Cranberry Chutney

This is the most wonderful time of year I love cooking for my family, this year is especially wonderful, because I have most of my family together.   I am very sad about the fact that one child will not be here, I Love and miss you Terrance.  Just had to post this recipe it is my favorite had a hard time finding it today and so when I found it I decided to post it.  the only thing I do different is add less sugar and no raisins.  Thinking about trying honey to see if it will still thicken.  I'll let you know.

CRANBERRY CHUTNEY

INGREDIENT

• 1 orange, peeled, tough membrane removed, chopped
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 large Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, chopped
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cranberries are bursting. Chill until serving time; freeze surplus in small containers. Makes about about 4 cups of chutney.

SHTTP://SOUTHERNFOOD.ABOUT.COM/OD/CRANBERRYRELISHRECIPES/R/BL51104A.HTM

More Paleo

Hawaiian Stuffed Sweet Potato

http://realfoodpledge.com/2013/11/17/hawaiian-stuffed-sweet-potato/

INGREDIENTS

4 sweet potato
3 rashers of bacon
1/2 cup pineapple (I used fresh but you could use unsweetened canned)
1/4 grated tasty cheese (optional)
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Wash the sweet potato, leaving the skin on
3. Pierce the sweet potato with a fork several times
4. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, turning a couple of times
5. Pull out of the oven & let cool until they are cool enough so that you can handle them
6. Dice the bacon & pan fry
7. Dice the pineapple. Place the pineapple, bacon & grated cheese in a large bowl
8. Once the sweet potato are cool enough, cut them down the centre (length ways) & gently scoop out all of the flesh with a teaspoon
9. As you scoop out the flesh be careful to leave the skins in tact
10. Mix the flesh with the other ingredients & salt to taste
11. Fill the cases up with the mixture & place back in the oven for a further 10 minutes
12. Enjoy as a meal on their own or as a side to a lovely steak

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

4 Bell Peppers

1lb ground beef

1/4 cup almond meal

2 slices bacon- diced

1/2  zuchinni or broccoli slaw – shredded

3/4 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup canned fire roasted tomatoes

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp curry powder

Directions

1.  Preheat over to 350

2.  Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and membranes.  Place peppers in glass baking dish filled with 1/2 inch water and microwave for 3-4 minutes until slightly done.

3.  Cook bacon in frying pan until done.  Add ground beef to bacon and grease and brown.

4.  Add veggies, almond meal, spices and remaining ingredients to ground beef and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

5.  Scoop beef/ veggie mixture into peppers and place on cookie sheet.  Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!
I tried to copy these recipes but it won't let me.  These are two of my favorite.

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/41698330146/whole30-day-28-chile-lime-chicken-wings
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/22316250352/oven-braised-mexican-beef

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/22316250352/oven-braised-mexican-beef

Haven't tried Paleo but I want to.

Carrot Cake Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookies

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut flour
• ½ cup tapioca flour
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• pinch of salt
• ½-1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, add carrots, coconut sugar, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla extract to a bowl and whisk.
3. Then add coconut flour, tapioca flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt and mix until combine. Then fold in chocolate chunks.The dough will seem a bit dry and thick, don’t worry.
4. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop a rounded scoop onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, then press the cookie down with your fingers.
5. Repeat. This should make 12-13 cookies.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until cookies are cooked through in the middle.

Paleo recipes I tried and liked.

Chipotle Glazed Pork Chops

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Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 6 boneless pork loin chops, about 3 ounces each
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons pureed chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon lard or other cooking fat

Instructions

1. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper; sprinkle with the garlic and onion powders. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
2. Whisk the chipotle puree with the honey in a small bowl.
3. Melt the lard in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork chops until browned, about 2 minutes per side, brushing them with half of the chipotle glaze. Lower the temperature to medium-low; cover and continue to cook until the pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145 F, another 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Brush the chops with the remaining glaze and remove from the skillet; cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
5. Nutrition (per serving): 340 calories, 10.2g total fat, 116.3mg cholesterol, 91.6mg sodium, 815mg potassium, g carbohydrates, <1g 17.9g="" 39.1g="" fiber="" li="" protein="" sugar="">

 http://www.janssushibar.com/chipotle-glazed-pork-chops/

On the glazed pork chops I couldn't find the chipotle pepper it called for so I used a chipotle salsa from sprouts it was all natural and no sugar, it was great.

