Category Archives: Dinner

Instant Pot Uncured Corned Beef

instant_pot_corned_beef

I highly recommend everyone pick up this delicious and easy uncured corned beef brisket before St. Patrick’s Day. It’s already seasoned, so all you need to do is add water to  your Instant Pot and put it on high for 90 minutes. I boiled gold potatoes and carrots in a large pot so I could monitor them easily. My husband and I don’t like our veggies too mushy so we keep a close eye on them and periodically taste test.

Make sure you cook this in water and not chicken or beef stock. I made that mistake last year and my corned beef turned out way too salty. I find corned beef to be a salty product so don’t add more. I kept my potatoes and carrots pretty bland to balance out the flavors.

trader_joes_uncured_corned_beef

Instant Pot Uncured Corned Beef
 
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Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 6.5 lbs Uncured Corned Beef Brisket (seasoning included)
  • 1.5 cups of water
Instructions
  1. Add brisket and seasoning from your package of corned beef brisket to instant pot.
  2. Then add water over brisket and seal instant pot.
  3. Set pressure to high for 90 minutes. Quick release when done.

Pumpkin Spice Chili

pumpkin spice chili

September is here and it’s officially fall, even if it is insanely warm here in Los Angeles. But the heat isn’t going to stop me from making fall recipes, which is one of my favorite seasons for cooking. My husband and I love everything pumpkin spice, so I wanted to test my skills and make a sweet and spicy pumpkin spice chili. This recipe is paleo friendly but I did use maple syrup to sweeten it up. I usually like to add some sort of healthy sweetener to my chili recipes to balance the spicy and sour flavors.

I used pumpkin puree from a can, because I wanted to make this recipe as easy as possible for meal planning. Kroger had a large can of 100% pumpkin puree with a non BPA Liner and no preservatives at my local Ralphs. I was really happy with the color and texture of the pumpkin puree for my chili. It thickened up the chili, without adding any thickeners and it also gave it a nice warm brown color after all the spices were added.

Chili is amazing for meal planning and I make it all the time. It’s doesn’t take long, freezes well, and you can get creative with the ingredients. Most of the time I don’t even measure. I just play around with different spices and ingredients that I have available in my pantry and taste test as I go. For inspiration for this recipe, I loosely based it off my Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili recipe and my Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend from Frontier Co-op. Please let me know if you want more pumpkin spice recipes or share your favorite ones in the comments.

Pumpkin Spice Chili
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 29 oz or 1 lb of canned pumpkin puree
  • 3 small sweet onions, or two medium to large ones
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 4 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup of maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • (optional) scallions to garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, brown ground beef in coconut oil.
  2. Then chop onions, and add onions, chicken stock, and pumpkin puree to the pot.
  3. Then add spices: allspice, cumin, cinnamon, sweet paprika, ground ginger, nutmeg, ancho chili powder, cayenne pepper, and sea salt. Mix pot so ingredients are evenly distributed.
  4. Add maple syrup and apple cider vinegar to the pot, mix and let simmer on low for 20-minutes.
  5. (optional) serve with chopped scallions to garnish.

Keto Cauliflower Cottage Pie

keto cottage pie

If you’re not familiar with Keto, then don’t worry…Today’s post is from Louise Hendon. She’s the co-founder of The Keto Summit, a site dedicated to providing you with practical advice, recipes, and tips for starting Keto. She’s also the author of The Essential Keto Cookbook and creator of the 3-2-1 Keto Meal Plans Program. So if you’re interested in getting started on Keto, please check those resources out.

Keto has gotten so popular over this past year (2017) that you’ve probably read about it somewhere…

But in case it’s new to you, let me start by explaining what Keto is.

Keto is a diet/lifestyle that integrates low carb with whole foods and healthy fats. It’s a diet that’s been around for almost a century. It was originally designed as a treatment for epilepsy (and it’s still used today for that purpose).

However, in modern times, people found that Keto also worked amazingly well for helping people stabilize their blood sugar levels, lose weight, gain energy, clear mental fog, and more. There’s even research being done into using Keto as an adjuvant cancer therapy.

And it’s those amazing benefits that has people so excited about this diet.

