Mom's Baked Shrimp // Paleo + Gluten Free

Growing up my dad was always the one to cook. I remember my mom stepping in every now and again with rice stuffed baked chicken (ah-mazing) or Puerto Rican fare, but by and large my dad was in charge of dinner. Now that I've left their little nest, I think they really enjoy working together in the kitchen and my mom has wowed us with some pretty awesome meals lately. This is one she created and wanted me to try -- and we loved it! I did tweak the recipe a bit. She used Panko bread crumbs which I subbed for almond meal. They of course wont have the same crunch but are still just as fabulous. She also adds a little grated parmesan cheese to her bread crumbs, which you are welcome to try, we just opted to leave it out!

These go so well with a little honey mustard, so I've included a simple recipe below. We had some fermented ketchup leftover from a couple weeks ago, so I went ahead and dipped away in that. I love this recipe for fermented ketchup or this recipe for homemade ketchup if you're interested. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

14 jumbo size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 egg

1-2 teaspoons water

1/2 cup almond meal 

Garlic powder

Old Bay Seasoning

Chili powder

Salt and pepper

Cooking spray

Honey mustard dipping sauce:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon raw honey

Prepare your shrimp by peeling and deveining them. To devein, take a paring knife and run along the inside where the black line is showing. Once opened, you can wipe out the vein with your finger. I like to have the water running in the faucet just a bit to wash the vein away as I'm peeling and deveining the shrimp. Throw shrimp in a large bowl and season with a bit of Old Bay, set aside until ready to cook. This can be done ahead of time, up to 24 hours in advance. If done ahead, simply cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. 

Preheat oven to 425 f

Prepare an egg wash of one egg and a splash of water (about 1-2 teaspoons worth). Add some salt and pepper and whisk well.  

In a shallow dish combine almond meal, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, chili powder, and some salt and pepper and mix well with the back of a fork. (My mom likes to stick her finger into the mixture to taste, adding more seasoning as needed).

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a broiling rack (can also use a cooling rack) with cooking spray and place it on top of the baking dish.

Use a fork to dredge shrimp in the egg wash, then the almond meal mixture so they are well coated on all sides. Place on top of the broiling rack and spray and with cooking spray to give them more of a crunch while they bake.  

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  

While the shrimp are baking, whisk together Dijon mustard and honey in a small bowl and set aside for dipping!

Serve with a side of oven roasted sweet potatoes or tangy coleslaw. Hmmm...I think I need to come up with a healthier coleslaw recipes soon. Enjoy!

Paleo Chili (Or Half Hearted Paleo Chili)

I made this meal first when I was looking for a paleo-friendly version of chili. I decided to bring dinner to my parents neighbors who just had a baby girl. As a side note, Jordan and I have been half hearted Paleo people for the past few months for many reasons, but in my case because of Reaghan. I say "half hearted" because we haven't followed the strict diet. We do try to follow some of the guidelines of no grains or dairy on a mostly consistent basis (can you tell we are fair weather Paleo people? ;))

Since breastfeeding Reaghan I've noticed that dairy has been the culprit of her excessive spitting up. Knowing that many of my nursing friends have babies with dairy and gluten sensitivities, and not knowing this new mom personally or whether her baby did as well, I wanted to provide her with a hearty meal that would be safe to eat and provide leftovers because let's face it, when you're nursing a baby you want to eat everything in sight.

Heck, I don't even know if she's nursing her baby, but I guess it doesn't hurt to cover all your bases! I ended up with this recipe by skipping the beans that are traditionally found in chili. Not too complicated. 

This would work well with ground turkey if needed. I have made it this way before and it was still very good. I will say that beef is more flavorful...but that probably goes without saying!

Per my husband's request, I made this as his lunch for the week. This makes a double batch so there was plenty left over for multiple days and for me to eat from as well. I was reminded about it and wanted to share it with you!

Serves: 4 with leftovers

Ingredients:
Cooking oil (I prefer coconut oil or olive oil)
2 lbs. ground beef
1 red onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
2 28 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, with juices 
salt and pepper to taste

*skip the store bought stuff -- it's filled with chemicals. Here's the recipe for a homemade version I've been using for a while and love!

Melt your cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon, allowing it to brown. Meanwhile chop your onion, carrots and celery. Season the beef with taco seasoning, stirring so the spices start to sizzle. Once the beef is mostly cooked through, add the veggies and tomatoes, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring the chili to a boil for about a minute, then lower the heat and simmer for about 1-2 hours on low, stirring occasionally. Taste it and add any additional salt and pepper or taco seasoning to suit your taste preferences.

Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt, sour cream, chives, cilantro, cheese, you name it! (This would obviously not be Paleo, ha!)

Go a little further and jump completely off the Paleo bridge by adding a can of kidney beans to this recipe if you like! Let me know how you like this easy dinner!

"Paleo Chili (Or Half Hearted Paleo Chili)" is part of a blog 

relaunch series entitled "31 Days of Responding to Him" 

Follow along here