French Pressed Kitchen

Wholesome Food + Fun

Grain Free

Spicy South African Biltong Hash

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Did you see my breakfast I posted last week on Instagram? If not, biltong HASH ahead!!

Biltong Hash in Lodge Cast Iron

This hash was inspired by this great restaurant I visited Atlanta, Biltong Bar. It’s in Ponce City Market – if you haven’t visited this foodie haven, highly recommend! There were so many good restaurants and fun places to window shop. Biltong Bar had their meat to go, so of course I grabbed some! See our dish below:

Dish from Biltong Bar

What’s biltong, you ask? It’s meat seasoned with vinegar, salt and other spices and then air dried, hanging 3-7 days to create a nice aged taste. Sounds weird, but is delicious. Jerky, however, is usually dried without vinegar, sometimes smoked, and generally dehydrated instead of dried.

SO how you gonna make this. Start with potatoes – I roasted mine the night before as the base. You could also sautee them in the same pan but they may take a little while longer. To start the hash, I heated up the good old Lodge cast iron, added some olive oil, diced onions and peppers and cooked util soft. I threw in the roasted potatoes and biltong at the end, then last minute added in the KALE!! Can’t skimp on the greens. This was not in Biltong Bar’s dish but I thought it was a good addition :). I meant to cook the eggs first in the cast iron but forgot (ugh), so I made them in our non-stick pan on the side. Then scooped them on top!

Biltong Hash Cast Iron Close Up

Mmm yes dem eggs. Served on my most favorite of plates.

Biltong Hash Breakfast

This was breakfast for two + lunch leftovers for me – it was great heated up, even without an egg! You could definitely make it your own with whatever peppers or potatoes (sweet!) you had on hand. Regular jerky (good quality ones of course) would work well here, too! I need to see if I can get more of the biltong shipped to me in the meantime…

Spicy South African Biltong Hash
 
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An easy breakfast or dinner hash featuring South African biltong (or jerky), potatoes and peppers. Leftovers keep great!
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Serves: 2-3 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 russet potato
  • 1 onion, sliced thinly
  • 2 cubanelle peppers, sliced thinly
  • 1 -2 handfuls of biltong or beef jerky
  • 2 cups shredded kale or spinach
  • 1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2-3 eggs
Instructions
  1. Small dice the potato and roast in the oven until brown. This took about 30 minutes on 375 for me. You can do this ahead of time!
  2. Meanwhile, slice the peppers and onion thinly.
  3. Heat a skillet on medium. Add the oil, then the onion. Cook until soft and translucent.
  4. Add the sliced peppers and cook until desired softness (we like our cubanelle peppers a tad crunchy).
  5. Add the biltong, kale or other greens, salt and pepper. Stir to combine until the greens have just wilted. Turn off heat.
  6. In another pan, heat to medium and cook eggs to desired doneness. We like ours runny to combine with the veggies!
  7. Top the hash with eggs, serve and enjoy!!

Enjoy, and let me know if you’ve had biltong 🙂

Blackberry Balsamic Chicken Salad

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This delicious salad is ready in under 30 minutes!

In the latest series of cleaning out the freezer, I targeted blackberries for use for a salad dressing. I saw a recipe posted by Purely Elizabeth over on Instagram and was inspired by how simple it was! Just fresh berries + balsamic vinegar + olive oil.

I found all these greens and the cucumbers at the local farmer’s market in Courthouse (go if you’re nearby! Similar vendors at the Sunday one in Dupont). Pedro and I picked out weekend – baby curly kale, pea shoots and butter lettuce! All looked so pretty and I just couldn’t resist trying them all. Hooray for new things!

I diced up the greens for lunch, after a brief period of admiration, then whipped up the dressing – I did about equal parts of oil, vinegar, and berries, pureed it all and added a little salt and pepper.

Mint on top.

