Bacon Mango Butternut Hash

10/31/2010 3 Comments

We are hoping to inspire different Thanksgiving side dishes for you this year that are tasty and ultra complimentary to Turkey Dishes. We will be posting several more leading up to the great sharing Holiday.

Enjoy each one and see if you’d like to serve one of our dishes as part of you interesting Thanksgiving Menu this year. We try to mix ours up each year.  Suggestions for alternative dishes are always welcome.

Ingredients

  • 3 strips thick Bacon, cut into 1/4 inch squares
  • 1 Butternut squash, cubed
  • 1 ripe Mango, cubed
  • 1 tsp Thyme, fresh
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a cast iron pan for about 5 minutes or until fat is well rendered.
  2. Add Butternut Squash along with Thyme and spices, cook with bacon until Squash begins to brown. Stir often to avoid burning, continue for about 10-15 minutes.
  3. Add Mango and cook for another 5 minutes more, and serve with your favorite pork, chicken or duck dish. …really anything you like.

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Tamarind Duck with Rosemary Tuber Hash

10/30/2010 2 Comments

While I did laundry and ran some errands, Henry got busy in the Nutty Kitchen. We had our wonderful friends Amy and Zach over for dinner and enjoyed what we call an orgasmic meal together. The only thing that Henry let me do was to chop the Serranos, otherwise, I got to chill and have wine with my girlfriend and catch up. I am so lucky!

See if you can replicate this, it’s not difficult, it just takes a little more time due to the Tamarind, but it is such a delicious celebration that it is worth the extra effort. This recipe serves 4. Let us know what you think. Jo and Henry!

Don’t forget to check out some of our other amazing Tamarind creations!

Tamarind Sauce

  • 220 grams of Tamarind Pods – extracted into pulp
  • 4 Serrano peppers
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp raw local honey
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala

Tuber Hash

  • 2 Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 Acorn Squash
  • 1 Yam
  • 4 slices thick bacon, cut into 1 inch strands
  • 2 Tbsp Rosemary
  • 1 Tbsp Thyme
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Ground Pepper

Duck

  • 4 Duck Breast Sliced into halves
  • 1/2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  • Dash of Salt
  1. Tamarind Sauce: extract pulp, add pulp to medium sauce pan on medium low heat, add honey, spices, and salt and keep warm
  2. Tuber Hash: Saute bacon in large pan on medium high heat, once bacon fat is rendered add spices and tubers and continue to cook for another 20-30 minutes on medium heat stirring to make sure potatoes do not burn.
  3. Duck: Rinse the duck breasts and pat dry.  Rub with salt and pepper on both sides. Preheat large skillet over medium-high heat, when the pan is hot add Coconut Oil.  Immediately place the duck breast in the pan, skin/fat side down.  Do not move the duck breast until the skin is deep brown, about 8 minutes.  Turn the breast and cook for another 5 minutes for medium-rare.
  4. Slice duck breast into 1/2 inch medallions and garnish with Tamarind Sauce.

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Halloween Treat Alternatives

10/27/2010 1 Comment

Halloween is a fun time for kids, but Henry and I are having a hard time handing out candy to kids these days.  The typical Halloween treat bag will only add to our obesity epidemic, childhood diabetes, and other health and wellness issues.  Don’t rain on my kid’s parade you say?  Well, we actually want to help your kids’ health and try to offer alternatives to hand out this year.  You can make it fun for them with more meaningful treats.

I’ve heard people say, “oh, just get some ‘granola bars’ on sale, they are still better than chocolate or candy, and hand them some fun popcorn bags, delicious and healthy”.  Hmmm…not so.  Why not so you ask?  For one most granola and/or protein bars are just candy in disguise. Why are gluten and grains not good for us? Check the ingredients and the sugar content to see what we mean.  A Snickers bar is often a better or healthier choice than some of these “healthy” bars.   The popcorn yet another grain with all of the anti-nutrients and related health and digestive issues.

