Paleo Shaved Brussel Sprouts with Golden Raisins:

(Serves 4 as side dishes)

*I honestly wish I could take credit for the idea of the golden raisins with the pan seared brussel sprouts, but I can’t. I drove home to be with my Dad this past weekend and had the best Daddy daughter weekend possible! It was just the two of us all weekend with my Mom out of town, and we had a blast. I am his twin and such a Daddy’s girl! Anyway, one of the many awesome meals we ate was at the country club, where they had these awesome brussel sprouts with golden raisins. We even ordered a second serving before dessert. Now that I am back at home, and hundreds of miles from the club, I recreated this recipe based on taste memory and they turned out just as good! This can be served as a side dish or even to eat a big bowl of by itself! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-Coconut Oil nonstick cooking spray (Trader Joes, again, has a great one…other nonstick sprays will work as well)

-2 ½ cups (20oz.) shaved brussel sprouts

*Trader Joes now has bagged, organic, shaved, brussel sprouts….so awesome. If you don’t have a Trader Joes, simply wash and cut the stems off your brussel sprouts and place in a food processor and chop until the consistency of shaved/finely chopped brussel sprouts.

-4 Tbsp. sweet almond oil (found at Publix)

-2 Tbsp. honey

-3 to 4 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)

-2 tsp. black pepper (plus more to taste)

-1/2 cup organic golden raisins (found at Trader Joes for REALLY cheap…like less than $3.00 per cup!)

-1/2 cup water

Method:

1. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray. Place on the burner over medium-high heat and add the almond oil. Heat the oil for a minute and add the shaved brussels.
2. Stir the brussels with the sweet almond oil until coated. Add your raisins once your brussels are about half way to lightly brown. Mix raisins and brussels, and cook until slightly golden.
3. Mix in honey, salt, and pepper to taste and stir. Let cook for one minute and then add ½ cup water. Cover and let steam for another 3 to 4 minutes until tender.
4. Serve warm and enjoy!

Cucumber, Watermelon, and Mint Summer Gazpacho:

(Makes about 6 cups/servings)

*I actually made this recipe accidently in the kitchen. I wanted to make a salad, but had no salad greens. All I had was cucumber and watermelon. After throwing these ingredients below together, and letting it sit overnight, the end result was a super refreshing summer gazpacho soup! Awesome!

Ingredients:

-5 to 6 cups seedless watermelon sliced into small cubes

– 4 large peeled and sprialized organic cucumbers (can also be sliced into small cubes or quarters instead to spiralized)

-1/4 cup red wine vinegar

-2 Tbsp. honey (plus a little extra to drizzle on top)

-2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt

-1 tablespoon chopped, fresh mint leaves (I only had dried mint at the time, but that worked as well)

1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

 Method:

1. Peel and chop or spiralize your cucumber into a large Tupperware container. Then add your chopped watermelon (letting all of the watermelon juice possible fall into the bowl).
2. In a separate, small bowl add the red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. honey, and sea salt. Mix well and pour over your cucumber and watermelon.
3. Add the mint and sesame seeds to the Tupperware and incorporate throughout your other ingredients, tossing with tongs (especially if the cucumber is spiralized).
4. Once all of your ingredients are evenly distributed throughout, drizzle a little extra honey across the top surface of your mixture.
5. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. The next day, all of the juices from the cucumber and watermelon will have formed the delicious broth of your gazpacho with the cucumber and watermelon pieces swimming in the delicious liquid.
6. Serve chilled in small bowls. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Grits and Shrimp:

(Serves 3) (Total Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes)

*Want classic southern style shrimp and grits that are Paleo and of course healthy! Here you go, guilt free…you’re welcome!

Ingredients:

Grits:

-3 cups riced organic cauliflower florets

-2 to 3 slices all natural gluten free turkey bacon (I prefer Applegate Farms brand)

-1 Tbsp. olive oil

-1/2 yellow onion

-1/4 tsp. garlic powder

-sea salt and pepper to taste

-2 cups all natural low sodium chicken broth (I prefer Pacific Organic brand)

-1 ¼ cups almond flour

-All natural olive oil nonstick spray (Pam brand has one! Found at Publix!)

Shrimp:

-1 pound peeled, deveined, and tails removed medium shrimp

-2 Tbsp. organic minced garlic

-1 Tbsp. olive oil

-All natural olive oil nonstick spray (see note above)

-1/2 fresh squeezed lemon juice

-1/2 tsp. sea salt

-1/2 tsp. onion powder

-1 1/2 tsp. paprika

-1/2 tsp. Cayenne

-1/2 tsp. dried thyme

-1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

-dried parsley and crumbled bacon to top at the end when plating!

Method:

Grits:

1. Chop your cauliflower into pieces and pulse in your food processor 1 cup at a time until it is the consistency of rice. Set aside.
2. Spray a medium saucepan with nonstick spray and add your olive oil. Heat over medium to high heat and add your bacon until cooked through. Remove bacon and place aside. Add your chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add your cauliflower and chicken broth on high heat until boiling. Add your almond flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Turn down to low heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Shrimp:

1. Spray a medium saucepan with nonstick spray and add your olive oil over medium to high heat. Add your garlic, shrimp, and seasonings, and cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through stirring throughout.
2. Squeeze your fresh lemon juice over the shrimp and cook another 2 minutes.

