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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Spinach and Artichokes

Modified from the Paleo Comfort Foods book by Mayfield - YUM

1 pound frozen spinach
1.5 cups artichokes, chopped
3/4 cup coconut milk
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon coconut flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 shallot minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper if desired

Thaw spinach in colander, squeezing out all liquid
In a saucepan, heat coconut milk and 2 cloves garlic and whisk in coconut flour until slightly simmering. Remove from heat.
Heat olive oil in large skillet, add shallot, paprika, and remaining garlic, cooking until shallots are translucent. Add spinach and artichokes and coconut cream sauce, simmering until cooked through. Serve while warm. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Stuffed Squash

This one has been tried by Amy D, Jen, Josh and Clara at CFP and its delicious!! This is a recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods by Mayfield- its a great cookbook- go get it!

2 acorn squash
1T olive or coconut oil
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic , minced
dash of pepper and dried basil
1 red pepper chopped
1 pound ground turkey, grass fed beef, turkey sausage, chicken or bison
2 T chili powder
3 tsp cumin
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
cut acorn squash in half, removing the seeds. Place facedown in a baking pan in a little bit of water and bake 30-45 minutes
saute onions and garlic in olive oil, and stir in pepper, cooking 3-4 minutes longer
add in meat and spices, cooking til meat is browned
drain excess liquid and add tomatoes, heating through
Fill cooked squash with meat mixture and serve. Top with salsa, extra diced onion, or avocado.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Easy brussels sprouts

1.5 pounds brussels sprouts
3 T olive oil
sea salt/black pepper/garlic powder

Mix all together in a bowl and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes on a sheet pan.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Chicken Cacciatore

2T olive oil
1.5 pounds (6-8) chicken thighs
dash of sea salt
dash of pepper
3 oz pancetta, chopped into 1/2 inch peices
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large thyme sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1.25 pounds fresh tomatoes- about 5 medium sized ones
3/4 cup chicken broth
6 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 T. parsely, chopped
1 T. fresh basil, chopped

Heat large frying pan over medium heat and add olive oil to pan. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until golden brown (3 min per side). Transfer chicken to medium bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add pancetta to same pan - saute for 3 minutes. Transfer pancetta to bowl. Add mushrooms to pan and saute about 5 minutes til brown. Add bell pepper and onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute til garlic is softened. Add wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, stirring to scrape browned bits on bottom of pan, about 1 min. Add tomatoes and their juices, chicken broth and olives. Simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Return chicken to pan, simmer uncovered 40 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaf and stir in parsley and basil. Spoon chicken and sauce on plates and sprinkle with pancetta. Enjoy.

Paleo "Fettucine" Bolognese

So for noodles, I have used kelp noodles, spaghetti squash, and shredded cooked sweet potatoes. I think this sauce will go nicely over any of these options. I have also seen, but haven't tried noodles made from zucchini...

Bolognese sauce:
2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 fennel bulb, finely diced
1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 T fennel seeds
3 thyme sprigs
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 pound grass fed beef
dash of sea salt
dash of black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
9 fresh ripe tomatoes (2.75 lbs) diced
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth

Heat heavy pot over medium heat. Add oil and onions, saute about 3 minutes. Add fennel, carrot, celery, garlic, fennel seeds, and thyme and saute about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Add beef, salt and pepper and cook until beef is browned. Add wine and cook until almost reduced- about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, sauce, and broth. Bring sauce to a simmer. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and continue simmering until sauce is thickened slightly, about 1.5 hours longer. Season with salt and pepper, or other herbs of choice. **NOTE** I have alternatively made this in a slow cooker, where I put all of the cooked ingredients in the slow cooker and cooked it on low for 6-8 hours and it was delicious.

Serve over your "noodle" of choice. Enjoy!!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Rotisserie Chicken - 2 ways

So, I tried to make lemon pepper chicken for Christmas. I found no grocery stores open, and didn't have any lemons, so came up with a different way to make rotisserie chicken... Here are 2 ways to make some good chicken:

Option 1: Lemon Pepper
1 chicken (4 pounds)
2 lemons
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper divided
2 tablespoons butter softened
10 cloves garlic

Option 2: Herb and Garlic
1 chicken (4 pounds)
10 cloves garlic
olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 Tablespoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Option 1: In a small bowl, grate the zest from 1 lemon and mix it with 2 tsp. of salt and the pepper. Add the lemon zest mixture to the butter and stir with a fork until the all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Set aside.Salt the cavity of the chicken with the remaining 1 tsp. of salt. Cut the lemons into quarters and place them in the cavity of the chicken. Peel the cloves of garlic and place 5 of them in the cavity of the chicken along with the lemons.Place the chicken on the rotisserie spit. Tie the legs tightly together so that the ingredients inside will not drop out when the chicken is rotating on the rotisserie.Apply the lemon and butter mixture to the chicken. Rub approximately 1/2 of the butter under the skin of the chicken, spreading it out evenly. After rubbing the butter under the skin, place the remaining 5 garlic cloves sporadically under the skin. If the outside of the chicken is moist, dry it off with a paper towel and then rub the remaining lemon butter mixture on the chicken. Now finish tying the chicken around the fatty parts of the legs and tying the wings to the body.Cook according to manufacturers directions, around 90-120 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 175°F. Remove from rotisserie and remove the items in the cavity. Tent the chicken with foil and allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Option 2:
Salt the cavity of the chicken, and place 6 cloves of garlic in cavity of chicken. Place remaining cloves of garlic under chicken skin. In bowl, combine all seasonings. Brush chicken with olive oil and rub herb mixture over entire chicken. Roast chicken in a 400 degree oven for 2 hours or until internal temperature registers 175 degrees. Allow it to rest under foil for 15-20 minutes before carving.

** Note- if using a rotisserie oven and you need kitchen twine, this is also hard to find when the grocery stores are closed. In a pinch, I used alot of dental floss to tie the bird. It worked out fine.

Pot Roast

1 - 3-4 lb beef roast, preferrably grass fed
4 cloves garlic
2 cups carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup red wine
1 - 14 oz can of organic, no salt added diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Cut a few slits in the meat and insert cloves of garlic into the slits
Place roast in a slow cooker, along with all other ingredients listed
Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

Season with salt and pepper if desired.