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!

Primal Meatza w/ Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese

What a weekend! I officially launched the Kickstarter project for my upcoming cookbook Bowls of Love. Thanks to the incredible generosity and support of my backers, I have already raised over $6,000 of the $10,000 goal in the first 3 days! I have been reaching out to people like crazy spreading the word, and the response has been spectacular. I am so grateful for the interest in my project, and I am incredibly thankful to reconnect with old friends and meet new people with similar interests. I am so passionate about creating beautiful healthy food for the people I love, and now that mission is spreading like wildfire! The rewards for contributing to the project are great and include signed copies of the cookbook, cooking lessons, cooking parties at your home, and an opportunity to get a recipe in the book dedicated to you! You can check out the campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alirak/bowls-of-love-paleo-soups-for-the-seasons

Tonight's recipe is a paleo pizza known as "meatza" that uses organic, grass-fed ground beef as the crust. I made this for Ry, and he loved it! He is a big cheese lover, so I topped his meatza with some fresh goat cheese. If you stay away from the dairy like me, I recommend adding extra veggies of your choice. These are so easy to make and are incredible delicious! Give them a try folks ;)

Primal Meatza w/ Caramelized Onions & Goat Cheese: Serves 2-3, Prep time: 10 min, Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients:

- 1lb. organic, grass-fed ground beef

- 1/4 tsp. salt

- 1/4 tsp. pepper

- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

- 1 Tbsp. italian seasoning (rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, etc.)

- 1 large red pepper, sliced

- 1 large sweet onion, sliced

- 1 tsp. olive or coconut oil

- fresh crushed tomatoes or small can of tomato paste or sauce

- 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan over medium heat

3. Add onions and cook until lightly browned (about 10 minutes)

4. Add peppers and let cook another 10 minutes until cooked through

5. Meanwhile, mix the ground beef and all spices/seasonings in a bowl

6. Press the meat mixture into two pie dishes - the meat "crust" should be very thin

7. Bake the meat pies for 10 minutes

8. Remove the dishes, drain the excess fat, flip the meat, and reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees

9. Top with crushed tomatoes, onions, peppers, and goat cheese

10. Cook for another 5-10 minutes

Note: The meat crusts will shrink a lot when you bake them, so don't be surprised!