Stuffed Pineapple Teriyaki (Deconstructed)-paleo, GF

Leave a comment
Half of my enjoyment in traveling is to bring back everything that left an impression on me back to my life, share with the lives I touch, and create a more permanent memory of where I’ve been.  Food is a huge part of that, and I have been way too busy lately to create travel-inspired recipes, but I decided to take the weekend to get my life back in order.  This helped me carve out some time to experiment!!  My last business conference was down in Hollywood, FL and while at dinner one night, I have a roasted stuffed pineapple with shrimp.  It was the perfect marriage of summer flavors, and I wanted to share the idea with you guys!
As you know, I don’t have a ton of time these days to cook, but that doesn’t mean recreating the flavors isn’t completely doable and simple!  I created a simple teriyaki sauce to use, and the ingredients couldn’t be more simple for the deconstructed version.
Stuffed Pineapple Teriyaki
Ingredients:
Pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
3 Bell peppers, seeded, cut into chunks
1 Red onion, chopped into chunks
2 Avocado, cubed
1 lbs. wild-caught shrimp
Sauce:
1/2 cup coconut aminos (or gf soy sauce)
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp of honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Place all the sauce ingredients together into a big ziplock baggie or glass container.  Place the pineapple, bell peppers, and onion in the bag to soak up the goodness.  You can go multiple directions here and make skewers with shrimp for grilling, you can grill it in a grill pan, or you can sautee it on the stove top over high heat.  If you sautee, place the veggies and pineapple in the pan until cooked through, add the shrimp for a few minutes so you don’t overcook it.  Top it off with fresh avocado.  You could serve this over rice or place in “pineapple bowls” if you want to be fancy!

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

2 Comments
While doing my March detox, I stumbled on this salad when I had avocado and grapefruit to consume before traveling one week.  It was one of the most addicting combos I have ever tasted!   Why?  I have no idea, but you should try it even if you don’t like grapefruit.  It’s like when their flavors get together it creates something different than I have ever experienced!  I should also add that it’s super easy, too.
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Ingredients:
Avocado
Grapefruit
Lemon
EVOO
Salt and pepper
Protein addition optional
Directions:
Section grapefruit and slice avocado.  Place them together.  Mix juice from a lemon, a splash of EVOO, a pinch of salt and pepper.  Pour over the salad.  Add cooked shrimp or other protein if desired.

“Cheesy” Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

1 Comment
Cheese.  Everyone loves it.  However, if you avoid dairy, there may be a spot in your heart reserved for your favorite past time.  I am by no means calling this recipe creamy, but I am saying that it has a “cheesy” flavor to it due to a little ingredient called nutritional yeast.  Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that comes in yellow flakes.  I wouldn’t call it a nutritional powerhouse, but it does have quite a bit of B vitamins!…and it kind of tastes like cheese.  You know those cheesy kale chips you find at the store?  Yup, nutritional yeast made those “cheesy.”
“Cheesy” Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
Ingredients:
Broccoli, cut into small florets
Cauliflower, cut into small florets
Saturated fat of choice for roasting
salt and pepper
Nutritional yeast
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Place broccoli and cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and coat with oil, spices, and nutritional yeast. Roast for 35-40 minutes.  Enjoy!

Bell Pepper Boats

Leave a comment
Are you getting tired of recipes that aren’t recipes?  I hope not, because I post this stuff for you guys!  I’ve shared this idea tons of times, but I figured it’s helpful to have it on the list of snacks (or quick meal ideas).  Nature has created perfect portable options for us that are free of plastic, free of lids, free of hassle.  Sometimes people don’t have time to cook, and throwing fresh ingredients together can be a great option to get clean food in your belly without much hassle.  Feel free to stuff your boats with whatever you have on hand: tuna salad, leftovers, ceviche, store-bought guac, scrambled eggs, etc.
Bell Pepper Boats
Ingredients:
1 bell pepper, halved lengthwise and core removed
1 avocado
salt and pepper
cilantro
optional: lime, tomato
Directions:
One the bell pepper has been halved, fill it with half the avocado and mash it up a bit in each boat.  Top with salt and pepper.  Enjoy like this or add cilantro, fresh lime juice, tomato, tuna….whatever floats your boat!

Kale, Strawberry, Avocado Salad w/Chia Citrus Dressing

Leave a comment
Once again, a recipe that isn’t really a recipe!  However, kale is super easy to grow and strawberry season is around the corner.  If this salad convinces you to grow some kale or eat some organic berries, then my job here is done.  Since I am a crazy person in the kitchen, I don’t measure anything.  You shouldn’t either.  You know what you like, give yourself enough to have multiple elements in every bite and a little extra of the things you enjoy the most. That wasn’t technical, but it works everytime. Kale (or any winter green) is bitter, so you need some sweetness and some acid to balance it out.  The strawberries could be switched for whatever fruit you have on hand.  The lemon in the dressing could be switched for your favorite vinegar.
Kale, Strawberry, Avocado Salad w/Chia Citrus Dressing
Ingredients:
kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
organic strawberries, hulled, halved
avocado, diced
a couple glugs of EVOO
juice of half a lemon
zest of a lemon
pinch of salt and pepper
dollop of honey
1/4 tsp chia seeds
Directions:
Chop all the salad ingredients into bite size pieces and toss together.  Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad.  Kale is hearty, so even a dressed salad can store nicely in the fridge.

Minestrone Soup

Leave a comment
I’ve been getting red peppers like crazy from the CSA!  This soup was born out of the need to use them up in addition to loving the roasted red pepper taste they provide.  This is also an awesome recipe to consider for using any homemade chicken stock you may have in the freezer.  Homemade stock has so many healing properties to it, that it should be a staple in every family home.  That is where the whole idea of having chicken soup when you’re sick comes from!  Unfortunately, those boxed stocks from the store don’t have all the components that you get in homemade.  It’s definitely worth the effort!  Also, my soup has chickpeas in it because when I took all that time to soak them for hummus, I put a couple containers in the freezer.  You could easily leave out the beans….or take the time to soak them as a healthy addition.
I adapted this recipe from one of the greats: Racheal Ray.  I did mine a little bit different, but I definitely used hers as a template.
Minestrone
Ingredients:
4 slices of pastured bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
1 bay leaf
1-2 cups of soaked chickpeas
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed and chopped
1/2 cup homemade tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
6-8 cups of homemade chicken stock
4 roasted red peppers (or a jar), pureed
salt and pepper
Directions:

In a large stockpot, brown the bacon until all the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned.  Add in the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and herbs.  Add a pinch of salt and Salt and pepper.  Cook for 7-8 minutes until the veggies softened.  Deglaze the bottom of the pan by adding the wine and scraping the browned bits off of the bottom.  Add in the beans, chicken stock, tomato sauce, and pureed roasted red peppers. Let simmer until everything is warmed through and incorporated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Top each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil!