Eat your Veggies

Here is a List of what veg is in season in New Zealand.

Grilled Chicken with rosemary

Ingredients

• rosemary stems or wooden skewers, soaked in cold water
• 500g skinless chicken breast fillets, cut in 1.5cm cubes
• olive oil spray
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomato pesto
• 1 medium red capsicum, halved, de-seeded, cut in 2cm cubes
• 1 medium green capsicum, halved, de-seeded, cut in 2cm cubes

Step 1 Thread chicken and capsicum on stems or skewers.

Step 2 Preheat a barbecue or chargrill to medium. Spray chicken with oil and brush with pesto. Grill skewers, turning occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through and brown. Transfer skewers to a plate. Cover with foil and stand for 5 minutes.

Pork Tenderloin with something Green

2 pork tenderlions
1/2 cup Olive Oil
3tsp Lime Juice
4 cloves crushed garlic
fresh cilantro

Slice pork and flatten into equal thickness. Mix next 4 ingredients and marinate pork for 4 hours, the longer the better. Cook in pan with olive oil, 2-3 minutes each side. Serve over roasted green beans and wilted spinach.

I washed and cut the ends off of the green beans, drizzled in olive oil, salt and pepper then roasted at 160 for 15 minutes. The spinach was wilted in the same pan as the pork.

Asparagus is in Season in New Zealand

Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto

Asparagus is back and delicious. Bake at 160c for 20 minutes, or Slice up stalks and prosciutto and saute with olive oil.

Grilled Flank Steak with Pineapple Salsa

From Scott Hagnas, Performance Menu

Aah, summertime. Time to fire up the grill! Here is a quick and easy dinner.

Time: 20 minutes

· 500gms flank steak
· 2 tsp olive oil
· 1 tsp chipotle powder
· 4 slices of pineapple or pineapple rings
· 1 1/4 C chopped red bell peppers
· 1/2 C chopped red onion
· 1/4 C chopped cilantro
· 2 Tbsp lime juice

Get the grill ready! Meanwhile, mix oil and chipotle powder in a dish. Apply to both sides of the steak, then grill for around 5 minutes on one side. Flip and continue to grill for around 3 minutes more. (remember that grassfed beef will cook faster than conventional beef. If you use conventional beef, you may need to grill it for a few minutes longer) Remove to a plate and cover for 10 minutes. The steak will continue to cook.

Meanwhile, grill the pineapple rings for 2-3 minutes per side. Dice the pineapple, place in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients.

Slice the steak thinly, serve with the salsa.

A Great Cookbook

I just bought this cookbook and it is fantastic! MaD will have some available if you're interested in purchasing one, please let me know. Here's a description of what's in it from Mark's Daily Apple.

Convenience: Save time with intuitive recipe steps, easy navigation, and great visual support. Find recipes quickly in the following categories: Meat, Offal, Fowl, Seafood, Vegetables, Eggs, Primal Substitutes, Marinades, Sauces and Dressings, Desserts, Beverages.

Effortless Weight Loss: As detailed in the Primal Blueprint, losing excess body fat is all about insulin. Regulate insulin production by eliminating grains and sugars and you will lose weight, even if you don't exercise much or are cursed with the "fat gene". Easier said than done, right? Well, the Primal Blueprint cookbook shows you how to transition from great American grain-based diet to a Primal Blueprint diet featuring meat, seafood, fowl, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. All of these Primal recipes have a naturally low glycemic impact, keeping your insulin levels—and thus your waistline—in check.

No Pasta, No Bread, No Rice, No Beans, No Kidding!: As you build momentum for Primal eating, you'll find that you won't even miss the bland, boring, low-fat foods that previously were the central focus of your diet. How can you argue with a menu that includes Roasted Leg of Lamb with Herbs and Garlic, Salmon Chowder with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes Stuffed with Ground Bison and Eggs, and Baked Chocolate Custard? This isn’t a crash course diet. These and the other Primal recipes provide the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating, high energy and protection from common health problems that arise from eating SAD (Standard American Diet).

Salmon and asparagus

For dinner tonight:

Just foil wrap salmon and asparagus, drizzle olive oil, squeeze a bit of lemon season with salt and pepper, pop in the oven on 160c for about 20min....and Done! Simple and delicious.