Stephan's Hungarian Mushroom Soup

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed

8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cubed
Butter (or bacon grease)
2 med onions, finely diced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp dried dill weed
1 TB paprika
1 TB Wheat-Free Tamari
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp sea salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 ripe avocados

Fry the chicken pieces in a large skillet, greased with butter or bacon grease.

In a large stock pot, melt 4 TB of butter. Sauté the onions in the butter for 5 min, then add the mushrooms and sauté for another 5 min. Quick tip: I dice the onions and mushrooms in my food processor because I don't really care for big chunks of either, and it's super fast! Stir in the dill, paprika, tamari, broth, and cooked chicken pieces. Simmer on low heat for 15 min.

Add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove about 1/2 cup of the soup liquid and add to a food processor or blender along with the avocados. Blend until creamy. Add to that creamy goodness to the soup. Continue simmering or serve immediately.

Easy Carnitas (AKA Meat Candy)

4-6lb Pork Shoulder (or boneless Pork Butt)
1 Large Onion
4 Garlic cloves
1 TB Cumin
1 TB Coriander
1 TB Oregano
2 bay leaves
2 tsp sea salt
1 jar of Chipotle Salsa
1 carton of chicken broth (aprx 4 cups or 1 litre)
olive oil

Cut the onion into large chunks, mince the garlic, and cube up the pork into 2" chunks. Place them in a large stock pot or slow cooker and add the cumin, coriander, oregano, and bay leaves.

Add the chipotle salsa and the chicken broth. The liquid should cover the meat, but if it doesn't just add a bit more chicken stock or water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook uncovered for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. When it's done all the liquid should be gone and the meat should be falling apart.

Heat the oven to 400F and transfer the meat to a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, tossing to coat. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the meat gets just a bit crispy.

Paleo Stuffing

My husband was suspicious that I could make decent stuffing without using any bread, but this recipe got thumbs up all around when I made it for dinner recently. It's only a slight variation from this recipe at PaleOMG.

1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
5 Slices of Bacon, diced
5 Stalks of Celery, diced
1 med Onion, diced
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced
1 lb ground pork
1-2 Cups of mushrooms, diced
2 TB White Wine Vinegar
2 eggs
1/2 cup dried cranberries (if you can find ones with no sugar added)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup pecans, chopped


Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the sweet potato cubes on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then bake for 15-20 min.

While that's baking, fry the bacon pieces in a large skillet. When they begin to brown, add in the diced celery, onion, and apples.

When the onions become soft, add the ground pork, mushrooms, and white wine vinegar. Stir and cook until the pork is cooked through (no visible pink).

Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then pour over the cooled pork mixture. Toss in the cranberries, raisins, pecans, and yams and mix well.

This makes a big batch! I stuffed a 10lb chicken and still had an entire baking sheet full left over. Bake the mixture at 375F on a foil lined baking sheet or in a large pyrex dish for about 15-20 min until it begins to brown. You can make this without needing to cook a giant bird. It's delicious all on its own!

Coconut Chocolate Pecan Cookies

These cookies are more moist than the last cookie recipe I posted. Next time I'm trying them with chunky peanut butter!

4 Eggs
2 TB Coconut Oil, melted
1 box of pure creamed coconut (170g)
1/4 Cup honey - eliminate this for the low carb version
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1 TB vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 Squares of Lindt 85% Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 Cup Pecans, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F

1) Whisk the 4 eggs in a large bowl

2) In a medium bowl, melt the creamed coconut, honey, and butter together. Once liquefied, add the coconut milk and vanilla extract

3) Slowly incorporate the coconut liquid into the egg, stirring constantly

4) Sprinkle the coconut flour and baking powder over the wet mixture and mix until it forms a soft dough

5) Fold in the chopped chocolate and pecans

6) Roll into balls and pat down on a cookie sheet (aprx 24 cookies)

7) Bake at 350F for 15-17 minutes

Without the honey, these cookies have only 1.4g of net carbs per cookie!

