Molasses Marinated Flap Steak

Flap meat has become another staple food item from Costco. It is such great, tasty and affordable meat. I usually get two good sized dinners out of it, too! It cooks quick and is excellent marinated and grilled. I was super happy with how this marinade turned out. I quickly combined meat and marinade in the morning and the steak was ready to grill when I got home! Oh how I love easy, tasty meals like these! ... Especially on days when my cooking motivation is low. I'm blaming it on all the rowing we did in CrossFit this morning! :-)

Marinade ingredients:

1/2 C Molasses

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T dried oregano

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1 T lemon juice

2 cloves crushed, and roughly chopped garlic

1-2 pounds flap meat

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over flap steak. Marinate in a plastic bag for about 6-8 hours. In a grill pan or on the barbecue over medium-high heat, grill the flap steak, about 4 minutes on each side. It cooks quickly, so don't over cook! Enjoy with Paleo sides of your choice! Hope you give it a try!

Pass around the Paleo Pumpkin Pie!

We enjoyed this Christmas Eve. I've tried several recipes for Paleo pumpkin pie, and this is my very favorite so far! This dessert impressed our non-Paleo guests as well! Let's just say, we licked the pie plate clean! Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

Crust:

1 1/2 C almond meal

1/4 C melted butter (organic, pasteurized, unsalted free range churned butter)... for added benefits! :-)

1 T coconut crystals

Filling:

1 1/2 C organic pumpkin puree

3 eggs

1 C coconut milk

1/2 C agave (or honey)

1 T arrowroot powder

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine melted butter, almond meal and coconut crystals, mix well. Pour into a 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Use your fingers to press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. In a separate bowl, combine filling ingredients. Gently pour filling into the the crust (I had a little leftover filling). Bake for 50-60 minutes (until center of the pie is set). About half-way cooking time, attach a few strips of aluminum foil around the edges of the pie, to prevent the crust from burning. Serves 8! So so yummy. Happy Holidays!!!

Paleo Spiced Nuts

Spread some Paleo cheer this season! This is a great gift idea for your Paleo friends...

Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

egg white from one large egg

2 1/2 C assorted unsalted nuts (I used almonds & pecan halves)

1/4 C *Raw Coconut Crystals (I found this at New Leaf Market... they probably have it at Whole Foods, too)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat egg white until foamy. Combine all remaining ingredients, except nuts. Whisk into egg white. Stir in almonds and pecans until well coated. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn down temperature to 250 degrees. Toss and separate nuts with a metal spatula. Return the nuts to the oven and bake for about 10 more minutes, until medium brown. Remove form oven and toss again. Let them cool. They will crisp as they cool. Break up any that stick together. Store at room temperature, in an airtight container. Makes 2 1/2 Cups. I suggest making an extra batch or two! Divide, put in a decorative package and give to your Paleo friends!

*

Pork Chops and Apricots

Ack, I forgot the rosemary!!! Darn it... My whole goal was to create a pork chop dish combining some savory winter herbs with something sweet like apricots or cranberries. I was out of cranberries, but I had plenty of dried apricots. It turned out great and I didn't even realize I forgot the fresh rosemary until I sat down to write this post! I bet the rosemary would have made it awesome! I bet cranberries would be good, too. Hope you enjoy...

Recipe:

5-6 pork chops, trim the fat (optional).

1 T olive oil

1/2 C white wine

1/2 C pineapple juice

1/2 C dried apricots, minced (I used my mini food processor to get the apricots very finely minced)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

3 T Italian Parsley, fresh chopped

3 T Rosemary, fresh chopped *don't forget! :-)

freshly ground black pepper (be liberal)

pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork chops with some salt and pepper and place in a baking dish. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add apricots and fresh herbs (rosemary and parsley). Saute for a few minutes and then add the wine and juice. Bring to a quick low boil and then immediately remove from heat. Pour the sauce over the pork chops and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until done. Yum...

Shrimp & Cabbage Stir Fry

Oooops. I forgot to take something out of the freezer, and I had NO idea what to do for dinner! Ever have one of those nights? I used another great shopping staple from Costco... frozen shrimp! It is super quick to thaw and doesn't take long to cook. This was made up on-the-spot, with ingredients I had on hand (lots of miscellaneous veggies). I am happy to report that is was VERY tasty. Hope you enjoy our last minute, unplanned creation! Paleo meals CAN most definitely accommodate our busy lives. It doesn't hurt to keep some easily thawed items in the freezer for emergencies! :-)

Now, I'm off to bed... a bit sore from today's Turkish Get-Ups!

