ingredients in this bolognese. I'm not that keen on beetroot on it’s own but in this dish with all of the other flavours, it was a great addition.
If you avoid salicylates or just don't tollerate tomatoes very well, this tomato-free bolognese recipe will meet your needs for a tomato based sauce - but without the tomatoes! It tastes great, and LOOKS very tomatoey!
Ingredients
Carrots (I used about 9)
Beetroot (I used 4)
Leek, diced
3 diced onions
Parsnip
7 mushrooms, sliced
Pork mince (500g)
Beef mince (500g)
Coconut oil
Coconut aminos
Garlic powder
Oregano
Cinnamon
Cayenne pepper
Ground chilli
Salt & Pepper
Instructions
I peeled and roughly chopped the carrots, beetroot & parsnip and added them to a large pan of boiling water
Meanwhile, in another pan I sautéed the onions in some coconut oil until they turned translucent
Next, I added the mince and a splash of coconut aminos
Once the meat had all browned, I added the leek, mushrooms and a small amount of each of the herbs and spices (I don’t use very much, but adjust according to how hot you like it – and how little you like beetroot!)
I allowed the meat mixture to simmer on a low heat, stirring regularly, and adding water from the carrot & beetroot pan as it dried out
Once the carrots and beetroot's started to soften, I turned the heat off and puréed in the blender
With the tomato-free “tomato sauce” ready, I added it to the meat pan and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes before serving
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If you have any suggestions for alternatives to tomatoes, please share in the comments below…
After a barbecue at the weekend I had some left over cooked sausages that I wanted to make use of. There was also some red wine left over, so I came up with a recipe for a sausage almond & red wine casserole. I used ingredients I already had in the kitchen, so I am sure lots of tweaks could be made.
It made quite a few portions, so I was able to freeze quite a lot, to use for future meals.
Ingredients:
Barbequed Paleo Sausages
2 Red Onions
2 Brown Onions
1 clove garlic
1kg tomatoes
Tomato puree
2 handfuls of raw almonds
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 glass red wine
Chicken stock
Coconut Oil
Salt & Pepper
Method:
I diced the onions and browned them in a pan of coconut oil.
I added the crushed garlic, then the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and the stock. I let the mixture simmer for a few minutes whilst I chopped up the almonds.
I added the almonds and wine to the pan, and allowed it to continue simmering for a few minutes, before adding the cut up sausages.
I seasoned and added in the rosemary.
Once the sausages were thoroughly heated I served up the casserole and left the extra to cool ready for freezing.
I enjoyed the casserole on it’s own, but it would also have gone very well with some cauliflower rice.
We've finally started to have a few sunny days – the perfect time to get the barbecue out and try out some Paleo Barbecue Recipes!
There were a few recipes I’d wanted to try in Mark Sisson’s cookbook, The Primal Blueprint Cookbook, which had been waiting for some sunshine. I amended the recipes according to which ingredients I could get – and what I already had in my kitchen.
I managed to get hold of some turkey (I don’t know why it’s not more popular in Australia?), an essential ingredient in the Turkey Kebabs I wanted to make. I also made Green Chili Burgers, based on a recipe in the book. Sadly mine were made with regular beef and not bison as the recipe suggests (another type of meat I've not seen in Australia).
Turkey Kebabs
Ingredients:
200g minced (ground) turkey
1 egg (I'm using omega 3 enriched eggs at the moment)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon each of garlic powder, cumin, paprika & salt
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon & cayenne pepper
1 spoon of olive oil
Method:
It doesn't get much simpler! I simply added the ingredients (except the oil) to the food processor and blended until everything was well mixed in. I then formed the meat into kebabs on wooden skewers and coated with a little olive oil.
The kebabs were then barbecued until cooked thoroughly.
Burgers
Ingredients:
200g minced (ground) beef
1 teaspoon dried chilli
2 tablespoons coriander (cilantro)
Half a small finely diced onion
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chilli powder & salt
2 eggs
Method:
I put everything except the eggs in the food processor and blended well. I then formed the meat into burger shapes and cooked thoroughly on the barbecue. Whilst the burgers were cooking I fried the eggs and served them on top of the burgers.
