Roasted Poblano Peppers with Sweet Potato Filling

I had a Cinco de Mayo party to go to tonight so I debated on what to make.  The host was having a taco bar so I wanted something that would compliment it.  I found this recipe on Primal Palate's website and thought I would go for it.

Roasted Poblano Peppers with Sweet Potato Filling

(Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free (without the ghee), and Paleo)

Makes 4

For the Peppers
4 Large Poblano peppers
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

For the Filling
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil or ghee
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

For Peppers: Preheat grill to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Rub olive oil onto peppers and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast peppers on each side for about 3 minutes per side, you want them charred.  Remove from heat and let cool about 10 minutes.  Take each pepper and slice a slit into it, being careful not to slice into both sides of it - you want to create a pocket.  Remove ribs and seeds.  Fill each pepper with the sweet potato filling.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes until sweet potatoes begin to brown.

For Filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, bake sweet potatoes for 45 to 50 minutes until soft.  Peel sweet potatoes.  Place sweet potatoes into a bowl, mash them, add olive oil, cilantro and chili powder; mix well.

NOTES:  
I wanted a faster way to cook my sweet potatoes so I cooked them in the microwave.  Just wash the potato, poke with a fork and microwave until fork tender, remove and peel (be careful the potatoes are hot).
To help remove the seeds and ribs from the peppers I used a grapefruit spoon. A grapefruit spoon has a serrated tine to it so you can use the side of it to help scrape out the seeds and ribs, but be careful to not press to hard you don't want to poke holes into the pepper.
To make more than 4 peppers at a time I doubled the recipe for the filling and was able to fill 12 peppers (my peppers ranged from large to medium in size) and found that it was the perfect amount.

Quick and Easy Paleo Shepherd's Pie

I made this tonight for dinner and just really used what I had available to me in my kitchen.

Quick and Easy Paleo Shepherd's Pie
(Dairy Free)

Top Layer: 
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
Sea salt
Place chopped sweet potato into a large pan with water.  Bring to boil and cook until sweet potato is fork tender, drain.  In a bowl, mash the sweet potatoes adding a little bit of coconut milk, mashing. Add some salt to taste.  Set aside.

Bottom Layer:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
2 carrots, thinly sliced
handful of frozen peas
1 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil a 6 cup round baking dish, set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees fairnheit.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.   Add onion and cook until tender.  Add ground beef and cook, chopping up into small pieces.  Add carrots, peas, tomato paste, chicken broth, dry mustard and cinnamon mixing to incorporate all ingredients.   Place ingredients into baking dish.  Spread meat mixture flat. Top meat mixture with mashed sweet potatoes spreading to cover all edges.  Place into oven and bake for 10 minutes.  Change to broil and broil until top is bubbly.  Remove let cool slightly and serve.

Chicken Salad

I am allergic to eggs so I wanted to find a paleo type mayonnaise that I could use.  I found this recipe from Empowered Sustenance and I love it.

The chicken was from a leftover roast chicken from the night before.

Egg Free Mayonnaise
1/2 cup coconut butter
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Let cool at room temperature, use in chicken salad.  If you place this mayonnaise into the refrigerator it will harden, just remove and let sit at room temperature or warm gently before using.

I like to add to my chicken salad, pecans, cut red grapes, and scallions.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

I love soup when the weather turns cooler and I truly believe I could eat it every day.

Here is a super simple recipe I put together tonight.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
(Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

1 medium to large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
olive oil
1 can coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  On a parchment lined cookie sheet add squash and sweet potato.  Drizzle with olive oil.   Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, turn the chunks to help them to cook evenly.  Continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes or until tender and slightly brown.  In a blender add coconut milk, broth, ginger, cinnamon and a little salt.  Blend until smooth.  Depending on the size of your squash and potato you may have to blend this in two batches.  Place blended soup into a large pan and heat over medium heat.  Add more salt as necessary to taste.

I added some smoked salmon in the bowl with the soup to add some protein.

White Bean Chicken Chili

White Bean Chicken Chili

(Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/3 cup cassava flour (Here is where I get mine from, Otto's Naturals)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups frozen corn

1 - 15 ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups boneless chicken, cut into small pieces

1 - 4 ounce can chopped green chilies 

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

In a dutch oven heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion and garlic.  Cook until onions are tender.  Stir in flour, salt and chili powder, mix well.  Add milk and chicken broth, stir until thickened slightly.  Use a whisk to help break up the flour and to make it creamy.  Add remaining ingredients except cilantro.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste and to check for flavor and add more salt as necessary.  Stir in cilantro and serve.

