Ensalada de Agucate y Tomate (Avocado and Tomato Salad)

08/30/2010 6 Comments

Avocado is one of our favorite foods and finds its way onto our plate just about daily. We love combining fresh avocado as pairing to our breakfast, dinners and appetizers.

Today we’d like to share a typical Colombian dish that Henry grew up with: Ensalada de Agucate y Tomate

Traditional Ingredients to make this ultra delicious salad: (this serves 3)

  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes (de-seed)
  • 3 large perfectly ripe Haas avocados, cut in half and peel carefully with a sharp knife and cut into larger slices
  • 1 green onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch of sea salt to taste
  • juice of 1 large lime
  • 1 tbsp cilantro, very finely chopped

Mix carefully and chill for 30 minutes prior to serving. Enjoy with your favorite protein!

Happy Cooking – Jo and Henry

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Austrian Zwetschenkuchen (Austrian Plum Cake)

08/28/2010 3 Comments

OMG :-) there really is no other way to describe this one…a favorite that I learned to make in cooking school many years ago. Of course I have modified it to fit our lifestyle, so it does not have the heap of white sugar and white flour among a few other no no’s.  We want your feedback on this one. Everyone that has tasted this “treat” has loved it.

Ingredients for this delectable treat:

  • 1.1 lbs fresh prunes, aka mexican plums, (washed, dried, and halved/seed removed)
  • 110 grams, Irish Pastured Butter
  • 2 – 3 tbsp local honey (depends on your sweet tooth)
  • 2 eggs
  • 215 grams blanched almond flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 liter raw milk, or use whole milk

And here’s how you make it:

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F.  Use a non-stick 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan.

It is best if you use a Kitchen Aid for this. (If you don’t have one, a hand mixer will do, but it will take a lot longer and you have to make sure that it does not curdle)  In the Kitchen Aid add butter, egg yolks, honey and beat until very creamy and as fluffy as possible. Then add blanched almond flour, baking powder and milk slowly and alternating until everything is mixed together well. Then carefully fold in the beaten egg whites. The egg whites need to be very stiff. Now pour into baking pan and place fresh prune halves upside down onto cake, very close together. You should have maybe 2 prunes total left over depending on the size of the prunes.

Bake on 300 for 40 minutes and let cool, cut into single squares or doubles, the choice is yours. Yields at least 24 squares.

Enjoy!! Jo and Henry

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Thai Green Curry with Prawns

08/25/2010 3 Comments

This time I’d like to share a personal favorite of mine, Green Thai Curry with big juicy prawns. It is a quick dish that is delicious always satisfying. Pair it with some delicious Cauliflower rice and enjoy it. I loved mine by itself last night. Please let me know what you think of it, once you make it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1.5 lbs of 16 count prawns (peeled, butterflied and cleaned)
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 2 Anaheim peppers, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp Thai spice blend (no salt/sodium added)
  • 2 pinches of sea salt
  • 8 oz of baby bello mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cups of coconut milk
  • 2 tsp of Thai Kitchen green curry paste
  • 3 Serrano peppers, chopped
  • 3 small bushel or 1 cup of coarsely ripped or chopped fresh basil

And here’s how you prepare it, can’t wait for you to try it:

Use a non-stick wok if you have one, otherwise a big pan will do too. Roast onion in coconut oil until slightly glossy, add all peppers and saute for about 5 minutes on high heat and add mushrooms, continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add Thai spice blend and sea salt and make sure to stir it a few times, reduce to medium heat, then add coconut milk (whisk curry paste into coconut milk prior to stirring into vegetables, to ensure that it will not be lumpy). Add prawns or shrimp and cook for 3 more minutes on medium, stir in basil and turn off heat. Serve right away by itself as my dish above or with some fabulous fresh Cauliflower rice. This recipe feeds 2 hungry Primals or 3 with a side dish.

Enjoy! Jo

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Primal Lengua Estofada: Braised Beef Tongue

08/23/2010 11 Comments

We decided to introduce you all to a childhood favorite for both Henry and I, beef tongue.  It is very delicious and you can prepare it in different ways, we decided to make a slightly modified primal version of a classic Filipino dish called Lengua Estofada.  We purchased ours from The Meat Shop, first class tongue available anytime, grass-fed and locally grown, also very affordable at only $3.50/lb.   The tongue weighed in close to two pounds and after peeling and preparing was just enough for two of us.

First pre-cook beef tongue in a large pot of slightly salted water and boil for 10 minutes. Then place it into a large bowl with ice water to cool it.  This will allow you to peel the outer skin fairly easily.

Once you have it peeled, braise it in a cast iron pan with coconut or plam oil for a few minutes on each side.  Then place it into crock-pot along with:

  • 1 large white onion, cut into thick slices
  • 2 yams, cubed
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cubed
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 2 medium bell peppers, sliced
  • sea salt to taste
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 tomatoes, boiled, peeled, and quartered
  • 4 serrano peppers
  • 1 bottle of red cooking wine
  • 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp of coconut or virgin palm oil

Turn crock-pot on and let it cook until you get home from work and enjoy your dinner.  We cooked ours on high for 6 hours, the meat was so tender that it was hard to cut into slices as shown above.   Enjoy!

Fight Back Friday

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Primal Gazpacho Nieto

08/21/2010 1 Comment

As some of you know, we were fortunate enough to have our wonderful family from Spain visiting for most of the past month.  Henry’s cousin Luis Humberto and wife Marta spent some wonderful times with us at the pool, the lake, and the mountains…  They also shared some amazing traditional Spanish and Catalan dishes with us.  One of these is this Primal Gazpacho that we’d like to now share with all of you.  Gazpacho is traditional Spanish tomato-based raw vegetable soup served cold and favored during the summer months due to its refreshing qualities.  We named this one after them because every time we have this ultra nutritious dish we wish that they could still be here with us.

