Thai Steak Salad

This recipe is delicious but a tad bit expensive to make because it calls for flank steak. So … although I really enjoyed it, I probably won’t have it on a regular basis unless I can find flank steak on sale.

I started with the marinade which was pretty simple to make — just tossing a few ingredients together and whisking them.

Marinade
Marinade

Next I combined the cabbage, carrots, mint, cilantro and basil together in a bowl.

After grilling the flank steak, we cut it into thin slices then halved them.

Sliced Grilled Flank Steak
Sliced Grilled Flank Steak

Then it was just a matter of tossing it all together.

Thai Steak Salad
Thai Steak Salad

Truly delicious and great as leftovers also!

I did “paleo-ize” (adapt) this recipe as it had ingredients we don’t normally use in our paleo diet. Ready to try it?

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2-pound flank steak, trimmed
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons liquid aminos
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (your choice what kind)
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 3/4 cup julienne-cut carrots
  • 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions

  1. Sprinkle the steak with pepper and salt.
  2. Grill the flank steak until it’s cooked to your level of doneness.
  3. Remove steak from the grill and let it sit for approximately 5 minutes.
  4. Cut the steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices.
  5. Combine the lime juice and the next 5 ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk to make the marinade.
  6. Combine the cabbage and the remaining ingredients in a separate medium bowl.
  7. Add 6 tablespoons of the marinade to the cabbage mixture and toss it well.
  8. Add the steak to the cabbage bowl along with 2 tablespoons of the marinade and stir to combine this well.

And there you have it! Thai Steak Salad — done the paleo way.

Paleo Egg Salad

Egg salad is always a good lunch meal to have whether its as a sandwich or on a bed of lettuce. This recipe is really quite good. You can spice it up more than I did but I think it had enough “kick” with what I added.

Here are the ingredients I used …

Ingredients
Ingredients

I made my own paleo mayonnaise for this using this recipe although I replaced the canola oil with olive oil (not extra virgen olive oil).

Ingredients

  • 2 Turkey bacon slices, cooked
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 2 tablespoons paleo mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Tapatio)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped

Directions

  1. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.
  2. Remove bacon from the skillet and crumble it into small pieces.
  3. Place bacon in a large bowl.
  4. Stir in the onions and the next 5 ingredients (through salt).
  5. Gently stir in the eggs.

That’s pretty much it! You will enjoy this recipe!

Paleo Egg Salad
Paleo Egg Salad

I adapted my recipe from Egg Salad with Bacon and Sriracha.

Fine Chicken

Ooohhh … what a nice recipe for drumsticks. I remember growing up and taking the drumstick in my hand and just chewing on it. It was a little messy and more cave-man like but  no utensils to clean.

These “Fine Chicken” drumsticks will be coated in a marinade and baked. Very easy and very tasty.

Baked Chicken Drumsticks
Baked Chicken Drumsticks

I served them with a new brussel sprouts recipe that was also easy but made the sprouts more palatable to me. I’m not a big fan of sprouts — normally. The sprouts are cut in half and baked.

Baked Brussel Sprouts
Baked Brussel Sprouts

They came out nice and crispy.

Baked Brussel Sprouts
Baked Brussel Sprouts

Ready for a couple of easy paleo recipes?

Ingredients

  • 10 drumsticks (I used 7 as that’s what came in my package)
  • 2 large shallots, minced
  • 3 onions or scallions, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (original recipe calls for sherry vinegar)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (instead of coconut or avocado)
  • 1 tablespoon liquid aminos (instead of coconut aminos)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Mix the shallots, onions, vinegar, oil, aminos, salt (2 large pinches), fish sauce, and pepper in a large bowl.
  2. Add the drumsticks on top and coat the chicken in the marinade.
  3. Allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
  4. When you’re ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 375 F on convection bake or 400 F non-convection. Arrange the chicken in an oven-safe baking dish and put it in the oven.
  5. Bake the chicken for 40-45 minutes and turn the pieces over halfway through the cooking time.

Pretty simple, no?

Here’s the recipe for the Paleo Crispy Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

  • 20 brussel sprouts, cut in half
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • Sea Salt
  • Ground Pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Cut the brussel sprouts in half and place in a medium sized bowl .
  3. Drizzle with olive oil and add a few dashes of salt and pepper.
  4. Mix the brussel sprouts in the oil to ensure they are evenly coated.
  5. Put the brussel sprouts on a baking sheet and make sure they are evenly spaced then place the baking sheet in the middle rack of your oven.
  6.  Bake for 8 minutes, stir the brussel sprouts around the pan, and bake for another 7 minutes. Make sure to watch so you don’t burn them.

The brussel sprouts recipe was one that I had a good laugh with as Paleo Cupboard ended her instructions with “ Enjoy brussel sprouts for the first time in your life. Send me thank you letters and praise.” I just found that so funny and was glad she ended her instructions in a fun and light note.

Because we had cucumbers and tomatoes in the fridge, I sliced them into large pieces, added a small bit of olive oil and basil then tossed it all together. I enjoyed the combination of these three for dinner.

