Salmon with Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Spears & Sauteed Spinach

I thought this was a hearty and decadent meal. It seemed the right thing to do for a Holiday! If you enjoy bacon (and I haven't met anyone who doesn't) then I promise you will love this!

The bacon-wrapped asparagus spears make a great appetizer, too! (I know what I'm bringing to my next Paleo party!)

Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients

1 large Salmon filet (wild-caught)

1 T spicy stone ground mustard

1 T capers

1 package bacon, uncured (reserve two slices for the spinach)

1 bunch asparagus (on the thicker side)

1 T olive oil

1 bunch fresh baby spinach (or 9oz pre-washed bag)

2 cloves garlic, minced

(2 sliced cooked bacon)... chopped

ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush mustard on fish and top with capers and black pepper. Bake salmon for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn on Broiler. Cut bacon slices in half and wrap around a piece of asparagus. Place on a broiler pan. Broil for about 10 minutes, or until bacon browns. When bacon is browned, turn asparagus over and broil for another 10 minutes (or so) to brown the bottom side. Set aside. Put salmon back under the broiler for just about 5 minutes to brown the mustard topping. Serve with bacon-wrapped asparagus spears and sauteed spinach.

Spinach~

I cooked up a couple extra pieces of bacon to add to the spinach! Heat olive oil in a pan and saute garlic. Add spinach and toss until it cooks down. Toss in the bacon pieces!

Absolutely yummy!

Baja Cod Filets

I can't claim this recipe... This is 100% Scott's incredible creation! I was just the Sous-chef in the kitchen watching it all happen before my very eyes! He had a vision, and a plan... and it played out great! He deserves an A+ for this Paleo creation, which he calls Baja Cod. Hope you'll give it a try! It's made a place on my "favorites" list! Enjoy... (and thanks for cooking, Scott).

Recipe:

4-6 Cod filets

1/2 Red onion, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 T olive oil

2 tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 Bunch fresh cilantro

about 2 T lime juice

about 2 T tequila

~2 tsp. chipotle seasoning

~1 tsp. black pepper

Pinch sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season fish filets with chipotle, ground black pepper, and salt. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet. Quickly brown fish, about 2-3 minutes, on each side (seering on the spices). Place in a baking dish, and put in the oven. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Deglaze the fish pan with lime juice (scraping loose all the tasty bits). Add onions, garlic and jalapeno peppers to pan. Saute until soft, and liquid is almost gone from pan. Now add the tequila, mix well and pour saute mixture over cod filets and continue baking for their remaining time. Combine tomatoes, avocado and cilantro. When there is about two minutes left for the fish, add the tomato mixture over the top... and serve! Yum.....

Great served with cauliflower rice and some sauteed veggies! :-)

Paleo Salmon Florentine

Wow... I highly recommend this meal! I was just using up some ingredients I had on hand and got totally lucky! The kids were away for the evening, so I only needed a meal for two! I happen to have two perfect salmon filets in the freezer for just such an occasion! ... the only bummer is that this didn't yield lunch leftovers for tomorrow (so, I cooked up some extra sausage and leftover veggies).

But WOW... I hope you try this! :-)

Recipe:

2 salmon filets

1 T olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil

9 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I used both cremini and baby portobello's... leftover from the other night!)

9 oz. baby spinach, fresh

1/4 C coconut milk

3 T white wine

spices: about 1/4 tsp. each!

sea salt (optional)

pepper (fresh ground)

cayenne pepper

paprika

garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a saute pan, heat olive oil, and saute onion... add garlic, and cook until translucent. Add sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. Add a splash (about 3 T white wine), cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are soft and tender. Now add spinach and cook until wilted. Pour coconut milk over everything and mix well. Pour all ingredients onto a baking dish. Place salmon filets over top of spinach mixture and sprinkle with spices. Bake for 15 minutes. (We also very simply steamed a side of zucchini). Enjoy!

