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.

I like to use 26/20 count shrimp in this recipe because it’s perfectly bite size but any size you prefer will work.  

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Heat your oven to 400 degrees

You’ll need:

1 dozen raw shrimp, peeled, rinsed and de-veined

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 Tablespoon coconut flour

1 egg

1 Tablespoon almond milk

salt

pepper

1.  Spread the coconut on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for about 3 minutes or until it starts to lightly turn brown.

2.  Beat the egg and almond milk together with a whisk.

3.  Mix the toasted coconut, coconut flour, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.

4.  Dip the shrimp in the egg, coating it well

5.  After the shrimp is coated in egg, dip it in the coconut, turning it over and patting the coconut on it to coat it well.

6.  Line the shrimp on a sheet pan and bake for about 6 minutes until fully cooked.

Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken

Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper.

2.  With a paring knife, cut a pocket in through the side of the chicken breast.  So if you’re right handed, put your left hand on top of the chicken breast and hold the knife in your right hand.  Holding the knife parallel to the chicken, cut a pocket along the side of the chicken.  Cut as far over to the other side of the chicken as you can without cutting a hole in the other side.  You’re trying to make a safe little pocket for the filling to fit in without falling out of the chicken as it cooks.)

3.  Stuff the sliced pepperoni into each pocket

We had a friend over for dinner which is great on Saturdays when I have all day to cook but during the work week it always requires a crock pot recipe.  I saw some great country style pork ribs at the store which are HUGE and don’t have a lot of bone on them.  (10 ribs = 5 pounds)  I left these guys in the crock pot for 12 hours and the result was ribs so tender they were almost impossible to get out of the crock pot in one piece.  

For the celeriac (or celery root) slaw that cooks underneath the ribs, look for celeriac at Whole Foods or any other high end market in the produce aisle.  It has a much more complex celery flavor.  Just peel it like a potato and the rest is what you’ll cook.  If you can’t find celeriac, just chop up celery.

Country Jerk Pork Ribs

1 bulb of celeriac, peeled (or about 2 cups of minced celery)

1 white onion

For every 2 1/2 pounds of pork ribs:

3 Tablespoons dry mustard (you can find this on the spice aisle)

1 1/2 Tablespoons jerk spices (again, found on the spice aisle)

2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1/2 cup chicken or beef stock

3 Tablespoons coconut oil

1. Use a grater attachment on a food processor, or using a cheese grater, grate the celery root.  You should end up with about a cup and a half.  

2.  Grate or chop the onion into small pieces and mix with the celery root.

3.  Put this mixture in the crock pot.

4.  On a dinner plate, mix the spices.

5.  Pat the pork ribs dry with a paper towel and coat them each in the spices.

6.  Get a saute pan hot over med/high heat.  Once it’s hot, add the coconut oil and let it get hot.  

7.  Sear each side of the pork ribs in the coconut oil for about a minute on each side.  Do this in several batches, making sure not to crowd the pan too much.

8.  Put the pork ribs in the crock pot.  I like to layer mine criss-cross so that they all fit. There’s no rule here.  Add the stock and put the lid on.

9.  Cook on low for at least 8 hours or on high for 4-6.

For the sides, I made my bacon fat roasted brussel sprouts and baked sweet potatoes with grass fed butter, toasted walnuts, golden raisins and fresh chives at toppings for the sweet potatoes.  It’s a mini build-your-own-sweet potato bar so everyone can make what they want.  The original recipe for the brussel sprouts was posted last winter, but here it is again:

1. Rinse brussel sprouts and cut the bottoms off.

2. If the brussel sprouts are large (larger than a quarter) cut them in half.

3. In a bowl, toss the brussel sprouts with about 3-4 tablespoons of bacon fat.

4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until tender. 

I created a paleo pesto recipe (the real deal has dairy in it) as one of my first Gourmaleo recipes which can be found in the archives, or I’ve re-printed it here.  I love this creation because I’m a huge fan of food you can hold in your hand while eating.  Get the squash and the chicken in the oven first and make the pesto while they’re cooking.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Squash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

You’ll need:

2 chicken breasts

2 acorn squash

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 roma tomatoes (optional)

1 pesto recipe

1.  Cut the top inch off each squash and cut off the bottom half inch- just enough to flatten it out so that it stands up on its own.

