Friday, November 7, 2014

Dairy free Bacon Potato Chowder

Ingredients:
2/3 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup water
8 oz bacon - diced
1 yellow onion - diced
3 cups celery - diced
corn kernels from 2 ears corn (or 1 cup frozen corn)
6 cups potatoes - diced
5 cups low sodium chicken stock
salt to taste
4 cups kale - thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley

Soak the cashews in water for at least 2 hours, then blend in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

In a large pot, add the bacon and cook over medium heat until almost crispy.

Add the onion and cook until tender.

Add the celery and corn, cook about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and chicken stock. Cover with lid and turn heat to low - simmer 30 minutes.

Add the cashew cream and season with salt.

Stir in kale and pasley. Serve hot!

Lazy Night Dinner

Ingredients:
1/2-1 cup macaroni or pasta of choice
1 1/2 lbs ground beef or turkey
1/2 onion - chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
8 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz canned corn - drained and rinsed
1 can stewed or diced tomatoes
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, brown beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain off fat and set aside.

Saute onions until soft. Add meat back to the pan and season with garlic powder, a little salt and pepper. Add everything else to the pan and heat through.

Sinless Velvet Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mixed organic honey and pure maple syrup
3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup milk or non-dairy alternative
1 cup nut butter (almond, peanut or sunbutter)
1 TBSP vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
2 TBSP chia seeds

Heat the honey, syrup, cocoa, coconut oil, milk and nut butter in a pot over medium heat just until melted. Combine well and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, add oats and chia seeds and combine.

Place by spoonfuls onto a foil lined cookie sheet and put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Best if kept refrigerated.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Dairy Free Pumpkin Creamer



Ingredients:
1 can organic coconut milk (full fat - not lite)
3 TBSP organic pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP pure maple syrup

Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until combined. Keep in jar in the refrigerator, shake before using.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Baked Lentils & Rice

Ingredients:
1 TBSP coconut oil to saute onion plus enough to coat an 8x10 casserole
1 onion - chopped
3 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth - boiling
1/2 cup brown lentils
1/3 cup brown rice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 and lightly oil casserole dish.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute onion until it is translucent - about 10 minutes.

Combine rice, lentils, onion and spices in a bowl and then transfer to prepared casserole dish. Pour boiling broth over the dish and cover either with a lid or tightly with foil.

Bake 60 to 80 minutes. Check around 1 hour to see if the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

You will need a food processor, parchment paper and cheese cloth.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower - trimmed into florets
1 egg (flax egg)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (can omit)

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor - pulse cauliflower florets until finely chopped and resembling rice. Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Meanwhile line a bowl with a doubled-over layer of cheese cloth and increase oven temp to 450. Place the cooked cauliflower in the cheese cloth, grab all four corners -making a little pouch of cauliflower - and ring out as much excess water as you can. Squeeze and squeeze until you cant get any more water out.

Mix cauliflower with egg and cheese (I also added a little salt, pepper and onion powder) and press onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Make sure it's evenly spread and not too thin, especially on the edges.

Bake crust in 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and top with whatever you like! Bake until cheese is melted.

*The cheese in the crust doesn't seem to make much difference so you can omit it if you want. The crust with the egg worked best of course but the flax egg crust held together surprisingly well. Just keep it a bit thicker and bake slightly longer.


Saturday, August 16, 2014

PALEO: Cashew Beef Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut aminos (or GF soy sauce)
1/2 cup orange juice
3 TBSP honey
1 tsp fish sauce
2 garlic cloves - minced
1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 TBSP arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 cup cashews (toasted if preferred)
1 lb flank steak (I used london broil) - cut into thin strips
3 crowns broccoli - cut into small florets

Whisk together coconut aminos, orange juice, honey, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, arrowroot powder, salt and pepper. Add flank steak, stir to coat, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Heat about 1 TBSP coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add broccoli, a TBSP of water and  sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender crisp. Remove and set aside.

