Saturday, May 24, 2014

Paleo Chunky Peanut Butter Cups (adapted from several pins on Pinterest, not listing due to so many variations)




Yields about 6-8 depending on size and thickness of cups

1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil

Melt in a small bowl in the microwave (about 1 1/2 minutes on power 6)
Check and stir at 1 minute

1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans (I love walnuts in this recipe)
Optional- 1/2 scoop paleo chocolate protein or 2 tbsp. PB2

Melt the almond butter and stir in the nuts and powder if using

Cupcake tins and liners

Pour a thin layer of chocolate in the bottom of the cupcake liners
Freeze for about 10 minutes
Cover entire tops of frozen chocolate with butter mixture
Freeze for about 10 minutes
Cover completely in remaining chocolate, re-heat if needed
Freeze for about 15 minutes
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator

Paleo Grilled Avocado, Goat Cheese, Garlic and Herb Stuffed Chicken





If you do not allow goat cheese on occasion, just omit but add a few dashes of garlic powder, oregano and basil to the mashed avocado

4-6 Chicken Breast pounded with a mallet to about 1/4 inch thickness
1 avocado mashed
1/4 cup goat cheese, more is fine (I like to use one with garlic and herbs or tomato and basil)
a few dashes of pepper
Oil of choice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
onion powder

Mix avocado, cheese, garlic and a few dashes of pepper (add garlic powder, oregano and basil if you are using plain goat cheese or not using any at all)

Spread mix evenly over chicken breast, do not go all the way to the edges, roll up or fold over and hold together with short bamboo sticks or toothpicks, drizzle oil over breast and season with pepper and onion powder

Heat grill to high, reduce to low, line a metal pan with foil, spray with cooking spray of choice, carefully place chicken in the pan
Try to spread out the chicken so it is not touching and it will cook faster.

I use an older pan for the grill, but if you are using a newer metal pan, line the outside of the pan with foil to keep it looking pretty

Cook for 20-30 minutes, there is no need to turn the chicken, you may need to rotate the pan if the grill is not cooking evenly
Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken, check at about 15 minutes and judge additional cooking time at about 5-10 minutes

Taste great with a simple cucumber, tomato and onion salad with apple cider vinegar, grape seed oil, a little Sugar in the Raw, pepper and onion powder.  This is also great with your left over goat cheese.


Feta, Kale, Mushroom and Garlic Stuffed Flank Steak





2 cups fresh or frozen kale (thaw the kale and drain well)
3 garlic cloves minced
2 cups mushrooms
pepper to taste
cooking red wine
3 Tbsp grape seed oil or oil of choice (1-2 Tbsp in the kale, mushroom mix, 2 Tbsp marinade)
1 cup tomato basil feta
2 lbs. flank steak (in a zip lock bag, pound with a mallet to about 1/4 inch thick)
1 Tbsp unsalted organic butter
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper

Marinate the steak in a ziplock bag with the red wine, pepper, garlic and oil for at least 4 hours

Heat the butter in a skillet over high heat and reduce to medium heat, Sautee kale and mushrooms for a few minutes until the mushrooms are tender.  Drain well if needed

Pour the sauté mix into a food processor and add the oil.  Blend until the texture is like a spread but not runny.  Pour into a bowl, add oregano and basil and stir well

Spread the mix over the flank steak, cover in feta cheese, and carefully roll up tight and hold together with kitchen twine or bamboo sticks.  Apply the twine in at least 3 places or use 3-4 bamboo sticks and make sure you poke the sticks all the way through the roll (you may need someone to help you hold the roll together as your apply the twine or bamboo sticks)

Heat the grill on high heat, clean the grill and spray well with cooking spray or brush olive oil on the grates, reduce heat to low ( if you are worried about the stuffing leaking out and making a mess, cook the roll over sprayed foil)

Grill the steak roll for 20-30 minutes, carefully turn every 5 minutes (cooking time will depend on the thickness of the roll and your desired doneness of the flank steak)

Flank will dry out quickly if over cooked, so check on it every 5 minutes.

Slice into circles










Friday, May 16, 2014

Paleo Protein Pancakes




Makes 4 medium size pancakes
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1 scoop Paleo vanilla or vanilla almond powder
  • Optional- Not Paleo but good, 1 Tbsp PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
  • This is an odd amount but it works best, just a little less than 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, a little more than 3/4 cup and a little less than 1 cup
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp Agave syrup or 100% pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

100% maple syrup, sliced banana, sliced strawberries, walnuts , pecans or melted nut butter for topping

Combine all ingredients and mix well, let sit for a few minutes, this will help them rise better

Heat a large skillet and melt 1 Tbsp organic unsalted butter over high heat

Reduce heat to about a 4 out of 1-10 heat settings

It works best to do 1 at a time unless it is a large skillet then cook 2 at a time.   If you overcrowd the pancakes, they will be hard to flip.

Cook each one until lightly bubbling and you can flip the pancake without them falling apart, they will start to puff up, about 4-5 minutes.  You may find it helpful to use 2 spatulas to flip the pancakes.  Use one spatula to scoop up the pancake and use the other spatula to help push the pancake onto the spatula.  Test the time on the first pancake as not to burn the first side, that is why it is important to cook on low.

Cook on the other side for about 2 minutes or until cooked through.

