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 any on 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
  

---

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!

---------------

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...

 

Marinated Chicken and Mushrooms on Cabbage Steaks

MARINATED CHICKEN:

I made this recipe up many years ago, I think--30 at least, so I could have forgotten where I got it!--and LOVED it.  I used white Worcestershire sauce (then called Marinade for Chicken, then discontinued!), then, and we've stopped using the commercial stuff at all, but I decided to try my new recipe for AIP Worcestershire in its place, and it was LUSCIOUS.

Here's how:

2-3 large chicken breasts or 7-8 boneless thighs, cut in cubes
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine (I used chardonnay)
3-4 sliced garlic cloves
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, home made* (or commercial if you don't mind the weird ingredients)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms, more or less

Mix liquids and add chicken and garlic, marinate at least 6 hours, then cook in the same sauce till chicken bites are done. Remove chicken and quickly saute' mushrooms in the same pan.

Serve it all over cabbage steaks*, as we did here, or rice or potatoes (if you can do grains and nightshades) or cauliflower rice. Or put in a bowl and go for it!

---------------------

HOME MADE WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE

*I used this recipe for the Worcestershire sauce, and it's as good as the traditional stuff I grew up on! https://www.instinctualwellbeing.com/paleo-aip-worcestershire-sauce/ 

I wonder if I can figure out how to make a white version!  Or maybe I'll just try this one I just found: https://www.spicealley.com/blogs/recipes/white-wine-worcestershire-sauce
(Of course, without cornstarch...I'll bet tapioca starch would work just as well.  I'll use honey or maple syrup instead of white sugar, too...)

---------------------

*CABBAGE STEAKS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice cabbage from the head, about 1/2" thick slabs.  (If it's near the stem, core that out.) Place on a cookie sheet, coat well with olive oil on both sides, salt and pepper both sides, and roast for 15-17 minutes till edges are crispy.  (If you want more crisp, you can stir the steaks areound and put it back in the oven for a while.  YUM.)  We like this just as a simple side dish, as well...

Auto-immune Style Stir Fry!

We are both pretty fond of stir fry, but we LOVE this version.  No soy, no wheat, no gluten, no nightshades, no legumes and all just delicious!  I did another version of this dish in THIS post, July 9, but I've branched out a bit.  The seasoning mixture is heavenly...so try them both!

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken breasts or thighs or the meat of your choice--beef or pork would be wonderful too, or you could even use tofu (not on the AIP diet, of course, because of the soy.)

A nice variety of vegetables--I like to use up what's on hand.  Here, that's carrots, celery, onions, garlic, cauliflower, zucchini, cabbage, spinach, chard, and even radishes that were getting a bit pithy.  Another time I might have broccoli, Brussels sprouts, squash or who knows what!  If I have those thick broccoli stems saved, I'll peel them to get all the stringy, tough part off and chop up the crispy center.  Mushrooms would be good, as well.  AND when I'm no longer on the introduction phase, I'll be adding snow peas.

Use what you like...and what you have on hand.

Coconut aminos
Olive or avocado oil
Red palm oil (optional, and make sure you get a brand that's harvested sustainably)
Apple cider or red wine vinegar
Red Boat sauce (adds that bit of umami, whatever that is...trust me, it's good!)
AIP "curry powder"  (recipe below)



PREPARATION  (From here the recipe is almost same, so to save typing that much I'm just editing to add the changes!)

Cut the meat into bite size pieces, and marinate in coconut aminos, oil, and vinegar (more aminos than vinegar) for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator.  Overnight is fine, if you want.  I put the pieces in a bag or container and turn it this way and that to thoroughly coat everything.

Cut up the vegetables into bite size bits--I like to get fancier with the cutting, making carrots as diagonal slices and celery into decorative half moons, but they taste the same however you want to do it.  I like to keep all the vegetables separate and add them one at a time, slower cooking ones first--especially since J. likes carrots DONE.  No al dente for him, thank you!  I use whole baby spinach, but I cut or tear chard or similar greens into bite size pieces.

Add oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet and dump in the chicken and marinade; I just ued a bit of the red palm oil for rich color, but don't get carried away--it's ORANGE.  This will need to cook off and the marinade gets lovely and thick and browned a bit.

