Most mushrooms are prepared with copious amounts of butter or margarine. Our recipe represents a foolproof Paleo-style approach to this flavorful dish. SERVES 4
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
8 ounces oyster mushrooms, coarsely chopped
3.5 ounces enoki mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to broil. Combine olive oil and garlic in a baking dish. Add mushrooms and sprinkle with basil, tarragon, paprika, and parsley.
Broil for thirty minutes, stirring mixture at the halfway point. Remove from oven and cool for five minutes.
Monterey Mushrooms
The inspiration for this simple dish comes from Nell’s local Italian eatery, where it is offered as a compliment of the chef to enjoy while you peruse the menu. Allow this dish an hour or two in the refrigerator to infuse the flavors. Simple but quite tasty. SERVES 4
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place mushrooms in a large bowl. Combine olive oil, oregano, and lemon juice in a small jar and shake well. Pour over mushrooms and mix until well coated.
Refrigerate and let sit for an hour or two. Add fresh pepper.
Eggplant à la Française (Ratatouille)
French cooking Paleo style is quick, simple, and delicious. This veggie dish takes only minutes to prepare, which makes it an ideal recipe for the busy cook.
Bon appetit
. SERVES 4
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large zucchini, cut into 2 × ½ inch strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into 2 × ½ inch strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2 × ½ inch strips
1 medium eggplant, cut into 2 × ½ inch strips
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
Fresh parsley, to taste
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Add chopped onion and sauté for five minutes. Toss in garlic and continue to sauté for one minute. Place zucchini in skillet, stirring occasionally for five minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Add another tablespoon of the olive oil and bell peppers to skillet. Sauté for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet and set aside. Brush the last tablespoon of olive oil evenly over eggplant and place in skillet. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Place zucchini and peppers back in skillet with the eggplant. Mix in tomato, bay leaf, and parsley. Cover and cook for ten minutes. May be served warm or cold.
Raving Rapini
This cousin to broccoli brings a delectable twist to the Paleo table. For those who are learning to enjoy new veggies and want something familiar in the mix, raisins offer a bit of sweet to balance the taste. SERVES 4
1 bunch rapini (broccoli rabe)
1 lemon
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon basil
2 tablespoons cold-pressed flaxseed oil
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons raisins
Coarsely chop rapini and place in a cast iron skillet with 1 inch water. Steam for about five minutes until bright green, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking. Drain and cool for five minutes. Squeeze half of the lemon into a small jar. Add dill, basil, and flaxseed oil. Cover and shake. Toss into rapini, then add sun-dried tomatoes and raisins. Cut the other half of the lemon into wedges for a garnish.
Roasty Toasty Beets with Hazelnuts
Fresh beets are very tasty. Roasting this root vegetable brings out its flavor, which is further enhanced by the delectable hazelnut finish. SERVES 4
1 bunch beets, leaves removed and beets quartered
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 tablespoons chopped roasted hazelnuts (filberts)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to broil. Toss beets with olive oil, basil, and garlic in a glass or ceramic baking dish.
Broil for thirty minutes, stirring once at the halfway point. Top with roasted hazelnuts and pepper.
Nell’s Original Raw Kale Fusion
This dish is best prepared the day before serving to allow the kale to marinate and soften. SERVES 4
1 head red kale, coarsely chopped, with stems removed
1 head green kale, coarsely chopped, with stems removed
½ small red onion
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cold-pressed flaxseed oil
Juice from 1 lime
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 fresh heirloom or beefsteak tomato
2 orange slices
Place kale in a wide shallow bowl.
Combine red onion and garlic in a small food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add garlic and onion mixture to kale. Toss in oils and lime juice and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate; stir two or three times over the next twenty-four hours. Just before serving, chop the tomato and add it to the kale mixture. Garnish with orange slices.
Back-to-Our-Roots Winter Veggies
Roasted root veggies are a delicious, Paleo-friendly winter dish, with hearty and savory flavors to warm up cold winter nights. Leftovers can be tossed in the blender and turned into delicious hot soups. SERVES 4
2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium yam, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 whole garlic bulb
1 sprig fresh rosemary, stem removed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, yam, and onion evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Wrap garlic bulb in foil and place in middle of baking sheet.