Heat another TBSP of coconut oil to the pan and add steak and sauce. Cook until barely any pink remains in the meat - be sure to stir frequently so the honey doesn't burn. Add broccoli back to the pan along with cashews.

Mix and serve!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Thai Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion - finely chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms of choice
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 head broccoli - trimmed and chopped
*1 red bell pepper - seeded and chopped (optional)
1 TBSP minced fresh ginger root
2 TBSP fresh lime juice
salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro - finely chopped

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Saute onion, stirring frequently, until soft - about 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms *and bell pepper and saute 4-5 minutes.

Stir in broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to medium. Add broccoli and ginger and cook 3-5 minutes, until the broccoli is bright green.

Stir in lime juice, cilantro and salt.

Serve!



Roasted Cauliflower "Popcorn"

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower - trimmed into small-medium equal sized pieces
4 TBSP olive oil
salt to taste
*pepper
*hot sauce

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss cauliflower pieces in a bowl with olive oil and salt - and I also used some pepper and hot sauce!
Spread on baking sheet and bake about 1 hour, turning occasionally. You want them to be at least golden, the darker they are the sweeter they are!!

Eat hot!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Cashew Alfredo

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted cashews
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 - 3 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp dried onion flakes
sea salt to taste

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with boiling water. LEt sit 20-30 minutes (longer is better).

Add cashews (in water) to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and add water if needed to reach desired consistency.

I served mine with gluten free pasta, chicken, sauteed onion and garlic and broccoli. You can also add bacon/ham, chili powder, fresh herbs, peas or shrimp!

Avocado Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:
1 rounded TBSP ground flax seed
2TBSP + 3 TBSP coconut or almond milk
1 1/2 cups (1 can) black beans - drained and well rinsed
1/2 ripe avocado
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup-use a quarter cup if using honey)
1/2 cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flax and 2 TBSP milk and set aside.

In a blender or food processor (or NINJA!) combine black beans, avocado, vanilla, sweetener, remaining 3 TBSP milk and flax mix - blend until smooth.

Add cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder - continue to blend, scraping down the sides. The mixture should be thick but if it's so thick that it won't puree, add an additional TBSP of milk.

Stir in chocolate chips and spread in a square, greased baking dish.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until slightly firm on top. It will not have the same consistency as normal brownies when it's hot - it will be a little mushy. Let sit about 30 minutes, it will set up more as it cools.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Chilled Avocado & Cucumber Soup


Ingredients:
1 chilled cucumber - peeled and cut into 3 equal pieces 
1 avocado - cut in half
2 green onions - chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves - chopped (optional)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups cold water
salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop 2 of the 3 cucumber pieces and half of the avocado. Blend together with mint leaves, green onions, coconut milk and water until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I also used a little hot sauce). 

Chill soup 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, chop up remaining cucumber and avocado into 1/4 inch pieces. 
Stir into chilled soup and serve. 



Curry Leeks and Carrots

Ingredients:
2 TBSP butter, ghee or coconut oil
2-3 leeks - halved and sliced
3 medium carrots - halved and sliced
3 celery ribs - sliced
1 rounded tsp curry
salt to taste

Heat butter/oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Add leeks and cook 2-4 minutes, just until they start to get tender.

Add carrots and celery. Stir to combine and let cook 5-7 minutes.

Add salt and curry, stir to combine and cover. Reduce heat to low and saute about 10 minutes or until tender crisp (or to preferred doneness).

Serve!

PALEO: Sweet and Spicy Coconut Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

For the rice
1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
1/3 cup water or broth
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

For the chicken
2 TBSP coconut oil
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce
1-2 TBSP coconut oil
2-3 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 small onion - minced
1/4 cup tapioca flour or almond flour
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut aminos (or GF soy sauce)
2-3 TBSP sriracha sauce (or PALEO sriracha)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt to taste
chopped green onions for garnish

Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until they resemble rice sized pieces. Place in a pot with broth/water, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cover - steam over medium heat for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, sprinkle with salt and sear on all sides until cooked through. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, discard fat.

