Roasted Brussels Sprouts

People often ask me how to cook Brussels Sprouts. It's pretty simple. 

1 Brussels sprout stalk
1 cup shallots, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp coconut oil or ghee
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Remove Brussels Sprouts from stalk and rinse. Cut stems, remove outer leaves and chop in half. Place in baking dish with shallots, garlic, salt,pepper and coconut oil. Roast for about 30 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Fig Soup

6 cups chopped butternut squash
1 cup chopped carrots
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil (or other fat)
1/2 cup chopped figs
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

Spice blend:
1/4 tsp cinn
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp ground fennel
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

In a small bowl, combine spices.

Put butternut squash, carrots and broth in a slow cooker

Heat oil in a pan. Add onions. cook onions on low heat for about 20-30 minute. you want them to turn translucent, but not brown. Add figs and cook for about 5 minutes, then add garlic, cook for about a minute or two, add spices, cook for about 30 second, then remove from heat and add onion mixture to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. Add more salt if necessary. Puree with when finished cooking.

Mashed Celery Root with Leeks

Celery root is a great alternative to potatoes. There are 42 calories and 9 grams of carbohydrates in 100g of celery root compared to 77 calories and 17g carbohydrates in 100g of potatoes. I like to use it in stews instead of potatoes and celery stalks.

1-2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1 large celery root
1/2 cup leeks, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup broth
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan heat coconut oil or ghee. Peel and dice celery root. add celery root to the pan with a dash of salt and cook until slightly brown, about 15 minutes. Add leeks, mix together and cook for a couple of minutes, then add garlic, salt and pepper. After about a minute, add broth and simmer until celery rood is soft. Transfer to a bowl and mash or puree using a food processor or immersion blender.

Paleo Hush Puppies

This recipe is similar to my  Golden Beet Bread recipe. Golden or yellow beets have a flavor that reminds me of corn, so this is a great gluten free, grain free alternative to traditional hush puppies. These can be baked or fried.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped Golden Beets
2 Eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
black pepper, to taste
Coconut oil for frying (or if baking, add 1 Tbsp of melted coconut oil to the mix)

Roast beets at 350 degrees until soft for (45-60 minutes). This can be done a head of time.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add beets and puree using an immersion blender. This could also be done with a food processor. After beets are pureed, add almond flour, coconut flour, salt, onion powder and pepper.

For deep frying: Fill deep fryer with coconut oil. Don't heat about 350! Shape batter into balls and place in fryer basket. Fry until golden brown.

For baking: Preheat oven to 350. Shape batter into balls. Line cookie sheet with parchment. Bake for 20-30 minutes. The baked puppies come out a golden yellow and they shrink slightly compared to the fried ones.

Fig Barbecue Sauce

Figs are awesome. This recipe works well with chicken, ribs, burgers or anything else you want to put BBQ sauce on. I have a recipe for Paleo Worcestershire Sauce or you can search for one on the web.


1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Balsamic
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp Mexican Oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 figs, chopped
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix spices.

In a sauce pan, heat coconut oil. Add onions and saute until translucent, then add garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds then add spices. After about another 30 seconds, add figs, vinegar, coconut aminos and Worcestershire  Stir together and bring to a low boil for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and puree using an immersion blender. Makes about a cup.

Cauliflower Skordalia (Greek Style Potato Dip)

Skordalia is a Greek potato dip, usually served cold, but you can eat it warm if you prefer. This is a low-carb version.

1 head of cauliflower
2 tsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from 1 lemon

Steam cauliflower until fork tender. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Garlic can be lightly sauteed in olive oil, or added raw. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil. If you used raw garlic, you might want to prepare this ahead of time to let the garlic mellow.

Banana Fudgesicles

It's freakin hot out. 115 degrees. It's a good thing I had these babies in the freezer. Dairy free, no added sugar, fruit sweetened and a good source of potassium, so it does double duty on a hot day!

I got this awesome stainless steel popsicle set from amazon. Some of the reviewers complain the the pops look phallic. It's a popsicle, you lick and suck it. What do you expect it to look like. It will not turn your son gay or make your daughter a porn star. Get over it and don't sexualize your food or your children. If you're concerned about plastic and want what's best for your family, no matter what it's shaped like, this pop mold is for you. I originally bought it to make deodorant sticks, but room temperature in the summer in Arizona is 80 degrees and the melting point of coconut oil is 76 degrees. You do the math. Needless to say, I keep my deodorant goo in a small mason jar. There will be a recipe for that eventually.


1 can full fat coconut milk
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup cocoa (or cacao) powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze. 

Rainbow Cake

My birthday is in June and what better way to celebrate June than with a rainbow cake. No artificial colors or flavors, just wholesome grain-free, gluten-free yummy goodness. I adapted this recipe from Saffron Girl's Paleo Beetroot Cake recipe, but made it even more awesome.

