Roast Salad

I had leftover pot roast that I knew I wouldn't eat, so a friend told me what she did with her leftover roast.  It was such a good way to ensure the whole roast was eaten and did not go to waste!  Yummy!  Instead of tuna salad or chicken salad - you get roast salad.  :)

Roast Salad

leftover pot roast, sliced

Vegenaise

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

small tomato, diced

banana peppers, chopped

red leaf lettuce

Put roast, onions, tomato, peppers into food processor.  Process until all ingredients are finely chopped (almost mushy).  Take roast mixture out of food processor and add as much vegenaise as you like.  Wrap in red leaf lettuce.  Enjoy!  

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

12 hard boiled eggs

4 avocados

4 t. hot sauce

1/2 lime - juiced

salt/pepper to taste

-Peel and cut eggs in half.  Remove yolk and place in bowl.

-Mash yolks with avocado, hot sauce, lime juice.  Add salt/pepper to taste.

-Refill egg white halves with yolk mixture.

-Sprinkle each egg with a little paprika.  Enjoy!

I made a whole carton of eggs because I wanted to have plenty to share .  These were fantastic!  I love avocado, so I thought it was the perfect match with egg yolk and hot sauce.  These were so easy to make and perfect for parties, potlucks, etc. A great new twist to the traditional deviled eggs (marksdailyapple.com)!

Chipotle Lime Salmon

I will be honest, I am not a fish person and really haven't tried hard to find recipes.  Dean, though, loves fish and asks for it often (he is actually eating sardines from a can as I am writing this).  I decided to make some salmon for him one night when he was going to be late coming home from work.  Since I had already eaten dinner, I did not try this dish (funny how that worked out, right).  He loved it!  So, I told him I would make it again really soon and I would actually try it next time.  :)

Chipotle Lime Salmon

(elanaspantry.com)

1 lb salmon, cut into 4 fillets
1-2 T. olive oil
2 limes, sliced in half
1 t. celtic sea salt
1 t. chipotle powder

-Preheat oven to 500º

-Rinse salmon, pat dry and place on metal baking sheet

-Rub each fillet with olive oil

-Squeeze juice from one-half lime onto each fillet

-Sprinkle fillets with salt and chipotle, then place half lime on top of each fillet

-Turn down oven temperature to 275º

-Place salmon in oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, depending on how well done you like your fish

Pistachio Chicken with Leeks

This chicken dish has become a favorite for us (recipe comes from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook).  I can prepare the ingredients and chicken earlier in the day (like nap time) and then simply put it together and bake for dinner.  Makes dinner a lot less stressful and very tasty!  :)  

I have been trying so many new vegetables lately!  We get a small box, weekly, of fruit and veggies from Door to Door Organics.  This has helped expand the variety of veggies I use for meals (I know there is no way I would have tried half of these new vegetables).   We got leeks and I had the thought had never even crossed my mind to try them and I really liked them.  :)

Pistachio Chicken 

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 T. almond flour

1/4 c. arrowroot powder

1 t. sea salt

2 large eggs

1 T. grapeseed oil

1 T. olive oil

1/4 c. dijon mustard

2 1/4 c. pistachios, toasted and finely chopped

-Preheat oven to 425º.  Grease baking sheet with grapeseed oil.

-Rinse chicken, pat dry, and slice into 1/2" wide strips.

-In medium bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot powder, and salt.  In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, grapeseed oil, olive oil, and mustard.  Place pistachios in another bowl.

-Coat chicken strips first in flour mixture, then in egg mixture, and finally in pistachios.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

-Bake for 10 minutes, or until pistachios are golden brown and chicken is cooked through.  Serve.

Roasted Carrots and Leeks

4 carrots

2 leeks

olive oil

1/2 T. dried tarragon

salt and pepper, to taste

-Preheat oven to 375º.

-Wash and peel carrots.  Cut into 1/2" chunks.  Trim leeks.  Split leeks in middle lengthwise and wash thoroughly to remove sand and dirt (I had to watch a YouTube video to know how to do this correctly).  Chop leeks about same size as carrots.

-Pour olive oil to cover bottom of skillet.  Heat oil and add carrots.  Pan roast carrots until they brown a little.  Add tarragon, salt and pepper.  Transfer to a baking sheet and place in oven for about 15 minutes.

-Use same skillet to saute leeks (add a little more oil if needed).  Saute leeks until begin to wilt and caramelize.  Take carrots out after 15 minutes and add leeks to baking sheet.  Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until vegetables can easily be pierced with a fork.

-Serve.

Coconut Flour Crepes

Coconut Flour Crepes
(thespunkycoconut.com - modified)

Separate 4 eggs. Add the whites to the blender with:

2 whole eggs

1/8 cup water

1/2 T. grapeseed oil

5 drops stevia

pinch sea salt

1 1/2 T. arrowroot powder

1 1/2 T. coconut flour

Puree.

-Use a small frying pan.

-Preheat your pan over medium heat.

-Grease the pan well between each crepe with small amount coconut oil and grapeseed oil.

-Pour your batter so that there is about an inch remaining between the crepe and the outside of the pan.

-Lift the pan and swirl the batter around, to fill in the extra space slightly.

-Set your timer and let the crepe sit on the first side for about 50 seconds. 

-Flip your crepe (I used a plastic spatula) and wait only a few seconds, then roll it up or fold it.

-Keep the crepes covered (like with an upside down plate) while you're making more, to keep them hot.