Add 2 more TBSP coconut oil to the pan and then add garlic and onion. When the onion is tender, stir in flour until well incorporated. Slowly add coconut milk while stirring. Add honey, aminos, sriracha, red pepper flakes and salt (you can also add pepper, onion powder and cayenne!). Let come to low boil and reduce heat to low.

When the mixture thickens, add chicken and cook for about a minute.
Serve over cauliflower rice and garnish with green onions!

Saturday, March 29, 2014

PALEO: Nutty Noodle Bowl

If you are making this recipe for more than one person I would recommend doubling it!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground meat of choice
1/2 yellow onion - cut in half and thinly sliced
1 bell pepper - thinly sliced
2-4 garlic cloves - minced
3 medium zucchinis - spiral sliced or Julienned using a Paderno Spiral Slicer, Julienne Vegetable Peeler or Mandoline
*You can also add a few Julienned carrots 
SAUCE
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup nut butter of choice (cashew, almond, sunbutter or use half and half Tahini)
1/4 cup coconut aminos
3 TBSP Sriracha sauce
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 TBSP red pepper flakes - divided
salt and pepper to taste

fresh cilantro and cashews to garnish

Place all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and set aside.

In a large saute pan or pot over medium-high heat, add ground meat, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook down, breaking up meat until no more pink remains. Season with salt and pepper and half of the red pepper flakes. Add zucchini noodles to meat mixture and cook on low about 5 minutes. At this point I drained off all accumulated fat and water from pan. 
Continue to heat over low.

Place small prepared saucepan over medium heat and cook and whisk until sauce is smooth. Let cook and thicken for about 5 minutes. Add to veggie meat mixture and combine well.

Garnish with cilantro and cashews and serve with a wedge of lime!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

PALEO: Spaghetti Squash with Amazing Sauce

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash - cut in half lengthwise, baked, seeded and threads removed to a bowl
1 lb ground pork, pork sausage or ground seasoned turkey
1 TBSP Paleo Chef Sriracha Sauce or regular Sriracha Sauce
1 TBSP coconut aminos
salt to taste
3 - 4 cups fresh spinach
2 cups broccoli, cut into florets
SAUCE
2 TBSP sunbutter or almond butter or tahini
juice of 1 large lime
1.5 TBSP coconut aminos
2 TBSP Paleo Chef Sriracha sauce
1/2 TBSP raw honey or maple syrup
1 tsp sesame oil
3 TBSP coconut oil - melted
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
2-4 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients of sauce together in a bowl and set aside.

In a large pan, brown ground pork over med-high heat along with 1 TBSP each of Sriracha and coconut aminos. Remove to bowl with squash.

In the same pan, add broccoli to pork drippings with a bit of salt. Cook until slightly browned, then cover with lid and steam (add a little water if needed). Once the broccoli is just tender, add the spinach and cover again. Cook until spinach is wilted.

Add pork and squash mixture to pan, combine well and keep warm over low heat. Pour sauce over pan contents and mix together until completely and evenly coated.

Serve hot! (Good cold too as leftovers).

Monday, March 24, 2014

Buffalo Cauliflower


Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower - trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup rice or almond flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
non stick cooking spray

In a small bowl combine:
1 tsp butter or ghee - softened
1/2 cup Franks hot sauce or Cholula or Tapitio if you want a real kick

Preheat oven to 450 and grease a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a bowl combine flour, water, garlic and salt. Mix thoroughly with a whisk.

Then, either dip each piece of cauliflower in batter or pour batter over cauliflower in a large bowl and toss to coat evenly (I find this much easier).

Place on prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced, and bake for 10 minutes - until batter hardens. Flip with a spatula and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes.

When the cauliflower is evenly cooked, remove from oven and coat with prepared hot sauce - either with a plastic pastry brush or pour mixture over cauliflower and carefully toss with a spatula to coat.

Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oven and let sit at least 10 minutes.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Pizza Squash Casserole

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash - cooked, seeded and threads removed from skin to a large bowl
1 lb ground meat of your choice - Italian sausage, beef, turkey (if using unseasoned meat I suggest seasoning with some salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, Italian seasoning)
1/2 large yellow onion - diced
2 cups pizza sauce (I used 1 can organic tomato sauce heavily seasoned with salt, pepper, mustard powder, parsley, basil and thyme)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs (whisked) or chia/flax eggs
*pepperoni, sliced olives, sauteed mushrooms, fresh basil (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9x13 casserole.
In a large pan over medium heat, add ground meat and onion. Cook and stir until meat is cooked through.
Add pizza sauce, basil, parsley, salt and pepper to the pan and mix well.
Add meat mixture to the bowl with the spaghetti squash, along with eggs and any additional ingredients of your choosing. Stir everything together until you can no longer see the eggs and everything is well combined.
Spread into prepared casserole dish and bake for 1 hour. If you are using eggs a slight crust will form over the top. If you are using chia/flax eggs the top will brown slightly but it will remain less solid.
Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

PALEO: Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
4 TBSP olive oil - divided
1 large onion - diced
1 lb bacon - sliced
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
1 lb ground beef or venison
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 large heads cauliflower - trimmed, chopped and steamed until very soft

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat.
Saute onion just until soft.
Add bacon pieces and saute until mostly cooked - about 10 minutes.
Add carrots and celery and saute until soft.
Add ground beef and cook until brown. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
Add broth and cook down until 60% evaporated.

Place cauliflower in a food processor with remaining olive oil and puree until smooth. I also seasoned mine with a little sea salt and cayenne. 

Pour beef mixture into a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Spread cauliflower mixture over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.


Monday, March 17, 2014

Greena Colada

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber - peeled and chopped
1/4-1/2 cup water
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 TBSP coconut oil
sweetener of choice (I use a tsp maple syrup)
1/2 cup ice cubes

Add all ingredients to a blender and process on high until liquid.
You can also add a half cup shredded coconut!

Thursday, March 13, 2014

PALEO: Parsnip Ribbons

Ingredients:
3 slices bacon - chopped
3-4 medium large parsnips (or 2-3 large)
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley - chopped
*1 TBSP Capers (optional)

In a pan over low heat, cook bacon for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to render out as much of the fat as you can without burning it.

Meanwhile, peel and trim ends from parsnips. Using your vegetable peeler (or ribbonizer) create long flat strips of parsnip until you have used as much of it as you can. Eat the rest!

Add the ribbons and garlic to the pan with the bacon. Stir well until parsnip is fully coated with bacon grease. Keep burner on low, cover and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning/sticking.

Remove from heat and toss is parsley and capers. If you want you can also garnish with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

PALEO: Saute Side

Ingredients:
3 slices bacon - chopped
2-3 medium leeks - sliced (white part and all but top 2 inches of green part)
1 medium yellow onion - cut in half and sliced

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat 3-4 minutes. Add leeks and onion and sprinkle with just a little salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally until leeks and onions are tender.


PALEO: Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients:
4 cups shredded zucchini (about 5 medium)
2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 egg - beaten, or 2 ground chia/flax eggs
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Coconut oil, ghee or butter for cooking

Place your freshly shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt - let sit 10 minutes.

In a bowl combine the egg, pepper and cayenne. Squeeze as much excess water out of zucchini as you can and add to egg mixture along with flour and baking soda. Stir and combine well.

In a large pan heat oil or butter over medium heat. Shape about 1/4 cup zucchini mixture at a time into tightly formed patties and cook on each side 4-6 minutes or until nicely browned. It seemed to take a little longer to brown with the coconut oil. Be sure to add more oil/butter for each batch.

Let cool slightly on a cooling rack so they don't get soggy. Serve warm/hot!