Spicy Snapper

Tonight's dinner was SO yummy. I love snapper! Especially "spicy snappy snapper". It was delicious, sweet, spicy and medicinal even. It totally helped take my mind off my soreness for awhile. YES, I'm still sore from Monday's sprints. In fact, my pain has just managed to grow!.... I never realized what an all over workout sprints are?!?!

Recipe:

4 red snapper filets

Spices:

ground cumin, garlic powder, ground chili pepper, cracked black pepper, and sea salt (optional)

-Season fish on both sides with spices, and set aside

2 tsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 anaheim pepper, chopped

jalapeno pepper, minced (depending on your heat thresh-hold)... I only used half!

1/2 to 3/4 can diced tomatoes (organic, low sodium)

2 T lime juice

1/2 C fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Heat olive oil, and saute garlic, onion, and peppers. When vegetable are soft and start to caramelize, add lime juice. Reduce heat and add tomatoes. Mix well and simmer.

Place seasoned snapper filets in the broiler for about 5-7 minutes on each side. Remove from broiler, place in a baking dish and top with spicy vegetable sauce! Bake for about 10 minutes (350 degrees).... just long enough to cook up a veggie side ... We steamed some yellow squash that we tossed with a sauteed onion and some more fresh cilantro!

OH! Don't forget some creamy avocado slices on top! :-)

This was really tasty!!! Hope you enjoy!

Seafood Sausage & Kale Stir Fry

This was another great Trader Joe's find and another quick fix dinner! I got home late tonight and needed a quick and easy dinner. I had never really heard of seafood sausage and was a tad skeptical, but I though it was really good!!!

Recipe:

2 bunches of kale

1 large sweet onion, sliced thin

2 tsp. olive oil

1 package (1 lb.) TJ's Seafood sausage (frozen section)

Brown sausages in a pan with a little oil. Slice and set aside. In another pan, saute onions with olive oil. As they start to caramelize, add kale. Continue cooking for about 8-10 minutes, until kale is soft. Add sausage to pan. Mix well and serve! I squeezed a little fresh lemon juice over the top! Super tasty... hope you enjoy this quick paleo fix! :-)

Marinated Ahi Tuna Steaks with Grilled Artichokes

Our first day back from camping, and although we stuck to our Paleo ways while vacationing.... I still found myself craving a lot of fresh veggies when I got home (it's just not the same roughing it in the wilderness). We kept a lot of non and not-so perishables handy while camping (fruit, dried fruit, nuts, jerky, canned tuna & chicken, eggs, sausage. For dinners we grilled chicken and steaks, with simple side salads. It worked out well!

I've also returned from vacation with a serious craving for fish! I came home from our re-stocking trip to the grocery store with 4 fish dinners for the week! Which I'm really looking forward to eating this week! Yum.

Tonight, Trader Joe's came through again with their marinated Ahi Tuna steaks (I got them in the freezer section). They are simply marinated in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, red chili flakes, salt & pepper.... not too bad at all! Simple, quick, and tasty!

Scott grilled some artichokes to accompany the tuna steaks (sliced in half with a little olive oil, pepper, and garlic powder).... and of course a large side salad! Oh, and lemon slices... which I squeezed over everything!

Enjoy! :-)

Mediterranean Barbecued Salmon

I got this recipe with quick verbal communication between classes from Rachel Frankl (who is also on CF Santa Cruz Central's web site tonight)! Perhaps there are other reasons why she is always one of the first one's to finish a wod with impeccable form! She has an impeccable diet, too! We just can NOT deny that outstanding performance in the gym typically coincides with good nutrition!!! (Especially Paleolithic nutrition standards). Thank you, Rachel for sharing your wonderful, healthy and Paleo-terrific recipes! You're an inspiration... both in the gym, and in the kitchen!!! Thank you and keep up the awesome work! :-)

Recipe:

Salmon filet (cut into about 4oz individual portions)

Place each 4oz portion in its own tin foil wrap, and top with Mediterranean salsa.