This time, I got the chicken just browned but not necessarily done through, and removed it so I could cook the vegetables in the same skillet--as noted, spinach or other greens last.  When they're close to done (we like ours softer than some traditional stir fries, and browned a bit), then splash with more coconut aminos and if you like, more vinegar, a few drops of Red Boat sauce (find it in an Asian market or online), salt and garlic powder.  (Coconut aminos aren't salty like soy or tamari sauce.)  Add a half teaspoon or more of the "curry powder"* for flavor...it really tastes more like Joseph's wonderful Chinese Five Spice mix, so it's perfect for stir fry!)


I had a LOT of juice left over this time, so I removed everything else from the pan and reduced the animos sauce till it was thickened, then added everything back to serve.  (If I'd cooked the chicken that much longer it would have been tough.)

As always, we look for organic, free range, antibiotic-free meats and organic vegetables if we can get them.  Farmers-market fresh is good, too!

----------------

*AIP "Curry Powder" Recipe  (no seeds or nightshades, in the early phases of the protocol)

Ingredients

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. onion powder

1 T. turmeric

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. powdered ginger (or more for a bit more kick)

½ t. ground clove (again, I added a bit more)

Real Food & Love blog adds powdered lemongrass, but I was fresh out...

If you're past the introduction phase (or AIP isn't an issue), you can add powdered mustard, cumin, and black pepper to taste, as well.

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and use in any recipe calling for curry powder. Use this in place of traditional curry powder, which usually has coriander seed, cumin seed, cayenne, mustard seed, chili peppers and black pepper, all of which are off the plate for the introduction phase.  

Chicken Stir-fry, AIP style!

I made this for dinner last night, just altering my usual approach a bit for the new protocol, and it was so good J. has requested I make it again tonight!

Stir fry's been a favorite of mine since I first visited San Francisco when I was 18 (dinosaurs roamed the earth then, so you can tell it's been a while!)--I'm delighted to say my husband shares my enthusiam, with this version.  It's not only autoimmune-protocol, but fits our Primal Blueprint/Paleo habit perfectly.

I'm not big on measurements so it varies a bit each time, and we use whatever vegetables we have on hand.

So...here we go!

INCREDIENTS

Chicken--breasts or thighs

Vegetables--usually I use onion, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach or other greens, 2-4 garlic cloves, sliced, maybe celery--and in this case a few snow peas.  Experts don't entirely agree on those, since technically they ARE legumes and those can cause problems, but if you use the ones that are young and haven't developed the peas--crisp pods only--some sources say acceptable. (Same for green beans.)

Coconut aminos instead of soy-based products
Red wine vinegar
If you don't have garlic cloves, garlic powder will do
Olive oil

PREPARATION

Cut the chicken into bite size peices, and marinate in coconut aminos, oil, and vinegar (more aminos than vinegar) for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator.  Overnight is fine, if you want.  I put the pieces in a bag or container and turn it this way and that to thoroughly coat everything.

Cut up the vegetables into bite size bits.  We thin-slice the carrots...and I like to keep all the vegetables separate and add them one at a time, slower cooking ones first.

Add oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet and dump in the chicken and marinade.  It will need to cook off and the marinade gets lovely and thick and browned a bit.

In a separate skillet, also oiled, add the vegetables in whatever order you want--spinach or other greens last.  When they're close to done (we like ours softer than some traditional stir fries, and browned a bit), then splash with more coconut aminos and if you like, salt and garlic powder.  (Coconut aminos aren't salty like soy or tamari sauce.)

Enjoy!  Just had cold stir-fry for breakfast again...

Cock-a-Leekie Soup...okay, it's just fancy chicken soup

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

I made Cock-a-Leekie this week, a very old, very simple chicken soup recipe from Scotland (could you tell from the name?) that lets me get the most out of a single chicken–with fresh hot roast chicken and chicken salad as stops along the way, of course. (Cock-a-leekie was mentioned being served at a knight’s table in 1598–THAT is an old recipe!) It’s a great use for some of that wonderful ever-changing soup stock.

(Full disclosure...the original of this entry was from my old Live Journal, katequicksilver, but I've brought it up to date.

Here's Wikipedia's take on the old classic!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock-a-leekie_soup 
So, off to the kitchen!  As I believe Jeff Smith, A.K.A. the Frugal Gourmet (R.I.P. and sorely missed!) used to say, “first you take a leek.”

Ummm...maybe it wasn’t Jeff–correct me on that?

Anyway, actually, first you take a chicken, but I couldn’t resist the old saw.