Chicken Coconut Curry

Like always I find a recipe online and then tweak it slightly to fit either my food allergies or my tastes. Tonight was no exception.

Chicken Coconut Curry
2 tablespoons ghee (use coconut oil to make this dairy free)
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 can full fat coconut milk
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
Salt to taste
In a medium sized dutch oven, heat ghee over medium heat, let melt, whisk in curry powder.  Add coconut milk and whisk until incorporated.  Turn heat to low.
In a large skillet, bring a little bit olive oil, over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until onions are translucent.  Add chicken and cook until it is no longer pink.
Add sweet potatoes to coconut curry mixture, stir.  Add chicken, onion and garlic mixture to coconut curry and stir.  Stir in fresh ginger. Turn heat to high and bring mixture to a boil.  Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat and place lid on dutch oven.  Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste and add salt as needed. Serve over quinoa.

Marinated London Broil with Parship Mash and Minted Peas

Marinated London Broil
1-1/2 pound london broil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Place london broil into a large Ziploc bag.  Add all of the ingredients into the bag.  Seal up and massage meat to help incorporate the marinade.  Place in refrigerator and let marinate for about 3 to 4 hours (the longer you let it marinate the more flavor it will have).

In a large heavy duty skillet (I always use my cast iron skillet) place over medium high heat, add a couple of tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.  Add meat to the pan to sear it, don't move the meat, for about 6 minutes, flip and sear other side.  If the meat is a thick cut it might take longer per side.  This cut that I had was really thick so I seared it on both sides and then put it (the entire pan) into the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and let it cook for about 10 minutes more.  I cooked it until the internal temperature reached 125 degrees Fahrenheit which will then give it a perfect medium rare.  Remove it from the pan or oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes.  Slice against the grain and serve.

Parsnip Mash
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
Canned coconut milk
Salt and Pepper
Place parsnips into a pan and cover with water.  Place on stove and bring to a boil.  Cook until the parsnips are fork tender.  It will take about 10 minutes.  Remove from stove and drain water.  Add parsnips back into the hot pan.  Place pan back on burner (that is turned off), this will help to get rid of any excess water.  Add garlic and using a masher, mash parsnips, add a little bit of coconut milk and continue to mash and add coconut milk until you get the consistency you want.  We like our mash slightly chunky.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Minted Peas
Fresh peas aren't yet in from our garden so I am using frozen peas.
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 package frozen peas
3 sprigs of fresh mint
Salt
Place peas into a small colander and rinse with hot water, set aside.  Remove mint leaves and finely dice, set aside.  In a small skillet over medium high heat, add coconut oil, let it melt.  Add peas and toss to cook for about 2 minutes.  Add mint and toss to incorporate into the peas.  Cook for 2 minutes more.  Serve.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Stuffed Pork Chops
2 large pork chops with bone-in
1 head of kale, washed with stems pulled and broken into small pieces
Olive oil
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup raisins, plumped up in hot water
2 shallots, minced
1-1/2 cups dry white wine like a Chardonnay
4 tablespoons canned coconut milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
fresh or dried tarragon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add kale and cook until wilted, set aside.  Slice the middle of the pork chops to create a pocket, do not cut all the way through.  In a small bowl add some of the cooked kale, quinoa, raisins, add a little salt and pepper.  Mix together.  Add this kale mixture to the pockets of the pork chops.  In the same skillet you cooked the kale, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Add pork chops and cook for about 3 minutes until underside is golden brown. Flip over and place skillet into oven and cook for about 15 minutes.  Check on temperature of pork you don't want to over cook it.  For grassfed pork it should be cooked between 145 and 160 degree Fahrenheit.  Remove from oven and let rest.  While the pork is cooking in a skillet, add a teaspoon or so of olive oil and heat over medium high heat.  Add shallots and cook until just tender, add wine and simmer until reduced by half.  Add coconut milk, whisking mixture until thick.  Whisk in mustard.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon over cooked pork chops.  Add a sprinkle of fresh or dried tarragon for a finishing touch.

Paleo Pancake Muffins

I found this great recipe for paleo pancakes, I mean this is the best pancake recipe I have ever made. I have made this a couple of times.  I love pancakes on occasion but they do take some time to make.  I decided to take a regular recipe and see how they would do as a muffin.  Making the pancakes into muffins is super easy, clean up is a breeze and it makes for a great breakfast later in the week.

