Satay Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Paste
1/4 Cup fresh ginger, shredded
1/4 Cup shallots
4 garlic cloves
1 serrano chili pepper, sliced, stem removed
1/3 Cup olive oil

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into strips
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1.25 Cups coconut milk
1/2 Cup natural peanut butter

2 TB lime juice

1 TB fish sauce

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a food processor (or old school with a mortar and pestle) blend together the ginger, shallots, garlic, and chili pepper, adding the oil slowly to create a paste. Set aside half the paste in a saucepan. Put the other half in a big plastic bag with the chicken strips, salt, and cayenne pepper. Seal it tight, mush it around to coat thoroughly, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat the saucepan with the other half of the paste to med-high on the stove. Cook for 3-4 mins, stirring often. Add the remaining ingredients, whisk until smooth, and simmer until it reaches a creamy consistency (2-3 mins).

Thread the chicken strips on to skewers. Grill over direct high heat until fully cooked, turning once (about 5-7 mins). Serve with the warm sauce.

Cilantro Pesto Chicken Strips

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

Marinade:

3 TB walnuts

2 garlic cloves

1.5 Cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 Cup Fresh parsley

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1 lime, cut into wedges

Pulse the walnuts and garlic cloves together in the food processor. Add the cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper and process until finely chopped. You'll probably need to scrape down the sides periodically.

Slice the chicken breasts into strip and dredge thoroughly in the marinade. This might be easiest in a big plastic bag. Leave it in the bag or a sealed container in the fridge for 2 hours.

Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill over direct high heat. You'll need to turn them once and they'll be done in about 6-8 mins. Serve warm with the lime wedges.

Shredded Pork Tenderloin With Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients
2 Pork Tenderloins
1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce
1 TB Tomato Sauce
1 TB Soya Sauce
1 tsp honey/sugar/brown sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled & grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 Cup Soya Sauce
1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
1 TB Sesame Oil
1 whole spaghetti squash
2 large carrots, peeled & grated
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 Cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

1) Place the pork tenderloins and the next 6 ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce heat to low for another 5 hours.

2) Remove the pork from the slow cooker and let stand for 10 minutes while you do the following steps.

3) Liberally stab your spaghetti squash all over to prevent it from exploding. Microwave on high for 12 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, to the liquid remaining in the slow cooker, stir in soya sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Cover and cook on high for 10 mins

5) Shred the tenderloins with two forks.

6) Return the shredded pork to the sauce in the slow cooker along with the shredded carrot and sliced green onion.

7) Cut the cooked spaghetti squash open lengthwise. Be careful! It will be hot hot hot. Scoop out the middle stringy gunk with the seeds and discard. Pull the "noodles" away from the sides with a fork and scoop out with a spoon.

8) Serve the shredded pork over the spaghetti squash noodles, garnish with fresh cilantro, and enjoy like the happy guy at the top!

Hoisin Sauce Recipe

I was in the "Oriental" aisle at Sobeys comparing ingredient lists on bottles of Hoisin Sauce (for an upcoming pork tenderloin recipe) only to find myself horrified by all of them. For example, The Golden Dragon Hoisin Sauce ingredients are: Water, Sugar, Soy Beans, Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Vinegar, Spices, Caramel Color, Wheat, Maltodextrin, Sodium Benzoate (a preservative). I thought, that can't possibly be the original, authentic recipe for this stuff. So I set off to find a recipe and make my own.

4 TB Organic Tamari soy sauce

2 TB black bean paste*

1 TB honey or molasses or brown sugar

2 tsp white vinegar

1/8 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp sesame oil

20 drops habanero hot sauce

1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

*you can use peanut butter as a substitute if you can't find black bean paste

Mix well until everything is fully incorporated.

Garlic Mayo Veggie Dip

The veggie and dip tray is a staple of summer BBQs everywhere, but usually the delicious creamy delight in the center is either sour cream or cream cheese based. Here's a tasty recipe for a paleo approved version:

Ingredients:
1 cup real Mayonnaise
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Lemon juice
2 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Mustard seed
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fresh Dill
1 tsp Chili powder
Sprinkles of Louisiana hot sauce (to taste)
Fresh group black pepper

Instructions
Mix. Chill. Eat. Mmmmmm....

Soy Sauce

Okay, so you may have noticed several of my recipes involve soy sauce in the marinades and sauces. Technically, made from soy beans (a legume) and usually containing wheat (eek!) soy sauce is a no-no on a paleo plan.

