Roasted Leg of Lamb with Herbs and Garlic

This is another one of those dishes that smells so good when it is cooking that you almost need to leave the house. This recipe can be found in Mark Sisson's cookbook, and is a go-to dish for those cold winter evenings. I added carrots to the dish, but next time I will add some onion.

Pizza with Coconut Flour Crust

This is by far the closest thing to a regular flour crust. It was tasty, it had the right texture, and I could actually eat the pizza with my hands. The only thing I would do differently next time is decrease the amount of coconut flour and add in its place some flax seed meal. I highly recommend you give this one a try!

Herbed Gluten Free Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

Zucchini Egg Bake

This was yet another great dish from Mark Sisson's cookbook. Hot Italian sausage, zucchini, egg, Parmesan cheese, and spices blended together to create a yummy and very fulfilling meal. 

A Thing of Beauty

A 2.5 pound leg of lamb, roasted in the oven with fresh herbs and mushrooms, doesn't last long in our house. This was a beautiful and very tasty dish.

Coconut Chicken with Cauliflower

I have yet to make anything from this recipe book that wasn't lip smackin' good (give me a break, I'm from TX). You can't go wrong with coconut oil, coconut milk, and a bouquet of incredibly aromatic spices.

Primal Jambalaya

I've never really liked jambalaya. My husband eventually convinced me to make this Primal version of the classic dish. I absolutely loved it. With spicy sausage, shrimp, onions, peppers, and chopped up cauliflower as the "rice" (one of the better Primal Substitutes for non-Primal foods), it was even better than the real thing.

Veal Chops Braised with Herbs

I cannot say enough about this delicious dish. Veal chop cooked to perfection with a sauce of shallots, onions, beef stock, herbs, and cream would make anybody's mouth water. I paired the chops with haricot verts (green beans) with a lemon butter sauce and fresh parsley. This dish is another wonderful creation by Julia Child.

Côtes de veau aux herbes (veal chops braised with herbs)

 

Paleo Crackers

These are loaded with seasonings like oregano, rosemary, thyme, and Parmesan cheese. They are real crackers that can be eaten alone or topped with some kind of spread or cheese. My 4 year old actually preferred these over regular store bought crackers.

Primal Enchiladas

This is one of my most ambitious dishes (trying saying that 5 times fast). Making crepes out of egg whites was a bit difficult. The first two I made were a complete mess. The filling was delicious and the egg "tortillas" actually held the filling quite well. It tasted like real enchiladas!

Turkey Kebabs

These were quite yummy, and would be great paired with some Taramosalata, tahini, or a cucumber and yogurt sauce. My 1 1/2 year old didn't care for the texture but my 4 year old asked for seconds. Grilled and sprinkled with some fresh lemon juice, this is a go-to dish for those nights when I'm not sure what to make for dinner.

Pulled Pork Shoulder With Homemade BBQ Sauce

When slow-cooked for 8 hours, the meat on a 4 pound pork shoulder just falls off the bone. It was absolutely delicious paired with homemade BBQ sauce and sweet potato fries. We all had seconds.

Protein Style Gerber Style

We don't have In-N-Out Burger in Washington (unfortunately!), so we have to make our favorite style of burger at home. Topped with Cambozola cheese, caramelized onions, and wrapped in lettuce this burger is even better than the original.

Panfried Halibut Fillets with Hot Sherry Vinegar and Herb Vinaigrette

This is a great example of a quick and lively sauce for any firm-fleshed fillet. I threw in some onion and garlic to add more complexity to the dish and then deglazed the pan with good-quality wine vinegar.

Flax Seed Focaccia Bread

I have always loved peanut butter and honey sandwiches. But now that I am on a low-carb diet, I can no longer enjoy them....or can I? This flax seed bread works very well for transporting any kind of spread, meats, cheeses, or anything else you may want to put on a sammie. Instead of eating a PB&H, I occasionally enjoy an AB&H (almond butter and honey) on flax seed bread. My 4 year old even requests this bread over regular bread.

Flax seed Focaccia Bread

Primal Greek Chicken

This Greek chicken dish, courtesy of Jenn Casey, has a wonderful tang to it. It is loaded with lemon, olives, feta cheese, and baked in the oven until crispy. I served it with a side of sauteed spinach (with lots of butter and garlic). Again, we had no leftovers.

Baked Cauliflower With Lemon Mustard Dressing

As someone who has never liked cauliflower, I was amazed at how good this was. I couldn't help but have thirds! This recipe came from Mark Sisson's cookbook. You could even make this without the hazelnuts and it would still be great.

Zucchini Bake

I thinly sliced the zucchini with a mandoline (remember to use the guard!), then sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and sauteed it in a bit of olive oil. I then layered it with mozzarella, parmesan, and bolognese. After about 5 minutes under the broiler, the cheese was brown and bubbly. I thought, with this much food, we would have lots of leftovers. I was wrong! :-)

Moroccan Salmon and Broccoli with Beurre au Citron (Lemon Butter Sauce)

Moroccan salmon, coated with aromatic spices like cardamom, fennel, and cumin is unbelievably scrumptious. I paired with steamed broccoli, with beurre au citron (lemon butter sauce from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking) drizzled all over it. It was rich and delicious. The whole family devoured it!

Bison Chili and Cheese Omelet with Duck Eggs

Fresh-off-the-farm duck eggs are much more flavorful and rich than chicken eggs. I made this omelet with leftover bison chili and Colby-jack cheese, and topped it with avocado slices and fresh cilantro. It tasted very much like an enchilada.