PALEO: London Broil

So this one is super easy and cheap, but very delicious!

This London Broil cost about $8 - it fed 2 people and there were leftovers!

Season heavily with favorite rub or seasoning blend. I did salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and a little chili powder. Place on a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish and broil under HI BROIL for about 6-8 minutes on each side. Internal temp should be around 135-140 for rare.

Serve with sauteed onions, leeks and bacon!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

PALEO: Turkey Beet Burgers

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 lb ground turkey
1 large beet - peeled and grated
2 eggs or chia/flax eggs
1/2 apple - peeled and diced
1/2 medium onion - diced
3-4 cloves garlic - minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
*1 tsp onion powder (optional)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
you can also use other seasonings like oregano, thyme and parsley! 

In a bowl combine turkey, eggs, beets and seasonings - set aside.

Over medium-high heat, saute onion with a little olive or coconut oil about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes. Add apple and cook and stir another 2-3 minutes. Let cool.

Once cool enough to handle, add sauteed veggies to turkey mixture and combine well. When ready to cook, heat a few TBSP of olive or coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Form mixture into patties and cook, covered, about 6 minutes on each side. The beets make everything quite pink and it's hard to tell when the meat is cooked through so it's better to leave it on longer - or you can even finish it off in the microwave if it starts to get too crisp on the outside.

I topped mine with a bacon slice, mustard, jalapenos and wrapped it in lettuce!


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked Quinoa (about 3/4 cup dry)
1 can (or 1 1/2 cups) black beans - drained and well rinsed
1/3 cup sliced green onion
8 oz water chestnuts - chopped
2 carrots - julienned or shredded
1 head bib lettuce
1/2 cup reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 TBSP toasted sesame oil (regular works too)
2-3 cloves garlic - minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP raw honey or coconut nectar

In a large bowl mix together quinoa, beans, green onions, water chestnuts and carrots. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic. ginger, vinegar and honey (it helps if the honey is warmed). Pour sauce over quinoa mixture and stir to combine.

Serve on bib lettuce. I add a little Tiger Sauce to mine!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Spicy Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 medium onion - chopped
4 garlic cloves - minced
1 1/2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can diced chilies of choice
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP taco seasoning
crisp taco shells
shredded lettuce
fresh cilantro - chopped
avocado - chopped

Combine tomato sauce, green chilies, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, salt and taco seasoning in a slow cooker until well blended. Add chicken; spoon sauce over chicken to coat.

Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken, shred with 2 forks and return to sauce. Keep warm until serving. Serve in taco shells with lettuce, avocado and cilantro!

Monday, February 3, 2014

Honey Mustard Baked Salmon

Ingredients:
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
*2 garlic cloves - minced (optional)
4 -5oz salmon filets
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small casserole dish, combine the lemon juice, honey, mustard, zest and *garlic. Season both sides of salmon generously with salt and pepper and place in casserole - flipping to coat evenly with glaze.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until salmon is fork tender. Halfway through cooking I spooned glaze from the bottom of the casserole over filets.

*After preparing and before cooking, you can cover dish and refrigerate up to 3 hours.

PALEO: Oven-Roasted Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh small mushrooms - cleaned
3 garlic cloves - minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
4 TBSP butter - cut into small pieces
3 TBSP minced parsley

Preheat oven to 425. Toss mushrooms, olive oil, vinegar and garlic in a bowl. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet and season to taste with salt and pepper. Scatter the butter evenly over the mushrooms and roast until golden - about 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Beef and Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients:
8 oz lasagna noodles - broken in half and cooked (I also sort of ripped them into smaller pieces once they were cooked)
12 oz sirloin - cut into bite sized pieces
3 TBSP flour
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes - cut in half
1/2 onion - chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups sliced mushrooms
*1/2 red bell pepper - sliced (optional)
salt, pepper & red pepper flakes to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute onions, bell pepper, onion and tomatoes until the onion is barely tender. Add butter to the pan and sprinkle veggies with flour; stir until well combined and slowly add broth. Simmer 1 minute and add meat. Stir and simmer until sauce has thickened and meat is cooked through. Add cooked noodles and season to taste.

