Mini Cubano Plantain Bites

Cuban food is AHHH-mazing. If you've never had a Cubano, or cuban sandwich, I suggest you either 1) make one for yourself (it's pretty simple) or 2) find a place that serves them. Have any of you seen the movie, Chef, with Jon Favreau? Great movie, btw. Favreau's character is a big time chef that receives a scathing review for his restaurant, falls into a depression and decides to start a food truck making Cuban food. What I wouldn't give to have been a character in the movie, eating those cubanos. Anyway, I digress. Here's my interpretation, lechon asado (cuban pulled pork), ham, pickle relish, dijon mustard on a crispy tostone (twice fried plantain). Oh. Em. Gee. Delicious.

Mini Cubano Plantain Bites

Ingredients:

For the Tostones

• Green plantain, peeled and sliced
• coconut oil, for frying plantains

For the Lechon Asado

• 2-3 lb bone-in pork shoulder/pork butt
• 5-8 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice (I juiced, 2 whole limes and 1.5 lemons)
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 medium (baseball sized) onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 TBSP salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

Remaining bites

• nitrate free ham
• finely diced bread and butter or sweet dill pickles
• finely diced onions
• dijon mustard

Preparation:

1. Pat dry the pork. Using a knife, make 5-8 (depending on amount of garlic used) one inch slits sparingly throughout the meat. Place a clove garlic in each slit. 
2. Place the garlic stuffed pork is a large ziploc bag. Add the remaining lechon asado ingredients. Marinate the pork at least 6 hours or overnight. 
3. The following day, remove the pork from the marinade. Place in a slow cooker. Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the marinade to the slow cooker pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Then turn up to high and cook for another 4 hours. 
4. Remove the pork into a large bowl. Shred. Add a tablespoon of the liquid from the slow cooker pot at a time. I added about 4 to keep it moist and juicy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. 
5. To make the tostones, cut off the ends of the green plantain. Peel the skin and slice (about 1/2 inch thick). Heat a cast iron skillet with coconut oil over medium high heat. Fry both sides of each plantain slice for approximately 1 minutes. Remove from skillet and using a flat bottomed cup/bowl/or other kitchen tool, smash each plantain slice into a disk. Fry both sides of each smashed plantain disk for another 1 minute or until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. 
6. To assemble, top each tostones with sliced ham, the lechon, finely diced pickles and onions, and a drizzle of dijon mustard. 

Citrus Mango Ceviche

It has been a minute since I've posted a recipe on here but this ceviche deserves the royal treatment. I received my very first Sizzlefish shipment last week and immediately wanted to make a ceviche with the scallops and the shrimp. If you haven't heard of Sizzlefish, they supply and ship fresh  fish and seafood (flash frozen) straight to your door! I rarely purchase fresh seafood at the grocery store because I know a lot, if not all, have been frozen and thawed, only to be frozen again once I get home. Bleh. Anyways, Sizzlefish offers lots of different packages (and 3 month subscriptions!), I received the Paleo Prime Plus which included 14 perfectly portioned pieces:

• 2 packs wild caught Golf Shrimp
• 2 packs Sea Scallops 
• 2 4oz portions Sockeye Salmon
• 2 4oz portions Coho Salmon
• 2 4oz portions Sablefish
• 2 4oz portions Haddock
• 2 4oz portions Atlantic Cod

The individually portioned pieces comes in handy, since I'm mostly a cooking party of one. But that just means, I don't have to share! HAHAHA. So ceviche is super simple to make and requires no more than 10 minutes of prep (less if you've got amazing ninja knife skills). You can play around with the types of seafood but you'll need the acid from citrus, lime is almost always the one, as the citrus is what will "cook" the raw seafood. With this recipe, I also threw in a few tablespoons of ginger beer on a whim, it added a nice "ginger spicy" sweetness, but is totally optional.

What you'll need:

• 8oz (2 packages) cleaned and deveined shrimp, diced
• 8 large scallops (4/pack - 2 packages), diced
• 1 mango, diced
• 3 TBSP red onion, finely chopped
• 2 TBSP cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 TBSP ginger beer (I used Reed's) - optional
• juice of 2 limes
• juice of 1 orange
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• pinch of black pepper

What to do:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in an airtight container. Let the mixture marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Serve with cucumber slices or tostones (fried plantains) and sliced avocado. To make the tostones: Peel the skins off a green plantain (it can have a few yellow spots), make sure that the plantain is room temperature or the skins will be more difficult to remove. Remove the ends and slice through the skin, wedge your finger between the skin and the plantain slowly working your way down. Slice plantain to about 1/2 inch thick rounds. In a cast iron skillet, heat some coconut oil (I have a 12" skillet and poured enough oil to cover about 1/4" inch) over high heat. Fry the plantain rounds  for about 1-2 minutes on both sides. Remove and using a flat bottom cup/anything with a flat bottom and smash the plantains. Fry the flattened rounds again, for about a minute on each side. Remove and drain. Season with salt. 