Bison Chili

Tender bison, onions, carrots, tomatoes, and lots of spice. This chili, which comes straight from the Primal Blueprint cookbook, was delicious with a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, and fresh cilantro. My four-year-old even loved it. Yummy!

It's Official....I've Gone Primal

Like many before me, I was skeptical about the Primal lifestyle. We know a few people who have embraced the Primal/Paleo lifestyle, but it wasn't something we had considered as a lifestyle we could or wanted to adopt. Then, one day, my husband decided to do a little research by purchasing Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. By the time he was one-third of the way through the book, he was convinced it was something he wanted to try. I, however, remained skeptical. About a week or so into it, I noticed that his once snug jeans were now loose. This changed things a bit. I decided there was no way I was going to let my husband lose weight while I plateaued. I still have seven to ten pounds of baby weight to lose from having my second child, and I have high hopes that modifying my diet by eliminating all the foods that negatively affect my body will enable me to lose the weight.

Vij's Lamb Popsicles in Fenugreek Curry

This is one of my favorite dishes at a restaurant in Vancouver, called Vij's. Vij's is an Indian fusion restaurant in the South Granville district, and I highly recommend you give it a try if you are ever in Vancouver. We found the recipe online, and have recreated it to the best of our ability. It was unbelievably good...exactly as I remember it. It calls for 4 cups of heavy cream which is mixed with this awesome spice called fenugreek. Anything with that much cream has to be good!

Brisket with Carmelized Onions and Sweet Potatoes

Roasted brisket is yummy when paired with mashed sweet potatoes (with salt, pepper, butter, and a bit of heavy cream) and onions caramelized in a red wine sauce. The only thing I would change is the time to cook the brisket. It was a little tough, so next time I would cook it in a crock pot overnight. The sauce was absolutely delicious with all the drippings, about 1/4 cup of red wine, and a bit of beef stock.

Italian Rib Eye with Sun Dried Tomato Topping

This was an awesome combination of zesty marinade, garlicky tomato topping, and creamy blended peas (aka Nigella Lawson's Mushy Peas) . The kids loved the rib eye (and who wouldn't) and my 4 year old son loved dipping it in the tomato "sauce", which I blended a bit more than the recipe suggested. This worked out well, as my kids would not eat a chunky sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan...Primal Style

Eggplant that is sauteed in butter and coated with seasoned almond meal tastes so much like its high-carb cousin, that you won't want to prepare it any other way. Cover it with a delicious meat sauce (using grass fed ground beef, of course) and lots of mozzarella, and it will be the best eggplant Parmesan you have ever tasted.

Lamb Meatballs in Blue Cheese Sauce

Can it get any better than lamb meatballs with blue cheese sauce? Unbelievably yummy, Primal-friendly, and great paired with braised greens.

Kids on a Paleo-Friendly Diet

I have a 3 1/2 year old son and a 14 month old daughter. My daughter is still to young to be exposed to nuts and is allergic to eggs, so she is unable to be on a paleo diet. However, my son eats paleo-friendly foods about 70% of the time. I don't cook special meals for him, so he eats what we eat when at home. Instead of trying to take things away that he enjoys (and that I enjoy for that matter), I have found paleo-friendly substitutes. Here are some suggestions, based on trial and error in our house:

• Substitute almond meal for dishes in which you may have previously used flour (e.g. chicken fingers, fish sticks, eggplant parmesan). You just need to season the almond meal well, as it has a slight sweetness to it.
  
• We make pancakes every weekend. I like to use this recipe http://primalliving.blogspot.com/2009/04/ricks-primal-pancakes.html, and load it with lots of bananas, blueberries, or strawberries. Instead of covering them with maple syrup, you could sweeten some Greek yogurt with a bit of raw honey and put a few dollops of that on top.
• This "energy" bar is very tasty (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-energy-bar-redux). I think tastes a bit like an oatmeal cookie (my favorite). I've added dried cranberries and dried blueberries, but you could also throw in some dark chocolate chips if you are looking for an alternative to serving cookies for a party.
• My hubby and I love to eat meat and cheese roll-ups, which we dip in spicy mustard. My son now chooses to eat meat roll-ups this way and refuses bread when I offer to make him a sandwich. My daughter also loves to eat meat this way.
• I have made flax bread (recipe found on Mark's Daily Apple), which works well for almond butter and jelly sandwiches or toast and jam.
• Instead of spaghetti and meat sauce, I serve spaghetti squash and meat sauce. My son now actually prefers it and no longer asks for pasta.
• We all love sweet potato fries, baked in the oven. I have also made parsnip fries.
• It's all about the sauce. I love my Julia Childs cookbook. I tend to make sauces from that book for every dinner (unless I am cooking an Indian dish). The best part of eating primal/paleo is all the lovely butter, heavy cream, coconut milk, and coconut oil you get to use. These things make fabulous sauces. My daughter can't get enough of my broccoli or even chard (what?) when it is sauteed and served with a delicious sauce.

I don't pay much attention to BMI with my kids. They are both active and they don't eat processed foods (except for the occasional organic baby food and Cheerios). It is harder when they are very young. But both my kids seem to want to eat what my  husband and I are eating. So, unless we are out at a restaurant, I just give them what is in the house (which is mostly paleo-friendly).

Low Carb Lemon Lavender Cheesecake

One of my favorite flavor combinations is lemon and lavender. And I love cheesecake. When a friend told me about a low carb cheesecake, I immediately thought how fabulous it would taste with my favorite flavor combination. Topped with some fresh berries, it was creamy and delicious.

Lemon lavender cheesecake








Fresh out of the oven