Learning as I go

In the last 5 years I have really taken to cooking. I didn't do much at first, some baking mostly. I have discovered it is a new passion of mine and felt that this would be a great way to share the many recipes that have come my way along with some originals of my own. In the last couple weeks we have started receiving CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - local grown fruit and vegetables and boy have I had fun figuring out what all I can do with it. Ive been making and cooking things I never imagined I would. So if you have found a passion in cooking like I have you have come to the right place. I hope you enjoy!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Paleo Chipotle Chicken Vegetable Bake



This flavorful, dairy-free and gluten-free dish is a great way to use leftover chicken and bacon (if you have that kind of self-control) and get your veggies, too.
Ingredients
  • 1 large head of cauliflower ( I did half cauliflower and half broccoli)
  • 4 Stalks of Celery sliced
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used a variety pack from Trader Joes that had red, yellow and green)
  • 1 cup green onions, chopped
  • 1 tsp chile powder
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder (Did not have so I substitued with red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, thyme and some extra chili powder, you can also use paprika)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • Salt, to taste
  • 2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
  • 6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Olive oil or bacon fat for sautéing
Instructions
  1. Cut cauliflower and broccoli into florets. Steam over boiling water for about 12 minutes, until it florets are tender but not mushy. (Note: this is a good time to cook up your chicken and bacon if you haven’t already.)
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degree F.
  3. Heat frying pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil or bacon fat and red peppers. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add green onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes longer. Set aside.
  4. Place cauliflower, broccoli and celery in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chile powder, chipotle powder, cumin, and salt until well blended. Stir in red pepper mixture, chicken chunks, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, and cilantro.
  5. Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until heated through and the top is golden brown.
  6. Serve.
Love and Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Maoomba

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Paleo Quiche

 

Being on the Paleo diet I have had to experiment with different things for breakfast; this has become one of my favorites. I like to slice it into 8 pieces and I have one slice with an apple every morning. The nice thing I like is that you can have variety with this and change it up every week with different ingredients.

Basic paleo spinach quiche recipe

Ingredients
  • 5-6 large eggs;
  • 1 ½ cups fresh spinach, chopped;
  • ½ medium onion, chopped;
  • 1 clove garlic, minced;
  • ½ cup coconut/almond milk;
  • ½ tsp baking powder;
  • 1/2 cup diced/sliced assorted bell peppers;
  • You can also add some meat like various diced sausages
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and coconut/almond milk together. Make sure you mix things up really well. As you continue to whisk, start adding in all the other ingredients.
  3. Now you are left with greasing a 9” pie dish and pouring everything in. Bake the quiche for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through in the center. I also like when the edges get golden brown and have a little crunch to them.
  4. If you are opened to consuming some dairy, it is quite popular to add some cheese into the quiche.

Love and Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Paleo Diet Lifestyle

Friday, July 27, 2012

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole




Its that time of year again and we have started getting our CSA, which means lots of fruits and veggies to get creative with. The last 2 weeks I have gotten a medium head of cabbage and Ive been contemplating what to do with them. I went to work with google and came across this healthy recipe filled with ingredients I already had on hand. I cannot tell you how delicious this is and good for you at the same time.


Stuffed Cabbage Casserole


Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
  • 1 large onion, chopped fine
  • 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
  • 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (I used a quinoa/brown rice mix)
  • 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (My dish was 13" x 10")
Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.

Layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.

Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese (if using.) Bake uncovered an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot.

Freezer friendly if you have leftovers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.


Love and Enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of Skinnytaste.com


Thursday, June 7, 2012

Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers


Here is a fun and healthy way to make meatloaf that I got from my mom. With this you get your protein and your vegetables all in one. I have included Paleo substitutes for anyone interested in making it that way. This is one of our favorites because each one is a portion already created and will last a couple nights if there are just two of you.

