Saag ("Creamed" Indian Spinach)

For this leafy green delight, I have started with Rick Stein's recipe and modified it by doubling the amounts and swapping some of the ingredients.  It goes great with the Paleo Flatbread from my last post and it cooks down really small in no time.  With this recipe you can feed about 5 adults as the main meal.  You can also add chicken, lamb, or homemade cheese to this dish for some protein.

Saag

Ingredients

5 oz Ghee or grass-fed butter
1 and 1/2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 oz fresh ginger, grated
10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp Garam masala spice mixture
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
2 and 1/4 lbs (or about 3 large bunches) of fresh spinach, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk**
1/2 cup coconut cream**
Handful of cilantro (coriander leaves), chopped

Directions

Heat the ghee or butter in a large heavy-bottom fry pan or wok over medium heat.  Add the onions, ginger, and garlic to the hot butter and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Stir in the spices (turmeric, garam masala, and chili powder) and protein (if adding any) and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the spices have evenly coated the mixture.

Add the salt, spinach, coconut milk and coconut cream.  Allow the spinach to wilt (use a lid if possible) and then cook the mixture another 3-4 minutes or until it has reduced to a thick and creamy sauce.  At this point I usually give it a few whirls with the immersion blender to get it to the right consistency and not so chunky or leafy.

Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve!!

Notes

**Originally, the coconut milk and coconut cream are replaced with yogurt and double (heavy) cream, but the substitutions I made help get the consistency and flavoring right.  You can experiment with your own raw milk products if you are so inclined.  Also, the spinach can be substituted with kale, chard, or any other leafy green; just remember to cook the hardier greens for a bit longer so that they are not too tough.  Refer to my post on Kale Chips for a quick and easy way to de-stem leafy greens.

Enjoy!!

Paleo Flatbread/Naan

When trying to stay strict Paleo, there are some food items that you really start missing.  But paleo flatbreads have really become my weakness lately, they are SO GOOD!!  I started with this awesome 3-Ingredient Paleo Naan recipe from My Heart Beets (so quick and easy!).  However, I found it to have too much of a sweet coconut flavor and looked to modify it a bit.  This recipe has evolved to yield a wonderful flatbread with a depth of flavor and a great chew.  Depending on the size of each flatbread, this recipe makes 8-12 breads.

Paleo Flatbread/Naan

Photo by MyHeartBeets.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup Arrowroot flour/starch
1/2 cup Tapioca flour/starch
1/2 cup Almond meal/flour
1/4 cup Coconut flour
1 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup Full fat coconut milk
1 large egg
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp EVOO
Ghee for cooking (optional)

Directions

Heat a skillet or large frying pan over medium heat until hot.  (If you are using a non-stick pan, no additional fat is needed.  If you are not using a non-stick pan, you may want to add a very small amount of ghee to the pan in between breads.)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together with a whisk in a mixing bowl.

Add all of the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient mix and whisk together until smooth.  Let the mixture sit together and meld for about 15 minutes (this allows the flours to absorb some of the fats in the recipe).

For a 6-8 inch bread, pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into the hot pan and spread to a desired thickness carefully.

Allow the batter to cook until the edges begin to get golden brown and the batter appears dry on the top (about 1 minute).

Using a spatula, carefully flip the flatbread and cook on the other side until brown spots begin to appear on the bottom (about 1 - 2 minutes).

Once done, place the cooked bread in the folds of a flour-sack towel (or similar) until ready to serve.  These can also be keep in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Notes

You can really do anything you want with these; soft taco shells, Indian naan, sandwich wrap, dessert crepe, the possibilities are endless!  I like them so much, I always having at least one plain while I cook them up.  ;-)

Enjoy!!

Paleo Fudgesicles

It's almost time for the heat of summer and bikini season (joy).  Keep on course with your Paleo efforts with this AWESOME, refreshing treat.  Warning: these are additive!!  My favorite version of these came from the genius of the The Creekside Cook.

Photo from The Creekside Cook

Paleo Fudgesicles

Ingredients

1 13 oz can of coconut milk (full fat, of course!)
1/3 cup pure cocoa powder
4 Tbsp maple syrup (or 2 Tbsp honey)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous (about 1 min).

Allow the mixture to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the cocoa to absorb the coconut milk.  This will make the result much more creamy, but this step can be skipped if you are in a rush.

Give the mixture one more quick blend before pouring into the mold of your preference.

Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours before enjoying.

Notes

Our blender is disappointing and so I use our immersion blender for this recipe and it works just fine.

This recipe is seriously delicious and tastes very nearly like the real thing!  Enjoy!!