I’ve been on major Hiatus. I’m so excited to share all the new recipes that I’ve been Paleofying.
My excitement has to do with all the positive effects I’ve experienced from going primal. The fact that I’m enjoying delicious meals that are helping me feel better is awesome.
These Paleo/Primal recipes have my body looking like, and I quote from the oh so flattering teller at my bank “four kids came out of you!?”
Besides the body getting right and tight, the mind is sharp as a tack and my energy levels are skyrocketing. I can get through some of the toughest workouts, and the next day I’m spared from the usual muscle soreness. Although my sore muscles were how I knew I was really going in on my workouts, the lack there of allows me to be much more functional.
All that and I still get to keep my bacon?!
Yep I’m good right here on my Paleo-ish.
So let me get to this recipe, which is super simple and primal in all it’s ingredients. I have a special place in my tummy for all things zucchini. Since I’ve been making a concerted effort to up my veggie intake ginormously, zucchini has been my go to for all my veggie gone bad recipes. It’s flexible yet firm/stable and takes a lot of cooking before it starts to lose shape. Even after frying they still have a little crunch.
These little fries are so comforting you almost feel like you’re indulging…but you’re not. You’re eating perfectly delicious and enjoyable grub without an ounce of guilt.
I dip these zucchini fries in my Roasted Red Pepper sauce and I’m in Primal heaven!
In the video I make 3 zucchini, this recipe is for two which still is a considerable amount of fries…enough to share even…or even not, either way I’m sure you’ll enjoy eating or just salivate over my pictures of these green veggies gone bad..sort of.
Ingredients
2 Zucchini
1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1/3 cup Tapioca Flour
Garlic and Onion powder
1 Tablespoon Smoked Spanish Paprika
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt plus more to taste
1 cup Coconut Milk
Lard/Ghee (or any other Paleo friendly/vegan frying oil)
Directions
Heat oil in frying pan. Cut and wash zucchini. Dump zucchini in coconut milk. Dredge in flour mix. Set aside and let sit for at least five minutes. Fry in hot oil for a minute or two. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with more salt to taste.
Watch step by step instructions here!
]]>
This lasagna was birthed out of my desire to cure some eczema that has plagued me throughout my life. I ended up having a string of allergy tests which proved I had a wheat allergy. These results pushed me to reduce my intake of the grain in my diet.
I was making all sorts of wheat free meals and I have to admit most of them were major fails. However this wheat free lasagna was a major victory!!!
Everyone who’s tried this dish has loved it! I mean everyone including my zucchini (referred to as squish squash in my home) haters enjoyed the zucchini laden lasagna recipe.
When I first started preparing this I would make one lasagna the traditional way with pasta and then make a small dish of my zucchini lasagna from whatever cheese and tomato sauce was leftover.
One day when all the lasagna leftovers left were some slices of my zucchini lasagna I decided to serve it. I didn’t hear a peep and I watched as they scarfed down a plate of pasta free lasagna.
From that day forward I’ve made big baking dishes of the Zucchini lasagna, and it’s a definite crowd pleaser.
I wanted to first just apologize, I know it can be irritating to get constant updates from the same source and I completely understand if you need to unsubscribe for the month.
I just ask that you to subscribe back when this month is over as I return to more spread out posts and new updates.
I’m working on a very exciting project that I want to share with all my foodies and home cooks! I’m planning to have everything done by the end of March. I’m also working on food and cooking videos so that you can actually see exactly what I’m doing when I put together these recipes.
The videos will include the basics of how to do a roux, picking fruits and vegetables, and a video with my husband discussing food safety, storage and when to throw what away in the kitchen. He’s trained and certified through the National Registry of Food Safety Professionals so it’s some good info that you can trust!
For this 17th day of my month-long posts I’m bringing you a black bean burger without the burger. When I first made these my husband didn’t realize there was no meat until half-way through eating I gently broke the news, it didn’t faze him because it’s just that good.
On the other hand my son who is an avid bean protester had a few words, let me give you a play by-play of the conversation between son and mom!
The “continues to eat” part is the proof that these burgers were delicious enough to not even miss the meat. My son is a talker, a debater, a wannabe preacher, teacher, boss! So the fact that he shut his mouth and continued to eat gave me the assurance that these burgers were kid tested and approved.
This snow is really throwing me for a loop, I have no good natural light for taking food pics and I’m not comfortable driving in the messy road conditions which has me caged in like a bird.