-Makes 9-10 crepes

These were a fabulous treat on a Sunday morning.  I was left wishing I would have made double the amount!  Crepes are something I thought I wouldn't get to have again, so I was excited to find a gluten-free, grain-free recipe.  I changed the original recipe to use ingredients I had on hand (grapeseed oil and arrowroot powder).  We had them with pureed raspberry spread and fresh fruit.  Delicious!  :)

Lemon Thyme Chicken and Sauteed Broccolini

This chicken was delicious!  And the broccolini was just as tasty.  I had never tried this fun, little vegetable before and really enjoyed it.  :)


Lemon Thyme Chicken
(epicurious.com)
10 chicken drumsticks
3 T. olive oil
5 (3-4" sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, mashed
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
4 (1/4" thick lemon slices

-Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 500°F.

-Toss chicken with oil, thyme sprigs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl, then transfer to a large (17- by 12-inch) shallow heavy baking pan (1 inch deep).

-Bake chicken 10 minutes, then add lemon slices to pan. Continue to bake until chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve chicken with lemon slices.


Sauteed Broccolini
(doortodoororganics.com)
1 bunch broccolini
Sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or oil
1/2 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


-Blanch the broccolini in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes.
-Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water.
-Melt the butter or oil in a large saute pan.
-Add the lemon zest and garlic and stir.
-Drain the broccolini and add it to the garlic mixture and heat for 2 minutes.
-Add the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and toss well before serving.

Frittata

So, this was our breakfast the other day.  I continually try to make sure I am getting enough vegetables each day.  I have learned the easiest way to do that is to have veggies in my eggs for breakfast.  I just made this frittata with the veggies we had in the fridge.  There are so many different ways to make this - exciting, right?!  :)  I am not the greatest with measurements when I am making my own stuff up (I will pay closer attention next time).


Frittata
6 eggs
2 handfuls spinach
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. cooked steak, cut into bite-size pieces
sea salt/pepper/garlic powder
coconut oil


-Turn on broiler and adjust top oven rack to 4-6" from top of oven.
-Coat skillet with coconut oil.  (Make sure your skillet is oven proof!) Warm on medium heat.
-Saute onion and pepper until soft.  Add spinach and saute until just wilted.
-Add steak (or any meat as long as it is already cooked) and cook until heated up.
-Whisk eggs in bowl and add salt/pepper/garlic powder
-Add eggs to skillet, stirring just to evenly distribute meat and veggies through eggs.
-Cook for about 2 minutes (eggs in center will still be runny)
-Put skillet in oven and broil for about 2 minutes (or until eggs are cooked and golden brown)
-Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes to completely finish cooking.
-Cut into wedges (I was calling ours egg pizza).  Serve!

Peach Blueberry Crumble

I am trying to be better about eating fruit when it is in season.  So this dessert would be better during the summer, but I had some frozen peaches and frozen blueberries.  Sometimes Dean and I just like to have a "treat" after dinner.  This is a good option for us because it has no added sugar, purely fruit sweetened.  So, instead of going out and getting something that would have wrecked our bodies - we chose this.  :)


Peach Blueberry Crumble
(The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook)
4 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced, or 3 c. frozen peach slices, thawed
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
2 c. blanched almond flour
1/2 t. sea salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
1 T. vanilla extract


-Preheat oven to 350º.  
-Filling: Place peaches and blueberries in an 8" baking dish.
-Topping: Combine almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in large bowl.  In medium bowl, whisk together grapeseed oil and vanilla extract.  Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until coarsely blended and crumbly.  Sprinkle topping over fruit.  
-Cover dish with foil.  Bake 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling.  Let crumble cool for 30 minutes, then serve warm.

Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken with Steamed Kale

I spend LOTS of time in the kitchen.  It takes some effort to eat well.  But sometimes I need quick, easy recipes as I do have 2 little girls that need lots of attention.  :)  So, I have been going back to some of my 3-4-5 ingredient cookbooks for some tasty Paleo meals.  And I need to thank Laura and Greg for their idea of  steamed kale with dried cranberries and pine nuts.  

Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken

(Favorite Brand Name 4 Ingredient Cookbook)

2 chicken breasts, rinse, pat dry, cut into 8 strips

1/2 t. paprika

8 slices bacon

1/2 c. barbecue sauce*

-Preheat broiler.  Line broiler pan with foil and set aside.

-Sprinkle chicken strips with paprika.  Wrap each chicken strip with bacon in a spiral around the chicken and place on broiler pan.

-Broil chicken 4 minutes; turn over and broil 2 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush with 1/4 cup BBQ sauce.  Broil 2 minutes.  Remove from oven, turn over chicken strips and baste with remaining BBQ sauce.  Broil 2 minutes.  Serve warm.  (Add some extra sauce on top if desired - we did)

*Now, for the BBQ sauce...  We do our best not to have sugar (except from fruit), so I had to search for a good BBQ sauce that is sugar free and I found one I like.  It is from Sprouts and there is a picture below.  

Steamed Kale

Rinse kale.  Cut ribs off of kale.  Cut kale into bite-size pieces.  Fill pot with water and put kale into steamer basket over pot.  Cover and bring to boil.  Steam kale about 5 minutes (or until tender).  Then you can season however you choose.  I couldn't decide, so I did it 2 ways.  :)  

1.  Drizzle with olive oil and add dried cranberries and pine nuts.

2. Drizzle with Tamari Sauce and Sesame Oil and add sesame seeds.

                                            

Steak with Squash and Apples

We are loving our grass-fed beef!  This is a grilled round steak with garlic pepper seasoning.  It was the "melt in your mouth" kind of steak that tasted amazing!  We had to figure out what veggie for the side and I had a butternut squash to use up.  I know there are many ways to eat a squash and this was a good one.

Winter Squash and Apples
(Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Cookbook)
1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 apples, cored and cut into slices
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
salt/pepper
1 T. grass-fed butter (optional)

Slow cooker directions:
-Place squash in slow cooker.  Add apples and onion.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper; stir well.  Cover.  Cook on LOW 6-7 hours.
-Before serving, stir in butter.