Category: Food

This paleo Chicken Cauliflower Casserole is so simple to make that I will probably make it quite often.

I just happened to have some leftover cauliflower from when I made the Spicy Indian Cauliflower dish.  I’m always excited when I can use leftover ingredients from one dish as it cuts down on the budget. Makes sense, no?

This dish came out quite tasty. Pat, pat on my back. (I have some bragging rights, don’t I?)

Here’s the recipe for you to try ~

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• Sea Salt, dash
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1/2 cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cleaned and cut into small bite size pieces
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
2. In a large skillet, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and when heated, add the onion and cook until it’s clear.
3. Add the garlic, basil and parsley to the onion, stir and let this cook for a minute or so.
4. Add the tomatoes and cauliflower to the onion mixture then season with salt.
5. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet mixture and stir everything together.
6. In a 9 x 13 baking pan (I used glass), cover the bottom with aluminum foil, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and use a pastry brush to coat the bottom of the foil.
7. Add the chicken mixture to the baking pan, cover this with aluminum foil then bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

That’s it!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  I served this with half of a sweet potato and steamed broccoli.

Chicken Cauliflower Casserole

For additional paleo recipes, click here.

Sometimes I go to Costco (a large warehouse store) and purchase food that, unfortunately, has to bought in bulk.

I always seem to pick up a package of 6 peppers and thus this paleo Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe. My go-to book for vegetables is called 1000 Vegan Recipes which has some really great recipes. (Doesn’t the phrase Bell Pepper make you think of the limerick “Peter Piper Picked A Pack of Pickled Peppers?”)  (laughing)

I adapted the recipe, especially removing the beans, and present it to you below.

Feel free to substitute yellow or green peppers ~ as long as it’s a fairly large pepper, it should work fine for you.  Although I don’t have a preference in peppers, I realize some people do.

Ingredients

• 2 large red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 ounces mushrooms, lightly rinsed, patted dry and chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried dill
• 1/4 cup dry flax meal
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes.
2. Cook the peppers in a pot of boiling water to soften ~ about 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 375º Fahrenheit and lightly oil a 9×13 inch baking pan and set it aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat then add the onion, cover and cook until it’s softened.
5. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook, uncovered, for 5 additional minutes.
6. Add the walnuts, pecans, parsley, dill, half the flax meal and the chia seeds to the mushroom mixture then season with salt and pepper and let this cook through for another 5 minutes.
7. Stuff the softened pepper halves with enough of the stuffing mixture to fill the peppers then arrange the stuffing side up in the prepared baking pan.
8. Cover with foil, bake for 20 minutes then uncover, sprinkle with the remaining flax meal and continue baking until the peppers are hot ~ about 10 minutes longer.

This was truly delicious! I paired this with a Spinach Turkey Frittata  (although I substituted beef instead of turkey) and it was perfect.

Adapted from the recipe found at 1,000 Vegan Recipes, Pg. 335, to paleo-ize.

For additional paleo recipes, click here.

I’m still craving Indian food and found this nice Spicy Indian Cauliflower recipe that I had to make a few changes on to paleo-ize.

I’m not normally a fan of cauliflower but this was simply delicious. I did cut back on the cayenne from 1/2 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon and it still had a bite to it.

Let’s take a look at the recipe ~

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small flowerets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded onion
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (I used canned)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions

1. Steam the cauliflower until just tender, about 5 minutes, then set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat then add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook this through stirring occasionally until it’s soft.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, coriander, cumin, cayenne, maple syrup and salt.
4. Add the steamed cauliflower and stir until the cauliflower is coated with the spice mixture.  (Add a small bit of water if it gets too dry.)
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes.

I served this paleo Spicy Indian Cauliflower with Indian Chicken with Gravy and Grilled Zucchini.

Adapted from the recipe found in the book 1000 Vegan Recipes.

For additional paleo recipes, click here.

I could eat Indian (from India) food every day if … my husband liked it as much as I do. He’ll go to Indian restaurants with me ~ maybe once a year. I may have to declare myself single for a day and treat myself to lunch all by my lonesome just so I can eat Indian food more often.

That being said, I have found that Indian restaurants tend to serve food in little bowls that seem to cost a lot of money. So ~ sometimes it’s not cost effective to eat there.

This Paleo Indian Chicken with Gravy is scrumptious. The ginger, cumin and garam marsala spices just burst in your mouth with flavor. Yum!

Let’s take a peek at this recipe, shall we?

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter or you can use regular butter)
• 3 chicken legs, skin removed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 small tomato, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 serrano chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 3/4 cup water

Directions

1. Heat the oil and ghee in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Cook the cumin seeds in the oil for a couple minutes.
3. Add the onion then cook and stir until clear.
4. Stir in the garlic and ginger then cook until the onions brown.
5. Stir in the tomato, tomato paste, garam masala, turmeric, serrano pepper, and water then cook another 5 minutes.
6. Lay the chicken into the sauce and mix it with the seasonings in the pot to coat them.
7. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low then cook until the chicken until it’s thoroughly cooked ~ approximately 40 minutes.

And that’s it! The chicken came out so moist and tender and, as I mentioned before, the flavors were delicious.

The original recipe was found at All Recipes and I paleo-ized it by changing the vegetable oil to olive oil. I also decreased the amount of chicken needed and adjusted the rest of the recipe for “just the two of us.”

I served this meal with curried sweet potatoes.

For additional paleo recipes, click here.

Here’s another Rachael Ray recipe that was quite good, and the only change I had to make to paleoize it was to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Cool, eh?  (Hmmm … does anyone say cool anymore?)

Of course, we’ll need chicken.  I used four (4) skinless boneless chicken breasts.

Then I prepped the vegetables ~ just a little dicing.

