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Marinated Kale Salad and A BIG Announcement

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paleo kale salad

Marinated Kale Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette | @paleospirit

Happy New Year! I’m baaaaack.

After a long hiatus from posting here at Paleo Spirit, I’m back with my favorite kale salad of all time and a big announcement.

But before getting to all that I’d like to explain why I’ve been gone for SO long. This past year has been super busy. I was working full-time in a job that included a two-hour per day commute. That alone did not leave a lot of time for blog posting. Fortunately, I have switched to a new position that allows me to work from home much of the time which is great because I see a lot more of my boys these days and life, while still busy, is much less stressful. But the biggest reason I have not been posting is that for the past year I have been working on a cookbook!

Sweet Paleo Cookbook

“Sweet Paleo” will be out on March 2, 2015 (less than two months!) and it’s available now for pre-order. Based on the current orders and the value packed inside, the price is likely to go up prior to final printing. But if you order now you are guaranteed to lock in the current price even if the price goes up later.

Description of Sweet Paleo: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Delights

Whether you are gluten-free, living the Paleo or Primal lifestyle, or simply love gourmet-quality food, in Sweet Paleo you will discover delectable breakfast and dessert recipes made with nutrient-dense ingredients. From simple creations like Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pancakes to sophisticated offerings such as dairy-free Crème Brûlée or a perfect grain- and dairy-free Tiramisu’, the wide range of sweet delights in this book is sure to satisfy your cravings no matter the occasion or your dietary requirements. Sweet Paleo, with more than 90 recipes accompanied by gorgeous, full-page, color photography, will guide you through the use of grain-free flours, dairy-free alternatives, and unrefined sweeteners so that you will soon be making these fabulous treats in your own kitchen.

Here’s what you will find inside:

  • Over 90 recipes – all free of gluten, grains, legumes and refined sugars
  • Most recipes are dairy-free or have dairy-free options
  • Plenty of egg-free and nut-free choices
  • Recipes high in protein and good fats
  • Mix-and-match options for dozens of possible combinations
  • Overview of Paleo basics
  • Grain-free cooking and baking guide
  • Detailed key ingredient descriptions
  • Substitutions, tips and tutorials
  • Full-page color photographs throughout

I will provide more details in my next post but hopefully that gives you an idea of what I’ve been up to.

In the meantime…..back to the Marinated Kale Salad

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Pan-Fried Shishito Peppers: Paleo Appetizer Recipe

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shishito peppers recipe paleo

shishito peppers recipe paleo

This post and recipe for Pan-Fried Shishito Peppers is by my husband G who was inspired by a young farmer at our local CSA to turn the pepper bounty from Saturday’s pick-up into a tasty appetizer. Take it away G!

What comes to mind when you hear the word “pepper”? Other than “salt,” I mean.

For some of us, it might conjure up sensations like hot, spicy, or burning. For others, it may be colors like the vibrant red of a shiny bell pepper, the brilliant green of a jalapeño, or the fiery orange of a habanero. Still others may be reminded of a country, like Mexico, the appropriately named Chile, or even…Japan?

shishito peppers paleo appetizer

That’s right – Japan! Land of sushi, sashimi, New York Yankee’s outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, the world’s coolest electronic gadgets, Godzilla, books that are read from right-to-left, and the tasty Shishito pepper.

shishito peppers paleo appetizer

We found some Shishitos at our local CSA farm (along with all sorts of fresh and beautiful produce), and filled our weekly basket with 9-10 peppers. One of the farmers said the shishito peppers are delicious when sauteéd in olive oil and salted to taste, so that’s what we did, with minor modifications.

Paleo Spirit | Paleo Appetizer

Instead of using only olive oil, we added equal amounts of leaf lard -the highest grade of lard from the visceral – or “soft” – fat from around the kidneys and loin of the pig. It lacks any real pork or meaty flavor, making it an excellent neutral-flavored cooking fat with a high smoking point. Leaf lard is particularly prized by bakers for use in producing moist, flaky pie crusts.( We used leaf lard it in this recipe because we had it on hand. But you could use regular lard given the savory flavor of the dish.)

leaf lard

We purchased the lard a few weeks back at Red Apron Butchery during the book release party for the cookbook Beyond Bacon.

Pan-Fried Shishito Peppers

Here’s how I made this amazing paleo appetizer recipe:

To make the pan-fried shishito peppers, first, I heated some of the lard along with some olive oil (for flavor) in a cast iron skillet until hot. Next, I also added the peppers and fried them for about 10 minutes, adding in some minced garlic in the last minute, then sprinkling the finished peppers with fresh lemon juice and sea salt. The result was the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and spicy – enough to please most any palate.

Getting back to the original question, when I hear the word “pepper,” I instantly think back to memories of my Dad watching football on a Sunday afternoon with a plate of jalapeño peppers and sliced cheese. He’d eat the jalapeños whole, turn beet red, and sweat like a madman. It looked painful, but he said he enjoyed it. Funny, but he often complained of heartburn…I wonder if there was a connection?

