Easy-peasy Paleo/Whole30 appetizer: salami & mango

We have some great friends we've known for ages, and we have a collective birthday dinner every April. And we've done this every year, starting before we all had kids -- more than 24 years ago!

Usually we go out, but sometimes we pull together a collective gourmet meal, and with the hubs and I doing Whole30 this month, eating at home is always easier than eating out, so we invited everyone over.

We all chipped in on some pricey but oh-so-amazing steaks from Whole Foods, which my hubs grilled up to absolute perfection. Joni brought a dish of baked asparagus with tomatoes and sundried tomatoes -- sprinkled with Parmesan for the rest of them, served without for us Whole30-ers. And I didn't miss the cheese at all; it was delish! Cindy brought a tasty selection of fresh fruit for dessert; I made some banana ice cream to go with it. (The Kitchn has a recipe that just uses bananas, but I added some coconut milk and a splash of vanilla. Toasted pecans were a nice topper, too.)

For the appetizer, I threw together this incredibly simple dish. It sounds like a weird combo, I know -- I got a skeptical look from at least one person when I described them -- but the combination of the salty salami and the sweet mango just works! 

Here's how you do it.

First, cut the cheeks off a mango. I find the kind with yellow skin is usually smoother than the red/green skinned kind. They're sometimes called "champagne mangos." Whatever.

This video shows how to cut a mango; you just need to watch from 0:39 to 1:14 -

Then, leaving the skin on, cut very thin slices diagonally, not cutting through the skin, as shown in the video. He used a spoon to scoop them out; I use a knife.

You want your slices really think; about 1/16" of an inch. 1/8" will be too thick, because it'll be harder to get the salami to stay folded.

Then taking one salami slice at a time, add a couple slices of mango, put a small smear of guacamole or smashed avocado next to it -- this is the glue the holds it together -- then fold it over.

Repeat with the remaining slices. You should be able to get about a dozen pieces out of one mango, maybe more.

To make sure this is Whole30 compliant, look for sugar-free salami if possible, with minimal processing and chemicals.

It makes a beautiful  plate, and the contrast of flavors is quite happy! It would also be at home on a brunch or luncheon table. And it's so super-simple, I sometimes have it for an afternoon snack. Try it; I think you'll be hooked, too!

Braised pork tostadas - A. MAZ. ING!

Just had to break my self-imposed blogging sabbatical to post about this amazing dish we had recently on vacation in the San Diego area. We just needed a 3 pm snack to tide us over to dinner, and stopped at Iris Food & Spirits in Del Mar. On the recommendation of a local, we ordered the braised pork tostadas. It may not be the most photogenic thing...

...but MORE than made up for it in deliciousness! 

Those mini-tostadas are no chips out of a plastic bag: these babies were clearly just-fried, perfectly crisp with just-enough oil. The toppings are simple but perfect: tender, slightly smokey kalua pork, topped with sweet, sweet carmelized onion (with just a hint of wine, maybe), fresh cilantro, and -- according to the menu -- "buttermilk sauce." Which I'm guessing had some adobo sauce. 

Lovely contrast in textures and flavors: crisp/shattering of the tostada; candy-sweet onions playing a perfect counternote to the smoky, meatiness of the pork; just a hint of heat in the flavorfull sauce.

This was one of those meals where discussion came to a sudden halt after the first bite. "Wow," was about all we could manage to mutter. And after the food was gone, we immediately began plotting how to replicate this delicious dish at home.

Iris website

Ten (or so) Healthier Superbowl Foods - 2013

Looking for the perfect superbowl food? Here are 10 that sound totally yummy! And for bonus points, some of them are low carb, paleo, and/or reduced sugar!

Meatball Sub Casserole from AllRecipes. (I'm not making any "good for you" claims on this one!)

Hot Shrimp Scampi Dip from Go Bold With Butter. (Or this one!)

Shrimp Cocktail with Low-Sugar Cocktail Sauce from Kalyn's Kitchen (Kalyn always has great low-carb recipes)

Grilled Zucchini "Lasagna" with Italian Sausage, also from Kalyn's Kitchen

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from Lulu the Baker. Doesn't this sound scrumptious on a cold day?

