Kicked-Up Green Curry Cod with Greens

I made a green curry a few weeks ago using only green curry paste (Thai Kitchen brand) and coconut milk….I found it a bit bland, so decided to kick it up a notch by adding more fresh ingredients.  The combination of the fresh Kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and spice from the curry make this naturally sweet and spicy….and it’s super easy to make.  Sweet, spicy and easy….just how I like my men;)

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 2 pieces of Cod or another white fish
–  1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
– 1 stalk of lemongrass – cut into 1 inch chunks
– 3 Kaffir Lime leaves – roughly chopped – I found dried leaves in the ethnic section of my Whole Foods
– 1 Tbsp green curry paste
– 1 can of coconut milk
– Greens!!! Kale, Chard, Collard…whatever.
– 2 tsp of coconut oil (to cook the greens in)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat coconut milk and curry paste.  Stir around to blend curry paste and coconut milk
2. Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and ginger.  Bring to a simmer.
3. Add fish and turn heat to medium.  Cover and let it simmer for about 7 minutes or until the fish is cooked (flakey).
4. Meanwhile, in a large wok or skillet, heat coconut oil and add your greens. Saute until they are cooked.
5. Serve the greens and top them with the fish and curry sauce (strain the lemongrass and lime leaves out!).
6. Enjoy!

Fully Primal Husband, who is usually ho-hum on my fish recipes, gave the following testimonial, “This fish is really good!“

 

Coconut Sole and GTL Cauli-Rice

LONG TIME NO SPEAK!!  I must apologize for my absence.  Ever since my delightful Oprah post, I’ve been hitting the talk show scene taking interviews and being stalked by paparazzi.  YA, riiiiight.  Actually I’ve been super busy with school, work, the GET REAL challenge etc etc.  All good things, but it means my meals have been pretty boring and I haven’t been experimenting much. That being said, I was so inspired by Snookie in a recent episode of Jersey Shore that I came up with this beauty….GTL Cauli-Rice.  I made it with some coconut crusted Sole and it was so good.  I think the Cauli-Rice would be better paired with some tandoori chicken or something, so this combo is a bit weird but tastes good nonetheless.  The GTL name is for 2 reasons….1) It uses Ginger, Tumeric and Lemon Zest.  2) The colour is the same as Snookie after hitting the tanning salon.  Aw, yeah!  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Coconut Crusted Sole
– 2 Sole Filets
– 3 Tbsp of coconut flour
– ¼ Cup of shredded coconut
– 1 egg
– 1 Tbsp coconut oil
GTL Cauli-Rice
– 1 head cauliflower – ground up in a food processor to a rice like consistency
– 1 tsp fresh grated ginger….”G”
– 1 tsp of Tumeric….”T”
– 1 tsp lemon zest….”L”
– 1 tsp of coriander
– 1 Tbsp coconut oil
– Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Do the fish first…Setup your batter station: Put the coconut flour and coconut shreds on 2 separate plates.  In a bowl, beat the egg.
2. Heat a non-stick pan with the coconut oil.  Once the coconut oil is heated, you want to ‘batter’ the fish.  Dip the fish in the coconut flour and roll it around to ensure that it’s lightly covered all over.  Then dip it in the egg wash. Lastly, dip it in the coconut shreds turning it over to cover it all in coconut.  Add it to the heated pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes per side.  Repeat with next piece.
3. Once the fish is cooked, set aside and start on the cauli-rice
4. In a skillet, heat coconut oil.  Once heated, add the turmeric, ginger, coriander and lemon zest.  Mix it around very quickly and then throw the cauli-rice in.  Mix it all together and add a dash of salt and pepper
5. Let it cook while sautee’ing constantly for about 4 minutes.
6. T-Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiirt TIIIIIIIMEEEE!!!!!  Enjoy your “GTL Cauli-Rice” whilst watching the latest episode of Jersey Shore.

Fully Primal Husband (he’s baaaaack!!) gave the following testimonial for the fish, “This is SO GOOD! I could eat this everyday.  It tastes so indulgent.”  He didn’t have the GTL Cauli-Rice but I’m sure Pauly D would approve.

