After living in constant pain for three years, Cara Price discovered food was one of the keys to healing. She began to follow the Paleo protocol by removing inflammatory foods from her diet, and in turn, improved her health and found her calling.
“This way of eating drastically improved my health. Once I began eating Paleo, I started rewriting recipe favorites, from before I was sick, in a way that followed a Paleo prescriptive and started cooking them for my friends and family,” Cara says. “People began asking me for my recipes and that’s how my blog, The Nourished Body and Soul was born.”
The Paleo lifestyle promotes eating grass-fed pasture-raised meats, wild-caught seafood, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and treats made with natural sweeteners. Foods like grains, refined sugars, processed meats, legumes, soy, corn and dairy are avoided.
“Choosing to use Paleo guidelines as my lifestyle for eating has given me so much energy,” Cara says. “Choosing to eat Paleo consistently takes a decision and a determination, but it’s not difficult.”
Cara encourages individuals to start slowly, and soon it will become habit. Try Cara’s Creamy Garlic Salmon, Chicken Pomodoro and Fudgy No-Bake Brownies, and you’re sure to be hooked! For more nutritional information and recipes, visit Cara’s blog, TheNourishedBodyandSoul.com.
Creamy Garlic Salmon
INGREDIENTS
4 - 6 ounce pieces of wild salmon
4 tablespoons ghee, divided
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 - 5 ounce container baby spinach, chopped
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt for the sauce
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
freshly ground salt and pepper
handful fresh basil, chiffonade cut
DIRECTIONS
Generously salt and pepper the salmon filets with fresh ground salt and pepper.
Make the sauce by pouring the coconut milk into a large mixing cup. Add in the nutritional yeast, salt, herbs de Provence and smoked paprika. Whisk vigorously and set aside.
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of ghee to the pan. Once it melts and is very hot, add the salmon cooking about 90 seconds - two minutes per side.
Remove salmon to a plate and keep warm.
Add in the remaining tablespoon of ghee and melt in the pan. Add the tomato halves and cook until the skin begins to blister - about one minute.
Then add in the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add spinach to the pan and cook until mostly wilted, but still slightly crisp.
Pour the sauce into the pan and simmer one minute. Then add the salmon back to the pan and cook on low until desired doneness is reached.
Taste the sauce and adjust salt if necessary. Due to the varying acidity of tomatoes, the sauce may need a slight bit more salt.
Garnish with fresh basil.
Chicken Pomodoro
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
2 pints of grape tomatoes
1 large shallot (or 2 small ones)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 5 ounce container baby spinach
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
2 teaspoons pepper
a big handful of chopped basil & rosemary
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine the coconut milk and the chicken broth with the arrowroot flour. Mix it well and set aside.
Place 1/4 cup olive oil in the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken pieces in skillet and sprinkle the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper over the chicken. Stir consistently for several minutes until all chicken pieces look mostly browned but not cooked all the way through.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm; reserve all pan drippings. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place shallots and tomatoes in pan. Sauté several minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and skins of tomatoes are slightly blistered.
Turn heat to low, add in garlic and cook one more minute.
Pour in the chicken broth mixture and stir to coat all the onions, tomatoes and garlic. It should become thick almost instantly.
Place all the spinach and fresh herbs in a single layer over the tomatoes and onions; then add the chicken and any liquid that has accumulated from the chicken, on top. Do not mix it up. Leave it layered and cover to cook on low for 12-15 minutes.
Uncover and mix it all together. Serve over spaghetti squash or with mashed sweet potatoes.
Fudgy No-Bake Brownies
INGREDIENTS
15 large midjool dates, pitted
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans, broken into pieces
1/2 cup sunflower butter, no sugar added
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons coconut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
Place the dates and walnuts in a food processor. Process until fine and crumbly.
Add sunflower butter, cocoa powder, coconut butter, vanilla and salt to the bowl of the food processor and process again until smooth.
Place the “dough” in an 8x8 dish and press firmly until spread out in the pan and flat.
Sprinkle the pecan pieces over the top of the brownie. Cut into 16 pieces. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Serve cold.