The chicken is dipped in a whipped egg and tossed in the unsweetened coconut to be coated.  Then it’s cooked in a heated skillet on both sides before baking in the oven.

Once the chicken is brown on one side, turn it over and cook it on the other side.

Okay then ~ ready to see this simple and easy paleo recipe?

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound frozen mango, thawed and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• 1 egg, scrambled
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 4 - 6 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees .
2. In a small bowl, combine the mango, bell pepper, onion, cilantro and vinegar then season with salt and pepper.
3. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
4. Place the coconut in another shallow bowl.
5. Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the coconut. Press to coat. You want to make sure the chicken is coated on both sides.
6. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden, about 3 minutes.
8. Transfer the skillet with the chicken in it to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 12 minutes.
9. Serve the chicken with the mango salsa on top or on the side.

I served this with sliced avocado and a zucchini-carrot medley.

To see additional paleo recipes, click here.

To see the original recipe, click here.

I like recipes that incorporate meat with a salad. It feels ~ well, let me use the word “whole.”

These types of paleo recipes are normally very simple to make and I was glad that I bumped into this one.

It does seem to have a quite a few ingredients …

Even with all the ingredients, it still was worth making as I had most of them already in my cupboard.

I purchased the steak at Costco, sliced it thin then prepared it for the salad.

So ~ let’s take a look at the recipe, shall we?

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Bell Pepper (I used an orange one)
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced, plus 2 teaspoons zest
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 12 kalamata olives, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak, sliced thinly 
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 5 cups ~ combination of iceberg lettuce and romaine (or choose your own)
• 2 medium sized tomatoes – quartered
• 1 cup feta cheese crumbles
• Sliced pepperocini, for garnish

Directions

1. In a saucepan with cold water, add the cut sweet potato (make sure there is enough water to cover the potatoes), bring to a boil, add salt and cook until firm (approximately 4 minutes) then drain.
2. In a bowl, combine the shallot, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, mustard, oregano and red pepper flakes.
3. Whisk in about 1/3 cup olive oil to combine.
4. Stir in the olives. This is now your dressing.
5. Pre-heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Drizzle the meat with olive oil and rub it on the meat.
7. Season the meat with rosemary, salt and pepper.
8. Add the meat to the skillet and cook until the meat is cooked through. (Turn it at least once to cook on both sides.)
9. When the meat is cooked, remove from the skillet and set it aside on a plate to rest for a few minutes then slice it at an angle.
10. Wipe the skillet clean, turn the heat to medium high and add a little bit of olive oil.
11. Add the potato cubes to the skillet, season with salt and pepper then cook until the cubes are browned (3 minutes or so).
12. Flip the potatoes and add the onion and bell pepper then cook for 5 minutes.
13. Set this aside.
14. In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, tomatoes, feta and pepperocini.
15. Add the contents of the skillet to the salad bowl and combine.
16. Meanwhile, add the dressing to the skillet and heat for a minute. Slowly, pour part of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. (Use only as much as you’d like.)
17. To serve, arrange the salad on plates and top with steak.

Pretty easy, no? I believe this was the first time I used a cooked sweet potato in a “cold” salad.

For additional paleo recipes, click here.

This Paleo Greek Salad with Steak recipe was adapted from one by Rachael Ray.

Sloppy Joe! Now, who doesn’t like paleo Sloppy Joe? Having it with no bread is no big deal either. It’s quite simple to make and tastes scrumptious!

Take a peek at the main ingredients ~

After prepping, you’ll be putting everything into a skillet and allowing it to cook through then serving it on a bed of lettuce with, perhaps, guacamole on top. Yum! (I didn’t show the guacamole in the above picture as it was a last minute decision ~ a good one too!)

Let’s take a look at the recipe, shall we?

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of red pepper flakes
• 10 ounces ground sirloin
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and beef to the skillet.
3. Cook approximately 5 minutes or until the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the carrot, chili powder, maple syrup, oregano and cumin then cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Next, add the diced tomatoes and bring this to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 minutes or until it thickens and the carrots are tender. 

That’s it! Your meal is ready. Serve on a bed of lettuce with guacamole.

For more paleo recipes, click here.

This Honey Chicken Salad was deeeeelicious! It was a pleasure to try and only needed a little tweaking to make it paleo.

Have you ever run into a recipe that you know you’ll use over and over again? This is that kind of recipe. Perhaps it’s the addition of honey in the ingredients. All I know is my husband and I both like it and that’s good enough for me.

So ~ here’s what you’ll be needing to start your journey to this wonderful salad ~

First, you’ll need two skinless and boneless chicken breasts ~ season them with a little salt and pepper.

After cleaning the chicken breasts, slice them into even amounts. You’ll be baking the chicken breasts at 350° for approximately 20-30 minutes (every oven is different).

While you have the oven on, toast the pecans for approximately 10 minutes or so.

Now that you’ve got that ready, here are the ingredients you’ll be needing for this recipe ~

Yes, you will need some paleo Mayonnaise in this recipe.  Try this recipe here that I use over and over again.

Okay then ~ ready to see the entire recipe?

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise (more or less, add a little at a time to get the consistency and taste you want)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. In a medium sized bowl, add the cooked chicken, celery, cranberries and pecans.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, honey, salt and pepper.
3. Add the chicken mixture to the mayonnaise mixture and stir everything together to combine it.
4. Taste and make sure it’s the right consistency for you along with having the right amount of salt and pepper.

That’s it! I used less honey, celery and cranberries than the original recipe called for ~ call me a rebel!

Total deliciousness!

Note:  I adapted the Honey Chicken Salad from My Recipes to make it paleo (mainly by using paleo mayonnaise).

Enjoy!

For additional paleo recipes, click here.