 

Thai Chicken Soup…and day 11 caffeine-free update

I love Food Renegade and yesterday she posted a recipe for “Tom Kha Gai: Thai Coconut Soup”.   She indicates that it is from Nourishing Traditions and I was like, “OMG, I’ve got that book!”  You must realize the book has >600 pages, so it is easy to overlook recipes.  FUN FACT: This book is actually part of my curriculum at school…I was very happy when I heard that.  Anyways, the soup looked so good and I was craving something Thai-ish, so I cracked open Nourishing Traditions (p198) and busted out this gem.  I’ve modified it to include chicken (as per Food Renegade’s version), kelp noodles and kale.  Another bonus….This recipe is SO EASY!  I think this would be really good with lemongrass too, but I didn’t have any on hand.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)
– 1 whole roasted chicken – meat removed and shredded (i picked up a Beretta roaster from Loblaws)
– 1 L of chicken stock
– 1 and 1/2 cans of coconut milk
– 2 bunches of Kale – stems removed, leaves chopped
– 1 bag of Kelp Noodles – rinsed
– 1 bunch of green onions – chopped
– 1 Cup of chopped cilantro
– 1 Tbsp of minced ginger
– 1/4 tsp of chili flakes

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat stock.  Once it reaches a simmer, add coconut milk, ginger, chili flakes and kale.
2. Stir around and wait until kale shrinks (about 5-7 minutes).
3. Add kelp noodles and chicken.  Bring to a simmer and let it go for 7 more minutes.
4. Add green onions and cilantro.  You could top it with this afterwards, but I just added mine right into the pot.
5. You may need to add more stock or coconut milk if there is not enough liquid or you prefer it soup-ier.
6. Enjoy!

You may be wondering why I haven’t posted any Fully Primal Husband testimonials as of late…we just haven’t eaten any of these meals together (plus, I often make these recipes for my lunches at work), so I’m not capturing his candid reactions.  I refuse to post his second thoughts.

Now onto the Whole30 + no caffeine update:

DAY 11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We are more than 33.333333% through!  WOOOOT!  I think I am finally getting accustomed to my zen state in the mornings and don’t notice the lack of caffeine as much.   I’m able to converse with co-workers and piece together sentences without stumbling on my words and drifting off into space (seriously, that was happening ).  My productivity at work has been better this week, although I could use an afternoon nap.  My AM workouts have been going well and I didn’t try to murder anyone with a kettlebell & skipping rope this week….this is also because I started bringing an herbal tea with me to class (thanks to my readers who suggested this!).  My sleep continues to be AMAZING.  I am hitting the pillow, passing out right away and sleeping solid through the night.  The real challenge is going to be this weekend.  Last weekend was HARD, so I’m bracing myself for a similar experience this weekend.  The weekend is tough because it is not just the lack of caffeine…it’s the fact that I’m not having my glass of red wine with my steak….Or my weekly dose of Healthy Butcher pulled pork (because I am certain there is some sugar in their sauce)…or my dark chocolate ( i usually indulge in a 80% bar).   grrrrrrrrrrrr.  I am hoping that this weekend will be better.

How is everyone else doing?? Any struggles??

My friend Amy sent me this picture and I had to post it.  I love it. I think it sums up my “before” situation very well:

 

CooKoo for Coco Snacks…and a Day 4 update

The finished product

I’m going to give you a Day 4 update, but first I wanted to post this recipe.  I’ve been meaning to post this for months, but haven’t gotten around to it.  I recently gave it to one of my clients, so I figured it was time I posted it.  This is my go-to snack.  I got so sick of snacking on avocado so I needed a new fat-snack.  These are toasted Coconut Shavings with Vanilla and Cinnamon.   If you live in Toronto you can find these at Ethnic grocers or Domino Bulk Foods in the St. Lawrence Market has them for $1.99 / lb.  You can also find organic brands that are pre-packaged, but they are quite expensive ($8 for 1/2 a lb).  Here you go:

Ingredients:
– A bag of shaved coconut  
– 1-2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil
– 1 Tbsp cinnamon
– 1 Tbsp 100% pure vanilla extract or ground vanilla beans (no sugar added!)
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Spread the coconut over a baking sheet lined with foil
3. Drizzle the coconut with the coconut oil, cinnamon and vanilla
4. Mix around to spread evenly
5. Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove, toss around.
6. Bake for another 5 minutes or until they are browned and crispy.  Watch carefully because they burn fast.

