Cappello's Will Save Me from Myself -- Fancy Fridge Find #2

After visiting several Whole Foods in Manhattan, I finally found what I was looking for at the East 88th and 3rd Ave location.

Drum roll please......

Cappello's paleo friendly, gluten free and grain free fettuccine, gnocchi and naked pizza crust! I grabbed what was left and made a beeline to the checkout section. 

Can life get any better than this!? I love the paleo movement -- it's spreading each and every day. It must mean that it works. ;-)  You won't know until you try!

The reason why I am so excited for this, is because my boyfriend is insane and doesn't like pasta much -- mostly because he knows how bad it is for us. So whenever we plan a cheat meal, I want pasta and he doesn't. I always let it slide because I know how it will make me feel so we haven't had pasta in ages. Now I get to have pasta and enjoy it with him because it is PALEO and neither of us will feel the guilt normally associated with eating it. 

I didn't have a sauce and we are trying to save money so I went ahead and made this FANCY FRIDGE FIND #2 along with the Gnocchi! In my fridge, I had beef bone broth, heirloom cherry tomatoes, arugula, onions and garlic. Voila! Buonissimo! A delicious Italian dish is made. 

Ingredients

1/2 lb grass-fed ground lamb

1/2 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup beef bone broth

2 tbsp olive oil for lamb and veggie mix, 1 tbsp olive oil for gnocchi

3-4 quarts of salted water to boil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 tsp arrowroot powder

1 handful arugula

1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Cappello's Gnocchi (serves 2)

Paleo cheese (just a little sprinkle on top! Or douse your gnocchi in it like my man did -- whichever you fancy)

Preparation

1. Boil 3-4 quarts of salted water in medium size pot.
2. While water comes to a boil, mince garlic, dice onion and put in a medium-large pan with olive oil.
3. Add the ground lamb to the onions and garlic once softened and add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until brown and add the diced tomatoes to the mix. 
4. Add Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper and mix for about 1 minute. 
5. When the water is boiling, add gnocchi and stir every 30 seconds for 3-5 minutes until all of the gnocchi have risen to the top. That means they are done. Then drain them. 
6. Prepare another large pan on burner and heat oil for the gnocchi. Add drained gnocchi to the pan and brown gnocchi a little bit. 
7. Add beef bone broth to the lamb mixture and stir for about 2 minutes until it has cooked down a little bit.  
8. Add the arrowroot powder to the lamb mixture and mix into the sauce -- this is used as a thickener.
9. Add the whole lamb mixture to the gnocchi pan to combine and stir together. 
10. Remove from heat and add in the arugula and mix together.
11. Sprinkle or douse with paleo cheese, serve and enjoy!

These little pillow-y pieces of perfection melt in your mouth and don't make you feel like you have a rock in your stomach -- which is something I remember feeling back when I was eating a lot of cheese and carbs at an Italian restaurant.

Cappello's, thank you for saving me a trip to the closest Italian restaurant -- this way you also save me from a tummy ache and a guilty mind. 

Everyone -- go try Cappello's today! You won't be disappointed. Can be found in most Whole Foods!

More to come when we try the fettuccine and naked pizza crust...

I Sneezed on the Beet and the Beet Got Sicker

Two things:

1. Beyonce is apparently dropping her new album, Formation, today and I can't WAIT. Hence the title of my post. If you're lost, go on YouTube.com and type in Beyonce - Yonce -- and be found.
2. It officially feels like Spring has sprung (I decided this after I spent 6 hours biking around the city yesterday), so I made a seasonal soup to show you: Orange Beet Tarragon

This is so delicious and fresh, I found that I even like it cold! I researched this recipe while cooking for someone who has to eat autoimmune paleo. This is a very restrictive diet, but I was determined to find meals that were satisfying and delicious so that she didn't feel that the diet was holding her back from enjoying food.

This AIP (autoimmune paleo/protocol) Diet is great for those who suffer from autoimmune diseases, or any inflammatory and leaky gut issues. Your disease can go into full remission if you follow this diet 100%. It's not easy, but there are ways to make it fun!

I found the recipe on Autoimmune-paleo.com -- click here to read more! 

