Best and Worst of Nutty Kitchen 2010

12/31/2010 2 Comments

As we prepare to ring in the New Year we thought it would only be appropriate to take a look back and share some of the best and worst posts from the past year.  So here are the top ten and bottom five posts based simply on number of views.  We think the bottom five are excellent recipes on their own, but it’s interesting to see that several are shrimp recipes. This is definitely a meat eating crowd! :-)

Nutty Kitchen Top 10 of 2010

Thai Almond Pork: Awesome for lunch or dinner Read more of this post

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Bacon Cauliflower

12/27/2010 1 Comment

Cauliflower is one of our favorite veggies to eat, not just for its’ delicious taste, but also for its’ amazing nutrition. We love it ground up as a rice substitute, steamed, grilled, sautéed or Austrian style which we’ll share in the near future.

Today we thought we’d give you an interesting alternative to the steamed method.

Buy one large head of cauliflower, wash it and shake it dry. Cut it into quarters and let it sit for about 10 minutes, this activates all the nutrients. Break the head into florets, just like in our photo and set aside.

What you’ll need:

  • 1 large head of cauliflower
  • 4 – 6 strips of your favorite nitrate free bacon, chopped, ours was so lean that I had to add 1 tbsp of Ghee
  • 1/2 bushel cilantro about 1/2 cup loose
  • 4 large cloves of your favorite garlic, finely chopped, we used a pink one from our local farmer
  • 1 tbsp Ghee (optional)
  • sea salt (optional)
  • some fresh ground black pepper

We used a non-stick pan this time, heated bacon added garlic when the bacon was half way done – careful not to burn the garlic or it will lose its’ lovely taste. Now add the florets and toss on medium – high heat for about 5 minutes, until the florets get a little golden brown. Add 1/4 cup water, pepper and cilantro and cover on medium for another 5 minutes or so. How easy is this? :-) 10 minutes and you have an amazing side dish that rocks if you pair it with a tasty local pork chop, or chicken or even fish…anything really. Enjoy!

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Mom’s Poppy Seed Apple Cake

12/24/2010 1 Comment

Merry Christmas – Feliz Navidad – Frohe Weihnachten – Happy Holidays!

This has been a very busy December for us here at Nutty Kitchen, as I am sure yours has been too. This year just seemed to fly by.

Today I wanted to share an old recipe from my mom’s famous kitchen with you. It’s truly an amazing treat that’s very moist and decadent. I made this for my birthday this past Sunday, and it happens to be one of Henry’s favorite sweets. It is quite easy to make and turns out amazing every time. 

So here’s how you go about it.

You will need the following ingredients:

  • 700 grams tart apples (I use small pink lady apples that come in a bag)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw local honey (we prefer ours with a 1/4 cup)
  • 5 eggs
  • 150 grams ground poppy seeds
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup organic plump raisins
  • 50 grams blanched almond flour
  • a little lemon zest

Pre-heat your oven to convection 350 F. Lightly grease a non-stick round cake pan with some coconut oil and set aside. In a small mixing bowl beat egg whites until totally stiff and set aside. In medium to large size mixing bowl beat egg yolks until a little frothy, add honey, almond flour, poppy seeds, raisins, lemon zest and baking powder. Mix very well until it is all blended. Peel apples and shred them leaving all juices to add to the mixture, Mix well until it’s blended, and then gently fold in the stiff egg whites. Be sure that the mixture does not show any big white lumps of egg whites, it has to be perfectly “folded” in with a spatula – not the hand mixer. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and bake for 40 – 45 minutes. Check with a metal kabob stick to see if it’s done.

out of the pan without topping

Check out the Gluten Free Banana Square recipe for the chocolate cover. We love this one – enjoy every bite!

A very Merry Christmas to you all! We hope that this makes it to your Holiday Table this year. :-)

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Spicy Pork Ribs

12/18/2010 Leave a comment

Oh, my our friend Zach and us devoured these amazingly tasty ribs, pork and beef alike, from none other than the Meat Shop.

One word:  Unbelievable!

