Balsamic Vinegar, Peach, Apricot and Honey Chicken Thighs

Back when I was doing AIP (the autoimmune protocol diet) full time, this is one of the recipes I absolutely loved!  I managed to find it and change it up a bit, and it was every bit as good as I remembered.  Savory with a touch of sweetness, subtle and delicious...and relatively easy!

Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken thighs, bone in, with skins
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or oil of your choice)
  
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chicken broth  (I didn't have ny one hand that wasn't frozen solid, so I made my own with water and Better than Bullion Chicken Flavor)
  
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 peaches, sliced thin or 1 can of organic peaches
• 1/4 cup sliced dried apricots (optional)
  
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, sliced
  

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

 

I used a a large oven-safe skillet to cook the chicken--they JUST fit in my big square cast iron frying pan.

 

Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel so they won't spatter too much in the hot oil.

 

Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side to lightly crisp. Set aside.

 

Reduce the heat to medium and saute the garlic for 2-3 minutes.

 

Mix the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, honey, and salt and pepper; stir to combine. Pour into the skillet and heat until the mixture reaches a low simmer.

 

Add the sliced peaches (drain if using canned peaches) and apricots to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes more.

 

Add the chicken thighs back to the pan, snugging them amongst the peaches and apricots and spoon the liquid over top.

 

Transfer the pan to the oven and allow to cook for 18-20 minutes uncovered or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reaches 165 F.  (Two of our thighs were much bigger than the others, so we ate the small ones and let the others cook till done.)

 

Serve with fresh chopped basil--it really did add a nice flavor punch, but it's not really necessary if you don't have fresh!

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We served them with steamed broccoli, buttered and sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese--and I have a confession to make.  The photo above was the leftovers, we dived right in the first night, and reheated everything in a skillet the second night, served this time with roasted cauliflower...delicious!

The original recipe was from the Unbound Wellness blog, but as usual I tweaked and changed things around...

 

Low-carb Savory Zucchini Bread

 We usually go for the "normal" zucchini bread, dark and spicy with raisins, etc., almost like my mom's old "fishing trip cake."  But I've been exploring other options for low carb bread--Joseph is big on that--and I love any way to get additional vegetables into us, so I was pleased to find a recipe that I could adapt, from Kelley Herring's Keto Breads cookbook.  This one uses coconut flour, too, rather than almond flour--I'm allergic to the latter and usually have to substitute something or other...

We're not doing Keto, per se, but we're okay with saving carbs and using them where they count--like chocolate!

This recipe is also pretty easy and fast, unlike some rather complex Keto breads.

Grate about 1 1/2 cups of zucchini, skin on...dump into a clean cloth and squeeze to get excess liquid out...or you can just drain for a few hours in a colander, but squeezing's quicker and oddly satisfying!

Ingredients:

1 C. coconut flour (though I'll admit next time I plan to use 3/4 C. and 1/4 C. of cassava flour...coconut flour is WEIRD.  It'll have a few more carbs but maybe be less...odd.  Tastes fine, but funny texture.)

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. sea salt

1-1/2 C. grated zucchini, drained

6 eggs  (Yes, 6.  That's what I thought!)

1/2 C. coconut oil, melted, olive or other oil.  Or like I did use bacon grease because we have a LOT.

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1 t. lemon juice 

(No, I don't know why those last two.  But what the heck...)

I'm betting it would be good with herbs or a half cup of grated cheddar, too...next time...

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a bread pan well with coconut oil, butter, whatever, then make a sling of parchment paper for the bottom and sides.  

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl

 Mix eggs, oil, zucchini, etc. in a larger one, then combine well.

At this point I had to taste the batter. Yum.  Probably the bacon grease!

Plop the batter into the prepared pan, and level the top somewhat

Bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, check for doneness with the point of a knife--it should come out clean.  Let the bread cool before slicing (if you can!) (okay, mostly cool...) and enjoy.  

