Yesterday I bought Bok Choy for the first time - knowing full well that I didn't have a clue what on earth to do with it. I have been wanting to try it for quite some time now, as I am always trying to bring new vegetables into my life! Tonight I decided to give it a try and the results were quite delicious. This veggie mix is reminiscent of a vegetable mix one would order at a Chinese Restaurant and I will definitely be making it again!
This recipe is made to serve 1 as a side, so multiply it as needed! :)
1 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil
1 Carrot (Mine was purple, as you can see from the pictures, but any color is good!)
6 Leaves of Bok Choy
A Handful of Green Beans (I know good amounts)
4 Button Mushrooms
2 Dashes of Sea Salt
1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Ginger
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon of Coconut Aminos (This is a replacement for Soya Sauce for those who don't eat soy)
Start by melting the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat. While the oil is melting chop your carrot and mushrooms. Add the carrots, followed by the mushrooms and green beans. Cover and allow to cook for a few minutes. Break apart the Bok Choy into large pieces, and add to the pan. While it simmers add in the salt, pepper, ginger, lemon juice and coconut aminos. Cover again allowing the flavors to blend together until the vegetables are soft! Enjoy!
Confession: I wanted to put a clove of garlic in this, but I was too lazy to go downstairs and get some. Add garlic if desired. :)
For the past week I have been thinking about Potato and Leek Soup. I always loved potato and bacon soup, which is odd considering how much I dislike potato's on their own, and recently I have fallen in love with leeks. I have heard of potato and leek soup before, but given that potato's are no longer on the menu, and had to come up with something new. I've heard that mashed parsnips are delicious, so I thought to myself - why not create a soup out of Parsnips and Leeks?
So I set to work but as I puttered around my kitchen I realized....I have no idea what kind of spices go into potato and leek soup. None the less, I continued determined that I would use my nose to guide me as I so often do. As I began I started to sing this song:
"Are you going to Scarborough fair - parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..."
And thus was born the inspiration for the herbs and spices. I figured if the combination was good enough to be in a song than it must be pretty good. Ha.
So here's what you'll need:
3 Large Parsnips
4-5 Strips of cooked Bacon
2 Shallots (or half an onion), chopped
1/2 Cup Leeks Chopped
1/2 - 1 Cup of Coconut Milk
1 Cup of Water
1/4 TSP of Sea Salt
1/2 TSP Black Pepper
1 TSP Parsley
1 TSP Thyme
1 TSP Rosemarry
1 TSP Sage
(Sorry about the picture here - soup is hard to photograph!)
Directions: Chop and steam the parsnips over a large pot of water, until the parsnips are tender and soft. While the parsnips are steaming, cook the bacon in a medium pan until nice and crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and allow to cool. While the bacon is cooled saute the leek and shallot in the left over bacon fat until the onion is transparent. Remove from heat. Put the steamed parsnips in your blender or food processor with one cup of water and blend until smooth. You could use the coconut milk here, but it's so cold here that usually coconut milk is solid here until put over heat. Once smooth, pout the parsnips into a pot on low, and allow to simmer. Add the leeks, shallots, coconut milk, salt, pepper and herbs to the pot. The bacon should be cool by now and will break apart quite easily. Break the bacon into little bits and add them to the soup. Stir everything together and allow it to simmer for 20-30 minutes on low. Enjoy!
One thing I didn't consider when I started this blog is that I never really pay attention to how much I put in recipes, I kind of just throw everything together and use my nose to get the right balance of spices - it makes re-creatable recipes difficult but I'm starting to pay more attention for the sake of this. That being said, feel free to fiddle around with amounts of spices and things to get to whatever suits your palate.
Today I bring you a simple recipe, one that is quick and nutritious to throw together in a short amount of time but still full of flavor. During my second year of college, I became a fan of asparagus and would cook it with some lemon juice, olive oil and pepper and call it a day. I hadn't done this in ages, so I thought I would do it today, but as I was preparing I noticed a piece of leek sitting on my table from yesterday (I'm really good at cleaning.). In a moment of impulsiveness I bit into it, thinking it was an end piece and should just be thrown out. Prove me wrong, it tasted great and I couldn't bring myself to waste good vegetables.
What You'll Need:
2-3 Slices of Lemon
A handful of Asparagus (I told you I'm good with amounts)
A spoonful of Coconut Oil
About 2 Tablespoons of sliced leek
A dash of sea salt
A couple of twists of black better
Note: This is meant to serve one, as a side dish to something meaty - for more people, make more.
Do it: In a small pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Once the oil is melted place the asparagus, leek and lemon slices in the pan. Add the salt and pepper. Simmer until veggies are bright green and nice and soft. You can eat the lemon slices with it, or remove them - I personally like eating them! Enjoy!
Well Christmas was fun, and to be honest I did a very poor job of sticking to the primal way of life - but it solidified what I already knew - I need to do this for myself and my health so I'm back and doing great!
Yesterday my friend Connie was over, and craving something sweet. She told me about one of her Mom's recopies of warm peaches and cream, and thanks to her this recipe was born! It's really simple and quick to make, especially if you usually keep a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator!
You only need a few ingredients and its delicious, definately something I'll be making again!
You'll need:
1 Can of full fat coconut milk, refrigerated
2 Apples
Cinnamon
2 Spoonfuls of Coconut Oil
Optional: Add a little bit of coconut Sugar to caramelize the apples.
In a medium sized pan melt the coconut oil over medium. While the coconut oil is melting slice each apple into eight pieces. Put apples in pan and sprinkle with cinnamon
While the apples are browning remove your coconut milk from the fridge, and scoop the hard coconut cream out of the can. Using a hand mixer whip it until it fluffs up like whipping cream. You can add some pure vanilla extract here if you'd like!
Once the apples are browned, spoon some of the coconut cream into a bowl, with the apples and enjoy immediately. The coconut cream will melt if you wait to long!The flavors of this simple dessert reminds me of apple pie and ice cream!
