Perfect Paleo Fried Chicken

 

I’m lucky enough to have a guest cook!  Stefanie Meck is a longtime friend who kept telling me about her bomb-ass paleo fried chicken! So we decided to make a day of it and try it out.

 The girl is definitely right! If you are craving some homegrown goodness this is the closest thing to fried chicken. She made sure she took her time and cooked each piece to perfection! They looked just like Chik-fil-A and tasted so so goooooood!!!! I’m obsessed.  

 Not only am I obsessed with this recipe but I love this girl. It was a nice reminder of how important it is to immerse yourself with those who love and cherish you... and to enjoy the “small” things in life. I spent over 4 hours at the Meck home cooking fried chicken.... and loving every second.  We talked and laughed and truly enjoyed ourselves the entire time.  When was the last time you did anything similar?

 Life can be so fast-paced and there are so many unrealistic expectations I feel sometimes can be associated with the CF community. Don’t get me wrong, Crossfit has saved me, in more ways that one ... but just like anyone else, the expectations of living up to a standard are often unrealistic.

 Why not praise people for their work, effort, dedication and perseverance - or for their ability to go against the norm.  To consciously make the choice to live a better life. That is HUGE! That is the old CF. 

 CrossFit becoming more mainstream freaks me out. I pray douchebags won’t come piling into the CF community, sporting bro tanks and doing bicepcurls....

But I do feel blessed to be part of Evolve. They have an embedded loyalty to old school Crossfit. The box is filled with camaraderie, intensity, support, accountability and acceptance. The ingredients are healthy and combine for one hell of a recipe when it all comes together.  They genuinely want to inspire each person there ---- I  love being in an environment where the main purpose is to share something enjoyable with others. 

 I absolutely LOVED Hamming it up while cooking with this passionate and vibrant couple. 

 

Ingredients

• Chicken Breast strips; 2 packages
• Coconut flour
• Coconut oil
• Eggs
• Salt
• Paprika
• Cayenne

* serve with paleo ranch or hot sauce!

Directions

Start out by rinsing the chicken and patting dry. This allows the breading to stick to the chicken better.

 

Next, make two separate bowls.   In one, whisk 4 eggs and put the coconut flour mixture in the other. 

 

The flour mixture is approximately 2 cups of the coconut flour, a heaping handful of salt- Maybe 3 TB worth.  Also add about 1-2 tsp each of cayenne, paprika and pepper.  Mix well

Next, dredge the chicken. Dip the chicken in the flour, then egg, then back in flour.  Stef made sure this step was perfect.

Stef used a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one just make sure it is something sturdy that won’t tip or fall.

 

Add a big scoop of the coconut oil to the pan and heat until it reaches around 350 degrees.

A good rule of thumb to test the heat is drop a small piece of flour in the hot oil.  If it loses control, turn down the heat. You want it to be as close to the perfect temperature, which you’ll know you’ve reached when it immediately bubbles and fizzes. 

Once the right temperature is reached, cook 1 piece of chicken to make sure the level of oil is covering just a little bit over half of the chicken. You don’t want to submerge it in the oil!

Carefully add pieces of chicken to the pan, making sure not to crowd them.  Once golden brown, flip and let the other side cook until golden as well....

 

Share with close friends over laughs, add a healthy dose of Hamm’s and whiskey if you’re health-conscious.

 

Paleo Ranch Dressing

I think this is pretty darn close to ranch dressing.  I love dill so I added extra dill to the sauce.   By
itself it wasn't my fav but once I dipped It in avocado and salmon it was awesome !

I made a salmon salad with the ranch, dill and my favorite toppings.   The ranch isn't as thick as a regular ranch sauce but try it out!

