Paleo Contest

Courtesy of Juli Bauer of paleOMG.com

Serves 1

INGREDIENTS

For the filet mignon

• 1 TX Bar Organics Filet Mignon
• 1 slice bacon
• ½ cup (114 g) chopped pineapple
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) diced red onion
• ¼ teaspoon (2.5 ml) minced jalapeno

For the sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) coconut aminos
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 lime, for juice only
• 1 teaspoon (10 ml) dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon (12.5 ml) ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoons (1.25 ml)ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 134F/56.5C.
2. Put all sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
3. Put the filet into a small (quart/0.9 liter) cooking pouch and pour the seasoning sauce over the meat, reserving about 3 or 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) of the sauce for later use.
4. Vacuum seal the pouch, taking care not to pull the sauce into the suction chamber, if using a suction vacuum sealer.
5. Submerge the pouch the water oven to cook for 2 hours. (4 hours max)
6. When ready to finish, remove the pouch from the water oven and the filet from the pouch. Pat the meat dry.
7. Wrap a piece of bacon around the edge of the filet and secure it to the meat with a toothpick, so that it is nice and snug.
8. Heat a small skillet over medium high heat and when it is very hot, roll the bacon –covered side of the meat over the hot surface to release some of the fat to cook the meat on.
9. Continue to roll and sear until the bacon is fully cooked all around, about a minute each side, then sear both sides of the filet in the accumulated bacon fat, until nicely browned, no more than a minute per side.
10. When ready to serve, add the pineapple, onion, and jalapeno to the reserved sauce and mix well.
11. Slice the filet and top with the pineapple mixture.
12. Eat up buttercup

Courtesy of simplypaleo.com

INGREDIENTS

For the steak

• 1 TX Organics  Grass-fed  (or other) top sirloin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
• Dash Coconut Aminos
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) ghee

For the shrimp

• 16 ounces (450 g) large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and thawed
• Salt

For the curry sauce (for shrimp mixture)

• ½ cup (120 ml) coconut milk (do not shake)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Sriracha
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) yellow or green curry paste

For the guacamole

• 8 ounces (228 g) Avocado’s Number Guacamole (or your favorite recipe**)
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Eden Wasabi Powder
• Few drops of hot water

For the veggies

• 6 spears asparagus
• 3 green onions
• 4 Tsukemono-style carrots (head to your local Japanese market)
• ½ cucumber, peeled
• 1 container radish sprouts
• 1 package nori (seaweed) sheets
• 1 container pickled ginger
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 small handful cilantro

For the Coconut Citrus Cream Sauce

• Reserved coconut cream (from our can of coconut milk)
• ½ orange, for juice only
• ½ lime, for juice only
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Sriracha
• Pinch of Salt

For the assembly

• Steak, shrimp, guac, veggies, and sauce
• Bamboo mat
• Nori sheets
• Cutting board
• Sharp chef’s knife
• Clean kitchen towel
• Cold water nearby to dip/rinse your knife

INSTRUCTIONS

For the steak

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 138F/58C.
2. Rinse the steak and pat dry. Dust with salt and pepper.
3. Put the steak into a cooking pouch; add the butter and a dash of coconut aminos and vacuum seal.
4. Submerge the pouch in the water bath and cook for at least 2 (and up to 4 hours.)
5. When the steak has cooked, melt the ghee in a stainless pan on high heat and sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Set aside.

For the shrimp

1. On the stovetop bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the thawed shrimp and boil for about 3 minutes until just pink.
3. Drain in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel.
4. Put the shrimp into a food processor and pulse until they are very finely chopped. Set aside.

For the curry sauce

1. Do NOT shake the coconut milk to mix, save the cream on the top and set aside, we’ll use this too!
2. Put all the ingredients into a medium bowl and mix well
3. Add the shrimp and stir. Set aside.

For the guacamole

1. In a small bowl, mix wasabi powder with a little hot water so that it forms a paste.Let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add guacamole and mix very well
3. Taste and add more wasabi, if you like it hot!

**Chef’s Tip– Feel free to prepare your own guacamole from scratch! To keep this recipe a bit simpler, I chose to buy the goods.

