Lemon Thyme Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Brussel sprouts are bomb.com IMO.  They are super easy to roast, a total crowd pleaser, and so damn good for ya.  It's always nice to bring a brussel sprout dish rather than your customary green bean side dish I think.  We have roasted brussel sprouts pretty regularly in our household, so when making them for company it's nice to give your usual recipe a little boost.

This recipe definitely accomplishes that.  With a fresh, bright flavor and a bit of a tang, these are for sure not your average sprouts.  With just a few extra steps, you'll have an updated brussel sprout dish in no time.

Lemon Thyme Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Bag (or two) or Brussel sprouts, quartered
Juice from half a lemon
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 tbs dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste


Toss all ingredients well on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes, or until browned.  These are also good cold the following day, and are really excellent tossed into a salad if you have leftovers.

Paleo Cauliflower Broccoli Mash and Ground Beef Bowl

Funny lookin' bowl of food eh?  Yep, sure is.  And you know what- who cares?  It's tasty, it's easy, it's chock full of veggies, and it is FAST!

I was rummaging through the freezer yesterday, trying to locate my frozen bags of cauli, when I

thought- ugh how boring, cauli mash again.  Why not switch things up a little and make a cauli/broccoli mash?  It will be bright green and a totally new flavor.  Sounds fun right?

This is not even a recipe.  You throw a bag of steam-in-the-bag cauliflower and a bag of broccoli in the microwave and then get your stick-blender and mash it all up in a bowl with butter and salt and you're dunzo.  Cook your ground meat and spoon it over the top and you are good to go!  Obviously this side would be totally appropriate for whatever protein you have on hand, but I thought this sounded appealing and it was already defrosted so there you go.

The best part is that leftovers are perfect for my twin one-year-olds.  This is a great meal for little eaters as it is soft and easy to chew.

So next time you are considering cauli mash for the hundredth time, swap in some broccoli for some green mash that will give you and your kiddos the giggles.

Paleo Cucumber and Bell Pepper Salad

I am a big proponent of salads.  Breakfast salad, lunch salad, dinner salad, salad as a side dish, main dish, appetizer, whatever.  They are great.  Probably what I eat for dinner most nights of the week.

But a salad doesn't always have to be your standard, run of the mill lettuce and tomato and carrot boring combo.  In fact, I eschew lettuce most of the time altogether.

A great example is this incredibly simple but colorful cucumber and bell pepper salad.  It's exactly what it sounds like- except this one has grape tomatoes as well.

With some EVOO and ACV you are good to go.

This is a huge quantity, as I had intended to bring it to a BBQ.  This would serve 5-6 easily.  Adapt as you will!

Some great additions to this would be:
Basil
Feta cheese, if you are primal
Pine Nuts
Greek Olives
Celery
Artichokes
Green onions


Here is the quick recipe- so next time you are sick of your usual salads, or want a fresh, raw and colorful side to bring to a potluck, try this out!

Paleo Cucumber and Bell Pepper Salad
2 organic english hothouse cucumbers, cut into bite sized chunks
1 green pepper
1 orange pepper
1 red pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 tbs EVOO
1 1/2 tbs Bragg's ACV
Salt and pepper to taste

This salad keeps pretty well.  The following day in the fridge it is still crisp and not soggy.

Paleo Faux-tato Salad

I cannot take credit for this recipe whatsoever, but holy sh*t it is fantastic!  If you are a paleo peep like myself you must try this out for your next shindig or BBQ.  Super easy, you can throw this together in just minutes.  If you miss traditional white potato salad, then please give this a try.

Thanks to the fabulous CupcakesOMG for coming up with this gem!

That is all folks- just a friendly PSA to make this shizz as Labor Day weekend approaches.  You won't be disappointed!

