Acorn Squash with Kale and Pecans - She cooks he cleans

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• One acorn squash, split lengthwise, seeds removed
• 12 kale leaves, washed
• 1 shallot, finely chopped (or about 1/3 cup sweet onion)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons oil of choice (I used bacon fat and butter.  EVOO and coconut oil are also good choices.)
• ~1/2 cup pecan halves
• balsamic vinegar
• butter or coconut oil for squash
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 4ooF.  Oil a shallow roasting pan and the inside surface of the squash; place the squash cut-side down in the pan.  Roast for 25-30 minutes at 400F, remove from oven, and flip the squash over.  Season the squash lightly with salt and pepper.  Place a dollop of butter or coconut oil in the bowl of the squash (about 1 tablespoon) with a splash of balsamic vinegar.  With a pastry brush, spread the butter/vinegar mixture over the edges and inside of the squash.  Return to oven and roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until the squash is very tender.

While the squash is cooking, remove the tough spines/stem from the kale. (Fold the leaf in half lengthwise, then use a knife to cut the thick part of the spine away from the leaf.)  Stack the leaves together, roll them slightly, and slice the leaves crosswise into slender strips.

Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Add the shallot and cook briefly (about 1 minute).  Add the kale and pecans, and stir/toss in the pan with the shallots over the heat until the kale is wilted and tender.  Splash with a little balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  If the taste is a little too acidic or bitter, sprinkle with a little raw sugar.  Stir well to mix, and set aside until the squash is done.

When squash is tender, fill the squash cavity with the kale mixture.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Browned Butter Whipped Butternut Squash - Cupcakes & Kale Chips

 

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Author: Brianne @Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1 medium, about 8 c butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 T chopped fresh sage
• 2 t kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Steam butternut squash until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. While the squash is cooking, heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter, let it melt and start to foam. Stir frequently until the butter becomes golden in color and some brown bits start to collect at the bottom. Be careful not to burn the butter. (see detailed instructions here)
3. Remove from the heat, and add the sage. The butter will foam slightly when you do this.
4. Add the cooked butternut squash to a blender or food processor, then add the sage-butter mixture, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Puree until smooth.
5. If the puree is a bit to liquidy, return to a pan and cook off some of the liquid.
6. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

Stuffed Acorn Squash - Easy Paleo

Ingredients:

• 1 large acorn squash
• 1 lb. (500 g) ground beef
• 1 onion
• 1 apple (any variety)
• 6 slices of bacon (sugar free if doing a Whole30)
• *1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

*Note: when it comes to herbs and spices, I absolutely hate measuring them and usually just eyeball it. This is cooking, not baking, so quantities don’t have to be precise for the recipe to work out just fine. Adjust quantities to your taste or what’s available but just remember, it’s always possible to add more but very hard to take away!

Breakfast Stuffed Acorn Squash - PaleOMG

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• ¾lb Ground Sausage
• 1 acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed
• 2 eggs
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place acorn squash cut-side down onto your baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until your acorn squash is soft when you press on the skin.
4. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. While your acorn squash is cooking, add a tablespoon of some kind of fat to a large pan over medium heat (I used bacon fat) then add your minced garlic and diced onion.
6. Stir around to keep from burning.
7. Once your onions become translucent, add your breakfast sausage to the pan.
8. Cook down, breaking up the breakfast sausage as it cooks.
9. Once the breakfast sausage is almost all the way cooked through, turn your heat to low and add your inside of your acorn squash. Do this by using a spoon to scoop out the insides, leaving just the skin of the acorn squash. Be careful not the tear the skin!
10. Mix the acorn squash and the breakfast sausage together then add it back to your acorn squash skin
11. Once both of your acorn squash halves are full, press into the middle with a spoon to breakfast a little resting spot for your egg.
12. Crack an egg on top.
13. Place back in the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes or until egg-cooked preference.
14. Serve!

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH CHICKEN

And it's Healthy...So much better than fried!!!

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Greek yogurt -plain
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Spread mixture over chicken breasts, bake at 375 degrees for 45 mins--Absolutely Delish!

Loaded Mashed Parsnips - Primarilly Inspired

Loaded Mashed Parsnips

Makes about 2 cups, serves 2-3 as a side

Ingredients:

1 lb parsnips, peeled skin and cut into 1 inch chunks

2 cups chicken or beef stock or broth

2 T butter or ghee(for dairy free)

3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 T chopped fresh chives or green onion, chopped

¼ – ½ tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place your parsnips chunks in a medium sized pot. Pour the chicken or beef stock over the chunks. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Keep boiling over medium high heat until all or most of the stock has evaporated. This takes about 20 minutes. But be careful and keep an eye on the pot around the 15 -18 minute mark because it goes from a little stock in the pot to burnt parsnips in no time flat!

