my leftovers jambalaya

In continuing my 21 day sugar detox, here is a quick dinner I made to use up some of the food in my fridge.

Organic grass fed ground bison, red onions, mushrooms, garlic, & broccoli

Bon appetite! 

blackened chicken & cilantro lime quinoa

Thanks to Pinterest and Sarcastic Cooking, I made this delicious and summery recipe last night.

1. Mix the following rub for 2-3 chicken breasts, depending on size:

• 1/2 tsp of paprika
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of pepper
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp of onion powder (which I didn't have, so used garlic powder instead)
• 1/4 tsp of cumin

2. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with the dry mixture, then add olive oil to a pan or skillet and cook the chicken. 

3. Cook 1 cup of quinoa (rinsed) in 2 cups of organic chicken stock

4. Quinoa dressing: 

• Juice and zest from 2 limes
• A dash of salt and pepper
• 2 T of cilantro, chopped

5. Mix the dressing into the cooked quinoa

6. Serve the chicken on top of the quinoa

7. For added flavor, make this avocado cream sauce: 

• Flesh from an avocado 
• 2 T of Greek yogurt
• Puree in a blender of food processor until smooth. 

8. Serve on top of the chicken 

Bon appetite!

maui day 4: revisited

I've become slightly obsessed with anything macadamia nut, pineapple, or coconut related. This morning I had macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup at Gazebo restaurant in Napili (last night I had macadamia nut ice cream--also delicious!). Good thing I surfed all afternoon to work those pancakes off.

my friend at breakfast, eyeing my pancakes

Yes, I finally got to surf today. We went to Lahaina Harbor--the waves were small but fun, and the water was so warm. A couple of local guys were out there too, and gave me some tips. Lahaina is my favorite town so far--the water is warm, the surf is fun, the people are friendly, and the town reminds me of a larger Balboa Island in Newport Beach with all the fun shops and amazing waterfront restaurants.

looks flat, but there were some small waves off the break wall to the far right

first wave caught of the day

3 hours later and happy

So we had to do the touristy thing and go to a luau, The Feast at Lele. It was a fun experience (one-time). The food was incredible--prepared by Chef James McDonald (I'O & Pacific'O). They served four courses, with each course being celebrated by a dance unique to that island. We were done by 9:00, the town shuts down around 10:00--and that is the late crowd. My kind of people!

the people on the paddle board enjoyed the show from the water

first course

journal entry, day 4

Lahaina on Dwellable

apple dijon bison burger

Here is another delicious healthy recipe from the Caveman that is super easy to make. I made it for dinner last night, and used bison instead of regular ground beef. 

Bon appetite! 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb grass-fed beef
• 1/2 cup shredded apple
• 1/3 cup minced red onion
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 egg

1. Place all the above ingredients except the egg in a bowl and mix well

2. Form 3 burgers, and grill

3. Fry an egg to place on each burger, and serve (I usually serve my burgers on lettuce)

zucchini & beef burgers

I'm always trying to find ways to eat more veggies and incorporate them into more of my meals. If you're like me (or more likely to have kids like me), and don't care for zucchini this is a great way to sneak in some veggies.

• 1 zucchini, grated
• 1 lb organic grass fed ground beef
• Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
• Mix in a bowl, and make patties
• Grill in a pan (bbq might be a little hard as they don't hold together tightly)

I added grilled onions and avocado, and served on a bed of lettuce

Bon appetite!

"spaghetti" with roasted red pepper sauce

Here is a recipe I made a couple of weeks ago from Civilized Caveman’s collection. It was delicious, so I'm making it again (doubling it this time, to freeze half for another day)! You can use grass fed beef, turkey, or bison. I added mushrooms I had to the sauce. The spaghetti squash is super easy to cook too. Bon Appetit!

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 Spaghetti Squash, cooked and shredded
• 1 Lb Grass Fed Ground Beef
• 1 Roasted Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 Roasted Serrano Chile Pepper, diced
• 1 Onion, diced
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 20 Ounces tomatoes, diced
• 6 Ounces of tomato paste
• 1 Tsp Thyme
• 1 Tsp Oregano
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Process:
1. Cook your spaghetti squash following the instructions above and set aside
2. In a sauce pan over medium heat saute your onions, garlic, and peppers until your onions are translucent.  You can saute them in the oil of your choice
3. Once translucent add in your ground beef and saute until your beef is cooked through
4. Add in all remaining ingredients and stir well, cover and let simmer for 10-20 minutes stirring occasionally
5. Plate your spaghetti squash and spoon your sauce over the top

pork meatloaf-style burgers

This is a recipe I made up a while ago, and it varies a little each time I make it depending on what I have in my kitchen. The amounts can vary as well depending if you want more or less veggies in your patties. Play around with it and see what you like. Here is tonight's hearty version:

2 organic carrots, minced
4-5 small organic mushrooms, minced
1/2 organic onion (red or yellow), minced and lightly sauteed in coconut oil
lots of minced garlic, sauteed with the onion
1/2 serrano chili, sauteed
1/2 cup organic green lentils (cooked)
1 lb ground grass fed pork

Mix together in a bowl, and divide into patties

Heat a grill pan, melt coconut oil, and add patties. I love the flavor of the coconut oil with the pork and veggies.

Serve on a bed of organic baby spinach

cauliflower + carrot puree

Tonight's recipe since I have both of these ingredients in my fridge: Cauliflower + Carrot Puree

• 4 tablespoons of butter 
• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut up into florets
• 3 large carrots, cut into small chunks
• 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup organic chicken broth
• 1/4 cup water
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Splash of heavy cream (optional)

Chop veggies and melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large stock pot over medium heat. Drop the veggies, broth, and water into the pot. When the liquid boils, cover the pot, turn down the heat to low, and let everything simmer until softened (25-30 min). Make sure your pot doesn't dry out!

Add another tablespoon of butter, heavy cream, salt, and pepper and blend all ingredients with an immersion blender (I will have to use my Kitchen Aid), and blend until smooth

Thank you NOM NOM PALEO for this recipe!