Poached Salmon with Lemon Dill Cream Sauce

One of my favorite recipes from when I was on weight watchers years ago was poached salmon with a sour cream cucumber dill topping.   Since eating clean and ridding my diet of dairy and processed foods, I've had to reinvent my favorite recipes and learn to be creative.   Which brought me to this slice of heaven this evening.

Poached Salmon:

Ingredients:

4 - 6 ounce pieces of wild caught Salmon

1T - Ghee or coconut oil

1 - Vidalia Onion (chopped)

2T - Dill

2 Cups - Chicken or Vegetable Stock

In a skillet or saute pan, melt oil or ghee and saute onions for 5 minutes.  Add chicken and/or vegetable broth bring to a simmer and add Salmon - skin side down.  Cover with lid and poach for 10 minutes, or until Salmon is done you your likeness.

Lemon Dill Cream Sauce:

1-2T of Arrow Root Powder

1T Ghee or coconut oil

1 Can of Light Coconut Milk

2T Dill (more to taste if desired)

1t Celery Salt

Fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste (I just squeezed a 4th of a lemon into the sauce)

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, melt ghee or coconut oil, add arrow root powder and make a rue.  This will help  thicken your coconut milk sauce.  With the heat on medium, add can of coconut milk, dill, celery salt.  Bring to a slight boil, then turn down the temperature to a simmer.  Sauce will begin to thicken.  Add salt and pepper, squeeze in some lemon juice.  It was approximately a teaspoon or 2.  Once sauce has thickened a bit it should coat the back of a spoon and you should be able to draw a finger line through it without it coming back together.   Add additional dill, salt, pepper to taste.  I prefer a lot of dill in mine. 

Pull Salmon from saute pan and place on plate.  Spoon on some sauce.  An 1/8 of a cup should do just fine.  I usually add a side of broccoli or asparagus.  ENJOY!

Chocolate Cake with Coconut Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Paleo Chocolate Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

I have researched Paleo cakes high and low searching for the best recipe.  I have yet to find a recipe that I loved. So I decided to take inventory of all the recipes I looked at and they all contained the same ingredients and just different measurements.  So after a ton of research I present to you my Paleo chocolate cake:

Paleo Chocolate Cake:

Dry Ingredients:

• 3/4 C Coconut Flour
• 1/3 C of Cocoa Powder
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• Pinch of sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/3 C Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 1/3 C Raw Honey
• 1/3 C Brewed Coffee (I used Chocolate Raspberry Beans from Empire Brewery out of Hoboken, NJ)
• 1 t of Pure Vanilla Extract

• 6 Egg Whites
• 
  
• 6 Egg Yolk
• 1/2 C Coconut Oil, Butter, or Ghee (Room Temperature) (I use KerryGold Butter or Organic Valley unsalted cultured butter grass fed cows)

Grease cake pans with coconut oil and pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  

Sift together all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  In a Pyrex, mix Organic Apply Sauce, Raw Honey, & brewed coffee and sets aside.   Separate egg whites from egg yolks into 2 separate bowls.  Place room temperature butter in mixer and cream together with 6 egg yolks; adding one yolk at a time on medium speed.  Once creamed together slowly poor in the egg whites.  Once the egg whites are well incorporated, slowly add 1/4 of a the dry mix, a 1/3 the the wet mix, alternating until everything is well incorporated ending with the dry mix.  

Place batter in pan and and place in over for 25-35 minutes until tooth pick comes out clean.  

Swiss Meringue Butter Cream Frosting:

4 Egg whites
1 1/8 C Coconut Sugar (has the consistency of light brown sugar and smells of coconut caramel)
1/2 lb Butter/Ghee  (I use KerryGold Butter or Organic Valley unsalted cultured butter from grass fed cows)

Cut 1/2 lb of Butter in to cubes and let sit until room temperature.

Mean while, bring a pot of water to a boil then, turn down to a simmer.  
Put egg whites, sugar, and salt into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture registers 160 degrees, about 4 minutes.  I do not take the temperature of mine, I watch to see that the sugar is dissolving and that little bubbles are forming around the edge and your egg whites are expanding a little.  Then use your mixer and beat on high for 6-10 minutes until stiff glossy peaks form.  Reduce speed to medium-low and about 2 T of butter at a time, wait for those pieces to become incorporated into the frosting then add the next 2T.  