Ingredients

3 large or 4-6 small beets, peeled and diced

Water to cover

1 tbsp minced, fresh tarragon

1 tbsp grated orange peel (any orange variety is fine, I used Cara Cara oranges)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk

Preparation

1. Place beets in pot, cover with water, bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to simmer, add tarragon and orange peel.
3. Simmer until beets are fork tender, about 30 mins.
4. Add oil, vinegar, sea salt, and coconut milk to high-powered blender or food processor.
5. When beets are done, add them without draining to blender or food processor (be sure your appliance is heat-proof). 
6. Process until smooth (but not so that it comes out like a juice -- should be a little thicker than that). 
7. Serve and enjoy!

 "Driver roll up the partition pleeeease...."

-Beyonce

Bye!

Tentacles, Chorizo, Tongs and Watch

Alright people. It's been several days since my last post due to my hectic schedule of hustling in any which way (not the street corner kind of way, but you know, odd jobs here and there). But I am coming back with a bang. I attempted OCTOPUS last night for the first time.

I was nervous because while I've always loved ordering octopus at restaurants, I had no idea that it's actually a pretty testy protein to cook. It could turn out chewy if you don't handle it right.

I know, I know, it looks disgusting. It was definitely different than the proteins I usually handle, I won't lie -- but if you want to eat delicious octopus, you have to get in there and just do it!

You're probably wondering what prompted me to cook this here octopus. I was taking a walk yesterday and stopped at this amazing local fish market in my neighborhood. They have so many deals on wild fish -- I was in HEAVEN. I saw the octopus and I was like, "YES a challenge, YES!!!" Then I putzed over to my local butcher, Esposito's, and picked up some chorizo. Everyone knows octopus and chorizo go well together, right? Well, they do.

I love local shops. The food is less expensive and the quality is so much better and much more fresh than your typical Gristedes down the street. Support our local businesses! This city is becoming too much without them. Rant over.

Despite all of your doubts, yeah I can actually feel you doubting me through the screen, the finished product was incredible.

If you feel daring enough to try something new, check out the recipe below.

Octopus with Chorizo and White Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

2 lbs octopus tentacles 

7 oz cured Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/2 inch dice

3/4 lb white sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 onion, coarsely chopped

3 bay leaves

2 tsp fresh thyme

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus some more for drizzling

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Chopped cilantro

Preparation 

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil with the onion and bay leaves. 
2. Clean octopus (refer to this video to see how). 
3. Using tongs, dip the octopus into the boiling water 3 times (tentacles will curl), and then leave in the water. 
4. Cook the octopus over moderately low heat until tender for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let the octopus stand in the water for 10 minutes. Drain the octopus into a strainer. 
5. Cut octopus into 1/2 inch pieces.
6. For the potatoes, in a medium saucepan or pot, cover the potatoes with salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until tender. Should take about 10 minutes.
7. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a bowl. 
8. Toss the potatoes with the olive oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
9. In a pan, preferably a grill pan, cook the chorizo over moderately high heat until warmed through, should take about 2-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
10. Add potatoes and octopus to the pan that you were cooking the chorizo in with a little olive oil, and cook until hot and the potatoes have turned golden. This should take about 5 minutes. 
11. Add the chorizo, season with salt and pepper, and toss all together.
12. When plating, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Enjoy! 

I lost a bet -- and still winning!

I lost a bet to my boyfriend last night, ugh. So I owed him breakfast before he had to get to work today. Little did I know at the time I agreed to this, that we only had ONE Julian Bakery Paleo Wrap left.

Regardless, I made him our favorite breakfast with some eggs, turkey bacon, avocado, paleo cheese and chipotle mayo on the wrap. I was so jealous and hungry as I was making it and kept thinking about what I would make myself later that would satisfy my breakfast needs.

Then I remembered how easy it is to make paleo english muffins, thanks to the recipe from Running to the Kitchen.

I love english muffins -- maybe even as much as I love bagels! I could eat these muffins every day.

I am a huge sucker for cinnamon raisin, so I usually make the cinnamon raisin version. Today, I was going for a savory breakfast sandwich. I sautéed some onions and peppers, cooked some eggs, mashed some avocado into the muffin, melted some paleo cheese, and added some Sir Kensington's Chipotle Mayo.  It was delicious.

I may have lost the bet, but I totally won with the better breakfast this morning! Sorry, Boo!