Sausage and Peppers from Proud Italian Cook. We made this for Christmas brunch last year and it was a big hit! Easy to make ahead, and cheap and easy way to feed a crowd.Grilled the sausages the day before. (Chill them before slicing. Makes slicing easier and retains more juiciness.)

Avocado Deviled Eggs with Bacon from Caveman Gourmet. Intriguing!

Summer Squash (or Zucchini) Topped with Sausage and Cheese from yours truly! These can be mostly-made ahead, then baked or reheated at the last minute.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas (with Avocado) from Half Hour Meals

No-bake Energy Bites from Smashed Peas and Carrots. Use the syrupy sweetener of your choice: honey, maple or agave. And experiment with mix-ins: chocolate, craisins, cashews...

Happy "Sneak some zucchini onto your neighbor's porch" Day!

And what to do with said zucchini (or summer squash) if you're the lucky recipient.

Whether it was you or your neighbor who planted too much zucchini this year, here are a few recipes for using up that infamous garden bounty. (Summer squash is its yellow cousin; no significant difference in taste.)

Pizza bites. They are cute; also the perfect size to pop in your mouth whole. Easy, gluten-free appetizer or snack.

Summer squash (or zucchini) topped with sausage and cheese. A quick easy dish to prep ahead of time, and then assemble and cook in about 15 minutes.

Zucchini noodles with peanut sauce. Quick-and-easy, low carb, and tasty, too!

For those who are looking for something sweet, and aren't trying to avoid flour, here are a couple recipes for you. 

Elise's Grandma's zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting! This sounds like carrot cake -- one of the few cakes I will always be willing to blow my diet for! I haven't tried this recipe, but it's from SimplyRecipes, and every recipe I've ever tried there has been a winner. I'm sure this one is no different.

Zucchini bread. If you've never tried zucchini bread, you really must! It's a sweet quick bread (read "muffin-like"), akin to banana bread, but without the banana overtones. You really don't taste the zucchini at all; it just lends moisture to the party. The predominant flavors come from the cinnamon and sugar. And you know that can't be bad! 

       I made this recipe from AllRecipes earlier this week to take to a ladies social, because it was rated five stars after more than 3,800 reviews! And it was a hit with everyone, but it's a little sweet for me as is. If you are, like me, living a mostly sugar-free life, you might want to cut back on the sugar by 1/4 to 3/4 cup. (Here's a healthier version I haven't tried.) 

BLT's -- without the bread

Once locally grown tomatoes are in season in Kansas, I always start craving BLT's! (Bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich, for any poor souls who are unacquainted with this little bite of summer.)

I made some homemade bread last week just for this. Added some smoked turkey to punch up the protein. But to keep my carbs and proteins (sort of) in balance, I limit myself to one piece of bread per meal. After devouring one delicious BLT -- ripe, sweet juiciness of the tomato contrasting with the salty crunch of the bacon -- I wanted more! Looking hungrily at the remaining tomatoes and bacon, I wondered if the bread were really necessary.

So I took a bit of romaine, smeared it with a little mayo, and topped it with tomato and bacon. Added a slice of avocado to some of them. Oh yeah! It's all the best flavors and textures of a BLT, without the carbs! Perfect for the gluten free, low carb, Paleo or Whole30 diet. They'd make a great snack or appetizer, too.

A couple notes to make them healthier: choose nitrate/nitrite-free bacon; look for a mayo that contains no corn syrup. Or make your own! I like this super-easy 4-ingredient mayo recipe.

Bonus Super Bowl recipe: crab rangoon dip!

Just ran across this and had to add it! What a genius idea: crab rangoon dip!

Update: Made this yesterday... Not a big fan of the recipe as written. I mean it's okay, but not what I imagined. But chilled overnight and heated up the next day, it's much better.

I added a couple pinches of granulated garlic and salt. Also, I used green onion, and for authenticity's sake, I would put sweet-and-sour sauce on it, not sweet chili.

25 Super Bowl Recipes, Part 4: Low Carb

And onto day five of our Super Bowl recipe round-up: Low Carb!

