Paleo Osso Buco

We have made it to day 5 of our Whole30 challenge. My lifesavers so far: coffee with coconut milk, rooibos tea, coconut flakes and SeaSnax. Surprisingly, however, I have managed to significantly cut my caffeine consumption and am typically only having one cup of coffee a day as opposed to the two or three I would consume before Christmas.

My restaurant experience *almost* worked according to plan except the waitress forgot I had asked for no feta on the salad. Not wanting to make a fuss, I didn't send it back and simply picked off as much as I physically could. Now I understand why Whole30 is so adamant on absolutely no cheating... although it was not my slip up, the microscopic amount of cheese I consumed sent me into a mental tailspin and I was ready to throw in the towel. I managed to get my head back in the game and baked two dozen cupcakes for a co-workers going away party without so much as licking a spoon.

We are going to attempt the restaurant thing again tonight... this time it is both of us going out for tapas so I feel like we stand a good chance.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
2 pounds veal shanks
Salt
Pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup beef or veal stock
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 5.5 ounce can tomato paste

Directions

Preheat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the veal with salt and pepper. Brown the veal on both sides.

Add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery to the pan. Saute until softened.

Add the stock, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer until the veal is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes depending on size.

Serve with oven roasted brussel sprouts or sweet potatoes.

♥  Amy

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Adapted from Primal Palate, makes approximately 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup red onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

 

Directions

Add the mustard, pepper, salt, onion and vinegar to a blender or food processor. Blend at high speed until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil until fully emulsified.

♥  Amy

Baba Ganoush

For the past three weeks Dave has been trying to eat no sugar - no processed sugar, no natural sugars, not even fruit. Absolutely nothing ending in "-ose" as he puts it.

This has meant we have been scrambling to find snack foods to replace the copious amounts of fruit and daily smoothies he has become accustom to. Sliced vegetables and dip have become a life saver for mid-afternoon cravings.

Adapted from David Lebovitz, makes approximately 1 1/2 cups 

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants
1/2 cup tahini
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/8 teaspoon chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
arsley or cilantro

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until completely soft. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Split the eggplant and scrape the pulp out of the skin. Add the pulp to a blender or food processor with the other ingredients. Puree until smooth.

Serve with sliced vegetables or pita bread.

Baba Ganoush can be made and refrigerated for up to five days prior to serving.

♥  Amy

Mediterranean Tuna Salad

Lunch has been one of the hardest meals for eating paleo - mostly because it is the meal we are most likely to be out of the house making it the easiest to cheat. I recently through together a quick tuna salad for lunch and it was delicious - finally a paleo lunch I would actually want to eat on a regular basis and easy enough to make to pack to work.

Inspired by Guilty Kitchen , serves 2

Ingredients

2 cups lettuce or spinach
1 can tuna, drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Taste #5 Unami Paste, optional
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Combine all the ingredients except the lettuce in a medium bowl. Mix to combine.

Serve over top of the lettuce with sliced avocado if desired.

♥  Amy

Muhammara

Muhammara is a Mediterranean dip made of walnuts, roasted red peppers and pomegranate molasses. It is the perfect combination of savory and sweet. When ever I serve muhammara, it always gets rave reviews.

The best part? I was able to make it paleo friendly! It makes an excellent substitute for hummus and a great light lunch.

Pomegranate molasses can be found in any middle eastern grocery store. I found mine at Community Foods. I use roasted red peppers from a jar for convenience sake, which I find at Superstore, but you can also easily roast your own red peppers.

Adapted from Veggie Belly, makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 large roasted red peppers (approximately 1/2 of a 300 mL jar)
1 clove garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili flakes
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

In a skillet on medium heat, toast the walnuts till they are slightly browned.

Put the toasted walnuts with all the other ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a few tablespoons of additional olive oil.

Serve with vegetable slices or pita.

♥  Amy

Slow Cooker Tagine

This is one of those horrible slow cooker meals that make the house smell so wonderful before you leave for work in the morning that you spend the entire day thinking about food.

 

Usually if I am using the slow cooker it means that Dave is on night shifts and sleeping all day. I have always wondered if he dreams about food when the house smells like dinner all day long.

 

I know I would.

 

Serves four

Ingredients
 

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 pounds lamb or beef, cut into one inch cubes

Salt

Pepper

1 large onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dried apricots, quartered

1/2 cup raisins or dried currants

2 carrots, chopped

2 cups beef broth

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Heat a pan over medium-high and add the oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add the broth to the pan, scraping off the drippings. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.

Cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.

Serve with couscous.

 ♥ Amy

Cioppino

Our friend's Nicole and Graham served this to us and I couldn't wait to make it again myself. I am normally not a big fish person but this soup is good.

Adapted from Gourmet, serves six


Ingredients

4 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 32 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup clam juice
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 pounds clams in the shell, cleaned
1/2 pound red snapper, cubed
1/2 pound halibut, cubed
1 pound large (16 to 20 count) shrimp, shelled
3/4 pound scallops
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, pepper flakes, salt and pepper in the olive oil. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and tomato paste. Saute for an additional minute. 

Add the wine, broth, tomatoes and clam juice. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the clams, scallops, shrimp and fish to the stew and simmer, covered, until the clams open, about 5 to 10 minutes. Discard any unopened clams. Stir in the parsley and the basil.

Serve with sourdough bread or focaccia.

♥  Amy

Kofta Kebabs

The smell of these kebabs is simply amazing. These can either be made as meatballs or as kebabs formed on bamboo skewers. They are fantastic served with a simple tzatziki or yogurt sauce in a pita or with a salad.

Serves four

1 pound ground lamb or beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs or almond flour

3 tablespoons onion, minced

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, mix until well combined. Form the mixture into approximately 24 evenly sized balls. Form around the bamboo skewers if using. Flatten the balls into a 2 inch long oval.

Grill Method

Preheat the grill to medium heat and grease lightly. Cook the kebabs on the grill, turning periodically, until cooked through, approximately 10 minutes.  

Oven Method

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Brown the kebabs on each side in a skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the kebabs to a foil-lined roast pan and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through.

 

♥  Amy