Because of the coconut flour, it has a kind of coarse texture, almost like cornbread...as I said, next time a bit of cassava flour, or if you're not allergic, you could try almond flour.  

I liked it with butter and honey (so much for low carb, right?  Hush!) and it makes wonderful skillet toast.  It's a bit tender, so I'm not sure how it would work for sandwiches.

DO store in an airtight container, for only a few days.  If you can't eat it all up within 3-4 days, slice and freeze for later...it tends to get moldy fairly fast, especially in warm damp weather.

Easy Cloud Bread--gluten free, NUT-free, low carb, low calorie and STILL good.

I saw a lot of mixed reviews on cloud bread, but I've been wanting sandwiches, and something to dip in soup and sop up gravy.  We've been using commercial cauliflower bread rounds, and they're lovely toasted or as pizza crust, but don't cut it otherwise...so I finally tried these!  I modified the recipe of course, since it didn't even call for salt... c'mon!

 I'm allergic to nuts so all the wonderful low-carb keto bread recipes are useless, for me. 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons cream cheese  (I misread the recipe and used 3 ounces!  Oh well...I'll try it both ways!)

3 eggs, separated
  

1/4 teaspoon baking powder (or a bit more)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle of garlic powder 

(I may try additional shredded cheddar, or herbs, who knows?)

The second batch was mostly done in the big oven.

Directions

    Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (yeah, oops, I greased aluminum foil.  Parchment would work better.)

    Take cream cheese (or neufchatel) out of the fridge and let it get warm. Measure, mix in salt, garlic powder, and egg yolks until smooth.

    Place egg whites and baking powder in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl; beat until stiff peaks form.
 
    Fold yolk mixture gently into egg whites until batter is just combined.

    Scoop 4" rounds onto parchment covered baking sheet and flatten peaks with the back of a spoon if necessary.
 
    Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes.

We both pronouced these more than acceptable!  J. made herb-encrusted roast beef with gravy and they worked wonderfully to sop up leftover gravy.  Tomorrow, a sandwich!

Definitely made a great "Egg McCloudbread" for breakfast  Later, we had ham salad sandwiches...

Baked Zucchini "Fries"

Baked zucchini "fries" for dinner last night...tasty!

It's zucchini season, and we're all delighted with a new way to prepare this lovely vegetable (especially if you find yourself inundated with 'em!) 

We discovered this recipe last year at this time, and we loved it!  (Okay, what's not to like?  Fried crispiness!)

Ingredients

Fresh zucchini*

1 egg, beaten

1/3 c. cassava or coconut flour**

1/3 C. arrowroot flour***

salt

pepper

herbs to taste--I ofte use garlic and Italian mix, but it would be good with curry or Mexican spices, too

How-to

Mix flours, salt, pepper, and herbs or spices.  Cut Zucchini in spears.  Dip in egg wash then roll in flour mixture.

Heat oven to 410 degrees, oil the cookie sheet generously and put fries on it in a single layer, bake for 15 minutes, turn, bake for another 15, and that's that! 

Bet you won't have leftovers...

*Note...this would be fine with yellow summer squash as well.  Or with carrots, or...

** Note #2...Cassava flour is more like normal wheat flour to work with.  Coconut flour is odd stuff, and sometimes soaks up too much liquid. 

This is a gluten free recipe...if you don't have a problem, wheat flour is acceptable

Inside Out Egg Roll Patties

Inside Out Egg Roll Patties

--well actually there are no eggrolls involved, inside OR out, but it sure did remind me of my beloved spring rolls!  Our friend Nona Parry shared the original of this, but Joseph tweaked it to be even better since I'm no longer on elimination-phase AIP.



This is kind of a huge recipe...it made eight patties!  Lots of vegetables in each serving, too.  We ate two each last night, and I'm so looking forward to dinner tonight--leftovers never looked so good!