**Allergy-free substitutions:
flour - gluten free all purpose flour
butter - bacon fat
pasta - gluten free lasagna noodles

One Pot Chicken Lo Mein


Ingredients:
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into bite sized pieces
12 oz linguine of choice (whole wheat, gluten free, etc.)
4 medium carrots - cut into 3 inch strips
1 red bell pepper - cut into thin strips
1 bunch green onions - white part thinly sliced, green part cut into 3 inch strips
*4 cloves garlic - minced (optional)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder (or sub onion powder)
1 tsp corn starch
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes
*2 cups finely shredded cabbage (optional)
4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 tsp olive oil

In a large pot, add chicken, pasta and the rest of ingredients (mix cornstarch with broth before adding). Cover and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender and liquid is almost gone. Season with additional soy sauce and red pepper flakes if desired.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Cabbage, Bean & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
2 can white beans (cannellini, great Northern or navy) - drained and rinsed
2 TBSP olive oil
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 - 1 cup diced celery
*1/3 cup prosciutto or black forrest ham - diced (optional)
4 cups (or 1 small head) shredded cabbage
4 garlic cloves - minced
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup peeled, diced red potato
1 tsp *herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp salt
3 slices lightly toasted bread (rye, whole wheat or other preferred)
1/2 cup fresh grated Gruyere or Parmesan cheese

Using a fork, mash up half of the beans in a bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and meat; cook 3 -5 minutes, stirring often.  Add cabbage and garlic; cook until cabbage has wilted - about 3-4 minutes. Add broth, potatoes, Herbes De Provence, salt, mashed beans and whole beans. Bring to a boil; skim and remove any foam that may form.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 12-15 minutes or until the cabbage and potatoes are tender.

Place a half slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle soup over the top. Sprinkle with cheese.

I made mine with no meat, bread or cheese and it's still delicious!

*Herbes De Provence is a combination of herbs that you can usually find in the spice section at the grocery store - or you can make it yourself by combining: basil, thyme, marjoram, fennel seed, lavender, savory, sage and rosemary. If you don't feel like making it or buying it, substitute one tsp of Thyme.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

PALEO: Spiced Carrots

Ingredients:
2-3 TBSP olive oil
4 cloves garlic - minced
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
3 cups sliced carrots
1 cup water
3 TBSP lemon juice
salt - to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick pan. Add garlic, paprika, cumin and coriander. Cook and stir until fragrant but not browned. Add carrots, water, lemon juice and salt; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until almost tender. Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring often, until carrots are just tender and the liquid is syrupy. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. Serve hot.
You can also drizzle with a little honey for a sweet and savory side dish!

Banana Oat Cookies 2

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas - mashed
1 cup oats
2 TBSP ground flax seed
1/2 c shredded coconut
chocolate or carob chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine all ingredients and drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until coconut begins to brown. Remove to wax paper to cool. Cookies are a little fragile when they first come out of the oven and are very sticky!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Jalapeno Butter Injected, Brined Turkey

This turkey involves a bit more work than your everyday turkey recipe, but it's definitely worth it! I dare you to try it!

You will need a roasting pan with a rack, a 5 gallon bucket or VERY large bowl, unscented trash liners and a food syringe.

BRINE:
1 cup Kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock or apple juice
1 TBSP black peppercorns
1/2 TBSP allspice berries
1 TBSP chopped candied ginger
1 gallon ice water

Combine all brine ingredients, except the ice water, in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
When the brine has cooled, add it to the ice water.
Now you can do this whatever way works best for you, but the turkey needs to be completely submerged in the brine and refrigerated for 12-24 hours. I suggest lining a very large bowl or 5 gallon bucket with an UNSCENTED trash liner and removing a shelf or 2 from your fridge. I use the bowl method and reinforce the sides with cut pieces of cardboard so the turkey stays covered. I also double the trash liners. You could also put the bagged turkey into a large ice chest full of ice.

