Paleo Mayonnaise/Ranch dressing

My friend J requested that I post a recipe of my Paleo Mayo, so of course I will do it for her! :) It is rather simple! There are many variations out there, they are all great, but here is my variation that suits my palate :)

Ingredients:
Egg yolk                                                 1
Extra light tasting olive oil         1 Cup
Dijon Mustard                                   3 tsp
Lemon Juice                                           1 tsp
White pepper                                     1/8 tsp
Garlic Powder                                    1/4 tsp
Onion Powder                                    1/4 tsp
Coconut Palm Sugar (Optional)    1/4 tsp
Salt                                                               To taste

Instructions:
1.) You will need a hand mixer, food processor, or some sort of blender for this, or else be prepared for an arm workout.
2.) Start by whipping the yolk, and lemon juice together.
3.) In order for the emulsification process to work, you have to be patient and take things slow. Start by adding a few drops of olive oil to the egg yolk and lemon juice mixture while mixing it on medium to high speed. Add a few drops or drizzle at a time.
4.) Do not add more oil until the previously added oil is well blended. As the process goes on, the mixture will thicken and look more like Mayonnaise.
5.) After all the oil is added, add in the rest of the ingredients and blend it well. You have your Paleo Mayo! :)

Ranch Variation:

I love ranch dressing. It is one of the things that I miss the most after going Paleo. So what do you do? You create your own! It is pretty close to the real thing, but without the dairy, it is still lacking! (Buttermilk and sour cream) 

Ingredients:
Paleo Mayo                                       Serving as above
Garlic powder                                                                   1/4 tsp
Parsley (Dry works, or fresh minced)                 1/2 tsp
Dried Chives (fresh work as well, minced)        1/2 tsp
Dried dill (Fresh work as well, minced)                1/2 tsp
Ground Black pepper                                                      1/4 tsp
Worcestershire sauce*                                                      dash
Cayenne Pepper                                                                 1/8 tsp
Paprika                                                                                     1/4 tsp
Tabasco sauce                                                                     Dash

**Can sub Worcestershire sauce with a small amount of canned anchovies (1/8 tsp or less) and 1/4 tsp of tamarind. I see Worcestershire sauce at the store that is pretty Paleo friendly.

Instructions:
1.) Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for an hour or so.
2.) If the consistency is too thick, you can add a small amount of almond milk to thin it out. ENJOY!!!

-Raf

Raf's Paleo Carrot Cake

New years is just around the corner, so I want to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEARS. Hope all is going to have a prosperous, healthy 2012!!! :)

Yesterday, I celebrated one my my very good friend's birthday. I made him his choice of carrot cake, which is not paleo at all, and I decorated it all etc. Here is a picture of the finished product :

 

With that being said, I craved carrot cake like a bee to honey. Since I put on a few holiday season poundage, I am trying to cut down a bit and stay as Paleo as possible. I experimented and came up with a super moist and spongy carrot cake, I HAD to share it! It is definitely a treat, I had a very small piece, the rest of it goes to my great Paleo buddies. Here it is:

Ingredients:

Almond Meal                                                                                                      1/2 Cup

Sesame Meal (you should be able to sub with Almond meal)       1/4 Cup
Coconut Flour                                                                                                     1/4 Cup
Cassava Flour (Not tapioca starch, but should be similar)            1/4 Cup
Coconut Oil (Melted)                                                                                        1 Cup
Large Eggs                                                                                                                 8
Baking soda                                                                                                          1 tsp
Salt                                                                                                                            Pinch
Vietnamese Cinnamon                                                                                      1.5 tsp
Ground Nutmeg                                                                                                 1/4 tsp
Ground Cloves                                                                                                    Pinch
Ground Ginger                                                                                                      1/2 tsp
Lemon Zest                                                                                                            1/2 tsp
Orange Zest                                                                                                           1/2 tsp
Vanilla Extract                                                                                                         1 tsp
Coconut Palm Sugar                                                                                          3/4 cup
Carrots (Peeled and grated)                                                                           1.5 Cups

 

Instructions:

1.) First off, pre-heat your oven at 350 degrees.

2.) Sift all dry ingredients together. Along with the dry ingredients, add the lemon and orange zest.
3.) Add eggs, oil and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
4.) Add in the grated carrots and mix together for a few minutes until carrots are well blended.
5.) Use any cake pan of your choice, dimension and material would affect baking temperature and time. I used a dark non-stick 13x9 cake pan. If you would like a thicker cake, you could use a smaller pan, but do remember to adjust baking time.
6.) Now that I have mentioned the cake pan and etc, I baked my cake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean.

