I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally publish the The Paleo Review Quick & Easy Main Dish Cheat Sheet on Tuesday. Did you miss it? Check it out here!
If you saw it on Tuesday, go check it out again as it has already been updated to add Tammy Credicott's Sausage Stuffed Portobellos from Make Ahead Paleo! She emailed me permission on Tuesday night and I got to work adding it to a well earned square. Thank you Tammy!
And now, the wait is over for The Paleo Review Quick & Easy Side Dish Cheat Sheet. I find that I often need the side dish cheat sheet more than the main dish one as it is really easy for me to focus on getting a main dish prepared and just not have a side. Yes, it happens. I admit it.
If you saw it on Tuesday, go check it out again as it has already been updated to add Tammy Credicott's Sausage Stuffed Portobellos from Make Ahead Paleo! She emailed me permission on Tuesday night and I got to work adding it to a well earned square. Thank you Tammy!
And now, the wait is over for The Paleo Review Quick & Easy Side Dish Cheat Sheet. I find that I often need the side dish cheat sheet more than the main dish one as it is really easy for me to focus on getting a main dish prepared and just not have a side. Yes, it happens. I admit it.
Now, I have no excuse. Right on my refrigerator I have my cheat sheet there to remind me how some of my pantry/refrigerator staples can complete a paleo meal.
As with the Main Dish Cheat Sheet, this resource has a few recipes that I make routinely in short hand. Do not try to make these dishes from the cheat sheet for the first time. Use the full recipes that are either available on the internet or here in this post! I reached out to some of my favorite paleo cookbook authors and bloggers and got special permission to print some full recipes here! Excitement! As with the Main Dish Cheat Sheet, I've added an abbreviation key.
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| Side Dish Cheat Sheet |
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| Main Dish Cheat Sheet |
I've also made a version of both cheat sheets that are blank, so you can make versions with only your favorites if you wish. You can download the blank cheat sheets by clicking on the thumbnails below.
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| TPR Q & E Side Dish Blank |
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| Main Dish Cheat Sheet (Blank) |
The Paleo Review Quick & Easy Side Dish Cheat Sheet
I've included 5 great recipes on the side dish cheat sheet and have suggestion for a 6th. Let's get cooking!
Sautéed Market Greens and Curried Cauliflower by Mickey Trescott
First up, are two recipes from Mickey Trescott's Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook. She hasn't shared either of these recipes on her blog, so I am ever so grateful that she gave me permission to share them with everyone for the cheat sheets. Thank you, Mickey! I'll start with her Sautéed Market Greens. I blogged about them here.
I'll type out the full recipe here so you will have them to make the dish the first time, and then the short hand on the cheat sheet will make sense.
2 large bunches of kale, chard, or collard greens, stemmed and chopped roughly
2 tablespoons solid cooking fat
1 teaspoon sea salt
1. Wash and dry the greens thoroughly, making sure that they are not too wet before cooking.
2. Heat the cooking fat in a large skillet on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the greens in batches, stirring as they cook. It is ok if they do not all fit in the pan at once, just keep cooking them down and adding until they are all in there. Add salt and cook about 15 minutes or until completely cooked down and tender. Serve warm.
Note: Feel free to use any varieties of large-leafed brassica vegetables for this recipe.
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This recipe is simple, lets the flavor of the greens shine through, and doesn't take a lot of time or attention. I'm so glad I could share more of Mickey's genius with you. Have you seen she has a printed new and improved version of her cookbook coming out? I can't wait to get a copy and see what she's added.
The second recipe that Mickey gave me permission to use is her Curried Cauliflower. I blogged about this recipe here.
Here is the full recipe so that my short hand version will make sense.
Curried Cauliflower by Mickey Trescott
2 tablespoons solid cooking fat
1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon coconut aminos (optional)
1. Heat the fat int he bottom of a wok or skillet on medium heat.
2. When it is ready, add the cauliflower and sprinkle with the turmeric, ginger and sea salt, stirring to combine. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender, stirring a couple of times.
3. Add the coconut aminos and cook for another minute.
Variation: Sauté some minced shallots and garlic before adding the cauliflower.
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There you have it - another quick, easy and tasty dish.
Cauliflower Rice from Melissa Joulwan's Well Fed
When I contacted Melissa Joulwan about using her Basic Cauliflower Rice recipe from Well Fed on the cheat sheet, she graciously agreed but wanted to be credited as follows: "Recipe courtesy of Melissa Joulwan, author of Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat, Well Fed 2: More Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat, Living Paleo For Dummies, and the blog The Clothes Make The Girl." Whew. Say that 10 times fast. I hope Melissa knows I'm joking. She has been very supportive (in my opinion) of my little blog through commenting and social network sharing and I really appreciate it. What I appreciate more is what great resources she provides both on her blog and in her books for those of us who are less creative in the kitchen. Thank you, Melissa.
The recipe in the book is for a pilaf, and I never make the full pilaf. The basic rice makes a great bed for almost any main dish and I often have the ingredients ready in my refrigerator and pantry to make it. The recipe as I've included it on the cheat sheet is AIP friendly. I blogged about it here. Here is the recipe edited down to just what you'll need for the basic rice.
