Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes With Chocolate Banana Frosting

This past week was birthday bonanzas! 3 birthday in a row, so I decided to make cup cakes  :) enjoy!

.:: From Costa Rica To Canada Time Keeps Going By ::.

Wow, it has been far too long since I last updated Passionate Paleo! The last month has been extremely hectic , moving twice , 3 weddings , and now getting ready to go back to Costa Rica! I spent the last 3 weeks with my family which was fantastic :) When I left Costa Rica I didn't think I would be going back so soon, but I absolutely loved it! I am so fortunate to be able to go back and stay with a friend, who knows maybe I'll move there one day ;) I plan on doing lots of updating in mid to late september once I am back at school. Lots of new recipes to invent and try!

For those of you who don't know I also have a face book page which I update frequently with recipes , nutrition tips and tricks, and lots of other awesome health related articles. If you would like to check it out here is a link!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Passionate-Paleo/168240076656417

Until next time ~ have a great rest of summer! Ciao~

From Costa Rica To Canada :) <333 p="">

Kick @$$ Summer Salad - Pulled Pork, Purple Sweet Potato , Avocado and Feta cheese

Excuse my language but it needed to be said, when i made this I said exactly that, wow this salad is kick ass! So tasty! The other day I made my first batch of pulled pork in my crock pot, Ill definitely be making more, it was so good and I was able to use it in so many different dished throughout the week :)
As a little side note if you ever get the chance ( they can be hard to find but often Asian import stores or Fairway market carry Japanese Purple sweet potato/Yam) They actually are the best potato type carb you can eat, packed full of nutrients , low on the GI scale and so tasty - and who wouldn't want to add some purple to their mean ;)

RAW Pear Ginger Cheese Cake

All right everyone!!! HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE :) yaeeeee! I'm so happy summer is finally here! Today was a beautiful day and what not better a way to ring in the new season with a summer inspired Raw cheese cake! This one turned out fantastic, I love pears and ginger, the pairing is lovely, Hope you all enjoy!

Pork tenderloin With Oregano And Roasted Red Pepper, Paired With A Strawberry Spinach Balsamic Salad

One more day until summer is upon us! This summer inspired meal was so fresh and delicious! Strawberries and balsamic go so well together , it is a strange combo but thats the beauty in it!

Paleo Bread

Well now, this may be the first time I have had bread in ages! It turned out quite nicely actually but still not quite the same as your typical flour bread. It was so good fresh warm out of the oven with some butter and 100% fruit Mango Apricot Jam that I bought from the farmers market :) I found this recipie in my new Primal Cravings cook book, I thought it was worth sharing for those of you who miss your bread, I hope this substitution helps!

Italian Zucchini Noodle Prawn Pasta

Nothing like fresh herbs, a little olive oil and some cheese :) This simple Zucchini noodle pasta can be whipped up in no time and taste amazing! Feel free to mix up the ingredients!

Strawberry Rhubarb Ginger Ice Cream

Strangely enough when I was young I hated rhubarb , now I ask myself what was wrong with me!? It is true that all our taste buds change as we age but a lot of times it is more like giving something a second chance before you decide haha. I now love the taste of strawberries and rhubarb together, the perfect melody of sweet and tangy. In this recipe I decided to add a hint of ginger to the taste which worked out wonderfully! This is also the first time I have made traditional dairy ice cream . Usually I make dairy free or raw ice creams, but I think the pairing of the rhubarb and strawberries with the creaminess was fantastic. Summer is almost here, this is a refreshing sweet yet tangy way to enjoy the sun out side :)

Rhubarb stalks ready to be made into delicious sauce :D

Having the first taste!

Spring perfection in a bowl :)

Cooking With Herbs! So Many Benefits!

Spring is here! Since recently moving to a new city I wanted to make my own little herb garden. back home we had a huge garden and plenty of herbs. These little boxes are transferable , so they can be moved easily :) Herbs are a wonderful gift from mother nature! They can enhance our food in so many ways, and also have many health benefits! Showing off my new herb garden here I have ... Flat leaf parsley, lemon thyme, Cilantro, Chives, Pineapple mint, lemon oregano , traditional oregano, and rose marry. In the two pots in front of the long planters I have a thai chilli pepper plant ( cant wait for it to start producing chillies :D) and next to it a basil plant ( I am going to transplant it into a bigger pot so I can enjoy more basil :p

Here is a link to more information on the benefits of herbs and cooking with them!

http://everynutrient.com/herbsandspices.html
http://www.sagehillfarmsandvintagestore.com/benefits-of-culinary-herbs-and-spices/

Costarican Fried Plantains With Guacamole And Nectarine Salsa

Something I fell in love with in Costa Rica ( other than the coffee :p) was the plantains! I have never had them like this before, they are do delicious and packed with nutrients! I once had them before but they were cooked when the plantain was still under ripe. They work a lot different than a banana surprisingly haha. yellow = not ripe , Black = ripe! hahah You can cook them before they start to blacken of course but I find it has a chalky and mild taste. When they are ripe they make an amazing aroma and caramelise naturally in the pan. Hope you enjoy this simple yet delicious meal!

