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.

Eating well at Christmas get-togethers

I had my second family Christmas gathering today. It's the first year I've been completely gluten-free so it was interesting to see what a difference it made.

The first and most obvious change was that I didn't drink any beer. Today, I had a few very small glasses of Pinot Noir. I honestly don't miss drinking beer. Wine doesn't bloat me and I don't have to urinate nearly as often. Both positives.

The pre-meal snacks were a bit more difficult to negotiate. There was a lot of cracker and dip action. I steered well clear. I did partake in a few kettle chips, I must confess.

The main meal was a cracker (no pun intended). Ham, turkey, chicken and a full array of salads. I decided that to go strict Paleo today was a tad crazy but I did make good choices anyhow. I avoided the bread rolls and the pasta salad (which looked amazing). I did take one risk: the chicken stuffing looked suspiciously bready. I did my best to avoid it but probably got some cross-contamination. All in all, I could have eaten completely Paleo and GF without much trouble.

Dessert. A problem. The Christmas Pudding was out of the question. Egad! The horror. Alas, my mother came to the rescue with a gluten-free fruit cake which I topped with hard sauce and custard. Oh, the decadence.

So, it can be done. One can get through a Christmas feast without falling completely off the rails and eating crap.

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