Plantain Chips

Am I excited that I am leaving for Dubai in 72 hours? YES. Can I believe it is real? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Someone over there must have been preparing for my visit because I just saw this great article from Time Out Dubai talking about the increasing demand of local, organic produce in Dubai over the last year. There are now 3 farmers markets running every week, so I am sure I will feel right at home! The journey of packing has officially begun, and I am certain I will continue to shove things in the suitcase up until 30 seconds before I have to leave. 

I need to get back to my list-making, but I wanted to share a new recipe for plantain chips. Buying the container from Whole Foods is way too dangerous, so I bought one lonely plantain and made a reasonable serving size of chips for myself. I hadn't used the dehydrator in a while, and it continues to amaze me. I am definitely going to try out some fruit leathers, dried veggies, and jerky when I am back from my trip. Stay tuned!

Plantain Chips: Prep time: 5 min, Cook time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

- Plantains

- Fine sea salt

Instructions:

1. Slice the ends off of the plantains, and then make a slit length-wise through the skin/peel (avoid slicing all the way through into the plantain itself). 

2. Remove the peels from the plantains and then slice the plantains into very thin pieces

3. Arrange the plantain pieces on your dehydrator trays, and lightly sprinkle with sea salt

4. Dehydrate for 8 hours at 130 degrees until crunchy

  

  

Easy Shrimp & Veggie Soup

If you were wondering what an unhappy spatula looks like, you have come to the right place! I was in my room working yesterday, and when I opened my door to get a glass of water, I smelled a horrible whiff of burning plastic. The dishwasher had just finished running, and apparently my favorite spatula had fallen through the racks and was burning. This is actually pretty ironic because this was the only spatula that I could flawlessly flip omelets with. This took years to master, and I finally got it down in 2012. Now that my doctor banned me from eating eggs, it is probably fitting that my omelet spatula needs to be thrown in the trash. Hopefully the next sign from above doesn't include burning any more of my kitchen tools - that seems a little unnecessary if you ask me! 

Today's recipe is my new chicken-free take on a traditional chicken soup recipe. I recently picked up some wild-caught shrimp from Trader Joes, so I figured I could make a new soup recipe with it. It was actually great to have such a different twist on such a standard soup. This is incredibly easy to prepare, and you can substitute the veggies for anything you have in the house. I will absolutely be making this again and experimenting with other creative dishes with shrimp. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Easy Shrimp & Veggie Soup: Serves 4, Prep time: 15 min, Cook time: 35 min

Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion
- 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 3 carrots, peeled & chopped
- 5 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 large red peppers, chopped
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 quarts (8 cups) organic vegetable stock/broth
- 1 lb. wild caught shrimp (I used frozen from Trader Joes that had tails removed and was de-vained)
- 6 oz. fresh spinach

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat
2. Add onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes until soft
3. Add carrots, celery, and peppers and cook for another 10 minutes
4. Add thyme, pepper, and vegetable stock and bring to a boil
5. Turn heat to medium low and cook covered for another 10 minutes
6. Rinse shrimp in a colander and then slice into bite-sized pieces (I cut each shrimp into three pieces)
7. Add the shrimp and the spinach to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes

  

  

Breakfast Mash Bowl

I was forced to give my breakfasts a serious makeover. As some of you know, I have battled a variety of stomach issues my whole life. I finally decided to get to the bottom of everything in 2012 when I started the paleo diet last July. While certain aspects of my digestion got much better, I knew things still weren't right so I went to a new integrative physician to get checked out. I got a ton of testing done, and it turns out that I have leaky gut syndrome. Note that this isn't as gross as it sounds - read about it here. The good news is that the paleo diet is helpful in healing leaky gut, but the bad news is that I also found out I have a load of paleo-friendly food intolerances I never knew about. The top tier sensitivities are asparagus, avocado (almost cried over this), cantaloupe, cashews, cauliflower, cucumbers, egg whites, egg yolks, eggplant, lemon, pineapple, sesame, squash, walnuts, and watermelon. The second tier (which I also will need to avoid) includes almonds, cabbage, chicken, and sunflower. I am meeting with an RD, but sadly I will need to cut out all of these foods for at least 4-8 weeks while I take probiotics and digestive enzymes to try to heal my gut. These foods may be fine over time, but for now they have to go. As you can imagine, it was an overwhelming conversation because I already limit my foods so dramatically with paleo. To now cut out eggs, chicken, nuts, and so many fruits and vegetables will be an added challenge. The food sensitivity testing is complicated because there can be false positives, but I will still need to eliminate these foods temporarily to be safe.