Yellow Layer:
1 1/2 cups golden beets, chopped and roasted
2 Eggs
2-4 Tbsp Honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 Tbsp almond extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour

I didn't use any fat or oil when I roasted the beats. Puree beets. Beat eggs in a mixing bowl, then add pureed beets, coconut oil, honey and extract and beat together. Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then combine all the ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Red Layer:
1 1/2 cups red beets, chopped and roasted
2 Eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2-4 Tbsp Honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder flour

Follow the same instructions for the red layer as the yellow layer. If  you're really talented, you can bake them in separate cake pans and layer them. If you're lazy like me, you can just put one layer on top of the other in the same cake pan. If you're really creative, try swirling or marbling the 2 batters. It doesn't matter which layer is on the top and which one is on the bottom, either way it tastes awesome.

Bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean.

Frosting:
1 ripe banana
2 ripe avocados

Puree bananas and avocados together. When cake is cool, remove from pan and frost. Eat before the frosting oxidizes.

Golden Beet Bread, A Grain-free Alternative to Cornbread

The taste of golden beets is strikingly similar to the taste of corn, which is why I love eating them with salt, pepper and lots of butter. The corniness is what inspired me to try to make bread out of them. What makes this recipe even better than cornbread (besides the obvious lack of corn) is that it comes out moist, not dry and crumbly like most cornbread.

3 Large golden beets
1 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil
4 eggs, beaten

Peel and chop beets. Steam them for about 20 minutes, or until they're soft and mashable. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put beets in a mixing bowl and mash beets with potato masher. Mix in almond flour, salt, baking soda and coconut oil and mash together. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Pour beaten eggs into the bowl with the other stuff and beat them all together. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean.

Horseradish Mashed Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 cloves roasted elephant garlic (or 4-6 cloves normal sized garlic, roasted)
2 Tbsp grated fresh horseradish
4 Tbsp clarified butter or olive oil

Peel and grate horseradish. 

Steam cauliflower until it's soft and mashable. Place cauliflower in a bowl and add butter or olive oil and start mashing. Add the rest of the ingredients and keep mashing until everything is fully combined.

Spinach Omelet with Pesto

3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup frozen spinach or 1/4 cup cooked/wilted
1/4 cup zucchini linguini
1 Tbsp Cilantro Pablano Pesto (or any pesto you've made recently)
Grilled onions
Roasted red peppers
Avocado slices
Hot sauce (I used Chipotle Tobasco, my FAVORITE.)
Chili Cilantro Aioli (optional, but recommended)


Heat spinach (thaw if it's frozen) and mix together with pesto and zucchini. Scramble eggs and cook in a pan (duh). Mix onions and peppers into the spinach-pesto mix. When eggs are almost cooked, put veggies in the middle and fold. When the eggs finish cooking and the veggies inside are warm enough (you might want to heat them before you put them in the omelet if they're not already hot) remove from pan an put on plate. Top with avocado and hot sauce.

Cole Slaw

In my quest to get Nikos to eat more vegetable, I made cole slaw.

2 tsp salt
6 cups shredded red cabbage
6 cups shredded green cabage
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 cup paleo mayonnaise (or more if you like it extra creamy)
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds

Combine cabbage and salt and mix thoroughly. Drain in a colander for about an hour. Squeeze out the excess water.

Heat seeds in a pan and toast until fragrant.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the vinegar, seeds and mayonnaise. add the cabbage and carrots and mix thoroughly. It's good to prepare it a day in advance because it tastes better on the second day.

Mayonnaise

I have several recipes for aioli and flavored mayo, but none for plain mayonnaise. Mostly because it's more fun to add flavor and you can find a basic mayonnaise recipe anywhere. This is what I used in my cole slaw recipe. I figured if I publish the cole slaw recipe I should include a recipe for mayo on the site for easy reference.

1 egg
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
3/4 cup olive oil

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a food processor. blend thoroughly. slowly drizzle the mayonnaise in while blending. Once all of the olive oil is in, keep blending for a couple more minutes. store in a glass container and refrigerate.

Dill Aioli

This is awesome with bacon wrapped scallops Works well with salmon too.

1 egg
Juice from 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
3/4 cup olive oil

Leave all ingredients out so they're at room temperature. Combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor. Blend thoroughly. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. You don't want to do this all at once. Take your time; it should be a thin drizzle. once thoroughly combined, put into a container and refrigerate.

Pumpkin-Banana Pancakes

I don't like adding honey or maple syrup to foods if I can avoid it. These have no sugar added and only get the sweetness from the banana. I used a banana that was just becoming ripe, pale yellow with green tips. If you prefer them sweeter, use a riper banana. I rarely make pancakes or any other type of substitute for gluten laden foods. Mostly because the texture is never right and they just leave me wishing for the real thing. This was a good alternative. Theses are thinner and denser than traditional pancakes, but very flavorful and have a good texture. Next time I'm going to leave out the coconut oil to see if they turn out fluffier because the egg and fruit mixture was pretty frothy until I added the oil.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 banana
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.
1 Tbsp melted coconut oil (optional) and coconut oil for the pan.

