Chocolate Chip Cookies (Paleo)

Wet ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 C smooth almond butter
  • 2 T coconut oil – melted and cooled a bit
  • 1/3 C coconut sugar
  • 1/4 C maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

  • 1 C blanched almond flour
  • 3 T coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt

Final ingredient:

  • 3/4 C dark chocolate chips/chunks

Preheat oven 350 F – line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Using a bowl and mixer: Beat wet ingredients together until smooth.

Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingreds into the wet ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms. Add chocolate chips and mix in with a spoon.

Scoop dough in medium sized blobs onto cookie sheet – makes about 16-18 cookies – leave room as cookies will spread while baking.

Bake 10-14 min – until cookies are set. Cookies won’t brown.

Remove from oven – let cool 5 minutes.

Really good – best served warm.

Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

  • 1 lg egg
  • 1 1/4 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage removed from casings
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 3 T almond flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

  • 1 T avocado oil
  • 1 med. onion – diced
  • 3 cloves garlic – mashed in garlic press
  • 2 lg carrots – diced
  • 3 stalks celery – diced
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 8 C chicken stock or broth
  • Juice of one lemon – about 2 to 3 T
  • 4-5 C kale or other dark leafy greens (spinach, Swiss chard) roughly chopped
  • 1 egg whisked
  • salt and pepper

In a large bowl, combine the meatball ingredients. Form into 1″ balls.

In a large dutch oven over medium heat, heat avocado oil and add meatballs to the pot. Cook the meatballs on all sides until browned and cooked through.

Remove the meatballs and set aside on a plate – leave the drippings in the pot!

Over medium heat, add onions, garlic, celery, and carrots to the drippings in the pot and saute for 5-8 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add in the spices and salt and pepper – stir to combine flavors.

Add chicken stock and lemon juice to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the soup, then the kale. Bring soup to a gentle boil, then remove from heat.

Whisk the egg – then drizzle it into the soup in a circular motion while whisking with a fork. Season with additional salt and black pepper (to taste – as needed).

This is delicious and super easy! The wedding is more about a marriage of flavors.

IP Chipoltle Lime Chicken

Sauce:

  • 1/4 C + 2T Chicken bone broth 
  • 2 1/2 T honey melted
  • 1/4 cup Coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp  Spicy brown mustard
  • 2 T fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp Chipotle powder

Chicken:

  • 2 lbs chicken thighs – bone-in with skin
  • 1 T Avocado Oil
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 5 Garlic – mash in a garlic press

Final Step:

  • 2 Tbsp broth
  • 1 tsp Tapioca Powder
  • Cilantro – chopped – for garnish

In a bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients, set aside

Set Instant Pot to “saute” – let it heat up. Prepare chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Add avocado oil to IP, swirl around and heat. Add chicken, skin side down, cook until golden brown – flip chicken and brown the other side.

Once both sides are golden brown, flip chicken over again. Sprinkle garlic around the chicken and allow it to cook about 30 seconds, until softened, then press “cancel”.

Pour sauce mixture over the chicken, secure the lid, place steam release to “sealing” and set on high pressure for 10 mins.

Once time is up, quick release the pressure and remove lid. Using tongs, remove chicken to a plate and set aside while you thicken the sauce.

Return the pot to “saute” and whisk together the 2 Tbroth and tapioca powder, then add to sauce and stir. Cook about 3-5 more minutes or until sauce is thickened to preference. Return chicken to pot with its juices and coat with sauce. Turn off pot and allow chicken to sit 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Note: I serve this over steamed white rice with a mixed green salad on the side. Good stuff!

Flatbread Pizza

  • Aldi Flatbread – they come in pairs – use both

For the sauce

  • 2 small cans tomato paste
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2 to 2 1/2 T red wine… Something robust, non-sweet. You can use red cooking wine.
  • big pinch of Italian herbs
  • pinch of sugar
  • pinch of red pepper flakes

Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce ingredients.

Spread some olive oil on the crusts. Liberally spread the sauce over the crusts. (Shooting for 1 can of paste per crust.

Add favorite toppings. Don’t overdo it – less is more when it comes to pizza. Note: Sliced fresh jalapenos make for a nice alternative topping as well as other fresh veggies.

Bake 400 for about 13 minutes or until done .

