Paleo Turkey Lettuce Wraps (AKA Turkey Larb)

Paleo Turkey Lettuce Wraps (AKA Turkey Larb)

Turkey Lettuce wraps

Here is a great light Thai inspired dish that I have made numerous times! And falls into the Paleo category. I have been trying to find other alternative recipes  to red meat (beef), and honestly after watching “CowSpiracy” I have been avoiding red meat about 95% of the time. That movie was such an eye-opener! Surprisingly, Leonardo DiCaprio was the executive producer. Anyway, hope you enjoy this simple light recipe, it was inspired by a recipe I found in Women’s Health Magazine back in 2012.

Ingredients:

  • ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 tbsp organic canola oil
  • ½ red onion, diced
  • 3 small shallots, diced
  • 1 piece of lemongrass (4″ long) minced
  • 1 Thai or Serrano chili, stemmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 lb of 99% fat-free ground turkey
  • 2 tbsp of sriracha (optional for a bit more “kick”)
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 1 head of organic butter lettuce

Directions:

  • In a bowl, whisk lime juice, lemon juice, fish sauce, and honey.
  • In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, lemongrass, and chili. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Add turkey to skillet and Siracha. Season with salt. Cook, stirring frequently and making sure turkey does not stay in large chunks. Cook until meat and vegetables are cooked through, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Add dressing to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add mint and season with salt and pepper.
  • Spoon turkey mixture onto lettuce leaves and serve.

Thai lettuce wrap ingredients

Panko Crusted Cod with Pea Puree and Mushrooms

Panko Crusted Cod with Pea Puree and Mushrooms

cod-pea-puree-mushrooms

Cod is another one of my favorite types of fish, flaky and dense, with a mild flavor. If cod is not available, (as some stocks are severely overfished), you could swap out with some more sustainable fish: i.e. cobia, pollack, hake or whiting. I like a crunchy texture to my fish, so I used some Panko breadcrumbs to create a nice crust. I paired this fish with some crispy mushroom, pea/parsley puree and some crispy shoestring sweet potatoes. Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MUSHROOMS

  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 10-12 ounces mushrooms (cremini, shiitake), cleaned and coarsely chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp butter

FOR THE FISH

  • 1 ½ pounds of cod, cobia or pollack (4 pieces)
  •  Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup of panko crust, enough to cover each piece
  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  •  Lemon juice, to taste

FOR THE PEA PUREE

  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 1 cup of cooked frozen peas
  • ⅓ cup chopped shallots
  • ⅛ cup EVOO (olive oil)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 oz. Crème Fraîshe

PREPARATION

  1. Make the pea puree. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add parsley leaves. Blanch for 20 seconds only and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and press leaves against strainer to squeeze out water. Using a food processor, add the cooked peas, shallots, parsley and salt. Slowly add in the oil so that all ingredients become a smooth puree. Place the puree into a bowl, and slowly stir in the Crème Fraîshe. Be sure to stir gently with a spoon so it does not separate or turn to butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
  2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place oil into sauté pan and heat on medium-high heat. Salt the fish. Press the panko bread crumbs onto all sides of each piece of fish. Cook the fish on each side (2-3 minutes per side), or until outside crust is golden brown. Place fish into baking dish. Drizzle lemon over the fish and bake 5 to 8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets), until fish is opaque and pulls apart when a fork is inserted.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until just beginning to smoke. Arrange mushrooms in skillet in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until bottom side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, toss mushrooms, and continue to cook, tossing often and reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching, until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes more.
    Reduce heat to medium and add butter and garlic to skillet. Tip skillet toward you so butter pools at bottom edge. Spoon butter over mushrooms until butter smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Remove mushrooms from skillet with a slotted spoon.
  4. Place a piece of fish on each of 4 plates. Spoon pea sauce onto plate, next to fish. Place mushrooms on pea sauce and serve.
Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce

Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce

After reviewing numerous Béarnaise recipes, and being extremely intimidated by the complexity of it, I thought I would give it a try. I made this sauce for filet mignon, (Click here for the different cuts of beef) of that I marinated in garlic, olive oil, salt and rosemary overnight. Searing it on all sides and cooking it medium rare. I served it with an arugula salad (from our garden) with olive oil, a balsamic reduction and goat cheese.

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ cup white-wine vinegar
  • 1 small shallot, peeled and minced
  • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon leaves
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 12 tablespoons ghee (or clarified butter)
  • salt, to taste

Put the vinegar, shallots, black pepper and 1 tablespoon of tarragon leaves into a small saucepan, and set over a medium flame. Bring just to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer until there are only a couple of tablespoons of liquid left, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside to cool.

Fill a small saucepan with an inch or two of water, and set over medium-high heat to boil.

In a metal mixing bowl, whisk the egg yokes with a tablespoon of cold water. Add in the cooled shallot-and-tarragon then whisk to combine.

Turn the heat under the saucepan of water down to its lowest setting, and put the bowl on top of the pan, making sure that it does not touch the water directly. Continue to whisk the yolks until they thicken, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. You should just about double the volume of the yolks.

