Tag: paleo recipe

Appetizer, Dairy-free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Salad, Side Dish

Spring Peas and Asparagus Salad

This week I’m reading Vicki Robin’s Blessing the Hands That Feed Us: Lessons from a 10-Mile Diet. Vicki challenged herself to one month of hyper-local eating. I pondered whether I’d be able to sustain this for two days much less one month. Seeing that spring has finally sprung and the bounty of produce is on it’s way, a ten mile diet may actually be feasible in Brooklyn.

With the abundance of rooftop farms and community gardens, it’s becoming easier to live off the city land. The only thing missing is a good protein source. A few years ago a debate over goat keeping arose in the city and it still has yet to be approved.  Thankfully Vicki did not have these urban barriers. She was living on Widbey Island in Puget Sound, Washington with access to green pasture and room for grazing animals.

As I dig deeper in this local food experiment I’m wanting to shift my behaviors and be more mindful of my food sources. I become disconnected to seasonal eating in the winter, choosing foods solely on recipe ideas that popped into my head. This is completely unaligned with my sustainability values. I recognize it’s unrealistic to adhere to a strict local food diet, but I can make better choices. So that’s the inspiration for this Spring Pea and Asparagus Salad recipe.

Right now is the height of asparagus and green pea harvesting. I printed out a cheat sheet to keep in my kitchen as a reminder to eat seasonally. By adopting a more locally sourced diet I’m able to honor my environment, protect resources and support small, local farmers producing top-quality food.

5 Reasons to Buy Local and Organic

Check out this interactive Seasonal Food Guide created by Sustainable Table. You can sort growing and harvest seasons by state and there are even recipe ideas for each food.

Spring Pea and Asparagus Salad

Spring Pea and Asparagus Salad

Spring Pea and Asparagus Salad
Serves 4
A seasonal salad of green peas, asparagus, onion and pancetta.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups green peas
  2. 30 stalks asparagus or 2 bunches
  3. 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
  4. 1 medium onion - sliced
  5. ½ tsp salt
  6. 1 cup pancetta - chopped
Instructions
  1. Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Pour in the raw peas and steam for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, strain through a colander and set aside.
  2. Break the tough ends off the asparagus and compost them. Then using the same large pot, fill again with 1 inch water, bring to a simmer and steam the asparagus for 3 minutes. Use tongs to remove the asparagus to a plate. Set aside.
  3. Sprinkle the sliced onion with salt and sauté in olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Make sure the onions cook until translucent, not browned.
  4. In a large bowl, toss together the peas, onion and pancetta. Top the asparagus with this mixture. You can drizzle more olive oil if you like too.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/
Spring Pea and Asparagus Salad

20 Minute Meals, Appetizer, Dairy-free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Side Dish

Spicy Cajun Salmon Dip

A little late for Mardi Gras but I’m always in the mood for cajun spices. My foodie palate was set by my parents, who where heavily influenced by the flavors of New Orleans. We would take weekend trips to the festive city, solely for the purpose of eating. The weekend was spent feasting on the city’s finest. Oysters, jambalaya, blackened fish and world famous gumbo. Those cajun flavors will never leave me.

This recipe is made with canned salmon to keep things simple. It’s one of those items I always have stocked in my pantry to ensure I eat enough omega 3s. The nutrition power that is omega 3 fatty acids continues to amaze me. Some psychiatrists are even beginning to prescribe omega 3 fats as a substitute or enhancer for antidepressant medications, 1 gram per day of EPA or EPA+DHA. Our brains are 80 percent fat, the highest of any organ, and a high proportion of these fats are the long chain omega 3 (EPA and DHA). So omega 3s are critical for normal functioning of adult brains.

Wild caught canned salmon has a high percentage of omega 3s than the farmed variety. Use this guide to help you find one. Two brands I trust are Wild Planet and Vital Choice. Many offer it with the bones still in as well. This is the one you want to buy. All those bones provide extra calcium and if you have difficulty getting enough of this important mineral, canned fish is a good way to get it. Four ounces of canned fish with bones provides a third of the 1000 milligrams you need in a day.

For the mayo in the recipe, I recommend making your own. Watch my 1 Minute Mayo video and see the magic of emulsifying!

Spicy Cajun Salmon Dip

Spicy Cajun Salmon Dip

Spicy Cajun Salmon Dip

Spicy Cajun Salmon Dip
Serves 6
Spicy salmon dip with cajun flavors.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 15 oz can wild caught salmon - with bones
  2. 2 tbsp mayo - homemade preferred
  3. 1 tbsp canned coconut cream
  4. 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  5. 1 tsp dijon mustard
  6. 3 tsp hot sauce
  7. 3 tbsp finely chopped celery
  8. 3 tbsp finely chopped onion
  9. ¼ tsp salt
  10. ¼ tsp pepper
  11. 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  12. ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir well. Remember to keep the bones in the mix for extra calcium! They dissolve with enough vigorous stirring so you’ll never taste them.
  2. Serve with raw celery, red pepper and carrot sticks.
  3. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/

Resources:

The Jungle Effect: Healthiest Diets from Around the World–Why They Work and How to Make them Work for You by Daphne Miller M.D. 2009.

Spicy Cajun Salmon Dip

 

Spicy Cajun Salmon Dip

Appetizer, Breakfast, Dairy-free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, No sugar, Nut-Free, Paleo, Side Dish

Down to Basics Pâté Recipe

When you want all the nutrients, you go for the holy grail, offal, or organ meats. I try to include them in my diet about once per week and my favorite way to prepare it is as pâté. Pair it with any raw vegetables and some apple slices and it’s a most satisfying meal. I make mine with lots of bacon and caramelized onions, which are always a winning combination.

I’ve pointed out the numerous health benefits that come with eating non-musculature parts of the animal in this post. 

As I know so many are hesitate to jump on board the offal train, this recipe is for you. It’s more of a creamy, bacon onion dip. What’s threatening about that? Once you get past the name, it becomes incredibly delicious!

This recipe gets back the the basics of pâté, an easy one to keep on hand so that you eat your weekly dose of organ meats.

Down to Basics Pâté Recipe

Down to Basics Pate

Down to Basics Pâté Recipe
Yields 16
Basic pâté recipe with bacon and caramelized onions.
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 ½ lbs beef kidney or liver
  2. 4 pieces bacon - chopped
  3. 1 tbsp lard from bacon
  4. 2 cups onion - chopped
  5. 1 + ½ tsp salt
  6. 1 tsp black pepper
  7. 2 tbsp dry red wine
  8. 1 tsp ground marjoram
  9. 1 more tbsp lard
Instructions
  1. Cook bacon over medium high heat until crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove bacon from pan and pour off grease into separate bowl.
  2. Use 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease to sauté the onions over medium heat for three minutes. Add 1 tsp salt, pepper, red wine and marjoram and cook for five minutes. Pour into a food processor and set aside.
  3. Sauté the kidney or liver in two batches over high heat. They’re cook fast so you have to work quickly. Sear on each side for 1 minute. Add 1 tsp lard to the pan for each batch and sprinkle ¼ tsp salt as they cook.
  4. When all the cook is cooked, add it to the food processor with the onion bacon mixture. Also add in the final tbsp of lard. Puree until nice and smooth, about 3-5 minutes. Scrap down the sides of the processor to make sure all is incorporated.
  5. Store in mason jars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze any leftovers.
Sparkle Kitchen https://sparklekitchen.com/

 Down to Basics Pâté Recipe