Korean Comfort Bowl

Bibimbap

Want a simple one bowl meal that tastes great and all the goodness you want? Try Korean Bibimbap! If you haven't had an authentic version, try to seek out a good Korean place to give it a try. Most bibimbap uses the same ingredients, but you can make this more paleo or less - use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice for the paleo feel, but I enjoy using a sushi rice to make mine. This dish does the job in filling you up, eating your colours, and giving you great flavour to enjoy what you are eating! 

 

Bibimbap (makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1lb Lean Ground Beef (You can pick up grass-fed organic ground beef from Costco!)2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Small Piece of Ginger, peeled, finely chopped (about 1" piece will work)
1/2lb Mushrooms, sliced (Use your favourite kind)
4 Cups Spinach, washed well, stems removed (Any Asian Greens will work too)
4 Large Eggs
1 Cup Daikon Radish, cut julienne or grated
1 Cup Carrots, cut julienne or grated
Coconut Oil (Or Avocado Oil)
Tamari
Fish Sauce
Sesame Oil
Sea Salt

1. The first thing you need to do is prepare your rice, or your cauliflower rice, then go to the following steps.
2. Cook out the ground beef in a pan with coconut/avocado oil, making sure you break it up well. If the beef you are using is too fatty, drain off the excess fat. 
3. Add in the half the garlic, ginger, 1 Tbsp Tamari, and 1/2 Tsp fish sauce to the beef and cook for a further minute or two. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. In the same pan, add in some coconut/avocado oil and start frying up the veggies separately. First, add in the mushrooms and stir, add in a pinch of salt and cook out until brown and set aside. Repeat again for the spinach, adding the oil first, toss in the remainder of the garlic then the spinach until wilted, but not too soft. This should take no time.
5. In the pan, fry the eggs so they are sunny side up and separated, each portion will get one egg.
6. Now it's time to put it together! In four bowls, place the rice in the bottom, top with ground beef, and drizzle some sesame oil on the beef. Place some mushrooms, spinach, carrots, and daikon radish on top of the beef in each bowl and finally top it off with the fried egg. Enjoy with some Sriracha sauce or Korean hot sauce if you have it!

Ah(i) Tuna!

Sushi Grade Tuna Summer Salad

With summer here, people tend to eat lighter, but you still want to get some good protein and nutrition into you during these hot days. Try this more adventurous raw salad sometime. When you are purchasing fish, especially when you are going to eat it raw, make sure you go to a reputable fishmonger and ensure it is sushi grade. This way, you know the correct steps were taken to eat this fish raw.

 

Tuna & Mango Salad (makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 Avocado, seeded and cut into chunks
2 Mangoes, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1lb Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna, cut into chunks
1 Tsp Black Sesame Seeds, or Toasted White Sesame Seeds
1 Green Onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Tamari
4 Tsp Sesame Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
Sriracha Sauce (optional)

1. When cutting your avocado, mango, and tuna, make sure they are all cut into similar bite size chunks.
2. In a bowl, combine the avocado, mango, tuna, Tamari, sesame oil, and season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
3. Divide the salad into 4 bowls, and garnish with the sesame seeds and green onions. Top with Sriracha sauce if you want to spice things up!

Keen on Kelp

Beef & Kelp Noodles

Okay, so when you hear kelp noodles, you are probably picture some green, stringy type things to eat. On the contrary, they are actually clear, packaged in water, and they can be found in the refrigerator section in most Whole Foods, or health food stores. They are inexpensive, but they make a big meal and take on the taste of whatever you cook them in. You can have them hot (like in this recipe) or cold and they last a long time in the fridge in their original packaging. Another bonus to this ingredient is that it is high in iron, magnesium and vitamin B9!



