Sweet n’ Spicy Flank Steak
I decided to distract myself from studying for tomorrow’s exercise science quiz by working on this post instead. Seems legit, right? I’ll study after…promise. I can’t say that I’ll understand everything or even remember half of the content, but I’ll try. I have to go to work soon, so it’ll have to be a power study session.
Meanwhile, I’ve been wanting to share this recipe for a while, but it took three times of making it before I could even get it documented. That’s because the first two times I made this, the meat didn’t go on the grill until after 8 p.m. (once I got home from working at the gym). In turn, this meant it was too dark to get a decent photo in the natural light. Anyway, as you can gather, I finally got it. You may want to keep this recipe in mind for the holiday weekend ahead!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb flank steak, preferably grass-fed
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp refined coconut oil, melted
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you want it spicier)
- 1/4 tsp raw honey
Directions:
- Place flank steak in a shallow glass dish or zip-lock bag. Season both sides with sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the coconut oil, aminos, garlic, red pepper flakes and honey. Pour over the steak and make sure it’s well coated. Cover (or zip up bag) and place in the fridge for a minimum of 10 hours, but ideally overnight. Flip the meat over once or twice in the dish during the marinading time and if it’s in a bag, massage a few different times.
- Remove meat from fridge about 15-20 minutes prior to cooking. Then, place on a preheated grill and cook 3-4 minutes each side for medium done-ness (might be more, depending on the thickness).
- Remove meat from grill once done and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Serve with vegetable of choice. I recommend sauteed broccoli with garlic.
Yields: 2 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Mexican Breakfast Burritos
Coconut flour wraps with seasoned egg and veggie filling.
Well, it’s officially three weeks (tomorrow) until our wedding ceremony. Jesse and I went and signed our marriage license yesterday and got all the official paperwork in order. Coming up now, I need to go to the flower shop (I’m going to Geranium Lake Flowers) and pick out my bridal bouquet (I’m just getting a bridesmaid size one). I have a trial run of my hair and makeup a week before the wedding with my friend and makeup artist, Brooke Morse. Brooke and I also used to work together at Lululemon Athletica. As a treat, I also arranged for her to do my mom, sister and soon-to-be mother in-law’s makeup on the day of our ceremony. What else? Oh, Jesse and I need to go up to Council Crest Park, where we’re having our ceremony and figure out where exactly, we want everything to happen. As for Jesse, specifically, he needs to find a pair of shoes and learn how to tie his bow-tie. He has not been practicing! There’s also the vows situation too…still haven’t started and I don’t know that Jesse has either. I’m not sure I will be able to pull it off with everything else I have going on. We’ll see, I suppose. I want to, but right now, it’s a little overwhelming because I have a lot of other things with deadlines to manage.
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As for this recipe, it rocks! The tortillas cook up easily (I only tore my first one…premature flipping) and hold together surprisingly well. I will definitely be making them again, but will probably try a different flavor combination. The egg filling is tasty and slightly spicy, and works well inside the wrap. These wraps would also be great for meat-based fillings — chicken breast with bacon, taco-seasoned ground beef, Greek-seasoned ground lamb, deli meat, sausages or grass-fed beef hot dogs, etc. There’s lots of possibilities.
For the filling:
- 4 slices US Wellness Meats sugar-free grass-fed beef bacon, chopped
- 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 pastured eggs, beaten
- 1 8-oz can diced green chiles
- 1-2 Tbsp organic taco seasoning (make sure there’s no sugar or other junk ingredients)
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Dab of grass-fed butter or tallow, if needed
- Avocado slices
- Chopped romaine or greens
- Black lava course sea salt for garnishing, optional
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the chopped bacon. Cook for a couple minutes and then add the sliced mushrooms.
- Meanwhile, add the taco seasoning, sea salt and pepper to the beaten eggs in a medium bowl. Then, once the bacon is crisp and the mushrooms have softened, add the egg mixture to the pan. Add a bit of butter or tallow to re-grease the pan first, if needed.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and continue to cook. Add the sliced tomatoes and green chiles.
- Once the eggs are cooked through, adjust seasoning as needed.
- Spoon mixture into a tortilla and top with lettuce/greens and avocado.
Yields: enough to fill 4-5 tortillas
For the tortillas, adapted slightly from this recipe:
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 cup egg whites
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 clove garlic
- Pinch of cayenne
- US Wellness Meats grass-fed beef tallow, for cooking
- Combine all the ingredients, except the tallow in a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds or until mixed through and smooth. Let sit for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and add a little tallow. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and shake around a bit to form about an 8-inch circle.
- Let tortilla cook for a few minutes, until edges start to peel up and it’s no longer shiny on top — that’s when you know it’s ready to flip. Flip carefully using a large spatula. Once flipped, cook for roughly one more minute.
- Stack tortillas on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the moisture.
Yields: 6 tortillas
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Broccoli Bacon Salad.