Saskatchewan Fried Chicken

8-10 Chicken Drumsticks
8-10 Chicken Thighs
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Finely Ground Almonds (almond flour)
1/3 Cup Coconut Flour
4 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt teaspoons salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp tarragon
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground celery seeds
Bacon grease or coconut oil


1) Whisk the two eggs in a bowl


2) On a large plate, combine all the dry ingredients


3) Dunk each piece of chicken in the egg and dredge in the dry mixture


4) Melt a 1/4" layer of coconut oil or bacon grease (or a combo of the two) in your frying pan. Fry the chicken, covered, on low heat for 10-15 minutes on each side. Don't have the heat too high or the outside will burn before the inside is cooked through.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Here's my take on this recipe from Chocolate and Carrots

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
1 banana, mashed
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup butter, softened (or coconut oil)
25g 80% dark chocolate (about 1/4 of a bar), roughly chopped*

Cinnamon

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350°.

2) In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking soda.

3) In another bowl, beat the eggs, coconut milk, butter and banana with a hand mixer.

4) Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and blend again with the hand mixer.

5) Fold in the chocolate chunks.

6) Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle with cinnamon

7) Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*I'm thinking you could easily leave out the chocolate chunks and replace with walnuts or pecans for a lovely banana nut loaf

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 Cups Almond Flour
1 Cup Coconut Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter
50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (half of a bar, the less sugar the better)

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375 F

2) Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl

3) In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat with a hand mixer

4) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until dough begins to form

5) melt the butter and add to the batter

6) Fold in the chocolate chunks

7) Form dough balls into cookie shape and place on a well greased cookie sheet or use non stick foil. The cookies don't rise or spread so form them into the shape you want and line them up as close together as you like.

8) Bake for 15 minutes until slightly browned at the edges.

Honey Nut Granola Cereal

mmmm.... cereal

1 Cup whole almonds

1 Cup sunflower seeds

1 Cup pumpkin seeds

1 Cup sliced almonds

1 Cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup raisins (or cranberries or dried blueberries)

1/4 cup ghee*

1/4 cup honey

1 egg white

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1) pulse the first three ingredients in the food processor

2) combine the food processor ingredients with the sliced almonds, coconut, and raisins. Then stir it up (little darling).

3) Melt the ghee and honey together and drizzle over the mixture

4) pour in the egg white and mix until well coated

5) sprinkle on the cinnamon

6) Pour evenly onto a large cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 min at 400 F, stopping frequently to stir

Enjoy with almond milk or coconut milk and you'll never miss regular cereal again!

*Ghee is just clarified butter, usually available with the Indian food in the international section of the grocery store. If you cant find it, just use butter.

Meat Cupcakes with Jalapeño Butternut Squash Icing

I first heard rumors about Meat Cupcakes from a few of our athletes around the gym. Upon googling, I found this recipe on seasidekitchen.blogspot.com. They were a big hit at the last family dinner hosted at my house!

For the cupcakes:

1 lb ground turkey

1 lb ground pork sausage

1 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup almond meal

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 400 and spray a muffin tin with olive oil, or grease with coconut oil. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl (using your hands works the best) and place meat mixture in to a muffin tin. You can fill up the cups to the brim as the meat won't expand out and up. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until cooked thoroughly.

For the "icing":

1 small butternut squash

1 tbs coconut oil

2 tbs pickled jalapeños (plus extras for garnish)

Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Wrap each 1/2 in foil and bake until tender. Scoop out the roasted flesh and pulse in a food processor with the coconut oil (easier to work with if you warm it up) and jalapenos until you have a smooth paste. Frost away!

Notes:

• I used 1lb of grass finished ground beef and 1 lb of ground pork. I left out the cilantro as I have some cilantro-hating family.
• My easy cooking tip for the butternut squash (or any squash) is to place the whole thing in the microwave and hit the "baked potato" auto sensor cook button. It comes out perfect every time in about 10-12 minutes!
• I wasn't sure how many jalapeños "2 tbs" would really be, so I used about 15 slices. It has the tangy sweetness, but wasn't too spicy. Oh and I used butter in the icing instead of coconut oil... cause, ya know.. butter makes everything delicious

Ginger Beef

Loosely based off of this recipe from Everydaypaleo.com, here is a delicious ginger beef recipe to satisfy any asian flavor cravings.