Ingredients

How to make

  1. Mix oils, ginger, Sriracha, and aminos vigorously until they form a smooth consistency.  Rub sauce generously on ribs.
  2. Heat cast iron pan on high heat and cook each side of ribs for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees, place ribs in large casserole and cover with foil, cook for 40 minutes.
  4. We served these with a simple spinach salad and Sesame Ginger Bok Choy

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Pork Loin Filets in Free the Animal Reduction

12/15/2010 Leave a comment

One of my husband’s presents to me…as we are working up to my birthday. I am spoiled and loving it. :-)

Sauce Ingredients for 2 servings- inspired by Richard Nikoley @ Free The Animal and his recent post – Leangains: The Dietary Approach

  • 1 Cup of Red Wine
  • 2 Cups of Organic Beef Stock – we used some leftover home-made stock
  • 2 Tbsp of fat of choice (Pastured Butter, Palm Oil, Coconut Oil, Tallow, etc) – we skipped this since our homemade stock had a decent amount of fat already
  • 1 Tbsp Zocalo Sweet Potato Flour (optional for extra thickness)
  • Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Sauce instructions:

  1. Slowly reduce red wine until it begins to thicken into syrup like consistency
  2. Add beef stock
  3. Reduce the whole thing to about 2/3 cup
  4. Add fat and bring to a boil, then let it cool
  5. Add 1 tbsp sweet potato flour to thicken sauce
  6. Whisk vigorously, watch it thicken and serve.

How to bring the entire dish you see above together:

  1. Cut 1 1/2 pound pork loin (we get ours here) into 3/4 inch filets or to desired thickness – marinate in some sesame oil, pepper, and salt for a few hours
  2. On high heat, add pork filets to cast iron grill pan
  3. Cook for 70-90 seconds per quarter for medium but still pink centers (don’t over cook your pork!)
  4. We served this with Mashed Butternut Squash and Sesame Ginger Bok Choy

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Vanilla Custard

12/11/2010 1 Comment

Mark Sisson posted a wonderful Frozen Primal Vanilla Custard dessert last year, and we thought it looked so incredible that we decided to serve a non-frozen slightly modified version for our secondary Thanksgiving dessert. …and yes everyone loved it. It looks complicated, but it is very easy to make as are most custards. Enjoy for the Holidays.

Fabulous ingredient line-up:

  • 5 eggs (farm fresh & local if you can get them)
  • 2 tsp vanilla, organic
  • 2 cups milk, we use raw from our local dairy
  • 12 tsp or 1/4 local raw unfiltered honey (we used less, as we don’t like things sweet)
  • A sprinkle of cinnamon & fresh ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 lemon zest, a sprinkle of lemon juice

Pe-heat oven to 325 F, and get 6 oven safe custard dishes ready.

Slightly heat milk and stir in the honey until well dissolved; Beat eggs, vanilla and spices until frothy and perfectly blended – then add milk and honey. Stir well. On a deep baking sheet place your custard dishes and fill baking sheet with warm water – should be half way up the custard dish and at custard line. Then fill custard dishes and bake for 40 minutes until you see the custard get a beautiful golden brown. Be very careful not to burn them, remember the waterline needs to be where the custard is, and you’ll be ok.

This is a great recipe, thanks Mark for posting it as a tasty summer treat in 2009. Jo n Henry

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Sesame Ginger Bok Choy

12/08/2010 2 Comments

This is the other half of the tasty Halibut Cheek recipe that I am sure you’ve been waiting for. Baby Bok Choy is perfect right now and we couldn’t help it but pick up another batch from our favorite produce stand at our local Farmer’s market.

It is a very easy dish to make and will surely go with any of your favorite dishes, we love pairing it with fish.

This recipe feeds 3.

