It didn't taste like Chicken! ;D

My husband and I have a lot of things in common, among them is the inability to "Do" Chicken.  It seems that no matter what we do, Chicken always seems to taste like Chicken which can become extremely tiresome!  For whatever reason, we were on the same wavelength again the other day and both started thinking how good some BBQ dark meat would taste.  (Odd but OK!?!?!)  Let's face it...after years of the the dietary world shoving the glory of the breast in our face, there is only so much breast a person can take!  (Insert 12 year old boy joke here.) 

We like the dark meat.  A little higher in fat content and a little richer in taste, it is, for us, the "do-able" part of the feathered fowl.  So I hit up Google.  The recipe that kept coming back as the bomb was from Son of Grok.  I will say, I made a couple of modifications to it.  Personally, we threw in a little sweetner in the form of Honey and I have been using powdered garlic lately for my spices.  Call it lazy but with the frequency of which I am making my Jerky seasonings for my Cave Girl Jerky, I am all about efficiency when it comes to making sauces lately.  This also brings to point my *absolute*love* of my mini-crockpot.  It's not the tiny one that only holds a cup but I think it holds 1 quart of liquid.  I inherited it from a girlfriend.  She brought it over with some yummy stuff in it.  After much wine she forgot it at the house.   We made several attempts to get it back to her, both with her coming over (again too much wine.) And me going over to visit her...again...wine.  Well, she eventually told me to hold onto it.  (Perhaps again that came with much wine.)  Either way - it is a Cave Girl's Best Friend. . . even more so than my stand mixer or my food processor.  I *highly* recommend the 1 quart Crockpot.  Anyway - on to the chicken!

Ingredients:
- 1 6oz can tomato paste - Costco has great organic tomato paste for like $6/box!
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 6 tsp granulated Garlic
- 1 1/2 TBSP onion powder
- 2 TBSP mustard - I used stone ground
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 TBSP chili powder

- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup or a mix of the two*

Put all the ingredients in your handy dandy 1 qt crockpot, stir it up, plug it in and go run you errands.  Come back and you will have some wonderful BBQ sauce waiting.  

-OR-

Put all the ingredients in your sauce pan and stir occasionally for30-? minutes until it reaches the intensity and consistency you want.  (See why I love the Crockpot? ;)

Now soak, slather, smother your chicken and throw them on the grill!! YUMMERS!!!

Regarding modifications, do what works for you and don't feel bad if what works for you is not what works for your neighbor (IMHO).  We are all unique and that is awesome!  So if you want to cut out the sweetener, go for it.  The original Son of Grok Recipe has no sweetener in it.   We (hubby and I) taste tested that and it was a bit like spaghetti sauce.  We needed a little more sweet with our spice to make that right combination.   Now recently, and I still need to investigate this, one of our coaches told me she uses coconut sugar which is dried coonut I guess?  She said it's very sweet and lower than anything on the glycemic index.  I'm down to try that but need to check with her for more details next time I see her.  Some variations I have seen have seen use Tamari but no sweetener - Tamari is a gluten free soy derived sauce.  I say, whatever's clever.  Do what works for you.

So it seems I have gotten long winded again.   We had a great dinner.  On the way home, stopped by the fruit truck on the side of the road and got an amazing Watermelon and Cantaloupe for a total of $3!  A litte of my fave tomato, pesto and walnut salad and voila!  Dinner was served and I am beyond satiated!

Paleo Chicken Parm

This recipe comes to us straight from Melissa Nunn.  She said that her family tried it and it is taste tested and Nunn family approved!  We have no picture of it to post along with it though.  I will try to make it and get a photo. . . or if Melissa does *hint*hint*

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts
1 Egg
1/2 C. crushed pork rinds
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder

Preheat oven to 350. Combine pork rinds and seasoning in bowl.  Season to taste.  Beat egg in another bowl.  Dip chicken in egg then roll in rind mixture.  Lay this on sprayed baking dish.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Melissa fixed it with spaghetti sauce and vegetables.

Sounds Delish!!!

Emery's Turkey Breast Roulade [roo-lahd]

Turkey Breast Roulade [roo-lahd]

Ingredients

4 oz Mushrooms

1 avacado

1 large red onion

1 bundle shallots

1 lemon

1 clove garlic

2 lb Turkey Breasts

1 lb bacon

String (or bamboo skewers)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dice mushrooms, onion, shallots & garlic and combine in a bowl.  Juice the lemon and mix into the bowl.  Lay the turkey breast on a cutting board and flatten with a mallet until between 0.25" and 1.75" thick.  Season as desired (I used garlic salt and pepper).  Place two strips of bacon on top of the turkey breast; top the bacon with spinach so that the entire breast is covered with spinach one layer thick.  Slice the avocado and lay three to five slices perpendicular to the direction the meat will be rolled.  Finally, add the onion mixture and roll tightly.  Wrap with string or use the bamboo skewers to keep the roulade rolled.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.  After 35 minutes, remove teh top layer of aluminum foil and set oven to broil until roulade is golden brown.

Emery's Quick & Dirty Paleo Pizza

Not only does he make sure all that traffic in the sky is in order - He's darn handy in the kitchen!  May we present....the recipe.