What do you eat on Keto?
The first thing most people want to know when they hear about a new diet is…what do you eat?

On Keto, you eat a lot of whole foods…things like:

• Fatty meats
• Fish and other seafood
• Leafy green vegetables
• Some berries, nuts, seeds
• Healthy fats

Because most fast food joints and restaurants don’t cater to people on Keto yet, right now most people starting Keto have to do a fair amount of cooking. Of course, cooking from scratch helps to make this diet even healthier for you!

How to start Keto?
It’s actually pretty easy to get started on a Keto diet.

For most people, it just sounds confusing at first because there’s a lot of different viewpoints on Keto out there – for example, some people add dairy to Keto recipes whereas other people (like us over at The Keto Summit) suggest you try to avoid all dairy except for ghee.

So, if you’re interested in getting started, then just try to focus on these 3 steps at first:

1. Cut down your net carb intake per day to under 25 g.
2. Eat lots of green leafy vegetables.
3. Add in more healthy fats like coconut oil, ghee, and olive oil.

And if you want to know more about Keto then, you can check out our post on getting started here.

Keto Recipes
Lauren already has a ton of Keto recipes on her site…recipes like Instant Pot Pulled Pork and Baked Turkey Breakfast Sausage Patties.

But if you’re looking for more Keto recipes, then please check out The Essential Keto Cookbook the 3-2-1 Keto Meal Plans Program.

And to give you a taste of the types of recipes that would be considered Keto, here’s a delicious no-potato Keto cottage pie recipe.

Keto Cauliflower Cottage Pie
 
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Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1.5 head of cauliflower (600 g), broken into florets
  • 3 Tablespoons of ghee (45 ml), melted
  • ¼ cup of coconut oil (60 ml), to cook the ground beef with
  • 1 medium onion (110 g), finely chopped
  • 1.5 lbs of ground beef (675 g)
  • 2 carrots (100 g), finely chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 Tablespoons of fresh parsley (4 g), finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup crushed nuts and seeds, for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
  2. Boil the cauliflower florets until they’re soft. Drain well.
  3. Place the florets along with the ghee into a food processor or blender to make the mash (make sure it’s creamy and not watery). Add salt to taste.
  4. Cook the ground beef in a large skillet in the coconut oil. Add in the onions, carrots, celery, parsley, and minced garlic. Cook until the beef is browned. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Pour the cooked beef mixture into a large baking dish (9-inch x 9-inch (23cm x 23cm) or a large oval dish).
  6. Scoop the cauliflower mash on top and smooth it out.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 491 Fat: 40 g Carbohydrates: 12 g Sugar: 5 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 22 g

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Instant Pot Pulled Pork

instant pot pulled pork

Instant Pot pulled pork is a quick meal in one pot, that you could easily make ahead of time for guests. You can use your favorite bbq sauce or make or your own. I’ll admit that I’m lazy and I usually buy mine. You can get paleo friendly bbq sauce at whole foods or online, and if you are on budget the whole food’s brand 365 has a great bbq sauce that’s not pricey. I also like Annie’s Naturals sweet and spicy organic bbq sauce. So there are plenty of options depending on your diet. I used Annie’s Naturals for the photo above, but I usually make do with what’s in the fridge.

I used to make this in the slow cooker, but the instant pot pressure cooks this for 45 minutes and it’s done. It’s seriously impressive. Although the instant pot definitely was a little scary compared to the slow cooker, it’s worth it. Just be sure to wear an oven mitt when quick releasing the steam/pressure. Better safe than sorry.

Instant Pot Pulled Pork
 
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 pork tenderloins (about 3-4lbs)
  • 1 onion, sliced in half
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup of chicken broth
  • ½ cup of bbq sauce
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • a couple grinds of black pepper
Instructions
  1. Slice an onion in half and nestle it in the instant pot with with pork tenderloins.
  2. Then add two peeled garlic cloves whole, a bay leaf, chicken broth, sea salt and black pepper to instant pot.
  3. Add ½ cup of bbq sauce over pork tenderloins. Secure lid and make sure vent is sealed.
  4. Then set instant pot to manual and on high pressure cook for 45 minutes.
  5. Use quick release to release steam when finished.
  6. Shred pork and set aside.
  7. (optional) scoop out juice/liquid in instant pot and drizzle over shredded pork to keep moist, if eating later
  8. (optional) Mix in or drizzle fav bbq over shredded pork before you serve.

