Chicken Salad

Mel's chicken salad-to be exact. Because no one else's recipe quite compares.

First, make yourself a batch of Tony's seasoning, hold the MSG please, to have on hand for dozens of batches of chicken salad.

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

-Just a little less than 1 cup of sea salt
-1 Tbs. ground red pepper
-2 tsp. black pepper
-1/2 Tbs. garlic powder
-1/2 Tbs. chili powder

Combine spices in a mason jar. Put the lid on. Shake it all about. Store in pantry to season meats, eggs, and other dishes.

Chicken Salad:

-1 whole YWF chicken, cooked on low in a crockpot for 6-8 hours with s&p only (depending on the size) and shredded.
-1 batch of Clothes Make the Girl Mayo (be sure to follow her directions exactly on the light olive oil and room temp ingredients.)
-grapes, washed and halved
-pecans, chopped
-creole seasoning, to taste (start with a little, adding more as needed)

Combine above ingredients and store in the fridge for a few hours. Serve on a bed of spinach. Behold the wonder.

Primal Pizza

(This is the Greek pizza--our current favorite.)

I've tried many different recipes for cauliflower pizza crusts over the years. This is the one I've concocted--taking a little of this and a little of that from different recipes--that is perfect for us and what my family enjoys the most.

Primal Pizza:
(Crust for 2 pizzas)
16oz. frozen cauliflower, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp garlic powder

1. Combine all of the above ingredients in a food processor.
2. Spread the "dough" onto pizza stones using a spatula (if you're using a pan, lay out parchment paper, first, then spread it on) until about 1/4" thick.
3. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. (If the edges are begininning to brown, it's time to take it out!) Variation: For the margherita and greek pizzas, take out of the oven after 18 minutes and use a basting brush to distribute the oil mixture on the crust. Continue to bake for 3-7 more minutes. When the edges of my crust get golden-brown, take it out.
4. Spread with sauce, (if applicable) cheese, and other toppings. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes until cheese is beginning to bubble/pepperoni is cooked to your desire.


Traditional Pizza Sauce:

(Makes enough for 4 pizzas.)
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in seasonings. (If you’re not using it all, bag it up in individual baggies and freeze for later.) Spread on pizza and top accordingly.


Margherita Pizza
Sauce: 
(per pizza)2 Tbs. olive oil1/2 tsp. garlic powderpinch of sea salt

Whisk together until mixed thoroughly. (See the variation in Step 3 above on when to add this.) When done baking, add the following:

Toppings:

5-6 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

shredded mozzarella cheese

1  teaspoon  balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup  thinly sliced fresh basil (if i don't have this, I just sprinkle with dried basil, though fresh does taste better)

sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Arrange tomato slices on crust, lining the edges. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Top with basil. Put back in the oven and broil for 2-3 minuts on high until cheese is bubbling and turning golden.

Combine oil and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza. And sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Greek Pizza 
Sauce: 
(per pizza)
2 Tbs. olive oil 
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. italian seasonings (oregano, basil and parsley)
pinch of sea salt

Whisk together until mixed thoroughly. (See the variation in Step 3 above on when to add this.) When done baking, add the following:

Toppings:
Spinach
Tomatoes, diced
Olives, diced
Banana Peppers, diced
Red onions, diced
Feta cheese
Parmesan (optional)

Paleo Chicken "Noodle" Soup

It's what {was} for dinner in our house tonight. All four kids have some sort of infection (ears, throat, lungs, etc.) and this is the perfect dinner when you're feeling under the weather. This tastes just like chicken noodle soup: it's mild, light on the tummy and comforting.  (My sister passed this on, based off this recipe, after her kids gave it their approval...and my kids have agreed that it's one of their favorite soups.)

Like most real-food meals, it does require a bit of prep work, but if you can plan ahead for it, it's not too bad.

Paleo Chicken "Noodle" Soup

fat of choice (coconut oil, butter, olive oil, etc.)

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 large onion, diced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 whole soup chicken, cooked and shredded (Yonder Way Farm)

2 lbs butternut squash  (pre-peeled and cubed from Sam's or Costco)

1 head of cauliflower, riced (I like to do this at the beginning of the week, when I try to prep all my veggies at once, if so this makes it a lot easier. If you don't know how to rice a cauliflower, see step 1, here.)