Basic Cauliflower Rice from Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan
Basic Cauliflower Rice from Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan
Ingredients:
1 large head fresh cauliflower
1 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Break the cauliflower into florets, removing the stems. pulse the florets in the food processor bowl and pulse until the cauliflower looks like rice. This takes about 10-15 one second pulses. You may need to do this in two batches to avoid overcrowding (which leads to mush).
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add the onion and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
Push the onions to the side of the pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the riced cauliflower and sauté until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes. Try a bite, then season with salt and pepper.
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Again, if you've not made this rice before, do it first with this full recipe and then switch to the cheat sheet.
Mashed Cauliflower -The Paleo Review Style
When I originally compiled my list of recipes for these sheets, I had included one of my favorite paleo blogger's recipe for cauliflower mash, but realized when I actually looked at their recipe again, I really don't make mashed cauliflower using their recipe any longer. For the sheet, I've included a short hand version for how I make it. Here is the longer explanation. It is super simple.
Ingredients:
1 Head Cauliflower (1 Bag Frozen Cauliflower)
1/3 Cup Vegetable Broth
2 T Grass Fed Butter or Ghee
Spice Herb Blend of Choice to Taste (e.g., Sunny Paris, Herbamare, Paleo Powder)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Cut the cauliflower into florets. You can skip this step if you are using frozen cauliflower. I've used both and fresh is truly better, in my opinion.
2. Put the florets into a microwave safe dish with a lid. I use a silicone steamer insert, but you can put the cauliflower directly in the dish if you wish.
3. Add the vegetable broth to the dish, put the lid on, & place in the microwave.
4. Cook on high for 8 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft (this will depend on the wattage of your oven).
5. When the cauliflower is steamed, carefully remove it to a bowl big enough to use your immersion blender in leaving the broth in the cooking dish. Don't throw the broth away as you may need liquid to adjust the consistency of the mash later. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can mash the cauliflower in a regular jar blender (but be careful).
6. Add the butter to the bowl. I usually cut my butter into smaller pieces so it melts quickly.
7. Use your immersion blender to blend the cauliflower until it is as smooth as you like it.
8. Add the spice blend of your choice, if you choose, and/or salt and pepper to your taste and blend/or mix it in. If you think your mash is too tight, add a little of the reserved vegetable broth at a time until its the consistency you like (I've never actually felt the need to add any liquid back in).
9. Enjoy!
Awesome Xmas Brussels Sprouts
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| Awesome Xmas Brussels, Voracious Vander Carrots, and Paleo Pepin Chicken |
I've included my favorite roasted Brussels sprouts recipe on the cheat sheet as well. I'm sad to say I have no idea where I found this recipe. I printed it out years before starting the blog before I paid attention to where it came from. At some point I retyped it, so there are no identifying marks of any kind. If it looks familiar to anyone, please let me know and I'll give credit where credit is due. It's too good not to share. I make these for special dinners. On my printed recipe page I've handwritten the title Awesome Xmas Brussels.
Ingredients:
1 pound (or 1 pint) fresh Brussels sprouts
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar, divided
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (I use a garlic press.)
1/2 t sea salt, plus more for serving
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil.
3. Chop off the ends of the brussels sprouts and then cut in half.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 1 T of the Balsamic Vinegar, minced garlic, 1/2 t salt and the freshly ground pepper.
5. Drizzle the flavoring liquid over brussels sprouts and then toss to combine.
6. Spread the brussels sprouts over the baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until tender crisp.
7. Remove from the oven, transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with reserved tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with sea salt to taste.
8. Serve immediately.
A humble suggestion for a blank box.
There is one recipe on my personal side dish cheat sheet that I've not included on the published version as I could not get a hold of the author to get her blessing to use it. Do I believe legally that I need her permission (as I'm giving her full credit)? Nope (the law degree comes in handy sometimes), but out of respect for my fellow paleo bloggers, I'd prefer to have it. What is this dish that I think you should write in on your cheat sheet? It's the Best Way to Cook Zucchini and Carrots from Voracious Vander. I blogged about my experience making this recipe here. My favorite seasoning so far has been her suggestion of crushed red chili pepper, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. I tried to contact Voracious Vander in every way I could imagine and got no response from her about using this recipe. Sadness. I'm not taking it personally. I'm sure, if you are so inclined, you can create your own short hand and add it yourself.
And that's it! I hope y'all find The Paleo Review Quick & Easy Main Dish and Side Dish Cheat Sheets as helpful as I have found them lately. If you do, please share them with all of your social media connections! I worked hard on these, I'm proud of them, and would like them to reach as many people as possible.
So tell me, what recipes are you going to add to your blank boxes?
Click the thumbnails below to download the cheat sheets:
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| Side Dish Cheat Sheet |
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| Main Dish Cheat Sheet |
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| Side Dish Cheat Sheet (Blank) |
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| Main Dish Cheat Sheet (Blank) |
So tell me, what recipes are you going to add to your blank boxes?