Bistro Italian Salad

This is a versatile one! This is actually a variation of a pasta that I saw on Pioneer Woman... I think hers was called "Pantry Pasta" because all of the ingredients were found in her pantry. If you can do it with pasta, I figure you can do it with salad!

I love this recipe for lunch because I usually am cooking for 1 or 2 and this recipe really utilizes all of my delicious leftovers. I cooked steak the other night using my Mediterranean rub, which can be found in my Mediterranean Lamb recipe. It was developed for the Lamb recipe, but really its good on anything. I used it on NY steaks. The leftover steak was perfect for slicing and putting on this salad. Most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry and I serve it with my Creamy Pesto Dressing . 

Ingredients:

2 cups Mescaline Greens

Leftover Steak 

1/4 cup Artichoke hearts drained and chopped

1/4 cup roasted red peppers drained and chopped

1/4 small haas avocado sliced

1/4 cup chopped mixed olives

1/4 cup of chopped pepperocinis

2 tbsp chopped almonds

Optional: 1 fried or hard boiled egg (if you need extra protein)

Assemble and toss... we all know how to make a salad. I don't need to spell it out for you. :) 

Mashed Parsnips

If you are a mashed potato lover this one is for you! Same consistency and flavors as mashed potatoes but with a hint of carrot as the parsnip is in the carrot family. Great dish in the fall and winter, any time you are craving comfort food!

Ingredient:

4-6 cups of parsnips, peeled and cut into even pieces (as even as you can make it. Obviously- the smaller the piece, the quicker they will cook)

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Pepper

8 cloves of garlic roughly chopped

1 shallot roughly chopped

1/4 cup ghee melted

Boil the parsnips until they are soft all the way through. In a food processor blend the other ingredients together. slowly add the parsnips until all are added. Blend until nicely pureed. 

You can stop there... OR you can put the mashers in a greased casserole dish and brush the top with melted butter. Bake in the oven at 450 until the top is crispy brown. 

These are a great accompaniment to any meat but delicate enough to serve with fish as well!

Paleo Pesto / Creamy Pesto Dressing

I have been on the hunt for compliant pesto for a long time. I have had no luck finding any as they all either have cheese or soy products in them. So I decided to make my own and as it turns out, it is really easy! Nothing like the burden of making paleo mayo (which I have done successfully, but it was my 3rd try). I also took the pesto and made a creamy dressing that was out of this world!

Ingredients:

3-4 cups of basil leaves

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup of olive oil

6 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp salt

Put everything but the basil leaves into a food processor (If you have a mini-prep food processor use that over a larger one). Blend until all are well pureed together. Slowly add the basil leaves, one little bunch at a time. Continue until all are in the processor and continue to blend until all ingredients are sufficiently pureed together. 

I like to put these into individual dressing cups and freeze. You only need a little at a time, and it freezes very well. 

Creamy Pesto Dressing:

1/4 cup paleo mayo (or any compliant mayo you have found in the store)

1/4 cup paleo pesto

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

Whisk the three together and let sit in fridge for 20-30 mins. DONE!

The dressing will be a crowd favorite, it would be a wonderful accompaniment to a veggie platter if you are looking for a good appetizer to serve or bring to a party. They don't need to know its paleo... they wont be able to tell anyway! 

Mediterranean Lamb Chops

This is a very easy dish, and one that will impress as well! This is an elegant recipe that is very easy for even a beginner chef.

Ingredients:
6 lamb chops (1.5-2 inches thick)
2 tbsp ghee

For the rub: (I always make extra of this...you can use this on almost any meat! So if there is leftover, save it and use it on something else)

1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp of dried basil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 sulfite free garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp of pink himalayan sea salt

TIP: You can find all this in the spice section of your grocery store, but if you don't feel like committing to full jars of all these spices, you can find them in the bulk section and buy in small quantities OR you can always just buy a W30 compliant mediterranean spice mix in your bulk section and not mess with the rub at all. However... it will not be as good!! :)

Take the chops out of the package and give them a quick rinse. Dry them thoroughly with a paper towel. Warm 1/2 tbsp of ghee in microwave for 10 seconds. You want the ghee to be melted, but not piping hot. Here is why... and bare with me! dip your fingers in the butter and massage each chop with it. continue until each chop is coated in butter. Then continue the "lamb massage" by pouring a little of the rub on each chop and massage the rub into the meat until each side is properly coated. Heat a large skillet to medium high. Melt the remainder of the ghee in the pan and swish it around until the pan is coated evenly. Add the chops, cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on how well done you would like your meat/how thick they are.

