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

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Patacones

12/12/2011 5 Comments

My brother Marc asked us to finally post this for him.  So babe, here it is: Colombian Patacones for you! My husband and mom in law taught me how to make these amazing treats. You should have these like most carbs after your workouts, don’t forget.

Fabulous Ingredients Required:

  • 2 Large green/unripe Plantains
  • Sea Salt, to taste
  • Water
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil

Here is how you make these great companions for your food:

  • Peel and cut the plantains  into 3/4 inch long slices.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Douse Plantains with Coconut Oil and place into oven for about 10-15 minutes turning over as needed.
  • Remove Plantains from oven before completely cooked and use two cutting boards to smash them into a thinner “patacon”.  These should now be about 1/4 the size you started with.
  • Splash with some water, sprinkle sea salt, and brush with some more Coconut Oil.
  • Place back into oven.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes turning to make sure they are nicely browned on each side.
These are so incredibly delicious and healthier then the Colombian twice fried traditional; you will love them.  These are amazing with guacamole, cuban style dinner, or anything else that you love!
Enjoy Jo & Henry

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Spicy Macadamia Nut Okra

10/26/2011 6 Comments

Okra is one of our most favorite vegetables to cook. Tonight I thought that I would try a different rendition to go with our perfectly cooked King Salmon. Check out a few of our other Okra recipes under Veggies and Sides.

This dish calls for 4 cups of Okra. Simply chop off the tops and soak in 1/2 water 1/2 coconut vinegar solution for 20 minutes.  Strain well and rinse well.

Prepare a wok on high heat adding:

  • 2 – 3 thick bacon slices, finely sliced
  • 3 – 4 large finely sliced garlic
  • 3 stalks of curry leaves (no stems)

After the bacon has rendered a bit, add the next ingredients below.

  • 4 Poblano peppers, sliced in half and sliced
  • 3 red jalapeno chilis, sliced in half and sliced (we leave the seeds in on all peppers with this dish)
  • 1/4 cup of macadamia nuts, whole
  • Add strained whole Okra
Continue to cook for about another 7 minutes uncovered, stirring often. Then cover and reduce heat to medium, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes – you may want to taste to see if the Okra has been cooked to your liking. You may need 20 minutes total depending on your stove an pot.
This dish rocks, it simple and an easy companion to fish and other dishes! Looking forward to your feedback. Jo

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Taro and Bacon Hash

08/29/2011 9 Comments

If you are looking for an alternative to your traditional carbs, such as sweet potatoes or cassava root, etc. try these amazing taro roots in this super easy hash.  It is amazing, please let us know what you think of these little gems. The flavor of these taro are so silky and smooth, you have to try these. Just writing about these make my mouth water…left overs are great with eggs or sardines, or anything that you love.

Ingredients

  • 10 Small Taro Roots (peeled and diced)
  • 3 Strips Thick Nitrate Free Bacon (diced)
  • 1 Tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil
  • Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Perfect Taro Root
Preparation
  1. Heat cast iron pan on medium-high heat, add diced bacon and coconut oil, cook until bacon fat begins to render (3-5 minutes)
  2. Add diced taro root and cook until taro begins to brown (10-12 minutes)
  3. Remove from pan, serve, and enjoy!

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Pan Roasted Purple Sweet Potatoes

07/18/2011 5 Comments

We love sweet potatoes, as you know. We make lots of great dishes with them, including a delicious Filipino dish called Ube, but today we are going to share a new way to enjoy these ultra delicious potatoes.  We like eating these before or after a long or high intensity workout.  Along with Taro, Green Plantains, and Cassava we consider these excellent sources of low glycemic carbohydrates (or “safe starches”).  Sweet Potatoes are also high in caratenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.

This dish boasts fresh ingredients, coconut oil and is jam packed with perfect carbs and glucose.

Here’s what you will need to make this complimentary dish to your favorite protein:

This side dish feeds 2 – 3 people 

  • 3 medium to small purple sweet potatoes, raw
  • 1 full stalk of fresh curry leaves
  • 2 medium sized stalks of fresh rosemary, blades only
  • 1 large white onion, sliced
  • fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • pink Himalayan sea salt to taste
  • 1 tsp capers, drained
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup of cooking sherry (optional) if you don’t like sherry, use water, but the sherry really does add amazing flavor
Heat coconut oil in a large skillet, once really hot add fresh curry leaves, rosemary, capers and onion. The curry leaves will get nice and crispy…you want that. :-) Continue to cook on medium – high, depending on your skillet.
With a vegetable peeler peel sweet potatoes and then slice them with a mandolin. Once the onion slices are golden brown, add potato slices and toss until they get a little brown. Then add the sherry, salt and pepper, cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes.  Depending  on your skillet and your stove, you may need to add a sprinkle of water or two within the cooking time.  Make sure to check often to ensure that you are not burning them.
This is a great side dish and we hope that will enjoy it as much as we do.
As always, our best and live healthy. Jo and Henry

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Cooking with Apples Series: Gala Red Cabbage

06/07/2011 Leave a comment

Cooking with apples adds interesting flavor and texture and is an amazing addition to dishes especially for pork, poultry and fish. This is my mom’s goody – but oldie.