Sauce!

Tomatoes.  A couple of them.  Throw them in a blender with some water.  Toss that in a pot with spices of your choice (garlic, basil, oregano work well) and simmer with diced onions until they are the proper consistency.  Or get Newman's Own Organic.  It works.

Crust!

Standard 1:1:3: ratio.  Water, Egg, Flour.  Since almond meal doesn't have gluten, it won't get crispy like flour.  To make up for that, we use egg whites only and fold them into the meal / water mixture.  It should be lump-free and slightly sticky.  I also mix in some light spices and garlic paste.  om nom nom.  Glaze it with a healthy amount of olive oil and bake this at 400 for ~15 minutes before adding the...

Toppings!

Spinach.  Blanch it and throw it in with the sauce.  A lot of it.  Spinach = cheese in paleo pizza. 

Meats - your choice.  I use spicy Italian sausage and pepperoni.  Go crazy.  Mix hamburger with balsamic vinegrette.  

Figs - they are delicious.  Use those.

Leftover spinach - put it on top in alternating layers with the other toppings.

Mushrooms - who doesn't love them?  Communists.  These will double as a communist-detection technique.  Nobody spoils a party like a communist.

Feta cheese - is paleo for athletes.  I can have it, you can't.  Nya-nah nah nah-nah.

What else?  What else!  Go crazy.

Melissa's" Breaded" Chicken

Ingredients:


Chicken Breasts
1 small coconut yogurt plain flavor
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups almond meal
2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp Parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes (omit for the kiddies)
Ice and water
Coconut oil

Directions:


Get one deep bowl and two shallow bowls.  Put ice and water in deep bowl.   In the second bowl mix your yogurt and garlic together.    In remaining bowl, mix almond meal and next 5 ingredients.  Now take your chicken and soak it in the ice water for 10 minutes.  Really cold chicken holds breading better. Take the chicken out and pat dry.  Butterfly the breasts and pound the thick part of the breast out so they are even and thin.  Coat the breast with yogurt and then almond mixture.

Get your pan hot with the coconut oil and then fry up these little guys.  They only take a couple minutes per side.  Drain on paper towel if necessary.


May I just say, once again, Melissa, You rock!

Alfredo Sauce

A couple months ago I got tomato-ed out!  I went through a week of zucchini-linguine and meatballs followed by paleo Chilli followed by something else tomato based and I had had it!  I decided to try to make a white sauce to go over my zucchini-linguine and it actually turned out pretty good!   It takes awhile as it involves reduction but I make up a batch and then I have a couple meals worth.  The zucchini has a lovely texture to it - almost noodle like after a little session of saute.  I quite enjoy them and I quite enjoy this dish.

1/2 can coconut milk
3/4 cup almond milk
3 tbsp olive oil
Garlic powder or pressed garlic to taste
Herbs (I prefer fresh but you can probably try dried if that's what's at your disposal.)
I tend to use basil, thyme, rosemary, and whatever might also be in the fridge.  Taste it until you like it.

Mix it all together and get it to a simmer.  Stir frequently or more frequently for probably about an hour for it to reduce down.  Toss with your sauteed zucchini and serve.  Super easy and surprisingly yum!!

Paleo Fish Tacos

Mahi-Mahi is wonderful or Tilapia works if that's more available.  Depending on where you live (El Paso?) I have not found a mahi-mahi supply.  *pout!*

2 pounds (Yikes! that's a lot! fish skinned, boned and cleaned)
sea salt
ground pepper
red cabbage
Mango Salsa (see previous post)

Pink Chile Mayonnaise:
1 c. mayonnaise (Make your own or make sure it's free of soybean oil, sugar, other unfavorable oils.)
3 Chipotles in Adobo (Again - have not found one that commercially does not contain soybean oil, sugar and other forbiddens...even corn oil and other corn derivatives. I attempted to make my own, however,  not a southwestern girl by birth or even for more than a couple months, I am pretty sure my particular mayo did not have chipotle taste.  It was a very tasty spicy mayo though.  If anyone out there feels inclined, I am open to recipe suggestions as well as pepper education!)
1/2 Lemon juiced
sea salt and pepper to taste

Puree those chipotles/peppers then Mix it all together baby!

Ok now cook the fish - 400 degrees for 13 minutes.  Shred the cabbage.  Make a nice little bed of cabbage (and lettuce if you desire) on a plate.  If you want more of a "taco" experience. . . use leaf lettuce or leaf cabbage.   "Chunk" the fish in a bowl and toss with the mayo.  Put that on top of your cabbage bed then top with mango salsa.  Can you say Yum?!?!

Ok you don't have to do 2 pounds if you don't have enough people who want to eat 2 pounds of fish.  The quantities can be easily adjusted to whomever you have to serve.  Yummy tho!!!  Remember to keep your fish to the smaller variety and wild caught!  The larger a fish is, the longer they have had to fully incorporate the evils toxins we have screwed our oceans and lakes with.  Does that make sense?  Keep it small and keep it wild. Your intake of toxins remains relatively low plus you are supporting happy fish!