Greek Influenced Chicken and Slaw

Greek Influenced Chicken and Slaw
Chicken:
6 Drumsticks
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tsp Dill
3 Tbsp Parsley
Couple Tbsp Of Lemon Juice

Slaw:
1/3 C Coconut Milk
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 C Avocado Oil
2 Tbsp Parsley
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tsp Dill Weed
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
1/2 Shredded English Cucumber
1 lb Slaw Mix or shredded Cabbage and Carrots

Mix together all seasonings for the chicken.

Wash and dry chicken well and sprinkle with a couple tbsp of lemon juice.

Sprinkle prepared seasoning on chicken and allow to marinade for several hours in the refrigerator.

To prepare slaw, mix all ingredients except slaw mix in a large bowl.

Once well combined, add in slaw mix and fold into sauce.  Allow to sit in the refrigerator several hours before serving.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350, and heat a couple tbsp of coconut oil in a heavy bottom pan.

Once hot, add chicken (be very careful, it will splatter) and allow to brown on one side for 4-5 minutes.

Turn chicken and brown on this side for another 4-5 minutes. Turn one last time and brown again. (At this point you could cover and finish cooking on the stove top.) Turn off heat and place chicken in a casserole dish and put into preheated oven for 15-20 minutes till cooked through.

Serve with a fresh lemon wedge. Enjoy!

Maple-Pecan Muffins

These muffins were a big hit with the kids all week. They have a great flavor profile, and the zucchini adds a great amount of moisture. I would keep them in the refrigerator to keep the zucchini from going bad too fast. Hope you enjoy!

 Maple-Pecan Muffins
Batter:
4 eggs
3 Tbsp Melted Butter
2 C Shredded Zucchini
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/3 C Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Topping:
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 C Chopped Pecans

 Preheat oven to 350. Grease well, or line with cupcake papers, 12 muffin tins.

 In separate bowls, mix wet and dry batter ingredients till well incorporated.

 Stir wet into dry.

Scoop by ice cream scoop into prepared muffin tins. In the same bowl, combine topping ingredients. With a spoon, evenly distribute topping over each muffin.

 Place muffins in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

My friend, Nicole, gave me the base for this recipe after making it for a brunch we had together. I loved hers, but wanted to up the spices a bit more to see if I could cut out even more of the sweetener.  I think I was successful, and boy was this a wonderful treat for our weekend!! Thanks, Nicole!!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

2 cups Winter Squash (I have done it with both Pumpkin and Butternut)
2T butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8-1/4C Maple Syrup (to taste, I used 1/8 and 1tsp and it was good for us
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp all spice
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2T vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Cook squash (or you can used canned).

Puree all ingredients & pour in a coconut oil greased 8x9 or similarly sized casserole dish.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until pudding is set. It will be firm when you take it from the oven. It takes quite a while, so don't rush it. If you use a smaller dish, it may take longer, too.

Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve.

Veggie-Beef Balls

This is one of those things that I love to have on hand in the fridge to just grab when I need something. I pack them full of veggies so that I can get a good amount of nutrition in  a compact package quickly. Enjoy!!

Veggie-Beef Balls
2 lb ground beef
5 C Shredded yellow and green Zucchini
4 Tbsp Onion Powder
3 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp Dried Sweet Basil
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease tray with a little bacon grease and place in preheating oven to get grease hot.

My Bacon Grease Bear

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Scoop out balls into desired size using an ice cream scoop. 

 Remove pan from oven and place balls onto greased tray.

The bacon grease will begin to fry them slightly, which will give some good flavor and keep them from sticking. Place full pan into oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip, removing any extra fat you may need to at that point.

 Return to oven for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Eat as is, or topped with a tomato sauce.

I also made a quick pesto last night to have over them and spaghetti squash, yumm!!

Basic Beef Stew

This is the basic method I use for my Paleo Stews. I say method, because it is not an exact recipe. As much as I try to measure everything now, and I have improved a lot, there are some things I just can't do it on. This is one of those 'what veggies are about to go bad' type of recipes. The last few carrots in the bag, the leafy stalks of celery from the center of the bunch, etc. So use it as a method, and see what you create!

Basic Beef Stew
1 lb Beef (I used 2 Sirloin Steaks I had in the freezer)
Oil to sear beef (coconut, avocado, or butter would all work)
4 Carrots
3 Celery Stalks
Onion Powder
Salt
4 C Stock (I used chicken stock I had in the freezer)
4 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
3 Tbsp COLD water

Cut beef into bite size pieces. Heat oil in pan. Toss beef liberally in onion powder and a little salt and sear in hot oil till beef is browned on all sides. Add stock to hot pan in order to de-glaze and scape all those bits of flavor up. Pour contents of pan into crock pot and turn to low. Peal and dice vegetables into bite size pieces and add to crock pot. Allow contents to cook for about 6 hours on low.

When you are ready to serve, whisk together arrowroot powder and cold water. Stir arrowroot mixture into hot stew. It will begin to thicken immediately. If you want a thicker consistency, you can add more arrowroot/water slurry until you achieve the desired thickness.

Serve!

Cinnamon Honey Plantain

I tossed these together for my husband today while the kids were napping. Verdict? Well, the plate was empty in less than 5 minutes and he was asking if there were more. Not an everyday, for me at least, but why not every now and then. There is honey, but to be honest, with my husband, he eats more than a Tbsp of honey straight out of the jar on a daily basis, and his body handles it well.
I tasted one of them and they honestly tasted like a piece of Monkey Bread... you know what I'm talking about, those bread dough balls dosed in butters, sugar and Cinnamon and all smashed together. Mmmm...