For the veggies

1. Cut away the bottom half of the asparagus spears, leaving just the ‘tip’ half for this dish (save the ends for a soup or stock
2. Slice the spears in half lengthwise
3. Trim the green onions, leaving the white bulb and a few inches (5 to 8 cm) of the green tops.
4. Cut the onions in half lengthwise and then cut the halves again, leaving you with very thin slices.
5. Slice the carrots really thin!
6. Split and seed the cucumbers and slice into thin strips.
7. Slice the jalapeño RAZOR thin

For the Coconut Citrus Cream Sauce

• Mix all of the ingredients together to about the consistency of sour cream.
• Set aside

For the assembly

1. Lay a sheet of nori (seaweed) paper out on your bamboo mat
2. Start by placing a “strip” of spicy guacamole horizontally across the seaweed, right in the middle.
3. Next to that, add a “strip” of the spicy shrimp, about 2 fingers wide.
4. On the other side of the guacamole, add strips of the steak, about 2 layers and 2 fingers wide.
5. Finish by laying the cucumber and sprouts to the top (make sure you leave some sprouts out the end– purrty) and the green onion and pickled carrots to the bottom.
6. Carefully start to roll the sushi, tucking the seaweed as you go. Roll it off of the bamboo mat and place the bamboo mat over the top of the roll to shape. This step may take some practice but it’s really fun! If you screw it up, just take the ingredients out and start with a fresh piece of seaweed.
7. Dip your chef’s knife in cold water and slice the roll right in the center. Slice those 2 pieces in half again, dipping your knife in the water before each cut. This is crucial so you don’t squish your roll! (Repeat to make more rolls until the ingredients are all used.)
8. Plate the sushi, add a small dollop of the Coconut Citrus Cream, a razor thin Jalapeno slice, a tiny bead of Sriracha and finish with one leaf of cilantro.
9. Make sure to serve with a side of pickled ginger, coconut aminos and wasabi. I added an orange zest just to be fancy pants!

…with Fig Pistachio Butter and Sweet Potato Home Fries
Courtesy of Melissa Jouwan (clothesmakethegirl.com)
Serves 4

For the fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm)cubes
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) coconut oil
(divided use)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) chili powder
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced fresh parsley leaves (about 1/4 cup fresh parsley)

For the steak:
4 TX Bar Organics sirloin steaks
1 large clove garlic, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons (10 ml) Ras el Hanout (see below)
2 teaspoons (10 ml) clarified butter (ghee)

For the Fig-Pistachio Butter:
1/4 cup (60 ml) clarified butter (ghee)
2 dried figs, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) finely chopped pistachios
1 clove garlic, crushed (about 1 teaspoon)
salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the potatoes…
1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 183F/84C.
2. Put the potatoes into a cooking pouch in a single layer and vacuum seal.
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 90 minutes.
4. When the sweet potatoes cooked, remove the pouch from the water, open the pouch, drain the liquid, and set potatoes aside until ready to finish the home fries.

Cook the steak…
1. Reset the temperature of the SousVide Supreme to your preferred degree of doneness for the steak (120F/49C rare; 134F/56.5C medium rare; 140F/60C medium; 150F/65.5C medium well). Add cold water or ice to speed the process.
2. Rub each steak with the cut side of a piece of garlic, then sprinkle Ras el Hanout onto the surface and pat gently to coat the outside of the steak with the spice blend. 3. Dot the top of each steak with 1/2 teaspoon clarified butter and put each steak into a small (quart/0.9 liter) cooking pouch.
4. Submerge the pouches in the water oven and cook for at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours or more to tenderize.)
.
Make the Fig-Pistachio Butter…
1. About 5 minutes before the steaks are finished, put the clarified butter into a small saucepan and melt over low heat.
2. Add the minced fig, pistachios, and garlic and stir to combine; keep warm until ready to serve.

Make the home fries…
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes.
2. Add coconut oil and allow it to melt.
3. Add the diced onion to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, cooking until nicely browned.
5. Add the paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
6. Add an additional tablespoon of coconut oil to the skillet, and then the sweet potato cubes, shaking the skillet to make an even, single layer.
7. Cook the potatoes without stirring until the cubes are brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then carefully flip the potatoes with a large spatula, repeating this process until the potatoes are browned on most sides, another 5-10 minutes.
8. Remove to a serving dish and keep warm; toss with minced parsley to finish.

Sear the steaks and plate…
1. Remove the steaks from the water oven and the pouch. Pat dry.
2. Re-heat the same skillet until it’s very hot and sear the steaks for 30 seconds per side to brown and caramelize the surface.
3. Slice and drizzle with the Fig-Pistachio Butter and serve alongside the Sweet Potato Home Fries.