Melissa Weigel's Garlic and Lemon Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

6 T olive oil

2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3/4 pound trimmed green beans

2 small sweet potatoes

4 chicken breasts, or 1 whole chicken cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a large baking dish or cast iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the chicken, green bean, and sweet potatoes, and toss to coat. Pour this mixture into the pan and spread around evenly.

Roast for 50 minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm.

Crockpot butternut squash lasagna

Courtesy of Paleo Slow Cooking:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 diced green bell pepper
1 pound beef
1 pound Italian sausage
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 butternut squash

Saute the carrots, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and bell pepper in olive oil until veggies are tender
Brown the beef and sausage
Combine meat and veggies
Add all remaining ingredients except for squash and simmer for 30 minutes
Peel, halve and scoop out seeds from butternut squash. Cut the squash lengthwise into ¼ to ½ inch strips, so they look like thick lasagna noodles. You can also do semicircles- it doesn’t have to be perfect since it’s a crockpot casserole.
In the slow cooker, add a layer of meat/veggie mixture, then a layer of squash, then a layer of meat/veggies, and another layer of squash. Repeat, trying for at least 4 layers of each- fewer layers run the risk of burning.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or more.

Crockpot stuffed acorn squash

Courtesy of Paleo Slow Cooking:

2 acorn squash- the recipe says 2-3 small ones- I used 2 medium to large sized ones.
1 pound mild Italian pork sausage
1 cup diced onion
2 cups spinach leaves
1 cup water

Put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Cut acorn squash in ½ lengthwise, remove seeds and set aside
Brown the sausage, add the onion, mushrooms and spinach. Cook for 2 minutes.
Stuff the inside of the squash (where the seeds used to be) with as much stuffing as you can. Overstuff them. Go crazy.
Put the squash in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8, or bake in the oven at 350 for 50 minutes.

Erica Racedo's Paleo Pie

Courtesy of Paleology101:

Ingredients:

• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• 7 eggs
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 1/2 – 3/4 sweet potato (shredded or cubed, your choice)
• 1/2 onion (yellow or white)
• 1 clove garlic

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Place breakfast sausage in a mixing bowl and mix in one egg.  Mash together with your hands until goop is combined.
3. Place the meat mixture in an 8×8 ceramic cooking dish (glass works well too), and use the backside of a spoon to press down until you have an even “crust” on the bottom of the dish.
4. Put in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the sausage becomes lightly brown on top.  It doesn’t need to completely cook since you’re going to cook it again with the rest of the ingredients.
5. While the crust is baking, cut up your 1/2 of bacon into little bits and throw it in a pan to sauté over medium heat. Cook until crispy – or at least that’s how I like it. Once it’s done, place it on a plate and set aside for later. Leave a good 2 tablespoons in the pan, and put the rest of the fat in a glass jar to save for another recipe (BELIEVE ME, you’ll use this).
6. Add garlic, onion, and sweet potato to the pan. Let it cook for a good 10 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
7. Once the sweet potato is done, make the layers in the casserole dish. Add the sweet potato/garlic/onion mixture on top of the crust.  Then, whip together the remaining 6 eggs and spread that over your sweet potato mixture. Finally, add your bacon.
8. Place in the oven for 30 minutes and VOILA!
9. Make sure to check to see if it’s done via the knife test – stick and knife in the middle and pull it out. No residue on the knife? Then you’re good.

Erica Racedo's Chicken and Dumpling Casserole

Courtesy of Things My Belly Likes:

Casserole:

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 large, white onion, finely chopped
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chicken (or beef) broth
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp sage

Dumplings:

• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted then left to cool
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut flour

1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan. Throw in the garlic, onion and chicken chunks. Fry over a medium heat until the onions turn translucent and the chicken browns. Stir in the herbs.
2. Pour in the chicken broth, add the sweet potato and celery. Bring to a boil then reduce and let simmer for ten minutes or until the potato is tender.
3. While you are waiting, make the dumplings. Whisk together the butter, eggs and salt. Sieve the coconut flour and baking power together. Gradually add the flour mix to the eggs, stirring as you go to ensure a smooth batter.
4. When all the flour is added, you should have a thick paste-like mix. Leave it aside for ten minutes while you deal with the casserole.
5. Mix the corn starch with a little water then pour into the chicken sauce. Bring to a boil then stir while it thickens. Once it’s thick and glossy, remove from the heat. Pour into a small casserole dish. Spoon a tbsps worth of batter and ‘blob’ it on top of the casserole. Repeat until all the batter is used (it should make four large dumplings).