Baked Chicken with Baked Brussel Sprouts
Baked Chicken with Baked Brussel Sprouts

 

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Well, I recently found a chicken salad recipe to tweak to make it paleo friendly. It’s easy to make and quite tasty. Really. Quite tasty. Perhaps it’s the hint of red pepper flakes and the olives. Yum!

We start with our cast of ingredients …

Mediterranean Chicken Salad Ingredients
Mediterranean Chicken Salad Ingredients (chicken breasts not shown)

Next, we’ll be dicing up the red onion and adding it to the vinegar.

Mix onion and vinegar
Mix onion and vinegar

That’s the hardest part … (laughing)  Ready to try it?

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup minced red onion
  • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon capers
  • 3/4 cup green/black olives, sliced
  • 1 pinch of red chile flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon basil
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Mix the minced onion with the vinegar in a bowl and set it aside.
  2. Bring 1 1/2 quarts of water to a boil and add about 2 tablespoons of salt.
  3. Cut the chicken breasts in half crosswise and place them in the water.
  4. Reduce the heat to low and let the chicken cook very gently, at barely a simmer, for 10-15 minutes, until it’s just cooked through.
  5. While the chicken is cooking, mix the olive oil, capers, olives, chile flakes, and oregano in a large bowl.
  6. When the chicken is done, place it on a cutting board to cool.
  7. Add the onions to the olive bowl mixture.
  8. Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, cut it into small pieces or shred it.
  9. Gently mix the chicken and parsley in with the olive mixture.
  10. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Mediterranean Chicken Salad

This recipe was adapted from Mediterranean Chicken Salad and is a must to try.

Greek Salad

Greek Salad, anyone? This one went perfectly with the Greek Lamb Chops that I made. And so easy! I did use feta cheese although we haven’t introduced too much cheese into our paleo diet yet.

The ingredients are simple enough …

Greek Salad Ingredients
Greek Salad Ingredients (olives not shown)

And for the dressing …

Greek Salad Ingredients for Marinade
Greek Salad Ingredients for Dressing

It all looks so healthy, doesn’t it?

Then you’ll just follow the directions (which are few), toss everything together and … whala! A wonderful Greek Salad.

Greek Salad
Greek Salad

And here’s the recipe for you to try …

Ingredients (for the dressing)

  • Red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon
  • Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
  • Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
  • Oregano, 1 teaspoon
  • Garlic, 1 clove, chopped

Ingredients (for the salad)

  • 1 cup of Spinach
  • 2 medium Tomatoes
  • 1 Green pepper
  • 1 Cucumber
  • 1/4 cup chopped Red Onion
  • Olives, 10
  • Feta cheese, 1 oz

Directions

  1. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together.
  2. Peel and remove the seeds from the cucumber.
  3. Chop all the vegetables coarsely.
  4. Toss the vegetables, cheese and dressing in a large bowl. (Side note: I usually serve my dressing on the side so people can add as little or as much as they want.)

That’s pretty much it! Positively, absolutely delicious!

Greek Lamb Chops with Green Salad
Greek Lamb Chops with Greek Salad

Spicy Drumsticks

The title of this recipe, Spicy Drumsticks, is a misnomer, at least the way the ingredient amounts are listed. There is chili powder used but I think you’d have to use more than the 2 teaspoons in order for it to be really spicy.

But, don’t get me wrong — they tasted great! I’d make them again and again because, quite frankly, I continue to enjoy easy to make recipes since I like to work outside in the yard. In winter when I’m more indoors, I like the more “complicated” recipes.

Ingredients
Ingredients

I served this with roasted asparagus and a Balsamic Heirloom Tomato Salad. So good!

Here’s the recipe for you …

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp butter, melted (you can also use coconut oil)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 10 chicken drumsticks (I only used 7 drumsticks as that’s what came in the package)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and butter.
  3. Add the chicken to the mixture and mix well to ensure all the meat is evenly coated with the seasonings.
  4. Place the chicken drumsticks on a large baking sheet with space in between to prevent overlap.
  5. Cook for about 1 hour, until the chicken is well cooked turning the pieces once during the cooking process.

That’s it! What a fun and easy paleo chicken dinner!

Spicy Drumsticks
Spicy Drumsticks

 

 

Asparagus, Dill, Onion and Egg Casserole

It’s breakfast time! Well, you could make this for a light dinner also but I served it for breakfast. This Asparagus, Dill, Onion and Egg Casserole recipe is light and healthy. Yes, it does take a lot of eggs (one dozen) but we had this for leftovers the following day and the day after. It reheats beautifully.

And not too many ingredients which is my kind of recipe …

Ingredients
Ingredients

You could add more “spice” to this dish like sausage or bits of turkey bacon — let your imagination go wild. I decided to make the original recipe then play with it later.

