Jambalaya (Paleo)

Another winner from PaleOMG. I omitted the cauliflower rice because I didn’t think it would need it (I was right) and also I didn’t feel like dealing with processing a head of cauliflower. It gets messy. This jambalaya has plenty of substance without the “rice” but you could definitely add it if you want.

Jambalaya
from PaleOMG

• 2 andouille sausage, sliced
• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 (6oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with your olive oil. Add your garlic until it becomes fragrant then add your onion and green bell pepper to begin to cook down.
2. Once the onion in translucent, add broth, chicken and sausage. Mix together. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Then add your tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices. Stir to incorporate.
4. Cover and let cook for another 5-8 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and meats are cooked through.
5. Let sit for around 5 minutes to cool.

Bacon and Sweet Potato Turkey Burger (Paleo)

Bacon. Sweet Potato. Burger. How could you go wrong? I followed the Foodie and the Family recipe exactly.

Bacon and Sweet Potato Turkey Burger
From The Foodie and The Family

2 pounds ground turkey
1/2 pound bacon
1 cup shredded sweet potato
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large frying pan, cook bacon until almost crisp. Remove bacon and chop into pieces (when cooled).

In a large bowl, combine bacon with turkey, sweet potato, onion, egg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Form into 8 patties.

Cook in bacon fat (or coconut oil) for 7 minutes per side; or until cooked through. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Pecan Crusted Cod (Paleo)

This is heavily inspired and only slightly altered from PaleOMG’s Pecan Encrusted Tilapia. I made a few changes: I used Cod because I absolutely hate Tilapia. Hate it. HATE. But cod is a nice, mild white fish and anything similar would work.

I baked my fish, because I just prefer my fish baked. I also find it a more reliable cooking method (for me, because I don’t cook fish often).

Finally, I didn’t make the blood orange salsa but I did make a blood orange salad dressing – I had my fish and salad with blood orange dressing and it was absolutely delicious!

Pecan Crusted Cod
adapted from PaleOMG

• 2 filets of cod
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Add your pecans, coconut and seasonings to a food processor and pulse until you get crumbs.
3. Whisk your egg in a separate large, flat bottomed bowl.
4. Set up a dredging station – one plate of egg and one plate of crumbs.
5. Coat the fish in egg then cover in crumbs. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Blood orange salad dressing

In a bullet blender add the juice of one blood orange, equal part olive oil, ground ginger, salt and pepper and a squeeze of honey.

Crockpot Pulled Pork (Paleo)

I wasn’t sure if this was going to pass the family test, but Patrick loved it, especially reheated the next day. I followed the recipe almost exactly (only used 1 onion and it was plenty for me since I have to pick it out anyway before Patrick will eat it) and it came out fantastic. I had mine plain with a side salad (I really wanted cole slaw but forgot to buy cabbage.) Patrick had his on a bun with BBQ sauce. Fantastic either way.

Crockpot Pulled Pork
from Everyday Paleo

4-5 lb pork butt roast

2 yellow onions, sliced

Dry Rub

3 tbsps chili powder

1 tsp coriander

2 tsps cumin

2 tsps onion powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon chipotle powder

2 tsps sea salt

Mix all dry rub ingredients together.  Rub the entire roast with the dry rub (you should use it all.  Place a layer of onions on the bottom of your slow cooker.  Place the roast on top.  Put the rest of the sliced onions on top of the slow cooker.  NO LIQUID NECESSARY!  Cook the roast on high for 5-6 hours and then turn down to low for another 3-4 hours or until the roast is literally falling apart and easy to shred.

Garlic Ginger Chicken (Paleo)

After landing at the airport in the afternoon I still managed to go home and unload my loot, head to the grocery store, do some cooking, and pull together paperwork for a meeting tomorrow. This garlic ginger chicken was an easy and delicious reward for my exhaustion!

Garlic Ginger Chicken
adapted from Food Lover’s Primal Palate

1 package chicken thighs (6 or 8 thighs)
1 Tbs minced ginger
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup Bragg’s Aminos (or soy sauce)
2 Tbs unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 425. In a sauce pan melt the butter then add ginger, garlic, fish sauce, aminos. Allow the mixture to come to a bubble and allow to bubble while stirring for a minute or two. Remove from heat.

