Garlic Rosemary Shrimp & Paleo Cocktail Sauce (made without ketchup!)

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Shrimp with cocktail sauce is not something I ate growing up. The entire category of shellfish was on my short list of foods that sucked, right there next to tomatoes, ketchup, asparagus, and carrots. I have only a few memories of actually eating shellfish as a kid, and most of them include my dad sneaking tiny shrimp into stews to see if I could detect them. 

Clearly, I just didn't understand that shrimp, roasted and tossed with garlic and rosemary is a gift from the sea. (I eventually learned to like everything on that list, aside from ketchup--ugh!).

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I've also learned to appreciate a really good cocktail sauce. One that's zesty. One that actually makes the shrimp taste better, instead of masking it. On that does not include--you guessed it-ketchup. Instead it's made with real tomatoes, horseradish, and garlic. A bit of cayenne, and some lemon juice to round it out. When you start putting real ingredients in cocktail sauce, it actually becomes a power food! Did you know that horseradish is considered a cruciferous vegetable? With molecules called glucosinolates, it's been show to help fight cancer. Horseradish has ten times more glucosinlates than broccoli... So dig in already! 

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The beauty of this recipe is it's flexibility. Sensitive tastebuds? Hold the cayenne. Timid when it comes to garlic? Add a little, taste it, and add some more. It's easy to take this recipe and turn it into you own signature sauce concoction.

Garlic Rosemary Shrimp & Paleo Cocktail Sauce (made without ketchup!)

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

More shrimp! Less ketchup.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the Shrimp:
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the Cocktail Sauce:
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 ounce piece of fresh horseradish
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the shrimp with the melted oil, minced garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Spread the shrimp out on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
2. While shrimp cooks, prepare sauce: If you are using a high speed blender, add all of the ingredients and puree until smooth. If you are using a standard blender or food processor, mince the garlic and shred the horseradish with a microplane and then whisk all of the ingredients until combined.
3. Serve shrimp warm on a platter alongside a bowl of sauce.

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Winter Salad with Kale, Squash, Apples, & Fennel

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Merry Christmas Eve! Happy Holidays! Happy whenever you find yourself doing today! For me, it's "Happy Another-Excuse-To-Plan-A-Menu Day"! 

If you are looking to build a holiday menu that everyone can enjoy, regardless of dietary preferences, you know my struggle well: what is paleo, vegan, and still filling? Salad is the easy answer. But it's so hard to make salad feel "right" in the middle of winter. Tomatoes? Hard and flavorless. Cucumbers? Chilling. Butterhead lettuce, arugula, even baby spinach--just plain out of place. It's easier to pass by with gratins, mashes, and roasts. And don't get me wrong--I love anything au gratin (especially this cauliflower gruyere gratin!) - but sometimes it's nice to have a light dish on your holiday table, to balance out all of the traditional winter fare.

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That very question brought me to this salad. (Now, before you say, "Salad is NOT filling," hear me out). This salad, with massaged dino kale, is stuffed with wintery goods that will fill you up: roasted delicata squash, toasted pepitas, and fennel, and crispy apples. Avocado for good measure — because what salad isn’t better with avocado? It has crunch, a touch of sweetness, and a savory kick. And it fits right in on a crowded table of wintertime foods. And if you're still not content, I recommend adding some shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. 

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Drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette, this salad breaks away from the heavy dishes we all know so well, with out feeling out of place. It's a piece of fresh in the midst of winter--often a much needed twist. Since this salad is made with hearty vegetables, it can be made several hours ahead of time, making your holiday meal less stressful! Just wait until the last minute to add the dressing. 

What new dish will you be trying this holiday season? How do you make sure everyone is jolly when they take their seat at the holiday table? 

P.S., that delicate looking garnish is a fennel frond — the top "leafy bit of the fennel bulb. Save a tiny bit when you’re chopping up the fennel, and put it on top for good looks. 😎

Winter Salad with Kale, Squash, Apples, & Fennel

Published December 24, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Active Time: 35 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 delicata squash, seeds removed and sliced

1 tablespoon avocado oil

6 cups kale, chopped into bit-sized pieces

Dash salt

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup fennel, sliced thin

1 apple, cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1 avocado, sliced or cubed

Balsamic vinaigrette  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss the sliced squash in the avocado oil. Spread it out on a cookie sheet, and place in oven. Bake until golden, soft all the way through, and browning on edges. Remove from oven and set aside. 
2. Assemble salad: Place the chopped kale in a salad bowl, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt. Using your hands, rub the olive oil into the leaves until they are bright green. This softens them a bit, making them nicer to eat and easier to digest.
3. Add the fennel and apple to the salad bowl. Top with roasted squash, avocado, and pepitas. Serve with balsamic vinaigrette to taste. Optional: garnish with fennel fronds.

Brussels Sprouts, Apple & Bacon Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

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My brain? Fried. The last two weeks have been a power-haul of finals and end of the year projects. But after finishing two tests on Wednesday, I could instantly breath better, sleep better and think clearer. (Funny how that works--I wish the clear thinking came along with the tests instead of after it, but there's just something about looming tests that make me want to hold my breath until it's over... and holding my breath really doesn't do much for brain function). 

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Going to the monthly Paleo Potluck Club dinner last Sunday was a bright spot between study sessions last weekend. The feast was exactly what my brain needed. This brussels sprout salad, with it's absurdly long name, was a winner: fresh crunch from the shredded brussels sprouts, a sweet kick from the apples, and a savory-salty bonus from bacon pieces. Pepitas give it a nutty crunch. 

I ended up recreating the salad twice during the week. It's variety of flavor and textures are just delicious! And while salad usually feels meh in the winter, this salad feels just right.

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If you're new to salad with brussels sprouts you're probably having a lot of doubts right now. I don't blame you. To be honest, I tasted my first brussels sprout less than 3 years ago (though I can't remember when...), so I'm no sprout veteran. What I can tell you, is that if you're a brussels sprout newbie, this salad is not a bad place to start. (Come on, it has bacon in it!) And, if you are an brussels sprout veteran, add this one to your arsenal--it will not fail you. 

Brussels Sprout, Apple, & Bacon Salad with Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

Published November 22, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2-4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded brussels sprouts, cut them with the mandolin attachment of your food processor or thinly with a knife 
• 1 cup shredded dino kale 
• 2 slices bacon
• 1/4 yellow onion 
• 1 gala apple, cored and diced (optional, save 1/4 of the apple and slice thinly to use as garnish)
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds 

For the Vinaigrette:
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat medium sized skillet over medium heat and cook bacon until crispy. Move to a plate, and once cool, crumble into small pieces. Then, slice onion into thin strips and sauté in bacon grease until golden. Set aside to cool.
2. Place shredded brussels sprouts and shredded dino kale in a salad bowl and toss until distributed.
3. Make vinaigrette in a small jar: place all ingredients for vinaigrette in a jar with a lid, and close. Shake until combined. Pour over greens, and toss until coated.
4. Add crumbled bacon, cooled onions, diced apple, and pumpkin seeds and toss. If desired, top with reserved apple slices for garnish.