Vegetable Medley

Although I do eat a lot of meat these days, my new diet is definitely a vegetable-heavy diet. There are some veggies which are verboten, but there are plenty which I can still enjoy.

I had this recipe before starting this diet, and I continue to use it because this recipe includes only paleo-aip-friendly vegetables.

It's also delicious.

Tools

• 1 or 2 Cookie Sheets
• Silicone mat or aluminum foil or parchment paper

Ingredients

• Brussels sprouts, each cut in half (I pick up a bag at Costco)
• ~2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (approximately .75" per side)
• 1 medium-to-large red onion, cubed and separated (approximately .75" per side)
• Salt (Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is easy to apply via pinching)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Optional: ground pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line the cookie sheets with the silicone mat (or foil or paper)
3. Take roughly half of the sprouts, squash, and onion and mix them in an even layer on one sheet
4. Repeat with the other half of the veggies on the other sheet
5. Generously sprinkle some salt over the veggies from 6-12 inches above them
6. Add pepper, if desired
7. Generously pour olive oil over the veggies (25-50 ml per sheet)
1. You want to hit at least half of the veggies on each sheet with some oil
2. You do not need to coat (or drown) the veggies
8. Cook the veggies in the oven for 30 minutes on the top rack
9. Remove the veggies, allow them to cool for a minute or two
10. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Although you do not need to coat the veggies, the heat of the oven will cause the oil to spread itself around and coat the veggies pretty evenly.

You may find that your oven cooks inconsistently, especially if you can only fit one sheet on a rack. I have the luxury of cooking only one cookie sheet's worth of veggies at a time so I only place one sheet in the oven at a time. That way both sheets come out cooked to the same level. I also only use one sheet; serving all the cooked veggies before filling the sheet with the uncooked veggies and baking that second preparation.

Variation

An interesting variation of this recipe can include mushrooms and/or bell peppers (unfortunately I can't have bell peppers anymore). A few mushrooms and/or 1-2 bell peppers should be enough to add some interesting flavors and textures to the dish. Just be sure to remove the seeds from the bell pepper(s) first.

Grape Lemonade Smoothie

This particular recipe has some nostalgia for me. Growing up my family would regularly make Kool-Aid regularly. We had dozens of flavor packets in a drawer waiting to be used at our whim.

I've always loved experimenting with food and flavors, so, one day I combined a grape packet with a lemonade packet. Voila! An awesome new flavor!

A few months later we found a new kind of Kool-Aid packet on the shelves at the store: Purplesaurus Rex. We bought some, prepared it that evening, and found that it tasted surprisingly familiar. After some thought we realized it tasted exactly like my grape-lemonade concoction. Interesting! We didn't need to pay a premium for that new flavor. 😁

Ingredients

• Lemon juice from 1 to 2 medium lemons (or 1 large lemon), depending on desired tartness level
• 1-2 cups grapes
• 1/2 to 1 fully ripe avocado
• Approximately 3 to 8 heaping tablespoons cane sugar, depending on desired sweetness level
• Ice
• Water
• Optional: desired amount of unflavored protein/collagen powder
• Optional: Spinach

Directions

1. Add the cane sugar to the blender. I typically pour until the pile of sugar covers the top of the central post that holds the blade in the Blendtec. You can adjust this to your own preferred sweetness level.
2. Add the avocado, lemon juice, and grapes.
3. Add/Prepare the protein/collagen powder
1. If using a brand of protein/collagen powder that doesn't clump in cold water, add the protein/collagen powder to the mixture in the blender. (I prefer to use 2 scoops from this brand.)
2. If using a brand of protein/collagen powder that does clump in water, mix the protein/collagen powder with about 16 oz. of (preferably cool or cold) water following the directions on the container and set the mixture aside. (I use 2 scoops from this powder.)
4. Add about 500-750 milliliters of ice. (I add until the ice level reaches the top of the Blendtec logo.) Add less ice if you want more potent flavor (or add more grapes).
5. Add a handful or two of spinach, if you want.
6. Add water (or the mixture from step 3.2) until the fluid level is about an inch below the top of the ice.
7. Set aside an additional glass/cup with cold water.
8. Blend until smooth. (The Blendtec has a "smoothie" button for this.)
1. Warning: If the blender starts to struggle or spin freely--meaning the blender is running but the smoothie mixture is not moving or is sluggish--immediately start adding water from step 6 until the smoothie mixture starts to flow again.
9. Pour, serve, and enjoy!

Additional Notes

Grapes

With this recipe, feel free to try this with different kinds of grapes. I recommend seedless grapes. I've used standard red table grapes, black grapes, and even moon-drop grapes (Pineapple queried "Is there mint in here?").

Blender

I use a Blendtec blender, but a similar professional blender like a Vitamix will work. 

