This stuff is so addicting, maybe more so than potato chips or popcorn. I used a simple cookie sheet without parchment paper and seasoned it with organic garlic powder, pepper and a little sea salt. I used an olive oil spritzer to spray it on evenly. I also turned the kale about every 5 minutes until crispy. (You can buy washed, packaged kale at sunflower market in a 1 pound bag.

Here’s Kristen’s Primal Energy Bar recipe…

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup almond butter (although cashew, hazelnut, walnut and even pumpkin butters will work well too!)
1/4 cup coconut oil (check your local health food store)

1/4 cup almond meal (simply pulse approximately 1/4 cup of almonds until it creates a coarse flour)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of raw honey (although, this is really kind of optional because the egg will help hold the mixture together)
1/2 cup unsweetened whey protein powder (or 60g)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries or blueberries
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut to sprinkle on top

Method:

1. On a cookie sheet, toast nuts and shredded coconut until golden brown. In order for them to cook evenly, you need to shake up the tray at least once during cooking…trust us!
2. Once toasted, pour mixture into a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped and the mixture becomes coarsely ground (sort of the consistency of bread crumbs).
3. In a mixing bowl, melt coconut oil and almond butter (about 30 seconds). Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.
4. Add vanilla extract, honey and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.
5. Fold in nut mixture, almond meal and protein powder until mixed thoroughly.
6. Add whole egg and mix thoroughly.
7. Fold in blueberries/cranberries.
8. Press mixture into an 8 by 8 loaf pan (a modification that we made to keep everything crisper and help the bars to hold together).
9. Cook in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

10.  Remove from oven, sprinkle a ¼ cup of shredded coconut on top and place under broiler until top begins to brown.

11.  Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces/bars.

12.  Enjoy or stack on wax paper/parchment and store in an airtight container.

Note: You can also add dark chocolate chips instead of the cranberries/blueberries (available at Whole Foods or health food store). If you add the chips while the mixing bowl is warm (from the coconut oil/almond butter mixture), they will melt into the mixture and you will have yourself a chocolate primal bar. Alternatively, you can just let the mix cool, then add the chips, then refrigerate the pan to get chocolate chip primal bars. The bars stick together pretty well without being cooked.

Courtesy Of Marks Daily Apple

Zesty Lemon-Lime Seafood Salad with Homemade Salsa

For most people, the word “salad” brings to mind a simple bowl of lettuce drizzled in dressing. As we suspected, however, you all are not most people. The dozens of salad recipes pouring in for the Primal Blueprint Cookbook Contest have proven you’re a bold bunch when it comes to salad-making and your creative combinations have been inspiring and mouth-watering.

This open-minded approach to salad is exactly what we loved about Michelle DeLorenzo’s Lemon-Lime Seafood Salad.  She made seafood the star, bedded it on a layer of dark greens and avocado and got rid of dressing entirely in favor of a zesty salsa.

Michelle admits this is her favorite salad not only because it’s a flavorful protein boost, but also because she loves making people at work jealous with her salad creations. “It encourages them to make salads for lunch themselves,” she explains, “instead of hitting the truly frightening cafeteria.”

The seafood in Michelle’s salad has a fresh, light flavor from lemon and herbs, and a spicy kick from red pepper flakes and Tabasco. Sort of like ceviche, except for the seafood is fully cooked. The easiest cooking method for the shrimp and scallops in the salad is a quick sauté in oil or butter. As for the crab, fresh, cooked crabmeat can be bought at the seafood counter and is the most flavorful, but also the most expensive. Pasteurized, canned crab meat is usually less expensive, but some brands have a flavor that is a little fishy. Just make sure you don’t use imitation crab, which really isn’t crab at all.

The salsa Michelle uses as a dressing is a straightforward blend of tomato, garlic, onion and cilantro, but roasting the tomatoes beforehand gives the salsa a richer flavor than simply using raw tomatoes. Roasting is also a good way to coax flavor out of tomatoes that aren’t quite in season yet.

