Mustard Maple Chicken Thighs

While technically not Paleo, I thought I'd give this recipe a try, as it seemed pretty "clean".  I thought it was quite good....but it wasn't as big of a  hit with my little ladies as the bacon wrapped tenders.  I got the recipe off of wittyinthecity.com, which calls it "Man Pleasing Chicken".  You be the judge!

1 package chicken thighs (mine had 6 in it)
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
S&P
Fresh herbs, such as thyme or rosemary (optional, I used about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme)

Preheat oven to 450.  Place chicken thighs in a foil lined baking dish and season with S&P.  In a bowl, mix mustard, maple syrup, and rice wine vinegar.  Pour  over chicken and toss to coat.  Bake for about 40 minutes, basting with sauce about halfway through.  Let rest 5 minutes and sprinkle fresh herbs over the top.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders

You know it's good when your daughter asks for you to put it in her lunch for the next day!

I got this recipe from marthastewart.com, of all places.

Ingredients

• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 8 chicken tenders (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 8 slices bacon
• 
  

Directions

1. Place a sage leaf on each chicken tender, then wrap each with a bacon slice. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add tenders, sage side down, and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is browned, about 6 minutes. Flip and cook until tenders are cooked through, 6 minutes. With tongs, transfer to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet to drain.

Twice Baked Butternut Squash, Paleo style

There was a recipe floating around on Pinterest (I know, big surprise!) on butternut squash re-baked in it's own shell.  I played around with the recipe a bit (no cream or breadcrumbs needed here) and this is what I came up with--it's a keeper!  It's got a sweet/spicy thing going on that is perfect.

2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
6 TBS coconut milk
Fresh ground pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 TBS almond meal

Preheat oven to 450 and place halved squash in a large pan with 1/4 inch of water on the bottom.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 35 minutes until tender.  Remove squash from oven, uncover and let cool until you can handle them.  Reduce oven to 425.  Use a spoon (I used a melon baller to scoop flesh out of the halves into a large bowl, leaving 1/4 inch border around 2 of the halves so that they don't collapse on you.  Discard the other 2 skins.  Add the coconut milk, S&P, chipotle powder, and cinnamon to the bowl and blend with a hand blender until smooth.  Place mixture back into the reserved squash shells and sprinkle with almond meal.  Bake for about another 20 minutes until starting to brown on top.

Chipotle Chicken Cauliflower Bake

Not my own creation as usual, but another find from Pinterest (the website is maoomba.com) .  This was a bit too spicy for my girls, so if you have kids in the house, you may want to tone down the seasonings a bit, but I loved it!

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Salt, to taste
• 2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
• 6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• Olive oil or bacon fat for sautéing

Instructions

1. Cut cauliflower into florets. Steam over boiling water for about 12 minutes, until it florets are tender but not mushy. (Note: this is a good time to cook up your chicken and bacon if you haven’t already.)
2. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
3. Heat frying pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil or bacon fat and red peppers. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add green onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Set aside.
4. Cut cauliflower into ¾ inch chunks and place in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chile powder, chipotle powder, cumin, and salt until well blended. Stir in red pepper mixture, chicken chunks, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, and cilantro.
5. Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until heated through and the top is golden brown.

Hawaiian Bacon Burgers with Grilled Brussels Sprouts

The girls were begging for burgers and I had some nice Brussels sprouts in the fridge, so this is what I came up with.

Hawaiian Bacon Burgers
 1ish pounds of organic ground beef (makes about 4 burgers, 2 of which are for the kiddos, on a regular bun).
S&P
Garlic and Onion Powders (you could use fresh, diced up very finely, but I wanted a shortcut)
Fresh pineapple, cut into 1/4 inch rounds, brushed with olive oil--I only needed 2 rounds, the rest I cut up for dessert
Red onion, cut into rounds, brushed with olive oil
Cooked bacon
Sliced avocado
 4 Portobella mushroom caps, brushed with olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper


Mix ground beef with spices and shape into 4 burgers (I usually put a "dent" in the middle and they don't shrink up so much.  I ground extra black pepper onto mine and sort of pressed it in--pepper corn crusted, if you will.  Grill over medium heat until done to your liking--mine took about 4 minutes a side.

While burgers are grilling, add sliced pineapple, onion and mushroom caps (I put the mushrooms on that little rack above the main one.  Turn when you turn your burgers.

