Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Hell yeah, BACON! 

Lets admit it, you can wrap just about anything in bacon and, in most cases, it will be pretty good.  However, the combination of thick cut bacon and asparagus goes beyond “good” and is a perfect marriage of two flavors…like peanut butter and jelly or Flowers and Sanchie (awww).  Truly, it is two great tastes that taste good together.

I highly suggest using thick cut bacon (thicker is better (insert snarky comment here)) and asparagus spears that aren’t so thick (thinner spears are more tender). 

The beauty of this dish is in its simplicity: three ingredients and almost no prep.  It’s so easy to make…even after finishing an intense WOD, like “Strange,” you can still have the energy left over to make this dish.

Lastly, left overs (hahahaha…..like that is going to happen) can be used for breakfast in an egg scramble…yum!

Ingredients:

Thick Cut Bacon (uncured)

Asparagus

Fresh Cracked Pepper

Look at this fine specimen! 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take a strip of thick cut bacon and wrap bacon around three spears of asparagus and then place on a cookie sheet.  Crack a light smattering of pepper on bacon wrapped asparagus.

Bake for approximately 20 min, then turn oven temperature to broil (to make bacon crispy) for and broil for an additional 5-8 min or until bacon is crispy.

Kohlrabi and Celery Salad

I know what you are thinking,"What in the name of Paleo is Kohlrabi?"  When my buddy, Jeff, decided to make kohlrabi and celery salad, I had the same exact question.  I had to Google kohlrabi.  Here are the basics: kohlrabi is also known as a German Turnip.  Its origin is similar to that of cabbage, kale, and brussel sprouts, with a taste and texture similar to broccoli.  Kohlrabi is rich in vitamin C.  One cup of kohlrabi is equavalent to the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin C.  It does have a subtle yet unique flavor. 

The salad, actually looks more like a slaw, is way easy to make and screams summer.  I know what you are thinking, “Wow, Flowers, I want to make this salad.  Where can I find kohlrabi?”  I can tell you we purchased kohlrabi at the local Asian produce market.  I know what else you are thinking, “Wow, Flowers, what does kohlrabi look like?”  See below. 

The salad is crunchy like a slaw and not a leafy salad.  Thus, I would rather call this a kohlrabi/celery slaw.  

Sometimes we all need to branch out and try new things, particularly when eating Paleo.  It’s so easy to rely on the Paleo dishes that we are familiar with and know how to make with little to no effort.  Trust me folks, make the effort to find kohlrabi and try this one out.  You’ll be glad you did!!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

Slaw

2 Kohlrabi (peeled, cleaned and grated)

6 celery stalks (grated)

Salt (a pinch)

Dressing

4 cloves of garlic

1 shallot

1.5  tablespoons of capers

1 tablespoon of mustard

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix kohlrabi, celery and salt in a large bowl.  In a food processor, puree all dressing ingredients until smooth and pourable.   Next, mix dressing into slaw and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Roasted Beets in Orange Juice

I can’t believe July is half over and we have only blogged once.   People, we (Becca, Kristy and I) have failed you.   Admittedly, I have been a little lazy and have been enjoying my copious amounts of free time.  As punishment, Becca and Kristy will do 100 burpees.  

Keeping with the summer theme, today I give you beets.  Ah yes, earthy in taste, sweet, and just darn good for you.  Eat beets and live forever.  Beets are one of my favorite vegetables, particularly when roasted.  Why roasted?  Well, you’ll have to eat a few, let your digestive system do its job and then you’ll find out! 

In this particular version, I did not peel the beets.  Why?   I was too lazy, beets taste just as good with the skin left on and its less messy.  This was barrowed from www.paleoforfoodies.com.

Ingredients:

4 beats, 2 inches in diameter

6 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

2 tablespoons of olive oil

¼ cup of fresh orange juice (take a orange and juice it)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, thyme and whole beats.  Coat beets with olive oil. 

Place mixture in a glass pan (8x8) and pour fresh orange juice over beets.  Place foil over beets and bake for 45-50 min (beets should be tender when poked with a fork).  Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 min.  Remove beets, let cool and dice beets (skin on).  Serve and enjoy!  

Spicy Mexican Fruit Salad

Before I start talking Paleo, let me give a shout out to Becca and say Happy Birthday.  In honor of her Birthday, I was going to blog about clams but decided to leave that to her.  No need for me to take the wind out of her sails. Right?

Now, onto Paleo….

Okay, I really have no idea what this particular dish/snack is called but I do recall my mother making it for us as kids.  It’s refreshing, super easy to make and has a kick to it (spicy).  If you haven’t figured it out by now, spices really go a long way in Paleo foods.  It’s what makes or breaks a dish.

The best part about this paleo dish is that it requires no cooking.   Let me repeat myself….NO COOKING.  If you can use a knife, then you can make this dish.

