Tuna Stuffed Mini Peppers

I found a paleo-friendly alternative to the American lunchbox staple that is the tuna salad sandwich: Tuna salad stuffed peppers! Having located a canned tuna that has only olive oil (no soybean or canola oil), I made a batch of tuna salad last week and stuffed it into the mini peppers that we had picked up at Sam's Club. The peppers worked very well as a tidy vehicle for transporting tasty tuna salad into one's mouth.

To make your own tuna salad, try making your own paleo mayonnaise - there's a nice tutorial over at The Clothes Make the Girl. Or, you could do the quick'n'dirty shortcut that I did last week - full fat sour cream (ingredient: cultured cream) mixed with a paleo-friendly salsa verde and some Bubbies relish (which has no sweeteners like sugar or corn syrups added) - all mixed with the tuna. Given the right occasion I would definitely serve these up as an appetizer!

Lunchbox #92

Today, my husband's packed lunch featured (clockwise):

• Leftover fried chicken thighs - these were battered with egg, then in a half/half mix of Tropical Traditions Organic Gluten Free Coconut Flour and Let's Do Organic Shredded, Unsweetened Coconut. I had also added some shredded parmesan cheese and seasonings (including salt) to the dry breading mix.
  
  After battering, I fried this batch of chicken thighs in a large pan with Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil on high heat, and then placed the fried thighs into the oven at 400F for around 40 minutes so that the chicken was cooked all the way through. Organic virgin coconut oil is one of your best bets for high heat frying and sauteeing because it is shelf stable and high in saturated fats. This means that the oil won't oxidize and become rancid by the time your meal hits the dinner table! Also, remember that saturated fat is not the enemy.
  
  
• Broccoli, sauteed in a mix of salted Kerrygold and Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, with garlic powder and ginger powder added, as well. I love this side veggie because the florets really soak up that delicious combo of oil and butter.
  
  
• A fresh peach. Yum!
  
  
• Mini-peppers, with the top and seeds cut out, filled with roasted red pepper hummus. This is a very tasty grain-free gluten-free way to enjoy hummus. I'm already contemplating serving them this way as a summer party appetizer.
  
  ~

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A Primal / Paleo Grain-Free Gluten-Free Birthday Party Menu (That Even NonPrimal NonPaleo Company Enjoyed!)



See notes on this cake and The Food Lovers' Primal Palate recipe link here.

We recently hosted a first birthday party for my youngest daughter. Definitely wasn't a low-carb party, but it was still grain-free and there were plenty of low-carb options. We even had a guest from out of town who also eats to manage insulin, and she and I commiserated a bit about our long-term dynamics with avoiding wheat and sugar because of how they affect us physiologically and psychologically - refreshing for me because sometimes, a face-to-face chat with another living breathing human who attests to similar experiences gives me renewed resolve. We even talked almond butter and I sent her home with a single serving packet of Justin's Classic Almond Butter.

Here's the scoop on what was on the menu when we celebrated:

Caprese Skewers: I dreamt these up (though I'm sure they've been "done" in multiple iterations before). They are terrific eye-candy on a spread for company because of the multicolor/multitexture appeal. Take one cherry tomato (I had both red and yellow cherry tomatoes), skewer on a toothpick, top with a thumbprint-sized piece of fresh basil and a chunk of fresh mozzarella.

Crustless Quiches: Pick your "elements". Could be sauteed onions and/or peppers, sausage, bacon, shredded or raw cheeses. (I did sausage, bacon, and cheese.) Grease 12 paper cupcake liners with spray olive oil. Place 1-2 tablespoons of elements in the bottom of cupcake liners. Mix 1 cup of dairy (my choice is heavy cream) with 6 eggs and seasonings of choice (I used 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. ground nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning mix). Pour egg/cream mix over elements in the cupcake liners. Bake for ~35 minutes at 350 F. Can be served chilled or at room temp.

Veggie Tray: Bought at Sam's. Carrots, cauliflower, baby peppers, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, ranch dip. Took out of container and put into fancier dishes. 'Nuff said.

Pistachios: Yum.

Almond-stuffed Dates: Exactly what they sound like. A quickly-assembled crowd-pleaser.

Individually-Wrapped Ghirardelli Chocolates, including Dark: Ditto to almond-stuffed dates.

A Dark Chocolate Fountain: Fuelled with Ghirardelli bittersweet and Enjoy Life semisweet (allergen-free) chips, pastured butter, and Nutiva coconut oil all melted together. For dipping:

• Clementines
• Honeydew Melon
• Strawberries
• Blackberries

Brussels Sprout Pops: Recipe here. Love these 'cause they're not heavily time-dependent because of slow-roasting in the oven. They are ready when you are!

Spiral-sliced Ham: Brought by my parents. Thanks, Mom & Dad! :)

And of course, the above pictured coconut flour based chocolate cake, courtesy of The Food Lovers' Primal Palate, along with some vanilla ice-cream. This cake garnered many compliments! (Thanks, Hayley and Bill!) I think many folks never even suspected that it didn't involve wheat. I made two of this recipe's double-layer cakes to feed our crowd of 23, but ended up with about three quarters of one cake left over. It is so rich and satisfying - even a small slice really hits the spot!

But, ack: We had forgotten about the shrimp cocktail tray that we had left to stay cool in the fridge! Oh, well. :)

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Brussels Sprout Pops

In my experience with nonprimal friends and family, even those who haven't warmed to Brussels sprouts in the past, one introduction to these babies and they'll be singing a different tune. Gone is the strong taste - the slow roasting makes them soft and mellow, crispy on the outside, and buttery and yielding on the inside. The toothpick convenience and nonprecision of the cooking time makes them a unexpectedly party-compatible appetizer.

Brussels Sprout Pops
Makes 20-30, depending on the size of your stalk

Ingredients:
1 stalk Brussels sprouts (or buy 20-30 in a container if that's how they're sold at your grocer)
Butter to coat (I used 4 tablespoons salted)
Generous dash garlic powder, to coat
Toothpicks

Directions:
Wash stalk of sprouts, and then snap sprouts off of stalk into a large bowl. Melt butter with garlic powder, and then pour it over the sprouts. Stir vigorously to ensure that the butter mix fully coats the sprouts. Spread sprouts in a shallow baking pan and roast at 400 degrees for at least an hour (an hour and a half is better), until dark and crispy on the outside and very tender in the middle. Stick one toothpick in each sprout and serve immediately.

 

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Bacon and Crab Stuffed Peppers, Courtesy of Life As A Plate

You may have noticed these cute baby peppers
in my daughter's lunch last week.
They were at Sam's Club and so compelling.

It dawned on me that they would be the perfect stand-in for mushrooms in AndreAnna's Bacon and Crab Stuffed Mushrooms, because my husband has a longstanding issue with the texture of mushrooms. I whipped up the filling and stuffed my peppers.

I even happened to have enough pork rinds around to crush and sprinkle before baking. They have a TON of flavor, and after 20 minutes the peppers are just cooked enough to be tender-crisp, yielding to the warm filling. Perfect texture! I love the colors in these - would definitely add some Southwestern seasonings and make'em for Cinco de Mayo. :) Thanks, AndreAnna, for the inspiration!