Paleo & Whole30 Green Thai Curry Chicken

19 Mar

Green Thai curry chicken

(~10 servings)

Ingredients
1 tbl ghee
2 sweet onions, chopped
3.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 tbl minced garlic
2 tbl minced ginger
1 tbl ground coriander 
2 jars Thai green curry paste (4oz each)
1 pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed and cut to 0.5-1” pieces
10oz bag matchstick carrots
2 cans full fat coconut milk
1 tbl lime juice
10 Thai basil leaves, chiffonade 
Kosher salt
Pepper
Method
In a large pot over medium high heat sauté onion in ghee until it begins to soften. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and coriander, sauté 1-2 minutes. Add curry paste, asparagus, carrot, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes. Add basil and lime juice, season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Eat as is, serve over cauliflower rice, etc.

Paleo Hostess Cupcakes

5 Jan

I created this delicious recipe for a party, so it yields approximately 65 cupcakes. While the point of paleo is NOT to eat dessert, it is fun to have options for parties that are slightly better for you than normal.

Chocolate cupcakes
2 cups coconut flour
2 cups cocoa powder
2 tsp kosher salt
4 tsp baking soda
24 large eggs
2 cups grape seed or canola oil
4 cups organic blue agave
5 tbl + 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Combine dry. Combine wet. Mix dry into wet, distribute into lined muffin tins, and bake 375F for 22 minutes. When cool poke hole with wooden spoon handle and fill with marshmallow creme (below)
Marshmallow creme filling
2.7oz water
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 large egg whites, room temp
1/3 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 
Stir together water, sugar, and honey in a small saucepan with candy thermometer.  Heat over medium high and DO NOT TOUCH (no further mixing). When the mixture reaches 220F start whisking egg whites and cream of tartar in stand mixer on high. When sugar mixture reaches 240F, remove from heat and pour a thin, steady stream into whisking egg whites. Add vanilla and continue whisking until mixture is glossy and thick. Add to piping bag and fill cooled cupcakes. 
Ganache
1 cup Ripple (plant based dairy-, soy-, and nut-FREE) half and half
24oz Enjoy Life chocolate chips
1 tsp instant espresso powder
Melt ingredients together in a double boiler, spread over cooled and filled cupcakes. 
White icing for decorating
1 cup Swerve confectioners sugar substitute 
1/4 cup Nutiva shortening (blend of coconut oil and red palm shortening)
1/3 cup Ripple (plant based dairy-, soy-, and nut-FREE) half and half
1/8 tsp vanilla
Blend ingredients in stand mixer, add to piping bag and decorate with classic Hostess squiggles. 

Whole 30 and Paleo Chicken Red Curry Carrot Ginger Soup

15 Dec
Chicken red curry carrot ginger soup
2 tbl ghee
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 small bunch celery (5 stalks) celery, sliced
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 quart chicken bone broth
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 tbl grated ginger
1 tbl Thai red curry paste
1/2 tsp red pepper flake
1/2 tsp turmeric 
Kosher salt
Pepper
2 pound cooked Rotisserie chicken, meat only, chopped or shredded
Sauté onion and celery in ghee with some salt  over medium heat. After 4 minutes add carrot and potato. After 5 minutes add garlic and ginger. After 1 minute add curry paste.mix past in then add broth, coconut milk, pepper flakes, turmeric and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer soup to Vitamix (blender) and purée until smooth and velvety. Return soup to pot,  add chicken to warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whole 30 and Paleo Cashew-cream of Asparagus Soup

15 Dec
(Cashew) Cream of asparagus soup
 
1-2 tbl Ghee
1 cup raw cashews soaked in water for 2-24 hours, drained
3 small leeks, white and light green, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 bunches asparagus, woody ends trimmed off, then cut into 1.5” pieces
4 cups chicken bone broth
1/2 bunch chives (plus more for garnish), sliced
Juice from 1 lemon
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
4oz diced prosciutto, cooked to desired crispiness
Heat ghee in pot over medium heat.  Add leeks and sauté until soft. Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes before adding asparagus.  Saute 1-2 minutes and add  broth. Simmer 8 minutes. Add cashews, chives, and transfer to blender. Purée until smooth. Top with crispy prosciutto and extra chives. 
5 servings, each serving =
299 calories 
16g fat
20g carbohydrates 
22g protein

Whole 30 and Paleo Coconut Red Thai Curry Mussels

15 Dec

Coconut red Thai curry mussels

2 pounds fresh mussels, cleaned and debearded

1 tbl ghee

3 leeks, quartered and sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound riced butternut squash

3 cups chicken broth

2.5 tbl red Thai curry paste

2/3 cup full fat coconut milk

Kosher salt and pepper

Sauté leeks, garlic, and squash in ghee over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and curry paste and mix well. Add coconut milk and mussels. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. DISCARD any mussels that haven’t opened and enjoy the rest.

Paleo Mini Chocolate Churro Pancakes

15 Dec

Mini chocolate/dark chocolate churro pancakes!

1 overripe banana, mashed

2 large eggs

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbl cacao powder for dark chocolate, milk tbl cocoa powder for chocolate

3 tbl SFH pure whey churro flavor protein powder

Whisk together 1 mashed overripe banana, 2 large eggs, 1/8 tsp sea or kosher salt, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbl cacao powder (substitute cocoa powder for less “dark” chocolate flavor), 3 tbl churro pure whey protein powder. Cook 1 tbl batter per pancake in nonstick skillet over medium heat, 2 min on side one, 1 min side two. Makes 14 miniature pancakes.