NOW! THE FINAL STEP:
7.) Sit down, relax and enjoy this fabulous carrot cake as we all embrace this new year of 2012!

-Raf

Pan Seared Beef Heart served w/ Herby white sauce

Hiya, how is everyone doing today? Hope everyone is having a wonderful time during this lovely holiday season. After Christmas, I had many ingredients left over, so I came up with a new recipe that is super tasty. Yes, I am definitely sharing it :)

Ingredients:Beef:
Sliced Grass-fed Beef Heart (Any cut of beef works)                 1/2 heart
Salt                                                                             1/2 tsp
Crushed black pepper                                        1/2 tsp
Garlic Powder                                                       1 tsp

Gravy:
Egg Yolk                                                                     3
Chicken Stock                                                        1.5 Cup
Garlic Powder                                                        1/2 tsp
Onion Powder                                                        1/2 tsp
Dried Thyme                                                           1/4 tsp
Dried Rosemary                                                     1 tsp
Dried Terragon                                                       1/2 tsp
Dried Oregano                                                         1/2 tsp
Dried Savory                                                            1/2 tsp
Dried Parsley                                                           1/2 tsp

Sauce:
Yellow Onion (Sliced)                                           1/4 onion
Garlic (minced)                                                       4 cloves
Crush black pepper                                                1/4 tsp
Fresh parsley (diced)                                           2 tbsp
Paleo Mayo                                                               1 tbsp
Dijon Mustard                                                          1 tsp
Tequila                                                                        1 tbsp
Lemon Juice (optional)                                        1 tsp

 

Instructions:

Meat:
1.) Mixed beef heart with listed spices and allow it to marinate for 30 minutes-1 hour
2.) Pre-heat a skillet and brown both sides of the meat with your choice of oil. I used rendered tallow.

Custard:
1.) Heat chicken stock in a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer.
2.) Add in all the herbs and seasoning into the sauce pan with the chicken stock, and allow it to simmer for a few minutes to infuse the flavor of the herbs with the stock.
3.) Take 2-3 ladles full of heated stock and pour it into the egg yolk while stirring the egg yolk continuously. This is call tempering the egg yolks to raise the temperature of the egg yolk without actually cooking it.
4.) Now you are ready to add the tempered egg yolk into the simmering chicken stock. You have to stir the stock continuously while adding the egg yolk to prevent any curdling.
5.) Continue stirring the mixture until it starts to thicken. (*Never bring the mixture to a boil, as it would ruin the custard)
6.) If you like a thicker custard, you could thicken it with your preference of starch, arrowroot or tapioca both works. I personally like arrowroot.
7.) Remove the sauce pan from the heat and sit it aside, now you are ready to finish the sauce.

Sauce:
1.) In a heated skillet, brown the sliced onion, garlic, fresh parsley and black pepper with your choice of oil. I use coconut oil, but Kerry Gold Butter is THE perfect match!
2.) As the mixture is starting to brown, add the tequila, dijon mustard, lemon juice and paleo mayo into the skillet with the rest of the ingredients. I prefer it without the lemon juice.
3.) As the moisture is absorbed by the onions, take the pre-made custard and add it into the skillet.
4.) Mix the sauce thoroughly and allow it to simmer for a minute or two, the sauce is now ready to serve.

You can either serve the sauce over your beef heart or you can add the beef heart into the skillet and allow it to cook a little longer.

P.S. The custard is great by it self as a white gravy! I actually had this left over from Christmas dinner as a roasted chicken gravy.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

-Raf

Paleo Tuna Cakes/Crab Cakes

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone is having a wonderful time with family and friends. Treat yourselves to plenty of paleo treats and sweets. It is THE holiday after all ;)

Today I will share one of the recipes that I make quite often. It is my Paleo Tuna Cake Recipe. In my pre-paleo days, crab-cakes are one of my all time favorites, how can  it not be anyone's all time favorite!? I improvised and made Paleo  tuna cakes. You can easily replace the can of tuna with two cans of crab meats and you have Paleo Crab Cakes!

Ingredients:
Canned Tuna                                        1 can
Egg                                                           1 large
Coconut Flour                                     1 Tbsp
Almond Meal                                        1 Tbsp
Green Onion (Diced)                         1 spring
Paleo Mayo                                            1 tsp
Dijon Mustard                                       1 tsp
Dried Bell Peppers (soften in water)                2 tsp
Lemon Juice                                          1 tsp
Garlic Powder                                      1/2 tsp
Onion Powder                                      1/2 tsp
Crushed Black Pepper                       1/4 tsp
Sea Salt                                                      To taste
Cayenne Pepper                                    pinch
Tabasco sauce (Optional)                 1/2 tsp

Instructions:
1. Soak Dried bell peppers in warm water for 10 minutes to soften.
2. Mix all ingredients together and let it sit for 5 minutes to allow coconut flour to absorb some moisture.
3. Form the mixture into 3-4 patties/cakes
4. Pre heat an iron skillet and pan fry tuna cakes both sides in your choice of oil until golden brown. About 3-4 minutes per side on medium heat. (Every stove's heat setting varies, check every few minutes to be sure.)
5. Serve with extra paleo mayo if desire. ENJOY!!!!

