Salmon with Mango Salsa and Sauteed Spinach

Have I told you how much I am loving my new mini non-stick pan I got at Dierberg's the other day? It is probably about 6 inches in diameter and the perfect size for single size paleo meals, which happen frequently in my house of carb-lovers. Tonight I cooked a piece of salmon (you can by individually vacuun sealed fillets by the bag just about anywhere) in my handy little pan. Since it is non stick I simply put the thawed fish in, covered with a lid and flipped after 5 minutes or so. When it is almost done I added some mango salsa on top and replaced the lid to heat up the salsa and steam the fish. Easy and tastes great! Along with this I had the sauteed spinach recipe listed below:

Sauteed Spinach with Pecans and Goat Cheese

2 tbspn olive oil
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1 1/4 lbs baby spinach
2 Tbspn sherry vinegar
1/2 cup pecans toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add spinach; cook, tossing until spinach has started to wilt about 2 min. Transfer to a serving platter. Add vinegar to skillet, and heat for 5 seconds. Drizzle over spinach and onion. Sprinkle with pecans and goat cheese and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Other ideas for spinach - sub garlic, pinenuts and chopped apple for onion and pecans(pictured)

Fun Facts on Spinach:

• Loads of vitamin K, essential for blood clotting and bone health.
• high doses of B6 and C as well as folate and magnesium
• to get the most of spinach's fat-soluble nutrients, cook the greens with a healthy fat, such as olive oil.
  

Warrior Dash - Any Takers??

Hey Crossfit and Paleo Enthusiasts - Dawn W. clued me in to this race next October that looks like it would be right up our alley. The Warrior Dash takes place all over the country, and on October 15th, 2011 will be hitting the St Louis area. Go visit http://www.warriordash.com/ for all the details. If you are interested shoot a comment back to this post and lets get a group together to go experience this sadistic fun!

Paleo Friendly Hummus

Ladies night at Crossfit Valley Park tonight and I am feeling the pressure to bring some tasty treats to maintain my foodie reputation. I feel like I have been pushing the sweets lately, so I am heading savory tonight with a paleo hummus recipe to serve with fresh vegis. Just finished blending up this recipe I found on http://libidiny.blogspot.com and I love it! Don't miss the chickpeas at all.

Paleo Friendly Hummus

1 zucchini peeled and chopped
1/2 cup unsalted raw macadamia nuts
2 T Tahini (found in a jar in the salad dressing aisle)
2T olive oil
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 rounded tsp cumin
dash of cayenne pepper

Dump all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. For variety add roasted red peppers, pine nuts, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, or kalamata olives. Serve with baby carrots, red, orange or yellow pepper slices, celery, etc.

Blueberry Muffins

Have you noticed that blueberries are plentiful in the stores right now? I have been taking full advantage of this and have been going berry crazy! Had a taste for blueberry muffins this morning and couldn't find a good recipe so I concocted my own. It tastes great, looks great in the paper, but comes out a little mushy on the bottom. I just scraped the good bits off the paper - that works for me!

Paleo Blueberry Muffins

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use BSN Dessert line)

1 scoop almond flour

1 scoop flax meal

1 egg

1 scoop coconut milk (I use light)

1 scoop egg whites

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use your protein powder scoop to measure just about everything. Mix all ingredients together and spoon in paper lined muffin pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Makes 6 muffins.

Roasted Papaya

Still going with the hot fruit theme - tried roasted papaya tonight. Real easy, here is what I did:

Cut papaya in half and scoop out seeds. Cut again in quarters and roast in oven for 30 min at 450 degrees. I put a little a little drizzle of organic blue agave nectar on top but you don't really need it. After I took it out of the oven I topped it with some of my paleo granola, or you can use walnuts or macadamia nuts. Very tasty if you like papaya.

A couple of papaya fun facts:

• Ripe papaya contains a three day supply of vitamin C and lots of vitamin A and E, all powerful antioxidants.
• Papayas help improve skin and strengthen nails and hair.
• The enzyme papain found in green papaya reduces the itch and irritation caused by mosquito bites - just rub the bite with a piece of the fruit.

Hot Fruit

I have spent all day trying to avoid the oatmeal raisin cookies I made for my grandma this morning, who is 96 and is allowed to eat whatever she darn well pleases. Yes, I finally did succumb, but it got me thinking about the need for treats and what can fill that sugar void in the land of Paleo. The obvious choice is fruit of course, high in natural sugars, but also packed with nutrients and permitted in moderation. I have found lately, especially since it is so cold outside, that hot fruit really satisfies that dessert craving. I have a couple of recipes I have posted lately including the protein blueberry pancakes, and the apple blueberry crumble. Here are some other great suggestions:

grilled fruit - pineapple rings, peaches,
baked fruit - apples, papaya, pears,
chips - apple chips, beet chips, sweet potato chips, parsnip chips
fried - bananas
microwave - blueberries, raspberries, blackberries

Take some time and experiment and let me know your favorite combinations. Try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, nuts, almond flour/dried fruit crumble, coconut flakes, paleo granola. Also, try making your own applesauce or pear sauce. Skip the cookies and go for Hot Fruit!

Apple Walnut Pulled Pork

The plan was to make the Apple Walnut Pulled Pork out of my leftovers from yesterdays pork, but unfortunately we ate it all up. I did have an extra tenderloin though so I subjected my family to day 2 of pork to try out the leftover recipe I found in the Post Dispatch. This turned out pretty well, but my family still added barbeque sauce on the pulled pork for a little more flavor. A nice easy dish for the crockpot.

Apple Walnut Pulled Pork

1 granny smith apple peeled and diced
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 pound leftover pork tenderloin from last nights Apple Dijon Pork - shred with fork

Combine apple, apple juice, honey, and walnuts in a large skillet. Saute over medium heat for 4-6 minutes, until the juices reduce slightly. Stir in shredded pork, simmering for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through. I served this with the fried cauliflower rice, and the family ate it on a bun with some bbq sauce.