I Am Feeling So Much Better Today

Yesterday was awful, but today’s not so bad.  I think it’s all a matter of withdrawal and normalization, this “coming off of antidepressants” thing.  Sure, I drop down again tomorrow, but at least today, I’m not feeling so bad.  I’ll take a good day where I can get it.

Today, I’m trying to get a bag packed for the hospital next week and get the house neatened up so that it’s good to go.

Oh! And here’s some news! Our foster kittens got adopted!  We drop them off to their new owners tomorrow afternoon.

Other than that, not much is going on. I’m really enjoying going through Food Network’s website and trying to get at least 1 paleo recipe for each of their chefs.

It’s pretty awesome to me that each of their celebrity chefs has at least 1 (if not more) paleo recipe in their top 100 most popular recipes featured on the website.  So without further ado, here’s today’s recipe.

Sunny Anderson‘s Grilled Fennel with Grilled Jalapeno Sauce

Ingredients
Fennel:

• 2 bulbs fennel, stalks removed and fronds reserved
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

• 1 whole jalapeno
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation

Guy Fieri (Photo credit: Automotive Rhythms)

Got a lot of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving?

Me too.  In fact, Adam and I bought an extra turkey since they were on sale, so we have a whole extra turkey’s worth of meat to use up.

Here’s a great way to use 2 pounds of it!

This recipe got 5 stars on the Food Network website, and is one of those recipes that you really look forward to on a cold fall morning when it’s so cold outside that you’re just sure that it’s going to snow.

Potatoes?!  Potatoes aren’t Paleo!!!

Some people say that potatoes aren’t paleo – and for them I say, “Great! Make em sweet potatoes, it’ll still taste good! Or, in the alternative, don’t make this recipe.

Adam and I eat potatoes. They grow out of the ground. Grok wouldn’t say no to them.

Guy Fieri’s Turkey Hash

Ingredients

• 4 ounces olive oil
• 2 red onions, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, julienne
• 1 green bell pepper, julienne
• 2 jalapenos, diced, and seeded
• 2 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds red potatoes, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 lime

Preparation

English: Image of Paula Deen taken as part of a public relations campaign for the nonprofit group Civitan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy Cyber Monday, readers!

I’m sure everyone’s busy getting all of their holiday shopping taken care of today, so I wanted to feature a recipe that was absolutely mouth-watering and easy to fix up for supper tonight.

Today, I’m bringing you one of Paula Deen‘s top recipes that got 5 stars on Food Network’s website. It honestly amazes me that with all of the totally healthy recipes that I don’t even have to change at all that the Food Network doesn’t have their own section of paleo recipes. Maybe I should suggest it to them!

Paula Deen’s Baked Tilapia with Tomato and Basil

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 (8-ounce) tilapia fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spray a shallow 1-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
3. Sprinkle the fish evenly with salt and pepper.
4. Arrange the tilapia in a baking dish and sprinkle evenly with basil, oregano, onion powder and garlic.
5. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
6. Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the fish, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
7. Bake until fish flakes easily with fork, about 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Squeeze the lemon juice over fish and serve immediately.
9. Enjoy! 🙂

Happy Shopping Saturday, y’all!

Things here at home are great. We’ve just had a delicious breakfast of sweet potato hashed browns, center-cut, thick-cut bacon, and eggs, and are about to start our day. We’ve got to hit Costco for some staples, and then we’re going to go to the YMCA to work out.

I found the cutest presents to buy my niece on Amazon.com, and I’m getting really excited for the holidays.  This weekend we’re setting up the Decemberween bush of lights, and I’m going to start working on our paleo gingerbread recipe.

Today, I’m bringing you a recipe that we’ll probably be making for dinner in a couple of nights. Thanks for another great paleo-friendly recipe, Food Network!

Bobby Flay‘s Grilled Chicken Paillard with Lemon and Black Pepper and Arugula-Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1/4 cup pure olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground fresh black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, pounded thinly
• Salt
• 1/2 pound arugula
• 2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced
• 1 small red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
• Lemon halves, for garnish

Preparation
Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, olive oil and black pepper in a large baking dish. Add the chicken, turn to coat and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to high. Remove chicken from marinade, season with salt on both sides and grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and just cooked through.

Combine arugula, tomatoes and onions in a large bowl, toss with the vinegar and oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place each paillard on a large plate, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and top with some of the arugula-tomato salad. Garnish with lemon halves.

SERVES: 4; Calories: 292; Total Fat: 17 grams; Saturated Fat: 3 gram2; Protein: 27 grams; Total carbohydrates: 8 grams; Sugar: 5 grams; Fiber: 2 grams; Cholesterol: 73 milligrams; Sodium: 152 milligrams

Happy Black Friday, Everyone!

