Mel's Pico de Gallo

 Pico de Mel, if you will.

2x jalapenos, chopped (one with seeds, one without)

3 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow), chopped

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

2 beefsteak tomatoes, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 mango, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

juice of 3 limes

1 tbsp salt

1. make sure to chop all veggies to similar size; add everything to a bowl and stir

2. allow mixture to chill in the fridge for 1 hour; taste and add salt or lime juice as needed

Chicken Molé

Even though I grew up in a Tejano household, my family never had the patience to tackle molé from scratch.  We stuck to the always-popular 'steak fajitas and homemade tortillas' route (which I am NOT complaining about :D).  Now that cooking is one of my primary hobbies, I seek out from-scratch recipes that take an entire evening, or even weekend, to complete.  Fortunately, this one only took a few hours.  And I paired it with some simple slow-roasted cauliflower (something starchy to soak up all the amazing sauce).  This recipe makes a lot of molé and it freezes very well!  I originally found this recipe at Epicurious.

Equipment:
cast iron dutch oven (or other heavy bottomed soup pot) with lid
large heavy-bottomed saucepan (I use my Cuisinart 12-inch stainless steel) with lid
citrus juicer (if using fresh orange juice)
blender (or food processor)

Ingredients:
(1+2) tbsp cooking fat
(5) lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
(3) cups chicken broth
(2) cups orange juice (I like to fresh squeeze mine - at least 3 oranges)
(3) large onions, sliced
(1/2) cup sliced almonds
(6) garlic cloves, sliced
(4) tsp comino seeds
(4) tsp coriander seeds
(4) oz dried pasilla chiles*
(4) oz dried negro chiles*
(1/4) cup raisins
(1 1/2) tsp dried oregano
(4) 3 1/2-inch strips of orange peel (just the orange part, not the white)
(1) 3-ounce disk of Mexican chocolate**, chopped (not the hot chocolate drink mix)
fresh cilantro, chopped

*stemmed, seeded, rinsed and torn into 1-inch pieces (wear gloves when doing this!)

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of cooking fat in dutch oven.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.  Add chicken to pot and sauté until lightly browned (adding more fat as needed).  Work in batches (do not overcrowd the pan).
2.  Once all of the chicken is cooked, add all of it back to the pot, along with chicken broth and orange juice.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about 25 minutes).
3. While chicken is simmering, heat remaining 2 tbsp fat in a large heavy saucepan.  Add onions and sauté until golden brown (about 20 minutes).  Reduce heat to medium, then add almonds, garlic, comino seeds and coriander seeds.  Sauté until almonds begin to brown.  Add chiles and stir until they begin to soften (2 minutes).
4.  Transfer chicken (with tongs or slotted spoon) to a large bowl.  Pour the chicken cooking liquid into saucepan (reserve pot afterwards) with onion mixture.  Add raisins, orange peel and oregano to saucepan.  Cover and simmer until chiles are soft, stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes).  **This is when you would make the roasted cauliflower if you choose to make it)**  Remove pan from heat and add chocolate.  Let sit for 15 minutes, until chocolate completely melts and sauce cools.
5.  In small batches, add sauce to blender and puree until smooth (return pureed sauce to dutch oven).  Add salt and pepper.  Coarsely shred chicken (I use my food processor) and add it to the dutch oven with the sauce.  Stir to coat.

I have to admit, I haven't made this in awhile, but just reading over it again makes me want to add it to my meal plan for next week.  The tastes in this molé are far more complex than anything you will ever taste out of a can (even after being thawed from the freezer).  Enjoy!

Grain-Free Granola

One of the toughest things about being Paleo is lack of snack options.  There are plenty of whole foods you can snack on (apples, almonds, etc).  But every once in a great while you crave something crunchy, salty and sweet (something Paleo foods are severely lacking in).  The ingredient list is pretty vague, allowing you to experiment with different fruit/nut combinations.  I warn you, this granola is highly addictive.  It is best enjoyed after some sort of physical exertion (workout, bike ride, etc).  I originally found this recipe at Joyful Abode.

Equipment: 
food processor
small saucepan

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups nuts and seeds
1 cup dried fruit
2 cups shredded coconut
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Chop 1 cup of the nuts and seeds.  Move to large mixing bowl.
2. Pulse the other 1 1/2 cups in a food processor (finer chop).  Add to mixing bowl.
3. Add fruit and dried coconut.
4. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine oil, honey, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.  Cook until mixture bubbles.  Pour over fruit/nut mixture.  Stir to combine.
5. Pour mixture into a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and flatten with spatula (or hands).  Make sure the mixture is as compact as possible.
6. Put in oven for 15 minutes.  Remove the pan when the nuts are starting to brown.
7.  After allowing it to cool, crumble the granola into a tupperware container for storage.

Tacos Al Pastor

Now, while the typical way of serving al pastor is definitely not paleo, the pork itself is perfectly within the limits of a paleo diet and can be enjoyed by itself or on top of fresh greens as a "taco" salad.  I based this recipe off of one I found on tasty.co and it is the closest I've been able to come to recreating that classic Southern California staple: taco truck al pastor.

Equipment

gallon ziploc or tupperware with lid for marinating pork

4 or 6 wooden skewers

baking sheet or casserole dish (optional: line with foil for easy cleanup - the oven cooks off A LOT of fat from the pork)

small saute pan (cast iron recommended)

Ingredients

3-5 lb. BONELESS pork shoulder

3 tbsp achiote powder (or paste)*

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 cup pineapple juice**

1 fresh pineapple

*achiote: I have trouble finding this at some supermarkets so if you have a Latin grocery store in your area, check there.  You MIGHT also have luck in the latin aisle of your neighborhood supermarket

**I use frozen pineapple juice concentrate in 11.5oz containers.  Add 2 oz to a cup and fill the rest with water

Directions

1. Using a very sharp knife, slice the pork shoulder into 1/4 inch slices.  I find it helps if the pork is mostly defrosted or at least kept in the fridge immediately before slicing - the pork is much easier to cut while cold.