Scatter rosemary leaves over the veggies. Bake for one hour and stir occasionally to ensure even cooking. Remove from oven.
Remove foil from garlic and place in center of serving dish. Arrange veggies around the garlic. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Garlic can be easily pressed from skin for a tasty addition.
Baked Holiday Stuffing
When the holidays roll around, you will be able to enjoy special foods with just a few substitutions and the addition of healthy ingredients. This Paleo recipe is a truly fantastic alternative to traditional stuffing. Enjoy and celebrate! SERVES 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large celery stalks, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 portobello mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 medium shallot, minced
½ cup Chicken Broth (page 193)
2 tablespoons freshly ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
4 ounces Brazil nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Add celery, onions, and mushrooms and stir occasionally for ten minutes. Toss in shallot and continue cooking for two minutes. Pour in broth and stir. Remove from heat.
Stir in flaxseed, sage, and Brazil nuts. Bake for twenty minutes.
Tokyo Sesame Wakame
As sashimi fans know, seaweed is the perfect side dish to pair with this Japanese delicacy. Unlike most restaurant versions, this Paleo recipe is healthy and delicious. SERVES 4
2 ounces wakame (purchase a brand that is entirely
seaweed with no additives)
2 tablespoons cold-pressed flaxseed oil
2 large carrots, grated
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
½ teaspoon white sesame seeds
Put the dried seaweed in 2 cups of water and let sit for ten minutes, then drain. Add the flaxseed oil, carrots, scallions, and lemon juice. Toss and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds.
11
Condiments, Salad Dressings, Sauces, and Fruit Purees
One of the gifts brought to you by
The Paleo
Diet Cookbook
is the return of your palate as Mother Nature always intended it to be. Real food will slowly and surely become more enticing to your tastes as artificial foods laced with unnatural combinations of fat, carbohydrates, salt, and sugar are left by the wayside. Give it some time—a few weeks or more—and you will begin to taste the subtleties of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, pungent seafood, and rich, grass-fed meats. Sugary pastries, ice cream, and chocolate will suddenly begin to taste too sweet. Spaghetti, pasta, bread, cereals, french fries, and potato chips will become starchy gut bombs that make you feel bloated and awful. As you lose weight, become fit, and reach your genetic potential, you will crave real food, not the starchy, sugary processed products that have made Americans the fattest people on earth.
Listen to your body. Once you have cleaned out the salt, the sugars, the refined oils, and the processed foods from your former diet, they will no longer taste as good as you remember them, and if you are like most people, upon reintroduction these foods will make you feel uncomfortable and bloated.
Condiments, salad dressings, and sauces play a crucial role in modern-day Paleo Diets because they add flavor, texture, and visual appeal to almost any dish. The key here is to make your own condiments that aren’t filled with refined sugar or salt, or high in omega 6 vegetable oils or other additives. Paleo condiments, salad dressings, and sauces add luxury, subtle flavors, and overtones to the cornucopia of real unadulterated foods that are the basis of modern Paleo eating.
Creamy Coconut Curry
This Paleo-friendly recipe produces a wonderful blend of sweet and spicy flavors, making it a great pairing for meat and fish dishes. MAKES 1 CUP
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon salt-free garam masala spice blend
8 ounces fresh, whole coconut milk
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Add onion and tomato. Cook for five minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic and continue cooking for one minute. Reduce heat to low and simmer for ten minutes while stirring occasionally. Add garam masala and continue to simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and cool for ten minutes.
Pour into a blender and puree until smooth. Return mixture to skillet and add coconut milk. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly for ten minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Apricot Chutney
This recipe creates a sweet mixture that pairs quite well with red meat, pork, and lamb. Top off your favorite Paleo meats with this proven crowd pleaser. MAKES 1 CUP
4 medium apricots, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon chopped roasted cashews
Combine apricots with ginger and cardamom in a food processor on low setting. Ingredients should be mixed rather than pureed.
Place in a serving bowl and add raisins. Mix well. Sprinkle with roasted cashews.
Classic Marinara Sauce
A perfect accompaniment to spaghetti squash, Paleo marinara sauce is fast and easy to prepare. Like soups and stews, this sauce is tastier the next day, after all the flavors have had a chance to mingle. MAKES 2 CUPS
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup red wine
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 bay leaf