Paleo Tandoori Chicken Skewers

The few of you that consistently follow my blog, you may have realized that I have not posted in a very long time (until yesterday that is).  I thought I would have all summer to write my blog and test out new recipes.  I tested tons of recipes, but never got around to the writing portion.  My office was such a huge junk pile, and my macbook is as slow as dirt in its old age... excuses, I know.

Avery was home sick yesterday, inevitably I was too.  I took the opportunity to start cleaning out my office.  By the end of the evening it was clean.  Oh, and Avery moved in.  She has a craft zone in the living room, I should say had, because now she is sharing my office space.  She is pretty excited about it, and it will still allow us to hang out while I type away and share recipes!  So here I am trying to fulfill my commitment of 54 blog posts this year.

Over the summer, or maybe it was just before summer started I did a round of the 21 Day Sugar Detox.  I finally caved and bought the cookbook too.  This is the firs time I have ever paid full price for a cookbook!  I have made tons of recipes from the book, so I shall try to share as many as I tried (my version of course).

This is a recipe for tandoori skewers.  It was quite easy recipe and very tasty too.  Nice dishfor the BBQ.  I didn't use all the sauce on my chicken, so I used it as dip and marinade for a variety of other things.  I'm pretty sure I have it in eggs, on eggs, everywhere.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup full fat coconut milk - I buy Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk (Usually) Superstore sells a brand that is pretty good too
1/2 small red onion - chopped - I used a regular old onion
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground corriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika - I was very generous here
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Cayenne Pepper to taste - I like a little kick to my tandoori
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

1. soak your skewers in water - stops them from burning on the BBQ
2. Cube the chicken and place in a large ziplock back
3. combine the remaining ingredients in your blender or food processor for 1 to 2 minutes - or your sauce looks smooth
4. Pour the sauce over your chicken and refridgerate for at least 3 hours - overnight if you can - I only kept mine in the fridge for 3 hours
5. Turn on the BBQ / Grill
6. While waiting for the BBQ/Grill to heat up add the cubes of chicken to the skewer
7. Cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F - or until you think your chicken looks done if you dont have a meat thermometer. 

That is it, pretty easy peasy!!  Delicious too :-)

Happy Cooking

JoJo

Baked Sweet Potato Latke

The sun came out, the temperature has gone up, the snow is melting, its finally spring!!!  What is the one thing you think about eating once spring rolls around?!?!  Well for me it was BBQ, but what did I have in the house that I could BBQ?  Ground meat - burgers... UGH I dont have any giant portabello mushrooms - what will I use as a burger bun? The I went to my trust pinterest site and what did I see... sweet potato latke burgers!!  Wooo!  Yummy!  
Clearly I started this post a very long time ago, and never got around to finishing. Thank goodness for a clean office and a space to work ;-)

The latkes have become a favorite for me. I use them to make all sorts of sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!

Paleo Sloppy Joes

This was a super easy recipe!


Baked Sweet Potato Latkes

• 1 ½ lb / 680 gr sweet potatoes (about 2 large) - Sometimes I mix white sweet potatoes or parsnips into the mix, a little spinach, carrots.... be creative
• 2 scallions (or 1 medium onion), thinly sliced - i do not include onions
• 2 free-range organic large eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup / 1.76 oz / 50 gr almond meal - I also use 1/2 cup of flax instead, gives it an earthy taste
• 2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds

Sweet Potato and Spinach Latkes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C), coat two baking sheets with olive oil.
2. Grate sweet potatoes with a medium sized grater (or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor), so you get decent shreds of potatoes. I use my food processor - and I use the larger side of the shredder
3. In a large bowl combine scallions and eggs. Add almond flour, salt and pepper and mix until incorporated. Add sweet potatoes, and toss until combined and evenly coated. I like to add my flax and chia seeds to the sweet potato and mix it in well - then I add the egg mixture
4. Drop ½ cup of potato mixture onto the baking sheet, and with the help of a spatula flatten and shape into large flat discs. Repeat to obtain 8 big latkes. I use parchment paper
5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. I recommend to rotate the baking sheet a couple of times to get an even crispiness.
6. The latkes are ready when they have a nice golden color and are bit burned around the edges.
7. You can also throw the mix into your waffle iron and make hashbrown waffles :-)

Burgers and Salad

I hope you get as much enjoyment out of these little goldmines as I do :-)

Happy Cooking!!