1 large can of diced tomatoes (28oz)

6-8 cups chicken bone broth (Make your own...I keep them in my freezer in Mason jars and let them thaw out the morning I use it.)

1. Start cooking/boiling your chicken. (When I boil my chicken, it's always seems to dry. So, I put mine in a crockpot on low for 6 hours (for a small, whole soup chicken, 8 hours for a large whole chicken) covered with salt and pepper. Nothing else in the crockpot. Just the chicken. You might be worried that it's going to be really dry. It's actually the opposite. My friend Meredith told me how to do it this way. It's amazingly moist and simple.)

2. Steam the butternut squash for about 10 minutes until barely tender. Remove half the squash onto a plate. Allow the remaining squash to simmer for about 5 more minutes. Then, drain water and mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside. (I usually use the same plate: half with cubed squash, half with mashed squash.)

3. Melt fat of choice in the bottom of a large pot. Saute onion for about 8 minutes and add the garlic for a few more minutes. Add riced cauliflower, cook for about 5 minutes. (I also usually add the broth that was at the bottom of my crockpot from cooking the whole chicken at this point. If you didn't do that, no big deal, you'll add the broth in a little bit.) While all this is happening, shred your chicken on a plate.

4. Add tomatoes, all of the butternut squashed (mashed and cubed), and shredded chicken. Pour all spices and seasonings over the top of the chicken. Add the 6-8 cups of broth. And allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

The Girls' General (Paleo) Stir Fry...

It's named "Girls' General Stir Fry" b/c McKlayne helped as the official "taste-tester" and "ingredient adder" as I've made several adjustments to a General Tso's recipe to "paleo-fy" it and get it just right over the last year. McKlayne gave me high-fives all throughout this meal as she commented on how good this was.


Several things that I love about this meal: I love that this meal is PACKED with tons of veggies. I love that it makes PLENTY of leftovers, even for all of our big eaters!  (It's really good the next day for lunch!) And I love that I can actually prep most of this meal earlier that day (or even earlier in the week) to make a quick dinner to throw together.  (I actually riced my cauliflower the day I bought it and kept it in the fridge for 5 days before making this meal. If I prep the broccoli and carrots, too, this meal is pretty simple...it just takes some time to cook in batches since it makes so much.) This makes clean-up much easier and cuts down on time in the kitchen. If you don't prepare all your veggies before-hand this could take about an hour or longer to prepare and cook...but maybe that's just  because of my four little "interruptions" as I frequently have to take breaks to referee or move them on to something else to keep the babies "busy".


Okay...onto the recipe:

2 heads of cauliflower, riced

4-5 cups broccoli (I use raw, but I'm sure frozen would be fine, too.)

5 large carrots, sliced into rounds

1 large onion, cut into large chunks (like you would for a stir fry)
3 chicken breasts (cut into bite size chunks, seasoned with paprika, chili powder, s&p)
Plus the sauce ingredients listed in Step 2.

1. Begin by "ricing" 2 heads of raw cauliflower: Remove stems and leaves, and chop florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like rice. (I find it much easier to pulverize the cauliflower in several batches.  It's less messy AND I have better control over the consistency.  I like mine to look like large feta cheese crumbles....any smaller and I think it gets too mushy.) I usually set my processor on a 1-2 (out of 6) and pulverize away. Set riced cauliflower aside.
2. Then, prepare the sauce. (Half this if you're making a smaller portion.) Whisk the following together thoroughly in a small saucepan: 


2 cups Chicken Broth 

1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup Coconut Aminos (this is to replace soy sauce..it's wheat and soy free)
1/4 cup apple juice (sherry wine or white wine...I actually had some of this and none of the others, so I used the apple juice)
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar 
1/8 cup lemon juice
1-2 tsp garlic chili sauce (optional: my kids don't mind the spice, but if your kids are sensitive, you can cut it out...if you cut it, make sure you add some garlic powder, maybe 1 tsp.)

Let all of this begin to simmer and then add: 1/4 cup arrowroot powder with 1/4 cup of water, for thickening. Simmer, allowing the sauce to thicken a bit. Turn heat to low.  

3. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the chicken: Melt a couple tablespoons of coconut oil in a large pan on medium heat and brown all sides of meat. Once the chicken is starting to brown, turn heat down to med-low and steam for a few minutes until done. When it's done, transfer it to a large serving bowl where you will combine all the stir-fry. (While chicken is cooking, get started on the veggies.) If I had a large electric skillet, I'd probably do all the veggies in this (and use it in place of my "serving bowl"), but I don't so I have to make it in my largest pan and do a couple batches.

4. Cover bottom of hot pan with coconut oil and fry cauliflower. This may take about 10 minutes or so. When you think it's done, taste a little bit...if it still tastes cauliflower-y then cook it a little longer until it doesn't taste like much (kinda like rice.) When it's done, dump it in your serving bowl.

5. Add about 1/4 cup of the stir-fry sauce to your large pan and pour in the rest of the veggies (broccoli, carrots and onion) and cover for about 10 minutes. Occasionally stir everything together, until veggies reach desired "done-ness".  Transfer everything to the huge serving bowl with the "rice" and chicken, mixing together well.

6. Dish out individual servings of the stir-fry and top with desired amount of sauce. Enjoy your stir-fry! 

If you liked this, you may enjoy this even easier go-to-dish: Pork Fried Rice.

Chicken Fajita Wraps

with oven-roasted okra.

Our friends, Joe and Melissa, made Fajita Wraps with all the fixings for us when we were over for dinner one night. It was a hit with my family, so I knew I had to add this to the rotation!  (Now I think of you wonderful Terry's every time we eat this meal and for all the ways we're thankful for how God has used you two to shape us.)

I based my marinade off of this recipe.

Fajita Marinade

1/4 cup lime juice
 1/3 cup water
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
 2 teaspoons salt
 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

I usually let the marinade sit for 1-2 nights in the fridge, but it can marinate for just a few hours if you need to eat them sooner. The longer, the better, though.

Grill or cook on stovetop in skillet.  Serve in lettuce wraps with grilled mushrooms and onions, salsa and guacamole.

Roasted Veggie Medley

This recipe originated with my friend, Rachel. I may have made a few changes over the years, I really can't remember.  I like making this at the beginning of the week and eating off of it for a few meals or making it when we need to contribute to some sort of large-group meal.  It makes a very large portion, so you may need to, at least, half it.

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
1 red onion, cut into large slices
1 whole red, orange, or yellow bell pepper (or 1/2 of each), sliced
a few handfuls of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1-2 zucchini, cut into bite size pieces
4-6 cups of broccoli
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper
(and sometimes a couple dashes of Tony's seasoning)

Mix veggies in a huge bowl. Add oil and seasonings. Toss to coat. Roast in the oven at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

You can also grill them: Heat grill over high heat. Toss veggies into a grill basket (or an aluminum pan with holes poked in the bottom) and grill for 8-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Crispy Chicken, "Faux"tatoes and Roasted Zucchini

(Crispy chicken, "faux"tatoes, and roasted zucchini)

This is what my kids like to call Crispy Chicken.

I altered this recipe a little bit. If you're using a whole chicken, you can follow the basics of PW's recipe by stuffing the chicken, but it's cheaper for us to buy the chicken hindquarters from here rather than a whole bird. (And, up until recently, one package of hindquarters was enough to feed our family. Now that the two babies are eating what we eat, I make two packages and we have leftover for lunch or for chicken salad.)

Alright, here's what you need:


Crispy Chicken

chicken hindquarters, rinsed (get pasture-raised if you can)

1 teaspoon of Basil

1 teaspoon of Oregano

1 teaspoon of Parsley

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 Tablespoon of salt

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

In a small bowl, mix together all the spices and seasonings and add the olive oil until combined well.

Coat your entire hindquarters with the marinade...front, back, every nook and cranny.  Place them on a large piece of tinfoil-covered baking sheet and roast at 425 for about 40 minutes. We like our skin really brown and crispy, crunchy. Let it cool for about 10-15 minutes before tearing into it, so all the juices aren't immediately released and so your chicken tastes juicy, not dry.