Matcha Tea

Yes I admit, I have a strange addiction to the amazing taste of matcha tea, but for good reason! The health benefits are fantastic! check out the link below for more information on all the health benefits of matcha and why it would be a great addition to your daily liquid intake :) As a side note make sure to try and buy "Organic shade grown matcha" of the highest quality. There is a lot of matcha teas out there claiming to be the real deal but has nothing on the organic shade grown . The taste can be a little strange for some, others will love it right off the bat! If you find it a little to bitter for yourself try adding a few drops of stevia , that will be sure to sweeten you up ;) Matcha is also a great boost of energy n your water bottle, I often put a TSP in my water (shaking it each time before I drink to mix up anything that has settled). Hope you find this information useful in the link below, sit back, relax and enjoy a cup of green delight ~

http://www.matchasource.com/matcha-tea-health-benefits-s/14.htm

Raw Chocolate Banana Caramel Tiramisu Bars

Since I have come back from Costa Rica I have been hooked on their amazing coffee!! I find my self a little disappointed every time I go out for a coffee with a friend here in Canada now haha ( Although Im sure you can get good costa rican coffee here I just have not found it yet). This recipe was inspired by a recipe over at http://fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.ca . Her blog is amazing! I HIGHLY recommend you to take a look and be inspired yourself if you have not already :) Don't forget there are lots of substitutions you can make for any recipe if you cant find something or don't have it on hand. Don't be afraid to give it a shot, 9 times out of 10 it will taste awesome if its made with real whole food ingredients ;)

The centre layer of the desert before adding the tiramisu topping :)

The finished product, YUM!

Lemon Thyme Slow Cooked Chicken

My amazing mama gave me a slow cooker recently! The perrrrfeccct paleo kitchen appliance, its so awesome for cooking meals that can last a few days. It is also very convenient, just chuck everything in , turn it on before work and when you come home - perfection! perfectly cooked veggies and meats every time. I picked up some free range chicken the other day, so thought I would bust out the slow cooker.

The finished product  and 5 hours later~

In the crock pot she goes!

Watermelon Fetta Lime Salad!

Spring is here! I found some cute little organic watermelons in the local farmers market the other day! My friend had mentioned making a watermelon salad to me before, so I decided to make my own , taking a twist on a greek salad! After you try this you will probably think to make it for your next picnic or pot luck , it is so good! you may never make a regular greek salad again!

Double Dinner Delight! Cheesy Eggplant Sweet Potato Casserole With Black Berry, Blueberry Coconut Nut Crumble

Since coming back from Central America I have a had a few friends over for dinner :) its nice to move to a new city where some good friends live! My best friend came over tonight, she is a vegetarian so this dish was meat free, although you could add something tasty in there such as bacon ;) It's nice to have friends who are health conscious about what they eat even if it is totally different than the Paleo outlook. The most important thing is to be aware about how our food is produced and what make you feel good!

Smokey Chipolte Pork Carnitas Over Cauliflower Rice

I had some left over cauliflower rice from the other days Halibut meal, so i decided to make some slow cooked pork carnitas, this dish has also been inspired by central american food :). The lime cilantro cauliflower rice is a good base to many different types of protein toppings, give it a try with anything you like, chicken would be great too!

Chipotle Halibut Over Lime Cilantro Cauliflower Rice, Topped With Avocado

The other night I had a friend over for dinner and we decided to make some American inspired food having just come back from Costa Rica :) We found some nice wild halibut filets on special, I had been inspired by a recipe I had seen months ago , lime and cilantro cauliflower rice. We just so happened to find PURPLE cauliflower, I though it would be so cool looking paired up against the avocado! This dish is super easy to make and so delicious.

Hazelnut Coconut Coffee Pancakes

I saw this coffee pancake idea on Marks daily apple. I have been drinking Costa Rican coffee since the day I have gotten back, the coffee here just wont cut it any more haha. I though this recipe sounded so appealing I just had to try it! Make sure you brew your coffee really dark to enhance the flavour :)!

From Costa Rica To Canada ~!

Hello everyone! Im back in Canada, I arrived off the plane from Costa Rica 2 days ago, it is nice to come home at this time of year, all the flowers and leaves are in full bloom, the temperature is decent and it has been a bit sunny :) ( just not as sunny as where I came from haha). My trip was amazing and I tasted some amazing dishes! Im so glad to have had this wonderful experience, I fell absolutely in love with Costa Rica. I check out panama for a short time while I was there too, it is lovely also but I felt a stronger connection with Costa Rica.

One of the best things about my trip was the mass amount of fruits that were in season this time of year! Avocados, mangos, bananas, papaya, watermelon, starfruit, nansi, cantaloupe, tamarind and many more exotic fruits! It was a food tasting frenzy! Every time I saw something I had never tried before I tried it haha. Also I fell in love with the wide arrange of tasty sauces and hot sauces, I stocked up good from coming home! here is a few of the sauces I bought ( see picture below)

After having this trip I can tell you it wont be my last to Costa Rica, I intend on going back, possibly soon at the end of summer! I made a lot of good friends, and found the west coast very livable. There were a lot of Canadians who are living and working there. I keep pondering the idea of opening up a health and wellness surfer retreat. People can come down and stay for a few days - a few weeks. The food would be organic and local, activities such as Yoga and meditation would be taught daily, but the main activity would be surfing. The place I imagine this retreat being built at is near Tamarindo on the west coast of Costa Rica, it truly is a surfers paradise, I spend the last of my days in the water surfing as much as I could!

I am in te process of moving to a new city for my new job this summer, but be on the look out for some Central American inspired dishes shortly ;)

Until next time, PURA VIDA!!

Bon Voyage!

Hello everyone!  Well after a crazy last 2 weeks of finishing up school and moving, I am finally off to Central America. Im gone for a month so I probably will not be able to post anything during that time. When I return you can expect some central american inspired dishes to be showing up on here though ;) Im very excited to try the food there and be inspired! It's going to be hard to work with Paleo restrictions, but Im going to give it my best shot !

Ciao for now ~!

The view from my work while on break, on my last day :)