Ode to the Food Processor: Your Key to Fast, Delicious Paleo Goodness Every Night of the Week

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This post was kindly guest-written by Camille Macres, a Paleo chef of the website www.reciperx.com and the podcast Food, Love, & Transformation. She’s also trying to fund a new Paleo cookbook called Paleogasm with a kickstarter. Without further ado, let’s let the fun begin :)

I have a little secret for you: I’ve been a chef nearly a decade and I still avoid chopping stuff as much as possible. I’m fast, and it can still take way too long. Because I’m hungry now (and so are the kids…I don’t have any, but if I did, they would be, too). I’m also not a fan of all of those pre-cut convenience veggies. They are way more expensive per pound and lose virtually all of their nutrition as they sit cut for who knows how long on the supermarket shelf. There must be a better way!?!?! Drumroll, please!! The food processor! I got my first food processor at K-Mart for about $30 and I’ve never looked back. It saves soooo much time, hides the fact you may not have great knife skills, and allows you to cut veggies really small (which is great if you want to “hide” them from kids in a sauce or ground meatball concoction).

Here are a couple in different price points:

I love having the mini-bowl attachment, so definitely recommend the 2nd or 3rd. The mini-bowl is great for dressings and homemade aioli.

Here are a couple super-fast recipes (that are only fast because I have this amazing tool):

Meatloaf Muffins

I made this recipe intentionally large. I recommend eating them that night and freeze and thaw individually for a quick snack or throw in a lunch sack. Or just devour them straight from the oven like a real caveman would.

Ingredients:

  • 3 large carrots, each cut in quarters
  • 2 stalks celery, cut in half
  • 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, and roughly chopped
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1/2 cup parsley, thick stems removed
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 4 lbs organic, grass-fed ground beef
  • 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 cups Sugar-free BBQ Sauce (check the label as many have sugar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse first 6 ingredients in small batches in food processor until finely chopped. The secret with the cutting this way is to never fill bowl more than ⅓-1/2 full so you don’t end up with the bottom mushy and top uncut. Using the food processor this way saves so much time and will allow you to hide veggies in almost anything! Place in a very large mixing bowl with remaining ingredients and mash all up with your (very clean) hands. Roll mixture into balls about ¼ cup each and drop into greased muffin tins. Top each with 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce. Bake for about 20 minutes (cut one open to check doneness before removing). Serve with veggie, mashed sweet potatoes, winter squash and/or salad of choice.

5-Minute Salad

You can put almost any firm veggies in this salad. Its all about the food processor, baby. I like using apples and radishes. The apples lend a sweetness and the radishes are spicy.

Great veggie ideas:

Carrots, apple, jicama, red and green cabbage, zucchini, summer squash and cucumbers.

Directions:

Cut all veggies with the shredder attachment on your food processor. For the dressing, squeeze lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. You can also add chopped nuts or dried fruit for some extra flavor and texture.

Cauliflower “Rice”


I love tricking my brain into thinking its eating grains when its not. There’s just something about having a meal that looks like pure gluttony, but will make your body (and taste buds) sing with delight. Yup, I really love cauliflower rice.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 large head cauliflower, large stem removed and cut into florets
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Pulse cauliflower florets in small batches in food processor (about ⅓ full) until the size of cous-cous. Preheat large skillet over medium heat and add coconut oil. Add cauliflower to heated pan as you finish chopping it. Season with salt and pepper and cook about 7 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning and sticking. Add and of the extras (below) and season again with salt and pepper.

Variations: Add 1 cup chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, or parsley), 1 cup chopped green onions, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice. You can also swap the nuts for ones of your choice and add dried fruit like raisins or cranberries.

I promise that this one simple tool will make it so much easier to prepare fast weeknight meals for you and your family. You deserve to have the body, health, and happiness you’ve always dreamed of, and enjoy the process of getting there. Get it, “process”?!?!? That was a paleo pun.

About Camille

Camille’snew cookbook, Paleogasm: 150 Grain, Dairy & Sugar-free Recipes that Will Leave You Totally Satisfied & Begging for More, is THE cookbook for people who want to eat really good food that will leave your body nourished and energized.

She has a Kickstarter Campaign going until May 17th to raise money to get Paleogasm published and into the world and would LOVE your support!

You can find her at Recipe Rx developing the practical tools one needs to integrate a whole foods lifestyle and at Paleo Living sharing daily recipes, inspiration, and trustworthy health information.