Moroccan Meatballs

From the one and only Paleo cookbook I have in my kitchen, comes this gem.  There are so many good recipes from this cookbook, but in keeping with the whole purpose of this blog -- to have my favorite recipes at close hand no matter where I am in the world -- this is one of two recipes that I will be posting from this book.  There is more in the book than what I list here related to the recipe.  Consider purchasing Well Fed from the genius of Melissa Joulwan, you will be glad you did!

Moroccan Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if using sea salt)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 pounds ground meat (lamb, preferably)

Sauce Ingredients

1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (about 2 tsp)
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if using sea salt)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 Tbsp)

Directions

Combine the parsley, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl with a fork.  Add in the meat and mix until well-combined.

Roll a tablespoon of meat mixture into a ball and set on a piece of parchment or other temporary holding surface.

Heat a large, deep skillet or pot (I use our Dutch oven) over medium-high heat and add the oil.  Once the oil has warmed add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the chopped tomatoes and stir about 1 minute.  Add the water, tomato paste, and parsley, mixing to dissolve the tomato paste.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then gently place the meatballs in the sauce, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook 40 minutes covered, then remove the lid and cook an additional 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Notes

See the book for more hints, tips, and suggested pairings.

See you next meal!!

Salmon Cakes/Patties

Need a new way to eat your fish??  Try this recipe from a friend!

Salmon Cakes/Patties

Ingredients

2 cans salmon
1 medium/small onion, diced
2-4 green onions, diced
1 rounded Tbsp of fresh, grated ginger
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste
Coconut flour
Coconut oil

Directions

Heat about 2 Tbsp in a skillet or heavy frying pan on medium-high.

Mix the salmon, onion, green onion, ginger, egg, and salt & pepper in a blender/food processor until the mixture resembles the same consistency as ground meat.

Add in the coconut flour about 1 Tbsp at a time to adjust consistency as necessary.

Fry in coconut oil on medium-high until golden brown, flipping once.  Add more coconut oil to the pan in between batches as needed.

"Good for throwing in a zip-lock as a high-protein snack on-the-go!"

Notes

None this time (I'm still perfecting my technique with these)!

Eat and Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Chips

This is another one of my original recipes.  We don't have a deep frier, so this is the stove-top version.  Also, I have not yet found a way to keep these crisp in storage, so you are better off eating them right away (after they cool a little, of course). ;)

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, cut into thin slices
2 Tbsp plus about 1/3 cup coconut oil
seasoning (i.e. salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc.)

Directions

Prepare a cookie rack with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan/skillet over medium-high heat.  Add about 1/3 cup coconut oil (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 inches of oil).

In a bowl combine the sweet potatoes with 2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil and desired seasoning.  Toss the mixture to coat well.

Add the potato mixture to the hot oil in small batches.  Turn every 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow even cooking.  Remove from the pan after a total of about 4 minutes or just before the edges start to brown and place on the paper towels to cool.  Cook the remaining batches.

Eat heartily with a generous helping of Paleo Ketchup!

Notes

If you are not adding any seasoning to your chips, you can skip the entire mixture step including the melted 2 Tbsp of coconut oil.  Just toss those chips directly into the oil!  (carefully, of course).  You can also season these after cooking as desired.  I like mine with a little sprinkling of sea salt.

Also, suggestions, improvements, and variations are ALWAYS welcome!  Feel free to post them in the comments!!

Sweet Potato French Fries

This is actually one of my original recipes.  We don't have a deep frier, so this is the stove-top/oven version.

Sweet Potato French Fries

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, cut into shoestrings
2 Tbsp plus about 1/3 cup coconut oil
seasoning (i.e. salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan/skillet over medium-high heat.  Add about 1/3 cup coconut oil (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 inches of oil).

In a bowl combine the sweet potatoes with 2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil and desired seasoning.  Toss the mixture to coat well.

Add the potato mixture to the hot oil in small batches.  Turn every 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow even cooking.  Remove from the pan after a total of about 4 minutes or when the edges start to brown and place on the baking sheet.