Some recipes call for potatoes, but we don’t eat many spuds for a variety of reasons; since the Joy of Cooking* didn't include potatoes in their version either, we felt fine about skipping them. (That is still my favorite cookbook, old and tattered though it is! It's been my "kitchen bible" for more years than I care to admit!)

Besides, who needs the starch, carbs, empty calories, and an overabundance of nightshade family members, which my arthritis rather dislikes. (During fried green tomato season, however, I just hurt and to heck with it!) If you do use potatoes, I imagine you already know that most of the nutrients are in and just below the skin...which of course you don’t want to eat if it’s been sunburned. (The skin will be green, if that’s the case. Not good.)

(Whole 30 and the Paleo/Primal crowd used to suggest NO potatoes, but that stand has been softened a bit, so we do eat them on occasion...)

Other variations call for rice or barley, but my simple version is delightful, delicate, traditional, and easy, and we generally do without grains these days and feel much better for it.

We get whole roast chickens at our grocer’s*–they use what they call “Smart Chickens” by which they mean hormone-free, antibiotic-free birds fed on grain–no animal by-products. You can read more about them here: http://www.smartchicken.com/ch.php

Sounds good to me! If you buy a whole bird to roast yourself, it costs about as much, and takes time and fuel. We save a step, and so our first meal is always fresh, hot, juicy roast chicken, as soon as we get home from the store!

If you’ve got a good source of free-range chickens, though, GO for it! Delicious...

(We eat what we want, and pull the largest of the meat off the bones, then simmer the bones in the soup stock, above–5-7 cups of stock. If it’s not strong enough for you, you may give it a boost with one of the commercial stock options, forgive the pun. I like "Better than Bouillon" Chicken Base* , which got the best reviews in the gourmet mag I picked up to read while we were having the truck’s brakes fixed last month. (Please don’t ask the name of the magazine, I don’t remember! Next time the brakes give out, I’ll look...)

I let the bones bubble an hour or so in the stock, then strain them out, let them cool, and pick off the small bits of meat, usually gleaning another cup or so. Return the meat to the pot, along with however much of the larger meat you set aside. Cut to your preferred size–my late husband liked large chunks so he didn’t feel deprived–he grew up just after the Depression; J. likes smaller bits, and so do I. (We saved enough back for chicken salad!)

Leeks are not as cheap as bulk bags of onions (here, about $2.50 for 3 good-sized ones), but oh my they are GOOD. You could substitute scallions or regular onions, of course, but the taste would be a bit stronger.

Cut off the large, tough green end and the roots of 3-6 leeks, then slice the stalk lengthwise. Open the “leaves” and rinse well–they may be sandy. Then cut into short half-moon lengths–like less than 1" long–and add to the pot.

This time I also added celery root and carrots, which made it hearty...

Simmer till tender, then add ½ cup heavy cream (the original recipe), sour cream, or even fat free plain yogurt, if you like (you can make your own–it’s not hard. But we’ll talk about that another time!) I added a bit of fresh ground pepper and sea salt (but skipped the dairy, this time.)

Try it with herbs if you like–they’re not in most recipes I could find and the soup is so wondrously rich and savory it doesn’t need them. I doubt it would have been quite that good without the homemade soup stock.

Historical Note: The traditional recipe calls for the addition of prunes, which I’m going to have to try next time! I love savory fruit-and-meat-and-onion combinations...but by the late 18th C. French gastronome Talleyrand suggested cooking the prunes in the broth but removing them before serving. Whatever!

Some of the green part of the leeks will be just too tough for soup...but you can simmer them with the chicken bones (yes, again!) to add to your stock pot. What’s left–except the bones–can go onto the compost heap along with the really tough part of the leek tops and the roots.

This is lovely in the crock pot, too...this time, I put it in about 1:00 p.m., set on high, and dinner was ready when we got home at 4:30.  Delish!



*For speed and convenience, last night I used organic chicken breasts from Costco, which tasted just fine!

One-Pan Tandoori Chicken

I was in the mood to cook, tonight, and had picked up some artichokes at Sprouts the other day...so wild experimentation transpired!

Onions, peppers, artichokes, fire roasted tomatoes and chicken...yum!