It’s the point in the term where everything comes crashing down, and I’ll be busting my buns right up until the last day of the term. There’s A LOT to do, so much so that I feel like I’m suffocating a little bit, especially because I have my wedding ceremony to think about too (including writing vows, which I have yet to start). I wrap everything up for this term two days before my wedding and the day my family arrives, which is June 6. I know it will all come together, and even though it’s going to be a bit stressful and chaotic, it will be fine. Somehow, things always end up working out. I keep reminding myself to take things in stride, BREATHE, and take one day at a time. I also need to take advantage of my time and prioritize appropriately, which is sometimes easier said than done. Anyway, that’s that! I’ll be a-okay, but just needed to put it out there because it makes me feel better! Also, I am by no means complaining, so please don’t misinterpret my rant. I am very grateful and happy, but just a wee bit overwhelmed!
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Does anyone remember eating the broccoli salad that had bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds and a creamy, slightly sweet mayo dressing? It often made an appearance at our family gatherings when I was growing up and more often than not, I enjoyed it. I think nearly every mom in my hometown had the recipe too. I don’t know if it was shared at PTA meetings or in elementary school cookbooks, but so many women made it at social gatherings. I kid you not!
Anyway, I got to thinking about the salad recently because I had a bunch of broccoli in my refrigerator that needed to be used up, pronto. I didn’t have any mayo made and really wasn’t feeling a mayo-based dressing anyway, so revamped it as a slightly creamy vinaigrette. It turned out very well and I was surprised how much it tasted like the original salad. Honestly, I think it’s the bacon, sunflower seeds and raisins (or in my recipe, currants) that really make the salad taste the way it does. For those of you that remember the salad I’m referring to, see for yourself. For everyone else, enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 large head broccoli, chopped (peel and chop stems too)
- 1/8 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
- 4 slices bacon, preferably sugar-free, cooked and chopped
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- 3-4 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tsp full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 tsp raw honey
- 1/8 tsp mustard powder
- Himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mix together the broccoli, onion, bacon, currants and sunflower seeds.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, coconut milk, raw honey, mustard powder, sea salt and pepper.
- Pour dressing over mixture and stir well. Refrigerate at least 6-8 hours or overnight. Pull out of the fridge about 10 minutes before serving, to allow dressing to soften (it firms up in the fridge since it’s an olive oil based dressing).
- Enjoy with burgers, grilled chicken, steak, fish, etc. Anything really!
Simple Supper Friday: Mango Chicken Curry
Mango chicken curry.
One of my favorite Thai restaurants in Portland, My Thai (sorry, they don’t have a website), makes phenomenal curries. They are all gluten-free, good quality, fresh and come out piping hot. (By the way, they are really great about ANY food sensitivities/allergies at this restaurant). From time-to-time, they feature a mango curry and it is R-A-D! Jesse and I have a loving relationship with it, but rarely get to eat it or dine at My Thai, for that matter. It’s on the other side of town and not conveniently located, so it makes the concept of take-out inconvenient, but it’s fun to make a point to dine there on occasion.
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about their mango curry since the last time I had the pleasure of eating it — about two months ago or so. Finally, I got the push to replicate it since mangoes were on sale at Whole Foods last weekend. Jesse and I were pleased with the results and thought it tasted even better the next day. We will definitely be making it again…and soon!
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced into half rounds
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used a combo of both)
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp Thai Kitchen red curry paste
- 1 8-oz can diced green chiles
- 2 heads baby bok choy, chopped
- 1 mango, sliced lengthwise into strips
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- Pinch of cayenne
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions:
- Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute a minute or so. Then add the chicken and season to taste with sea salt.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and curry paste. Once mixed, add to the skillet with the green chilies. Cook 7-10 minutes.
- Lastly, add the bok choy, mango, cayenne and coconut aminos. Let cook 1-2 minutes more, until bok choy softens a bit. Then, stir in the chopped fresh basil.
- Serve over cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. It’s delicious with both, but I thought it was best with the zucchini.
Yields: 4-5 servings
Cobb Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing
Cobb salad with a subtly sweet and creamy vinaigrette dressing.
I’ve been wanting to make a big ol’ cobb salad for a while now, but the cold, rainy and wintery weather held me back. But now, it’s been calling my name again since the weather has been in the 80s — or what I deem as salad weather. Honestly, I’ve been wanting to replicate a cobb salad since December, when Jesse and I were in Hawaii. I ordered a cobb salad during our last dinner on the island, and it was so delicious, even without any dressing. You can’t go wrong with that much tasty fat and protein on one platter!
I warn you, this salad does take quite a bit of time to prepare if you don’t have things ready beforehand. So, if you do choose to make it, try planning ahead, even if it’s just grilling an extra chicken breast at dinner one or two nights before. This will at least put you one step further in the process.
For the salad:
- 1 leftover grilled boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
- 5 strips US Wellness Meats sugar-free grass-fed beef bacon, cooked and chopped
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 4 cups chopped romaine and kale
- 1-2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 avocado, chopped
Spread the chopped lettuce and kale out among two plates. Then, make a row of tomato, avocado, egg, chicken and bacon. If space is tight on your plate, combine the avocado and tomato together. Drizzle with vinaigrette just before serving (see recipe below).
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp raw honey
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Pinch of cayenne
- Splash of full-fat coconut milk
Whisk all ingredients together. Taste and adjust flavor as needed. Drizzle over individual salads just before serving.