   

Bison Burgers

An All [Paleo] American Dinner
-in honor of the beautiful 68 degree weather the Washington, DC area saw today.


On my way home from the office today all I could think about was sitting on the patio with a gluten free beer and a nice juicy burger.   Unfortunately the suburbs of Arlington VA don't allow for grills and I'm not drinking at the moment.  The next best thing was to open the balcony door, all the windows in the apartment, bust out the grill pan and go to town with what ever I could find in my refrigerator. Having been mildly set back by a bad second degree burn this past week or so, I was beyond ecstatic to get back into the kitchen.  On tonight's menu:  Bison Burgers with Caramelized Onions, Deviled Eggs, Sweet Potato Steak Fries & Grilled green and red Endive.  

Let's Start with the Bison Burgers:


Bison Burger Ingredients:
1lb Ground Bison
1 Egg
1/4 Sweet Yellow Onion (chopped)
1T Horseradish 
1T Garlic
1t Italian Seasoning (I just throw this in without measuring)
1t Chipotle Chili Pepper
1T Spicy Brown Mustard
1/8 - 1/4 C of Almond Meal
Salt & Pepper to taste


*Note:  I am horrible at measuring.  I like to just throw things in a bowl and go with it.  I guestimated here.  You really can't go wrong if you follow these estimates.

 Mix thoroughly with your hands and form into 4 quarter pound patties.

Preheat your grill pan (regular frying pan will work as well) and spray with olive oil spray.


Grill a 3 minutes or so each side until desired temperature. I prefer my burgers medium.  After I was done grilling the burgers up; I sliced 2 endives in half and threw them on the grill pan drizzled in a little Wegmans basting oil.  

Place over a bed of spinach with some tomatoes and cook up some sweet potato steak fries, grill endive and paleo deviled eggs.  


Happy Eating!

Devil Eggs with Paleo Mayo

Deviled Eggs

• 1 Egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 t Dijion Mustard
• 2t Fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 C Olive Oil (avoid extra virgin if you don't want a potent extra virgin flavor)
• 3/4 C Avocado Oil 
• 1t cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper to taste

In a blender or small food processor, blend egg, mustard, lemon juice, salt and peppers for 3 to 5 seconds.  Put blender on low setting and slowly drizzle in the olive oil and then slowly add in the avocado oil.  Put into a canning jar.  The mayo should be used within a week.

Onto the Deviled Eggs!

Slice 2 hard boiled eggs and put the yolks in a bowl.  Add about 2Tbsp of the mayo (give or take some) to the yolks, add about 1 tsp of spicy brown mustard and some paprika, salt and pepper to taste.  Smash it all together and refill egg white cups.  

Sprinkle with additional paprika for added presentation and your done!

Coconut Dill Butternut Squash "Risotto" - 1st post!

Coconut Dill Butternut Squash "Risotto"

Serving size: 2/3C

Serves: 6

WW pts: 5

Per Serving:  191 Calories, 12g Fat, 20g Carbs, 5g Fiber, 4g Protein.

Ingredients:

2C - Butternut Squash - Small cubes

2 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped

1/2C Sweet yellow onion

1/3C Fresh Shiitake Mushroom

1T Olive Oil

1 Head Cauliflower - riced

1 Can Organic Coconut Milk (whole fat)

1T Dill (add extra to taste)

2t Thyme

2t Sage

1t Sea Salt (optional)

1t Pepper

Instructions:

In a large braising pan or dutch over,  saute garlic, onions for about 5 minutes; add butternut squash.  Add about a 1/4C water and cover to blanch the butternut squash.  

While that is cooking rise a head of cauliflower and chop into chunks.  Using the grating plate on a food processor, rice the head of cauliflower.  Once the butternut squash is fork tender, add all the riced cauliflower.  Add seasonings and saute for about 6-8 minutes, until cauliflower is blanched.  Add entire can of organic coconut milk.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let simmer 8 minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve in a bowl.

Alternative additions:

I added 4oz. of pan seared salmon that I seasoned with olive oil spray, sage, thyme, dill, salt and pepper.

Leftovers for Breakfast:

Heat up a serving and add a poached or over-easy egg to the top.