Category Archives: Paleo

Beverages Gluten Free Kid Friendly Living Food Low Calorie Neutral Paleo Recipes Vegan Vegetarian

Delicious Easy Nutritious Coconut Milk

Published by:

freshly made coconut milk

freshly made coconut milk

Recently I discovered that the “organic” nondairy milk that I’d been buying wasn’t so organic. It’s right there on the ingredients label, I was just blinded by the “organic” in big letters on the front of the package. I’ll add more to this post next week detailing what I learned, but for today I wanted to give you all who saw my post on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter this super simple recipe for coconut milk.

Once I figured out that the only way I was going to get nondairy milk without all the junk added to it was to make it myself I started looking around for the easiest and least expensive way to do this. Almond and cashew milk are fine, but pretty expensive when you’re buying organic nuts AND it’s a little more work than I want to invest.

I’ve yet to try making brown rice milk, which I will and will post about later, but today I had a bunch of coconut flour and shredded coconut and decided to give coconut milk a try.

For my first batch I went with the coconut flour method mostly because I could skip the blender step.

Coconut Flour Milk

Ingredients

4 cups filtered hot water
1 cup organic coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Ingredients

Mix the water, coconut flour and sea salt in a large measuring cup. Set aside for at least 30 minutes. Pour through a very fine sieve, cheesecloth lined colander or nut milk bag. You could also pour through a coffee filter set on top of your coffee pot. Once no more milk is coming through the sieve, press down on the flour to express as much milk as possible. Most people discard the coconut flour that’s left over but I used mine to make a nondairy cream cheese. You could also use it to thicken sauces, stew, soup, or gravy.

My Review: the milk tastes flat and watery, not a lot of flavor. I’ll use it to make a smoothie but won’t make it this way again.

 

Shredded Coconut Milk

Ingredients

4 cups filtered hot water
2 cups organic shredded coconut

Instructions

Pour the water over the shredded coconut in a blender. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or until the water has cooled enough to safely blend. Blend for a few seconds. It doesn’t take much. Pour through a very fine sieve, cheesecloth lined colander or nut milk bag. You could also pour through a coffee filter set on top of your coffee pot. Once no more milk is coming through the sieve, press down on the flour to express as much milk as possible.

The left over shredded coconut can be used in any recipe calling for shredded coconut, however it won’t have as much flavor or fat since these were expressed into the milk, but you will get the bulk and the fiber. You could also just add to your smoothies, pancake batter, home made bread, or yogurt.

My Review: the milk tastes fabulous! I don’t drink milk, even nondairy milk but I had to stop myself from drinking the whole batch and calling it breakfast. I thought I would have to add some sea salt at least, if not vanilla and sweetener, but this milk doesn’t need a thing.

The milk will separate as it sits, just shake it up before you use it. I don’t worry about skimming the fattier cream off the top because I try to add coconut oil to my diet every day anyway.

Gluten Free High Protein Low Carb Paleo Vegan Vegetarian

Paprika Spiked Cashews

Published by:

I love making spiced nuts. What I don’t love is tending to them while they slow cook on the stove or in the oven. Enter the slow cooker and suddenly I’m making more spiced nuts than a girl can handle. If you’re on my Christmas gift list I think you know what’s coming your way this year 🙂

Ingredients

6 cups raw cashews or mix of nuts
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground chili, cumin or curry
1 teaspoon powdered garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or any good quality paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Put the cashews in the slow cooker. Add the oil and stir well to coat the cashews.
Add the spices and stir well.
Cook on low for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

If there are any leftover after the first day these will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 2 months.

Gluten Free High Protein Low Carb Paleo

Herb Crusted Turkey Breast

Published by:

This year we decided to do turkey parts instead of a whole turkey and it turned out to be a great decision. We picked up 1/2 breasts, turkey legs and turkey thighs from the butcher (all with the bone in and skin on) and then I set about experimenting until I found a way to roast them that I thought would make everybody forget that there wasn’t a huge turkey presentation. My brother-in-law declared this the best turkey he’s ever had. I heard whispers around the table to the tune of “did you try the turkey?” so I think it’s safe to say that this one’s a winner.

