Gambas Al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)

This dish is so quick and easy to make that I know I'll turn to it often especially for a quick lunch.  I think I could get it on the table in about 5 minutes.  Lots of minced garlic got a quick turn in duck fat and then fresh lemon juice, smoky paprika, salt and pepper were added.  Finally the shrimp went in for a minute or two on each side and the dish was done.  The shrimp turned out perfectly cooked and pack with smoky, garlic flavor.  I served these with a Roasted Veggie Medley which were herb coated and delicious however I found the two different flavors too much of a contrast.

Gambas Al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)
Makes 4 servings

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons duck fat or coconut oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Juice of one lemon
Salt, pepper & red pepper flakes to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
Chopped cilantro to garnish

Lay the shrimp out on some paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

Over a low-medium heat warm the duck fat or coconut oil and minced garlic for a minute, until it just begins to brown at the edges.

Add the lemon juice, paprika and any additional seasonings; be careful as the oil will spit when you add the lemon juice.

Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for a minute or two (depending on the size of the shrimp) on each side, until fully cooked.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Drizzle with additional olive oil to taste and garnish with the chopped cilantro.

Serve as an appetizer, add to salads or pour over mashed root vegetables - make sure to use the flavored oil!


From Meatified

Our rating:

Colorado

Colorado Springs was our destination from Santa Fe and it was beautiful with historic Colorado Springs surrounded by the mountains.  We were about 1200 feet lower than we were in Santa Fe which felt better for us.  The first full day we spent in Colorado was Memorial Day.  Gerry decided he wanted to explore Manitou Springs which is slightly northwest of Colorado Springs and was just a beautiful little town to explore.  We spent a couple of hours walking around the town square and had lunch at Coquette's Bistro and Bakery serving a selection of salads, crepes, and sandwiches (all gluten-free).  We both had the Tula Crepe stuffed with Red Bird chicken, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, spinach, feta cheese and tzatziki with a house salad on the side dressed with a basil vinaigrette.  It was positively delicious!

Manitou Springs happened to be a side stop on the route to Pike's Peak.  Pike's Peak was a 19 mile drive from the entry gate at Pike's National Park to the summit.  It took us about 2 1/2 hours to complete the 38 mile round trip and was just awesome.  There was about 4 feet of snow still left near the top of the mountain and the temperature dropped from 79 degrees in Manitou Springs to 43 degrees at the top of the mountain.  It was a spetacular afternoon.

On Tuesday, I visited the Garden of the Gods, which was a 5 mile car drive (approximately)  through park grounds containing unique, huge rock formations with a stupendous view of Pike's Peak along the way.  I started my visit with a 15 minute film explaining how the rocks were formed over thousands of years and then started my drive.  There were various places to stop along the way for photo shots which were perfectly situated.  I ended my tour by eating lunch on an outdoor patio overlooking the Garden.

Balanced Rock, Garden of the Gods Park

After lunch I tackled the Manitou Cliff Dwellings.  The Cliff Dwellings were preserved by a protective red sandstone overhang and were built more than 700 years ago by Anasazi cliff dwellers.  The structure is so well preserved it is possible to venture inside and catch a glimpse of an American Indian culture that roamed the Four Corners area of the Southwest from 1200 BC. to A.D. 1300. 

We then continued our northern trek into Golden, Colorado which is just west of Denver where I got to spend some time with a dear friend and neighbor from where we lived in Plano.  It was wonderful being in a new location with my own personal guide.  Karen and I explored the Arapaho National Forest are which was beautiful.

 

We also tried to drive up to Mt. Evans which has an elevation of 14,260 feet.  

  

However, just as we approached the entry gate, we found out they had just closed the mountain, due to snow flurries with high winds which makes the snow plow they were running hard to see.  Our timing was either good or bad, depending on your viewpoint, since the car in front of us got to go through.  I guess it was just not meant to happen for us on that particular day.

We continued on to Idaho Springs and stopped for lunch at Beau Joe's, a pizza chain specializing in Colorado style pizza which was very good.

 

Karen, Gerry and I also spent a day exploring Boulder, Colorado which is a very unique area, reminding us a lot of Austin, Texas in the artsy feel of the city.  The views of the mountains certainly confirmed that we were not in Austin as well as the cooler temperatures.  It may have reached the low 70's during our visit which was the perfect temp to spend the day exploring.  Boulder has done a wonderful job of creating a unique area on Pearl Street which is only open to pedestrian traffic for many blocks running through the center of the city.  We had a lovely lunch at West Flanders Brewing Company before continuing our exploration.  Boulder is a very unique city and well worth exploring.

We ended our time in Colorado with a dinner at the RV park with our friends in Golden which made me realize how lucky we are to be able to travel on new adventures and connect with old friends. 

