Primal Chow Oatmeal

The days are changing already in our Biggest Little City, which means fall is just around the corner. In Northern Nevada you never know what you get. So, I had to prepare myself with some delicious quick morning breakfasts recipes for the kids. I asked them what they miss the most, and their response was overwhelmingly: Oatmeal! I found one recipe, and tried it for them. It was just not good. You see, when you cook banana, the taste is very strong and not appetizing. For some it might be delicious, but just not for us. So.... I started to add other ingredients and the kids loved it!

Ingredients:

8 Tbl almond flour
1/2 cup of apple sauce (no sugar added)
2 Tbl of raw honey
2 Tsp of cinnamon 
1 Tbl of flax meal
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond milk, hemp milk or coconut milk (Now! Be aware, depending on what you use the flavor will change. We drink hemp milk, and that is what I used. The flavor was earthier, but still delicious.)

Instructions:

Mix everything in a small saucepan. Gradually heat it up until bubbly, constantly stirring so it does not stick to the bottom. Chow down and enjoy!

(Serves 2)

Our Autistic son looked with skepticism, and I don't blame him. The other oatmeal was not as good as this one.

See! ;- )

Primal Chow grilled tri-tip roast!

It's summer, it's hot, and we love to grill! I found a great recipe for tri-tip, and I just had to give it a try for outdoor grilling. Unfortunately I can't remember where. It's a real keeper!

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup of fresh lime juice
A handful of fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 Tbl of coconut aminos
1/4 cup tequila
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
2-3 lbs grass-fed beef, tri-tip roast

Place all ingredients, except the roast, in a food processor. Process until well blended. Place roast in a deep dish, cover with marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.*

Preheat grill. Allow roast to come to room temperature in the marinade before cooking. Remove roast from dish and place on the hot grill. Sear both sides to preferred liking, we prefer medium rare.

Now how to serve it? Lettuce! Spread some homemade guacamole add the meat and whatever salsa you would like to use (preferably homemade). Chow down and enjoy!
* We marinaded the meat for 24 hours. 

We served this dish with a side of cauliflower rice (I use Sarah Fragoso's recipe) and veggies.

Sarah Fragoso Cauliflower rice:

 

½ red onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs fresh basil
1 head cauliflower
1 Egg
2 Tbs coconut flour
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
3 Tbs coconut oil

 In a large mixing bowl, add minced onions, garlic, and basil. Place the steamed cauliflower in a bowl as well, and add the egg, coconut flour, salt, and pepper. Using a potato masher, mash the cauliflower down to the consistency of rice. Mix all of the ingredients well. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower rice and sauté for 7-10 minutes or until the onions are tender.

A sincere apology for the bad picture. I already had 3 glasses by the time I took this picture. Oooops!

Primal Chow "Not Guiness" Stew from Paleo Parents

It finally snowed in Reno! After months of no moisture, and above average temps, Mother Nature gave us some white stuff! Because it's so cold outside these days, I ended up cooking only stews or soups. It surely kept our stomach warm and soul happy! My family was sick and tired of the same ol'e thing, so I decided to look for something new and exciting. Are you familiar with Guiness Stew? If you are, you will know that this stew is optimal for cold days! Paleo Parents is one of my favorite sites for friendly Paleo family dishes and snack ideas. I modified their recipe a bit for my liking though.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C Olive oil
• 2.5 lb chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 Tsp Xanthan Gum
• 1 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence*
• 3 large carrots, sliced into chunks about 1 inch
• 1 big sweet potato, cut into 1 inch chunks (it's optional, but so worth it!)
• 2 cups of any kind of mushrooms, halved
• 4 stalks of celery, sliced into 1 inch chunks
• 3 C red wine or gluten free beer (I might use the hemp beer next time, and will let you know how it turned out. I used a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon, which I finished before the stew was done!)
• 2 C Beef broth
• 2 Tbls tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste

* Don't worry if you don't have Herbes de Provence, just mix the following: 3 Tbl dried Marjoram, 3 Tbl dried Thyme, 3 Tbl dried savory, 1 Tsp dried basil, 1 Tsp dried Rosemary, 1/2 Tsp dried sage, and 1/2 Tsp Fennel seeds. Mix everything and use the recommended amount when called for Herbes de Provence.

Directions:

- Heat Olive oil in large stock pot, and brown meat on all sides. Add the onions to pot and raise the heat to high until the onions look translucent. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the Xanthan Gum and herbs. After a minutes, pour the wine or beer and bring to a boil. Add the broth and tomato paste. Let it simmer for 1 1/2 hour or until meat is tender and broth is thickened. Chow down and enjoy!


Sorry no pics this time, but I swear it's good! ;- )

Primal Chow Pork Carnitas with Guacamole.

