Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup

This autumn dish is a nice thick soup that will warm your belly. The apples give it a hint of sweetness and it makes your whole house smell like the roasted apples. If you choose to add the curry it adds a great aroma and a bit of spice to the soup.

Roasted Pumpkin-Apple Soup

4 lb pie pumpkin (you can use canned pumpkin, use 1 large can) or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2 inch chunks

4 large apples of your favorite variety, cored and cut into eighths

1/4 cup olive oil/ canola oil

pepper to taste

1 Tbsp fresh chopped sage OR basil

6 cups reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth

1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted

OPTIONAL:

2 chunks Curry Cubes (found in Asian section at grocery store-buy desired heat)

2 tsp Cinnamon

Coconut milk to taste!

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

-Toss pumpkin or squash, apples, olive oil, and pepper in large bowl. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking dish. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sage and roast for another 20 min. (if using canned pumpkin add after the puree step.)

-Transfer 1/3 of pumpkin/apple mix to blender and blend with 2 cups of broth. Puree till smooth. Transfer to a large sauce pan. Repeat two more times. Heat through over med-low heat, stirring constantly for about 5 min. OPTIONAL: When heated through add curry and Cinnamon and stir until curry cube is completely dissolved. Enjoi!

Tortilla Soup... without tortillas

I love this soup because it is cheap and fast to make and it has a great flavor. It has a little bit of a spice kick but if you need more than add a jalapeno.

Tortilla Soup

1 Tbsp canola oil

3 Anaheim peppers, dices

1 onion

1 tsp cumin

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut up

4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with chiles

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

-Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Saute peppers and onion. Cook and stir til the onions begin to soften. Stir in cumin and let cook for 1 min. Add chicken, broth, tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil and simmer till the chicken is cooked (about 12-15 min.). Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Enjoi!

Homemade Salad Dressings

Homemade salad dressings are great because you know exactly what is in them. They don't have the preservatives that pre-bottled dressings have. They are pretty easy to make and take no time at all. These are just a couple of my favorites but if you like them I have more. The cucumber vinaigrette has a really fresh and mellow taste. The honey Tahini is a bit sweet with a slight tartness to it. I recommend you make both and keep them in air tight containers in your fridge so you have options and you don't get sick of just having one. They keep in the fridge for at least a couple of weeks but they've never lasted long enough in my fridge to go bad. Enjoy!

Cucumber Herb Vinaigrette

1 cucumber

1/4 cup olive or canola oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp horseradish

salt/pepper to taste

sometime I put in some Dill just for fun

-Put it all in a blender until smooth.

Honey-Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup olive or canola oil

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

2 Tbsp honey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

pepper to taste

-Put it all in a blender or a bowl and blend or stir together until smooth.

Turkish Bison Stew- For a Cold Day

This sauce is really good! Its one of my favorites to prepare, especially when it starts to get cold. The pomegranate juice gives it an interesting and slightly sweet taste. The combination of spices fills your kitchen with a sweet aroma that is absolutely wonderful. You can also use lamb in this recipe too. I tend to just eat it as a stew or put it over a bed of romaine lettuce.

Turkish Bison Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 b. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped carrot

1/2 c. chopped celery

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

salt/pepper to taste

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 lb ground bison 1/2 c. pomegranate juice

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 c. fresh chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 Tbsp lemon juice

- Heat oil in large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery; cook, covered, stir occasionally till soft. About 10 min. Add garlic and cook another min. Stir in paprika, coriander, s/p, cumin and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, till veggies are well coated and the spices are fragrant (about 45 sec).

-Increase heat to med-high and add bison. Cook and stir to break it up into smaller pieces with a spoon until no longer pink. Add pomegranate juice and scrape browned bits from bottom. Stir in tomatoes with juices, cilantro, mint and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook uncovered, maintaining a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 min. You can add water to obtain desired thickness. Increase heat and boil for a few minutes. Enjoi!

For A Sweet Craving! Banana Fake Cakes!

These banana fakes are great if you are craving sweets or even the texture of bread! They are really fast and easy to make too!

Banana Fake Cakes

2 ripe bananas

1 egg

1 heaping Tbsp almond butter

-Smoosh together and cook pancake style over medium heat! Enjoi!

Give me your thoughts and the stages of paleo

So i just want you all to give me some feedback. If you tried the recipes, let me know how you liked them! If there is any particular recipe you want or an alternative paleo friendly recipe, ask away and i will try my best to find it for you. If you have any you'd like to add send it to me and I'll post it or at least try to figure out how!

I think that my body is finally getting used to this diet. When I started about two months ago I was tired and felt like my brain was out of whack. It took a week for me to start feeling the same. The next stage was hunger. I was constantly hungry and running out of steam every hour, so i would snack pretty much all day. Now I think my body is finally settling into the paleo groove and I'm feeling really good. My body is maintaining it's energy and giving me a little extra and I'm not hungry all the time. The down side is that when I do finally give myself a little cheater meal, I feel like shit. My body doesn't handle junk the way it used to which is good but bad at the same time. I like to reward myself but my body punishes me for it with a little stomach ache. I feel good but i still miss some foods. I see a difference in the level of cravings I've been getting too. Last week my cravings were for pizza and this week it's nachos. But I don't fantasize about the nachos like I did the pizza. If anyone has any ideas on a sub for pizza that would be a gold mine.

Fresh Amazing Marinara Sauce

This marinara sauce is a great alternative to the bottled stuff. You can also make an abundance and freeze it for convenience!

2 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups chopped plum tomatoes, with juices (i tend use whatever tomatoes i have)

7 oil packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped

salt/pepper to taste

2 Tbsp chopped basil

-Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic, stir frequently, until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and juices, sun dried tomatoes, and salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil and remove from heat. Transfer to a food processor and pulse to form desired texture.

This is a great sauce to put over spaghetti squash, if you crave the carbs it can help with the reminiscent taste and texture of spaghetti.

Quick and Easy Red Pepper Sauce

This is one of my favorite recipes to make during the week. It's fast and cheap. I use chicken breasts or fresh salmon filets. Enjoy!

1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 c. chopped jarred roasted red peppers

1/4 halved grape or cherry tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp paprika

salt/pepper to taste

-Process everything till smooth in processor or blender.

-Grill fish or chicken (about 1 1/2 lbs or a few chicken breasts). I also like to grill up some zucchini or summer squash with it.

-Spread smooth blend over grilled food and enjoy!