Along with the meat, I made a simple salad to complete the meal.
With it being this easy to make burgers and kebabs, I don’t know why anyone would buy them ready-made!
Since my new supply of himalayan salt arrived with a big warning on the outside “this does not contain iodine”, I've been craving salty foods. I'm sure this is psychosomatic, but it has lead to quite a lot of reading about iodine deficiency in the last week.
It does appear to be quite possible to become deficient in iodine when eliminating regular iodised salt and conventionally raised animal products. Apparently they started adding iodine to salt many years ago – and to animal feed, as many people were deficient in the mineral. Iodine plays a crucial role in thyroid function and is an essential mineral. I had quite extensive blood work a couple of months ago but for some reason, despite my thyroid function being tested, iodine levels were not part of the tests. I will get my levels checked out, but in the meantime, I need to make sure I get enough iodine, be it from my diet, or supplements. Kelp Supplements seem to be quite popular, so perhaps they will be a good choice?
Wild caught fish is a good source of iodine, but I don't incorporate this in my diet regularly – this is probably something I need to change. Seaweed is supposed to be an excellent source of iodine, so to that end, I created “Paleo Iodine Wraps” for dinner this evening, using Nori sheets.
The wraps were going to contain beef, but I actually found some fresh turkey today – and it was on sale, so I had to buy it (I've got no idea why it's so hard to find turkey in Australia – it's got such a fantastic nutritional profile!). As you might have noticed I'm quite keen on putting fruit in with savoury dishes, so thought I'd experiment with some apricot to go with the turkey and seaweed flavours. I'm really enjoying coconut aminos at the moment, so I used it to marinate the turkey and beef in.
I cut the turkey and beef into thin strips and let them marinate in the coconut aminos for a few minutes, whilst I prepared the rest of the ingredients.
I cut the onion, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms and apricots into strips and then stir fried the meat in the coconut aminos and a spoonful of coconut oil.
Once the meat browned off I set it aside, and stir fried the vegetables and apricots in the same oil. I added the salt and some coriander to this and kept the vegetables on the heat for a few minutes.
Whilst the vegetables finished cooking, I cut the lettuce, tomatoes and avocados into strips, since these did not require cooking.
When the vegetables were ready, I assembled all of the ingredients on one edge of the nori sheets, and rolled them until they resembled (paleo!) sushi rolls.
I was pleased with this impromptu dinner and will add it to my list of good foods to make for on the go! I think these would store fine in the fridge overnight, so would be another good option for work lunches – or even as a grab and go breakfast. I really liked the contrast of the seaweed taste with the sweetness of the apricot. I think next time I'll use fish instead of turkey and beef to full embrace a sea theme for this dish – and to get in a bit more iodine!
I've not checked yet, but hopefully if I incorporate Nori a few times a week, I won't have to worry about iodine deficiency.
I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on Iodine intake and deficiency, is this something you actively address in your diet?
Well, actually, it’s Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweet Potato soup – but these three are loaded with Vitamin A and Beta-carotene as well as many other vitamins and minerals.
I love soup – even though it’s summer here in Australia at the moment, I still eat it regularly. I find it really filling as a meal on its own and easy to make in advance. This is something I make in the largest pot I have and separate out into lots of individual portions, before freezing. I make lots of different soups, but this one is my favourite as it’s sweet and has a great texture.
I slice the onion and sauté it in the coconut oil in a large pot. Once it’s ready I add the chicken stock (this is something I make up in advance and take out of the freezer to defrost).
I roughly cut all the vegetables into chunks before adding them to the pot. I then turn the heat down to a simmer and allow the vegetables to cook for 30 minutes or so, adding the seasoning. I add the nutmeg and coriander at the end and turn off the heat.
I don’t drain the pot, but instead transfer it all into my blender (in several batches) and blend it until it reaches a nice constituency. Once it’s all blended I separate it into individual portions and freeze.
