This is the best dish to make for any one of the following reasons and then some: a craving for that missed comfort food, a lazy Sunday afternoon, a party where pleasing people and serving healthy food becomes a challenge, a long day at work with little time left for dinner or if you’re in need of an idea for a quick and easy lunch. I guess I have left out one reason, perhaps the most obvious being...
I recently had the opportunity to visit this very small rural town with a population of about 6,000. Perhaps many would consider this to be a generous sized small town; however, for me, it is quite small. It’s not just the small population that gave me this feeling, but the fact that there was one main street that ran maybe three blocks with only a handful of shops. Restaurants were never full...
Every spring and summer I work really hard on my vegetable and herb garden. It initially started as a very small operation, just a few pots of herbs and two tomato plants, but every year outdoes the previous. It has become an addiction on mine. I am fascinated about how much you can actually grow yourself often with only minimal effort. It’s also great to know that you are eating the most freshest,...
How about an easy and quick side dish that will go well with anything and requires very little preparation? Sounds good right?! I don’t think I’m the only one to say that preparing a side dish after you have spent an endless amount of time in the kitchen preparing the main dish is kind of a drag, especially when you have no idea what to make. My favorite side dishes are the ones that require...
It’s a weekend afternoon and I am hosting the guys, it can only mean one thing of course, ribs will be served. By no means am I insinuating that ribs are exclusively a men’s thing, but the ladies seem to not favor the idea of the “finger food” as much as their counterparts. But ladies, don’t runaway from this recipe too quickly, just don’t expect to have clean fingers while...
This recipe certainly beats any plain old deviled eggs I have ever had! The main reason is because everyone seems to share the exact same deviled eggs recipe. It’s as if there is only one way to make them. And without a doubt, you know that if you are attending any kind of gathering there will be more than enough of them to go around. This is why this centuries old appetizer has left me so...
This is a recipe for a delicious sweet potato casserole that is perfect to serve alongside any of your holiday meals! Sweet potatoes are very complimentary to most savory meals and they can easily be paired up with any choice of meat or fish. The sweetness of the following Paleo side dish blends perfectly with more savory options and brings a festive side to your holiday meals. A variation of the mashed...
A challenge that many new-comers to the Paleo Lifestyle face is that they may feel somewhat restricted to what they can eat. When you become a more experienced Paleo chef though, you realize that a Paleo diet doesn’t limit you at all in the kitchen, in fact, it can even empower you to enjoy flavors that are more varied than what the average person enjoys. I first realized this when I began exploring...
It has been one of those days that I am sure many of you have had. A long day, nothing planned for dinner, in no mood to cook, but craving something delicious. When I opened my fridge I realized that I had very little to work with, so I got creative with what I had and came up with a great beef stew.
As much as I had not planned what I was going to throw together for dinner, I always try to prepare myself...
Fall is upon us, which means it’s the best time of the year to enjoy winter squashes of all kinds. Spaghetti squash, pumpkin, butternut squash, buttercup squash, … I never used to eat them much, as I found them quite intimidating. I have since learned that there is nothing to be scared of, as squashes require very little in the way of additional ingredients to make them taste absolutely...
Preparing a roast should not be complicated nor very time consuming, unless you want it to be. I thoroughly enjoy devouring a tender roast; however, since it requires quite a bit of cooking time, I prefer the preparation to be straightforward and simple. That being said, you cannot fall short when it comes to purchasing the meat. Try to find a good quality butcher or local farmer that will sell you a...
There are flavors associated to each season and this has a strong influence on how I cook things and what ingredients I use at different times of the year. Cinnamon is one of my favorite fall flavors and as the colder months are approaching, this cinnamon chicken dish gets quite popular in my household. It goes especially well with other popular fall ingredients like squashes.
When I cook with cinnamon in...
I tend to socialize quite a bit, both with people following a Paleo diet and people who don’t. As I am sure most would agree, a very large part of socializing happens to involve food. This can be quite difficult when I visit with those who do not lead the same lifestyle as I do. The one thing that I have noticed with this circle of friends is that they spend way too much time concerning themselves...
I thoroughly enjoy eating curries. They can be quite easy and quick to make, and you can cover many of the food groups in just one dish. I got inspired to make this dish after I ate something similar at a local restaurant. It’s something that I’ve eaten there a few times, and what I love most about it is that it never quite tastes the same. I learned why this is after my last visit when I...
I am about to jet off to Italy and I couldn’t be more excited! I realize that many people go there to indulge in an abundance of food that can often taste delicious, but that’s often far from healthy, especially when it comes to bread and pasta. It will most certainly be a challenge to find dishes that will accommodate to my better lifestyle choices, but this is a challenge I will face...
