Papaya Pork Center Rib Roast

07/28/2010 1 Comment

We recently discovered an amazing new meat supplier. The Meat Shop. We were like two kids in a candy shop! Amazing cuts of meat, fabulous juicy thick pork chops among many different other choices. A must visit!
Our family came for a fun day in the sun and enjoyed this ultra delicious Papaya Pork Center Rib Roast.
We served it with some fabulous cauliflower rice from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook.
Here is how you make it:
  • 6-7 Lb Pork Center Rib Roast from The Meat Shop
  • Rub pork center rib roast with sea salt, sprinkle with chili flakes and fresh rosemary
  • Cut small incisions into the fat and stuff with garlic cloves ( we used 5 cloves)

Basting Sauce Ingredients
  • 1 Mamao Papaya
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
  • 1 Cup of Water
  • Juice from 2 lemons and some Lemon Rind

Preparation:

  1. Combine all ingredients in blender/food processor
  2. Cover Pork with Sauce before placing in oven, place roast into roast pan fat layer up
  3. Cover roast with foil until meat reaches 160 degrees F, uncover and continue to roast until rib roast reaches 170 degrees F
  4. Add Butternut Squash/Sweet Potato 45 minutes before removing roast from oven…

Just carve, serve and oh, yes, Enjoy! Jo & Henry

Filed under Entree, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal Tagged with , , , , , ,

Gluten-free Coconut Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

07/26/2010 15 Comments

We and our family think that these are the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. We found them quite some time ago on one of our favorite supplier’s site:  Tropical Traditions. Of course we modified them some…We made these for our family visiting from Spain today, and they all just about experienced a food orgasm. :-) Even our cousin’s 8 year old son, proclaimed that these are the best cookies that he’s had in his life.  How cute is that!
These are so moist and so incredibly delicious that you think that they should be outlawed. Surprisingly enough, each of these 32 heavenly cookies has 139 calories – not bad for such an amazing treat. For Henry and I totally worth every morsel. We rarely eat sweets, but when we do it better be rockstar. LOL…ok enough teasing…these are the ingredients that you’ll need and how to make them.
Heavenly Ingredients:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  1. Beat oil and honey together (5 min), then add eggs, one at a time until completely incorporated, then mix for another 2-3 min.
  2. Add coconut cream concentrate, vanilla and baking soda, mix 3 minutes until well combined and no specks of coconut cream concentrate are noticeable (completely incorporated).
  3. Add optional ingredients of your choice. Bake in large spoonfuls (ice cream scoop-size) for 15 min, or small spoonfuls for 8-10 minutes.

Have you made your batch yet? :-)  Mmmmm….wish that there were some left….

Filed under Desserts, Paleo, Primal Tagged with , , , , , ,

Jicama Root

07/21/2010 1 Comment

We haven’t introduced a new vegetable in a while, so today, we wanted to invite you to try some Jicama. It is readily available and it excellent raw or cooked.

So what is Jicama?

Jicama is the edible starchy, tuberous root of a South American vine of the morning glory family, and is sometimes called a Mexican potato or yambean. It is similar in nutrition to the sweet potato with good con-centrations of vitamin C and potassium, low in sodium, and has fewer calories and carbohydrates that the sweet potato. It’s a good source of fiber. Remember arrowroot? Arrowroot is a common cooking thickening agent – and is made from jicama. Jicama is 85% water and is a great substitute for water chestnuts.

Nutrition for 1 cup of raw Jicama:

Calories  46
Fat  0 g
Protein  1.0 g
Calcium  14 mg
Iron  0.7 mg
Potassium  180 mg
Vitamin C  24 mg
Fiber  5.9 g

Jicama resembles a turnip or a large radish, and it can be used as an alternative to the water chestnut as mentioned.  Its skin is quite thin and can be gray, tan, or brown in color. Look for nice light tan Jicama with minimal spots. It has a short root and has pretty white flesh. If you decide to eat it raw, peel it with a vegetable peeler and enjoy it. It has a sweet subtle taste much like an apple or pear. It does not discolor when you expose it to air like some other vegetables or cook it and it takes on flavors beautifully.

Jicama is a great snack alternative, is excellent in salads, side dish, stir-fry or Thai dishes.

Look out for some interesting recipes coming up in the next few posts involving tasty Jicama.  What is your favorite recipe with Jicama? Send us your favorite and get a chance to guest post on Nutty Kitchen. :-)

What would you do with these ingredients? and which protein would you pair with these ingredients?

