Pepperoncini Chicken

I love bites of food wrapped in bacon - don't you?  I brought these to a get-together at the gym and they were a hit!  They were easy to make and only require a few ingredients.  I found the recipe for these yummy bites at Eat This.


Pepperoncini Chicken
2 large chicken breasts
1 jar pepperoncinis
1 package bacon
sea salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Marinate chicken with salt and pepper and enough oil to coat.  Slice open a pepperoncini and put a piece of chicken inside.  Wrap 1/2 piece bacon around chicken and secure with toothpick.  Over medium heat, grill poppers until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crisp.  (About 8-10 minutes per side)  Enjoy!

Spicy Burgers

Burgers are our go-to meals when we haven't really planned out anything for dinner or just when we want something easy to cook up.  I came across this recipe from Just.like.mom.never.made.  Changed it up slightly for my taste and enjoyed a fantastic dinner.  We love spicy food in our house and these were perfect!

Spicy Burgers
2 cans (4 oz.) diced green chili
1 pound ground bison
3/4 c. finely chopped cilantro
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 t. chipotle chili powder
1 t. sea salt
Mix all ingredients in bowl.  Form into burgers.  Grill.  Easy!

Cranberry Squash

All of the pumpkin and squash in the fall is so fun to play with - when it comes to cooking.  :)  My friends, Tracee, recommended I try this recipe from Elana's Pantry.  She told me her husband says the squash are like pieces of candy.  So, of course, I had to try it.  And it was soooo delicious!

Cranberry Squash

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cut into cubes

1/2 c. dried cranberries

3 vanilla beans

1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon

10 slivers lemon peel

1 c. apple juice

1/2 t. sea salt

Toss ingredients together in a 9x13 baking dish.  Bake covered for 1 hour at 350º.  Remove cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes to brown.  Serve.

Coffee-Honey Pork Chops

With this wonderful "winter" weather we have been having in Colorado we decided to do some grilling.  I found a recipe from a Taste of Home magazine that I changed up just a bit for dinner one evening.  These pork chops are so VERY tasty!  Great way to use up any leftover coffee from your pot in the morning.  :)


Coffee-Honey Pork Chops
1 c. strong brewed coffee
3 T. honey
3 t. dried thyme
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 t. ground ginger
4 bone-in pork chops


In large bowl, combine first 9 ingredients.  Pour 1/2 c. marinade into large resealable bag; add chops. Seal bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade until ready to cook.
Glaze:  Place remaining marinade in small saucepan.  Bring to boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting grill.  Drain and discard marinade.  Grill chops, covered, over medium heat.
Spoon glaze over pork chops.  Enjoy!

Green Chili Chicken and "Rice" Soup

A friend that is recently entered the world of Paleo (and still going strong after 30 days strict!) suggested this recipe to me.  She found it on Everyday Paleo and I changed it a bit to add the "rice" - which ended up being a wonderful idea.  This soup has the perfect spice and the chicken and "rice" make it so filling!  Great for these cold days we have been having here in Colorado.  


Green Chili Chicken and "Rice" Soup
4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
2 c. shredded cauliflower
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely diced
4- 4 oz. cans diced green chili
6 c. chicken broth
2 T. bacon grease
2 t. ground cumin
1 T. dried oregano
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
Black pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Avocado, diced
In large soup pan, saute onion, garlic, jalapeno in bacon grease until onions are tender.  Add canned green chili, cauliflower, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, black pepper.  Stir together and add chicken broth.  Bring to boil, turn down to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add chicken and cook for another 5 minutes.  Serve with fresh cilantro and avocado.  

Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is coming!  I decided to try making up my own recipe and realized I need more practice in the baked goods department.  :)  It turned out, though. Yay!  I was able to make it gluten-free and dairy-free and it tasted delicious.  I created the filling, but got the recipe for the crust from a cookbook.


So, with the crust I was more focused on making it gluten-free than making it "Paleo" - so feel free to try out a different crust if you like.  I recently was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity (which is just like having Celiac Disease) and was recommended this cookbook from "The G Free Diet" by Elisabeth Hasselbeck.  