Natural treats such as fruits etc. are out of the question.  Apples, fruits, and other natural things have gotten a bad wrap because some people have injected them with poison or they could spoil, which makes anything natural potentially dangerous, and will most likely end up in the trash can.  Sad but true. :-(

What can you treat these little vampires and dinosaurs with then?

You may look for some dark chocolate and hand those out along with some walnuts or other nuts in their shells. Another option may be to hand out some individualized packaged dried sulfur-free fruit. Delicious and healthy.

We recommend heading down to your local type Walmart store or the Dollar Store to get some cool paper goods, pencils, pens, stickers, balloons, cool lunch baggies, key chains, anything that little boys or girls like to covet for a while. They are equally easy on your budget and it will make you stand out as a caring neighbor. Try it and help us set a trend, looking forward to hearing from you on this topic.

Have a fun, safe, and Happy Halloween!

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Seared Ahi Tuna with Avocado, Cilantro, & Lime

10/25/2010 Leave a comment

We love a good tuna steak. The key is to find proper tuna steaks without white marbling.  There really is not that much to say for this dish, other than: amazing!  Please try this and you judge. The sauce is divine.

Way to go Henry!

INGREDIENTS for 4 servings

  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 3 Serrano chiles, minced (if too spicy, use only 1-2 chiles)
  • 4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Juice from 4 limes
  • 1/4 cup Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 4 (6-8 ounce) blocks sashimi-quality tuna
  • 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced

Here is how to make this:

  1. In a bowl, combine the cilantro, peppers, ginger, garlic, lime juice, coconut aminos, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of coconut oil.
  2. Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Sear the tuna for a minute on each quarter. Pour half of the cilantro mixture into the pan to coat the fish.
  3. Transfer the seared tuna to plates and serve with the sliced avocado and the remaining cilantro sauce drizzled over the fish and avocado.

Wow, this dish is truly mouthwatering, and a perfect dish to serve to friends or at a dinner party. It is quick to make, and it is unbelievably pleasing, really. Enjoy this new little invention from the Nutty Kitchen, and let us know what you think! J & H

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Andy Deas Breakfast Special: Sausage and Beef in Coconut Milk

10/23/2010 Leave a comment

Who is this Andy Deas you ask? Andy Deas and Robb Wolf from Norcal Strength & Conditioning fame are the hosts of The Paleo(lithic) Solution podcast.  This weekly podcast is a veritable cornucopia of Paleo Nutrition and Sports & Conditioning goodness.  I can’t recommend it highly enough.

As of a couple of weeks now, Robb Wolf is also a New York Times bestselling author of The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet.  We recently received our copy of this awesome book and will be providing a more detailed review in a future post.  If you are newcomer, or considering this Paleo lifestyle, this book is a must read!  It will change your life!

We stole and then modified this recipe from the Norcal Strength & Conditioning site.  Thank you Andy Deas for the idea and Katie for perfecting and posting it!

This has become one of our favorite breakfasts and a nice change from the 7 minute perfect breakfast bacon and eggs we recently posted about.

Ingredients for 3 large servings:

1 sausage link or 1 ounce of diced pork belly or diced bacon (all from The Meat Shop AZ)
1 lb grass fed ground beef or bison
1/2 tbsp coconut oil (optional, if using pork/bacon fat)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped (optional, if you want to avoid that “fresh” garlic breath in the morning)
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup of Aroy-d 100% coconut milk (no stabilizers or preservatives)
1 large bell pepper cut in large strips (1/2 cup broccoli, cauliflower, or diced asparagus)
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pepper to taste
2-4 thai chilli peppers (optional, if you want some heat)
1/2 lime to use as garnish

Here is how to make this great breakfast:

1a. If making with sausage heat coconut oil on medium high heat and add sausage and onions. You want the sausage to get a bit firm so you can remove it and dice into smaller slices.
1b. If using pork belly or bacon, cook either on medium high heat until you render some of the fat then add onions and cook until onions are brown and glossy.

