Herb Meatballs

Simmie Sinow

These are so good!  You can also throw in a handful of raisins for a surprise flavor in them! Use them as an appetizer or over spaghetti squash with marinara sauce.

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1/2 finely chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely minced
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
4 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1 Tbsp dried oregano
4 cloves garlic minced
Sea salt and pepper to taste

350 oven.

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Make meatballs with a tablespoon measure and place them on a baking sheet or in a mini muffin tin and cook for about 25 minutes.

Baba Ganoush

Paleo Leap

Missing your hummus, are you?

Well have you tried Paleo Leap's recipe for Baba Ganoush? You simply must! It's wonderful!

HERE is the recipe from Paleo Leap!

All you'll need is eggplant, garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, EVOO, cumin, and salt and pepper! Easy Peasy, as the saying goes!

Bacon Wrapped Avocado Egg Nests

Recipe From: Salted Paleo

Does this look great or what?  My two favorite foods: bacon and avocado!!!

HERE is the full recipe from Salted Paleo's website.

Tuna Spread

5 oz can of water packed light tuna, drained
3 Tbsp Paleo-style mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp capers, drained
2 tsp coconut aminos
1 1/2 tsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in your blender or food processor and process until smooth.

This is great as a veggie dip for a snack!

Fruit and Bell Pepper Salsa

3 small nectarines or peaches
1 orange bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt (I use pink Himalayan sea salt when using salt)
1/8 tsp cayenne

Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl until they are well combined.

Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together well.

Best if used within a couple of days!

Lazy Salsa

Recipe Author: Angie Ojeda-Kreiman 

1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes (fire roasted work really well) [See Note 1]
2 4-oz cans chopped Ortega green chiles
1 can of diced jalapeños slices, diced [See Note 2]
1 bundle of green onions: thinly slice all of the white bulbs but only slice 3 or 4 of the green stalks
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped (remove the leaves off the stem, rinse, then wrap the leaves in a paper towel, dry & chop)
1 Tbsp California style Garlic Salt with Parsley

Mix all the ingredients together. Be careful with the jalapeños--chop a few slices at a time and taste before you add more. You can also add some of the jalapeño juice for more of a kick.

You can also make this with fresh tomatoes & fresh jalapeños but it will have a different consistency.

Note 1: When tomatoes are fresh you can use fresh rather than canned.

Note 2: You can buy a jar of sliced jalapeños & dice a couple at a time & add them gradually to taste--or use fresh chiles,chopped or roasted chiles. If you use roasted chiles combine with a bit of coarse kosher salt in a mortar & use a pestle to smash them.

Crabmeat-Stuffed Eggs

Recipe Author: Elizabeth McCabe

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 tsp dry mustard
1 cup crab meat
1/2 cup of finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
3/4 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. of paprika

Cut eggs crosswise into halves.

Remove yolk.

Mash yolks and mix with next six ingredients.

Fill whites with mixture and sprinkle with paprika.

Serve garnished with parsley if desired.

Linked recipes for homemade mayonnaise can be found HERE.

Carrot Hummus

Recipe Author: Simmie Sinow

While traditionally, hummus is made with chickpeas, this is a great alternative for those that don't want a starchy dip or for those (like me) who don't like chickpeas. I suppose you could call it "mock hummus."

This is the full recipe. I made half of this and it was more than enough.

4 cups mashed carrots
1/4 cup tahini (make sure there's no sugar in it)
1/4 cup lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced or 2 tsp granulated garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground cumin

Mix all the above ingredients together well and enjoy either hot or cold.

Use veggies for dipping or use as a topping to a salad.

Notes:

• 4 cups of mashed carrots is approximately 12 cups of raw carrots sliced/diced.
• If you "don't do spicy," in place of the cayenne pepper, you can use any hot spice -- cracked red peppers would work; but honestly, the amount of cayenne is not enough to even detect with your taste buds!
• This could also be made with a yam/sweet potato or with zucchini.

Vidalia Onion Dip or Spread

Recipe Author: Simmie Sinow

4 large sweet vidalia onions, quartered lengthwise

12 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp replacement for honey (I use coconut aminos)

Salt and ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp chopped chives, plus more for garnish

Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350.  Lightly oil a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Toss the onions and garlic together in the baking dish. Whish the oil and agave nectar in a small bowl; drizzle over the onions and garlic and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.

Bake, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown and tender -- about 40 minutes.

Let cool completely.

Puree the onions and garlic in a blender or food processor.  Add the chives and pulse to mix.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Cover tightly and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.

Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives.  Serve chilled.

This is perfect for spreading onto celery or dipping your vegetables into!