Ah, Black Friday – the day you either avoid shopping altogether, or go out and brave the stores to get the best deals possible for Chanukkah and Christmas presents. Today, Adam and I are huddled up in our apartment because it is cold outside, and we are choosing to enjoy the convenience of online shopping of Amazon.com.

Today, I’m featuring Chef Robert Irvine’s Pork Chops with Apples and Onions – a delicious recipe that is paleo as you can get. It’s perfect for this day-after-Thanksgiving when all you want is to have leftovers, but instead you can give yourself something good for your body and just as delicious as the meal you had yesterday.

Thank you, Food Network!

Chef Robert Irvine’s Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

Ingredients

Apple Compote:

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1/2 cup thin-sliced (height wise) red or Vidalia onion
• 1/4 cup thin-sliced bacon
• 1 cup thin-sliced apple (1/4-inch by length)
• 1/4 cup white wine, sauvignon blanc or riesling
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, optional

Pork Chops:

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• Eight 4-ounce fresh boneless pork loin chops
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
• Potatoes of choice, for serving

Preparation
For the apple compote:

1. In a large saute pan over high heat, add the oil and allow to heat to the verge of smoking.
2. Then add the onions and reduce the heat to medium.
3. Allow the onions to cook, stirring throughout, until light brown in color, about 2 minutes.
4. Then add the bacon and allow to cook until the bacon has begun to brown.
5. Then add the apples. After adding the apples, allow all the ingredients to blend in flavor for a final 2 minutes.
6. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and allow the alcohol to cook off.
7. After reducing the wine, reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter and optional spices, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes to create a sauce.
8. Finish with the mint and hold warm until serving.

For the chops:

1. In large a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the oil and allow to warm.
2. Sprinkle the chops with salt and pepper equally on both sides and add to the warm oil.
3. Allow the chops to brown on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes, and then flip and repeat cooking on the second side for a final 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Once cooked, remove from the pan and serve with potatoes of choice.
5. Finish with the apple compote.
6. Serve and Enjoy!

Fret not, fair followers, I wouldn’t leave you without a truly delicious paleo recipe today for your Thanksgiving feast.

This one comes from Wellness Mama, and it looks so good that I wouldn’t save it just for Thanskgiving. This is the sort of too-good-for-once-a-year dish that goes well with pork chops, fried catfish, and all sorts of different soul food. I personally can’t wait to fix some of this up!

Paleo Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients
Onion Topping

• 2-3 medium onions, very thinly sliced
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or coconut milk
• 2-3 tablespoons of coconut flour
• ½ cup coconut oil or tallow for frying (Wellness Mama uses tallow.)

Healthy Cream of Mushroom Sauce

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup cream or coconut milk
• ⅓ of onion mix above
• 8-10 mushrooms, finely diced
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4-5 egg yolks
• coconut milk or water to thin

Other

• 5 cans of cut or french style green beans (can also use fresh or 2-3 bags of frozen, or 2-3 pounds of fresh just heat first to remove extra liquid)

Instructions

1. Thinly slice all the onions, separate, and put in medium bowl.
2. Add the two eggs and the heavy cream and mix well until evenly incorporated.
3. Add coconut flour and mix by hand until evenly coated (note: may use slightly more or less depending on your brand of coconut flour.)
4. Put tallow in large skillet and turn on medium high heat.
5. When hot, add the coated onions and evenly brown, turning occasionally.
6. When browned, remove from heat and set aside.
7. In medium sauce pan, melt butter and saute mushrooms until starting to brown, then add cream or coconut milk.
8. Whisk in egg yolks and spices and about ⅓ of the onion topping mixture and continue stirring until the yolks begin to cook and the mixture thickens.
9. Add extra milk or water if needed to thin (only a few tablespoons might be needed).
10. Drain green beans and pour into a 9×13 baking dish.
11. Pour the cream mixture over and mix well until incorporated.
12. Top with onion mixture and heat at 325 in oven until topping starts to crisp (but not burn!) and green beans are heated.
13. Enjoy!

So, I don’t know about you, but my favorite side dish on Thanksgiving (aside from carb-laden crouton-based stuffing) has always been the gooey, marshmallowey sweet potato casserole.  This rendition of the recipe doesn’t include marshmallows, but it tastes like it does!

Melissa over at CupcakesOMG! brings us this absolutely decadent and delicious recipe for sweet potato casserole that will make your tastebuds pop with pleasure.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1-2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• juice of half an orange

Preparation