6. Bake at 400 for 15-20mins until the dumplings turn golden. Serve.

Jen Frank's Tuscan Chicken

2-4 Chicken breasts (bone in, for more flavor)
Roma tomatoes, quartered (use 4-6)
Zucchini squash, 1-2, lengthwise pieces
Fennel bulb (1stalk, cut in large pieces)
Garlic cloves (3-4)
EVOO
Salt
Pepper
2 sprigs Rosemary

Put all veggies, chicken and spices, garlic, oil (but leave rosemary out) in oven safe Large dish at 375, stir after 30 minutes, then place rosemary in and continue roasting until veggies tender and chicken cooked through.

Staci Vinz's crustless quiche

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini, shredded or grated

2 large carrots, shredded or grated

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp sea salt

12 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp butter for greasing the pan

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together ingredients. 

Grease 9x13 inch baking pan with butter.

Pour mixture into pan. 

Bake for approximately 45 minutes.

The quiche will puff up while baking and then deflate when removed from the oven.

** This keeps very well covered in the fridge for reheating

Beef Brisket

So we bought a 1/2 of a cow. Grass Fed. Fabulous. Along with some great roasts, steaks and hamburger meat, came some large briskets. Here is an easy way to prepare a brisket that will leave you with plenty of leftovers!

1 brisket: 3-10 pounds 

Oven bag

Rub: This is for a brisket that weighs 8 pounds

6 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees

2. Prepare rub by combining all above spices

3. Sprinkle brisket with rub and press to adhere

4. Place brisket in oven bag.

5. Cook according to weight, about 1.5 hours per pound:

- 3-4 pound brisket: 6 hours

- 5-7 pound brisket: 11 hours

- 8-10 pound brisket: 14 hours

6. Allow brisket to rest 30 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Cally Vinz's Ribs

This is an easy recipe and makes alot of meat - great for meal prep! Thanks to Cally Vinz for the idea!

At the urging of Cally Vinz, we bought the 3 pack of pork ribs from Sams Club. It was around $25, and has so far lasted us 4 days- great for a quick dinner or lunch, and even breakfast!

Ingredients:
1 - 3 pack of pork ribs
tin foil
Spice rub:
1 Tablespoon of the following: seasoned salt (I love the Pele's fire seasoned salt from Aloha Spice), black pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper. This makes enough rub for the 3 racks of ribs.

Directions:

Sprinkle spice rub on both sides of ribs and rub in. Wrap each rack of ribs in foil (so no steam can get out) and place on a baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for 3.5 hours at 300 degrees. Then open them each up, and put back in the oven for about 30 minutes to dry them out a bit.

For storage, cut into 3-4 rib sections and place in tupperware.

Morning Glory Muffins

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup shredded coconut
zest of 1 orange
1 cup raisins
3 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a standard-sized muffin pan.
2. Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple, orange zest, coconut and raisins and combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil and vanilla extract together.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix very well. The batter will be very thick.
5. Spoon the batter out into muffin pan and place on upper or middle rack of your oven for 40-50 minutes.
6. When a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are done.
7. Cool muffins in the pan for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a rack to finish cooling

Beet and sweet potato fries, and a quick dinner idea

Around our house, we make french fries out of any kind of vegetable. Squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, and now... beets! I am not normally a beet fan. I think they smell funny, and they turn your pee a shocking pink. But... they make really good fries!

So, here is a simple dinner that we whipped up. In total it took about 30 minutes and is super easy!

First off: The beets and sweets fries:
Skin 1 beet and 1 sweet potato. Slice into french fries. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, italian seasoning and a sprinkle of chili powder. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Make sure to flip with spatula about half way through.

Next up: Cod
We get the bag of frozen cod from Sams Club. We put the pieces in the fridge the night before to thaw them. After you put the fries into the oven, take a large piece of foil, and add 1-2 pieces of cod with some sliced mushrooms, garlic powder, italian seasoning, and some olive oil. Make a pouch out of the foil, and place the pouches on a cookie sheet. Add to the oven about 1/2 way through the cooking of the fries. These take 15-20 minutes to cook. They are done when the fish easily flakes with a fork.

Next up: Broccoli 

We are big fans of broccoli at the Grenell house. It makes a regular appearance. We buy this in bulk at Sams Club too. I think we once bought 3 huge bags of the frozen broccoli at Sams and it lasted us 3 weeks. Yum. Basically, about 10 minutes before the fish and fries are ready, you can start the broccoli. Just put the frozen broccoli in a pan with a little water and steam on the stovetop over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Drain and add to the plate. 

Squash, and a word on food prep:

I added a little mashed squash to the plate. I made this ahead of time, and just microwaved a large spoonful just before plating the rest of the meal. 