2. Mix all of the ingredients together (except the fresh pineapple) and make sure it is free of lumps before adding the pork slices.  Marinate anywhere from 3 hours to overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Skin the pineapple and cut it into 1-inch rounds (you will need at least 6 slices).  Make 2 stacks of 2 slices of pineapple in the bottom of the baking sheet.  Depending on the size of the skewers, stick 2 to 3 into each stack of pineapple - pointy side up.

4. Remove the pork from the fridge and stack the slices onto the pineapple, piercing the middle of each pork slice with the skewers.  I find it best to alternate stacks with each slice, making sure to put the largest slices at the bottom of each stack and the smallest slices at the top.  Finish each stack with one more slice of pineapple and push down to compress the pork into a denser stack (this will help retain flavor during baking).

5. Bake for 3 hours, checking every now and then to make sure the towers haven't fallen over.  This tends to happen and I have tried various engineering feats, none of which work 100% of the time.  My most frequent method is to arrange the racks in the oven so that the top of the skewers poke through the top rack while the bottom rack holds the baking sheet.  The towers always tend to lean a little bit, so try to make them lean against the center rail of the top rack.

6. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest a few minutes before carefully removing the pork from the skewers with your carving knife.  Chop the pork and 3 of the 4 slices of pineapple from the bottom of the stacks (the top ones are too dry).  Mix the pork and pineapple thoroughly then add the amount you want to serve into a small saute pan (I use cast iron) over medium heat.  Stir frequently until the pork has cooked off a lot more fat and the edges start to char.  Set the pork on paper towels to wick away more of the fat (good lord, there's so much fat)

7. non-paleo serving suggestion: serve with warmed tortillas, chopped white onion, cilantro and squeezes of lime

This is my favorite new culinary discovery and I keep a steady supply of pork shoulders in my freezer just for this dish.  Enjoy!

Banana Nut Mini Muffins

I haven't baked in a long time but when I did, I made these on the regular (along with my chocolate chip cookies).  They are perfectly bite-sized and a great protein-dense, after-workout snack.

Servings: 24 mini muffins

Equipment:
mini muffin tins
wire cooling rack

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
6 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
2/3 cup crushed walnuts
2 bananas, diced
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.  In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients (except bananas) together.  Make sure all lumps are gone, then add the bananas.
2. Pour batter into oiled muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack before serving.

That's it!  Super simple and crazy delicious.

Ratatouille

I admit - I was initially inspired to cook Ratatouille after I saw the Pixar movie.  That movie got to me on so many levels.  And I always gravitate toward farm-based comfort food so I was very intrigued by this dish.  I don't make the version made in the movie, but instead make a much more rustic version - with large pieces of each vegetable that you have to cut through like a steak when enjoying the finished dish. It's amazing how much the basil and parsley adds to this dish.  It's the very definition of "cozy".  I originally found this recipe in Saveur magazine.

Servings: 4
Cooking Time: 2 hours

Equipment:
cast iron dutch oven

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooking fat
1 tbsp dried herbes de Provence
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 large yellow onions, quartered
1 bay leaf
2 medium zucchini (1 1/4lbs), cut into 2" pieces
1 medium eggplant (14 oz), cut into 2" pieces
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, quartered
10 whole peeled tomatoes from the can, drained
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

pre-prepping ingredients is a great time-saver

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400°.  Heat cooking fat in dutch oven over medium heat.  Add herbes de Provence, garlic, onions, and bay leaf.  Cover and cook until soft (about 10 minutes).
2. Turn heat to high, stir in zucchini, eggplant, pepper, tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Remove lid and transfer pot to oven.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally (all veggies should be tender and lightly browned).  
3.  Remove pot from heat.  Stir in basil and parsley.

I usually cook this alongside my favorite recipe for Coq Au Vin (which also takes it's fair share of time in the kitchen) - but again, the flavors can't be beat.

Olive, Lemon and Garlic Chicken

Citrus makes everything better!

This is the first Paleo recipe I ever made and it's definitely one of my favorites.  It is a bit time-consuming as far as prep and cook time goes, but the resulting flavors are absolutely delicious.  As always, the lemon ends up being my favorite part of the dish.  The only drawback to this recipe is that it doesn't make enough food to last more than a few days (for one person) because the chicken thighs are so small.  I would recommend serving this dish along with a simple veggie side since the dish is very fat/protein-heavy.  I originally found this recipe at Paleo Leap.

Equipment:
oven-proof 12-inch skillet with lid
large chef's knife

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cooking oil (I use clarified butter/ghee)
1/2 lb. black olives (kalamata), cut in half
10 bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
3 cups onions, sliced thin
30 (that's right, 30) cloves of garlic, creamed*
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 lemons, thickly sliced
1.5 cups chicken stock**
1 bunch of thyme leaves, picked from stems
salt and pepper to taste

*how to cream garlic: mince all of the garlic, then sprinkle liberally with salt; take flat side of chef's knife and slowly drag it across pile of minced garlic; repeat until you see garlic start to break down into a paste

**half chicken broth/half water is what I use for "chicken stock"

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Add cooking oil to pan and brown chicken drumsticks on both sides.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
3. Add onions to pan and scrape up browned chicken bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until onions are soft (about 3 minutes).
4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about a minute).  Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add chicken stock, thyme, lemon juice and drumsticks to the onions and garlic.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover pan and put in oven for 20 minutes.
7. Remove pan from oven and add olives and lemon slices.  Bake uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!