As I write about this recipe, I am in the midst of peach season and I can not get enough of them! For me, there is very little better than a ripe, juicy, tender peach. That being said, there is nothing worse than biting into a peach that falls short of meeting these standards, one that is as hard as a rock. Since I am so fond of this fruit, when the season is right, I indulge myself in fresh local...
I am always looking for “side dish” ideas. I find this to be the most difficult part in making a paleo meal, mainly because what many would consider to be a traditional side of rice or potatoes is not so for most Paleo followers, even though most starchy vegetables are healthy and a good addition to the diet. Read up on Paleo 2.0 for more information about the healthfulness of starchy vegetables and...
I thoroughly enjoy roasted tomatoes. Like many vegetables or fruits, when roasted or grilled, their flavors become much more pronounced. In the case of tomatoes, they also become much richer in the antioxidant lycopene when they are cooked. I needed a recipe that would differ from your traditional tomato with olive oil and garlic roast. Essentially, this meant that I would need to choose more great...
Salads are great. They are tasty and crunchy and they can often be put together in a matter of minutes. They are often light in nature, making them a good choice alongside heavier main courses.
All kinds of combinations can be great for a salad and the only limit is your imagination. It gets especially interesting when sweet and salty flavors are combined or when food with multiple textures are used. In...
Meat loaf resonates some very fond memories for me. It takes me back to my childhood years at grandmother’s, where life was so much more comfortable at times. For many, a meat loaf recipe will travel through many generations of a family, always remaining the same. I would love to say that this recipe originated decades ago in my family; however, if it did, it would contain ingredients such as flour...
In my mind, there is nothing better nor easier than whipping up some shrimp when strapped for time. Shrimp is very nutritious, and it is so simple to prepare. On the nutrition side, they are a good source of vitamin B12, iron and selenium.
For this dish, I wanted to combine some fruity flavors with great spices. I went to my local fish market, picked up some large shrimp and got to work. I chose cumin and...
I was recently inspired to work with a cured meat I rarely use in the kitchen. Prosciutto is commonly recognized as dry-cured ham of Italian origin that is very thinly sliced. It’s quite salty, yet with a good meaty taste. Creating this dish was difficult for me because not only do I rarely cook with it, I felt quite clueless on how to use it. Given my lifestyle, its common uses for sandwiches and...
I don’t like being unfamiliar or inexperienced when it comes to cooking with any given ingredient. That being said, I recently realized that I have rarely made use of leeks, especially as the main component of my dishes. So, I decided to challenge myself and make something with leeks.
Leeks belong to the same family as onions and garlic. They have a taste that’s reminiscent of onions, except...
Snacking is often regarded as unhealthy, but this is mainly due to the fact that most popular snacks contain some pretty nasty ingredients. Even if a healthy Paleo diet helps keep hunger at bay and even if eating every few hours is not a particularly good habit to have, it doesn’t mean that snacking is out of the question, especially when the snack is homemade from natural and fresh ingredients....
Beets are a root vegetable that I used to rarely cook with solely because I did not know how to prepare them in interesting ways. I find this to be true for many people. Very few recipes call for them and rarely are they the main ingredient. All this said, they are a quite easy vegetable to cook with and they can be a great contributor to a healthy diet. They are good raw, roasted, boiled or even...
I frequently host friends for dinner and if there is one thing I have learned, it is the importance of having reliable side dish recipes at hand. I love to experiment with the main meal; however, when doing so, I find it to be safest when it is paired with a more traditional side. This is most important when cooking for people who tend to be more conservative with what they eat.
White potatoes are not...
This recipe has run in my family for many years; however, it was traditionally used as a pasta sauce. To enjoy it in a healthy way, I had to find a creative way to use it. I opted to top a roasted chicken breast with this creamy sun-dried tomato sauce and it was fabulous! That being said, there are always other ways it can be used. For instance, pork or fish would be a great meat alternatives. Chicken and...
I am sticking with the theme of quick and easy recipes as this good weather continues. The other night I hosted some friends and we were all really in the mood to be outside. When this happens, I almost always resort to the BBQ. The menu called for simple beef hamburgers atop a lightly seasoned Portabello mushroom. Tomatoes and avocado were the perfect toppers, along with a spiced mustard. I will...
It is officially barbecue season and I love nothing more than both hosting and attending them. So, when I recently received an invite to one, it was a give-in that I would be going. The host had asked that each attendee bring a dish along, but when I asked what, the response was the dreaded “anything.” Potato Salad is certainly not a safe choice, as it is generally one of the most popular...
Here is yet another recipe that is quick and easy to prepare during these beautiful summer evenings. It is a cream of tomato basil soup that requires very few ingredients and very little preparation. This is a recipe that you’ll want to keep handy for the month of August, when all your tomatoes from your garden or local farmer are plentiful, ripe and ready to become part of a delicious meal. You can...
