Saturday, April 20, 2013

Paleo Buffalo Chicken Tenders in the Crock Pot




10-12 Chicken Tenderloins thawed so it does not create too much excess liquid
3 diced celery stalks
3/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
4 Tbsp Organic, No Salt butter (I only use 2 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika or regular paprika if you prefer that flavor

Line crock pot
Add celery and chicken
Melt butter in a small sauce pan
Add hot sauce, vinegar and paprika,  stir and pour over chicken
cook on low for a bout 5-6 hours

You can serve the chicken as tenderloins or you can shred it, it will be very tender.

Paleo- Serve over a salad, coconut rice or mashed cauliflower.
 If you just want a low fat version of buffalo chicken, serve over Long Grain Rice, brown rice or a baked potato.

Paleo Pork Loin Stuffed with Sun Dried Tomates and Artichokes







1 Large Pork Loin thawed
Enough organic vegetable broth or chicken broth to cover at least half way up the pork loin
1 12 oz jar Artichokes, rinsed (try to find one that is not marinated, however, most are marinated so rinse well to remove excess sodium)
1 8.5 oz jar sun dried tomatoes rinsed to remove excess sodium
Several dashes pepper, onion powder and minced garlic
Optional- Diced sweet bell pepper, in the picture I used Orange

Slice loin in half but not all the way through, open like a book
Season the inside of the loin with spices
Pack full with artichokes and tomatoes (you will not use all of it just yet)
Fold loin carefully to hold in stuffing, you can use large toothpicks or twine to hold together
Line a crock pot
Add broth
Place Loin in the crock pot
Cook on low for about 5-7 hours, my crock pot cooks faster than most, so adjust time as needed and based on the size of the loin.

I served over mashed cauliflower and used the remaining sun dried tomatoes and artichokes in the cauliflower.  Once the cauliflower was steamed, I added cauliflower, tomatoes, artichokes, garlic powder and coconut milk to a food processor

Paleo Pumpkin, Walnut, Chocolate Chip Muffins or Loaf (Nuts, Coconut and Chocolate Optional)




2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 coconut oil, melted about 25 seconds
1/4 cup raw honey melted about 20 seconds
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp cinnamon or more
1 tsp pumpkin spice or as much as you want (not necessary, but if you have it use it)
A few dashes nutmeg (not necessary, but if you have it use it)
2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Optional- a handful of unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In large bowl ,ix pumpkin, add almond flour, and baking soda and stir to combine. Add coconut oil, honey and eggs and mix well. Mix in cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, nuts and chocolate chips. Evenly divide batter between cups and fill almost all the way full.. Bake for 27-32  minutes or until golden brown on top. Cool in pan for 5 minutes.

Check with a toothpick at 27 minutes before removing from the oven.  Cook a few more minutes if needed.

You can also make into a loaf, grease loaf pan with coconut oil or line with parchment paper, bake at 350 for about 37-40 minutes, check at 37 minutes and bake 3-4 more minutes if needed.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Paleo Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese Pie (with or without vegan cheese)





You can omit cheese to keep it Paleo, but we use Vegan cheese for a weekend meal. 
This will make two pies in a medium size pie pan or you can pack a large  pie pan full




Preparation Time:15 min


Cooking Time:30-35 min
 


Ingredients
  • 3-4 chicken breast
  • 1 cup organic reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth (more as needed)
  • 1 tbsp Arrowroot powder
  • 1 (1/2 cup) medium onion, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • pepper
  • 1 tsp savory
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 3 cups broccoli florets partially steamed if raw and thawed if frozen, and pat the broccoli dry or it will create to much liquid in the bottom of the dish
  • 1-2 cups shredded vegan Colby Jack or Monterey Jack (or 1/2 cup salsa with excess liquid drained if you do not want to use cheese)
  • 1 cup coconut flour
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • 2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • eggs
  • Optional, salsa or hot sauce when serving

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 2- 9-inch glass pie plate with sunflower spray or lightly coat with coconut oil.
  2. In a small sauce pan on medium heat, stir the broth and the arrowroot powder until it starts to thicken into a sauce.  Slowly add more broth and stir until you have a gravy consistency. 
        
  3. In 10-inch greased skillet, cook chicken, garlic and onion  over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until chicken  is just short of being fully cooked; drain. Pour gravy into the skillet and stir well.  Stir in pepper, savory and thyme.  Spread in pie plates; sprinkle with cheese or salsa
  4. Cover the cheese with as much broccoli as you want
  5. In medium bowl, stir flour, baking powder, milk, and eggs with whisk or fork until blended. Pour into pie plates.  I actually pour about half of it in and stir it up really well to help hold it together and then spread the rest on the top.    You may not use all of the batter, if you do, you will want to increase cooking time by 5-10 minutes. 
  6. Bake 30 minutes or until inserted in center comes out clean.  Check at 30 minutes and most likely you will need to cook an additional 5 minutes. 

When cooking with lots of veggies and meat, there is always the chance of having too much liquid in the bottom of the dish.  Don't panic when you cut a piece out if there is a lot of liquid on the bottom.  Carefully drain it out or spoon it out.  Tilt it to one side, but be sure to use a large spatula to hold the casserole in the dish.  Even if there is liquid in the bottom, it does not ruin the dish.



 


 
 

 
 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Paleo Cabbage and Sausage Soup


                                                           

Picture was before Paleo Days, so pretend you do not see red potatoes and Navy Beans.     

1 320z container organic reduced sodium vegetable broth
1-2 cups water (start with 1, you will want everything immersed in liquid)
2 tbsp(s) minced garlic
2 tsp(s) pepper
1 tbsp bay leaves
1 tbsp basil
4-5 stalks celery, washed and chopped
1 yellow onion, sliced in rings and rings cut in half

Simmer all of the above in a large pot with a lid for about 30 minutes

Add to following to the vegetable pot

2 tomatoes washed and diced
1 head of green cabbage washed and diced
1 package Turkey Smoked Sausage chopped into bite size pieces (you could also use cooked ground sausage if you prefer as it is less processed)

Simmer on Medium Low for about 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.


Taste as you simmer and add more of any of the seasonings to fit your preference.  Thyme and Bay Leaves can easily take over the flavor of the soup, so add slowly if you add additional seasoning.  Using Vegetable broth will reduce the sodium drastically, but you will need to offset by adding more sodium free seasonings.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Paleo Grilled Teriyaki Chicken


4 Servings

  1. 2 Tbsp reduced sodium organic Tamari or Coconut Aminos 
  2. 1 1/2 Tbsp raw honey melted
  3. 1 Tbsp organic tomato paste
  4. 4 chicken breast or bone in chicken breast (about 5 ounces each)
  5. 1 tsp sesame seeds

Heat grill on high heat

Whisk first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish, add chicken and turn to coat

Reduce grill heat to low, cook until juices run clear, add sesame seeds and serve

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Paleo Apple, Cranberry, Walnut Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

 
 



1 bag or container organic baby spinach rinsed and dried
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion (more or less is fine)
1 Granny Smith apple cored and chopped with skin on
1/4 cup dried organic no sugar added cranberries or reduced sugar Craisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, you can use more or less depending on preference or you can use pecans or almonds
 

Dressing

½ cup coconut oil melted
2 tbsp Raw Honey
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp chopped onion or red onion
1 tsp Poppy Seeds
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
¼ tsp Paprika
1/8 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (this is optional as it is not Paleo, but it is only 1/8 tsp)  I like the flavor it adds, you could just use pepper and a little sea salt for more flavor

Place Dressing ingredients in a blender

Layer salad ingredients, but do not chop the apple until ready to serve

Pour dressing over salad when ready to serve