I Heart Carrots

At this time of year when I go to a grocery store I have a hard time resisting the beautiful, colorful bunches of heirloom carrots. They elevate any table's status and can turn a healthy weekday dinner into a fancy meal. I tried a new recipe this week from the February 2014 Food & Wine and it is definitely going into my regular rotation. The combination of flavors is perfection and went splendidly well with the cornmeal crusted tilapia we had planned. We also *just happened* to have a SIMI Sauvignon Blanc chilled in the fridge that rounded out our dinner nicely. We love this wine because its so easy to pair with food: super crisp and light due to 100% stainless steel fermentation but it also has depth from the small amounts of Viognier and Semillon in the blend.

Maple-Glazed Carrots
1 1/2 pounds trimmed baby carrots, preferably heirloom

2 cups chicken stock

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 anchovy fillet, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons chopped dill

© Con Poulos from Food & Wine

In a deep skillet, combine the carrots and chicken stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the stock is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is sticky and the carrots are tender and well-coated, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the anchovy until dissolved. Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the butter one cube at a time. Stir in the dill and season with salt.

Italian Layer Cake

This last weekend was one of my favorites of the year: Couchella!

We love watching live music and for 3 whole days we stream Coachella Music Festival and watch from the comfort of our couch. We saw lots of great bands and got excited for the actual festival we plan on going this year, San Francisco's Outside Lands.

On Sundays I do a lot of cooking to get ready for the week ahead, a wonderful habit that's stuck from my Whole30. This week I decided that I wanted to make a paleo lasagna, but for the sake of not calling everything "paleo" and not lying to you that this is like your grandmother's "lasagna," I've named it Italian Layer Cake. This was a wonderful sunday night supper, my term for meals that take a little longer to prepare and best reserved for weekend cooking.

Italian Layer Cake

14 oz can of  diced tomatoes
1 cup macadamia ricotta (recipe follows)
1/2 pound of ground beef
1 bunch of swiss chard, destemmed
1/2 onion, diced
3 gloves garlic, minced
coconut oil
1 cup chopped basil

First make a batch of Macadamia Ricotta from Nom Nom Paleo:

Photo by Henry Fong

Puree 2 cups of macadamias, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp lemon juice and half a cup of water together in a food processor. Add water if needed to achieve desired consistency.

Saute the onion for about 5 minutes in medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the ground beef and cook until heated through. Add the tomatoes and mix everything together. 

Mix the ricotta with the basil. 

Place 1/3 of the meat mixture on the bottom layer of a 9x9 pan. Add a few sheets of chard and layer the ricotta. Repeat two more times until you've used up everything. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

Pair with a big and easy red for dinner perfection! I recommend the Alexander Valley Redemption Zinfandel or Coppola's Diamond Collection Red Blend.

Whole 30 Week 2 Roundup

While some things I have totally forgotten exist as part of the human diet, there are other things that have become harder to continue to avoid. I suspect this is different for everyone based on your greatest pleasure. Mine is wine. As the dust collects on our recent wine club shipments, I longingly look at the wine rack and try to get over it. It's totally normal to want a glass of wine after a long day, or because it's friday, or just because. RIGHT?

When I'm not staring down the Gloria Ferrer Brut Rose, I continue to focus on making healthy and delicious food. And doing dishes. The grill is an awesome asset for an easy weeknight meal. And we've had GLORIOUS weather all winter which I am endlessly grateful for! These are 2 of my favorites, garlic mushrooms and bbq chicken thighs. After lots of disappointing chicken breasts we've figured out that thighs are the best, not to mention a lot cheaper!

Just when I thought I couldn't look at eggs anymore, Well Fed's Egg Foo Yong saved breakfast. These lovely fritters were filled with steamed cabbage, chicken, and scallions, served with a dollop of spicy secret sauce. Perhaps a little too much flavor for breakfast for most but it was an awesome break for me.

And finally the star of the week was a reinvented childhood favorite: Beef Stroganoff. I posted the traditional recipe a long time ago but am ready to permanently replace it with this healthier version! This meal was inspired by a recipe in one of my favorite vegan cookbooks: Isa Does It (Yes I read vegan cookbooks too). Visit the Paleo Beef Strogonoff post for the recipe! 

Grilled BBQ Oysters

Just when the sun came out to play, I realized how much the warm weather makes me think of patios, parks, cold beer and champagne. Instead of sulking in the "can't have" we ventured to a seafood market, on a mission to grill and spend some time on our porch.

I'll let you in on a secret: Oysters, often dismissed as an at-home treat for the difficulties of shucking, will open up all on their own on a grill. No fuss. No mess. No skills required.

Line them up on a pre-heated grill. Close the lid and wait approximately 10 minutes

When the first oyster opens, remove all of them from the grill with an oven mitt

Gently peel the oyster open, being careful not to spill the delicious juices!

 Top with bbq sauce or lemon and enjoy your oyster feast, at home, in under 20 min!

Whole30

This week I decided to start my Whole30, a plan created by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig in which you commit to eating only the most nutrient dense foods for 30 days: protein, vegetables, fruit and healthy fats. The idea is to clear the body of all inflammation and test for intolerances at the end. If you are interested in learning more, go straight to the source on the Whole30 page. Everyone's reasons are different, I just felt like I needed a dramatic investment in my health. All those happy hours add up!

I started on a Sunday because I love taking a day to relax and cook and prepare for the week ahead. The key to success on this plan is preparation (and lots of dishes). Here's what I made on Day 1:

Sweet Potato Hash
For breakfast I made a batch of Nom Nom Paleo's Sweet Potato Hash with enough leftovers for the next day or two. These came out really well and were a fair match for the fluffy pancakes Joe was eating. I topped them with an egg and a small side of organic bacon. My understanding is bacon is accepted in Whole30 IF it does not have weird ingredients or sugar and IF it is not your main source of protein. I'm not planning on making it a Whole30 staple but I happened to get started when this was waiting to be cooked!

Super Boost Tomato Soup

This is a great way to add some power foods to any meal, as a side or as a base by adding some shrimp or protein of choice to the soup.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 28oz can diced tomato
1/2 of an onion (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 - 4 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1- 2 cups spinach
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 cup fresh basil
dash of salt and black pepper

In a soup pot, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add in the onion and cook over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and oregano and cook on low for another 4-5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Now add in the tomatoes, salt, pepper, spinach and nutritional yeast.  Bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Finish by adding the basil. You can leave it as a chunky soup or blend it up with an immersion blender as I like to do. Test for salt and seasoning. I divide these in portions so I can grab and go on my way to work!

Photo Credit: theclothesmakethegirl.com

Bora Bora Fireballs

Well Fed was the book that made me realize I could get through a Whole30. Melissa Joulwan creates some magical combinations using all Whole30 approved ingredients. This recipe is one of my favorites! On the side I stir fried zucchini, asparagus, and carrots in a lemon, garlic, cumin marinade.

So far so good!