Garlic-Thyme Mahi With Balsamic Fennel Sauté (Autoimmune Paleo)

Happy Spring!
I've been gone from the blog since December, but now I'm ready to get back to it. A week ago, I started the Autoimmune Paleo diet, at the request of my new functional medicine doctor. I'd been thinking of trying it for a long time, but had been dragging my feet about jumping all in. My doctor's orders coincided with receiving a copy of The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook in the mail, generous courtesy of the author, Micky Trescott, (review soon to come!) so it was the perfect timing to start. I was kind of surprised by how intense my withdrawal symptoms were for the first two days: headaches, fatigue, ravenous hunger no matter what I ate... Thank goodness that didn't last long.

It hasn't been too much of a learning curve adapting to the food restrictions, but I definitely miss my eggs, grass-fed butter, black pepper, mustard, and almond butter! And chocolate, of course. I'm getting the Cyrex Labs Array #4 done soon, so I'll know for sure which foods I cross-react to as if they were gluten. Although you can reverse a lot of food sensitivities by healing your gut, gluten cross-reactivities are a whole other thing, since they happen at the gut level and actually cause leaky gut. You have to avoid those foods since it's a much more serious immune reaction.


Anyway, back to cooking. Last night I made a lovely and easy autoimmune paleo compliant entree that was just plain yummy and super easy and, for once, I'm posting it in a timely manner! As per usual, I didn't measure anything, but I doubt you can screw this one up too much. The balsamic fennel adds a gentle sweetness and crunch that pairs nicely with the seasoned mahi.



Garlic-Thyme Mahi with Balsamic Fennel Sauté

Serves 4
Ingredients:

Aprox. 1 lb mahi-mahi fillets
2 fennel bulbs
Solid cooking fat (I don't recommend coconut oil)
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Granulated garlic (not garlic powder)
Dried thyme
Fresh Italian parsley (optional)

Notes: I cooked the fennel first, as it takes slightly longer than the fish.

Slice the fennel bulb into thick slices (as if you were slicing celery). Heat cooking fat on medium and add fennel and sauté until softened. Sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar to taste at the end of cooking. Set aside.

Pat the mahi fillets dry and season generously to taste with the garlic, thyme, and salt. Heat cooking fat in a pan on med-high heat cook the fish until just cooked through (usually just a few minutes on each side). Serve atop the fennel and finish with minced parsley.

Enjoy!
-Erin

Salade Niçoise

I've always wanted to go to the French Riviera; Nice, in particular. The beach, the wine, the food... it's my idea of heaven.

Mediterranean food holds a special place in my heart. I especially love food that involves fish, olives (and olive oil) and fresh vegetables. One of my very favorite dishes is Salade Niçoise, a fun, deconstructed salad involving tuna, crudites, olives, hard boiled eggs and vinaigrette. It's such a flexible dish- there are many versions. Some use canned tuna (high quality yellowfin in olive oil is nice) and some use grilled, some have lettuce, and others don't. Some have anchovies. No matter the construction, it's always easy, festive and I think, elegant.

My own version always involves grilled albacore, tomatoes, eggs, olives, green beans and capers. Those are my core ingredients.

For this Salade Niçoise I used:

-grilled albacore (I marinated it in a bit of coconut aminos, brown mustard and balsamic vinegar).
-hard boiled eggs (I boil them for 8 minutes so I don't overcook the yolks).
-grape (or cherry) tomatoes
-sliced fennel bulb (it has a nice crunch and a mild, anise flavor).
-niçoise olives
-blanched french green beans, a.k.a. haricot verts (regular will work, too).
-radicchio
-sliced radishes
-capers (just a sprinkling!)

I used a simple balsamic vinaigrette (similar to this one) to dress the salad.

Voila! Easy and pretty and certainly yummy.
Enjoy!

