Roasted Chicken with Paleo Cranberry Orange Sausage Stuffing

In my quest for a Paleo  T-Day I stumbled upon Boulder Sausages Cranberry Orange Breakfast sausage and I thought to myself, I bet that would be great in stuffing!!!! This stuffing is all paleo and is just enough sweet.  The stuffing was enough to fill the chicken and fill the outside of the 13X9 baking dish and probably would be enough just to fill the inside of a turkey. You could also use the regular breakfast sausage as well.

You need:

1 small whole Chicken

1 tbps olive oil

1/2 lb Cranberry Orange Breakfast Sausage

1 large onion, minced

1 cup Celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 Medium golden Delicious apple, chopped.

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 cup Cranberries, fresh

1.5 cups orange juice

1 tbsp fresh sage chopped

1 sprig thyme

1 tbsp Chef’s shake seasoning

salt to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a 13X9 glass baking dish.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and cook the sausage breaking it up into small bits.

In the meantime, cook cranberries and 1/2 cup orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, let the cranberries cook and become sweeter with the OJ. When the cranberries have become soft, drain the cranberry orange water and save for marinating and basting the chicken. Save cranberries for stuffing.

In  a small bowl, mix the cranberry orange juice, 1/2 cup orange juice, sage ,thyme, and chef’s shake.

When the sausage has cooked add in the onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add in the apples  and cauliflower to the pan and coat them about 1 minute. Transfer into a large bowl and add in cranberries. 

Add last 1/2 cup of OJ to the pan to scrape up the browned bits and add to the stuffing. Fold everything gently together.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and under the skin. Shake extra seasoning over the chicken it you wish. Stuff the chicken with the stuffing and pour the rest outside the chicken or place in a separate baking dish if you don’t want it mixed up with the chicken juices.

Bake for 1. 5 hours or until the chicken reached 180 degrees F. You may wish to place a piece of foil on the chicken after an hour to keep the moisture in.

I ate mine with Panetta, apple spinach salad. Yum!

Homemade Chicken Soup

 

I’ve been thinking about making chicken soup for a while now and I have been waiting  to make it on just the right cold and snowy day. This is super easy, but it does take some  time, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

You Need:

1 small whole chicken, skinned

2 quarts organic low sodium chicken broth

1 large onion

5 stalks celery

1 cup baby carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves

3 sprigs thyme

3 sage leaves

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs rosemary

1 large leek, chopped

1.5 cup zucchini, shredded

juice from one lemon

In a large stock pot, place the chicken and chicken stock and enough water to just cover the chicken. Heat to a boil. Put in the onion, 2 celery stalks chopped, .5 cup carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, sage in the pot and cover and lower heat to low and simmer for 1.5 hours.

Take the chicken out of the pot and place on a cutting board. Let the stock sit with the heat off and skim off the fat. A quick tip: I put the pot in my fridge for 20 minutes to let it cool and speed up the separation process. Then I was able to skim off the fat and see it easier.

Remove chicken from the bones however works best for you and place back into the soup. Place the remaining veggies, except the zucchini in the pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer covered for 10 minutes and then add zucchini, simmer for 2 minutes and then serve!

Homemade Chicken Soup

 

I’ve been thinking about making chicken soup for a while now and I have been waiting  to make it on just the right cold and snowy day. This is super easy, but it does take some  time, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

You Need:

1 small whole chicken, skinned

2 quarts organic low sodium chicken broth

1 large onion

5 stalks celery

1 cup baby carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves

3 sprigs thyme

3 sage leaves

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs rosemary

1 large leek, chopped

1.5 cup zucchini, shredded

juice from one lemon

In a large stock pot, place the chicken and chicken stock and enough water to just cover the chicken. Heat to a boil. Put in the onion, 2 celery stalks chopped, .5 cup carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, sage in the pot and cover and lower heat to low and simmer for 1.5 hours.

Take the chicken out of the pot and place on a cutting board. Let the stock sit with the heat off and skim off the fat. A quick tip: I put the pot in my fridge for 20 minutes to let it cool and speed up the separation process. Then I was able to skim off the fat and see it easier.

Place the remaining veggies, except the zucchini in the pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer covered for 10 minutes and then add zucchini, simmer for 2 minutes and then serve!

Homemade Chicken Soup

 

I’ve been thinking about making chicken soup for a while now and I have been waiting  to make it on just the right cold and snowy day. This is super easy, but it does take some  time, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

You Need:

1 small whole chicken, skinned

2 quarts organic low sodium chicken broth

1 large onion

5 stalks celery

1 cup baby carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves

3 sprigs thyme

3 sage leaves

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs rosemary

1 large leek, chopped

1.5 cup zucchini, shredded

juice from one lemon

In a large stock pot, place the chicken and chicken stock and enough water to just cover the chicken. Heat to a boil. Put in the onion, 2 celery stalks chopped, .5 cup carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, sage in the pot and cover and lower heat to low and simmer for 1.5 hours.

Take the chicken out of the pot and place on a cutting board. Let the stock sit with the heat off and skim off the fat. A quick tip: I put the pot in my fridge for 20 minutes to let it cool and speed up the separation process. Then I was able to skim off the fat and see it easier.

Place the remaining veggies, except the zucchini in the pot and bring to a boil.

Mini Vegetable Frittatas

 

These veggie frittatas are so simple to make and they make for an easy quick or even to-go breakfast… lunch or dinner for that matter. I got this idea from a client who started to make them for her son who has recently adopted the Paleo diet and was having trouble eating enough for breakfast. I decided to make them today and I think I will make some more soon because Diego’s already eaten two or three.

