You can never have too many quick and easy meals in your recipe arsenal. If the recipe is family-friendly and likely to please everyone at the table, all the better. If it’s also a one-pot meal that provides all the protein and veggies you need in one sitting, then it’s a real keeper.
Sweet Potato Pasta is just this type of meal. High in protein from ground beef, the dish also contains a healthy and dense source of carbs (sweet potato) and a few brightly colored vegetables (tomatoes and bell pepper). Although you could serve this over zucchini or celeriac “noodles” there’s really no need. Just fill your bowl with sweet potato pasta sauce and dig in.
Read MoreThere are a lot of recipes out there for paleo/Primal fried chicken, all of them trying to create a crispy, finger-licking good coating using various nut and coconut products. This recipe isn’t for fried chicken, per se, but after tasting it you might give up trying to coat a piece of chicken in anything other than it’s own skin again.
This is likely to be the crispiest baked chicken you’ve ever had, with skin that shatters when you bite into it. And, there’s no messy frying involved. The secret? Dredging the chicken in a mixture of egg whites, baking soda and salt, then letting the chicken air-dry overnight in the refrigerator. This genius method was perfected in Ideas in Food’s recipe for Korean-style chicken wings. The recipe here takes it one step further by not just using wings – drumsticks and thighs are just as delicious using this baking method.
Read MoreCall it what you will, chile (or chili) gravy or enchilada sauce, either way this blend of dried chiles, cumin, garlic, and beef broth is hard to be without if you love Tex-Mex cuisine. Granted, a lot of Tex-Mex cuisine is also loaded with gooey melted cheese, chips and tortillas but it’s best to skip all that. Instead, pour this earthy, smoky, moderately spicy gravy over ground beef, scrambled eggs, chilaquiles, grilled steak or chicken. Or use it (un-thickened) as a braising or poaching liquid for beef, pork or chicken.
Every Tex-Mex aficionado has their own recipe for chili gravy. Some recipes use only chili powder, instead of whole, dried chiles, which works well if you have access to high-quality, flavorful chili powder. Many recipes use powdered garlic instead of fresh. And all of them use flour to thicken the gravy. This Primal version relies on tapioca powder to thicken the gravy, but even that’s not entirely necessary if you’re okay with a slightly thinner texture.
Read MoreBe warned that bacon jam is a highly addictive substance. You’ll no sooner make one batch than you’ll want to start another, tweaking the recipe slightly to make it a little smokier, or sweeter or spicier. Just remember that bacon jam is a condiment, not a main course to be eaten with a spoon – at least not every day.
What does one spread their bacon jam on? Scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, omelets, spinach salad, steak, burgers, salmon, grilled vegetables…the smoky, spicy, sweet flavor can jazz up just about anything. It’s a secret weapon to keep in the refrigerator, transforming a meal from blah to “aha!”
Read MoreThere are several types of vegetables that can be used to mimic noodles (spaghetti squash, zucchini) but none do it as well as celeriac. Peeled strands of this rugged root will cook to al dente in less than 3 minutes, making a fine bowl of faux fettuccine.
Celeriac noodles can be topped with any of your favorite sauces, but are especially good with this parsley pesto that matches the clean, fresh flavor of the noodles. Celeriac (also called celery root) has an herbal, pleasantly bitter flavor that will remind you of both celery and parsley. The flavor is stronger when raw and quite mild when cooked.
Read MoreA whole fish is an impressive entrée, especially this one roasted with clams and red peppers and topped with spicy scallion relish. It’s a fresh, vibrant meal that’s gorgeous to look at and has so much more flavor than a boneless, skinless fillet. Don’t be intimidated by cooking a whole fish; it’s actually quite easy and hassle free. A whole fish can be grilled, or roasted in the oven as shown here, with extra goodies like clams and veggies.
The clams in this recipe are more like a garnish, adding iron, copper, and selenium to the meal. The red pepper is the requisite veggie and could be accompanied by thinly sliced fennel, carrots or zucchini. The spicy scallion relish gives this dish some attitude. The longer the relish sits, the bolder it tastes, so make it a day ahead if you can.
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