Ingredients:

Jicama

Watermelon

Cucumber

Cantaloupe

Orange

Really any fruits

Lemon Juice

Pico de Gallo Seasoning

Directions.

Cut fruit into bite-sized cubes and mix together in equal proportions.  Serve yourself a portion of the mixed fruit, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top, then sprinkle Pico De Gallo Seasoning onto mixed fruit.  

Raspberry and Spinach Salad

If you haven't noticed, most of our recipes on this blog are main dishes. After all, vegetables are just vegetables and fruit is just fruit. Not much you can do to spice them up right? Wrong! A simple salad is something that hopefully every child in America knows how to make. Some lettuce, some onions, tomatoes, and carrots and you're good to go. I have to say though, after a month on the Paleo diet you will be poking your eyes out at the sound of the word "salad". This is why I'm bringing you a twist on the traditional salad. Who knew that kiwi went so well with spinach and onions?! On the Paleo diet, it is especially important to mix fruits and vegetables together to create new and complex flavors. That way you won't miss your Ranch dressing so much (notice I said "so much"). I found this recipe on Paleodietlifestyle.com.

Ingredients:

3 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup fresh raspberries, crushed to a puree
8 cups baby spinach
2 cups fresh raspberries
4 tbsps walnuts, crushed
½ red onion, finely chopped
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the vinaigrette: olive oil, vinegar and crushed raspberries. Combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a large salad bowl, combine the remaining ingredients: spinach, raspberry, walnuts, kiwis, and onion. Drizzle with the dressing, toss well, and serve.

This was a needed break from my boring salads. The raspberry flavor really kicks it up a notch. Got any other ingredients that would make this salad even better?

Becca

Pumpkin Custard

So...blackmail is playing a large role in the posting of these recipes today so I apologize if you can't sense the love I usually put into my posts.

Today I bring you pumpkin custard! While doing the Whole 30 challenge I needed something that felt like dessert without it being chocolate! I love pretty much anything pumpkin flavored so I thought I'd give it a try! Not too shabby! I didn't use maple syrup since it was optional. I can imagine that would have jacked the flavor up quite a bit! If you just want a warm, hardy dessert, this could be the one for you! I found this recipe on balancedbites.com.

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of sea salt
2 pinches of grated nutmeg
2 organic eggs
1/4c grade B maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut milk (full fat)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Set a pot of water on to boil (enough water to fill the baking pan as directed below). Combine pumpkin and all spices in one bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs lightly then whisk in the maple syrup, vanilla and coconut milk. Whisk the egg mixture into the pumpkin mixture until well combined. Pour the custard into 6- 1/2 cup ramekins.You can also just do it in a baking pan! Just make sure that it's not too large or they may not cook in the middle. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and add enough boiling water to the dish to come up 2″ high around the ramekins. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean. Serve warm or chilled.

Just as a reminder, always buy the canned coconut milk that you would find in the Thai food section of the grocery store! Don't buy the stuff in cartons. The cartons do not contain full-fat coconut milk.

I hope you enjoy it! Let me know if there are any modifications that you come up with. A squash one probably wouldn't be too bad!

Becca

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with the almighty BACON!

That's right folks, I am getting back to my heritage on this one.  It’s been a few posts since I have offered up a Paleo recipe with, none other than, BACON.  Lovely, strippy, bacony-bacon! 

I know what you are thinking, “It has brussel sprouts. Boo!”  Some people love them.  Yet, others hate them because, as kids, we were forced to clear them off our plates or else we could not go outside to play.  And if got caught trying to feed them to the dog, our parents would make us get the “hitting stick” and whoop us with it.  Then, we would cry relentlessly until our parents threaten us, yet, again.  But I digress.  Was that TMI? Well my Paleo-Crossfitting friends, I am saying its time to give brussel spouts another chance.  Really, it’s about time you revisit them. 

I made this recipe twice in a week’s time.  Seriously, it was that good.  Various non-Paleo friends loved it too.  Makes an excellent side dish to just about anything.  This recipe came from no particular website but am sure there are tons of variations out there.

Ingredients

18-24 brussel sprouts (halved or quartered, depending on size)

4-6 garlic cloves (minced)

6-infinity bacon strips (uncured, diced)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

black pepper

lemon juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine brussel sprouts, garlic, bacon and olive oil.  Toss thoroughly to coat brussel sprouts.  Lay out brussel sprouts flat on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle brussel sprouts lightly with fresh cracked pepper.  After baking for 15 min, move brussel sprouts around on baking sheet to ensure all sides eventually face up while baking.  Bake for an additional 15 min.  Remove brussel sprouts from oven and place in a large bowl.  Pour lemon juice over sprouts, toss and serve hot.