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

Flavorful Bone Broth

Flavorful Bone Broth

bone broth

I love to have bone/meat broth on hand at all times. Especially, when my husband makes his Italian Risotto. This broth is truly the key to the most hearty, deep and rich risotto. We also use the broth occasionally to flavor pasta, rice, or even broccoli. It’s also great for sauces!  The little Italian ladies in the country-side of northern Italy would make this for my husband, when he came down with a cold so it has some amazing health benefits: containing minerals, healthy fats, collagen, amino acids, and more.

Ingredients:

  • 3 beef bones (soup bones)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 large chopped onion (or 2 medium)
  • 8 chopped carrots
  • 8 chopped celery stalks
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp of salt (more if desired)
  • 1 whole fryer chicken
  • 1 ½ lb. beef (I used top round steaks)

Begin by roasting your soup bones. I like to set my oven to 375ºF and bake my bones and meat for about 30 minutes, or until they begin to brown. In a 20 quart stock pot add in olive oil and chopped onions, cook for 2 minutes, then add in the carrots and celery. Stir to coat with oil and cook for 5 minutes. Add in salt and bay leaves. Add in 12 cups of water (preferably filtered). Scrape the roasted bones into the pot along with any juices. Add in the chicken and beef. Add more water if necessary to cover bones, meats and vegetables. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum. Reduce heat to a very low simmer and cook with lid slightly ajar, skimming foam and excess fat occasionally, for at least 8 but up to 24 hours on the stovetop. The longer you simmer it, the better your broth will be. Add more water if necessary to ensure bones and vegetables are fully submerged. Once the broth has cooled down, you’re ready to strain it and store it! Strain it through a fine sieve. Your broth will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, or a few months in the freezer.

Buffalo Ragu Bolognese for Pasta or (Paleo) Lettuce Wraps

Buffalo Ragu Bolognese for Pasta or (Paleo) Lettuce Wraps

pasta-bolognese

Since watching CowSpiracy (on Netflix), I am constantly trying to find alternatives to red-meat (beef). So I made some modifications to a traditional Ragu (or Bolognese) using Buffalo meat. If you prefer the Paleo version, you can skip the pasta and just place the Ragu/Bolognese into a butter lettuce leaf, for a tasty lettuce wrap!

Ingredients:

  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 carrot, finely, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 ½ lb buffalo, ground
  • ¼ slab bacon, or 5 thick slices diced
  • ½ tube organic tomato paste
  • 1 cup organic canned crushed/or chopped tomatoes
  • 1 cup milk (skip for Paleo version)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating
  • ½ cup organic whipping cream (skip for Paleo version)

Directions:

In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft, but please make sure not brown them, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the buffalo, and bacon and stir into the vegetables. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, milk, and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add in the cream and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.

When ready to use, the cooked pasta should be added to a saucepan with the appropriate amount of hot ragu Bolognese, and tosses so that the pasta is evenly coated by the ragu. For Paleo version, spoon meat ragu into the butter lettuce leaves.

pasta-bolognese-A pasta-bolognese-B pasta-bolognese-C lettuce-wraps

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