Paleo 'Ranch' Dressing

Ok, first I made homemade BBQ sauce which is also Paleo friendly because Ive been craving BBQ chicken!! That turned out d-licious!! Then when I was getting the rest of my sides ready to serve with my BBQ chicken (asparagus and green salad) I was really really craving ranch dressing!! So I started thinking....there has to be a way to make ranch dressing. I started throwing things in an jar that has a good sealing lid so I could shake it and this is what I came up with. I wouldn't say its an exact replica to ranch....but I would say that it can definitely cure your ranch blues!!

*Beware....these are not exact directions that I used.....I tried to keep track of what I did, but I didn't measure anything so these are my approximations  ;O)

1/4 cup of homemade Paleo mayo you can use any recipe you want I used this one!
1/4 cup coconut milk (from can)
2 T red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated on micro plane or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/8 tsp salt or as much or as little as you like
1/2 T dijon mustard
3 dashes of franks hot sauce

Put all ingredients into a jar or container with a well sealing lid and shake the snot out of it!! Refrigerate for about an hour before serving for best results. The coloring might be a little yellower than ranch but if you are looking for that 'creamy' salad dressing.....you've come to the right place. ;)

Chicken Veggie and Kale Soup~Paleo friendly

Ive been thinking about making this for a couple of days now, but I just got around to it today!! I love when you have a thought of something in your mind and it comes to life in a bowl!! There are different varieties you can make of this soup but it is certainly tasty and is a Paleo friendly recipe!!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and its also great because you can make it and snack on it for a couple  days!!! And a side note for this recipe, I made it with basil chicken meatballs that I had, but you can just used chicken breasts and it will be just as delicious!!

1 1/2 lbs of chicken (I used basil chicken meatballs but boneless breasts are fine or ground chicken or turkey. Whatever you have available
3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
1 med onion, diced
3 small carrots, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced (or less if your scerd)
3 cups of fresh kale, chopped
8 cups of chicken stock, or you could use water and salt it but stock adds more flavor

In a large stock pot saute sweet potatoes, onion, carrots, garlic, and bell pepper  with coconut oil or olive oil for about 10 min. Add stock and chicken and cook until chicken is cooked all the way through. Add kale and simmer for 5 minutes. Drizzle with fresh squeezed lemon juice and 700 dashes of hot sauce....cuz that's what I did!!

Now if you were not following a paleo lifestyle you could add rice to this soup if you wanted, you would just add it at the same time as the chicken!!

Homemade Pretzels

So....it was late one night and I couldn't sleep.....so I was doing what I usually do when I can't sleep.....I was watching Food Network. ;) All time favorite channel!! Whoop whoop!!

K.....I'm done. Dine'rs, Drive-in's and Dive's was on.....man I LOVE that show!! I like it because you get to 'go' to such a wide variety of restaurants and semi-experience their menu all be it a tease...you still in some way experience it!! So there was this bar that had the raddest menu......yeah I said it.....RADDEST.....what??? I'm a product of the 80's and 90's.....I can't help it!! Their burgers looked u-mazing and variety was AWESOME!! (another 80's word) They served all their burgers on pretzel rolls that they made! So I said to myself......"self....if a bar can make pretzel rolls....so can you" and I did!!

Now I know my salt doesn't look all pretty on the top, but that's cuz all I had was kosher :) With this recipe I made pretzels and rolls for my burgers that I will post next!!

2 tsp. active dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Boiling solution:

2 Qts water
1 Tbsp. salt
4 Tbsp. baking soda

In the bowl of your stand mixer with dough hook  attachment mix in about half of the water (measure it, then just pour a bit into the bowl to make sure the yeast is active); let it sit for about 10 minutes. If it’s not foamy, toss it out and buy fresh yeast.

Add the rest of the water, milk and canola oil to the yeast, then add about 3 cups of flour and the salt. Turn mixer on low and mix about 2 min. Add about a cup more flour, and mix for another min. Once all the flour is incorporated mix on med speed for about 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with a towel and let rest for an hour.

Cut the dough into 10 pieces and roll each into a ball, or a rope if you want to make pretzels. Cover the balls, or shape the pretzels, then let rest for 15 minutes while you bring 2 qts of water to a rolling boil with the salt and baking soda. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Boil about 3 at a time, so you don’t crowd the pot (they will swell) and bring the temperature down, and simmer for a minute per side. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with coarse salt as soon as they come out of the water, so that it sticks, and if you’re doing buns, cut Xs on their tops.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Makes 10 pretzels or pretzel buns.

Spinach & Swiss Stuffed Chicken Breasts w/ Marinara and Pasta

This was another one of those shot in the dark recipes. I used what I had available. I usually make marinara in big batches and freeze it so I have it on hand. This chicken actually came out sooooooo tender just by cooking it in the sauce!! I must say I was pleasantly surprised!!

We really enjoyed this meal....I hope you will too!!

