poultry – Page 12 – Gastography

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

September 22, 2013December 29, 2014Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

Reformed beet-hater now occasionally craves the color and majesty that is a perfectly roasted beet every once in awhile. When I have those days, I’m happy someone in the health food biz decided to offer pre-roasted beets for sale at Whole Foods.

The recipe is written with a single lunch serving in mind. Feel free to scale up to feed your desired number.

Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

1 small roasted beet (I took the lazy way out here and bought some pre-roasted beets)
1/2 avocado
1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
3-4 ounces leftover rotisserie chicken (optional but delicious)
1/2 grapefruit
Citrus salt (or other flaky finishing salt)

Grapefruit Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp. almond oil (or other neutral oil like grapeseed)
1 tsp. grainy mustard
1/2 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar (Braggs ftw)
1 big squirt grapefruit juice

Slice your beets wafer thin, shred the chicken, slice the avocado thin, and toast the almonds in a dry pan until lightly brown. Supreme the grapefruit.

Either add all to a bowl or lay out pretty for a composed salad. Both are equally tasty.

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients and pour over the top. Finish with some tasty salt and eat.

Serves 1 for lunch, but can easily be scaled up to feed more.

Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats (paleo, whole30)

September 7, 2013December 29, 2014Life, Recipes6 Comments

Yum. This recipe took care of my burgeoning buffalo chicken craving handily, and in a healthy manner. This recipe feeds 1 for dinner but can easily be scaled up to feed your number of choice.

A little note about the zucchini: The cooking method in the recipe below yields just slightly cooked zucchini with some crunch left to it. If you want your squash softer, blind broil before stuffing and broil some more after adding the filling.

Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats (paleo, whole30)

1 large zucchini
2 small carrots
1 rib celery
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 breast leftover cooked chicken
2 Tbsp. aioli
2 tsp. Louisiana (or other) hot sauce
1 scallion

Put your oven to broil on high.

Halve the zucchini and scoop out the middles with a spoon. If you want softer zucchini, blind broil now for a few minutes while everything else cooks.

Dice 2 small carrots & 1 rib celery (you’re looking for about 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling per zucchini, depending upon the size of your squash).

Sautee the diced veggies and zucchini guts if you want over medium in coconut oil until softened; adding the garlic powder, salt & pepper about half way through.

Chop the chicken finely. Add to a medium bowl with the aioli and veggies once they’re done. Add the hot sauce and stir to combine.

Pile the mixture into your two hollowed out zucchini halves and broil 5-7 minutes until browned.

Top with sliced scallions and avocado crema if you’re feeling fancy and you have some. I did not.

Serves 1 for dinner.

Caramelized Peach, Chicken & Tomato Salad with Sriracha Lime Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

August 17, 2013December 29, 2014Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

Yum. Yuuuuummmmmmmm. Y-U-M. This salad is frickin delicious. On a random Tuesday, I was craving grilled peaches but was too lazy to bust out the grill for a quick lunch, so tossed some peaches along with some cheater roasted chicken from Trader Joe’s and this dish was born. Peaches + heat is a match made in heaven. Why have I been eating them straight all these years?! (oh yeah, because peach juice running down your chin is one of summer’s great touchstones)

Caramelized Peach, Chicken & Tomato Salad with Sriracha Lime Vinaigrette (paleo, Whole30)

1 breast roasted chicken (or about a fourth of a package pre-roasted olive oil & black pepper sliced roasted chicken from Trader Joe’s)
1 peach
1 tsp. fat of choice (I’ve used both pork fat and coconut oil, and I must say the pork fat was a touch better here. big shocker)
1 c. (or about a third of a pint) grape or cherry tomatoes
A hand full dry toasted pecans
1 scallion
A few leaves fresh mint
A few leaves fresh basil
Juice of half a lime
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
2 tsp. Whole30 sriracha (aka: food of the gods)
Big fat finishing salt

Cut your peaches and chicken into bite-sized pieces while you’re waiting for a medium pan over medium high to reach temperature. Add a teaspoon fat of choice to the pan and follow with the peaches. Sautee, stirring a minute or two and add the chicken. Continue cooking, stirring every minute or two to prevent too much burning until the peaches are caramelized and everything smells heavenly.

While your peaches + chicken are doing their thing, slice the scallions and herbs thin and add to a large bowl with the pecans. Slice the tomatoes in half and add to the bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sriracha, grapeseed oil and lime juice.

