I’m excited to welcome Brent and Heather as guest bloggers! 

Brent and Heather are the adorable and talented couple behind Virginia is for hunter-gatherers, a paleo blog dedicated to health and wellness through home-cooked meals. I first discovered their blog last year when I peeked in on a burger party they threw with Russ Crandall. Now, that’s my kind of party.

After losing over 70 pounds collectively, Brent and Heather spend their free time cooking and blogging their real-food passion for the world.  People: Do yourselves a favor and sign up for weekly new recipes at vahuntergatherers.com or join them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Ever since that fateful day last November when I drooled over their inventive burger combinations, I’ve been hooked on their clean, unfussy styling and photography. Plus, their recipes are always simple and delicious. I’d be a dummy if I didn’t ask them to help me with a blog post and, thankfully, they agreed to write one. Without further ado, here’s Brent and Heather’s Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce!

Once upon a time, when Heather and I first started our own documented cooking adventures, we were pretty lost.  Still in the initial sticker shock/grief period of, “But what can I eat?,” we spent a lot of time scanning the internet looking for “paleo-friendly” recipes and meal ideas.  Michelle’s blog was one of the first I came across, as I was a pretty intense tumblr addict.  Once I moved to Virginia and was juggling two jobs, tumblr went away, but Nom Nom stayed.  I later found out the connection between fitbomb and nomnompaleo, and I was excited to see a pair that really thought about fitness and health when it comes to movement and diet.  Plus, there’s the added benefit of following the family adventures since I’m not quite ready to enlist my own little army of helpers.

Read more

Want to impress your pals with an elegant yet simple hors d’oeuvre? Look no further than these spicy salmon cucumber bites! If you’ve already got some cooked salmon and mayo in your fridge, you can whip these omega-3-fatty-acid-packed appetizers in a jiffy.

Here’s what to gather to make 16 bites:

• ¼ cup Paleo mayonnaise
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Tabasco
• ½ pound cooked salmon
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 English cucumber, peeled and cut crosswise into ¾-inch thick slices
• 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch chive sprigs (optional garnish)

Read more

• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into thirds
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 slices of fresh ginger, each approximately the size of a quarter
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons macadamia nut oil or fat of choice
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey (or ½ small apple, peeled, cored, and diced)
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 pounds chicken thighs

Read more

Poke a spoon through the delicate, quivering surface of these savory Japanese steamed egg custards, and you’ll find a treasure trove of ingredients inside: diced seafood, poultry, and veggies. With just a few adjustments, I’ve come up with a flavor-packed Paleo version of chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) that you can steam on the stove, bake in a water bath, or pop into a sous vide cooker.

Read more

Why look! Another guest blogger! This time it’s Neely Quinn, the pint-sized dynamo who runs The Paleo Plan!

Mel, Holly, and I  met Neely last fall when she attended our Do It Better! Paleo Seminar in Estes Park, Colorado. Not too long ago, she reached out to me and volunteered to guest post about making a super-simple two-ingredient dairy-free yogurt in the oven. That’s right: TWO INGREDIENTS. The technique was so novel and easy that I had to take her up on her offer. Teach us, Neely!

Luckily for me — but very unfortunately for her — my friend Cat Caruso has so many food sensitivities that she has to be creative in the kitchen.

Cat’s culinary accomplishments range from the most perfect coconut macaroons ever created, to a tender delectable crock-pot lamb roast, to coconut milk ice cream, and last but not least…coconut milk yogurt.

Obviously, her food sensitivities don’t extend to coconut.

Why had I not thought of coconut milk yogurt before!? Sometimes when she tells me what she’s just whimsically whipped up, I feel really stupid for not having done it before myself.

Not only is coconut milk yogurt a fantastic idea, it’s really delicious. It’s tangy, creamy, and satisfying like yogurt should be. One thing to note is there’s pretty much no protein in it, so you’ll have to get your grams somewhere else.

Read more

I’ve always been a film buff. Aside from the obituaries, my favorite part of the local paper was the movie section; starting in elementary school, I’d pore over the weekend reviews to decide which flicks were worth dragging my family to see. Ever the weirdo, I vetoed my older sister’s request to see Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal and cajoled my parents into taking us to see Tootsie instead. Sure, in December of 1982, the cross-dressing jokes flew right over my eight-year-old head, but who cares? The movie got two thumbs up from Siskel & Ebert, people.

Ironically, I watch fewer grown-up flicks now than I did when I was in second grade. These days, when Henry and I venture to the cineplex, it’s usually with the boys in tow, so we stick to family-friendly fare. And recently, as we settled into our seats to watch another kiddie flick, this trailer caught my eye:

Yowza — an animated film about a prehistoric cave-dwelling clan! “Think they eat Paleo?” I whispered excitedly. The Double-Os nodded. “I think they do CrossFit, too,” my five-year-old solemnly added.

I made a mental note: We were going to catch The Croods as soon as it hit theaters.

So when I was contacted by the movie studio a few weeks ago and asked to develop a recipe inspired by The Croods, it wasn’t hard for me to say yes. DreamWorks Animation requested something family-friendly, so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work creating a dish that’s simple, tasty, Paleo, and kid-approved: Smashed Steak Skewers with Cherry Barbecue Sauce.

Speared hunks of beef, flattened with a heavy object and grilled over an open fire. Sounds like caveman family fare to me, don’t you think?

Trust me: If Lil-O — the pickiest eater in our house — liked ‘em, your kids’ll gobble them up, too!

