Spice Matrix

Check out this spice matrix that helps me when I need to pull something out of the air! Got it from Adventures In Spice.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
8-12 slices bacon
1/4 tsp chili pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt & pepper
1 Tbsp honey (optional)

Supplies:
Small nonstick or glass baking dish
Toothpicks soaked in water (optional)
Brush (if using honey)

Serves: 3-4

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut chicken into strips about one inch thick. Season evenly with the spices and salt and pepper. Wrap each strip in bacon. Secure with toothpick if desired. Place strips in baking dish. Brush very lightly with honey. Put in oven on middle rack and cook for 45 minutes. At 45 minutes turn oven up to 400 and move dish to top rack. Cook for 5-10 more minutes.

This is pretty easy but you can't really go wrong with bacon. Serve with veggies (pictured with chopped spinach).

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
5-6 mushrooms, finely chopped*
1 bell pepper (any color), finely chopped
Left over chicken or pork or beef, finely chopped**
1 tsp tarragon
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
3 green bell peppers, halved and cleaned (best to use ones with four bumps instead of three)
Organic red pasta sauce (optional)

*the number of mushrooms is irrelevant - use enough to equal the same volume as the onion

**use enough of your leftover protein so the mixture is one part chopped onion/mushroom/pepper and two parts protein

Supplies:
Medium sauté pan
Mixing bowl
Shallow baking dish

Serves 3-6

This is a two part recipe (well technically three) because it works best with leftover protein (step 1) from another meal, and best if the filling is prepped and combined the day before (step 2) actually making the stuffed bell peppers (step 3). This time around I used leftover Cilantro Lime Chicken Breast, chicken slow cooked in taco seasoning, and Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork. You also can use different chopped veggies - increase the nutrition by chopping some zucchini instead of bell pepper, for example. Combine your protein and chopped veggies and toss in the herbs, mix well. Sauté the whole mixture on medium until you start to smell the spices and the whole mixture is warmed through well. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, preheat oven to 325F. Cut the 3 bell peppers in half and clean out the seeds and membranes. Place the peppers in a shallow baking dish. Stuff the peppers with the mixture, top with your choice of red pasta sauce. Or top with a slice of white cheese (then it's not paleo). Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to one hour.

Paleo Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 C puréed pumpkin
1/4 C almond butter
1/4 C honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C almond meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 C chopped nuts of your choice (I used macadamia nuts)
1/3 C unsweetened medium coconut flakes
1/3 C cacao nibs or organic dark chocolate chips

Supplies:
Medium and small mixing bowls
Measuring cup
Sturdy spatula
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper

Yield: 20-24 cookies

For this to be paleo, the ingredients all should be pure/organic. Preheat oven to 350F and line the cookie sheet with parchment. Mix dry ingredients in the small bowl, and the wet ones in the medium bowl. Add dry to wet and combine well with spatula. Scoop batter onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Cool two minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

According to Butter In My Coffee, which is where I adapted this recipe from, this can be a breakfast biscuit as well. But as much as I love desserkfast, it feels too dessert-y and not nutritious (or filling) enough to be breakfast, even with the addition of an egg or two. Sure is a yummy treat though!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Breast

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, whole
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic minced
Juice of two limes
1 tsp cumin
Salt/pepper to taste

Supplies:
Slow cooker

Serves: 6-8

You can partly make this ahead of time. In a ziplock bag combine: chicken breast, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, cumin. Don't put the lime - the acid might begin to cook the chicken. I did this the night before but if you want you can do this and freeze. When ready to cook, defrost if frozen, then place contents of bag into slow cooker and add juice of 2 limes and salt and pepper. Set on low for 7-8 hours. If possible, at 6 hours open the crockpot and pull the breasts apart into shreds with tongs. If not, shred before serving. Or serve whole or in chunks.

Serve with vegetable of your choice.

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients:
1/2 C raw chia seeds
1.5-2 C milk of your choice
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp pure cocoa powder

Supplies:
Tupperware container
Measuring cup and spoons

Serves: 6-8

Mix the ingredients. Stir well every couple of minutes for about 20 minutes. Refrigerate. That's IT. That's how easy it is! I mix it right in the container I'm going to store it in because why create more cleanup?

Use almond milk or coconut milk. I adjusted the ingredient amounts adapting from about a gazillion chia seed pudding recipes on the Internet but its to my taste - if it's too sweet for you, drop some of the agave or coconut sugar. If it's not sweet enough, hey pile it on. But I mean, we're eating this type of food to mitigate insulin spikes so don't go too crazy.

