Quick Shrimp

I've been cooking for 20 years.   Yet I still find there are things that chefs write off as "simple - everyone knows how to do this!" But I don't.  Cooking yummy, tender, perfect boiled shrimp was one of those things.  Every time I would make shrimp, they were either under-cooked, over-cooked, watery, or tough.  What is this thing that "everyone knows how to do!" but I don't?  After much trial and error, I finally found my perfect (simple!) and foolproof way to make quick shrimp.  These are great for a salad at lunch, or a quick snack for the kids.

1/2 lb frozen shrimp (shells off, tails on, deveined - I get mine at Costco)
1 Tbsp salt

Place frozen shrimp in heat-safe bowl in sink (I use a round, glass corning-ware bowl).  Cover with 1 Tbsp salt and cold water (about 6 cups).  Let sit 30 minutes to thaw and brine. (Make sure this is only 30 minutes - too long and the shrimp will be salty).

Heat 6 cups water to boiling (I use an electric kettle).  Drain shrimp, place back in bowl.  Pour boiling water over shrimp.  Let sit until pink, about 5 minutes. (Longer is ok, if you are temporarily distracted.)  Drain. De-tail.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.  You can throw these in a pan with butter for a quick saute to brown, or eat as is.

Meal Plan - Lunch Template

Lunch 1 (Monday - Tuesday)
Quick Protein to go with a Green Salad
-hamburger patties
-sliced roast beef / philly style
-diced deli meat
-bacon
-baked chicken breasts
-broiled chicken patties
-quick shrimp
-cocktail shrimp

Salad, Tomatoes, Pickles, Sauerkraut (Bubbies)

I usually just put a little homemade mayo on (between 1-3 tsp) and forego the dressing.

-example meals:
BLT Salad
Romaine Lettuce, Quick Shrimp, Spicy Kraut Slaw

Lunch 2 (Wednesday-Thursday)
Quick Protein to make a Mayo- or Oil-Based Meat Salad
-asian chicken salad
-middle eastern chicken salad
-waldorf chicken salad
-curry chicken salad (basic chicken salad with 1 tsp curry, or something more fancy)
-tuna salad
-salmon salad
-shrimp salad

-use raw veggies to dip into salad, or eat on the side

Raw Veggies (carrots, cucumber, celery)

Lunch 3 (Friday)
On The Go (no refrigeration or microwave available)
-deli meat rollups (with butter and pepperoni)
-Snack Sticks
-carrots/apples
-almond butter dip (sweet or spicy)
-trail mix (coconut chips/flakes + beef jerky + dried fruit)

Lunch 4 (Saturday - Sunday)
Leftovers and/or Soups
-creamy chicken crockpot soup
-curry soup
-harira

BLT Salad

2-3 slices bacon
1 (1 oz) slice deli turkey, cut up with scissors
3 cups lettuce
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 Tbsp mayo (or bacon mayo)
salt to taste

Cook bacon as desired. (I microwave it in a pie plate, covered with parchment paper for 3 minutes, or 1 minute per slice).  Cool and crumble.  Mix salad.

Plantain Crusted Chicken Strips (Paleo Chicken Nuggets)

If you need paleo chicken nuggets (with no almond or coconut products), here you go.  Original recipe from Health-Bent using the same technique for making fish sticks.

1 lb chicken cutlets
1 small bag (4 oz?) plantain chips
mix of butter and olive oil
salt
garlic powder
onion powder

Slice cutlets into strips.  Crush chips into crumbs using (1) food processor or (2) ziploc bag + wooden mallet + small child.  Toss chicken strips with crumbs until coated.*

Heat butter and oil (about 1 Tbsp each) in skillet.  Brown strips on one side; flip.  Brown on other side. Reduce heat and let sit until cooked through, a few minutes.  Drain on paper towels.  While still hot, sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.   Add a little extra olive oil to the pan for repeat batches.

When you are done, you will have some plantain crumbs stuck in the pan.  If you want something really yummy, cut up leftover potatoes and cook them in the pan, scraping up the crunchy plantain bits to mix in.  

*My crumbs stick to the chicken ok, but not great.  If you want to make this harder, feel free to dry your chicken and coat with egg wash before dipping in crumbs.  I'm all about creating less dirty dishes, so this is good enough for us.

BBQ Sauce

Original recipe from Health-Bent, where it is called "Almost Paleo BBQ Sauce."  Some borderline ingredients, but still light years better than a store bought sauce.  I prefer the taste of the dry mustard powder over the prepared mustard used in the original.

1 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp dry mustard powder
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
1 T worcestershire sauce
1 T sriracha hot sauce
1/2 cup tomato ketchup

Mix together to use as a sauce in BBQ Chicken.   If you want a second batch to use on the side, heat in a saucepan until warmed and blended.

Banana Bread Paleo Pancakes

I was searching for this recipe the other day, and couldn't believe I hadn't added it here yet!  If you have seen searching for yummy paleo pancakes, look no further.  I think I went through about 15 iterations of pancakes before I found these.  Even in paleo cookbooks that I loved, the pancake recipes were horrible.  Dry, crumbly, disintegrating on the griddle, hockey pucks, tasteless, you name it.   The only caveat is that these really do taste like banana bread.

2 large eggs
1/2 banana, mashed
1/2 cup coconut milk
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1-1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 T ground flax seed
coconut oil

Preheat griddle* on medium heat.

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Stir in coconut milk, vanilla, and mashed banana.  Beat eggs and stir in until well-combined.

Use a paper towel to lightly coat griddle with coconut oil.  Ladle pancakes onto griddle. (I use a disher to simplify this).  Cook until lightly browned, then flip.  (You will know it's time to flip when the edges start to look done, and the middle is still wet but not sloshy).  Cook until done and remove.  Serve with real maple syrup.

*I use the All-Clad Nonstick Griddle.  Yes, it's nonstick.  It's the last nonstick piece of cookware in my house.  One day I'll buy a cast iron one like this, but for now it's what I have!

Spicy Kraut Slaw

I have spent the last 5 years having a love-hate relationship with sauerkraut.  I want to love it, but I hate it.  I tried making my own from scratch, but I don't need one more thing to make from scratch.  I tried Bubbies, which was definitely better than mine, but I still had to force myself to eat it.  Then one day I threw it onto a hamburger patty with some mayo and sriracha, and YUM!  I'm kind of on a jag right now, but this is my new topper for salad.  Throw some green lettuce on a plate, top with Spicy Kraut Slaw, add some protein, and voila, instant lunch.

Serves 1

Bubbies sauerkraut (about 1/2 cup scooped from jar with a fork)
Mayonnaise to taste (anywhere from 1 tsp - 1 Tbsp, depending on how much fat you want)
Sriracha Hot Sauce* to taste (I use about 1 tsp)

Mix together.  Or just pile on a plate and mix as you eat.

*Yes, I know Sriracha isn't paleo.  But it's a very tiny compromise that makes me happy.  You know what else isn't paleo?  When I'm burned out and don't feel like making mayonnaise so I eat Duke's in all its soybean oil-laden glory.  Still better for me than a drive-thru at McD's.  Live life and move on!