Summer Shrimp Salad

Life. Is. Good. Thanks to the help and support of 199 incredible backers, I successfully funded my Kickstarter campaign for my first cookbook, Bowls of Love. The book is in progress, and it will be published this Fall. Now that the campaign is over, I can get back to recipe writing, cooking, story-telling. I decided I needed a super summery lunch today while I worked on the book outside on the balcony. I crafted a summer shrimp salad bursting with flavor from mango, lime, and lemon balm. You could serve this over a bed of lettuce or in martini glasses as an appetizer for your next dinner party. It is the perfect meal or snack when you aren't in the mood for a hot dish on these beautiful Spring and Summer days. For an extra refreshing treat, refrigerate it for 30 minutes prior to eating..

Summer Shrimp Salad: Serves 4, Prep time: 10 min, Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled & deveined

- 3 small ataulfo mangoes, diced (about 1.5 cups)

- 1 large cucumber, diced (about 1.5 cups)

- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh lemon balm or mint

- 1 Tbsp. olive oil

- zest and juice from 1 lime

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

1. Boil a pot of water

2. When water is rapidly boiling, add raw shrimp (with the tails still on)

3. Cook for 2 minutes then cover pot and remove from heat

4. Let shrimp cook for 5-10 additional minutes until shrimp is pink and cooked through

5. Strain and rinse the shrimp and set aside

6. Add mango cucumber, lemon balm, olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl

7. Remove the tails from the shrimp, chop into bite-sized pieces, and add them to the bowl

8. Mix well to combine and serve! Note - this tastes extra good if you refrigerate it for 30 minutes so it is extra chilled and the flavors can meld

  

Yellow Mango Salsa

Happy Cinco de Mayo! It is 68 degrees and sunny, and I am counting down to my 5-mile evening walk with Chloe. Walking season is officially underway, and I am trying to get in at least 20 miles a week. I decided a long time ago that I love exercising, but walking will always win as my favorite. My ultimate dream is to be the 90-year-old woman in a head-to-toe matching warmup suit walking all around the neighborhood pumping one-pound hand weights. I figure it is never to early to start reaching for your dreams, and I think I am on my way in more ways than one!

Speaking of reaching my dreams, the Kickstarter campaign for my upcoming cookbook Bowls of Love has been insanely successful! The campaign is only on day 4 of 28, and it crossed the 75% funding line today! The whole experience has been incredible, and I cannot thank my backers enough! 

Now, I am off to tend to the guacamole!   

Yellow Mango Salsa: Serves 4-6, Prep time: 10 min, Cook time: N/A

Ingredients:

- 1lb. mini yellow tomatoes (or any other variety of tomatoes), diced

- 2 yellow ataulfo mangoes (or 1 large regular mango), peeled & diced

- 2 small orange bell peppers, diced

- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint

- 1 lime

- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1/8 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients in a bowl

2. Stir well to combine, and then refrigerate for a few hours (if possible) - the longer it sits, the better the flavors taste!

3. Serve on top of your favorite Paleo tacos or as a fresh side dish all Spring and Summer!

Paleo Taco Tuesday

It's Tuesday, so you should be eating tacos! Growing up, I absolutely hated Mexican food, and I moaned and groaned when my mom said we would be heading to our local Mexican restaurant Senor Panchos. The only thing I was willing to eat was a plain chicken and cheese quesadilla with no salsa, veggies, or guacamole. I have clearly seen the light since then, and now my family misses the days when they had one less person to fight over the guacamole with!

Tacos are a perfect paleo meal that can be scaled down for one or doubled/tripled for a big group. The more the merrier, so grab some friends and enjoy some post-election Tuesday tacos! If you are feeling really dangerous, you can serve with raw veggies + guac and some refreshing NorCal margaritas (tequila, lime juice, and soda/sparkling water). 

P.S. ¡Ahora adoro comer la comida mexicana, y disfruto de hablar en español también! ¡Puedas escribir un comentario en español en el pie de página si quieras! ¡Viva el Paleo!

Ingredients:
- 1lb. grass-fed ground beef
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 Tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 16oz. mushrooms, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2 avocados
- 1 lime
- 1 tomato
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, & cilantro
- Lettuce (boston/bibb cups or romaine sleeves)

Instructions:
1. Cook ground beef with onions and garlic over medium heat (7-10 minutes). While it cooks, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, cilantro, and any other herbs/spices (I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food!)
2. When meat is cooked to your preference, add mushrooms and peppers, and cook for another 3-5 minutes
3. Squeeze a lime over the mixture and mix thoroughly
4. Serve taco mixture in lettuce cups, and top with avocado or guacamole

Slammin' Salmon Cakes w/ Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Good morning from rainy Boston! Yesterday's cooking class was quite an experience. The turnout was lower than expected, but I still gained the experience of cooking food for 12 people for a solid 7 hours. Needless to say, my feet and back are tired, but it was great. I am separating the three courses into three different posts, and I hope you all enjoy the recipes. Before everyone came, I took out some interesting reading materials and also laid out some of my go-to paleo products so people could see some of the food I eat and ingredients I use. 

