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.
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 :))
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