Ingredients for savory option
1/4 cup almond or cashew flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 egg
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp water

Ingredients for cinnamon raisin option, add the following to savory option above
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp golden raisins

Preparation

1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Add remaining wet ingredients and whisk again until fully mixed.
3. Transfer mixture into a greased microwave safe ramekin (8 oz ramekin), OR a cereal bowl for a thinner muffin.
4. Microwave for 2 minutes.
5. Remove from ramekin and slice the muffin in half and toast for 2-3 minutes in a toaster oven. If you're like me and do not have a toaster, you can broil it on the oven rack for a couple of minutes. Keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn!
6. Serve with almond butter, butter, jam, or sandwich bread!

A Few of My Favorite Things

My mom always makes this amazing cedar plank salmon covered in brown sugar. It's my favorite meal in the world. Being paleo, I can't have brown sugar, and I don't currently have access to a grill where I can perfect the cedar plank method. Because of that, I have been experimenting with all different kinds of salmon recipes.  Realizing now that I could probably experiment with coconut sugar -- but that's for a different time!

Here are three things that you have to know I love -- salmon, ginger and garlic. Also, by the way, bok choy is seriously underrated. It's so crunchy, it bursts in your mouth, and it has a bitterness AND a sweetness to it. It is so good paired with garlic and ginger. MMMM!

Salmon, ginger and garlic are so medicinal to me. 

Ginger helps us to maintain normal blood circulation, absorb all essential nutrients, combat stomach discomfort (morning sickness, motion sickness, etc.), prevent cold and flu, reduce pain and inflammation (great natural pain killer!), fight common respiratory problems, strengthen our immune systems, etc. The list goes on! Anytime I have a sour tummy, I break off a piece of fresh ginger and throw it into some hot water, or I drink a Ginger-Lemon Health-Aid Kombucha. I will tell you, that since eating paleo, I hardly ever have a sour tummy anymore!

As for salmon, it's extremely heart healthy. The Omega 3 fatty acids in salmon promote healthy joints and skin, and reduces the risk of heart disease. I've also heard that these Omega 3 fatty acids boost your mood. People who have more Omega 3's in their diet, are proven to be happier in general -- there is a distinct antidepressant effect. Who doesn't love that?! 

And garlic, it makes everything more delicious. I used to eat full heads of roasted elephant garlic when I was a kid and I would do the same now if it weren't for wanting to have acceptable breath in public. Garlic can combat sickness, reduce blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart disease, prevent Alzheimer's Disease in Dementia (something I have to be wary about with my genetic makeup), improve athletic performance (hell yeah!), improve bone health, detoxify heavy metals in our bodies, and so much more. 

I felt like a million bucks after this dinner and into the next day. I hope you will, too! I think I've given you enough reasons to go nuts with these ingredients. 

Ingredients

3-4 salmon fillets (I used Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon) (16-24 oz total)

3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (2 tbsp for salmon, 1 tbsp for bok choy)

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

fresh black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 head bok choy

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the salmon fillet. Spray or wipe a baking sheet down with coconut oil.
3. Spread coconut oil over the fillet and sprinkle the ginger, sea salt, and pepper. 
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
5. While the salmon bakes, cut off the bottom of the bok choy and rinse each leave thoroughly. 
6. Dry the leaves and cut them into 1 inch pieces.
7. Heat a pan on the stove on medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp coconut oil. 
8. Add the bok choy to the oil and cook for a couple of minutes until it's slightly wilted down.
9. Add the garlic and ginger, salt and pepper.
10. Cook for about 2 minutes longer and serve with the salmon. 
11. Sprinkle parsley on top of the salmon for garnish.

Oodles of Zoodles & Gaggles of Garlic Bread Rolls

A little taste of Italy thrilled me yesterday.

Did you ever think that you could have garlic bread while being paleo? I didn't. The bread had the best crunch on the outside and was so soft and moist on the inside. And no, there were no leftovers.

I also highly recommend you get a spiralizer, it's only $25 on Amazon and you can do so much with it! Last night I decided on [dairy-free] pesto with zucchini noodles, aka zoodles, so that I could sop up the pesto with the garlic bread.

Bonissimo! The food speaks for itself.