Ingredients:

  • 1lb Hamburger (or Ground Turkey)
  • 1/2 Onion diced
  • Chopped Bell Peppers (I usually dice up the tops after I have cut them off)
  • 1 Clove Garlic
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Cup Soda Crackers (crushed) or bread/seasoning ( I also use Almond Meal)
  • 1/2 Cup Milk (I use Almond Milk)
  • 1/3 Cup Ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • Salt and Pepper to taste 
  • 6 to 8 Bell Peppers

Sauce 

  • 2 Tbsp Prepared Mustard
  • 2Tbsp Brown Sugar ( I sometimes substitute with Honey)
  • 2 Tbsp Ketchup 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In large bowl combine meatloaf ingredients with the exception of your whole peppers.
In a separate bowl combine ingredients for sauce and set aside. 
Place whole peppers in a glass baking dish and add about 1/2 inch of water to the bottom. Add meatloaf mixture to inside of pepper and pour sauce over top. 
Cook for 1 hour 25 min 

Love and Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Paleo Mug Cake

 
I was sitting at home one day and craving something chocolate, but I didnt want to make a batch of cookies or a whole cake just something to satisfy my cravings and I came upon this recipe. This was quick and easy to make and just one serving. This is such a great idea for a quick dessert for 1 or more people or something fun to do with the kids.
 
 
Paleo Mug Cake
 
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes
Ingredients (Makes 1 cake):
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons almond butter(or any nut butter)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons sweetener(optional)
  • Chocolate chips, walnuts, dried fruit, or other mix-ins(optional)
Method:
  1. With a fork, mash the banana into a smooth puree.
  2. Mix the almond butter, egg, cocoa powder, and extra sweetener if using into the banana puree until it forms an even batter.
  3. Fold in any mix-ins into the batter that you’d like. Otherwise, pour the batter into a mug or other microwave safe container. Be sure to only fill the container up to 2/3rds the way because it will expand in the microwave.
  4. Microwave on high for 2 and 1/2 minutes until the center is set. Carefully remove the mug from the microwave and enjoy hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Love and Enjoy!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins


I decided to make these last weekend after sitting on the recipe for months. I am so glad I did, they were amazing. The recipe called for normal sized muffins but I thought mini ones would be more fun and last longer. I am going to try these again and add fruit instead of the mini chocolate chips for a fun variety.

Hearty Hazelnut Muffins

1 1/2 cups hazelnut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. coconut flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup pastured butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla

Fun additions: dried fruit, fresh fruit (make sure it’s chopped small and isn’t too wet), chocolate chips, nuts, citrus zest

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F (375 for mini muffins). In large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients (flours through flax seed) together. In smaller glass bowl or large measuring cup, melt butter or coconut oil in microwave in 15 second increments. Add water, honey, and vanilla to melted butter/oil and whisk. Add eggs and whisk some more, until combined.

2) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. If using additions (fruit, choc chips, etc.), gently stir them in now. Pour batter into muffin tins lined with muffin liners (this was the direction I got but I did not use liners and had no problem getting them out, just grease your pan well).

3) Place in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. Check for doneness. Mine always seem to need another 3-5 minutes to get golden on top and springy to the touch.
Makes 12 regular sized muffins (or 36 mini muffins).

Recipe courtesy of The Paleo Periodical

Love and Enjoy!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Paleo Crock-pot Chicken Soup


 
Ingredients
4 frozen skinless boneless chicken breast (in the pot above I could only fit 3 but that was still plenty of chicken for the soup)
Garlic salt to taste
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 clove garlic
1 14 oz. can of coconut milk (full fat)
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes and juice
1 cup of chicken broth (I used homemade chicken broth but you can use store bought)
Sea Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
Put all the above ingredients into the crock-pot, cook for 9 hours on low. After 9 hours take two forks and shred the chicken, set the crock-pot on warm till ready to serve (making sure to taste it before serving to make sure there is enough salt and pepper)

Served: 6 (with left over’s for lunch the next day)
 Love and Enjoy!