2 chicken breasts...organic if you can find them.  (We get them at Costco)
1/2 onion (more if you like), sliced
1/4 green pepper, cut in strips
1 C. artichokes (a jar or from the deli)--pickled, anyway
1/2 can of organic fire-roasted diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper or Pepperman
Tandoori spice--we have Penzey's blend

Cut up vegetables and saute' in olive oil until tender and onions are transparent--tomatoes and artichokes can be added later.

In a separate pan, saute' cubed chicken breast in olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle GENEROUSLY with Tandoori spice--taste as you go, if you like, but I like kind of a lot.

Serve over rice or cauliflower rice, or just pile in a bowl, as we did!

Yep, not much left!

Traditionally, Tandoori Chicken is whole pieces...Seva; a Taste of India (one of our favorite restaurants) serves drumsticks that are gorgeous, tender and juicy...but I wanted vegetables, too...

Best Paleo Chicken Satay EVER--with Moroccan vegetables of course!

Mmmmm...Chicken Satay on the grill, spicy sunflower seed sauce (rather than peanut sauce), and Moroccan vegetables.  If you're feeling at all adventurous, you will LOVE this.  (Joseph did the hard part, I did the side dish...)

Best Paleo Chicken Satay EVER

Ingredients:

    3/4 c unsweetened coconut milk
    1 T fish sauce
    1 T tamari
    1 T raw honey
    1 T curry powder
    2 t Sriracha   
    1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
    4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Also needed:
    4 long wooden skewers soaked in water for at least an hour
    Satay Dipping Sauce - recipe below
   
Instructions:

    Place all ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

    Cut the chicken thighs in half lengthwise and add to the marinade. Stir to coat the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.

Thread two chicken thighs lengthwise onto each skewer. Place the skewers on the grill, close the cover, and cook about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chicken, and close the grill. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes more. (Note: I hate to waste any of the marinade, so I tend to baste the chicken with any that’s leftover while it’s cooking.)

Transfer the skewers to a clean serving platter and serve with dipping sauce.

Satay Dipping Sauce

    3/4 c unsweetened coconut milk
    1/4 c sunflower seed butter*
    1 T fish sauce
    1 T organic raw honey
    1 T curry powder
    1 T tamari
    1 t Sriracha
    1 T freshly squeezed lime juice

    Place everything but the lime juice in a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are evenly combined, about 3 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice, and transfer the sauce to a small bowl to cool. (Note: I just mixed it all together without cooking. It was fine.)   

*Peanut butter is traditional, but sunflower seed butter is every bit as good and more in keeping with Paleo/Primal.

Kate’s Part...Moroccan Vegetables

Cut up half an onion
2-3 radishes if you have them
2 large carrots
2 stalks celery
1 C. Cabbage, cut thin (not quite as thin as for slaw)
½ C. Mushrooms, if you have them.  (Or however many you want.)
2-3 cloves of garlic
handful of raisins
handful of dried apricots, cut up

1/4 C. Olive oil or toasted sesame oil.

Cut into bite sizes as shown.  And of course you can use whatever you have, add or omit whatever.  This is a delicious way to use of vegetables...I just used what I had, though squash would have been nice, too!

Saute everything in oil till tender...I start with the carrots because they take longer.

Just this sauteed is about perfect..slightly browned...

Then add either commercial Moroccan or Turkish seasoning, or add turmeric, ginger, cumin, a bit of cayenne, salt, and pepper–try a half teaspoon of everything but the cayenne and ginger, I go lighter with those because I am a wussy-girl.  If that’s not flavorful enough, add more!  More cumin, for sure...

Put a lid on it, turn down and let simmer 10 minutes or so.

Delicious!

And especially wonderful if it's warm enough to eat outdoors...

Lovely Leftovers--wild salad!

 Joseph fixed Paleo-style Chicken Piccata and fresh asparagus for dinner last night, as mentioned in our last post here, and we had about half the chicken left, so I made a huge hunter/gatherer salad and topped it with the rest.

Romaine, cabbage, celery, carrot, radish, parsley, some of the leftover cooked broccoli and asparagus...and added violet leaves and flowers, garlic mustard (why NOT use those pests, they're GOOD), dandelion leaves and wild garlic. (And a few blackberries, too.)

This was from a week ago, with added carrot, radish, and a bit of cabbage.

I used olive oil and dandelion vinegar to dress my salad...SO good. And so easy.

Pick dandelion flowers, enough to fill a pint jar.
Cover with apple cider vinegar.
Put a lid on it, shake at least once a day, strain and use after two weeks.

