Zucchini Spaghetti

Shhh... there's zucchini it in!  :)  

I decided to hide some zucchini in my girls' spaghetti and it worked!  They didn't even notice and ate everything in the bowl!  A success in my book.  I have a very picky 3-year-old (my guess is too much time eating like I used to) and I do my best to get her to eat veggies.  The best way I know how is to hide them in food she likes.  I really enjoyed the zucchini "noodles" - my new favorite way to eat spaghetti!




Zucchini "Noodles"
2 zucchini - washed and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 T. grass-fed butter
oil to coat pan


Warm oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add zucchini, garlic, butter.  Cover and cook 1 minute.  Remove lid and continue to cook another minute.  Serve with spaghetti sauce of choice and ground meat!  Yum!

Cornish Game Hen and Sauteed Kale

These little hens are so cute.  So tiny!  I like they they can just be served on a plate whole and we can dig in like true cavemen.  :)  I found this recipe in a new cookbook Gluten-Free Quick & Easy.  It was easy to make and delicious to eat!


Cornish Game Hen with Red Currant-Mustard Glaze
4 Cornish game hens
2 1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. red currant fruit spread
2 T. fresh lemon juice


Preheat oven to 400º.  Sprinkle 2 t. of salt and all pepper inside hen and on skin.  Place hens on a rack in roasting pan.  Roast hens for 45 minutes, or until skin starts to turn brown.  Stir together remaining 1/2 t. salt, paprika, mustard, fruit spread, lemon juice to form a glaze.  Brush glaze on hens and continue to bake 15-20 minutes or until hens are darkly browned.  Remove from oven and let stand in roasting pan, covered, 10 minutes.  Serve immediately.

We have really been enjoying kale, lately!  Dean has been requesting I make this at least once a week and since it is something we both like, I do.  :)  My favorite part, besides eating it, is listening to the noise when you put it in the pan to cook.  It sounds like bubble wrap being popped.  Fun!


Sauteed Kale
1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed, cut into bite size pieces
2 T. olive oil
2 T. water
4 cloves garlic, minced
pinch or dried crushed red pepper
1 t. grapeseed oil or grass-fed butter
sea salt to taste


Heat skillet on medium heat setting, add oil, garlic and crushed pepper.  Saute about 1 minute.  Add chopped kale.  Cover.  Check after 5 minutes.  If it looks dry, add 2 T. water.  Flip leaves over in the pan to cook other side.  Cover again.  Check for doneness after another 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste and oil/butter.  Serve.


(Original recipe is for swiss chard from simplyrecipes.com)

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Dean and I went to the dinner theater in Loveland and the menu was fantastic.  Everything we ate was so good.  So, I decided to duplicate something I had that evening.  I created my own recipe and was pleasantly surprised.  Both Dean and I enjoyed the flavor and all of the ingredients in it.  My favorite part was the kale - yum!  


Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
1 roasted chicken, cut into chunks
1 lb. andouille sausage, cut into 1/2" chunks
1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 c. chicken stock
2 t. creole seasoning
1 t. dried thyme
sea salt and pepper to taste
3 T. bacon fat


Heat bacon fat in large pot over medium high heat.  Brown sausage.  Remove sausage.  Add garlic, onion, bell pepper to pot.  Cook about 2 minutes or onion and pepper are soft.  Add carrots, tomatoes, broth, seasoning.  Bring to boil.  Add chicken and sausage.  Bring to boil.  Turn heat down to low/medium low and simmer up to 1 hour.  Add kale and cook for 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Lasagna

Since starting this blog I have friends recommend recipes I should try and I love it!  My super strong friend Emily from the gym recommended I try this recipe from Everyday Paleo and it is amazing!  I changed the recipe up a bit and would do the same next time I make it (and there will definitely be a next time!).  


Lasagna
2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage links, cut into 1" chunks
1 red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. bacon fat
2 T. dried oregano
2 T. dried basil
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. sea salt
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 12 oz. can tomato paste
5 zucchinis, thinly sliced (I used the slicing blade on my food processor)


In large pot warm bacon fat over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add sausage and beef to pot and brown.  Season meat mixture with dry ingredients, tomatoes and tomato paste.  Stir well.  In 9x13 baking pan, put layer of sliced zucchini, then cover with thick layer of meat mixture, then another layer of zucchini, then rest of meat mixture.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350º for 30 minutes.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

When it was time to eat I wasn't that hungry so I just served myself a small portion.  I was up and out of my seat before my husband and girls were even finished eating serving myself a larger second portion.  Then when everyone was done I realized I wasn't, and served myself an even larger third portion!  My husband mentioned that it must be good if I wanted more than one helping.  Simple, yet satisfying.  