4 lg boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half long ways and pounded thin (so it looks like one becomes two)
4 cups marinara
4 cups fresh spinach
8 slices swiss cheese, or whatever kind you want
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb of cooked pasta of your choice

Once chicken is pounded thin, place your slice of cheese and 1/2 cup spinach. Then roll chicken over to cover spinach and cheese, then fold each side over to close in spinach and cheese. Finally continue rolling chicken the rest of the way. You can insert toothpick to hold together. Continue with remaining chicken breasts. Once you have completed that, heat a large saute pan and add about 2 T of olive oil. Brown chicken breasts on all sides. Once that is done add marinara sauce. While these are cooking you can boil your pasta. The chicken should simmer on medium for about 20 minutes. Serve with sauce over pasta.

Chicken Thigh, Kale, and Marinara topped Whole Wheat Pasta

This.......well this was just one of those nights. You know the night I'm talking about....where you defrosted chicken thighs.....but really had no plan for them. This was that night!! I looked in the frig and I saw pizza dough  and marinara sauce left over from the night before,  and half a bag of kale. So....I thought....I'll make bread sticks out of the dough and cook the chicken thighs in the sauce. Then for some greens I will throw in the kale!! And wha la.....a dish is born!!

6 Chicken thighs
3 cups marinara sauce
4 cloves garlic, grated on micro plane
2 cups kale
3 T olive oil
1 med onion diced

In a very large dutch oven heat olive oil. Add chicken thighs and brown on both sides. Add onion and saute while chicken is browning. Add marinara and simmer for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. At the last 5 minutes add kale and grated garlic. Check for seasoning, but mine needed not salt because of the flavor in the marinara sauce. Serve over pasta and with bread sticks or garlic bread.

Mushroom Risotto

Well hello.......Ive missed you all!! Where have I been you ask........well......its been summer.....and gorgeous outside.....I've been in the sun, on the boat, at the lake, at bbq's, at friends houses, to Vegas, camping, and several other places that I can not recall!! But I must say Ive had an amazing summer!! I have been cooking, and taking snap shots.....just didn't have the time to sit down in front of my computer long enough to edit photos and blog!! Sorry!!

But......I'm here now, all though I am slightly overwhelmed with the amount of blog posts I have to do!! Hopefully through the winter I will stay on top of things considering it is just going to rain and rain and rain!! What else is there to do but cook and blog right???

Now for the topic of this post.....Risotto......it really is a beautiful thing....creamy, warm, delicious, rich....so many possible adjectives!! I've only been making it less than a year now....but I'm addicted. This one is a mushroom risotto. I used button, crimini and portabello......ahhhh......so good!! I think my favorite would have to be butternut squash, with pumpkin being a close runner up!!

Mushroom Risotto

1 c arborio rice
1/2 c good quality white wine
3-4 c heated chicken stock
2 c chopped mushrooms of your choice (or all one kind, whatever you like)
2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic grated on microplane
1 T chopped chives
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a separate small stock pot heat chicken stock and keep warming on burner. In a pan heat olive oil and add diced onion. Saute for about 5 minutes until translucent and tender. Add rice and saute for 3-5 minutes Stirring frequently. Add wine and stir well. Now add one cup of hot stock and stir. Let simmer until almost cooked out, then repeat steps until all stock is gone. When you add the last bit of stock add your garlic in. Once last bit of stock is absorbed add chives and Parmesan cheese. Serve. Should be very creamy!!

Sausage and Egg Dish

This dish can be made for breakfast obviously but also makes a lovely dinner alternative!! It's not a super complicated dish either and typically it's ingredients are ones that you have on hand!! Well.....ok maybe not the loaf of french bread......but there are many substitutions available!!

This is also a good pot luck dish or brunch dish!! It can serve a lot of people and you walk away full!! Not to mention it's super tasty. ;) It's very similar to the Sausage and Egg Minis I posted, just baked in a 13 x 9 instead of a cupcake tin!!

12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tsp season salt
1 tsp ground mustard
1 small can of diced green chile's
1/2 loaf of french bread, cut into cubes (you can sub sandwich rolls, slices of bread, sourdough or no bread at all if you are following a low carb diet)
1 lb ground sausage, cooked
2cups grated cheese, (you can use cheddar, jack, pepper jack, colby, swiss or whatever kind you'd like)


Preheat oven to 400 and spray baking dish with pam cooking spray. Arrange bread in bottom of 13 x 9 baking dish and sprinkle cooked sausage over top of bread. Now sprinkle green chile's evenly over sausage and bread. In a large bowl crack eggs and beat with milk, salt and ground mustard. Pour over bread and sausage mixture pressing bread into eggs so that it soaks in. Sprinkle top with grated cheese and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until eggs are set in center.

You can literally substitute ANY ingredients with the sausage or add things like spinach or mushrooms or bell peppers. You can use ham intead of sausage or you can use bacon or all three. The possibilities are endless!! Be creative!!

