Primal seafood medley with garlic-butter sauce

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes, I have stockpiles of stuff in my freezer, and no real ideas for it.  We had a couple of bags of seafood that were buy-1-get-1-free at our grocery store... I think they were originally bought for Christmas Eve, but we didn't end up making them that day and they just remained.  This recipe is a really simple way of bringing out the natural flavours of the seafood without being either too bland, or being drenched in sauces.  It does feature a garlic-butter sauce, which was perfect for dipping - we also drizzled it over the green beans served on the side for some extra flavour.  It was perfect for a gorgeous Florida afternoon, and we ate it outside on the back porch in the sun!

For seafood:

Ingredients: 

3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
bag of mixed seafood
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 a lemon
oregano and parsley to taste
(salt if desired)

Method:

1. Melt butter in pan.  Add minced garlic and sautee over medium heat.

2. Once you can start to smell the garlic & butter melting together nicely, it's time to add your seafood.  If it's frozen, it's best to defrost it first (at least partially), so that you don't get a lot of water in the pan as it cooks down.

3. Continue to sautee over medium heat, and slowly add in your white wine, juice of half a lemon, and spices.

4.  Remove from heat when cooked - should be about 15-20 min.

(Serve with garlic-butter sauce, and a veggie on the side - we liked green beans!)





For sauce:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter
2 tsp minced garlic
salt to taste

Method:

1. In a small saucepot, melt 1/3 cup butter.
2. Once melted, add 2 tsp minced garlic, and salt to taste.  Allow the butter to cook down and clarify.
3. Remove from heat right before serving.

(This should be more than enough butter for the seafood, plus some left over)


Serves 2-3.

Do you have a favourite way to prepare seafood?  Did you try this recipe?  Leave a note in the comments and let me know!

Primal Cheesy Chicken Roll-Ups

There's a recipe going around the paleo/primal boards on pinterest that looks delicious - but until you click on it, there's no indication that it's actually not paleo.  It calls for both breadcrumbs and flour.  And while it does look delicious - the description that is attached to it on pinterest is completely wrong.  I've taken it upon myself to create a recipe based on the description that is running rampant.  

Cheesy Chicken Roll Ups (aka Chicken Kiev wannabe)

Ingredients:
- 5 chicken breasts (butterfly cut, if possible)
- 1 small white onion
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1tbsp garlic
- salt & pepper
- mozzarella (about 85 grams)
- butter

Method:
preheat oven to 400

Saute 1 small onion (about 125g) in butter until soft.
Remove from heat, add parsley (fresh, if you have it available - I used dry) and garlic (either 1 clove, minced, or 1 tbsp powder).

If using whole chicken breast, pound with a meat mallet until flat.  If using butterflied chicken breast skip to next step.

Place some butter in your baking dish, and melt in the preheated oven.
In the meantime, sprinkle salt and pepper on your flattened chicken, then spread some of the onion mixture on top.  Place a small rectangle of mozzarella (about 2" by 0.5" sticks) in the centre of the chicken, roll it up and secure with a toothpick.  Repeat for all rolls.

Using the same pan that you used to saute the onion, add a little bit more butter, and brown each roll lightly.  (I prefer to work with one chicken roll at a time, however this is more time consuming - if you're more talented than me, work with more than one at a time).  Continue until the outside of the chicken is brown - the inside will still be pink.  This infuses some of the flavour into the chicken and gives it a nice colour.
(NB: the chicken is still raw at this point - do not consume!!)

Place the browned chicken into your oven-safe dish that already has butter at the bottom.  Cook in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 min or until chicken is no longer pink and heated to 190 degrees.  Do not overcook or chicken will become dry.

Serve with your choice of veggie side-dish (I had snap peas, sauteed in more butter and garlic!)

Leave me a note if you decide to try this - let me know how it turns out for you!

Zucchini "Pasta" in Tomato Sauce

Zucchini "pasta" is one of my favourite go-to dishes since giving up grains.  It's quick, easy and delicious - and chock full 'o veggies.  This is the basic recipe... but you can add so much to make it even more delicious.  My suggestions would be: maybe some meatballs or ground beef, red peppers (mmm, or roasted red peppers for enhanced flavour), mushrooms, bacon... all of this stuff would definitely taste awesome in this dish.  So, without further ado... here we go.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 zucchini (made enough for dinner + lunch for 1 person)
• tomato sauce (I happen to have homemade stuff in mason jars - use whatever you like!)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper, other spices to taste
• parmesan cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Start by shredding your zucchini.  I use my mandoline to make it easier, and for uniform "noodles" - you can use a knife if you prefer/have the patience.  The trick is to only shred up to the seeds, and discard the core.  It doesn't cook very well in this recipe.  (If you can use it in another recipe, by all means, do so!)

2. Next, add some olive oil to your pan, on medium heat, and add your minced garlic to the pan.  When it starts to sizzle (but before it starts to burn), add your zucchini.   Add your spices and stir until the zucchini is softened.  If you're adding in other vegetables (red peppers, mushrooms, etc), now's the time to add them.

3. Once the zucchini is soft, add in your tomato sauce.   Allow the sauce to cook down a bit, as per your normal cooking directions.  My sauce has already been cooked, so I just let it heat through and reduce a bit, maybe 5-10 min.





4.  Once you're satisfied with the consistency of the sauce, remove from heat and serve.  Top with parmesan cheese, and you have yourself a delicious meal!


Have you tried this? Made any modifications?  Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Primal Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

Tom and I have been sticking to a primal diet for the last four weeks, and have been feeling absolutely great! My favourite part about it is that I haven't really had to limit most of my favourite foods, because there's a way to make everything primal - sometimes it just takes a little bit of extra thought.

If you're new to the primal lifestyle, first check out Mark's Daily Apple.com for the basics, and also have a look at my Pinterest board to see some of the awesome things you can make.

And now, without further ado,  here is our recipe for Primal Honey Garlic Chicken Wings.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken wings 
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1/2 tsp tapioca powder (optional)
• touch of maple syrup (optional)

Method:

1. Broil wings until cooked - cook on one side until golden brown, then flip. (About 30 minutes total - oven times vary, please ensure they are fully cooked before proceeding.)

2. Combine honey, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, arrowroot powder & maple syrup in a bowl.

3. Add sauce mixture to a sauce pan, and cook over medium low heat, until it begins to thicken.  If it does not thicken, you may add the tapioca powder, and it should thicken pretty instantly.

4. When the sauce is thick, remove from heat.  Add the chicken wings to a glass bowl, and pour the sauce over top.  Toss with metal tongs and serve!