JoJo!!

Paleo Style Trifle

Another Spring Break project that I am super late to write about.  Trifle.  I am British.  Born and raised (until I was 10).  I remember trifle, and I remember liking it, a lot. This trifle is not quite what I remember trifle to be, but after looking at all the different recipes, this is the one I thought I would try first.  It is missing Jelly (jello) which I always thought was in trifle, but maybe that is why the recipe used a jellyroll cake?
 

 
It wasn't a complicated recipe, (well maybe some parts of it are) but it does take some time to make each component and put it all together.  The custard was the tricky part.  I could not get it to work,  I had a runny custard and a lumpy custard.  Either way, they tasted nice.  I also added "whipped cream" to mine, because that is how I think I remember having it as a child!
 

 
Avery and I loved it.  It did not last very long in our house.  We ate it within the week of spring break.  I found the original recipe here!! - Paleo Mom has some really great recipes :-)
 
Ingredients (jellyroll filling):

• 1 ½ cup frozen organic strawberries I really think you could use any fruit
• 1 ½ cup fresh or frozen organic mango

1. Place berries and mango pieces in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.
2. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until juices are thick and mango is very soft. this took me a little longer than 20 minutes to get my mango soft
3. Blend with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth.
4. Cool completely before spreading on cake. it is still quite runny

 

Ingredients (jellyroll cake):

• 8 large eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup sugar/sucanat, divided - I used coconut sugar, it was all I had
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut flour, sifted
• ½ cup blanched almond flour
• 1 cup jellyroll filling (see above)

1. Prepare a 12”x18” rimmed baking sheet by lining with wax paper and heavily greasing the wax paper with extra virgin coconut oil. Preheat oven to 350F. I used parchment paper and my pan was not quite the right size

2. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 cup sugar gradually and continue to mix until stiff peaks form. this will take a few minutes

3. In a separate, small bowl, beat egg yolks with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla until thick. Whisk in coconut and almond flour.

4. Fold yolk mixture into egg mixture, being careful not to lose too much volume, until incorporated.

5. Spread batter out onto prepared baking sheet. Take the time to spread the surface evenly and into the corners.

6. Bake for 16-17 minutes, until top is just starting to turn golden brown. Meanwhile, lay out a piece of parchment paper (roughly the size of your baking sheet), cover with a large tea towel and another layer of parchment paper. have a nice big clear space for this (and the next step)

7. Remove cake from oven and immediately invert over parchment. Carefully peel off the wax paper. Starting from one of the shorter sides, roll the cake up in the parchment/tea towel. Let the rolled-up cake fully cool on a wire rack.

8. Once completely cooled, gently unroll the cake. Remove the parchment and tea towel. Spread the top side evenly with the cooled jellyroll filling. Roll the cake back up. My cake did break a bit, but it did not seem to make a difference to the finished product

9. Wrap up the jellyroll in parchment or wax paper and refrigerate, seam side down, until ready to assemble the trifle (at least 1 hour, or overnight). I refridgerated mine over night.
 

Ingredients (Coconut Custard):

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 3 large eggs, well beaten
• 2 bay leaves - I omitted this
• 1 Madagascar vanilla bean - i used my regular old costco vanilla bean
• 2 ½ Tbsp honey

1. Split vanilla bean down the middle and place in a saucepan. Add coconut milk and bay leaves. I scraped my vanilla bean a little

2. Heat coconut milk slowly over low heat until very steamy and just shy of simmering.

3. Add a ladle of the hot coconut milk to the beaten eggs while stirring the eggs vigorously. Then add the egg mixture back to the saucepan, stirring constantly.

4. Continue to stir constantly until custard thickens (should coat a wooden spoon), about 4-5 minutes. You really have to stir, otherwise it gets lumpy, but if you don't let it get lumpy it does not thicken up to what I think custard should be.

5. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves and discard. Remove vanilla bean halves, scrape the inside of the vanilla beans with a sharp knife to collect the vanilla seeds and add back into the custard. Discard the vanilla bean pod. i completely scraped my vanilla bean at this point

6. Once cooled, add honey and mix well. I added my honey while it was still warm, maybe why it was runny?

7. Refrigerate until cold before assembling the trifle.

 

Ingredients (the trifle):

• Jellyroll
• Custard
• 1/3 cup good quality dark rum (for family-friendly option, flame ¾ cups rum) I did skip this since I was making if for me and Avery
• 3 cups fresh berries, plus more to garnish (I used strawberries and blueberries)
• Fresh mint, for garnish (optional) no thanks

1. Slice the jellyroll into ¾” slices (so you see the lovely spiral of the fruit filling).
 

2. Line a glass bowl with the jellyroll slices. For a really nice presentation, you might want to cut a few jellyroll slices in half for the bottom to help prop the other slices up on the sides. Place any extra cake in the bottom of the bowl.

3. Carefully drizzle each piece of cake with rum. (For family-friendly option: heat ¾ cup good quality dark rum in a wide-bottomed saucepan or skillet on the stove on low heat. When it starts to steam, remove to a well-ventillated area (like outside!) and carefully light it on fire (use a barbecue lighter, extra-long match/taper, or kitchen blowtorch). Let it burn, swirling the pan gently every once in a while, until the flames go out by themselves. You should be left with about 1/3 cup of lovely very low-alcohol rum. Let it cool before drizzling on the cake.) yah - I did not do this

4. Fill the inside of the bowl with the fruit (slice any bigger berries, if needed)

5. Poor the cooled custard over the fruit in the middle of the bowl. Place some extra fruit on the top for a garnish. Garnish with mint leaves, if using.
 
6.  Top with "whipped coconut cream"
 
Whipped Coconut Cream

• 1 can of thai kitchen organic full fat coconut milk
• honey (to taste)

Directions:
1.  Seperate the coconut cream from the water
2.  Whip the coconut cream until fluffy (3-5 minutes)
3.  Add sugar to taste
 
Hope you enjoy this as much as Avery and I did :-)
Happy Baking
JoJo!

Paleo Vanilla Bean Cake with Whipped Chocolate Frosting

My husband doesnt like chocolate cake, so when I came accross this recipe I was pretty excited.  I also liked it because I could take the nut factor out of it.  That is always a plus since I seem to have to have cupcakes ready for Avery to take to daycare for special occasions!

 

The down side to this recipe... OMG it is a lot of work (in terms of dishes) you have a lot going on.  Whipping egg whites and refridgerating them.  Then boiling your vanilla bean with the milk.  Mixing your dry ingredients.  Mixing your eggs and stuff.  Lots to do, lots of dishes.... but worth it.

 

I made this cake over Spring break, and I had some of my lovely friends over for coffee, cake and a playdate.  We ate almost the entire cake that morning.  I also made the cake for Avery's 3'rd birthday, and everyone seemed to like it.  Avery is quite happy with it, and that is the most important part :-)

 

 

 

I followed the recipe as is, not too much you can change with a cake recipe the first time around.  I did make my own frosting, so I included that recipe as well.  I located the recipe on Pinterest, but it originates here!

 

For the Cake

• ½ cup (80g) of Coconut Flour
• ½ cup (64g) of Arrowroot Flour
• ½ cup (112g) of Pastured Butter (or Coconut Oil), soft -I used coconut oil
• ¼ cup (50g) of Coconut Sugar - you can now buy this at Costco
• ¼ cup (84g) of Raw Honey - Grandma Bees (Save on Foods)
• ½ cup of Almond Milk (or Light Coconut Milk) we went with coconut mild
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Vanilla Bean - I get mine at costco, but you can buy them anywhere
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar
• ½ teaspoon of Salt
• ½ teaspoon of Baking Soda
• Extra greasing butter/oil

For the Frosting

• 1 can of full fat coconut milk - refridgerated over night - I like Thai Kitchen Organic full fat milk  (stock up the first Wednesday of every month at the enjoy center - even when it is not on sale I find it the only place I can find it and price is NOT  inflated at all)
• 1/4 + cup of cocoa power
• 2+ tablespoons of honey