Chicken Pad Thai

This dish is AMAZING!! It is so fresh and light and delicious but filling. It is a perfect summer meal. I could literally make it and eat it everyday for lunch!! Making this dish is the first time I have used tamarind paste and who knew that stuff was sooo tasty??

It's interesting that tamarind is used in Hispanic and Asian cooking. My hubby grew up in El Salvador and he remembers his grandma making juice out of the tamarind and also just eating it raw. So on our hunt for tamarind paste (which we found at our local Asian market) we also visited one of our local Hispanic markets and bought some whole tamarind pieces so we could taste that too. Not gonna lie....it was pretty yummy!!

approx. 8 oz  rice noodles

 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked

1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly

1 stalk celery, sliced thinly

3 spring onions, sliced thinly

2 to 3 cups bean sprouts

1 cup fresh cilantro, lightly chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, lightly chopped

1/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts, lightly chopped

DRESSING:

1/2 cup hot water

1 +3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste

1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar

1/4 cup fish sauce

1-2 Tbsp. chili sauce

 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 thumb-size piece ginger, minced

Cook noodles according to package direction. Drain and cool. In a large bowl place all ingredients.  Make dressing and pour over your noodle mixture. Toss until everything is coated in dressing. Serve.

Chicken Pot Pie

If you look up comfort food in the dictionary there is a picture of chicken pot pie. Seriously!! It is definitely on the comfort food top ten list, along with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, mac and cheese, egg rolls......ok....well maybe not egg rolls......but they are good!!

I used the pie crust recipe that I posted with the Blueberry Pie you can find it here in case you missed it. This was probably the best pie crust I've ever made!! I will use it again and again!!
I put so much love into this pot pie and there were just layers and layers of flavory goodness!!

I roasted my veggies in the oven before mixing it with my roux that I added sage to. I also used mini potatoes whole. But I must confess it wasn't all fresh veggies....I used frozen corn, peas and pearl onions. It's just so much easier to add them frozen at the last minute before pouring into your pie dish and baking.

2 whole bone in chicken breasts (or precooked rotisserie chicken or 2 boneless chicken breasts)
1 lb mini potatoes
4 carrots, diced in 1" pieces
1 pkg frozen pearl onions
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen carrots
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbls flour
3 Tbls butter
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 fresh sage leaves, minced fine
Pie crust

Place chicken breasts on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oven on 400 and roast until cooked through. Cool chicken for 10 minutes then remove from bone and dice in 1" pieces. Place whole potatoes and diced carrots on baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast on 400 til veggies are tender. In a large sauce pan melt 3 Tbls of butter, once butter is melted add flour. Whisk together and let 'fry' for 1-2 minutes. Then add milk, chicken stock, salt and pepper to task, sage leaves and nutmeg. Allow sauce to simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes. Taste to make sure you salt levels are good. Mix in chicken and all veggies. Once everything is coated in the sauce pour into pie plate. Top with pie crust and shape it to look pretty. Bake until golden brown on top. About 30 minutes.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry

Well not much to say about this little number. This is a regular dish that I make at my house. I usually try to make some homemade naan when I make this dish.....but this time all I had was pita!! Throwing in the sweet potatoes was just an idea I had that worked well!!

Then I just make some white rice and a veggie and serve the curry chicken over the rice. Good stuff and so is homemade naan!!

     3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

salt to taste

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and stir in lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers

Sometimes when I'm laying in bed at night, I get ideas of things I want to try and make and this burger is one of those ideas that came to life!! I'm just soooooo happy about it too!! There is just something about having an idea.....a vision if you will......and then seeing that vision come true!! *wiping tears* *sniff sniff*

lol....ok enough of the mushy stuff....lets talk burgers!! Oh.....btw....I made the english muffins here for these and you can either use those or use a bun for these burgers, whichever you like!!

Also, I ground down 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts for these, because I didn't have any ground chicken on hand. You could substitute ground turkey if you wanted to. I know I've mentioned this before, but by grinding your own, you do know exactly what parts of the chicken are in your ground chicken!! ;)

For the Burgers:
1 1/2 to 2 lbs of ground chicken or turkey
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, fresh or canned
1/2 cup red onion, diced finely
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 T teriyaki sauce (I made my own, recipe to follow)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, grated on micro plane
1 tsp freshly grated ginger

For the teriyaki sauce:
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup xylitol)
1/4 cup crushed pineapple (optional)
2 cloves freshly grated garlic
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

Teriyaki Mayo Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 T teriyaki sauce

Assembly:
1 tomato, sliced thin
6 pieces romaine lettuce
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
6 slices swiss cheese
6 english muffins or roll/buns of your choice

For the burgers:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all burger ingredients in a large bowl and form into 6 burgers. Bake on baking sheet for 20 minutes. During the last minute place swiss cheese slices on burgers to melt.

For the sauce:

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil. Then lower heat to medium and let simmer until reduced and thickened.

For mayo:
Stir mayo and teriyaki sauce together.

Assembly:
Spread mayo mixture on bun, then burger patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, and top with bun. Eat!!