Grilling citrus shrimp and buffalo burgers at 9:30am. Weird, but its the nicest time of day weather wise so I like to grill early in the day. Having a cup of Ruta Maya organic coffee with work.

I can’t take credit for this recipe.  Naked Paleo tweeted me and suggested I try this recipe for tamales made with a plantain paste instead of traditional masa. Thinking that it would be super time consuming, I put it off for 2 months until my husband insisted we give it a try.  Surprisingly, this recipe isn’t that time consuming at all!   We used leftover smoked brisket as the filling and bacon fat as the binder for the dough.  

We found that spreading the dough on the top 2/3 of the banana leaf left plenty of room to fold the bottom of the banana leaf under and set it upright for steaming:

After we rolled all of the tamales, we steamed them for about an hour.  We used banana leaves but you can use parchment paper.  Whatever you do, don’t crowd the steamer.  It’s worth it to steam 2 smaller batches and not crowd them.

After they steamed for an hour, we dug into our dinner and the result was SO convincing!  These are really filling too- I went to eat 3 and could barely finish 2.  I’m so excited for the leftovers!  Check out the recipe here.

Saturday mornings at The Dallas Farmers Market are always so fun! This is about half of my weekly order from Juha Ranch. (The other half is in the freezer for Wednesday’s deliveries.) The most rewarding part about this is not just eating local grass fed and pastured meats from compassionately raised animals but putting a name and a face to the hard working people who run the ranch.  

I have been getting a lot of requests for more information on Gourmaleo deliveries and that’s GREAT!  Right now I am still accepting clients for custom gourmet paleo meal deliveries and we are looking to expand very soon.  Email info@gourmaleo.com for a sample menu, pricing information and to find out about my sources and ingredients.  Also check out my facebook page for updated information. Bon Appetit!

The ladies at Juha Ranch treated me to a goose egg this morning when I went shopping at the Farmer’s Market.  Guess who’s going to make a giant deviled egg tomorrow??

Cooking my own cured herbed pepper bacon after 10 days of curing in salt and spices. Local pastured pork belly plus 10 days of love… Sugar free heaven!!

Brisket Tacos?  Spaghetti Squash with Buffalo Bolognese?  Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato?  BLT Stuffed Chicken with Bacon Roasted Brussel Sprouts? What’s your favorite flavor?  

Dallas friends, Gourmaleo is now delivering fresh paleo meals directly to your door.  A customized menu by your very own personal chef is approved by you each week, making eating paleo delicious AND convenient.  

For pricing information and a sample menu, email info@gourmaleo.com.

I had a craving for my standard 7th grade lunch, circa 1993 today: a basket of chicken tenders with a side of mashed potatoes.  Surprisingly these nut crusted tenders and a side of cauliflower mash with extra Kerry Gold butter in it did the trick.  I posted this recipe a while back using skinless chicken breasts, but the pecans stick really well to smaller pieces of chicken.  Kids are going to love this.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

You’ll need:

1 pound chicken tenders

1 cup raw pecans or pecan pieces

3 Tablespoons coconut flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon almond milk

1. In a food processor, pulse the pecans, coconut flour and seasonings until everything is blended and has the consistency of cornmeal.

2 . In a separate bowl, beat the egg and almond milk.

3.  Put the pecan mixture in a large bowl.

4.  Using one hand to handle the dry ingredients one hand to handle the wet ingredients, first dip each chicken tender in the egg mixture, coating it well.

5.  Using your dry hand, coat the chicken tenders in the nut mixture, pressing down on the chicken tender to make the coating stick on both sides.

6.  Line the coated chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.

7.  Bake for 12 minutes, flipping the chicken tenders over halfway through 

Local Juha Ranch pastured eggs and ground beef, nopales and salsa- I ate this scramble for dinner yesterday and again for lunch today.  It’s almost too delicious to be paleo.  

Nopales are my new favorite snack!  At my local grocery store, there’s a woman who stands in the produce department trimming nopales, or the pads of a prickly pear cactus or nopal and selling them in little bags.  Traditionally cooked with other vegetables in Mexican cuisine, nopales are also delicious raw as a snack.  (The flavor is reminiscent of a sweet green bean.)  They’re high in Vitamins A and C, calcium, magnesium, fiber and completely paleo.