January 2013
8 posts
Shop! Paleo Fruit&Nut Bars! Pretty things! →
What should I make next, friends?
Inspire me!
Asian "taco" salad with Asian "chimichurri"
Yes, you read that right. Because my boyfriend and I are getting ready to start the GAPS diet for a month or so, I’m trying to eat all the non-GAPS food I have on hand before the weekend. Having an entire bunch of parsley, my mind goes automatically to chimichurri. But I realized that I am running low on olive oil, so I switched things up a bit. ASIAN CHIMICHURRI!
Ingredients:
1 cup...
OPEN FOR BUSINESS!! Come on in! →
Well, hello darlings. →
ETSY SHOP... coming soon!
Featuring made-to-order fruit & nut bars, grassfed jerkies, dark chocolate truffles, fruit leathers, gourmet nut brittles, and other goodies. (As well as vintage housewares.)
Stay tuned!
Your Healthista: New Year Egg Drop Soup with Pork →
yourhealthista:
This is, hands down, my new favorite recipe. I’ve already made it three times and I’m not sick of it. That’s saying a lot because usually I have a hard time eating something more than two or three times in a row.
It’s an easy recipe, but one ingredient you really can’t skimp on is this one:
Yes. Soon!
December 2012
3 posts
Caramelized onion tart.
Paleo, of course.
Recipe forthcoming. First I must mourn the loss of my food processor bowl, a casualty of tonight’s dinner.
November 2012
5 posts
Curried Winter Squash Soup
I’m really enjoying my CSA veggie share. Every week I get veggies—often ones I’d forget to buy on my own—and have to figure out what to do with them before the next load arrives. I was a little backlogged and had a butternut squash and an acorn squash to use. And even though we’ve had a delightfully warm weekend for November in Chicago (70 degrees!), it is...
October 2012
5 posts
Dinner is delicious.
(CSA) Potato pancakes with fresh dill, topped with mixed-herb pesto. Not Paleo, but gluten-free!
(CSA) Brussel sprouts, sauteed in butter and rosemary, poached egg, mixed-herb pesto. DEFINITELY Paleo and totally delicious.
I love CSA veggies!
Kohlrabi (!)
Ever had it? I had never even seen it. That gentleman friend of mine got a couple in the CSA share recently and gave me one to… do… something… with.
An urban-farmer friend of mine described kohlrabi as the “alien love-child of a cabbage and a potato” in both look and taste. I’d say that’s pretty spot-on.
So: mashed kohlrabi and carrots. With dill....
Now that's what I call dinner.
Steamed spaghetti squash tossed with fresh pesto and topped with BACON!
Brunch in a Bowl!
Where “bowl” = “avocado.” Hellooooooo, deliciousness! This was delectable, and pretty simple.
Ingredients:
1 avocado, sliced in (not quite) half
1 egg
Chorizo (2ish ounces)
1 oz. of cheese (whatever you prefer)
a bit of sour cream
a bit of salsa
(or: whatever meat and toppings you prefer)
Method:
Preheat oven to 425, with cast iron skillet in oven. Remove the...
It's chili season again! Now with a NEW "secret"...
Some recipes are meant to be followed to a tee; others are general guidelines. For me, chili falls in the latter category. I love to make chili and it’s usually a little different each time. Fall weather is upon us here in the Second City, so this weekend was a great time to make some chili! Doesn’t new, crisp weather make you want those fall foods you’ve been skipping...
August 2012
5 posts
Shopping day stir-fry
I am down to the END of my food. My refrigerator holds 3 jalapenos, some broccoli, a couple of limes, some herbs, a few things in jars… A couple of hours ago, however, it also held the following:
(more) broccoli
ginger
(another) lime
half an onion
cilantro
(another) jalapeno
shrimp
(also garlic, unrefrigerated)
And luckily, those ingredients work WONDERFULLY for a Thai-style...
Your Healthista: Basil and Bacon Eggplant Stir-Fry →
yourhealthista:
I’m not going to lie. This was one of those “use up all the veggies in the fridge” type of dinners. But was it easy? Yes. Was it delicious? Um, you know I wouldn’t have eaten it if it weren’t.
