A quick, easy dessert. Paleo-style

Apples stewed in coconut cream

It doesn't get any easier or tastier than this. Ready? Go:

• Grab 4 Granny Smith apples, peel and roughly dice.
• Open a can on high quality coconut cream.
• Put the apples and cream in a saucepan.
• Simmer until apples are very soft.
• Remove from heat.
• Mash together.
• Pour mixture into a bowl.
• Place in fridge to set (takes about 60 minutes).
• Devour.

Leftovers curry

A couple of nights back I bought two huge rib eye steaks. I cooked the suckers on the BBQ. Nice. Alas, there was just too much meat for my wife and I. We had to leave some for later.

But, fear not, the steak didn't go to the dogs. I ended up whacking together a tasty beef curry with very little effort for lunch the next day.

Now, truth be told I may have stretched the Whole 30 rules just a little but bear with me. I think I've done okay. You see I did use a curry paste that I didn't make myself. However, I intently studied the ingredients and it would have been no different to what I'd use at home.

The ingredients:

• leftover steak, sliced
• eggplant, 1/2, diced
• zucchini, diced
• coconut cream
• water
• massaman curry paste

All I did was mix the curry paste, coconut cream and a splash of water in a wok until combined then whack in the steak and veg and simmer for 30 minutes.

More about the curry paste: I used Valcom Massaman Curry Paste. Check it out at your local supermarket. It's good stuff and not full of crap.

Portuguese-style BBQ chicken

My darling wife, Erica, made prepared a cracking main last night. All I had to do was whack it on the BBQ. She got the recipe from Australian Women's Weekly. I know, amazing, some decent content in that rag!

Here's what you need:

• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1kg of chicken (we used breast but thigh would be good too)
• olive oil

The method is easy:

• Mix the powdered ingredients in a plastic bag
• Slice the chicken evenly
• Throw the chicken in the bag and coat it evenly
• Cook on the BBQ (I sealed it on the plate then grilled it for a little more flavour)

We ate it with a salad. Lots of avocado as the chook was a tad spicy.

Note: you could remove the salt if you really wanted to.

Ocean trout with spinach puree and dutch carrots

Ok, so I love fish recipes, especially now summer is coming up and I guess most people associate fish with summer. Like hearty meat dishes on those long rainy days in winter. Ocean trout is so tasty and some might say its exactly like salmon, but the taste is more salty and theres more fat I feel in the flesh. You can always tell a ocean trout apart from a piece of salmon by on the skin side theres a red line that runs through the middle. I learnt this recipe along time ago, it can be pretty quick if your setup and organised shouldn't take to long at all.

Ingredients:

• Ocean trout, roughly 150 to 180 gram portions.
• Spinach, a big bags worth around the same size as a plastic shopping bag(dont worry once we blanch it in hot water it will loose most of its size)
• 1 Bunch of contiental parsely.
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Dutch carrots.
• Macadamia oil.
• Blender or vitamiser.

Method:

• So to speed up things boil some water, roughly 1 litre. 
• While the water is boiling heat a skillet or frying pan and get it hot. 
• Cook fish flesh side down once oil is just smoking in the pan. 
• Turn down temp of the hot plate and let the fish simmer, or place in the oven. 
• Place boiling water in a large pot and turn it the temp up high on the stove so it keeps boiling.
• Place all the spinach, parsely and garlic in the pot and blanch for no more than 30 seconds to 1 minute, get some tongs or a big slotted spoon and take out spinach and let it strain and cool in the sink.
• KEEP the water to blanch the carrots and throw them in now. 
• Squeeze a little excess water out of the spinach mix and place in the blender. This is important, always put a tea towel over the top of the blender in case the top flys off and hot spinach mix goes everywhere. (It happens daily in most commercial kitchens) . 
• Ok blend mix with a little oil to get consistency. 
• Season mix and place on the plate, next the dutch carrots which should be ready by now and then the fish. 
• Its also important to cook fish no more, depending on the size for no longer than 6-7 minutes. If you see white gooey bits coming out the sides thats good tasty protein fat that also indicates your overcooking it. Most fish can be a little bit under cooked anyway.

So that's it.
Dried wakame seaweed goes really well as garnish on top to add a little more taste and texture.

Makes: 2 to 3 serves

Prep/cook time: 20 to 30 minutes


Notes: 

• Gluten free
• Dairy free

General cooking and also travelling cooking tips to follow this week. Stay tuned.

Barramundi with garlic, ginger and Asian greens

Okay, ladies and cavemen. Joe has come up with a cracker this time.

Joe says, "Simple tasty and quick. Steamed Asian fish kicks butt too."

Ingredients:

• Barramundi, 150g fillet
• Gai Lan, Bok Choy, Choy Sum (2 bunches of any of these)
• Light sesame oil, 100ml
• Garlic, 1 clove
• Ginger, 1 knob 
• Macadamia nuts to garnish 

Method:

• Using a pot with a strainer attachment on top boil roughly 1 ltr  of water and cover to speed up boiling process (or boil the kettle).
• Grab some grease proof paper and cut out a square for the fish to sit on.
• Peel ginger and place into a pot with the garlic and the sesame oil, bring to boil and set aside to let infuse. 
• Once water is boiling place fish atop of strainer attachment and cover once again.
• Steam for no longer than 4 minutes, after fish is steamed set aside and throw the greens into the water to blanch for 1 minute, take out strain.
• Place greens on the plate, then the fish and sauce, garnish with crushed macadamias

Prep/Cook time: < 25 min

Serves: 1

Notes:

• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• Egg-free
• Nightshades-free