Stuffed Bell Peppers ( Have it your way)

This super basic recipe can be manipulated a hundred different ways, and still taste amazing.


4 orange bell peppers (medium sized)
2 shallots finely diced
1 package of white mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, diced
4 oz. feta cheese
1 package of Trader Joes uncooked Chicken Sicilian Sausage (remove from its casing)

Saute shallots in olive oil (limit the amount) until slightly tender (2 min), lightly salt, remove from heat and toss into large mixing bowl. Saute mushrooms next with olive oil until tender (2-4 min), lightly salt, remove from heat and toss in with shallots. Remove chicken sausage from its casing and cook all the way through. Add to bowl, add feta cheese and mix all ingredients together.
Preheat oven 350. Removed tops from bell peppers, remove inside ribs and seeds with your fingers. Sprinkle light salt into each pepper. Stuff each pepper, lightly packing in the sausage mix until full. (There may be extra stuffing.) Bake for  20-25 minutes.

This recipe was created by a good friend of mine who was trying to make a dish that followed the primal blueprint guidelines. She came up with a Trader Joes one- stop-shop recipe. The sausage she chose is out of this world, and there is no need to season the meat as it is already done for you. I find this meal to be delicious, and a perfect recipe for a busy work week. Plus you only have to stop at one grocery store! Orange peppers seem to hold up in the oven best, but use what is accessible and looking fresh at the market. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever you already have in your fridge, and it will still taste great.
Thank you Lauren, this dish is one of my favorites!

The Fancy Buffalo Burger (for the non fancy cook)

Keep in mind primal eating is subjective, so where some may opt to stay away from cheese entirely, there are some of us who can't stay away. Choose a "raw" cheese when possible, and if bleu cheese doesn't tickle your fancy, mozzarella, Gruyere, and jalapeno jack are great substitutes for this dish.

1 lb. ground buffalo (provided by the butcher is always fresher and tastier)
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms chopped finely and sauteed until tender (season with salt)
2 shallots or fancy onion finely chopped and sauteed until tender (season with salt)
1/2 c. -1 c. raw bleu cheese (crumble by hand)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
garlic salt or garlic powder to taste

In a bowl mix buffalo meat with salt, garlic powder or garlic salt, and pepper, and then add sauteed muschrooms and shallots to the mix. Gently incorporate the bleu cheese so it is distributed evenly throughout the meat. Form into four burger patties. Heat indoor or outdoor grill pan or grill on medium to high heat. You want a good sear on each side, so cook the first side for about 3-5 minutes before flipping. Flip burger and sear the other side for about 2 additional minutes. Your patties will continue to cook once removed from heat, so don't overdo the cooking process. A little pink is always ok (and tastier, in my opinion).
Garnish with heirloom tomatoes and fresh avocado slices. (Primal eaters don't eat grains, but a homemade piece of almond bread can be enjoyed alongside this burger.)
Happy eating!

Mom’s Gazpacho Soup

3 cups fresh tomatoes, seeded

1 cup chopped green pepper

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped cucumber (cut in half and use spoon to take out seeds first)

1 clove garlic minced fine

4 cups chicken broth, low sodium or reduce added salt

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed

1-2 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

Put all ingredients into a blender; blend until smooth. If you prefer chunky, save some of the chopped vegetables to add afterwards to the blended soup.

Add hot sauce to taste after blending.

Serve in chilled small bowls or Manhattan glasses as an appetizer with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped fresh chives. Optional: slices of avocado or chopped black olives.

Homemade croutons are good on top also. Soup is better made the day before serving to blend the flavors.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread ( also great for Primal followers)

Courtesy of Elanaspantry.com


1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
3/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/2 tsp. celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs
1 tsp. agave nectar

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar



In a bowl combine almond flour, arrowroot, flax meal, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl blend eggs 3-5 minutes until frothy. Stir agave and vinegar into eggs. Mix dry ingredients into wet. Pour scoop batter into a well greased 7.5"x3.5" loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Great toasted with honey.

Thai Inspired Salad (curtesy of Tara Gravenstine from Primal Blueprint Cookbook)

4-6 Servings

1 bunch of spinach roughly chopped
2 cups loosely packed fresh mung bean sprouts
1 cup snow peas cut into slices
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 bunch scallions chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/3 cup chopped mint
1 avocado (optional)
2 medium tomatoes diced

(optional ingredients: 1 small can bamboo shoots and 1 mango diced )

Dressing

juice and zest of 2 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
2 tsp. ginger juice

Turkey and Bulgar Kababs

Serves 6

1/2 cup uncooked bulgar
1 1/2 cup boiling water
let sit 30 minutes

1 1/4 lb. lean ground turkey
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tb. finely chopped onion
1 Tb. finely chopped garlic
1 Tb. finely chopped mint
2 tsp.  cumin
1/2 tsp. ground dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. coriander (I don't use it, but it is considered as an option)

Preheat oven 400
Drain bulgar, mix with other ingredients. Form into 36 1 1/2" meatballs. Thread 3-4 meatballs on a skewer or place all meatballs on non stick baking pan. Bake 8-10 minutes unto no pink.

Meditteranean Veggie Salad

Yummy alongside chicken and yogurt sauce.

1 red pepper thinly sliced
1 green pepper thinly slicesd
1/4 red onion finely sliced
1/2 pitted calamata olives. Sliced
Olive oil to lightly coat. (approx. 1/4 c)
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 Tb. dried oregano (or less)

Mix all ingredients except for feta. Add feta to top. when done mixing. Chill and serve cold.

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