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.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

I am a huge fan of slow cooked meats that are so tender they fall apart just from you looking at them. Well, I've been told I have a withering stare but I like to think that's not why this pork falls apart on contact. It's just so good. The dry mustard is essential in this recipe and you can use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. It's also best if the ground black pepper is freshly ground peppercorns.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 lb pork roast
1/3 C smokey BBQ sauce
1/4 C water

Supplies:
Saran Wrap
Slow cooker*
Small bowl
Tongs

Serves: 4-6

*All of my slow cooker recipes could be made in a covered pot on the stovetop or in a Dutch oven.

Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Rub onto roast on all sides, wrap tightly in Saran Wrap, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, place in slow cooker, set temperature to low for 7 hours. After 7 hours, mix BBQ sauce and water in bowl then add to the roast. Set temperature to high for 1 hour, then begin to pull pork apart. It should pull apart easily. Leave in slow cooker on simmer for one to two more hours.

We used the pork to make pulled pork tacos by making Paleo Tortillas. You could also just eat it as is with veggies. Tomorrow I'll be using some leftovers in an omelette. If you're strictly paleo or on Whole30 you may have trouble finding a BBQ sauce that is compliant and if you do you will want to make sure the spices and pork are organic.

Paleo "Tortillas"

If you're looking for an "authentic" tasting tortilla this isn't it. It's kind of eggy tasting with a hint of coconut flavor (predictable, considering the ingredients?) but if you're building tacos with fillings that have dominant flavors these "tortillas" are a very convenient way to have a paleo taco night. Like the paleo pizza dough, it's really just a vessel, it's not part of the flavor profile of the dish. If you want to make burritos, these probably won't be strong enough. They also keep pretty well in the fridge for leftovers the next day (keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, separate container from your fillings).

Ingredients:
3 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
2 tablespoons coconut flour
pinch of salt

Supplies:
Whisk
Mixing bowl
Medium non-stick pan
Spatula/pancake flipper

Whisk together all ingredients very well, until smooth. Heat the pan to medium-high, and when heated, pour out some batter, roll the pan around to spread out the batter very thin (almost like a crepe), cook about a minute then flip. Cook about a minute and then remove. Continue until your batter is used up (8-10 tortillas depending on how large you're making them).

We'll be making these this week for pulled pork tacos. Stay tuned!

Recipe from PaleOMG

Paleo "Oatmeal"

My daughter eats oatmeal every day. Her grandpa eats oatmeal every day. My mom can't stand oatmeal. I was never an oatmeal crazy person but I do miss having the option. Imagine my excitement when I found this gem!

To me this is sweet enough it almost could also be served as a dessert! To increase the protein content to your breakfast add a slice of ham or turkey, and if you're going in that direction you might consider using chicken broth instead of almond milk, cutting the vanilla, and replacing the banana with something else like smashed stewed tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup almond meal*
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*Of course I use the almond meal left over from making Almond Milk - partly to avoid wastage but also because the coarser texture works better than blanched store bought almond meal/flour

Supplies:
Small saucepan/pot
Whisk
Small mixing bowl
Small spatula

Whisk together egg whites and milk first, then add the other ingredients and mix together very well. Bring to a low simmer on medium heat then turn down to low, stirring constantly with a small spatula (or you're likely to end up with a weird omelet/frittata thing). Cooked to your desired consistency.

Add any toppings you like.

Recipe adapted from Carrots 'n Cake

"Almost-Ranch" Simmered Chicken

We are crazy about ranch flavor, and really it's not ranch-y without buttermilk, and I didn't have any thyme which kind of threw this off, but cooking in real life for a real family when you have a real job is all about improvising. Also my kitchen is hilariously small - one day I'll take a photo and you can see what kind of space I'm working with (which is none - no space).

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 to 3/4 cups almond milk
2 tsp dried parsley
1.5 tsp ground black pepper
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp rosemary
Juice of 1/2 small lemon (optional)

Supplies:
Quart sized ziplock bag
Small/medium saucepan or pot

Serves: 3-4

Measure out the herbs and spices into the ziplock, add the almond milk, lemon juice if you're using it, then the chicken cubes last, and zip the bag letting out the air first. The amount of milk should be just enough to ensure that all the chicken is able to evenly marinate. Marinate for 30-60 minutes.

Pour contents into the saucepan/pot and bring to a medium boil, covered. Stir occasionally. Once the chicken reaches a boil, turn heat down to simmer. Simmer covered until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Simmer longer for moister, more fork-tender chicken pieces. Once chicken is cooked as desired, remove cover, remove chicken, and turn heat back up to medium- high to reduce the almond milk gravy. Thicken with flour if you're not eating paleo.

Replace the rosemary with thyme for a more ranch-accurate spice combination. (I just didn't have any in the cupboard.)

Serve with vegetables.