I think more chips are sold SB weekend than any other week of the year. But it is possible to have delish, satisfying snacks on the table that don't max out your carb allowance for the month, all in one sitting! Here are a few.

Just about any dip you can find is low carb, it's the crackers and chips they're usually served with that makes them high carb. Use a crisp veggie instead, and it's instant health food!  :) But skip the usual, boring carrots and celery on a plate; think jicama, bell pepper strips, ribs from hearts-of-romaine. And to make them even more appealing, place them in vertical glass containers, like the beautiful table shown here, from Sugar Plum Sisters.

Bacon-Avocado Sammies from non nom paleo. Don't these look yummy?! 

Zucchini/squash Pizza Bites, from yours truly. The "crust" couldn't be simpler: it's just slices of summer squash or zucchini, lightly baked before being topped with your favorite pizza stuff, and broiled. (Inspired by Kalyn's Kitchen.) Shown here in both pepperoni and vegetarian versions.

Deviled Eggs. Did you know that deviled eggs from the grocery store sometimes contain sugar? Yuck! Much safer to make your own. I like 'em simple and classic, like this take from SimplyRecipes.

Garlic-Herb Cheese Spread or Dip, also from this site. Tastes sort of like Allouette. Again, to keep it low carb, serve with veggie dippers.

25 Super Bowl Recipes, Part 3: Cold Dips

Day 3 in our round-up of 25 Super Bowl treats: cold dips.

A quick, easy, cold Shrimp Dip from SimplyRecipes. 

Perhaps the best-loved, most classic party dip: 7-Layer Taco Dip. And who better to turn to than Pioneer Woman? (Personally, though, I'm perfectly happy to skip making the guac from scratch; I use Wholly Guacamole Picante Style. And if you're making a version of this classic that involves taco seasoning mix, check out my low-sodium, sugar-free recipe.) 

Here's a new twist on that old favorite: 7-layer Greek Dip. And for that, you'll need hummus. Coming right up...

I refused to try hummus for years, based on the name alone. Don't follow my example! This is yummy (and healthy) stuff. And homemade hummus is so easy. My recipe is based on this one from Martha Stewart, but I take a quicker route than oven-roasting the garlic, and replace the cayenne with cumin. More authentic, in my opinion. 

Garlic Hummus
3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 T. tahini
3 T. lemon juice
3 T. water
3/4 t. kosher salt
3/4 t. cumin
3 T. pine nuts
paprika, for garnish, optional

Put the garlic in a small microwave-safe dish, and add just enough olive oil to lightly coat the pieces. Microwave on medium for 40 seconds, stirring once. (This mellows it a bit, takes off the strong bite.)

Add the garlic, chickpeas, the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, water, kosher salt and cumin to a food processor. Process until very smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary: add more cumin, salt, and/or fresh-ground pepper.

Spread the hummus on a plate, leaving an inch or more around the edge. If not serving soon, refrigerate till half-hour before serving.

Optional: Toast the pine nuts, being careful not to burn them. (You can do this in a dry skillet on the stovetop, or with olive oil the same way the garlic was done.)

Drizzle some olive oil over the hummus, scatter the pine nuts over it, and sprinkle lightly with paprika for color.

Serve with pita chips, wheat thins, and/or crisp vegetables such as cucumber or hicama.

25 Super Bowl Recipes, Part 1: Three-Ingredient Treats

Every day this week, I'll be posting four to six recipes I've rounded up that you might want to put on your Super Bowl table this weekend. Today's theme: Three ingredients!  -- aka, SUPER easy!

Pretzel Turtles from Veronica's Cornucopia.

Bacon-wrapped Pineapple Bites from Tasty Kitchen.

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies, via Food.com -- bonus: gluten free!

Mango Salsa

There are lots of recipes out there for mango salsa, but the first one I was introduced to was this one. It's so simple, you'll think, "That can't be it." But trust me, these three ingredients combine in some mystical way to create a deliciousness that outweighs the shopping list and expectations. For each two servings:

1 mango, diced (here's how)

1 handful of cilantro, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Stir them all together, and enjoy immediately, or use within one day.

For party food, serve it with tortilla chips, but it's also delish on top of salmon or pork.