-Erin

Almond Flour Breaded Mahi Mahi

I got home from a fun but less than relaxing vacation to Traverse City, MI (the most awesome place that you didn't know existed) a little over a week ago. I've been feeling a bit under the weather ever since, due to a week of lack of sleep (aren't vacations supposed to be restful??) and having to work some extra long days immediately after getting home. I'm not sure if I've just fried my adrenals, if I've been fighting something off or if it's allergies which, for me, manifests mainly as intense fatigue and a vague sore throat (my allergies were non-existent last spring and fall). Adrenal fatigue exacerbates allergies.

Anyway, I haven't had much inclination to post, but I'm on the upswing now, thanks to lots of sleep and some big doses of Himalaya Stress Care (even if my adrenals aren't the main issue here, it won't hurt to give them a boost after all that lack of sleep!)


I've noticed that my food posts seem to be the most popular type of post so I thought I'd start doing more of them (my readers obviously like to eat;) Here's my latest and greatest kitchen adventure:

I was shopping at Trader Joe's (my home away from home) recently and I discovered some frozen mahi mahi chunks and hubby decided he wanted fish tacos and I thought they looked perfect for making fish sticks with. So, I did a little internet sleuthing to see how people were breading their fish with almond flour, since my own attempts had been yummy but not crispy/crunchy like I had wanted.

I noticed that a lot of people were including grated parmesan in their breading mixture, so, I tested it out and I'm happy to report that I achieved stellar crispy/crunchiness! I used Spectrum shortening, which is made from organic, sustainably harvested palm kernel oil and, being a saturated fat, stands up to heat, yet has a neutral flavor.
This breading would work well on other fish and it would make some great fried chicken, too!


Almond Flour Breaded Mahi Mahi Sticks

Breading:
-Almond flour
-Grated parmesan
-One beaten egg

-Palm shortening for frying

Combine in a ratio of between 4:1 and 3:1 almond flour to parmesan (I didn't measure, so play around with it.)
You can add a bit of garlic granules, black pepper and other seasonings (taco seasoning is good if you're making fish tacos). Get creative!

Dip the fish in the egg and then dredge in the breading mixture. Fry in a generous amount of palm shortening, making sure not to let the oil get too hot (almond flour will burn quickly!)
Drain on paper towels

If you're anything like me, you're kitchen will be a mess when you're done and you will be disinclined to clean up. Some loud music is the answer to help get you going. Tame Impala is my latest favorite doing-the-dishes soundtrack:



Enjoy!
-Erin

Trout with Bacon Green Beans and Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"

Here's a little something I made the other night. It was easy but I felt like a chef after I had plated it. That's a fun feeling;) It was a big hit with my husband and the picture I posted on PIP's Facebook page sure generated a lot of comments, so I thought I'd better share the recipe. I cooked most of it in my big cast iron pan, so there wasn't much cleanup. Score!

Ingredients:
trout fillets with skins (descaled)
cauliflower
green beans
bacon
cream
sour cream (optional)
garlic granules (not powder)

For the green beans/bacon (steam cauliflower until tender at the same time):
I cooked the bacon and green beans simultaneously in the same pan. I think haricots are especially fun to use (and they cook faster). Cook green beans until a little crispy and sprinkle them with a bit of garlic granules before they finish cooking. Chop the cooked bacon. Set aside.

For the trout:
Sprinkle the trout with salt, pepper and a little garlic granules. Smoked paprika would be good, too. Fry in the bacon grease until cooked and edges are crisped.

For the cauliflower:
While trout is cooking, put steamed cauliflower in a food processor or high speed blender, add just a little drizzle of cream and a dollop of sour cream (Wallaby Organics is heavenly and has no fillers). Don't add too much liquid. Blend until thick and creamy. Add salt to taste.

Put some cauliflower "mashed potatoes" on plate, place trout on it and top with a stack of green beans and a sprinkle of bacon.

This recipe would also work nicely with salmon or mild white fish.

Enjoy!
-Erin