Paleo Pancake Muffins
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (not canned milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
5 large eggs
1/4 cup packed almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place all ingredients into a blender in the order they are listed.  Blend until smooth, making sure to scrape down the sides.   In a 12 cup muffin pan, place muffin liners into each cup (using the liners makes for easy removal, I used parchment muffin paper).  Pour batter into each cup about half way to start and then filling them up with the rest of the batter.  Don't fill the muffin cup full otherwise it will spill over.  Place into oven and bake for about 13 minutes.  Muffins are done when they are inserted with a toothpick and it comes out clean.   Let cool slightly, remove from pan, remove paper and place on a plate.  Drizzle with maple syrup and some fresh fruit.

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Cashew Cheese

I found this recipe on a blog called Plaid & Paleo.  It is amazing!  We literally felt like we were eating something that we weren't supposed to, yes it really is that amazing.  I have to thank Plaid & Paleo for the recipe.

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Cashew Cheese

(This recipe is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo)

For the Italian Seasoning:
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the Sauce:
1 - 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning (from above)
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper


For the Meat Portion:
1 pound grass fed beef
1 tablespoon italian seasoning (from above)
1 teaspoon ghee or olive oil
1 red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 butternut squash
Cashew Cheese (recipe below)

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Blend all italian spice seasoning with a mortar and pestle.  For the sauce, mix all ingredients together in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add in 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Using a immersion blender, puree sauce until smooth.
Mix remaining seasoning with the ground beef.  Heat ghee in skillet over medium-high heat.  Toss in onions and garlic.  Cook until garlic is fragrant.  Add meat and brown, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks.
Cut the bottom of the squash off to sturdy it and peel. To peel use a knife down the sides.  Cut the squash where the round part and neck meet.  Now cut each of those pieces lengthwise.  Remove seeds and stringy bits.  Cut squash into 1/2 inch planks.

To assemble: Using a 9x9 inch baking dish, spread a small layer of sauce evenly on the bottom.  Lay an even layer of squash planks, doing your best not to overlap.  Scoop on a layer of meat.  Repeat process until you run out of ingredients, but make sure you save enough sauce to be the final layer.  Bake for 40 minutes, remove from oven and add some of the cheese, cook for another 5 minutes.

My Notes on this recipe:  Using the full amount of red pepper will make it a spicy sauce, if you don't like it spicy just reduce the amount used.  I think this recipe would be great with a ground italian sausage.   Also, I think the next time I make this I will add a layer of cashew cheese on each layer.




Cashew Cheese
I have made cashew cheese once before and the last time it was okay, but this recipe is great.  I also used a food processor the last time and my vitamix this time.  The blender makes a world of difference.   You don't need to let this cheese sit for using it for the recipe, it can be used immediately.

1-1/2 cups plain cashew nuts (not roasted or salted)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons raw apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Place nuts into a bowl, cover with water and let sit overnight.  Drain the nuts and place them into a blender along with the other ingredients.  Mix thoroughly until pureed, stopping and scrapping down the sides.  Add a little more water as necessary.  I added just enough to make it the consistency of a thick sour cream.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and let stand somewhere cool for 24 hours before placing it in the refrigerator.  The cheese will keep for another 5 days.

Baked Beans

I had a picnic to go to for work where we each had to bring something to share (a pot luck).  I really wanted to make baked beans but every recipe I came across has sugar in it.  I do not consume sugar (except the natural variety like fruit, honey, and maple syrup).  So I found a recipe and adapted it to what I needed.

This recipe is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Nut Free and Paleo (only if you eat legumes)

Baked Beans
This makes a double batch that will feed about 12 people
2 pounds dried navy beans
2 pounds bacon, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/2 tomato paste
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons (I used a mixture of a darker honey and then the tablespoons of a lighter honey like clover)
Vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons fresh black pepper
4 teaspoons kosher salt

Soak beans in a plastic container overnight in just enough cold water to submerge them completely.
Heat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a cast iron dutch oven over medium heat, stir in the bacon, onion, and jalapenos until enough fat has rendered from the bacon to soften the onions, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, honey, and molasses.   Drain the beans and reserve the soaking liquid.  Add the drained beans to the pan.  Place the soaking liquid in a measuring cup and add enough vegetable broth to equal 8 cups of liquid.  Add the liquid to the pan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add in cayenne, black pepper and salt.  Give them a stir and cover with lid. Place pan in the oven for 6 to 8 hours, or until beans are tender.

Overnight Coconut Oats

I came across this recipe yesterday and thought what the heck I might as well try it.  It was super easy to make, only took about 5 minutes.  The recipe came from the blog My Whole Food Life.  I tweaked it a little bit to accommodate what I had available.

