A Really Tasty Beef Jerky (Soy-Free. Gluten-Free.)

Ingredients:
3lbs Round Roast (Grass-Fed and Finished), trimmed of excess fat 

4 Cups Organic Apple Juice (make sure you are using a product with no other additives)

1T. Garlic Powder

1T. Smoked Paprika

1T. Smoked Sea Salt (find a natural wood-smoked product*)

1T. Penzey’s BBQ 3000** (or your favorite spice blend)

Are You Ready for Some Football!?

We moved to Texas a little over four years ago and we bought a home from a couple who was sort of known for their annual Super Bowl parties; not to be outdone, a year after moving in, we decided to carry on the legend. This year would be the "4th Annual Cereghino Super Bowl Party", but this year we are headed to Portland, OR to visit friends and family that we missed over the holidays. So, I present you with what I would've made for our party:

Paleo "Sliders": 

Can be made with Ground Beef, Buffalo, or really any meat you like. Form your burgers the day before and then bake in a 400F oven, before the party begins. Cook them to medium-rare and leave them covered with foil, until ready to serve. The buns can be made in advance (up to three days) and stored in a plastic bag until game day. Condiments can be sliced and stored in tupperware, the day before; just put them out on a platter and let your guests create their own burgers. 

Depending on the other items you have out, plan on about 3-5 "Sliders" per guest. 

Moroccan-Style Lamb Meatballs: You can make these meatballs with any meat you like and can mix up the seasoning, as you like. These are nice because, like the burgers, they can be formed the day before and baked right before the party. You can serve them at room temperature or keep them warm in a crock pot, set on low. 

Kale Chips: These can be made a few days in advance and are just nice for their salty crunch. Make a big batch and put them out with mixed nuts.

Paleo Chips and Guacamole: Sort of a must! The batter is really easy to make, but the scooping and forming can take a little more time. Make these a few days before the party and serve plated in a stack, so that they don't break. These are so good with guacamole, but would also be perfect with Baba Ganoush and/or Macadamia Nut Hummus.

Macadamia Nut Hummus: Follow this recipe for Macadamia Nut "Cheese", but omit the tarragon and add 1/4 cup of toasted tahini and 1/2 T. of ground cumin. Remember that the nuts need to soak before pureeing. Serve with cut up carrots, bell peppers, jicama, and cucumber.

Baba Ganoush: This is a great alternative to hummus. I would make this or the Macadamia Nut Hummus, not both. Serve as suggested above.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates Stuffed w/Almonds: Slice a date in half (but leave it still intact) and remove the pit. Fill the hole, that once held the pit, with a raw, unsalted almond (or 2, if large). Wrap with a piece of bacon, just large enough to overlap and stab with a toothpick to fasten. Bake on a baking sheet, with a baking rack, at 415F, until the bacon has crisped, about 20 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and serve with fresh toothpicks.

Our friends, John and Julia, brought these over one night and let me tell you...they are awesome!!! But, also super high in sugar so use them for these types of occasion only...not regular snacking.

Other Options:
Sausage and Mustard: Always a hit!
Potato/Vegetable Chips: (not the best option for everyday snacking, but better than others for a party)
Mixed Nuts: If you want to get a little more flavorful, try this recipe (sub pure maple syrup for the sugar)

The thing that I've noticed, as I've slowly swooned Scott over to the Paleo lifestyle, is that sometimes it's better not to mention that the food he's about to eat is "Paleo". Putting a label on food (i.e. "healthy", "vegetarian", "Paleo", "gluten-free"...), just seems to make people feel uncomfortable. And, a Super Bowl party is not the time to make your friends feel uncomfortable. So, just make the food, let them eat (and enjoy) the food, and then wait for them to ask you for the recipe. That's the way I like to roll.