Instructions

For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. you have plenty of time to do this ;-)
2. Line the bottom of two 6"x2" round pans with parchment and grease the parchment surface and pan sides with butter/oil. Don't use cheap parchment paper and I used coconut oil to grease
3. Optionally pulse the coconut sugar in a food processor if the granules are large. - I didn't bother doing this, couldnt be bothered to dirty more dishes
4. Gently warm the raw honey so it's soft and nearly a liquid state.
5. Separate the eggs into egg yolks and egg whites.
6. Combine the egg whites with the cream of tartar and beat on high speed with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form to form the meringue. Set aside, or place in the refrigerator while preparing the rest of the ingredients. this could take some time, give it 3-5 minutes
7. Gently warm the almond milk (or coconut milk). Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and place in the warm milk. Let the beans seep into the milk and scrape if necessary. Remove the pod. I absolutely had to scrape my pods
8. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks to the warm almond milk. Whisk until combined to make the liquid mixture.
9. In the mixing bowl with a whisk attachment whip the soft butter (or coconut oil) until fluffy. coconut oil doesnt really get fluffy like butter so just whip it a few good minutes
10. Add the coconut sugar and honey to the butter/oil and whip on high speed for about 1 minute to make the butter mixture.
11. Sift together the coconut flour, arrowroot flour, baking soda, and salt to make the dry flour mixture. if you read my blog, you know by now I dont sift
12. Add half of the dry flour mixture to the butter mixture and whip until the flours absorb into the butter and becomes fluffy again. Scrape the sides with a spatula to incorporate.
13. Add the whisked liquid ingredients and the rest of the dry flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on high speed with the whisk until combined and fluffy.
14. Scoop in a heaping of the egg white meringue and hand mix into the batter. Gently fold in the rest of the meringue until combined.  This is quite the job, and takes quite a long time.  You do not want to lose too much air/volume from your cake mix
15. Portion the batter into each cake pan and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 

 

For The Frosting

1. Seperate the coconut cream from the water and put the cream in your stand mixer
2. Whip for 3-5 minutes
3. add cocoa powder and honey (to desired taste) and continue to whip for another few minutes
4. You may chill it a little before frosting your cake, or just go right ahead and frost.  Ive done it both ways and the worked out each time :-)

 

I really hope you like it as much as I did, it really is worth all the effort and dishes!!

 

Happy Baking!!

JoJo

Paleo Alfredo with Carmelized Leeks and Bacon

Avery is (or was) a big fan of Alfredo sauce, so when I cam accross this I thought I should make it, and hope that Avery would eat it. I was not totally successful, but she did taste it. 

Its a pretty simple recipe to make.  The only downside is the cauliflower -  I always make such a mess with cauliflower.

As far as the flavor goes, I would not call it Alfredo sauce.  I would add some real garlic to supplement the flavor, and salt and pepper.  Perhaps cooking the leeks with some chopped garlic would be nice.  The texture is a little (ok a lot) different than Alfredo sauce.  It is not thick and creamy - or at least mine wasn't, and its kind of grainy from the cauliflower.  Maybe my food processor is just not as wonderful as I thought.  I also added extra bacon to the sauce and sausage (its what I had handy).... I need more protien in a meal than just a few slices of bacon!

Despite the recipe/texture flaws, I still did quite enjoy the dish.  I served it over Zucchini noodles using my veggie spiral slicer.  I was worried about freezing the meal, because zucchini releases so much water when it defrosts, but it really did not effect the sauce at all :-)

I got the recipe from Meatified

Ingredients

To cook the leeks:
• 1 tbl ghee or coconut oil - I used the bacon fat
• 2 large leeks, washed and chopped (about 4 cups) - probably ended up using 4 leeks and they were a decent size
• 1/8 cup chicken stock - (i do make my own chicken stock)
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon - I totally forgot this (as I see now I am writing) - could explain my flavor?
To make the sauce:
• 3/4 lb cauliflower, chopped (4 cups) - I just used an entire head of cauliflower - I find costco has the largest cauliflowers
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
For the noodles:
• 2 large white sweet potatoes (or preferred vegetable) - i had zucchini
To garnish:
• 6 slices bacon - of course I used more than 6 slices of bacon, and I also mixed it into my sauce
• Handful green onions, chopped

