Pesto Mashed Potatoes (Paleo & GF)

Pesto mashed potato recipe

Serves 6, as a side

Ingredients

• 6-8 potatoes, peeled;
• 2 tbsp paleo cooking fat like coconut oil, butter or tallow;
• 2 cloves garlic, minced;
• A few splashes of heavy cream or coconut milk;
• 4-6 tbsp pesto; homemade basil pesto
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, boil potatoes until soft. I always cube my potatoes prior to boiling because they cook faster and are easier to mash afterwards.
2. Once soft, strain the potatoes. In the same saucepan over a low heat, melt the cooking fat and add the minced garlic. Allow it to sit for a few moments in order for the flavors of the garlic to diffuse into the cooking fat.
3. Place the potatoes back in the saucepan and begin to mash. Pour in the heavy cream or coconut milk as needed. Be sure not to add too much, as it is very easy to dilute the other flavors. Alternatively, you can also simply use more of your chosen cooking fat instead of cream or coconut milk, it’ll make for an even richer side dish.
4. Once fully mashed, add the pesto. The amount will depend on how strong you would like to the pesto flavor to be. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Again, this recipe is from Paleodietlifestyle.com.  Be sure to check out this site it's amazing!! 


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So I decided after finding this recipe the other night to try it out on my BF! Man it was delicious.  Here are some pics!  The recipe was really easy and it did not take much time at all to prepare.  Let me tell you after doing the paleo cleanse for 4 weeks, this felt like I was cheating somehow.  It was so good! I can't believe it was "diet" food.

Zucchini Cakes (Paleo & GF)

Zucchini cake recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini;
• 1 tsp salt;
• 2 green onions, finely chopped;
• 2 cloves garlic, minced;
• 1 egg;
• ½ cup almond flour (optional);
• ½ tsp baking powder;
• Coconut oil or clarified butter, for cooking;

Preparation

1. Begin by using a large-scale grater to grate your zucchini. You want to avoid creating small, thin strands, as the zucchini could get mushy upon frying.
2. Once grated, place in a bowl and toss in the salt. Allow the zucchini to sit in the salt for at least 10 minutes. Then, extract any excess water from the zucchini (if you have never done this before, I am sure you will be surprised at how much water there actually is!). The easiest way to do this is to place the grated vegetable in a large piece of cheese cloth and wring it out. I was not so prepared and did not have this available, so I used a colander and pressed the zucchini against the sides with force, making the water drip out. It ended up working out just fine.
3. Return the zucchini to a large bowl and combine with the green onions, garlic, egg and baking powder. You could use almond flour, as it really helps in keeping the cakes from crumbling a apart, but you can also do without.
4. Once everything has been mixed, form cakes of about 2 to 2.5″ in diameter out of the mixture.
5. Place a large skillet over a medium-high heat. You want to allow the skillet to really warm up prior to adding any cooking fat to the pan.
6. Add some of your chosen cooking fat to the pan, just enough to coat the surface of the skillet and then place the zucchini cakes in the pan. Allow them to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, just enough so that they are crispy and golden brown. Enjoy these patties as is, or as a side to a delicious soup

Recipe from Paleodietlifestyle.com
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I have now made these twice and let me tell you they are DELICIOUS!!! No joke, you must try them. The kids did not like them as much as I expected them too, but I kept going back for more.  Here are some pictures!

Almond Mandarin Salad (GF)

Almond Mandarin Salad

Ingredients

1/2 pound bacon
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dry hot mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 cup olive oil
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 bunch green onion, diced
3/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until evenly brown. Drain, cool, and crumble.
To make the dressing, thoroughly blend the vinegar, honey, dry mustard, celery salt, paprika, and olive oil.
Place lettuce, oranges, green onion, bacon, and almonds in a serving bowl. Toss with dressing and serve.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 247 | Total Fat: 17.6g | Cholesterol: 10mg