Spiced Coconut Paleo Crisps

Ingredients:

1/4 C. Blanched Almond Flour

1/4 C. Ground Flax Seeds

1/4 C. Sesame Seeds

1/4 C. Pumpkin Seeds, Ground

1/4 C. Sesame Seeds, Ground

1/4 C. Shredded Coconut, unsweetened (plus 1 T., for garnish)

1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon (plus 1/2 tsp., for garnish)

1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (nice for a little kick, but not necessary)

1/4 C. Water

2 T. Melted Coconut Oil (use Virgin, for a more coconutty flavor)

1-2 T. Pure Maple Syrup, optional (this can be added for a little extra sweetness, but is not necessary)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 
2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Add water, oil, and maple syrup (if using) and mix to combine. You should end up with a slightly wet, sticky mixture.
4. Onto a silpat, or parchment paper, lined baking sheet drop the dough by the tablespoonful (I used a small ice cream scoop for easy removal), spacing the crisps about 2 inches apart. 
5. Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper and flatten (as thin as possible), using a rolling pin or the bottom of a measuring cup. Remove parchment paper and make sure chips are evenly flattened.  
6. Sprinkle crisps with additional coconut and cinnamon, making sure to distribute evenly. 
7. Bake 10 minutes (check after 5 minutes to check for doneness; you may want to rotate for even baking), until crisp.
8. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the chips cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to the rack and let cool completely. 
9. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

Makes 24 chips

Ready for the oven. 

This is a variation of the "Paleo Chips" that I created last year. Serve them as is or with a little thinly-sliced raw blue cheese (if doing dairy) and apples or sliced figs. They would also be good with a little goat cheese (again, if doing dairy), honey, and cinnamon. This would also make a nice crust alternative for this "Pear Tart".

Note: As with other indulgent recipes, please eat in moderation and use these for special occasions. These are addictive and it is easy to lose count during consumption...consider yourself warned.

Paleo "Sliders"

Makes 30 "Sliders"

Ingredients:

2lbs Ground Meat (Buffalo, Beef, Venison, Elk...)*

30 Paleo Buns, recipe follows

Toppings:

-Bacon

-Arugula or Mache

-Tomato (use Roma tomatoes and slice horizontally)

-Avocado or Guacamole 

-Shallots (I like to use thinly-sliced shallots for sliders, instead of red onions, for their small size)

-Dill Pickles

-Mustard, Homemade Mayo

*This should create about 30- 1oz burgers, after cooking. I just use sea salt and pepper for my burgers, but make them how you like. Use a small ice cream scoop for even size. They can be grilled, cooked in a pan, or baked in a 400F oven (my choice when making large batches for a party). 

Paleo "Slider" Buns:
3/4 Cup Coconut Flour
2T. Arrowroot Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
6 Eggs, beaten
1T. Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Cup Melted Ghee (if you don't do ghee, try coconut oil...but, know that I haven't tried it, so don't know how it will work)

For topping:
1 Egg, whisked
1 T. Sesame Seeds

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Sift coconut flour, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and sea salt into a bowl. 
3. Add beaten eggs and mix to combine. 
4. Add melted ghee and vinegar, mix until smooth.
5. Scoop batter onto a silpat or parchment paper- lined baking sheet, in 1 T. balls (I used a small ice cream scooper). You should have about 30 buns. 
6. Brush the tops of the buns with whisked egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffed. 
8. Remove from oven and transfer to a baking rack, to cool. 
9. Slice in half and serve with "slider" patties and toppings. 

Before baking.

This bun recipe is inspired by this bread recipe that I recently discovered; I modified it quite a bit, but since this is where it all began, I thought it worth mentioning. We host an "Annual Super Bowl Party" at our house and, though we're going to Portland this year, I thought that it might be nice to share a few recipes that I would've liked to make this year. I usually serve burgers, in some form, but like the idea of actually getting to eat a bun and offering a bun that other non-Paleo eaters would actually enjoy. And, I really like that it's has a coconut flour base, versus an almond (which I've been limiting) flour base. This bun and burger is awesome and I'm so excited to share it with you! 

