Roasted Chicken, Leek and Kale Soup

Roasted Chicken, Leek and Kale soup

(aka leftover soup)

I’ve fallen in love with soup. Any kind of soup. As long as it's fresh, healthy and organic. This one is all three!

If, per chance, you happen to have half a roasted chicken, a package of kale and three leeks on hand, this is what you make for dinner.

Easy, delicious, hearty and homemade—what could be better?

Pork Osso Buco with Riced Cauliflower Risotto

I love Osso Buco. If it’s on the menu, that’s my order. No matter the restaurant—

corner diner to top of the line fancy-pants eatery. Osso Buco is a classic Italian stew and full of flavor. Now if you’re a traditionalist, you probably want to remind me that Osso Buco is veal dish. Well, yes. But, I prefer to use pork. First off, I like the price tag—pork costs about half. Second reason, I find the pork to be a more tender meat. And a tender Osso Buco is The Bomb.  

Serve this hearty stew with Cauliflower Risotto (recipe below)

Chicken and Mushroom Curry

I made chicken tonight.
Chicken with mushrooms and onions and turmeric and chili paste and garlic.
And it was delicious.

Paleo Ground Beef Kebabs with Tzatziki Sauce

Yesterday, I made yogurt—a ton—so much yogurt that I’ve been goggling “leftover yogurt” and “recipe” since this morning. After quite a bit of meandering, I decided to make Tzatziki and kebabs. And they were delicious! Lamb is the preferred meat for this recipe, but I happened to have a pound of ground beef on hand and found it to be a wonderful variation.

Delicious Esquites, A Mexican Sweet Corn Salad Recipe

Esquites is Mexican Street corn, but I've adapted the recipe to make a summer corn salad that's the best corn salad you are ever going to eat—EVER. Even if you think you already make a kicking corn salad, you have to try this recipe. Have to. It’s that delicious. Roasted corn flavored with cumin, chili powder, butter and mayo, it has all the flavors of Mexican street corn without all the fuss.

Traditional Esquites calls for fresh corn, but I’ve found that frozen not only tastes just as delicious, but halves the prep time.

Easy and Elegant Chicken Liver Pate Recipe

Delicious.

Homemade.
Easy.
Elegant.

& Paleo

Chicken Liver Pate with Blackberries is as good as it gets.

Ingredients:
½ pound chicken livers, trimmed

½ cup onion, chopped

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon fresh thyme

slight sprinkling of salt and pepper

1 cup water

1½ sticks, butter

and toasted baguette (or lavash) with blackberry jam for serving

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, combine livers, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper and water and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook until the livers are slightly pink inside, about 2 minutes. (I cut a few with a small knife, just to be sure)

Remove from heat and cool at least 5 minutes.

After discarding the bay leaf, drain the pan, transfering its contents to your food processor and process until smooth, adding the butter a few tablespoons at a time, until fully incorporated.

Spoon the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a 2-inch log. Twist the ends closed and refrigerate until firm. At least overnight to give the flavors time to mingle.

Cut into slices and serve with fresh blackberries, blackberry jam and sliced baguettes.

Enjoy!!

Roasted Apples with Onions and Carrots

Love apples
Love onions
Love carrots
and rosemary and garlic

And some nights, I especially love a quick and easy dinner.

So I chopped up the first three loves tossed them with olive oil and the next two, and YUM!

Oh, yeah. I also threw some Trader Joe's Basil Sausages in a frypan to keep all the deliciousness company.

Paleo-Friendly Sausage and Cauliflower Casserole

Who doesn’t love a good casserole? Far as I’m concerned, that’s what we have winter for. On a frosty day, there’s nothing better than coming home to a big pan of creamy, cheesy, yum baking in the oven. It’s an edible hug. However, if you’re following any sort of Paleo plan, casseroles aren’t exactly on your radar. Until now. This has to be the best Paleo Friendly casserole ever invented. Seriously good stuff.

Homemade Guacamole

This Guacamole recipe is not only one of the quickest dishes you can make for your super bowl fiesta, it’s one of the tastiest. Made with avocados, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and salt, it’s potassium rich, fiber rich—as healthy as it is delicious. I prefer Haas avocados, with black bumpy skin to their smooth, green-skinned cousins. I find their flesh much richer. I also prefer, red or white onions instead of scallions, enjoying the added texture, the sharp crunch in an otherwise creamy sauce.

As for instructions—you pretty much put everything in a bowl, get out the chips and chow down—however I would suggest multiple tastings before you finalize your recipe. Maybe a little more lime juice or cilantro. The amount of salt can vary greatly depending on the freshness of your limes and the richness of your avocados. My mother-in-law will add a good measure of cottage cheese to stretch the recipe and on rare occasions, I have added sour cream for the same reason.

Now, if you find avocados to be too much trouble, too messy, mushy or hard to peel, check out this article via Bon Appetite, The Smarter Way to Chop an Avocado. If you follow their instructions, you will be able to extract the fruit in mere seconds with minimal waste.

On a personal note, I store my jalapeños in the freezer, removing and grating as needed. I find grating to be quicker than chopping, thereby avoiding the issue of too stinging fingertips (capsaicin burn). 

Finely grated, the pepper’s heat will permeate the dish much more evenly. However, you should be aware that the longer you store chiles, even frozen, the hotter they become, so adjust your portions as necessary.

