Buffalo Chicken Strips!

Hey everybody,

I'm sure that most people have tried one form or another of the traditional buffalo chicken wings with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. The thing is, the level of typical spiciness from the buffalo sauce has never really appealed to my taste buds.

So I decided to make a version that was more in tune with how my ideal buffalo wings would taste. I brought the spiciness down and added a little bit of sweetness. I also made some sweet potato fries to accompany the dish and provide some starch to temper the heat of the chicken strips.

These are so delicious, and healthy, and I promise you won't be disappointed!

 Ingredients (buffalo sauce):

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 - 1 tsp sea salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Method (buffalo sauce):

1. Simmer all ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 10 minutes. I omitted the cayenne because I didn't want the sauce to be too spicy.
2. Store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.

Ingredients (chicken strips):

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (organic), cut into strips
• 1 cup of ground toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method (chicken strips):

1.  Whisk together the ground almonds, arrowroot powder, salt and pepper. Toss the chicken strips in the breading until fully coated. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow the breading to adhere to the chicken.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
3. Lay the chicken strips evenly on a lightly greased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through a golden brown.
5. Let the chicken cool for 5-10 minutes and then toss in a bowl with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of the buffalo sauce until well coated.
6. Serve with sweet potato fries, avocado, and some homemade blue cheese dressing (for a primal option).

Until next time!...

Paleo Crabcakes!

Hey guys!

Sorry I've been a bit AWOL for a while. I found that during the last few weeks while my hubby was away, it was harder to be inspired to cook new things for one person. But he's back! Finally! So I've been cooking up a storm this past week and have come up with a couple of new ideas I'd like to share with everybody.

The first recipe I want to share is a little indulgent due to the fact that it's a bit more expensive than I usually prefer. However, I wanted to try something special in honor of my hubby's return.

So I invented a paleo-friendly recipe for crabcakes! I served them with a yummy guacamole, and a primal option of lemon sour cream; they were so good!

Ingredients:

• 2 13 oz cans of lump crab meat, drained well
• 1/4 cup of ground almonds
• 1-2 tbsp coconut flour
• 3 eggs, beaten well
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1-2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns
• oil for frying

Method:

1.  Dump the crab meat into a big glass bowl. Add the ground almonds, coconut flour, and eggs and mix with a fork or your hands.
2. Grind the spices in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle (which is what I did!) and add to the crab meat mixture and incorporate fully.
3. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and add either extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and heat through.
4. Form the crab meat mixture into patties 3 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Fry in the pan in batches of 4 for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
5. Drain on a cooling rack and serve with salad, sweet potato fries, lemon wedges, and guacamole!

Until next time!...

All Day Breakfast Frittata!

Hey Everyone!

So my hubby's away on a business related trip for a while and I am cooking for one...Sad day! It turns out there is a huge difference between cooking for one as opposed to two; especially when the other person is a very active young man!

I decided to make a frittata for breakfast this morning and ended up eating it for the whole day! It was a spur of the moment thing, but it ended up turning out really well and I wanted to share it with you.

Ingredients:

• 1 small sweet potato, diced finely
• 2 preservative-free sausages, diced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup of chopped greens
• salt and garlic powder to taste
• 1/4 cup smoked Gouda cheese, grated (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.
2. Place the sweet potato chunks, sausage, and oil into a cast iron skillet and bake for 20 minutes or so until the sweet potatoes are soft.
3. In the meantime, beat the eggs together and add the seasonings.
4. Place the skillet onto medium heat on the stovetop, dump in the greens and pour in the eggs.
5. Cook until the sides of the frittata are set and then sprinkle the cheese on top and place back into the oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until the center barely giggles when moved.
6. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. You can cut and serve like a pie right out of the pan, or attempt to flip the frittata onto a plate and serve (good luck!).

Until next time!...

Zucchini Boats!

Hey there everybody!

I literally just made this recipe! I was scrounging around in my fridge for something to make and I realized I had some zucchini that needed using and some leftover chicken that also needed a final resting place =]

These zucchini boats are delicious and very healthy! Packed with protein and nutritious veggies, these make the perfect all in one dinner for almost any diet*.

Ingredients:

• 2 largish zucchini
• 1 can organic diced tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1/3 cooked chicken meat, diced (from whole roasted chicken)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano (all I had was Mexican oregano, so that's what I used)
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and then again width-wise, so that you have 8 quarters of the zucchini.

Scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4 inch border all the way around. This forms the "boat".

Place the boats in a glass baking dish and dice up the leftover zucchini guts.

Preheat a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Heat the olive oil and then saute the diced onion until translucent.

Add the chicken and the spices.

Drain the tomatoes well and add with the diced zucchini guts, cook until no excess moisture remains.

Fill the boats until the filling is mounded at the top.

Bake in a 425 degree oven until heated through and the zucchini boats are roasted, about a half hour.

Serve a la carte or with a fresh salad!
*For a vegan variation, omit the chicken. For a primal version, add some Parmesan cheese on top.

Until next time!...

Carnitas!

Hey guys,

This dish is inspired by all of the Mexican food I grew up with. Now that I'm married and had to move away from my hometown, there has been a gross shortage of really good Mexican food restaurants. So, like I do with most things, I wrote my own recipe for carnitas!

If you are unfamiliar with what carnitas are, they are cubes of some type of pork roast simmered in orange juice until shreddable and the liquid is gone; the meat starts to fry in it's own fat and gets all brown, caramelized, and crispy, yum!

You can use the meat as you like, but some of my favorite uses are burritos, tacos, or just over a fresh green salad!

Here it is:

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs pork tip roast
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp bacon fat
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• about 4 cups of orange juice

Method:

1. Dice the pork roast into 1-2 inch cubes.
2. Saute the onion in the bacon fat in a large heavy bottomed pan until translucent.
3. Add the pork and the spices.
4. Add enough of the orange juice to come up 3/4 of the way on the pork and bring to a boil.
5. Continue to simmer on medium heat, shredding the pork with two forks as it cooks.
6. Cook until the liquid evaporates, turn the heat up to medium high and fry the pork in the fat until brown and caramelized.
7. Serve as a burrito filling, taco filling, or however you like!

Until next time!...