Mixed Ceviche (without Onions)

05/13/2013 4 Comments

We love ceviche just about every way. This past spring we enjoyed some variations with juices and coconut milk  in Bogotá, Colombia. In my opinion, Colombia has some of the tastiest ceviche.

Ours today has three different seafood in it, for taste and texture. We chose to leave the onions out of this dish this time, and we did not miss them, actually.

It is very important to get enough lime juice and the proper balance of spices. I am not a big fan of adding spices in which the dish is marinating, rather we prefer to sprinkle cayenne and some turmeric over it. Mix it well and cover it and place it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, stirring it every 20 minutes. We always make a little extra for a snack or lunch the next day.

photo (10)

Today’s ingredients:

  • 4 large diver scallops (cut into very small chunks)
  •  2 cups of tiny bay shrimp
  • 1.5 pounds of Tilapia filet (cut into strips and then chunk into small squares
  • 1/2 – 1 cup of freshly pressed lime juice
  • 1 great bell pepper, diced
  • 2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 4 – 6 cilantro peppers, diced seeds in
  • a little sea salt to taste
  • some fresh ground black pepper
  • sprinkle of cayenne and turmeric – for finishing
  • drizzle of olive oil, also for finishing

Note:  if your seafood is frozen, please allow to thaw naturally, not in the microwave.

Take a large serving bowl and add diced veggies and seafood. Mix well, add some salt and pepper and continue to fold in well. Add lime juice and once again mix well. Let your food sit for a minute or two and stir again, repeat this a few more times before it’s covered and chilled. The extra mixing allows for the lime juice to cook the seafood evenly, and tt will make all the difference in taste.

As you can see we served ours with some Yucca. Enjoy this dish this summer, it’s easy and it’s refreshing.

Filed under Entree, Health & Fitness, Hors D'Oeuvre, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe, Salads, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Crab Cakes

01/07/2013 3 Comments

We can never eat crab cakes because of the breading, but I love them. We haven’t eaten one in years, but recently, amazing Chef, Abbie accommodated me by making me gluten-free crab cakes. Thank you Chef Abbie! She has a wonderful restaurant in tucked away, but worthwhile to visit Cottonwood, AZ. We took a quick drive up to see our family that was visiting the Grand Canyon, and on the way down we met for a most wonderful day ending at Abbie’s. Our cousin, Rick Schwartz radio personality, treated us that night – thank you so much and it was so great to see you!! Next time we’ll see you in Moab. :-)  Catch his show sometime.

Needless to say that night inspired me to come up with my own gluten-free crab cakes, and OMG, these are really good. Why did I not make these sooner?

crab cakes

Ingredients:

  • 240 grams of “real” crab meat (if you used canned, be sure to drain it very well)
  • 1 tsp of organic dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp of Manioc flour (coarse, you’ll find this in the Asian market, we prefer Goya)
  • 1 egg
  • pinch of sea salt, I used pink Himalayan
  • fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • tiny pinch of ground Coriander
  • pinch of ground Cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Curry powder (Indian)
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar

Whisk the egg first till a little frothy, then add all other ingredients. Whisking it all very well, and then blending it in to the crab meat ensuring that all ingredients mix seamlessly with the crab. With a tablespoon spoon out a perfect little pile with which you’ll make a little medallions. You could make these into two or four cakes, but in this recipe, we’re featuring these as an amazing appetizer. You decide.

Chill these medallions for an hour and then get a pan hot with ghee and cook them for about 5 – 7 minutes depending on your pan and stove.

These are really good, you should give these a try – you’ll be sure to amaze your dinner guests, or surprise your spouse for a weekend afternoon goody with some of your favorite white wine.

Love to eat – Love life!

Filed under Entree, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Almond Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

12/17/2012 Leave a comment

Have you ever wanted to bring something homemade to your friend’s house or a function, but decided not to because you thought it would take too long to make? Well now you’ll have a very easy, quick and super delicious recipe to whip up into a batch.