Keep the baking sheet in the oven while cooking the remaining batches and remove cooked fries after about 10-15 minutes in the oven.  I found this step helps keep the warm and crispy.

Eat heartily with a generous helping of Paleo Ketchup!

Notes

If you are not adding any seasoning to your fries, you can skip the entire mixture step including the melted 2 Tbsp of coconut oil.  Just toss those fries directly into the oil!  (carefully, of course).

Enjoy!

Chicken Nuggets

An absolute must try from a recipe posted by Multiply Delicious.  No modifications were necessary with this recipe; total perfection!  I have had success with doubling the amounts for leftovers.

Photo courtesy of Multiply Delicious

Paleo Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken

1 egg yolk

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 cup and 1/3 cup almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut oil

Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl combine 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, and S&P to taste.  Mix to combine.  This is your "breading".

In a separate bowl, combine the ground chicken, 1/3 cup almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, pepper, and egg yolk.  Mix well until everything is incorporated.  Gather about 2 Tbsp of the chicken mixture into a ball and then coat generously with the "breading" mixture.

Melt the coconut oil in a sauté pan or skillet.  When the oil is ready, place small batches in the hot oil and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until a dark golden brown.  Transfer the nuggets to a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 4-5 minutes to allow the chicken to cook through.  Repeat with remaining nuggets.

Allow nuggets to cool slightly before serving.  Serve with paleo BBQ sauce or paleo ketchup (recipes to be posted later).

Notes

I just edited this post because I noticed a couple of typos!!  Sorry about that folks!

Peppermint Klondike Cups

Photo courtesy of PaleOMG

This treasure of a paleo treat was born from a recipe posted by my latest paleo idol, PaleOMG.  Modified slightly, these were very quick and easy and were a BIG hit at our CrossFit RTP holiday party.

Peppermint Klondike Cups

Ingredients

1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup coconut butter (melted)

1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp peppermint extract

pinch of salt

1 bag (10 oz) dark chocolate chips

Directions

Place all ingredients except for the chocolate chips in food processor and blend until the texture is only slightly chunky.

Place about 2 Tbs of the mixture in silicone muffin liners and press down until flat (I found my fingers worked best for flattening).  Place mixture-filled liners in the freezer to cool while you melt your chocolate (either by microwave, double-boiler, or, like what I did when in a pinch, a warm oven).

Pour about 1 Tbs of the melted chocolate over the coconut mixture in each cup.  Put filled cups back in the freezer for about 20 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.

They are now ready to enjoy!!

Notes

When the cups first come out of the freezer the chocolate will be very hard so you may want to have them sit a room temperature for a couple minutes before biting into them.  Leftovers keep very well in the fridge afterwards.

It is my suspicion that reversing the coconut and chocolate layers (swirling the chocolate to get some up the sides) might be a good idea.  Although, when eating, the chocolate does tend to melt onto your fingers; and mouth; and any other body part that comes in contact...

ENJOY!!  I know I did...  ;)

Paleo Herb Crackers

Just tried this recipe over the weekend from Multiply Delicious to go with some guacamole and they came out much better than expected!  Therefore, this recipe is largely unaltered from the original and I will definitely be trying more of their recipes in the future...

Paleo Herb Crackers

Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp favorite herbs of choice (I used pizza seasoning and dried rosemary)
2 Tbsp water
1 egg white
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp coconut oil, melted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Combine almond flour, salt, and herbs in a medium mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the water, egg white, oilve oil, and coconut oil.  Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until stiff dough forms and all dry ingredients are wet.

Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to an even thickness of about 1/8 of an inch.  Transfer parchment to a baking sheet pan and remove the top piece of parchment.  Using a pizza cutter trim off uneven edges of dough, then cut the sheet of dough into cracker size pieces/squares.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn off oven and let crackers sit inside oven for an additional 10 minutes, until golden.

Enjoy with some guacamole or any other favorite paleo dip!