Place chicken in a baking dish, pour sauce over and bake 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

(note: the original recipe calls for seasoning the chicken itself with salt and pepper, which I almost always do. I did that and it came out much too salty. I would omit – the sauce has plenty of salt to season and flavor the chicken.)

Bacon Chili (Paleo)

I saw this recipe on PaleOMG and couldn’t pass up a chance for a thick, meaty chili with big chunks of vegetables. And also bacon.

Bacon Chili
from PaleOMG

1lb ground beef
6 slices of bacon, cubed
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14) ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 (8) ounce can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, add your cubed bacon and let cook down.
While the bacon is cooking, chop all your veggies.
When the bacon has browned and is a bit crisp, add your veggies.
Let cook for about 6 or so minutes, then add your ground beef and all the spices.
Once the beef is browned, add your tomato sauce and fire roasted tomatoes.
Mix well and let all the flavors meld together while cooking on low for the next 8 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Pumpkin Sausage Soup (Paleo)

Still the season for soup and pumpkin, so why not make pumpkin soup! This turned out delicious – I got 6 hardy servings out of it. I’m hoping I have the willpower to freeze at least one serving but we’ll see if I devour all before I get a chance.

Pumpkin Sausage Soup
from West Coast Strength and Conditioning

2 cans pumpkin (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
~1 cup chopped mushrooms (I omitted because I don’t care for mushrooms)
1 onion, diced
1-1.25lb bulk sausage (I used 1 lb)
4 cups chicken broth
2tbs grass-fed butter (or coconut oil, or olive oil if you don’t do dairy)
Oregano, thyme, rosemary, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes (about a teaspoon of each)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup coconut milk

Melt the butter in a soup pan over medium heat.
Add mushrooms and cook until nice and brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add diced onion to the pot, and cook until translucent and soft.
Add sausage to the pot, and cook until nicely browned, stirring and breaking it apart with a wooden spoon.
Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, add the pumpkin and broth to the pot and stir well, stirring in the  spices at this point as well.
Simmer for about 20 minutes, making sure to stir frequently.
Remove from the heat, stir in the coconut milk, serve, and enjoy!

Ginger Orange Chicken (Paleo)

I saw this recipe on The Foodie and the Family and knew I had to try it. So glad I did, it did not disappoint!

Ginger Orange Chicken
Slightly adapted from The Foodie and the Family

1 – 4 lb free range chicken, cut into 8 parts (I just ask my butcher to cut the chicken for me)
1/4 cup chopped gingerroot (about 2 inches)
1/4 cup Bragg’s aminos (or coconut aminos)
2 oranges, zested and juiced
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken pieces in a 9×13 baking dish in a single layer.

In a small bowl, combine gingerroot, aminos, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, sesame oil, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Cook chicken for 40-45 minutes, basting with ginger orange sauce at 15 minutes, 25 minutes, and 35 minutes.

I also took the juice, drippings and marinade left at the bottom of the dish, heated it over the stove with a little butter and potato starch (or arrowroot, etc) to make a sauce. I wish I had portioned out some of the marinade and kept to make a sauce since I definitely didn’t use it all up basting the chicken. Delicious!

Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

More pumpkin! This is kind of like eating a bowl of pumpkin pie filling, and everyone knows the filling is the best part!

Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding
adapted from Oh She Glows

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (I use So Delicious)
1 cup organic canned pumpkin
2-3 Tbs chia seeds
2 Tbs vanilla protein powder (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two.

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

I am so ready for pumpkin everything! This bread is moist and delicious.

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

1 cup almond flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 rounded tablespoon cinnamon
½ cup canned organic pumpkin
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 tablespoons dark maple syrup (you could sub honey but the maple goes great with pumpkin)
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients until combined, then add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour the mix into a prepared 8×8 baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

Great with breakfast, for dessert or with afternoon tea!