Second Helpings

Whew! Did we eat good last night! I am visiting with my daughters and we had a feast last night that included healthy choices for dinner. My brother and his family were joining us and I wasn't sure if they would enjoy are paleo approved selections.  The menu; blackened salmon, chili lime shrimp, zucchini tots, coconut quinoa and brownies with fresh strawberries! Makes you mouth water a little doesn't it?

Choice #1

Blackened Salmon 

4 -6 salmon fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil

Blackening Spice
1 tablespoon tajin seasoning (or Mrs Dash fiesta lime)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon onion salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
3/4 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

Mix together spices in a bowl
Sprinkle blackening spice over salmon fillets on both sides.
Drizzle olive oil large pan over medium high heat until sizzling hot
Place salmon fillets in pan and cook each side 4-8 minutes, depending on the size of the fillet. Be sure to cook one whole side before flipping to blacken properly. 

My 8 year old nephew ate 3 pieces!

Choice #2

Chili Lime Shrimp    

My daughter Lissa created this dish from the recipe that Mrs Paleo posted on her site. Chili Lime Shrimp Recipe. 

Was it good? There was absolutely none left over! Just the right amount of sweet and spicy!

















Choice #3 

Zucchini Tots

 

The recipe is from wellness mama.

This one surprised me.  My brother looked at them and I thought he won't like this but he ate more of these than anybody!

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini
2 eggs
1 onion
½ cup Parmesan cheese (optional, can replace with almond flour or 3 tablespoons of coconut flour)
¼ cup almond flour
1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, salt, pepper and basil leaf

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grate the zucchini with a cheese grater or food processor. Add the salt and squeeze very tightly with a towel or some paper towels to get the excess liquid out. Put in a medium sized bowl.
Grate the onion and add to the bowl. Add the eggs, Parmesan cheese and almond flour. Sprinkle the spices on top of the mixture and mix until evenly incorporated. To bake: well grease a baking sheet or muffin tins and put tablespoon size amounts of the mixture onto the baking sheet or fill the muffin tins ½ full.

Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until tops and sides are starting to brown. Serve alone or with homemade ketchup. Can also pan fry in coconut oil for a crispier outer coating.

Choice #4

Coconut Quinoa  

Recipe is found here

Creamy, and a little sweet help balance out the spicy food.

Brownies with Strawberries

Ingredients

½ cup coconut oil
½ cup cocoa powder½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup coconut milk
3 tbs honey
1 egg
1 cup almond meal
2 squares of dark chocolate broken up

Instructions
Makes 8

Preheat oven 325

Combine coconut oil, cocoa powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Add in the coconut milk, honey, egg and almond meal and mix until combined. Fold in the broken pieces of chocolate. 

Place muffin liners in a muffin tin and then spoon in the mixture till 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 minutes. 

Serve with fresh strawberries. The combination of the two is delightful!

What I learned

I was nervous to share my Paleo recipes with family who may not like them.  I was pleasantly surprised when they had second and third helpings. The choices were a hit with everyone. 

Often we are nervous to share with others the things in our lives that are important to us because we care about what they think. I love the healthy benefits of Paleo and want everyone to experience it. 

As a Christian I also want everyone to experience the love, peace and joy that I have in Jesus. I just need to invite everyone to have second helpings of what He has to offer too!

But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? Romans 10:14 The message