Once all or most of the stock has evaporated, add your butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder and mash until you reach your desired consistency. Add in the bacon and chives and stir until incorporated. Enjoy!

Roasted Carrots - Ina Garten

Ingredients

12 carrots
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole. Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. (The carrots will shrink while cooking so make the slices big.) Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until browned and tender.

Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, and serve.

Per serving: Calories:110; Total Fat: 7 grams; Saturated Fat:1 gram; Protein: 1 gram; Total carbohydrates:12 grams; Sugar: 6 grams; Fiber: 3.5 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 484 milligrams

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-carrots-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Skins - PaleOMG

Serves: 3-6

Ingredients

• 3 small, round sweet potatoes or yams
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 4 strips of bacon
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced (I used a rotisserie chicken and chopped it up)
• ¼ small yellow onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1-1.5 cups hot sauce (I used Frank’s Hot Sauce) – depending how spicy you want yours. I used 1.5 cups
• 3 tablespoons blue cheese (not paleo, but a primal option. it will be fine without it)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup shredded raw cheddar cheese (I used Kerrygold cheese- again this is optional)
• 1 avocado
• ½ lime, juiced
• ½ lemon, juiced
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet. Brush potatoes liberally with melted coconut oil. Use a fork to poke holes in each sweet potato.
3. Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check at 45 minutes to see if they are soft when you squeeze them. Then remove from oven.
4. Let the sweet potatoes cool for about 30 minutes. While the sweet potatoes cool, place 4 pieces of bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and into the oven for 10-15 minutes or until completely cooked. Remove from oven and dice into small pieces. Then preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
5. Once sweet potatoes are cool to touch, cut each one in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the most of the sweet potato with a spoon, leaving a layer above the skin. Place half of the sweet potato mash into a medium bowl. (I ate the other half with breakfast, so keep for leftovers)
6. Now using the bacon fat that has been left behind from cooking, brush each sweet potato skin with bacon fat (you could also use coconut oil here). Place in the oven, skin-side up, for 5 minutes. Then flip, brush with bacon fat, and place in the oven for 5 more minutes.
7. While the skins finish baking, in the medium bowl containing half of the sweet potato mash, add chicken, onion, garlic, hot sauce, blue cheese (optional), diced bacon, and salt and pepper. Mix well.
8. Remove the sweet potato skins from the oven and fill each half with the chicken mixture. Smooth out the top and sprinkle generously with shredded cheese.
9. Place back in the oven once more for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese begins to slightly bubble. Then let cool for 5 minutes.
10. Lastly, place avocado, lime, lemon, cumin and salt in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add mixture to a ziploc bag, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, then decorate the sweet potato skins however you see fit. I made a football. Kind of. You get the point.
11. Serve right away!

Vanilla Pancakes - The Food Lovers Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
• 4 Eggs, Pastured
• 1/4 tsp Salt, a pinch
• 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Water

Process

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, blend eggs, vanilla, water, salt, and baking soda with a hand mixer.
2. Pour coconut flour into mixture and continue to blend until batter is smooth.
3. In a non stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon grass fed butter over medium heat.
4. Pour batter into skillet using a large soup spoon.
5. Let pancakes cook for 1-2 minutes, flip, and cook for a remaining 1-2 minutes.
6. Pancakes will be ready to flip with the batter is firms up slightly.
7. If the pancakes are still too runny, allow them to cook a bit longer before flipping.
8. Serve with your choice of topping.

Spicy Thai Curry

Spicy Thai Curry
Ingredients
For the chile paste:
8 dried red chiles, broken into pieces
1 tablespoon dried shrimp (optional)
2 large shallots, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro stems
2 fresh red chiles, such as bird’s-eye
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 fresh lemongrass stalk, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 cup water
For the curry:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup julienned fresh ginger
8 ounces green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 pound Asian eggplant, cut into 1-inch diagonal slices
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons fish sauce
basil leaves
cilantro leaves
Directions
Make the chile paste: Soak the dried chiles and shrimp in warm water to cover, 20 minutes. Drain.
Puree dried chiles and shrimp with remaining chile paste ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Cook the curry: Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add 1/3 cup chile paste (or more if you like very spicy food) and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.
Stir in ginger, beans, corn, eggplant, stock, and fish sauce and cover skillet. Cook vegetables until tender, 6 to 8 minutes, season with salt to taste, and then sprinkle with basil and cilantro leaves.