 

Once again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

- Raf

Paleo Christmas Pudding

The year of 2011 has flew past us in a blink of an eye! It will be Christmas in one week, which is super exciting. While I was still living in Hong Kong as an adolescence, Christmas is THE biggest event of the year for my family. The winter days were warmed by the holiday atmosphere of family gatherings, laughter, joy and of course, Christmas Carols :)

My family is very westernized and have adopted some British traditions. One of them is a MUST for every British Christmas, a Boiled Fruit Cake, or one would call it, a Christmas pudding. My mom made Christmas pudding for my family every year as far back as I can remember. The Christmas Pudding was what brought our family in a circle of anticipation. Great memories of childhood.

Now that I have adapted to a Paleo lifestyle, it is sort of hard to complete Christmas without a Christmas pudding. For the past few weeks, I have came up with a great Paleo Christmas Pudding recipe, it takes a day or two to prep, but it is well worth it, lets start!!! :)

 

Ingredients:

Grade A Large Egg                          6

Tequila                                                4-tbsp

Coconut Flour                                  1/2-Cup

Arrowroot Starch                           2-tbsp

Baking Powder (Home-made)  1-tsp

Cinnamon                                           2-tsp

Ground Cloves                                  1/4-tsp

Ground Nutmeg                                1/4-tsp

Ground Ginger                                   2-tsp

Organic Apple Sauce                       3/4-cup

Coconut Oil (Melted)                     1/2-cup

Coconut Palm Sugar                       1/4-cup

Vanilla Extract                                  1-tsp

Salt                                                         Pinch

Candied Peel (Home-made)       1/4 cup

Mission figs (diced)                       1 tbsp

Pitted dates (diced)                       1 tbsp

Dried bing cherries                        1 tbsp

Dried currants                                 1 tbsp

Mixed Nuts (almond, walnut, hazelnut)    1/4 cup

Homemade Candied Peel:

Here is a link for a great step-by-step instruction:
http://candy.about.com/od/fruitcandy/ss/candiedpeel_sbs.htm
(Instead of using regular sugar, I used organic honey and coconut sugar)

I used one orange and one lemon and had plenty of candied peel left over. 

Directions:

1.) Start off dicing all dried fruit, nuts and candied peel.

2.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

3.) Sift flour, spices, and baking powder together.

4.) Mix dried fruit and nuts into the flour. Stir to coat the fruit and nuts with the flour mixture.

5.) Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

 

6.) Pour in desire baking pan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until toothpick comes out clean. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!

-Raf

First post: Italian pan-fried kelp noodles w/ Calamari

Hi everyone, welcome to Raf's Kitchen. This is my first time blogging, so please bare with me. :)

In my kitchen, every creation are based on Paleo/Primal ingredients. Each person has their own beliefs regarding their Paleo/Primal lifestyle. I never claim to be 100% Paleo, as that would be quit impossible, but I do try to stay 80% Paleo at all times. If certain recipes are not Paleo friendly, I would state it clearly in the post.

I would like to share my first recipe, Italian pan-fried kelp noodles w/ fresh calamari. My father stir fried something similar with spaghetti, but since I am now paleo, I have adapted his recipe into a Paleo/Primal Friendly dish.:

Ingredients:

8oz of sliced calamari

1/2 pack of Kelp Noodles in water (Take out of package, drain and soak in hot water for 10 minutes)

1/3 can of Anchovies

4 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp of chopped curly parsley

1/2 tsp crushed black pepper

1 tbsp chopped leek (optional)

1 tsp of Kerry Gold Butter (Or your choice of Paleo friendly butter)

1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1 tsp Paleo Mayo (Optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the butter and coconut oil in a frying pan. As the oil gets hot, add in garlic, leek, parsley, anchovies and black pepper.

2. After the garlic starts to slightly brown, add in calamari. Cook for a few minutes until Calamari is cooked.

3. Strain kelp noodles and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients cooking in the pan. thoroughly mix all ingredients. You could add a teaspoon of homemade paleo mayo if you desire. Hope you enjoy this dish! :)

- Raf