2. Add beef, sliced sausage, spices, garlic, and peppers (or other veggies) and cook for another 5-8 minutes on medium high heat. Next add mushrooms and cook until tender.  Add the coconut milk and simmer (medium-low) for another 5-10 minutes or until desired consistency.

3. Garnish with some fresh squeezed lime in lieu of salt.

Enjoy, and if you come up with some nice variations please post them in the comments for others to try!

Best in health!

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Ratatouille & Pork Chops

10/20/2010 1 Comment

Ratatouille is a traditional French dish that is simply mixed vegetables baked in a casserole dish.  There are hundreds of ways to prepare this savory dish and most of the recipes you’ll find are already Paleo, or nearly so.  We made ours with some squashes that are in season and available at our farmer’s market.  For the pork chops we wanted to stay with the French theme and marinated our Meat Shop AZ chops in some home-made Herbes de Provence and grass-fed butter.

Ingredients for 6 generous servings of Ratatouille (the two of us ate 4 of these servings) :-)  

  • 1 Large Sweet Onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 Red Bell Peppers, chopped into 1/4 inch strips
  • 2 Green Bell Peppers, chopped into 1/4 inch strips
  • 2 Anaheim Peppers, chopped into 1/4 inch strips
  • 2 Yellow Chile  Peppers, chopped into 1/4 inch strips
  • 1 Acorn Squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1 Carnival Squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 3 Average size Eggplants, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 2 tsp Fresh Thyme
  • 2 tbsp Fresh Basil
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 8 Garlic Cloves
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), or pastured butter
  • 2 Large Tomatoes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces, used as garnish
  • 4 small tomatillos, diced into 1/4 inch  pieces, used as garnish

Pork Chops & Marinade

  • 1.5 Tbsp grass-fed butter
  • 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
  • 1 tsp Fresh Rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
  • 2 large Pork Chops from The Meat Shop AZ (2 Lbs.)

Here’s how: 

  1. Marinate the pork chops for at least 2 hours by placing all marinade ingredients in a large zip-freezer bag and into a warm water bath.  This will allow the butter to melt and coat the chops.
  2. Coat the bottom of a large casserole with EVOO, herbs, salt, pepper, garlic and onions.  Add all other ingredients on top making sure they are evenly distributed.  Do not add tomatoes or tomatillos yet, this will be the last step for the Ratatouille.
  3. Add the remainder of the EVOO and some additional salt and pepper to top of casserole.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection setting and cook for at least 60 minutes.  Your oven may cook faster or slower, so check a few times to make sure all veggies are cooked through.  It’s ok to mix veggies to avoid anything burning on top.
  5. Remove casserole from oven and add tomatoes and tomatillos and mix into casserole.  Let everything cool while you focus on your pork chops.
  6. Grill pork chops to desired temperature.  We cook our 1 1/2 inch chops in a cast iron grill pan on high heat for 2 1/2 minutes per quarter or 10 minutes total.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

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Coconut Oil Fudge — Nutty Kitchen Style

10/18/2010 10 Comments

There are many Coconut Oil Fudge Recipes to be found online with a simple Google search.  Our recipe was modified from one we found over at Tropical Traditions.  How does one improve on such a simple combination of ingredients and preparation instructions?  Well, for one, we use significantly less honey/sweeteners but we still manage to  make these incredibly delicious and satisfying.  We accomplish this, by adding just a few condiments.  Also, for added presentation qualities, and recipe combinations, we used silicone trays to allow the fudge to set and to be separated into perfect shapes.  These silicone trays are a must have for this recipe.  Sur la Table also sells much cheaper silicone ice cube trays which we used for the larger cubes seen in the picture. They are amazing to work with.

Note: these melt very easily. Make sure to serve them on a very chilled plate and just a few at a time, or they will be a runny mess.