Food prep makes eating paleo easy. Basically, part of Sunday's food prep is baking one whole squash in the oven for about 1 hour. Just put it in the oven. Any sort of squash works. I usually use butternut or acorn because they mash up well. They make a nice alternative to mashed potatoes. After you cook the squash, cut it in half to remove the seeds and scoop out the squash. Add the squash to the food processor with some garlic, a tiny bit of chicken stock, and a tablespoon of butter. Puree, and then store in tupperware. I do this with carrots and parsnips too. There is another blog post on this: http://cfppaleo.blogspot.com/2013/01/carrot-and-parsnip-puree.html

Crock Pot Pork with Apples and Veggies

The secret to this is delicious pork, obviously.  I got something called Beeler's Stub Tenders from the local food co-op.  It ends up being sort of a pork stew and it makes your house smell wonderful!

Ingredients:
2 pounds pork tenderloin
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
2 large carrots, cut into chunks
1 large apple, peeled and sliced
1/2 Tbsp tarragon
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
chicken broth, about 4 cups
salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a crock pot, just covering everything with chicken broth.  I then salted it pretty generously because the broth was homemade.  Feel free to add other herbs to your liking!  Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 8-9 hours.

Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Pecans

1. 1 1/2 cups pecans
2. 4 medium carrots (3/4 pound), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
3. 2 large parsnips (1 pound), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
4. 1 medium head cauliflower (2 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets
5. 1 small butternut squash (2 pounds)—peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
6. 1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
7. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8. 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
9. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
10. 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, squash and brussels sprouts with the olive oil and nutmeg and season generously with salt and black pepper. Spread the vegetables on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for 30 minutes, until the vegetables begin to brown. Scatter the pecans and ginger over the vegetables and toss well. Continue to roast the vegetables for 25 minutes longer, until they are tender and golden. Scrape the vegetables into a bowl and serve hot or at room temperature.

Mark Sawyer's Southern Greens

1 bag Southern Greens Blend, washed (mixed turnip, collard, mustard greens- got from Trader Joes)
1 cup bone broth, or chicken stock
1 small diced sweet (vidalia style) onion
1 package of Trader Joe's turkey kielbasa, diced, or 1 package of Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomato Basil Chicken brats, diced
pinch of salt

Put everything into a ginormous pot. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for about 20 minutes until greens are done and onions are soft. Use a slotted spoon or strainer to get the good stuff out (there will be alot of broth left).

Enjoy

Spinach and sweet potato frittata

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons salt - I used Aloha Spice's Pele's Fire Seasoning Salt. If ever in Hanapepe, Kauai, go to their shop! Alohaspice.com
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 sweet potato, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
optional: sliced mushrooms
4 eggs
1 cup almond milk
If going primal, you can add 1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice- we used a Mexican blend and it turned out good.
Non-stick cooking spray- we use olive oil in the Misto: http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Gourmet-Sprayer-Brushed-Aluminum/dp/B00004SPZV

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a baking sheet into the oven to preheat.
In a large bowl, combine 1 T. olive oil with 1 tsp. salt, garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
Add the sweet potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and add the sweet potato slices, making sure they are all in a single layer. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8 minutes.

In the skillet, heat the remaining 2 T. olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms (if using them), and spinach, and sauté for another 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, and remaining salt and pepper. Mix in the cheese, if using, along with the onion and spinach mixture and set aside.

Spray an oven-proof skillet with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil from the Misto. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and add them to the skillet in a thin layer covering the bottom of the skillet. Pour in the egg mixture and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the eggs have set, about 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, directly from the skillet. Enjoy!

Carrot and Parsnip Puree

This is a great alternative to mashed potatoes. This is also a great recipe to make and put into 2 cup containers for ready made veggies for the week.

Ingredients:
1 pound parsnips, peeled, and diced
1 pound carrots, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken stock... or bone broth - check out my post on bone broth (known as "meat tea" in the Grenell house) - the stuff is awesome, and full of health benefits: http://cfppaleo.blogspot.com/2012/06/bone-broth-so-this-recipe-is-not-fancy.html. Note that any kind of bones work for making stock- I have done combinations of beef, turkey, or chicken. 
seasoned salt
black pepper

In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add parsnips, carrots, onions, garlic, and chicken stock. Bring liquid to a boil, cover the skillet, and cook vegetables on low heat for 30 minutes. Add vegetables, a pinch of salt and pepper, and 1 tablespoon of butter to food processor to mash.

Sweet Potato Casserole

serves 4-6

Sweet Potatoes:
3 large sweet potatoes
1/8 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

Topping:
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 Tablespoon honey
pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Peel sweet potatoes, cut into large cubes, and then bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until soft.
2. Place sweet potatoes in food processor to mash.
3. To mashed potatoes, add honey, egg, butter, coconut milk, vanilla and salt. Stir until well combined.
4. Pour into a 9x9 square baking dish
5. For the topping, combine almond flour, coconut flour, honey, salt and melted butter into food processor.
6. Stir in chopped pecans
7. Sprinkle topping over mashed potatoes
8. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until topping is golden brown.