I wanted to add some protein to the salad and we had some leftover chicken so I decided to pan fry it in a little coconut oil and coconut flour. We were out of eggs so I skipped the dipping step and just dipped the chicken in a coconut flour // salt // pepper combo. I think almond flour or bread crumbs would work well too! I threw this in a nonstick pan for a few minutes until browned, flipped and cooked through until finished (temperature, about 165 degrees – used my thermometer!). This was super fast since the breasts were small.  Toasted walnuts on the side. No picture here but you can se the finished produck!

Next I just layered this all up and drizzled on more dressing. Fresh, light and paleo friendly 😊

I’d definitely save leftovers for a work lunch – just keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to eat!

Blackberry Balsamic Chicken Salad
 
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This flavorful salad is perfect for a work lunch or a light summer meal! You can add to the salad with what you have on hand - the dressing is what makes it though!
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Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 4 small or 2 big servings
Ingredients
Salad
  • 4-6 cups mixed greens
  • 1 small cucumber, diced
  • 1 small handful blueberries or blackberries
  • Nuts (optional)
  • Fresh mint, roughly torn
Dressing
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • ½ cup blackberries (defrosted if frozen)
  • Dash of salt
  • Dash of fresh ground pepper
Battered Chicken
  • 4-5 thin chicken breasts or chicken tenders
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste
  • Coconut oil, or other neutral oil for cooking
Instructions
  1. Roughly chop the greens into bite size pieces and add to a large salad bowl with mint and cucumber.
  2. Combine all the dressing ingredients and puree until smooth in a blender or Ninja. Set aside.
  3. Heat a pan to medium heat for pan frying the chicken. When pan is warm, add a bit of coconut oil (I didn't need much because I used a non-stick).
  4. Combine the coconut flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish and stir to combine a bit. Dip the chicken into the mixture, then place in the pan to cook. Sear on each side about 5 minutes (depending on thickness of chicken) or until temperature reaches about 165 degrees F.
  5. Toss the greens with the dressing, then top with the berries and nuts if using and more dressing.
Notes
Extra dressing will keep in the fridge for a few days in a sealed container (I used a jar). It was also great with fish!

Bon appetit!

How to Make a Great Paleo Breakfast

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After Whole30 last year, I can’t get enough of a savory plate for breakfast!

That market chorizo…so good

Whole30 showed me that anything is possible for breakfast, you just have to be open minded 😊I was once a diehard oatmeal / yogurt + granola breakfast eater, alternating between the two with some other sweet options thrown in (healthier French toast, maybe eggs and toast). Nothing wrong with those meals, and I still enjoy them, but now I’m loving being able to incorporate so many vegetables and probiotic foods into my morning routine and cut down on my sugar intake. If I have a wholesome breakfast with all these things, I feel better if I have something simple for dinner or don’t quite get as many veggies later on in the day. Think of it as an early check off the box for the day. (PS: If you’re wondering what paleo is, read some more here and here! As always, I endorse a balance of food and/or diets, but I like paleo oriented things because of the lack of dairy and refined grains and sugars.)

And why paleo? Well I like the focus on veggies, protein, fats and the emphasis on getting “carbs” from natural sources like starchy vegetables and fruit. The less processed the better, right? I also like that these meals fill me up more and leave me feeling more satisfied. I think when I had oatmeal most days (=mostly carbs from the oats, maybe some sweetener and fat from nut butter) I would feel a lot hungrier mid-morning and have a snack or sweet granola bar. These days I’m usually full until lunch (with a coffee break of course) and not cravings sweets as much. So in summary,

  • These breakfasts make me eat healthier throughout the day
  • I get ma veggies in early
  • I’m more creative with produce
  • Eating less processed snacks and breads

Corn chips on top not paleo, but good use of leftovers!

