Moroccan Chicken

This was super yummy!  Again from the Primal Cookbook, but used what I have (as I didn't have all the ingredients), but turned out great. 

2 tblspn oil
1 onion finely diced
3 garlic cloves finely diced
1 tblspn ginger finely diced
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 chicken thighs
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups water
1 lemon thinly sliced
juice from one lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Saute garlic, onion and ginger in oil until slightly browned and soft.  Then add the spices and saute for another minute.  Add tomatoes, lemon juice and water and cook for another 2 minutes.
In a roasting pan add chicken and pour the "sauce" mixture over. 
Cover with lemon slices. 
Cook for approximately 1 1/2  - 2 hours (I forgot to time because I was working and lost track of time! So make sure you test chicken to ensure doneness). 
I would recommend taking the lid off the last 20 mins to brown up meat and veggies. 
If you like spicy...add more cayene and paprika...I found that I could have more spice in mine. 
**NOTE - you can use skinless thighs, but I leave the skins on...reason being is the skin helps hold in the moisture and the flavour better for the meat.  Then I just pick it off when eating....sometimes....what can I say...I like chicken skins!!

I made a massive batch for lunches and to carry over for tomorrow's supper. 
Served it with some cauliflower rice. 
Hubby has yet to try...but he has it for lunch tomorrow...so I will keep ya posted
Enjoy~

Best Roast Ever!!!

So I was so excited when I got my Primal Blueprint Cookbook in the mail the other day!
Tons of yummy recipes!
Now...when I cook...I follow a recipes to an extent and then I improvise with what I have on hand.
This is my version of "Italian Pot Roast"

4 lb beef or bison chuck roast resting at room temp for an hour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
In a roasting pan toss in 2 large onions sliced, 3 garlic cloves (more if you like garlic), 1 cup of beef stock (or chicken or water), 2 cups diced tomatoes (I cheated and used canned..but fresh would be yummy too), and 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. 
I tossed the roast in and spooned some of the liquid mixture over the roast.

I slow roasted this baby for 2 - 2 1/2 hours..depending on how you like your roast cooked...and you will have the best roast ever!
The balsamic vinegar thickened up with the onions and tomatoes to make this delicious sauce.  The roast is fork tender and moist!
My hubby said it was the best roast ever...and I took leftovers to my dad today for lunch...and he said it was "okay"...but I could tell he loved it!

 Sorry no pics!  It got gobbled up fast.
Enjoy~

"Spaghetti" with Meat Sauce

I whipped this dish up late last night....it was soooo YUMMY!
This made just enough for me and my husband (even though he didn't eat any!)

Take two medium size zuchinni and cut in to "spaghetti" like pieces.  Or if you have a mandolin, into thin strips.....I cut mine by hand. 

Saute in one tablespoon of coconut oil on low heat until the zuchinni takes on a "spaghetti" like consistency. 
While that was cooking I started the meat sauce...which I like really meaty. 

   1lb of ground beef
   1lb of ground moose (you can use two pounds of beef)
   1 large white onion diced
   Garlic - put in however much you like, I use garlic that is already minced (I get this at Sobey's) to save time
   One Jar of your Fav organic tomato sauce/pasta sauce
   Cinnamon - just a sprinkle for nutty flavour
   Paprkia
   Chili Flakes

**Note I don't have amounts for the spices.  It is all about taste and what you like.  If you like spicy, but lots of flakes in, if you like a big smoky flavour then put more paprika in. 
Be sure to taste as you go along to make sure you get the proper flavour you are looking for. 

Cook the onions and garlic in a bit of coconut oil until translucent. 
Add your meat and brown...make sure you crumble up the meat...you don't want clumpy meat sauce!
Turn to low heat and add the sauce and spices.  Simmer for 15 mins until the flavours come together.
Here is the final product!

Hope you enjoy~~

Pork Chops and Pesto Mash

Sooo Finally a new post...it has been awhile, but I have settled into now working from home (which allows me to work in my Pj's and experiment with food!). 

We made a costco trip yesterday and bought these yummy, already seasoned pork chops.  They are HUGE!  One fills me up...sometimes I can't even finish one.  They are seasoned with a yummy of rub of chilli peppers, paprika and garlic - and they get packaged with a bit of rosemary. 

Since the snow is still covering my deck and I can't get to the BBQ, I whipped out the foreman grill, heated and tossed on the pork.  If you are in a rush, you can butterfly the meat to cook it faster.  But I like cooking it slow so the juices stay in.

While that was cooking I diced up some onions and mushrooms and sauteed in a tablespoon of coconut oil on a very low heat until brown and caramelized. 

