LDL cholesterol « Nutty Kitchen

Baked Taro Chips

03/21/2011 13 Comments

Behold the Baked Taro Chips!

We make these anytime we want some sturdy dipping chips. These are awesome to make ahead of time for guacamole, salsa or a great yogurt dip. They are hardy and very tasty, easy to make and a must try.

Taro root is a great alternative to potato chips but must be cooked properly to avoid toxicity!

Ingredients

1 Large Taro Root
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

How to make these amazingly tasty and easy treats:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (we heat ours to 400 convection)
Remove outer peel from Taro Root, we used a vegetable peeler
Use a mandolin to cut into thin uniform slices
Warm Coconut Oil in Microwave or with warm water and brush chips with Coconut Oil
Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper
Place sliced taro on oven racks or sheets and rotate the baking sheets in position to make sure that all chips cook evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes per side, check often to make sure you don’t burn them!

Thanks Amy for the awesome Lucky Bamboo; it’s very happy in the Nutty Kitchen.

Filed under Condiment, Hors D'Oeuvre, Paleo, Primal, Recipe, Side Dish Tagged with Baking, Coconut, coconut oil, Cooking, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, health, LDL cholesterol, Nutrition, Taro, vegetables, Vegetarian

Tomatillo Saffron Shrimp

02/26/2011 4 Comments

YUMM!!!

This dish is Mexican inspired, so clean, so fresh tasting a perfect meal after a long hard day with plenty of protein and fabulous saucy veggies.

My husband’s running the Ragnar race this weekend, thus I am alone with my visiting mom and dad…they Loooove Shrimp, so here we go. Feeds 3.

What you’ll need:

2 lbs of 31 count shrimp
6 tomatillos, finely chopped
2 red jalapenos, sliced
3/4 tbsp coconut oil
pinch of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 shallots, finely sliced
4 zucchini
1 tsp of Mexican saffron
1 tbsp of rice vinegar

Grab a wok, heat oil, shallots and peppers and cook until glossy; With a mandolin, slice in zucchini on the thickest slicer; Cook on medium – high add rice vinegar,tomatillos, salt, pepper and saffron, stir and make sure to stir often to ensure even cooking of all veggies. Once all are beautifully glossy and almost ready, add your shrimp. If you are using pre-cooked, steam for another 5 minutes to make sure that they are warm all the way through, if you are peeling them, add another 2 minutes or until all grey is gone and they are a beautiful white/pink.

Serve and enjoy – my parents and I did!

Go Henry and your One Multisport Team!!!!

Filed under Entree, Primal, Recipe Tagged with coconut oil, dairy-free, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, health, Jalapeño, LDL cholesterol, natural oils, Nutrition, prawns, Shallot, shallots, Shrimp, Tomatillo, Zucchini

Duck Duck Soup

01/08/2011 1 Comment

Remember the $18 Duck? This little duck fed us until we were stuffed for three full meals. So as promised, we are finally sharing how to make this easy soup from your left over Whole Duck recipe, i.e., the carcass and innards.

~You can also do this recipe with left over chicken, or turkey, or any other of your favorite offal or feathered friends. ~

Once you are finished eating all the tender morsels, set innards and picked over carcass aside and place into soup pot right after you’re done having you amazing whole duck meal.

Here are the ingredients and preparation for this great hearty meal – waste nothing, love everything – say thanks

Cover left overs with enough water so not to left any uncovered, add:
3 – 4 organic carrots chopped into 1/2 inch carrot chunks
Add 1/2 to a whole bunch of organic celery hearts, also chopped into 1/2 inch pieces – this depends on your love for celery
1 large yellow or white onion, peeled and halved
Peel and add 2 medium to large Jicama roots, peeled, halved and sliced
Sea salt to taste, add some fresh ground black pepper
Add a bit of Chef’s Shake
1 tablespoon of Marjoram (remember to grind it between your palms to activate the herb)
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of caraway seed

Boil for 2 – 3 hours on medium – high, once you cover it reduce to medium, we always tilt the lid by a tiny bit so that it will not spit over the pot. We parked it over night after boiling and turned it back on for an hour on low – medium to simmer (covered) before serving it as a breakfast dish over avocado. You could absolutely have this for lunch or dinner. If you run out of duck meat and need more protein, you can always add chicken or as I did one day some tuna. It’s all delicious, we just dislike wasting anything that is nutritious and fabulous. Enjoy this either strained as a clear soup or full monty they way we loved it.

Either way, live healthy and waste not. J & H

Filed under Breakfast, Entree, Food Wisdom, Paleo, Primal, Recipe, Side Dish Tagged with Black pepper, Carrot, Celery, dairy-free, Duck, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, health, herbs, LDL cholesterol, Marjoram, Meal, natural oils, Nutrition, Soup, Stock (food), super-food

Indian Spiced Roast Duck

01/03/2011 4 Comments

We love cooking whole chickens, hens, and of course ducks! So what better way than to start the New Year than with a juicy, crispy, spicy whole duck. You also know that we like spices – this recipe calls for a savory Indian spice rub.