Ingredients

Oil for frying (toasted sesame oil is best)
1 lb ground pork
1 T minced garlic or powder
1 T minced onion or powder
1 t Red Boat fish sauce
1 t minced ginger
1 t Chinese five spice
½ t salt
½ c plus 2 T coconut aminos
4 c coleslaw vegetables (he used red and white cabbage plus grated carrots)

Mix well the pork, 2 T coconut aminos, and seasonings.
Add remaining coconut aminos to vegetables, then mix everything together.
Divide equally into 6-8 patties.
Pan fry on medium heat for 3 minutes per side in as little oil as possible.
Serve hot. Soy or tamari sauce, wasabi, Sriracha or chili sauce are options.




The coconut aminos made them caramelize a bit in the skillet, which was also wonderful...

(Of course they didn't need any sauce or dip at all!)

Shirred Eggs, Italian Style...a la' Joseph!

This is a delicious and filling variation on "plain" shirred eggs, which are pretty fantastic all by themselves.

But do try:







Shirred Eggs, Italian Style

Ingredients

1 T oil or grease of choice
1/4 onion, minced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 lb breakfast sausage
8 slices of chopped pepperoni (optional)
1 T fennel seed
1 T Italian seasoning
1 ½ c Nomato Sauce*
4 eggs
Shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses
1 T chives

*Note: if you don’t have a problem with nightshades, you may substitute your favorite tomato-based marinara sauce.

Another note: My skillet is small enough to fit inside our toaster oven, but if yours isn’t, the regular broiler in your oven will do. Or you can just cover the pan until the cheese is melted and the eggs are set up, but it’s not quite as good as it is with the cheese slightly browned.

Directions

In a small skillet, heat the oil or grease over medium high and cook the onion and garlic until tender. Add the sausage, pepperoni, fennel and Italian seasoning. Using a spatula, chop up the sausage as it cooks and cook until sausage is well crumbled and browned.

Add the Nomato Sauce and mix everything together until sauce is well heated.

Open a space in the sauce for each egg, and add the eggs. Cook until the undersides of the eggs begin to set up. Sprinkle with cheese and chives, and place the skillet under broiler until cheese is melted and eggs are almost done to your liking - if you’re going for soft yolks, it’s easy to overdo it.

Allow to sit for a minute or so before serving. The eggs will continue to set up.

Lentil and Spinach Curry--AIP or not!

This is a delicious, inexpensive dish that goes a long way!  Add chicken, shrimp, lamb or nothing at all--we've done it both ways, and love it.

It's also a great way to get lots of vegetables...last time I made it I added cauliflower and zucchini...this time, leftover broccoli, green onions and carrots in addition to the spinach, onions, and garlic that are part of the original recipe.

And yes I DID eat more than that, it was just so good I forgot to take a picture before tucking into it!

1 15 oz. can of lentils or 1 cup (or more) of lentils, soaked in water to cover (soak 2 to 4 hours)
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
butter, ghee, or oil to saute' them
2 C. frozen chopped spinach or 1 pkg.
1 C. coconut milk
1 C. vegetable broth or soup stock
1 t. salt
1 t. curry powder or to taste (I mostly used AIP nightshade free curry powder this time, in this post: http://starvingartistscook.blogspot.com/2018/12/aip-curry-powder.html)
Black pepper to taste
1/2 t. dried thyme, which I forgot...

Whatever other vegetables you want to throw in...

Saute' onions and garlic till translucent--I did the carrots then, too.  Add coconut milk and broth, then other ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally.  If you need more liquid, add it. 

Serve with naan, rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, whatever you like.

SO GOOD.  And enough leftovers for another couple of meals...

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Legumes get a bad rap for a number of reasons...the lectins in them can cause gut permeability (isn't that appetizing?!) and other problems (Beano, anyone?).  But for whatever reason, lentils are the least likely of this family to give you problems, and they have a host of nutrients!  The Paleo Mom gave them a thumbs up recently, so I jumped on it for an occasional meal.

If you use canned lentils or soak them first, you reduce the lectins even further, and so I do.