Simple Supper Friday: Chicken Chana Masala
Chicken chana masala.
I’m so excited! I now only have one more week of regular classes, then finals. Woo hoo! On the downside, three of my four finals are comprehensive exams. Not fun, but I’ll survive and am not focusing on the downside. Another fun thing? I’ve started receiving big packages in the mail. Specifically, wedding shower gifts. It’s super exciting! I’m having a wedding shower back in Michigan at the end of the month, but some people are sending their gifts directly to me, so I don’t have to have things shipped back or checked on the plane. It’s much appreciated, but obviously, I’ll do whatever I need to do.
On that note, I’m going to have to start making room, especially in the kitchen, for our new things. I love getting rid of stuff, especially when it’s being replaced with something nicer. All in all, this whole process is really exciting, and I’m so grateful that we’re doing a small, private ceremony and a celebratory party back home. With my family helping arrange the party in Michigan, and things in line out here, there really isn’t any stress. Jesse and I are very blessed.
Meanwhile, this is a chana masala-inspired dish. As a former vegetarian, I used to love chana masala when I’d go out for Indian. Since I avoid chickpeas (and other legumes), which are used in chana masala, I substituted chicken instead, which seemed to work well. I wanted a touch of creaminess to mellow out the spices in the dish, so I also added some coconut milk, which isn’t typically used in chana masala. I am a sucker for coconut milk in dishes and besides, I thought it made the dish taste better.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 14.5 oz can unsalted diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Dash of cayenne
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish, optional
Directions:
- Melt the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute a couple minutes. Then, add the chicken pieces. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spices and sea salt, and stir. Then, add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes. Add a bit more coconut milk, if needed.
- Serve over steamed greens or cauliflower rice and garnish with unsweetened coconut flakes, if desired. Fresh cilantro would also serve as a lovely garnish.
Yields: 3 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Turkey Cabbage Stew with Multicolored Carrots
Turkey cabbage stew with roasted multicolored carrots.
Another week of school down (hooray!), and I must say, this week went by extremely fast. I’m okay with that too. As much as I’m trying to enjoy the process, I’m really ready for this term to be over. Being busy definitely helps the time fly by though. Full-time school, part-time fitness coaching, part-time freelance writing, blogging, treat making at the food cart, working on a project with Jason Seib, and life. I may even be taking on another project, which will be determined later today. I might be burning the candle at both ends a tad, but it’s awesome to be a busy little bee. I’m learning so much, especially about myself, and I feel ready for the next big thing.
Meanwhile, the sun is shining bright today and it’s a high of 60 degrees. I’ve already had a chance to enjoy the sunshine a little bit, but I’m hoping to get outside later for a walk. I have tons to do, but 60 and sunny is a great excuse to take a break.
Happy Friday all!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey thighs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp fat of choice (I used grass-fed tallow)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2-4 Tbsp chicken broth
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
Directions:
- While your carrots are roasting (see instructions below), get started on the stew. In a large pan over medium heat, melt your fat of choice. Add the garlic and saute about 20-30 seconds, or until fragrant. Next, add the ground turkey and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Be sure to break up the ground meat a bit with a spatula.
- After several minutes, when the meat is nearly done browning, add the cabbage, cardamom, chili powder, broth and coconut milk. Mix well and continue to simmer over medium-low heat for several minutes. Adjust seasonings and liquid as needed.
- Once done, serve into bowls and top with roasted carrots.
For the roasted carrots:
- 1 bunch multicolored carrots (about 5-7 carrots), chopped into 1/2″ pieces
- 1 Tbsp fat of choice, melted (I used a combo of grass-fed tallow and ghee)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 375. On a baking sheet, toss carrots with fat of choice, and season with sea salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.
- Serve atop of turkey and cabbage mixture.
Yields: 3-4 servings
Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder
Shredded pork shoulder, served atop of sauteed cabbage.
Some of you already know this by now, but I don’t care for pork. I’m just not fond of the taste, unless it’s bacon. You may recall though, that on New Year’s Eve, I ordered a shredded pork dish for dinner. I mainly ordered it because it was the least complicated thing for me to paleoize, but also thought I might like it since I love shredded meat, specifically chicken and beef. Well, I did like it … a lot! Since then, I’ve been thinking about trying out a shredded pork recipe myself. This past weekend, it finally happened.
It was a spur of the moment decision and completely unplanned. I really value moments like that. Anyway, I was in Food Front Co-op in NW Portland after work on Sunday, and spotted one small and lonely pork shoulder roast. At that moment, I decided it was time, and threw it in my basket. For the recipe, I flew by the seat of my pants and used what I had on hand.