What you need:

1.5 cup zucchini squash, shredded

1/2 an onion chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

6 eggs

1/2 tsp  Celtic sea salt

1tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sauté onions and salt in olive oil in a large pan until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sauté another 3-5 minutes.

While this is happening, whisk the eggs in a medium size bowl. Add the zucchini   and green onion to the egg mixture and mix.

Spray a 12 muffin pan with oil and fill each hole with mushroom and onion just so it covers the bottom.

Fill each muffin hole with egg mixture a little more than 3/4 full but not quite to the top, it will fluff up and the egg might run over a bit.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the egg is cooked all the way through.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower “Rice” Pilaf

 

I’ve been craving rice lately and specifically that saffron colored wonderful aromatic basmati rice they serve at an Indian restaurant. I’ve been pondering the idea of making “rice” on it’s own with cauliflower for a few weeks and I finally gave it a try. After seeing how this dish created itself, I can see there is a ton more rice-y dishes you could make with cauliflower, especially a rich risotto. I can’t wait to try some more.

If you have been craving that rice texture and you want something that is flavorful and satisfying you will love this cauliflower rice.

 

You need:

1 medium head cauliflower, pulverized in the food processor

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic

10-12 green cardamom pods

1 tbsp cloves

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

2 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp saffron strands

1.5 cup chicken stock

Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the cardamom, cloves, coriander, ginger, and cinnamon. Sauté 3-5 minutes.

Add Cauliflower and sauté with spices about 5 minutes or until it starts to get a golden color and the aromatics of the spices have spread around the kitchen again.

Add the chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves, and saffron and bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to low and let simmer for 10-20 minutes until the liquid is soaked up by the cauliflower. The longer you let it simmer the more the flavors will come into the cauliflower.

Serve and garnish with cilantro or thyme.

Paleo Frito Pie with Guacamole

I was in the mood for chili yesterday and after doing some experimenting with  Sweet Potato chips on Friday I got the great idea to make Frito pie. Now when I make Chili I sort of “wing it” as far as a recipe and use things I have laying around the kitchen, so I tried to write down this recipe as best I could. The best thing about winging it with chili is that every chili comes out new and excited but the bad part is, it’s hard for me to replicate a really good chili over again. This batch turned out smoky with a sweet taste from the squash and the andoullie sausage. Yum!

Chili:

1 pound Grass fed ground beef

2 links nitrate free Andoullie sausage, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

2 jalapeños, chopped and pitted

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch cilantro

1 cup butternut squash, peeled and chopped

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

2 14 oz cans  no salt added  organic diced tomatoes in juice

1 cup beef broth

Salt to taste

1 tbsp cumin

3 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

water

 

In a large pot heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium high. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeños and sauté until the onions are translucent, about  10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large skillet brown the ground beef and sausage until cooked. Set aside.

In a food processor, add 1 tbsp olive oil and cilantro. Blend until it becomes a thick paste and add water until it forms a saucy consistency. set aside.

Add the Mushrooms and squash to the pot with the onions and sauté for 3ish minutes or until the mushrooms have begun to shrink. Add the meat to the pot and let everything cook together for about 5 minutes to let the flavors meld.

Add cans of tomatoes and beef broth and cilantro sauce. add in all spices and stir. Bring to a boil and then set heat to low and let simmer for 1-2 hours. It depends on how think you want your chili. I wanted mine thick this time so I let it simmer for over 2 hours to reduce and thicken. ( If you don’t have beef broth, chicken broth or water would work just as well)

 

Sweet Potato Chips

2-3 large sweet potatoes

olive oil

coconut oil

grapeseed oil

salt

Peel the sweet potatoes. I cut mine using the slicer in my food processor so they come out uniform. If you don’t have access to one of these you can cut them yourself. They can be as thick or thin as you like. Just remember the thicker they are the longer the cooking time will be.

If you have a deep fryer, this part will be much less time consuming. If not, place an amount of oil in a large skillet so that the oil is about 1/2 inch high, enough to cover your chips. Heat up to 375 if you have a thermometer or heat to med high. Know your stove, mine is a lot hotter than it says it is. Test one chip and get a feel for if the oil is hot enough, too hot etc and how long it needs to cook for. you will need to watch the chips at all times. When one side is golden brown, flip it over. The point here is to get rid of the moisture in the potatoes, so if your chips are coming out and ending up a little soggy, they need to cook longer.

When your chips are done place them on a plate with some paper towels to catch the excess oil. Salt them if you like and then put them in a large bowl. I found that it’s best to salt them immediately after taking them out of the oil so the salt sticks.

The same technique would work to make sweet potato chips. I also tried a few squash chips which turned out great but required a different cooking time because they have so much more moisture. As long as you stay by the pan, flipping and checking your chips, you can’t go wrong. 

 

Guacamole

3-4 Large avocados

1 bunch cilantro

1 clove garlic

1 jalapeño

salt to taste

1/2 tsp cumin

juice from 1 small lemon

 

place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until the consistency is what you want. If you are going by hand, mince the cilantro, garlic, and jalapeño and place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a masher or a fork, or use a mortar and pedestal if you have one.

 

 

The Piece de Resistance

Putting it all together,

In your bowl, put a layer of chips, then pile on the chili, then put some more chips on top and a big dollop of guac…. mmmmmmm Diego Approved! Garnish with chopped avocado, peppers, cilantro, lime wedges, cabbage…. whatever your little hear desires.

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