That's it...wasn't that so easy?

*************

"Faux"tatoes


1 giant head of organic cauliflower or a bag of frozen, steamed until soft
1/2 stick of butter
1 tsp garlic powder, or fresh garlic, to taste
sea salt and pepper, to taste


Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Keep scraping the sides and everything willl mix together and turn into what looks like mashed potatoes. Taste to see if you need to add anything else...more butter? Salt? Those are usually what I start with...


*****************


Roasted Zucchini

3-4 zuchinni, sliced (long, thin slices using a mandoline)

olive oil

sea salt & pepper

Lay out all the zucchini slices on a baking sheet. Use a basting brush to coat the slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put these in the oven for about the last 15 minutes of the chicken being roasted...check them after about 5 minutes...I usually end up turning the heat from 425 to 400 at this point. (Your chicken will continue to roast just fine on this temp.) And roast until light, golden brown.

Strawberry Summer Salad

My dear mother came up with this salad when I was "vacationing" at her house-- a "vacation" from cooking and cleaning my own. I never would have thought a strawberry-avocado combo could taste so good, but I think it's the blue cheese that brings it together just right. This is refreshingly light and tasty dinner salad...perfect for when the Texas heat reaches 108 unbearable degrees. Or even when it doesn't.

Strawberry Summer Salad
Chicken (I like this recipe.)
Romaine
Raw Blue Cheese (There's nothing quite like raw blue cheese.)
Avocado
Strawberries
Red Onion

With a bit of
Maple Dressing:
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon italian seasonings
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 cup olive oil

Spaghetti Squash & Meatsauce

"Spaghetti":

Boil a large (or two small) spaghetti squash until fork tender.  Slice open. De-seed and scrape out the "spaghetti" with a fork so it's nice and stringy.

Meatsauce:

1 lb ground meat

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp whole oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 T salt (my tomato sauce usually doesn't have salt added)

1 T dried parsley

1/2  onion 

2 cans Tomato sauce ( 15-oz cans)

Brown meat. Drain well. Stir in flavorings. Add tomato sauce. Simmer at least ½ hour. Stir in spaghetti squash until well-combined.

I like making this meal ahead of time (or at least the meatsauce) b/c Charlie and I agree that it always tastes better when it's had a bit of time to "marry" in the fridge. (Sometimes I'll even make and store it in the fridge for a few days before we eat it. Then, it's an already a prepared, quick dinner option.)  I've also prepared and frozen the meatsauce.  Just let it sit in the kitchen sink for a few house to thaw the day you want to eat it and prepare the spaghetti squash separately.

Crazy Caprese Salad

Thanks, Aunt Rachel, for sharing this recipe a few years ago!

Caprese Salad, or "crazy salad", as McKlayne calls it, is the perfect summer side.  I'm sorry that I don't give you the exact measurements. I used to hate cooks like me...but this is all from memory, and depending on the size of the group I'm making it for, it often varies, so here goes:

Tomatoes, diced

Feta or Fresh Mozzarella cheese (both are really great, but I hardly ever have fresh mozzarella...and it's more work to cut up...so on a special occasion I use the real thing.)

Red Onion, diced

Basil, chopped

Dressing: (A little goes a long way, so start small and add more.)

1:2 of olive oil to balsamic vinegar 

Salt & Pepper

Swiss Chard

Thanks to Marylou, this is how we like to eat our swiss chard, usually grown from her garden, but you can really use any type of green :

Ingredients:
Greens (chard, kale, spinach, etc.)
a few slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
fat of choice, (We love butter around here!)
S&P
Lemon juice

While the bacon is cooking, wash and chop or tear the leaves, removing the center "spine". (The chard will cook down a lot, so I always prepare what seems like WAY too much.)

Saute greens in fat of choice until it's really cooked. Toss in broken bacon pieces. S&P to taste and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top. And, if I'm feeling extra naughty, sometimes I'll even sprinkle on a dash of parmesan cheese.

I cannot overstate how much my kids love this. Asher calls this his favorite vegetable and will often go back for third helpings...after two hefty ones. Before this we had never even tasted swiss chard, so I was shocked that we all loved it so much. But, I mean, with a little butter and bacon, how can you go wrong?

