Surf & Turf Stuffed Summer Squash (Paleo, AIP, LowFodmap, 21DSD)

I am starting to feel myself again after having some time off from one of my jobs and from weightlifting. Not to say those were the issues but it has given me some time to really reflect on things and organize my life. This morning at physical therapy I was finally able to play with a barbell again and given the “OK” to add some lifting back in! I plan on taking my time and really focusing on improving my form, technique, stability and mobility so I don’t end up back where I started. Every time I injure myself I take it as a learning experience and use it to grow stronger and more aware of my body’s capacity. I tend to get so wrapped up my goals that I overlook smaller details in my training that need attention. This past week was quite humbling and a good reminder that I am still recovering from years of being sick and treating my body like crap. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and having strong foundations inside and out is without a doubt the most important. 

I won’t bore you with too much blabbering about myself today, but stay tuned for an update of my bio within the next week or two. I left it with a little bit of a cliffhanger because I wasn’t sure that I was ready to share my full story at the time. But after the loss of a friend who was a big influence on my life and ultimately some of the reason why I am where I am today, I feel compelled to share in hopes that it might reach some people that are struggling or have struggled with the same issues that I have and give them a glimmer of hope.

Anyways, to lighten up the rest of this post lets get to the recipe! This is based off of my all time favorite recipe from the 21 Day Sugar Detox . If you don’t own the books or haven’t tried the detox, you need to! I can honestly say that through many years of being Paleo I always continued to struggle with an addiction to sugar. It’s one of those things that is INCREDIBLY hard to shake, probably harder than smoking although I’ve never smoked so I can’t compare personally, but the withdrawals are real! Once you realize that you don’t need sugar for energy, your body can start to fuel itself properly and you will get a whole new and sustainable level of energy!

Ingredients:

• 4 large zucchini or summer squash
• 1 TB. cooking fat (I used coconut oil)
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 TB. coconut aminos
• 3-5 drops fish sauce 
• 1/4 cup scallions, diced
• 1 cup shrimp, peeled, deveined and minced
• 1 lb. grass fed ground beef
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out as much of the insides as possible (the more you scoop out the more room for stuffing!!)

  

-Place the squash face down on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes (depending on thickness) until they are easily pierced by a fork on the inside

-While the squash cooks, melt the cooking fat in a large skillet over medium heat 

-Dice the remaining squash and add it to the skillet along with the onion, carrots, celery, coconut aminos, fish sauce, salt and pepper

  
  

-Satuee veggies for 5 minutes then add minced shrimp, ground beef, minced ginger and scallions to the skillet

-Continue cooking until the shrimp are pink and the ground beef is browned

  
-Remove squash from oven when fully cooked and flip them over on the pan

-Stuff each squash as much as possible! Then broil them in the oven for 2-3 minutes until they are nicely bribes in top

-Garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil and some more diced scallions and enjoy! 

  
Notes: The recipe in the 21 DSD cookbook is called “cabbage-wrapped dumplings”. Diane gives a recipe for a delicious sauce to top these with but I will keep that a secret… Grab the book to find out!😜

Also- to make this lower FODMAP leave out the white onions and add more scallions. 

Salmon Cakes (Paleo, AIP, LowFODMAP, 21DSD)

Happy hump day! Wednesday’s and Saturdays’s are usually my days off, but the next two weeks I am helping out my parents who are going away, and also picking up extra shifts at the restaurant because one of the girls there is also away, so my days “off” are now, well, gone. Therefore my routine is kind of out the window until further notice. This is when I tend to over-do myself because even though I am working more hours, I still plan on continuing to do all of my other daily activities- cooking, cleaning, working out, baking, personal training, etc. My mom always asks how I do everything and she usually isn’t happy with the answer that I just don’t stop moving. BUT! In the midst of the hustle I have thoughtfully scheduled myself a massage and an extra visit to the chiropractor this week. Hopefully that will help balance out the madness. I should also mention that my comcast modem/box/thing that makes the world go ’round, has decided this would be a good time to stop working… so if my posts are lacking this week then you can conclude that I haven’t had time to get a new box yet. Though it is on the top of my priority list seeing as its hard to multitask when your at starbucks and everything you need to work on is at home, Grrr.

