Grilled Shrimp Skewers

GRILLED SHRIMP SKEWERS 

Printable Recipe

• 20-30 count raw shrimp, shelled & deveined 
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil  
  
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind
•  1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper 
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, minced 
• 5-7 skewers, soaked in water for 20 min

1. In a medium bowl, mix olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice & rind, mustard powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, & basil.

2. Add shrimp and marinate for 15-20 minute.

3. Skewer 4-6 shrimp from head to tail.

4. On a well oiled grill, BBQ shrimp skewers for 2-3 minutes on each side.

5. In a small dish, smash a garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon minced basil, & a dash of red pepper flakes. Soak flavors in 1 teaspoon olive oil.

 

6. Serve with lemon wedge & garlic basil oil 

STORY BEHIND THE DISH

  These simply delicious shrimp skews have been something my Dad has made with pasta for years. I personally like the BBQ myself so I decided to take the tradition out doors.

MODIFICATIONS/Whole30

  This is whole30 & paleo approved but the recipe can be modified to your palate. If you like spicy you can add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. On whole30 you can add ghee to the shrimp or if you are not on whole30 you can add melted butter to the shrimp which is always delicious! 

Prosciutto wrapped Shrimp

 PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED SHRIMP 

Printable Recipe

• 1/2 pound clean raw shrimp 
• 1 pack prosciutto 
• 1 teaspoon paprika 
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper 
• 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
• Skewers, soak in water for 20 min

1. Toss shrimp with olive oil, paprika, salt, & pepper.

2. Skewer each shrimp from head straight through to the start of the tail & wrap in a half piece of prosciutto. Broil shrimp in the oven for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Plate Finished Product

STORY BEHIND THE DISH

  I really wanted to make bacon wrapped shrimp but since it took 2 weeks into my Whole30 to find approved bacon I just decided to go the safe route & use prosciutto. 

MODIFICATIONS/Whole30

  This is whole30 & paleo approved but the recipe can be modified to your palate. If you like spicy you can add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. I used mustard powder but you could use any extra flavoring you would like. This would pair well with a good garlic or bbq dipping sauce. 

Roasted Butternut Squah

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Printable Recipe

• 2 cups butternut squash, diced 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee 
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or thyme, minced 
• salt & pepper 

Toss squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil & a dust of salt. Spread the squash evenly on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake on the upper rack at 400 degrees for 30 min or until it's soft & starts to brown. 

Plate Finished Product

STORY BEHIND THE DISH

  I love butternut squash. It is a challenging squash to cut so I don't mind spending the extra dollar to buy then pre-cut at Trader Joes. It makes a wonderful side dish and pairs very well with pork, chicken, & turkey.

MODIFICATIONS/Whole30

  This is whole30 & paleo approved but the recipe can be modified to your palate. If you like spicy you can add some red pepper flakes to this dish. This is a fabulous side dish & has great flavor with such little ingredients. 

Rosemary Turkey Sausage Links

ROSEMARY TURKEY SAUSAGE LINKS

Printable Recipe

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, or 1/2 dry
• 1/2 teaspoon dry sage 
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• salt & pepper

1. Mix the ground turkey with the 5 following spices well by hand.

2. Roll about 2 tablespoons of the sausage mix into links by hand.

3. On a lightly oiled cast iron skillet or non-stick pan, brown all sides.

4. When all sides are brown bring sausages toward the center of the skillet & slightly cover to fully cook through about 3-4 minutes.

Plate Finished Product

STORY BEHIND THE DISH

  I am not much of a breakfast person but I do like sausage links & bacon of course. So I decided to create a healthier version of my Dad's breakfast links. 

MODIFICATIONS/Whole30

  This is whole30 & paleo approved but the recipe can be modified to your palate. If you like spicy you can add some red pepper flakes to this dish. You can serve these with eggs & sweet potato hash.

Winter Squash Breakfast Hash

 WINTER SQUASH BREAKFAST HASH 

Printable Recipe

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, or 1/2 dry
• 1/2 teaspoon dry sage 
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• salt & pepper

• 1 cup butternut squash, diced 
• 1/2 medium onion, diced 
• 1 apple, diced 
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced 

1. Coat squash with a little olive oil & sprinkle with salt. Bake in a foil lined pan for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. 

 2. In a bowl mix together ground turkey & the 5 following spices until they are well combined.

3. In a oiled non stick pan or on a flat grill pan brown turkey sausage meat until fully cooked. 2-3 minutes on each side. As it cooks use a spatula to break down the meat into pieces.

 4. Dice onions, apples, & bell peppers.

 

5. In a lightly oiled non stick skillet saute the onions & bell pepper for 2-3 minutes.  Then add the apples & continue to saute for about 5 minutes or until the apples start getting soft.

 

6. Add the turkey sausage & combine all the ingredients.

 7. When squash is done, add the squash to the pan & mix everything together. 

 Plate Finished Product

Serve as a side or top with a eggs

STORY BEHIND THE DISH

  I watched this recipe being made on an episode of Diner's Drive-ins & Dives at the Darby's Cafe. Thought it was a good combo & wanted to try to recreate it. I used a few different ingredients & did not top this with a cranberry compote like they did, but I thought it turned out great!

MODIFICATIONS/Whole30

  This is whole30 & paleo approved but the recipe can be modified to your palate. If you like spicy you can add some red pepper flakes to this dish. I liked it just as a breakfast itself but you can top it with some eggs. It has a slight Thanksgiving Stuffing taste to it, so you can even use this as a dinner side as well. 

4th of July Flag Cake

• 2 Red Velvet Cakes 8", cut
• 1 White Cake 8", Cut into 6" circle
• 1 Blue Velvet Cake 8 in"
• Butter-cream Frosting, 2 batches 
• Sprinkles, red & blue 

1. Torte (basically cut in half lengthwise) using a bread knife or a baking knife. Cut all of these cakes EXCEPT THE BLUE CAKE, so you have two thin red pieces & two thin white pieces. 

2. Frost the top of the one of the thin piece of red cake. Place the white layer on top of the red layer. Then place the other red layer on to the top of the white & frost the top.

3.  You need to cut out a 4 inch circle as a guide, in the blue layer (remember do not torte this tier). Place the outer ring on the top of the tree layers, red, white, red. Then cut out an inner 4 inch circle from the last red layer & the last white layer. Frost the 4 inch white layer & top it with the 4 inch red later. Place the inner circle into the blue ring with the red layer on top to continue the red & white patter. Since the blue layer is twice as think as the red & white the two layers together should match the height. Make sure to even out the top of the cake if necessary to keep the top flat.

4.  Crumb coat the cake, basically cover the cake with a thin layer of frosting & chilling the layers will help prevent messy crumbs and hold the whole thing together better.  You might also want to coat the inside of the hollowed out blue velvet circle layer to better hold the inner stripe layers to the outer blue cake after its cut.

5. Once the cake has chilled in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, frost the cake once again with a clean layer of frosting to cover the crumb layer. Then decorate with sprinkles, stars, or any other patriotic decorations.

 
Cutting the Cake
1.  Chill the cake. As long as you put a good coating of frosting on it the cake should not dry out.

2.  Use hot water and a hot clean knife. Between slices, clean the knife & rinse with very hot water.

3.  Make sure the knife is completely dry after dipping it in the hot water with each slice.

Plate Finished Product