The first major change had to be breakfast. No baked goodies with almond flour, and no omelets/casseroles/quiches. The good news is that this recipe creation turned out absolutely amazing. The flavors were perfect for breakfast, and I loved the color combination. 

I have a few posts on deck that will be posted in the next week with some newly forbidden ingredients (almond flour, chicken, etc.), but after those are shared I will be sharing my new adventures in the kitchen according to these new guidelines. I am determined to prove that I can still make beautiful and delicious food even with the new restrictions. Best of luck to me and all of my other nut, egg, and chicken-free paleo friends out there!

Breakfast Mash Bowl: Serves 4-6, Prep time: 15 min, Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients:
- 4 small sweet potatoes 
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 Tbsp. garlic
- 1 lb. mini portobello mushrooms, chopped
- 1 large bunch kale, stems removed & chopped
- sea salt & pepper (optional)

Instructions:
1. Bake or steam your sweet potatoes. To bake, poke holes in the potatoes, wrap in foil, and bake at 375 degrees for one hour. To steam, cut into chunks and steam for 10 minutes.
2. Cook ground beef over medium heat until cooked through 
3. Drain excess fat from the beef, and then set the beef aside
4. Use the same pan to cook the onions and garlic until soft (about 10 minutes)
5. Add the portobello mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes
6. Add back the meat and the kale and cook for 2-3 minutes until kale cooks down
7. Mash the sweet potatoes (one in each bowl), and then drop a scoop of the veggie/meat mixture in the middle
8. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired
9. Enjoy your new and improved breakfast!

  

Steamed Veggies

The countdown is on. In exactly one week I will be on a 13-hour plane ride to Dubai freaking out. I have actually always liked flying, but anything over 5 hours makes my brain do crazy things. I start thinking about the fact that I am basically in a floating school bus above the ocean and will magically land on the other side of the world. Maybe this seems like a normal concept to you, but it certainly doesn't to me. Once I tried talking about these feelings with the person next to me, and it did not go very well. I luckily have great seats for the flights (aisles all the way), and I promised my mom I would do stretches, plane yoga, and walk around a little so I don't explode. I have never gone anywhere so far away before in my life, and I am sure it will be the experience of a lifetime. 

While I await my trip and try to keep busy, I have been experimenting with my newest kitchen toy - a metal steamer basket. I got this for $6 at Bed Bath & Beyond, and it is absolutely fantastic. If you can believe it, I had never steamed anything before in my life, and it is my new favorite way to cook veggies. I used to bake sweet potatoes all the time, and they took an hour minimum to really cook through. Steaming a sweet potato takes TEN minutes - if you don't realize how much of a game-changer this is, you clearly aren't paying attention.

Steamed Veggies: Prep time: 5 min, Cook time: varies

Ingredients:
- Any veggies you want! My favorite lately is a broccoli/carrot/celery medley or sweet potato

Instructions:
1. Boil 2 inches of water
2. Place the metal basket inside of the pot and add in your veggies
3. Cover the pot leaving it slightly open for the steam to escape
4. Steam until the veggies reach the desired consistency (carrots & sweet potatoes take about 10 min, celery 7-8 minutes, broccoli 4-5 minutes)

  

Rainbow Carrot Cake

Having a blog is perfect for my inner (and outer) math geek. I get limitless entertainment from reviewing my stats. With 10,000 hits last night and visitors from over 50 countries, I get pretty excited. I love seeing what people are searching for like "sooo hungry now paleo" and "paleo dessert asap". I think the common theme is that all you paleo followers out there love good food, want it fast, and are dying for new dessert recipes. With that in mind, I am posting dessert #2 from ladies night this past weekend. The cobbler/crumble was a huge hit, and the carrot cake did not disappoint either. This recipe made a lot of cake, so I sent everyone home with a little piece. I figured that was a better idea than devouring the entire rest of the cake in bed at midnight when they all left! Carrot cake has always been one of my favorite desserts. The frosting is my least favorite part, so I didn't even bother making a paleo version. Next time I will probably attempt it just to see how it comes out. This cake was extra special because it used fresh rainbow carrots and eggs from the farmers market. It was beautiful to make and delicious to eat! If you don't want an enormous cake, you could cut the recipe in half, bake it in a round pie dish or an 8x8 square pan, and bake it for about 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Rainbow Carrot Cake: Serves 12-15, Prep time: 20 min, Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

