Shrimp in Garlic, Bacon, Mushroom Tomato Sauce

I love wilted greens. For some reason, something about slightly limp lettuce warmed by some kind of sauteed meat in a sauce appeals to me. I think it's a texture thing. I also love shrimp. So it would only make perfect sense in my head to put these two things together. Check out this recipe for something quick and refreshing as the weather gets warmer (or stays exactly the same here in Hawaii).

The lower left corner is my homemade bacon!
And tomato paste and coconut milk are not pictured.
The lemon just showed up there, uninvited.

You will need:
1/4c. chopped up bacon, or some other meat like steak or a pork chop (not cooked)*
3/4c. chopped up mushrooms (also tiny squares)
1tbsp butter (more if using non-fatty meat like steak)
Three sprigs of fresh basil
1.5 tsp crushed garlic, or 2-3 cloves finely minced
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1lb. shrimp, shelled and cut into chunks
3tbsp (roughly half a can) tomato paste
1/2c coconut milk (in a can or in a carton, but none of this "lite" junk)
fresh greens or other vegetables like zucchini noodles

*If you use steak or pork, make sure you get a fairly marbled or fatty cut, leaner cuts will dry out and become too chewy. Try a porterhouse steak or a pork shoulder blade steak.

Take your chopped up bacon and put it in a pan over medium heat. When the bacon is about half way cooked and on its way to being nice and crispy, put in the mushrooms and the butter. Mushrooms seem to suck up a ton of oil when they cook, so rather than have your pan dry, add the oil. If you are some kind of lunatic and you don't like butter (especially the good stuff from Kerry Gold, they probably give their cows Guinness over there too, luckiest damn cows), you can use coconut oil instead.

When everybody is crispy in the pan, add half the basil. As you can see in this picture, I have some crazy basil plants, and I haven't harvested them like I should. Technically you should trim the basil before it flowers. All of the energy and flavor stored in the plant goes into making it bloom rather than producing green and flavorful leaves. So technically, these basil leaves will be kind of bland. I don't use basil often enough to warrant doing this, so I just use the flowers like I would basil leaves, and voila. Defreakinglicious. Add the garlic and ground pepper and continue to toss around the pan.

Throw the shrimp into the mix. This is starting to get good. Fast.

Now you can add the coconut milk and tomato paste. Turn the heat down low, whisking in the tomato paste so it begins to thicken the coconut milk and make a sauce. Simmer this for five minutes or until your sauce is thick enough to make you the happiest person ever. I'm easily amused so it only took five minutes.

Put some lettuce on a plate and spoon your mixture over it. The heat of the sauce will wilt the lettuce but keep it crunchy. A great mix of flavors and textures, this dish is probably the best thing I've made in a long time. And it's ridiculously easy. Sometimes I amaze myself. And I already know I'm pretty awesome.

**UPDATE I checked on my pickles. I didn't weigh them down, and they molded. Overnight. So, make sure you keep your cucumbers sunk, or they will be moldy, and you will throw them away lest you get food poisoning.**

Day 2

I feel like most blogs are supposed to start on Day 1 of some awesome personal journey that is meant to inspire and encourage others to do the same.  But, really, I’m just here to post about some really awesome stuff in my life. Recipes, WODs, you know... regular things in the life of someone who strives to "eat like an animal, train like a beast."  So, that said, this blog begins on Day 2 of my journey to a paleo “eat like an animal” way of life.  And really, it’s well into the “train like a beast” phase (I started CrossFit in May 2012).  Here's the earliest pic I could find of myself (I'm on the right with the crazy red hair and ridiculously huge mug of vodka) prior to changing my life around. I figure we have lots of time to go into the who, what, when, where, why, and how of "paleo," so let's skip that now and move on to why this blog is here (and what I ate for lunch today).

I should also start off by saying that allopathic medicine is not my favorite thing, despite (because of?) the fact that I work in a hospital.  I look at some of the folks who come in there and think, “Hey, I’m 27, I better get cracking on this taking care of my body thing.  I want to be able to pick up my dentures when they fall on the ground.”  This blog is an attempt to hold myself accountable to noting benchmarks in my diet and my level of fitness, and to keep track of how I'm going to use food and fitness to combat some of the chronic health issues I have so I don't end up like the people who come to my hospital.

And yes, I'm a girl, despite the Carl thing.  My in-laws call me Carl for short... short for Carly... don't ask.

So, after that brief introduction about why I'm here and what I want to do, here’s my first “recipe.” I’m not really in to reading and following recipes. I just kinda throw stuff in the pan and hope for the best.  I will say, however, that order of operations is key, and so for that reason, I’ve decided to write this down. (Also I’m tired of trying to tell people how to make things at the office, and have them say “Just email it to me!”… don’t think I’ve remembered to do that even once…).

Moroccan Slaw with Shrimp and Cashews

You will need:  1.5 tsp of coconut oil, 1 diced shallot – fry these babies up til they turn translucent (not on high heat)

then add: 1 bag of broccoli slaw (could sub cabbage slaw I guess, but make sure it’s plain old veggies, no mayo or other stuff) and cook til it’s a little wilty but still crisp, and while still cooking…

throw on top: 2 tsp of moroccan spices, available at most grocery stores.

mix it up, toss it around, put a lid on the frying pan for a few minutes and keep some moisture in there.  After about 5 minutes of cooking, VOILA INSTANT AMAZING EASY DISH!

For the shrimp: bring a pot of water to boil, add a bit of salt or other spices to taste, cook for about 4 minutes or until they turn super pink.

Throw cashews on top. Or wherever, or whatever nuts you please (I'm gonna leave that one alone...)

And literally you’re done.  Now eat that tasty dish, and make all the people in your office jealous that you’re eating a ridiculously awesome lunch… Paleo style "Lean Cuisine" mmmm, so much better than that frozen crap in the community office refrigerator.