1-2lbs of grass finished beef

2 TB Coconut Oil

Marinade:

1 medium piece of ginger root

Juice of 1 orange

2 TB Wheat free Tamari

2 TB Sesame Oil

Fresh ground black pepper

Sauce:

1/4 Cup of beef broth

1 TB honey (optional)

1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional)

Veggies - anything you want!

2 Stalks of celery

2 Carrots

1 head of swiss chard, sliced thin into "noodles"

Slice the beef into this strips. It's easiest to do this when it's partially frozen.

Peel the ginger and squeeze through a garlic press to yield mostly juice and a few small pieces. Discard the dry, fibrous material that remains after juicing. Add the ginger juice and all the marinade ingredients to the beef. Set aside to marinate.

Heat the coconut oil on high heat in a wok or large skillet. Fry the beef until cooked through, then reduce the heat and add the veggies. Stirfry for 2-3 minutes, then add the sauce mixture. Simmer until liquid is reduced.

Notes: We had this served over spaghetti squash and it was delicious. It would also be excellent over zucchini "noodles" or shredded broccoli. The only thing I left out that I would add next time is 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic in the marinade.

Morroccan Beef Stew

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 3/4 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lemon peel

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add beef to pan and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, carrot, and garlic to pan. Cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add spices; stir 1 minute. Add broth, olives, raisins, and cilantro; bring to boil. Simmer until juices thicken, about 5 minutes. Add beef and any accumulated juices and lemon peel to pan. Stir to warm through and serve.

Notes

I made this receipe with elk and let it simmer in the slow cooker all day. The meat turned out tender, flavorful, and delicious

Fat Guacamole Devils

Found this recipe on Mark's Daily Apple and anything with eggs and avocados gets an automatic A+ from me!

Ingredients:

• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Click here for instructions

Paleo Pad Thai

When looking for inspiration to keep your caveman food interesting, think international. Thai flavors are built around spicy, sweet, and savory ingredients like hot peppers, lime, nuts, and cilantro.

This recipe works very well with spaghetti squash in place of the traditional rice vermicelli noodles. It can also be served over broccoli slaw and bean sprouts when you can't get your hands on a squash.

Sauce:

3 TB lime juice

3 TB soy sauce

3 TB fish sauce

2 TB rice vinegar

1 TB Honey
1 TB sesame oil

Red Pepper flakes, to desired spiciness

Stirfry:

1/2 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

Chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork

Veggies - shredded carrots, celery, bell peppers, shredded zucchini, broccoli, bok choy... pretty much anything you can dig out of your fridge.

Saute the onions and garlic in a bit of oil for 1-2 minutes, then add your protein and stirfry until fully cooked. Toss in the veggies and cook until they start to soften. Add the sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Serve over raw or steamed broccoli slaw & bean sprouts or over spaghetti squash guts.

Banana Nut Muffins

Mmmmmmmmmm Muffins!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Almond Flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

1/3 Cup Honey

1/2 Cup Applesauce

1/4 Cup Butter, softened

1 Large Ripe banana (or 1 1/2 of the little ones)
1/2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F

2. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl

3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until well mixed and a little foamy.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into a large bowl. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients and mix well

5. Grease a muffin tin or use silicon cup liners (awesome!). Fill each cup evenly with the batter. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra cinnamon.

6. Bake for 18-20 mins. When they're done the edges should be slighly brown and a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean.

This makes about 3 dozen mini muffins or 18 regular size.

Waldorf Salad Wraps

Per Serving:

1/4 apple, cored but not necessarily peeled

1/2 stalk celery

1 slice of onion (if you're into that sort of thing)

2 TB walnuts

1/2 cup cooked chicken (aprx 2 oz)

1-2 TB olive oil mayo

Roughly chop everything together or lightly pulse in a food processor/magic bullet. Waldorf salad also usually has grapes too, which I didn't include, but would probably be a tasty addition.

Serve wrapped up in one of the delicious Basic Crepes/Wraps.

Best lunch ever. Yum!

Basic Crepes/Wraps

This is a wonderfully delicious, yet neutral flavored base that works just as well with sweet toppings like jam, fruit, honey, or syrup as it does with savory flavors for lunchtime wraps.

