June 26TH Cooking Demo

Thank you so much to our wonderful audience who joined us for our Paleo Brunch Demo last week.

We hope you enjoyed our Paleo take on a traditional brunch. We loved all the excitement in the demo and were very happy to see so many people interested in Paleo and learning new recipes. We had a blast answering so many insightful questions. As always if you have additional questions for us or would like even more fantastic recipes, please feel free to take a look around our blog and leaves us comments!

Incase you weren’t able to make it or would like access to digital copies of the recipes you will be able to find the recipe for the Paleo Oatmeal through the link below. We haven’t posted the recipes for the Raspberry Zucchini Almond Muffins or Frappuccinos, so stay tuned for these delicious recipes!

Paleo Oatmeal

Our next Demo will be at the Gluten Free Fair in August, we’ll show you how to make Paleo pizza crust and bread.

We hope to see you then,

Melissa and Camilla

thepaleopact.com | @thepaleopact

Steak and Mushroom Stir-fry

A summer specialty that takes about 5 minutes to cook, Steak and Mushroom Stir-fry has become one of my all time favorite meals.

Select your plumpest mushrooms, juiciest tomatoes, favorite peppers and grass-fed steak and let’s get cooking!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 pound steak
5 button mushrooms or 2 Portobello mushrooms
1/4 of a red pepper or 1/4 of a jalapeño
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Oregano spice for seasoning

RECIPE

Slice the steak, mushrooms and jalapeños into thin strips.
In a medium sauté pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat.
Add the steak strips to the pan and simmer for about 4 minutes, flipping after 2 minutes.
Add the sliced mushroom and peppers and toss in with the steak.

Season with oregano as desired and continue to cook until your preferred meat tenderness is reached, then plate and enjoy while hot.

It’s that easy and incredibly nutritious. Packed with vitamin B, C, D, various minerals and healthy fats, you’re getting your nutrients without spending hours in the kitchen, so you can pat yourself on the back and eat up!

Camilla Carboni

@camillacarboni | camillacarboni.com

Paleo Citrus Summer Slaw

Coleslaw is a traditional side dish for most summer parties. Unfortunately, coleslaw is often made with ingredients that may not fit your ideal definition of healthy and if you have an egg allergy it’s a big no-no. Here is a great alternative to the traditional coleslaw.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
juice of 2 oranges
5 oz pre-cut cabbage (this is often packaged as a coleslaw mix)
1 apple, sliced into thin strips
1 pear, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup dried cranberries, sweetened with apple juice
1 package raspberries

RECIPE

In a large bowl whisk honey, balsamic and orange juice until throughly incorporated.
Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix together.
Let sit for 30 minutes, then serve at room temperature or chilled.

I hope you enjoy this fantastic summer side dish!

Melissa Van Dover

@mvandover | melissavandover.com

Caramelized Beef Liver

At a talk I attended, Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo was asked how she recommends cooking organs to make them taste better. She answered that, “bacon never hurts.” I agree!

I also think that caramelized onions help to sweeten the sometimes bitter flavor of Nose to Tail eating and I have consequently become a big fan of caramelized beef liver.

Eating organs is something that takes getting used to, and the recipes often sound less than appealing, but the protein-rich, nutrient-dense boost is well worth trying out (at least once). It’s also makes a good pairing with a light summer salad.

Here are the impressive facts about beef liver:

It has about 3.5 times more phosphorous than red meat
It has over 100 times more vitamin B12 than red meat
It has more than double the iron found in red meat
It has nearly 4 times the vitamin C than apples
It has about 6 times the folic acid of carrots

And don’t worry, while the liver is the organ that detoxifies the body, it does not store these toxins. Actually, what the liver does store is various vitamins and minerals; these are necessary to enable the organ to perform its role in the body. So try not to shy away from this dish before you have tried and tested it for yourself.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 pound organic beef liver
1/2 a large onion, sliced to form rings

RECIPE

In a medium pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat.
Add the beef liver and cook for about 2 minutes, turning midway.

Place the onion rings alongside the beef liver in the pan and continue to cook on medium heat for approximately 6 minutes, or until the liver is well cooked and the onions have begun to brown; flip both the liver and onions periodically.
Remove the liver from the pan and slice before plating.
Top the liver strips with the onion rings and serve while hot.

Let me know how you like it!