Ingredients for fudge base:

  • 2 Cups Virgin Coconut Oil
  • 2 Cups of 100% Cacao Powder
  • 1/4 cup Coconut Cream Concentrate
  • 1/4 cup Raw Local Honey
  • 1/2 tsp  Himalayan Sea Salt
  • 1/4 cup Almond Butter
  • 1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 tsp Almond Extract

Optional ingredients to load into silicon trays, sprinkle only

  • Organic Raw cacao nibs
  • Dried barberries or other dried berries
  • Silvered or whole almonds, walnuts or other favorite nuts
  • Dash cayenne, chili powder, and/or Cinnamon

Here’s how to prepare them:

Mix all contents of fudge base with a hand mixer in a medium bowl.  Load optional ingredients into silicon trays mixing and matching for variety.  Pour fudge base into silicon trays, making sure you cover the optional ingredients.  Set trays in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

This is fantastic with red wine or as an after dinner surprise. We  also use it as a quick bite for after workout recovery.

We don’t have a sweet tooth, but we do like these. They truly are incredible. Please try these and tell us what you think.

Best Jo and Henry

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Our Sedona Primal Anniversary Weekend

10/13/2010 6 Comments

We just celebrated our anniversary over this weekend, and wanted to share with all of you our very primal gastronomical and outdoor activities in this synopsis of a most, most magical weekend for us.  Yes, believe it or not, it is possible to have a fun, indulgent weekend and still stay true to this primal lifestyle.  Read on…

meet Shawna

We left about noon on Friday and drove up to Cottonwood to visit our friends at Arizona Stronghold Vineyards newest tasting room.  The drive was beautiful as always, but once we arrived we got our wine tasting in Riedel glassware (we’re members) :-) grabbed some wine trivia cards and sat down on one of their super comfy sofa’s and played a game or two, while Kevin took great care of us.  Next we drove a few more miles to pay our homage to Page Springs Cellars, where Paul and Phil always have a greeting smile and amazing wine education.

Paul :-)

If you have not tried Eric Glomski’s amazing wines, you really need to.

 

meet Eric

He grows some of the best wine that I’ve enjoyed with a wide range of variety and unbelievable blends.  They’ve got delicious appetizer plates filled with great cheeses, dalmas, prosciutto and more.  They also have a beautiful patio and a river deck that you can walk down to and enjoy your wine.  While you’re down there you may want to stop to say hello to Shawna, their on-site fabulous massage therapist and schedule an appointment for a river side private massage. Last but not least, don’t forget to play a game or two of Bocce Ball – so fun. …time to drive the few miles to Sedona and head to our hotel.

L’Auberge de Sedona, oh wow!  How fantastic. Dinner at L’Auberge is a magical experience that is best lived first hand.  Creekside romantic dining, candles, ducks, fantastic wait staff, unbelievable ambiance.  They gave us the best and most romantic table on the patio. My husband surprised me with Champagne. Henry ate a fabulous starter salad, Ahi tuna and pork medallions for his entrée. I had a golden beet salad, scallops and perfectly cooked duck breast.  Amazing!

We got up early the next morning and hiked the tallest mountain in Sedona, Wilson Mountain!

Henry's pointing at Wilson Mtn. we were about to hike to the very top!

Yes, all the way to the top. Our glutes are still sore. This is a 5 hour hike, we finished it in 4.30 hours. We only took our Camelback for water and hiked without breakfast, for optimal fat burning.  We got done a little before 1 pm…we were broken, tired and hungry.  Henry ripped his Vibrams, yes he wore his Vibrams on a 4.30 hour hike.  It’s an amazing hike that allows you to see all the other mountains, tops of surrounding plateaus and the snow-capped mountains of Flagstaff. Beautiful and serene.

