Paleo Chicken Dijonnaise

 I can almost see my French Chef instructors cringe at me telling them I no longer make sauces with cream OR butter.The majority all of my classical French culinary training consisted of mastering(haven't yet)the fine art of making the 5 mother sauces.If you use any of these methods or sauces as a base, there are endless concoctions you can make.Having said that, I am now the crazy scientist trying to come up with dairy free sauces.I bought some amazing meyer lemons today which really rocked this chicken. Here goes....I ended up really liking this.


                                                         Chicken Marinade

                                                         3 Meyer Lemons (juiced)
                                                          Lots of minced garlic
                                                          2 Tbl. dijon mustard
                                                          2 Tbl Fresh Tarragon
                                                          Salt & Pepper

Marinade chicken for several hours,overnight would be best.Grill Chicken.

                                                         3 Tbl reduced coconut milk
                                                         1 shallot
                                                          1/4 cup white wine vinegar
                                                          1 Meyer lemon juiced
                                                           1/4 cup dry white wine
                                                           3 Tbl dijon mustard
                                                           2 Tbl Fresh Tarragon
                                                           1 bag crimini mushrooms
                                                           1 can artichokes(trader joe's stemmed)
                                                            Salt & Pepper


Carmelize mushrooms,add shallots and garlic and cook until translucent.Add wine,vinegar and lemon juice and reduce 50%.Add tarragon,dijon artichokes and coconut.Pour over chicken.

Paleo Creamed Spinach

Bored lately.Sick of not using cream or cheese.Needed something creamy, yet not.Alas, creamless creamed spinach .This was surprisingly good, delicious even.I like coconut,sweetened, in food as a cream I wasn't so sure.I didn't want something sweet(ish) in something I intended to be savory.What I did was reduce the coconut milk down to a third,so it was almost condensed to add just a touch of creamy texture.




                                                    1 can coconut milk
                                                    2 bunches fresh organic spinach
                                                     sliced mushrooms
                                                     1 shallot
                                                      loads of garlic


Sautee mushrooms in a dash of olive oil, after mushrooms are carmelized add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft.Throw the spinach on top of that,and cook until slightly wilted,season, finish with 2 tablespoons coconut milk.
                                 

Paleo Greek Chicken with Greek Salad

Ok, this may be my official favorite Paleo dish I have made to date. I just came from Greek fest here in the desert, and I have had Greek food on my mind.So, I have adapted a few of my favorite Greek recipes to be Paleo, and voila...




                                                       Greek Chicken Marinade

                                                       Juice from 5 lemons
                                                       fresh chopped oregano,rosemary & thyme
                                                       a boatload of chopped garlic
                                                       splash of olive oil
                                                       salt and lots of fresh pepper

                     Marinate at least 8 hours.I always marinate overnight(time permitting). I marinated 5 organic chicken breasts and grilled them.To die for.


                                                      Greek Salad

                                                    Grilled Eggplant
                                                    Cucumber
                                                    Red Onion
                                                    Chopped Garlic
                                                    Heirloom Tomatoes
                                                    Fresh Lemon Juice
                                                    Chopped Green Pepper
                                                    Fresh Chopped Oregano & Mint
                                                    Chopped Kalamata Olives
                                                    Lemon Juice
                                                    Red Wine Vinegar
                                                    Olive Oil
                                                    Salt & Pepper

Chop all veggies, combine lemon juice,red wine vinegar,olive oil & herbs and marinate for a few hours.





                                                  Paleo Greek Tzatiki



                                                 Greek Non Fat Yogurt

                                                 Juice of 2 Lemons
                                                 
                                                 Chopped Cucumber & Red Onion
                                           
                                                 Chopped fresh oregano & mint

                                                  Chopped Garlic

                                                  Salt & Pepper


Whisk together and marinate for a couple hours.Serve as an accompaniment to chicken.

Peppered Filet with a Cabernet Wild Mushroom Reduction Paleo Style

I realize I often say this, but this was really delicious.