When the chicken & peaches are done, add to the large bowl. Toss with the dressing and finish with a sprinkle of big fat salt.

Serves 1 for lunch – there may be growling.

Thai-Inspired Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir-Fry (paleo)

July 20, 2013October 24, 2013Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

This dish was inspired by the best plate of brussels sprouts I’ve ever eaten. One of my DH and my favorite restaurants right now is Talde, an Asian/American mashup restaurant and bar helmed by the incredibly lovely and gracious in person Dale Talde (of quick-tempered Top Chef fame). Sadly, Talde is an only occasional treat as pretty much nothing I love best is ever paleo. Bacon & egg ramen with buttered toast broth, people. Pretzel pork & chive dumplings. Pad thai with fried oysters. Korean fried chicken. Seriously delicious stuff here. Talde had a brussels side one night that was fantastic. Stellar, even. Unforgettable.

This recipe is no way even remotely close to that flavor bomb, but it’s pretty darn good in its own right. Deeply flavored, intense in a good way; this makes a very satisfying weeknight meal for two. And, since it’s not a huge dish, it won’t break the gut bank, either.

Thai-Inspired Brussels Sprouts & Chicken Stir-Fry (paleo)

3 cloves garlic
Tiny white onion – ping pong ball sized (or 3 Tbsp. finely diced)
1/2 inch ginger
Sesame oil
10 ounce shaved brussels sprouts (be forewarned: if you buy your brussels pre-shaved, they may be a bit bitter after cooking – that doesn’t bother me, but if it does you, shred your own – making sure to remove the core – with a food processor or box grater)
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos (coconut aminos)
1 tsp. Chili garlic sauce (I use the brand with the chicken – like sriracha)
Lime juice would be stellar but I didn’t have any on hand

Mince the garlic, onion and ginger. Bring 2 tsp. sesame oil up to temperature in a wok or large skillet set over medium-high. Add the aromatics and stir until fragrant, about a minute or two.

Add the brussels and stir-fry until wilted and beginning to brown. While that is working, de-fat your chicken and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Add the chicken with an additional 2 tsp. sesame oil. Stir-fry. When the chicken goes opaque, add the sesame seeds and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add the fish sauce, coconut aminos and chili garlic sauce. Some lime would be fantastic here as well. Let go an additional 2 or so minutes, or until the sauce has mostly evaporated and everything looks and smells intoxicating.

Serves 2 for dinner.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

June 15, 2013October 18, 2013Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

This is not a ‘healthy’ or ‘paleo’ recipe, but it is delicious. My mother in law makes this dip for family gatherings and special occasions (luckily us coming to visit counts as just such an occasion), and I love it. Crave it, even. It may or may not be the first thing I think of when I know a visit is imminent. Not that the in-laws aren’t great, but since one of the (many) reasons I married their son was his prowess in the kitchen; I’d say that getting excited about a visit (partially) because of food is not out of the question. Lucky for you guys, she was gracious enough to share the recipe and help direct the photography.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

10 ounces chicken breast (canned)
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (the recipes calls for 1/4 to 1/2 cup; my MIL uses less if a non-spicy eater is in residence)
8 oz. cream cheese (full fat is best)
1/2 c. ranch dressing (Hidden Valley is the favorite)
1/2 c. sharp cheddar, shredded
Tortilla chips to serve

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine cream cheese, hot sauce and chicken in a medium pan over medium heat. Stir to combine until cheese is melted and chicken is broken up.

Remove from the heat, add the ranch, and stir. Pour into an 8×8 casserole dish and top with the cheddar. Bake 20-25 minutes and serve with tortilla chips.

Serves umm…. depends on who is in the house. If my sister in law and I are both there, maybe two? Three? She usually doubles or triples the recipe, depending upon how excited the two of us look.

Tropical Chicken & Broccoli with Spicy Pineapple Salsa (Paleo)

June 1, 2013October 18, 2013Life, Recipes3 Comments

This recipe grew from a craving. A pineapple and tomato craving. And what’s better to pair with pineapple and tomato than the salty tang of coconut aminos? Not much, I’ll tell you, unless you’re talking about heat. Fresh heat from diced jalapenos takes this salsa over the edge. The components are great in and of themselves, but with the slight pepper crunch from the jalapeno, something magical happens.

This recipe takes a little marinating time – about an hour – but the chicken comes out well worth it. This is a riff on a soy/pineapple/egg white chicken my mother used to serve and never fails to bring me right back to that dish, which at the time was one of my favorites and ever-so-exotic.

