Paleo/Whole30 Dinner: Coconut Shrimp on Spinach Mango Salad

This Coconut Shrimp recipe from Paleo Leap...

...on top of this Asian Spinach Salad recipe from Love and Olive Oil (with some mangos added)...

...got us this deeelicious dinner tonight!

I made the shrimp without any changes, and added mango to the salad. (Any eagle-eyed readers might also notice sunflower seeds in the bowl, but I think they were unnecessary.) Taste- and texture-wise, the avocado got lost in the mix, I think, but it adds a nice color to the visual experience. And, of course, some healthy fats!

Tasting the dressing as the recipe calls it, I was worried it would be too sour, so I added some fresh-squeezed orange juice and a bit of date paste, but once I tasted it mixed into the whole salad, with the sweetness of the mangoes and oranges, I'm not sure that was necessary. 

The contrast between the delicately crunchy shrimp and the smooth mangoes, between the tart dressing and the sweet fruit -- mmmwah!

This is Whole30 compliant! If I weren't avoiding processed foods, I'd be tempted to buy ready-breaded coconut shrimp to speed the process. It wasn't hard; just kinda time consuming. Might go a little quicker if you had a two-person assembly team.

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...

Places to eat in Kansas City: El Patron

El Patron Cocina and Bar is a locally-owned Mexican restaurant, but it's not your standard mexi-gringo fare. My sister is a local and she first clued us in to this gem; we've been back multiple times and are never disappointed.

It's definitely off the beaten track, as far as restaurants go. It's in a somewhat industrial area, and I would never have picked it out, just driving by. It's even a little hard to find when you are looking for it. (The gray arrow in the photo at left points to the El Patron awning.) But it's worth the hunt!

The interior is a refreshing break from the ubiquitous chunky-wood-painted-neon-colors you find in so many local cocinas. It feels more like a bistro, with exposed brick walls displaying original art.

My favorite -- and what I almost always order -- is the fish tacos. As you can see in the photo below, they have a much more generous serving of fish than Seasons 52. You can get them on corn or flour tortillas, topped with cabbage, avocado, and pico, and they come with a side of mango salsa. What I love about them is that the balance of all the flavors is just exactly right: you can taste the fish but it's not overwhelming, and you get just a small hit of the pico, without it dominating the dish.

But on this visit, my husband wanted the fish tacos, so I decided to order something different, and went with the tacos al pastor: tender chunks of pork, marinated in a "secret recipe." It's a very, very red sauce -- prepare to get messy! -- and though it contains pineapple and orange, don't expect anything like a teriyaki. It's a slightly sweet sauce with cinnamon being the most dominant note. It was nicely flavored; if I were a fan of cinnamon with meat, these would be fantastic. But I'm not, so I wasn't wild about them. Understand, though, that it is just this matter of personal taste that is my only complaint. They were still delicious!

My husband and son have also ordered steak and shrimp -- Arrachera con Camarones. It's a marinated skirt steak, served with sauteed shrimp and caramelized onions. Garnished with charred jalapeno, beans, rice and guacamole on the side, served with flour tortillas. They've both ordered it more than once, which tells you that it's good! (This photo is from the El Patron website; I didn't get a good shot of it.)

So if you're willing to venture beyond the Plaza and Westport, check this place out!

Located at: 2905 Southwest Blvd. (which is not the same as Southwest Trafficway)

Hours: open for lunch and dinner, M - Sat.; dinner only on Sun.

El Patron website.



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Places to eat in KC: Beer Kitchen

Recipe Roundup: Three by PW

So, you've heard of Pioneer Woman, right? Apart from having an entertaining writing style, fabulous photography, and thorough, encouraging instructions, her food is really, really good. Or, as my husband says, "The girl can cook!"

Here are three of her recipes we love. All photographs are hers. (The title of each section below is the link to the original recipe.)

Crash Hot Potatoes
I think this is the recipe that was my portal into PW's blog. I can't remember why I was looking for a potato recipe, but this one caught my eye. Red potatoes are boiled till tender, then coarsely smashed on a cookie sheet, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with rosemary, salt and pepper, then baked briefly at high heat so they come out golden brown and crunchy around the edges. Hungry yet?

The thing that makes or breaks this dish is getting the salt right. I was a little too shy with the salt the first time; a mistake I won't make again.

By the way... Did you know that new (aka, red) potatoes are lower on the glycemic index than baking potatoes? And that boiling them keeps them lower than baking? Boiled new potatoes rank in the mid-50's; baked potatoes, 85.

Quesadilla de Camarones
This was our second PW dish.  Shrimp are briefly marinated in a fiery off-the-shelf sauce, then given a quick, hot saute, along with some peppers and onions. Put it all between two tortillas and slap 'em back in the pan till everything is toasty.

If you want to be healthy, use whole-wheat tortillas. If you really want to go hardcore PW, make her from-scratch tortillas. (How does that woman stay thin?) I have to confess: I don't make homemade tortillas -- but my dear daughter does, and I have to say, they rock! No comparison to grocery store tortillas. None! But here's a handy compromise: go by a local Mexican restaurant (not a chain) and get some tortillas to go.

Spicy Lemon Garlic Shrimp
This is frequently a birthday entree in our house. Not because it's difficult to make -- it's not. But you really don't get the full wham! of the dish unless you have some crusty French bread (or crescent rolls) to sop up the garlicky, slightly spicy, melty butter that the shrimp is swimming in after it comes out of the oven. And now that we're low carbers, white bread is a once-in-a-while treat. But this stuff is SO worth it!

The other thing that makes this party food is that it's roll-up-your-sleeves, dig-in-and-eat-with-your-hands kind of food. And after that, a lick-your-fingers kind of food. Yeah, you'll want every drop!

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.

Recipe review: Pulled-pork pasta w/ ancho-cream sauce

We had plentiful leftovers from a pork roast my husband had smoked, so I was searching for something tasty to do with them. Of course, I could do pork fried rice or a Vietnamese sandwich, but I didn't think the smoky flavor would work with Asian. I found this recipe at Group Recipes, and it sounded delish, but I'd never had pork with pasta before and wasn't too sure how it would turn out.

And I was right, on both counts. The sauce was absolutely yummy, but pork and pasta... eh, a little weird.

I thought salmon would be a better match for the sauce, so we tried that the following week. The flavor combination was good, but stirring the baked salmon into the pasta was a mistake, texture-wise. I think it would work great to serve the salmon filet on top of or beside the pasta, but it just got too shredded and mushy when stirred in.

I haven't tried them yet, but I think shrimp or chicken would be the perfect meat for this dish.

Oh, and if you're a spice wimp like me, you might want to knock the ancho chile down to 2 or 3 teaspoons. My hubs and daughter probably would have liked it just fine at triple that, but when I'm making the dish, I get to make the call!

A great side dish for this would be my Slightly Spicy Slaw.