Dandelions are incredibly good for us, full of nutrients and supporting liver health, so I'm delighted to use them any way I can. 

Dinner was delicious, both nights!

And it doesn't get much more Paleo than that.

Chicken Piccata

Again with the chicken!

I blatantly stole this recipe from our friend Greg Haught's blog, The Confounded Cook. I made a few minor changes (like the mushrooms in bacon grease with garlic) to suit us, but it's still Greg's recipe, shown here served with Parmesan roasted cauliflower & onions.

Ingredients
•    2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, rinsed, patted dry
•    Pepperman* & garlic
•    4 T unsalted butter
•    ¼ c lemon juice
•    ½ c chicken broth
•    ¼ c dry white wine
•    8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
•    2 T bacon grease

Preparation

Place chicken in a gallon Ziploc plastic freezer bag and pound until thin. Sprinkle with Pepperman.

Heat 2 T butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter foams. Add one of the chicken breast halves and cook without moving until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until firm and browned on both sides, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Add 2 T butter to skillet; cook remaining chicken breast half. Transfer to plate and cover to keep warm.

Add lemon juice, broth and wine to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. 

Meanwhile, add bacon grease to a separate pan over high heat. When it melts, add mushrooms and season with Pepperman & garlic. Cook until mushrooms are browned. Add sauce to the pan with the mushrooms and bring back to a boil, again scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to get up all the browned goodies.

Pour sauce & mushrooms over chicken and serve immediately.

*Pepperman is a blend of sea salt and different organic peppers from Frontier Foods, available at most natural food stores. Great stuff!

Paleo/Primal Baked Curried Chicken

I thought I had a recipe for this, but if I did, I didn't save it. So I started searching around the Internet and found several, and as is my wont, combined them to come up with this one. The one I mostly based this on called for full fat coconut milk, which would make this recipe Paleo/Primal, and which I thought I had in the pantry. Unfortunately, I didn't, so I substituted Greek yogurt and it worked very well, but it isn't pure Paleo/Primal.

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs - I prefer whole with skin on but boneless & skinless are fine too. As are breasts. Or 12 small drumsticks, which is what the original recipe called for.

2 T coconut oil, ghee, or butter

1/2 onion, chopped

4 T curry powder

4 TBS homemade bone broth, chicken broth or water

1 medium tomato, quartered

4 T full fat coconut milk or Greek yogurt

4 cloves fresh garlic

2 inch piece of fresh ginger

1 t sea salt

1 c chopped dried fruit - I prefer prunes, apricots and raisins.

Directions:

    Melt fat of choice in a skillet and saute onions for 5 minutes. Add curry powder to onions and saute for 2-3 minutes to bring out the flavor of the spices. If spices begin to stick, turn down heat and add a bit more fat. Remove from heat.

    Place tomato, yogurt/coconut milk, garlic, ginger, and salt into a blender. Pour broth or water into skillet with onions and carefully scrape all of the onions and spices into blender as well. Puree until smooth.

    In a large bowl, pour curry sauce over chicken and mix to thoroughly coat. Marinate in fridge - overnight if possible, but at least a couple of hours.

    Preheat oven to 350F - I use a convection toaster oven, so preheating really isn’t necessary.

    Place marinated chicken in a baking pan or casserole dish that is just big enough to hold them - if using whole thighs, put them in skin side up.

    Bake COVERED  for 45 minutes.

    Remove cover/foil, baste chicken with juices in pan. Add dried fruit, and bake another 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Here it is, served with Kate's Moroccan Sweet Potato Salad as seen elsewhere in this blog.

Joseph's Paleo Gumbo Jambalaya

OK, how can it be both gumbo and jambalaya? Simple: since gumbo derives its name from ngumbo, the Bantu word for okra, simply add okra to your jambalaya. Voila! (Which I pronounce VOY-la.)

I started with Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for Cajun jambalaya (which can be easily found via your favorite internet search) but I tend to use a bit more meat than he does and of course, to make it Paleo I use cauliflower rice rather than the grain. I also prefer Pickapeppa Sauce to the Worcestershire that he uses.

I was surprised to see that my Cajun blackening spice mixture contained the same ingredients as his “Bayou Blast” seasonings, just in different proportions. I’ve appended mine.

