Quick Pickled Radicchio, Radish, and Apple (AIP, Paleo, Whole 30, Vegan)

For the recently holiday weekend, Emily and I packed up my car (to the max) and ventured up to visit my parents for the week. They live about 2 hours away and we don't get to see them too often, so we decided to make it a nice long visit. One of my favorite things to do while home is shop at all the amazing discount grocery stores. They have nothing like them where I live, so I always stock up when I am in town.

On our last day there, we stopped in at this place called Ebenzer's Groceris. It has this huge freezer full of fresh produce, half traditional and half organic. The best part is the prices. I left with at least 5 bags of fresh produce for under $40. One item I picked up was two pretty decent size heads of organic radicchio, which were two for $1!!! Since this is something I don't normally buy for us, I wasn't sure what I would do with it, besides add it to a salad.

Then, the other night, after I pulled it out and stared at the radicchio for a while, I said to the hubby, "I want to make something with this, but I have no idea what." To which my brilliant hubby said, "why don't you pickle it?" And that was it, I knew exactly what to do. Thus the quick pickled radicchio, radish, and apple recipe was conceived.

Quick Pickled Radicchio, Radish, and Apple 

Ingredients

• 2 cups radicchio, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup, red radish, cut in to matchsticks
• 1 apple, chopped
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Add shredded radicchio to a medium bowl and sprinkle sea salt all over and let sit for 2 minutes.
2. Stir radicchio up and then add in remaining ingredients
3. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days to enjoy later. 

Warm Escarole, Pineapple, and Toasted Coconut Salad (AIP, Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30)

Vegetables. Give me all the vegetables! Since starting the autoimmune protocol, I have found myself trying out so many new veggies. Some I never even heard of just a few years ago, others I have known about, but was always to scared to try them. Are you trying new vegetables now that you have changed your diet?

If not, or even if you are, I have a tip for you. If you are fortunate enough to have an international market near, like an Asian market, I recommend you go there. Even if you don't have one, go to your local grocery store. Each week, pick one new vegetable you have never tried before and give it a go.

This week I tried escarole for the first time. I learned, through trusted Google, escarole is a form of endive. It's got broad leaves and a bitter flavor. Basically the perfect match for a sweet crunchy warm salad. As I do with almost any other recipe on the blog, I checked the fridge to see what I could mix with it. This warm salad is a perfect way to get in your greens, but in a bit of a nontraditional way.

Warm Escarole, Pineapple, and Toasted Coconut Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup finely diced pineapple, reserve 1 tablespoon of juice
• 4 cups, chopped escarole, approximately one small head
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• A pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Warm a large frying pan over medium/low heat.
2. Once pan is warm, add the shredded coconut to the pan. Leave alone for 3-4 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Toss and cook for another minute.
3. Add pineapple to pan and toss with shredded coconut and cook for about two minutes.
4. Add escarole and extra virgin olive oil to frying pan and toss to combine.
5. Stir often and allow to cook for 2 minutes, just enough to combine everything and warm up the escarole, but not enough to wilt it.
6. Remove from heat and place in a mixing bowl.
7. Add in reserved pineapple juice, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt. Toss to combine.
8. Serve as a side to your favorite meal.

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette (AIP, Paleo)

This simple salad combines some of my favorite flavors to make a delicious and light salad to go with any meal or make it a full meal by topping with your protein of choice.

Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bacon
• ½ a bunch of large leaf kale (about 5-6 leaves), chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• ½ cup grapes, halved
• ¼ cup bacon fat (reserved from cooked bacon)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. In a medium frying pan, cook bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on a paper towel lined plate. Pour drippings into a medium glass bowl.
2. Add kale, grapes, carrots, and avocado to a large bowl to combine or distribute between plates for fancy plating.
3. Add  the vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and garlic powder to bacon fat and whisk together
4. Drizzle dressing over salad portions and enjoy! To make it a meal, top the salad off with some grilled chicken, salmon, steak, or your choice of protein.

Curried Chicken Salad (AIP, Paleo)

You may or may not have noticed, I have a bit of a turmeric obsession. This recipe, like many of mine lately, came together on a whim. There was leftover chicken that needed to be used and I am always looking for fun new ways to eat jicama. Naturally, it made the most sense to combine the chicken, jicama, and turmeric plus bunch of other ingredients to make an awesome chicken salad.

