Paleo fried chicken

Okay, because I believe in giving credit where credit is due, the original recipe came from the Paleo Comfort Foods cookbook, but below is my take on it.

And I'll tell you right off the bat, this isn't your KFC variety, super crispy chicken skin, but it's also a heck of a lot better for you!  Plus, I didn't use some trans fatty garbage to do the frying, I used organic all natural, all vegetable shortening.  I bought a 4 pack several months ago from Amazon and just noticed that they expire in February 2013 so I thought I'd better get cracking and use some of this stuff up.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to soak the chicken in a brine, but I will definitely do it next time.  It's the best way to go, and no, you don't need sugar for a brine like a lot of recipes suggest.  I usually do 1 cup of kosher salt per 1 gallon of water and soak overnight.

Now, on to yummies...

• 2 pounds chicken (I used legs because it's what I had on hand, but you can use any combination)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup shortening (or coconut oil)
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, this added the perfect amount of heat for me)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil (just makes for easier cleanup) and place a cooling rack on top (this will keep your chicken crispy as it bakes

Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet, melt your cup of shortening over medium heat.

Whisk 3 eggs in a large bowl and add the chicken, making sure it's coated.

In a separate large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients and add the chicken.  I tossed my chicken in one at a time to ensure even coating.  It took a few extra minutes that way, but every piece had a nice crust on every side, so to me it's worth the effort.

Once the shortening/oil is melted, put the chicken in and let cook on each side for about 2 minutes.  It's important to let it rest once it's in there and not move it around too much, you don't want the coating to fall off! 

Remove the legs from the skillet and place on the baking sheet until all of it is ready for the oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.  I had to bake the legs for about 25 minutes.

The end result is a crunchy coating and juicy chicken and a much better for you meal then you'd get in the drive thru!

Meat muffins

I've got a freezer full of grass fed ground beef, which is kind of awesome, but you kind of get into a rut with what to do with it.  Using this recipe as a base, I added on to it with what I had.  This isn't very pretty but it comes together quick, stores easily and is a super quick protein addition.

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4-1/2 cup almond meal (my ground beef was really wet, so I needed 1/2 cup to keep it all together, but you may use less depending on how yours is)

Preheat oven to 375 and grease 2 standard size muffin pans

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until combined.  Drop equal amounts into the pan and bake for 15-25 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.  An easy way to take these out is just to grab them with some tongs and put them on a cooling rack over a plate so they can drain.  

Makes approximately 18 muffins.

PS-These are dog approved too!  I came back and noticed 2 were missing, but neither of my animals owned up to the theft.

Sweet potato cookies

I was browsing on Pinterest the other night and came across something that sounded so simple and so tasty I knew I had to try it!  However, I felt that the original recipe was a little lacking, so I added to it.  Here is my recipe below.  Be forewarned though, these have no sugar, so they really aren't at all sweet (especially if you're used to sugary/sweet things) but if you are eliminating sugar from your diet like I am and have a craving for a dessert/snack, this has a great cake-like consistency and will help curb a craving.

• 1 cup sweet potato, mashed
• 3 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

In a bowl, combine all ingredients and drop rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, flattening them out a little.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire cooling rack.

Makes approximately 15 cookies

Sweet potato hash

So I bought a couple of sweet potatoes a while ago and I keep trying to figure out what to do with them.  I thought about making sweet potato hash from Everyday Paleo, but I didn't have sausage.  I thought about making twice baked sweet potatoes from PaleOMG but didn't feel like doing all the work, so I did a combo of both and the end result was amazing if I do say so myself!

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated (use a cheese grater or the shredding disc on your food processor)
• 5 slices bacon
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Sea salt (to taste, I just did several grinds right in the pan)
• Black pepper (to taste)
• Cinnamon (I didn't measure but I'd estimate I used maybe 1-1.5 teaspoons?)
• Dash of cumin
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

In a large skillet, cook the bacon.  Remove and set on a paper towel to absorb excess grease and chop roughly

Toss the sliced onion and garlic into the skillet (use the bacon grease that's in the pan) and saute until onions are tender.  Melt in the coconut oil and add the sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cumin and stir until the potatoes are tender (mine took maybe 5 minutes).  Add the bacon back in and combine everything.

