Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breast

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts pounded flat (thin enough to roll)
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1-2 roasted red peppers cut in small chunks
1 can drained artichokes sliced into small chunks
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
1/2 cup toasted seasoned almond flour (recipe to follow)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven 350

-In a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients except for chicken
-Take a large scoop of mixture and place in the middle of flattened chicken breast.
-Pull sides of chicken together to and attach with tooth picks or metal prongs
-Brown chicken in hot skillet on both sides (3 minutes on both sides), or until brown.
-Add to greased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes, give or take a few.
-Rest for 5-10 minutes and then serve.

Toasted, seasoned almond flour:
Heat olive oil in small skillet. Add almond flour, salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and keep stirring until almond flour is golden brown. This is a replacement for bread crumbs.

TLW - Turkey Lettuce Wraps

The easiest way to replace sandwiches at lunchtime.

I use Columbus Peppered Turkey, but any sandwich meat, canned tuna or chicken, or leftover cooked meat works just as well.

2-4 large lettuce leaves (wash and dry)
several slices of roasted red pepper
cheese slices (optional)
dijon mustard (optional)
sliced tomatoes
turkey slices
Roll up roasted peppers, tomatoes, and cheese inside turkey slices. Wrap lettuce around turkey rolls and eat!
Kid-friendly, great to eat on hikes, and versatile enough for any palette.

Chocolate Power Balls ( courtesy of Gluten free Vegan Comfort Food)

This recipe is very similar to my goji bars, and ingredients can be substituted with seeds, and dried fruits.

 Makes about 16 balls
1 cup walnuts
1 cup cashews
1 cup pitted and chopped dates
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1 tablespoon orange juice

1. Place the nuts and dates in a food processor and pulse until ground. Add the rest of the ingredients and whirl until the mixture begins to form a ball.
2. Remove the mixture from the food processor and put into a large bowl. Form into tablespoon-size balls and place on a cookie sheet. Chill in fridge for about an hour until hardened. (They last in the fridge for about a week.)

Portobello Mushrooms Steak with Smothered Onions (courtesy of "Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food" by Susan O'Brien)

Serves 4

This recipe was so delicious, I had to share it with everyone.

4 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
3 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons tamarind sauce ( I used 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar and a splash of fresh orange juice)
1 teaspoon molasses
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Celtic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix ingredients in a casserole dish. Coat mushrooms with marinade, and spoon marinade on top of gills. Let stand for 15 minutes on counter, flipping the mushrooms half way through. Heat grill pan, or grill, and grill for 3-5 minutes on each side. (Keep extra marinade for later)
Slice up one onion. Saute onions in olive oil ( 1/2 tablespoon) and cook until tender. Add a sprinkle of salt. Remove onions and set aside for later. In hot sauce pan add remaining marinade and keep over heat until hot. Remove mushrooms from grill pan , top with sauteed onions, and drizzle remaining warmed up marinade on top.

I have a meat lover at home, so I cooked up some chicken sausage from Trader Joe's (removed from casing) and added to sauteed onions. I then topped mushrooms with the sausage-onion mixture. It was delicious with the extra meat, but tasty just by itself for the non- meat lovers.

Chicken Parmigiana (Yes, you can make Italian dishes without the bread crumbs!)

Serves 4
4 -6 Thinly flattened chicken breasts
2 eggs
1 cup almond flour (seasoning suggestions below)
4-6 slices fresh mozzarella
4-6 large fresh basil leaves
4-6 slices of heirloom tomatoes or fresh in-season tomatoes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup ground Parmesan cheese
14 oz of fresh tomato sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven 350 degrees

-season almond flour with salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, garlic powder and place on large flat plate
-crack two eggs and whip until blended in large flat bowl
-Salt and pepper chicken on both sides
 -Place chicken breast in egg on both sides and then dredge in seasoned almond flour
-When all 4-6 pieces are finished, place in hot skillet with olive oil and a tab of butter. Brown chicken, about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown
-Grease a large glass dish and place chicken breasts in a line. Top with fresh basil leaves, fresh tomato slices and then mozzarella cheese slices. Coat all chicken with homemade tomato sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.
-Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Check half-way through so chicken does not dry out.

Tomato Sauce Recipe ( I guesstimate with my seasoning, but these are my approximate measurements)
14-20 oz canned unseasoned tomato sauce. Add 1 tablespoon unsalted chicken bouillon, salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried basil, sprinkle red pepper flakes, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder.

Stuffed Bell Peppers ( Have it your way)

This super basic recipe can be manipulated a hundred different ways, and still taste amazing.


4 orange bell peppers (medium sized)
2 shallots finely diced
1 package of white mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, diced
4 oz. feta cheese
1 package of Trader Joes uncooked Chicken Sicilian Sausage (remove from its casing)

Saute shallots in olive oil (limit the amount) until slightly tender (2 min), lightly salt, remove from heat and toss into large mixing bowl. Saute mushrooms next with olive oil until tender (2-4 min), lightly salt, remove from heat and toss in with shallots. Remove chicken sausage from its casing and cook all the way through. Add to bowl, add feta cheese and mix all ingredients together.
Preheat oven 350. Removed tops from bell peppers, remove inside ribs and seeds with your fingers. Sprinkle light salt into each pepper. Stuff each pepper, lightly packing in the sausage mix until full. (There may be extra stuffing.) Bake for  20-25 minutes.

This recipe was created by a good friend of mine who was trying to make a dish that followed the primal blueprint guidelines. She came up with a Trader Joes one- stop-shop recipe. The sausage she chose is out of this world, and there is no need to season the meat as it is already done for you. I find this meal to be delicious, and a perfect recipe for a busy work week. Plus you only have to stop at one grocery store! Orange peppers seem to hold up in the oven best, but use what is accessible and looking fresh at the market. The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever you already have in your fridge, and it will still taste great.
Thank you Lauren, this dish is one of my favorites!

The Fancy Buffalo Burger (for the non fancy cook)

Keep in mind primal eating is subjective, so where some may opt to stay away from cheese entirely, there are some of us who can't stay away. Choose a "raw" cheese when possible, and if bleu cheese doesn't tickle your fancy, mozzarella, Gruyere, and jalapeno jack are great substitutes for this dish.

1 lb. ground buffalo (provided by the butcher is always fresher and tastier)
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms chopped finely and sauteed until tender (season with salt)
2 shallots or fancy onion finely chopped and sauteed until tender (season with salt)
1/2 c. -1 c. raw bleu cheese (crumble by hand)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
garlic salt or garlic powder to taste

In a bowl mix buffalo meat with salt, garlic powder or garlic salt, and pepper, and then add sauteed muschrooms and shallots to the mix. Gently incorporate the bleu cheese so it is distributed evenly throughout the meat. Form into four burger patties. Heat indoor or outdoor grill pan or grill on medium to high heat. You want a good sear on each side, so cook the first side for about 3-5 minutes before flipping. Flip burger and sear the other side for about 2 additional minutes. Your patties will continue to cook once removed from heat, so don't overdo the cooking process. A little pink is always ok (and tastier, in my opinion).
Garnish with heirloom tomatoes and fresh avocado slices. (Primal eaters don't eat grains, but a homemade piece of almond bread can be enjoyed alongside this burger.)
Happy eating!