Maple Mustard Chicken - Health Bent

• ~2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/3 c Dijon mustard (my absolute favorite is Maille (I eat this stuff out of the jar with a spoon))
• 3 T Grade B (it’s cheaper than A) Maple Syrup
• 1 stem fresh rosemary, chopped

Method

In a large zip-top bag, add the mustard, maple syrup & rosemary, including the rosemary stem. Smush around to incorporate. Taste the marinade and see if you want to add more maple or mustard. Add the chicken and let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a large saute or grill pan (obviously a grill would work too) over medium-high heat. Melt a few tablespoons of fat (butter, ghee, duck/bacon fat), and sear the chicken thighs, about 4 (undisturbed) minutes per side. Be sure not to overcrowd the saute/grill pan, as you want the chicken to develop a nice char on the outside.
While the chicken thighs are cooking…
Pour the marinade in a small saute pan (minus the rosemary stem). Let it come to a simmer and keep it there for about 4-5 minutes, whisking occasionally. If you find the sauce has gotten too thick, add a little stock to it. And bam…you’ve turned the marinade into a sauce. Yay.
You can either serve the sauce on the side or brush it over the tops of the grilled thighs.

Bacon Alfredo - PaleOMG

Bacon Delicata Cream Sauce Chicken Pasta aka Paleo Bacon Alfredo

5.0 from 3 reviews

Print

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 larger delicata squash
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat your 425 degrees.
2. Cut spaghetti squash delicata squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and excess threads. Don’t be dainty.
3. Place open side down on a baking sheet (use aluminum foil for easy clean up) and cook for 20-25 minutes. You will know when they are done cooking when you can poke the outside skin and it ‘gives’ a bit.
4. Now you can either cook your chicken at the same time or after the squash is done cooking. Whatever you’d like. Just place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet, sprinkle some olive oil over the chicken (or other kind of fat), salt and pepper it, and sprinkle just a bit of basil on top. Easy peasy. I cooked my tenders for around 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. Keep that sh*t moist bro.
5. Once your squash is done cooking, pull it out of the oven, dethread the spaghetti squash into a large bowl with a fork. Go against the grain, if spaghetti squash had grain. Now throw your diced bacon into a skillet and cook until done. Use a slotted spoon to pull out your cooked bacon, but leave behind the grease. I used all of my grease, you Take your delicata squash and hollow it out. Unless you want to eat the skin, be my guest. If you’re smart tho, you’ll just use the insides and dump them into your warm skillet filled with bacon grease. Then add your coconut milk. You may need to add a little bit more coconut milk depending on how runny you like your sauce. Mix thoroughly with a ladle to break up the squash a bit. I used a pink ladle. It works the best.
6. Add seasonings to the mix and salt and pepper as needed. Mix thoroughly and cook on low for about 5 minutes to simmer.
7. Now dice up your cooked chicken.
8. Pour sauce over spaghetti squash and add your chicken to the mix.
9. Mix well.
10. Top with bacon. Duh.
11. Eat it like you mean it.

Mediterranean Chicken Kebab Salad - Skinny Taste

Ingredients:

• 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
  
  For the marinade:

• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic, crushed
• kosher salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
  
  For the salad:

• 1 1/4 cups cucumber, peeled
• 1 1/4 cups diced tomato
• 1/4 cup diced bell pepper
• 2 tbsp red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup black olives
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh dillweed
• 1 tsp fresh parsley
• 1/8 tsp dried oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, grated
• lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

Marinate the chicken at least 2-3 hours or overnight. If using wooden skewers, soak in water at least 30 minutes if grilling outdoors.

Combine the first 12 salad ingredients (cucumbers through salt and black pepper, not the lettuce) and set aside in the refrigerator to let the flavors set.

Thread chicken on 4 skewers and cook on a hot grill (indoor or outdoor grill) until chicken is cooked though, about 10-12 minutes.

Divide lettuce between four plates, top with tomato-cucumber salad, fresh grated feta cheese and grilled chicken. Serve with lemon wedges.

Pan-Seared Chicken and Curried Parsnips - Everday Paleo

• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts – each breast cut into 2 or 3 long “tenders” or strips
• 2 parsnips, cut into even bite sized pieces
• ½ medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 Bosc pear, pealed and diced
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 – 1 tablespoon curry powder (start with 1/2 a tablespoon and add more if desired)
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup canned full fat coconut milk (You can sub with coconut cream concentrate from Tropical Traditions if you do not tolerate canned coconut milk)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil

1. In a large skillet, melt the coconut oil over medium to medium high heat.

2. Season both sides of the chicken tenders with salt and pepper and sear in the hot coconut oil for 3-5 minutes per side or until the chicken is browned.

3. Removed the chicken from the ban and set aside.

4. Add more coconut oil to the same pan if needed and add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the parsnips and saute until the parsnips start to brown.