Salsa:

2 tomatoes, diced

1 small yellow/sweet onion

2 cloves garlic,l minced

1 Avocado, chopped

Olive oil

some salt & pepper

lemon juice (or lemon slices)

Top each salmon piece with a little olive oil, mediterranean salsa, sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper and place a slice of lemon (or lemon juice) over the top. Seal the tin foil around the filets and barbecue for 12-15 minutes on medium heat. You will be able to hear the juices bubbling in the foil before you take it off the barbecue. Adjust the time and/or heat accordingly. This was delicious! Fresh, fun, simple, and Paleo! ENJOY! :-)

Thank you Rachel!

Sesame Seared Wild Salmon Filets

I sort of felt like this was our "last meal" as I was making dinner tonight. The truth is, tonight was our "pre-Fran" dinner. So you can see how there's not much difference?! Yes, tomorrow's WOD is FRAN (followed by a Lululemon trunk sale) ... which is suppose to make everything all better. But as much as I try... there is still that sense of dred looming over me! However, dinner was great! Healthy fat?... check. Omega 3's?... check. Protein?... check. Vitamin D? ... check. Thrusters & pull-ups? .... we shall see! :-)

Recipe:

2 salmon filets

1 egg

1 T coconut aminos (or water is fine, too)

about 2 T lightly toasted sesame seeds (maybe more)

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp parsley flakes

2-3 tsp olive oil

(cast iron pan if you have one)

Combine sesame seeds, pepper and parsley flakes. In a separate bowl, mix egg with coconut aminos or water. Heat skillet with olive oil. Dip salmon filets in egg mixture and press into sesame mixture (you want the sesame mixture to entirely coat the non-skin side of the salmon). Then place in hot cast iron pan (sesame coated side) and cook for about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 5-7 minutes (skin side down this time). When fish is cooked through and flaky, remove from heat. I flipped it over and pealed the skin off easily (and then flipped it over again to the pretty sesame side). A lot of flippin' .... but it was flippin' good! Hope you enjoy!!!

We enjoyed this with some steamed yellow squash, and fresh cantaloupe slices. YUM.

Paleo Gingered Mahi Mahi filets

4 small Mahi Mahi filets

Sea salt (optional)

black pepper

1 T olive oil

1/4 tsp. arrowroot powder

Marinade:

3 T pineapple juice

3 T coconut aminos (soy sauce substitute)

3 T coconut vinegar

1 T grated ginger

2 cloves crushed and chopped garlic

2 tsp. sesame oil

In a bowl, combine marinade ingredients. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper and add to marinade. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. (During this time, I prepared the cauliflower rice). Heat olive oil in skillet on medium-high heat. Reserve marinade and brown fish for about 5 minutes on each side in hot skillet. Remove from pan and keep warn. In a sauce pan, heat reserved marinade. Whisk in 1/4 tsp. arrowroot powder. Cook until sauce thickens. Pour ginger sauce over Mahi Mahi and serve! (I poured a little of the sauce over the cauliflower rice, too)

Cauliflower rice:

1 head cauliflower

1 small carrots, grated

1 clove garlic, minced

3 scallions, chopped

about 1/4 tsp. coconut vinegar

1 tsp. olive oil

Shred 1 head of cauliflower. Saute green onions, minced garlic and grated carrot in 1 tsp. olive oil. Saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add a splash of coconut vinegar. Add to cauliflower rice and mix well. Heat cauliflower in the microwave or stove top, just until it's heated through. That's it! Hope you enjoy! :-)

Very yummy! My husband made a comment to me tonight that I have to share...

He said, since he's been eating Paleo, he's been eating like a KING!

.... I love it!

Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna Steaks

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Weekend. Mine was full of barbecues and family time! The weather was amazing, so I finally was able to get my hands dirty in the garden! Like a good little CrossFitter, I spent my Monday morning suffering though a hero WOD in honor of our fallen soldiers and those who have dedicated their lives to serve, defend and protect our great nation! And just like a good hero WOD... I'm still suffering. :-)

Murph meets Trevor is a rather ingenious blend of torture! Thanks, Michele! ;-)

Now it is time to recover and eat good paleo food! And this was just the recipe...