Instructions

To cook the leeks:
1. Over a low-medium heat, add the ghee or coconut oil (bacon fat) to a large skillet. Add the leeks, stirring them through so that they are coated in the fat evenly, then turn the heat down to low. Cook until softened and beginning to caramelize at the edges, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice and cover the pan, cooking until completely tender, about 5 - 10 minutes.
To make the sauce:
2. While the leeks are cooking, fill a saucepan 1/3 way full of water and bring to a boil. Add the chopped cauliflower and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the cauliflower and add to a blender, along with the chicken stock, coconut milk, salt and garlic powder. Puree until smooth and liquid. Mine really did not get that smooth, but I used my food processor
4. Once the leeks are cooked, stir them into the cauliflower Alfredo sauce (this is where I added my bacon too). Set aside.
For the noodles:
5. Use a spiralizer to make the sweet potatoes (or veggie of choice) into noodles. Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the spiralized sweet potato to the boiling water and cook until softened, but still al dente, about 4 - 5 minutes. I actually just pan fry my noodles.  I find it just as quick and easy
6. Drain the sweet potato noodles.
To garnish and assemble: I skipped most of the following - I just ladled my sauce onto my noodles and ate - my bacon was in my sauce
7. Cook the bacon until crisp. Allow to cool slightly and chop into small pieces.
8. Slice the green onions.
9. Add the sweet potato noodles to a large skillet, pour over the Alfredo sauce and leeks. Use tongs to stir the sauce through the noodles and make sure everything is coated evenly. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash or two of water.
10. Simmer the noodles in the sauce until everything is warmed through.
11. Pile the noodles and Alfredo sauce onto plates. Sprinkle with bacon pieces and green onion before serving.

I hope that you can make  your sauce smoother, creamier and more garlicy than I did!!  Please let me know how it goes for you!!

Happy Cooking!!

JoJo!!

Spicy Mango Chicken Coconut Curry

I love Indian Food!!  I love the smell of it cooking, I love the blend of flavors, I just love it.  (Ok I don't like it if my house still smells like curry 2 days later, but that is why we open the windows)

I think I first pinned this recipe because I had some mangoes that needed using up in my fridge, but I used them up, so I bought a bag of organic frozen mango at costco.  Much better option than waiting for your mangoes to be ripe enough to use!

I was a pretty easy recipe to follow.  I did not use any Indian Chutney powder because I couldn't find any, (trust me, I looked).  I added my Indian Spice blend Seasoning instead.  I suppose I should post the recipe for that one too :-)  True to form, I added my chopped Kale and Spinach to the mix.  You always need a good dose of greens!

The orignal recipe is from All Recipes, but I got the modified version from http://www.domestic360life.com/featured/mango-chicken-coconut-curry/

I loved the dish.  I was super tasty.  I had it for lunch at work yesterday and got lots of compliments on how delicious my lunch looked and tasted (which also means it freezes and reheats well).  My husband liked the flavor, but then said he doesn't like fruit in his food.  Avery had a few tastes of the sauce, but would not really venture into eating the chicken.

My take on the recipe is in red!


Spicy Mango Chicken Coconut Curry

• 2 medium mangos, peeled, pitted, and separated – one chopped and one sliced in to thin strips I used about 2 cups of frozen mango
• 1 10oz. can of full fat coconut milk
• 4 teaspoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons spicy Indian curry paste - Pataks Tandoori curry paste (you can add more if you like it spicy)
• 1 tablespoon curry powder - if you don't like spicey use mild curry powder, I used medium
• 1 tablespoon Indian chutney powder - I used my Indian Spice Blend
• 1 teaspoon turmeric - I couldn't find my tumeric so I skipped this
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 14 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 4 medium shallots, sliced (optional)- just a regular old onion worked fine
• 1 large English cucumber, sliced this was garnish so I did not bother

Directions:

• Place half the mango slices and the coconut milk into the bowl of a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Reserve until later. I used all of  my mango that I defrosted
• In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Once melted stir in the spices and cook until fragrant, about one minute. I added my onions here
• Add the chicken and shallots and cook until the chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Stir in the mango and coconut sauce and cook until heated through. I added my mango sauce before the chicken was fully cooked.  I like my flovors to fuse a bit

Delicious.  I ate mine with sweet potato noodles, but I think it would be equally as good with some cauliflower rice (I would not reccommed the cauliflower fried rice, as that has more of the East Asian flavors - just rice your cauliflower and fry in some coconut oil possibly with some mild spices)

Happy Cooking!!
JoJo!!

