Lettuce Wraps

I looked in my fridge today at lunch time after I just got back from running around uni in the rain. I saw what I had, and thought I’d create some lettuce wraps. I usually use cabbage to create my wraps, and it is a lot easier to wrap as its cooked and more flexible than lettuce, but lettuce is what I had, so it’s what I used. Now this isn’t a strict Paleo recipe, because I used brown rice for the filling. It’s still healthy, and it’s nice to have something a bit different for lunch. You could always substitute quinoa for the brown rice. Bye bye boring old ham sandwiches!

You will need (to make 3 to 4 wraps):

4 outer leaves of a lettuce, any veg you have available to add to the filling (I used 1/4 of a red onion, a few strips of red capsicum and a small carrot), half a cup of brown rice, 2 tbspns of soy sauce, 1 small can of tuna (I used sweet chilli tuna)

 

– Boil the brown rice in a saucepan according to packet instructions.

– Drain the rice and pour over 2 tbspns of soy sauce, the can of tuna and mix.

– Slice your vegetables and peel the outer leaves of the lettuce off and rinse them.

– Pile up your ingredients and wrap the lettuce leaf around.

– Eat with your hands and most likely make a huge mess…I did.

Roasted Vegetables

This is the perfect side dish! We had this with some chicken and a salad. Its really easy, and the kumara (sweet potato for some other countries) is filling. We had left overs, so it made a delicious salad for lunch the next day.

 

You will need:

2 large carrots, 1 red onion, 3 medium kumara, tbspn dried sweet basil, olive oil, salt & pepper.

– Pre heat your oven to 180°C

– Chop your vegetables however you like (bare in mine the bigger your vegetable pieces, the longer it will take to cook)

– Lightly coat the vegetables in olive oil, sprinkle over about a tbspn of dried sweet basil, salt & pepper.

– Put in the oven for about 45mins (test with a fork whether they are cooked enough)

– Serve.

Paleo Pumpkin Soup

It’s getting a bit colder here in New Zealand! One of my favourite comfort foods is pumpkin soup. I am in Hawkes Bay this week, and one of the many great things about being here is the vegetable markets on the side of the road. I drove past a house with a little wheelbarrow outside full of great looking pumpkins. The great part about this is that you know its organic, home grown and cheap! Most of the time these vegetables are a lot cheaper than in the supermarket, and we’re supporting local produce. I knew I just had to make some tasty, comforting pumpkin soup for lunches and quick dinners.

Nutritional info: Per serving:  9 portions

Calories 75.7, Total fat 3g, Total Carbohydrate 11.5g, Protein 1.6g

You will need:

1 medium sized pumpkin, 2 onions, 2 cloves pf garlic, 2 chicken stocks cubes (or use vegetable to keep vegetarian), 1 can of coconut milk, ground cumin seeds, tsp nutmeg, 1 tbspn mild curry powder, salt & pepper, olive oil.

– Pre heat the oven to 180°C

– Carefully cut the pumpkin into pieces and place on a baking tray (will probably need 2 baking trays) and lightly coat the pumpkin with some olive oil, salt, pepper and ground cumin seeds. I leave the skin on my pumpkin. I believe it adds to the flavor of the soup and the skin is very nutritious.

– Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 45mins.

– Chop the onion and the garlic and soften in a frying pan.

– Once the pumpkin is cooked (a fork should go through easily), let the pumpkin cool down and then process it along with your onion and garlic in your food processor.

– Place the processed mixture in a saucepan on a low heat.

– In another pan, dissolve your stock cubes in hot water (my 2 stock cubes took 4 cups of water).

– Once the stock is dissolved, add it to the pumpkin mixture and stir.

– Pour in the can of coconut milk and stir until combined.

– Add the curry powder & nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste.

– Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes. If at this point the soup is too thick for your liking, add some hot water.

– Its ready to eat warm now, but if you want your soup to be smoother, process it again until you get your preferred consistency.

Pumpkin soup is great to freeze, so you can keep it in the fridge for a big family, or freeze it into portions so you’ll always have a quick meal to pull out.

Crustless Quiche

This quiche is packed full of goodness and such a tasty recipe for lunch with a side salad. If you are a vegetarian, leave the ham and bacon because its just as tasty without and of course this will make it a cheaper dish too. Try and find reduced vegetables in your supermarket to keep the cost down.

*This recipe contains trim milk so is not strict Paleo*

2 slices of bacon (pre cooked Beehive is the cheapest I could find), 1/2 brown onion, 1/2 capsicum, a few bunches of spinach, 3 slices of shaved ham, 1 cup of small florets of broccoli, 7 eggs and 1/3 cup trim milk, sea salt, pepper, all purpose seasoning, olive oil.

– Pre-heat oven at 180. – Slice bacon and onions and brown in a pan with some olive oil. – Chop the rest of your ingredients how you like them! – In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and add milk, salt, pepper and seasoning. – Add your onion, bacon and rest of the chopped veggies in with the beaten eggs. – Pour into an oven proof dish and cook for 30 – 45 mins or until it doesn’t wobble in the centre! – Serve for lunch along side a green salad = yum.