I haven’t been up to much out of the ordinary lately… but I haven’t been posting either. Still cooking away, trying new things. I’ve tried a few different recipes, with varying degrees of success.
I made a spicy cauliflower recipe which was pretty awesome (though sadly my cauliflower was white, not purple). The roasted texture and the spicy flavour definitely made this veg more interesting.
I made some ginger lime chicken bites, (and found a new source of recipes and paleo info in the process!) which turned out tender and with a nice flavour. I felt like this might work as a marinade before cooking.
The other day I put together some double-pork stuffed chicken breasts. Meat, stuffed with meat, and wrapped in meat! The flavour was good, but honestly, it was a lot of meat. I can’t imagine eating one of these suckers with my hands, as described in the recipe. A couple of servings of roasted vegetables rounded out the meal.
There it is. Still cooking, still eating, still trying my best to be healthy. I reorganized my kitchen a while back, which has made cooking a little easier. I think the next step is going to try getting better at planning and preparing meals (or parts of meals) ahead of time, to avoid eating late and having a lot of work to do in the kitchen after a long day at work. We have enough freezer room to store stuff in, but I’ve never been a huge fan of frozen food (unless it’s ice cream!). I’d rather eat fresh every day. Something to think about, anyway.
This meal was a couple of firsts for me. First first, this Asian Almond chicken salad recipe came from nom nom paleo, a lovely and entertaining tumblr I just discovered (which makes me late to the party, I know. I will be going back there for more recipes and ideas, for sure. And I will probably have to buy a t-shirt).
Second, I made a new vegetable friend today: kohlrabi! I’d never had it before. It’s like a cross between an apple and a radish, and I like it. Managed to slice some finger off while chopping it though. Good reminder to work on my knife skills a bit (PS. typing this is really hard with a bandaged ring finger. I’m hitting the “l” key a lot.). Anyway, I served the salad with some roasted sweet potatoes, with the chipotle dip I mentioned in a previous post. Nom nom indeed!
Cooked another good meal last week. Discovered that fish and sausage makes a surprisingly good combination, and that celery can hold its own in a salad. Chorizo and almond crusted cod - recipe from Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals book, served with simple celery and almond salad, recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple. The salad keeps well and the leftovers are great to take for lunch.
I made a salad based off this recipe from Mark’s Daily Apple. I used canned crab meat instead of lobster, skipped the cilantro and served it on a bed of romaine with crumbled bacon and an avocado. I never would have thought crab and grapefruit would be such an awesome combination. The dressing was tangy and citrusy at the same time (it had a bit of dijon, as well as lemon and lime juices). It was so good. So good. I’m still thinking about it.
So I’ve still been cooking away and I tried out some new recipes lately (what else is new?).
Last week, I made Garlicky Roasted Shrimp and Swiss Chard from who else? Mark Sisson. This was the first time I’ve ever cooked swiss chard, and it turned out pretty well. I think roasting it was a good call (as is the case with most vegetables) as it came out a bit crispy and not limp or slimy at all. I added some spice to the shrimp (cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper) and served it with roasted sweet potatoes.
Also last week I made bacon, chicken and avocado salad, another recipe that was submitted to Mark’s Daily Apple. The title almost, but not quite says it all: there were also apples and walnut pieces in this particularly tasty salad. It was like a party in my mouth.
This week I branched out a little further and tried a couple of recipes from a new book: Paleo Comfort Foods. This book represents a different approach to Paleo cooking than I’m used to. The recipes are heartier and more like something my parents would make, if that makes sense. The author is inspired by their favourite comfort foods, and Julie (the author) freely admits her love affair with Southern and Mexican foods, which clearly show their influence.
The first thing I tried was fish tacos, something I’ve never actually had before. I used cod, and it turned out quite spicy. One of the best things that came out of this recipe was the chipotle sauce that went with it. I always wondered what chipotle sauce was, and now I know! The secret is chile peppers in adobo sauce, which you can get at most grocery stores. We served the fish tacos with a tasty coleslaw that had a nice red wine vinaigrette.
The next recipe I tried was acorn squash stuffed with turkey. Protip: don’t think you can substitute chili powder with cayenne pepper, unless you like your food hella spicy. Note to self: buy chili powder. I don’t mind the occasional meal that makes my nose run, but my boyfriend added some sour cream to his. Still, this is a recipe I would make again… if I ever get around to making anything a second time ;-)