Overnight Coconut Oats
Makes 1 serving
1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/3 to 1/2 cup half almond or coconut milk **
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
2 teaspoons chia seeds
2 teaspoons maple syrup
fruit - strawberries or blueberries
Put everything in a jar and mix.  Cover and place in refrigerator overnight.  Top with your favorite fruit.
**I made two servings of this, one was with 1/3 cup of milk and the other with 1/2 cup.  They were both really good and the 1/2 cup one was not watery.  Experiment with this to get it to your taste.  The author of the blog where this recipe came from makes several jars for the week, so she can grab it and go.

Crock Pot Pork Barbecue

If you are a regular follower of my blog you have probably noticed that I have been absent for a while.  I have been really busy.  I am currently a student pilot.  I am working on getting my private pilots license and so a lot of my free time I am trying to study (it has been awhile since I was in school and trying to get back into a study habit is hard).  I will try to put my recipes out here for everyone to enjoy.

Crock Pot Pork Barbecue
1 large onion, peeled and sliced thin
1 large pork butt, with some of the excess fat removed
1 tablespoon onion powder
In a crock pot add the onion, place pork, fat side up, on top and sprinkle with onion powder (if you are wondering why onion powder and onions - I add it because it adds another dimension of flavor).  Turn crock pot to high and let cook all day (about 6 hours).  The pork should be able to be pulled apart with a fork when it is done.  Just before serving, keeping the pork in the crock pot, using forks, shred the meat and remove bone if there is one.  The pork and the onions will come together.  Serve on your favorite bun or by itself.  I added a little cooked bacon and some homemade sauce (see recipes below).

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (if you wanted it hotter you could also add some cayenne pepper or your favorite Tabasco sauce)
Mix all ingredients.  I mixed it into a mason jar so that you could just shake the ingredients to mix them.

Tomato Vinegar Sauce
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1-1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (if you wanted it hotter you could also add some cayenne pepper or your favorite Tabasco sauce)
Mix all ingredients.  I mixed it into a mason jar so that you could just shake the ingredients to mix them.

Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar

6 ounces yellow mustard

1/4 of a onion, minced

8 tablespoons of water

8 tablespoons of tomato puree

1/2 tablespoon paprika

3 cloves of garlic, minced (I use a garlic press)

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.

Grilled Brussell Sprouts

We love love love brussell sprouts in this house.  We had decided to grill some chicken and have a little salad for dinner.  Instead of cooking the sprouts in the house we decided to cook them on the grill.  They came out fantastic, super easy and easy to clean up afterward.

Grilled Brussell Sprouts
Cut bottoms off sprouts, cut in half. Place on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Fold foil in half and pinch all the sides to make a sealed packet. Place on a 500 degree grill, direct heat and cook for 5 minutes, flip packet and cook for 5 minutes more, remove to indirect heat and cook for 10 minutes. Cut packet open and serve.

Black Cod with a Saffron Creme Sauce

I always come across recipes, I guess you could say I like to read them.  I adapt most recipes to make them my own (due to allergies, etc).

This recipe is (Dairy Free, Gluten Free, and Paleo)


Black Cod with Saffron Creme Sauce
2 black cod filets (this came from SeaBear)
olive oil
1 cup white wine (I used a Chardonnay from Veramar Vineyards)
2 tablespooon ghee
2 tablespoons full fat coconut milk (from a can)
pinch of salt
pinch of saffron
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place cod on a cookie sheet and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Place fish into oven and bake for about 15 minutes (don't overcook this fish).

In a saucepan, add wine.  Bring to a boil and reduce to about half.  Whisk in ghee and coconut milk, whisk thoroughly.  Add saffron, continue to whisk and cook over high heat; continue to whisk.  Taste  and adjust with a pinch of salt if needed.

Served with a baked sweet potato and sauteed kale

Paleo Steak Marinade

This recipe came from a friend many years ago.  It was my go to marinate for steaks.  I adapted this recipe for a paleo type diet.

Steak Marinade
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup coconut aminos
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly.   Place marinade over steaks and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

We grilled steaks, had a side of grilled Japanese sweet potatoes, and a side salad.

Homemade Granola

Every time I go to the grocery store I look at the ingredients in already made granola.  Each time I read the list of ingredients I am disappointed that each one has sugar, rice syrup or some other type of sugar.  I guess I am expecting a company to use natural ingredients like honey or maple syrup.  A friend of mine gave me a recipe after we had a long discussion about what is in pre-made granola.  I tailored this recipe to what I wanted in it as well as what spices I could actually eat due to allergies.