I never made carnitas, honestly I had no idea how. I came upon this recipe from this site, and I have to say, I wished I had this recipe years ago!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped into big pieces
2-3 lbs pork shoulder
4 cloves garlic, she says to peel and left whole, but I used minced
1 stick cinnamon (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Mexican Oregano (Italian Oregano smells and taste different)
1 teaspoon Spanish paprika (I used regular)
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet add Olive Oil and saute the onion. Saute till onions become translucent, then add the pork to sear all sides. Remove the meat and onions and transfer it to a slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, and 2 TBL of salt. Add enough water to cover the pork two-thirds, and cook for 5-6 hours. Let cool. Preheat the oven to broil. Transfer the shredded pork and add some juices (about 2 cups) in a baking dish, and broil for 15-20 min. Move the meat once in a while during the time in the oven. We served this meat with a spread of guacamole (recipe below) on a piece of lettuce leaf.


Homemade Guacamole (This one is mine):

1 Avocado (peeled, pitted, and mashed)
1 Tomato (roma) chopped
1 half of a medium sized onion chopped
1 Jalapeño chopped
salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients and done!

After you spread the guacamole on the leaf of lettuce, add a little bit of cilantro and lime. Chow down and enjoy!

As you noticed I topped it off with the guacamole in this picture. Believe me! You want to spread it first.

Primal Chow Herbed Pizza

Who says you can't have pizza while living the Paleo/Primal lifestyle? Slap them into this recipe! It's a bit of work, but believe me, so worth it!

Ingredients:

3 Eggs
1 clove of garlic minced
1 cup of Hemp milk, or other non-dairy milk
1/2 cup of coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking poweder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix eggs, garlic, milk together. Mix all the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients. Dough needs to be sticky for easy spreading. Use a pizza pan, and cover it with a parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper with butter (or Coconut butter). Then, spread the dough evenly on the parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Crust is ready when edges begin to turn brown. Gently turn over crust and peel parchment paper from the bottom of the crust and place it back on the pizza pan with bottom side up. Top your pizza with sauce and whatever else you like. Bake for another 10 minutes. If you are using bacon or sausage cook them before hand. Chow down and enjoy!

Shredded veggies with sausage!

Primal Chow Breaded Pork Chops with homemade marinara sauce

This recipe was originally made with all-purpose flour, milk, mushroom condensed soup. As you noticed, not Paleo friendly. I just could not shred our favorite dish, it's versatile as well. You can use it with flank steak, or chicken, veal, etc. I found the marinara sauce years ago, and it's truly a gem! I use it on everything Italian. I can't claim it mine though. It belongs to Giada De Laurentiis. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add grass-fed organic butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor. Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

While the sauce is simmering, you prepare the pork chops as it needs to bake for an hour and a half.

Ingredients:

6 pork chops
garlic powder
pepper
2 free-range eggs, beateen
1 cup of coconut flour
4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Season pork chops with garlic powder and pepper. Then drenched them in the eggs, and coat them liberally with coconut flour. Fry them in olive oil 3-5 minutes per sides. Transfer the chops to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

 After the chops have been baking for an hour, pour the marinara sauce and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
We served the pork chops with baked asparagus, and Sara Fragoso's "Kids love Cabbage slaw".


Here is the recipe for the slaw:


Ingredients:

2 cups purple cabbage, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup mango, finely diced
1Tbl balsamic vinegar
2 Tbl Olive Oil
Black pepper to taste

Direction:

Just mix everything!

And last, recipe for Baked Asparagus:

Ingredients:

1 Lbs of asparagus
Old Bay
Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet. Drizzle with Olive Oil, and sprinkle with Old bay. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes. That's it!

Chow down and enjoy!

Primal Chow Coconut Tortillas

I copied this recipe and modified it a bit from Mark Sisson.
Ingredients:
7 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp of chopped dried onion
1/4 cup hemp milk (you can use other non-dairy milk if you like)

Directions:

Mix these ingredients and let them sit for five minutes. Oil or grease up your pan and heat over medium heat. Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter for each crepe, allowing each side to brown before flipping it. Serve immediately with meat, or veggies, or just as a morning burrito. Chow down and enjoy!

Primal Chow Poached Eggs!

This recipe is so easy!
Ingredients:
Any veggies you like (we use mushrooms, spinach, zucchinis, onions, you name it!)
1 chopped garlic
1/2 cup of salsa
Eggs
Organic Grass-fed Butter


Directions:
Heat a pan with the butter, add the garlic and saute the veggies for about a minute until tender. Add the salsa, and let it simmer for about 1 minute. Crack the eggs, and add them on top of the veggies, and cover them for 5-8 minutes (depending how you like your yolks). Serve immediately with a side of coconut tortilla and organic sausage. Chow down and enjoy!