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1/2 Cup + 2 TB almond flour

2 tsp honey (warmed)

pinch of salt

butter, for the pan to cook the crepes

1. Whisk the first 4 ingredients together.

2. Put in the fridge to chill for 10-15 mins

3. Heat an 8" pan (or crepe maker if you have one) on Med-Low.

4. Brush the pan with butter and pour in about 1/3 cup of the mixture. Tilt the pan around until it makes a thin layer

5. Watch closely as it will only take a short time for the bottom of the crepe to brown. Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and flip

6. Cool on a rack and enjoy! This recipe made 4 crepes.

Satay Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Paste
1/4 Cup fresh ginger, shredded
1/4 Cup shallots
4 garlic cloves
1 serrano chili pepper, sliced, stem removed
1/3 Cup olive oil

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into strips
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1.25 Cups coconut milk
1/2 Cup natural peanut butter

2 TB lime juice

1 TB fish sauce

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a food processor (or old school with a mortar and pestle) blend together the ginger, shallots, garlic, and chili pepper, adding the oil slowly to create a paste. Set aside half the paste in a saucepan. Put the other half in a big plastic bag with the chicken strips, salt, and cayenne pepper. Seal it tight, mush it around to coat thoroughly, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat the saucepan with the other half of the paste to med-high on the stove. Cook for 3-4 mins, stirring often. Add the remaining ingredients, whisk until smooth, and simmer until it reaches a creamy consistency (2-3 mins).

Thread the chicken strips on to skewers. Grill over direct high heat until fully cooked, turning once (about 5-7 mins). Serve with the warm sauce.

Cilantro Pesto Chicken Strips

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

Marinade:

3 TB walnuts

2 garlic cloves

1.5 Cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 Cup Fresh parsley

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1 lime, cut into wedges

Pulse the walnuts and garlic cloves together in the food processor. Add the cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper and process until finely chopped. You'll probably need to scrape down the sides periodically.

Slice the chicken breasts into strip and dredge thoroughly in the marinade. This might be easiest in a big plastic bag. Leave it in the bag or a sealed container in the fridge for 2 hours.

Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill over direct high heat. You'll need to turn them once and they'll be done in about 6-8 mins. Serve warm with the lime wedges.

Laura's Spaghetti (Squash) and Meat Sauce

Thanks again to Laura and her culinary inspirations. Looks delicious!



Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1 large spaghetti squash
1 yellow onion (chopped)
3 cups chopped spinach
2 TB olive oil
1 jar of organic pasta sauce
3 large cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 tsp pepper

Scrub the squash well. Though you'll only be eating the flesh, you don't want any grime making its way into your dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Split the squash and remove the seeds and 'guts' with a spoon. Place it in a baking dish and leave it in the oven for about 30-35 minutes. Check for tenderness.

While the squash is cooking, start frying up the ground beef on the stove top in a large skillet or frying pan. Cook until all pink is gone and then add onions, garlic, olive oil, and pepper. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Then add spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Add pasta sauce and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste.

When the squash is done baking remove from the oven and scrape the flesh of the squash with a fork; you should get orange spaghetti-like strands. Then scrape strands with a spoon into a bowl. Serve the meat sauce over spaghetti squash and enjoy!

Simply Natural Organic Pasta Sauces are available at most grocery stores and in pack of 3 at Costco (you know I love my bulk bargains at Costco!). With ingredients like this, why would you make your own?? :-)
Ingredients: Organic Tomato Puree, Organic Tomatoes, Organic Basil, Salt, Organic Soybean Oil, Organic Chopped Onions, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Oregano and organic Chopped Garlic

Almond Crusted Salmon

1/2 Cup almond meal
1/4 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cumin
4 salmon fillets
2 tsp lemon juice
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 500F. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish.

Brush or spritz the salmon with the lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Coat each fillet generously in the almond meal mixture. Place skin side down on an oiled (or buttered) broiled pan. Sprinkle any remaining almond meal on the top of the fish and pat gently to make it stick.

Bake at 500F for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges and the Hazelnut Mushroom Asparagus from the previous post!