So this is for you Marta and Luis – thank you! We love and miss you.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large white onion
  • 1/2 medium bell pepper
  • 3 vine ripe tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, or more to taste
  • 3 cloves or garlic
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, or more to taste
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 1 tsp of sea salt, or to taste
  • Add up to 1 cup of water for a thinner consistency

Preparation:

Peel the tomatoes, bell pepper, and cucumber.  Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix for a couple of minutes and ………………………………VOILA :-)

If your veggies are chilled then serve immediately, if not add some ice cubes or place into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.  Garnish with chopped bell pepper, tomato, and/or cucumber.  Serve in a beautiful glass or bowl and enjoy!

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The Nutty Kitchen Signature Cookie

08/18/2010 3 Comments

I’ve been trying to come up with a recipe for cookie that would not only keep well in the fridge as a cookie dough roll for easy use, but a cookie that we thought would be a good representation of Nutty Kitchen.

Behold…The Nutty Kitchen Signature Cookie!

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 tbsp raw unfiltered honey
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 cup hazelnuts
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1/8 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tbsp your favorite brand rum (optional)

Preparation:

Finely chop walnuts, hazelnuts and cranberries with  a food processor and add to all the other ingredients in a medium to large mixing bowl. Mix very well with a spatula and then knead with your hands. Roll into about a 1 1/2 inch log of cookie dough – roll into parchment paper like a giant tootsie roll and place into the refrigerator for an hour or more.

The roll should yield about 25 cookies. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F, place cookies apart from each other and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until beautiful light  golden brown.

Enjoy this fantastic cookie with a chilled glass of coconut milk! Our best – Jo and Henry

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Green Cauliflower Rice with Bacon

08/16/2010 6 Comments

Cauliflower rocks! Why? Because it is packed with nutrients and life saving agents. Today’s post is about our Green Cauliflower “Rice” with Bacon.  Don’t fret, there is no added rice in this dish, as you will see the Cauliflower itself is cut to resemble the grain that has been happily removed from our diets.  If you need a refresher on why rice, along with other grains, are NOT healthy, check out Mark Sisson’s “Definitive Guide to Grains“.

Read more of this post

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Paleo Crock Pot Sancocho

08/11/2010 5 Comments

Oh wow, Henry’s been at it again. I have been beyond busy with work, so my wonderful husband got the super handy crock-pot out and filled it with:

Paleo Crock-pot Sancocho

Sancocho is a Colombian soupy dish filled with meats, veggies, yucca, potatoes. We used to make Sancocho all the time before smartening up and eating paleo/primal. He surprised me with this most interesting and slightly naughty spin on traditional Sancocho. He is amazing with his surprise creations.

  • 5 lbs of chicken breast cubed
  • 2 lbs of pork chops cubed
  • 2 thick slices of bacon (no nitrates, etc.) diced
  • 3 sweet potatoes
  • 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
  • 4 vine ripe tomatoes cut in quarters
  • 1/3 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 3 servings of coconut milk = 1 cup full fat
  • 1 cup beef or chicken stock organic low sodium
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • salt and black pepper to taste
Put all ingredients into the crock-pot and cook on low for at least 8 hours. I had to hit the road very early this morning while he was still finishing his coffee. Henry put all ingredients into the pot before leaving for work, by the time I got home and entered the house, I smelled the wonderful aroma of dinner cooking, and it put a smile on my face. I did not have to cook; he gave me the night off. :-) I had no stress and I could go to spin class, and still enjoy our family visiting for their last week and just enjoy each other’s company. We love our crock-pot!

Filed under Entree, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet

Persian Cucumber Salad

08/07/2010 4 Comments

It is hot out, so we are opting for side dishes a little lighter and more refreshing, like this delicious cucumber salad, made with fresh ingredients. Pair it with you favorite protein, we enjoyed it for dinner with our favorite pork chops – watch for the post coming up!

Here are the simple, but yet deliciously non-processed ingredients:

  1. 4 Persian cucumbers, slice with a mandolin on setting one to make sure that the slices are thin
  2. 2 small vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
  3. 1 1/2 teaspoon of fresh dill weed, chopped
  4. 1 tbsp almond oil
  5. 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  6. pinch of sea salt to taste
  7. pinch of jalapeno flakes
  8. 1 1/2 tsp of black sesame seeds

Mix the veggies carefully with a big spoon and chill for 15 minutes if your veggies are not straight from the refrigerator.

Enjoy this salad anytime with any of your favorite proteins.

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

Dark Chocolate Covered Lychee Balls

08/04/2010 2 Comments

Fresh fruit desert, made with some of our favorite ingredients! Impress your family and friends with these little bites of love! These babies are stuffed!

Henry and I love Lychee Fruit when it’s fresh. Lychee loses some of it’s taste when it’s canned and is usually bathed in some kind of syrup or sugar water – really NOT something that we want.

So how do you make these amazing little gems?  Easy…

whole lychee fruit, one half peeled

  • buy as many Lychee as you like
    • you will need to peel them
    • once you peel them, carefully slice them open down one side and push out the seed…carefully
  • now place one Gooseberry in the middle of each lychee (look for small gooseberries, some are large which will not work)
  • roll stuffed lychee in almond meal
  • roll stuffed almond meal encrusted lychee’s, very carefully in dark chocolate cover
  • (optional…feel free to roll the chocolate covered lychee ball in coconut flakes, delicious!! We made them both ways
  • Chill in refrigerator for 20 – 30 minutes prior to serving.

These are amazing!  Devour with enjoyment – Jo & Henry :-)

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