Whenever I do a Whole 30, the “grab and go” options are the key to my success. One of my favorite grab and go options are stuffed grape leaves
While I normally like to stuff my grape leaves
Non-paleo grape leaves
The trickiest part of this dish is rolling the grape leaves
I am working on another recipe for grape leaves
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If you grew up in New England, you know the importance of a good clam chowder. There is nothing that says home to me like a nice hot bowl of this yummy goodness. Unfortunately, indulging in a good cup of “chowda” these days, would put me out of commission for the better part of a week.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I went away to a family wedding in Maine, and my craving for New England Clam Chowder reared it’s ugly head again. One evening, while looking almost too intently at the couple dining at the table next to us enjoy their cups of chowder, my husband challenged me to try and make a Paleo version. At first I thought he was crazy – there was no way I could replicate this without cream- but after thinking about it for a few minutes, I came up with an idea. After a few tweaks, I am finally ready to unveil the result.
The biggest challenge to this chowder, was replacing the cream. In my “pre-paleo” days, one of my favorite tricks to replace cream in a soup, was to throw in a small skinned “creamer potato” into the broth and puree it. Obviously, white potato’s are a “no-no”, but parsnips and cauliflower…. now we were talking. The next thing I needed to address was the broth. Normally, I create my clam broth by steaming clams in white wine (trust me, this is amazing). While the wine does add an amazing richness to chowder, using water works just as well for rendering a good broth, as long as I added that richness of flavor in another way. I chose to do this by adding a nice thick-cut bacon to the chowder (because everything is better with bacon ) and chopped leeks.
The key to a really hearty and good chowder is the clams. I chose to use both little neck and cherry stone clams. Cherry stone clams are nice and meaty, and will give you a lot of good broth. Little neck clams are smaller, but also add a good texture. I rounded out the rest of the chowder with the usual suspects: carrots, celery, and (of course) sweet potato. In a perfect world, I would use purple sweet potato – but alas I couldn’t find any.
While this isn’t exactly like the classic – it does hit the spot. I don’t miss the cream at all – and if anything, the flavor of the clams is able to come through even more without it. The other great benefit to this version of chowder, is that it is much lighter – and thus can be enjoyed on the hottest of summer days as well as on a nice fall evening. You can bet this is making it into the regular rotation at my house!
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Move over Pinkberry – there is a new frozen treat in town!
I think most of us associate the warmer months with cold desserts of some sort. As kids, almost every summer was filled with frozen Popsicle, or trips to Dairy Queen as a special treat and a quick way to cool off. Personally, there is nothing I like more than frozen yogurt. There is something about the tangy, creamy and cool treat that is just heaven. Unfortunately, in spite of the fresh fruit I have piled on top of my frozen indulgence, it isn’t very good for me. Loaded with dairy and sugar, it is a headache and a stomach ache waiting to happen. Whenever I Google recipes for “paleo ice cream” or “paleo frozen yogurt” – all I come up with are recipes that use some form of coconut. Not SUPER helpful if you are allergic or sensitive to coconut.
A few weeks ago I had made the avocado chocolate mousse that kept popping up on Pinterest, and it got me thinking. Could I possibly make a frozen yogurt out of avocado? I wanted to recreate something tart and creamy, so I didin’t want it overly sweet. After a few experiments, I think I hit a home run.
The final product is avocado, frozen berries, maple syrup, vanilla and (optional) probiotic powder
Give it a try, and let me know what you think!
**Full disclosure, I adapted this from the chocolate pudding recipe a friend gave me. She doesn’t remember what website she found it on originally – but if we figure it out, partial credit goes to them for the inspiration!
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In our home, the star of every meal is the protein. This could be why Whole 30 and Paleo have worked so well for us. However, even your favorite proteins can get a bit old if you cook them frequently, so it is important to try and mix it up by adding in seasonal herbs, and mixing up the flavor profiles.
Recently, we hit a “lamb rut”. Rack of lamb has always been one of my favorite things in the world to eat (I think it goes back to childhood, where it was one of the only meals acceptable to eat with your hands). It is also incredibly easy to cook. We will typically have rack of lamb 2-3 times a month (providing we can find it at a reasonable price). Since lamb is such a rich and gamey meat, it normally doesn’t need a lot of frills or dressing up. Typically I throw on salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, a little olive oil, and call it a day. This week though, I wanted to mix it up a bit. I had some fresh basil in the fridge that needed to get used before it went bad. If lamb and mint go together, why wouldn’t lamb and basil?
I’ve made paleo pesto before, and it has always turned out very well. Obviously, we are allergic to nuts, so I substituted in [amazon_textlink asin=’B00B42KQ8O’ text=’hemp seed’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’urbancavew-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’fa733963-ce20-11e7-866f-45646c04381a’]. Hemp seeds have a great “nutty” flavor (or so I have been told) and are also loaded with other health benefits. They are loaded with Omega 3, Omega 6, vitamin E and protein. Next, I replaced the cheese with nutritional yeast. Since nutritional yeast can add a bit of a strong flavor, I recommend starting with a tablespoon or two, and moving up to the full 1/4 cup in the recipe depending on your taste.
Once I blended the hemp,[amazon_textlink asin=’B002863BIW’ text=’ nutritional yeast’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’urbancavew-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d6a45a64-ce20-11e7-923f-ad98856fa6c5′], garlic, shallots, olive oil and basil together, I set aside half of the mixture to be served with the meal. The remaining half is used in the cooking. Start with 1/2 of the pesto that you reserved for cooking, and spread it on the meatiest parts of the lamb. Then, place the lamb (fat side down) in a cool or room temperature pan, and place over a medium flame.
The key to cooking the perfect rack of lamb, is searing down the fat first in an oven safe pan, and then throwing it in a hot oven to finish. When you go to sear on the stove top – you MUST start with a cold or room temperature pan, and have the lamb already resting (fat side down) when you put the flame on. As the pan slowly heats up, it will melt the fat away. If you put the lamb into an already hot pan, it will sear the outside of the fat, and prevent it from reducing down.
Using tongs, make sure to press down the lamb so that the fat around the bones
gets crisp too. Cook the lamb like this on a medium – low flame for 8-10 minutes. You will see the fat rendering in the pan as the meat cooks. Once you have crisped up the outer layer of the rack, flip it so that the fat side is now up. Pour the remaining pesto onto the lamb, and place in an oven that has been preheated to 425 degrees.
Cook the lamb in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until it reaches between 155-160 degrees internal temperature. We like our meat a bit towards rare, so I will pull it out at about 155 and let it sit for a minute before slicing. If you don’t have a [amazon_textlink asin=’B017613C3C’ text=’meat thermometer with probe’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’urbancavew-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’29105cad-ce21-11e7-a187-c7991f56f428′]
Once you have sliced the lamb, it is ready to serve. You can garnish with the pesto you set aside before serving, or let your guests self serve. The pesto is pretty garlicky, so I typically let everyone add it for themselves. The best part about this meal is that if you have any remaining pesto, it will keep in your fridge for up to one week. Use it on salmon, veggies, eggs or even spaghetti squash. The possibilities are endless!
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