Paleo Mayo Update - Avocado oil version!

Last night I made more delicious paleo mayo, only this time I used Avocado oil. Oh.My.AVO!!! It is so delicious, I can't even begin to tell you how much I love it. I was blown away by how smooth it is and how the flavor is so light and the flavor signature is nearly untraceable which means you can add anything to it with out having a lingering aftertaste from the oil. Truly perfect! I do believe this is my new favorite. 
Just stick to the recipe from my previous mayo post but use the Avocado oil. Yum! 
And you can find it at Costco for about $10, so it wont break the bank. 

I hope you love it as much as I do!

 

Courtney's Primal Seafood Stew

My friend Courtney came up with this fabulous primal version of Cioppino. It's a one pot (dutch oven) meal, very easy and inexpensive to make. And it makes a huge pot of stew that will last 2-3 days depending on how many people you're cooking for. She even provides the nutritional information at the bottom.

 I've made this a lot and haven't tired of it yet.

I add a little crushed red pepper and cayenne for some kick, since I need spice in my life! :P

 I hope you like it!

Courtney’s Primal Seafood Stew:

This stew is thick, filling, and ready in under an hour. Use fire-roasted tomatoes for a longer-cooking taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bulb fennel, quartered and sliced thin
• 2 bell peppers (I used one red and one yellow), chopped
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 28-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken, seafood, or fish stock
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach
• 1 package Trader Joe’s seafood blend, or 1 pound of any combination of shrimp, scallops, and calamari

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. Sautee the onion, garlic, and fennel until softened. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Add the bell peppers, and cook an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, stock, parsley, and spinach. Bring to a boil, then add the seafood. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until the seafood is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Serves 4 big bowls. Per serving: 253 calories, 3.9 g fat, 39 g carbohydrates, 20 g protein

Chicken Tikka cha cha cha!

One thing I really miss is going out for Indian food. I LOVE Indian food. It's amazing. The spices, the variety, the delicious sauces. Yum! This recipe falls into my cheat category because of the rice and cream, but without the rice I don't see the heavy cream as a big deal since I try to adhere to a more 90/10 observance of my paleo plan. The *Naan and Samosas are definitely NOT paleo but they're great for a cheat day or for non-paleo friends who you want to have over for dinner to enjoy this yummy dish! 

This chicken tikka recipe came from a cookbook my mom gave me - Dave's Dinners by Dave Lieberman. I played around w/the original recipe for about 6 months until I found the combination of ingredients that I liked best. I use more curry, more cayenne and add a little bit more cream and tomato paste, but it really can be adjusted to whatever your preference is. I like my stuff HOT. All of my friends that have ever eaten this at my house, absolutely love it and have begged for the recipe since it's so amazing. It's so good you'll want to eat it every week! 

 *And if you want to add Naan and Veggie Samosas, Trader Joe's has both in their freezer section.

This is relatively easy and once you have all the spices all you really need to buy are the fresh items - chicken, yogurt and heavy cream. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Chicken Tikka Masala

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup plain white yogurt

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger root, grated

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 - 2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper - I like mine hot so I use at least 2+ tsps

1Tbsp paprika

10 cardamom pods, cracked lightly

2 tablespoons honey

1.5 teaspoons salt

20 grinds fresh black pepper

3 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 - 4 tablespoons curry powder - based on your own tastes

1 (6-ounces) can tomato paste

1 cup heavy cream

**For the rice:

1 cup basmati rice

2 cups water

8-10 whole cardamom pods

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter

**I think you can do cauliflower rice to make this more paleo but having never made cauliflower rice, I can't speak to how it would change the flavor of the chicken tikka masala. I do eat this without rice a lot and it's amazing on it's own. 

Cut the raw chicken into cubes. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, paprika, cardamom, honey, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly. Cover and let marinate for 1 hour or up to overnight.

Make the rice: In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water, salt, and cardamom and bring to a boil. Add the rice, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 16-20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is fluffy.

In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and tomato paste and mix well. Add the cream to the mixture and stir until smooth and the color is uniform. Slide in the chicken and all of the marinade, stir well, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the mixture has thickened. Serve over the rice.

I love this recipe and hope you'll enjoy it too!