Gluten Free Pork Tacos with Kale & Citrus Drizzle

It was taco Tuesday and I was craving tacos, the real kind, not the slippery lettuce wrapped kind, so I bought some tortillas from our favorite neighborhood Mexican market.  If you live in the Costa Mesa/Newport area and haven't checked our El Toro Bravo on W 19th,  do yourself a favor and check them out.

This is sort of a take on El Pastor with the little hint of pineapple mixed with a little heat. If you skipped the corn tortillas these would be paleo.

Gluten Free Quinoa & Bison Power Chili

Happy Olympic Kickoff day!  This is a recipe favored by one of team USA's track & field athletes and I can vouch it is quite delicious even if it's not paleo.  (Gasp!)  

We eat mostly paleo for numerous reasons, but I can't claim that this is our diet 100% of the time.  I was recently reading Outside magazine and they did a feature on decathlete Trey Hardee (on a side note, they did a great spread of his training routine and it's very similar to the way we train at our Crossfit gym except for the fact he does it 2-3x a day, 6 days a week), and this was one of his favorite recipes.  

Life is all about balance and I figure if this is the worst thing we eat all week... 

Primal/Gluten Free Baby Shower

I recently helped out with a baby shower for my sister-in-law, and while there would only be 2 paleo eaters - and coincidentally both crossfitters - in attendance (myself and the fabulous lady that took these pictures ) I still wanted a menu that stayed true to the I way cook/eat/live.  There was no mention of the party having a 'restrictive' menu of any kind, and there was no talk about missing this ingredient or that dish - it's just food people.  

I made a couple salads, a primal 'quiche' with sweet potato crust, some gluten free savory scones, and some grilled asparagus.   I think everyone had a full belly to welcome baby boy #2 to the Flynn family. 

More pictures and basic recipes after the jump!

Paleo Coconut Flour Waffles

I put a call out for some recipe requests, and this one came in from a friend of mine.  I looked around for  recipes and found that most of them had a lot of sugar in them - be it honey, agave etc - so I made some modifications and truthfully, you don't really need to sweeten them up aside from the vanilla.  

8 large eggs

6 tbs coconut flour

2 tsp olive or (warmed) coconut oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla)

Pre-heat waffle iron.  Whisk all ingredients in bowl, or use a food processor, until smooth.  Add amount suggested for you waffle iron and cook accordingly.  I was able to make 4 large waffles with this amount of batter.  Top off with almond butter, berries or a little Grade B maple syrup (pictured) and you've got a weekend breakfast treat. 

These are definitely better fresh, but if you're saving/reheating them, throw them in the toaster. 

Sweet Gluten Free Treats! Ginger Molasses Cookies & Pear and Cardmaom Mini-Muffins

Disclaimer:  While these are gluten free, these are not paleo, nor would I consider them healthy.  Enjoy them in moderation with someone you love.  

We don't eat a ton of sweets, but every now and then I have a killer sweet tooth and need something more than a piece of super dark chocolate, (and it was Valentine's Day this week).  Both these recipes I modified from  Gluten Free Girl and they are delicious.  I had to get them out of the house asap, so I took them to the gym.  Ironic, I know, but everyone needs a little sweet every now and then.

(if you'd like more thorough directions, ask away!  I'm happy to email them out)

**Gluten Free Ginger Molasses Cookies (left):
Sift 1/2 c sorghum flour, 1/2 c brown rice flour, 1/2 c arrowroot, 1/2 c teff flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp black pepper.

In a large bowl cream 1 1/2 sticks softened butter, 3/4 c brown sugar and 1/2 c xylitol. Add 3 large eggs one at a time, then add 1/2 c molasses and 2 tbs fresh ginger (peeled and finely diced).  Incorporate dry ingredients slowly - when well combined add 1/2 c greek yogurt and 1-2 cups of crystalized ginger.

Drop spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

**Gluten Free Pear & Cardamom Mini-Muffins (right):
In a saucepan, heat 10 tbs butter just until it starts to foam.  Add 1 large grated pear, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ground cardamom, 1/2 tsp ground ginger.

In a large bowl combine 3/4 c almond flour, 1/4 teff flour, 1/2 c arrowroot, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp baking powder.  Add 3/4 c xyliotl, 2 heaping tbs of greek yogurt,  and 2 large eggs and whisk until combined.  Mix in dry ingredients, then add the pear/butter mixture.  Mix in some toasted walnuts and bake at 375 in a greased mini-muffin pan for about 10-12 minutes. 

Kale Chips with Sundried Tomato Tapenade and White Bean Puree

With football season coming to a close, I wanted to leave you with some Sunday afternoon fare that can be enjoyed even without a game on.  While our Superbowl was hardly anything to write home about - we were both sick so there wasn't much eating, chest bumping, or general shenanigans - but this is something I totally would have made had I been on top of my game.  

Lacinato kale works best for this recipe, but I had flowering kale in my fridge so I used that.  Trim them up, drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper, and any other spices you feel like, bake them at 375 for about 15 minutes.  I made 2 different accompaniments for them, while both are gluten free the white bean puree isn't paleo. 

Sundried Tomato Tapenade (1st picture - paleo):  Sundried tomatoes with oil, 1/2 juice Meyer lemon, crushed red pepper, sea salt, kale and Italian parsley.  Pulse it in the food processor just enough to blend - it should still have some good texture to it.

