Ahi Tuna meets warm Kale salad

( serves 1 for dinner and serves 2 as an appetizer)

Ingredients:

3/4 -1 lb sushi grade ahi tuna chopped in small chunks

1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1 tsp. sesame oil

2 green onions sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tsp. fish sauce (optional)\

1-2 tsp. seasoned rice vinegar

Sriracha for taste

Sesame seeds

Mix together and add chopped ahi to sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds

1/2-1 bag pre-mixed kale salad with cabbage and carrots

Heat pan with 1 tsp. sesame seed oil and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add kale and cover. Continue to steam until slightly tender 3-5 minutes. Add 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tsp. fish sauce. Mix and cover for 1 more minute. Plate warm kale and top with ahi mixture.

Top with sesame seeds

Wiki Says:

For thousands of years, sesame seeds have been a source of food and oil. Sesame has one of the highest oil content of any seed, some varietals exceeding 50 percent oil content compared to soybean’s 20 percent. Sesame oil is one of the most stable vegetable oils, with long shelf life, because of the high level of natural antioxidants (sesamin, sesamolin, and sesamol). Oil from the seed is used in cooking, as salad oils and margarine, and contains about 47 percent oleic and 39 percent linoleic acid. Sesame seed oil, like sunflower seed oil, is rich in Omega 6 fatty acids, but lacks Omega 3 fatty acids. Sesame seed is also rich in protein, at 25 percent by weight.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

This recipe is great way to reinvent or get rid of any extra meat, cauliflower rice, and veggies that may be leftover in your fridge. Therefore, there may be many variations to this dish, but the basic outline is as follows:

Drizzle olive oil into a hot pan

Add 1 tsp sesame oil to pan

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Add:

Cauliflower rice

Meat ( chicken or steak, even sliced chicken breast sandwich meat is yummy)

Defrosted peas and carrots, or leftover veggies (because they are precooked you just want to reheat them)

1-2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

1tsp. fish sauce (optional)

1 beaten egg

top with fresh cilantro

Cook until heated through and egg is well cooked

Tasty served by itself, or as a side dish to compliment other Asian cuisine

Shepard’s Pie ( courtesy of Primal Blueprint Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

4 tablespoons butter

1-3 tablespoons cream (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

1 cup frozen peas and carrots thawed

3/4 cup frozen green beans thawed

1 pound ground beef or bison( or use leftover beef and cut into small pieces)

1 tablespoon coconut flour or almond flour

3.4 cup beef stock or broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried

Preheat oven 400

Break the cauliflower into chunky pieces and steam until just tender. put in the food processor with 2 tablespoons butter and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cream (optional) Set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and saute several minutes until soft. Add beef and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to break up the meat so it browns evenly. Add peas, carrots and green beans and cook another five minutes. Stir in coconut flour. Add broth and herbs and reduce the heat to low and simmer., stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from skillet and put into a 9 inch pie pan. Spread the cauliflower over the top.

Scatter 2 tablespoons of butter cut into small pieces on top of the cauliflower. bake 3-35 minutes.

Wiki Says:

Frozen vegetables have some advantages over fresh ones, in that they are available when the fresh counterpart is out-of-season, they have a very long shelf life when kept in a freezer, and that they often have been processed a step or more closer to eating. In many cases, they may be more economical to purchase than their fresh counterparts.

While many consider frozen vegetables to be inferior to their fresh counterparts, the opposite is true in many cases. Vegetables purchased in the produce section of supermarkets have spent multiple days in transit, and many of the original nutrients will have leached out.Frozen vegetables are frozen at their freshest, maintaining their nutrients.

Bomb “Ass” Salmon ( courtesy of my friend Danielle)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup horseradish

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons lemon juice

4-6 green onions chopped

1 teaspoon mustard

4 tablespoons mustard

4 tablespoons fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Capers

Saute onions in olive oil and butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Heat over medium heat in sauce pan for approx. 5-7 minutes.

Cover fresh salmon with sauce.Options for cooking:

Cover in tin foil and bake

Saute in mixture on stove

Make tin foil packet and throw on grill

Wiki says:

159g (0.5 fillet) of raw salmon contains:

• Calories :200
• Fat(g): 7
• Carbohydrates(g): 0
• Fibers(g): 0
• Protein(g): 33
• Cholesterol(mg): 73

Ordinary types of cooked salmon contain 500–1500 mg DHA and 300–1000 mg EPA per 100 grams.

Bri’s Poultry Loaf ( inspired by my mom’s meatloaf)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 pound ground turkey

8 oz. can tomato sauce ( save 1/4 for topping)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (sauteed or microwaved 2-3 minutes)

1/2 cup finely chopped cauliflower

1/4 cup almond flour ( 1/2 cup oatmeal and no cauliflower if you are not paleo driven)

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg beaten

1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard for topping inly

Pre-heat oven 350

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Place in greased loaf pan. Mix remaining tomato sauce with mustard. Smooth over top of loaf. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Insert knife to make sure cooked through.