A Recipe for Post-Workout Recovery

Ingredients:

Yams, roasted, peeled, and pureed

Egg Whites, whipped to soft peaks

Ground Cinnamon

Ground Nutmeg

Ground Ginger

Ground Allspice

Here's the deal...the mixture that is best for me, is not going to be the mix that is best for you. With that being said, I am providing a recipe to make a 1-Block (see Zone) serving:

Roasted Yams:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Transfer yams to a baking sheet and roast until they are totally soft and begin to ooze, about 2-hours. 
3. Remove from oven to cool.
4. Once cooled, peel and puree (I used a food processor, but you could use a potato ricer, heavy-duty blender, or go old-school and use a fork!). My mixture was really creamy, so do what you need to. 

Egg Whites:

1. Separate egg whites and save the yolks for future use*.
2. Transfer whites to a food processor or blender and blend until foamy.

The Recipe:

(Makes 1 large "Muffin" or a 1-Block Serving)

3 T. Yam Puree (I used a scale to weigh mine out to 37g, so this is an approximation)

2 Egg Whites

1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

1/8 tsp. Ground Ginger

Pinch of Ground Cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Add yam and spices to egg whites and blend until smooth. Add a few drops of water, if mixture is too thick to blend. 
3. Evenly distribute the mixture amongst your nonstick muffin tins (1 if using oversized tins, 2-3 if using standard tins) or silicon baking cups (if you want to ensure that they do not stick, I would recommend investing in them) and transfer to the preheated oven. 
4. Bake until puffed and cooked through, 15-20 minutes (the baking time will increase if you are making more than 1-2 muffins) depending on the size of your muffin tins or cups.
5. You can enjoy them now, or remove them from the baking cups and let cool- cooled texture will be similar to a custard, while fresh from the oven they will be more like a pancake in texture. 

*I just added a few each day to my frittatas, for some extra fat. You could also use them to make homemade mayonnaise or a hollandaise for roasted asparagus, or other veggies. 

And, there you have it...Post-Workout "Muffins"! I created these as a way to have something that I could carry with me in my car, that would be easy to eat, and would taste good. I LOVE them...Scott does not; he likes the flavor (they are nice and sweet from the roasting and the spice mixture makes them really flavorful), but not the texture. So, before you make a bazzillion of these, try them for yourself. The texture is souffle-like, right out of the oven, but changes to more of a custardy muffin after refrigeration. So...there you have it!

I am playing around with my post-workout food and got an idea as to what what might work best for me from Robb Wolf's site, and this post in particular. So, read up and play around with the mix that you feel is most suitable for you. 

Here are my stats, for reference:

Height: 69"

Weight: 133lbs 

Waist (measured at smallest point): 29"

Hips (measured at widest): 37"

Very Active. 

Paleo Crepes

Ingredients

1 Egg

1 T. Pumpkin Puree (canned, unsweetened)

Pinch of Sea Salt

Seasoning (I used Cinnamon and Nutmeg for my Curried-Chicken, but herbs would be good for wrapping turkey or other savory fillings)

1 tsp. Coconut Oil, for pan

1. Heat a nonstick pan (I used a 10" Calphalon) and add 1 tsp of coconut oil. 
2. While pan is heating, whisk together ingredients (not coconut oil).
3. Once pan is heated and oil is melted, add batter (it will be runny). Spread it around the pan by holding the handle of the pan and swirling; this should create a really thin, even layer.
4. The crepe should cook within a minute. Use a spatula to remove the crepe. 
5. These can be made 2-3 days in advance and can be stored in the fridge, by placing a piece of parchment paper between each pancake and then wrapping in plastic wrap, foil, or tupperware. 

Used to wrapped Curried-Chicken Salad

Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients:

2 large eggplant
1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed (I really like this brand)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
1 T. ground cumin
Sea Salt, to taste
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat an oven to 425°F.
2. Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on a baking sheet. Bake until very soft, 25-30 minutes. 
3. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin. Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.
4. Puree the eggplant flesh in a food processor. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and cumin. Puree until creamy, or to desired consistency. 
5. Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
6. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well. Drizzle the olive oil over the top. 

Serve with your favorite veggies or these chips.