 

Ingredients:

1 Package of Kelp Noodles, rinsed very well, and cut noodles (they are super long)
1-2lbs Beef cut into thin strips (strip loin cut works well)
1/2 Broccoli, stalk removed, cut florets into small bite-size pieces
6 Large Button Mushrooms, sliced thin
1 Shallot, cut into thin strips
1/3 Cup Tamari
Sea Salt & Pepper
Chili Peppers (optional)

1. In a large wok/frying pan, brown the beef strips until they are cooked about medium-rare. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. In the same pan, heat coconut oil, or avocado oil over medium-heat. Add in your vegetables, and stir-fry for about 5-7 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
3. Add in the tamari and simmer for about 2 minutes over low-medium heat then add in the kelp noodles and cook out for another 5 minutes until they soften, continually stirring.
4. Add the beef back in, mix together and serve with a garnish of chillies peppers if you want to spice it up, or just simple Sriracha sauce! 

Jerky!

It's clean, grass-fed Jerky!

Everyone loves jerky, you know it! The only thing, it does take a long time to complete, but so worth it. I would suggest doing the marinating the first night before you have a couple days off work - you need 24 hours to get it set for drying; then it's 4 hours in the dehydrator and you are good to enjoy. If you don't have a dehydrator, look at the notes below for how to do this in your oven.

Ingredients:

1 lbs Grass-fed Lean cut of Beef, Flank works best
1/4 Cup Tamari (or if you have it Coconut Aminos)
3/4 Tsp Natural Liquid Smoke (one with 2 ingredients-hickory smoke and water)
1 Tsp Chili Powder
1/4 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1/4 Tsp Garlic Salt
1/4 Tsp Onion Powder
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional if you don't want it with any kick)
1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

1. Slice up your beef into thin 1/8" pieces, cutting across the grain. To make cutting evenly easier, put the meat in the freezer for about 45 mins-1 hour; it will freeze slightly to help make the cutting easy. Ensure that the fat is all trimmed off. If you leave fat on, it runs the risk of the jerky spoiling much sooner than you want.
2. In a ziploc bag (this makes clean up easy), mix all your ingredients together ensuring that all the beef is coated. seal it and marinate it in the refrigerator for 24 hours for the best flavour. Every so often, flip the bag so the meat marinates evenly.
3. After marinating, remove the beef and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Place the strips of beef on the dehydrator tray, avoiding overlapping any pieces. If you want an easy clean up, you can line the dehydrator with parchment paper.
5. Turn the dehydrator to about 140-145 degrees and allow to dry for about 3-4 hours. Half-way, make sure you flip the beef. Smaller pieces may be done, so remove them if they are to avoid overdrying.
6. Beef is done when it is dry to the touch, still flexible without snapping apart. Remove the beef and allow to cool for about an hour before placing in an airtight container and storing in the refrigerator.

NOTE - OVEN DEHYDRATING:

Heat oven to 150-170 degrees, the lowest setting as possible. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and top with a wire rack. Line the beef slices without overlapping - you may need two trays. Prop the door open with a wooden spoon if you can safely and dry out for about 8 hours. 

BAR-B-QUE!

B is for BAR-B-QUE

Keeping in the trend of the alphabet, let's look at the letter 'B' and barbequing! Everyone loves it, everyone does it, so let's test out this little Korean marinade that is awesome on short ribs. Pair it up with some beer (yes, it's ok to indulge in BBQ season, just be responsible!) and you've got a great meal on a summer's day.
 

Ingredients

2-3 lbs Beef Short Ribs
1/2 Pear, grated
1 Shallot, minced
1/2 Tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 Cup Tamari
1 Tbsp Raw Honey
1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar (or you can omit this and add 1/2 Tbsp more Honey)
Sea Salt & Pepper

1. Toss all the ingredients, minus the ribs (of course), into a blender and combine thoroughly.
2. In a Ziploc bag, place the ribs and the marinade. Seal it with little air as possible and shake it up so that all the ribs are covered in the marinade.
3. Place in fridge overnight.
4. Remove from fridge about 15 minutes before barbequing. Barbeque ribs fro about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the size and thickness.
5. Serve with your favourite beverage and omnomnom!

