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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.

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

Recipe: Raw Zucchini Shoe-String Fries

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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
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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.

Recipe foaming zucchini courgette paleo network-min

Recipe: Foaming Zucchini

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Don't you just love a two ingredient recipe?! This is a great side dish if you have an abundance of zucchini, as I did. Next time you see it on special offer – buy it all! This dish is guaranteed to be a big talking point!

This is a great side dish and a really good way to get more veggies into your diet, without them being repetitive and a chore to eat. If you're going to eat more vegetables, you might as well enjoy them!

Recipe: Foaming Zucchini
 
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Recipe type: Sides
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Ingredients
  • 3 zucchinis (courgettes)
  • 70g (3 oz) butter*
  • Yep, it really is just a two ingredient recipe!
Instructions
  1. Coarsely grate the zucchinis, discarding the ends
  2. Melt the butter slowly in a pan, then add the zucchini and put the lid on the pan.
  3. Shake the pan often to move the zucchini and prevent it from sticking
  4. After a couple of minutes, you'll have steaming zucchini and beautiful zucchini foam.
  5. Serve immediately
  6. *I used butter for this, but if you don't use dairy replace with olive oil, or for a taste sensation, try bacon grease.

Recipe foaming zucchini courgette paleo network-min

Paleo Diet Recipe Vegan Vegetarian Primal Vegetable Bake-min

Recipe: Vegetable Bake with Tomato & Basil Sauce (Vegan & Vegetarian)

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I wanted to share with you one of the recipes from my new Vegan and Vegetarian Paleo recipe ebook. Whilst Vegetarian and Paleo might not seem to naturally go together, by avoiding grains – and making sure you get some good legume-free protein into your diet, it is possible to follow a Vegetarian Paleo diet.

My Paleo Vegetarian and Vegan recipe book shows how to transition into Paleo and is packed with recipes for grain, legume and dairy free recipes. Recipes demonstrate good Paleo protein sources and there are also plenty of Vegan options (i.e. no eggs or dairy). For those looking for a gradual transition into full Paleo, the book also details how to properly prepare grains and legumes, for those who aren't ready to give them up on day one.

If you're interested in the recipe ebook, you can find it here.

This recipe is a vegetable bake, full of flavours. Whether you're vegetarian or not, this makes a great Paleo dinner!

 Vegetable Bake Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

  • 1 large eggplant (about 500 g or 1lb), trimmed & sliced in 1 cm thick rounds
  • 2 large zucchini (about 500 g or 1lb), sliced lengthways in ½ cm thick strips
  • olive oil, to brush
  • 2 red capsicum (bell pepper)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, halved & sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 x 400g (or 1lb) tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 cup basil leaves, torn
  • ½ cup pitted black olives
  • ½ cup semi-sundried tomatoes in olive oil*
  • handful baby basil leaves, to serve
  • sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

 * If you can’t find them in 100 % olive oil reconstitute sundried tomatoes in olive oil (to cover) with a clove or 2 of smashed garlic and a sprig of oregano.

The Paleo Primal Diet Vegetarian Vegan Recipe Ebook

Vegetable Bake How To:

Preheat oven 180ºC (350ºF) and put the racks in the top and bottom thirds. Prepare 2 slide trays with baking paper and arrange the eggplant on one and the zucchini on the other in a single layer. Brush liberally with olive oil, season, add the capsicums to the tray and bake for 30 minutes. Remove. Place the capsicums (bell peppers) in a plastic bag and tie shut. Sweat for at least 20 minutes before roughly peeling them (the skin will slip off easily), tearing into quarters and discarding the seeds and stalk.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, covered, for 10 minutes, or until they’re very soft. Remove the lid, add the garlic and stir for a minute then add the tomatoes and basil with some seasoning. Cover, adjust the heat to keep the tomatoes at a steady simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the olives.

Grease a 20 cm2 (8 inches) dish. Arrange the eggplant in one even layer over the base (you can squish them a bit) then spread a quarter of a cup of the tomato sauce over the top. Next, arrange the capsicum (bell pepper) in a single layer, then the zucchini. Spread the remaining tomato sauce over this then arrange the semi-sundried tomatoes on top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 15 minutes out of the oven in a warm place.

Serve warm, garnished with baby basil leaves and accompanied by a green salad.

Paleo Diet Recipe Vegan Vegetarian Primal Vegetable Bake-min

Avocado, Chicken & Cashew Curry Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch-min

Recipe: Avocado, Chicken & Cashew Curry

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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!

Avocado, Chicken & Cashew Curry Recipe
Recipe type: Dinner
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Oh yes - you CAN cook with avocado...
Ingredients
  • 2 Organic Chicken Breasts, diced
  • 2 Ripe Avocados, mashed
  • 1 Zucchini, diced
  • 2 Mushrooms, diced
  • 1.5 tins of Coconut Milk (I use Ayam)
  • 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
  1. I browned the chicken in the coconut oil in the casserole dish; then put it to one side.
  2. I sautéed the onions until soft on a medium heat, and then added in the garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, coconut milk and tomato paste.
  3. 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!

Avocado, Chicken & Cashew Curry Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch-min