I had a big cooking session at the weekend and thought I’d use the leftover chicken I had to make some Chicken Stock. When I have the time to cook I like to make things like stock or bone broth, as I can freeze large amounts and use them as the basis for many dishes over the next two or three months. Stock forms the basis of so many meals, such as soups, sauces, stews and curries. I always separate the stock into small batches before I freeze so I can just defrost the amount I need.There seem to be a lot of different ways of making stock and bone broth. I like to keep mine as uncomplicated as possible as I’d rather add herbs and spices into the meal I use the stock for – not be limited by how I made the stock.
Out of interest, I had a look at the ingredients in the ready-made supermarket Chicken Stocks.
The shop-bought varieties have so many more ingredients than my home-made version. I can’t understand why sugar and flavours need to be added to stock, never mind “vegetable” fat, soy and colours (dare I ask what colour is it before they add the colouring?) I might be wrong, but I’d be surprised if the manufacturers went to the same lengths I do to get good quality free ranged chicken…
I much prefer making my own as it uses up leftovers that could otherwise be wasted – and as it pretty much looks after itself, it isn’t much effort to make at all.
I had some grain loving friends coming round for dinner at short notice, so I wanted to make something that didn't look Paleo at first glance – and also used things I already had. Pizza seemed like a good choice, as it seems like such a non-Paleo food! Of course, my pizza used almond meal instead of flour and good quality grass fed meat.
This was the first time I've tried a Paleo pizza and I'll probably experiment with the crust a little next time, perhaps adding coconut flour. I'm wondering if I could even make it on sliced eggplant and do away with a traditional base altogether?
1 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, basil & salt
For the sauce:
Tin organic diced tomatoes
Tin tomato paste
1 crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon oregano
For the topping:
Onion
Capsicum
Mushrooms
Cherry Tomatoes
Beef
Kangaroo Steak
Coconut Oil
Instructions
I preheated the over to 180 degrees.
I put the crust ingredients in a bowl and mixed them together with a wooden spoon until a ball emerged.
I then greased a baking tray with coconut oil and pressed out the dough trying to cover as much of the tray as possible, whilst keeping the dough relatively even.
I put the base in the oven for 15 minutes until it started to turn crispy.
I put the sauce ingredients in a pan and simmered for about 15 minutes. I then used my blender to achieve a "sauce" consistency
I sliced, then browned the meat in a pan of coconut oil before setting it aside.
I then fried the vegetables in coconut oil for a few minutes.
Once everything was ready I spread the sauce on the crust and added to meat and vegetables.
It was then returned to the oven for another 20 minutes, cut and served!
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It was very well received – as demonstrated by no leftovers – and prompted lots of questions about paleo! It's nice to make things like this that show how broad paleo food can be. A nice occasional treat!
Have you tried a paleo pizza? I'd love to hear how you made yours?
My housemate bought me the best birthday present – an enameled cast iron casserole dish, which I've been itching to try! I had the idea last night to make a curry with one of my favourite ingredients – avocado. I hoped the avocado would work as a creamy base for the chicken curry, which seemed to work well. I love cashew nuts too, so added in a few, which was a good contrast to the texture of the avocados. I think next time I’ll add some more curry powder – I'm always wary of adding in too much!
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil (I'm using Melrose at the moment)
1 pot Tomato Paste
2 Onions (I used one white, one brown), diced
1 Handful of raw Cashew Nuts, roughly chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1.5 Teaspoons Grated Ginger
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
Salt (I’m using Pink Himalayan Sea Salt)
Half Teaspoon of each Cumin, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika
Instructions
I browned the chicken in the coconut oil in the casserole dish; then put it to one side.
I sautéed the onions until soft on a medium heat, and then added in the garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, coconut milk and tomato paste.
I mashed up the avocados and stirred them in. I then added the chicken, spices, seasoning and cashew nuts and left it to simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes.
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I though it turned out really well, but could have been a bit spicier. I don’t think dinners like this need anything to go with them, but I’m sure it would go well with some cauliflower rice.
This should serve at least four, which means lots of leftovers!
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