Quick Chicken & Greens

Here is a quick meal that takes advantage of some convenient foods from Trader Joe's. If you don't live near a Trader Joe's, you can always use fresh, local ingredients--an even better choice! We'll also put the pressure cooker to work. If you have no pressure cooker, triple the cooking times for the chicken and greens.

Time: 1 hour

• 1 bag chicken thighs (Trader Joe's)
• 1 bag Southern Greens (Trader Joe's)
• 1 Tbsp Cajun Creole Seasoning
• sea salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

We'll assume your chicken is still frozen and you have a bag of greens ready. Cook the chicken breasts and 1/4 cup water in a pressure cooker for 20 minutes if frozen. De-pressure and remove the chicken. Add the greens to the broth from cooking the chicken. Bring the greens up to pressure for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Once the greens are done, de-pressurize the pot. Combine the chicken with the greens. Add the seasonings. Simmer (NOT at pressure) on medium-low for 30 minutes; then serve.

Nutritional info: 6 servings at 4g carb, 32g prot, 5.5g fat.


Bacon-Encrusted Marlin

If you can't find marlin, try mahi mahi or any other white fish.

Time: 7 minutes

• 1 lb marlin
• several strips of pre-cooked crisp bacon
• coconut oil or pork fat
• fresh ground black pepper

Bring the oil to medium heat in a skillet. Chop the bacon into small pieces. Cover both sides of the marlin with the bacon pieces and pepper. Grill the marlin for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, flipping halfway thru the cooking time. (My steaks were 1/2 inch thick, so I fried them for 5 minutes total, flipping at the 2 1/2 minute mark.)

Nutritional info: 3 servings at 36g prot, 13g fat.



Banana and Purple Sweet Potatoes

I couldn't take a trip to Maui without writing another recipe using the delicious purple sweet potatoes found here. Look for them on the mainland in Asian markets. You may also be able to mail order them from landrfarms.com

Time: 15 minutes

• 2 cups diced Okinawa or Molokai Sweet potatoes
• 1 small banana (an apple banana works well)
• 1 date
• ~ 2-3 Tbsp coconut milk

Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to a small pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes on low-medium heat.

Drain the cooking water, then add the potatoes and remaining ingredients to a blender. Puree into a smooth mixture, adding water as needed. Chill before serving, or enjoy warm.

Nutritional info: 2 servings at 42g carb, 1g fat.




Pineapple Spareribs

Active time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 hours

• 1 rack pork spareribs
• 2 cups diced pineapple
• 1/2 Tbsp wheat-free Tamari soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• water

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the spareribs on a broiler pan.

Blend the remaining ingredients, adding a bit of water until the mixture has the consistency of a thin smoothie. Evenly coat the ribs; then bake for 5 hours. You may wish to baste the ribs halfway through the cooking time.

Nutritional info: 3 servings at 13g carb, 33g prot, 54g fat.


Haupia

Haupia is a traditional Hawaiian dessert made from coconut milk. This version is a "mostly" Paleo treat. I used dextrose to sweeten it. Dextrose is very inexpensive at home-brewing supply stores. (Using dextrose avoids the fructose component of common sugars or sweeteners. Thanks to Mat LaLonde for this tip.)

Time: 30 minutes + cooling time

• 2 cups coconut oil (not light!)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbsp dextrose (you could use turbinado sugar or real honey)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder

Heat the water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk the arrowroot as you add it to the pan; try to prevent clumping. When uniform, add the coconut milk and dextrose. Whisk well and often, reducing the heat to a simmer. The haupia will thicken. Once it coats a spoon nicely, it's thickened enough. Transfer to a bowl, then refrigerate until it becomes a thick pudding.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 17g carb, 19g fat.