1. Small amounts - first off, the amount of soy sauce that I use is generally 1 or maybe 2 TB, spread into a recipe yielding several servings. I try not to get to worked up about the teeny tiny amounts of the substances that make their way into my food. I would spend time stressing about whether every pieces of meat I ate was pastured/grass finished before I would hyperventilate about whether that 1 TB of soy sauce had trace amount of wheat in it.

2. Fermentation - Soy sauce is made from fermented soy beans and it is this process that neutralizes many of the bad stuff in soy beans. A couple thousand years ago in asia people figured out that if they fermented their beans and grains first, everybody seemed to get less sick from eating them.

3. Wheat Free Options - If you are seriously gluten intolerant, there are wheat free options such as this one from VH sauces.

4. Get the good stuff - Cheaper options are usually made from hydrolyzed soy protein instead of brewing and fermenting naturally. The resultant product is not the same dark color as real soy sauce and so this liquid is then colored with caramel coloring. Check the ingredient label and look for simple, pronounceable, non-chemical ingredients.

Prosciutto Turkey Roulades with Beurre Blanc and Caulitatoes

Turkey Roulades
2 whole boneless, skinless turkey breasts
prosciutto
sage
salt
pepper
2 TB coconut oil

You can use the turkey breast as one big piece or cut it into thirds so each is about the size of a chicken breast. Costco carries fresh turkey breast that is prepared in smaller pieces like that. Place the meat between two pieces of saran wrap and beat the daylights out of it until is it thin and spread out (but not absolute mush!).

Hammer time

Sprinkle each piece of turkey with salt, fresh ground black pepper, and sage then cover with a layer of thinly sliced prosciutto. Roll it up, starting at the thicker end.

Spice and roll

Heat the 2 TB of coconut oil in a large skillet on med heat and cook each of the roulades until golden brown on all sides.

Beurre Blanc Sauce
1 Cup White Wine or Chicken stock
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp table sugar (gasp!)
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup butter, cubed

In a saucepan, bring wine/stock, lemon juice, onion, garlic, sugar, pepper, and salt to a boil. Simmer to reduce by half. Pour into a heat-safe bowl and let cool.

Heat, but do not boil, a shallow amount of water in a medium sized pot. Place the heat-safe bowl overtop as a "double boiler". Gently whisk in the egg yolks and stir over the heat until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add the butter cubes. Serve over the turkey roulades.

Whisking in the egg yolks with the caulitatoes on the back burner

Caulitatoes
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 parsnip
2 cloves of garlic

Steam all three together until soft and then blend in the food processor. You should not need to add any other liquid.

Dad's Brandy Mushroom Sauce

1 TB olive oil

2 slices alder smoked bacon

1/2 onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup beef broth

1 cup red wine

3 sprigs fresh tarragon

salt and pepper

Slice the bacon into small strips and fry in the olive oil until cripsy. Add the onion and garlic to sautee in the bacon drippings. Throw in the mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes until softened. Pour in the liquids, add the tarragon, and salt & pepper to taste. Allow to reduce by half.

We had this over cajun spiced grilled pork tenderloin, but it would also be fabulous with beef or bison. Shout out to my dad and his mad culinary caveman skills!

Grilled Halibut with Tropical Salsa

Halibut Marinade

2 TB lime juice

1/4 C soya sauce

1 tsp dried maple flakes

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and allow the fish to marinade for at least 30 mins. BBQ with the skin on over direct-high heat for 10-12 mins. If the skin has been removed, be sure to oil the grill very well and turn the fish only once. The more you mess around with it, the more it will fall apart!

Tropical Salsa

1/2 Medium Pineapple, finely diced

1 mango, finely diced

1/2 cucumber, finely diced

1 mini red pepper, finely diced

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

jalapenos, to taste

This one's pretty simple: just mix everything together!

Coconut Curry Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

5-6 Chicken Breasts
Olive Oil
1 large sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1 TB chili powder
1 TB curry powder
1 TB turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 Cup chopped cilantro
1 can coconut milk (350-400ml)
Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the chicken into strips or small chunks. Heat the oil in a large pan to med-high. Saute the onions and garlic until they soften. Add the chicken and stirfry until cooked through. Add the spices and toss to coat the chicken is evenly. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and coconut milk. Let it simmer for at least 5 min. If you have time, let it go for an hour or more to really intensify the flavors.
Normally a curry would be served over rice. An easy sub for the carb-o-rific, nutritionally void little grainy wonders is finely chopped cauliflower. I pulse it in the food processor until it's ground to about the texture of rice. Cauliflower is firm enough it won't turn into total mush. Warm it lightly in the microwave if you like or simply put your hot curry right over top which will cook it just enough.

