Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Shrimp Summer Rolls

Ingredients:
package of rice paper sheets
large bowl hot water
1/3 head cabbage - finely sliced
2 carrots - shredded
bean sprouts
1 head cilantro - chopped
1/3 cup Thai basil - chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint - chopped
1 lb small cooked shrimp

Soak rice paper, one sheet at a time, in hot water until pliable and soft but not too mushy. Dry slightly on a paper towel. Pile a large handful of mixed ingredients on one end, fold over end and sides and roll tightly.
*Also try with finely julienned cucumber, rice noodles, fresh parsley or asparagus spears.

CHILI SAUCE:
3 TBSP fish sauce
3 TBSP lemon juice
3 TBSP water
1 tsp chili oil
2 TBSP brown sugar
1-2 small red chilies - finely chopped

PEANUT SAUCE:
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 TBSP soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
1 tsp chili oil
1-2 tsp chili powder
1 clove garlic - finely minced
1/2 tsp ginger - grated
cayenne
1/3 cup milk (or almond milk)
2 TBSP brown sugar (or 3 TBSP honey)

Keep refrigerated covered in wet paper towels.

Paprika Chicken Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast - cut into bite sized pieces
2 TBSP paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2-3 TBSP all purpose flour
olive oil
1 medium yellow onion - diced
8 oz button mushrooms - sliced
2 cloves garlic - finely minced
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 TBSP tomato paste
1/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 lb noodles
Fresh parsley for garnish

Toss chicken pieces with salt, pepper and 1 TBSP paprika. Sprinkle with flour and toss again to coat.

Heat about 2 TBSP olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until rippling hot. Add chicken in a single layer and cook until golden on each side - about 5 minutes. Don't worry if it's not cooked through, it will finish later. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and stir in the onions and mushrooms - sautéing until the onions are translucent - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Pour in 1/4 cup of the broth and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Stir in tomato paste and the rest of the chicken broth.

Add the chicken back to the pan along with the rest of the paprika and simmer over medium-low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the yogurt or sour cream and cook for 2-3 minutes.
-For a thicker sauce, make a roux by melting 2 TBSP butter in a pan and adding 2 TBSP flour. Stir into chicken mixture.

Serve over cooked noodles or rice - garnish with fresh parsley!

**Allergy-free substitutions:
Flour - gluten free all purpose flour
Sour cream - Tofutti Sour Supreme
Noodles - gluten free noodles of choice

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Super Seasoned Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups wild rice - cooked in chicken broth
1 large onion - minced
1 bell pepper - chopped
1 jalapeno - minced
1 tomato - chopped
1-2 carrots - finely chopped
2 sticks of celery - finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
*1 tsp salt (optional)

Saute veggies in olive oil until tender-crisp. Stir in seasonings and rice and saute until well combined and heated through.
To turn this rice into a main dish just add some sauteed chicken or shrimp!

Paleo Bread

This bread is flourless, eggless and a delicious, healthy snack full of protein!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup nut butter of choice
2 TBSP ground chia seeds mixed with 6 TBSP water
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP cinnamon
*1 TBSP finely ground coconut (optional) 

Preheat oven to 325 and grease a 8x8 or 9x9 casserole.

In a large bowl, beat together the almond butter, chia mix, vanilla and honey. Add the salt, baking soda, cinnamon and coconut. Beat until combined. Transfer to the well greased baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until mostly firm on top. 
I eat mine with a little peanut butter on top :)

**Double the recipe and size of casserole and keep wrapped bread in the fridge for a quick breakfast or snack!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Double Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 oz milk chocolate
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 375. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Coarsely chop 6 oz of the chocolate and finely chop the remaining 6 oz. Microwave the coarse chopped chocolate only with the butter for 1 minute; stirring half way through. Stir until smooth.

Transfer chocolate, sugars, eggs and vanilla to a large bowl. Beat on high speed until well combined. Reduce speed and gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining finely chopped chocolate.

Drop by large tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Pulled Pork Sandwiches & Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1 3-5 lb pork roast or loin
1 root beer or cream soda
1 bottle BBQ sauce of choice
pepper
garlic powder
1 head cabbage - chopped into thin slices
2 carrots - grated
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion or chopped red onion
2 1/2 cups mayo
3-4 TBSP dijon mustard
celery seed
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 TBSP cider vinegar

Place pork roast in a slow cooker and cover with soda and BBQ sauce. Season heavily with pepper and garlic powder. Cook on high 5-8 hours. An hour before eating, remove roast from crock pot and shred into small pieces, removing any bones and extra fat. Return to sauce until eating.

In a large bowl combine cabbage, carrot and onion. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together mayo, lemon juice, mustard and cider vinegar. Season with pepper and celery seed. Add to cabbage.

Serve pork and coleslaw on a hamburger bun or hoagie roll.

**Allergy-free Substitutions:
Mayo - Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream. Reduce to 1 1/4 cups
Instead of eating on a bun or roll, heat up some corn tortillas and make a pulled pork taco

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Chard Wrapped Mustard Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 bunch rainbow chard - large part of stems removed
4 large yukon gold potatoes - peeled, chopped and boiled
3 TBSP coconut oil
1 cup coconut milk
salt
pepper
garlic powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
yellow mustard
2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
*1/2 lb cooked ground pork sausage (optional)

Boil a pot of salted water.

Mash cooked potatoes with coconut oil, coconut milk, Worcestershire and parsley. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and yellow mustard. I used a lot of mustard for a good bite!

Add the chard leaves to the boiling water and cook just until wilted. Remove from water and lay flat on a cutting board. Roll 2-3 TBSP potatoes and some of the *ground pork up in the cooked leaves. Sprinkle with sea salt, eat warm!