Paleo

This dinner is easy to prepare, and cleanup is a snap too.

The prep and cleanup are so easy!

They're loaded with avocado, bacon, and more, and served on lettuce leaves.

This soup is pure comfort.

You only need one pan to make this hearty and delicious dish.

Pan-seared chicken breast for a gold chicken dinner.

Thin Mint Almonds made by the Girl Scouts! Avocado ice cream! Ranch-flavored cheese crips! And more!

Perfect for anyone who follows a keto, paleo, or vegetarian diet!

Simple and delicious for those nights when you need something easy.

It's impossible to mess this up.

What if I told you that I could guarantee perfectly cooked, perfectly tender pork chops, every time?

Virtually every vegetable can be cooked in this way — no recipe required.

Just add a loaf of bread, a salad, and a bottle of wine!

No grill, no problem.

We're stocking up for days!

Keto ice cream! Egg bites! A creamy, mushroom simmer sauce! And more!

We talked to Lisa Denham, a Student Services Coordinator in California, about how she found the Paleo lifestyle after an elimination diet eight years ago. She explains how the Paleo diet has helped clear her digestive issues and given her more energy.

The Paleo Diet continues to be one of the most popular diets today — and also one of the most controversial.

Whether or not you've gone paleo!

Our new favorite way to eat summer's best sandwich.

It's on the table in less than 30 minutes.

The return of fresh asparagus to the farmers market is my favorite sign that spring has sprung. That moment will be here before we know it, so it’s time to start thinking about how you want to cook it once you get your hands on those gorgeous green stalks. The beauty of asparagus is that it lends itself to a lot of different cooking methods, and we’re laying out all them in one handy spot. Consider this your asparagus cheat sheet to get you through spring.

Because despite the restrictions, there are still so many delicious things to eat.

Food trends are generally dictated by the diet du jour. We can thank the Paleo diet and Whole30, where grains and dairy are limited or nonexistent, for the current obsession with cauliflower. Avocados basically fit into every diet imaginable (although apparently people are saying they might not be vegan-friendly). And the rising cult of plant-based “milks” also highlight a shift to a more plant-based lifestyle (or is it just that everyone is realizing they have a lactose intolerance?

It could greatly affect the outcome of the dish.

Coconut, apples, dates, and almonds combine for a fresh and easy take on muesli.

If your goal is to work more vegetables into breakfast, you can certainly blend up a smoothie or toss together a breakfast salad. But if you ask me, there is no better choice than a warm, smoky stovetop hash made with a rainbow of ingredients from the crisper and topped with poached eggs. The secret to a successful breakfast hash is in the vegetable prep.

Want to make your mornings a whole lot easier? Of course you do. Well, a batch of easy egg muffins is the answer. Loaded with savory breakfast sausage, earthy mushrooms, and spinach, these make-ahead muffins are for people who love eggs and crave a satisfying breakfast that will get them through the morning. They’re also great for anyone in need of a one-handed morning meal they can eat on the go, or dig into when they get to their desk.

When it comes to grain-free desserts, you may assume it’s a world of fruit salad. But that’s hardly the case! There are custards and cookies and candies to be had that suit the diet and feel every bit as special as standard sweets. These desserts prove it. While classic creme brûlée may seem hard to make, it’s really just a mix of cream, egg yolks, and sugar. It’s a naturally grain-free dessert that’s surprisingly simple.

Carnitas of any kind (including peach!) is one of my very favorite dishes to make, with its tender juicy meat and browned edges. I always thought those who didn’t eat pork were missing out — until now. It turns out that chicken carnitas is a beautiful, delicious thing.

Toss it on a grain bowl, salad, or even over pasta all week long.

Have you tried this?

Whether you call it Paleo chili or meat-lover’s chili, the most important thing to know about this chili is that it is downright delicious. Buried in the rich broth tinged with warm spices and cocoa undertones, you’ll find a double dose of beef in the form of seared cubes of chuck with crumbled ground beef. This version skips the beans altogether, but gets its bulk and an extra-hearty texture from a slew of thick-cut root vegetables, like sweet potatoes and carrots.

Cauliflower flour is here to make all your low-carb, gluten-free baked goods an (easier) reality. It’s a fantastic development that will be great for Paleo and keto dieters, people who don’t eat gluten, and anyone who wants to cut down on carbs in their baking. It is, however, driving me absolutely bonkers today, because every time I say the words “cauliflower flour,” the conversation devolves into a Who’s on First-style comedy routine.

You probably have the three ingredients in your pantry already.

Buying fresh spices, measuring, and mixing them makes even the speediest meals taste better. Chili spice mix is a good example of what making your own spice mix can do you for you. Its ingredients are few — six, if you like to keep score — and at least half of them are probably in your spice cabinet already. It makes a near perfect pot of chili, but can just as readily spice up a pot of black beans or a pan of roasted sweet potato cubes.

I am sitting here, cooking this recipe for fragrant chicken curry scented with an intoxicating mixture of toasted fennel and coriander seeds and a warming combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. The temperature outside is –34°C. Sometimes I jokingly wonder why I live in a place where the air hurts my face. Then I grit my teeth and dream about tropical beaches and the warm swaying coconut palms of my childhood, and hope that summer gets here as fast as it can.