Pumpkin Pie Crust
(from "Recipes for IBS" cookbook)
1/2 c. gluten-free oat flour
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
2 T. ice water
Heat oven to 400º.  Lightly flour 9" pie pan.  In medium bowl, mix oat flour, rice flour, salt.  Fold in oil, using fingers to mix.  Add water, 1 T. at a time using as little as necessary to hold the dough together without it becoming sticky.  Press dough into prepared pie pan.  Bake for 5 minutes and then add pie filling and continue to bake at 370º for 45 minutes-1 hour.

Pumpkin Pie Filling
2 c. pumpkin puree
3 T. honey
2 eggs
1/2 c. almond milk
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. allspice
1/2 t. sea salt
Combine all ingredients.  Put into prepared pie crust and bake at 370º for 45 minutes-1 hour or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  (You will notice several "knife inserts" into my pie - it took longer than I was expecting so I kept checking it.  Oops :))

Meat n Potatoes

Sorry for not posting for a whole month!  I took a month off of trying new recipes to just make ones we know and like.  :)  Now I am back to it!  I took a tour of my fridge and found some veggies that I needed to use up, paired them up with some meatballs and sausage and created a tasty casserole.  You will notice some dark purple chunks - those are purple potatoes!  They came in our veggie box - I had never had them before, yum!

Meat n Potatoes
3 small heads chopped broccoli
3 small purple potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound Polish sausage, halved and cut into chunks
1/2 pound ground bison
1 1/2 cups beef broth
garlic powder and lemon pepper to taste


In large bowl combine veggies.  Sprinkle with desired amount of garlic powder and lemon pepper.  Grease 9x13 pan and place veggies inside.  Next add sausage chunks.  Shape bison into little meatballs.  Add to pan.  Pour broth over casserole.  Sprinkle a little more garlic powder and lemon pepper to make sure meat is seasoned.  Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 1 hour.  

Pine Nut Chicken

I have taken over the "man book" (Weber's Big Book of Grilling).  Usually Dean is the only one who flips through and decides which recipe to make.  I was in need of a new recipe and decided to go to Dean's "man book."  And, as usual, was happy with the outcome!

Pine Nut Chicken
Marinade:
1/4 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 T. olive oil
1 T. finely chopped fresh italian parsley
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. grated orange zest
1 t. dried thyme leaves
1/2 t. sea salt


4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves


Sauce:
1 T. honey
1/3 c. toasted pine nuts


In medium bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients.  
Place chicken breasts in large resealable bag and pour marinade into bag.  Press out any air in bag and seal tightly.  Turn bag to distribute marinade, refrigerate for about an hour, turning once.
Remove chicken breasts from bag, reserve marinade.  Grill over direct medium heat until firm and juices run clear. About 8-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce.  In small pan combine reserved marinade, honey, pine nuts.  Bring to boil and boil for 1 full minute.  Spoon sauce over grilled chicken.  Serve!

Bacon-wrapped Pork Chops

My friend Laura told me about this recipe at the gym and it has been on my mind ever since.  Just from the ingredients I knew it would be delicious.  And - it was.  As Laura said "what's better than pork wrapped in pork?"  :)


Bacon-Wrapped Pork Chops
4 thick pork chops
8 slices bacon
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Herbes de Provence (The Spice Hunter) to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle herbes, salt, pepper on each pork chop.  Place one sprig of rosemary on each chop.  Wrap each pork chop with 2 slices of bacon.  Place in greased baking dish.  Bake at 400º for 40 minutes.  Broil for 2 minutes.  Flip pork chops, broil for an additional 2 minutes or until bacon is browned.  Serve.  

Fish Sticks

Sometimes my girls surprise me with what food they like and dislike.  Lately they have been loving fish sticks (the frozen gluten-free fish sticks).  So, I decided to make my own for the girls.  They both looked at them and told me they didn't like them - getting used to this reaction to food I place in front of them.  After I told them I wasn't going to make them anything else for dinner, they decided to try them.  And guess what?  They loved them.  :)

Fish Sticks
1 lb. tilapia
1/4 c. olive oil mayo
2 T. lemon juice
1 c. almond flour
sea salt and pepper to taste
Cut fish into "sticks."  Sprinkle desired amount of salt and pepper onto each stick.  Mix mayo and lemon juice and place into small bowl.  Place almond flour into another small bowl.  Dip sticks into mayo mixture then cover with almond flour.  Place sticks on greased baking sheet.  Bake at 450º for 10-12 minutes.  Broil for an additional 1 minute until golden brown.  Serve!