Since it’s now past Thanksgiving I’m going to give you all the recipe for one half breast, which you can of course double, triple, quadruple as needed. I would count one package of legs or as 1/2 of a 1/2 breast so the mixture below would be for 4 legs.

Ingredients

1/2 turkey breast

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried powdered savory

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 carrot

1 onion

1 stalk celery

Instructions

Mix spices and salt together in a small dish.

Rinse turkey breast and pat dry. Rub spice mixture over the turkey breast or under the skin. Set aside overnight or proceed on to roast immediately.

Peel carrot and onion and slice into large chunks. Cut celery into large chunks. Place vegetables in bottom of roasting pan to form a bed for the turkey. Place turkey breast on top of vegetables and roast in a covered pan until the juices run clear when pierced with fork and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Note 1: I had 4 breasts, 4 legs and 2 thighs in the roasting pan and roasted everything for 2 and 1/2 hours. It was falling off the bone tender and not dry at all.

Note 2: The second time I made turkey this way I was all out of carrots, onions and celery (it was the week after Thanksgiving and I was still trying to use up leftovers so while I ran out and picked up turkey breasts I forgot to pick up the fixin’s) so I made a bed of quartered apples and – well lets just say WOW!

Let rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving. The temperature will continue to rise to 170 to 175 degrees F while resting.

Variations

Smash and mash 4 garlic cloves with the sea salt until it’s a paste, then mix with remaining spices.

Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil into spice mixture.

Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper to spice mixture.

Use dried crushed rosemary in place of the savory.

Use 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence in place of the spices.

Use 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning in place of the spices.

Use 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning in place of the spices.

High Protein Low Carb Paleo Recipes

Devil Me Eggs!

Published by:

deviled-eggs

I’m pretty sure that pirates did not carefully craft deviled eggs while they were out to sea raiding merchant ships, but somehow the sound of “Devil Me Eggs!” struck a chord with me and so I’ve taken poetic license with the title of this post.

I love deviled eggs. But then, who doesn’t? Me being me though I tend to start experimenting and so we’ve been enjoying all kinds of deviled eggs here in the UnDiet kitchen. For your eating enjoyment I’m posting some of our fave recipes below. Oh, and since I’m working on a series of low carb cookbooks the recipes below are all 0 carb. Yes, that’s right, I said it – 0 carb!

 

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Even though it seems simple enough to boil an egg, if not done correctly you’ll spend a lot of time peeling off teeny-tiny bits of eggshell and end up with a pock-marked egg white. After much trial and error I’ve found one way (I don’t say “the way” because I’m sure there are other ways to get a good result) to boil an egg for easy peeling and with a fully cooked yolk.

Place the eggs in a pot large enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover the eggs with cold water and bring to a full boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs stand for 15 minutes. Drain the water off and fill the pot with cold water. Set aside until the eggs are cool. I like to do this in the morning or the day before as there’s nothing worse than staring at a pot of eggs waiting for them to cool. Well, there are worse things, but I still don’t like waiting for eggs to cool.

 

Getting the Yolks Back into the Whites

It’s easy for the chickens, they lay an egg and the yolk is right there in the middle. We cook the eggs, remove the yolks, mash them with a fork and then stand there perplexed as to how to get them back into the whites. You can of course spoon it in, but that usually ends up in a yolky mess. Thanks to the multi-purpose plastic bag it’s actually quite easy to present a beautiful deviled egg to family and friends.

Place the yolk mixture into a plastic bag and twist to push the mixture into one corner. Cut off the tip of the bag in that corner. Push the yolk mixture towards the hole to pipe into the whites.

With all of the extras added to the filling you’ll most likely have extra egg yolk mixture left after filling the egg whites. You can use this filling to fill celery sticks, spread on a cucumber or radish slice, spread on a slice of meat and fold or roll up, or use as a sandwich spread.