Skinny Vegetable Coconut Curry

skinny vegetable coconut curry

This skinny vegetable coconut curry is both vegan and paleo friendly. I’ve made lots of curries over the years but this is my first time posting one of my recipes. This is an Indian curry, using madras curry powder from Koshys that I got at my local Indian market. You can also use your curry powder of your choice or find the one I used online. I normally cook with full fat coconut milk from Native Forest, but I for this recipe I  used what was available at Trader Joes, and the consistency of their coconut milk is very light. So I would err on the side of using a light coconut milk if you have the option of choosing a light or full fat version.

This recipe ended up making a lot of food and curry freezes well, so I plan on using this recipe in the future for meal prepping. It would go great on it’s own to eat like a stew if you are paleo, but my husband prefers it with rice, and I don’t mind a little bit of gluten free rice on occasion. Either way, this curry will be a big hit.

Skinny Vegetable Coconut Curry
 
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Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce (about 2 cups)
  • 1.5 (13.5 oz) cans of coconut milk (about 3.5 cups)
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 3 tbsp madras curry powder (Koshys brand)
  • 5 carrots chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 1.5 lbs of chopped cauliflower
  • 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp of avocado oil
Instructions
  1. Add 1 tbsp of avocado oil to a large pot or dutch oven on medium heat.
  2. Then add chopped onions and let them sweat for 5-10 minutes until they are reduced in size.
  3. Then add second tbsp of avocado oil, minced garlic, grated fresh ginger, and curry powder to pot and stir for a few minutes.
  4. Add half a can of coconut milk to the pot, and scrape any curry powder or garlic stuck to bottom of the pan.
  5. Then add chopped cauliflower, carrots, and bell peppers to pot. Vegetables should start to cook and steam in the coconut milk.
  6. Add 1 can of tomato sauce and the rest of the coconut milk and bring liquid to a boil.
  7. Then reduce liquid to a simmer, and let it cook on low for a few hours or until vegetables are cooked to desired firmness.

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Baked Salmon with Lemon Herb Aioli

baked-salmon-lemon-herb-aioli

Omg this lemon herb aioli tastes amazing on everything, but especially good on baked salmon. I think the fresh lemon juice and the dijon mustard in the aioli go really well with the salmon flavor. My husband, who is my official taste tester loved it, and he’s more of a meat, than a fish, kind of guy. The aioli is made with paleo friendly coconut and avocado oil so it’s really healthy, although it would be just as delicious on sweet potato fries or a burger. It’s a good thing I made a lot of it (I doubled my normal aioli recipe)!

I made this salmon dish with baked green beans, and I sliced some radishes on the side, for a fresh palette cleanser. There is a lot of healthy oil in this dish, but you definitely need something cooked (or uncooked) without any oil on the plate. My husband and I happen to love raw radishes, and they are crazy good for you. Plus, I love their color on the plate.

Baked Salmon with Lemon Herb Aioli
 
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Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 4 tsp fresh chives
  • 1 tbsp dill
  • 1 tbsp parsley
  • 1 tsp ground garlic
  • 1 pressed garlic clove
  • 1 cup of coconut oil
  • 1 cup of avocado oil
  • juice from 2 lemons
  • 4 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ lbs of salmon
Instructions
  1. Melt coconut oil in a pan. Then add to measuring cup with avocado oil.
  2. Separate yolks from whites and add yolks to food processor. Add lemon juice, sea salt, and dijon mustard.
  3. Then slowly drizzle in oil, while food processor is on until ingredients emulsify.
  4. Then chop and add to food processor fresh herbs, ground garlic, and 1 clove of minced garlic.
  5. Transfer aioli to a container and store in fridge until the rest of your food is cooked.
  6. Bake salmon at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
  7. (optional) garnish salmon and lemon herb aioli with fresh chives.

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