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 :)

Chicken Pineapple Cauliflower Pizza

Round 2 of Cauliflower pizza! I decided to add 1 TBS of flax seeds to the crust this time, worked well in making it a bit harder. This time I went with chicken instead of prawns, more of a traditional taste , delish!

Avocado Pesto Prawn Pineapple Cauliflower Pizza

I have been wanting to make a cauliflower pizza for a while and finally did! It was delicious, but definitely a fork and knife pizza , the crust is not as hard as your typical gluten pizza crust. I liked this crust a lot though because it does not fill you up super fast and make you feel bloated. The toppings are what count! So get creative :)

Pesto Lamb Shank And Sautéed Veggies

Now this is PALEO! I Love lamb, some say not so much, but to me the rich flavour and tenderness is what makes it so delicious. Top it off with some pesto and BAMB! Pure paleo Joy~

Fresh Turmeric Prawn Coconut Curry

A taste of Thai, I miss all the fresh herbs and spices in the market up in Chang Mai Thailand. Everything was so fresh and easily available! I came across fresh turmeric root the other day which I was surprised to see, its not very common around here. I snaped up a few stalks and new exactly what i was going to do with it, CURRY UP AND DONT BE LATE ! ( I have a OPI nail polish called that, love it hahah..)

Apple Fennel Pine-nut Salad

I recently have really loved the taste of Liquorice, Fennel and Star anise also have a similar taste. I have never used fennel in any of my recipes , but I was curious to try something with it. I really enjoyed the subtle notes of liquorice in this salad , it was an interesting pairing.

Citrus Aioli Date Prawn Salad

I have been sprouting like crazy, fresh sprouts on a new tray each day! Its been a great addition to my salads, so fresh and tasty! This salad was particularly delish!

Grass Fed Beef Cilantro Meat Balls Over Zucchini Noodles With TomatoVeg Sauce

I picked up some local grass fed beef from my butcher today. I was thinking Italian after having been talking to some people about a really awesome new Italian restaurant that just opened up. I was craving meat balls and something pasta like after that talk! Heres the Product of that craving...and yes 100% Paleo no gluten involved.

The finished product :) YUM YUM!

Paleo Waffles With Mixed berries, Rhubarb Strawberry Sauce And Coconut Whipped Cream

As I said before, I love breakfast! I don't know what I would do without it haha. I usually allow myself to have one "sweet" super awesome almost desert like breakfast a month lol. This month I did a big brunch with friends and we made waffles!

Raw Pecan Pumpkin Cheese Cake

Yes another raw "Cheese cake" to confuse all of you who don't know what raw eating is. Since some of you may be confused , its super simples ( and yes also super delicious) Raw cheese cakes don't contain any cheese cakes, they just look like a cheese cake and mimic the texture. I fooled my family, so maybe you can fool yourself too haha :) I made this one for my friends pot luck, it was eaten up so fast! Can't wait to make it again.

Asian Style Ribs

mmm... I love ribs! Slow cooked and covered in a spicy Asian sauce? Sure to delight the taste buds!

Kiwi Chocolate Cream Pie

Happy Saint Patricks Day Everyone! ( Yes I'm Irish :p) I must celebrate , but Paleo style!

Mom's Amazing Cream Cheese Sole Filet Delight!

This one's for you mom! Credits to my moms ingenious creation of this dish, it has been a favourite of mine for a while now!