 

Tips

Once you’ve made the deviled eggs, stick a toothpick in several of the eggs and cover loosely with plastic wrap so that you don’t flatten the filling. The toothpicks will keep the plastic wrap from touching the filling. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Store deviled eggs in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serve deviled eggs within two days of making. After the second day, they won’t taste quite as fresh. If you have any deviled eggs still left at that point, mash them up, add some fresh ingredients such as cucumbers, tomato or fresh herbs and use them for sandwich filling. For those of you who are watching your carbs, you’ll need to add the carb count for these extra ingredients.
 

Crabby Eggs

Ingredients:
4 ounces lump crabmeat
1/2 stick celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, halved, and yolks removed

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl combine the crabmeat, celery, mascarpone cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and chives. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

 

Tuna Deviled Eggs

With all of the extras added to the filling you’ll have extra egg yolk filling left after filling the egg whites. You can use this filling to fill celery sticks, spread on a cucumber or radish slice or make a sandwich with a 1 Minute Muffin or 1 Carb Protein Bread.

Ingredients:
6 ounce can water packed tuna, drained & squeezed dry
½ cup mayonnaise
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons onion, minced
2 tablespoons inner celery leaves, minced
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Carefully remove the yolks from the whites, placing them in a small bowl. Use a fork to mash them together with the remaining ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Fill egg whites with mixture. Dust with paprika if desired.

 

Shrimp & Bacon Deviled Eggs

With all of the extras added to the filling you’ll have extra egg yolk filling left after filling the egg whites. You can use this filling to fill celery sticks, spread on a cucumber or radish slice, spread on a slice of meat and fold or roll up, or make a sandwich with 1 Carb Protein Bread.

Ingredients:
8 hard-boiled large eggs, shelled and cut in half lengthwise
ÂĽ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
ÂĽ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ cup cooked medium shrimp, peeled and chopped (about 4 ounces)
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
paprika, cayenne pepper or chili powder

Directions:
Carefully remove the yolks from the whites, placing them in a small bowl. Use a fork to mash them together with the mayo, mustard, salt, pepper and parsley until the mixture is smooth. Stir in shrimp & bacon if eating right away. If not eating until later in the day or the next day, reserve bacon to sprinkle on top. Fill egg whites with mixture. Dust with paprika, cayenne pepper or chili powder.

 

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:
8 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus 1/2 teaspoon extra for garnish
4 ounces good smoked salmon, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces salmon roe, optional

Directions:
To the egg yolks, add the sour cream, mascarpone cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, salmon, salt, and pepper. Beat with a fork or mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Fill the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture.

When ready to serve, garnish with a dollop of salmon roe and some extra chopped chives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

 

Truffled Eggs

I know that not everybody is up for a truffled egg, but I love, love, love, love, love, love, love, LOVE truffles. If you’ve never tried one I strongly encourage you to try something, anything, flavored with real truffles, if not an actual truffle. And if you’re going to have truffles, eggs are the perfect thing to have them with.

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 & 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil
a pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon chopped jarred black truffles, optional but strongly encouraged
1 chive stalk

Directions:
Remove the yolks from the eggs. Mash yolks, mayonnaise, truffle oil and cayenne together until smooth. Mix in chopped jarred black truffles, if using. Spoon into the egg whites and top with chopped chives.

 

Green Eggs & Ham

If the idea of eating green eggs and ham has your mouth watering and you just can’t wait until you can get to the store and pick up some fresh herbs, you can substitute, chives, lettuce, carrot tops or beet tops for the herbs.

You can use any type of avocado, but if you’re concerned about carbs, the Haas avocado is significantly lower in carbs. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea, I just know that it is so.

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 Haas avocado
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs such as cilantro, parsley, mint or dill
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
salt and pepper

Directions:
Mash egg yolks, avocado, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, chopped mixed herbs, chopped garlic, and salt and pepper. Divide among the egg whites. Crisp 3 slices prosciutto in a skillet; crumble over the eggs.