We started off the feast with salmon cakes/patties/burgers/whatever. I am going crazy over this canned wild salmon I found at Trader Joes, and I'm sure I will come up with some other salmon recipes over the next few weeks. Salmon cakes are incredibly easy to make, and they are perfect for leftovers. You can have one over scrambled eggs for breakfast, with a salad and sliced avocado for lunch, and with some roasted broccoli and a sweet potato for dinner! This is making me hungry...

Ingredients:

- 1 avocado, chopped

- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped

- 5-7 strawberries, chopped

- 1 lime

- Salt, pepper, & garlic powder

- Two 14.5 oz. cans of wild salmon

- 1 large onion, diced

- 3 eggs

- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. coconut flour

- 2 Tbsp. dill

- 1 lemon

- Salt, pepper, & garlic powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Mix avocado, tomatoes, strawberries, and lime juice in a mixing bowl

3. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

4. Refrigerate so flavors meld while you prepare the salmon cakes

5. Add canned salmon to a large mixing bowl. Note that this wild salmon from Trader Joes (only $2.99!) has skin and bones. You can mash it all together to get the full health benefits.

6. Add onion, egg(s), coconut flour, dill, lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic powder

7. Mix well with a fork, and then dive in with your hands to solidify the mixture

8. Form into patties and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet

9. Bake for 30 minutes and then remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes

10. Serve with a dollop (or two) of salsa

   

   

Paleo Seafood Trio

Huge news people! After meeting some great fellow paleo Bostonians last weekend, I was asked to teach a cooking class this weekend for a "Healthy Boston Adventures" meetup. There should be around 13 people coming to my apartment, and I will be cooking/teaching a 3-course paleo feast consisting of:

- Slammin' salmon cakes with avocado, strawberry, tomato, & lime salsa
- Acorn squash and grass-fed beef autumn casserole
- Crispy apple crisp (creative name, I know)

I just got home from Trader Joes after a huge shopping spree, and I can't wait for the class! I obviously love to cook, but this is my first attempt at a cooking class. I'm looking forward to teaching the group about paleo and showing them how easy and healthy the recipes can be. If it goes well, I would love to do more of them. I will post all of the recipes and a recap this weekend after the class! It should definitely be interesting because I have never made any of these things before, and I have to actually create the recipes before the group gets here. I decided to go with a salmon cake appetizer because it should be an easy, affordable seafood appetizer (and I just learned that Trader Joes has wild canned salmon). I absolutely love seafood, so on that note, I thought I would share a few summer seafood recipes I have made over the past few months. I highly recommend all three!


Wild Cod Lettuce Wraps topped with  Organic Peach/Avocado Salsa 

Ingredients:
- Wild cod (I used one frozen package from TJ - about 1lb)
- Olive oil
- Sea salt, pepper, & garlic powder
- 2 organic peaches, chopped
- 1 organic avocado, chopped
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1-2 cups brussel sprouts, halved
- Bibb/Boston lettuce cups

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brush cod with a little olive oil and spices
3. Coat brussel sprouts with olive oil and spices
4. Bake cod and brussel sprouts for about 15 minutes
5. While fish and veggies are cooking, prepare salsa by combining peaches, avocado, lime, salt, pepper, and garlic powder
6. When the fish is cooked (should easily flake with a fork), pull apart pieces and put them in the lettuce cups. Top with salsa and serve with brussel sprouts. Perfect feast for roomie bonding night, right Katie? :)

Pecan Pesto Mahi Mahi w/ Summer Vegetables

Ingredients:
- Wild mahi mahi (I used one frozen package from TJ - about 1lb)
- Homemade pecan pesto (will post recipe separately - includes pecans, fresh basil, olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper)
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 summer squash, sliced
- 1 lb mini heirloom tomatoes, quartered
- Olive oil
- Sea salt & pepper

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brush mahi mahi with a little olive oil and top with a dollup of homemade pesto. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of the fish
3. While the fish is cooking, head some olive oil over medium heat and sautee the zucchini and squash for about 10 minutes or until cooked to your liking
4. Plate your fish on top of the summer veggie mixture and top with heirloom tomatoes


Very Berry Nutty Salmon Salad

Ingredients:
- 1 4-5oz piece of salmon
- 1-2 cups mache lettuce
- 1/4 cup raspberries
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. sliced almonds
- 1 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
- 1-2 Tbsp. paleo salad dressing (optional) - I used Steve's Original Wild Berry and love it!

Instructions:
1. Boil a pot of water. When boiling, add your salmon, cover the pot, and turn off the heat. 
2. Let cook 12-15 minutes
3. While your salmon poaches, arrange your lettuce, raspberries, tomato, almonds, and sunflower seeds on a plate
4. Top salad with salmon and add your favorite paleo salad dressing (or olive oil & lemon)