I essentially gave up on Paleo just before Christmas
I kept the basic principles as much as possible but there were just too many sweets, so many refined carbohydrates, a lot of smooth peanut butter on whole grain toast. I started feeling bloated after almost every meal. My jeans started getting just a little bit tight. But mainly, I felt unhealthy after I was finished with a meal.
So I'm heading back to the caveman life, back on the Paleo diet.
With that in mind, I give you one of our favourite all time Paleo meals*.
Lamb and Bacon Dumplings
Meatball ingredients
6 rashers bacon
1 small onion
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp sage
1 tsp ground paprika
1 egg
salt and pepper
500g minced lamb
Sauce ingredients
400g canned diced tomatoes
2 tsp basil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 spring onion
salt and pepper
Method
Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 celsius/350 fahrenheit.
Finely chop the onion and bacon
In a pan on medium/high heat fry the bacon and onion for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender
Add the sage, paprika, salt, and pepper and cook for a further two minutes. Remove pan from the heat and leave to cool.
In a large bowl combine the bacon mixture, egg, and minced lamb. Mix well.
Roll the lamb mixture into balls and place in a tray lined with baking paper. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until well cooked.
To make the sauce, place the tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium sized pan** and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the spring onion and simmer for a further minute.
Add the cooked meatballs and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Serve with a sprig of basil.
Note: if you are not on the Paleo diet I'm sure this would be a good spaghetti and meatballs recipe. I would just double the tomatoes, basil, and garlic for the sauce.
* Adapted just a smidge from the free pdf book "Recipes for the 21st Century Hunter Gatherer" by Nikki Young
** I just use the pan the bacon mixture was cooked in, so you get all the excess spices and whatnotLabels: Paleo, Recipe