Cracking the Paleo Diet Code: Lose Weight Fast With Primal Eating & Intermittent Fasting (How to Lose Weight Your Way) (9 page)

Berries in Purple Infusion Water

Serves: Well, as much as you like...

Ingredients:

Handful
of fresh or frozen blackberries, hulled, rinsed well

Handful
of fresh or frozen blueberries, hulled, rinsed well

Handful
of fresh or frozen raspberries, hulled, rinsed well

H
andful of fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled, rinsed well

I
ce water or crushed ice, enough to fill a large mason jar

Directions:

1.
Place all the berries inside a large, freshly washed mason jar. Fill the jar halfway with ice water or crushed ice. Stir this with a muddler or a wooden spoon, taking care to crush a few berries along the way. Do not crush all the berries though. At the most, you can bruise the berries, just so they release their flavors into the water.

2. Fill the rest of the mason
jar with ice water or crushed ice. Place the lid on tightly. Let this sit for at least an hour in the fridge.

3.
To serve: Give the contents of the mason jar a quick stir. Ladle some water infusion into a tall glass and serve immediately. Because this drink has absolutely no fat or added sugar, you can consume the entire mason jar at your leisure.

Note: other alternatives to berries you might want to try are wedges of grapefruits, lemons, limes, and oranges. You can also try the cool blend of cucumber slices with mint sprigs. You can also refill both ice water and berries any time. If you want something to chew with your drink, you can always eat the fruits in your water infusion.

Cherry-Choco Smoothie

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1
banana, small-sized, peeled, roughly chopped

1½ cup
s fresh cherries, stems removed, pitted

2
tsp. cinnamon powder

½ cup
coconut milk

2
Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2
cups crushed ice

W
ater, as needed

2
fresh cherries, for garnish

Directions:

1. Except for the garnish and the water, place all the ingredients of the smoothie into the blender. Process until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, pour in a small measure of water, until it reaches the consistency you want.

2. Divide the drink into 2 glasses. Garnish each glass with one piece of fresh cherry on top. Serve immediately.

Cucumber Boats with Quail Eggs

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1
cucumber, medium-sized, ends trimmed, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped out, rounded side of the cucumber halves sliced off (this will become the base of the cucumber boats), washed, pat-dried

12
quail eggs, hardboiled for 20 minutes, peeled, halved, divided into 2 equal portions

1
tomato, large, diced, approximately the size of the halved quail eggs, divided into 2 equal portions

¼ tsp. homemade Paleo mayonnaise

¼ tsp. yellow mustard

S
alt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1
. Take the 2 cucumber halves, scooped side up, and place these on a level plate or tray.

2
. Spread mustard and mayo in the bottom of cucumber boats.

3
. Place half portions of the tomatoes, then the halved quail eggs.

4
. Sprinkle with salt and pepper just before serving. Serve immediately.

Easy Fruit Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1
apple or pear, peeled, cored, chilled, cubed

1
banana, peeled, chilled, cubed

½
cup blueberries, stems removed, washed, drained well, frozen

1
mango, pitted, peeled, chilled, cubed

¼
cup raisins, soaked in ¼ cup applesauce, chilled, any unsweetened commercial brand will do

1
tsp. heaping honey roasted walnuts or any nuts of your choice

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Let this sit in the fridge for about 1 hour before serving.

2. Divide the salad into 4 and store in separate containers. Or better yet, you can share the rest with your family or friends.

Chicken and Pistachio Quick Bites

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

For the chicken base
:

4
chicken thigh fillets, skins removed, washed, drained

1
tsp. fish sauce

W
ater, for boiling

For the pistachio salad
:

2
Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1
Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 sprigs
fresh basil, roots and woody stems removed, washed, squeezed dry, roughly torn

6
cherry or grape tomatoes, hulled, washed, dried, quartered

1
shallot, small, peeled, minced

½
cup roasted pistachios, shelled, low-sodium

Salt
to taste

Directions:

1. To cook the chicken base: in a saucepan, place the chicken thigh fillets and the fish sauce. Add in just enough water to completely submerge the meat. Set this over a medium-high flame and let the water come to a boil. Turn the heat down, and place the lid on top. Let the chicken meat simmer for the next 20 minutes. If this seems to be drying out too quickly, add more water, but only if needed.

2. After 20 minutes, carefully fish out the thigh fillets and place these on a plate. Let
them cool down completely to room temperature, before dicing the meat, approximately the size of the quartered tomatoes (you can use the cooking liquid as chicken stock for other dishes).

3. To assemble the salad: in a salad bowl, whisk the apple cider vinegar and the extra virgin olive oil together until the mixture emulsifies a little.

4. Except for the salt, toss in the rest of the ingredients into the salad bowl. Stir gently so that most items are coated by the dressing. Season to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour. Always serve cold.

Deconstructed Pesto with Zucchini Noodles

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

1
zucchini, end removed, peeled, julienned, boiled in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, drained well

For the deconstructed pesto
:

1
handful fresh basil leaves, roots and woody stems removed, washed, pat-dried, minced

1
Tbsp. heaping garlic roasted pine nuts or cashew nuts, roughly crushed

1
garlic clove, small, peeled

½ tsp.
apple cider vinegar

2
Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

S
alt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. To make the deconstructed pesto: place all the ingredients in a large bowl. Combine well. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. To assemble: place the cooked zucchini noodles on a plate. Pour in half of the pesto. Toss to combine. Add more pesto, if desired. Serve warm or cold.