 

 

 

Paleo

One Reason Why the Paleo Diet Is a Sure Fire Diet for Most Americans

Published by:

Usually people who are in the market for an effective diet plan aren’t just trying to lose one or two pounds. They are looking for something that could help them make a significant change in their body composition. The Paleo Diet is centered around eating in a way that, for most Americans, would mean a significant alteration to their daily menu.

What is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleo Diet is a way of eating that encourages people to get back to their roots as hunters and gatherers, eating the natural foods our ancestors hunted, fished, and gathered since the beginning of time. In our day this would mean fish, wild game meats, grass-fed beef as well as vegetables, seasonal fruits, and healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive and coconut oil. The diet completely EXCLUDES all grains, dairy, beans, refined sugars, processed foods, and alcohol. The claim is that our modern diet wreaks havoc on our bodies contributing to several “diseases of civilization” such as obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and many autoimmune diseases, as we have not had sufficient time to make the genetic adaptations necessary to handle an agricultural diet.

Why the Paleo Diet Will Work

We as Americans love and basically live on every food that the Paleo diet encourages followers to totally EXCLUDE from their diet. They are our quick foods, comfort foods, party foods, snack foods, basically every-occasion foods. The only bad thing is they are also the foods that have gotten us into trouble with our body weight too. Many of them are packed with calories and fat to enhance flavor and improve shelf life. By completely excluding all of these refined sugars and processed foods from our diet, and revising our diet to include fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean cuts of meat, it is nearly impossible not to see results. Agreed? Read this article for more information on the Paleo Diet.

How Paleo Makes it Easy

Paleo followers have made the diet super easy to follow as well. There are numerous books and websites that lay everything out for you including meal ideas and even a shopping list of Paleo approved foods. Check out knowmybody.com for tons of information about how eating Paleo will do more than just help you lose weight.

 

 

Paleo

Lose Weight Fast with Paleo Dieting a Diet that Works?

Published by:

In search of diets that work to help lose weight quickly? Consider the Paleo diet. Paleo dieting is also referred to as the caveman diet, stone age diet, Paleolithic diet or hunter-gatherer diet. It is a nutritional diet based on eating natural plants and animals as they were eaten by our ancestors the cave men.

History

Based on our ancestors from the Paleolithic Age, it covers the period of human nutrition up to the Neolithic (agriculture) age. Paleo believers outline that most humans have been Paleolithic for over 2,500,000 years and have only been Neolithic for about 10,000 years.

Diet Facts

Since man kind has eaten meat and vegetables for millions of years and only recently developed the industrial techniques to extract nutrients from foods and process food for storage, Paleo followers suggest that we go back to the roots of eating in order to encourage healthy lifestyles.

Of course like many nutrition communities there are varying levels of Paleo. The majority agree on the following: eat whole natural foods specifically meat, seafood, vegetables (including root vegetables like yams and sweet potatoes and eliminate dairy, grains and process foods with refined sugars.

Stricter followers argue that fruit and nuts should also be eliminated as these would only have been available seasonally to hunters and gatherers. They eliminate legumes and vegetables that only became available in the Neolithic age like tomatoes and potatoes.

Latest Reading

“The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet” written by Robb Wolf a well known member of the primal/paleo community was recently released as an up-to-date reference of the hunter/gatherer lifestyle. The book offers weight loss tips for following a hunter/gatherer diet, with meal plans and tools to help the reader understand the concepts and theories of this community.

Critics

The diet implies that hunter and gatherers did not suffer from diseases plaguing our current civilization and scientists and nutritionists suggest this is due to the lack of calories in their diets and not what they were actually eating. In addition, there is no evidence that followers of this diet approach are actually mimicking the diets of people in Paleolithic eras as there is no accurate information to outline them.

Conclusion
This low-carb, non-dairy approach has many variations and books to follow. With the reduction of sugar and processed food, the emphasis on fruits and vegetables and the removal of most grains and dairy the Paleo Diet will help you lose weight fast.