Fried Shishito Peppers | Paleo Appetizer Recipe

Pan-Fried Shishito Peppers Recipe

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Comic Con & Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia

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This past Saturday we took a little family jaunt down to Philadelphia for the Wizard World Comic Convention (Comic Con). One of my acquaintances congratulated me on being a “great mom” for taking my kids to Comic Con.

Wonder Woman wannabe and the boys with their new Tribbles. Remember those?!

As much as I would love to take responsibility and adopt that particular moniker, I have to admit this trip was instigated by my husband G – a major “fan boy”. (Sorry, G, that’s the official term for you guys) G has been collecting action figures and reading comics practically his entire life. He knows more about it than anyone I know and has a passion for the artwork and the stories. He’s even been known to write some of his own. We have attended several Comic Conventions in New York City over the years but this is the first time we attended the one in Philly.

There was not much about Comic Con that is relevant to the Paleo lifestyle – Well, except the fact there were so many attendees who would probably look and feel a whole lot better if they went Primal. But I simply cannot resist sharing some of the photos of the costumed people. Some of them went all out and we were truly impressed with the creativity and passion. Sure, there were some goofballs but even the outlandish people were entertaining. It was a lot of fun. I bought a Wonder Woman t-shirt and I might admit, if pressed, to buying some Wonder Woman knee-socks (with capes).

Truth be told, Comic Con is far more for adults than for kids. Just check out some of the costumed attendees!

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Paleo at Penzey’s

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It was a cold autumn evening and I was on my way to a Christmas concert in a nearby town when I spied a brand-spanking-new Penzey’s store. Had it not been for a slew of paleo food blogs I have seen referencing Penzey’s, the significance might have been utterly lost on me. But I knew immediately I would be making the trek back the following day to check it out up close and personal. In fact, I even managed to convince G to come along which meant we dragged our two boys as well.

Penzey’s is the top on-line seller of over 250 herbs, spices and seasoning blends from around the world. They have also branched out with several retail stores. Ordinarily when I see a recipe that contains a spice mix ingredient I just move on to something else. It has always seemed a bit presumptuous on the part of the person creating the recipe that we readers would necessarily have that particular spice mix on hand. Not only that, but while my kitchen cabinets are filled with a fairly respectable assortment of herbs and spices, I have never been big on spice mixes. So many of them have salt or sugar or MSG or the confounding “natural flavors” or all of the above that I was simply not interested. But after seeing Penzey’s referenced so many times I figured it would be worthwhile to investigate and I’m glad I did.

Penzey's bumper sticker

While ordering spices online is a perfectly reasonable thing to do – especially if you do not have access to a Penzey’s retail store – there is just something wonderful and sensual about being able to see and smell the offerings before making a selection. The Penzey’s store we visited was warm and inviting with a peaceful ambience and a friendly staff. The spices were well organized and most, if not all, of them were available to smell. There was even a small area for children to sit where they could draw pictures to be displayed on the store walls. While the boys were safely ensconced in the art area, G and I proceeded to sniff almost every herb, spice and mix in the store. A few more than once.

Here is what we brought home with us.

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Paleo and the City: Lululemon and The Central Park Zoo

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Over the summer I took my boys into New York City a few times. It was the first summer since going paleo so our jaunts included efforts to find paleo eats wherever we went. We were fairly successful. You can find most anything in New York so it stands to reason one could find plenty of paleo-friendly food. Afterall, paleo means eating meat, vegetables, some fruit and nuts and good fats – not really that hard. Of course, New York has its share of food temptations. We had to avoid the street vendors with dessert crêpes and falafel. We did not indulge in black & white cookies and cannoli. And we stayed away from Italian restaurants – with one exception, Mario Batali’s La Lupa. That was tough because, let me tell you, there are REALLY good Italian restaurants in New York City. Sigh.

Lululemon Athletica

I lugged my camera every time we went in and managed to get some fun shots. You can see a few of them in a previous post about our trip to Madison Square Park – Paleo and the City: Madison Square Park. That particular trip was during a week when my oldest son, Big Boy, was away at church camp and Sweet Pea and I were on our own. We took a second trip into “The City” that same week which included a stop at Lululemon Athletica (quite the yoga-wear Mecca). My husband G has gotten into yoga over the last year. He enjoys practicing when he has the time and appreciates the multiple benefits. Lululemon has a fantastic men’s line of yoga clothing. But even though G is quite comfortable in his manhood he simply cannot abide the name. He can’t bring himself to buy clothes from a store with “lulu” in the name. Maybe if they changed it to “Stevestevelemon” or “BobBoblemon” or simply “Lulemon”?? Next time I shop there I may buy him something but disguise it to look like it came from a more manly sounding athletic store. In spite of the unusual name, Lululemon sells terrific products. Everything I have purchased there has been great quality and has worn and washed well. The yoga top you see in the photo below came from Lululemon. Come to think of it, so did the hat.20111027-044307.jpg

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