Shrimp Ingredients
1 lb wild shrimp
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tbsp ghee
1/2 a lemon
Dash of paprika

Zoodles Ingredients
2 large zucchinis
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Pesto Ingredients
1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves
6 tbsp pine nuts
2 peeled garlic cloves, chopped or minced
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 tablespoons olive oil

Garlic Bread Roll Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
2 garlic cloves, small to medium sized and minced
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 large egg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for garlic bread rolls. 
2. With 1 tsp olive oil, sauté garlic in a small pan for just 1 minute then remove from heat.  
3. Combine olive oil, water and sea salt in a separate pan and bring to a boil.
4. Once the olive oil, water and salt are boiling, remove from heat and add garlic and tapioca flour to the pan.
5. Mix thoroughly (may appear stringy) and let it rest for 5 minutes.
6. Add in the Italian seasoning and the egg and mix together.
7. Mix in the coconut flour and knead the dough for 1 minute. 
8. Pinch 2" pieces of dough and roll them into balls. 
9. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet (you should have 6 total). 
10. Bake for 40 minutes. 
11. While the bread is baking, rinse zucchinis and cut off the ends.
12. Use either a spiralizer to make your zoodles, or use a vegetable peeler and go from top to bottom to make ribbon like strands of "pasta". Set aside for later.
13. To make your pesto, put all basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice and sea salt in the food processor.
14. Lightly toast the nuts in a skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Watch these closely so that you do not burn them! They are expensive so it would be a shame to have to use more!
15. Add nuts to the food processor and process all together. 
16. While the ingredients are blending, slowly add olive oil and continue blending until the sauce thins. 
17. Rinse and clean shrimp and pat dry. Add all of the spices and rub into the shrimp. 
18. Add ghee to a large skillet and let it heat up. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
19. Add the shrimp to skillet and sauté for 2-4 minutes (depending on how big the shrimp are) with a squeeze of lemon juice.
20. Remove from pan, wipe pan clean, and add olive oil for zoodles. 
21. Sauté zoodles for 3 minutes. Try to get rid of some of the water that formed at the bottom of the pan so that the zoodles stay "al dente". 
22. Add pesto and mix together.
23. Plate your dish with zoodles first, then add the shrimp, and don't forget your garlic bread! Squeeze more lemon juice over your shrimp as desired.

Fancy Fridge Find #1

I feel like I'm on a cooking show sometimes. My favorites are Top Chef, Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen and Master Chef [Junior](... so cute!). This feeling, typically occurs when I've grocery shopped the produce sale on FreshDirect. I love to save money, I love trying new foods, and I love a challenge. So, I played a game which I will call.... "Fancy Fridge Finds"!

I had so many veggies from my last delivery that I needed to utilize ASAP (the truth is: utilize everything, waste NOTHING -- being paleo is expensive), so I decided on a BANGIN' salad. I found jicama, beets, cilantro, avocado, red onion, spring greens mix and brussel sprouts.

Not only did I find those gems... but I had some filet mignon calling my name! I got this sick deal on Gilt City with American Farmer's Network. They sell 100% grass-fed, USDA Certified organic steaks, beef, chicken & more. Again, I can't resist a deal.

Put that all together, and voila! This is what happened:

Steak Ingredients
2 6 oz, 2 inch thick filet mignon
2 tbsp ghee
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Salad Ingredients
3 handfuls spring mix
1/2 cup jicama, diced
1/2 cup roasted beets, diced
1/4 cup red onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

Brussel Sprout "Croutons" Ingredients
1/2 lb brussel sprouts (cut in half from top to bottom)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Salad Dressing Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard

Preparation

1. Rinse steaks with water and pat dry. Let them sit out on the counter for 20 minutes until they are at room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Put brussel sprout halves into a large ziplock bag with olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Shake up the bag to ensure all brussel sprouts are coated.
5. Put brussel sprouts on a cookie tin cut-side down.
6. Bake brussel sprout "croutons" for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, remove brussel sprouts from oven and set aside to cool.
8. Turn oven heat up to 425 degrees.
9. Heat cast iron skillet with ghee.
10. Prepare all salad vegetable ingredients and top the salad greens in the salad bowl.
11. Add steaks to skillet with ghee and cook for 4 minutes.
12. At 4 minutes, flip steaks and pop them in the oven for 5-7 minutes. 5 minutes for rare, 6 minutes for medium rare, and 7 minutes for medium well.
13. Remove from oven and transfer steaks off of skillet (to avoid overcooking) onto a clean plate.
14. Cover the plate with aluminum foil for 5 minutes.
15. Add your salad dressing ingredients into the food processor and blend until creamy.
16. Toss dressing, sunflower seeds, brussel sprout "croutons" and salad veggies all together.
17. Cut steak and add to salad.
18. Serve. Eat. Enjoy!