4 Filets with salt & pepper

Enoki mushrooms

Baby Bella mushrooms

shitake  mushrooms

garlic

Cabernet

Truffle oil

Pre heat sautee pan.This is key for carmelizing, which in effect adds all the color and flavor.When pan is smoking hot, add a touch of olive oil, then throw in your cleaned, sorta chopped mushrooms.The mushrooms will sweat a little and then turn a rich brown color.(If you are not cooking Paleo...feel free to throw in a chunk of Pulugra European butter)When the mushrooms turn a nice carmel color, add some chopped garlic, and at least a cup of cabernet.You will then cook on low to reduce to a nice thick consistency.Salt and pepper to taste.Add a dash of truffle oil before serving over filet.

Filets

I like to rub both sides of the filet with whole garlic cloves,salt and fresh ground pepper.The key is to get them room temperature before you throw them on the grill.

Split Pea Soup

                  



                      This soup was so good...my kids ate it for breakfast too!


                                                  2 Huge Ham Hocks
                                                  8 cups chicken stock
                                                  1 bag mini carrots
                                                  1 large yellow onion
                                                   tons of whole garlic
                                                    bunch of celery
                                                  2 bags dried split peas
                                                   1 bay leaf
                                           

    The secret to this soup, is that it takes forever, kind of. I throw everything in a huge stockpot bring to a boil and keep skimming off the gross stuff at the top.Lower the temp to simmer and cook all day long.You can use a combo of yellow and green peas(very tasty).Later, remove the ham hocks,take a stick blender and blend.I garnish with chopped ham,sour cream and hot sauce.It really is a whole meal.Excellent with crusty buttered sourdough.

Paleo Healthiest Soup Ever

This mixed vegetable puree is soo filling, healthy and delicious.You can make a big batch and actually freeze it.


                                                        4 cups chicken stock
                                                         1 bunch spinach
                                                         Loads of garlic
                                                         broccoli
                                                         cauliflower
                                                         asparagus
                                                         onion
                                                        carrots
                                                         squash
                                                         celery
                                                          red pepper


Throw all the veggies in a pot and boil in the chicken stock.Season to taste and blend with a stick blender. It is so darn good. If you are ok with dairy, a shot of milk or cream would be great too.

Paleo Turkey Vegetable Balls

I know I have said this multiple times, but I love my job and the awesome family I work for.A staple in the fridge is turkey breast meatballs, which I love to tweak. The meatball of the day I am very, very pleased with.The first few I made, I was putting ground almonds in,(kind of a bread crumb substitute).They do not need almonds, and actually I am really liking them without. I ground every veggie I could find into a sauce, which not only added incredible flavor, but kept the meatballs really moist. I have no idea why, but these taste amazing with mustard on them. Enjoy!


                                               2 lbs ground Turkey Breast

                                               2 pieces italian squash

                                                1 red pepper
                                                  
                                                 loads of chopped garlic

                                               chipolte peppers in can with juice
                                               
                                                1/2 onion

                                               Salt,Pepper and Cumin to taste


Grind all veggies in food processor,mix into turkey breast mixture, add spices. Form into balls and fry in a little olive oil. Place on pan and bake for about 15 minutes at 350.


                                           

Paleo Roasted Beets with a Balsamic Reduction

Writing this watching the timer on the frozen Trader Joe's pizza I just tossed in the oven.That is the answer to the question to do my kids eat like this everyday. I digress...Ok, I was lurking in the produce department in Bristol Farm's this morning and these beautiful beets almost jumped in my cart. They were absolutely delicious and way to easy to make.


                                  1 Bunch of Beets
                                  Salt & Pepper
                                  Balsamic Vinegar (the good stuff)
                                  Olive Oil


Preheat oven to 375....make an aluminum foil packet, toss beets (skin on) in a little olive oil and salt and pepper......roast for a good hour, maybe hour and a half. Run beets under cold water and slip off skins. Heat Balsamic, a dab of olive oil and salt & pepper in a sauce pan, reduce until it is syrupy..serve over beets!