Paleo Flourless Pumpkin Gingerbread

10 Oct

Back in 2012, I created a recipe (here) for paleo gingerbread.  Last night I really wanted to make a batch, but it was late, and I didn’t have the correct ingredients.  No biggie, just created a new, simplified version!  Had to give it a new name, so based on the ingredients, here you have it, flourless pumpkin gingerbread!  Love it.  Fast, easy, super light in texture, and not too sweet with just 1 1/2 teaspoon agave per serving!

Paleo flourless pumpkin gingerbread

Ingredients (8×8″ pan = 16 squares):

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup creamy cashew butter

1/4 cup organic blue agave

3 large eggs

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tbl. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 + 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 + 1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 + 1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In your stand mixer with paddle attachment blend pumpkin and almond butter together.  Add eggs, when combined add agave and remaining ingredients, scraping sides of mixing bowl as needed.  When fully combined, pour batter into an 8×8″ baking dish lined with parchment paper or greased with coconut oil.  Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.

I was making this for a meeting and baked the recipe in a disposable, non-stick, Reynolds 8×8″ dish, which I sprayed with coconut oil spray just as a precaution.  Didn’t stick at all!

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Paleo Chicken and Sweet Potato Gnocchi Soup

8 Oct

Yes, you’ve seen this recipe before!  This time with homemade sweet potato gnocchi instead of Cappello’s gnocchi.

Paleo chicken and sweet potato gnocchi soup

Ingredients:

1 batch paleo sweet potato gnocchi (recipe here)

2-3 tbl. ghee or extra virgin olive oil

3-4 chicken breasts, diced

1 large onion, diced

One pound carrots, shredded

6-8 celery stalks, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

6-8 cups organic low sodium chicken broth

22oz So Delicous culinary coconut milk (it isn’t as coconut-ty as other brands)

3-4 cups baby spinach, washed

8 sprigs fresh thyme, thyme leaves only

Kosher salt

Pepper

Method:

Prepare the gnocchi dough as described.  Since these are going in a soup, I made 1/2 tbl size gnocchi instead of 1 tbl. size.  In a large pot over medium high heat, heat 1 tbl. ghee and 1 tbl. olive oil.  Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper.  When ghee/oil is hot add chicken, onion, celery, carrot, and garlic to the pot.  Sauté until chicken is no longer pink.   Add chicken broth (start with 6 cups, add more at the end if you’d like the soup thinner) and thyme leaves.  Bring soup to a boil and add gnocchi.  Gnocchi will float when done. Reduce heat, stir in coconut milk, spinach, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Whole30 and Paleo Stuffed Delicata Squash

8 Oct

Winter squash is in season!!!  I love winter squash: butternut, acorn, delicata, sugar pumpkin, spaghetti squash.  I haven’t tried them all yet: buttercup, blue hubbard, kabocha, and others have not made it into my kitchen.

Cut and roast them, turn them into soup, use them as nutritious filler in other recipes…I just love them!

The idea for this stuffed squash came to me as I pulled up to the local farm stand today.

Whole30 stuffed delicata squash

Ingredients:

4 delicata squash

1 large sweet onion, chopped

2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

20oz Whole30 compliant bacon (uncured, nitrate free, no sugar added; I used Pederson’s)

12oz Aidells chicken apple sausage (no sugar added, no nitrates, Whole30 compliant)

1 pound mashed sugar pumpkin (fresh or packaged)

15 sage leaves, chiffonade

leaves from 3 sprigs thyme

Kosher salt

Pepper

Olive oil/ghee

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Slice delicata squash in half lengthwise.  Brush the cut side with olive oil (I used extra virgin) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place cut side up on baking sheets and bake at 37°5 for 30 minutes.

Chop bacon and cook in a skillet over medium heat to desired crispness.  Move to paper towels to drain.  Reserve some bacon fat in the skillet.  Add the chicken apple sausage to the skilled and cook through, move to paper towels to drain excess bacon fat.

In a large sauté pan heat 1 tbl. ghee and 1 tbl. olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and sauté.  Once onion begins to soften add apples.  Add garlic and sauté until onion and apples are soft.  Mix sage, thyme leaves, and pumpkin.  Add bacon and sausage to mixture and season with salt and pepper.

Scoop seeds from squash and discard.  Stuff each squash with the onion, apple, and meat mixture.  Bake at 375°F for an additional 15 minutes.

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Paleo Sage Ghee Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sausage

8 Oct

Although autumn weather is not upon us, it is that time of year.  Weather or not, I’m breaking out some autumn flavors!

Paleo sweet potato gnocchi with sausage and sage

Ingredients:

1 batch paleo sweet potato gnocchi (recipe here)

12 oz andouille sausage, quartered and sliced

15 sage leaves, chiffonade or chopped

2-3 tbl. ghee

Kosher salt

Pepper

Method:

Boil gnocchi in a large pot of salted water.

In a large saute pan, cook sausage until it is heated through and begins to brown.  Once gnocchi float in the boiling water, drain and add to pan with sausage.  Add sage and ghee and toss until fragrant.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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