Dessert? Breakfast? The chia seeds are filling and full of fiber so alongside an egg or some other small portion of protein I would not hesitate to call this breakfast. But it's yummy and sweet enough to satisfy those dessert cravings from my past life, so dessert fits also. You can't go wrong desserkfast! It's not the prettiest thing to eat but who cares it's going in your stomach, not the Louvre.

If you like this, you might also like Vanilla Cinnamon Chia Seed Pudding.

Bacon Onion Green Beans

Ingredients:
12-16 oz fresh green beans
2 slices organic bacon, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped

Supplies:
Medium sauté pan with cover

Serves: 4

Wash and trim green beans. Heat chopped onion and chopped bacon over medium high heat until sizzling, turn heat down to medium. Add green beans, stir and cover. Cook until beans are tender but still crisp when bitten, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

I mean, who doesn't love bacon?

Vanilla Cinnamon Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients:
1/2 C raw chia seeds
1.5-2 C milk of your choice
3-6 dates, pitted and chopped
2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Supplies:
Tupperware container
Measuring cup and spoons

Serves: 6-8

Mix the ingredients. Stir well every couple of minutes for about 20 minutes. Refrigerate. That's IT. That's how easy it is! I mix it right in the container I'm going to store it in because why create more cleanup?

Use almond milk or coconut milk (I used a combo because I had to use up my coconut milk). I adjusted the ingredient amounts adapting from about a gazillion chia seed pudding recipes on the Internet but its to my taste - if it's too sweet for you, drop some of the agave or coconut sugar. If it's not sweet enough, hey pile it on. But I mean, we're eating this type if food to mitigate insulin spikes so don't go too crazy.

Dessert? Breakfast? The chia seeds are filling and full of fiber so alongside an egg or some other small portion of protein I would not hesitate to call this breakfast. But it's yummy and sweet enough to satisfy those dessert cravings from my past life, so dessert fits also. You can't go wrong desserkfast! It's not the prettiest thing to eat but who cares it's going in your stomach, not the Louvre.

If you like this, you might also like Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding.

Paleo Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
3.25 C almond meal*
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C honey**
1/4 C agave nectar**
1/2 C coconut oil (liquid)
1 C pure chocolate chips***

Supplies:
Medium mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Spatula and/or whisk
Teaspoon (not the measuring kind)

Yield: 36 cookies

*I used almond meal from making Almond Milk. If you do this you really need to dehydrate your almond meal well before using it. Also, the cookies hold together more easily if you use almond flour like Bob's Red Mill.

**The recipe I adapted called for 1/2 C of honey or agave nectar or pure maple syrup. I didn't have pure maple syrup but I love maple so I imagine that would be divine. I used 1/4 C each honey and agave because that's what I had.

***Use whatever chocolate chips you want. The recipe I adapted called for cacao nibs or vegan chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine dry ingredients in the medium bowl (almond meal, salt, baking soda). In the small bowl combine the wet ingredients (eggs, coconut oil, agave, honey, vanilla extract). Add wet to dry and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips gently last. Use the teaspoon and shape the dough into ping-pong sized balls. If your dough is too oily blast it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Bake on middle rack for 10 minutes (plus or minus a minute or two depending on your oven and the size of your cookies. Remove and cool by sliding the whole sheet of parchment off the cookie sheet.

Your house will smell coconutty and there's a coconut flavor to the cookies but it's not as strong a flavor as the aroma would suggest. These are deadly yummy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe adapted from thebitesizedbaker.

Sautéed Wilted Kale

Ingredients:
Kale
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Supplies:
Large nonstick skillet with lid
Non-scraping tongs
Paring knife
Large mixing bowl or large ziplock bag

(Ok this is kind of a cheat post because the method and ingredients are nearly identical to the kale part of the Almond Crusted Pork and Sautéed Kale post. Sorry.)

Trim the kale leaves off the thick stems. I find it easiest to hold the end of a stem in one hand with the the other end pointing down, and running a very sharp paring knife down along the stem - the leafy part should fall right off. If not - get a better set of knives. Rinse the kale and dry - easiest to use a salad spinner but I don't have one - I put the kale between paper towel and dry gently.