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 - 6 oz. tuna steaks

1/4 C Coconut Secret, coconut aminos (love this stuff! ...But I've only been able to find it at the Whole Foods Market on Soquel Avenue).

1 T white wine

1 T organic honey

2 T sesame oil

1 T vinegar (I used coconut vinegar... by Coconut Secret as well)

1 T olive oil

1/4 C sesame seeds

wasabi paste (to desired taste)

Combine coconut aminos, wine, honey, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Divide into two equal parts (eye-ball it). Stir in the vinegar and wasabi paste into on of them and set aside. That will be your dipping sauce. Coat the tuna steaks with the other aminos mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds liberally over tuna. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high (I used my cast iron pan). When oil is hot, sear tuna steaks for about 1-2 minutes on each side. If your tuna is fresh, and of high quality, then you could sear the steaks for only 30 seconds on each side, and serve rare. Place steaks in a warm oven until ready to serve. I served this over a bed of cauliflower rice, and drizzled a little dipping sauce over the top! This was a real treat!

Mallory doesn't even know it, but she gave me this great idea last week when we were talking recipes in the gym! I love talking recipes, and I'm always looking for new menu ideas! So, thanks, Mallory! :-))

*Paleo Challenge is ending.... THIS WEEK.... So, please please please get your final benchmark wods finished! (Jackie, 400m run or 500m row, and deadlifts!) Email me if you have questions or need to schedule your final photo! Congratulations on completing 3 months! I'm looking forward to all the results!

skgreco@comcast.net

Quick Sauteed Scallops & Kale Dinner

This was a quick and easy Paleo meal. Today's CrossFit WOD totally wiped me out, and all I've been thinking about since my 10 am class, was ... BED! I scoured the cupboards and refrigerator and came up with this easy (ingredients on hand) meal. Not too shabby. It has the potential to be great. But tonight, I just needed good. This fit the bill perfectly.

... hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, pulled from stem and torn in large pieces

1/2 yellow pepper

garlic, 2 cloves, minced

Shallots, diced (about 1/4 C)

1/4 C white wine

1 T lemon juice

1/2 lb. scallops (about 14 large)

2 T olive oil, divided

black pepper and sea salt (optional)

Heat 1 T olive oil in pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over scallops. Saute scallops for about 5 minutes, until no longer raw looking. Remove, and set aside. In the same pan, add some more olive oil and saute shallots until they're slightly transparent. Add garlic, saute a couple minutes, and then add the yellow bell pepper... saute a few more minutes. Add wine to the pan, scraping all the flavored bits. Now add the kale and lemon juice. Cover and cook for about 5-8 minutes. When kale is done, add the scallops back to the pan and cook just a bit longer (2-3 minutes).

Garnish with a bit of fresh ground black pepper and serve! Quick - Easy - Paleo ! Enjoy !

Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Weekend!

*Don't forget... next week is the last week of the Paleo challenge!

Make plans to finalize your stats!!! See you next week! :-)

South of the Border Grilled Mahi Mahi

Hola! I'm keepin' it south of the border this week! My frig is packed with peppers, cilantro, tomatoes, avocados & limes. My Pantry is packed with cumin, coriander, garlic and chile! Muy Delicioso!

Here is a recipe recommended to me from CrossFit Santa Cruz Central's Amenah Razeghi. Assuming you like to shop at Trader Joe's (don't we all?)... this is a one stop meal!

This was SO good, Amenah! Thank you!

Recipe:

Frozen mahi mahi package from TJ's

Papaya Mango Salsa, 15oz. in refrigerated section of TJ's

Marinade:

1/4 C lime juice

Chopped fresh cilantro, about 3 T

Crushed garlic, about 3 cloves

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. black pepper

pinch sea salt

Add frozen fish and marinade together in a zip lock bag. Refrigerate all day (turning occasionally). I used my grill pan to cook stove top, but it can also be barbecued! Heat pan, coated with olive oil, to med/hi heat. Grill fish for about 5 minutes on each side. Top with papaya mango salsa and serve!

