This is my basic go-to recipe for fingerling potatoes. It’s really hard to mess up, plus it tastes fantastic, looks gourmet especially next to a juicy steak, and reheats like a dream. I know potatoes aren’t the most paleo friendly root vegetable, but I’ve been eating them more and more. If weight-loss is your goal, I don’t recommend them, but if you struggle to maintain your weight because you eat crazy healthy paleo food all the time (yes I am referring to myself) and you can tolerate it, go for it.

I also love to make these ahead of time for breakfast since they reheat easily in the oven. I bake them at 350 Fahrenheit for ten minutes before serving. I serve them with some eggs and a side of fruit and it’s very little work for an impressive result. You could also go fancy for a special occasion or holiday, and they can easily be made ahead of time.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Author: Lauren Bolanos

Serves: 2 lbs

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of fingerling potatoes, halved
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Layer foil over cookie sheet for easy clean up
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
3. Slice fingerling potatoes in half.
4. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and mix with hands until potatoes are coated.
5. Sprinkle sea salt over the top.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, then toss potatoes, then bake for another 15 minutes.

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These quick pickled red onions taste delicious over a salad or with Mexican food. They are really easy (and fast!) to make and I can definitely think of a ton of uses for them. For instance, add them to taco lettuce wraps, include them in a mexican cobb salad, or serve them over chili. Think of them as a delicious edible garnish that will   be sure to impress your friends and family.

Pickled Red Onions

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Lauren Bolanos

Serves: 16 oz

Ingredients

• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of white vinegar
• ½ cup of honey
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 3 grinds of fresh black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 whole red onion, sliced

Instructions

1. Slice red onions and add to a saucepan with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Bring everything to a boil, and let boil for 5 minutes.
3. Then transfer pickled onions to a jar, and fill jar with remaining brine (or liquid).
4. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Then enjoy.

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Happy Memorial Day! I love summer picnic style food, especially since it’s so easy to make ahead. This dish I particularly love because it combines all my favorite ingredients: roasted cauliflower, bacon, homemade coconut oil mayo, and scallions. Seriously, how often do I use these ingredients. I’m surprised it took this long to throw them all together, for a very delicious, light, and surprisingly refreshing “potato” salad. The lemon flavor in the coconut oil really makes this dish shine. Otherwise, the bacon and mayo will feel too fatty and heavy. Plus, I think everything tastes brighter and definitely fresher with a little bit of lemon juice.

Cauliflower and Bacon "Potato" Salad

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Author: Lauren Bolanos

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 oz pork shoulder uncured bacon
• 2 heads of cauliflower
• 1 cup coconut oil mayo
• ½ cup chopped scallions
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and grease with coconut oil for easy cleanup.
2. Chop cauliflower and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour or until desired firmness.
3. Cube bacon and saute for 15 minutes or until bacon starts to brown and most of the fat is rendered.
4. Then let bacon drain on a plate with paper towels.
5. In a large bowl, add roasted cauliflower, bacon bits, coconut oil, and chopped scallions. Mix and smash cauliflower for "potato" salad texture.
6. Garnish with some fresh chopped scallions and serve.

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Kachumber is like an Indian version Pico de Gallo, and just happens to be one of my favorite sides with fish or chicken. This recipe makes a ton, which isn’t an issue for me, since I can’t get enough of it, but you might want to prepare this for a large group. It’s really spicy with raw serrano chilies in it, so be careful! You are now warned. I recommend dicing the serrano as fine as you can, so your friends and family don’t get large pieces.

You can also add this on top of soups or over a heavy curry dish for some added fresh and spicy flavor. Throw it over some lettuce and you have an easy salad. Trust me, if you like spicy food, you will want to add it to everything.

