Balsamic Chicken

I love crockpot options expecially with our busy schedule. It so nice to come home after a hectic day to a hot ready made meal. This one actually turned out better as leftovers the next day, the flavors were really evident after being refriderated and reheated.

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 garlic cloves diced
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
sliced onion
1  tbsn olive oil
1/2  C balsamic vinegar
package of chicken thighs

 DIRECTIONS:
Put olive oil and onions in the bottom of the crockpot. Put the chicken on top and cover with the vinegar. Cook on high for about 6 hrs.

Paleo Porridge

We used to be big cream of wheat fans and sometimes on those cold winter morings, you know like the ones we have in the middle of April, I miss a hot bowl of cereal. While I was cruising the net looking for ideas I came across this gem. thanks to Paleo Spirit for this starter. I didn't use all of the ingredients and we really liked the consistency and flavor. Although the kids have asked for a little less banana taste, we're trying 1/2 dates next time. We also halved the recipe and it worked out perfect for 2 bowls.

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe bananas mashed

2 C coconut milk (we used the carton kind but the true canned kind would be so much better flavor and consistency)

3/4 C almond meal (the original recipe also asks for 1/4 C flax meal)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger (we omitted)

1/8 cloves (we substituted with nutmeg)

1/8 salt (we omitted)

honey (just a dash although its not needed its pretty sweet from the bananas)

berries for topper, or raisins, or coconut flakes, really the options are endless.

Add all ingredients in to a saucepan, cook on med low until it thickens, (about 5-10 min) stirring often to make sure the bottom doesn't burn. Spoon into bowls top with your choice and yum. 

Crepes!!!

Crepes are a family tradition for birthday breakfast in our house and it was always expected that we would have to do un-clean. I have found this wonderful blog "against all grains" this women is amazing!!! check her out here http://www.againstallgrain.com, she has everything and anything you would ever want to know about cooking clean.  She has provided us with an amazing alternative to clean crepes. They taste a little more egg-y then un-clean crepes but with fruit and the coconut whipped cream (below) they're amazing in their own right. Even my nieces and nephew liked them. My nephew, who calls our food "that weird stuff", even had 3rds. 
I have altered the recipe just slightly, I like the flavor of vanilla in my breakfast "breads", but other than that this is all from against the grain blog.

INGREDIENTS:                                                         
For the Crepes
6 eggs 
1 cup almond milk
3 tbln coconut flour, sifted
2 tsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp arrowroot
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
coconut oil for the pan

For the filling:
frozen strawberries and blueberries
1 fresh sliced banana

For the whipped cream:
1 can whole coconut milk
honey (optional)
vanilla (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk all ingredients until completely blended, let sit about 10 minutes for the flour to absorb the liquid. I continued to whisk the batter before I poured it into the frying pan to keep it well blended and avoid clumps.  
heat a flat skillet on med, lightly cover in coconut oil to grease the pan. Pour the batter slowly onto the pan. the batter is very runny, but if you want to spread it out you can, just very carefully and slowly move the pan around by the handle. I found you don't really need to spread it out, the batter will spread mostly by itself, plus it will keep its pretty round shape if you just let it be. Let the crepe cook until the sides are slightly brown and the top is no longer runny, carefully flip the crepe, lightly brown the other side and remove to a plate to cool. this recipe makes about 8+ crepes. 

We used frozen blueberries and strawberries and sliced fresh bananas for our filling along with a coconut whipped cream (again from "against the grain" blog).  Take a few scoops of each of the frozen berries and put inside a pot and turn on med. I added a small spoon of honey, but it's really not necessary if you don't want it. I let that boil and melt until we had a running hot syrup, than I set aside to cool. 

Whipped cream: Put the cans contents in the fridge overnight. Carefully remove the top layer of the coconut milk (all the yummy fat looking topping) and put in a bowl, whip with a hand blender until peaks form add a small amount of honey and vanilla if you want. 

After all your ingredients are made and the crepes are slightly cooled (they will rip easier if they are warm) place a crepe flat on the plate put your fruit filling inside, roll, cover with a dollop of fruit and whipped cream and enjoy! Yummy!!!!

Citrus Cod

I don't put enough fish recipes on the blog and it really should be an essentail part of our nutrition as Paleo eaters for those needed Omega 3's. For us, fish is hard, we have some picky eaters. This one work out pretty well for us.

 

INGREDIENTS:

For the fish:

2 lbs Artic Cod Fillets

1 lime

1 lemon

1 sweet onion

3 tbns olive oil

2 tbsn crushed garlic

salt and pepper

 

For the salsa:

1 ripe mango cubed

1 C. pineapple (canned or fresh)

2 tbsn. lime juice

2 tbsn. orange juice

4 tsp jalepeno diced

sweet onion diced

1 bell pepper sliced

parlsey

black pepper

celantro

 

Scrub the outside of the lime and lemon to remove the dirt and waxy coating. Slice a few piece of the lime off and set the rest aside (for the salsa). Slice the onion and the lemon as well and place all slices on the bottom of a baking pan as the base for the fish. 