Paleo Pizza

 

  

Ingredients:

Makes Two 6" Pizzas  

1/4 Cup Blanched Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Ground Flaxseed (Flax Meal)

1 Large Egg

1 T. Water

1/2 T. Cider Vinegar

1 T. Arrowroot Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Place a pizza stone in the preheating oven (to heat stone).
3. Whisk the egg and water, until frothy. Add vinegar and whisk.
4. To the egg mixture, add almond flour, flaxseed, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined. Mixture will be similar in consistency to pancake batter.
5. Scoop half of the mixture onto hot pizza stone and spread to desired thinness (I made two 6" pizzas).
6. Cook the dough 3 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and add sauce/toppings.
8. Return pizza and stone to oven. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or longer if making a larger pizza. 
9. Remove from oven. Cut and serve. 

For my topping, I used the following mixture:
3oz. Ground Buffalo (yes, this is ALWAYS in our fridge!)
Handful of Fresh Spinach
1 T. Tomato Paste
3 Canned Plum Tomatoes, squished
Dried Oregano

1. In a hot pan, brown the buffalo.
2. Add tomato paste and stir to coat.
3. Add spinach. Wilt.
4. Add tomatoes and oregano.

Easy!

Paleo Chips and Avocado Salsa

 

Paleo Chips 

Ingredients:

1/4 C. Blanched Almond Flour

1/4 C. Ground Flax Seeds

1/4 C. Sesame Seeds

1/4 C. Pumpkin Seeds, Ground

1/4 C. Sesame Seeds, Ground

1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin

1/4 tsp. Ground Corriander

1/4 tsp. Ancho Chile Powder

1/4 C. Water

1 T. EVOO

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
   
2. Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Add water and oil, and mix to combine. You should end up with a slightly wet, sticky mixture.
4. Onto a silpat, or parchment paper, lined baking sheet drop the dough by the tablespoonful (I used a small ice cream scoop for easy removal), spacing the chips about 2 inches apart. 
5. Cover the dough with a piece of parchment paper and flatten (as thin as possible), using a rolling pin or the bottom of a measuring cup. Remove parchment paper and make sure chips are evenly flattened. 
   
6. Bake15 minutes, until crisp. 
7. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the chips cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to the rack and let cool completely. 
8. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

Makes 24 chips

 

Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

Avocado, diced

Tomato, very small dice

Red Onion, very finely minced

Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Fresh Jalapeno, finely minced

Sea Salt

Black Peper

Ground Cumin

Ground Corriander

Ancho Chile Powder

These are the ingredients that I use. I really just create my salsa (guacamole) by taste, depending on the quantity I'm making. So, play around with the quantities to create a flavor that's right for you.

Just trust me on these ingredients...they make a really flavorful salsa!

Kale Chips..."Why Didn't I Try These Sooner!?"

 

 

Here's how you do it:

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

12 large Lacinato kale leaves, rinsed, dried, cut lengthwise in half, center ribs and stems removed

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. sea salt (I used smoked salt...really good choice!)

Preheat oven to 250°F. Toss kale with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large, silpat or parchment lined, baking sheets. Bake until crisp, 30-40 minutes. Transfer leaves to rack to cool.

I've seen these little crispy treats on several occasions now, but finally decided to make up a batch tonight after seeing them again here (though a majority of her recipes aren't Paleo, her blog is beautiful...thank you, Mom for the introduction!). I'm so glad I did! I bought two batches of kale, Red and Lacinato (a.k.a "Dinosaur"), on my last trip to Whole Foods and have been grilling the red variety the past few days.

To be honest, I've been a little turned off by the idea of consuming kale after years of garnishing a salad bar with it. My first job, at 15, had me working at a local pizza parlor...and one of my many daily tasks was the set-up and/or break-down of the salad bar- a task that included first rinsing off any ranch dressing that may have dribbled onto the leaves and then layering them in between my perfectly placed dressing and topping containers. So, even though I was fully aware of the nutritional benefits of kale, I couldn't help but think of it as merely a salad bar garnish...

My first real experience with kale was at Basta's in Portland, OR. I enjoyed their grilled kale and knew at that point I would be incorporating it into my diet on a more regular basis. And, now after finally trying "Kale Chips", I'm hooked!