Paleo Ranch Dressing 

1 cup olive oil

1 cup Coconut Milk - I only used the cream part 

1 1/2 T  red wine vinegar

1 1/2 T dijon mustard

2 t Garlic Powder

1 t Onion Powder

1 t Chives

3 T Lemon Juice

1 t Parsley dried

2-3 sprigs fresh dill pull stem off

1/2 tsp Sea Salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

Directions 

Blend all ingredients in blender.  I had let my food processor run for a few minutes!  If your tasting too much coconut try adding more vinegar, Dijon or dill.  You might need to mess with it -

Beef Cabbage Rolls

Thanks to my roomie Susan for sharing this recipe.   Her mom made a family recipe book with her great grandmas recipes.   This is one of Susan's faves and definitely mine too.    I cooked this in the oven for over 2 hours which made it super tender and delicious.  If I had to do this over again I would try cooking it in the crock pot and adding chicken stock.

Ingredients 

• 1 lb beef 
• 1/4  + cup chopped onion 
• 1 t garlic powder 
• 1 t dried basil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan (optional )
• 1 egg 
• Salt n pepper ( add more salt if not using parm) 
• 1 or 2 heads cabbage . Recommend green kind 
• 1 28 oz can tomatoes crushed 
• Additional  parm cheese 

* be sure to de-stem the cabbage.  The core is too thick to cook down. 
 

Directions 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the raw ground beef, egg,  garlic, basil, Parmesan, onion, salt, black pepper. Mix very well.  Set aside. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully lower the head of cabbage into the water. As the cabbage simmers, the leaves will start to loosen and can be pulled off with a pair of tongs. As each cabbage leaf comes loose, remove it from the simmering water.  This only takes a few minutes.



So cute all bundled up!



 

When the cabbage leaves are ready, divide the beef mixture into little loaves.  Place the meat at the bottom of the cabbage leaf and roll up, folding in the sides as you roll.  Just bundle em up! 

Place cabbage rolls in a deep roasting pan cover with crushed tomatoes and additional cheese. This is where I should of added chicken stock or water to help steam the cabbage more.

Cover and bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove cover or tinfoil and cook an additional hour till tender!  Total time of over 2 hrs.

Spicy Chicken Paleo Tacos

Thank you Trisha Sims for the recipe idea !!! Even my picky roommates liked it !

 

Crockpot Chicken

• 1 package thin chicken breasts 
• Taco seasoning packet 
• Cup or so of water or chicken stock 
• Half jar of salsa ( El Pinto Green Chile Salsa)
• 2 diced tomatoes

Spicy Paleo Rice 

• 1 head cauliflower - Grated mine on a cheese grater-
• 1 small can of green chile's 
• 1 cup stock. Or left over juices from crock pot !
• half package of taco seasoning

Simple Guac

• 1 avocado -mushed  
• juice of 1 lime
• handful of chopped cilantro
• garlic-salt to taste

For the crock pot chicken I bought thin chicken breasts that would cook up easy.   I dumped in the taco seasoning and half a Jar of my favorite salsa and extra tomatoes.   I didn't have any chicken stock so i just filled up the pot with water till it barely covered the chicken.   I had my crock pot on high for around 4-5 hours!

CrockPot Chicken

Cauliflower Rice

Heat your pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and diced green chilies. Saute for 5 minutes.
Add riced cauliflower, add chicken stock or left over crock pot goodness. Add half package of taco seasoning.
 Reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer 20 minutes or until all the liquid has reduced. 

I probably cooked my cauliflower for 10 minutes.   I wanted to make sure that mine was still crunchy- so be hesitant in how much liquid you add to the pan. 

I wrapped my tacos in iceburg lettuce and topped with simple guac and fresh cilantro!

Some people will wrap their left over herbs in a damp towel.  I keep mine usually in the fridge within a cup full of water-  I find they last a lot longer-

 

Ale-Braised Short Ribs

 

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb. bone-in beef short ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, mashed ( just take out whole garlic cloves smash with knife- no need to cut and dice)
• 1 - 2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks ( to make the butternut squash easier to work with I popped mine in the microwave for a few minutes to warm it up)
• 1 can  diced plum tomatoes, with juice
• 1 bottle of ale beer ( I know not paleo!) 
• 1/4 cup water or stock

Directions:

Brown the short ribs
Preheat a broiler. Generously season the ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.  Broil the ribs, turning once, until well browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the ribs to a slow cooker.