To assemble, place a burger on one mushroom cap, top with pineapple, onions, bacon and avocado.  Place another mushroom cap on top.

Grilled Brussels Sprouts
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1/4 cup diced red onion
Drizzle of olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Place Brussels sprouts and onions on a sheet of tin foil.  Sprinkle with olive oil and S&P.  Fold up foil so that it makes a little packet.  Grill over medium heat about 8 minutes per side (flipping once).  I should have added some cooked chopped bacon to the mix.  That would have really been delicious!

Paleo Pina Colada Cake

Desserts are few and far between in the Paleo world (which is usually fine for me), but sometimes you want something cake-y.  This was pretty darn good, but next time I think I'll add a little (maybe 3 TBS?) of melted coconut oil to the batter so that it's a little more moist.  But my girls loved it, so I guess that's what counts!

1/2 fresh pineapple, diced (about 1.5 cups, although you could use more)
1 TBS coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 375.  In a saucepan, melt coconut oil.  Add pineapple and saute until it starts to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  Place in a pie plate, greased with a little coconut oil.  In a food processor, add coconut milk, coconut flour, vanilla, nutmeg and eggs and blend until smooth.  Pour over pineapple and bake for about 45 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes and then serve.

Ellen's Easter Potatoes

For some reason, I had never thought about adding sweet potatoes to my mashed cauliflower until my friend Ellen recommended it.  The result takes care of that slightly watery thing that can happen with just cauliflower.  It was delicious!

1 large head of cauliflower
3 sweet potatoes
1 tsp coconut oil
S&P to taste

Bake whole sweet potatoes at about 400 degrees for at least an hour (or until nice and soft).  Steam cauliflower until very soft as well. Place both (peel the potatoes first) in a large bowl and add coconut oil.  With a hand held blender, puree until smooth.  Add S&P to taste.

Apple and Apricot Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

This was super yummy--the whole family ate it!

3-4 lb pork loin roast (you could probably use a smaller tenderloin roast, but you'd need to pound it out)
6 pieces of thick cut bacon, diced (preferably nitrate free)
1 onion, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
2 TBS fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 375.
Butterfly the pork loin, making sure not to cut all the way through.  I didn't pound it out, but it would be easier to roll up if you did so.  Season with S&P.
In a pan, saute bacon until the fat renders and then add the onion and apples.  Saute until tender and add sage and apricots.
Place apple filling in center of pork and roll up.  Tie with several pieces of kitchen twine to secure.  Place cut side down in a large baking pan.  Score any fat with a sharp knife into a criss-cross pattern and season with S&P again.
Roast for 45 and then add the chicken stock to the pan.  Continue roasting another 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160.  Let rest 15 minutes and then slice into thin rounds to serve.

Greens N Eggs

This is comfort food for me, and pretty easy to whip up.  Of course, it's also really good with a nice, thick piece of toasted sourdough bread.

Greens N Eggs

1/2 lb peppered bacon, diced
1 red onion, sliced
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 TBS white wine, to deglaze--could probably leave out
8 oz chopped mustard greens
4 oz baby spinach
8 eggs
S&P
red pepper flakes (optional)

In a large pan that has a lid, saute bacon for a few minutes and then add onion and mushrooms and continue cooking until onions turn translucent, stirring often.  Deglaze with wine and stir well.  Add greens, stir, cover and cook until greens wilt,  about 5 minutes.  Stir again and crack eggs over greens mixture.  Season with S&P and red pepper flakes.  Cover and cook until eggs are done to your liking, about 5 minutes for us.

Crock Pot Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

Another Crock Pot meal!  I just wish that the apples hadn't fallen apart so much.  Maybe I'll try bigger pieces next time. I think some golden raisins would also be nice.

4 lb Pork tenderloin, trimmed

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp sage (I used dried)

2 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced

2 onions, sliced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup chicken stock

Combine garlic, salt, black pepper, ground mustard, and sage in a small bowl.  Place sliced apples and onions in the bottom of a crockpot.  Place pork on top of apples and onions and rub pork with the spice mixture.  Pour vinegar and chicken stock around the pork.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

I served mine with roasted Brussels sprouts and mashed cauliflower.

Lemon Thyme Roasted Drumsticks

I just discovered drumsticks when my local store had the organic ones on sale--I don't know why I haven't cooked them before--they're delicious!