Ingredients

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
1 large chicken breast (about 8 ounces), diced
1 ½ tablespoon Cajun seasoning, recipe follows
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
2 chopped Roma tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Pickapeppa Sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I prefer Cholula)
1 small head of cauliflower, riced in food processor
1 cup chicken broth
1 Andouille sausage (about 7 ounces), sliced
1 lb fresh or one 16 oz bag of frozen chopped okra
1 tsp salt and pepper or better yet, Pepperman

Joseph’s Cajun Blackening Spices

4 tsp sea salt
5 tsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder       
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground dried oregano
1 tsp ground dried thyme

Directions
In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Cajun seasoning, work in seasoning well and set aside.

In a large saucepan, brown the Andouille on both sides, remove from pan and set aside. This step isn't really necessary, I just prefer my sausage browned.

Heat oil in the pan over high heat with onion, pepper and celery (the “Holy Trinity” of Cajun cooking) for about 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Pickapeppa Sauce, hot sauce, and salt & pepper/Pepperman. Stir in cauliflower and broth. Reduce heat to medium, cook about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the okra. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until cauliflower becomes tender, another 5 or 10 minutes.

Add the shrimp/chicken mixture and the sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10-15 minutes more.

Chicken Tagine

I don't remember whether I discovered Moroccan food on the Mark's Daily Apple site after we got into Paleo/Primal lifestyle, or when we went to the Marrakech Cafe in Kansas City, but at any rate, I'm hooked!  (Marrakech is currently closed, looking for a new location, or I would have included a link!)

At this time of year with fall in the air, these rich, spicy dishes taste especially good.  So here's MY take on:

CHICKEN TAGINE

3-4 organic or cage-free chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4-5 carrots
1 1/2 sweet yellow onion
1 sweet potato
2-3 garlic cloves
1 C. dried apricots, quartered
1/2 C. raisins, more or less

Make more if you like, these are just guidelines!

Marinade/Cooking Spices

1/2 C. olive oil  (light or EVOO, your choice.)
1 t. ground cinnamon (yes, cinnamon!)
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. turmeric
1/2 t. garlic powder

1 t. coarse ground black pepper
1 t. sea salt
1 T. ketchup or tomato sauce, optional
sprinkle of cayenne, optional

Again, you'll want to tweak the spices to your own taste, I do.


An hour or two before cooking (or earlier in the day if you're more organized!), mix oil and spices in a big bowl and stir in chicken chunks.  Leave them alone together to get acquainted.  (And no, most recipes don't seem to call for marinating this way.  No idea why...)

Cut carrots in rounds, onions in chunks, sweet potato in squares.  Slice garlic cloves or use your garlic press.

Put another splash of olive oil in a heavy pan and heat.  I usually start the carrots first, because J. likes them very well done, then add the onions, sweet potatoes, and garlic.  Saute till soft; a wee bit browned is good.

Add extra spices if you like...I put more cumin and pepper in the veggies, plus a sprinkle of cayenne.  I added a tiny bit of water and about a T. of ketchup or tomato sauce for moisture, and put the lid on.

When the vegetables are almost done, heat a heavy skillet and brown the chicken chunks in their own marinade...at this point the smell is delightful!  It took two skillets-full to brown all the chicken...don't get them overdone, just lightly browned--breasts can get really dry.  Ick.

Dump the chicken in with the vegetables along with any leftover marinade, and give them another 10 minutes or so to finish cooking the chicken through.  Again, not TOO long.  Dry chicken, bleh.

You can cook this dish in a traditional Moroccan tagine, which is both the name of the dish and the cooking vessel, but mine is too small...alas!  Tagine--the vessel--is a flat plate-like bowl with a cone-shaped lid, made of pottery.  Very cool...but mine would make enough for one.

Serve as is, over rice or couscous if you're NOT going Primal, and maybe with a side dish of Moroccan cabbage, carrot strings and onions...though I decided enough was enough, tonight!

Granted, this is a pretty starch-and-sweet-heavy dish, so we don't have it too often, but what a TREAT on a chilly, gray evening.


Moroccan Vegetables

If you DO want the Moroccan vegetables, season with the same cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, salt and black pepper; saute them lightly in sesame oil, then put the lid on till tender...delicious! 

Be wildly traditional, serve with sweet mint tea like they do at Marrakech...