The seafood combination in this salad tastes decadent but not heavy, the salsa is fresh and lively, and a garnish of creamy avocado sends the flavor combination right over the top. Luckily, Michelle’s recipe serves four, so you just might have enough to share with those jealous co-workers…

Servings: 4

Salad Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound cooked lump crabmeat (or lobster meat)
• 1/2 pound cooked shrimp
• 1/2 pound cooked sea scallops
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• Tabasco sauce, to taste
• Salt to taste
• 2 avocados
• Your favorite greens

Salsa Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped roasted tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Salt to taste
• To spice it up, add hot sauce or finely chopped jalapeno to taste

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, combine seafood, tarragon, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and Tabasco sauce and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Combine all the salsa ingredients. For a chunky salsa, stir the ingredients in a bowl. For a smooth salsa, blend in the blender. Letting the salsa sit for awhile helps the flavors blend.

**The salsa can be made with raw tomatoes, but if you’d like to roast them for more flavor start by preheating the oven to 375-400 degrees. Slice each tomato in half and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for at least1 hour, until tomatoes are soft. Longer roasting evaporates some of the moisture and intensifies the flavor.

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and gently scoop the meat out of the shells keeping the shape intact. Slice each avocado half into thin slices.

Place your greens of choice in four bowls and top with 1/4 of the seafood mixture, 1/4 of the salsa and fan the avocado slices on top. Delicious!

3 of the most common challenges/questions people voice about the Paleo Diet include:
- But what can I eat for breakfast
- Good food is too expensive
- It takes too much time to prepare

Well, here is an absolutely delicious idea that is perfect for breakfast, took less than 2 minutes to prepare and cost probably less than a dollar. For those of you who feel helpless without your cold cereal, this may be a perfect alternative.

Ingredients include cold spaghetti squash, fresh blueberries, fresh shredded coconut and almond butter.

Simply put the spaghetti squash in a bowl, mix in some blueberries, coconut and almond butter (other nut butters, whole nuts work work well too…use your imagination).

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sushi-with-a-twist/

Sushi with a Twist

While most people eat sushi for a meal, we think it also makes a great snack. Bite-sized portions packed with protein and veggies, rolled up in one of the most nutrient-rich foods around, seaweed. What could be a better between-meal snack than that?

We know what you’re thinking…what about the rice? Well, what about it? Rice isn’t known for its bold flavor. When you taste sushi without rice you’re going to find that the sushi doesn’t taste much different. Rice, however, is great filler and glue, which is the main reason it’s used in sushi rolls. Sushi rolls without rice don’t always hold together quite as well, but there are a few solutions for this. One is to use a sushi mat and take care to roll the sushi slowly and tightly. Two, add something besides rice as filler, like egg. Whisk one egg, fry it into a thin circle, and use it as the first layer in your roll. Third, and probably most importantly, get over the idea that pieces of sushi must be perfectly round, perfectly secure little bundles. Even if the sushi roll is a little loose, it tastes just the same.

Reader Marissa Davidson makes rice-less sushi as a snack all the time, and then she puts yet another twist on the recipe by using thinly sliced roast beef instead of raw fish. The rich flavor of beef paired with the nori seaweed creates that elusive and thrilling flavor combination known as umami. For the same affect, you can also try thin slices of seared flank steak. Raw fish, of course, is always an option as long as your seafood is fresh.

As for other fillings, use any vegetables you like. Avocado, cucumber and carrot are most typical, but consider greens like watercress or spinach to add flavor and nutrients. Take Marissa’s lead and be creative – and let us know what you come up with!

Ingredients:

• Sheets of nori seaweed
• 1/4 lb (or more) of favorite sliced meat or fish
• Avocado
• Thinly sliced cucumbers
• Thinly sliced carrots
• Any other veggies of choice

Instructions:

Lay the nori shiny side down on a sushi mat. Place sliced meat on top of the nori. (If you’re using an egg, lay it down first).

Spread avocado over meat in a thin layer or lay slices lengthwise about an inch from the bottom of the nori. Add a small pile of thinly sliced veggies at the bottom of the nori, too.

Fold the front edge of the nori over the toppings. After each fold, squeeze the roll to secure it tightly. Slice the roll into bite-sized pieces.