Voila! Perfect chops! I know that massaging the lamb seems overkill, but there is a reason why they call the spice blend a rub!

I served it with Arugula Salad and Sweet Potatoes, but any side dish will do!

Sage Roasted Butternut Squash and Butternut Squash Soup

This is one versatile dish! There are so many things you can do with this dish as a leftover and I absolutely love it.

Note: I double this recipe when I make it because I use it not just as a side dish, but I also use the leftovers and make paleo butternut squash soup (recipe below), add it to salads, and I even use it as a rice/bean replacement in burrito bowls! So good!

Note: I double this recipe and set aside 4 cups of the completed recipe if I am going to make soup the next day.

Sage Roasted Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
3 cups of cubed butternut squash
1 tbsp dried sage
1/2 tsp sea salt (or if you have it Pink Himalayan... it makes everything taste good)
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small roasting pan mix all ingredients together until the cubes are evenly dressed. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the cubes are soft and edges of the cubes are starting to brown.

Let sit for a few minutes and serve! So yumm!!


Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups leftover Sage Roasted Butternut Squash
1 cup of full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp ghee
1 shallot chopped finely
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a medium sauce pot to medium, melt the ghee, and sauté the shallot in it until butter until translucent. lower the temperature to med-low. Add the butternut squash and coconut milk and stir lightly. Using an immersion blender, puree the contents in the pot until they are fully blended together. Let simmer for 20-30 mins on low stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you taste it before you add the salt and pepper! Remember the squash was already salted and peppered well when roasted, so it might not need much more.

This soup freezes really well and will keep in your fridge for 4-5 days.

Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche

Quiche is one of my all time favorite dishes! This recipe takes it to a whole new, HEALTHY, level! Great for Breakfast served with fruit or Lunch served with a light green salad!

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 large sweet potato- grated (should yield 3ish cups of loosely packed grated sweet potato)
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
2.5 tbsp clarified butter

For the filling:
8 eggs
8 ounces of isernos chicken breakfast sausage
3 slices bacon chopped (remember it has to be sugar less!)
1/3 cup diced onions
pepper
salt

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Heat up a large skillet to medium high and melt 2 tbsp clarified butter in the pan. Drop in the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and lightly brown. With the remainder of the clarified butter, grease a standard pie dish. When the potatoes are cooked thoroughly and a little brown let them cook slightly so they are not uncomfortable to the touch. Starting with the center of the pie tin, begin making your crust. Gently make a solid even layer of potatoes around the bottom and sides of the dish applying a little pressure so that the potatoes are packed, not loose in the dish.

Put into the oven for 5-7 minutes to set the crust. When the crust starts to brown on the top, take it out.

In a large skillet cook your bacon. As soon as the bacon is about 2/3 of the way cooked drain excess grease and add the sausage and the onion. The little bacon grease that is left in the pan should be plenty to cook the onions and sausage in, no need to add more. As soon as they are fully cooked, dump them into the pie tin.

In a bowl whisk your eggs together and salt and pepper them to your liking. Dump the eggs over the sausage mixture. Put back in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the eggs are set.

Done! Love love love this dish! The best part is that it is 280 calories for 1/6 of the quiche!! Perfect breakfast and keeps you full for a long time!

Bacon Wrapped Dates/ My Whole 30 Antipasto

I am combining these two recipes because I serve the bacon wrapped dates as an accompaniment to the Antipasto platter.