 

Cauliflower Rice...whhaaatt??

CAULI-FRIED RICE
Going back to my Asian roots for this one...kinda. Cauliflower is pretty amazing when you think about it - even being considered the Superfood that took Kale out of the number one spot! You can steam it, bake it, eat it raw and even fried rice it...we're going with that last one today :)

 



Ingredients
1 Head Cauliflower
5 Slices Slab Bacon, chopped (the good stuff if you can!)
1 Chicken Breast, chopped (same size as the bacon for even cooking purposes)
3 Eggs, beaten
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Bunch Green Onions, chopped (separate the green parts from the white parts)
1 Cup Carrots, diced small
1 Cup Peas, fresh or frozen
1/3 Cup Thai Basil, chopped
1-3 Tbsp Tamari
1 Tsp Sriracha (optional)
Avocado Oil or Coconut Oil (for frying)

Method

1. Make sure all your ingredients are cut before you start frying, you gotta move fast in this one! For the "rice" cut the cauliflower into small florets and pulse in a food processor until it starts resembling little pieces of rice. No food processor, you can grate it roughly with a hand held grater.
2. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a separate dish and set aside.
3. Add to the pan the eggs and quickly scramble then breaking into small pieces, then move to the holding dish. If needed, add a little oil to the pan and turn the heat to high. Add the chicken, white onion pieces, ginger and garlic. Stir fry until the chicken is just barely cooked through, then add the carrots and cook another minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the holding dish.
4. Now add the cauliflower "rice" to the pan. Stir fry for 3-5 minutes until soft, but still firm, you don't want it to be too soft or it will become mushy. Place the cooked bacon, chicken, vegetables, ginger and garlic into the pan. Add in the peas and Tamari to taste and the Sriracha if you choose. Stir and toss together until peas are heated through, then toss in your green onion and basil. Serve!

Sweet Potato Noodle Goodness

PALEO JAPCHAE

This is one of the yummiest Korean dishes that I enjoy making for myself and others. It is super easy to make and doesn't take longer than 15-20 minutes to put together! Sweet potato noodles are super cheap to buy (like less than $2 a package!), so this makes for a pretty inexpensive dish to make as well.

Ingredients
3 Tbsp of Bacon Fat (mmm...bacon) or Avocado Oil
1 Shallot, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped finely
1/2 lb. Steak (the good stuff if you can) or you can use chicken breast, or pork belly!
2 Large Carrots, julienne (that means cut into thin strips)
1 Cup Green onions, julienne
1-1/2 Cups Broccoli Florets, cut into small bite-size pieces
2 Cups Fresh Kale, stems removed, just the leafy parts
1 Cup Mushrooms, sliced (you can use white, shiitake, or any type of mushrooms you prefer)
1/2 Cup Tamari
2 Tbsp Raw Honey
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Package Sweet Potato Noodles (the vermicelli - thin ones or you can use the wider noodles if you prefer)
Sea Salt, to taste
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Sesame Seeds, to garnish at the end

Method

1. Place a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Cook the sweet potato noodles according to the package instructions. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water, using your hands or tongs (the noodles are HOT - be careful!) to ensure that the noodles are separated and cool them down. Set aside.
2. Heat the fat/oil in a large pan (big enough that it will fit the noodles and everything in it). Add in the onions, garlic, and meat; cook for 3 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
3. Add in the carrots, green onion, and broccoli; cook for a further 2 minutes. Then add in the kale and mushrooms, cooking for 2 minutes more.
4. In a small bowl, combine the tamari, honey and sesame oil until all incorporated, then toss into the pan and coat the mixture. Turn off the heat and add in the noodles. Mix together.
5. Re-heat the pan over medium-high heat in order to heat the noodles and everything through. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste, toss on the sesame seeds.
6. Remove from the pan and serve!