- 3 cups almond flour

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

- 5 eggs

- 1/3 cup organic grade B maple syrup

- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

- 3 cups carrots, shredded

- 1 cup raisins

- 1 cup pecans 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon

3. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil

4. Add carrots, raisins, and pecans to the wet ingredients 

5. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and pour into a 9x12 baking dish

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

7. Let cool, frost if you like, and enjoy!

  

  

Lean & Mean Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

I am officially ready for Spring! I had to pass on my daily wheatgrass routine this morning because it was only 12 degrees! I did some yoga in my warm apartment instead of braving the cold, and it was a great start to the day. I missed the morning walk but looked at this picture of my favorite part of Union Park while I sipped my tea. It may be freezing, but Boston is a gorgeous place to be. 

Last week some people (aka Mal) were weirded out by my spinach and mushroom turkey pie. It was simply a green meatloaf in a pie dish, but I know it raised a few eyebrows. I figured I'd switch it up this week and try a meatloaf muffin recipe. I had some fresh parsnips and onions from Silverbrook Farm in Dartmouth, so I threw those in with some celery and made 10 little meat muffins. They are the perfect travel meal or snack. Each muffin has about 2oz. of lean meat, and they are packed with flavor. You can switch up the veggies (think mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, or whatever you have in your fridge) and play with the herbs as well. It's almost impossible to mess these up, so be creative!

Lean & Mean Meatloaf Muffins: Serves 5, Prep time: 20 min, Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:
- 1.2 lbs ground turkey 
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 Tbsp. italian seasoning (oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, rosemary, and sage)
- sea salt & pepper
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
- olive oil

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. While oven preheats, heat olive oil over medium heat
3. Add onion and garlic, and saute for 5 minutes
4. Add celery and cook for another 5 minutes
5. Add parsnips and cook for another 5 minutes
6. Mix veggies with the meat, egg, almond flour, italian seasoning, sea salt, and pepper in a bowl until thoroughly combined
7. Spoon mixture into a greased muffin tin - I made 10 muffins (about 2 oz. of meat each)
8. Bake for 30 minutes until there is no pink in the center

  

  

Blueberry Peach Cobbler Crisp

I had to take a few days off from blogging after I had my first ever epic kitchen fail last week. I had dreamt up this creative beet chili recipe, and it was a complete disaster. I decided to pre-boil the beets a bit to soften them, and while I was on a 5-minute phone call, the beets absorbed 100% of the water in the pot, and burnt to a crisp. My entire apartment smelled like fiery beet smoke (not very inviting if you were wondering), and I even had to throw my pot away! I soaked and washed it multiple times and even put it through the dishwasher, but I think a layer of the pot itself burnt off, so I had to ditch it. Needless to say, I had some making up to do in the kitchen. 

I took a couple days off and then geared up for a ladies night potluck dinner party I threw last night. Ten wonderful ladies came over, and we had an amazing time. There was a recipe contest, and Sheena won with curried goat. It was my first time trying goat, and it was fantastic. Katherine's Moroccan chicken tagine was a close second - I will definitely be getting the recipes for both dishes and trying to recreate them. I was in charge of dessert, so I made a carrot cake (will be featured in a couple of days) and this blueberry peach concoction. My favorite farm at the Cambridge Winter Farmers Market occasionally has some summer staples that were picked fresh months ago and frozen to last through winter. I have missed out on the peaches every week until yesterday. I was so thrilled, and I decided to make a very summery dish. You can switch this up and use any fruit you have in season (apples, pears, cherries, etc.). This dish was a huge hit, and there wasn't an ounce left over. The peaches tasted insanely ripe, and they brought back amazing memories of my favorite meal of the summer up at Ryan's lake house when we made grilled peaches stuffed with prosciutto and fresh basil. Trust me when I tell you that you should make this cobbler. It is hands down my favorite paleo dessert to date. Summer will be here before we know it!

Blueberry Peach Cobbler Crisp: Serves 10, Prep time: 15 min, Cook time: 45 min

Ingredients:
- 6 peaches, sliced
- 3 cups blueberries
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla

- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans

- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

- 1/4 cup organic grade B maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Toss the fruit with the lemon juice and vanilla

3. Put fruit mixture in a 9x12 casserole dish

4. In a small bowl, combine almond flour, pecans, coconut flakes, cinnamon, salt, coconut oil, and maple syrup

5. Mix until well combined and then crumble topping over the fruit  (I used my hands)

6. Bake for 45 until fruit is bubbly and the top is golden brown