Camilla Carboni

@camillacarboni | camillacarboni.com

Paleo Vanilla Latte

This is the perfect summer drink that is sure to give you a perk of energy. The best part is that it is super easy to make.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 shots of fresh brewed espresso
2 tablespoons agave or honey
Ice
6-8 ounces almond or coconut milk
tumbler of choice

RECIPE

Brew espresso. (Or if you don’t have an espresso machine make 2-3 ounces of really strong coffee)
Pour espresso into tumbler and add agave, mix until well combined.
Fill tumbler with ice.
Add milk to tumbler until full, stir.

It’s that simple! I hope you enjoy this amazing summer pick me up.

Here’s to summer!

Melissa

@mvandover | melissavandover.com

Natural Summer Skin Treatments

As wonderful as summer is, the beating rays can cause damage to exposed skin. Luckily, there are some natural ingredients that are most likely already in your kitchen which can help to prevent and to heal sunned skin.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is as beneficial to your skin as it is to your cells. Unlike most store sold moisturizer, coconut oil is fat based and petroleum free. Most moisturizers are water based, leaving your skin dry after the water dries, and have many artificial ingredients (and in some cases perfumes) for commercial benefit.

The natural oil content found in coconut oil makes it a wonder-drug for naturally preventing dry skin and for nourishing hair follicles. Just buy organic, extra-virgin coconut oil–that way you know it’s free of GMOs, bleach and perfumes.

Apply coconut oil to your hands, feet or any other dry areas and use it as a deep conditioning hair mask, allowing the oil to penetrate for 10-20 minutes before rinsing thoroughly (from personal experience I don’t recommend using it as a leave-in conditioner as it can leave your hair looking oily).

The natural fat content of coconut oil leaves skin moist and smooth and hair shiny and hydrated; what’s more, it has anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

Avocados and Avocado Oil

Like the coconut, avocados are an excellent source of natural fat. They also contain various essential oils and vitamins, such as vitamin E, that your skin can benefit from.

The vitamin E content makes avocado perfect as a dry skin solution, while the humectants found in the peel provide additional moisture.

The oily contents also make for a hydrating scalp treatment and a natural oil-bath.

Olive Oil

Last but not least, olive oil is not only great on summer salads, it’s rich in fatty acids, making it great for the skin as well.

A completely natural exfoliant can be made by mixing equal parts salt and olive oil.

Olive oil has also been popularized as a natural shaving cream alternative that helps prevent summer skin rashes, and as an excellent way to clean BBQ grease off your hands!

That’s more than you bargained for out of your Paleo kitchen oils, I’m sure. Now that’s making the most of summer!

Camilla Carboni

@camillacarboni | camillacarboni.com

Flourless Paleo Pancakes

Who wants to give up pancakes? Nobody! The great news is that even when practicing a Paleo lifestyle you definitely don’t have to.

This Flourless Paleo Pancakes recipe includes just four ingredients and requires just four necessities: a food processor, a small sauté pan, a spatular and an appetite for melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.

INGREDIENTS

1 egg
1 small banana
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Extra coconut oil for grilling

RECIPE

Add the egg, banana, walnuts and coconut oil to a food processor.
Pulse until a batter is formed.

Melt about one flat teaspoon of coconut oil in a sauté pan over medium heat (repeat this step for each pancake) and then place 2 to 3 scoops of the batter in the center of the pan.
Lift and swirl the pan slightly every so often to ensure the coconut oil surrounds the batter throughout the cooking process. Then, using a spatula, press inward around the edges of the pancake to ensure that a compact outside edge forms. Continue this process until the underside of the pancake is compact enough to be flipped.

Slide your spatula underneath the pancake and flip gently.
Press down slightly with the spatula to flatten the pancake marginally and allow to cook for about another minute before serving.
Repeat these steps with the next pancake…and the next!

This recipe makes about four pancakes, each 3-inches in diameter.

SERVING SUGGESTION

For added decadence and a sweet touch to the moist pancakes, top with fresh strawberry slices and sprinkle with cinnamon or cacao powder before drizzling with honey or agave.

Tip: Flourless dessert is not the easiest of items to make. Don’t be too judgmental on your pancake shapes and first round attempts–they’re a delicate business and are mastered with practice.

Enjoy!

Camilla Carboni

@camillacarboni | camillacarboni.com

Learn To Read Your Labels

Learning to read food labels is a critical step to living a healthy, Paleo lifestyle. The issue with food today is that it can be made of so many ingredients. While we always recommend making your own food from scratch we understand that sometimes that just isn’t going to happen. When you run into instances where you must purchase pre-made or pre-prepared foods, we encourage you to look at the label.