After a quick shower we went to the Cowboy Club for a well deserved Bison tenderloin, with all the Paleo fixings and reflected on our amazing couple of days already.  No rest for these two love birds…we packed ourselves up and drove to Jerome to see what it all about. Very cool. It’s an old mining town way tucked up in the mountains before Sedona at an elevation of 5,200 feet.  Had to go and check out Caduceus Cellars – Merkin Vineyards and walked around this curious little town. Headed back to downtown Cottonwood to Arizona Stronghold to pick up our shipment of wine and drove back to L’Auberge to chill and to enjoy another amazing meal, I did not want to go anywhere else.  I had Rack of Lamb this time and Henry had the Chilean Sea Bass…both so delicious.

Sunday, checkout day, so sad. I did not want to leave. Headed on down to early morning Yoga stretch, watched all the ducks get fed, came back to our Casita, took an outdoor shower, yes that is also an option, so cool, and totally private. And then? You guessed it went to brunch on the Creekside patio. The best brunch that we’ve had. They gave us the same table as on our anniversary, so thoughtful and fabulous.  This brunch had shaved fennel salad with beets, jicama and mango salad, you name it they had it, and many Paleo options.  We were very impressed and pleased.

We wanted to share our special weekend with you, just in case you are ever wanting to head to Sedona and are looking for a few things to do that have been tested by us for several years now.  We hope that you will share you favorite Sedona experience with us some time. We’ll be back to recipes later this week.

Our best! Jo and Henry

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Cilantro-Mint Pesto Baked Cod

10/09/2010 Leave a comment

We love cilantro and all of it’s amazing health benefits. The combination with fresh mint knocks it out of the park. This is a very easy dish to make, and you can prepare it in advance if you are having a dinner party. All these ingredients work really well together to give you a wonderful clean and light taste.

This recipe feeds 2 of us or 3 normal people :-)   You will have a little bit of left over pesto, but that will work beautifully on some sunny side up eggs or however you like them. It’s also great on a nice juicy chicken breast! If you do have left overs and you put it in the fridge it also acts as a butter, because it gets hard from the coconut oil and almond butter. This has become one of my personal condiment favorites. Would love to know what you think of it.

I used two large cod fillets, each about 12 inches long, enough to cover a lasagna pan. Pre-heat oven to 200 F and ad a tablespoon of unsalted butter, shove in the oven and allow to melt, then place fish on top, and set aside. Heat convection oven to 450 F.

Ingredients for Pesto: (I just use a food processor, 5 minute affair that way)

  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 2 small bushels of fresh mint
  • 2 large cloves of garlic
  • 1 tbsp organic unsalted almond butter
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup of coconut milk
  • 2 large limes (juice only)
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 2 large Serrano peppers, seeds in

Now cover the cod with the thick and creamy paste thoroughly and bake for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. The fish should be flaky as in the picture and the pesto should begin to almost crust over. Serve immediately with you favorite side dish.

Have a great weekend. J n H

 

 

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The 7 minute perfect Breakfast

10/04/2010 9 Comments

We hear all the time that “I don’t have time to make breakfast” or…”I don’t know what to make”…well here is one breakfast that you can enjoy in 7 minutes or less and make often, it is that good for you.

This is a very short post, because the ingredients are that simple and quick to make. Still got reservations? …or questions? :-) This is one of our most favorite breakfasts hands down.

Perfect breakfast for 2 includes:

  • 1 large vine ripe tomato
  • 2 tbsp Chimichurri
  • 4 – 5 strips of bacon, Henry has more than me, of course, I have 1 – 2 strips
  • 4 – 6 cage-free eggs easy over, I have 2 eggs

We cook everything on a griddle.  Start with bacon, flip it when it begins to brown and move a side. Crack eggs into bacon grease, and carefully flip when the eggs’ whites are virtually cooked, but the egg yolks are still very liquid. Flip with two spatulas and voila. We usually do not salt our eggs until maybe at tableside, because the bacon has enough taste, but it’s your call. Feel free to split a beautiful avocado, we usually do.

While the bacon and eggs are cooking, slice up a gorgeous vine ripe tomato and top it with our fantastic Chimichurri.

Imagine, you could eat so healthy in 7 minutes or less! Let us know what your favorite Paleo breakfast is?

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