Mulligatawny Soup

Emeril always comes through for me!  This was delicious.  I cooked it on the stove at lunchtime, and then transferred to a 220 deg oven until dinner (5-6 hours).  

Emeril's Mulligatawny Soup

Leave out the lentils and potatoes to make it more paleo.  

Breakfast (or Dessert!) Plantains

The trick to these is to wait until the plantains are very ripe (and sweet).  80% brown is not too ripe!  Plantains hold their shape much better than bananas, so even when they are very ripe you can still slice them.  It can take about 2 weeks or more for a green plantain to fully ripen.  I buy one or two each week and let them sit until ready.

1 plantain
coconut oil
salt
honey or maple syrup

Slice plantain into rounds between 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Heat pan on medium heat.  Add oil and swirl to coat.  Add plantains.  Cook until browned; flip and cook until other side browned.  Turn off heat, but let pan sit on heat for a few minutes to cook the plantains all the way through (especially if they are sliced thick).  Serve with a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

1 plantain serves 2 people, or 1 really hungry person

Pork Breakfast Scramble

The idea for this recipe came off a tube of Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage.  It would be better cooked with some US Wellness Pork Breakfast Sausage.  But sometimes grocery meat has to do!

1 lb ground pork breakfast sausage
1 cup chopped cilantro
white wine vinegar

top with:
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
sliced tomatoes

Brown sausage in pan until cooked and crumbled.  Use a splash of white wine vinegar to deglaze any stuck bits of sausage.  Remove from heat; stir in chopped cilantro.  Top with cheese and/or tomatoes.

This dish should not need any extra salt, as the sausage is usually salty enough.

Crispy Cod

This recipe is similar to the way I make tilapia, but a tiny bit more work to get a nice crispy crust.

Per each cod filet:

Mix together:
2 Tbsp almond flour
1 Tbsp arrowroot
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence

In a separate bowl:
1 egg white whisked into 2 Tbsp water.

Add to heated pan:
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil

Place pan on burner to heat.  Pat cod dry with paper towels.  Dip into egg white wash, then into flour -spice mixture.  Set aside.  Add butter and oil to hot pan; heat until butter melts and stops sizzling.  Add filets and cook until lightly browned*.  Flip** and cook until other side is browned.  Turn off heat, but leave pan on burner.  Cover and let sit until time to eat.  Salt to taste when serving.

*I usually flip my fish when I can start to see the edges turn a light brown and look cooked through.  The secret to this fish is to NOT flip until browned.  Don't flip back and forth; just one turn.  Better to be a little bit too browned than not enough.

**My favorite kitchen tool to flip fish is the Mini-Serving Spatula from Pampered Chef.

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.