Recipes – Page 28 – Simply Norma

Shredded Beef Tacos

This Slow Cooker Shredded Beef recipe was easy to make (isn’t everything that’s made in a crockpot easy to make?) and tasted so delicious that I asked my son if we could please have it again as soon as possible. Â (It hasn’t happened yet as he wants to continue trying new recipes).

The ingredients have a little something for everyone. Like guacamole? It’s there. Fresh salsa? Yup, it’s there too. Seasoned beef? You got it!

We did not use tortillas because we’re still on the paleo diet so instead we piled the beef and other ingredients on top of lettuce.

I am still longing for the day when my son makes this again as it is at the top of my recipe list.

Maple and Mustard Glazed Salmon

How many glazes can you find for fresh salmon? The more, the merrier, no? It’s always fun to try new ones to see how your palette reacts to them.

Using pure maple syrup, thisÂ Maple and Mustard Glazed SalmonÂ had a nice touch of sweetness to it.

The salmon was served with steamed broccoli and mashed parsnips — two of my favorite vegetables.

In my humble opinion, salmon can be paired with just about any vegetable and taste good. Have you ever had something unusual as a side with salmon? I’d love to hear about it.

Chunky Chicken Soup

This Chunky Chicken SoupÂ was a delight to have on a cold Minnesota night. Large chunks of chicken, carrots and parsnips gave it a lot of flavor. This was the first time I had parsnips in soup and I approve. Although the flavor was subtle you could still taste it.

The soup was served with aÂ Fresh Citrus and Cranberry SaladÂ that included cranberries, oranges and baby arugula (to name a few of the ingredients).

The soup and salad were paired well together.

With the salad, make sure you add the oil a little at a time so you can taste it to make sure you don’t add too much for your taste, otherwise you’ll have a soggy salad.

Paleo Carrot Cake

My husband recently had a birthday so my son made him his favorite cake — carrot cake. Â Well, it was a paleo carrot cakeÂ but did taste very much like “regular” carrot cake without being too dense. Â The cake is sweetened with pure maple syrup which is okay to have on a paleo diet.

I especially liked the vanilla cream frosting because it wasn’t too sweet like cream cheese frosting normally is. This frosting is made with coconut milk and honey but didn’t taste like coconut to me.

The cake tastes really good served warm also.

I have to admit that I had my doubts about whether this cake would be edible but it was very very good.

Almond Blueberry Crumb Muffins

Well, I have to say that these were not the moistest blueberry muffins I have ever had. The paper liner got stuck to the muffin so I had to scrape it off with a knife. Â Once I did that, I thought the muffin was “okay” — not spectacular but okay. The rest of the family disagreed and thought the muffins weren’t very good.

I find that it is difficult to enjoy the taste of paleo bread once you’ve had the “real” thing. Do you think it’s because the almond or coconut flours that are used to make paleo bread don’t “feel” as moist in the mouth? I believe that probably would depend on what else is in the ingredients to make it moist, no?

Any thoughts on this?

Paleo French Toast

Awhile back, we made some paleo banana bread that turned out very good and was quite moist.

When my son suggested that I make french toast with it, I was doubtful that it would 1) hold together like “regular” bread and 2) tastes good. Â I was wrong.

I sliced the banana bread a little thicker than I normally would then dipped it in my french toast batter which consisted of:

2 eggs
3 tablespoons almond milk
Pinch of Salt
Cinnamon (as much or as little as you like)

It came out tasting quite nice served with fresh melon and turkey bacon.

I guess it’s not too late to teach an older person new recipes.

Chicken Puttanesca with Asparagus

Tender grilled chicken breasts with Italian seasonings make for a scrumptious Chicken Puttanesca. The recipe includes kalamata olives which I enjoy.

The chicken puttanesca was served with asparagus which we’ve been having a lot more of lately. Â I never used to like asparagus but my palette is changing and I’m starting to enjoy it. The asparagus was served with an almond and sun-dried tomato sauce. (Not sure if you notice in the picture, but I had added some of the sauce over the chicken also …) Â Yum!

I never used to make enough food to have leftovers because they always seemed to not get eaten. But, I am appreciating that when my son cooks, he makes enough so that we can have leftovers for breakfast and/or lunch. It does save both time and money that way, doesn’t it?

Anyway — another great Paleo meal!

Lemon Dill Salmon with Asparagus

A paleo diet requires variety — at least for me. Having salmon is a real treat especially when it’s paired with tender asparagus. Yum!

The originalÂ Lemon Dill Salmon recipe was paired with cauliflower rice and kale but I much prefer the simplicity of having Roasted AsparagusÂ instead.

I find that the simpler the meals, the better my taste buds understand what it is they’re eating. And we all know that we want to satisfy our taste buds, right?

For me, salmon is king. (Hey, I just made a funny joke … I wonder if I’m the only one who got it?) hehehe

Paleo Homemade “Lara” Bars

My husband brought me a Lara BarÂ as a snack from the store and I wasn’t very impressed with it. Perhaps it was the particular kind but it felt dense and heavy on my tongue.

My son, on the other hand, made paleo “Lara” bars at home and these tasted delicious. They are meant to be eaten as a snack in between meals or even as a dessert and can contain pineapple, apples, cherries, etc. And they are healthy!

Either way — homemade ones seem (to me) to taste a lot better than the store bought ones. So if you’re looking for a really good paleo snack — make a homemade “Lara” bar!

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Pumpkin Chicken Chili with Cornbread

I would never have thought to put pumpkin and chili in the same recipe — not in my wildest dreams.

This pumpkin chicken chili was actually good although it was quite thick and, although the recipe didn’t call for it, we included squash with the ingredients. I think next time I would water it down just a tad. Otherwise, good chili!

When I was asked what I wanted to have with the chili I automatically said cornbread although I knew that we were keeping corn out of our paleo diet for right now. My son did find a recipe for “corn” bread though that actually tasted very good and was quite moist! I was surprised how much I liked it.

It doesn’t look much like cornbread though, does it? That’s okay. The important thing is that it tasted good, right?

Pumpkin Chicken Chili with Paleo Cornbread

This meal is great on a cold winter night which is just what we’re having.