Tropical Chicken & Broccoli with Spicy Pineapple Salsa

Tropical Chicken & Broccoli

2 boneless skinless breasts chicken
4 Tbsp. coconut aminos
2 tsp. honey
1 big pinch red pepper flakes
2 c. broccoli
Drizzle olive oil
Pinch salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Spicy Pineapple Salsa

1.5 cups fresh pineapple
1 c. cherry tomatoes
1 tsp. honey
1/2 jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. rice vinegar
Big pinch flaky salt
1 tsp. chipotle powder (optional. I’m not sure it added anything to the dish)

First, get your salsa going. If you are using fresh pineapple, peel and core and cut into bite-sized pieces. If you’re going the canned route, do yourself a favor and pick pineapple in natural juice; you don’t want cloying sweet here since you’re looking to walk a balance between sweet, hot and tart. Add the pineapple to a medium bowl.

De-seed and dice the jalapeno, halve the tomatoes and crush the garlic. Add to the pineapple bowl, along with the honey, rice vinegar and chipotle powder if you’re using.

Stash in the fridge to give the flavors a chance to marry.

Cut the chicken into strips and add to a large plastic bag, along with the coconut aminos, 2 tsp. honey and red pepper flakes.

Marinate in the fridge for an hour.

While things are chilling, put your broccoli on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Broil until starting to brown, flip, and continue broiling until nicely browned to just about where you want it – about 25-40 minutes depending upon how large your pieces are and how far from the heating source you place the rack.

When the broccoli is done, add to a large pan with the sesame oil and sesame seeds and toss to finish browning. Set aside.

Add some fat to the pan and sautee the chicken until done through and browned on all sides. Be careful while the chicken cooks, as the honey will want to burn. Keep it moving so that doesn’t happen.

Serve the chicken topped with salsa alongside the broccoli.

Serves 2 for dinner.

Mini Turkey & Sausage Spicy Meatloaves with Seared Tomato Relish (paleo)

May 26, 2013October 18, 2013Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

This is one of those meals where everything went wrong – I consciously decided to swap the main meat, the grocery was out of chorizo, I didn’t have as much adobo sauce and almond flour as I thought – and yet it all came together just fine into a damn tasty little dish, and not at all as meat clogged as I had thought it would be. I was expecting heavy, greasy, and to finish feeling like I’m on meat overload – happily, that was not the case here.

Yeah, that's a meaty little snowman head and a meaty little mitten - in May - what of it? That's just how I roll. In the cool lane. — Yeah, that’s a meaty little snowman head and a meaty little mitten – in May – what of it? That’s just how I roll. With the cool kids.

Mini Turkey & Sausage Spicy Meatloaves with Seared Tomato Relish

Adapted from Chorizo Mini Meatloaves with Chipotle, Tomato Relish by Food Renegade

1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. fresh sausage (the original recipe called for chorizo; I used some sort of spicy ‘mystery sausage’ from the freezer and it turned out great)
1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles – read your label!)
2 eggs
Scant 2 Tbsp. almond flour (you can omit this alltogether and things will work out just fine – the meat mix will be a little wet but all will be well. If too-wet meat freaks you out, just halve or omit the egg – ground meat in a muffin tin is very forgiving)
1 large onion
5 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 c. cherry tomatoes
1 tsp. adobo sauce + sriracha or more adobo if you have it and you need it for spice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. cilantro
juice of 1 lime (maybe more)
extra lime juice + 1/4 an avocado per person for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add to a medium pan with the coconut oil and sautee until translucent and beginning to brown around the edges.

Add half the onions & garlic to a large bowl and half to the bowl of your food processor.

To the bowl (not food processor), add the ground meat + sausage slipped of its casings + egg + flour + 1 Tbsp. adobo and mix by hand until incorporated.

If you’re a normal adult human and have “regular” muffin tins, you will need 2 for this recipe. If you’re like me and only have 1 tin of mini muffin cups and a couple novelty tins for making holiday cakes, muddle through as you can. Whatever kind of loaf you’re making, fill your cups, making sure not to fill each cup up more than 3/4 of the way through or you will have a hot mess on your hands. A hot mess and overflowing grease. Yum. I made 1 tin of mini muffins + 1 tin of snowman/mitten muffins + 3 burger sized patties fried on the stovetop.

Pop those babies into the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.