Slowly beat in the butter, a tablespoon or two at a time, whisking slowly to combine and emulsify. Remove the bowl from the pan occasionally, so as not to overcook the eggs, and taste the sauce. Season with salt. If the flavor is not sharp enough, add a splash of lemon juice. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a splash of water. Add the remaining teaspoon of tarragon leaves, and serve.

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast with Caper Lemon Sauce

Pan-Seared Chicken Breast with Caper Lemon Sauce

chicken-capers-lemon

I’m always trying to find other ways to make chicken, as we are making a conscious effort to try and eat less red meat. I have some dairy items in this recipe but they can be replaced if you are trying to stay away from it. This recipe is pretty easy and quick and goes great with roasted potatoes.

Ingredients:

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (filleted and pounded) Organic preferred
  • 2 eggs
  • salt
  • 2 tbsp of lemon
  • 1 cup flour (organic preferred)
  • 2 tbsp butter (divided)

Sauce:

  • 2 tbsp butter (divided)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped shallots
  • ¼ cup capers
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • ½ cup cream (optional – can use a paste of four and water to thicken sauce)

Directions:

If you have whole chicken breasts, you can first remove the tenderloin first, then filet the breast. Pound out all of the pieces so they are thin, approximately ¼”. If all your pieces are the same thickness they will cook evenly and at the same time. In a mixing bowl, mix eggs, with lemon and 1 tsp of salt. Place the chicken into egg mixture. You can do this proceed before cooking, for a little extra time in the marinade. I marinated them for ½ hour.

For the sauce you will melt the butter and oil in a saucepan, add in the chopped shallots and cook on medium high heat, but be sure not to burn them. Then add in the capers and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the capers and onions from the pan, leaving the liquids (butter/oil) in the pan. Now you can dredge the chicken breasts. I dredge them as I cook them so they don’t sit in the flour. Add 1 tbsp of butter and place the chicken pieces, spaced so they do not touch. Cook the chicken until crispy on both sides (approx. 2 minutes a side). Repeat, adding butter and additional chicken pieces. Once all pieces are cooked you place them on a platter, or warming plate. Next you will add the caper/onion mixture back into the pan, scraping up any residue on the pan. Add in the mustard and lemon stirring frequently, then the chicken broth. Cook down the mixture for 3-5 minutes. Add in the cream and stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. If you prefer to avoid the cream you can add a mixture of 1 tbsp of flour in a cup with some warm water, until you have a flour paste. You can slowly whisk this into the sauce to thicken it. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve. (Additional sauce can be placed into a gravy boat).

Serves 4

Cobia (Black Kingfish) with Sweet Potato Puree

Cobia (Black Kingfish) with Sweet Potato Puree

cobia-sweet-potato-puree

Here is another Cobia recipe I created using Open Blue’s sustainable fish. The family loved it!

What is Cobia? Cobia is a mild flavored white fish, and a great sustainable substitute for salmon or sea bass. It has also been called black kingfish. There is more info on this fish on my previous post (click here).  If you want to buy Cobia you can find it at this website: http://www.chefsfreshfish.com/Cobia-Fillet-p/e725a.htm

Ingredients for Sweet Potatoe Puree

  • 2 large sweet potatoes peeled
  • 1 cup of chicken broth (I recommend organic bone broth for a little extra protein)
  • ¼ tsp of grated nutmeg
  • ½ cup créme fraîche
  • ½ tsp of salt

Ingredients for tomato “bruschetta”

  • 3 tbsp of olive oil (EVOO)
  • ½ cup of shallots (diced)
  • 4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 3 plum tomatoes (deseeded and finely chopped)
  • ½ lemon zest (finely grated)
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 basil leaves (thinly sliced)

Ingredients for Cobia fish

  • 4 (4-6 oz) pieces of Cobia filets (Open Blue’s)
  • 1 lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp of organic butter

Directions for Sweet Potato Puree:

Cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Steam for 10-15 minutes until soft. Place into food processor and puree, slowly adding in the chicken broth. Add in the nutmeg and salt. Puree until smooth. Add in the creme fraîche and puree briefly until you have reached a smooth creamy consistency.

Directions for Tomato bruschetta:

In a small sauce pan on low heat, add in the oil, shallots, garlic, tomatoes, and lemon zest. Salt to taste. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes on low heat, until tomatoes have softened and garlic and onions are clear.

Directions for Cobia Fish Fillets:

Pat the Cobia Fillets dry, squeeze lemon and add the salt and pepper. Can be done 30 minutes prior to cooking. In an iron skillet on medium-high heat, melt butter and sear the fish filets on both sides, making sure it is cooked all the way through and opaque.

Plating:

Place several spoonfuls of the sweet potato puree on each plate. Add the fish to the center and drizzle with the tomato bruschetta. Top with basil for decoration.

This also goes great with a side of kale salad.

Enjoy!

Serves 4

cobia-sweet-potato-puree-cu cobia-sweet-potato-puree-rice

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