In a large mixing bowl or large ziplock bag, toss the kale with a very small drizzle of EVOO and an even smaller drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put all in the pan, heat on medium-low and cover. Check and stir/toss occasionally. When the kale is wilted like steamed spinach it is ready. If you like it a little more al dente, that's fine too. It's fine to eat raw so you can't really undercook this.

Use garlic instead of balsamic if you like, or sauté with whatever other spice you prefer. This is so easy. The only thing is, just like spinach, it gets really reduced in volume so if you feed people who need to have a visually full plate...get smaller plates. The photos don't even show how drastic it is - the first one is half the batch (it wouldn't all fit in my pan at once), the second photo is all of it.

Garlic Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt
Pepper
1/4 C or less almond milk

Supplies:
Fine cheese grater
Large nonstick pan/skillet
Spatula

Grate cauliflower into pan. Grate only the florets part, reserve the stems for..I'll think of something later. If nothing else you can steam them and eat them later as a side dish. Grate the garlic into the pan as well. Season with salt and pepper and heat on medium stirring/tossing often. As the cauliflower cooks it should take on a slightly more "mashed" texture. Add almond milk little by little to desired consistency, mixing in the pan after each addition. Add any other seasoning you wish - this should be seasoned similar to how you would make garlic mashed potatoes. If you like gravy with your mashed potatoes you might like the cauliflower mash with Mushroom Gravy.

This is almost exactly the same process as cauliflower fried "rice", except for cauliflower fried rice I would recommend blending the cauliflower submerged in water and then draining it because you get a slightly coarser texture closer to the size of rice grains.

This is pictured with Mushroom Onion Chicken.

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:
1 medium onion
2 trays mushrooms
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Parsley
Basil
Almond milk
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Supplies:
Large nonstick skillet
Hand blender or emulsifier
Small mixing bowl

Slice mushrooms and drizzle with a very small amount of EVOO in the skillet. Season generously with garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and basil. I chose these spices merely because they were the first thing I saw when I opened the cupboard. Really, I took a photo as proof. Use whatever spices you wish. Don't forget to also season with salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms are cooked through, then add a small amount of almond milk (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and bring to a medium boil. Simmer for several minutes then transfer to a small mixing bowl. You can do this ahead of time - I made my mushrooms last night to serve as a side dish to a different meal but sautéed three trays of mushrooms so I could have these to use for the gravy tonight. Slice the onion into thin slices. Back in the large skillet, caramelize the onions (and if simultaneously making Mushroom Onion Chicken sauté with the garlic also). Once the onions are golden and translucent, remove 3/4 of them to the bowl. (I used the other 1/4 in the Mushroom Onion Chicken, but if you're not making that go ahead and use the whole onion.) Blend with the hand blender. Add almond milk until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper as needed to taste.

I didn't put ingredient amounts because this really depends on your preference. If you're nervous, go easy at first and taste and add gradually. This makes kind of a lot of gravy so feel free to halve the recipe - Husband is a mushroom fanatic so I made a lot for him to use on whatever.

Mushroom Onion Chicken

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
1 medium onion*
3-4 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & pepper
Click here for Mushroom Gravy recipe

Supplies:
Large nonstick pan/skillet with lid
Pair non-scratching tongs
Small nonstick egg pan

Slice onion into thin slices. I used a whole onion because I used part of it to prepare the mushroom gravy. Mince the garlic. Put all the onions and garlic into the large pan, drizzle with half the EVOO and heat on medium-low heat, stirring/tossing occasionally. Meanwhile, slice chicken breasts into thin slices and season with salt and pepper. In small pan, heat a a small amount of the EVOO on medium to medium-high heat. Sear chicken strips quickly to get a golden color on each side then use the tongs to transfer and add to the large pan. Do this in batches if necessary. When all chicken has been seared and it is all in the large pan, cover the large pan, and turn heat to low. Keep slowly simmering and toss occasionally. Remove 3/4 of the onions and add to the sautéed mushrooms to be used for the Mushroom Gravy. Chicken is cooked when juice run clear.

This recipe is almost identical to the Chicken Breast and Sweet Potato recipe I posted previously. In these photos I served the chicken with Mushroom Gravy and garlic cauliflower mash. Not the most exciting and colorful meal but tasty and easy.