6. Add the garlic and pears and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

7. Sprinkle the curry powder all over the veggie mixture, pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth, and mix well.  Bring to a simmer and continue stirring until the parsnips are tender all the way through and the sauce starts to thicken.  Taste and season with salt and pepper and more curry powder if desired. (I used 1 full tablespoon and loved it but you might be good with 1/2 a tablespoon depending on your taste)

8. Top the parsnip mixture with the chicken tender, cover, turn to low and cook for another 5 minutes.

Simple Sauteed Spinach - My Life as Mrs

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

A simple classic... goes great with steak, chicken, fish, and even pasta!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 (9 ounce) bags of spinach
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes until fragrant (this will infuse the garlic flavor into the oil).
A couple of handfuls at a time, add the spinach and toss with tongs until they start to wilt up. Continue to add the spinach until all of it has been incorporated an is wilted up (should only take about 10 minutes tops). Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot.
Optional: May top with freshley grated parmesan cheese or crushed red pepper flakes.

Italian Zucchini Soup - Chrissy Hall

Ingredients:
1/2 lb mild sausage
1/2 lb hot sausage (or use mild and add red pepper flakes)
1/2 lb ground beef
2 c celery, sliced diagonally
1 1/2 c yellow onion, chopped
2 lbs zucchini, cut into chunks
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, crushed
1 can tomatoes, crushed (the small can)
1 can tomatoes, diced (the small can)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp basil
2 green peppers, julienne

In a large Dutch oven or pot, brown the sausage and ground beef.
Drain fat.
Add celery and onions to the meat mixture and cook for 10 minutes.  For faster cooking, cover with lid, stir occasionally so mixture doesn't stick to the bottom.
Add remaining ingredients except for green peppers.
Simmer for 45 minutes.
Add green peppers.
Simmer for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Note: If you want this to be more soupy, add water.  It actually comes out really nice and thick and can be used as a sauce for a spaghetti squash!

MOW - 3.25.12

Meal of the week - 3.25.12

Spicy Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Honey Lime Chicken

Honey Lime Chicken - The Enchanted Cook

Serves 4-6

Marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes), plus the zest of both limes

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 pounds of chicken (I used boneless skin-on breasts, but use whatever suits you)

In a large zip top plastic bag combine all of the ingredients except the chicken. Seal bag completely and mix well. Add chicken to bag, turn to coat and reseal. Place in refrigerator overnight.

Heat grill (either outdoor grill, or indoor grill pan) to medium high. Grill chicken for approximately 6-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.  If you're using fairly thin chicken breasts, cut time down.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 sweet potato, baked and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp Coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Simmer the quinoa in the vegetable broth about 10 to 15 minutes, or until water is gone and quinoa is light and fluffy when stirred. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Toss together the quinoa, sweet potato and bell pepper in a large bowl.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil and cayenne pepper. Gently toss this dressing with the quinoa. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Bon Bon Chicken Gone Paleo - Paleo on a Budget

Ingredients:
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast { I made it for two people, so I’d do a breast / person and adjust everything else accordingly! }
• Cucumber
• 2 Gigantic tablespoons Smooth Almond Butter { I used a kitchen spoon… and they were HUGE!}
• Between 1/2 – 1 Cup of Chicken Stock
• 1/2 an Onion {yellow}
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Paprika
• Salt + Pepper
• 1/2 a head’s worth of Cauliflower Rice
• Ghee {and/or coconut oil}




How to:
• Slice up your onion into thin-ish strips and toss it in a pan with some ghee and caramelize them {remember low & slow guys!}
• While your onions are happy in ghee, cut your chicken into strips… whatever size you like.. I did kinda thin ones because that’s how it was made at the Chinese Food Place.
• Toss your chicken in a skillet that has some ghee in it, let your chicken start to brown.
• While your ghee is browning start to peel & Chop your cucumber… Cut them into really thin match sticks { I cut it half  first, then did the match-stick thing}. I didn’t use the inside seeds of the cucumber, it’s a bit to soft for this dish, so it was sliced out. If you like that portion of the cucumber by all means add it in! Set aside your cucumbers.
• Probably about now {or maybe earlier}, you’ll want to flip your chicken over… and let it go to town on the other side {remember to stir your onions a bit!}
• Start rocking and rolling on your Cauliflower rice { Cut into florets, toss in food processor, give it a whirl so it looks like rice, dump in bowl, cover with plastic wrap, microwave for 3.5-5 Minutes {depending on how much you use}. Take out of microwave, add ghee, salt & pepper to taste!}
• When your chicken is done, add two heaping {at least} tablespoons of almond butter. Start to mix it as best you can. Slowly start to add some chicken stock in. I had filled up a mug about 1/2 way and would pour in some, stir, pour in some stir, until you get the sauce to be loose-ish. This part is total preference, if you like a “saucey” sauce then add a ton of stock, if you like pretty thick, don’t add so much in….. When the sauce is where you want it, add in a dash of paprika, pinch of salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste… I used ohh I want to say 3-4 teaspoons of it.
• Your onions should be done, so add those into the sauce + chicken. If this starts to mess with how loose / firm the sauce is adjust it with more stalk or almond butter.
• Then turn off the heat. Let it sit a minute while you divide up the cauliflower rice.
• At the last possible minute … as in right before you put it on your cauliflower rice, add in your cucumbers and give it a quick toss. {You want the cold – warm, crunchy – soft  texture balance}.
•Put it on your Cauliflower rice, and you’re done!