I did send the Sr. plus one man-child out on a Trans Siberia mission for candied coated pecans, and Hennessy …please don’t judge me they’re just too addictive…the candied coated pecans I mean
Seriously after I sent them away, I had regrets as I watched the snow pick up and come down twice as fast and twice as large. As I looked out the window I thought to myself “all for some candied pecans and cocktails my babies may not make it home!” Great news they made it home, bad news the ABC store was closed, some more good news I got an early V-DAY gift and my candied coated pecans
Now on to these parsnip fries, I saw them first on Foodgawker and was instantly taken by the idea of beautifully roasted veggies that mimicked an indulgent french fry!
I’ve been cutting back on hidden sugars such as bread, grains, and white potatoes. So when I saw these parsnip fries which looked a whole lot like french fries I was completely in love with the whole idea. A straight up veggie that would act as a french fry, yep-yep!
Then I made them, and I fell in deeper love, they were so good I ate the whole batch to myself.
When I did finally decide to share… even my pickier eater was dipping these “fries” in ketchup like they were straight out of a happy meal.
I got so much joy watching her eat a veggie and enjoy them as if it were a piece of candy, Tehehe, I’m so sneaky!
I even made chili cheese “fries” with a bed of parsnips and they were a HIT!
I’ve seen a person go from hating Brussel sprouts to eating an entire plate of those bad boys just by roasting them, roasting brings out the party side of veggies, and I think we all know how exquisite a good cheese added to any veggie can be!
So for this recipe I do both, I add cheese and I roast the veggies, then finally I wrap with a warm tortilla and melt everything together producing some beautiful bites!
This recipe is super easy and fuss free for those hectic weekday evenings!
The creamy Spanish Rice compliments this dish perfectly and should be enjoyed with fresh Pico de Gallo then dipped in sour cream!
We normally have BIG meals on Sunday! I usually do all my brine’s marinades etc, before church so as soon as we get home I can get down in the kitchen! This Sunday however I’m making a spread of some handy foods and easy to make snacks, for the Superbowl.
One item that play a major part in this year Superbowl spread are Jerk Pulled Pork Sliders topped with freshly homemade Cole slaw, and using the Jerk Pulled Pork Recipe!
Click here or the Jerk Pulled Pork Recipe.
All you need…..
12 Slider Buns
Cole Slaw (Recipe at the bottom)
Jerk Sauce (optional)
On warm bun, layer, pulled pork, a little jerk sauce and Cole slaw.
Enjoy!
We are back! Back home and back to school. The month of August has been spent everywhere but home. The kids and I have been back and forth between grandparents house, and home, with my husband kind of stuck mostly here at home alone, he did however have a week-long vacation which we spent at his childhood home in North Carolina.
Considering I slept on the floor I enjoyed myself a ton, my mother in law did 95% of all the cooking and cleaning so I pretty much got a break from my daily hustle and bustle back here VA. I genuinely enjoyed the time we got to spend with our parents, and whats even better I got to use my mama’s fully loaded kitchen which is almost twice the size of mine with a dutch oven ( I’m working on getting one), with a fully stocked pantry, and deep freezer. I literally could go shopping daily for what I wanted to eat that night.
If I had the space I would totally buy a deep freezer. With all that said I still missed home and our normal routine. So the kids are back in school and I’m back to my kitchen, and because I would love some kitchen upgrades I have put myself on a challenge, a budget challenge a OAMGS challenge ( Once a Month Grocery Shopping). Considering I go to the grocery store AT LEAST four times in a week or over 16 times in a month this is the biggest challenge I would have completed in a while. All those extra dollars will go to my new appliances and flooring. I will work all month on making budget friendly meals and post the ones that were worthy.
Next month I will replicate and give you the break down in cost. This month I’ll try to estimate. I am a cheap skate enthusiast, I have always wanted to be one of those incredibly cheap or should I say resourceful people who save and pays off their house in like 5 years , without any debt. I really am hoping I’m cut out for this! So onto the recipe…this will be the first budget meal of the challenge that is post and share worthy. The children loved it and so did the hubs, it’s Wheat free (did I mention I’ve tested as having a wheat allergy, I’ll discuss that later) and pretty healthy….light on the hips and light on the pockets!