Add more butter or spray olive oil if needed

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Paleo Cabbage, Kale, Chicken and Everything in your Fridge Stew



The beauty of this recipe is you can add whatever veggies, broth or meat you have on hand or need to use up

1/4 - 1/2 head of cabbage chopped
2 cups kale leaves chopped
1/4 red onion diced chopped
6 chicken tenderloins or 2 chicken breast
2 cups or more fresh or frozen carrots, peas, green beans (green beans and peas are debatable, I think they are healthy for you and my kids eat them, so I don't completely cut them out)
Optional- for a low fat meal but not Paleo- 2-3 diced potatoes with skin for the nutrients (you could use a sweet potato or add more cabbage)
Optional- Cooked chopped Bacon for garnish
1 carton Organic low sodium chicken or vegetable broth to cover all of the ingredients

All of the seasonings are adjustable from here:
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme

If the final product is too mild, serve with hot sauce or add more pepper

Instructions:
On medium heat cook the chicken, potatoes and red onion in the broth in a large covered sauce pan, about 10 minutes once it starts to boil lightly

When the chicken and potatoes are almost done remove any fat that might have floated to the top (if any), chop the chicken

Return the chicken to the pot, add all remaining ingredients and simmer on medium until everything is tender about 15 more minutes

Add more water if needed and taste and add additional seasonings as needed to preference, could be savory or spicy, if adding more spice, simmer on low as to not overcook the veggies and chicken but to allow the seasoning to blend

Optional- garnish with bacon




Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Paleo Breaded Parmesan Chicken Strips




Yes, Parmesan is not Paleo, the rest of the ingredients are, so this is still way better for you than other breaded chicken strips.   You can omit the parmesan and they still are delicious; I have made them both ways.  Another option would be unsweetened shredded coconut.  You can also adjust the amount of parmesan to just get a hint of the flavor, or just add it to some of the flour mixture for household members that you feed healthier meals, but maybe not full Paleo.

10 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins or 4 chicken breast sliced into "chicken finger" size slices
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup milled flax seed
About 1/8 cup coconut flour (or you can use just the almond flour and milled flax seed, do not use all coconut flour, it does result in the same texture, my favorite breading is a combo of all three)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup shredded parmesan ( for some reason the shredded is better in this recipe compared to the powder, but powder would work, but the shredded is my recommendation)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried chives

Optional- Italian seasoning, pizza seasoning, oregano, basil, chili powder, savory, really the list is endless

Water, egg or milk of choice

Pre-heat oven to 425

Chicken needs to be thawed

In small dish, mix all of the ingredients except chicken, water, egg and milk

Line a baking sheet with rimmed sides with parchment paper, spray with oil of choice, I like olive oil spray

Rinse the chicken in water or dip it in the egg or milk, and let excess moisture drip off

Coat both sides heavily in the flour mixture

Lay breaded strips on the sprayed parchment paper, be sure none of them are touching


Carefully spray the top sides of the coated chicken to help both sides brown slightly

Bake for 30 minutes turning at about 20 minutes

Bake until no pink remains and the breading is starting to brown.  You may be able to cook for a shorter time, but the breading usually is not ready.  It will depend on the amount of breading and the thickness of the strips.

This is great with sweet potato or zucchini fries

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Paleo Spaghetii Squash Loaded Pizza Crust (adapted from a recipe on bloglovin.com)

 
This was a huge hit at our house, and I will be making this often with so many different options
 
Prepare Spaghetti Squash
Pre-heat oven to 375
Slice in half, remove seeds, line a baking pan with parchment paper, lightly oil the parchment paper with olive oil or grape seed oil, bake for 40 minutes or when you can easily pierce through it with a fork
Allow to cool
Remove the strands into a large bowl
 
Ingredients
1 large egg
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or a few dashes red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
1 can Organic Pizza Sauce, (you will likely not use the whole thing, so you could heat the extra up and serve over the cooked pizza or save it for next time)
1 green bell pepper diced
1 thick slice of red onion diced
Pepperoni or Turkey pepperoni
Vegan Mozzarella Cheese (if you allow it, I only like Trader Joes or Daiya)
Pizza Seasoning (this really makes it great)
 
Pre-heat oven again to 375
Place the baking pan with a new sheet of parchment paper into the oven while the oven pre-heats
 
Mix the 4 ingredients into the spaghetti, mix well so the egg and seasoning are all well distributed
 
When the oven is pre-heated, remove from oven and pour onto parchment paper, spread out well, a spatula that is not slotted works well for pressing the mixture down flat, work the edges back in to try and get an oval or rectangle, spread thin like a thin crust pizza, but make sure you do not make holes.
 
Bake for 25 minutes
 
Remove from oven and layer the remaining ingredients ending with a few dashes of pizza seasoning
 
Bake about 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the pepperoni start to crisp, cheese is melted and the edges of the crust are starting to crisp.  Don't rush it but don't burn it either, the more solid the crust is, the more delicious it is
 
Options- spinach well drained, black olives, mushrooms, any other bell pepper, thinly sliced egg plant, fresh basil, finely chopped broccoli steamed, thinly sliced zucchini rounds, thinly sliced tomatoes, sausage, chopped chicken, fresh mozzarella (for a treat meal),  homemade bbq sauce (BBQ Chicken Pizza, grilled chicken, yellow or orange bell pepper, red onion and vegan cheddar cheese, skip the pizza seasoning and skip the cayenne if you already use cayenne in your bbq sauce)
 
Many of these vegetables are better if you slightly steam or sauté for a few minutes before using them since they will only be in the oven for 10 minutes
 
You will likely need to eat this with a fork, depending on the amount of toppings you use. 
 
My husband even likes this better than cauliflower pizza crust