Comfortably Full

Today Penn came home to me shuffling about the kitchen saying, 'I had a frustrating day. Tonight we're having MY comfort food' (which basically means anything with pasta, homemade sauce and lots of mozzarella and parmesan).

Baked vegan/gluten free pasta with homemade meat sauce.

It was such a frustrating day . . .  I put mozzarella on the salad, too.

We both had seconds.

A Delicious Post-Paleo Saturday

Just some favorites revisited as a Saturday treat post Paleo-Lent.

Tuna Melt on Rye
with a bit of rocket on top

Tuna salad (solid white Albacore in water, mayo, fresh lemon juice, S&P and a dash of marjoram if you have it), super-sharp cheddar, toasted rye, rocket. Done.

Killer Cinnamon Buns

Taken from a trusty butter-loving blogger, Smitten Kitchen. These take 1/2 a day to make, but it is WORTH IT. I flavored my glaze with some more cinnamon, a little allspice and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Holy moly with tea.

Eating Paleo (A Colorful Food Heaven)

So, I've been disgustingly overcommitted at work lately and, while I truly enjoy every minute of the work I do, sometimes I read so many words and type so many sentences as an editor that my insides crawl at the thought of writing any more when I'm finally home on my couch. Photos, on the other hand, I can always seem to manage.

As you've gathered from the title of today's blog, I've gone Paleo. Don't worry. Not forever. I won't spend the rest of this blog judging you for eating cheese or putting your eggs on toast. I'm only doing it for Lent as a way to get myself back in the groove of full-on healthy living after an intense year. The following are a few selections from:

Adventures in a Cave (wo)Man's Kitchen 

Chipotle Braised Bone-in Chicken Breast
with a fresh salsa salad and homemade sweet potato crisps

Modified from here. To sum up: I used all olive oil to keep the chicken Paleo and chipotle paste instead of powder. And always about 3x as much lime as any recipe calls for. :)

Pan-fried Pork Sausage in a Fresh Tarragon Jus

with a sweet potato and carrot puree and just-right steamed green beans

 It is riDONKculously hard to find breadcrumb-free sausages in our Waitrose (they were everywhere in Oxford's Covered Market, so I guess I got really spoiled!). But, I did eventually find this lovely brand: Debbie & Andrew's.

This was probably my favorite meal since starting the challenge (I've already recreated it once). So comforting after a long, stressful day!

Sesame Encrusted Lamb Meatballs
with a toasted cashew salad (lime vinaigrette) and dry roasted courgette (olive oil and lime drizzle over everything)

Majorly modified from here. To keep it Paleo, I used food-processed cashews instead of breadcrumbs. Also, I didn't include the currants or Penn would've killed me. Finally, I would suggest using fewer sesame seeds in your crust. They were a bit overpowering in my version.

  (Obviously these are pictures of Penn's plate above, since I can't have yogurt as a Cave Woman. So, he got a spiced yogurt dip and I made a lemon mayo drizzle for mine. Both were delish!)

Cilantro Pesto Chicken Tenders and Endive Salad with Crispy Chorizo, Toasted Walnuts and Baby Plum Tomatoes

drizzled with a balsamic and lemon reduction and strong olive oil

 Penn got to have sharp cheddar crumbles on his salad, too. He's also to thank for the ingredients in the salad: it was all his idea. 

 LOOK at that glisten-y chorizo! For the pesto, just blend a massive pile of cilantro (stems and all) with loads of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, S&P and whatever fatty nut you have lying around (I'm not talking about your crazy Uncle Joe. I mean pine nuts, cashews, walnuts . . . you get the idea).

And when all else fails, Paleo breakfasts RULE.

Over-Easy Eggs with a Sweet Potato, Paprika Sausage and Baby Asparagus 'Hash'

don't forget the crispy bacon and pan-seared tomato halves

 Just chop up the hash ingredients and fry up in a lightly oiled, hot pan.

My name at work now is 'Gourmet Cave Man'.