In the morning, rinse the turkey and pat dry inside and out and place him in a roasting pan on a wire rack.

RUB:
4 TBSP canola or olive oil
5 TBSP paprika
2 TBSP black pepper

Mix together and rub all over the turkey, inside and out, on top and underneath.

JALAPENO-BUTTER INJECTION:
6 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeds and membranes removed - finely chopped
1/2 cup butter
*1 TBSP minced garlic (optional)
3 oz chicken broth - warmed
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

Combine the jalapeno, butter and garlic in a small skillet and melt the butter. Stirring frequently, simmer for 5-7 minutes after the butter has melted. Strain the butter through a colander into a small container. Add the chicken broth, pepper and poultry seasoning and stir well. Using your food syringe, inject the turkey all over. If the juice gets too thick, just microwave for a few seconds.

Time to preheat the oven to 475-500.

AROMATICS:
1 orange - quartered
1 apple - quartered
1/2 onion - sliced
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics (but not the water) to the cavity of the bird with the following:

4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh sage
3 sprigs fresh marjoram

Place brined-rubbed-injected-aromatic stuffed bird on the lowest rack in the oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove turkey and cover with a double layer of foil. Return turkey to oven and reduce temp to 350. A 14-16 lb bird should take around 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Use a probe thermometer to make sure turkey is cooked through properly.
Once done, let turkey rest, loosely covered, for 30 minutes before carving.

At this point you can either serve the turkey as is (which is AMAZING) or move onto the last step.

Carve your turkey until you can't carve any more! Time to get out your crock pot. Place carved turkey meat into your crock pot, then pour all of the drippings from the roasting pan over the top. Add enough water and/or extra broth or apple juice to barely cover the turkey. Set crock pot on Warm or Low and leave until serving time! You'll never want a plain old roasted turkey ever again!

Banana Oat Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic peanut or almond butter
1/4 cup sweetener of choice (pure maple syrup, honey, organic cane sugar, brown sugar)
1 egg or flax egg
1 ripe banana
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
*1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat mat.

In a medium bowl, cream together nut butter and sweetener with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and banana. Add oats, cinnamon, baking soda and raisins and mix with a spatula.

Drop by large spoonfuls or roll into 2 inch balls (depending on consistency) and place on lined baking sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are slightly browned.

Cool on wire rack. Super yummy with peanut butter on top!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Quinoa Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked quinoa
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg + 1 egg white
1 TBSP butter - melted
1/4 cup milk
2 TBSP pure maple syrup

In a large bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking power and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, milk and syrup until well combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir to combine. *For allergy-free version you may need to add an additional 1/4 cup of milk to make a more pancake batter consistency. 

Lightly coat a nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high heat. Pour and/or spread batter 1/4 cup at a time into skillet. Cook until dark golden on both sides. Serve hot.

**Allergy-free Substitutions:
Flour - all purpose gluten free flour
Eggs - 2 TBSP ground chia/flax seed mixed with 6 TBSP water
Butter - coconut oil
Milk - preferred non dairy milk

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Gingerbread Pancakes

I got this recipe from my aunt for Christmas! So yummy and festive!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup water or milk
1/3 cup brewed coffee
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 TBSP ginger
1 TBSP ground nutmeg
4 TBSP melted butter

In a large bowl, mix eggs and brown sugar. Add buttermilk, water/milk, coffee and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add to liquid ingredients and stir until just combined; then stir in melted butter.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Ladle batter onto hot skillet and cook until bubbles start to appear around the edges - flip and cook until golden and cooked through.

Serve with syrup and whipped cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

**Allergy free substitutions:
Eggs - 2 TBSP ground chia/flax seed mixed with 6 TBSP warm water
Buttermilk - allergy free milk of choice mixed with 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
Flour - mixed all purpose gluten free flour and rice flour