Baked Salmon, Sauteed Brussel Sprouts and Honey Carrots

The salmon we have came from SeaBear.  The salmon is part of their Wild Keta Salmon which alder smoke has been added.  It is actually a part of their barbecue sandwich that they do with the sauce.  We haven't made the sandwiches with the sauce, we have just had the salmon alone.

Baked Salmon
2 salmon filets
olive oil
greek seasoning (it contains: oregano, garlic, cinnamon, peppermint, dill, nutmeg, cayenne, chives)
Salt
Preheat oven to 275 degree Fahrenheit.  Place salmon on a cookie sheet (if the salmon has skin on it place it directly onto the cookie sheet, if it does not have skin you may want to place foil down or grease the pan).  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning and a little bit of salt (pepper as well, I just can't have it because of allergies).  Bake in oven for about 10-15 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the salmon.

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts
1 large bunch brussel sprouts, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt
juice of 1 lime
Coconut oil
In a large skillet melt a little bit of coconut oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until soft.  Add brussel sprouts stirring to mix.  Cook until slightly tender, add wine and cook until wine is reduced, add lime juice and continue to cook.  Add a little bit of salt to taste.  Serve.

Steamed Carrots
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons honey
Steam carrots in a steamer until tender.  Remove carrots from steamer and place in a bowl.  Add honey and mix thoroughly.  Serve.

Wilted Arugula
I served the salmon on a small bed of wilted arugula.
Coconut oil
2 large bunches of arugula
In a large skillet melt the coconut oil over medium high heat.  Add arugula and cook until slightly wilted.  Place on plate and serve salmon on top of this.

Mint Ice Cream (Paleo, Sugar Free, Dairy Free)

As many of you know I have several different food allergies so I try to find things that I can eat.  In the Paleo Indulgences cookbook there is a recipe for Mint Chip Ice Cream, of course since I can't eat chocolate (allergy) I figured I could leave the chocolate out. 

Don't be freaked out by the ingredients.  There is spinach in it.  Don't worry you won't taste it, it only adds the color to make your ice cream green.

I doubled the recipe.  I will also give you the recipe exactly as it is written.  I put my notes next to each since I changed it up a little bit.

Mint Chip Ice Cream

Makes 1 pint

1 - 14 ounce can coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I didn't use this, allergy)

1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (I used 1 teaspoon)

1/2 cup raw spinach

1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (I used honey)

1/2 cup to 3/4 cup chocolate shavings (I didn't use this, allergy)

Place all ingredients, except chocolate shavings, in a blender and puree until smooth.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  Pour mixture into a prepared ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.  During the last 5 minutes of processing, add the chocolate shavings to the mixture.  Place into a container and place in freezer.

Breakfast Biscuit Bowls (Paleo)

I bought this cookbook a while ago called Paleo Indulgences.  It has a lot of wonderful stuff in it and finally decided to make these for dinner last night with having leftovers to eat for breakfast and freeze.

I tripled this recipe and used jumbo muffin tins.

Breakfast Biscuit Bowls (paleo)
Makes 4 bowls
Biscuits:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Filling:
4 eggs, whisked
1/4 cup finely chopped spinach
1/2 cup cooked ground beef or pork sausage (we used ground beef)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
pinch of minced onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place all biscuit ingredients, except coconut oil, in a medium bowl and use a hand mixer to combine.  Add the coconut oil and mix well.  Let sit 5 minutes to thicken, if necessary.  (Note: Mine didn't turn out like a dough but when I put it into the muffins tins it became dough like).  Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and place each in a greased muffin cup, pressing down on the bottom and up the sides to form a cup (I used the back of a wooden spoon).  Bake 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Place the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.  Divide among the baked biscuit cups.  Bake 12-15 minutes, or until egg is set.  Let the cups cool for a few minutes, then gently remove and serve.

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

We have had a cool summer in comparison to previous summers.  The last week we had very cool days and nights.  It really started to feel like fall.  Fall is one of my favorite seasons, the air is clean, clear and crisp.  Of course along with fall comes my love of soups.  I was trying to figure out what to do with the chicken I had and kept thinking, soup would be really good.

I found this recipe on the Paleo Plan website.  Please note at the bottom of the recipe for my changes the next time I make this soup.  I also tweaked the recipe as I was making it due to my food allergies and one ingredient I did not have in stock.

Chicken, Sweet Potato and Kale Soup (Paleo)
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 3 to add more flavor)
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano (I used 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon of sea salt and more to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (I cannot use this due to my food allergies)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into pieces. (I used boneless chicken breasts)
4 cups chicken broth
6 cups water
1 bay leaf (I cannot use this due to my food allergies)
2 ounces jalapenos, canned and diced (I did not have these so I used 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper)
1 large sweet potato
1 bunch of kale, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced (whites and greens)
juice of 1 lemon (as much as I would like to add this, again I am allergic)
Heat large pot over medium-high heat.  When hot, add oil, onion, garlic, thyme, and oregano, and saute until onion is softened and slightly translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon of the sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.  Add chicken to the pot and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium, add broth, water, bay leaf, jalapenos, sweet potato, kale and green onions and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and lemon juice.

***NOTE:  One thing I would change about this recipe to impart more flavor would be to switch around the amount of water and broth.  So next time I would add 6 cups broth and 4 cups water.

Roast Chicken with Sauteed Malabar Spinach and Sweet Potato

Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken, 4-1/2 pounds

1 cup of chardonnay

fresh herbs - sage, tarragon, parsley, oregano

Olive oil

salt (and pepper if you can have it)

Dried tarragon, parsley, basil, oregano

Rinse and pat dry chicken.  Take a butter knife (not sharp) and wedge it under the skin to pop the skin loose from the meat.  You will create a little pocket to put the herbs.  Take some of the fresh herbs and stuff them under the skin of the chicken.  Place some into the cavity.  Place chicken into a dutch oven with a lid.  Drizzle with olive oil and rub over all.  Sprinkle with salt and dried herbs.   Place lid on dutch oven.  Place into a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 hour.  Remove lid, check temperature, internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Add wine and place lid back on and put back in oven.  Cook for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and cook for 15 more minutes.  Remove chicken and let rest.  Place pan on the stove and reduce, you can use the sauce over the chicken. 

Sauteed Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach is my new favorite spinach.  I love the texture and taste of it.  Here is a link that tells about the spinach.  Malabar Spinach.  We get our spinach from a local farm who sells it at the Farmer's Market. 

2 bunches Malabar spinach, washed, stemmed removed and cut into pieces

2 cloves garlic, crushed

coconut oil

Heat coconut oil in a large skillet.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add spinach and cook until the leaves are tender.  Serve. 

Serve this meal with a cooked sweet potatoes.