7. Try not to eat massive quantities at once!

 

Now onto more important matters….How is everyone doing?  Today is day 4 and I have to say that I woke up (at 5:30) this morning and felt….GREAT!  I think the zombie has been exorcised from my body and I have finally come back to life.  I was seriously fearing for my work productivity after the first two days because I would find myself staring at the wall and drooling for significant chunks of time.  The last 2 days have been totally different….I felt awake and was able to be more productive.  Today I am feeling almost as alert as I was on coffee, so it’s a huge improvement from the past 2 days.  I am shocked by how quickly I am reaping the benefits of this detox.  I am also shocked that I did not experience any physical withdrawal symptoms.  I was convinced I would be a disaster for at least the first two weeks…so I apologize if you were tuning in to hear me have a meltdown.  I guess my body can re-adjust fairly quick.  Maybe it’s my diet that made this easier or maybe I am really lucky.

One thing that is crystal clear is that my sleep has improved dramatically.  I have always had a hard time falling asleep.  Even upon transitioning to 100% paleo/primal, I still had a horrible time falling asleep and it usually takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.  The odd night I would toss and turn until 3-4am.  I assumed this was because I had many things on my plate and my inner thoughts were keeping me awake.  I am realizing now that it may have been the coffee.  Usually after I have class on Monday nights I’m unable to turn my brain off and I toss and turn for a couple hours.  This Monday I fell asleep right away and slept solid the entire night.  The last 2 nights I did not have class, but I fell asleep right away and slept until my alarm went off.  I even woke up a bit before my alarm today which is unheard of at 5:30am!  What is frightening about this is that I never drank coffee after 9:30am (because I would chug it down like Brittany Spears with a Big Gulp between 6am-9:30am), so this tells me that it was still metabolizing in my body over 12 hours later.  That cannot be good.  Seriously, that is messed up, right?

From a science-y perspective, my sleep might be improved because perhaps my Magnesium supplement is actually being absorbed now!  Too much caffeine blocks the absorption of Magnesium….which is not good because your metabolism needs it to burn fat and Mg acts as a natural muscle relaxant (hence I take it at night).    Super-nerdy cool!

I don’t want to get too excited yet, because these past 3 days may have been a fluke.  I will keep you posted.  How are YOU doing?  Are you hitting the Whole30 and loving it?   

 

Paleo Mussels in Coconut Curry

It’s been way too long since I posted a recipe and I apologize for everyone who’s been waiting anxiously hitting refresh. I was basking in my 15 min of blogger fame from being linked on Robb Wolf’s website.  In all seriousness, I’ve been really busy –  but I promise I’m going to make a valiant effort to post recipes more often.  Here is a really simple recipe for Mussels.  Mussels are great because they’re cheap ($5 for 1lb), really easy to make and you feel a bit glamorous eating them.  Also, I like the word Mussels because it sounds like Muscles.  Here you go:  

Ingredients (serves 2)
– 1 lb of mussels – cleaned and de-bearded (google for instructional videos if you don’t know how)
– 1 can of coconut milk
– 1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
– 1 stalk of lemongrass – cut into 1″ chunks (google if you don’t know how to prep a lemongrass stalk)
– 1 Tbsp garam masala
– 1 Cup stock (fish would be best, but I used chicken and it tasted great)
–  5 shalots – chopped
– 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and add shalots.  Saute until shalots are softened.
2. Add coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass, stock and garam masala.  Stir to mix together.
3. Bring to a simmer and then add mussels.  
4. Cover and let them cook for about 8-10 min or until the mussels have opened up wide.
5. Serve in a bowl.
6. Make sure you don’t eat the one’s that haven’t opened!  That is bad news!
7. Enjoy!

I served it with a Cabbage/Radish/Carrot slaw that my food processor whipped together with a ginger/garlic/olive oil/white wine vinegar dressing – i should post the recipe because it was good!  Semi-Primal Husband gave the following testimonial, “Good job on the sauce Summer, these are really good! We need to make this more often.”

 

Paleo Coconut Curry Chicken

 

nice legs!

 

Even though my vacation feels like it was months ago, I’m still inspired by the food that we ate and want to continue posting some recipes.  Here is a simple coconut curry recipe that I made using chicken thighs & legs – we ate many coconut curry dishes while in St. Lucia.  This also relates back to my post on chicken a few weeks ago where I recommended buying a whole chicken to save money.  As long as your buying quality meat – naturally raised and/or free-range – the legs contain good fat.  Like most men, people are partial to the breasts (couldn’t resist that one), but legs and thighs are equally delicious.  I served this on a bed of cauliflower rice.