Ginger Garlic Parsnip Noodles with Shrimp

I like ginger, but I love parsnips. I was browsing Pinterest for recipes to use my new veggie spiralizer, and I cam across this. The pictures always may the meals look perfect. I read through the recipe and since I had most of the ingredients, I figured it was a good excuse to buy some parsnips!

When it came time to make the dish, I realised there was no way I could eat it without some sort of protein mixed in. The easiest thing to defrost in a flash? Yes, Shrimp! Run them under some warm water, or let them sit in a bowl of warm water and they are ready to go by the time you need to mix them in the recipe! I also felt the recipe needed something green, so I added brussels sprouts chopped.

If you have a veggie spiralizer, the recipe is super easy. If not, it will be a pain in the bum to make the noodles.

Apparently you can make the recipe raw, but I'm not sure how I feel about raw parsnips. I find cooking them brings out the sweetness in them. I have left the raw recipe, just in case you are so inclined to eat the dish raw.

If you are using the veggie spiral slicer, you have to cut the bottoms of the parsnips off so you have a thick enough point to attach the veggie to the slicer. I chopped the bottoms up and made parsnip fries for Avery.

The end result is delicious. My husband enjoyed the shrimp, although he was not a fan of the parsnip noodles (no surprise there) I would actually use the dressing for salads and other things.

I made this recipe for a second time (I like it that much) and the second time I used rotisserie chicken (which I just soaked in the the dressing) and also added mushrooms, kale, and spinach! ( I did double up the dressing to account for all the extras I added)
My modifications are in red - the original recipe is from Meatified.com

Ingredients

1. 6 medium parsnips, peeled and trimmed
2. 3 tbl extra virgin olive oil
3. 3 tbl coconut aminos - I used naked coconuts, you can buy them at the enjoy center
4. Gluten free fish sauce to taste
5. 1 large lime, juiced - I forgot to buy a lime so I used the lime juice in the plastic lime ;-0
6. 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
7. 1 tbl ground ginger
8. 4 green onions, chopped
9. Optional, if you want to saute the parsnip noodles first: 1/2 tbl coconut oil
10. 1lb clean, deveined, raw shrimp

1 cup chopped brussels sprouts

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped kale & spinach

Instructions

For the raw version:
Use a vegetable spiralizer with the smallest size blade to make your parsnip noodles. Set aside.

For the warm salad version:
Use a vegetable spiralizer with the smallest size blade to make your parsnip noodles. Add 1/2 tbl coconut oil to a large saute pan over low-medium heat. Add the parsnip noodles and cook, covered, for 7 - 8 minutes, turning with tongs every few minutes until they are softened but still al dente. I added all of my chopped veggies in with the noodles. If you like your veggies a little more cooked you can cook them a little before adding the noodles. If you cook the noodles for too long, they do break apart.

To make the dressing:
In a large bowl, toss together the extra virgin olive oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and ginger. Whisk together until combined. I added my protien to the dressing (chicken or shrimp) and let it soak in some flavor. I cooked the shrimp with the noodles, the chicken mix I just threw in at the last minute to warm for a quick second.

To serve:
Add the parsnip noodles to the large bowl with the dressing. Toss together with tongs. Divide between serving plates and garnish with the chopped green onions - I did not do this. 

I really hope you enjoy this as much as I did. It will for sure be on the list of recipes I frequently make (it does freeze and reheat well)



Happy Cooking!!

JoJo

Paleo - Thai Chicken Mango Fried Rice (Cauliflower)

When we lived in Victoria, BC, one of my favorite treats was going to Noodle Box for Cambodian Jungle Curry.  I absolutely loved it.  When we moved to St Albert we tested out Wok Box and we were bitterly disappointed.  Then I made the move to Paleo and never really thought much about Noodle Box, until I came accross this recipe.  It must have been the curry, mango and chicken combination that made me think of my old Noodle Box favorite.  I absolutely had to give it a try.  Having some mangoes that needed eating really pushed the cooking buttons.

It was a recipe that I had to shop for.  I needed bell peppers, I needed mushrooms, I needed jalepenos, I needed garlic, I needed coconut aminos, I needed sesame oil, I needed a lot of stuff.  Good thing we needed a few other groceries too.  Its also an added bonus that Avery will tolerate grocery shopping too now.