  • 4-5 heads of Bok Choy
  • 1 inch fresh Ginger root, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 3 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
  • 2-4 Thai Chili Peppers
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup of water

Cut the ends of the Bok Coy leaving center bulbs intact; then in a wok or large pan heat sesame oil, peppers, and ginger on medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

  • Add Coconut Aminos salt/pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes
  • Add Bok Choy and toss vigorously for another 2 minutes
  • Add water, reduce heat, and cover for 5-8 more minutes

Check to make sure Bok Choy is starting to soften but still firm, serve and enjoy! Henry :-)

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Persimmon Salmon en Papillote

12/06/2010 2 Comments

This is an exquisite way of preparing a perfect Salmon filet with a different flair. The persimmon was a beautiful companion to the wonderful taste of Sockeye. We served it with a tasty mushroom and leek medley, but you can pair this dish with some of our other side dishes such as, Ensalada de Agucate y Tomate, Leek, or a wonderful squash. Either way you will surely love this infused, ultra light and delicious version 0f Salmon.

This serves 2 hungry Svendblads. :-) after a workout and a mountain bike ride.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds of Alaskan Sockeye Salmon (from The Fishuggers), cut into 3, 8 ounce slices
  • 2 medium Persimmons, cut into 12 slices
  • 1/8 cup of fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/8 cup of Red Onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsps of Coconut Oil, gently warmed
  • Juice from 1.5 limes
  • 3 large cuts of unbleached parchment paper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees convection bake setting
  2. Combine Lime Juice, gently warmed Coconut Oil, Red Onion, and Cilantro in small bowl and mix well
  3. Brush Persimmons and Salmon pieces liberally with mixture
  4. On a parchment paper place two Persimmon slices below and on top each Salmon filet and seal each into nice package (cooking in Parchment Paper instructions)
  5. Place cookie sheet and place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes

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The Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Pie

12/04/2010 15 Comments

We love a good pumpkin pie and indulged in this amazing creation from Norcal Strength and Conditioning for our Thanksgiving meal. Thanks Jenny, it was a hit, and we will be making it again before the Holidays are over.

Crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups of almond flour (blanched)
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted pastured butter (or use coconut oil to keep this “Orthodox Paleo”)
  • pinch of sea salt

We mixed ours with a hand blender until the consistency was even then took the dough and evenly pressed it into the pie pan about 1/2 inch up the sides so that the crust was evenly distributed.

Note: The filling is enough for two pies, so you may want to consider making a double portion of crust or you could just bake the filling by itself and enjoy it that way. We made two crusts, and modified one, by adding a little almond extract and lemon zest to one crust.

Filling:

  • 1 can of pure pumpkin (29 oz) nothing else added
  • 3 “real” cage free eggs if you can get them (if they are really small, add a fourth)
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup local honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
  • pinch of sea salt

Beat eggs, honey, vanilla until frothy, then add all the other ingredients and carefully blend until even and smooth. Fill pie pan with crust and bake on convection at 350 F for about 50 minutes. Check it to make sure that it’s not burning and ultimately check with a toothpick or metal kabob stick to see if anything sticks, if not it’s done.

This is the best pumpkin pie that we’ve had, you should give it a try. It’s simple, it’s delicious. Thanks Norcalers! :-)

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Lemon Butter Halibut Cheeks

12/01/2010 4 Comments

Oh wow, Henry has been busy tonight. I’ve had a crazy busy and draining day, so he allowed me to go to spin class tonight and he cooked for us. We have never indulged in Halibut Cheeks, but now will be a regular as often as we can get it. Kenny and Brenna Aschbacher of the Fishhugger have fresh amazing catch.

The taste of these cheeks in Henry’s sauce are so incredibly flaky and sweet, the butter and lemon balances the hint of spice perfectly. This is one of my most favorite creations. Thanks my love for a night off!

Here are the wonderful Ingredients for 4, 8 oz servings:

  • 2 lbs Halibut Cheeks (or other white fish)
  • 1/4 cup Pastured Butter
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 Thai chili peppers, chopped (optional)
  • Juice from one large lemon
  • A few dashes of lemon zest
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Make this tasty dish:

  • Heat pastured butter on medium heat, add peppers, garlic, spices and cook for 3-5 minutes
  • Add lemon juice and zest and cook for another 3-5 minutes
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
  • Add Halibut cheeks to medium casserole, top with Lemon Butter mixture, cover with foil, and bake for 20-30 minutes
  • Uncover casserole and broil long enough to gently brown fish

Henry served this dish with wonderful baby Bok Choi – watch for the recipe soon! :-)

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