Egg Muffins

Dean started a new position at work and has to travel to Denver everyday.  So, I thought I should be a good wife and prepare some breakfast for him.  He has to leave the house before 5 am most days and doesn't have time (without sacrificing sleep) to make himself a good breakfast to start his day right.  I made these little egg muffins on Sunday evening and he had breakfast all week.  I tried a fresh one and thought they tasted pretty yummy.  I asked him at the end of the week how he felt about them and he loved them just as much on Saturday as he did on Monday morning.  Success!  :)


Egg Muffins
12 eggs
6 sausage links, cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 head broccoli, chopped into little pieces
1 small onion, chopped into little pieces
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried oregano leaves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Whisk eggs.  Add broccoli, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper.  Whisk until all ingredients are blended.  Scoop mixture into greased muffin pan using a 1/4 cup measuring cup.  Drop 3-4 sausage pieces into each egg muffin.  Bake at 350º for 20 minutes.  Makes about 18 muffins.

Zesty Pork Chops

So, these are my favorite way to have pork chops.  The flavors complement each other so well and leave me feeling fully satisfied!  I made the sauce to go with them for dinner and forgot to bring it out when we were eating and they were fantastic without it.  Then remembered to have it the next day for lunch and it was so delicious.  I even had to ask Dean to leave me the last one so I could have it for lunch the next day.  I have a few recipes that I rotate through more often and this will be added to that list for sure.  I came across this recipe in a... you guessed it - a magazine.  Definitely changed it up to make it gluten-free, though.

Zesty Pork Chops
4 boneless pork chops
1 c. almond flour
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. sea salt
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. olive oil mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4. t. paprika


Preheat oven to 400º.   Combine almond flour, oregano, salt, lemon zest in shallow dish/bowl.  Set 1 T. of the lemon juice aside for sauce.  Place rest of lemon juice in shallow dish/bowl.  Dip pork chops into lemon juice, then place chop in almond flour mixture and coat both sides with breading.  Heat oil in oven-proof  skillet over medium heat.  Saute pork chops on one side until brown and crispy - about 5-6 minutes.  Flip chops and place whole skillet, uncovered, in oven.  Roast 10 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and loosely cover with foil, let meat rest 5 minutes.  Stir together mayo, garlic, paprika, lemon juice in small bowl.  Serve with pork chops.  Enjoy!

Broccoli Salad

I learned about this salad from one of the trainers at the gym, Brad.  He so kindly shared his recipe with me and I added exact measurements to it.  :)  If anyone struggles with raw broccoli then this is the salad for you!  I loved it!  This one is great to take to parties and BBQ's.  Yum!!


Broccoli Salad
3 crowns broccoli
1 pkg. bacon, cooked, cut into bits
3/4 c. sunflower seeds
3/4 c. raisins
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil mayo
Add broccoli to food processor and shred with shredding blade.  Put shredded broccoli, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, raisins, balsamic vinegar, mayo in large bowl and mix well.  Serve or refrigerate until ready to enjoy.  

Pork and Worms?

I have been noticing that my food tastes really good, but sometimes doesn't look so appealing.  :)  This is one of those...  When I was looking back at the pictures I took of this dish I thought there were worms crawling over my pork.  Well, all I can say is they were some yummy worms!  :)  

Pork with Orange Sauce
4 large carrots, cut into 1" chunks
1 whole pork tenderloin, about 1 pound
1 large navel orange
1 t. olive oil
1 small red onion
In 9" glass pie plate, combine carrots with 1/3 c. water.  Cover with vented plastic wrap and microwave 6-7 minutes or until tender.  Cut pork into 1 1/4 " thick slices.  Press each slice to flatten slightly.  Season both sides with sea salt and pepper.  From orange, zest 1/2 t. peel and squeeze 1/2 c. juice.  Heat large skillet on medium-high heat until hot.  Add oil, then pork in a single layer.  Sprinkle onion around pork.  Cook 4 minutes or until pork browns.  Turn pork over and stir onion.  Cook an additional 4 minutes or until pork is barely pink in center.  Transfer pork to plate, leave onion in skillet.  Add orange peel, orange juice to skillet, cook 1 minute.  Stir occasionally.  Serve pork over carrots, then top with onions. 


