Homemade Spaghetti-O's

Okay, obviously this isn't PALEO!  But it's cheap and fast, and kids love it. This falls into my "at least it's not fast food" category...

1 lb ground beef

garlic powder

salt

3 cans tomato soup (please use one without HFCS)

8 oz cheddar cheese, grated

1 lb macaroni

Brown ground beef and season with garlic powder and salt. Boil macaroni. Heat tomato soup with cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Mix all together.

Marinated Zucchini

1 lb zucchini

olive oil

salt and pepper

Julienne zucchini.  (Or use peeler to slice off thin strips.)  Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15 minutes.  Squeeze dry with paper towels.  Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with pepper.  Let sit in refrigerator 1 day to soften.

This is a good quick filling for omelets or paleo crepes.  It's also good with Savory Cashew Cheese on top for a quick snack.

Savory Cashew Cheese

I've been toying with nut cheese for a while, not with much success. Too many steps, and I'm too distracted! But this one is a success, thanks to a brilliant shortcut using probiotics to start the fermentation. It's yummy! Trust me ... try it!

Based on Chad Sarno's recipe. He has some good ideas on plating it.

2 cups raw cashews

1/2 tsp powdered probiotics

1/2 tsp onion powder

pinch nutmeg

1 tsp sea salt

Soak cashews in filtered water overnight (12-14 hours). Drain and rinse. In high-speed blender, mix cashews and probiotics. Add water by the tablespoon until it reaches good blending consistency. Put in glass bowl (lightly covered) and leave out overnight to culture.

Mix in rest of ingredients and chill until set.

This cheese can be used as the base for many dips, including a cashew mayonnaise.

Salmon Croquettes

I made this one day for my kids as a tribute to my Nannie, and they loved them. My base recipe is Alton Brown's Tuna Croquettes.    Another yummy version is Salmon Cakes With Homemade Ginger Mayo.

1 large can salmon (10-14 oz)

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 eggs

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

2 pieces stale bread (or 3/4 cup bread crumbs)

olive oil

Remove the large bones and skin from the salmon. Stir the rest vigorously to break up smaller bones (these can be eaten and are great for calcium, but you don't want little ones getting one caught!). Add mustard, eggs, lemon juice and salt.

Use food processor to grind up bread pieces into crumbs. Mix in with salmon.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan, enough to cover bottom. Use an ice cream scoop to dish out scoops of salmon mixture into the oil. Let cook until brown, then flip, and flatten (2-3 min). Let cook a few minutes (2-3 min), then flip back over and finish cooking (2-3 min).

PALEO OPTION: omit bread crumbs; use 1 T coconut flour.  I also use Ezekiel Bread crumbs as a compromise.

ALLERGY OPTION: use paleo option; replace eggs with Flax Eggs*

*Flax Eggs: 1 egg = 1 Tbsp ground flax seed in 3 Tbsp hot water; let sit 2-3 minutes until gelled.

Iced Green Tea

Makes 1 gallon.  Serving is 8 oz.

The best way to ruin this tea is to use cheap honey.  MUST HAVE local, raw honey of a good flavor. 

3 bags green tea

2 bags Tazo Zen green tea

1/8 cup honey

Bring 6 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat. Steep tea bags for a minimum of 30 minutes, up to half a day for a stronger tea. Pour honey into 1 gallon pitcher. Strain tea bags and pour tea into pitcher. Stir until honey is dissolved. Add cold water to fill pitcher and stir.

Curried Carrot Salad

4 large carrots, peeled and shredded

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

1/4 cup tahini

1-2 tsp curry powder*

1 oz lemon juice

1 oz maple syrup

pinch of kosher salt

dash of cayenne

Combine carrots, raisins, and seeds in a bowl. Mix tahini with rest of ingredients; pour over carrot mixture and stir to combine. This keeps for a long time in the refrigerator, so I make a large batch.

*add curry to your taste. If you love it, add 2 tsp. If you prefer a subtle flavor, add 1.

Alternatively, you can mix the sauce and keep it separate, using it as a dip for carrots, celery, etc.

Guacamole

3 avocadoes

1 lime

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp cayenne

Use fork to mash avocadoes. Add rest and mix. Freeze leftovers in ice cube tray portions to use later (thaw at room temp).

Biscuits - With Whole Grain Flours

I use this recipe to make a drop biscuit. You could roll it out and cut to make layered biscuits if desired.

1 + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup spelt flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 + 1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp butter (cold)

1 + 1/4 cup whole buttermilk

1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Use a cheese grater (large holes) to grate the cold butter into the flours, stirring occasionally to prevent clumping. Stir until mixture resembles coarse meal, with bits of butter pea-sized (required minimal stirring - do not overmix).

Add buttermilk and honey. Stir until all bits of dry flour are combined. Use ice cream scoop (disher) to measure out biscuits onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until the tops are golden. (In my oven, I move the rack up to the upper third of the oven to bake these).

Chicken Breakfast Sausage

Makes about 10 patties.  (I also make mini meatballs with these -- using a tiny scooper -- and boil them in chicken broth for breakfast meatballs. )

This sausage has more subtle flavors than storemade sausage. Adjust according to your preferences.

1 lb ground chicken*

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp sage

1/4 tsp marjoram

1/4 tsp all-spice

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 T maple syrup

1/2 T olive oil
optional: sprinkle of cayenne

Mix spices together and sprinkle over ground chicken. Stir to combine. Add liquids and stir until mixed. Cook on griddle over medium-high heat. Use an ice cream scoop (disher) to create uniformly sized balls. Cook on one side until browned; flip and press down to flatten. Cook until browned, then flip back over to finish cooking.

*I have had the best luck with freshly ground chicken thighs. Ask the butcher to grind them for you. Another good option is the ground chicken from Perdue ... the darker colored "ground chicken", not the "ground chicken breast". Do not use the "kosher" ground chicken at Whole Foods... it is brined and the salt content is too much for this dish.

Pancakes - With Whole Grain Flours

This recipe uses flours. If you prefer to use the whole grains, see Pancakes - With Soaked Whole Grains.  Pancakes are obviously not PALEO.  But sometimes my kids need to have pancakes.

1 cup whole wheat flour*

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup buttermilk (can sub with another 1/2 cup whole milk)

1/2 cup whole milk
3 Tbsp butter (melted)

1 egg

Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Stir in milk. Stir in melted butter. Add eggs. Mix until well combined.  Cook on griddle over medium high heat.  Makes about 10 pancakes (using ice cream scoop to measure).

I  often replace 1/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup almond meal for a higher protein pancake.

Pancakes - With Soaked Whole Grains

This recipe uses unprocessed grains. If you prefer to use flours, see Pancakes - With Whole Grain Flours.  Obviously not PALEO, but this is a good option if you really feel like you need a cheat.  Soaking the grains minimizes the gluten and phytic acid content.

1/3 cup wheat berries

1/3 cup oat groats

1/3 cup buckwheat

1/8 cup flaxseed

Combine in bowl. Cover with:

1/2 cup whole milk buttermilk

1/4 cup water

Add more water by the Tbsp to make sure grains are thoroughly wet. Cover; soak overnight.

Next morning, scoop whole grain mixture into high speed blender.

Add:

1/2 cup whole milk

Blend until smooth.

Add:

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp maple syrup

3 Tbsp butter, melted

Blend until combined. Scrape down as needed.

Add:

1 egg

Blend until combined.

Cook on griddle on medium to medium-high heat. These pancakes may need to cook slightly longer at a slightly lower temperature than other pancakes.