Eggs in Lettuce Baskets

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

3
eggs, large, hardboiled, cooled completely to room temperature, peeled, quartered

1
tsp. heaping mayonnaise, homemade Paleo style

1
tsp. level English mustard

S
alt, to taste

1
cucumber, small-sized, skins scrubbed, ends removed, seeded, minced half-moons

1
head iceberg lettuce, small, cored, individual leaves separated to make the “baskets.” Reserve the smaller or torn leaves for “filling.”

Directions:

1. To make the salad: in a small bowl, combine the hardboiled eggs with the mayo and mustard. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. To assemble: take a lettuce basket, fill it halfway with minced cucumbers and loose lettuce leaves. Top this off with about 1 teaspoon of the egg salad. Serve immediately.

Homemade Liver Pâté

Makes: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

1
pound beef liver, membranes and connecting tissues removed, washed, pat-dried, cubed. For a milder tasting liver pâté, you can substitute calf liver, chicken livers or duck liver. You do not need to cube the chicken livers. Buy these only from your trusted meat dealers to ensure freshness.

1
yellow onion, small-sized, peeled, minced

2
garlic cloves, large, peeled, grated

9
fresh sage leaves, small, roughly torn (smaller sage leaves are less bitter than the larger, mature leaves)

1
fresh bay leaf, whole

1
sprig fresh rosemary, whole

4
sprigs fresh thyme, whole

¼
tsp. sea or kosher salt, add more if needed

1/8 tsp.
ground or powdered mace

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup extra virgin coconut oil

Directions:

1. Carefully line a 7.5” x 3.5” aluminum loaf pan or rectangular glass baking dish with multiple sheets of cling wrap. Make sure that you have the insides well lined, with overhanging sheets of plastic on the sides. This is to make it easier to pry the liver pâté out of the container.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the coconut oil or palm shortening over medium-high heat.

3. Add in the bay leaf, garlic, minced onion, rosemary, sage, and thyme all at once. Stir fry the spices and herbs until the onions are limp and transparent. This will take about 7 to 10 minutes.

4. Add in the cubed livers. You only need to brown the outsides
; you do not need to cook the livers through.

5. Once the liver cubes are properly browned, carefully add in the apple cider vinegar. Cover the pan, and let the vinegar boil for 2 minutes.

6. Remove the lid, and fish out the bay leaf, and the sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Discard these.

7. Carefully ladle the hot liver mixture into a blender, and process until smooth.

8. Pour the liver pâté into the prepared loaf pan or baking dish. Set this aside to cool completely at room temperature. Once the pâté is cool enough, cover this with more layers of cling wrap. The plastic should be touching the surface of the prepared meat. This is to prevent the liver pâté from developing a crust.

9. Place the pâté in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.

10. To serve: remove the liver pâté from its container by tugging on the overhanging sheets of cling wrap. Turn this over on a cutting board, and peel away only a small portion of wrap from one end. Slice off just enough liver pâté for one serving, about one 1-inch thick slice.

11. Reseal the liver pâté again under layers of cling wrap, but do not return this to the loaf pan or baking dish. Place this in an airtight plastic container instead, and return to the fridge for later use. This will keep well for the next 4 to 6 days.

12. Place the inch thick liver pâté in a small dipping bowl, accompanied by a butter knife. Serve this with thick slices of chilled cucumbers, or Paleo-safe crackers if you choose.

Paleo
-Safe Ceviche

Makes:
8 servings

Ingredients:

1 shallot, medium, peeled, halved, sliced into thin wafers

For the fish base
:

2
pounds fresh fish fillets, if possible, straight from the fishmonger's or from the stall in the fish market, rinsed, pat-dried, diced. The fresher the fish, the better. You can have your pick from: black bream, dover sole, gurnard, pollock, salmon, sea bass, sea bream, tilapia, and tuna. You can also use bay scallops or quick boiled shrimps.

5
lemons, large, halved, juices squeezed, seeds removed

1
lime, medium-sized, halved, juices squeezed, seeds removed

8
garlic cloves, large, peeled, thinly sliced

4
stalks fresh cilantro, roots and woody stems removed, minced

1
habanero chili, top removed, halved, seeded, thinly sliced

S
alt & Pepper to taste

For the salad
:

1
avocado, large, halved, pitted, peeled, diced, roughly the size of the fish fillets

1
tomato, large, halved, diced, roughly the size of the fish fillets

R
omaine or butternut lettuce leaves, cored, washed, drained well

Directions:

1. Place the sliced shallots in a small bowl. Add in a pinch of salt and massage the thin wafers gently. Set aside.

2. To make the salad base: place the cubed fish fillets into a nonreactive container.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients for the salad base. Season well with salt and pepper. You can stop mixing when most of the salt crystals have dissolved. Pour this over the cubed fish fillets. Gently stir the contents of the nonreactive container.

4. Using a fine-meshed colander, rinse the shallots under the tap. Squeeze these to remove the excess liquid. Add this to the rest of the ceviche. Cover with cling wrap and store this in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving.

5. After 24 hours, take the container out of the fridge. Remove the cling wrap and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the soaking liquid. Using a fine meshed colander, gently strain the ceviche. Return the solids back to the nonreactive container, and pour back the reserved soaking liquid.

6. To assemble: place a large lettuce leaf on a plate. Add in about 1 teaspoon diced avocados, and 1 teaspoon diced tomatoes. Top these with 1 tablespoon of the ceviche. You can either serve this as is, or roll the salad inside the lettuce leaf. Serve immediately.

Note: assemble this salad only when you are ready to eat. You can increase the number of lettuce leaves as much as you want per serving. Store the rest of the ceviche in the fridge for the next 2 days.

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