Carnitas Ensalda

Sometimes we'll have leftover pork from making this recipe.  And, if we do, Charlie and I really enjoy eating this for lunch.

Shredded Lettuce (this happened to be iceberg, but we'll use whatever we have on hand)

Tomatoes

Red Onion

Sour Cream (optional)

Salsa

Guacamole

Carnitas

Mix it all together and squeeze some lime juice over the top.

Artichoke Pesto Salad

Another salad variation to try:

Mixed Greens

Feta

Red Onion

Bell Pepper

Tomatoes

Avocado

Lemon & Cilantro Artichoke Pesto

Maple Dressing:

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon italian seasonings

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup

3/4 cup olive oil

Lemon & Cilantro Artichoke Pesto

This may not photograph the best but it is a great addition to salads, lunchmeat wraps or makes a great "dip" for veggies.  

It's all done in the food processor:

1 can of whole artichoke hearts, drained (14oz) 

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

2 Tbs fresh cilantro (just pinch a little off...a little goes a long way)

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

 Pulse it just a bit...I like mine still a little chunky.

Apple Walnut Salad

This is a super simple salad packed with flavor and great when you're low on ingredients:

Apple Pecan Salad

Mixed greens

1/2 red onion, chopped (or 3 green onions)

Feta Cheese

1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped

Walnuts

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

½ tsp. spicy mustard

½ tsp. garlic

Salt & pepper to taste

Sweet Italian Salad

This is served great next to an "Italian-ish" dish...or not.

Sweet Italian Salad:
Romaine lettuce
Cherry Tomatoes
Salami
Bellpeppers
Sliced almonds
Parmesan Cheese

In a large bowl toss it all together.

Dressing:
¼ cup coconut palm sugar or maple dressing
1 tsp. dried minced onion (or onion powder)
1 tsp. poppy seed
A  few dashes of paprika
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil

…Then shake it all about!!

Cobb Salad

Trust me, okay? This, again, tastes better than the photo looks. I think I've eaten this salad for a week straight for lunch, it's that good.

Cobb Salad:

Mixed Greens

Hard Boiled Egg

Bacon

Feta Cheese

Tomatoes

Red Onion
Avocado

(sometimes I'll add chicken, steak or ham if this is our main course for dinner)

Green Sauce dressing done in a food processor:

Green Sauce:

1 lb. tomatillos 

1 avocado

1 jalapeno pepper 

1/3 bunch cilantro

1/4 of onion

1 garlic clove

1 tsp. salt

This green sauce is SO good that I have just eaten with a spoon before. Also a great addition to lunchmeat wraps or a great dip for carrots. Asher also loves it on his eggs in the morning.

Greek Salad

Greek Salad:

Mixed Greens or Romaine

Red Onion

Feta

Black or Kalamata Olives (or this makes it even better http://www.formerchef.com/2010/10/18/three-olive-tapenade-plus-how-to-roast-a-pepper/)

Cherry Tomatoes

Pepperoni

Green Pepper or Banana Peppers

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1-1/4 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• 2/3 cup red wine vinegar

Cashew Cherry Salad

Spinach or Mixed Greens
Cashews
Dried Tart Cherries (or cranberries, I just can't find any without sugar)
Red Onion 
Avocado
Feta or Parmesan

(This will make a jar full but it will keep well in the fridge for a while.)

Maple Dressing:

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon italian seasonings
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar,
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 cup olive oil

Blackened Blackberry Ribs

This is how we like to eat our Yonderway spareribs. The blackberry marinade was inspired by this recipe, but we've made our own adjustments to make it Whole 30 legal. Double the following recipe if you're using more than one big rack of ribs:

Marinade:

1 cup blackberries (instead of other fruit)

1/4 cup coconut aminos

1/8 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 tablespoon sesame or olive oil

1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves (1 tsp. minced garlic)

Blend or process all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Pour the marinade over meat in an air-tight bag or container. Make sure the meat is completely covered with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Grill for 4-5 minutes per side, plus additional time as needed.  We like them blackened so make sure the grill is low and cook them slow and you can't go wrong.