We left Colorado on Sunday and continued north to Casper, Wyoming. 

Grilled Spanish Chicken and "Rice"

This recipe is a very loose adaptation of the classic Arroz con Pollo since it is Paleo version (containing no rice) and it all got cooked on the grill.  Shredded cauliflower was used as a replacement for the rice and worked out pretty well.  Once this dish was assembled it basically cooked itself.  You put everything in a foil packet and let it cook and steam away on the grill for about 40-45 minutes. 

Grilled Spanish Chicken and "Rice"
Makes 2-4 servings

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 head cauliflower, leaves and stem removed, cut into pieces
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
handful of pimento stuffed olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Light the grill to medium-high heat.

Take an extra long piece of foil (approximately 3 feet long) and fold it in half to create a double layer of foil.

Curl up the edges like you're trying to make a bowl.

Toss your cauliflower into a food processor that has the shredding attachment connected.  This will make your cauliflower easier to rice.

Once your cauliflower is riced, add in to your foil bowl.  Pour your chicken broth and coconut milk over the rice.  In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over the rice and give it a good stir.  Place chicken over the rice and scatter onions and olives all around it.  Sprinkle the rest of the seasonings over the chicken and everything else. 

Pull out another piece of foil, big enough to cover your foil bowl, and place on top.  Using your fingers, pinch and curl up the sides to completely seal the packet for steaming on the grill.

Place on the grill for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.


Slightly adapted from Paleo OMG

Our rating:

1/2

Paleo Shepherd's Pie

I grew up eating the Canadian version of Shepherd's Pie which is a layer of ground beef cooked with onions, a layer of corn, and finally topped with a layer of mashed potatoes dotted with butter and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  Each layer is already cooked and layered in a cast iron skillet and then the top gets browned under the broiler for a few minutes.  This Paleo version has no corn and no mashed white potatoes, but it does have a layer of sauteed vegetables covered with a gravy and a mashed root vegetable mixture for the top.  This dish turned out to be quite tasty and a good substitute for a comfort food.

Paleo Shepherd's Pie
Makes 6-8 servings

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
3 celery stalks, small dice
4 carrots, small dice
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
4 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (remove ends)
3 turnips, peeled, ends cut off and cut into cubes
5-6 parsnips, peeled and cut into thirds (remove ends)
Salt to taste

Fill an 8-quart pan with water to boil turnips, parsnips and one carrot.  Turn the heat to medium-high.  Add the turnips, parsnips and carrot and boil for 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put a large skillet on medium-low heat.  Add 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil to pan.  Put the small diced onion, celery and carrot into the pan and cook till onions are translucent, which takes about 7 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Using the same pan, turn the heat to medium and add the ground been, 2 teaspoons of sea salt and 1 teaspoon ground pepper.  Stir to thoroughly distribute the salt and pepper and cook until the meat is cooked through.  Once the meat is completely cooked, drain the meat from the fat and transfer the meat to a bowl.  Drain the remaining fat and discard.

Return the vegetable mixture back to the same pan (it's totally okay if it has some fat coating from the beef) over medium-low heat.  Add the  minced garlic, chicken broth, thyme, and rosemary to the vegetable mixture.  Allow the liquid to heat up for a minute or two.  Add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.  Stir to mix.  Add the arrowroot powder, one tablespoon at a time and mixing after each tablespoon , in order to thoroughly dissolve.  This should thicken the liquid to more gravy form, but not completely thick.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper.  Remove pan from heat.

Using a casserole dish (or a 9x13 pan), pour all the cooked ground beef inside by evenly spreading it out.  Next, evenly spread the veggie/gravy mixture.

The turnips, parsnips, and carrots should be thoroughly soft.  Each should be easily pierced with a fork.  Drain the water and add 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil and 2 tablespoons water.  Puree the mixture in a food processor to process until smooth (you might need a little more water).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the mixture over the top of the veggie mixture and smooth it out making sure to cover all the veggies.

Bake for 20-25 minutes and serve hot.

From JoGoGym

Our rating:
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Cod with Coconut Slaw and Pico de Gallo

Fish is so good; both in taste and in health benefits.  This recipe seems quite long, but it was easy to put all together.  I started by making the slaw so the flavors could meld in the refrigerator.  I then turned my attention to the Pico de Gallo, which was a mixture of avocado, tomato, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice.

Finally it was time to prep to the fish which was coated in a mixture of almond meal and coconut flakes before being simply baked in the oven.  It turned out to be a great dish so don't let the length of ingredients and instructions stop you from making this.