Cook the short ribs
Scatter the onions and garlic over the ribs. Add the squash. Pour in the tomatoes with their juice along with the ale.  I cooked mine throughout the night on low for 7 to 8 hours!

I love the butternut squash chunks!

 

Potato-less Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 2 heads of cauliflower
• 1/2 dozen eggs, hard-boiled and diced
• 1/2 a medium sized red onion or green onion, finely diced
• 5 celery stalks, finely diced
• Baby dill pickles, diced
• 2 Tablespoon or more of whole grain mustard ( Honestly I prob used 4 TB or more)
• About 3/4 or less  cup of Paleo Mayo
• Handful of chopped FRESH dill

Paleo Mayo

• 1 whole egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1  1/2 cups of pure olive oil or walnut oil
• 1 to 2 tablespoons melted bacon grease

 

 

 

Directions Mayo

In a blender, add the eggs, lemon juice, and mustard and blend together well – leave the

blender running and slowly drizzle the oil. Do not dump all the oil in quickly and give up.

When the mixture begins to emulsify or thicken, only then can you be a bit faster about

pouring in the olive oil but still take your time. Turn the blender off once all the olive oil is

in and the mayonnaise is thickened. Add the salt and pepper and mix well or blend again for another few seconds.

 

Directions for Paleo Potato Salad

You can steam or boil your cauliflower, I just boiled mine. You want the cauliflower to be soft but not mushy. Drain the cauliflower well and pat dry with paper towels. Crumble the cauliflower into a large mixing bowl, add all of the remaining ingredients including the mayo and mustard, mix well. Either eat right away or let chill for a couple of hours before serving!

Apple, Currants and Sunflower Seed Kale Salad

I love kale! I'm always trying to find new ways to incorporate kale into my diet. Kale is pumped with phytochemicals and antioxidants. 

Kale has a higher level of antioxidants than spinach.  These antioxidants along with many other benefits can prevent or slow the oxidative damage of our body.  They enhance the immune system and slow down the aging process.

Kale is also high in sulfur another cancer-fighting compound. When Kale is chopped, cooked or chewed, sulforaphane is formed from the sulfur. Sulforaphane helps the liver to stimulate detoxification and remove free radicals. 

 I had been running into the idea of Sulforaphane a lot lately and how it is beneficial in the fight against breast cancer.   Given its breast cancer awareness month - read this article!  That's my tip for the day-healing foods!


 
But this is a recipe that my aunt lisa always makes. It's freaking goood! Probably one of my top fav Kale recipes. 



The texture of kale is sometimes hard to get use to.  So another way to prepare kale is to massage it with salt. Salt draws moisture out of things, and salt alone is enough to soften the toughest of raw kale leaves. By massaging the kale with the salt it renders a softened texture which is easier to chew. Be sure to only use the 1 tsp of salt I wouldn't recommend much more than that. 

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of kale
• 1 small red onion diced
• 1 small light red apple diced
• 1/3 + cup currants
• 1/3 + cup sunflower seeds
• small package of Raw Gorgonzola Cheese- broken into chunks - The raw Gorgonzola I found at whole foods is pretty salty tasting- I ended up going with an organic Gorgonzola instead bc this salad is already salty
• 2 tablespoons apple cider viniger
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp of salt

Directions

De-stem kale by pulling leaves away from the stems. Wash leaves, spin or pat dry. Slice kale  into ribbons. Put kale in a large mixing bowl and add salt. Massage salt into kale with your hands for 2 minutes.

To toast sunflower seeds, put in a dry skillet over low to medium heat and stir constantly for a few minutes until they change color and give off a nutty aroma.

Stir onion, currants, apple and toasted seeds into kale. Dress with oil and vinegar and add the Gorgonzola. Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary.  This salad will keep for several days and still be great!