Ingredients (serves 4):
– 4 chicken thighs & legs (still in tact), skin on
–  1 cauliflower (to make the rice)
– 1 Tbsp coconut oil
– 1 Onion – finely chopped
– 5 garlic cloves – smashed and roughly chopped
– 1 red chili pepper – seeds removed, chopped (I used a Scotch Bonnet pepper)
– 1 can coconut milk
– 2 Tbsp curry powder

Directions:

1.  In a large skillet, heat coconut oil to a med-high heat
2. Put chicken pieces into the skillet and cook until each side golden-browned (about 3 min per side)
3. Remove chicken and set aside.
4. Add onion, garlic and chili – saute for about 3 min or until soft
5. Add the coconut milk and curry powder – mix together thoroughly
6. Add back the chicken and simmer at medium heat covered for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  You can use a meat thermometer to check and it should be about 155 before you stop cooking it (it will continue to cook up to 160 which is the perfect internal temp).  The coconut milk that the chicken is simmering in should cover about 1/2 of the chicken – if yours’ doesn’t you can add more coconut milk or some chicken stock.
7. For the cauliflower rice, either use your food processor to chop the cauliflower to a rice consistency or use a cheese grater.  If you have a microwave you can cook it in the microwave for 3 minutes and it’ll be good to go.  Otherwise you can steam it for a few minutes.  I always cook my cauliflower after I’ve grated it.
8. Serve the chicken on a bed of cauliflower rice.  
9. Enjoy!

I even served this to my non-primal dad and he loved it!  I was really hesitant about his reaction to the cauliflower rice, but he quite enjoyed it.  Semi-Primal Husband gave the following testimonial, “This is delicious.  Ya, really good.”

 

 

simmering

 

 

Banana-Coconut Cupcakes

Photo courtesy of Sara Salahub http://www.sarasalahub.com

Eat these in moderation!  Although they are gluten-free/dairy-free, they still contain sugar and should not be part of your regular Paleo/Primal diet.

In celebration of a very special girl’s birthday – Sio’s (one of the founders of Crossfit Quantum) – I wanted to test out my skills to see if I could do the unthinkable….make a Cupcake using paleo-ish ingredients! What the what?!?! Impossible!  No.  The cake was easy as I used the same recipe as my Pineapple Upside-Down cake (sans pineapple)…it was the icing that was going to be the challenge.  After scouring the internet for recipe ideas, I stumbled upon a world of fellow ‘healthy’ bakers – people whose lifestyle is foreign to me, aside from the fact that I heard Demi Moore might subscribe to this way of life – they are Raw foodies.  I highly recommend using “raw” as a search term when looking for recipes because you’ll find some amazing raw food blogs that can provide wonderful inspiration for Paleo meals.  I found the icing recipe from The Sunny Raw Kitchen blog and modified it a bit.

Ingredients (makes 12 cupcakes)
Cake
– 2 Tbsp coconut oil
– 4 Tbsp coconut milk
– 1/2 Cup coconut flour
– 2 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
– 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
– 3 eggs
– 1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 2 whole mashed bananas (very ripe)
– 1/4 C toasted coconut shreds (for the garnish on the icing)
Icing
– 1/4 Cup macadamia nut butter
– 1/4 Cup coconut milk
– 2 Tbsp coconut sugar (I found mine at The Big Carrot in Toronto).  You could sub raw honey or maple syrup.
– 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more)
– 1/4 Tbsp 100% vanilla extract
– 1/8 Cup coconut oil

Directions:

1. To make the icing:
   1. Melt the macadamia nut butter (especially if you’ve had it in the fridge) so that it’s smooth and easy to mix.  Melt the coconut oil with the coconut sugar.
   2. Mix all of the icing ingredients together thoroughly.  Refrigerate for a few hours until it’s texture is similar to icing.
2. For the cupcakes:
   1. Pre-heat oven to 350
   2. In a bowl, mix together coconut flour, salt, baking powder, coconut milk, vanilla extract, bananas and eggs
   3. Melt the coconut oil and honey/maple syrup and then slowly add it to the mix.
   4. Mix together thoroughly and pour into greased (use coconut oil or non-stick spray) muffin baking pan.
   5. Bake for about 20-30 minutes – check after 20 minutes because you might have a better oven.  You want to be able to stick a fork into the middle and have it come out dry.
   6. Remove from oven and let it cool completely (otherwise the icing melts off)
3. To toast the coconut, spread it out on a baking sheet and pop it into the 350 oven for 5 minutes.  Shake it around and put it back in for another 2 minutes or until it’s toasted.
4. Spread the icing on top of each and sprinkle with toasted coconut