In a cast iron skillet over medium flame, sauté onion and garlic for about five minutes or until tender. Add asparagus and carrot and continue to sauté for an additional five minutes. Mix in chicken and stir for one minute.
Fold in spinach, remove from heat, and cover. Spinach will wilt from the steam. Remove cover and drizzle mixture with fresh lemon juice.
Poached Eggs on Roasted Veggies
This unique combination lends flavor and variety to your breakfast table. SERVES 2
2 large omega 3 eggs
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Leftover roasted veggies of your choice (see chapter 10
for options)
Fill a 9-inch saucepan with 1 inch of water. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil.
Crack eggs into a small dish. Lower the dish right next to surface of boiling water and let egg slide in. Cook eggs for three to four minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.
Place the eggs on top of the roasted vegetables.
Wild Salmon Delight
This omega 3 packed meal will start your day off with Paleo Diet perfection. SERVES 2
2 wild salmon fillets, 4-6 ounces each
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon ground paprika
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 large red tomato, diced
Prepare a large saucepan with a steamer basket and 1 inch water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, place salmon in steamer, and cook for fifteen minutes.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Add dill, paprika, pepper, and mushrooms and sauté for five minutes. Mix in tomato and continue to sauté for an additional five minutes. Remove from heat.
Once salmon has finished cooking, remove from pan and top with mushroom and tomato mixture.
Breakfast in the Raw
Japanese cuisine frequently features raw fish, which is considered a delicacy. Brighten your day and sharpen your mind with this omega 3 eye-opener. SERVES 2
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 ahi tuna sashimi, 4-6 ounces each, thinly sliced
1 cup mango or peach slices
½ cup blueberries
Warm coconut oil over low flame until liquid. Combine with spinach and toss well.
Arrange sashimi over spinach with mango or peach slices. Scatter with berries.
Morning Rainbow
Paleo Diet veterans have developed a taste for waking up to a freshly baked fish breakfast. This delicious dish will help you start your day with a splash. SERVES 2
2 wild-caught rainbow or other trout, 10-12 inches each
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons Chardonnay
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon paprika
Juice from ½ lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean trout thoroughly and place on a sheet of foil large enough to wrap entire fish.
In a small cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium flame. Add onion and sauté until tender, about five minutes. Remove from pan and place in a small mixing bowl.
Mix with wine, dill, paprika, and lemon juice. Stuff the trout with the onion mixture and wrap securely with foil. Bake for twenty minutes.
Spicy Breakfast Burrito
This south-of-the-border meal is a great alternative to a traditional tortilla-wrapped egg burrito. Using fresh crisp lettuce to wrap your breakfast provides you with a pure Paleo breakfast treat. SERVES 2
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ sweet yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, pressed
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup cooked diced chicken, lean pork, or steak
3 large omega 3 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large iceberg or romaine lettuce leaves
Heat olive oil in an 11-inch cast iron skillet over medium flame. Sauté onion and garlic until tender, about five minutes. Toss in bell pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, and meat, mixing well for one minute.
Add beaten eggs and mix with a spatula until cooked thoroughly. Sprinkle with ground pepper. Wrap tightly in lettuce leaves.
Breakfast Express
Use your leftover broccoli and chicken to whip up this chopped breakfast entrée. This veggie-enhanced Waldorf salad makes the perfect start to your day. SERVES 2
2 cups steamed broccoli, cut into small pieces
8 ounces grilled chicken breast, diced
2 small red Delicious apples,cut into bite-sized pieces
1 ounce walnuts, chopped
½ cup halved grapes
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 tablespoon flaxseed oil
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss well.
Shrimp Scramble
This shrimp and egg dish is a special treat to wake up your taste buds and power up your brain for the busy day ahead. Enjoy with a side of fresh melon, and you’re off to a great start. SERVES 2
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ yellow onion, minced
4 omega 3 eggs
1 cup small cooked shrimp
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 cooked artichoke hearts, fresh or canned (packed in water)
Heat oil in an 11-inch nonstick pan over medium flame. Add onion and sauté until tender, about five minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Pour into pan with sautéed onions. Add shrimp, dill, and basil and mix thoroughly until eggs are wet but not completely cooked. Stir in artichoke hearts and finish cooking.