Homemade Granola
8 cups organic gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sliced organic almonds
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup walnuts
1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (like Bob's Red Mill)

1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup dried strawberries (chopped slightly)
1 cup dried cherries (chopped slightly)
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup mulberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Toss together oats and nuts (EXCEPT FOR SLICED ALMONDS) in a bowl.

Toss together, flax seeds, sliced almonds and coconut in a bowl, set aside.

Toss together, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, raisins and mulberries in a bowl, set aside.

Whisk together, oil, honey, maple syrup, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger; mix well.  Pour over oat and nut mixture.  Toss oats and nuts until everything is coated.  Divide by pouring into two large baking sheets (this will allow room to stir).  Place in oven and bake, stirring every 15 minutes (if you are using two pans on two different shelves, swap pans on shelves every 15 minutes).

At the halfway mark (after baked for 30 minutes) add, sliced almonds, flax seeds and coconut, dividing between the two pans, stir to incorporate.

Bake until the mixture is a golden brown, about 60 minutes.  Do not it over brown.  Remove from oven.

Add dried fruit to pans and toss to coat.

Lay wax paper onto counter, enough to cover and allow for room.  Pour granola on wax paper and let cool, stirring occasionally.  Once cool, place in Ziploc bags (do not fully seal bags).  Later that day or next day, place granola into freezer bags.  Place about 2 cups per bag and freeze.  Freezing will keep the granola crunchy.

I found that this recipe made about 14 cups of granola.

 Granola cooling 

Granola ready for the freezer

A bowl of granola with coconut milk

Some notes 
Other spices you can add:
Reduce about of cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground mace (optional)
You can also add other dried fruits:
3/4 cup cranberries

Baked Salmon with Cucumber Jalapeno Relish

This recipe is Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free and Paleo.


Baked Salmon with Cucumber Jalapeno Relish
2 salmon filets
Olive oil
Sea salt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place salmon onto a cookie sheet, skin side down.  Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Place in oven and reduce heat to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 10 minutes or until done.  Place remaining ingredients into a small bowl with a little bit of salt and mix together.  Serve over cooked salmon.
**Note: When removing the salmon from the cookie sheet, place the edge of the spatula/server just under the fish and on top of the skin.  The skin will stay on the pan and the fish will slide right off.

Chicken Chili

I really wanted something different to do with chicken breasts than to just bake them.  I thought to myself about how boring it would be to have just baked chicken (not that there is anything wrong with that).  I decided to make a chili, here is what I came up with.

This recipe is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free and Paleo

Chicken Chili
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/8 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin (if you grind it yourself from whole seeds it has much more flavor)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cans - 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Cook onions in olive oil over medium high heat for 10 minutes, until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add green pepper, chili powder, cumin, red pepper, cayenne and salt.  Cook for 1 minute.  Crush tomatoes by placing them into a food processor and pulsing.  Add tomatoes to pot as well as basil.   Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub chicken breasts with olive olive and place on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle chicken with salt.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until just cooked. Remove from oven and let cool.  Cut chicken into large chunks.  Add to chili and simmer, uncovered for another 20 minutes.  Serve.
**Note: If you don't want it too spicy cut back on the amount of red pepper and cayenne pepper.  Or add more if you want it spicier.

Turkey Bolognese with Spiralized Zucchini Noodles

My daughter got us this kitchen gadget called a Spiralizer that you can make noodles out of raw vegetables.  I have used it once before but this was my first real recipe.  It is so easy and it was great to have something that resembled pasta but without the wheat.   This recipe is an adaptation from a recipe on the Inspiralized blog.  I had to adapt it because of allergies, but also because I wanted to.

This recipe is Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free and Paleo

Turkey Bolognese with Spiralized Zucchini Noodles
2 to 2-1/2 zucchini, blade C
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (less if you don't like it spicy)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 14 ounce cans of diced tomatoes, do not drain
3 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Sea salt
In a large skillet add olive oil and heat over medium high heat.  Add garlic and cook for a few seconds.  Add in red pepper flakes and onions, cook until they begin to soften about 2 minutes.  Add carrots and cook for 1 minute.  Add ground turkey and crumble it up as it cooks.  Continue to cook until the turkey is no longer pink and cook thoroughly.  Add in water and cook until it just about evaporates.  Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, and salt.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Add chopped basil in the last 5 minutes of cooking.   Add zucchini noodles, toss to incorporate (it will be a little awkward at first, just keep trying to stir them in), and cook for about 4 minutes.  Serve.