Spicy Mango BBQ Sauce

Oh my god delicious, is all I have to say about this sauce. We brushed it on our Baby Back Rubbed ribs (the previous recipe) and it was amazing. I suspect it would also go well with grilled chicken or salmon.

Ingredients

1 TB extra-virgin olive oil

1 red onion, minced

1 red pepper, minced

0-3 fresh Habanero peppers*, minced

2 mangoes, peeled & cubed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tamari soya sauce
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
1" piece ginger root, peeled
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 TB honey
1 cup organic chicken stock

Directions
Heat the oil in a pan on med-high. Add the onion, red pepper, and habaneros and saute to soften (3 to 4 mins). Next add the mango and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire, the chunk of ginger, a little of the citrus zest, the honey, and the chicken stock. Cook the sauce for 10 minutes, then add the orange and lime juice, and simmer for 2 minutes more, to thicken. Remove the ginger chunk.

Allow the sauce to cool slightly before transferring to the blender or food processor to puree.

*I used 2 fresh habaneros which made a rather spicy, but tolerable sauce. Add more if you dare. If fresh hot peppers are unavailable, substitute 1-2 TBs of habanero hot sauce.

The Case For Real Mayonnaise

Lets do a little ingredient comparo here:

Real Mayonnaise: olive oil, egg yolks, white wine vinegar, salt, dry mustard powder, water

Miracle Whip Light: water, vinegar, soybean oil, modified food starch, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, salt, contains less than 2% of egg yolks, cellulose gel, mustard flour, artificial color, potassium sorbate as a preservative, xantham gum, cellulose gum, spice, paprika, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium (sweeteners), natural flavor, dried garlic

So we have one option consisting of a small selection of perfectly recognizable cavegirl ingredients. In the other corner, we have a frankenfood emulsification of industrial oil and modified food starch (whatever that is, I'm pretty sure it's not food). Oh and lets not forget the HFCS, the sugar, and not one, but two types of artificial sweeteners. Then there's the pile of preservatives and "natural" (???) flavor... oh my...

I will give you one guess which one is the better choice... [insert Jeopardy Music Here}

Julia Child's Mayonnaise Recipe

Ingredients
Round-bottomed, 2½ to 3-quart glazed pottery, glass or stainless steel mixing bowl. Set it in a heavy casserole or saucepan to keep it from slipping.
3 egg yolks
Large wire whisk
1 tablespoon wine vinegar or lemon juice (more drops as needed)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry or prepared mustard
1½ to 2¼ cups of olive oil. If the oil is cold, heat it to tepid; and if you are a novice, use the minimum amount
2 tablespoons boiling water

Directions
1) Warm the bowl in hot water; dry it. Add the egg yolks and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until they are thick and sticky.

2) Add the vinegar or lemon juice, salt and mustard. Beat for 30 seconds more.

3) The egg yolks are now ready to receive the oil. While it goes in, drop by drop, you must not stop beating until the sauce has thickened. A speed of 2 strokes per second is fast enough. You can switch hands or switch directions, as long as you beat constantly.

4) Add the drops of oil with a teaspoon, or rest the lip of the bottle on the edge of the bowl. Keep your eye on the oil rather than on the sauce. Stop pouring and continue beating every 10 seconds or so, to be sure the egg yolks are absorbing the oil.

5) After 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil has been incorporated, the sauce will thicken into a very heavy cream and the crisis of potential curdling is over. The beating arm may rest a moment. Then, beat in the remaining oil by 1 to 2 tablespoon dollops, blending it thoroughly after each addition.

6) When the sauce becomes too thick and stiff, beat in drops of vinegar or lemon juice to thin it out. Then continue with the oil.

7) Beat the boiling water into the sauce. This is an anti-curdling insurance. Season to taste.

8) If the sauce is not used immediately, scrape it into a small bowl and cover it tightly so a skin will not form on its surface.

Easy Guacamole

Don't be afraid of its green lumpy appearance, guacamole is a creamy delicious addition to your nutrition plan and avocados are cavegirl approved!

• 1 avocado
• 1 TB real mayonnaise
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic power
• chopped jalapenos (to taste)

Instructions: mush and eat.

Avocados were first redeemed from the "all fats are bad" trash bin when a study in 1996 demonstrated that a diet high in these creamy delights lowered total cholesterol by 17%, lowered the bad cholesterol (LDL) by 22%, lowered triglycerides (the more important indicator) by 22%, and increase the good cholesterol (HDL) by 11% - and all in just SEVEN DAYS! One easy week! That's it!

Yet another point in the mountain of evidence that real food is far more effective than any pill in creating long term health.