Wanna see the simple step-by-step instructions? They’re so easy even a caveman could do it!

Read more

When it comes to chocolate pots de crème, there’s no messing around. These dense little cups of smooth, dark chocolate don’t pretend to be delicate or airy, and you’ll never mistake them for bland-tasting instant pudding or low-fat chocolate mousse. With just one bite, you’ll taste the message loud and clear: These bittersweet pots de crème are intensely chocolatey, decadently full-fat, and proud of it.

I rarely indulge in sweets these days, but dark chocolate is my kryptonite — so when occasion calls for it, I’ll happily whip up a batch of dairy-free chocolate pots de crème. And my favorite ways to amp up the intensity of this special treat is with a touch of cinnamon, vanilla, and ancho chile powder — a flavor combination inspired by the rich, spicy kick of traditional Mexican hot chocolate.

This recipe is foolproof, provided you don’t rush things. Yes, I know it’s virtually impossible to exercise self-restraint when it comes to chocolate, but to ensure a silky-smooth ganache, staple these three tips to your forehead:

• Be patient when forming the base custard,
• Step away from the chocolate for a full five minutes while it’s melting, and
• Stir slooowly and deliberately when combining the melted chocolate and custard.

Trust me: you’ll be rewarded for your stoic Jedi ways.

Ready to learn how to make these little pots o’ joy?

Read more

Let’s give a warm welcome to my newest guest blogger, Lisa Broccoli of Swiss Paleo!

Not only does Lisa have the coolest surname EVAH, but she’s also a nurse and nutritional consultant who hails all the way from Switzerland! (Well, by way of Detroit and Denver.) I had the pleasure of getting to know Lisa and her husband Chris last summer in Massachusetts, when we dined together at The Sustainable Feast in the Barn. Henry and I spent hours chatting with this charming couple about their lives abroad. 

Seventeen years ago, Lisa and Chris relocated their young family from the Rockies to the Swiss Alps when Chris was offered a position in Europe. I was awestruck by their sense of adventure and willingness to dive into uncharted territory because — let’s face it — I’m a risk-averse homebody. After chatting with the Broccolis that night, Henry and I made a pact to hopscotch around the globe with the Double-Os…someday.

Who’s ready to learn how to make fresh Italian & chorizo sausage links with Lisa?

Read more

I’m excited to welcome my friend Russ Crandall to Nom Nom Paleo as a guest blogger! 

Russ is a Paleo-friendly home chef and blogger who writes under the name The Domestic Man. After suffering a number of medical hardships, he regained his health through changes in his diet in 2010. He offers a unique culinary approach in the Paleo world: The Domestic Man is less a place for new kitchen experiments and more a site dedicated to re-popularizing traditional heritage foods that are either already healthy or easily modified to meet his dietary parameters.

Russ’s culinary chops and clean, beautiful photography are a constant source of inspiration for me. If you’re not already a huge fan of The Domestic Man, it’s time to catch up: Go bookmark his site, like his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter!

So without further ado, here’s Russ with a lip-smacking recipe for Caldo de Langostinos!

First of all, I want to take a moment and say thanks to Michelle for letting me write a guest recipe. I’m a huge fan of her site and it’s a little nerve-wracking to think that one of my dishes is going to be on her page! For today’s post I thought I would do something unique by showcasing a criminally-underused seafood that I’ve recently fallen in love with.

Read more

A confession: I’m not much of a football fan. But this year, I vow to pay closer attention to the Super Bowl — mostly ‘cause the Niners are in it.

I was a kid during the San Francisco 49ers’ heyday in the 1980s, and watched football on TV every Sunday (and Monday night) with my dad and my grandpa. We’d cheer on Joe Montana (who lived nearby) as he lofted perfect spirals to Dwight Clark, Roger Craig, Jerry Rice. Our family rooted for the home team in each of their five Super Bowl victories — and why not? I mean, who could possibly root against players who recorded songs like this?

(I’ll admit it: I bought the cassingle of this song at the supermarket. But I wasn’t the only one, as evidenced by the fact that Henry started serenading aurally assaulting me with this song yesterday. HE STILL REMEMBERS ALL THE LYRICS.)

These days, football’s not exactly top-of-mind. I have a hard time distinguishing between Jim and John Harbaugh, and Ray Lewis’s dancing skills are more interesting to me than his linebacking skills. Henry’s forever rolling his eyes at my lack of pigskin knowledge. Sue me: I don’t know (or care) what a pistol formation is, or when it makes sense to attempt an onside kick. If you start jabbering about a “pick-6,” I’ll assume you’re referring to lottery tickets.

But without fail, at the end of every January:

• I read up on the human-interest stories about the players’ personal lives (because SOMEONE has to care that Colin Kaepernick likes to Instagram his food before he eats it);
• I enter the Super Bowl office hospital pool (which I’ve actually won a couple of times, thankyouverymuch); and
• If I’m not scheduled to be at work, I plan and host a Super Bowl party.

During the shindig, I typically keep an eye on the score, and occasionally ask questions that expose my ignorance of the game. But mostly, I’ll chat with friends, pick apart the million-dollar commercials and the halftime show extravaganza, and eat.

You see, football is only a small part of the equation for me. I’m really there to kick back with a bowl of (Paleo) chips, some sliders, and a whole mess ‘o chicken wings.

Specifically: Chile Lime Chicken Wings.

This recipe’s new to this blog, so keep reading for the details!

Read more