Cinnamon Honey Plantain
1 Plantain
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil+ Enough to shallow fry plantain
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

In a heavy bottom saute pan, heat coconut oil to medium-high heat. Slice Plantain into pieces.

 Fry pieces in heated coconut oil for 3-4 minutes per side, or until they are lightly browned.

While plantain are frying, mix remaining ingredients (honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt) in a medium bowl and heat in the microwave till they are melted and can easily combine.

 Toss fried plantain chips in heated sauce. 

Once evenly coated remove and serve.

 Yumm!

Beefy Sheppard's Pie

This dish turned out so so good!

Beefy Sheppard’s Pie

1 lb ground beef

3 carrots

2 medium zucchini

1 C Peas (if you do them. If not, sub in whatever veggies you like.)

2 C Beef (or chicken) stock

1 Head Cauliflower

4 Tbsp GF Butter

Onion powder

Salt

Pepper

3 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder

4 Tbsp cold water

Parsley Flakes

Cut down and steam cauliflower till very tender.  Add in 3 tbsp GF butter, salt and onion powder to taste, and mash with a potato masher or in the food processor.  Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.

Brown ground beef in a large pan with onion powder (liberally ;)), salt and pepper to taste. (I did 2 lbs while I was at it, 1 for this and 1 to have for breakfasts this week.) While beef is browning, peel carrots. Dice carrots and zucchini into ½ inch pieces.

Once beef is cooked through remove from pan and set aside.  Add carrots and zucchini into pan with ¼ C of fat (I use avocado, but you could use coconut, olive, whatever you like). Allow zucchini to brown slightly before adding in beef stock. Place cover on pan and allow to cook about 5 minutes till carrots begin to soften. 

Mix together arrowroot powder and cold water in a small bowl, ensuring all the powder is dissolved.  Once carrots have softened, stir in arrowroot mixture and remove pan from heat.  Add in frozen peas and precooked beef and stir to combine. Pour prepared mixture into a medium casserole dish.  Take prepared cauliflower mixture and dollop on top and flatten onto filling. (I used the edge of the serving spoon to make impressions on cauliflower for presentation purposes.) Take remaining Tbsp of GF butter and break it up into small pieces to scatter over cauliflower mix. This will give you the crispy, golden brown crust on top.  Sprinkle parsley flakes on top.

Place pie into a preheated 350 oven for 30-40 minutes till it is heated through and bubbly.  I turned the broiler on low for 5 additional minutes to get a nice golden brown on the top. 

Enjoy!!

Couple notes from this dish:

1)Peas are one of those grey are type foods. We had some from our garden that we flash froze, and because I have not noticed any negative from them on our bodies, we are going to use them. I probably would not choose to buy them at this point in our Paleo-journey, but I am going to use up what I have.  You can substitute another veggie. This recipe is very versatile, and a great way to use up the last couple random items that remain in the crisper!

2)I mention quite a bit on my facebook how I prep for breakfasts while I make dinner. This was a perfect time to do this! Instead of just cooking 1lb of beef for this recipe, I did 2lbs. I cut up extra zucchini while I was chopping, and then mixed the two extras together. This will make a great omelet filling for breakfast this week. This is vital to my schedule because my husband has to leave the house at 4:20am to get to work on time!!

Coconut-Pecan Banana Bites

Though I do a whole lot of Paleo Baking, I don't actually eat the majority of what I make. I will sometimes taste a bite of one, or on a Sunday brunch I will have a helping of a treat, but in general I don't eat a lot.  I am really working towards reaching some goals before the end of the year, so I avoid baked goods, dairy, and added sweeteners. 
That being said, I am always looking for a low GI, no added sweetener treat to enjoy from time to time. This is one that I will be keeping in the freezer for those moments when I just need a little something, but I don't want to actually have a treat. I hope you all enjoy as much as I did!

Coconut-Pecan Banana Bites
2 Bananas
1/2 C Tropical Traditions Coconut Concentrate
1/2 C Pecans- chopped
1/2 C Shredded Coconut
1 tsp Cinnamon

Slice banana about 1/2 inch thick and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes. They don't need to be frozen through, just cold to the touch.

Melt the coconut concentrate in a small bowl.

Combine chopped pecans, shredded coconut and cinnamon in a shallow dish.

 Once bananas are out of the freezer, dip each slice into the coconut concentrate and directly into the coconut pecan mixture.

Turn bananas over to coat and place back onto the dish to return to the freezer.  Once all are coated, return to the freezer to allow them to set up.

 Enjoy!

Mexi-Pulled Beef

This is my go to 'feed-a-ton-o-people' recipe. I have made it for several buffet style dinners with all the fixings. We generally do this with romaine leave wrappers, homemade salsa and guacamole, tomatoes, olives and cheese (for those dairy folks). I have even given in a bought corn tortillas for those adamant about lettuce not being a taco shell.  ;)  Tonight we had it on an arugula salad with homemade salsa, guacamole, and plantain chips for crunch. Yumm!! Anyway, I have received several requests for the recipe, so I finally measured and here it is. Enjoy!

Mexi-Pulled Beef
2-3lb Beef Roast
Avocado Oil (enough to coat the bottom of pan)
2 Tbsp Chopped Dried Onions
3 Tbsp Onion Powder
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tsp Salt
1/3 C White Vinegar

Mix all spices together in a small bowl.  Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, or if your pressure cooker has a 'brown' option just do it in there, as I did. Add chopped dried onions into the oil as it heats. Rub prepared seasoning mix into beef and sear in the hot oil for about 5 minutes per side, or until a nice deep brown is reached. 

Once both sides are browned, pour in white vinegar and cook in the pressure cooker for an hour, or in a traditional crock-pot for about 6 hours on low. 

Shred with two forks enjoy on a salad, as a taco, or just plain.