1 lb ground chicken
2 Tablespoons Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose baking flour
2~15.5 oz Bush’s White Northern Beans
1/2~ Onion Chopped
2~ Cloves of Garlic Chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup milk
3 Cups water
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chicken Base
In a stock pot heat olive oil. Add and Saute onions and garlic.
Add ground chicken and cook through until you see no more pink. Season with some salt pepper and the cumin.
Add flour and get a roux going with the onions garlic and chicken add your chicken base. Mix well.
Now add your cans of beans, water and milk. Put top on pot and let cook for about an hour and a half on medium high heat.
Watch and stir in between.
Serve warm and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and top it off with a little sour cream.
]]>This recipe here is a southern staple and a personal family classic, Okra (which by the way was a nickname I came up with my freshman year of college, just one of the pranks I was responsible for *winks) is something you love or hate I personally love them and can eat them raw, yes RAW, in all it’s crunch and slimy textured glory, partly because I know they have some amazing health benefits, mostly because I just really like the earthy taste and initial crunch.
We have an uncle who is pushing 100 years old while looking like a man in his 50s and Big Noah never forgets to remind me “Uncle John eats raw okra”, which means he attributes his age and health to that very action, of eating raw okra, now I’m not saying it is but who’s to say it aint, either way I feel like I’m taking a vitamin when eating it, do a little research these little things are so good for you!
Now if the idea of eating okra raw isn’t so appealing, but you want to benefit from all the goodness these power veggies have to offer, you need to try this recipe.
This right here is kind of amazing, and entirely too easy.
Fried Okra! You’ll be popping these things left and right without the guilt of popping say-a potato chip.
I have to make these close to dinner time, or else they’ll be gone before they even reach the table.
Here’s what you need.
1 pint fresh okra
Flour
Corn Meal
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Milk
Cut okra in about half an inch pieces.
Mix flour, corn meal, cayenne pepper, salt in a small bowl with top. Put okra in bowl and shake up well. Make sure all the okra is coated in flour mix.
Now dip floured okra in a bowl of milk.
Remove from milk and put back in four mix.
With about an inch of oil in skillet turn the heat on medium high. When oil is piping, add your twice dipped okra and fry for about 3-4 minutes, it cooks pretty quickly just don’t crowd the pan.
When okra start browning, remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.
The one on the left is doubled dipped in flour and the one on the right is not.
]]>16 oz Black eyed peas
8 cups water
1 lb smoked pork neck bones
5 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
Soak dry beans half of the time packaging calls for.
So if it says 6 to 8 hours cut that in half to about 3 to 4 hours.
Bring water, neck-bones, and butter to boil.
Add garlic salt and salt and pepper. Be careful not to over do it. You can always add more salt later.
Add beans and bring to rolling boil, let them boil for about 20 minutes.
Turn stove down to medium high put a top on the beans and let cook for another hour. Remove top stir and let simmer 10-15 more minutes.
Serve on top of rice, I use brown.
This recipe is the perfect example of comfort food that’s good for you, well besides the neck bones, and that can’t be too bad considering you’re getting all that fiber and nutrients from the beans.
My aunt Judy (who was famous for her amazing candied yams) would bake them in the oven, which is more time consuming. You would first boil them, then bake for an hour or longer.
This recipe right here is simple and quick, so you can enjoy those sweet candied yams even if you have little time to spare. These are my sautéed candied yam with only six ingredients. All you need is…….
*Side note Sometimes yams are hard to find outside a international market, but sweet potatoes will work well as a substitute.
4 sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter/Margarine
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cut yams into ½ inch cubes. Rinse off and let dry for a bit.
Melt butter in pan with heat on medium high.
Add yams and let sit for a minute or two, so they can get a nice brown color.
Start tossing add brown sugar and toss and mix everything until incorporated. Continue to let the yams brown. Mix in maple syrup and cinnamon. Place top on pan and turn heat to low. Let yams cook for about 20 minutes while tossing periodically.
So here it goes….
Cut yams into ½ inch cubes. Rinse off and let dry for a bit. Melt butter in pan with heat on medium high. Add yams and let sit for a minute or two, so they can get a nice brown color. Start tossing add brown sugar and toss and mix everything until incorporated. Continue to let the yams brown. Mix in maple syrup and cinnamon. Place top on pan and turn heat to low. Let yams cook for about 20 minutes while tossing periodically.
Serve this little sweet side to compliment any meal.
Any questions? Just ask in the comment section I always respond!