IMG_7677

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of almond meal
  • 2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
  • 1/8 cup of coconut butter (mana) – melted
  • pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt
  • few drops of almond extract
  • 4 cage free eggs
  • 1/2 cup of dark semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • generous 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp palm sugar (you can adjust depending on how sweet you like it; we always stay on the less sweet side)

Mix everything well together in a large bowl with a hand mixer. Scoop each cookie to be with a small ice cream scooper or spoon and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 – 13 minutes at 350 degrees convection and cool for a few minutes – Enjoy warm or cool. My fellow yogi teachers loved these – what’s your feedback?

Filed under Desserts, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls

11/05/2012 2 Comments

It’s about time that we share our fresh spring rolls with you. Our favorite version is this one, clean, fresh and delicious, perfectly suitable for lunch or an appetizer.

The beauty about making your own spring rolls is that you can pretty much chose any ingredients that you like and enjoy, as long as they are fresh. Celebrate fresh ingredients whenever you can!

Here are our ingredients for our fresh rolls:

  • get a package of rice paper for spring rolls (you will have a lot left over for next time)
  • baby arugula
  • basil (remove all large stems)
  • mint (leaves only)
  • organic pea sprouts
  • 1/2 large English cucumber, Julienne
  • 1 Manila mango, Julienne
  •  1 – 2 inches of fresh minced ginger
  • 1 pound of cooked shrimp, remove tail and slice shrimp in half (as if you were to butterfly them, but cut through all the way)

Grab a pie pan and fill 1/2 way with warm water, soak one rice paper sheet at a time for about 10 seconds, remove very carefully with both hands and place onto your working surface. Place 2 – 3 basil leaves in the middle first, then place some arugula, a couple of mint leaves, some pea sprouts, few slices of mango and cucumber, sprinkle a little ginger and place 4 – 5 shrimp halves down the middle. Very carefully fold ends in first and then roll (if you are right handed, right to left rolling it tightly and slowly.  The first couple might be sort of a disaster, but those can be a snack while making the food. :-) Don’t worry, they will get tighter and perfect as you do them.

Place them whole on a sheet or plate and cover them with a wet paper towel. I have a water spray bottle near by to spray the towels to keep them moist. Once you are ready to serve them, you should cut them in half diagonally.

Henry made this amazing dipping sauce:  ..mix really well the following…

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 3 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 4 Thai chilis, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
  • some fresh cracked pepper

Filed under Condiment, Entree, Hors D'Oeuvre, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe, Salads, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sauteed Beef Kidneys

07/30/2012 2 Comments

We haven’t posted any offal lately, but could not resist sharing this with you. We got our whole steer not to long ago from our favorite local ranch, Date Creek Ranch. Always make sure that you eat grass-fed, and know where your meat is coming from.

Why should you eat kidney? Kidney is a good source of Protein, Vitamin C and Zinc, and a great source of Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus, Copper and Selenium.

Here is what you will need and how to go about making it. Serves 4, unless you are Jo and Henry then it’s for two. :-)

Ingredients:

  • 2 whole beef kidneys
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 large yellow or white onions, sliced
  • 3 – 6 red dried Thai chilis, whole
  • 2 – 3 Anaheim pepper, sliced
  • 1 – 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • pinch of sea salt, to taste
  • fresh cracked rainbow pepper, to taste
  • pinch of caraway seeds
  • pinch of marjoram, rub between palms to activate herb

The beef kidney has a very thick white cord connecting the various nodes of the organ. Ensure that you use a very well sharpened knife, I like a boning knife. Try to get all the white cording out, this is a time-consuming task, so know that going in and take your time with it, it’s actually really interesting.

Whole kidney with cord in tact

Kidney with carefully removed cord

Next it is very important to soak the kidney in a bath of 1/3 vinegar (we use coconut vinegar) and 2/3 parts water. Soaking is important to ensure that there is no smell or taste of urine. If the kidney is not cleaned properly there is a chance that your dish might be ruined – IF you don’t soak for about 20 minutes. Rinse very well and set aside.