Coconut Curry Chicken

I have never tried curry and I have to say I am now a fan!  This recipe (Cate's Nutrition Kitchen) was amazing!  The chicken was juicy and flavorful.  The veggies were cooked just right and tasted delicious.  My husband was out of town when I made this, so I will be making it again really soon.  He shouldn't miss out on a good dinner because he has to travel (plus I just want to have it again).  :)

Coconut Curry Chicken 

2 lbs. chicken, thighs

1 T. coconut oil

1 can coconut milk

1 T. tamari sauce

1 T. curry powder

1 T. ginger, freshly minced

2 whole carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

1 whole yam, peeled and diced

3 stalks celery, sliced into 1" chunks

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into 3" chunks

1/2 c. cilantro, finely chopped

Soak chicken in cold, salted water for 30 minutes.  Drain and dry chicken.  Heat large skillet over medium heat.  Add oil, then sear chicken for 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish.  Add coconut milk, tamari, curry, ginger to skillet and scrape bottom of pan to deglaze.  Add all veggies to baking dish, then cover with coconut milk mixture.  Cover dish with foil. Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until chicken cooked through.  Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Fudge Babies

My birthday treat!

My birthday is this week and I toyed around with the idea of making a cake, but knew I would regret it.  I have been feeling really good and didn't want to mess up my body with some sort of processed cake.  So, instead I tried these little fudge babies (The Label Says Paleo) and they hit the spot!  Actually, they were quite addicting!  They are sooooo good!  I will warn anyone who makes these - make them, try a couple, then have someone take them away and lock them up.   You will want to eat many more of these that you should!  :)  

Fudge Babies

1 c. walnuts

1 1/3 c pitted dates

4 T. cocoa powder

1 t. vanilla extract

Put all ingredients into a food processor.  Process.  Form into little balls and refrigerate.  Enjoy!

Romanesco

This was an interesting vegetable we received in our veggie box.  It looks like some sort of alien vegetable and tasted "out of this world" - sorry that was dumb! :) But we did enjoy it.

Romanesco

Romanesco, trimmed and cleaned as you would broccoli or cauliflower

olive oil 

salt and pepper

minced garlic (as much as  you like, I used 4 cloves)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl.  Place on baking sheet.  Bake at 400º for 20 minutes or until tender.  Serve!

Chicken Meatballs

I came across this recipe (The Spunky Coconut Cookbook) and thought they sounded good and I am always looking for a way to hide vegetables.  First, I was surprised at how easy they were to make!  I love when recipes don't take much preparation time.  Second, they were a hit!  I have a super picky eater in my house (my 3-year-old, Brisea) and she doesn't try anything I fix for dinner until we make her try it.  She is usually ok trying something if she know it is chicken.  I put these in front of her and she dug right in - she even asked for more!  And neither one of my girls complained having it the next day for lunch.  So, I made some homemade tomato sauce to go along with them (and it was not good).  But I do have another recipe for tomato sauce (The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook) that tastes great and I would use this one next time (recipe below).

Chicken Meatballs

3/4 c. almond flour

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

handful parsley

2 beaten eggs

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 t. sea salt

Add to food processor: almond flour.  Process to make sure there are no big lumps.  Pour into large mixing bowl.  Add to food processor: celery, carrots.  Process, then add: chicken, parsley.  Process until you have ground meat.  Add meat and veggies to bowl with almond flour.  Add eggs, spices to bowl stir to combine.  Drop tablespoon size meatballs onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350º for 25 minutes.  Serve!

Tomato Sauce

14 oz. tomato paste

2 cups water

1 T. herbes de Provence

1 T. sea salt

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. minced garlic

In saucepan, bring all ingredients to boil.  Decrease heat to low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until sauce is slightly thicker.  Serve.

Proof!  :)

Mile High Salad

Mile High Salad
(Colorado Classique cookbook)
Dressing:
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. finely chopped green onions
2 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. honey
2-3 t. Tabasco sauce
Salad:
10 ounces mixed salad greens
4 oz. chopped pecans
4 oz. dried cranberries
1/2 c. toasted walnuts


Mix all dressing ingredients together; shake well.
Combine all salad ingredients in bowl.  Toss salad with desired amount of dressing.




This salad is so good and a great way to get some greens in my day!  The dressing adds a nice "zip" to the salad.  I tend to get bored with salads, but this recipe is interesting and definitely worth repeating.  

Banana Rolls

A friend led me to this recipe and the original recipe (paleomama.com) was based on Elvis' favorite sandwich.  These remind me of one of my old favorite sandwiches - peanut butter and banana.  Haven't had one of those in a while and this totally satisfied any craving I could have for that sandwich.  Having 2 little ones who were hungry for lunch - I changed the cooking method from the original recipe.  Cut down cooking time by 20 minutes! :)  Though the combination might seem a little different, they taste amazing! 

Banana Rolls

1 green banana

2 slices bacon

Cut bananas in half, lengthwise.  Wrap each half of banana with strip of bacon.  Place on baking sheet.  Broil on high for a few minutes - turning once during cooking, until bacon is cooked.  Serve with nut butter of your choice.  

I used sunbutter and it was delicious!