Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

I’m back! Whew! So sorry for the lag in posting – it’s been a crazy month, and we’ve either been out of town or had house guests the last four weekends in a row. Tons of fun, but it didn’t leave a lot of time for experimenting in the kitchen.  Finally got some downtime with the hubs yesterday, and it really was a fantastic day – woke up to the rain (Rain? In Austin? Seriously??), went for a nice, easy Sunday run, practiced my double-unders & handstands, ate a delish bun-less burger at Hopdoddy (I tried the Llano Poblano – yum!), and then rounded things out with Halloween costume shopping on South Congress (going to rock it this year!). Just lovely. We capped off the day by cooking dinner together and then watching John Carpenter’s The Thing (the original)… really a fantastic film, and despite being made in the early 80’s, it totally stands up today.

So, back to the food!  We made a couple of new dishes yesterday – all the recipes are coming shortly! Let’s start with my favorite of the newbies: Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples. Both P.J. and I agreed that this one just tasted like Fall and would be a really great Paleo Thanksgiving side option.  Hope you like ’em! Check out the recipe after the jump…

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Avocado, Grapefruit and Pomegranate Salad

I owe this tangy, satisfying salad all to my husband.  I’ll be the first to admit that these days, when I think about what to make for dinner, I think about meat. Mmmm, meat. That sometimes has the unfortunate side-effect, however, of leaving my vegetarian hubby out in the cold. Being that I’ve only recently come to enjoy the greener spectrum of foods, P.J. has been a great resource for figuring out tasty new veggie-friendly dishes, and he’s always game to experiment with whatever’s fresh.

On this particular occasion, we had been to the Farmers Market that morning and picked up some yummy local pomegranates…inspiration! This salad is his creation… it’s got a really nice tang to it, and the pomegranate seeds and almonds add a nice crunch of texture.  Follow the jump for the recipe!

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Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Apple

I’ve got a new side dish for you guys today, inspired by the lovely folks over at Cavemen Gourmet: Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Apple. Brussels sprouts, eh?  I’ve had friends tell me for years that Brussels sprouts, when prepared well, can be really tasty, and honestly, I thought they were all a little crazy.  Chalk it up to my changing tastes (or maybe the fact that they’re totally right), but I really liked this recipe.  The sweet/tart of the apple is a really nice balance to the sprouts.  Plus, it takes all of about 20 minutes to make. Total. Check out my version after the jump…

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Paleo Sweet Potato Fries Ready for the Munchin'

Every once in a while, it’s nice to eat something that’s a kick-back to the pre-Paleo days: something salty and reminiscent of burger drive-throughs without being a total gut-killer.  Sweet potato fries definitely fall into that category.  The combo of sweet and salty really hits the spot, especially alongside a good steak or bacon burger (bun-less, of course!). Yum!  My wonderful brother-in-law M made these when we were up in Connecticut a few weeks ago, so I had to give it a shot in my own kitchen.

Following is my recipe for baked (not fried!) sweet potato fries:
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Fresh Crab and Tangy Apple Guacamole

So, there’s a fantastic restaurant downtown here in Austin called La Condesa… it’s a gorgeous space that specializes in small-bites, interior Mexican cuisine that feels like gourmet street food. Yum! (BTW, if you feel like stepping away from super-strict Paleo for an evening, their Mexican street corn is to die for!)

Anyhoo… the point of this post has to do with one of their specialty guacamoles. They have all manner of fabulous guacamole on the menu… guac with pomegranate, guac with chipotle and almonds, and my favorite, the guac with crab and green apple. I adore this guacamole. So. Stinking. Much.

So, since I’ve been trying to come up with ways to use the gorgeous tubs of fresh lump crab meat from Central Market, it seemed only right that I try to recreate this delicious treat. Following (after the jump) is my version… enjoy!

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Steamed Broccolini with Lemon

This is one of my husband P.J.’s go-to dishes… He’s a vegetarian, so he’s been a great influence on me in terms of incorporating more vegetables into my daily diet.  He’s also one of those guys who can grab four seemingly unrelated things from the fridge and create something awesome.  It’s an incredible skill, and I love it about him.  He created this dish to round out our main course options at the inaugural Paleo Dinner Party.  I take no credit for this dish – it’s all him!

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Savory Roasted Butternut Squash with Thyme

These were a HUGE hit at our Paleo dinner party last Saturday. The combo of sweet and savory paired beautifully with our pan-seared roasted pork chops, and they’d also be great as a fall/holiday dish. I highly recommend peeling/prepping your squash ahead of time… it’s not the most fun thing to do, and it seems to take a little longer than you’d think.  Not much fun when you’re trying to pull together your dinner at the last minute.

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Roasted Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs

I have a confession to make.  I had never purchased a fig before this weekend. In fact, I didn’t even know what a fig looked like. (Whew! Thanks for letting me get that off my chest…)

So, how did I end up making this app over the weekend for our Paleo Dinner Party? Honestly? I scoured my loads of cookbooks (Ina Garten! Bobby Flay!) to find something that sounded fancy but that would be easy to make as well.  Since I’m a huge fan of cured pork AND this fabulous Ina Garten recipe (from her book, “Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That?”) sounded sufficiently fancy, I figured I’d give it a try. This recipe is so stinking simple, there’s not much to change! Here’s what I made:

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Spicy Oven-Roasted Pecans with Cinnamon (These puppies are addictive!)

Years ago, there was a restaurant here in downtown Austin called Crimson… I think the restaurant was only open for about 8-10 months, sadly, but they were the wonderful folks who introduced me to spiced pecans. Rather than bread and butter, they would bring you bowls of these delicious, addictive spiced pecans to munch on while you picked out your meal for the evening – I loved it!

When I was thinking about what to make as an easy snack food for our friends this weekend (at our Paleo Dinner Party), the idea of spiced pecans came to mind.  Easy, delicious, and they’d pair really nicely with the very non-Paleo German beer we were having.  For inspiration, I looked to a variety of places, including the wonderful Elana’s Pantry. This recipe is my adaptation… I hope you enjoy it!

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The Table Setting: Fun Linens, Tealights, and White Hydrangea Blooms in Short Water Glasses

I LOVE a good dinner party.  Seriously.  I honestly can’t imagine what I enjoy more on a weekend night than having friends in our home, eating food we’ve prepared, drinking good wine, and having a great time. Pre-Paleo, this was a pretty regular occurrence: whether it was hors d’oeuvres for 30 for my husband’s birthday or an intimate multi-course meal, I reveled in cooking for others. (We’ll just ignore the fact that my typical menus included bread-and-cheese trays, fried risotto balls, Italian pasta with cream sauce, and loads of gluten-rich baked goods. No one needs to know… it’s our little secret.)

In fact, one of my original reasons for resisting the change to a Paleo lifestyle was that I wasn’t sure I could still create delicious, gourmet food that was both Paleo and appetizing to our guests.  I couldn’t have been more off-base!  The Paleo lifestyle has such an incredible range of possibilities for creating incredible food, and I’m beyond excited to keep experimenting.

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