Cod with Coconut Slaw and Pico de Gallo
Makes 2-3 servings

1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cod (or other white fish)

For the Pico de Gallo
2 small or 1 large avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice from one lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Coconut Slaw
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 package of broccoli slaw (already shredded broccoli and carrots, found in produce section)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 lime
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the Coconut Slaw
Toast coconut in a small saute pan on medium heat until it turns a light golden color.  Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli slaw, coconut and cilantro.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, the juice of one lime, Dijon mustard, honey, and cayenne.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour mayo mixture over broccoli mixture and toss well.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the Pico de Gallo
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the Cod:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Since I couldn't find almond meal, I ground up almonds in my coffee grinder (which I only use for spices) to make almond meal.  I also ground up the coconut flakes to make a smoother mixture.

Combine almond meal, coconut and cayenne pepper in shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.

Place beaten egg in separate shallow dish.  Season fish with salt and pepper.  Dredge each fillet in egg and then the almond meal mixture.  Press the mixture onto the fish to get a good crust.

Place fish on a lightly greased baking sheet (I used coconut oil) and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.


Slight adapted from Everyday Paleo

Our rating:
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Santa Fe, NM

We spent exactly one week in Santa Fe which I find is the perfect amount of time to explore a city.  After a week, we know if we have seen everything we want to see and experience, or if it is a place that might warrant another visit for a longer period of time.  We really enjoyed visiting Santa Fe, but we did experience some problems with the elevation.  Santa Fe sits at 7,260 feet which was a surprise to both of us.  High altitudes typically create sleepless nights for me and it did for both of us.  It also causes a nighttime headache and Gerry found it rather difficult at times to breathe deeply.  These slight problems did not stop us at all from everything we wanted to do rather we just slowed down the pace a little.  It is also a very dry environment so we drank tons of water which also helped with altitude adjustment.

In a nutshell here is how we spent our time:

Walked around the downtown area and had drinks in the square on arrival
Open air bus tour of the city
Visited the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Gerry played a round of golf (I drove the cart since I won't play with a walking cast)
Had dinner at Maria's New Mexican Kitchen (known for their menu of 100 different margaritas as well as their food)
Santa Fe Farmer's Market (a huge, bustling market featuring lots of organic local produce)
Took the high road to Taos tour (a scenic route through the mountains which was spectacular)
Walked around downtown Taos  (which feels a little smaller than Santa Fe)
Ended our week with a superb dinner at 315 Restaurant and Bar (a French Bistro)

Our dinner at 315 was the perfect way to end our visit.  The restaurant is in a stucco building (typical Santa Fe architecture) on Old Santa Fe Trail but the food and service were absolutely French bistro.

We started our meal with a Charcuterie plate, a house-made sampling of smoked meats.  Next came Rabbit Terrine studded with olives and pistachios.  My entree was the Seared Duck Breast served on a potato gallette with ribbons of fresh vegetables.  Gerry chose the Brasied Veal with Halibut Cheeks with an assortment of oven roasted vegetables.  We both splurged and had dessert; Flourless Chocolate Cake with a raspberry sauce for me and a Pear and Berry Baked Pudding smothered in a wine sauce for Gerry.  The entire evening was perfection.

Downtown Santa Fe

Black Hollyhock Blue Larkspur at Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Santa Fe Golf Course

High Road to Taos (Route 68)

Also on the road to Taos

In conclusion, we enjoyed Santa Fe and would enjoy spending a day or so there but we would love to try staying in Taos next time to explore that area.  Taos is at 6,967 feet high, so I suspect we would still have trouble adjusting to the altitude and it seems to be just as dry which means lots of water and lotion.

We left Santa Fe and drove to Colorado Springs on Sunday and the views were amazing.  Check in next Sunday for more news of our travels.

Smoky Mexican Tortilla-less Soup

We have been trying more Paleo/Primal type recipes and have found that they taste great and we feel wonderful without any of the grains.  With all the flavors in this soup, we didn't even miss the tortilla strips typically added.  It had all the flavors you would expect in this soup.

Smoky Mexican Tortilla-less Soup
Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons coconut oil or bacon fat
1 small onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
1 red bell pepper, finely diced (1/2 cup)
2 carrots, finely diced (1/2 cup)
1 poblano pepper, roasted and diced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 quart chicken stock
8 ounces chicken, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, optional for garnish
Avocado slices, optional for garnish

In a large soup pot, melt the coconut oil and all the diced onion to cook until it becomes translucent and the edges begin to brown.  Add the diced bell pepper, carrots, celery, and roasted poblano pepper, season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the cumin, coriander, and chipotle chili powder and stir until well combined.  Allow to cook for another 8-10 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and chicken broth, stir to incorporate and cook, stirring occasionally for two minutes.  Simmer for 20 minutes or until the flavors are well combined.

When the soup is nearly complete, add the cooked chicken to the pot just to heat it all the way through.

Serve garnished with fresh chopped cilantro and avocado slices, if desired.


Slightly adapted from Balanced Bites

Our rating: