Orange & star-anise poached pears

Pears are a awesome fruit to cook with. Once peeled there soft flesh absorbs and soaks in any herbs, spices and any other liquids you may use. They are available all year around too. I feel too that the humble pear is pushed aside for the more main stream fruits like your granny smith's, bananas and stone fruits, which make them a tad cheaper.

So what were going to do is cheat here and use orange juice to poach our pears because using a sugar syrup to poach isn't very Paleo friendly.

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 pears, any variety.
• 1 litre of orange juice, fresh orange juice that you can buy from a real green grocer or market. Use packet stuff only if you can't find anything else, go for the organic stuff as they have less preservatives . Or make you're own.
• 1 Cinnamon stick, or 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder.
• 2 pieces of Star -anise.
• 2 cloves or cardamon.(optional)
• Juice from 2 lemons. Take the rind off first with a zester to add taste.

Method:

• Peel you're pears and place in a pot with the orange juice and all other ingredients.
• Bring to a light simmer and then turn down to lowest setting on your stove.
• Cover and poach for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour grab a small sharp knife and poke the pears. If it goes in easy and all the way to the core, there done.
• Place in the fridge with some of the liquid on top.
• Keep the remaining liquid in the pot and bring it to the boil. Then turn down to a simmer to make a strong, sweet, sticky sauce.

You can eat the pears, cold, warm or however you like. Roast off some macadamias as i find they go really well with anything citrus and enjoy.


Makes: 2 to 3 serves.


Prep/cook time: 1 hour


Notes:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free

Oh and just quickly if you are going to make a sugar syrup to poach fruit, the ratio is always 1:1. So 100 grams of sugar to 100 millilitres of water.

Joe's Almost Paleo Mini-muffins

Okay, alright, we admit it, these bad boys are not Paleo. Every now and then we are going to present some ideas that push the boundaries a little. Think of these as a better way to fall off the wagon. We're not suggesting you go mental on this kind of stuff. We do however want to present you with a way of having something sweet without exposing yourself to all the nasties out there.

Ingredients:

• Blanched or raw almond meal, 300grams (approx.)
• Eggs yolk, 2 (keep whites for an omelette)
• Coconut milk, roughly 100ml (enough to make consistency thick like batter)
• Cinnamon powder, 1 teaspoon
• Blueberries or diced fruit of you choice (1/2 cup)
• Spray oil (EVOO)

Method:

• First pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
• Weigh ingredients
• Grab a large bowl and combine all dry ingredients therein
• Separate eggs and add to dry mix along with coconut milk
• Combine with a wooden spoon and then add fruit
• Spray tins and spoon in the mixture, keeping in mind almond meal doesn't rise like flour so add mixture to top. 
• Bake for roughly 15 mins.
• Grab a skewer and poke into the middle of muffin, if it comes out clean, muffins are ready. Easy as.
• Double or triple the recipe and buy 2 extra tins to make a large batch at the start of the week. They freeze up fairly well

Makes: 12-15 (approx.)

Prep/cook time: 30 minutes

Notes:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free

Paleo? Er, what's that then?

When we say "Paleo", we're talking about the way of eating that is often referred to as The Paleo Diet, The Ancestral Diet, The Caveman Diet and a few others. They are all variations on the same concept. And to be truthful it's not a diet, it's lifestyle choice that ensures you eat what you are designed to eat.

Paleo eating and living is not a fad. It's not a quick fix (although rapid weight loss is possible). The Paleo Diet is a way of getting your metabolism, body composition and overall health back on track, and keep it there.

"Paleo" is used to name the concept because our genetic makeup hasn't changed since paleolithic times; unfortunately our diet has changed significantly -- and not for the better.

In a nutshell, The Paleo Diet suggests you eat meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruit. It excludes processed foods, sugar, starchy vegetables, legumes, dairy and grains thereby removing just about everything that causes inflammation, irritation and illness.

The diet is perfect for diabetics, coeliacs, those suffering inflammatory illness and autoimmune disease, and everyone else too. Seriously, this is how you should be eating.

Why is it so good? It's gluten-free, dairy-free, preservative-free, additive-free. It's high in nutrients. It's fresh. It's natural. And it tastes good.

Get the good oil here:

• Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution
• Mark's Daily Apple
• Primal Body, Primal Mind
• Dr Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet
• The Whole 9