Of course I did not follow the recipe.  Lol.  What fun would that be?!?!  I am lazy, and I find when I cook chicken it never turns out perfectly, so I bought 2 rotisserie chickens.  (It works out perfectly in our house because my husband likes the wings/thighs).  I also added a few extra things, like, shrimp, kale, spinach and a yellow pepper.  So here is my make-over of the PaleOMG recipe :-)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons duck fat (or other kind of fat) - I used coconut oil
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 tablespoons coconut aminos (or gluten free soy sauce) - I used naked coconuts soy substitute - which you can find at the Enjoy Centre
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sriracha  - This is the spice, so I used more than 1 teaspoon
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed - i used the breasts from 2 rotissserie chickens
• 4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced - of course I didn't measure and I used my chopped mushrooms from costco
• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced - I also added a yellow bell pepper 
• 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño - i used 1 jalepeno (I didnt measure)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger - I guessed here too
• 1-2 cups mango, cubed - I used 2 mangoes chopped as nicely as I could
• 3-4 tablespoons green onions, diced - I bought green onions, but forgot to use them
• Raw Shrimp 
• chopped kale & spinach
• cilantro, to garnish
• salt and pepper, to taste - i skipped this too
• lime juice, to garnish

Instructions

1. Add the florets of cauliflower to a food processor with the shredding attachment to rice the cauliflower.
2. Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat and add duck fat and riced cauliflower to the pan
3. Then add 2 tablespoons coconut aminos, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon sriracha, along with a bit of salt. Mix to coat and let sit to let the cauliflower begin to brown. I mixed all the liquids together (with extra sriracha) in a bowl before adding it to the cauliflower
4. While the “rice” browns, place another skillet over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon sesame oil along with minced garlic and the cubed chicken. Pour 1 tablespoon coconut aminos and 1 teaspoon of fish sauce over the chicken. - my chicken was cooked, so I just skipped this step 
5. Once chicken has browned and almost cooked through, add mushrooms, bell pepper, jalapeno, ginger, mango, green onions and a bit of salt and pepper to the chicken and cover to let steam. Mushrooms take longer to cook for my liking - so I cooked them first with the jalepano, garlic and ginger (FYI - I chopped the spiced in my mini food processor)  -- I then added my shrimp, peppers, spinach and kale to the mix and extra liquids
6. Once mushrooms and peppers are soft, add chicken mixture to the cauliflower rice and mix well. - I cubed my chicken directly into the rice, then added the rest of the mix
7. Add a bit more salt and a dash of pepper.
8. Top of roughly chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

I absolutely loved the dish, and I hope you enjoy it too.  

Happy Cooking!

JoJo!!

Paleo Nutty Caramels

I have made these delicious candies a few times.  Today I posted a picture of the candies on FB and the recipe was requested, so here I am... sharing the recipe. ;-)

The first time I made these candies was during the holiday season.  I took them to Crossfit one morning (during the Paleo lifestyle challenge) and they were a huge hit.  The problem is, it is difficult to eat just one.  They are chewy, sometimes chocolatey, and all together delicious!

The recipe is super easy to follow, although it requires a lot of physical labor.  My arms are pretty tired right now, so I did not use as much labor as the recipe suggested, and my candies turned out just fine!

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of honey - i buy Grandma Bees at Save-on, it is local and raw
2. 1 cup of nut butter - I use almond butter - cheapest I found is Costco
3. 1 tsp of coconut oil - yep, I just guess

Directions:

1. boil honey to 270F - you do need a candy thermometer for this
2. turn off the burner and stir in the nut butter
3. put the pot in cold water and stir until stiff- this is where i cheat - I make sure the mix is smooth, but i only stir once in a while to make sure it is not sticking to my pot.  I really don't need any extra workouts ;-)
4. form candies on parchment pater and chill - I plop them in the freezer

Sometimes I like to dip the caramels in chocolate... that makes an extra nice treat.  I have also roasted a variety of nuts and topped them with nuts (then coated them in dark chocolate ;-) yum yum)

I'd love to tell you where the recipe is from, but the first time I got it, I got it from my friend Stephanie. When I needed it again I had to bug her for the recipe and for some reason I wrote it on a piece of paper?

Happy Candy making my friends!!!

JoJo!!

