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Melissa-profile This is more than just a recipe blog. I am not a chef. I am a mom of four children, one of whom has an autoimmune disease, wife of a Crossfit junkie, and healthy food lover. I love learning about and cooking new, healthy and delicious food. This is simply me sharing the ways I take care of my family by being aware and mindful of the food I feed them and as a result making lots of Gluten Free & Paleo Recipes by Melissa.

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Aloha Mahi Mahi

June 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Aloha Mahi Mahi

It was 107 degrees in my desert home of St. George, Utah and I was dreaming of the beaches of Hawaii.  No, I haven’t actually been there, but a girl can dream can’t she?  In my dream I had fresh Mahi Mahi, cooked in a South Pacific inspired sweet and tangy sauce and topped with {homemade} pineapple salsa! At least part of my dream came true…

4 – 4 oz. Mahi Mahi fillets, patted dry with paper towel
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sesame seed oil

Preheat broiler.  Whisk together honey, lemon juice and soy sauce while oil heats up in a non-stick skillet.  Lightly salt and pepper fish and place in skillet.  With heat on high, pan sear each side until its nice caramel color (just a minute per side).  Don’t worry about cooking completely you’re going to put it in the oven.  Remove from skillet and place in baking dish.  Pour soy sauce mixture over top fish and broil for 3 minutes.   You should probably make this ahead of time so your not too rushed.
 pineapple salsa:

Pinapple Salsa

1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes & green chilies, liquid drained
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sprig cilantro, chopped (or substitute parsley if you not a cilantro fan)

Too easy right! Stir together all ingredients.  Don’t forget to drain the tomatoes otherwise it’ll be too runny.  Top fish fillets with a big scoop of salsa and return to oven for another 2 minutes.  (5 minutes total oven time for fish).

* If you’re not a huge fish eater then Mahi Mahi is the fish for you.  This is the least fishy fish you can find. “A quality Mahi Mahi steak or fillet can be identified by its relative odorlessness as well as by the texture of its flesh, which should give slightly when you press it with a finger, and should be moist to the touch.”
 Since Mahi Mahi is a fish, of course it’s going to be packed full of that all -around good for you omega-3 fatty acids, plus B vitamins and selenium which is another antioxidant cancer fighting nutrient. We like those. Just don’t go over board since, like tuna, it can contain some mercury.  So if your pregnant or nursing, limit your Mahi Mahi intake to once a week. 
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/mahi-mahi/



Filed Under: fish and friends, Paleo

Sweet Potato Fries

June 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Sweet Potato Fries

Here is the final post of our father’s day feast.  These “fries” are actually baked.  By tossing with coconut oil and seasoning it not only gives these spuds a distinct flavor, but they’re also just as addicting as the fast food stuff…only tons better for you.  Now I say that they are sweet potatoes, but they’re actually yams.  It took me a while to tell the difference.  Yams (which are part of the sweet potato family) are the ones with the deep orange insides and a sweet taste (you see them most during the holidays covered in marshmallows).  Sweet potatoes look a lot like yams on the outside, but the insides are a pale yellow and taste more like a regular old russet potato.  So my “sweet potato” fries are actually yam fries, but that just didn’t have as nice a ring to it.

2-4 large yams
1 tbsp virgin coconut oil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
(or I’ve also just used Creole seasoning instead, which is super yummy too.)

Preheat oven to 425.  Cut yams into fry shape and toss to coat in coconut oil.  Combine spices in separate container and season potatoes to taste.  Spread out onto a cookie sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes.  Stir and turn fries after 20 minutes then return to bake until slightly browned.

Serve with your favorite dip (my kids prefer ranch style dressing)

* I went with yams when making these fries for one big reason….the color!  Food is colorful for a reason.  Those colors are our clues to the essential vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need.  Orange vegetables, like yams, are rich in vitamin A, also called alpha or beta-carotene.  Here’s some more good stuff you’ll get from eating orange or yellow foods:  zeaxanthin, flavonoids, lycopene, potassium, and vitamin C. These nutrients reduce age-related macula degeneration and the risk of prostate cancer, lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, promote collagen formation and healthy joints, fight harmful free radicals, encourage alkaline balance, and work with magnesium and calcium to build healthy bones.

Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/fruits-vegetables.shtml#ixzz1Q7WAd1kS

Filed Under: Paleo, Veggies and stuff

Round Steak Basil Rolls

June 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment
June+ +
The main course for our father’s day feast was ingenious!  And no I’m not tooting my own horn.   My handsome hubby had this idea on his own. I just added the basil (which makes this dish 😉 
2 boneless beef round steaks
McCormick Montreal Steak Grill seasoning
20 basil leafs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
First thing you need is a couple boneless beef round steaks.  They look like giant thinly cut steaks.  Cover meat with plastic wrap to avoid splattering then using meat mallet hammer them until tenderized. Grind some of the grill seasoning over top (how ever much you want) followed by 10 basil leafs per steak and finally 1/2 cup mozzarella per steak. Starting at one end begin rolling steak up like a burrito.  
Disclaimer:  tuck your ends in other wise you’ll lose lot of cheese and moisture out the sides.
Secure with meat string. (notice how we did not secure ends…don’t do that.  Remember roll it up like a burrito, tucking the ends in as you go).
June+ +
Rub olive oil all over outside of steaks then salt and pepper.  Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 30  minutes, then turn the heat down to 325 and finish baking another 45 minutes.  Slice it up and serve next to some cool cucumber salad , sweet potato fries and whole wheat rolls.  (the recipe for the fries is coming soon!)
Filed Under: Beefy

Cool Cucumber Salad

June 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Cool Cucumber Salad

We had quite the father’s day feast for my amazing hubby.  The next three post are going to be from that one yummy meal.

My mom made this cucumber pasta salad for my brother’s luncheon at his wedding and my man just loved the cucumbers.  So I decided to begin the spoiling by making my version of this cool cucumber dish, minus the pasta.

2-3 cucumbers, cubed
1 small red onion, sliced
1 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tbsp. dried)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Put cucumbers and onions in bowl and set aside.  Combine remaining ingredients and whisk together.  Pour over cucumbers and onions, cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

* What is better than a cucumber on a warm summer day?  I grew up with fresh from the garden cucumbers on the table all summer.  There is something just relaxing to me about the the slightly sweet crunch.  Maybe that old adage “cool as a cucumber” has more to it than I thought.
Cucumbers are low in fat, but high in fiber (especially with skins on), potassium, carotene, and vitamins C, A, and K.
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cucumber.html

* In the original recipe it called for 1 1/2 cups of sugar by replacing it with agave nectar

1. Agave nectar is derived from Agave plants grown in Mexico. There are several processing methods used to obtain the syrupy sweetener, but you can’t just tap into the plant like you would with maple syrup.
2. Agave nectar is composed mostly of fructose, and also glucose.
3. It has a slightly lower glycemic index than table sugar, due to the fact that glycemic index measures only glucose levels, and agave nectar has less glucose than sugar.
4. Agave nectar has the same number of calories as sugar, 4 calories per gram. that works out  to 16 calories per teaspoon.
5. Agave nectar is about one and a half times sweeter than table sugar, which means you need to use less to reach the same sweet point. That works out to slightly less calories for the same level of sweet.
* Instead of white vinegar I changed things up by using rice vinegar, a traditional vinegar used in eastern cuisine. 
Rice vinegar contains a host of organic acids, 16 organic acids to be precise, apart from amino acids and these facilitate good health and wellbeing….Amino acids in rice vinegar also help to counter fatigue that occurs from lactic acid buildup.
Filed Under: Paleo, Veggies and stuff

Spinach & Artichoke Mac

June 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Hospital9

I love spinach and artichoke dip and was in the mood for some the other night.  I really do try to not indulge in dairy much (cow’s milk, cheese, etc).  You’ll understand why if you read The China Study.  I’m a nerd, I know. But, when I get a hanker’n for cheese this is a good choice. So, I decided to combine the goodness of my favorite chip dip with mac and cheese for a simple dinner or side to some grilled meat.

1 box (13-14 oz.) gluten free rotini pasta
2 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. gluten free corn starch
2 cups organic milk
salt and pepper
2 sprigs parsley. chopped
5 basil leafs, chopped
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided
1 large tomato, diced
    or 1 pint cherry, pear, or grape tomatoes
3 cups fresh spinach leafs
1 – 6.5 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (Delallo brand is gluten free)

Cook rotini according to package directions in salted water.  In medium saucepan melt butter and add minced garlic bring to a nice sizzle.  Add flour and whisk together until it makes a thick paste.  Pour in milk, salt, pepper and herbs.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened (about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and add Parmesan and 1/2 mozzarella until melted and incorporated.

Drain pasta and combine with cheese.  Add in tomatoes, spinach and artichoke hearts.  Put in baking dish, top with remaining cheese and cover with tin foil.  Bake for 15 minutes, remove foil and return to oven for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.

* Raw, tomatoes are high in vitamin C while cooked much of the vitamin C is lost.  However, cooking tomatoes increases lycopene.  “Lycopene is the most-efficient single oxygen quencher, and devours more than 10 times more oxygenated free radicals than vitamin E.”
“…antioxidant power can be boosted even more through the simple act of cooking the tomatoes.  Researchers from Cornell University in the US said that cooking the tomatoes increase the level of phytochemicals they contain, although it also reduces the amount of vitamin C found in the vegetable.”
So the moral of the story is…eat tomatoes!  Cooked, raw, whatever.
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Cooking-tomatoes-boosts-health-benefits

Filed Under: Pasta-tivly delicious