With the Paleo community rapidly growing, it is likely that you may have a paleo eater at your gathering this holiday season. Be sure to try to include them in at least some of your menu. Just because they have a different type of diet, doesn't mean they don't like to eat! (I apologize, I am not as informed as I would like to be on the whole Paleo thing, but am on a mission to become more informed about it and have been researching and learning something new every day about Paleo eating.)
Paleo eating is something that a few people here at Tastebuds try to follow. With the holiday season in full swing, it is hard to keep to that specific type of eating. With my ongoing research on this type of lifestyle, I have come across a great blog post featuring Laura Meredith, who is one of the authors for Paleoblocks. In this post, Laura gives a few of her favorite paleo recipes for a complete paleo feast, from appetizer to dessert. The recipes in this post come straight from her, but I recommend you read her post, it is inspiring to get you through the holidays and not break your paleo diet. I, also, strongly suggest checking out her website, paleoblocks.com. There is a lot of great information Laura and her friend have compiled. It has everything you could possibly want to know about the paleo diet and lifestyle. And if it isn't on there, they suggest contacting them.
Anyway, back to the food!
Appetizer - Bacon Wrapped Pecan Stuffed Dates
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice each date down one side and slip a halved pecan inside. Slice bacon into thirds and wrap around each date, securing with a toothpick. Place wrapped dates on parchment paper or foil and bake for 12 minutes. Check them as it gets closer so they don't burn. The bacon should be crisp-ish.
Side Dish - Cauliflower Rice Stuffing or Brussels Sprouts and Leeks
Cauliflower Rice Stuffing Ingredients:
In a stock pot or dutch oven, warm up the oil. Add all ingredients except the pecans and water. Sauté everything and keep stirring so it doesn't stick. Continue until the onions are golden. Add water if necessary. Bring to boil over high heat. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat. Add pecans. Serve!
Brussels Sprouts and Leeks Ingredients:
Warm the oil in a pan, drop in the leeks and sauté a bit. Drop in the Brussels sprouts and cook until slightly glassy. I prefer them with brown "grill" marks from the pan. (roughly 10-15 minutes)
If you are using bacon, you can either add pre-cooked bacon to the mix or you can cook the bacon first, crumble it up and using the same pan, cook the sprouts and leek in the bacon fat.
Serve and enjoy!
Dessert - Baked Maple Pears or Baked Apples
Baked Maple Pears Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Wash and halve the pears. Lay them in the pan with the cut side up. Sprinkle with sea salt, spices, and nuts. Drizzle with a bit of vanilla and then the syrup or honey. Bake 25-40 minutes depending on doneness. The skin will curl a little and the flesh should be soft. These will make your kitchen smell as wonderful as they taste!
Baked Apples Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place apples in large glass oven proof bowl with lid. Place a strip of lemon rind, currants or raisins, vanilla and cinnamon inside each apple. Drizzle apples with lemon juice and scatter remainder of currants around them. Bake covered for 60-70 minutes.
There you have it, an entire feast just for the paleo eaters. Everything seems delicious! And the pictures she posted of the different food items look scrumptious! Check out her original post and BE INSPIRED! Happy Holidays everyone! http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/recipes-holiday-feast-paleo-style
Paleo eating is something that a few people here at Tastebuds try to follow. With the holiday season in full swing, it is hard to keep to that specific type of eating. With my ongoing research on this type of lifestyle, I have come across a great blog post featuring Laura Meredith, who is one of the authors for Paleoblocks. In this post, Laura gives a few of her favorite paleo recipes for a complete paleo feast, from appetizer to dessert. The recipes in this post come straight from her, but I recommend you read her post, it is inspiring to get you through the holidays and not break your paleo diet. I, also, strongly suggest checking out her website, paleoblocks.com. There is a lot of great information Laura and her friend have compiled. It has everything you could possibly want to know about the paleo diet and lifestyle. And if it isn't on there, they suggest contacting them.
Anyway, back to the food!
Appetizer - Bacon Wrapped Pecan Stuffed Dates
Ingredients:
- Dates
- Pecans
- Uncured uncooked bacon
- Wooden toothpicks
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice each date down one side and slip a halved pecan inside. Slice bacon into thirds and wrap around each date, securing with a toothpick. Place wrapped dates on parchment paper or foil and bake for 12 minutes. Check them as it gets closer so they don't burn. The bacon should be crisp-ish.
Side Dish - Cauliflower Rice Stuffing or Brussels Sprouts and Leeks
Cauliflower Rice Stuffing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup oil - I always prefer coconut, but olive will do as well
- 2 heads of cauliflower
- 1 chopped onion
- 3 chopped carrots
- 1 package of mushrooms chopped (optional)
- 2 cups diced celery
- 1/2 cup snipped celery leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/8 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- (if you're into rosemary, that would be a nice addition/substitution as well)
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- *water if necessary - the original recipe calls for it but the vegetables should provide enough
In a stock pot or dutch oven, warm up the oil. Add all ingredients except the pecans and water. Sauté everything and keep stirring so it doesn't stick. Continue until the onions are golden. Add water if necessary. Bring to boil over high heat. Simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat. Add pecans. Serve!
Brussels Sprouts and Leeks Ingredients:
- Brussels sprouts washed, trimmed and halved (or quartered if they're large)
- 1 Leek washed, trimmed and diced
- Coconut oil
- Bacon, if desired
Warm the oil in a pan, drop in the leeks and sauté a bit. Drop in the Brussels sprouts and cook until slightly glassy. I prefer them with brown "grill" marks from the pan. (roughly 10-15 minutes)
If you are using bacon, you can either add pre-cooked bacon to the mix or you can cook the bacon first, crumble it up and using the same pan, cook the sprouts and leek in the bacon fat.
Serve and enjoy!
Dessert - Baked Maple Pears or Baked Apples
Baked Maple Pears Ingredients:
- Pears (1/2 per person)
- 100% Grade A Maple syrup or honey
- Sea salt
- Pure vanilla extract
- Chopped nuts of your choice
- Optional spices: allspice, clove, ginger etc
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with foil or parchment paper. Wash and halve the pears. Lay them in the pan with the cut side up. Sprinkle with sea salt, spices, and nuts. Drizzle with a bit of vanilla and then the syrup or honey. Bake 25-40 minutes depending on doneness. The skin will curl a little and the flesh should be soft. These will make your kitchen smell as wonderful as they taste!
Baked Apples Ingredients:
- 4 medium apples, washed and cored (use a single corer)
- 4 thin strips of lemon rind
- 1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
- 1 whole vanilla bean cut into 4 pieces (or use some vanilla extract for a budget friendly alternative)
- 4 cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place apples in large glass oven proof bowl with lid. Place a strip of lemon rind, currants or raisins, vanilla and cinnamon inside each apple. Drizzle apples with lemon juice and scatter remainder of currants around them. Bake covered for 60-70 minutes.
There you have it, an entire feast just for the paleo eaters. Everything seems delicious! And the pictures she posted of the different food items look scrumptious! Check out her original post and BE INSPIRED! Happy Holidays everyone! http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/recipes-holiday-feast-paleo-style
RSS Feed