2.  Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, scrape out the seeds and threads from inside and discard.

3.  Pour the olive oil inside and on top of the squash and use your fingers to coat it evenly.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper inside each squash.

4.  Line a sheet pan with foil, put the squash on the foil and cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until soft.

5.  Wrap the chicken breasts in foil and cook in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.  (How big the chicken breasts are will determine this!)

6.  Start the pesto:

In a food processor or a blender, blend the following:

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach

2 large artichoke hearts (canned)

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Blend everything together and scrape it down to get everything off the sides.  Then drizzle in:

1/2 cup olive oil

Keep blending until smooth.  

7.  When the chicken is cooked, let it cool slightly and then chop into small, bite sized pieces.  If you like tomato, chop the tomato and mix in a bowl with the chicken.

8.   Add about half a cup of the pesto to the chicken and stir to coat well.

9.  Once the squash is done, take it out of the oven and fill with the pesto chicken/tomato mixture.

Sound pretty fancy?  Completely easy recipe, I promise.  I tried to blog this one last week but it was devoured before I could get photos.  These crispy leeks are my new favorite food ever.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Garlic Apple Roasted Chicken with Crispy Cinnamon Leeks

You’ll need:

1 whole roaster chicken

1 apple, peel on, sliced into long slices or 1” cubes

1 bunch of leeks

1 heaping Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons Kerry Gold grass fed butter (optional)

1.  Rinse the chicken off and pat it dry with a paper towel.  Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.  Rinse off the leeks, pulling off the outer 2 layers to remove any dirt.  Slice the ends off of the white part, about 1/2” and throw away.  Slice disks about 1/4” thick up until you hit the green part of the leek.  Throw away the top green parts.

3.  In a large bowl, mix the apple pieces, leeks, cinnamon and garlic and toss well to coat everything in cinnamon.

4.  Take half of the mixture and put it in a large roasting pan or casserole dish.

5.  Take the other half of the mixture and stuff it inside the chicken.  The garlic should have fallen to the bottom of the bowl.  Stuff half of the garlic in the chicken.

6.  Using your finger, separate the chicken breast from the skin creating a little pocket.  Put the rest of the garlic inside the pocket, 1 on each breast.  Optional- put a Tablespoon of grass fed butter in the pocket, on top of the garlic.

7.  Set the chicken, breast side up, on top of the leeks and apples. 

8.  Roast in the oven for about an hour if your chicken is 2 1/2 pounds or less, and about an hour and 15 minutes if it’s 3 pounds or more. 

9.  Serve the chicken with the leeks and apples on the side.  The apples will soften in the oven and the leeks will become dark and crispy.

First off, beef stew doesn’t photograph well but it tastes really damn good.  Most Thai beef stew recipes have curry in them, but I kept the curry out of this one to bring out more of the lemon grass.  Lemon grass is super easy to cook with and you can find it in your grocery store where they keep fresh herbs refrigerated in the produce department.  To cook with it, just bend the stalk to bruise it or break open a little seam.  I used the crock pot on this one but you can cook it in a large sauce pot or in a dutch oven.

Simple Thai Beef Stew

3 pounds of beef stew meat

3 carrots, sliced in to 1” discs

4 celery stalks, sliced into 1” pieces

1 onion, sliced into 1” pieces

1 sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 1” pieces

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

6 pieces of lemon grass, cut into 1” pieces, bruised or split open with a knife

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup beef stock

1 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk

1. Combine the vegetables and lemon grass in a large bowl.

2. Season the stew meat with all of the seasonings

3. Put half of the vegetables in a crock pot.  Layer the stew meat on top of the vegetables.  Add the rest of the vegetables on top of the meat.

4.  Pour in the coconut milk and beef stock.

5.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.

I’m down to the last chuck roast from my cow in the freezer (sad face), so I decided to experiment this morning before work.  A little jalapeno, some bell peppers, a couple of seasonings and I got this!  (And in hindsight, I realized I probably should have put in my contacts before cutting the jalapeno, not after.)

