As some of you know, I'm currently eating following the guidelines for the Paleolithic diet. My decision to make this shift was a hard one, and sort of complicated because it meant giving up some of my favorite things- good bread and cheese. The things I'm not supposed to have are in essence, fairly simple- no dairy, beans(legumes), grains, sugar or alcohol. This is for what is known as the Whole 30, "regular" Paleo is a bit less restrictive. Anyway, this isn't really about my diet but I do want you all to understand why a lot of the recipes I choose won't have those ingredients. I will try to include good pairings though for those of you that are consuming them.
Easy Chop Salad-
1 red bell pepper
2 med size tomatoes
1 english cucumber(or you can use regular ones, I hate peeling them)
1/2 med size purple onion
1 avocado
EVOO, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
You could also use a premixed vinaigrette but please do NOT use that bottled Italian dressing crapola.
Dice, seed, peel as needed and dump it all in a bowl and add dressing.
Variation #1- add kalamata olives(about 6oz), feta cheese, and marinated artichoke hearts for a greek twist.
Variation #2- Add green onions, black olives, cilantro and lime juice for a mexican type twist.
Play around with the veggies, add what is local and affordable. I've added peeled yellow squash and jicama with great success. It's a very basic and super versatile recipe. A staple in my fridge since I am currently (for no good reason) boycotting lettuce.
What's wrong with the bottled Italian mix?? Huh? :P
ReplyDeleteAre your kids eating this diet with you? If you have kid-friendly paleo recipes, I'd love to hear them!
And one more question...are you using any GF products or just avoiding anything to replace the bread?
The kids are not. I'm not brave enough to take away their beloved food groups- bread, pb, and yogurt. But obviously we've all been eating even better then we were before, just because there isn't much junk in the house.
ReplyDeleteYou can use italian dressing if you want, but I promise it won't have the same flavor development :) And have you read some of the ingredients in bottled dressings? *shudder*
I will be doing some healthier, kid friendly recipes. I'll make sure they pass the Gabby test, then they should be good for any kid lol.
And gf replacements... not really. It's easier to just go without 99% of the time and have an occasional cheat meal. For me, anyway.