 

Rinse and pat dry the filets, and lay them flat on top of the slices of lemon, lime and onion.  Mix the olive oil, garlic, some lemon juice and salt and pepper in a bowl and with a brush or spoon lightly coat the top layer of the fish. Put in the oven at 350 degrees until the fish is easy to flake.

 Meanwhile you can make your salsa, quick and easy just put everything in a bowl and mix.

And Ta Da!!! Citrus Cod. (The side dish is the sauteed brussel sprouts just a few posts back)!!

Lime based coleslaw

This is a great recipe for a traveling day, a picnic and I can't wait to pack it with us to the dock this summer. It's quick, easy, and the longer it sits in the the tupperware the better it gets.

 

INGREDIENTS:

3+ carrots, shredded

1/2 head cabbage, shredded (would be good with green and purple)

1/2 sweet onion, shredded

cilantro (to taste)

 

Marinade:

1/3 C lime

1/2 tsp cumin

2 garlic cloves diced

1/2 C olive oil

1 tsp honey

 

Mix all the ingredients for your marinade, add all your shredded vegys, add them together and TADA!! Great with any meal and full of tones of vitamins and nutrients!

 

Cajun Style

So I am not normally a person who enjoys spicy foods but this one is a keeper. And it's as spicy as you want to make it, I went pretty mild so the kids and I would enjoy it too, but for those of you who really like the hot, you can always add more spice and tobasco sauce to your bowl after everyone else is dished up.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bag shrimp
2 oz chicken
1 tbsn cajun spice (we used the spice from a few posts back "spicy nuts")
1 tbsn oil
1/4 C cut onion
1/4 C  cut bell pepper
2 tbsn diced garlic
1/2 C chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp tabasco
3/4 C caulirice
3 C chicken stock
5 oz sausage (we used deer sausage I would recommend a pork)
salt and pepper

Mix all spices in the meat and set aside.

Heat oil on med/high in a pot. Cook the onion, celery, and pepper until almost tender. Add the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves and sauces. Stir in the caulirice and chicken broth and than finally the meat.  Cook on med heat, with a lid on, stirring occasionally, until the meat is done.

Quick, easy and very yummy, even for a spicy dish.

Stuffed birds!

 So I have been saying I was going to work on a clean stuffing recipe for months and I have finally done it. OK so I haven't spent as much time on it as I would've like and this is definitely not the end all be all on the best stuffing recipe, but it is a good base. I think.

INGREDIENTS:
3 thick slices of almond butter bread (recipe just a few months back) cubed
5 stalks celery sliced
1 apple diced (I like a little sweet and a little tart so I used fuji)
1 tbsn coconut oil
1/3  C onion
1 C chicken broth
1/2 C pecans
1 tsp sage
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

CHICKEN RUB:
3/4 C olive oil
3 tbsn garlic
2 tbsn rosemary
1 tbsn basil
1 tsp pepper
salt to taste

Mix all ingreidents together for the rub, and cover the chicken in it, don't miss the skin between the wings and the body. (Don't forget to clean the chicken inside and out and remove all the gizzards and neck that are stored inside the cavity). Set aside.
If you want to use the neck and organs to make a broth or chicken stock now is the time. Put them in a pot with water almost covering them. Add spices of your choice, I usually go with bay leaves, salt, garlic, parsley and basil. Simmer on low of a few hours (about as long as it takes to cook the bird) and you have a tasty chicken stock that you can use for your stuffing next time or soup.

In a saucepan combine everything but the bread cubes and the pecans. Turn on med high until it boils, reduce heat and cover and let simmer until the vegys are tender.
Meanwhile, put the bread cubes on a cookie sheet, in a single layer, and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, until crunchy but not heavily browned. Set aside.

After vegys are tender pour over toasted bread cubes, add the pecans and blend well. Put the bird in a shallow baking dish and gently add some stuffing to the cavity of the bird, laying the remaining amounts outside in the baking dish. Don't pack all the stuffing into the cavity, the fuller it is the longer it will take to cook.
Bake the bird at 400 degrees uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the top is beautifully browned than "tent" (or cover the baking pan and bird with tinfoil that doesn't touch the bird)  turn the oven down to about 350 and finish cooking.

 

It should be tender and fall off the bone yummy. The apples in the stuffing really help juice up the meat and bring a bit of a sweet flavor to the dish. Now if you really want to have at it boil and mash some garlic sweet potatoes and have yourself a clean thanksgiving-ish meal.