Simple Berry Clafoutis

Clafoutis are super simple to make and are a great dessert to serve all year round. They're like a cross between a flan and custard. The edges get nice and crispy while the center remains soft and lucious. This recipe only has 6 ingredients and you can customize it however you like,  be it by using berries, or stone fruit, even melted chocolate!

Simple Berry Clafoutis (recipe adapted from Epicurious)
What you'll need:

• 1 cup coconut milk (or other non dairy milk)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Kerrygold butter, ghee, or coconut oil (for dairy free), melted
• scant 1/2 cup almond flour + 1 TBSP arrowroot powder
• berries, stone fruit, chocolate, nuts 

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and butter/coconut oil until the sugar has dissolved and everything is incorporated together. Add the flours and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into a heavy duty pie pan (cast iron works best).
2. Top with choice of berries, stone fruit or chocolate. Bake for 30-40 minutes (depending on how hot your oven runs and the type of dish you used; mine baked in a glass pie dish in 30 minutes)  It will puff up a bit. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon (if topped with fresh berries, optional) and powdered sugar (equal parts coconut sugar and arrowroot). A dollop of ice cream would also be magical!

 

5 Ingredient Creamy Hot Chocolate

I got a package of Christmas goodies from my adorable pen pal Sarah, of @primalbites on Instagram. She really is the best. Of course, I could not wait to dig in. I stuffed my face with one of each cookie and the homemade marshmallows she had made, as soon as I opened the box. When I saw the marshmallows, I knew I had to make my 5-ingredient hot chocolate. This hot chocolate is no ordinary hot cocoa, it is essentially a custard. It is rich, creamy and decadent. You could even chill it overnight and throw it in an ice cream maker the following day and voila! you've got chocolate ice cream. 

5-Ingredient Creamy Hot Chocolate

What you'll need:

• 2 oz chocolate (I used 85%), chopped 
• 1 TBSP cocoa/cacao powder
• 2 TBSP/6 tsp coconut sugar or other granulated sugar (If using semi-sweet chocolate, reduce sugar by 1-2 tsp) 
• 2 1/4 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)
• 2 egg yolks

What to do:

1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks, 1 TBSP coconut sugar and cocoa powder together until combined. In a sauce pan, heat the remaining 1 TBSP coconut sugar, dark chocolate, and milk over medium heat. 
2. Stir the milk mixture together until the chocolate and sugar have dissolved. Don't worry if not all the chocolate has melted into milk mixture. Remove the milk mixture from the heat when it starts to steam but not boil. 
3. Slowly pour a little bit of the heated milk mixture into the egg yolks all the while whisking. This will temper the eggs and prevent hot chocolate scrambled eggs. Continue whisking and pouring the heating milk into the egg yolks. When about 1/2 - 3/4 of the heated milk mixture has been added to the eggs, return the egg yolk/milk mixture (now a custard) back to the sauce pan. 
4. Turn the heat down to medium low and using a wooden spoon swirl a figure 8 pattern to keep the custard from curdling. The mixture is done when the back of your spoon is coated nicely with a layer of the custard. 
5. Serve with homemade marshmallows, coconut whipped cream, a shot of espresso and a drizzle of melted chocolate for some ultra decadence. Makes 2-4 servings. 

Fluffier Almond Flour Pancake [Puffs]

 

I've been neglecting this blog for months now. Honestly, I find it simplier to just post on Instagram. I can photograph, edit, and type up a recipe on one little machine, my iPhone 5S! Oh technology, I love you. Anyway, I've updated my almond flour pancake recipe to be even fluffier and turned them into cute little powered coconut sugared Aebleskivers. These were baked in a cake pops maker used as makeshift Aebleskivers pan. What the heck are Aebleskivers? I'm still trying to figure out the pronounciation, but Aebleskivers or "appleskives" are traditional Danish pancakes that are a cross between a popover and a pancake. They're served with a dusting of powdered sugar, squeeze of lemon juice and a side of jam for dipping.

 

They're totally time consuming, but so cute! Of course, you can just make tradtional pancakes with this recipe too. 