Paleo Broccoli Cucumber Salad

No photo.  Boo!  Bad GFG.  I made this quick salad for a friend's bbq- not really expecting too much of it.  Quite honestly, I used what I had in the house, which was just a handful of ingredients, but it turned out awesome!  This is a super easy and yummy salad for a cook out or bbq, or just a side for any old dinner.  I saw all kinds of recipes with cucumber and broccoli but most called for nuts, dried fruit, or cheese, and I wanted to make something I could eat, just in case there wasn't anything else I could have at the bbq.  I think that is such an important tip for staying grain/dairy/sugar/nut free when going to social events.  Bring something that you can eat so if there is absolutely nothing else, you know you have one thing to eat!

Broccoli Cucumber Salad
1 (organic) hot house cucumber
1 bag of broccoli, or a medium sized head of broccoli, NOT FROZEN
half a yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup mayo, homemade or your fave brand
1.5 T Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and pepper

Cut your broccoli into bite sized pieces and then toss in your chopped cucumber and chopped onion.  Add mayo, ACV, salt and pepper and refrigerate for a few hours.  I would recommend at least three or four.

Paleo Spicy Asian Cole Slaw

I dig coleslaw.  I dig asian flavors.  I really dig cabbage.  Cabbage is cheap.  Do you agree with these statements?  Good.  Then try this yummy asian slaw.  We had ours with some of nom nom paleo's delish damn fine chicken, second time i've made it in as many weeks.

As you may have noticed, I am really not much for measuring, especially in recipes like this.  I'd rather eyeball everything and taste as I go.  So this is not so much a recipe as it is guidelines.  But spiceyness is such a personal thing anyways!

Paleo Spicy Asian Coleslaw
half a bag shredded carrots (about 1 1/2 cups)
small-med head of cabbage (or use red if you like)
1 small red onion, chopped/diced
3 tbsp EVOO
salt and pepper
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp (or more!) sriracha.  There are paleo varieties out there, or you could make your own.  Again, nomnompaleo.com to the rescue.  I probably used more like 2 tbsp sriracha, but I really like spicy foods.
10 drops alcohol free liquid stevia- NuNaturals is best

In a small bowl, mix your wet ingredients.  Taste it!  Is it yum? Want it sweeter?  Spicier? Tangier?  Adjust accordingly.  Now is the time to do it, before adding to your slaw.  Pour over your chopped/shredded cabbage, onion, and carrots.  Season, and mix well.  Depending on the size of your cabbage you may need a bit more liquid.  Let this sit in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors can come together.  It is really good folks.

I know I haven't been awesome in the full disclosure department.  January has been.... interesting.  Honesty and truthiness aren't at the top of my list right now.  Hope that's cool.

How has your January been?  2013 treating you right so far?  Anyone doing any cleanses or detoxes worth sharing?  I myself am dying to do one of those 3 day veggie juice cleanses, but the juice can be quite carby, and no protein, so I'm not sure it's a good idea.  Thoughts?

Thanks GFGs.  Much love!

Mediterranean Salad- great for Passover side dish!

Once again, please excuse the photo- MKG actually took this for me as we were running out the door- typical that he left the plastic wrap on to take the pic!

Normally at passover you get a lot of verrrrrrrrrrrrrry cooked veggies that sometimes are not even discernible as veggies.  Which is all fine and good but you still need something fresh and alive to liven things up.  Well, I do anyways.  This is a dope side dish any time of year but I particularly liked it because it has mediterranean vibe which is fitting for the holiday.  This would be an awesome veggie dish for a barbecue though, or a potluck of any kind.  Yum!


Mediterranean Chopped Salad
1 green pepper, small dice
1 red pepper, small dice
1 orange pepper, small dice
1 yellow pepper, small dice
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 english cucumber, small dice
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 block of feta- I used TJ's herb crumbled feta which saved a bit of time
1 cup of kalamata olives, chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
S&P to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp EVOO
***would also be great with chickpeas, which would render it NOT kosher for passover

This recipe is delicious, colorful, and full of vitamins and anti-oxidants.  The chopping takes awhile, I'll admit.  But it's worth it, and once everything is chopped all you do is throw it in a large bowl and combine.  I'd suggest refrigerating it for at least an hour to let the flavors mingle.  This will probably be my new summer barbecue stand-by!  XoXoGFG