Recipe:

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 C mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup cashews, raw, unsalted

1/2 C fresh Italian parsley, chopped

~1 lb. shrimp

1 small head cabbage, chopped

1/4 tsp. red chile flakes

2 T coconut aminos ("Coconut Secret" soy sauce substitute)

1 tsp. wasabi

Pinch sea salt

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute garlic and shallots. Add peppers, mushrooms, cashews and Italian parsley. When mixture looks thoroughly sauteed (about 5 minutes) remove to a separate dish and add a little more olive oil to skillet. Saute shrimp and cook until just no longer pink, and remove. (I do not like over-cooked shrimp... too rubbery!). Now add cabbage to skillet (maybe a tad more olive oil). Let the cabbage cook down a bit (about 8 minutes). While that's cooking combine wasabi, chili flakes, sea salt and coconut aminos. Now add all ingredients back to the cabbage saute. Mix well, making sure everything is thoroughly heated and well blended. Serve up, and enjoy!

Festive Rolled Flank Steak with Spinach

Tonight's dinner was fun and even a bit festive! We always buy flank steak when we go to Costco. It guarantees at least two dinners, and it has become one of my favorite cuts of meat! It's incredibly versatile and always so delicious!

Recipe:

about 2 lbs. Flank steak

1- 10 oz. box frozen spinach, chopped

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped, reserve fat

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt (optional)

3 pieces baking string

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a cast-iron or heavy skillet, cook bacon slices. When bacon is done, remove and set aside to cool. Set the skillet aside, reserving the bacon fat. Follow instructions on package to thaw & steam frozen spinach. Set aside. In a separate skillet, saute shallots and garlic in olive oil. Add spinach. Chop bacon and add to skillet. Mix all ingredients well and set aside. Rub some salt, pepper, and garlic powder on flank steak. Spread spinach mixture over flank steak. Roll steak lengthwise, and secure with string. Heat bacon fat back up in skillet over med-hi heat and brown flank steak on all sides. Put browned flank steak in a baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes (until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees). Cut the flank roll into pretty pinwheel steak slices!

It turned out festive looking and was very tasty... hope you enjoy!

Crab Salad

'Tis the season... Crab season that is! The cracking and the digging and the prepping is the hardest part! But WELL worth it. (Especially since Scott did it). :-) Crab salad is just the best!

There really isn't a recipe for this... it's just a bed of lettuce with:

crab (we bought two crabs, cracked and shelled)

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

artichoke hearts (packed in water & quartered)

... anything else you would like!

We used a tad of rice vinegar as dressing, topped with some cracked black pepper!

Delicious!

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Spinach & Sausage

Winter vegetables are the best! This was meant to be an easy, don't have to think-to-hard kind of dinner! But it turned out to be a delicious "where-did-this-come-from?" kind of treat!?!

I love pleasant surprises! WOW, acorn squash is really good! This recipe also has a lot of room for fun and interesting variations... Have fun with it! I know I'll be making this again! Hope you enjoy.

Recipe:

1 large acorn squash

1 lb. sausage (I used an Italian pork sausage)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1- 10 oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

pinch sea salt (optional)

1 tsp. olive oil

1/4 c water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut acorn squash lengthwise and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a baking dish. Add water to pan. bake for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onions. Add sausage and cook until crumbly. Steam frozen spinach slightly or microwave with a little water until thawed and ready to add to saute pan with onions and spinach. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Remove squash from the oven. Turn over, so that cut side is up. Fill centers with the sausage mixture and return to oven. Cook for an additional 20 minutes (until squash is truly tender).

Serves two. (I suggest doubling). :-)

Enjoy!!!

Chicken, Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya

I have been craving Jambalaya! On these cold days, there is nothing better to warm you up! It's spicy and hearty and absolutely deliciously satisfying! I cooked it in my crock pot, too. Which allowed me to take my time cooking it throughout the afternoon. I just added the delicate ingredients, that I didn't want to overcook, close to serving time. Stay warm and enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts

2 sausages (any variety)

1 lb. raw, peeled shrimp

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes

4 C chicken broth

2 tsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 C spinach

2 C cauliflower rice

1+ T Cajun seasoning (I made my own)... combine following spices:

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. paprika

In a large skillet, saute onions, garlic and bell pepper in olive oil. Add to crock pot. Brown chicken breasts on both sides in skillet, cut into bite sized pieces and add to crock pot. Cook sausage, slice and add to crock pot. Now add chicken broth, tomatoes, and cajun seasoning to crock pot. Cook on high for about 1 hour. Turn crock pot to low. Lastly, about 30 minutes before serving, saute shrimp. Add cooked shrimp, spinach and cauliflower rice to crock pot. Cook for about 15 more minutes! This recipe is sure to help you stay warm this winter! Cozy up and enjoy! :-)