4
Paleo Snacks and Appetizers
Snack food and appetizers are very much a part
of the Paleo Diet, and you should snack between meals whenever you get hungry. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors frequently snacked on some of the food they acquired while foraging and gathering. Just like our ancestors’ snacks, yours should be nourishing and made from real foods. High-protein snack foods like beef jerky, dried salmon, peel-and-eat shrimp, or cold chicken breasts are a great way to satisfy your appetite, boost your metabolism, and help you lose weight. The key to Paleo snacks is to keep them simple so that you can bring them along with you to work or play. Resealable plastic bags or plastic food containers are a great way to keep your snacks fresh and accessible wherever you go. Here’s a list of some simple snacks and appetizers that require minimal or no preparation time:
• Apples, plums, pears, peaches, apricots, grapes, strawberries, bananas, or any fresh fruit
• Dried apricots (unsulfured)
• Carrot and celery sticks dipped in guacamole
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Jicama root cut into sticks
• Zucchini or squash rounds dipped in homemade salsa
• Avocado slices covered with lemon juice
• Cold London broil slices
• Cold turkey breast slices
• Cold peel-and-eat shrimp
• Cold pork tenderloin slices
• Walnuts (limit to 4 ounces per day if you are trying to lose weight)
Appetizers are tidbits to linger over and nibble at for hours while having a drink or talking with friends. These are social foods, party foods, and celebration foods. These are dishes to inspire conversation and get the evening going. Seafood appetizers are very Paleo-friendly. They are neither too rich nor too filling, and they carry the quintessence of the ocean, being a little salty and pungent but also naturally fresh. They are high in protein and low in fat and are full of the healthy long-chain omega 3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA. What better way to start a party or celebration than with elegant platters of clams, oysters, lobster, shrimp, or crab legs? Garnish these delectable treats with raw fresh veggies such as scallions, cherry or grape tomatoes, radishes, or carrot curls, and your delicious appetizer will have breathtaking visual appeal as well.
Because Paleo appetizers focus on clean-flavored and nutritious raw ingredients, they make a wonderful light introduction to the more complex flavors that will follow in the main course. Good food can be accompanied by good wine on the Paleo Diet, so feel free to complement your appetizers and main dish with wine or whatever is the drink of your choice, including pure water.
Chili-Lime Shrimp
One of the best sources of protein and so easy to prepare, this shrimp appetizer is ready in just minutes. Serve hot or cold. SERVES 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 pound medium shrimp
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Juice from ½ lime
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Add garlic and sauté while stirring for one minute. Add tomatoes and continue cooking for two minutes. Toss in shrimp and continue stirring for two to three minutes. Shrimp is done when it becomes pink.
Turn off heat and toss with paprika and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over the shrimp and sprinkle with cayenne pepper.
Mango-Strawberry Olé
We discovered this unique combination of sweet mango, strawberries, sour lime, and hot chili pepper on a hot summer night while vacationing in Mexico. SERVES 4
1 mango
4 large strawberries
Juice from ½ lime
Chili powder, to taste
4 cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Peel and slice mango into equal-sized strips. Wash and hull strawberries, then cut each lengthwise almost through but still in one piece. Arrange the mango in a fan shape, evenly distributed on each of four appetizer-sized plates. Place one strawberry, flat side down, on each plate. Drizzle fruit with lime juice. Sprinkle with chili powder. Top with cilantro sprig.
Asparagus Starter
A fresh light start to a special meal, this dish is sure to impress your dinner guests. SERVES 4
8 raw green asparagus spears (do not use baby asparagus
as it is too thin)
8 pieces very thinly sliced Roast Turkey Breast (page 90)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fill a 2-quart pot halfway with water and insert a steamer basket. Bring to a boil. Place asparagus in basket and steam for five minutes. Remove from pot and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Remove from water. Wrap one slice of turkey around each asparagus spear.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Place the spears in the pan, cover, and cook for one minute. Turn each wrapped asparagus over gently with tongs and continue cooking for one minute. The turkey will be nicely browned.