Ingredients:

Large handful of cilantro, chopped

½  cup chopped red or white onion

1 large jalapeño, frozen and grated

½  clove garlic, crushed and then finely chopped

4 avocados

½ tomato, chopped

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

salt to taste

Directions:

In a medium bowl, lightly mash the avocado before mixing in the lime juice, garlic and salt. Then add the onion, cilantro and tomatoes, and jalapeño, stirring only to combine.

Enjoy!

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Are you ready for some football?

Are you ready for some of the best commercials you’ll see all year?

For Arnold going at it on the Ping-Pong table?

 Or are you just there for the eats?

Up until a few years ago, I was there for the eats. Could care less who was playing. Could care less what the score was, who missed what critical pass, who was injured and playing his heart out anyway--none of it interested me. I was there for the food. Mostly, to cook it. Loved cooking a bunch of greasy, cheesy, spicy snacks for a bunch of crazy folks who seemed to be making a sport out of whose turn it was to scream at the television set next.

But that was then.

Today, I’m right in there with them--or at least on the couch. We moved into Patriot territory, what can I say? I mean, is there a better quarterback out there? Seriously? I don’t think so. However, sitting on the couch has one disadvantage. No one is in the kitchen. So this season, I’ve had to come up with a few recipes to keep me in the game. Chips and salsa just ain’t my style. Well, unless it’s Lipton onion dip and a bag of Ruffles that is. In that case, you best watch your fingers.

Over the next week, I'll share a few dishes I like to serve.

First up, Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

A Panamanian girlfriend shared her recipe a few years ago, and after a few tweaks, I think I have the perfect sauce. Even the ingredients are beautiful!

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Spicy Tuna Poke

Real Roasted Beets

Paleo Waldorf Salad

Paleo Waldorf Salad with Chicken

Combining Autumn Flavors and Paleo Goodness into one amazing recipe…

Paleo Lemongrass Beef or Vietnamese Bo Nuong Xa

Before we put away our grill for the winter, I had to make one last dish. One of my family’s favorites. I have used it on beef, pork and chicken and depending on the season, served it over rice, grilled vegetables, or a salad. Even eaten it in pita with chopped lettuce and cucumbers. It's as delicious as it is easy. Your family will absolutely love it!

Fried Sweet Potato Latkes

Sweet Potato Latkes
Or what I like to call, Yeah, I Can Eat Fried Potatoes Whenever I Want to Latkes

Delicious Braised Cabbage and Onions

According to a recent scientific study, a 3 ounces serving of raw red cabbage delivers 196.5 milligrams of polyphenols, of which 28.3 milligrams are anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids linked to cancer protection. It's calcium rich. A great source of vitamin C. Low in calerios. A balanced died that includes red cabbage can lower cholesterol, help prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Mouth-Watering Paleo Fried Chicken

Every once in awhile I get a hankering for something fried. Yep. That's right. I said hankering. Just need to feel that crunch between my teeth. Could be all those KFC commercials that show up right around dinnertime. Not sure, but it's a definite possibility.Tonight, it hit me big time. And, I could have fought it. Could have dug in my heels, mediated, ate a chocolate cookie to distract myself, but I didn't. I went all in, Baby! And it was delish!

Super-Moist Carrot Cake

This one-bowl carrot cake is my all-time favorite. It's absolutely delicious. Every time I make it, I get requests for the recipe. It's truly yummy. Great for a brunch, after school snack or dinner party finale. I prefer to serve it the frosting on the side to give everyone the choice of whether to slather some extra sweetness, or enjoy as is.
I prefer as is. The mixture of carrots, spices and sweetness is simply too luscious to cover up.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Chowder, Paleo Friendly

Last weekend was football weekend. Three games. And although I don’t know much about the game, you’d have to be a total goof not to recognize Brady’s brilliance. That man throws a ball like I thread a needle. Serious talent.

Stuffed Eggplant

Now, I hope you're not thinking this is some version of stuffed peppers, because this is not that dish. Sausage Stuffed Eggplant is not one bit like stuffed peppers. 

The dish you should be thinking about is lasagna. Lasagna in all its goodness. Buffalo mozzarella, Parmesan, sausage, tomatoes, garlic and onions, without one bit of pasta.

Our house hasn't seen real lasagna in years. Not simply because I have a whole mess of things to do with my time besides trying to get cold ricotta to spread on hot noodles, but also because all that pasta is simply filler. Like putting sawdust in a McD's hamburger. I mean, how many times have you pushed the pasta aside and dug right into the filling? If you're anything like me, every single time.

Well, this dish rectifies that situation. With all the flavor of lasagna, no pasta, and no layering, its a delicious family favorite.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, halved lengthwise

1 pound ground Italian sausage

½ yellow onion, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

3 Tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 Tbs tomato paste

¼ cup almond flour (you can substitute breadcrumbs, if you prefer)

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed

½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.    Start with eggplant, which will roast while you make the filling. Place eggplant halves, cut side up on a lined baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes. (I prefer to do this the day before, not only to save time, but to allow the eggplant to cool before handling.)

3.    While eggplant is roasting, cook the sausage in a large frying pan until no longer pink. Add garlic and onion, and sauté for 5 additional minutes.

4.    Drain fat from sausage, and add olive oil, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and reduce to a low simmer.

5.    While sauce is simmering, remove eggplant from the oven and allow to cool.

6.    Scrap flesh from each eggplant half to within ½ inch from skin, roughly chop and add to a bowl along with the sausage mixture, eggs and cheeses. This is your filling.

7.    Spoon filling into your eggplant shells, packing loosely and top with as much Parmesan cheese as you can handle.

8.    Place on baking sheet and bake until warmed through, approximately 40 minutes.

9.    Cut width-wise and serve!