Filipino Adobo

Ingredients:
4 lbs beef, chicken or pork
2 C water
1 C shoyu
1/2 C vinegar
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1 finger ginger (about 4-5 inches)
5-6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp fresh coarsely cracked pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil or oil of your choice
2 Tbsp flour of your choice

Supplies:
Large pot with lid
Ladle or large spoon
Small bowl

Serves: 4-6

Cut the meat into 1-2 inch cubes. Cut ginger into several pieces (not too small - you want them easy to fish out later) and crush. Crush the garlic as well. Keep count of how many pieces of ginger you cut. In the bottom of the pot heat a small amount of oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then sear in the pot on medium high. Add water, vinegar, shoyu, garlic and ginger and bring to high boil. Once boiling, add agave. Reduce to medium and boil for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Add bay leaves and cracked pepper. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer slowly until meat is fork tender (about 2 hours for beef, less for chicken and pork). Once finished cooking, reserve meat in a separate bowl and fish out ginger pieces and the bay leaves. Remove all except about 2 cups of the juices (more if you want to make more gravy). In the small bowl, measure out 2 tablespoons of a flour of your choice. Mix with a small amount of cold water until smooth. Add to the reserved juices in the pot and bring to a boil stirring or whisking the bottom continuously. Return meat to pot or pour out gravy into the bowl with the meat.

I hate wasting, but the rest of the juices are so intensely flavored that you can't use it for much else unless you want to eat adobo flavor for a week.

Serve with veggies - I'm partial to steamed broccoli.

Paleo Friendly "Fried" Chicken

Ingredients:
6 chicken drumsticks
1/3 C almond flour (or flour of your choice)
2 tsp paprika
2.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp basil
1/4 C oil of your choice*

Supplies:
9x13 pan
Foil
8 quart mixing bowl
Tongs

*If you double the recipe as I did, no need to use 1/2 C oil. 1/3 C should be sufficient - you just want a thin layer on the bottom of the pan.

Preheat oven to 450F and move the top rack to the second notch or as high as possible to still get the pan in. Line pan with foil. If using coconut oil or any oil/fat that is semi-solid at room temp, put it in the pan and put the pan in the oven to melt it. If using EVOO like I did, don't do this right away - the oil will burn. Put it in about 1-2 minutes before you're ready to actually cook the drumsticks. Meanwhile, combine flour and spices in mixing bowl. Toss chicken drumsticks (3 at a time at most) in mixture, coating well. Place them on a plate if your pan is in the oven. Once the oven is ready and pan is ready with hot fat/oil, place the drumsticks into the pan and place pan on top rack. In 15 minutes, turn the drumsticks over. Cook for another 20-30 minutes. Serve with vegetables like Roasted Kabocha Squash as pictured.

Roasted Kabocha Squash

Sometimes I know what protein I'm going to make (hello ranch chicken strips) but coming up with veggie side dishes that aren't just steamed broccoli or sauteed kale can be hard. I bought a very pretty kabocha squash today and was quite pleased with myself.

Ingredients:
Kabocha squash
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

Supplies:
Super sharp knife
9x13 baking dish
Foil (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the top and bottom of the squash so that you have a flat surface to work with. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy gunk. See first photo. Slice into wedges of equal width. Toss in a small amount of EVOO or lay in pan and drizzle lightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add other spices if you want (paprika, cinnamon, garlic, etc). Place in single layer in baking sheet. Bake for 15-30 minutes (depending how thin or thick your wedges were).

Fried Bananas

I'm still on this sweet foods kick. I recently saw a chart on Pinterest, showing what all our different cravings meant - if you crave chocolate you need this or that nutrient. All I know is I want something sweet!

Ingredients:
1/4 C leftover batter from Paleo Tortillas
1 banana
1 to 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 to 1.5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Supplies:
Egg pan or small skillet
Spatula or pancake flipper
Small bowl (for the batter)

Serves: 1-3

Slice banana in half and then cut those slices in half. Mix the leftover Paleo Tortilla batter with the coconut sugar. Heat the EVOO in the pan on medium to med-high heat. There should be an even amount of oil just barely covering the bottom of the pan (which is why you want to use a small pan). Dip the banana slices into the bowl of batter and coat well. When pan is ready put all four slices in, flat side down. Fry 1-2 minutes then flip. Leave in pan about 1-2 minutes more, till bananas are heated through and golden on both sides. I made a sweet tortilla/pancake with the rest of the batter since I *hate* wasting good ingredients. Serve the banana slices with the pancake (as shown) or with a clean berry coulis, or if you want to try one of those "paleo ice cream" recipes I've seen floating around Pinterest.