Before we share how we prepared it, we’d like to point out that this $18 duck, will feed 2 hungry Svendblads, and will give you the opportunity to make a whole big pot of duck soup after you’re done munching on the tenders. Watch for our duck soup recipe shortly. It should feed 4 hungry adults. Yumm!

If you like this dish, also check out our Tamarind Duck Breast. Super delicious!

So here is the amazing line up of spices and ingredients for our roasted duck:

1 whole duck (Mary’s organic)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tbsp Ghee
1/4 tsp of sea salt
fresh black pepper to taste

Pr-eheat “convection” oven to 375 degrees. Depending on your oven you could potentially turn it to 385 degrees, just as long as your meat thermometer reads 170 when done - you’re good to go. Ours cooked for about 55 mins on 375.

Boil 2 cups or so of water.

Now let’s prep your duck. Make sure to thoroughly wash your duck and pat it dry. Set neck and innards aside. Get your roasting pan ready place your duck inside and slowly pour the boiling hot water over the duck, turn and pour the rest over the other side of the duck. The skin will contract, which will ensure that the skin gets nice and crispy. Pour all water out and pat duck completely dry.

Melt Ghee and stir in all spices and brush onto entire duck and begin to roast breast up.

Do not discard carcass, neck or innards – save for soup. We’ll post soup recipe shortly.

We hope that you like this as much as we did; we served our with some asparagus, but you can choose any of our side dishes or your own favorites.

Filed under Entree, Primal, Recipe Tagged with Black pepper, Cooking, Duck, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, health, LDL cholesterol, List of Indian spices, natural oils, New Year, Nutrition, Recipe, Roasting, Spice

Nutty Kitchen Thanksgiving 2010

11/24/2010 3 Comments

Oh my…what a great week! No post this past Monday because we will be featuring and sharing our Thanksgiving Menu with you this Wednesday before the wonderful celebration. We will be posting all of our recipes following Thanksgiving.

Hmmm….ceviche you say? A bit unconventional? …absolutely! But, Luis is visiting from Bogotá and this is one of his signature dishes, so we are incorporating it into our meal as a starter and palate cleanser the same. I know that it will rock, but for those guests that would rather stick to our soup – they can.

Please click on the menu links for our creations.

Champagne with Luis German’s Cevice

Nutty Kitchen Signature Butternut Squash Soup

(or if you prefer Acorn Squash Soup)

***

Butter Lettuce & Toasted Pumpkin Seed-Pear Salad

***

Organic Free Range Turkey with

Chardonnay Gravy (24 lbs)

***

Steamed fresh Beets

Sweet Potatoes (TBD by Henry )

(Options for you: Tuber Hash, Panfried Rosemary-Garlic Sweet Potatoes, or Mashed Butternut Squash or some amazing Bacon-Mango Butternut Hash)

Asparagus sautéed with fresh Rosemary

***

Pumpkin Pie

Vanilla Custard

Have a most amazing Thanksgiving Dinner – we both wish you the best! Look for the rest of our recipes over the next few posts.

Eat for Life!

Jo and Henry

Filed under Desserts, Entree, Hors D'Oeuvre, Paleo, Primal, Recipe, Salads, Side Dish Tagged with almond flour, antioxidants, berries, Butternut squash, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, eggs, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, health, herbs, LDL cholesterol, natural oils, Nutrition, Pumpkin pie, sweet potato, Thanksgiving dinner, Turkey, vegetables

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

Tamarind Sauce: extract pulp, add pulp to medium sauce pan on medium low heat, add honey, spices, and salt and keep warm
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.
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.
Slice duck breast into 1/2 inch medallions and garnish with Tamarind Sauce.

Filed under Entree, Paleo, Primal Tagged with bacon, Cooking, Duck, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, health, herbs, LDL cholesterol, natural oils, Nutrition, sweet potato, Tamarind, vegetables

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:

In a bowl, combine the cilantro, peppers, ginger, garlic, lime juice, coconut aminos, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of coconut oil.
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.
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

Filed under Entree, Paleo, Primal Tagged with Avocado, Coconut, HDL cholesterol, health, LDL cholesterol, natural oils, Nutrition, seafood, Tuna

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!

Filed under Breakfast, Entree, Paleo, Primal Tagged with Bell pepper, coconutmilk, dairy-free, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, herbs, LDL cholesterol, natural oils, Nutrition, Onion, vegetables

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:

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.
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.
Add the remainder of the EVOO and some additional salt and pepper to top of casserole.
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.
Remove casserole from oven and add tomatoes and tomatillos and mix into casserole. Let everything cool while you focus on your pork chops.
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.
Serve and enjoy!

Filed under Entree, Paleo, Primal, Side Dish Tagged with butter, Cooking, dairy-free, gluten-free, HDL cholesterol, health, herbs, LDL cholesterol, olive oil, pork, Ratatouille, vegetables, Vegetarian

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