Amenah served this (and so did I) with grilled zucchini. Which you can either grill along side the mahi mahi or broil. Coat zucchini with lime juice, olive oil, and sprinkle with some cumin and black pepper! Cook 'til crisp/tender.

I also served this with a side salad (tossed with more cilantro, avocado, radishes, cucumber, and tomatoes) and leftover cauliflower rice from yesterday! What an awesome meal! Hope you enjoy! ...We sure did!

Thanks again, Amenah! :-)

Halibut with Hazelnut Crust

Well, Mother Nature can't make up her mind, and neither can I. We had a beautiful warm Spring weekend which put me in the mood for grilled fish with citrus. I bought all the ingredients, and then the weather changed...again! Cold and rainy?! Oh well! We must adapt, so tonight's dinner changed from grilled to baked; outdoors to indoors. It was still very tasty and satisfying, and carried with it a promise of beautiful spring days to come! Halibut is one on my most favorite fish. You really can't go wrong when you cook it! I usually pan fry it, was anxious to grill it, but it was great baked! So nutty, delicious, and paleo... Enjoy! :-)

Recipe:

1-1/2 lb. Halibut filet (about 4-4oz portions, about 1 inch thick)

1 C toasted and finely chopped hazelnuts (I used my mini-food processor)

2 T fresh parsley, chopped (dried parsley leaves are okay, too)

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. grey sea salt (optional)

Grated orange zest (from about 1/2 orange)

1 tsp. olive oil

2 T almond milk, unsweetened

2 egg whites

orange slices, garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease baking dish with olive oil. In a medium shallow bowl, beat egg whites with almond mild. Blend toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and add parsley, salt, pepper, and orange zest. Mix well. Place halibut filets in egg mixture, one at a time, and then press into hazelnut mixture. Really press the nuts all over the halibut filets, and then place in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Halibut will be slightly opaque in center. Garnish with orange slices. We served this with a side of steamed asparagus and a green salad. Give it a try...It's a recipe keeper! :-)

Seasoned Scallops Over Spinach

I still had some leftover bacon from Sunday's wrapped dates, so I thought I'd add it to tonight's dinner. Who ever really gets tired of bacon? Add bacon and Scallops are such a wonderful combination. It made for a tasty and filling Paleo dinner. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

1 lb. scallops

Seasonings for scallops:

1 T dried parsley

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

8 slices bacon

16 oz fresh spinach

1 tsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

splash chicken broth (low sodium, organic)

splash lemon juice

Cook the bacon in a skillet, and set bacon aside, reserving bacon fat! Toss the scallops in the the seasoning mixture until well coated. Brown scallops in the bacon fat until they're cooked all the way though. Remove from heat.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, when onion starts to brown add splash of chicken broth and add spinach. Toss well, and let it cook down. Add scallops to spinach mixture. Add a splash of the lemon juice, serve onto your plate, and sprinkle with a little coarsely chopped bacon pieces.

Poached Salmon

This is Scott's favorite way to cook salmon. He's been making this for years ... and it was paleo all along! It always turns out wonderful. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

Salmon filet (cut into 4oz portions)

The following ingredients are approximates!

1 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T capers

1 tsp ground black pepper

pinch celtic grey sea salt (optional)

2 T lemon juice

2 T white wine

2 tsp. olive oil

We were able to get about 4-4oz. portions out of our filet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fish on their own individual piece of aluminum foil. drizzle a tad (maybe 1/2 tsp) olive oil over each piece of fish. Sprinkle with black pepper, sea salt (optional), shallots, and capers. Add a splash of lemon juice and white wine. (Some fresh parsley would be good, too). Seal up the fish tightly in it's own aluminum foil. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Serve with your choice of sides! Spinach or asparagus are usually our favorites with this dish. Tonight, it was steamed yellow squash.