Roux (pronounced “roo”) is a thickening agent that chefs add to sauces, soups, and stews to give them a more pleasing texture. It is a staple of French cooking, though in the U.S. we typically associate it more with Cajun or Creole staples like gumbo.
Roux is made by cooking one part fat and one part flour together to form something resembling smooth gravy. White flour is a no-go when eating Primally, but never fear, you aren’t doomed to a lifetime of thin, runny étouffée, moussaka, and scalloped potatoes!
Today, I’ll show you how to make a traditional roux and how to swap in Primal-friendly ingredients for a gluten-free option.
Read MoreThis recipe for baked pork chops seasoned with Chinese five spice powder and served with sautéed escarole is a fantastic way to add some flavor to your usual dinnertime meal while still keeping it quick and easy!
If you’re not familiar with these ingredients, Chinese five spice powder is a blend of—you guessed it—five different spices: star anise, fennel seeds, peppercorns (traditionally Szechuan peppercorns), cloves, and cinnamon. It really punches up these pork chops, giving them both a little heat and a sweet aromatic flavor.
You might know escarole as a salad green, but like most greens, it’s capable of so much more than that. In this recipe, a hint of vinegar, a pat of butter, and a scant drizzle of maple syrup turn escarole into a warm side dish that’s perfect with pork. It’s a bold medley of sweet, salty, and pleasantly bitter flavors. The bitter flavor of escarole can be a “love it” or “hate it” thing. This recipe is meant to woo the haters and please those who enjoy escarole’s natural bitterness.
A very large head of escarole wilts down to four small servings when cooked. Plan to serve another side with the meal, or, if you really love escarole, cook two heads instead of one.
Read MoreYou probably already cook with coconut oil. Maybe you enjoy big flakes of toasted coconut in your trail mix or shredded coconut in your grain-free Primal “oatmeal.” But have you tried the richest, most decadent coconut product of them all: coconut butter?
What is coconut butter, you ask? It’s simply dried coconut blended until it forms a smooth, creamy paste. Since the only ingredient is coconut, it’s naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.
Our favorite way to enjoy it is making the world’s easiest two-ingredient keto treat: dark chocolate with a schmear of coconut butter. Or just eat it with a spoon. We’ll never tell.
How to Make Coconut Butter
These macadamia nut cookie bars are our take on a classic blondie recipe. Blondies have more fun, right?
Blondie bars are similar to brownies, but instead of cocoa they feature vanilla and, usually, brown sugar. We wanted ours to be a Primal, paleo, and keto-friendly dessert recipe, so these bars get their signature flavor from monk fruit sweetener and something cool and unexpected: macadamia nut butter!
Macadamia nuts are a good source of monounsaturated fats, and a quarter-cup of macadamias provides 77 percent of your daily manganese requirement and 28 percent of your copper. And don’t even get us started on their creamy texture, which makes these blondie cookie bars all the more decadent.
Read MoreHomemade tomato soup is always a crowd-pleaser, but when you add gluten-free meatballs to the recipe, you get a dish that kids and adults alike will clamor for. This tomato soup has a rich, pure tomato flavor plus a spicy kick that turns up the heat. This recipe will make you forget canned tomato soup altogether!
Gluten-free mini-meatballs are the surprise star of the show. Most meatballs are made with breadcrumbs as a binding agent. Instead, these Primal and paleo meatballs hold together with the help of a small amount of almond flour and their petite size, perfect for eating with a spoon.
Bonus: The recipe makes plenty of meatballs to freeze and enjoy later!
Read More“Warm” and “salad” might not be two words you’d normally associate, but we promise you that this warm spinach salad recipe has the goods!
This high-protein salad boasts colorful, nutrient-dense veggies and healthy fats. Roughly chopping the greens ensures that you get bite-sized greens in every delicious bite, and the crispy bacon, crunchy apples, and perfectly roasted butternut squash are downright delightful together.
It’s is also very versatile and customizable. Spinach salad is a classic, but any greens—baby kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, or a combination—will work here. Instead of butternut squash, substitute delicata squash or kabocha. Swap out the walnuts for pecans or pine nuts and the goat cheese for feta. Try it with ranch dressing instead of honey mustard. You can’t go wrong. Once you get the warm spinach salad experience, you’ll want to try loads of different variations.
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