Paleo Bread

I have had a few requests to share this recipe after I posted a pictureof the sandwich I made for Avery on FB.  I have to admit, the sandwich looked and tasted pretty good.  I often hear that one of the things people miss most is having a sandwich when they switch to eating Paleo.  That was not a big problem for me, I was never much of a sandwich eater, BUT, once in a while it would be a nice treat.

This is the first bread recipe I tried.  The reason I picked this recipe is that it looked pretty easy, and the ingredients were fairly simple.  It also doesnt cook for super long which is nice too.  The first time I made it I made a single batch, so the loaf was quite small (I didn't have the size pan recommended).  The scond time I made it I made a double batch and got a nice sized loaf of bread.  I also forgot to add the baking soda, and I added it when the mix was in the pan - hense the brown spots in the bread (picture above) - it still tasted fine though!  The taste is nice, just dont have the expectation that it will taste exactly like a piece of bread, I found the texture a little more cakey than what I would consider bread to be.  It is delicious though!

I actually followed this recipe pretty closely.  I really wanted it to work out, and I even made sure I had all the right ingredients before starting... impressive!!

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups blanched almond flour
2. 2 tablespoons coconut flour
3. 1/4 cup of golden flaxmeal - you can find this at costco - just be sure to store in the freezer once you open the bag :-)
4. 1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt - regular old sea salt for me
5. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6. 5 eggs
7. 1 tablespoon of coconut oil - i melted the coconut oil
8. 1 tablespoon of honey
9. 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar - I use Braggs organic apple cider you can buy it at superstore - just shake well before measuring

Directions:

1. place almond flour, coconut flour, flax, salt and baking soda in the food processor
2. pulse ingredients together
3. pulse in eggs oil and vinegar
4. pour batter into a greased 7.5x3.5 pan - i just used whatever sized pan I had :-)
5. bake at 350 for 30 minutes
6. cool in pan for 2 hours - I may have skipped this step too - although I think it was pretty close to 2 hours

I got this recipe from: Elana's Pantry

Hope it works out for you and helps fill that bread/sandwich craving that a Paleo lifestyle can leave you with!

Happy Baking!!
JoJo!!

Almond Coconut Bars

In England they have fresh bakeries on every street (or so it seems).  One of my favorite treats are Flap Jacks - the chocolate covered sort.  Flap Jacks are traditionally made from oats - with the Paleo way of eating, Flap Jacks are off the table.  When I came accross this recipe I thought they looks so much like flap jacks that I had to give it a try.

Avery was able to help out, which is a plus for any recipe.  She loves holding the buttons down on the food processor, and loves to measure and mix!

The end result is not too bad.  I would probably decrease the amount of molasses in the mix (at least if you are using regular molasses).  I didnt have blackstrap molasses, so I just used the regular old stuff I had in the cupboard.

Avery ate a chunk off of her bar, and then nibbled the chocolate off the top.  My husband said they were "nice" and I dont mind them.  I will make them again.

Ingredients

1 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
2 cups whole Raw Almonds
1/2 cup Almond Butter
2/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil (This is a great place to use Gold Label)
1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses - I used regular molasses, and I would decrease the amount to maybe 1 tbsp
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
3 oz 85% dark chocolate (I use two squares of Unsweetened Chocolate and one square of Semi-Sweet Chocolate). I used 2 lindt dark chocolate bars that I had in the cupboard 75%

Directions:
1.    Melt coconut oil in microwave on low power or in a small saucepan on the stove on low heat.
2.    Line a 9×9” baking pan with wax paper. I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper only to make it easier to pop out
3.    Pulse almonds in food processor until it resembles coarse sand (the goal is something a little coarser than almond meal).
4.    Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the chocolate to the food processor and pulse until it forms a textured paste (the bits of almond and coconut shouldn’t be too small).  I also finish with a good stir by hand to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated evenly. (its really important you make sure it is all mixed in - chunks of molasses in your baking are gross)
5.    Pour into baking pan and smooth out to the corners.  Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.
6.    Melt chocolate either in microwave on low power on in a double boiler.  Drizzle over almond coconut base and spread with a spoon or rubber spatula until evenly coated.  Place bars back in refrigerator for approximately 5 minutes, until chocolate is solid but still a little soft (for ease of cutting).  Cut into bars and store in a plastic container in the fridge.

I pinned the recipe from The Paleo Mom

Happy Baking!!
JoJo!!