Imperfectly Paleo

This is less a recipe than a documentation of a delicious flavour combination I enjoyed for lunch and want to remember so I can make it again some time! Achingly simple but pretty enough to serve up to guests. Shaved Fennel, Mint, Avocado, Orange and Pistachio Salad

This is a wonderful side dish to any curry, roast meat or barbecue. The warming flavours (and colour) of turmeric, cardamom, cumin and cinnamon shine through. It can be served warm or cold and can be transported in a large lidded container as part of a picnic lunch. Or if you fancy a vegan meal just eat it unaccompanied - the pine nuts give plenty of protein as well as texture. Spiced Pilaf Cauliflower Rice with Mushrooms and Pine Nuts

These remind me of The Purple Pieman from Strawberry Shortcake! Obviously they are not wicked in the least - being free from refined sugar, gluten and dairy. The sweetness comes from juicy blueberries and a ripe banana, which adds to the super squidgy texture. The hidden red cabbage adds that extra nutritional bomb, packed with polyphenols with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits. Surely the epitome of healthy cake!  'The Purple Ones' - Blueberry and Red Cabbage Mini Muffins Conveniently, they are also nut-free for those intolerant and find many Paleo muffins use nut flours.

This morning a kindly elderly lady stopped me in the gym to tell me I have a "lovely running style" - she'd been watching me on the treadmill! I graciously thanked her and held back from regaling her with epic tales of my running related injuries (shin splints, stress fractures, patella pain, ITB injuries, tendonitis etc etc). These days my runs are limited to a ceiling of 5km and I focus on sprint training. Coriander (Cilantro) and Lemon Pesto

The temperature here has soared to high 30s - apparently last week saw the hottest Wimbledon week in history. Might as well pretend we are in the tropics! Mango Tropical Chia Breakfast Pudding

A 'Paleo Cheesecake' is about as oxymoronic as culinary contradictions go! Before you assume I have taken the imperfection of paleo eating to the extreme, I assure you no dairy, gluten or refined sugar are involved in this recipe. The real joy though is that the non-Paleo dinner guests who I created this for happily scraped the last morsels from their plates with no complaints. Raw Paleo Black Forest 'Cheese' Cake