A little Jicama History

Jicama is a relative of the potato family. It is the cousin of the sweet potato. Jicama is a name derived from Nahuatl xicama or xicamatl, a name the Aztecs gave to several varieties of edible roots. It is a popular dietary staple in Latin America and widely grown in Mexico and Central America. Native Americans used the crushed seeds of the Jicama plant as a fish poison. The crushed seeds were cast over the surface of a lake or river, the stunned fish would rise to the surface and were easily caught. The fish poison produced in the seed is the insecticide rotenone. Amazing stuff!

Filed under Food Wisdom, Hors D'Oeuvre, Paleo, Primal, Salads, Side Dish Tagged with , , ,

Spiced Butternut Squash Fries

07/19/2010 11 Comments

As you know by now, we are huge fans of butternut squash, squash in general. We recently perused one of our usual blogs and came across these amazing sweet potato fries. We thought that Sarah of Everyday Paleo had a great flavor combination in her Sweet Potato Spears and wanted to take it for a spin with butternut squash. What an ultra delicious way of making them. We made them tonight as a side dish to our Calf Liver Austrian Style and … OMG! Amazing combination.

Spiced Butternut Squash Fries

Here’s what you’ll need to make this super delicious side dish or treat:

  • 1 large Butternut Squash (peeled and cut into slices, see picture)
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • sprinkle of sea salt
  • 1 pinch of fresh ground nutmeg (tiny pinch)
  • 1/8 cup of coconut oil

Preheat oven to 425. In a freezer bag combine all spices together with the coconut oil and then toss the butternut squash fries with mixture until they are completely coated.  Spread the fries on a baking sheet, evenly. Do not crowd them. Bake for 40 minutes total, 20 minutes on each side.

Enjoy this as a wonderful snack or as an amazing side dish! Jo and Henry

Filed under Hors D'Oeuvre, Paleo, Primal, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , ,

Crustless Primal Quiche

07/17/2010 2 Comments

OK, who does not love a good Quiche?  Well we think only the people who don’t know how good it is and how healthy it can be…think that way…  We make it as a power source for breakfast or sometimes lunch. You’re certainly welcome to enjoy it as dinner with a nice side of salad also. The best part is that you can use any left over protein or vegetables to make this dish a success – so go for it and experiment! :-)
Crustless Primal Quiche
  • 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3 Serrano peppers (optional if you don’t like spice)
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 can organic coconut milk
  • Salt/Pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
Directions
  • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  • Saute Onions, Garlic, and Coconut Oil in a Cast Iron pan over medium high heat until golden brown, add sliced bell pepper and cook for 3 additional minutes
  • Add ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes or until beef is cooked evenly, add salt/pepper to taste
  • While beef is cooking, combine eggs and coconut milk in separate bowl and whisk together
  • Add egg/coconut milk blend to cast iron pan and continue to cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes
  • Move Cast Iron pan to oven and bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees or until contents start to rise and brown
  • Reduce heat to 300 and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 5 – 10 minutes before serving

Serve with an avocado or any other power-food of your choice! Just enjoy and be strong! Jo


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Primal Stuffed Chicken with Brussel Sprouts

07/14/2010 5 Comments

Let’s de-mystify making a whole chicken for dinner. It really is very easy to make and fairly inexpensive, especially if you do not buy pastured or organic chicken. We insist on pastured and organic because most chickens are not kept well and are injected with hormones to say the least. A pastured organic chicken for 2 – 4 people will run you about $ 15, but worth every penny. Prep time is less than 15 minutes, cook time about 60 – 70 minutes.

To make our chicken above you will need the following:

  1. Chicken
    1. 1 whole pastured organic chicken
      1. (remove insides, we make chicken stock out of the inerds and carcass left over, just add a little salt and water and boil – next day remove all extra fat on top of broth and either freeze or use in your favorite dish requiring chicken stock)
    2. tbsp Irish organic butter unsalted
    3. 1 tsp sea salt (rub on chicken)
  2. Stuffing
    1. 1/4 cup of slivered almonds
    2. 10 organic dried prunes (chopped)
    3. 2 small to medium gala or pink lady apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
    4. 1/8 cup unsweetened dried cranberry/pomegranates
    5. 1 pinch of black pepper
  3. Brussel sprouts and carrots:  chop carrots and half the brussel sprouts
    1. 1 1/2 cup water
    2. 1 tsp fresh thyme
    3. 1 tsp Jalapeno flakes (optional)

Here’s how to make it:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a roast pan, add 1 tbsp of butter in the middle. Rub chicken with sea salt and remaining 1 tbsp butter (feel free to melt slightly and rub) and stuff chicken with apple, prune, almond and cranberry mixture – affix with a baking pin; then place chicken breast down up into roast pan and bake on 400 for 20 minutes. (I set my kitchen timer so that I don’t miss it) Then add veggies and water and flip chicken for 10 minutes and turn back to breast up for another 30 to 40 minutes depending on your oven. The meat thermometer should read 185 degrees F to make sure that it’s cooked properly. Another indication is to check to see how crispy the skin is. (tip:  baste a couple of times after the veggies and water have been added for maximum result) – you may wish to add a tiny bit more salt at table side; we tend not to eat very salty.