Matt’s Crispity Oven-Baked Buffalo Wings

  • Wings:
    • 4 lb chicken wings
    • 3 T baking powder (you may need more) – ideally use aluminum-free, if you can find it. DO NOT USE BAKING SODA!!
    • 3/4 tsp salt
  • Sauce
    • 6 T butter, melted
    • 3/4 C Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
    • 1/2 C Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Sauce (or more – to taste)
    • 1 T brown sugar
    • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Blue Cheese Dippin’ Sauce
    • 1 C blue cheese crumbles
    • 1 C sour cream
    • 1/2 C mayo
    • 1 clove garlic – pressed through a garlic press
    • Juice from 1 to 2 lemons
    • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Extras
    • Celery sticks
    • Frosty adult beverages

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a greased baking rack on the baking sheet (use Pam…give it a spritz, it’s all good).

Using a big ziplock bag – gallon-sized or larger – place the baking powder and salt in the bag – put some of the wings in the bag – shake to coat. Repeat until all the wings are coated. You may need to add more baking powder and salt. The wings should be well-coated in the magical white powder.

Place the wings skin-side-up on the tray (the prepared rack/baking sheet). It can be a tight fit – because they’ll shrink a bit. Bake on the lower shelf in the oven for 30 minutes.

Turn the heat up to 425, move the tray up higher in the oven, and bake another 40 to 50 minutes – rotating the tray halfway through. You don’t need to flip the wings over.

The wings will be golden brown with crispy skin when they’re done. Remove from oven.

Put the wings in a big mixing bowl. Pour in the sauce and toss the wings to coat. Serve immediately with Blue Cheese Dip and celery sticks.

Sauce: Whisk the sauce ingredients together.

Blue Cheese Dip: Using a larger bowl than you’ll think you need – combine the sour cream and mayo and about 1/4 C of the blue cheese. Use an immersion blender to combine into a smooth sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make ahead: If you want to cook them and heat n eat them later – cook up the wings, refrigerate (no sauce!). When ready to eat – Preheat oven to 400F. Spread wings out on a tray, skin skid up, bake 7 to 10 minutes until the skin puffs and smooths out and becomes crispy again. Toss with sauce, etc etc.

Stack of Links to brush up your presentation game

Blueberry Chicken Salad

  • 3 cups chipped chicken (from Instant Pot whole chicken, premade grilled) chicken breast strips, or , in a pinch, you can use canned
  • 1/2 C fresh blueberries
  • 1/3 C diced celery
  • 1 T fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
  • 1/3–1/2 C mayonnaise (Homemade if possible) – start with less – add more to taste
  • Sea salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 green onions, trimmed & sliced- using white and half of the green

Combine ingredients. Serve with lettuce/greens and cucumber slices.

Paleo Asian Chicken Salad

  •  2 oranges, peeled and sliced into segments – Set aside
  • 1 avocado, pitted and diced – sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning – set aside
  • 1/4 C chopped cilantro – set aside
  •  3 C shredded chicken (Instant Pot whole chicken, or rotisserie) – set aside
  •  4 C pre-packaged coleslaw mix
  •  1 C shredded carrots
  •  1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
  •  1 bunch green onions, chopped
  •  Sesame seeds, to taste
  •  Salt & Pepper, to taste
  •  1/4 C toasted almond slivers (optional)

Prep Salad ingredients. Set oranges, avocado, cilantro, and chicken aside in separate bowls as toppings. Put rest in a big bowl and toss.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together:

  • 1/4 C paleo mayo
  •  1/4 C avocado oil or olive oil
  •  1/4 C rice vinegar
  •  2 T coconut aminos
  •  1 clove garlic, pressed
  •  2 tsp sesame oil
  •  1-2 tsp honey
  •  1/2 tsp ground ginger
  •  Pinch of red pepper flakes

Serve salad and toppings and dressing.

Barbacoa Beef

  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 med onion
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 7 oz can Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I like the Pueblo Lindo brand at Aldi) – use less if you want it less spicy
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 1 T ground oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 cup water

Place above in a big measuring cup, use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.

  • 3 lbs beef bottom round roast, all fat trimmed – cut into 3 inch pieces.
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 3 bay leaves

Season chunks of beef with salt and pepper. Saute beef in the oil in Instant Pot until all sides are browned.

Add pureed sauce and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high pressure about 60-65 minutes (meat will easily shred with forks). Natural release.

Remove meat from sauce, shred. Reserve sauce (discarding bay leaf). Return the meat to the instant pot, add 1/2 tsp salt (to taste), 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1 1/2 C of the sauce – mix together.

Sides: Corn, Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro Lime Rice

  • 1 C white rice
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • 2 C water (or whatever amount makes your particular brand of rice happy
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 T fresh cilantro – chopped
  • 3 T olive oil – you’ll be dividing this

Place rice, water, 1 tsp oil, and salt in rice cooker. Cook until done.

In a bowl, combine the cilantro, lime juice, and oil – combine with the rice until completely mixed.

Great with the Barbacoa Beef!

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