Bacon Wrapped Dates:

Ingredients:

Kirkland Brand Low Sodium Bacon (about 10 pieces)
30 Large pitted dates

Cut the bacon strips into thirds. Raw bacon is very stretchy, and depending on the side of the date you might need to stretch the bacon a little bit so it will fit around the date. I do this without tooth picks, but if you feel the need to use toothpicks to keep the bacon together, then go for it. Starting on one end of the bacon strip, wrap the bacon completely around the date and tuck the end of the bacon into the side of the nugget between the date and the bacon. Repeat with all 30 dates. In a large saucepan, turn on to medium-high. Cook nuggets in the pan until the bacon is completely cooked. Keep a close eye on them, just like cooking bacon- they burn quickly.

Let cool and serve on their own or as part of an antipasto platter.

Here is what I put into my Whole 30 Antipasto:
Volpi- Salami
Local Organic Salumi
Cittero- Prociutto
Volpi- mortadella wrapped around pickled green beans
Divina Olive Tapenade
Trader Joe's Olive Tapenade
Divina Mixed Greek Olive Mix
Marinated Artichoke Hearts
Chopped Figs
Pepperocinis
and of course, Bacon Wrapped Dates.

This one is a crowed pleaser and I took this to the party tonight and served it with a giant loaf of french bread, which everyone else really enjoyed! It also looks really pretty, which is always a plus when you are bringing something potluck style.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

BAKED not fried! :) Also if you buy the frozen chicken wings you can keep all ingredients on hand all the time! So great for when you have impromptu guests or get invited to a tailgate at the last minute. Here is my recipe for PERFECT chicken wings.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup clarified butter (1 tbsp per pound of chicken wings)
1 cup of Franks Hot Sauce (1/4 cup per pound of chicken wings)
4 pounds of chicken drummets/party wings (24-28 wings)
Carrot and Celery Sticks

pre-heat oven to 450. On a baking rack in a jelly roll pan, place the wings skin side down. Bake for 20 minutes. While they are baking melt the butter. In a large bowl place 1/3 of your clarified butter (a little over a tbsp). When the wings have been baking for 20-25 minutes remove the rack from the oven and place the wings in the bowl with the butter. Toss until all wings are coated evenly in the butter.

Place the wings back on the tray this time skin side up. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the wings are golden brown. Meanwhile melt the rest of the clarified butter in the microwave if it is not already melted. In a small bowl whisk all of the remainder of the butter with all of your franks hot sauce. When the wings are browned take them out and place them into a large bowl (if you are using the same bowl as before make sure that you rinse the bowl out as the chicken that was previously in it was not cooked all the way through). Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the wings and until all of well coated in the sauce.

Place the wings back on the tray skin side up and bake for another 25 minutes. Take the wings out of the oven and toss with the remainder of the sauce. Plate and let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Serve the wings with carrot sticks and celery. Voila!

I have made these multiple times and my boyfriend loves this recipe. He makes them this way for football games on sundays!

Homemade Dijon Vinaigrette

Here is my recipe for basic vinaigrette... Its actually a whole 30 version of my mothers recipe. The only difference is that she adds a little white wine to hers.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard (check the label to make sure it is compliant- I have found that about 50% of mustards are whole 30 compliant, you just have to find the right one)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1/2 shallot chopped finely
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients into a dish and whisk. Or if you have a dressing dispenser you can just put the ingredients directly into it and shake. Should keep for up to 2 weeks.

Serve over your favorite salad or combine with whole 30 compliant mayo to use as a veggie dip!

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

These are an absolute favorite of mine and I have served them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are the easiest side dish to make and require very few ingredients!

Ingredients:

2- large sweet potatoes (you can use american yams as well)
2- tablespoons of Ghee (Clarified Butter)
8 - stocks of green onion chopped (optional)
salt and pepper

Using a cheese grater grate the sweet potatoes (should yield 3-4 cups of loose packed potato). Heat up a 10" pan to medium-high and drop in your butter. Once the butter is completely melted swirl it around in the pan so that it is even. Drop in the sweet potatoes and the green onion. Add salt and pepper, and sauté the potatoes until they are well browned and cooked thoroughly.

Serve and Enjoy!

Great with eggs in the morning, or as a side dish to any meal! Love them!