While I don’t follow a Paleo diet, I do believe in filling my life with delicious, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies as often as possible. These cookies are soft and chewy, with just a touch of firmness around the edges, and have a very generous helping of melty chocolate bits. Basically they’re everything you’d want from a classic chocolate chip cookie. And if they happen to skip the grains, refined sugar, and dairy, well that is just fine by me.

Borrowing habits from our hunter-gatherer ancestors, the Paleo diet focuses on a simpler way of eating. It favors whole, nutrient-rich foods, and nixes “new world” foods like processed foods, dairy, grains, and sugar. The restrictions are many, so naturally it would seem like chocolate is certainly not on this diet’s list of approved foods. And yet the internet, cookbooks, and shelves of Whole Foods are filled with chocolate desserts that claim to be Paleo-friendly.

Bone broth, or a long-cooking, enriched stock, has moved from trend to bonafide kitchen staple with big brands and chefs rallying around this liquid gold. While beef bone broth gets the most fanfare, you can indeed make bone broth from chicken. Not only will this thick, gorgeous stock make for a better chicken-noodle soup, but it also makes for ever better gravy, pasta sauces, and casseroles. Chicken bone broth is also much thriftier than its beef brethren and just as easy to make at home.

Bone broth and the Instant Pot were meant to be!

A wholesome take on the classic Chinese appetizer that you can eat for dinner.

This a treat that straddles the line between snack and dessert — which is the best kind of treat, if you ask me. Enjoy a couple of clusters after dinner to cure a chocolate craving or snack on one or two mid-afternoon when you’re in need a little energy jolt. The no-bake bites aren’t fussy: They are simply clusters of toasted coconut flakes and sliced almonds that are held together by dark chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of flaky sea salt.

I admit that I don’t subscribe to any particular diet — not Paleo, not keto, and I’m not even doing a Whole30 this year. However, I’m always looking to lower the amount of refined flour and refined sugar that my family eats every week because for us, moderation is the key to sustaining a healthy diet. Now, I’m not going to try and sell you on any health benefits from a brownie because these brownies are just damn delicious.

I decided to “go Paleo” about five years ago due to some health issues, and, for the most part, I haven’t looked back. Even though the diet gave me back my health, I don’t subscribe to dietary dogma. The truth remains that a diet mostly free of grains, dairy, and sugar makes me feel my best. When I switched to a Paleo lifestyle, I never anticipated that I’d find a greater groove in my cooking. Food became easier, simpler, and tastier.

We’re in the thick of winter squash season and our quest to insert it into as many meals as we can hasn’t slowed down. Salads, soups, and pastas embracing butternut, acorn, and more are on rotation for lunch and dinner, but for breakfast we’re turning to these: a twist on the classic egg-in-a-hole or egg-in-a-basket.

If I’m completely honest, I have a really hard time getting behind the idea of green smoothies. Maybe it was the summer I spent blending smoothies at Jamba Juice. I love a smoothie, but I want it to hide the kale and spinach, not put it front and center. Green soup, though — especially this fresh take on broccoli soup scented with ginger — is a green sip I can get behind.

I don’t think the call of creamy, savory soup changes when you decide to change your diet. In my own personal experience, trying a Whole30 or eating a Paleo diet actually increases cravings for nourishing comfort foods like soup. This creamy coconut cauliflower soup hits all the high points of a warm, rich soup — smooth, a little nutty, perfectly spiced, all while being compliant with Whole30 and a Paleo diet.

If you’re feeling the winter blues right about now, this salad is the antidote you need. With ruby red grapefruit and creamy avocado at center stage, plus a little help from crisp fennel and a handful of greens, it’s a cold-weather staple in my meal plan for light lunches and simple dinners that I’ve been leaning on in various forms for years.

A whole chicken is key in the slow cooker classic chicken soup.

Make your own Paleo or Whole30 mayo in less than two minutes!

Ghee is butter which has been clarified to remove water and milk solids, which imparts a toasty aroma and flavor in the finished butter. Even better? Turning butter into ghee makes it last even longer and makes it suitable for high-heat cooking and roasting, and it even renders it lactose-free for those avoiding it. Ghee is simply butter made even better by a long, slow cook.

Sounds crazy, but it really works.

A one-skillet meal that's sure to be added to the weeknight rotation.

When tangy BBQ chicken shows up in our weekly meal plan, my husband’s eyes always light up with excitement. But this time — when I told him it was coming in casserole form, that it involved tender riced cauliflower, and was Paleo — his eyes got squinty in the way that only happens when he’s skeptical. I, however, knew it would be a hit with him. So when he asked if there was enough for seconds after taking his first bite, I wasn’t surprised.

If you’re following a Paleo diet or doing a Whole30, chances are I don’t have to sell you on this dietary approach that prioritizes eating and cooking whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods like veggies, fruits, grass-fed and pastured meats and eggs, and wild-caught seafood. Because you feel pretty awesome, right? There’s one downside, though, and you’ve probably experienced it too: lunch is kind of a pain.

You won't even miss them.

This is your key to a quick and easy 30-minute dinner.

Perfect grilled asparagus just got easier.

If you, like me, are plagued by choosing the right side to pair with dinner, this spinach recipe deserves a standing spot in your meal plan rotation. Grab a knob of fresh ginger and a lemon — we’re going to make one of my all-time favorite spinach side dishes. Not only is it packed with light, refreshing flavors and ready in minutes, but it also goes with just about everything you’re making. Spinach is a wildly deceptive ingredient.