So how do I decide what to put on the plate, you ask? Good question!! When Pedro and I are making breakfast I usually just try to do a green or other cruciferous veggie + protein + a starchy veggie or fruit. If we have it and it goes with the dish, something probiotic on the side like kimchi or sauerkraut. Love these fermented foods and they’re so good for your digestion! So what does this end up looking like? Here are my go to’s:

  • VEGGIES!  Brussel sprouts // spinach // kale // green blends from Trader Joes // mushrooms // zucchini // roasted onion
  • PROTEIN! Eggs // pork sausage // chicken sausage // steak // ham
  • FATS! Avocado // olive oil // nuts // more avocado
  • STARCH! Berries // mango // banana // potatoes or hash browns // sweet potatoes // squash

Trader Joe’s shredded brussels – my fav!!

Other inspiration – herbs, random spices you haven’t used in a while, leftover veggies, PEPPERONI!! Bacon!!! Those don’t really belong under meat…probably more the fat category. Market finds are always great inspiration, too. I loved the eggs we had recently with fresh red onions/chives from the market. If we have leftover meat from another meal, too, we’re not afraid to use it for breakfast. We’ve done pork carnitas, steak and eggs, leftover Indian food…you name it.

Shaksuka!

This “formula” is more of a general rule of thumb. Sometimes I’ll sub out the fruit or starchy vegetable for some gluten free bread or even some leftover NORMAL bread/bagels if we have some. These days I’m trying a little harder to avoid gluten because of everything I’ve heard about gluten being not the best for gut health but sometimes we just have it 😊 I don’t feel bad like I do with dairy afterwards so it’s ok for me, I just treat it as more of an indulgence.

Bread not paleo, but market chorizo // baby curly kale // runny scrambled eggs – so good

Do you have any paleo breakfasts combinations you love? Share below – I’m always looking for more inspiration!

The pepperoni phase was a great one

Simple Dinner: Mediterranean Cod + Salad

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Hello, friends!! Popping in post vacay to share a simple but delicious meal we made this week.

Mr. P and I were in the mood for some lighter things, especially salads. I’ve been lacking salad inspiration lately so we just got a spring mix from Whole Foods to serve as our base. Can’t go wrong with light greens and a good dressing. I think as the warmer weather rolls in I’ll be more creative with chopping up raw veggies (cabbage, carrots, peppers, oh my!) and mixing in some fresh, in season fruits. For now, something simple!

I had this awesome Mediterranean spice mix that I wanted to use (thanks, Amy!) because I had been staring at it for a few weeks. You can find it here. This mix was just olive oil and spices, so we slathered this on our cod filets, placed in a glass baking dish and let the oven do the work. We ended up cooking it on 400 for 25 minutes because these guys were pretty thick!

Here’s a pic of the dish…after we took out our dinner portions because I was too excited. End temperature was just around 140 degrees. I highly recommend a meat thermometer – it really helps prevent from overcooking, especially for fish!

Then for the salad I mixed up a quick dressing of lemon, tahini, olive oil, salt and pepper. I ended up adding a little water to thin it out as well. Tossed the lettuce, served with fish and done! Better than my chips + dip dinner the day we got back from vacation.

Hope you can find some inspiration in this simple, healthy and delicious meal. Spices and a good homemade dressing go a long way!

Mediterranean Cod + Salad
 
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A light but flavorful fish + salad meal, perfect for lunch or dinner!
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Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
Fish
  • 4 cod fillets (or other white fish)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons za'atar mix, or a combination of olive oil, sumac, oregano, salt, thyme and sesame seeds
Lemon Tahini Dressing
  • 1 Tablespoon tahini
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (I like mine citrus-y!)
  • Splash of water
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of fresh ground pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Prepare the cod by patting the fish dry, then covering the spice mix and placing in a glass baking dish.
  3. Bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish. I took the fish out at 25 minutes when it had reached about 140 degrees F.
  4. Prepare the dressing my mixing together the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, water, salt and pepper. Adjust to taste (you can add more olive oil or tahini to mellow out the lemon if you like it less citrus-y.).
  5. Toss the salad with the dressing, then serve with the fish!
Notes
The dressing was a generous portion for two. I made more for our lunches the next day, but you could stretch it for 4 small servings as well!