Summer Paleo Series pt.1

This will be the first in a series of weekly posts throughout the Summer.  Each week we will offering five Summer-time paleo-friendly recipes.  Most of these will take advantage of the best part of nice weather - grilling!  Crank up the grill and enjoy!


Grilled Chicken with Board Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 dried guajillo or New Mexico chile or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 1/4 cup olive oil plus more for grill
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 4-pound chicken, halved, backbone removed
• Lime wedges (for serving)

Instructions:

• If using whole chile, toast in a dry skillet, turning often, until slightly puffed and darkened, about 4 minutes. (Do not toast red pepper flakes.) Discard stem and seeds. Finely chop chile and transfer to a small bowl. Stir in cilantro, oregano, lime zest, and 1/4 cup oil; season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Prepare grill for medium indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on 1 side of grill; for a gas grill, leave 1 burner turned off). Brush grill rack with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, on grill. Grill chicken, turning occasionally, until skin is crisp and browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°, 10–15 minutes per side (move chicken to cooler part of grill if it's cooking too quickly). About 5 minutes before chicken is done, baste with some of dressing.
• Pour remaining dressing onto a carving board (or platter, if you don't have a large board) and place chicken, skin side up, on top. Let sit at least 10 minutes to rest and absorb flavor from dressing before carving. Drizzle chicken with some dressing from board and serve with limes.

Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Cherry and Chile Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 small pork tenderloins, aiming for about 2 pounds
• 1/2 pound fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted, halved
• 1 fresh Fresno chile, red jalapeño, or Holland chile, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 Instructions:

• Prepare a grill to medium-high heat. Combine half of the cilantro and shallots, 4 tablespoons of the lime juice, and the vegetable oil in a resealable plastic bag with the pork. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes, turning occasionally.
  
• In the meantime, in a medium bowl combine remaining cilantro, shallots, and lime juice with the remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper and allow to sit while pork marinates to develop the flavors.
• Remove pork from marinade, season well with salt and pepper, and grill, turning often, until the outside has developed a nice crust an interior is 145 degrees (or to desired doneness). Let rest 10 minutes, slice, and serve with salsa.

Honey Grilled Watermellon

Ingredients:

• 2 large, round watermelon slices, each cut into 4 triangles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered
• 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella, cut in half or sliced
• a bunch of fresh basil leaves
• balsamic glaze for drizzling

 Instructions:

• Preheat your grill to medium heat. Brush both sides of each watermelon triangle with olive oil and season all sides with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of honey over each triangle and place them on the grill, grilling each side for about 2 minutes. Remove and add a little more honey if desired.
• Assemble salads by placing 2 watermelon triangles on each plate, then cover with a sprinkle of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves. Add some salt and pepper on top, then drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Strawberry Cobb Salad with Strawberry Bacon Vinaigrette  

Ingredients (salad):

• 8 cups mixed greens (I used romaine and baby spring mix)
• 6 eggs
• 8 slices bacon
• 4 ounces crumbled blue or gorgonzola cheese
• Sliced honey roasted almonds (I used store bought)
• ½ a red onion, diced

Ingredients (dressing):

• ¼ cup reserved bacon grease
• ¼ cup strawberry puree
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Pinch sugar (optional)

Instructions (salad):

• To hard boil the eggs, place them in a fairly deep sauce pan and cover them with at least an inch or two of cold water. Place them on the burner over high heat. Bring them to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove the saucepan, cover, and set the timer for 12 minutes. At 12 minutes, remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and dunk them in a bowl of ice water. Peel after the eggs have cooled completely.
• Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Reserve drippings.

Instructions (dressing):

• Whisk together the ¼ cup reserved bacon grease and remaining ingredients. Depending on the sweetness of your strawberries, you may need more or less sugar.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients (filling):

• 2 cups rhubarb, diced
• 2 cups strawberries, diced
• zest from one orange (or lemon)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 5 Tablespoons honey
• a pinch of salt
• 1½ Tablespoons arrowroot powder*

Ingredients (crumbles):

• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¾ cups almond flour
• 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup honey
• 4 Tablespoons coconut oil

  Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the strawberries and rhubarb in a large mixing bowl with the orange zest, lemon juice, honey, salt, and arrowroot powder and mix well.
• Mix the pecans, flours, cinnamon, salt and honey together in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in the coconut oil with your hands or a pastry cutter until the mixture begins to form crumbs.
• Grease an oven proof casserole or skillet and spoon in the fruit filling. Crumble the topping evenly over the top. Bake for 25 minutes, checking occasionally. When the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbling, remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.