Plus, I have successfully reintroduced eggs, so I was finally able to make home made mayo again! Don't worry my fellow AIPers who haven't yet reintroduced eggs or unable to eat them, I have three other options for you.

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 10 ounce can of chicken or about a 1 cup of chopped/shredded leftover chicken
• 1/2 cup of diced apple
• 1/2 cup of diced jicama
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 ½ tablespoons of homemade mayo*
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons of green onions
• 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
• Sea salt, to taste

*I have made these two AIP mayo recipes before and they would both work well in this recipe: Egg Free Mayonnaise and Garlic Mayo, both from The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook. Alternatively, you could use just coconut cream (the part that separates from the water after being in the fridge overnight). 

Instructions

1. Chop/dice/shred ingredients as mentioned above.
2. Combine chicken, apple, jicama, and celery in a bowl until well combined.
3. Add remaining ingredients, and salt to taste.
4. Serve with some additional chopped green onion.
5. Enjoy on a cucumber slice, on a spoon, or on top of a bed lettuce. 

Mediterranean Beets and Sweets Salad (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

One of my very first recipe creations for the blog was this Mediterranean Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette dressing. This was at a time when I was just beginning to exploring gluten free and the thought of paleo hadn't even cross my mind. The salad used several things I no longer eat, i.e. chick peas and eggplant, so I decided to remake this recipe to something I can now enjoy. This salad is made with two different types of sweet potatoes, two different types of beets, and a delicious lemon dill dressing making it a nutritious and colorful snack or a perfect side dish for any meal.

Mediterranean Beets and Sweets Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2-3 medium red beets
• 5-6 small golden beets
• 2-3 medium purple sweet potatoes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 1-2 tsp Avocado Oil
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, stems removed and chopped finely
• Juice of one lemon about 2-3 tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons of fresh dill
• A pinch of sea salt (or more depending on taste)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel both sets of beets and sweet potatoes and dice into bite size pieces.
3. Spread beets and sweets out onto two baking sheets and drizzle lightly with avocado oil. You want just enough to lightly cover them.
4. Roast in oven for about 40 minutes until beets are cooked, tossing them half way through. 
5. While beets and sweets are roasting, assemble the dressing by whisking the lemon juice, olive oil and dill in a small bowl.
6. Also while the veggies are roasting, finely chop parsley and set aside.
7. When the beets and sweets are finished, remove from oven, and let them cool for at least 30 mins.
8. When veggies are cool, through them, the parsley, dill dressing, and pinch of salt in a large bowl. Stir until completely combined. 
9. Serve as a side to any meal or enjoy as a snack.

This salad is meant to be served as a cold salad. It will last in the fridge for at least a week. It makes about 6-8 servings.

Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable

Raw Beet and Carrot Salad (AIP, Paleo, Vegan)

I love beets! They are so deliciously good and so good for you! According to Health Impact News, the help lower blood pressure, boost your stamina, fight inflammation, have anti-cancer properties, and provide detox support. Sign me up! So many great benefits in one little root, it's hard to ignore.

Usually I roasted my beets, but decided to do something with them raw. I have thrown raw beets in a smoothie (which is delicious), but the idea of a cold shredded salad sounded great. Also, I was dying to use my new mandolin slicer I got for Christmas from the hubby. So, I combined the shredded beets and carrots to make this delicious raw salad.

Raw Beet and Carrot Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large beet (or 2-3 medium ones)
• 3-4 large carrots
• 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp of salt

Preparation

1. Cut the top and bottom off of the beet(s) and peel. I use a sharp knife to cut of the outer skin. Then cut beet(s) into quarters.
2. Use a mandolin with the smallest blade to shred beets. Alternatively, you can use cheese grater to shred the beet. Place shredded beet(s) into a large mixing bowl.
3. Peel carrots and shred as well using either mandolin or cheese grater and place in mixing bowl with beets.
4. Add balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt to carrots and beets. Stir to completely combine and coat.

ENJOY! I love this either one its own or as a side to your favorite dish. This salad pairs perfectly with the Cracklin Chicken by Nom Nom Paleo. The salad can be stored into the fridge for up to a week, though it hasn't lasted that long in our house.

Featured on AIP Recipe Roundtable