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

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

 

 

 

 

Paleo Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers

A twist on your typical taco meat preparation.  This picture has American Cheese for the kids, but you can skip cheese or use vegan.

4-6 Bell Peppers, Tops cut off and seeds removed (cut close to the top so you have plenty of room to stuff the pepper full of goodness)
2 to 2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey (left over meat is great in a lettuce wrap, over a salad or by itself)
1 to 1 /2 cups organic salsa of choice
Juice of 2 small limes or 1 large lime
3 cloves garlic
1 yellow onion sliced
1 Tbsp dried cilantro
1/2 cup organic reduced sodium chicken broth (adjust amount as it simmers, you want the meat mixture to be moist but not to have excess liquid)
2 Tbsp chili powder (adjust this and the cumin to taste if this seems to be too much, or if you are  not a fan of cumin just omit it,.  I use the full amounts)
1 Tbsp Cumin
1/4 Tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Oregano
Diced avocado
Diced tomato
Sliced black olives rinsed well
Vegan Cheddar
Additional Salsa

-Pre heat oven to 400

-Line a large baking sheet with foil or use Jumbo muffin tins if the peppers can not stand up
Bake the peppers for about 8 minutes

-In a food processor combine salsa, lime juice, garlic, onion and cilantro

-In a large skillet sprayed with olive oil, brown the meat and drain, return to the skillet and season with chili powder, cumin and oregano, add salsa and broth, stir and heat through for about 5 minutes or until well blended, it should not be runny

-Fill the peppers, add extra salsa to the top, return to oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until heated through and peppers tender crisp, time may depend on the size and thickness of the peppers.  Do not overcook or they will start to cave in

-Add optional cheese to the top and bake until melted, about 5 minutes
Serve with optional toppings, additional salsa, avocado, tomatoes, black olives