Semi-Paleo Chicken Asparagus Roll-Ups

Chicken, asparagus, cheese & a lemony crust – what’s not to love? I adapted this from Monica’s recipe on Allrecipes.com. I switched from a Panko flake coating to one of Parmesan cheese with a little shredded Parmesan/Romano/Asiago (which I call PRA cheese), but if you want to be pure Paleo, eliminate the cheeses and make your own mayo from olive oil. 

Since this was kind of spur-of-the-moment, I cut the recipe in half and baked it in our convection toaster oven.

Ingredients:

1/2 c mayonnaise

3 T Dijon mustard

1 lemon, juiced and zested

2 t dried tarragon

1 t ground black pepper

½ t salt

24 spears fresh, young (thin) asparagus

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

4 slices provolone cheese

½ c grated Parmesan cheese

2 T shredded PRA cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (The original recipe said 475 but our toaster oven doesn’t go that high.)

Mix together the first six ingredients and set aside.

Place a chicken breast between two sheets of wax paper on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken breast with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. (Note: I’ve never been able to get them down to ¼ inch – the best I seem to be able to do is about ½ inch but that seems to be thin enough.) Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts.

Remove lower stems from asparagus (this is done by bending the stalk until it finds its own natural breaking point) and discard. Cook the tops in the microwave on high until just tender, about 1 minute.

Place a slice of Provolone on each chicken breast, and top the cheese with 6 asparagus spears per breast. (Note: I didn’t have Provolone so I used Provel – a sort of pizza cheese – and it worked out well.) Roll the chicken breasts around the asparagus and cheese, and place seam sides down in a greased baking dish. With a pastry brush, apply a generous coating of the mayonnaise mixture to each chicken breast, and sprinkle each with the Parmesan and PRA cheeses.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is browned and the chicken juices run clear, about 30 minutes.

 

Almost Paleo Chicken Satay

I finally ran out of Trader Joe’s Satay Sauce so I broke down and made my own. I used cashews instead of peanuts to make it more Paleo/Primal and in retrospect I rather wish I’d left out the sugar to make it completely so.  But I originally intended it as a grilling sauce rather than a dipping sauce, not realizing that the sauce for satay is SUPPOSED to be a dipping sauce though of course you can brush some on when you grill. So in the future I’ll mix it up sans sugar – neither of us thinks it really needs it.

Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup salted cashew halves & pieces

1/3 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T organic cane sugar

1 T Tamari (soy sauce will work)

½ T lime juice

2 t sesame oil

1 t Sriracha

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. None of the ingredients require refrigeration so I don't believe this does either.

This time I used breasts rather than thighs. Slice however many chicken breasts you’re going to cook (I used three) into one inch strips and marinate in soy sauce and a dash of garlic powder and another of turmeric for a couple of hours.

Skewer chicken strips, brush with sauce and grill until just done. It looks burnt but that's just the sauce on top - the meat was tender and juicy!

Kate stirred up some mixed veggies - summer squash, zucchini, cabbage, red bell pepper, broccoli stems, carrots, onions and garlic - with some soy sauce and Chinese Five Spice seasoning to go with it.

Moroccan Smoked Chicken

Joseph's turn to write!  (And yes, we're still on that Moroccan kick.  I made Moroccan Spiced Vegetables to go with this...)

--------------------

Today is the Excelsior Springs BBQ and Fly-In - a marvelous annual event where BBQers from all over converge on the town to compete for the Grand Championship. Here's the web page - http://bbqontherivercontest.com/

I really love this event, but Kate's knees can no longer do the kind of walking necessary to enjoy it. So I decided to break out my little smoker and have our own event. Given that the whole town is filled with traditional BBQ, I decided to opt for something different. Inspired by a recipe for Moroccan Grilled Salmon that I received this morning via e-mail from Paleo Recipe A Day, I adapted it to chicken. I used their spice recipe exactly:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I use sea salt)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix together into a paste and spread on the chicken. On a grill this makes a crust but in the smoker it just kind of oozes around and flavors everything. I cut the back and the dorsal bone out of the chicken so it would lay flat - the same as you would do if you were going to grill it using a brick. But I just put it in the smoker and let it go. It took rather longer than I expected - almost four hours - but it was well worth the wait. We already ate half of it before Kate thought to take a picture, but here's the other half still in the smoker:



Tomorrow will be the Fly-In portion of the event, held at the Excelsior Springs Airport. We'll be having our monthly sketch crawl out there and I may try to catch a ride on one of the planes. We'll see...