Lemon Juice

When preparing the lemon juice, I try to use the lemon pulp as well. I slice the lemons off-center 3 times so that I get 4 lemon chunks which I squeeze by hand through a strainer into the blender. I then pick out some of the pulp from the strainer (avoiding the seeds) and toss it into the blender.

Washing Hands

Before I work with food I wash my hands with soap and dry them using a paper towel. Any time I do something which might contaminate my hands--such as interacting with non-food-related items--I rewash my hands. I use paper towels because they are inexpensive and more sanitary than hand towels.

Ice and Water

The ideal ice-to-water ratio will result in a smoothie which has the consistency of yogurt or soft-serve ice cream. If you find the smoothie is too watery then either add more ice next time or cut back on the water added. When there is not enough water then the blender will start to spin freely as mentioned in step 8.1.

I use less water and more ice in this recipe because grapes are mostly water so I do not need to add as much water to get the same fluidity in the final product.

Avocado

1/2 of an avocado will get you a smooth texture, but you may find the smoothie is not very satisfying. Using an entire avocado will make the smoothie far more satisfying.

The ripeness of the avocado matters. If the avocado is not ripe, then the smoothie will be clumpy, will start to separate, and the flavor will be unsatisfying. If the avocado is ripe, then the smoothie will be satisfyingly creamy and will stay uniform for a long time--at least a half-hour.

I've attempted to use avocado oil in place of the avocado, but that particular smoothie doesn't have the right texture and starts to separate immediately. I've also tried to substitute coconut oil, but that also separates immediately and tends to be clumpy.

Spinach

The spinach is mostly for color, fiber, and nutrients. If you add a lot of spinach the smoothie will start to taste like grass. However, a little spinach will improve the nutrition of the smoothie without altering the flavor much.

Sous Vide Salmon

Fish can be difficult to get right. Cook it too long and it gets dried or rubbery. Cook it too little and it could make you sick. Getting perfect fish at a restaurant is hit-or-miss; in my experience it's typically overcooked.

With this recipe you can get perfect salmon every time.

Note: for convenience, the temperatures in this recipe are already set 2 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) above the desired internal temperature of the salmon. Also, this recipe is tuned for salmon. Different kinds of fish need different temperatures to cook properly.

Tools

• Sous vide cooker: this is essential, my cooker looks like a crock pot, but any kind will work
• Zip-top bags: name-brand will be better; off-brand may leak which results in lost flavor
• Spatula
• Frying pan
• Spatter guard (optional)
• Spoon

Ingredients

• Salmon: I prefer the farmed Atlantic Salmon from Costco
• Salt
• Mild-flavored oil: I use a refined coconut oil which is liquid at room temperature
• Cooking Oil: I use extra virgin olive oil for my salmon and butter for Pineapple's

Directions

1. Start heating the sous vide to 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius)
2. Cut salmon into portions
3. Place salmon portions in separate zip-top bags
1. If you have too many portions, just seal the excess bags and place them in the freezer
2. For the frozen portions, you can resume on the next step whenever you are ready to cook them
4. Add some of the mild-flavored oil to each bag
5. Drive out the air from the salmon-and-oil-filled zip-top bags by submerging all but the zipper in water 
1. The oil is there to fill in the gaps instead of leaving bubbles next to the fish
6. Seal the zip-top bag
7. Submerge the sealed bag in the sous vide
8. Once the sous vide is up to temperature, set a timer for 25 minutes (45 minutes if the salmon is frozen)
9. When the timer is finished, remove the zip-top bag from the cooker
10. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil/butter to the frying pan 
11. Heat the pan to medium
12. Using the spatula, transfer the fish to the pan
13. Sear for 30-45 seconds (30 for butter, 45 for olive oil)
14. Flip and sear the flip side for 30-45 seconds
1. Spoon the oil/butter on top of the salmon for the rest of this sear
15. Transfer the fish to a plate
16. Salt to taste
17. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is adapted from "Modernist Cuisine at Home". The original recipe calls for soaking the salmon in a salty brine for 3-4 hours which helps firm up the salmon. However, I often do not have the flexibility to soak the salmon before cooking it.

Regardless, this recipe will produce a moist, flavorful, firm salmon with a crunchy crust every time.

Butter

Although I cannot consume butter as part of my diet, pineapple can, and so can many other people I cook for. I like the texture of the fish when I cook it with olive oil, but I do enjoy the aroma as I cook with butter.

I've found that the quality of the butter matters a lot. Some butter generated complaints (I don't know what brand, but I think it may have started to turn), others gather no responses, while still others elicit compliments.

The best butter I've found so far is Kerrygold salted butter. It's from grass-fed cows and I can tell just from the smells during cooking that it has more flavor (and thus more nutrients). Even my most-sensitive eaters enjoy salmon seared in this butter.