Fluffier Almond Flour Pancake [Puffs]

What you'll need:

• 2 eggs, separated whites and yolks
• 1 TBSP coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 TBSP arrowroot starch
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• coconut oil or butter, for frying

What to do:

1. In two separate bowls, whisk the egg yolks with the coconut sugar and anilla until combined. In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, set aside.
2. Sift the almond flour, arrowroot, baking powder, and salt together in the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. Add the milk and mix the until there are no lumps.
3. Using about 1/3 of the egg whites, stir into the eggyolk batter until combined. You dont need to thouroughly mix, just enough to most of the egg whites are incorporated. Working in thirds, add another 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter. Fold the egg whites into the batter. Again you dont need to thouroughly mix, just mix until you only see a few streaks of egg white. Fold the remaining egg whites in the batter. By now, the batter should be pretty light and fluffy.
4. Heat a pan or griddle over medium low heat. Add a little bit of coconut oil or butter to the pan. Swirl to coat it all around.
5. Turn the heat down to low and add 1/4 cup or 1 ice cream scoop full of batter. Cook on low for ~2 minutes. Carefully flip and cook for another 30-45 seconds on the other side. Repeat for remaining batter. Makes about eight 4 inch pancakes.
6. If using a cake pop maker, pre-heat it according to manufacturer's instructions. Spray cake pop maker with coconut oil, or add tiny tabs of butter in each well. Using a cookie scoop, add batter to about 3/4 full (the batter will rise a bit). Cook with lid open for about 2-3 minutes. Use a knife to run along the edges of the pancake puff and carefully flip over. Alternatively, you can just use the cake pop maker as manfacturer specified and close the lid.

Smokey Coffee Rubbed Steak

Who doesn't love a good smokey, flavorful steak? I added fresh ground coffee to my rub and what was created was a beautiful crispy crust full of good smokey flavor. I seared the meat on the grill, then finished it in the oven.

Smokey Coffee Rubbed Steak
What you'll need:

• 2-3 lbs beef tenderloin, or preferred roast cut
• 2 heaping TBSP fresh ground coffee, medium or dark roast
• 1.5 TBSP paprika
• 1 TBSP dried oregano
• 1 TBSP dried mustard
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1 TBSP coconut sugar (optional)
• 1/2 TBSP kosher salt
• fresh crack black pepper, to taste

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 500F. Combine all the spices in a bowl, breaking up any large chunks. Pat beef down to dry it a bit. Rub the spice mixture all over the meat, make sure to really work it in. You want a nice crust.
2. Grill each side of the roast for 2-3 minutes. Remove from grill and place in a roasting dish or baking pan. Bake the roast at 500F for 3-4 minutes per pound I had a 3 lb roast, so I baked it for 12 minutes). Turn the oven off after the allotted time and leave the roast in the oven for another 2-4 minutes per pound (I left it in for another 10 minutes). 
3. Remove the roast from the oven and allow it to cool for at least 5-10 minutes and redistribute its juices. The cooking times will vary depending on how well you like your meat cooked. The times I used produced a nice medium. 
4. Slice and serve with a nice side of grilled veggies and a baked potato!

Tortilla de patatas (Spanish Omelette)

I like having the TV on in the background. More times than not, it's switched to the Food Network or Cooking Channel. An older episode of Giada at Home was on where she was making Spanish inspired dishes. This one, the Spanish Omelette caught my eye. In her recipe, she uses yukon gold potatoes, fresh thyme, and adds a romesco sauce. I switched it up a bit and added a can of fire roasted tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and chorizo. Oh, and a pinch of red chili flakes, because, I like it spicy. 

Tortilla de patatas (Spanish Omelette)

What you'll need:

• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2-3 small to medium sized sweet potatoes, sliced to approximately 1/4" thick
• 1 (14oz) can, fire roasted diced tomatoes (no salt added, preferred)
• 1 lb chorizo
• 6 eggs, whisked
• salt and pepper, to taste

What to do:

1. Heat an oven safe pan over high heat. Once the pan feels warm (just hold your hand over it) turn the heat down to medium and add the olive oil. Saute the onions until they start to become translucent and are fragrant. Add the minced garlic. Stir.
2. Add the red pepper flakes, oregano, and paprika. Stir to coat the onions and garlic. Add the chorizo, breaking up any chunks. Let the chorizo cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Next, add the canned tomatoes. Toss all the ingredients to coat. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pan with a lid and let the potatoes steam in the tomato mixture for 8-10 minutes. 
3. Preheat your oven to 375F. After the potatoes have been steamed, remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes, with lid off. Whisk together 6 whole eggs, season with fresh cracked black pepper and a tiny pinch of salt. Toss the eggs and the cooled chorizo/tomato mixture until evenly coated. 
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until top does not wiggle like jello. Allow omelette to cool before serving.