I was inspired by a coworker’s lunch: a lasagna-style eggplant casserole with lots of yummy…
Yes, please! Bacon, beef and eggplant? Winning.
Roadtrip Snack Pack
Including: Kiwi-Banana Fruit Leather, two varieties of fruit and nut bars (Orange-Cran-Ginger and Blueberry-Strawberry-Coconut), Grain-Free Carrot Cupcakes, and Grain-Free Banana-Chocolate Chunk Muffins.
The gentleman friend and I are taking a little vacation to “the Cape Cod of the Midwest” this week, and it’s hard to find good snacks at roadside convenience stores. Even the...
Soon. →
July 2012
6 posts
Palate Pleaser Teasers!
I made some stuff. Kale chips, marinated mushrooms, beet chips, grain-free tabouleh, and watermelon-mint sorbet.
Dinner party pictures!
Last weekend I hosted a housewarming/congratulations on your new baby/going away party with several of my close friends. (Why not multi-task, right?)
The dinner was Mexican-themed:
Appetizers:
Pomegranate guacamole
Roasted tomatillo salsa
Red salsa
Mahi-Mahi ceviche
Pan-fried yucca chips
Mains:
Flank steak with cilantro-parsley chimichurri, taco-style
Shrimp fajitas
Green salad with...
Birthday cupcakes!
Gluten-free chocolate cupcakes filled with dairy-free dark chocolate ganache and topped with buttercream frosting for the boyfriend’s 30th birthday! So much deliciousness! So late in the blogging—he’s been 30 for 16 days! AACK!
You might think gluten-free, dairy-free desserts sound nasty. You’d be wrong. These were startlingly delicious. These are clearly not paleo,...
Grass-fed Beef Jerky!
I got a food dehydrator this past Christmas, and this past week I FINALLY got around to making beef jerky in it. Jerky, as it turns out, is extraordinarily easy to make, with an extraordinarily delicious payoff. Read on.
Ingredients:
1 lb. grass fed london broil (or other lean cut)
2/3 c. worcestershire sauce
2/3 c. tamari (or soy sauce, if you wish)
1 T. grade B maple syrup
...
Spicy Basil-Jalapeno Pesto
I get a little carried away in the grocery store. Especially one filled with exciting and exotic ingredients, like my local Asian market. Some people spend their extra bucks on shoes or gadgets; mine goes right in my fridge—fodder for the laboratory. But sometimes (okay, many times) I get carried away and end up with tons of extra ingredients on hand that I have to use before they spoil....
June 2012
13 posts
Dark Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato
To go with my so-very-Italian entree, I wanted a so-very-Italian dessert. And what’s more Italian—and more suitable for summer in an un-air-conditioned apartment—than gelato? This particular gelato was dense, creamy, rich, and delicious. Read on.
Ingredients:
For hazelnut paste:
3/4 c. hazelnuts, toasted and skinned (plus extra, coarsely chopped, for garnish, if desired)
...
Neapolitan Genovese sauce with spaghetti squash
My gentleman friend’s family is Italian. Quite. His maternal, Neapolitan grandmother used to make genovese sauce which, as some internet research informed me, is the traditional pasta sauce of Naples. Not tomato-based, not cream-based, not basil-based, genovese is… wait for it… onion-based. And oh-so-delicious.
How a Genovese dish became the customary dish of Naples...
Maple-Bacon Ice Cream (dairy-free)
It’s still deliciously sweltering in Chicago and I’m still making delicious swelter-alleviating treats with my ice cream maker. (Best gift ever? Sure seems that way this week!)
When culinary inspiration hits, I often have a hard time resisting it. Maple-bacon ice cream? Now THAT is inspired. Pretty simple, too.
Ingredients:
3/4 c. maple-candied bacon (instructions to...
Thai Fried Rice(d cauliflower)
One of the dinnertime staples of my childhood was Thai fried rice. We had it often, and I never grew tired of it. Instead, I eventually mastered it and it remained one of my go-to dishes for a long time—I even have former roommates who’ve said how much they missed that about living with me. (To be fair, I also have former roommates who couldn’t abide the strong smell of fish...