White Bean Puree (2nd picture - gluten free): White beans, sundried tomatoes with oil, 1/2 juice Meyer lemon, salt and fine ground pepper, Italian parsley.  Pulse in a food processor until smooth, adding olive oil oil if needed.

Herbed Pork Chops

As I cut into a piece of pork flecked with fresh herbs, almonds and salt, the outside cracked and split to reveal a perfectly cooked juicy piece of the other white meat.  Pork cutlets cook fast and have fantastic flavor/texture, and I always loved the recipes that have a crunchy breaded coating. This recipe satisfies my love for both textures, as well as using a bunch of fresh herbs for flavor. 

While this recipe is gluten free, it isn't paleo since I used rice flour, but I'm working on a paleo version that still gives you a crunchy outside coating while keeping your pork juicy inside.

Trim fat and pound pork chops to tenderize a bit.  Salt and pepper, then dip in rice flour, egg, and "breadcrumb" mixture (crushed almonds, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh Italian parsley, garlic powder) coating both sides. Heat about 1/2 inch olive oil in a pan - get it hot but not smoking - and fry pork, about 4-5 minutes each side.

You can really use whatever fresh herbs you may have on hand, feel free to experiment.  If you're using dried herbs, be sure to use less than you would fresh as the flavor can be a little intense. 

Barramundi & Coconut Vegetable Chowder

I have a bunch of cookbooks and get a few food magazines (I cry a little every time I think about my beloved Gourmet), and I really enjoy the challenge of taking recipes that sound delicious, but don't necessarily fit in with our style of eating, and turning them into paleo-friendly dishes.  I channel my favorite chefs, put on one of my many aprons, crank the iPod and have my own little test kitchen session.  Sometimes it works...other times, it's pretty apparent my modifications were less than stellar and our dog Brody gets a nice meal, but in any case it's an adventure.  This recipe came out better than I could have imagined, and there were no leftovers to be had.

I adapted this recipe from the October Bon Appetit magazine, where they took it from Happy Restaurant in Boulder. 

For the chowder:

Heat 1 tbs oil in a large pot - add 1 cup diced onion, 3 kaffir lime leaves (if you can't find them, you can use the zest and juice frPublish Postom 1 lime), 3 large fresh basil leaves, 1 tbs minced fresh ginger, 1 chopped jalapeno with seeds, 2 smashed garlic cloves.  Stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes, then add 3 cups canned coconut milk, 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 tbs salt, 1-2 tsp chili oil, and 1 15oz bottle fresh carrot juice.  Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.  Strain out the solids - pressing them to get all the liquid out - and return liquid to pot.

Peel and cube (removing the seeds) of 1 small acorn or delicata squash, then boil until soft.  Add the squash cubes, 1 carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks, 1 red bell pepper cubed, 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts, 1 small head of grated cauliflower and 2 cups chopped sugar snap peas to the broth.  Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just soft.

For the fish:

Rinse and pat dry 4 small fillets (I used Barramundi, but you can use any fish really).  Add salt and pepper, and 1 tbs flax seed meal to each fillet, pressing the flax seed meal into the flesh.  Heat up 4 tbs coconut oil in a saucepan, and place fish skin side up*/flax seed side down into the pan.  Cook approx 4 minutes each side.

Serve with avocado slices, lime wedges and fresh basil

*note on cooking fish, the skin side attracts the heat, so if you're broiling fish, skin goes down, if you're grilling/frying, skin goes up! 

Rainy Days & Butternut Squash

I woke up to gray.  Not marine layer gray, which always feels like a billowy curtain ready to break up at any moment, but a deeper, heavier gray.  The gray that makes you want to stay home in a hoodie and socks and watch movies and drink tea. We just had a heat wave, what was this??  Summer really never arrived, much to my chagrin, and the oven blasting type of heat we'd been having the past week had set my spirits on such a high...so what the eff was this?  And then it rained.  And I'm not talking the normal sprinkle we usually get - which sends all of us running for cover, a laughable action to most other climates - this was RAIN.  Rain that would make even a Seattle native pull out an umbrella, and they never do that.  So from elevating heat, to dark and stormy seas, the kitchen had to make a change...

I must capitalize on this soup weather.

Fall is one of my favorite seasons for one reason - squash.  When I start seeing squash at the market I get excited for fall.  Granted, I'm usually still in shorts and sandals, but there's a chill in the air!  I can eat squash any way but this (in my opinion) the most delicious, simple dish there is.  Butternut squash has such great no-fuss flavor, and you can make this dish in a flash.  There's something about warm soup that is very comforting to me, and during the cold months - well cold for coastal California - I eat soup most days of the week.  Another thing I love about this is the ingredient list:  butternut squash, onion, salt, pepper, chicken broth.  A few simple, wholesome items can make a big bowl of comfort on a chilly night.

Peel the butternut squash and cube it, removing the seeds.  Put the squash cubes, 1 large diced yellow onion, a little olive oil or butter, and a couple tbs of the chicken stock in a pan and simmer.  Let everything get soft, and the onions get sweet.  Transfer to a food processor or blender* and pulse while adding chicken stock until you get your desired texture.  My favorite garnishes are crumbled turkey bacon and green onions. I also like my soup pretty hot, so I usually put it back in the pot to simmer for a bit.

*if using a blender you may have to batch it, and be careful as the steam can cause the top to pop off and that will equal a major mess