While the loaves/muffins/snowmen heads are baking, toss the tomatoes into the pan you were using for the onions and let cook until blackened in spots and beginning to pop open. Add to the food processor, along with the remaining adobo, olive oil, lime juice, and 2 big pinches of salt. Process. Taste for seasoning; adjust heat/acid/salt if necessary. At this point, if your salsa is too wet (mine was), toss back into the pan and cook some of that liquid off. Make sure to re-taste for seasoning. Add the cilantro and set aside.

When your timer goes off, check the meatloaves. You’re looking for rendered fat on the top (you won’t have a whole heck of a lot if you’re working with turkey), and done looking bottoms. If you are using metal pans, you may have a nice crust. Silicone tins aren’t really into all that mess. If things look good, you’re in the clear. I was slightly worried about doneness (and was secretly hoping for a nice crust), so I jacked the heat to 400 and blasted the loaves for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve over a bed of sliced avocado, topped with the relish and a squirt of fresh lime juice.

Makes a bunch – I’m getting 4-6 servings (3 mini muffins, 2 snow men/mittens, or 1.5 burger patties per serving). Your mileage may vary.

Chipotle Lime Turkey Meatballs with Sweet Potato Fries (paleo)

May 5, 2013October 18, 2013Life, Recipes1 Comment

These meatballs are intoxicating. I first made them the week before leaving for a long vacation, and managed to think about them almost every day during my absence – even in the face of exciting new foods. That’s the kind of power these meatballs have over me. I’ve made them with the egg and cheese and without; and both ways are spectacular. These are also great in chicken if turkey is unavailable.

Chipotle Lime Turkey Meatballs with Sweet Potato Fries

Adapted from Chipotle Dijon Turkey Meatballs from Slim Palate

for the meatballs

1 pound ground turkey (dark meat is best if you can find it)
1 Tbsp. chipotle powder
2 Tbsp. dried cilantro
2 Tbsp. grainy dijon mustard (I use Maille)
3 Tbsp. freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan (optional)
2 tsp. sriracha (optional but oh-so-tasty)
1 egg
3 cloves minced garlic
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp. grapeseed or coconut oil
Salt & pepper

for the sweet potato fries

2 medium sweet potatoes (or 1 per person)
1/2 palm cumin
1/2 palm hungarian hot paprika
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp. grapeseed or coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Aluminum foil can also be used, but will result in less-crispy fries which may stick.

Peel the potatoes and slice into fry shapes by halving widthwise and slicing into 1/4 inch thick batons. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheet (grabbing a second if you need it) and sprinkle with the oil and spices. Toss to coat, sprinkle with salt & pepper and spread into a single layer on the sheet. Pop into the oven and bake 15 minutes. Flip the fries (and rotate your pans if necessary) and cook an additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisped around the edges.

While your fries are working, add all the meatball ingredients but the oil (and only half the lime juice) to a medium bowl and mix until well combined (by hand works best).

Warm the oil in your largest skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Once the oil is up to temperature; quickly form golfball sized meatballs, dropping them into the pan as you go. The mix will be quite wet – that’s ok. It all works out in the end. You will wind up with 12-13 meatballs. If you have more than will fit in your pan without touching, whip out a second pan to take care of the rest.

Sautee until browned on one side and flip, cooking until browned on the other and firm to the touch. You don’t want to move these bad boys around too much or they tend to stick and fall apart. If you treat them delicately and only turn once, you will end up with some very lovely balls.

When done, transfer to a plate and sprinkle with the remaining lime juice; dust with chipotle and serve alongside the fries.

Have you seen my recipe for tomato jam yet? It goes with these fries fantastically.

Serves 2 for dinner with a serving of meatballs leftover for lunch.

‘Undressed’ Poppyseed & Orange Chicken Salad with Green Beans

April 13, 2013December 29, 2014Life, RecipesLeave a Comment

Perfect for a picnic or any sunny day, this chicken salad leaves the mayo behind.

Gluten-free; easily made paleo if you switch the green beans out for something like crispy cauliflower nuggets or broccolini.

‘Undressed’ Poppyseed & Orange Chicken Salad with Green Beans

2 chicken breasts
1/2 c. celery
1/2 c. pecans
1/4 c. chives
12 oz. haricots verts
Juice of 1 orange
2 tsp. dijon (grainy to be whole30 compliant)
2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/4 c. grapeseed oil
2 big pinches grey salt
Other citrus juice (optional)
3 Tbsp. coconut oil

Chop the chicken into roughly 1 inch cubes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp. coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sautee until golden brown and delicious looking.

