Monthly Archives: February 2014

Game Day Snacks – Chili Cilantro Lime Wings

I have a huge back log of recipes I need to post.  I fear one may be gone forever because I’ve forgotten what I put in it.  But I’ll slowly get through them all and post them for your enjoyment.  These are the wings I made for Super Bowl Sunday.  While my Broncos didn’t do so well these wings were a huge hit!

Chili Cilantro Lime Marinade

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 cup lime juice

1 handful fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, smashed

2 tsp olive oil

3-4 pounds chicken wings

 Line a pan with some aluminum foil, lightly salt your chicken pieces, and then broil them for about 4 to 6 minutes on each side, or until the skin is brown and crispy.  Mix all of your spices together in a small bowl and lightly dust on your browned chicken wings.  Add lime juice, cilantro, garlic and olive oil to a blender and blend until smooth.  Place seasoned chicken wings into a plastic bag and pour in the marinade.  Make sure the wings are evenly coated then let sit in the refrigerator overnight.  Place marinated wings in a slow cooker and cook on low for four hours.

Chili Lime Cilantro Wings

I took these to a party at a friend’s house.  I only made a half batch since there were four of us but I should have made the whole thing because they were gone in minutes!  Sadly football is over but I feel like wings are good at any sporting event. These are a great choice.  Happy cooking!

Slowcooker Wednesday – Beef Plantain Stew

I broke out the slow cooker last week and had my way with it.  I found this recipe and thought I’d try it out.  I love plantains so I had high expectations for it.  I would say that it didn’t turn out how I expected but it was definitely good!

Short ribs cooking2.5 lbs beef short ribs

6 medium plantains

3 c. collard greens, chopped

3 c water

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp allspice

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

plantains

 

In a large skillet, sear the outside of the beef ribs.  Transfer to a slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients.  Cook for 8 hours on low. Serve.

Beef plaintain stewI expected the plantains to really break down and become a lot more mushy creating a sort of thick soup but the opposite happened!  They got very hard, almost the consistency and taste of potatoes! It was unexpected but it made the stew very hearty.  If I were to do it again I would add more water.  Make sure you mix everything up too.  Happy cooking!

 

 

Girls Night In! – Paleo Pizza

I just recently moved and my new place is finally put together so clearly it’s time to start entertaining.  I decided to have a few girls from my MBA program over for a wine night.  What goes well with girl talk and wine?  Pizza of course!  But pizza is not exactly on the Paleo diet so I made my own, Paleo style!  I found this recipe on everydaypaleo.com and my non Paleo friends loved it!

paleo pizza

Crust:

2 cups almond meal

2 eggs

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

Toppings:

1 cup organic marinara sauce

1 nitrate free Italian sausage link

2 small crook neck yellow summer squash, diced

3 green onions, chopped

Handful of torn basil leaves

1 small tomato, diced

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, diced

paleo pizza crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a spoon, mix all crust ingredients together until it becomes very thick.  Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.  Lightly grease pizza pan with olive oil.  Place the ball of dough in the center of the pan and push and pat the dough down into the shape of a circle.  Make it as thin as possible.  The pizza will be about 12 inches across.  Bake the crust in the oven for 20 minutes.  When the crust is done, remove from the oven and evenly spread the marinara sauce over it.  Add the sausage and remaining toppings evenly over the sauce and bake for another 25-30 minutes.

Paleo pizza

And there you have it!  You can use just about any toppings you can think of on this.  One of my friends brought over her cast iron pizza pan and it made all the difference.  The crust was light and crispy.  Add a few bottles of wine and a few girlfriends and you have yourself a Paleo friendly ladies night!  Happy cooking!