Heaven in a bowl
Also touted by some (okay, one) as “the best thing [I’ve] ever cooked.” I made this Ginger Lemongrass Infused Coconut Sorbet last night. I don’t have a picture of it, but it closely resembles the last coconut sorbet I made. That is, it is white, frozen, creamy, refreshing, and delicious. Since I didn’t deviate from Emeril’s recipe, I won’t post it...
Concession Stand
Sometimes, when it is 95 degrees outside and damn near that inside your apartment, you make concessions. Concessions in your regular dietary/lifestyle choices. Concessions to the need for something cold and sweet to beat the heat. Delicious, refreshing, oh-so-delectable concessions.
Although this IS dairy-free, it isn’t exactly Paleo because of the sugar. It is, however, ridiculously,...
Paleo creamed spinach and mushrooms
More vegetables to use before they went bad—it was the mushrooms this time. I also had spinach, leftover coconut milk from the truffles, and an onion on its last legs. Add garlic, salt, and pepper, and you have a delicious side dish!
Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach
1 large container of white mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. coconut milk, full fat
...
Za'atar spiced vegetables
I had to use up a rutuabaga before it went bad. Added carrots, onion, garlic, celery, and a seeded jalapeno. Sauteed in ghee with salt, pepper, and a za’atar spice blend from the Spice House. (Thanks, Vinnie!)
KIMCHI!
We Paleo types are all about raw, fermented foods. And I, personally, am all about spicy food, and kimchi, especially. I consulted several recipes, but more or less followed this one. Pictures below. It is currently fermenting in a big ol’ pot covered with a roasting pan weighted down by my cast iron skillet—I don’t have a jar big enough to accommodate it! Do I hear Korean...
Dark chocolate coconut-curry truffles
Ohhhh, happy indulgence. Dark chocolate! Coconut! Curry! Three of my favorite things, all rolled together into one delectable—and Paleo(!)—treat.
One very thoughtful Mr. V. Lacey, who knows me so well, surprised me with, among other things, Vadouvan Curry from The Spice House. (How spoiled am I?) Vadouvan is a French-inspired blend of Indian Masala curry. I can’t wait...
Stuffed chicken with cilantro chimichurri
I’m back! I’m back! It’s been a while, but I’ve been eager to get back to cooking and posting—now from my new kitchen in my new apartment! (Hooray!)
Last night I made up a recipe from several things I had on hand. We’ll call it Stuffed Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri. Or: Chicken. Yummy Chicken. Call it whatever you want. I called it DINNER. Read on:
For the chicken:
5 (thick) chicken...
I've been falling down on the blog job.
Expect great things soon. Promise.
May 2012
6 posts
Is this turning into a lot of pictures of omelets?
I promise I’ll do better. But I made this today. Bacon, broccoli, onion, jalapeno, garlic, and filled with spinach dip (or, more specifically, TJ’s greek yogurt-based spinach and kale dip). It was phenomenal.
OmeletteLab (again)
Happy Mother’s Day. If I lived near my mom, I’d make her one of these.
Pear-Cardamom Sorbet
I mean, need I say more? Spring is finally upon us here in Chicago—shaky though it may be—and it is inspiring me to experiment with fruit in the ice cream maker. Anjou pears were on sale the other day, so I bought a few. Here’s what I did.
Ingredients:
4 pears, peeled, cored and chopped (1-2 inch cubes)
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/5 c. water
1/4 t. cardamom
1 t....
Refrigerator Roulette: Mexican Edition
Sometimes, you just have to stick your head in the fridge, pull out whatever you can find, and make dinner happen. My mother taught me that. Tonight, that was something akin to chicken fajitas, without the tortillas.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, diced or thinly sliced
1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
10 or so grape tomatoes, halved
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves...
Let's talk dessert.
Sliced plantains, pan-fried in coconut oil, topped with cayenne-infused honey and accompanied by fresh avocado. THIS is where it’s at!