I also had some cauliflower and parsnips steaming in the microwave....I try not to use the microwave alot when cooking, but I just wanted to get these veggies cooked without dirtying up to many more dishes! :)
For every cup of veggies I had a tablespoon of water for steaming.  Cooked for 5 mins, stired and then another 3 mins and they were perfect. 
I tossed the veg into the food processer with a teaspoon of butter, the liquid from steaming and I decided to try some pesto!  Sobeys makes this yummy simple pesto, so I put in 3 teaspoons of pesto and on went the processer.  I pulses until most of the lumps were gone (I like some lumps left in). 

Here was the end result. 
My hubby did not like the pesto mash....I loved it!  If you want to try, start with a small amount of pesto and then increase from there as you might only want a hint of the pesto or the full bam...your call :)

Enjoy~

Rouladen and Cabbage

So I was grocery shopping at Co-op the other day and I must say they have excellent cuts of meat there.
I stumbled across Rouladen (basically inside round steak cut in strips and flattened to about 1/4"). 
I wasn't sure what I was going to stuff in it until this morning......I had also bought some mild italian sausage meat.  Meat stuffed with Meat!  How can you go wrong?!?!?

This is what came of it.......

Rouladen (Inside Round Steak cut in Strips and Flattened to 1/4" thick

Mild Italian Sausage Meat

1 medium onion - diced

1 egg with 1tblsp of almond milk (for egg wash)

1/2 cup almond meal

Club House "Hot and Spicy" to season

Pepper to season

Mix diced onion and sausage meat together. 

Take small ball of mixture and place on one end of the rouladen.  Roll up to seal

Keep the roll up stuff with lots of meat....there may be extra, as I had some.  I just kept it for breakfast in the morning. 

Dip each rouladen in the egg wash and then coat in the almond meal (seasoned with the Hot and Spicy). 

No need to have a thick coating, just a thin even coat. 

Place in hot pan oiled with your favorite oil. 

Sear and crisp up all sides of the rouladen. 

When evenly seared, place in shallow baking dish for 1/2 hour at 350 degrees. 

Depending on the thickness of your rouladen, you may have to cook longer. 

While this was cooking up, I steamed and sauteed some cabbage.....no seasoning needed. 

I really enjoyed this dish.  I am going to try different types of ground meat and veggies to stuff next time. 

Yummy~

Sunday Breakfast....Muffins and Pork

After a sending the hubby off for hunting before the sun came up, going back to bed for a couple hours and a good walk at the park with the dogs....I was hungry!!

Yesterday while I was shopping at the Co-op I found side pork belly.  It was sliced into strips like bacon....I thought it would give me some variation from bacon. 

I put these in a frying on medium heat, sprinkled with some pepper, as I prepared the "muffins". 
Rather than scrambled eggs, or fried eggs, I made egg muffins. 
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

I took whatever veg I had in my fridge (peppers, mushrooms, green onions and zuchinni ) and diced it up...ended up being 2 cups of veg.  Took the last 7 eggs and whisked together with a tablespoon of almond milk and seasoned with pepper. 

Grease the muffin tin with a bit of olive oil and fill cups until they are almost full. 

Cook in the oven for approx 15 -20 minutes.  Place knife in middle of muffin and if it comes out clean then the muffins are done.  If not toss in for an extra few minutes. 

The muffins and pork belly were delicious!!!   BUT word of warning....if you are squeamish of fat on meat (my husband) then the pork belly is not for you. 

Enjoy~~

Cabbage and Beef

So, this is one of my favorite meals to make.  It is simple and yummy and reminds me of lazy cabbage rolls....which I am a huge sucker for. 

I only made a small batch tonight after my workout, but I usually make a huge pot and have leftovers for days.  This dish tastes super yummy the next day!

1/2 Head Cabbage
1 lb of grass fed ground beef
1 tsp of crushed garlic (more if you like garlic)
1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
Pepper to taste

Place cabbage in large frying pan or pot with 1/2 cup of water
Cover and steam for approx 5 mins or until cabbage is tender, but still has a bit of crunch
Add ground beef and garlic
Brown ground beef and garlic in pan
When beef is no longer pink, add the tomatoes and toss together. 
Season with pepper....salt is you must (I am not a salt fan)
Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!!

Now I have tried reversing the order of when I cook the cabbage and beef, but found I like this way best. 
Hope you like it!

Welcome!!

Welcome to my blog! 
I am excited to start cooking and sharing my adventures in paleo with you!
I love to cook.....I have worked in several restaurants in Saskatoon before deciding to become a mortgage broker, but my love to cook stayed with me. 
I discovered Paleo in December of 2009, when I joined Crossfit.  I loved it!
Making this change in my eating helped me lose 30 lbs, and feel better mentally and physically - so why not stick with it?!
I want to invite my readers to share their recipes, adventures in paleo with me.  Comments and suggestions are more than welcome! 
My trusty taste testers (my husband Kelly or one of my brothers/sisters/niece) will post as well. 
Gotta make sure home is happy!
Looking forward to sharing with everyone!
Crystal~