On the Paleo Diet the main concerns we have are the contents or ingredients of the food and how the food was produced.

When looking at the ingredients the main thing to keep in mind is that the sooner an ingredient shows up on the list the more prevalent that ingredient is in the food. Another thing that will help you read labels more successfully is to become familiar with the ingredient terms you do not recognize. The best way to do this is to Google unfamiliar terms as you come across them.

The second thing that we really want to pay attention to on the label is how the product was produced. For example, is the product organic, grass-fed, free of nitrates? These are items that you’ll want to look for. Please note, this information will usually show up on the front of a product’s packaging verses on the back with the nutrition label.

As a cautionary tale, just because a label says it’s Paleo doesn’t mean it is. I came across an energy bar recently that said it was Paleo. However, upon further investigation I found that not all the ingredients were in fact Paleo. So yet again we see that it is critical to read through the ingredients in our food.

Here’s to being educated on what we’re putting into our bodies!

Melissa Van Dover

@mvandover | melissavandover.com

Eating Nose To Tail

Eating Nose to Tail is one of the Paleo Diet principles. The concept stems from our Paleolithic ancestors, who enjoyed every bit of the prized game they hunted. Nose to Tail literally refers to eating all of the animal, instead of discarding ‘unwanted’ pieces, such as the heart, tribe and tongue. This eating style has been revisited in modern times and has grown in popularity over the past few years.

Fergus Henderson, British Chef and Author of Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking, is famous for stating: “If you’re going to kill the animal it seems only polite to use the whole thing.”

Politeness aside, research has shown us that various nutrient sources and healthy fats are found in the bits we tend to avoid. Moreover, most meat eaters shy away from the organs, making them a fairly economic option. So, the next time you see marrow, liver, kidneys and spleen on the menu, you may want to take it seriously.

Want a guide to Nose to Tail? This is the best one I could find:

Just kidding! Below is a helpful diagram that shows an overview of items and cuts to consider when you indulge in Nose to Tail dining:

Enjoy the experience!

Camilla Carboni

@camillacarboni | camillacarboni.com

NEW AND IMPROVED PALEO TERIYAKI LETTUCE WRAPS

A while ago I posted a recipe for Paleo Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps. I’ve made a few changes since then and I wanted to take the time to share my updated recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon garlic coconut oil (you can substitute this with other Paleo oils if needed)
5 tablespoons Coconut Aminos
4 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
3 tablespoons hot chili or Sriracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup sliced and chopped carrots
1/2 red onion, diced
1 handful green onions, diced
2 pounds organic, grass-fed ground beef
1 head iceberg lettuce

RECIPE

Heat coconut oil, 2 tablespoons Coconut Amions, water and coconut palm sugar in a large frying pan on low, medium heat until you start to see steam rise.
Add carrots, red and green onion, black pepper and salt to pan.
Cover and let cook about 10 minutes until the carrots and onion start to become soft, stir occasionally.
Increase heat to medium and add ground beef, 3 tablespoons of Coconut Aminos and Sriracha to mixture, stir to mix everything together.
Uncover and let cook until meat has browned, stir occasionally.
Reduce heat to low, medium and let reduce until liquid has been absorbed by meat.

Slice the bottom off of the iceberg lettuce remove outside lettuce leafs and discard. Begin to peel off leafs and place on plate to use as lettuce cups. note: when you get towards the end, you can shred the remainder of the lettuce and make a salad.

Scoop the mixture into lettuce cups and serve.

I hope you enjoy this updated recipe!

Melissa Van Dover

@mvandover | melissavandover.com

The Paleo Pact

Choose Well. Eat Well. Live Well.

Month: June 2014

June 26TH Cooking Demo

Steak and Mushroom Stir-fry

INGREDIENTS

RECIPE

Paleo Citrus Summer Slaw

Caramelized Beef Liver

INGREDIENTS

RECIPE

Paleo Vanilla Latte

INGREDIENTS

RECIPE

Natural Summer Skin Treatments

Coconut Oil

Avocados and Avocado Oil

Olive Oil

Flourless Paleo Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

RECIPE

SERVING SUGGESTION

Learn To Read Your Labels

Eating Nose To Tail

NEW AND IMPROVED PALEO TERIYAKI LETTUCE WRAPS