Pull out your haricots verts, and chop into roughly bite-sized pieces.

In a separate pan, heat 1 Tbsp. coconut oil until melted. Add the haricots verts and cook until blistered and wilted.

While all that is working, slice the celery into thin half moons, toast the pecans in a dry pan until starting to brown and become fragrant, and chop or snip the chives. Add each new prepped ingredient to a large bowl as it is ready.

In a separate smaller bowl, make the vinaigrette. Whisk the orange juice, dijon, poppy seeds and grapeseed oil together until an emulsion forms. Taste. Add a big pinch of grey salt and taste again. If the flavors aren’t already sparkling, add another big pinch of salt. If your orange is still kind of dull tasting, hit it with a squirt or two of other citrus juice until the flavors sing.

When the chicken and/or green beans are done, add to the large bowl and toss to combine. Add half of the vinaigrette and toss. I was fine with the dressing level here; if you need to, add the rest.

Serves 2 for dinner + 1 for lunch.

Thai-style Burgers with Spicy Carrot Slaw (Paleo)

February 23, 2013October 16, 2013Life, Recipes1 Comment

My DH hates turkey burgers with a passion. He hates their denseness, their dryness, and their (usual) complete lack of character.

He does not hate *these* turkey burgers. They’re juicy little flavor bombs with enough chew to make you not even notice the lack of a bun. And with this kicky little slaw as a side, the meal gets better and better.

Thai-Style Burgers with Spicy Carrot Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries

Adapted from Thai Turkey Burgers by How Sweet It Is

Burgers

1 pound ground turkey (or chicken)
2 scallions
2 carrots
Big pinch salt
Few grinds black pepper
Coconut oil for the pan

Sauce

1/4 c. chili garlic sauce (Sambal Olek)
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1/2 c. canned coconut milk
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. almond butter
Thumb-sized knot ginger
1 lime
1 Tbsp. coconut aminos

Slaw Topper

4 carrots
1/2 c. cilantro
1/2 c. cashews

Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potato
Grapeseed oil
Salt
Pepper
Smoky grill spice or any other really yummy seasoning meant to go on meat

First thing’s first. Let’s get those fries working. Set your oven to 425 (F). While your oven is heating, wash and peel your sweet potato and cut it into large fry shapes. (I had a huge over a pound potato, so I halved mine width-wise, then length-wise before cutting into oven fry shapes – you do whatever is appropriate for your potato size and shape).

Rub your fries with grapeseed oil and toss with salt, black pepper and some sort of yummy grill seasoning. I happen to have had a really good smoky seasoning I wanted to take for a test run.

When your oven is preheated, pop the fries in and set the timer for 12 minutes. When the time is up, flip your fries and set the timer for an additional 12 minutes – your fries should take from 25-30 minutes to cook total. Make sure to watch them during the last cooking period – they burn fast.

While the fries are working, move onto some mise. Grate all your carrots – I use a food processor, and it makes life much better. Portion out about 1/4 c. for the burger and 3/4 c. for the slaw. Add the burger carrots to one bowl and the slaw carrots to another.

Thinly slice your scallions and add to the burger bowl. Add the salt, pepper and turkey.

Chop the cilantro and add to the slaw bowl. Toast the cashews in a dry pan until just beginning to brown – remove and chop. Add to the slaw bowl.

Now move on to the sauce.

Grate the ginger and add to a small saucepan. Juice the lime and add along with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Whisk to combine (until smooth-ish). Bring the sauce up to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook 3-4 minutes (or until beginning to thicken). Set aside.

And now for the burgers. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. coconut oil and bring up to temperature.

Add 3-4 Tbsp. sauce to the burger bowl – work everything in the burger bowl until it comes together. Beware – the mixture will be pretty wet, but that’s ok. Portion out your patties and place into the skillet as you go – you should have enough for 4 nice-sized burgers. Cook the burgers 4-5 minutes per side, or until nicely golden brown. Be careful when flipping.

Add another 3-4 Tbsp. sauce to the slaw bowl and toss to coat.

To serve, top each burger with a heaping helping of slaw and more sauce if desired. The sauce also makes an excellent dip for the fries.

Can easily serve 4 for dinner with the appropriate amount of fries, or 2 for dinner with 2 lunches left over.

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