(Another modified recipe taken from Light & Delish magazine) 

Dean's "Bobs"

Ladies and Gentlemen...  Presenting an original Dean recipe!!!  :)  Dean is master of the grill and making dinners out of anything we have in the fridge.  He can always find something to make for dinner - where I am definitely more picky.  :)  He delighted us with his "Bobs" this weekend and they were so tasty.

Dean's "Bobs"
Shoulder Roast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 bell peppers, quartered (yellow and green)
1 zucchini, cut into 1" chunks
1 yellow squash, cut into 1 " chunks
1 red onion, cut into large chunks
1 yam, cut into large chunks
olive oil
lemon pepper

Marinate steak:
Add steak chunks to resealable bag.  Add enough wheat-free soy sauce (Tamari), worcestershire sauce, steak seasoning to lightly cover steak.  Marinate overnight.  Discard marinade when ready to grill meat.

"Bobs"
Mix all chopped veggies in large bowl.  Add enough olive oil to coat veggies.  Mix in desired amount of lemon pepper.  Now add meat and veggies to skewers in any order.  Grill over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, flip, then grill another 6 minutes.  Enjoy!!

Lemon Herb Chicken

"I don't like this chicken.  It's nasty!"  This is a direct quote from my sweet little 3-year-old.  Kids say the funniest things.  :)  This is what she told me when I placed her plate in front of her and by the end of the meal she had changed her mind.  "Mama, I love this chicken!"  Now, that's more like it.  This is another winning recipe from my Light & Delish magazine.  


Lemon Herb Chicken
3 lbs. cut up chicken
2 lemons
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c. fresh oregano, chopped
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450º.  From lemons, grate 1 T. peel and squeeze 3 T. juice.  In large bowl combine lemon peel, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, olive oil, 1 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper.  Add chicken, toss to coat.  Place chicken in foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Bake chicken at 450º, without turning, for 35 minutes or until juice run clear.  Enjoy!

Cherry Treats

When we go to the movies we like to have snacks.  So, we like to sneak in our own little healthy treats and then we can enjoy a movie and a tasty snack.  This is one we tried and loved.  


Cherry Treats
20 fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
2 T. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. shredded coconut
3 T. almond butter
In bowl, mix all ingredients together.  Shape mixture into balls and place onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350º for 5-10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Place cherry balls in fridge until cooled before serving.

Chicken with Avocado Sauce

I am beginning to think all we eat is chicken.  Since the last posts have been chicken recipes.  :)  I promise we eat a good variety of meat.  This recipe is so easy!  And is such a great combination of flavors.  

Chicken with Avocado Sauce

3 c. sweet potatoes/yams chopped into big pieces

2 T. olive oil, divided

salt/pepper

2 chicken breasts

1 avocado

1 T. fresh basil

1 T. lemon juice

Place chopped potato, 1 T. olive oil, salt and pepper in oven-proof dish.  Bake 60 minutes on 350º or until cooked.  Heat other T. of oil in skillet over medium heat.  Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Cut chicken into small pieces.  In food processor, place avocado, basil, lemon juice.  Pulse until smooth paste has formed.  Layer chicken, then potatoes, then avocado sauce - serve.   

Chicken with Orange Ginger Glaze

Another magazine (Cooking Light) find!  This recipe is awesome!  It does have honey, which I do allow in moderation.  Oh, and if you notice in the picture the almonds are actually black.  Oops - yep I burnt them.  I totally forgot they were on the stove toasting until my observant husband asked about them.  They still got eaten and tasted just fine.  :)

Chicken with Orange Ginger Glaze

2 chicken breasts, but in half lengthwise

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/8 t. garlic powder

1 1/2 t. olive oil

1 navel orange

3 T. honey

1 t. grated peeled fresh ginger

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned.  While chicken cooks, grate rind and squeeze juice from orange to measure 1 t. rind and 1/4 c. orange juice.  Add orange rind, juice, honey, and ginger to chicken, scraping bottom of pan to loosen browned bits.  Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 7 minutes or until chicken is done and orange mixture is syrupy.  

Roasted Broccoli

3 broccoli crowns

cooking spray

1 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

3 T. sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 475º.  Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces.  Place broccoli in single layer on jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.  Combine olive oil and garlic.  Drizzle oil mixture over broccoli, toss well.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 475º for 14 minutes.  While broccoli roasts, toast almonds, stirring constantly, in small skillet over medium heat 2 minutes.  Sprinkle roasted broccoli with toasted almonds.  

Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Boy, was I overdue for a blog post or what?  :)  Thanks goes out to Tracee for the gentle reminder to keep up on it.  I have recently been enjoying many magazine recipes.  I have been looking at magazines in grocery stores, book stores, doctor's offices, etc. for new recipes.  And I have found some goooood ones!  Here is the first of many more to come.  :)  I have been wanting to give jicama another try (haven't tried it since last summer) and loved it in this recipe.  This chicken dish (from Light & Delish) was so refreshing and very tasty. 

  

Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa
2 large chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 lime
2 T. olive oil
1 c. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers, cut into quarters
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2" chunks
1 c. chopped jicama
1/4 loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 t. ground red pepper (cayenne)


Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  From lime, grate 1 1/2 t. peel and squeeze 3 T. juice in small bowl, combine peel, 1 T. juice, oil, 1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. pepper.  Brush tomatoes and bell peppers with oil mixture and place in grill basket.  Grill 8-9 minutes or until veggies are browned and tender.  Place chicken on grill for 8-9 minutes or until browned on both sides and no longer pink inside.  While chicken and veggies are grilling, combine jicama, avocado, cilantro, cayenne, 1/4 t. salt and remaining 2 T. lime juice.  Serve chicken and vegetables with salsa.

Beef and Zucchini Stew

Beef and Zucchini Stew
1 lb. beef, cut into strips
1 T. oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground pepper
1/2 c. water
Heat oil in pan and fry beef until browned on all sides.  Add onion, garlic, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper; cover and simmer for 1 hour.  Check from time to time to ensure mixture has not become too dry.  Add more water if needed.  Stir in zucchini and bell pepper and simmer for another 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Recently having chilly weather in CO in June, I felt it necessary to make stew for dinner.  It was a tasty, warm treat that evening.  :)

Pineapple/Apple Souffle

I have been working on desserts made of good, clean food with no added sugar.  I made a good one tonight!  My whole family devoured it - yes, even my little gals.  This will definitely be a repeat dessert in our home. 


Pineapple/Apple Souffle
1 c. apple, peeled, cored, chopped
1 c. pineapple, peeled, chopped
4 egg whites
1/2 c. almond flour
ground cinnamon to taste
Preheat oven to 350º.  Puree pineapple and apple in food processor until it is thick and has a light creamy texture.  Transfer puree to a bowl and fold in almond flour.  In separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Fold egg whites gently into fruit mixture.  Place 2 medium or 4 small individual ovenproof dishes in a 9x13 baking dish.  Fill 9x13 baking dish with water up to halfway on the individual dishes.  Divide the fruit/egg mixture evenly between the 2 or 4 dishes.  Bake 30 minutes.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top.  Serve immediately.  

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

We had a BBQ at EmerFit for Memorial Day and I decided to bring these tasty little treats.  I had been looking for a group of people to try them out on and knew my fellow gym friends wouldn't mind.  :)  These were gone before the rest of the food was even ready.  They are delicious!!!  


Bacon-Wrapped Dates
16 oz. pitted dates
raw, unsalted whole almonds
2 lb. bacon, sliced in half
toothpicks
Preheat broiler.  Place 1 almond inside date.  Wrap 1/2 piece bacon around date.  Secure with toothpick.  Broil about 10 minutes, until evenly browned and crisp.  Watch them closely so they don't burn (believe me - I've done it).   :)

Peach Chicken and Apple Salad

I am so excited for all of the delicious, fresh, sweet fruit coming our way - now that warmer weather is upon us.  I had some peaches and apples in my Door to Door Organics box and decided to use them for dinner.  And it was a delicious dinner!  So simple, but so good.  Both recipes came from Elana's Pantry and I changed them just a bit based on what I had on hand.  

So, I forgot to get a picture of the chicken before I cut into it.  Guess I was too hungry.  :)

Peach Chicken

(1) 3 pound chicken
¼ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon celtic sea salt
6 peaches, quartered
4 shallots, halved
ground thyme

Rinse chicken, pat dry, place in 9x13 baking dish.  Rub with oil, season with salt.  Sprinkle thyme over chicken.  Scatter peaches, shallots around chicken.  Roast at 400º for 60-90 minutes.  Serve with peaches and pan sauce.  

Apple Salad
5 cups greens
1 apple, cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl, place greens, apple, dried cranberries, walnuts.  Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over salad.  Toss and serve.