Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Coconut Chicken Curry

Have you noticed, I keep referencing The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook and Action Plan? It has been my survival guide on this new journey with Hashimotos because I have found the Action Plan very helpful, and the recipes delicious. So, here is yet another of my favorites.




Ingredients
1 Tbsp coconut oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 cups chicken bone broth
1 cup unsweetened organic coconut milk
3 celery stalks
3 carrots, diced (or about 2 cups)
1 tsp tumeric
cilantro (optional)
sea salt

Directions
1. Place saucepan over med-high heat and add coconut oil. Saute chicken until lightly browned and almost cooked through.
2. Add garlic and ginger and saute about 2 minutes.
3. Add broth, coconut milk, celery, carrots, and tumeric. Bring curry to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and chicken are tender, about 35 minutes.
4. Stir in cilantro and season with salt. Serve immediately.

AIP/Paleo Stir Fry



Ingredients
4-6 chicken thighs
EVOO
3 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup broccoli florets
2 peeled and sliced carrots


Directions
1. Add oil to pan and lightly season chicken with salt to taste, add to pan over medium heat until cooked through.
2. Add garlic, ginger, and onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
3. Add broccoli, carrots, and cook until tender.

*this recipe is easily made vegetarian or vegan by eliminating the chicken and using 2 cups of broccoli
**You could also add snap peas

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Grapefruit Salad


Yet another favorite of mine from the Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook and Action Plan. My husband would like to eat this every night!!



Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING:
1/2 c EVOO
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp local organic honey
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon
Pinch sea salt

FOR THE SALAD:
3 cups spinach
2 red grapefruits, peeled, sectioned, and chopped
1/4 c dried cranberries

Directions
1. Whisk all dressing ingredients together until well combined and set aside.
2. Mix salad ingredients in large bowl.
3 Add dressing and toss. Eat it up!!

Pear-stuffed Pork Loin




Ingredients
1 4lb boneless pork loin
1 pear, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup mushrooms
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325. Cut pork loin lengthwise through middle, leaving 2 " connected all the way down the length. Open like a book, then cut each side horizontally almost all the way through so you can unfold the pork almost flat. Set aside.
2. Stir pear, mushrooms, cranberries, onion, garlic, thyme, and parsley in a med bowl until combined. Spread this mixture evenly over pork and roll the pork up tightly.
3. Tie the pork roll with kitchen twine at 2" intervals to hold together. Place the tied loin on a baking tray and roast until cooked through, about 1 hour.

Cauliflower-Bacon Soup


Oh yummy. This was dream-a-vicious. Thanks again to the Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook and Action Plan.



Ingredients
6 strips organic bacon, chopped
2 leeks, whites only, chopped
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 heads cauliflower, cut into small florets
6 cups Chicken bone broth
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions
1. Fry bacon in saucepan, stirring frequently, until cooked and crispy, about 5 min. Transfer to a towel-lined plate and set aside.
2. Place saucepan back on heat without wiping, add leeks and garlic and sauce.
3. Add cauliflower and broth to saucepan and add water to cover if cauliflower is not covered by liquid by at least 1 "
4. Bring to boil, then reduce to low, simmering until cauliflower tender, about 20 minutes.
5. Transfer to a food processor and use and immersion blender and process. Pour soup back into pot and add bacon. Serve warm with fresh parsley.

Beef, Bacon Wrapped




Ingredients
4 round steaks (or something similar)
salt to taste
8 slices organic bacon
2 Tbsp EVOO

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 deg. Season steak with salt. Wrap each with 2 slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks
2. Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil. Sear each side of the steaks, about 4 min per side.
3. Transfer steaks to a parchment paper lined baking tray and roast about 6 minutes for medium doneness. 
4. Remove toothpicks and serve.

Honey-Thyme Beef Jerky



Who doesn't love good beef jerky? And who wants the extra chemicals? Thanks to Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook and Action Plan, I can have my jerky and eat it too!



Ingredients
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp local organic honey
2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried thyme
2 lbs beef, such as London broil

Directions
1. Mix vinegar, honey, water, salt, garlic powder, and thyme in bowl. Set aside.
2. Slice beef very thinly across the grain, about 1/8 inch thick. 
3. Transfer meat slices to marinade. Toss to coat and place in fridge for 2 hours to a day.
4. Remove meat and lay strips on paper-towel- lined plate and pat dry. Line a large baking tray with foil and place on bottom rack of oven. Move top rack to highest position.
5. Thread beef pieces about 1" apart on wooden skewers, so that each skewer has about 7 pieces dangling from it.
6. Set skewers on top rack in oven so beef strips dangle between the bars. Repeat until all beef strips in oven.
7. Turn oven on to between 180-200 degrees. Prop door open about 2" and cook until turnkey is dry, about 8 hours.
8. Remove from skewers and let cool completely. Store in sealed container for up to 1 month in fridge.


Saturday, November 7, 2015

Roasted Zucchini Salad



Ingredients
6 zucchini, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
2 Tbsp balsalmic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c shredded fresh basil

Directions
1. Place zucchini and onion on parchment paper covered baking pan
2. Preheat oven to 450. Roast, turning once, until lightly browned and tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for about 30 minutes. Then add balsalmic vinegar, salt, and basil. Toss to combine before serving.

Shrimp Scampi




Ingredients
1 Tbsp EVOO
3 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 lb (21-35 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1 lemon

Direction
1. Place large skillet over med- hi heat and add olive oil. Saute the garlic until fragrant and soft.
2. Add the shrim and saute until pink and cooked, through, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat and add parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice and toss to mix.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Vegetable and Chicken Curry- Paleo/AIP

Although many of the typical seasonings found in curry are eliminated for AIP, this dish is a tasty treat.



Ingredients
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 lbs chicken breast or thigh, organic
2 cups mushrooms, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cups broccoli florets
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 c. unsweetened organic coconut milk (watch for thickeners in canned products- ie guar gum, etc)
1 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch cloves
salt to taste
2 Tbsp thinly shredded basil

Directions
1. Brown chicken until cooked through in coconut oil over medium heat.
2. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, ginger and saute until soft.
3. Add broccoli, carrots, zucchini, coconut milk, seasonings and bring to a boil.
4.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in basil and serve immediately.

*This recipe can easily be made vegan by eliminating the chicken and increasing the amount of vegetables. I suggest 4 cups brocolli and add an extra carrot and extra zucchini.
**For those not AIP, this tastes good with rice.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Chicken Nuggets the Paleo Way






After years of adventuring with diet, exercise, and more, I FINALLY have an answer. I have an auto-immune disease called Hashimoto's, which affects your thyroid. So, this was the first of the recipes I attempted on AIP (Auto-immune paleo) and it was delicious!



Ingredients
4 Tbsp Arrowroot powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 c organic coconut milk
2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
About 3 lbs of boneless, skinless organic chicken (I used a mix of breasts and thighs), cut into strips
EVOO

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
2. Mix arrowroot and seasonings into a small bowl. Pour coconut milk into a separate small bowl. Place the coconut on a plate.
3. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
4. Dredge a chicken strip in arrowroot mixture, dip it into the coconut milk, then dredge it in the shredded coconut.
5. Place the coated strips on the baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken is breaded.
6. Lightly brush with olive oil, then baked until chicken is cooked through and coconut is golden, turning once, about 25 minutes