Lemon Thyme Drumsticks

About 8 drumsticks, preferably organic
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
1 TBS dijon mustard
The leaves from a couple of stems of fresh thyme (maybe 2 TBS?)
2 cloves crushed garlic
S&P to taste
1/2 cup chicken stock

Combine lemon juice and zest, olive oil, dijon mustard, thyme, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Rinse and dry drumsticks and marinate in the lemon mixture for about an hour (longer if you can).  Place in a shallow roasting pan and bake for 45 min in a 375 degree oven.  Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to pan and roast for 30 more minutes or until baked through.  I served mine with mashed cauliflower and roasted broccoli.

Baked Salmon over Wilted Garlic Spinach with Blueberry Thyme Sauce

I wanted something a little bit different than our usual baked salmon routine.  This is what I came up with.  I'm not usually a fan of sweet/savory combos, but this was good!

Baked Salmon
1 Salmon Fillet, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Place salmon in a dish and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Blueberry Thyme Sauce
1 shallot, diced
1 tsp EVOO
1/4 cup Orange juice
1/2 TBS cornstarch (not technically paleo, but I didn't know what to substitute for it)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I had some left over from another dish I'll be sharing this week, so I threw it in)
1/2 cup chicken stock (could have probably gotten away with less)
S&P to taste

Saute shallot in olive oil until translucent.  Meanwhile stir cornstarch into orange juice.  Once shallots are ready, add rest of ingredients and turn heat down to low.  Simmer 20 minutes.

Wilted Garlic Spinach
6 oz baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp EVOO
S&P to taste

Heat a wok over medium heat.  Add olive oil and garlic and saute until garlic is tender.  Add spinach and salt and pepper and cook until just wilted, tossing often.

To serve, place spinach on the plate and top with a portion of the salmon.  Top with the blueberry sauce (mine was a little juicy, so I used a slotted spoon).  Enjoy!

Mashed Cauliflower

One of our favorite sides.

Mashed Cauliflower
1 head raw cauliflower
1 tsp coconut oil
S&P

Steam Cauliflower until very tender (I use a steam basket in a large pot--probably takes 10-15 minutes?  I haven't timed it).  Place steamed cauliflower in large bowl and add coconut oil and S&P.  Puree with a hand blender.

Chocolate Pork Mole

****I got this recipe from rubiesandradishes.com, but changed the chicken to pork*****.  It was delicious!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 spicy peppers, chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 cups chicken broth (I used beef broth cause that's all I had & it turned out fine)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 chicken breasts

For serving:
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges
Tomatoes, sliced
Cabbage, shredded
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions:

1. Place a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion and garlic, stirring to soften for 5 minutes. Add the spicy peppers and tomatoes, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Carefully pour the mixture into a blender. Add the almond butter, broth, chili powder, and cinnamon. Puree the mixture until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Return the mixture to the pot over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chocolate and stir until melted.
4. Place the chicken breasts in a crock pot and add mixture.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours. 5 hours into cooking, remove lid and use 2 forks to shred chicken the best you can. Do this again 1 hour before cooking time is over.
6. Transfer the mole to a serving dish and serve with cilantro, lime, avocado, tomatoes and cabbage.

Veggie Packed Meatloaf with Parsley Pesto "Spaghetti"

Okay, so it's been waaaaaaay too long since I posted on here, but we're starting the New Year off right.  A few days in and I have a new recipe.  Tonight's dinner is this:

Veggie Packed Meatloaf


1 zucchini
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 baked sweet potato
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 egg
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1lb lean ground beef, preferably organic
1/4 c coconut flour

Preheat oven to 375.  In a food processor, mince zucchini, onion, garlic, sweet potato, parsley, egg, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a large bowl and add ground beef and mix well.  Add coconut flour (for binding).  Stir well and pat into a loaf baking pan.  Bake at 375 for about 1hr15min, or until browned on top and done.

Parsley Pesto


1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Blend until smooth in a food processor.

"Spaghetti"


Poke a couple of holes in a spaghetti squash with a knife, put it on a pan and bake it at 375 for one hour.  When it's done, cut off the stem part and then cut it in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and then separate the "spaghetti" with a fork.

Best Slow Cooker Pork. Ever.