Plating:

-Place your grits on the bottom of a pasta or shallow serving bowl and top with crumbled bacon. Top with your shrimp and dried parsley. Enjoy!

Creamy Strawberry Ice cream:

(Makes about 8 cups)

*This strawberry ice cream is the perfect treat on a hot summer day, as a dessert on a hot summer night, or in my case yesterday, both! It is guilt free and full of vitamin C from the strawberries. Also, because the creaminess comes from coconut-almond milk, avocado, and banana, the fat content is very low and is the type that’s good for you! You also cannot taste the avocado or banana at all as it is completely overpowered by the flavor of the strawberries. The use of strawberries also keeps the calorie and carbohydrate content low as well. Yay for a healthy treat that tastes like the real thing!

*By the way, you can top your ice cream with any topping you like. In the picture I have topped mine with black sesame seeds, which is really yummy. Walnuts and even dark chocolate chips would also be great!

Ingredients:

-3 lbs. organic, frozen, strawberries

-1 large organic avocado, pit removed

-4 large, peeled, organic bananas

-3 cups coconut-almond milk (Califa Farms brand is best! Found at Earthfare)

-5 Tbsp. grade B pure Maple Syrup

-1/2 to ¾ cup Stevia powder (I like mine REALLY sweet so taste test as you add and mix it in to your liking)

-3 to 4 tsp. Himalayan finely ground sea salt

-4 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract (Make sure it isn’t the kind with corn syrup added…really people…)

-2 tsp. cinnamon

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in a Vitamix (preferred) or other high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into Tupperware and place in the freezer overnight.
2. Let it sit out for 30 minutes to thaw before scooping, or microwave 1 minute…it will be really frozen, but this softens it right up.
3. Enjoy your guilt-free, vitamin-packed, treat!

Shrimp and Bacon Cheesy ‘Alfredo’:

(Makes 4 large servings)

*In the spirit of loving my new Kitchen Aid spiralizer, I have decided to post another zucchini noodle recipe that turned out great for me this week. Again, do not fear the zucchini noodles. They taste just like regular noodles and are even the same al dente consistency! I guess because I don’t eat regular pasta noodles due to my food allergies, I can vouch for my new found love of zucchini noodles. But really, these noodles are just like the real thing, and are wonderful in this dish. This recipe is easy and perfect for storing in the fridge for dinner for the week. The combination of the shrimp, crumbled turkey bacon, basil, and noodles swimming in my cashew cheese, will make you never wanting for regular noodles again. What a great way to get the health benefits of eating a plate full of vegetables and protein!

*I also want to mention that you will be seeing a lot of my new dishware in my coming posts, including this one! The wedding was great for my kitchen cabinets, as they are now stocked with the dishes and flatware my husband and I picked out and graciously received as gifts! I cannot express how great it is to finally have full sets of matching dishes and flatware. Great…I sound like a Stepford wife, haha. Thank you to any of our friends reading this who gave them to us! This pasta bowl is made by a company called L’Objet. Their dishes are absolutely beautiful…I am so grateful to have some!

Ingredients:

-8 organic zucchini, peeled and spiralized into noodles.

-Olive Oil cooking spray (Pam makes an organic one!)

-6 strips of Turkey Bacon (nitrate free and gluten free of course…Garret Valley makes a great one…found at Earthfare)

-2 to 3 cups precooked baby shrimp (bag should say between 40 and 50 peeled, de-vined, tail off…found at Trader Joe’s)

-4 tsp minced garlic

-Ground black pepper to taste

-4 tsp. Himalayan Sea Salt

-2 tsp. dried basil

-2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more can be added if you like more heat)

-1/2 cup cashew cheese (see the recipe for this on my website)

Method:

1. Spiralize your zucchini noodles into a large bowl and toss with 4 tsp. sea salt using tongs. Place your noodles in a strainer with a plate underneath (to catch the water which will drain from the noodles) and place in the fridge for now.
2. Spray a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray and turn up the heat to medium. Let your skillet heat up for a minute or two and add you’re bacon, sprinkling with black pepper on each side. Cook until crisp, remove from skillet, and dry on paper towels.
3. Keep your skillet on medium heat and add your garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring throughout. Then add your zucchini noodles. Toss your noodles with tongs until your other ingredients in the skillet are incorporated. Continue to cook and toss your noodles for 3 minutes. Add a generous amount of black pepper, your basil, shrimp, along with your cashew cheese, and toss until the cheese is melted and ingredients are incorporated throughout your noodles.
4. Place your noodles in a pasta bowl and top with more cracked black pepper if needed, along with your bacon crumbled on top. Serve warm!
5. If you have leftovers, store in the fridge in a covered Tupperware container for up to 4 days. Enjoy!