The recipe turned out phenomenal. It tasted so good, that I didn’t want the last bite to come. To compensate, I very slowly savored every last morsel. I usually do well with eating slowly, but I especially did well this time.
If you’re not much of a pork person, like me, this recipe may surprise you. I can’t wait to make it again.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb pork shoulder roast
- 2 tsp grass-fed ghee
- 3/4 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 4 large carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 head cabbage, chopped (use more if serving more than 2 people)
- Avocado slices, optional
Directions:
- Combine spices, sea salt and pepper, and coat all sides of the roast. If you have extra spice mixture leftover, set it aside. You will use it later. If you use it all, that’s fine too.
- Melt 1 tsp of ghee (or fat of choice) in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork shoulder, and brown a couple minutes on each side. Once all sides are browned, remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tsp of ghee (add more if needed) over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute 4-5 minutes, until softened. Once done, pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add carrots to the slow cooker and place the roast on top of the veggies. Add the chicken broth, lime juice and any remaining spice mixture.
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 8-10.
- Once done, turn the slow cooker off or to warm. Then, remove the pork roast and cut off the twine. Shred meat with two forks and add back to the slow cooker. Give everything a stir.
- In a pan over medium heat, melt a little fat of choice. Add the chopped cabbage and season with sea salt and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes, or until softened.
- Serve the shredded pork mixture over the cabbage and serve with avocado slices, if desired.
Yields: 3-4 servings
Baked Delicata Squash Fries
Baked delicata squash fries.
Sometimes I have moments where I’ll be sitting on the sofa, dilly dallying or working on my computer, and then suddenly get the urge to get up and make something in the kitchen…like pronto! Seriously, it’ll just happen out of the blue. I actually like when this happens though because it feels spur of the moment, fun and usually results in something delicious. Does this happen to anyone else?
These squash fries are the result of one of those moments. It’s a simple recipe and maybe something you’ve made or tried before, but for me it was new. Sure, I roast veggies and squash all the time, but this was my first attempt at squash fries…at least I think it was.
Anyway, make these and do your best to save some for your husband, wife, significant other, roomie, kids, etc. If you want though, you can keep them all to yourself and I won’t blame you one bit. I resisted eating the whole batch and saved some for Jesse. Could I have downed the whole batch? Yes, easily. But I felt like Jesse deserved to taste these cinnamon-y bites, especially because he loves delicata squash so much. I guess I’m a pretty nice person.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium delicata squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (remove seeds from center after cutting)
- 2 Tbsp melted grass-fed ghee (coconut oil works too)
- Himalayan sea salt to taste
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
Cut like so.
Spread on baking sheet and toss with oil and spices. I know, that one on the back is a bit thick, but I didn’t want to cut myself trying to get it thinner. It’s fine, but really, I need a mandolin slicer.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Place squash rounds on a baking sheet and pour melted ghee over top. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, chili powder and sea salt, and toss together.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring a couple times to prevent burning.
- Serve right away, as the fries get kinda soggy after sitting out for a while.
Cinnamon, spice and everything nice.
Soft and slightly crisp.
Simple Supper Friday: Butter Beef Stew
Everyday Paleo’s better butter chicken is one of my absolute favorite recipes. It always satisfies and never disappoints. Additionally, it’s insanely easy to make. I tweak it a tiny bit, but it’s pretty darn close to Everyday Paleo’s original recipe.
To switch things up this time, I decided to try it with beef instead of chicken. I had one pound of grass-fed stew meat that needed to be used and figured it’d taste good in this sauce. So, did it taste good? Yes, of course. To be honest though, the protein swap really didn’t change the flavor much because the sauce is where it’s all at anyway. It was still worth the experiment though and definitely still delicious. As you’ll notice, I called it butter beef stew because I thought better butter beef sounded weird.
Also, side note, but I’m so ready for this early darkness to go away! I made this recipe before going to work the other day, so that it would be ready when Jesse and I got home. I finished cooking and plating at about 5 p.m., and it was way too dark outside for photos. I attempted it, but sadly, it wasn’t too pretty. Of my indoor photos, this one was the best.
Butter beef stew, slightly adapted from Everyday Paleo’s, better butter chicken.
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 lb grass-fed beef stew meat (feel free to cut chunks smaller if they’re big — it’ll be easier to chew in this recipe!)