Vera Cruz Pot Roast

You’ll need:

1 roast, 2 pounds or larger (I used chuck roast but a shoulder or rump roast would be fine!)

2 bell peppers, sliced

1/2 a white or yellow onion, sliced

2 carrots, sliced into large discs

1 jalapeno, sliced in half and the seeds removed

1 Tablespoon oregano

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 Tablespoons cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup of salsa

1/2 cup of stock or water

2 Tablespoons coconut or olive oil

Juice of 1 fresh lime

Cilantro for garnish

1. Put the sliced onion, bell pepper, carrots and jalapeno in a crock pot.

2. Dry off the roast with paper towels.

3. Mix the oregano, salt, cumin and chili powder on a dinner plate.

4. Put the roast on top of the seasonings and coat it well, pressing down on the roast to make sure everything sticks.  Do this to both sides.

5. Get a large saute pan hot over medium high heat.  When it is hot, add the coconut oil or olive oil and let it get hot.  Then, using tongs, put the roast in the pan. 

6.  Sear the roast on both sides for about 2 minutes.

7.  Put the roast on top of the vegetables in the crock pot and add the fresh lime juice, salsa and stock.  Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours.

It’s HOT outside.  I came home from work yesterday and it was a miserable 106 degrees. I wasn’t about to make anything hot for dinner, so I decided to play around with a mayo-less chicken salad and ended up creating my new favorite dish for summer.  This one has lots of ingredients but totally worth it.  I recommend doubling the batch and keeping it in the fridge to eat for a few days.

Far East Chicken Salad

You’ll need:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can (13.5 ounces) of coconut milk

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon Five Spice powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 carrot

1 zucchini

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1.  In a medium sauce pan, bring the chicken stock, coconut milk, five spice powder and garlic powder to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts and boil for about 15 minutes.

2. While the chicken is boiling, shred the zucchini and carrot in a food processor with the grater attachment, or grate it on the large holes of a cheese grater.

3. When the chicken is cooked through, take it out of the pan and put it in the refrigerator to cool. 

4.  Keep the liquid in the pan boiling and add the raisins and salt.  Let the liquid reduce down to about a cup, until it it thick and syrupy. When it is reduced, take it out of the pan and let it cool in the refrigerator.

5.  When the chicken is cool, pull it apart with your fingers into shredded, bite-size pieces, or cut it with a knife into small pieces.

6.  In a large bowl, mix the shredded carrots, zucchini, chicken, almonds, and cooled syrup/raisins.  Mix well and serve cold.

This pork tenderloin tastes like a mixture of pizza, garlic bread, herb focaccia, and anything else Italian and full of non-paleo goodness that I occasionally crave.  (A moment of silence for pizza, my friends.)

Pork Tenderloin Robusto

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

You’ll need:

1 pork tenderloin

1 sprig fresh rosemary

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 Tablespoons coconut oil, divided

1/2 an onion, diced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1- 12 ounce can of tomato sauce

1.  Rinse the rosemary and thyme and dry them well.  Pull the herbs off the stems and chop finely. Mix with the salt and pepper and set aside.

2.  Dry off the pork tenderloin with a paper towel.  Roll it in the herbs/salt mixture, coating all sides.

3.  Get a large sauce pan hot over medium/high heat.  Add about 1 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil and let it get hot.  Put the tenderloin in the pan and sear each side for about a minute, using tongs to flip it over.

4.  Take the tenderloin out of the pan and put it in on oven safe pan or glass/pyrex casserole dish.  Leave the heat on under the sauce pan.

5.  Add the other 1 1/2 Tablespoons of coconut oil to the pan and let it get hot. 

6.  Add the onions to the pan and saute for about 3 minutes or until they start to soften.  Add the garlic to the pan and saute with the onions for 2 more minutes.

7.  Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir it around until it evaporates.  This should only take about 10-20 seconds.

8.  Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir well.  When the sauce starts bubbling, pour it over the tenderloin.

9.  Put the dish in the oven and cook for about 25 minutes.

10.  Let the tenderloin sit for about 10 minutes before you slice it.  Pour some of the sauce over the top and serve.