Orange Chicken

The kids don't help me plan meals and then won't eat what I make.  Finally, something they like!

Totally ripped off from Health Bent, thanks Brandon & Megan.  I think you'll like their Paleo Orange Chicken, too.

photo cred: Health Bent

Ingredients:

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I use Rosie organic, free range), cut into bite size pieces
• 3T coconut oil
• juice of 2 oranges - taste them, if they aren't sweet & orangey, neither will your final dish, trust me
• zest from 1 orange
• 1 t fresh ginger
• 3T tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
• 1t chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• 3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a saucepan add orange juice, zest, ginger, tamari, chili sauce.  Cook over medium heat until it boils.  Reduce to a simmer until thickened.
2. In a large skillet heat coconut oil and add chicken pieces.  Cook until chicken has a nice, brown crust.
3. Add chicken to sauce and stir to coat.
4. Serve topped with green onions.

Easy Zoodles

It's been awhile but I'm getting back on track and wanting to share my meals with you.

It's been hot here so I haven't been willing to turn on the oven.  Needless to say, we've been having a lot of salads.  Well, this one was easy and didn't take very long on the stove.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 zucchini, zoodled (this is the spiralizer I use)
• handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• gorgonzola, optional

Directions:

1. In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp.  Drain most of the bacon fat.
2. Sprinkle zucchini zoodles with salt and let sit for about 20 min to release the water.
3. Add zoodles to bacon pan, toss to coat, and cook for about 1-2 min.  Zoodles should still be crispy.
4. Plate with chopped tomatoes and gorgonzola on top. 

Mac & Cheese

Who doesn't crave mac & cheese every now and then?  I do, at least once a month.  It's also still one of my kids' favorites.  So, I started thinking about how I can make my own and make it healthy and still delicious.  Voila!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb brown rice elbow pasta (or what ever shape)

Cheese Sauce:

• 2 C. raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours
• 1/4 C. melted Kerrygold butter, or ghee, or olive oil
• paprika, salt, garlic powder to taste
• pinch of cayenne
• 1/4 - 1/2 C water
• 2 blocks of raw cheese, grated (to make this dairy free you can substitute the cheese for nutritional yeast)

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta according to package directions.
2. While your pasta is cooking make sauce.
3. Drain cashews and add to food processor.
4. While the processor is on add butter and seasonings, blend until smooth.
5. Add enough water to make it a creamy liquid, kinda like cake batter.  It will thicken as it sits.
6. When pasta is done, drain and add back into pot.
7. Add sauce and 3/4 of cheese, stir until well blended.
8. Pour into a buttered casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.
9. Bake at 350˚ for about 20 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

I had cooked, leftover broccoli so just before I drained the pasta I added the broccoli to the hot water to heat it up and drained it with the pasta.

This is good enough that I am putting it on my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus.

Crockpot Stuffing

I know. I know. But seriously, this is an amazing recipe.  It's easy, doesn't take up any room in your already packed oven, and is delicious!

Ingredients:

Photo: Serious Eats

• 1 C butter
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 C chopped celery
• 2T chopped fresh parsley
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 12-13 C slightly dry gluten free bread, cubed
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1 t dried sage
• 1 t dried thyme
• 1/2 t ground marjoram
• 2 - 2 1/2 C chicken or bone broth
• 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Photo: Serious Eats

1. Melt butter in a large skillet and sauté onion, celery, parsley, and mushrooms, until onions are translucent.
2. Add bread cubes to a large bowl and add butter mixture.
3. Add all the seasonings as toss well.
4. Pour in enough broth to moisten bread cubes.
5. Add beaten eggs and mix well.
6. Pack lightly into a well buttered slow cooker.
7. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serves 6.

Whole30 Day 22: Shepherd's Pie

I like to think of Shepherd's Pie as an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of dish because you can throw almost anything in with the meat.  I've posted Shepherd's Pie on my blog before but it's not whole30.  I made some tweaks and easily turned this dish into a yummy whole30 meal.

Ingredients:

• 2lbs sweet potatoes or yams, baked until soft and cooled
• 1T evoo
• 1 small onion, chopped
• about 5 small carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• a couple handfuls of baby brussel sprouts, sliced
• 1lb chorizo
• 1/2 lb grass-fed ground beef
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup bone broth or other broth

Directions:

1. In a large skillet heat evoo and add onion, carrots, and celery. 
2. Cook about 5 min and add brussel sprouts, cook for about 2 min
3. Add chorizo and beef and cook until no longer pink
4. Add seasonings to taste
5. In a large mixing bowl add the sweet potatoes and broth (I was lucky enough to have some leftover homemade vegetable soup and used that for extra veggies!)
6. Blend potatoes and broth until smooth
7. If your skillet is oven proof, spread potatoes over meat mixture and put into oven.  If not, pour meat mixture into a baking dish and top with potatoes.
8. Bake at 350˚F for about 30 minutes.

I super, super love this one pot meal!!

Whole30 Day 17: Carnitas Fries

Absolutely delicious!!!

Ingredients:

• 12oz pkg fully cooked carnitas - or make your own! - I used Trader Joe's Traditional Carnitas
• 2 lbs sweet potatos, cut into fries sticks or put them through a spiralizer for curly fries
• 8oz pico de gallo or chop your own tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro
• guacamole

Directions:

1. toss sweet potato fries with evoo and season to taste
2. bake at 450˚F for about 20 min.  
3. if using packaged carnitas, heat according to directions
4. when fries are done, top with carnitas, pico de gallo, and guacamole

Whole30 Day 16: Prosciutto Wrapped Peach Salad

Ingredients:

• 2-3 peaches, sliced
• about 8 slices of prosciutto, cut in half, lengthwise
• pistachios
• salad greens
• lemony dijon dressing

Directions:

1. wrap 1/2 slices of prosciutto around each peach slice
2. grill wrapped peaches until prosciutto is crispy
3. place peaches on top of salad greens and sprinkle generously with pistachios
4. drizzle dressing over salad

Salad Dressing - in a small jar mix together all ingredients and shake until well blended

• evoo
• apple cider vinegar
• dijon mustard
• lemon juice