The Paleo Diet for Athletes (38 page)

Makes 1¼ cups

Garden-Fresh Salsa

2 cloves garlic

1 large yellow onion, quartered

1 green bell pepper, quartered and seeded

2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped

6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 cup fresh cilantro

Freshly ground black pepper

Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño peppers, and pulse until barely chopped. Add the tomatoes and cilantro, and process until combined but slightly chunky. Add pepper to taste. Refrigerate before using.

Makes 6 to 8 cups

Peach Salsa

1 cup peeled and finely chopped fresh peaches

¼ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped Anaheim chile peppers

½ tablespoon lime juice

½ tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon honey

Cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill up to 6 hours.

Makes 1½ cups

Sacramento Guacamole

3 ripe avocados

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced

Mash the avocados with a fork or potato masher until smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well mixed. Refrigerate if not eaten immediately.

Makes 3 cups

Coronado Barbecue Sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil

¼ cup minced onion

1 tablespoon minced, seeded jalapeño pepper

¼ cup
All-Natural Catsup

1 tablespoon honey

¼ teaspoon mustard powder

Dash of ground red pepper

2 cups diced tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a stainless steel saucepan. Add the onion and jalapeño pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the All-Natural Catsup, honey, mustard, and red pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the tomatoes and simmer over low heat, stirring until thickened, about 10 minutes. Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pass through a strainer and season with black pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 2 cups

VEGETABLE DISHES

Stir-Fried Garlic Asparagus

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound fresh asparagus spears

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cook the garlic in the oil until soft, stirring frequently. Add the asparagus spears. Cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour the lemon juice over the asparagus.

Serves 4

Spicy Lemon Broccoli

4 cups small broccoli florets

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel

Crushed red pepper

Place a vegetable steamer in a medium saucepan and fill with water to the bottom of the steamer. Place the broccoli in the steamer and bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the broccoli. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the lemon peel and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the peel begins to brown, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and stir until hot, about 1 minute.

Serves 4

Crunchy Garlic Broccoli

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups broccoli florets

2 cloves garlic, run through a press

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the broccoli, cover, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, or until just tender. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.

Serves 4

Marinated Broccoli Stalks

2 pounds fresh broccoli

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon dried dill weed

1 clove garlic, minced

Red cabbage leaves

Detach broccoli florets from the stalks, leaving only the secondary stalks attached to the main stalk. (Reserve florets for another use.) Cut off and discard the tough bottom end of the main stalk. Cut the remaining stalks diagonally into ½” slices. (You should have about 2 cups.) Whisk together the lemon juice, oil, dill, and garlic in a medium bowl. Add the sliced stalks and stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours. Serve on cabbage leaves.

Serves 4

Baked Walnut-Stuffed Carrots

4 large carrots, washed and pared

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ cup chopped walnuts

½ green bell pepper, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Boil the carrots for 30 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Hollow out the centers and puree the extracted portions. Combine the onion, walnuts, and bell pepper with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add ground pepper to taste. Mix in the pureed carrots, and stuff the eight carrot halves with the mixture. Bake in a dish coated with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Serves 8

Steamed Baby Carrots with Basil

20 small carrots, washed and trimmed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Dried basil

Put a vegetable steamer in the bottom of a medium saucepan, and fill with water to the bottom of the steamer. Bring to a boil, place the carrots in the steamer, cover, and reduce the heat. Steam until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the lemon juice over the carrots and sprinkle with basil to taste.

Serves 4

Lemon-Vinaigrette Carrots

1 pound carrots, peeled

½ cup olive oil

¹
⁄
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cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cut the carrots into very thin diagonal slices. Place in a large skillet, cover with water, and boil until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drain the carrots and toss with the lemon vinaigrette.

Serves 4

Tomato-Pecan Zucchini

2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise

1 small red onion, finely chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted tomato sauce

½ teaspoon dried parsley

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Hollow out the zucchini halves. In a saucepan, heat the pulp with the onion, tomato sauce, parsley, garlic, and pecans for 5 minutes. Stuff the zucchini shells with the mixture. Place in a baking dish with a little water on the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes, until the zucchini is soft.

Serves 2

Sautéed Cauliflower and Zucchini

1 head cauliflower

½ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

1½ teaspoons cumin

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon chopped yellow onion

3 zucchini, cut into ½” slices

Detach the florets from the cauliflower and place in a large skillet with boiling water. Cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Pour out the water and remove the florets. Pour the oil into the skillet and stir in the lime juice, cumin, pepper, basil, oregano, and onion. Add the zucchini and cauliflower. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

Serves 6

Livorno Eggplant

2 eggplants, peeled and cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon cumin

3 medium tomatoes, diced

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the eggplant to boiling water and boil for 1 minute. Remove and drain the eggplant. Place the eggplant in a bowl and set aside. Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil about 5 minutes or until soft, stirring frequently. Add the onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and cumin to the eggplant; blend well. Put the mixture into a well-oiled glass baking dish. Layer with the diced tomatoes and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serves 4

SALADS

Colorado Coleslaw

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 rib celery, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup
Flaxseed Oil Mayonnaise

In a large bowl, pour the lemon juice over the apple slices and add the cabbage, celery, carrot, and onion. Mix together the garlic powder and Flaxseed Oil Mayonnaise, and combine with the cabbage mixture.

Serves 4

Basil Tomatoes

4 medium tomatoes, sliced

¼ cup flaxseed oil

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon dried basil

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teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, minced