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| Me & Mary Rose a few years ago at a her home in Montana |
I started a food blog recently and Angie approached me about doing a post swap, one in which I would leave my comfort zone of gluten filled foods and try a Paleo recipe, then write a post about the experience to share on Angie's blog. I like a challenge and Paleo has been something I've been mildly curious about for the last year, especially being a dedicated reader of Angie's blog, so I said sure!
I will admit, I don't know a ton about Paleo. I read Angie's blog regularly, and when she got her Celiac diagnosis last year I was incredibly relieved that she had found a starting point for her healing to begin, but beyond hearing some testimonials of various bloggers regarding their own conversions to Paleo I haven't really immersed myself with information. So I did what anyone that is looking for some easy answers (and delicious recipe ideas) would do. I went to The Paleo Mom. And she gave me the guidance I needed to put together a lovely little meal.
Full disclosure: I'm not much of a side-dish person. I like them, I eat them when they are available, but I don't plan my meals around what I can serve on the side. Usually we have some type of vegetable, maybe some salad, but side dishes seem like a lot of work, so I usually put my energy into the main course. To each their own. So only one side dish on this meal is pretty normal.
Ignore the mushrooms, they are just an illusion
I picked up a Bountiful Basket this last weekend, and tried to use a lot of what I had in that, but all I made it out with was an English cucumber that I decided to make into a Simple Cucumber Salad for my side dish. I made some changes, of course, because I didn't have any of the recipes for the food I planned to make when I went to the store on my lunch break, so the fresh cilantro was not included, but it was FABULOUS on it's own. Soooooo easy to make, I even skipped the salting step and just gave the combo of green onions, cucumber, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil a few cranks of salt and pepper, let it sit for 10 minutes, and the results are something I am still snacking on. The fresh cilantro will definitely make it into round 2 of this salad, because it was so good I think it will be a summer time staple!
For the main course I wanted to do something a little outside the ordinary in my household... I wanted fish. My husband has an adventurous palate for just about everything, but there are 2 things he will not do... fish or squash of any variety. He had already told me that he would eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, and was not using it as an ultimatum tool when saying so, so I took him at his word and chose my recipe.
I found TPM's recipe for Garlic-Margarita Tilapia and decided that it sounded like a winner. I stepped out to the market at lunch to find myself some nice tilapia fillets, but instead ended up with something I had never heard of: Swai.
An Asian variety of catfish that is very mild in flavor, but the fillets were double the size of the tilapia, so I decided to try it out. WOW. Very hearty, very mild, and with the combo of olive oil, garlic, tequila, lime zest (Bountiful Basket) and dried herbs (again, I shopped without a list, so sue me!) on the finished product was out of sight. Elora ate a whole fillet to herself, proclaiming it to be the best thing she had ever tasted, and requesting that I make it for her again in the future. I consider anything my kids will eat to be little victories in themselves, and Elora loving fish is like my Gettysburg.... you know, for the Union.
But wait a minute!! I ended up making an inadvertant Paleo recipe on Sunday that I'm squeezing in by the skin of my teeth!
For this concoction I used Savoy Cabbage that was also included with my Bountiful Basket, drizzling it with olive oil after cutting off the stems, adding a touch of S&P, then roasting it for about 15 - 20 minutes to get the edges all nice and brown and delicious. While not exactly Beet & Kohlrabi Chips, Savoy Chips are delicious and Paleo friendly!
Well, I didn't end on a sweet note, or some other delicious Paleo-approved dessert, but by goodness, I'm ending on a full note. I enjoyed every bite of my Paleo meal, and look forward to another challenge in the near future!
For the main course I wanted to do something a little outside the ordinary in my household... I wanted fish. My husband has an adventurous palate for just about everything, but there are 2 things he will not do... fish or squash of any variety. He had already told me that he would eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, and was not using it as an ultimatum tool when saying so, so I took him at his word and chose my recipe.
I found TPM's recipe for Garlic-Margarita Tilapia and decided that it sounded like a winner. I stepped out to the market at lunch to find myself some nice tilapia fillets, but instead ended up with something I had never heard of: Swai.
I feel fine, Swai are you asking?
A sauce pan filled with margarita sauce
Just popped in the oven, ready to roast
An Asian variety of catfish that is very mild in flavor, but the fillets were double the size of the tilapia, so I decided to try it out. WOW. Very hearty, very mild, and with the combo of olive oil, garlic, tequila, lime zest (Bountiful Basket) and dried herbs (again, I shopped without a list, so sue me!) on the finished product was out of sight. Elora ate a whole fillet to herself, proclaiming it to be the best thing she had ever tasted, and requesting that I make it for her again in the future. I consider anything my kids will eat to be little victories in themselves, and Elora loving fish is like my Gettysburg.... you know, for the Union.
The finished product, oh so delicious, I regret not making all 4 fillets at once
Homegirl licked the plate clean!
But wait a minute!! I ended up making an inadvertant Paleo recipe on Sunday that I'm squeezing in by the skin of my teeth!
Look at the pretty purple!
Pretty purple with delicious roasted leaves
For this concoction I used Savoy Cabbage that was also included with my Bountiful Basket, drizzling it with olive oil after cutting off the stems, adding a touch of S&P, then roasting it for about 15 - 20 minutes to get the edges all nice and brown and delicious. While not exactly Beet & Kohlrabi Chips, Savoy Chips are delicious and Paleo friendly!
Well, I didn't end on a sweet note, or some other delicious Paleo-approved dessert, but by goodness, I'm ending on a full note. I enjoyed every bite of my Paleo meal, and look forward to another challenge in the near future!
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