I use almond flour as a bread crumb substitute

Wiki Says:

Almond meal, almond flour or ground almond is made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds (no skin), whereas almond meal can be made both with whole or blanched almonds. The consistency is more like corn meal than wheat flour.

It is used in pastry and confectionery – in the manufacture of almond macarons and other sweet pastries, in cake and pie filling, such as Sachertorte and is one of the two main ingredients of marzipan and almond paste. In France almond meal is called frangipane and is an important ingredient in the traditional Galette des Rois cake.

Almond meal has recently become important in baking items for those on low carbohydrate diets. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste to baked goods. Items baked with almond meal tend to be calorie-dense.

Almond meal has a low heat conductivity.

Moroccan Chicken: courtesy of Primal Blueprint cookbook

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil

1 onion finely diced

3 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1/2 tsp.tumeric

1/2 tsp. cinnimon

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne

Salt to taste

4 chicken thighs

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice

2 cups water

1/2 cupr finely chopped cilantro

1 lemon. thinly sliced

2 cups green beans cut in half

1/4 cup finely chopped mint

juice from 1 lemon

Instructions:

Saute onion, garlic and ginger in oil until soft and slightly browned. Add spices and saute a minute more. Then add chicken, tomatoes, water, cilantro and sliced lemon. Simmer with a lid for 30 minutes. Add green beans, mint and lemon juice. Simmer a few more minutes until green beans are done. Serve over cauliflower rice (recipe to follow)

I personally double to recipe for leftover. This dish happens to get better after a day or so.

Cauliflower Rice:

Cut 1 cauliflower into small florets. If you are adding C. rice to a dish that will simmer on the stove, there is no need to pre-cook. If you’re serving the cauliflower rice alone as a side dish, steam it briefly before grating. Run the florets through the food processor using the grating blade, or use a cheese grater.

Wiki Says:

Nutrition

Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbs but high in dietary fiber, folate, water, and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density.

Cauliflower contains several phytochemicals, common in the cabbage family, that may be beneficial to human health.

• Sulforaphane, a compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed, may protect against cancer.
• Other glucosinolates
• Carotenoids^[10]
• Indole-3-carbinol, a chemical that enhances DNA repair,^[11][12] and acts as an estrogen antagonist,^[13] slowing the growth of cancer cells.

Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes.However, other preparation methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, had no significant effect on the compounds.

A high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

My favorite Mountain Bike ride to date (also a great place to hike):

Big Rock off of Lucas Valley Road

8 miles total with a 1,472 foot climb; it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes, which included two quick water breaks. This ride has incredible views of the bay and S.F. city on one side, and views of Novato’s water marshes, and Bel Marin Keyes.

Directions from South 101:

Take exit 457 toward Marinwood

Merge onto Miller Creek road

Turn right onto Lucas Valley Road

Location will be on your right

Coconut Curried Chicken (courtesy of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook)

Ingredients:

4-8 Bone-in and skinned chicken thighs ( i use the same recipe but for 8 pieces)

2 Tb. coconut oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 medium finely chopped onion

3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 2 inch piece of ginger root, grated

1 green chilli, seeds removed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tb. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground tumeric

Cayenne pepper to taste

salt to taste

1 Tb. white wine vinegar

1 1/4 cup-2 cup coconut milk

1 head cauliflower, cut into 2 inch florets

Garnish with cilantro and or shredded coconut

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet, add chicken and cook over medium-high heat 8=10 minutes, turning once or twice to brown exterior.

Remove meat from the pan to a large plate. Add mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop (about 1 minute)

Add onion to pan and cook, scraping up the browned bits left behind, until soft and golden.

Stir in garlic, ginger root, green chili, and ground spices: cook about 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar, then return chicken to pan, turning and coating them  with spicy mixture. Pour coconut milk over all and bring to a slow boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low and simmer about 40 minutes, or until chick is tender. Add cauliflower florets in the last 10 minutes of cooking and simmer until tender.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and shredded coconut (optional)

Wiki says:

Heath Benefits to eating Curry

Some studies have shown that ingredients in curry may help to prevent certain diseases, including colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.^[37][38] A number of studies have claimed that the reaction of pain receptors to the hotter ingredients in curries leads to the body’s release of endorphins, curry is claimed to be one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs.^[39] With the complex sensory reaction to the variety of spices and flavours, a natural high is achieved that causes subsequent cravings, often followed by a desire to move on to hotter curries. Some refer to this as addiction, but other researchers contest the use of the word “addiction” in this instance.^[40]

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