Paleo General Tso-Inspired Chicken

When I found some ground chicken on sale for a great price at the grocery store, I just had to pick up a package... but then I found myself wondering what to make with it.  I could have made fajitas or meatballs, but I wanted something different - and I was really in the mood for broccoli.  Fajitas and broccoli just don't go together in my mind, so I had to come up with something new!

I used ingredients that are staples in my fridge & pantry - and because I was super hungry, I had to come up with something quick.  The little bit of tapioca included in the sauce thickens it up nicely, and it tastes so good.  This recipe serves two, but I must admit - I definitely went back for seconds after finishing my first dish!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tamari sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• ½ tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• ½ tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ tbsp. raw honey
• ½ tsp hot sauce (optional, according to preference)
• ½ tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp tapioca flour
• Spices to taste (I used a few shakes of chili pepper, and crushed red pepper)

Chicken:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250 grams ground chicken (1/2 package)

Side:

• 1 cup frozen broccoli

Method:

• Add all ingredients for the sauce to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Set aside.

• Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a pan. Add the chicken once the oil is hot. Once the chicken is browned, add the sauce to the chicken. Cook a few minutes longer until the sauce thickens.

• Meanwhile, steam your broccoli using a steamer and a shallow pot of water.  If desired, you can add a little bit of minced garlic to the broccoli for a little bit of extra flavour.

• To serve, place the broccoli in the bottom of a dish, and spoon the chicken on top, allowing the sauce to drizzle over the broccoli.  

Note: this would also taste great with some jasmine or basmati rice, if you allow rice into your diet!

Servings: 2

The recipe doesn't take long at all to prepare - maybe 30 minutes max from ingredient gathering to final meal, so it makes it perfect for a work night.  I think it would taste great as leftovers too, however, I would probably steam the broccoli fresh the next day - microwaved/reheated broccoli doesn't always have the same flavour.

I'm pretty sure that this recipe will be added to my current rotation of weeknight dinners - how about you? Are you going to give it a shot?  Leave tips in the comments if you try it or customize it for yourself!

World Nutella Day 2014: Pinterest pin tested!

For World Nutella Day (that's today - February 5th!) - I decided to celebrate by testing out one of my easiest recipes on my Recipes To Remember Pinterest board - the 3-Ingredient Nutella Brownie.  Unfortunately, this does not in any way fall into the "paleo" or in any way healthy category... but if you're looking for an easy and delicious treat, this pin is definitely approved!

With only three ingredients involved (nutella, flour and eggs), this recipe had the potential to be either REALLY good, or REALLY bad.

Thankfully, it turned out to be really good!  The ingredients are all things I had on hand, so it was easy to just pull everything out and not have to worry about shopping for anything special.  If I'd had nuts or chocolate chips, I might have mixed them into the batter, or put a few on top.  But they tasted great without any additions at all!

The batter was a little bit sticky, but easy to work with.  And once they were in the oven, the entire house smelled divine within 15-20 minutes!

My brownies only needed about 25 minutes to bake (and even then, I could have probably taken them out a minute or two earlier to get that gooey centre!), but they were perfect with an afternoon cup of tea!

They puffed up nicely after being baked and they looked and tasted awesome!

Future serving options:
- with vanilla ice cream and maybe some raspberry coulis
- with fresh strawberries and whipped cream
- with nuts or chocolate chips mixed into the batter.

So many other ways to serve this!  How would you do it?

Happy World Nutella Day!

Zucchini "Pasta" in Tomato Sauce

Zucchini "pasta" is one of my favourite go-to dishes since giving up grains.  It's quick, easy and delicious - and chock full 'o veggies.  This is the basic recipe... but you can add so much to make it even more delicious.  My suggestions would be: maybe some meatballs or ground beef, red peppers (mmm, or roasted red peppers for enhanced flavour), mushrooms, bacon... all of this stuff would definitely taste awesome in this dish.  So, without further ado... here we go.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 zucchini (made enough for dinner + lunch for 1 person)
• tomato sauce (I happen to have homemade stuff in mason jars - use whatever you like!)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper, other spices to taste
• parmesan cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Start by shredding your zucchini.  I use my mandoline to make it easier, and for uniform "noodles" - you can use a knife if you prefer/have the patience.  The trick is to only shred up to the seeds, and discard the core.  It doesn't cook very well in this recipe.  (If you can use it in another recipe, by all means, do so!)

2. Next, add some olive oil to your pan, on medium heat, and add your minced garlic to the pan.  When it starts to sizzle (but before it starts to burn), add your zucchini.   Add your spices and stir until the zucchini is softened.  If you're adding in other vegetables (red peppers, mushrooms, etc), now's the time to add them.

3. Once the zucchini is soft, add in your tomato sauce.   Allow the sauce to cook down a bit, as per your normal cooking directions.  My sauce has already been cooked, so I just let it heat through and reduce a bit, maybe 5-10 min.





4.  Once you're satisfied with the consistency of the sauce, remove from heat and serve.  Top with parmesan cheese, and you have yourself a delicious meal!


Have you tried this? Made any modifications?  Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Romance Yourself

Blue Cheese Pasta

Big handful of dry whole-wheat pasta

¼ cup of blue cheese (or more) I used extra creamy Rosenborg

¼ cup of heavy cream

Pepper to season

Boil water and toss the pasta in and cook until al dente.

2. Put the cream and cheese together in a cause pan and on a med heat melt together. Toss the drained pasta into sauce and get it all nice and covered.

Meat Balls

1/3^rd of a pack of meat.

1 tablespoon of flour

1 tablespoon of herbs du province

¼ cup of red wine

Minced garlic

2 teaspoons of coconut oil

Mix all the ingredients together and roll the meat into small balls. On hot pan melt the coconut oil and fry the meatballs so they are crispy and brown on all sides.

I served it with homemade pickled red onions (very sweet and tangy) and a nice big glass of Cabernet Sauvignon by Jean Leon with it. For desert mini brownies and caramel ice cream on a bed of toasted pecans. I will put up the how to for the red onion and toasted pecans soon. This is a great love yourself or love somebody meal. Super easy to make but looks really fancy when you are done. In fact I would say it takes about the same effort as a box of Mac and Cheese. I am also sure that you could make this with other kinds of cheese.

Tempting Tuna.

Cooking for one, two or more doesn’t mean the food has to be boring. It also doesn’t mean you have to be eating leftovers for the next week. I am going to post how I made it, and then make a few suggestions for alternative.

1 pinch of pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 pinches of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish

½ teaspoon of lemon juice

¼ of a chopped onion (or less)

1 egg

1 can of solid white tuna, drained.

2 teaspoons olive oil.

1 teaspoon of mayo /mustard

½ pickle sliced

2 pieces of toast.

In a bowl combine tuna and egg lightly, then add everything else.

Toast your bread.

Heat the oil in a pan, and them forming two patties cook them until golden brown, about 5 mins preside. Or until tuna is cooked through.

Dr. up your toast and put the tuna burger on it and eat with a knife and fork.

If you want to turn them into sliders I would say double the recipe and get mini hamburger buns, toast them. You can add celery, minced garlic, or anything else one night add to a tuna fish sandwich. You might even add pimento. I would play with the mustards to give it an original taste.

When I made this for a friend they found it “flavorful”, “moist & crunchy”, and “has a little kick”. Out of ten stars for an easy make they gave it 9/10. I served it with grapes and a salad. And to drink an ice tea.