The cinnamon and coconut oil lend a sweetness to the potatoes, while the bacon, salt and cumin add a salty/smoky flavor.  I can see this going into the rotation of post-WOD snacks, a great balance of healthy carbs, fat and protein!  My only regret is not making a double recipe, I am going to devour this!

Mushrooms

Good thing people are coming over tonight for book club, otherwise, I'd be eating all 12 of these myself.

• 12 white button mushrooms (you'll want to get larger ones, as they do shrink down a bit when you bake them)
• 4 ounces goat cheese, softened (I left mine out at room temperature for about an hour)
• 1/4 cup shredded white cheddar (or mozzarella, whatever you have on hand)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Clean and remove stems from mushrooms and brush the tops with olive oil.  Place in a rimmed baking dish, top side up, and bake for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees (or until the mushrooms start to soften).  Remove from oven and flip over to let the steam out.  Let cool for a few minutes.

In a mixing bowl, stir the goat and cheddar cheeses and spices until combined.  Now you can either just roll out little balls and pop them in the mushrooms, or you can use a ziploc/pastry bag, or do what I did when your ziploc bag fell apart on you and just scoop some onto a knife and wipe it onto the mushrooms :)

Now, if you want, you can just pop these into the fridge if you aren't ready to bake them, for up to a day, or if you're ready, sprinkle the mushrooms with a little parmesan cheese and pop back into the 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, finishing up the last couple of minutes in the broiler if you want.

Breadless bruschetta

I was browsing around on Pinterest this morning and saw a great idea for a recipe, tomatoes topped with spinach and cheese.  Yum!  Kind of like a bruschetta, but no bread, so it's paleo approved!  I made a couple of modifications, measured some things out, so here's the final product.

• 6 medium tomatoes (or you could use 2-3 large beefsteak tomatoes)
• 1 bag of spinach
• Shredded cheese (I used organic white cheddar)
• 2 ounces olive oil
• 2 ounces balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• Sea salt
• 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Olive oil

Slice the tomatoes (you don't want them too thin, or too thick, I got about 4 slices from each tomato) and lay flat in a rectangular baking dish.  Sprinkle with sea salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder and onion powder until you've got a thicker consistency.  Pour over the tomatoes and put the lid on the dish.  Feel free to shake it around a little at this point to make sure everything is coated.  Let sit for 2-3 hours and marinate.  

While you're waiting, you can go ahead and toss the spinach into a skillet with some olive oil, minced garlic and lemon juice.  Saute until wilted and set aside.

....2-3 hours later....

Set broiler to high and line a baking sheet with foil and place the tomatoes and place some spinach on each one, and sprinkle with cheese.  Pop under the broiler for 5-7 minutes, or until the tops start to brown.

Szechuan Lo Mein

Wow, it's been a while since I posted!  But, have no fear, anyone who reads this, as there is a 90 day challenge starting at the box on April 1, so expect lots of posts!

Todays meal was inspired by a recipe I found on Pinterest, thanks to Bill & Hayley over at Primal Palate.

I made a few changes/additions/substitutions to it and was pretty pleased with the results.  My recipe is below:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1 8 ounce can of water chestnuts, sliced
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 8 ounce package baby Bella mushrooms, sliced 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups broccoli (it's fine to use frozen broccoli, just make sure it's mostly thawed, it will cook up quicker)
• 3-4 cups of cabbage, sliced thinly
• Sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce*
• 2-3 tablespoons gluten free szechuan sauce (use more or less depending on how hot you want it, 3 tablespoons was just about right for my liking)

Heat a wok (or large skillet if you don't have a wok) on high and add sesame oil and chicken.  Cook until it is almost cooked through.  

Add the broccoli, water chestnuts and mushrooms, cook another 3-5 minutes or until broccoli starts to get tender.

Add almonds, garlic, green onions, ginger and cabbage along with the fish sauce, tamari, chili garlic and szechuan sauce.  Stir everything together and cover, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until cabbage is soft.

Garnish with sesame seeds

Makes about 4 servings

*So I used a sweet chili garlic sauce at Trader Joes and one of the ingredients listed is sugar, so while this isn't a *true* paleo meal, I think it's close enough.  Besides, I couldn't find a non-sugar containing sauce and was too lazy to make my own.