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.