Monthly Archives: March 2014

Lunchtime goodness – Paleo Chicken Stew

By now you all probably know that I love to make soup on Sunday night and take it for lunch all week long.  Sometime making soup is time consuming though.  This recipe is super easy and quick.  I found this recipe in my Taste of Home Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soups cook book and adapted it so it wasn’t using anything processed and it’s Paleo.  It called for a package of frozen veggies so I just used fresh and it also called for a jar of chicken gravy so I just made my own!  It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!

Chopped stew ingredients1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-in cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp arrow root

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp rubbed sage

1/4 tsp pepper

Chicken and chopped vegetablesGravy:

Mix arrow root with a small amount of water.  Bring chicken stock to a boil.  Add arrowroot and water gradually.  Add poultry seasoning.  Cook until thickened.

Stew:

In a large sauce pan, brown chicken in oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink.   Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Paleo Chicken Stew

 

And there you have it!  Very simple and takes less than a half hour to make.  Happy cooking!

 

 

Lazy Sunday – Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Sunday is a great day for the slow cooker.  Especially a warm day like today when you just NEED to be outside!  Throw your stuff in and it’s ready when you get home!  I served this meal with mashed cauliflower instead of the recommended mashed potatoes to keep it Paleo.  It turned out really yummy!

Cauliflower florets

 

3 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup beef broth

4 fresh thyme springs

1 bay  leaf

2 large onions, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

4 tbsp arrow root

3 tbsp cold water

Salt and pepper to taste

Onions cooking in wineSprinkle ribs with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Brown ribs in batches on all sides; transfer to slow cooker.  Add carrots, broth, thyme, and a bay leaf.

Add onions to the same skillet; cook and stir over medium heat 8 minutes or until tender.  Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 more minute.  Stir in wine , bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes until liquid is reduced by half.  Add to slow cooker.  Cook, covered on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove beef and vegetables; keep warm.  Transfer cooking juices to a small sauce pan.  Discard thyme and bay leaf.  Bring juices to a boil.  Mix the arrow root and water until smooth; gradually stir into the pan.  Return to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve ribs and vegetables over mashed cauliflower with gravy.

Slow cooker short ribs

This is a nice hearty meal that is great for a weekend any time of the year!  This recipe is adapted from the Feb/March 2014 issue of Taste of Home magazine.  Happy cooking!

 

Romantical Meal Series Post 3 – Cocoa-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Carrot Puree

This is the final post in my Valentine’s Day series.  This was by far my favorite part of the meal.  I’ve never done anything quite so gourmet!  I bought step 4 filet mignon from Whole Foods for this and while it cost me $30 just for the meat it was worth every penny!  This was absolutely delicious!  Again, this was adapted from the Feb/Mar 2014 Taste of Home magazine

Puree:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 lbs carrots, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Chopped carrots with garlic clovesIn a dutch oven, heat oil over medium hat.  Add carrots and shallots; cook and stir 12-15 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender.  Stir in garlic and thyme, cook 1 minute longer.  Add water to cover carrots; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until carrots are very tender.

Drain, cool slightly.  Place carrot mixture, salt, and pepper in a food processor; process until smooth.

Meat:

4 beef tenderloin steaks (1 1/2 in. thick and 6 oz each)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper

3 tbsp baking cocoa

3 tbsp finely ground coffee

Coffee cocoa mixture

 

Preheat broiler. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.  In a shallow bowl, mix cocoa and coffee.  Dip steaks in cocoa mixture to coat all sides; shake off excess.

Place steaks on the rack of a broiler pan.  Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 9-11 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness.

Cocoa-crustedBeef Tenderloin with Carrot pureeThis is unbelievably delicious and to my delight Rob was very impressed with my cooking prowess!  This whole meal took around 2.5 hours to put together which is a lot but for a special occasion it was totally worth it.  My food processor broke in the midst of the carrot pureeing but never fear, the Vitamix was near, so if you don’t have a food processor don’t fret, a blender works just as well.  I can’t get over how well this meal turned out.  I hope you have as much success with it as I did.  Happy cooking!

 

 

Romantical Meal Series Post 2 – Coconut Oil Roasted Cauliflower

Here is the second course in my Valentine’s Day meal for Rob.  I’ve been working a lot with cauliflower since Rob loves it so much but also it’s really versatile!  This side dish could go with just about anything.  As a reminder, this is adapted from the Feb/Mar 2014 Taste of Home magazine.

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tbsp capers, drained and coarsely chopped

2 tsp lemon juice

Cauliflower floretsPreheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut stem ends off unpeeled garlic cloves.  Wrap cloves in a piece of foil.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until cloves are soft.  Unwrap and cool to room temperature.  Squeeze garlic from the skins.  Mash with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt coconut oil over medium heat.  Heat 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.

Place cauliflower florets in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan.  Drizzle with melted coconut oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.  Roast 15-20 minutes or until cauliflower is golden brown and tender.

Transfer to a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and roasted garlic; toss well to combine.

Coconut Oil Roasted CauliflowerThis was such a yummy side dish.  The golden raisins added just a bit of sweetness that went really well with the cauliflower.  Stay tuned for part 3 of the series.  Happy cooking!

 

 

Romantical Meal Series Post 1 – Kale Salad

Valentine’s Day was last month and Rob and I decided that our gift this year would be homemade.  In true cook form I decided making a big, romantic meal was my best bet.  I’m going to do a series of three posts to chronicle what I made for him.  I’ll start with this yummy kale salad.  This recipe is adapted from a recipe in the Feb/Mar 2014 Taste of Home Magazine, as is the rest of the meal.

10 cups sliced kale (about 1 bunch)

1 medium apple, thinly sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup pepitas

Place kale in a large bowl.  With clean hands, massage kale until leaves become soft and darkened, about 2-3 minutes; stir in apple.

In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper until blended.  Drizzle over salad, toss to coat.  Sprinkle with pepitas.

Pale Kale salad

First off I must apologize for the quality of the picture.  I was running around trying to get the meal put together before Rob got to my place so pictures were taken haphazardly.  Second, wow who knew what a difference massaging kale makes!!  It as the first thing Rob commented on.  The kale was soft and easy to eat.  I will be massaging my kale from here on out!  Stay tuned for post number 2 on our Valentine’s day meal.  Happy cooking!

Sunday Funday Dinner – Paleo Turkey Burgers

I’m posting this meal at my own risk because when Rob finds out I made turkey burgers and he didn’t get to try them there’s a very real possibility he’ll kill me in my sleep!  This recipe is from the Paleoista cookbook and they’re down right delicious (don’t worry baby I’ll make them again for you)!  Chopped roma tomato

1 pound ground turkey

2 Roma tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper

Garlic powder

2 romaine lettuce hearts, chopped, rinsed and spun dry

1 cup arugula rinsed, spun dry and loosely packed

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 thick slices of beefsteak tomato

1/4 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small avocado pitted, peeled and sliced

Raw turkey burger patties in ovenPreheat the broiler.

Place turkey in a bowl and mix in the chopped tomato with your hands.  Shape the meat into two large patties, season with pepper and garlic powder to taste, and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet.  Place under the broiler and cook 10 to 15 minutes, flipping over halfway through.

Meanwhile, combine the romaine, arugula, and blueberries with the oil, and lemon juice in a big bowl.  Place an even portion on each of two plates.

Place one burger on top of each salad, followed by a slice of tomato and half each of the onion and avocado.

Paleo turkey burger

This is a super quick and easy recipe and it is SO yummy!  Perfect for a lazy Sunday night or a time strapped week night.  Prep and cleanup are minimal.  I really enjoyed this one and I hope you will too!  Happy cooking!