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 oz tomato paste (1/2 a can or a little more than 1/2 a tube)
- 1/4 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 – 1 Tbsp coconut flour (omit if sauce is thick enough)
- 1-2 Tbsp pastured ghee or butter
- Steamed kale, for serving
Directions:
- In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté a few minutes, until translucent.
- Turn heat down to low and add the minced garlic, cardamom, coriander, and chili powder. Stir well to make a paste.
- Add the tomato paste to the onion and spices, and stir to form a thick mixture. Add the stew meat and let brown for a few minutes over low heat.
- Turn the heat back up to medium and add the coconut milk and sea salt.
- Bring the stew to a simmer and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is cooked all the way through. Stir occasionally throughout the process. If the sauce is too thin at the end of the cooking time, mix in the coconut flour to thicken.
- After the beef is cooked, add the ghee and mix into the sauce until melted. Serve atop of steamed kale.
Simple Supper Friday: Cincinnati-Style Chili
Cincinnati-style chili.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about Cincinnati chili. I’m not really sure why or how it popped into my head, but it did. I recall really liking it in my younger years, and remember first trying it when I was in elementary school — probably third or fourth grade. My mom went through a phase of making it for a while, but then it kind of fizzled out and we stuck with standard spaghetti and standard chili. I think part of why I liked it as a kid was because it involved two certain foods (that kids often love): 1. spaghetti noodles and 2. cheddar cheese. As you can guess, this version doesn’t include either of those things, though traditionally, both foods are involved in Cincinnati-style chili. Instead, I use spaghetti squash strands as noodles and garnish with chopped kale instead of cheddar cheese. In this regard, it’s not traditional midwestern-style at all, but I like to think it’s way better!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1 tsp grass-fed tallow (or fat of choice)
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1-1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup bone broth (or decent store bought)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp raw honey, optional
- 1-15 oz can of no salt added tomato sauce (I like Muir Glen Organic brand)
- 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
- Raw, stemmed kale leaves, chopped for garnish, optional
The chili mixture.
Directions:
- Melt the tallow in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic. Break up the meat with a spatula or wooden spoon and cook until the most of the meat is browned, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in the sea salt, spices and cocoa powder, and cook about 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce, bone broth and raw honey, if using (I recommend it). Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- While chili is simmering, bake the spaghetti squash. Add about 1/4-inch of water to a pan and place squash halves skin side up in the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F. If the squash cooks any longer than this, it often makes the strands mushy (unless you have a really big squash).
- Once the squash is done, scrape out strands for noodles and serve with the chili mixture on top. I like to mix a little dab of grass-fed butter and sea salt into my squash before scooping the chili on top, but that’s totally optional. Garnish with chopped kale, if using.
Sloppy Janes – Two Ways
Recently, I made Robb Wolf’s sloppy Joe recipe from his book, The Paleo Solution, but because I made it with ground turkey breast instead of ground beef, the meal becomes a Jane rather than a Joe. Apparently, turkey is regarded as female?
Anyway, other than the protein switch, I made a couple other changes as well. The recipe calls for two tablespoons of cocoa powder, but because I have to comply to the SCD, I can not eat cocoa, so out it went. It’s an ‘illegal’ food on the SCD. I upped the quantity of tomato puree by roughly a 1/2 cup or so (I like ‘em saucy!). I threw in about 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, a few extra dashes of mustard powder and a swizzle of honey. Yes, swizzle … it’s an accurate measurement, right? I guess I could say to taste. It was probably about one teaspoons worth. I made these changes because I thought the mixture tasted too much like taco meat. Granted, I love the flavors of taco meat, but that’s not what I was going for. Here’s the recipe with my modifications:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey breast
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 -1/2 cups tomato puree (I like Bionaturae’s strained tomatoes)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp yellow mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1-1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 tsp honey
Directions:
Cook ground turkey and onion in a large skillet over medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes, until the meat is browned. Stir in the remaining ingredients and heat for another 10 – 15 minutes. Serve with vegetable of choice.
With my modifications, these turned out pretty damn good. I mean it’s no Manwich, but I think that’s probably a good thing. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever even eaten Manwich in my life. Luckily for me, my mom always made homemade sloppy Joes. I used to love eating hers with potato chips on top. Oh, how things have changed!
The first time around, Jesse and I ate these open face on top of portobello caps that I browned in the skillet. The second night, we ate the mixture on top of my homemade biscuits with avocado garnish. Both ways were delicious and it’s surprising how tasty it is to use a portobello cap as a bun (we were both a little skeptical). I’d do it again, for sure.
