a little r & r: Recipe Experimentation- Summer Inspired

This week I tried a variety of recipes that were either new, a spin on old ones, or just good old repeats. Some were terrible flops, but others were quite delicious. Two nights this week for dinner we ate using unconventional wraps. I'm still sticking to my paleo experimentation, and along with that comes the elimination of delicious carby breads and wraps. So the tuna avocado salad below would have worked between two slices of whole grain, but I wrapped it up in slices of cucumber. The ingredients were just tuna, avocado, homemade mayo and carrots and red onions for more crunch and flavor. This dish fell more on the "flop" side. It was just okay, but I do not think I'd make it again. I would certainly try some tweaks, though, because I like the idea of the cucumber wrap.

The next night we had chicken, bacon and grape salad in romaine wraps. Again, this would be yummy in a traditional wrap or as just plain salad, but we both love the crunch and crispness of the romaine lettuce. This was one of my favorite recipes pre-vegetarian days, and now that I'm trying to make more things from scratch I changed some of the ingredients my mom used.

1. 1/2 lb (organic, free range) chicken breast

2. 2 1/2 strips bacon (from grass fed farms)

3. about 15 red grapes, halved

4. 2 tbsp red onion, cut finely

5. 2 tbsp homemade mayo

6. 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

My mom's recipe used traditional mayo and Good Season's Italian dressing. I made this about 4 hours before we ate dinner to allow everything time to marinade. It made a small amount, enough for the two of us, but we probably could have eaten double the recipe :)

Ryan steamed broccoli and green beans (from the garden!!) for a yummy, healthy side.

Here are some other things I tried this week:

Thyme onion rings with almond meal. I had leftover egg from dipping, so I scrambled that up to make a light dinner.

Sunflower seed pesto with our garden's basil :)

Grilled chicken with roasted red peppers and the basil above.

The cookies are the BEST paleo cookie I've tried to make so far. The ice cream, on the other hand, was not a keeper. Mint chocolate chip is my favoriteeeee flavor of ice cream, and since getting an ice cream maker for my birthday, I've tried to find dairy free, more natural versions of my favorite. This was the second recipe I tried and it was very disappointing. I'm thinking of moving on to a different flavor that might be a little easier to imitate with the simpler ingredients I'm willing to use.