Recipes from Maui

This year, I'm taking a break from rolling out the same old holiday favorite-style recipes. Instead, it will be influenced by my good friend Ido Portal's recent visit, and by the fact that I am writing this from Maui. If you want some Paleo-style holiday fare, there are many recipes in the archives.

Every time Ido comes to visit, we always have a night where he prepares a couple of traditional Middle Eastern dishes. We recently had a great feast to end a hard training week, and I am featuring two of those dishes this month. The others have a bit of Hawaiian flair. Enjoy!

Snayniyeh

by Ido Portal

Snayniyeh is a delicious, high fat Israeli dish. While something like this probably shouldn't be a regular part of your diet, it can be an occasional treat. In fact, that is typically when this dish is prepared - rare, special occasions. We simply prepared this to celebrate the end of a long training week.

Traditionally, this would be eaten with bread that is dipped into the tahini topping.

Time: 30 minutes

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Baharat seasoning*
• 1 tsp sea salt
• dash of nutmeg
• black pepper (fresh ground)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts

White Tahini:
• 1 cup tahini
• juice of 2 lemons
• cold water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• dash of black pepper

*Baharat is a spice mixture used in Middle Eastern cooking. Baharat simply means "spice" in Arabic. Find Baharat in Middle Eastern markets, or order online. A third option is to make your own. Here is a recipe for a simple Syrian Baharat blend:

• 2 tsp allspice
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp cloves

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ground lamb in a bowl with all of the Snayniyeh ingredients except the pine nuts. Spread this mixture evenly into a shallow baking pan so that the layer is 1/2 to 3/4 inches deep. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the white tahini. Place the tahini in a bowl, add the spices and lemon juice. Whisk vigorously, then slowly add a drizzle of cold water. Continue to whisk. Keep slowly adding water and whisking until the tahini has the consistency of oil.

Remove the lamb from the oven once it's done. Top with the pine nuts, then pour the tahini over the top. Return to the oven for 7 minutes.

To serve, cut the Snayniyeh into squares and serve like meatloaf.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 14g carb, 34g protein, 70g fat


Middle Eastern Herb Salad

by Ido Portal

Time: 10 minutes

• 2 bunches cilantro
• 1 bunch Italian parsley
• 3 lemons
• 3 small tomatoes
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped finely
• sea salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Finely chop the cilantro and parsley. Add to a large bowl. Dice the tomato and onion, then add to your salad. Juice the lemons. Add the juice, salt and olive oil; toss well. Allow the salad to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to combine.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 8g carb, 7g fat




Okinawa Red Sweet Potatoes

Okinawa Red Sweet Potatoes are a delicious variant that are popular in Japan and Hawaii. They are also known as Japanese purple potatoes. You can find them on the mainland at Asian markets. They are delicious and worth the trouble to find!

These potatoes have significantly more antioxidants and flavonoids than other varieties, up to 150% more anthocyanins that blueberries! (As an interesting aside, all flavonoids may not directly work as antioxidants in the body, as they are poorly absorbed. Rather, they may influence cell signaling pathways and gene expression, with relevance to preventing both cancer and heart disease.)

Use a good knife to cube these, as they are much woodier that the sweet potatoes you are familiar with.

Time: 50 minutes

• 2 large Okinawa red sweet potatoes (or regular yams)
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• sea salt
• black pepper

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into about 3/4" cubes. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes, cover and boil for 45 minutes. If you have a pressure cooker, 15 minutes at pressure should do the trick.

Drain the water, add the remaining ingredients, then mash.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 25g carb, 3.5g fat




Lemon Garlic Broccoli

Time: 10 minutes

• 1 bunch broccoli (3 heads)
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil or bacon grease
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 lemons
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Cut the broccoli florets into small pieces. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the broccoli and garlic until it is bright green; around 2 minutes. Add the water, then cover and steam for 5 minutes. Add the juice of one lemon, plus the salt and pepper. Serve with a couple of fresh lemon wedges.

Nutritional info: 3 servings at 5g carb, 4.5g fat




Orangetti Squash

Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

• 1 Orangetti squash (you may substitute spaghetti squash)
• 2 tsp roasted hazelnut oil
• dried onion flakes
• sea salt to taste

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place the squash, cut side down, into a baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and allow to cool.

Dig out and discard the seeds. Scrape the squash onto your serving plates. Top with the onion and salt, then drizzle with the oil.

Nutritional info: 2 servings at 7g carb, 3.5g fat