Kidney soaking in vinegar/water bath

In a large wok or saute pan, brown onions in 1/4 cup of coconut oil, once they are glossy add peppers and all other ingredients, except for the kidney – this goes in last, as kidney cooks as quickly as liver does.

While your onions and veggies are sautéing on medium heat, begin to slice your kidney into thin slices.

Sliced kidney

Once your veggies are caramel in color and beautifully glossy, add kidney and stir well, up your heat to almost high and cook for 2 – 4 minutes, only.

Cooking kidney – almost done

Cook until you see almost no pink; it will continue to cook in the pan even after you turn off the stove. It’s crucial not to overcook your kidney.

Serve and enjoy!

Beef Kidney! We served it with sweet potato hash.

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

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Soup)

07/03/2012 1 Comment

We love Thai food and find it so complimentary to our beliefs and lifestyle. This is a staple in our house, which we love to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Give this a whirl and let us know what you think.

Ingredients for Soup

  • 2 lbs of organic skinless chicken thigh meat, cubed; if you prefer you can substitute 1 lb of shrimp & 1 lb of scallops
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 3 cups of fresh sliced mushrooms, white or brown, really your choice
  • 1 – 3 tbsp fish sauce, start with one tbsp at a time and taste, add more as your taste buds build
  • 2 -3 stalks of fresh lemongrass, wash well, peel outside layer off, chop very fine, or leave in large chunks your choice
  • 1 small onion or 1/2 of a large one, sliced
  • 1 heaping tsp coriander seeds, whole
  • 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro
  • 4 – 6 Thai chili peppers, chopped (we like it hot, but you can make it as spicy as you like)
  • 2-3 cups chicken stock, make your own if possible, we also use some of our bone broth if we are out of chicken
  • 1 – 2 pinches of salt (you can always add more later to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar (we buy ours from the Asian market)
  • 1 – 2 inch piece of galanga root, cut into small pieces (ginger is in the same family, tastes differently, but is a great substitute and will not ruin this dish; try the Asian market for galanga root, it’s tough to find)
  • 3 – 5 kaffir lime leaves, chopped up, if you don’t have any, use some fresh lime zest, it will be delicious
  • 1/2 lime’s juice
  • fresh cracked pepper, we like rainbow pepper to taste

Preparation

Add all ingredients except for protein and fresh cilantro into a soup pot, bring to a boil and cook on medium – low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, add protein and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer/low and cover for 5 – 7 minutes.  Add fresh cilantro and lime on the side.  Love and enjoy this soup for breakfast, lunch or dinner; it’s so good. Jo & Henry

Filed under Breakfast, Entree, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Lemon Squares

06/17/2012 3 Comments

We love these lemon squares from Elana’s Pantry, bu we did modify them quite a bit to suit our much less sweet palate and overall palate. Thank you Elana!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This recipe yields about 48 squares

For the crust you will need:

  • 3 cups almond meal
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 4 tbsps coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp coconut nectar
  • 1 tsp cardamom seeds and one clove pulverized (makes a heaping tsp)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Ingredients of lemon top:

  • 1/4 cup coconut nectar
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 6 cage free organic eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Whip all crust ingredients together and push evenly into a large pyrex lasagna pan and bake on 350 for about 15 minutes, blend all topping ingredients together either in a hand held mixer or blender and pour on top of hot crust and continue to bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, watch to ensure that it doesn’t get burnt. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 30 minutes, place in refrigerator for 2 hours and cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Filed under Desserts, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coconut Flour Dusted Calamari

05/21/2012 3 Comments

It’s almost summer her in Arizona, and we are looking for lighter, but satisfying lunches like this great tasting coconut flour dusted calamari.

Server this with some of your favorite light white wine, we prefer Arizona Stronghold Tazi as a pairing.