Chipotle-Raspberry Salsa on Cream Cheese

Here's another "recipe" that seems toooooo simple to be impressive, but oh my goodness, is this stuff addictive! And really, the picture above contains the whole recipe. You'll want to soften the cream cheese first, and you won't need the whole bottle -- just pour it on till the cheese is well smothered.

The third ingredient? Your favorite crackers or chips: Ritz, Wheat Thins, Doritos -- it's all good!

You can find Bronco Bob's at Amazon, World Market, and last time I checked, Dillons/Kroger.

Coming later this week: Hot Stuff, Cold Dips, Low Carb, and Sweet Treats!

Pizza bites - gluten free, low carb, tasty!

Earlier this week, I made myself Kalyn's Grilled Zucchini Pizza Slices for lunch. Yum! But I wanted to experiment with the broiler method she suggested, since not everyone can or wants to grill. Also, I thought it would be kinda cute to make bite-sized versions.

I went with summer squash rather than zucchini. They're close cousins and nutritionally about the same, but I thought the yellow color might be more attractive to people who would be scared off by the green of zucchini. I want to set realistic expectations: no one is going to think they're eating pizza crust; the texture is completely different. But all the flavors are there, and it's a quite satisfying snack.

I made some with pizza sauce and pepperoni, and I made some with pesto and grape tomatoes. I slightly prefer the pepperoni version, because there's a little more punch to the flavor, but they're both really good. And if you or your guests are vegetarian, the tomato option is a nice alternative.

I love how they came out! They are cute, but they're also the perfect size to pop in your mouth whole. Which would also be perfect finger food, for say, super-bowl. I haven't tested the method, but if you wanted to make a large quantity for a party, I bet you could make them ahead of time, up to and including the toppings, then cover and refrigerate them till serving time, and run them under the broiler for a minute or two.

Low-carb Gluten-free Pizza Bites

I'm not listing amounts, because this is one you can totally just wing.

summer squash
olive oil
shredded mozzarella
for the pepperoni version:
    spaghetti sauce (preferably sugar-free)
    pepperoni (turkey, if you like)
for the veggie version:
    pesto
    grape tomatoes

Preheat your oven to 450. Place the rack in the center.

Slice the squash into 1/2" slices. If using tomatoes, slice them about 1/4" thick and set aside.

Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the squash and toss. You just want enough for all the pieces to have a thin coat of oil.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and lay the squash slices out on it. You can place them closer together than what I'm showing here. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove the pan and inspect the underside of the squash. It should just be a bit brown in places. Return it to the oven for a minute or two if it's not yet there.

Switch your oven setting to broil. Top the squash slices with your choice of toppings. I used the larger diameter slices for pepperoni, the smaller for tomato. I put the sauce or pesto on first, then the pepperoni or tomato, then sprinkled a small mound of cheese on top of each one.

Move the oven rack up so it's about 4" under the broiler. Return the pan to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and done to your preference of golden-brown-ness. This will probably be somewhere around 3 to 5 minutes, but watch it closely.

Let them cool somewhat before serving; that tomato sauce will be hot!

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Garlic herb cheese spread/dip - low carb!

This is such a simple dip, I keep some in the fridge almost constantly. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call it a knock-off or copy, but it's kinda like Alouette.

It's tasty spread on just about any cracker, but for a low carb, gluten free snack, try it with celery or romaine dippers. These are simply the small end of a heart-of-romaine leaf. When I'm chopping romaine for a salad, I always leave the last 4 to 5" and stash them in the fridge for just this purpose! They've got a perfect dipping shape, and I like them so much better than celery; no stringy stuff!

Garlic herb cream cheese spread or dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. sour cream OR Greek yogurt
1/2 t. granulated garlic
1/2 t. granulated onion
1 heaping t. dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper, to your taste
1/4 t. salt (if serving with veggies)

Stir together the cream cheese and sour cream (or yogurt) until pretty evenly combined. Add the other ingredients and stir till well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

Note: if you are serving this with crackers that are salted, you may leave out the salt.

Tomorrow: What to do with the rest of the romaine -- Almost-Panera's Asian Chicken Salad!

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