Asian Tuna Cakes

These tuna cakes fall under primal but not paleo because they contain teriyaki. Zach and I used to always do tuna melts as an easy Lenten lunch or dinner. But these cheese-less beauties pleasantly break the mold of our meat-abstaining tradition.

Some of the ingredients are approximations.

Ingredients:
2 small cans tuna, low sodium, packed in water
2 eggs
large dollop of spicy mustard
2 tablespoons teriyaki
2 tablespoons diced pickled jalapenos
2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sriracha
salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Spoon mixture into pan in the shape of four patties. Cook until browned on one side, flip and continue cooking on reverse side. Serve.

Plantain Chips and Roasted Tomatillo, Serrano Salsa

Giving up potato and tortilla chips is no big deal for paleo persons when you can have these tasty treats. A fresh plantain chip, still hot from the pan is hard to beat. The key to making the chips is using green plantains. Make a slit down the plantain and do a little wedging with your knife to get the firm peal loosened up.

Fried Plantain Chips:
Ingredients:
2 green plantains, pealed and sliced thin
1 tablespoon coconut oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a frying pan, heat coconut oil on medium. Fry sliced plantains until golden brown on both side; salt; pepper; serve.

Roasted Tomatillo and Serrano Salsa:
Ingredients:
1 large tomato, quartered
1 serrano pepper
1 head of garlic, pealed and separated
3 tomatilloes, husked
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. On a cookie sheet lined with foil, place tomato, whole serrano, whole garlic cloves, and whole tomatilloes; roast for approximately fifteen minutes. One roasted, removed stem from serrano. Put all ingredients into a bowl and blend with an immersion blender; or use a blender. Serve. Enjoy.

Paleo/Primal Pizza

I've seen various forums debating whether or not quinoa has a place in the paleo diet. But since I'm a foodie, I'm going to tend towards keeping as many ingredients on the menu as possible. And as long as someone more knowledgeable about the human body than myself is saying it's fine, I'm going to take that as a green light. Besides, quinoa is a complete protein. How can you beat that? Some people seem to have some issues digesting it, but if you don't, go for it!

The recipe for this crust is a variation of the pizza recipe I saw on a great paleo site: Paleo Diet Lifestyle.

Crust ingredients:
½ cup coconut flour
1 cup quinoa flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp Italian seasoning
4 eggs
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup coconut milk

Toppings:
Instead of cheese, we used onions sauteed in olive oil. Other toppings included homemade pork sausage, pepperoni, salami, arugula, olives, mushrooms, pepperoncinis and, of course, tomato sauce.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. Grease a standard cookie sheet or pizza pan with coconut oil. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a small bowl beat eggs and combine with other wet ingredients. Mix wet mixture into dry mixture until well combined. The consistency will remind you of cookie dough. Then, spread dough into the prepared pan. You may need to use your hands to get it evenly distributed in the pan. Bake crust for 15 minutes before topping it. After it has baked, top it, and return it to the oven until your topping are nicely toasted.

Paleo Friendly Chocolate Pudding

So my husband and I have been on an anthropologically interesting culinary adventure the past week. Not that we're actually eating food prepared the way our ancient ancestors did in the Paleolithic Period. I don't believe earliest man was eating pulled pork wrapped in butter lettuce, roast over pureed parsnip, or paneed fillet of flounder. But we have been adhering to the oh-so-popular Paleo Diet, and guess what? -- It seems to work. After an initial shakiness which could only be attributed to the loss of fast carbohydrates and sugars in our diets, we feel really good! Already we're leaner and have lost a few pounds; though, honestly, neither of us really needs to lose weight (and probably won't lose much), but we'd like to better condition ourselves.

For me, who loves to bake, it's been challenging to stay away from the flour and sugar and cocoa powder. But last night, I made dessert for the first time this week and got my chocolate fix. Here's the super easy recipe for a paleo-friendly treat.

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp raw agave nectar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix it up. 

A better way to bag your groceries

The reusable grocery bag has become the trend in all food stores. Every bodega from Win Dixie to Whole Foods carries an Earth-friendly alternative to "paper or plastic?" But those fifty-cent bags don't always last so long or look so cute. Fortunately, the Internet has made the world a lot more accessible and a lot prettier. The chic shopper need look no further than etsy to find one-of-a-kind market bags to add a touch of fashionable finesse to your grocery-shopping experience. And let's not forget -- you'll be reducing your carbon footprint, as well!

Check out The Ruffled Rose! It's a new shop exclusively selling handmade market bags perfect for all your shopping needs!