Yields: 2 entree-sized salads
Cobb salad, prior to drizzling vinaigrette on top.
Creamy Chicken Dijon
Creamy Chicken Dijon.
I am relieved to say that my exercise science midterm is over! It is such a relief to have that thing off my mind or at least not to have to study for it anymore. I admit that it is still on my mind a little bit. I can’t help but wonder how I did and have gone over some of the questions in my head (and even checked an answer in my book…don’t let me do that anymore. It made me upset!). I realized I made a couple dumb mistakes, but in the moment, I took a chance because I was unsure. Whatever. I know I passed and I studied my buns off, so hopefully it paid off and at least scored me a B. I’m pretty confident that I got at least that, but who knows, maybe I did even better!
Studying for that blasted exam is what the majority of my weekend consisted of. The weather was so nice and sunny, which made it challenging, but I took advantage of studying outside on the patio. Really, I just wanted to hang out outdoors, bum around on my bike and drink wine. I got the outdoors, did ride some on my bike (commuting), but didn’t drink wine. I needed clarity, so I stuck with kombucha and memory boost tea. As you probably know by now, I very rarely drink, but there’s something about warm weather that makes me want to, particularly when the weather first starts turning summery.
Jason’s event at Whole Foods on Saturday was a lot of fun and a nice break from studying. There ended up being a smaller group than expected because a couple people cancelled last minute and some didn’t show up, which I attribute to the warm weather, but it was a success among those there and nice to have a small group. Naturally, it ran over because there was a lot of questions and much to talk about in only one hour’s time. Everyone was very engaged and Jason was entertaining and brilliant, as always. Honestly, that guy cracks me up, but man he knows his stuff! It’s always a pleasure to listen to him speak. To all my readers and followers who have not bought his book, The Paleo Coach, I strongly encourage you to do so. His message and information is too valuable not to share.
Here are a couple pictures from the event. Ashley, Whole Foods Pearl District’s Healthy Eating Specialist and blogger at Craving4more, also put together a neat picture from the talk on her Instagram, which you can check out here.
The spread of paleo food that Ashley, the Healthy Foods Specialist made for the event (with the exception of the date and honey-sweetened Stirs the Soul raw chocolate — my favorite!). She also blogs over at Craving4more.
Jason, doing what he does.
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Meanwhile, I’m still really loving mustard, particularly Dijon. It makes a difference in so many recipes and is often the missing flavor I’m looking for. It tantalized my taste buds once again, in this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp US Wellness Meats grass-fed beef tallow
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 1.5 cups chopped broccoli
- 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp bone broth or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
Directions:
- Melt tallow in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for a minute. Then, add the chicken and season with a bit of sea salt and pepper.
- Continue to cook for about 5-6 minutes, and then add the spices, carrots, broccoli and a bit more sea salt and pepper. Stir well and continue to saute.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, broth and Dijon. Add mixture to the chicken and vegetables; stir.
- Continue to cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. The sauce will thicken up a bit as well.
- Serve as is or with steamed leafy greens, cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles.
Yields: 3 servings
Turkey Sausage Veggie Hash
Before I rant about this recipe, I want to announce an exciting event coming up in Portland this Saturday. Some of you may have seen it on my Facebook page, but I want to share it again! Anyway, Jason Seib, author of The Paleo Coach, is giving a FREE talk at the Pearl District Whole Foods from 12-1 p.m, this Saturday, May 4th. There will be copies of Jason’s book available for purchase and he will also be available for signing. In addition, there will be some delicious paleo recipes to try made by the lovely, Ashley Kipp, the pearl store’s Healthy Foods Specialist and blogger behind Craving4more. Space is limited and an RSVP is required, so if you want to sign up, please email Ashley at ashley.kipp@wholefoods.com. It’s only two days away, so make sure you reserve your spot now! The presentation will be held upstairs in Salud, the demo kitchen next to The Mezz.
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Meanwhile, this simple and tasty dish is versatile and pretty much foolproof — at least in my opinion. Honestly, I don’t have too much to say about it, other than the fact that it’s just plain good. Eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’d also be great mixed with some scrambled eggs, but a runny egg on top is lovely too. Can you believe that I used to detest runny yolks? Up until a couple years ago, I only ate my yolks cooked through. That’s just blasphemy!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey thighs
- 1 Tbsp US Wellness Meats grass-fed beef tallow
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 bunch radishes, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 3 cups fresh spinach, torn into pieces
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Dash of nutmeg
- 3 Tbsp bone broth or low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- Sunny side-up pastured egg for serving, optional
Directions:
- Melt tallow in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and break up with a spatula. Then, add the chopped garlic. Season with a little sea salt and pepper, and continue to cook.
- Next, add the radishes, carrots, spices, bone broth, and a bit more sea salt and pepper; stir. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through and vegetables are crisp-tender. Then, add the torn spinach leaves and butter. Cook another couple minutes, until spinach softens a bit. Adjust seasonings as needed.
- Optional to serve with a sunny-side up egg and let the yolk ooze all over.
Yields: 3 servings