It’s best if you use tart apples such as Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith apples unless you want to make something very sweet and more pulpy.

The rich red color of red cabbage reflects it concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols, which contribute to red cabbage containing significantly more protective phytonutrients than green cabbage. Interest in anthocyanin pigments continues to intensify because of their health benefits as dietary antioxidants, as an anti-inflammatory, and their potentially protective, preventative, and therapeutic roles in a number of human diseases. WHFoods: Cabbage Nutrition

Ingredients

  • 1 large Gala apple, cored and peeled, and shredded
  • 1 large red cabbage, cut in half, chopped into thin slices
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup of water
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 3 whole cardamom pods
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Pink Himalayan sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch of caraway seeds

In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat coconut oil on medium – high, add onions and saute until very glossy, then you add cabbage, water and all other spices. Cover, and reduce heat to low – medium and cook for about 15 minutes. Now add shredded apple and vinegar stir thoroughly until all ingredients are blended and all water has evaporated. Check to make sure that it tastes to your liking and serve. 

This side dish takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cook and is very easy. Enjoy, we served it in the last post as accompaniment to our pork shoulder.

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Platanos Maduros Caldenses – Colombian Sweet Plantains

04/11/2011 7 Comments

This is a modified version of a very typical dish from the Caldas region of Colombia.  This may seem like a dessert, but it is always served as a side dish and usually accompanied  by rice and meat.  We were feeling a little homesick and had to indulge; yet, still managed to make this dish in a healthy Paleo 2.0 fashion.  We served ours with a King Salmon and super fresh Bok Choi from our friend Nancy’s garden with Mushrooms.  Delicious! (thank you Nancy, Rob and Kelly)

Ingredients for 6 servings (1/2 plantain per serving)

  • 3 large and very ripe (black and yellow and NOT green) Plantains
  • 6 Tbsp Labne Cheese (Lebanese cream cheese)
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • Salt to taste

Preparation Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Gently warm Coconut Oil until it melts
  3. Cut each plantain lengthwise through center (avoid cutting in two pieces)
  4. Use a basting brush to generously coat Plantains with oil
  5. Stuff Plantains generously with Labne Cheese
  6. Dust with cinnamon
  7. Place in casserole and bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown

Seriously enjoy- Henry and Jo

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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!

B

Ingredients

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

How to make these amazingly tasty and easy treats:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (we heat ours to 400 convection)
  2. Remove outer peel from Taro Root, we used a vegetable peeler
  3. Use a mandolin to cut into thin uniform slices
  4. Warm Coconut Oil in Microwave or with warm water and brush chips with Coconut Oil
  5. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper
  6. Place sliced taro on oven racks or sheets and rotate the baking sheets in position to make sure that all chips cook evenly.
  7. 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 , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cooking with Apples: Apple Butternut Hash

02/23/2011 Leave a comment

Ingredients for 2-3 servings

  • 1 Butternut Squash, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1 or 2 Organic Fiji or Pink Lady Apples, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 4 Green Onions, chopped
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Saffron
  • 1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat Coconut Oil in large cast iron pan
  2. Add white to light green portions of green onion to oil and cook for 3-5 on medium high, stir to avoid burning
  3. Add  Butternut Squash and spices and continue to cook on medium, medium-high heat stirring often to avoid burning.  Cook for about 15 minutes.  Squash should be a little firm, but easy to stick your fork into.
  4. Add apples and remaining green onion pieces and combine well with squash, lower heat and cook for another 5 minutes
  5. Serve and enjoy.  We usually pair this with Pork Chops or White Fish.

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Yuca Frita – Fried Cassava Root

01/31/2011 3 Comments

This is one of our favorite after work out treats, which Henry grew up with in Colombia. These are very easy to make, but require a few steps that you cannot skip or mess up.

Note: Cassava must be cooked properly to detoxify it before it is eaten.

If you soft boil the root, then you can replace boiled potatoes in several applications, such as pureeing it, boiled with a little sea salt, in stews, just to name a few and of course deep fried as our dish calls for today.

Buy a Cassava root that is not soft, but rather hard and perfect. Make sure that it’s not soggy or broken in any way. The best way to keep it fresh is to keep it in the fridge for a day or two if you are not planning on making it the same day that you’ve purchased it.

Peel the root and chop into your desired chunks, we simply cut the root in half and then quarter it. Boil the root in salted water until the root is tender and can be stabbed with a fork all the way through. Dry the root and set aside until cool. Now cut the roots into your desired fries and fry them for a minute or two on each side in Coconut oil until lightly golden brown, lift out and place on a paper towel, sprinkle with a little sea salt and enjoy with some guacamole or awesome chimichurri.

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