Serve and enjoy – what a treat and what an easy meal!  Let us know how it turns out!

Filed under Health & Fitness, Paleo, Primal, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , ,

Thai Basil Ground Beef

07/12/2010 4 Comments

Thai cuisines is one of our favorites. This is a very quick and easy dish to make and was inspired by our friend Joe Thailand in Boston. Joe and his amazing staff used to whip us up the best Thai primal/paleo dishes that you can imagine. Today’s recipe is 100% inspired by The House of Siam. If you are ever in Boston you must stop in for an amazing meal – truly authentic and fantastically fresh seafood. We miss Joe and his team.

We pulled together a small dinner party last night, about 10 people and served this light and delectable dish with some of Mark’s awesome Cauliflower Rice from his recently released Primal Cookbook – and it was an absolute hit. Everyone loved our Thai Basil in combination with Mark’s rice.

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

  • 2 lbs of Grass-fed ground beef
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 1/2 bell peppers (we like a green and some red or orange for color)
  • 1 pinch sea salt (be conservative and add it last)
  • 3 – 4 Thai chili or Serano peppers (depends how spicy you like it; we eat Thai spicy, Joe knows :-) )
  • 1 large yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 big stalks of fresh Thai basil, regular works too
  • 5 tbsp Thai fish sauce
  • 1 tsp Coconut Crystals

Here’s how to make it:

Use a large 3 quart pan or wok and brown onions until golden in coconut oil, add chopped chili peppers (seeds in) and sliced bell peppers. Use medium – high heat. Continue to cook until it’s all glossy and gorgeous, then add ground beef and stir in well. If you like bigger chunks you will not need to stir so much.  Now add fish sauce and coconut crystals, stir well and add basil when the beef is no longer pink. We just rip the basil and toss it in. Let is simmer on ultra-low for 10 minutes and serve with some Cauliflower rice. Truly amazing and the whole thing will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare and cook! Enjoy and let us know what you think. J & H

Filed under Entree, Primal Tagged with , , , , ,

Mashed Butternut Squash

07/08/2010 5 Comments

Oh my, who does not love this most lovely of squashes? What a great alternative to sweet potatoes. We usually have butternut squash as soup, but mashed, it equally delicious and of course ultra nutritious!
We just made it with our Primal Rump Roast which we’ll post this week.
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 medium butternut squash (4 to 5 lbs. total), peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup raw cream or coconut milk
… and
Here’s how:
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cut off and discard the ends of the squash. Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, cut them in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes as shown on the picture and place them on a baking sheet. Add the melted butter, salt and pepper. Toss all the ingredients together and spread evenly across the sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is very tender. Turn the squash once to be sure that it cooks evenly. Don’t let it burn, a little browning is ok.
  3. Transfer the squash and the pan juices to a large mixing bowl, and mix with a hand mixer until smooth and all lumps have been removed. It should have the consistency of mashed potatoes. Oh soooooo good. :-)
  4. Season to taste and serve hot. If the squash is too thick, thin it with coconut milk, raw cream, or water, but you will probably not need to.

Serve with your favorite protein!

Filed under Primal, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Braised Lamb Shank and Vertebrae

07/05/2010 Leave a comment

We’ve always loved lamb, no matter how it’s prepared…  Lately we just can’t seem to get enough of the fantastic cuts we buy from our friends Kenny and Brenna Aschbacher, the Fish Huggers.  Today’s post features wonderful lamb shanks with some meaty vertebrae straight from their farm in New Mexico.
Thank you, my wonderful husband, for cooking another amazing meal for us!
Braised Lamb Shank and Vertebrae
(we served ours with some Simple Spaghetti Squash)

Here’s what you will need for this delicious dish:
  • 2 Lamb Shanks
  • 4 Lamb Vertebrae
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 large sweet potato cut into 1/2 inch squares
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bottle red wine
  • 4 peeled tomatoes with juice
  • 2 cups beef broth (either make your own or buy some low sodium organic broth)
  • 5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Here’s how to make it:
Sprinkle shanks and vertebrae with salt and pepper. Heat coconut oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Cook until brown on all sides, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.

alternate view with sweet potatoes

Add onions, sweet potato, and garlic to pot and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks and sweet potatoes to an oven safe platter and keep warm in a pre-heated oven.
Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Spoon over shanks, and thoroughly enjoy! My goodness this dish is truly unbelievably delicious.

Filed under Entree, Primal Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

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