One of the ways I have found to keep things interesting when trying to follow a certain set of eating rules (i.e. paleo), is to look to some of the other wonderful cultures around the world and see how they build their meals and season their food. So many cultures have herbs and spices that they are known for, or dishes that exist that are easily adapted to being paleo. Curries inspired by Indian food, say. Coconut milk, some yellow curry powder, some delicious vegetables, and there you have a delicious paleo dinner. Persian ground beef is seasoned with onion and garlic and traditionally served with saffron rice and a nice cucumber and tomato salad on the side. Rice? Make it cauliflower and you have a paleo Persian feast!
I think the most difficult thing sometimes with regard to consulting the internet for recipes is that it's usually just for one thing. I love how many resources there are for learning how to cook my meat, or my veggies, or my sauces, but sometimes it's hard to know how to assemble an entire MEAL. So that's what I'm going to do here!
Some traditional Mexican spices include cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Throw in some cilantro and lime and now we're cooking with gas. I was craving rice and beans and naturally my first thought was cauliflower (it's basically naked without the word "rice" after it); I'll tell you how I used Mexican cuisine to inspire its interesting flavor. I had a butternut squash sitting there begging to be eaten, so I cut it up bean-size, and there you go. I quickly sauteed a green bell pepper and half a sliced onion for fajita veggies. The meat was braised in a flavorful broth of chicken stock, cumin, oregano, chili powder, garlic, and onions. I threw together some guacamole, and the meal was ready to be assembled and eaten! Three times, no less.
The thing about eating this way is that it takes TIME...and it takes the same amount of time to make enough food for 3 meals as it takes for one, so why not stretch yourself now and save the energy later (when you've had a long day at work or school or binging that cool new show). I talk to so many people who perceive cooking as a chore (which I don't understand; it's ART!), but doing laundry is a chore and (I assume) we still do that, and those socks only go on our feet! ;) Anything that is the raw materials for our synthesizing of dna and hormones and energy and anti-oxidants aka anti-cancer (and hopefully of not too much gas) is way more important to invest in, if you ask me. One of my favorite sayings by chef Thomas Keller is that "it's not difficult; you just have to decide to do it."
Chore, puh-lease! Look at this beautiful plate of food (I'm a chef, not a photographer). I popped an audiobook in my ears and it was done in no time! Plus most of it is inactive cooking time!
p.s. TECHNICALLY butter has a small amount of milk solids and if you're truly paleo, you should use clarified butter (or some other non-dairy fat like lard, tallow, or coconut oil). But I'm making a conscious choice to allow butter in its entirety to remain a part of my life during this time. I just love it too much and I'm way too lazy to clarify it, and absolutely refuse to pay for ghee at the store because it's obscenely expensive. Do whatever you want.
[Paleo] Carne asada with "Spanish" cauliflower rice, lemony butternut squash, fajita veggies, and fresh guacamole
For the meat:
2 Tbsp butter1 1.5-pound piece pastured beef chuck
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 a jalapeno, de-seeded and chopped very small (de-seed and chop the entire thing; you'll use the other half for the guacamole)
3-4 cloves garlic, whole
1 tsp each ground cumin, dried oregano, chili powder
Chicken or beef stock or water to cover
salt and pepper
Season the meat with salt and pepper on both sides. In a stock pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and add the onions. Cook over medium heat until translucent. In the same pot and without removing the onions, add the beef and brown on both sides. Add stock or water, all spices, and whole garlic cloves. Bring heat to where the liquid is steaming (not boiling) and then cover. Reduce heat to low and cook until meat is falling off the bone, approximately 3 hours. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes at a low simmer to reduce the liquid into a thick jus. Do not season until the end. While it's cooking, you can prep everything else!
For the cauliflower rice:
butter1/2 yellow onion, chopped small
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 bag Trader Joe's frozen cauliflower rice (even chefs "cheat" sometimes, don't be ashamed)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add onions. Cook until translucent, and add the garlic to the pot. Cook this for one minute, then add the frozen cauliflower rice and tomato paste. Cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the fajita veggies:
butter1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
salt and pepper
In a large saute pan, heat up the butter. Put the veggies in and saute until soft. Season with just a touch of salt and pepper.
For the lemony butternut squash:
1 small butternut squash (1 #), peeled, de-seeded, and chopped into bite-size (or bean-size if you want that beany feeling) pieces3 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil (generally I don't cook with olive oil because it's not good to heat it, but I had no more space to melt butter on the stove, haha)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Place the chopped squash on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Pour the butter over it, season with salt and pepper, and mix with your fingers to coat all pieces evenly. Place in a 400-degree oven and check after 10 minutes: cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pieces and the level of desired softness. When they are to your liking, squeeze lemon juice all over them and sprinkle with zest.
For the guacamole:
2 ripe avocadosother half of the jalapeno from the meat braise
1/4 of a red onion OR 1 small shallot, diced very small
1 roma tomato, de-seeded and chopped
juice of the other half of the lime
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper
Mix everything together in a bowl and blend with a fork. That's it!
Phew! I swear it was more work writing the blog post than it was actually cooking the meal. Give it a shot! I would love your feedback :)
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