Monday, December 8, 2014

Easy Roasted Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken thighs or drumsticks (or mixture of the two)
Salt Rub (see below for directions)
Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven 450 degrees

Rub chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle salt rub on both sides of chicken pieces. Lien baking pan with tin foil for easy cleanup. Bake for 35 minutes. Check for doneness. Chicken should read 160 degrees. Continue cooking in 5 minute increments until finished.

Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Salt Rub Directions:

1-2 Tb. Sea Salt or Celtic Salt (Small grind)
1Tb. chopped rosemary
1 tsp. Sugar (optional)
1 tsp. Powdered garlic or 2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
Zest of 1 Lemon 
Sprinkle of hot pepper flakes

* This recipe is outstanding even with out this specific rub. Feel free to combine any of your favorite seasonings and bake as instructed above.

Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup melted clarified butter (unsalted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup honey
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl, and set aside. Mix the bananas, pumpkin puree with clarified butter. Add honey and vanilla and eggs. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until combined. Add pecans and stir.

Grease a loaf pan and pour mixture into pan. This batter is thicker so just use your spatula to smooth out the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Test with a  toothpick for doneness.

How To Make Clarified Butter:

Place the un-salted butter in a heavy saucepan and melt slowly over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Skim the foam from the top, and slowly pour into a container, discarding the milky solids in the bottom of pan.

What makes clarified butter so great is its higher smoke point. This means you can cook meats and fish at a higher temperature than you can with regular butter, making it ideal for pan-frying. By clarifying the butter during a slow cooking process, you're able to strain out the milk solids that burn quickly as well as the water and salt. You'll lose about 1/4 of your original butter amount during the process, and the clarified butter will keep, tightly covered in the refrigerator for about 1 month.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Floating Tacos

This recipe will blow your mind!
Not only is it incredibly easy to make, but the amount of flavor
packed into this meal is shocking, especially since there are so few ingredients. My dear friend Kyle was kind enough to let me share his floating taco recipe with all of you, and I am confident that this recipe will become a signature dish in your home. This meal has very little prep and cooking time, and perfect for entertaining.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1 pound ground turkey ( I use a higher fat content ground turkey)
1 red pepper chopped
1 red onion chopped (reserve 1/4 cup  or so for guacamole)
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder or onion powder
1 bag gluten-free tortilla chips ( pick your favorite, and this is optional)
4 cups raw spinach
1 small package of grape or cherry tomatoes (slice)
3 avocados
1 package Greek yogurt
Shredded pepper jack cheese ( or your favorite kind)
1 lime
Hot sauce

Directions:

In a pan heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil and a splash of olive oil. Add rep pepper, onion and garlic to pan. Sautee for several minutes. Add turkey meat. Add spices. Break up turkey meat while cooking and incorporate pepper/onion/garlic into turkey. Once turkey is no longer pink turn off heat.

Plate prep:

Take a handful of corn chips and slightly break them into bite size pieces and create a bed for the spinach. Take an extra large handful of spinach and roughly cut into bite size pieces. Place the spinach over the bed of chips. Add 1/4 of the turkey mixture to the top of spinach. Garnish with shredded cheese, sliced tomatoes, guacamole, and Greek yogurt. Optional: sprinkle with ground pepper. Repeat these steps for all four servings.

Guacamole Recipe:

Mash up 3 avocados and add a sprinkle of chopped garlic and 1/4 cup chopped red onion. Add a handful of  chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle 1/2 lime. Mix all together.