This is a recipe that was going around Pinterest lately.  No, it's not a "clean" recipe, but it was so, so good and I thought I'd post it here.  I served mine with chili roasted sweet potatoes and steamed kale.  I don't know who to credit it to, but it's not my own creation (most of the other recipes here are).  I recommend doubling the recipe so that there are plenty of leftovers.
So, here's the recipe for Balsamic Brown Sugar Pulled Pork.

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin
• 1 teaspoon ground dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

1. Mix together sage, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Rub the mixture over the pork. Add it to the slow cooker and pour 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. One hour before the pork is cooked, put the brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic, water, and soy sauce in a sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a bubble over medium heat. It will get thick.
4. Pour half of the glaze over the pork. Reserve the rest to serve alongside.
5. Cook the pork for another hour.
6. Shred the pork with a fork. It will fall apart, it is so tender.
7. Serve with the remaining glaze.

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

I've been wanting to roast shrimp for a while--it's not a technique that I've used before.  Here is my attempt--it was well worth shelling all of those shrimp for!

1lb Broccoli florets
EVOO
S+P
garlic and onion powder

2lbs fresh shrimp, peeled, but with tails left on
2 TBS EVOO
S+P
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat oven to 425.  Toss broccoli with EVOO, S+P, garlic and onion powders.  Place in large roasting pan in a single layer.  Roast for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss shrimp with EVOO, S+P, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, oregano, and garlic.  Let marinate while broccoli cooks (can be done ahead of time for more flavor).

Add shrimp to broccoli and roast for an additional 10 minutes or until shrimp is cooked through.  I served mine with roasted acorn squash.

Chicken with Field Peas and Portabella Mushrooms

To me, this is the ultimate in comfort food--I love a big bowl of food.  The Farmer's Market had shelled field peas this week and I didn't really know how to use them, but this is what I came up with and it was delish.

2 chicken breast, seasoned and baked, then diced (they had these new organic, humanely raised, frozen chicken breast at Kroger the other day--pop 'em in a 325 oven for 45 minutes and they're perfectly done).

2 cups fresh shelled field peas (maybe it's just a Southern thing, but regular peas would work well too)
1 portabella mushroom, cut in half and then cut into strips
1 small onion, sliced
4 strips bacon (I used pre-cooked, and then diced them)
EVOO
S&P

Heat EVOO over medium heat in a skillet.  Add onion, bacon and mushrooms and saute, stirring often.  Add field peas when onion wilts, and season with S&P.  Stir well and cover, stirring often for about 10 minutes.  Divide between 2-4 bowls, depending on hungry you all are and top with chicken.  If you're eating pasta, you could add a bit as well, with a little parmesan cheese.

Shrimp Primavera

This is one of those gotta-use-up-ingredients meals, in that you could customize it to whatever you have on hand.

1 spaghetti squash, baked and spaghetti-ized.
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut into matchstick pieces
1 lb asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces (I had frozen asparagus that had to be used, so I defrosted it first)
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp ( again, I had frozen that I ran under water for a few minutes)
S&P
garlic and onion powders
hot pepper flakes
a couple of leaves of fresh basil, chopped

Seed and shred cooked squash and set aside.  Saute onion, bell pepper, asparagus and shrimp in olive oil.  Season with S&P, garlic and onion powders and hot pepper flakes to your liking.  Add squash and basil and toss to coat.

Fajita Burgers with Chili Cumin Fries

This was really good!  I served the burgers topped with guacamole over the fajita vegetables, with a side of "fries".

Burgers:
1 lb ground beef (preferably natural and organic)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix all ingredients gently and form into 4 patties, making a "dent" in the middle (keeps them from shrinking up).  Grill on a preheated grill (about 350-400 degrees) for about 4 minutes per side (just let them cook--don't squeeze 'em!). Let rest for about 5 minutes.

Fajita Veggies:
1 portobello mushroom, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
olive oil
S&P
garlic and onion powders
juice of 1/2 lime

Saute veggies in olive oil over medium heat and season with S&P, garlic and onion powders and the lime juice.  Cook until tender but not mushy.

Guacamole:
1 ripe avocado, roughly mashed
juice of 1/2 lime
S&P
onion powder to taste
chopped cilantro or red onion if you have it on hand (I didn't)

Mix together.

Cumin Chili Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into "sticks"
olive oil
S&P
Cumin powder (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
Chili powder (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)

Toss ingredients in large bowl and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Toss and bake for another 15 minutes for a total of about 30 minutes or until done to your liking.