Ready to try it? Here it is …

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
  • 2 medium yellow onions (I used one large)
  • 1 pound asparagus
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • ¼ cup loosely packed dill leaves, roughly chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and lightly spray a casserole dish with olive oil.
  2. Slice the onions thinly.
  3. Wash the asparagus, cut the bottoms off then slice into 1 inch pieces.
  4. Roughly chop the dill leaves.
  5. Put the cracked eggs in a bowl, add the dill, pepper and salt then beat this all together.
  6. In a large frying pan, add butter or olive oil and once hot add the onions.
  7. Cook the onions until they are translucent. (side comment: I love the word translucent!)
  8. Add the chopped asparagus to the frying pan with the onions in it and cook through until the asparagus is tender (just a few minutes).
  9. Put the onion and asparagus mixture into the greased casserole dish.
  10. Pour the beaten egg batter over the onion and asparagus and stir it around.
  11. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the eggs are set and just starting to brown on top.
  12. Allow this to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

And that would be it!

Asparagus, Dill, Onion and Egg Casserole
Asparagus, Dill, Onion and Egg Casserole
Asparagus, Dill, Onion and Egg Casserole
Asparagus, Dill, Onion and Egg Casserole

Yum! What a great paleo breakfast!

Balsamic Heirloom Tomato Salad

This Balsamic Heirloom Tomato Salad is a great summer salad to make as it can be quickly and easily made.

You need just a few ingredients to get you going …

Ingredients
Ingredients

The original recipe calls for green, yellow and red tomatoes. I used what I had (although it would be a lot prettier with the other colors).

You’ll be draining the tomatoes in a colander with a bowl underneath …

Drain Tomatoes
Drain Tomatoes

And, that’s pretty much MOST of the steps. Here’s the recipe so you can try it …

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 to 2 pounds Heirloom Tomatoes (of different color and variety or just red)
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • Salt
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 pinch of dried oregano
  • Fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems.
  2. Slice tomatoes into halves, quarters or eighths depending on the size of the tomato.
  3. Toss the tomatoes into a colander that sits over a large bowl.
  4. Generously sprinkle the salt over the tomatoes then gently toss and let them sit for 20 minutes. (The salt removes some extra water from the tomatoes and seasons them.)
  5. In another bowl, combine the sliced green onions and garlic.
  6. In a measuring cup combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and oregano and whisk this together until blended.
  7. Put the tomatoes in a bowl then pour the balsamic mixture over the tomatoes.
  8. Toss, season with fresh black pepper and serve.

Quite easy, eh? Yes, yes — easy and simple is always good.

Spinach & Kale Salad with Orange Dressing

I can’t say enough about salads — especially those with nuts and … cheese. Yes, there I said it again. Cheese. I don’t have cheese very often but this salad called for blue cheese and I thought I’d try this Arugula Salad with Orange Dressing.

This was so delicious but I have to confess that I changed the recipe up a bit. The original recipe for the salad calls for a pear and I didn’t have one handy so I left it out and replaced it with dried cranberries and radishes. For the dressing, I used olive oil instead of vegetable or canola to make it paleo friendly along with replacing the sugar with honey. The recipe you see below includes my changes.

It was so delicious! The orange dressing ingredients make quite a bit so I’d half it next time or save some to use in another salad (remember to serve it on the side).

Orange Dressing
Orange Dressing

I used pecans and “candied” them. Click here to read how to do that the “paleo” way.

Candied Pecans
Candied Pecans

So, here’s this easy salad recipe.

Ingredients (for the salad)

  • 12 ounces (total) of arugula/baby spinach leaves (I used spinach and kale instead of arugula)
  • 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
  • 4 ounces caramelized pecans
  • 3 radishes sliced thinly
  • Dried cranberries

Ingredients (for the dressing)

  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

  1. Add all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl and toss to combine.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the dressing ingredients then serve the dressing on the side.
Arugula Salad with Orange Dressing
Arugula Salad with Orange Dressing

Whala! There you have it — easy, delicious and healthy!

 

Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki

Here’s a really really simple recipe for Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki and it requires very few ingredients which is wonderful! I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos instead of soy to be more paleo friendly.

Ingredients
Ingredients (Chicken not shown)

Since I had a can of pineapple chunks instead of crushed pineapple, I simply chopped mine up into smaller pieces.

Now to combine everything together to make the teriyaki sauce …

Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce

The chicken is marinated in the teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes to overnight in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. This will help the chicken to absorbe the flavors.

Marinate Chicken
Marinate Chicken

Next, you’ll be broiling the chicken …

Broil Marinated Chicken
Broil Marinated Chicken

Ready to try this paleo recipe?

Ingredients

  • 1 – 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
  • 3 tablespoons Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions

  1. For the teriyaki sauce, place the crushed pineapple, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic in a bowl then whisk to combine.
  2. Pour half of the teriyaki sauce in a resealable plastic bag and reserve the other half.
  3. Add the chicken breasts to the resealable bag then seal it and give the chicken a good massage to coat with the sauce.
  4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
  5. When ready to cook, turn the broiler on and place the rack in the middle position.
  6. Put the marinated chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet and spoon some of the chunky pineapple/ginger from the marinade on top of the chicken to help keep the chicken moist.
  7. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes on each side for a total of 16-20 minutes.
  8. Discard any remaining marinade in the bag.
  9. While the chicken is broiling, heat the reserved teriyaki sauce in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  10. When the chicken is cooked, slice the chicken, pour the teriyaki sauce over the top and serve immediately (or you can leave it whole).

Simple, eh? I like simple recipes.