This is so easy to make and will make you and everyone happy!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The best part of this dish is that you can improvise as you see fit to make it work.

  • we made about 15 tentacles, but you can make tentacles and body if you like
  • in a mixing bowl, add:
    • 1/2 cup of coconut flour
    • sea salt to taste
    • fresh cracked pepper to taste
    • 1/8 cup of fresh finely chopped cilantro
    • pinch of cayenne (0nly for the brave)
  • get 1 cup of coconut oil and heat to medium in a wok type pan, heat to high, but be careful when emerging the calamari, they will spit oil, cover with a spatter catcher
  • 1/2 lemon juice for the end to sprinkle

Add all ingredients together in a bowl and stir well, fold calamari in and shake off well before frying it – be careful not to get too much coconut flour into oil, as it will make then soggy NOT crispy.  Slow fry better, always!!!

Enjoy and live well! Jo n Henry

Filed under Entree, Hors D'Oeuvre, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe, Salads, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cardamom Coconut Cream Custard

03/26/2012 4 Comments

In the previous post we made these awesome macaroons, but ended up with 8 left over egg yolks, hmmmm…what to do? We decided to turn these great yolks into a custard that is very different in taste and ingredients from our previously posted Vanilla Custard. This is a powerhouse dessert or quick breakfast after your workout. You can use a little less of cardamom seeds if you are a new comer to this spice. I happen to love it; Henry prefers a tiny bit less. Nonetheless, this custard is Cardamom Coconut centric.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Serves 6 in shallow servings (pour 2 – 3 fingers high)

Ingredients

  • 8 egg yolks
  • 2 cups of coconut cream, we use AROY-D
  • 1/4 tsp of very finely ground cardamom seeds (you can buy the whole pods and take out the seeds and smash them, or you can simply buy the seeds and grind those we use both)
  • 1 whole fresh vanilla bean, be sure to scrape out all vanilla with a spoon
  • tiny pinch of sea salt
  • 1/4 cup brown rice syrup (glucose) We don’t like very sweet desserts, so you will need to adjust to your liking.

The preparation is standard for custard:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 convection
  2. Pour water into a high rimmed baking dish, and place custard dishes in the water before baking
  3. Beat yolks, glucose, vanilla, cardamom and salt until very frothy and fluffy
  4. Bring coconut cream to almost a boil, the outer rim should bubble, not the middle
  5. Now pour the hot coconut cream into the fluffy coconut mixture (I re-whip before adding cream)
  6. Pour carefully into your bake safe custard dishes 2 – 3 fingers deep and place into the water bath
  7. Bake for 20 minutes or until you see the custard settle, become non-jiggly, and slightly golden on top

You can serve this hot, cold or enhanced with your favorite topping, berries, etc. – OR turn it into a lovely Creme Brulee.

Have a great week ahead! Jo and Henry

Filed under Desserts, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Liver Dumplings for Soup (Leberknoedel)

03/06/2012 4 Comments

Today, I’d like to share a personal all time favorite of mine since childhood, Leberknoedel, aka Liver Dumplings. These are so incredibly easy to make and offer a nutritional punch like little else. Check out how nutritious liver is.

In this case we used chicken liver, but you could use veal or good grass-fed beef liver too.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ingredients:

  • 4 pieces of chicken liver
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 large shallot
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
  • 1 pinch of fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch of marjoram (activate by rubbing the herb between your palms)
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour

Here’s how you make it:

Add all ingredients with the exception of the egg and coconut flour, and mix well with hand blender. Now fold in egg and flour and allow to sit for about 30 minutes.

When the liver has settled, add the dumplings with a spoon to your favorite soup. While soup is boiling add dumplings and then cover and reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. This is one of my favorites, enjoy! J:-)

Filed under Entree, Paleo, Perfect Health Diet, Primal, Recipe, Side Dish Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,661 other followers

%d bloggers like this: