Paleo BBQ! (AIP friendly) - and VIDEO: How to cut a chicken in half with scissors

I know some of you are covered in snow (I have seen the photos on Facebook!). And this weekend even here in Los Angeles we have some long due rain. But no snow here so we have been using our barbeque all winter long. My seven year old is very jealous of anyone living in climates with snow, outdoor ice skating rinks and where kids can eat their school lunches inside! Being someone who grew up in Finland his comments make me chuckle. I like this weather although I sometimes do miss thew snow. And the seasons.

Anyway, here are some barbeque ideas for paleo eaters and autoimmune paleo protocol followers. Remember that the grill should be clean to avoid cross contamination.

Robin Hood Chicken

A whole chicken (I buy mine from Rainbow Ranch)

A bunch of parsley

A few sprigs of rosemary and thyme

3 cloves of garlic

Salt

Black pepper (optional)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted on low heat (I use this coconut oil, referral link)

1. Cut the chicken in half with a pair of kitchen scissors. See from the video below where my husband Ville demonstrates how it is done!

2. Mix the herbs with the oil, crushed garlic and spices. Rub the mixture on the chicken halves.
3. Bbq until done, turning over at least once.

TIP: If you don't have a whole chicken, drumsticks work very well for this recipe. Mix all the ingredients and put them in a ziplock bag and let marinade for a while if you have time.

Grilled plantains

Yellow Plantains
Salt
Coconut oil, melted
Ground black pepper or allspice (optional)

Cut the plantains in half lengthwise. Oil the cut side and sprinkle with salt (and pepper if using). Place on the grill skin side down for about 8 minutes and turn them. Grill for a few more minutes until brown from the cut side facing the grill now.

Grilled Yams (sweet potatoes would work as well)

A few yams
Coconut oil
Salt

Boil yams in salted water until they are almost cooked. Rub the yams with coconut oil and sprinkle with sea salt and put on the grill until they are soft.

Zucchinis with pesto

Zucchinis

This pesto

Cut the zucchinis in half an inch slices lengthwise. Spread pesto on one side and place them on the grill that side up. Bbq until soft, don't overcook though.

Skewers

Soak wooden skewers in water for half an hour or use reusable metal ones. I use metal skewers like these (affiliate link to Amazon).

Beef portobello skewers: Cut beef (sirloin, tenderloin or something like that) and portobello mushrooms in one inch cubes. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and salt and black pepper if you wish. Put the pieces on skewers alternating the beef and the portobello pieces. Bbq until cooked.

Pineapple chicken skewers: Follow the instructions above but replace the beef and portobellos with fresh pineapple and chicken thighs!

Carrot Top Pesto And 10 Other Ways To Use Carrot Tops

Carrots store best with their tops removed so remove
 them as soon as you bring them home or harvest them.

Not throwing away food is one of my pet peeves. A new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report found out that 30% of the food produced in the United States is wasted every single day. That is a lot. Big part of it is of course the stores and restaurants, not all households throw away a third of their food but still. I have nearly zero tolerance for throwing away food. I have noticed that when not buying bread and milk and junk foods, we throw very little food away. The vegetables rarely go bad if stored right. Some vegetables like roots and cabbage and hard shelled squashes and pumpkins last for a very long time. Fermented, they last even longer. The meat, stored properly (ours is most often in the freezer), does not have to go bad. Overripe fruit I freeze for smoothies or bake, all others we eat. I use all parts of vegetables usually and I boil leftover bones, chicken legs, necks, fish heads and carcasses etc. to nourishing broth.

I am always looking for more ways to utilize all parts of our food sources. I was asked recently how to use the carrot tops so I thought I'd collect ideas in a post. I first heard about utilizing the carrot tops when someone told me that in Finland - where I used to sell vegetables and berries and chantarelles at a small town farmers market - Chinese immigrants come to collect the carrot tops the sellers throw away as the customers do not want them in their baskets. Wow, so you can eat them too. here are five ways to utilize them and lastly the recipe of a carrot top pesto.

Oh and before you bring up the myth about carrot tops being toxic, check out this excellent post busting the myth.

1. Mix them in your sauteed greens

Chop greens like chard, kale, collard, mustard greens or turnip greens and mix some carrot tops in the mix. Sautee in a pan in broth.

2. Use them instead of parsley

Carrot is in the same plant family as parsley. The flavor is not exactly the same but you can just fine use it instead of parsley in recipes. Try it for instance in Robin Hood Chicken.

3. Add them to your stock pot

When making vegetable or meat broth, some use vegetables and parsley to improve the flavor. Try adding the carrot tops in your next batch of broth.

4. Add to salads
Garnish any salad with carrot tops. Chop them first or cut in one inch pieces with scissors.

5. Herbes Salées (Salt Herb Preserve)

Preserve your end of the season herbs with carrot tops in a jar with salt. Very cool recipe from Well Preserved.

6. Steam them

Simple recipe: Steam the carrot tops, add some coconut aminos (try coconut oil too) and enjoy!

7. Green smoothies
Add some carrot tops to your green smoothie. Our favorite green smoothie is: 1/2 banana, 1/3 cup blueberries, a few handfuls of greens, a few splashes of water or coconut milk and ice. Put in a blender and blend until smooth!

8. Juice them
Just like with smoothies, use the greens like any greens in your green juice. Juice some carrot tops with an apple, carrots, a small piece of ginger and a small clove of garlic (my favorite juice recipe).

9. Medicinal uses (Source: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotops.html#medicinal)
Carrot greens have antiseptic qualities. They have been added to mouthwashes. They have also been mixed with honey and used to disinfect sores.They are also diuretic and can help treat kidney disease and edema. Chewing carrot leaves can heal injuries in the mouth, bad breath, gum bleeding and mouth ulcers. Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides (c. 40-c. 90), who catalogued over 600 medicinal plant specie, said that the Greeks used carrot leaves against cancerous tumors.

Make carrot top tea for detoxing, strengthening kidneys or urinary issues: Take a handful of carrot leaves, wash them, tear them in pieces and put them in a pot. Pour boiling water on them, cover and steep until tea has cooled down. Strain the tea and drink it or store in the fridge for a few days.

10. Yellow dye

Use them for yellow natural dye! Incredible, huh? Follow these directions.

And finally:

Carrot Top Pesto

Tops from 3 bunches of carrots

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp sea salt

1/2-3/4 cups of olive oil (or enough for the blender to blend well)

a handful of fresh basil leaves 

(ground black pepper to taste)

(1 tsp nutritional yeast)

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency. You can also use a food processor. Eat with zucchini pasta, put on grilled veggies or dip veggies in it.

For more autoimmune paleo recipes, check out this roundtable by Phoenix Helix where this recipe is posted as well.

Zucchini Noodles with Nut and Seed Free Pesto (Vegan)

I just love this food. It is fresh, tasty, raw and full of nutrients. You can eat it as a side or even as a full meal. The zucchini noodles can be eaten raw or lightly steamed.

The easiest way to make zucchini noodles is with a spiral vegetable slicer. I own the Paderno one (this one http://amzn.to/1AOm2c8 ). I bought it once for myself as a gift when my husband was on a long business trip and I needed cheering up. 

I am fond of this gadget because it is easy to use, you don't need to plug it in (just use your arm power!) and even the kids can do it (they also think it is incredibly fun).

Pesto
AIP, paleo, vegan, nut/seed free

About a cupful of fresh basil leaves packed tight
About a cupful of fresh spinach, also packed tight

1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil (or replace some of it with water if you don't want it so oily)
(Black pepper is optional)

Mix everything in a blender or food processor. Don't overdo it, the consistency doesn't have to be smooth like a smoothie. Mix with the zucchini noodles.

TIP: This makes more than you might need. Freeze the rest in small proportions for later use.

PS. I have been thinking in the last few days how people often react strongly to the term "paleo" and you hear all kinds of criticism. I am wondering if we could just call it "real food that makes you feel good"?