Beat the eggs. Cut the banana into chunks then beat with the eggs. Add pumpkin and pumpkin spice beat it all together and then add the coconut oil.

Spoon the batter into a well oiled pan and cook until the pancake starts to stiffen and is flippable (about 3-5 mins) then flip, and cook for about another minute. This recipe makes about 8 small pancakes. You could also make them bigger and use them as crepes.

Top them with whatever you like. I like flavored olive oils and vinegars. Like these from local small businesses: Vanilla Bean Olive Oil and Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar

Tomato Tortillas

Looking for a fun food? Are you at a loss for things to do with the plethora of tomatoes in your garden that you must use or preserve before their only fit use is to throw at mimes? Do you have an Excalibur dehydrator? If not, think about it. It's awesome. You want dense tomatoes for this recipe, I recommend heirloom. You don't want to use tomatoes that are too watery.

5 large heirloom tomatoes
1/2 a large onion
1 clove of garlic
dash of mexican oregano
dash of cumin
dash of chili powder (chipotle, cayenne, ancho, whatevere)
dash of smoked paprika
sat, pepper

You don't want to over do it on the spices because this will condense into a highly concentrated tomato leather. Line dehydrator trays with parchment paper or dehydrator liners (The parchment will be harder to peel off, so if you don't have patience, get the reusable liners) In a blender, combine all ingredients. When thoroughly pureed, pour into a 1 cup measuring cup (or 1/2 - 3/4 if you want smaller tortillas) and onto lined dehydrator trays. Spread into circles, about 1/4" thick. Dehydrate on 135 for about 12 hours. Dehydrating times may vary depending on climate. I live in vast desert wasteland, so my stuff dries quickly. Store in ziplock bags. You might want to put parchment between each tortilla to keep them from sticking.

Broclinguini

What do you do with broccoli stems? I've noticed a lot of supermarkets carry "broccoli slaw" which is basically julienned broccoli stems mixed with carrots. Apparently you can make slaw out of this. That sounds like a bag of gas to me.  I have a Benriner spiral slicer. There are several brands of spiral slicers out there, but I bought mine based on the amazon.com reviews. One reviewer bought 2 different spiral slicers and gave the one she didn't like to her mother-in-law and kept the Benriner. That was enough for me.

This is pretty simple. Cut the crown off of the broccoli and do with them as you please. I blanch mine and keep them in the fridge for a week of awesomeness. Cut the bottom 1/8-1/4 inch off the stem.

With a knife and/or peeler, remove the fibrous outer layer. the bottom of the stem is the most fibrous and as you get closer to the top, it's easier to digest. Spiral slice those stems! I had to cut mine in half to fit them on the spiral slicer. The top half where the crowns come off should be upright or they'll split apart. I used the widest blade attachment because I like linguini rather than spaghetti.

With the finished product, saute as you would zucchini linguini (or "zoodles" as some people call them. Does that make these "broodles") and serve with whatever sauce you like. Or you can eat this raw if you want a big plate o' gas.

Cherry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Pairs well with a Julian Cherry Bomb Hard Cider

It's that time of the year again, when fruit is cheap and it's too hot to cook in the house. I made this sauce for boar ribs but it also goes nicely with rabbit and chicken.

3 Cups Cherries
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp Mustard Seeds
1-2 tsp chipotle powder (depending on how spicy you like it 2 tsp is pretty spicy.)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp coconut aminos
2 Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Honey

Smoked Rabbit legs and Chicken thighs.

In a large saucepan heat oil and add onion. Saute until translucent. Add garlic and mustard seeds and cook for about a minute. Add cherries and spices. Let simmer for about 10 minutes then add balsamic, aminos and honey. simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, then puree with immersion blender.

Horseradish Mayonnaise

As seen here with crab cakes!

This is a great condiment with seafood or meat. Eat it with pastrami and eggs. Also awesome on crab cakes. This was the first time I ever used fresh horseradish root.

1 large egg
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp crushed mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup olive oil
4-6 inch piece of horseradish, grated with microplane.

First, you want all the ingredients to be the same temperature, so leave them all out for a few hours. In a food processor, combine egg, garlic, mustard, salt, lemon and about half of the grated horse radish. Blend everything together thoroughly. While blender is blending, slowly drizzle the olive oil in. Very slowly. When all the olive oil is in, blend for about 1 more minute. Remove mayo from food processor and mix in the remaining horseradish a little at a time until it reaches the level of spiciness you like.

Marinara Sauce

Squashetti Marinara

I'm in utter shock and awe that people actually eat tomato sauce out of a jar. I have yet to find one that tastes as good as any homemade sauce I've had, and I grew up in NYC so I've tasted a lot of homemade sauces. It's pretty simple to make and if you're pressed for time, you can do it in a slow cooker.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf.

In a stock pot heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute then mix in herbs and spices. after 30 seconds, stir in balsamic and then add tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaf. Cook on a low flame for 1-2 hours. remove from heat and let cool. Discard bay leaf and puree. Reheat when ready to use. Or if you like a chunky sauce, don't puree, just serve hot.