And by multi-tasking I meant cuddling with my kitten while cooking and blogging 😉

On another note: Have I mentioned I have been on a seafood kick lately? I love salmon and am usually perfectly happy having it baked with a little lemon, dill, salt and pepper, but recently I have been trying to get more creative with it! I’ve personally never made or really had salmon cakes, or crab cakes for that matter. I’ve always been skeptical about whats in them. So, here is my first ever salmon cake recipe! I think it came out pretty darn good! I plan on experimenting more to see what other flavors I can pack into these bite-sized omega-3-packed cakes. Obviously being on the autoimmune protocol and low-fodmap diet limit my options at the moment, but that won’t be a forever thing.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. cooked salmon (preferably wild caught alaskan salmon)
• 1/2 cup zucchini, diced
• 1/4 cup scallions(the green part), diced
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced
• 1 TB. dill
• 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 TB. coconut oil

Instructions:

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

-Bring small pot of water to boil on the stove and add diced parsnip. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the parsnip is soft then drain the water from the pot.

-In a food processor add the diced zucchini, salmon, scallions, parsnip, dill, lemon and salt. Process until no large chunks remain and the mixture starts to come together.

-Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

-Pack mixture into a 1/4-1/3 inch measuring cup then transfer to the baking sheet to create several cakes. You can use your hands to help shape them if you have trouble getting them out of the measuring cups.

-Brush the top of the salmon cakes with coconut oil and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes.

-After 15min, flip the cakes over carefully and brush the other side with coconut oil. Bake for 5 more minutes.

-Let cool for about 2 minutes and then serve!

These are great cold, too. Enjoy!

Fish Tacos (Paleo, AIP, LowFODMAP, 21DSD)

Fun fact: yesterday when I left for work it was 15 degrees and felt warm out. New England = the new Canada? I sure hope not…

Anyways, lately I have really been craving fresh seafood. We got a taste of it when we were in Maine the other week but living in western mass, fresh fish is harder to come by. When there is some high quality wild caught fish available I get super excited, so I decided to celebrate with this amazing fish taco recipe.

Before I share the recipe I would like to fore-warn you that there are a few steps that could be done ahead of time to make dinner time less stressful. The taco shells take about an hour (or longer if you have a small oven like me and have to make them in batches) and the coleslaw also takes about an hour. I recommend making these two parts the day if you won’t have an hour+ of prep time.

With that being said, lets begin! The taco shell recipe was based off of this recipe from The Primitive Homemaker! I added some turmeric and cinnamon for an anti-inflammatory kick.

Ingredients for the taco shells:

• 3 green plantains, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Instructuons:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• In a food processor, add all ingredients and process until smooth.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Scoop balls of your plantain mixture onto the parchment paper and using the back of a spoon spread the dough into preferred taco size circles
• Bake for 25 minutes or until dough is cooked enough to handle without coming apart
• Transfer shells onto a roasting rack so the wings are facing down, or onto a taco holder (see pictures below)
• Bake for another 15-25 minutes until the shells start holding their shape but are as soft or crispy as you would like
• Let cool for 2-3 minutes

Ingredients for the Coleslaw:

• 1 cup jicama, peeled and shredded
• 1/2 small head red cabbage, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 2 scallions (the green part), diced
• 2 TB. apple cider vinegar
• 1 TB. coconut amines
• 1 TB. cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions:

• Using a mandolin, shred jicama and carrots into a large bowl.
• Chop red cabbage and scallions finely and add them to the bowl with jicama and carrots
• In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, coconut aminos, salt and cilantro
• Add vinegar mixture to the cabbage mixture and toss well to combine
• Marinate in fridge for an hour
• Toss again right before serving

Ingredients for the fish:

• 1 lb wild caught white fish (I prefer cod or haddock)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 TB coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Place fish skin side down on a tin foil lined, rimmed baking sheet
• Drizzle coconut oil and lemon juice over fish
• Season with salt and pepper and bake for 12-15 minutes until the fish meat easily flakes

Putting everything together: I pre-made the taco shells and coleslaw so after popping my seasoned fish into the oven I got them out of the fridge and began assembling the tacos. I put the coleslaw on the bottom, then the fish (once it was cooked) and then added some spinach sautéed in coconut oil and coconut aminos, and a slice or two of avocado. Prepared to want to eat them all! These are seriously amazing and the taco shells add the perfect amount of crunch that us paleo people don’t get all that often… Enjoy!!