Mima's Kachumber

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Author: Lauren Bolanos

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes
• 4 cucumbers
• 2 white onions
• 2 serrano chilies
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• the juice of two lemons
• 1½ tsp sea salt
• 3 cup of water

Instructions

1. Dice white onions and soak in water and ½ tsp sea salt, while preparing the rest of the vegetables.
2. Dice the cucumbers, then remove seeds from serrano chilies and dice as finely as possible. Add to large bowl.
3. Remove seeds and mushy inside from tomatoes, and dice. Then add tomatoes to bowl.
4. Finely chop one bunch of cilantro. I avoid the stems as much as possible. Don't stress if some get in. Add chopped cilantro to bowl.
5. Strain onions from water and add to bowl. Mix ingredients together with 1 tsp of sea salt.
6. Then squeeze fresh lemons in a separate bowl, in case of seeds, then drizzle lemon juice over bowl. Mix again and serve.

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Roasted garlic is truly an amazing ingredient. It saved my Thanksgiving, when I used it to make a flourless gravy. I also used carmelized onions, homemade chicken broth, and fresh and dried herbs. The garlic and onions pureed up nicely in the Vitamix and thickened up the gravy, and consequently eliminating the need for flour. I also plan on adding this to salad dressings, smearing it over paleo bread, or just eating it by itself. It will also make your apartment smell amazing!

If you’re concerned about cooking with olive oil, and I usually am, Chris Kressler just had an awesome post Is It Safe to Cook with Olive Oil by his staff nutritionist Kelsey Marksteiner, RD. Since I normally use coconut oil to be on the safe side, I was relieved to hear that yes, it is safe. I’m Italian and I hate using coconut oil for Italian recipes! The flavor of olive oil is just necessary for good Italian food.

I salt bake the garlic because it makes it easy to check on how brown it is, and then I can add some fresh rosemary to the baking dish, so the aroma can flavor the head of garlic. I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt that I get from Costco for salt baking food and as a dry salt rub for large pieces of meat. They recommend the same brand in the book All About Roasting by Molly Stevens, and I don’t want to tweak the recipe (yet 🙂 )and potentially ruin expensive non-gmo/pasterized meat.

How to Roast Garlic

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

65 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Author: Lauren Bolanos

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 4 heads of garlic
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Add salt to a baking dish.
2. Cut of tops of garlic heads and nestle in salt.
3. Place two sprigs of rosemary on salt
4. Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil over each head of garlic.
5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for an hour and five minutes at 350 degrees. After thirty minutes, check garlic every ten minutes until desired brown color.

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You’ll think you’ve died and gone to Spain with this chorizo side dish. The olives and chimichurri dressing keep it light and fresh, while the chorizo makes this nice and spicy. I got the idea for this dish when I visited my family in New Jersey. There is an awesome restaurant called Fornos, in the Ironbound district, where there are tons of Spanish restaurants. It was an appetizer on the menu, but I ate it for dinner (with some gazpacho). Honestly, this dish is so versatile it would taste delicious hot or cold. So feel free to pack it up for a picnic or lunch and watch your friends and coworkers drool. It would also be great at a party with some toothpicks on the side. Who doesn’t appreciate some pastured pork with their olives?

If you can, find some locally sourced and pastured chorizo. I know it’s hard! My mom has a farmer who raises pastured pigs, so before I left New Jersey, we paid him a visit at the farmer’s market and stocked up on pig. If you follow along with this blog, you know I’ve done this before. And no I don’t ship it, but make my husband carry a bag of frozen meat through the airport. (To Shameer: thanks hun!!! Hope your dinner is worth it 🙂 )

Chorizo with Chimichurri and Olives

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Ingredients

• .75 lbs of chorizo (3 links)
• ¾ cup of pitted green olives
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1 cup of firmly packed flat leaf parsley (I included the stems since I'm lazy)
• 2 tbsp of fresh oregano (no stems, not enough room in measuring spoon)
• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp of raw and fermented red wine vinegar (Eden Foods)
• 3 cloves of pressed garlic
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• ¼ tsp of fresh ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Saute chorizo in a large pan with coconut oil, about 9-12 minutes or until skin is brown. Cut through to make sure inside isn't pink.
2. Mix with olives on a dish, set aside.
3. In a food processor, mix parsley, oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt, garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
4. Drizzle chimichurri over chorizo and olives, and serve hot or cold.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2

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