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/41698330146/whole30-day-28-chile-lime-chicken-wings

• ½ medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers (or 1 serrano pepper), ribs and seeds removed
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• ½ cup cilantro, tightly packed
• Freshly ground pepper
• Zest from 2 limes
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Paleo-friendly fish sauce (Red Boat!)
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 6 pounds chicken wings and/or drumsticks
• 1-2 tablespoons melted fat of choice
• 4 limes, cut into wedges

I couldn't find Paleo-friendly fish sauce so I made it without and it was awesome.  I marinated for about an hour it wasn't enough and next time I might double the sauce and reserve some to drizzle on the chicken after it is cooked.  I didn't do 6 pounds of chicken either and there wasn't a whole lot of sauce left over.

We had this one for dinner last night and Mark and the boys really liked it Mark said if I had used these recipes before we wouldn't have gone off Paleo last time, we have loved all three and they are on the must do again list.  My Natural Family is a great blog.
http://paleowod.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/paleo-stuffed-peppers/

Ingredients

4 Bell Peppers

1lb ground beef

1/4 cup almond meal

2 slices bacon- diced

1/2  zuchinni or broccoli slaw – shredded

3/4 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup canned fire roasted tomatoes

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp curry powder

Directions

1.  Preheat over to 350

2.  Cut peppers in half and remove seeds and membranes.  Place peppers in glass baking dish filled with 1/2 inch water and microwave for 3-4 minutes until slightly done.

3.  Cook bacon in frying pan until done.  Add ground beef to bacon and grease and brown.

4.  Add veggies, almond meal, spices and remaining ingredients to ground beef and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

5.  Scoop beef/ veggie mixture into peppers and place on cookie sheet.  Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.


Enjoy!

I have found some awesome recipes and great blogs on my quest to healthier eating.  We tried another new one last night and my boys loved it and we have all vowed to stay on Paleo.  The blog in which I found the recipe is:
http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/easy-paleo-chicken-recipes/
recipe
http://www.paleogirlskitchen.com/2013/10/ginger-chicken-with-simple-mango-salsa.html

Ginger Chicken with Simple Mango Salsa

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
¼ cup coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon red pepper
avocado oil in a mister
skewers

Mango Salsa
2 mangoes, peeled and cubed
2 avocados, peeled and cubed

½ red onion, diced

⅛ cup cilantro, diced

½ lime, juiced
sea salt

1. Soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes. Combine the coconut aminos, garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Slice the chicken breasts in 1" strips. Cover them in the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Prep all of the mango salsa ingredients. In a large bowl, gently toss together the ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Push the chicken onto the soaked skewers. Spray the grill with avocado oil in a mister. Grill the chicken breasts for about 2-3 minutes per side or until no longer pink on the inside.

4. Serve the grilled chicken with a generous serving of mango salsa.

I want to try this one so I'm posting it now, so I can be sure to find it.
http://www.preppypaleo.com/2013/01/pumpkin-breakfast-cookies-recipe-revisit.html

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies (Recipe Revisit)

1/2 cup raw almond butter
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup pure maple syrup or raw honey
1 or 2 eggs (see above)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1.5-2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
2-3 cups mix-ins of choice (nuts, seeds, coconut, raisins, ground flax, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Drop by tbs. onto a greased or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Press down slightly with palm. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Freezer Meals

I started a new job as a substitute after winter break and I have not worked yet so I decided to be prepared and eat healthier.  On the 6th of January I decided to do freezer meals in case I started working full time days and had no time to prepare meals.  I had seen a post on Facebook about chicken pot pies but didn't share it so couldn't find it when I went to do my list.  So I just made it up, but I'm trying to stay away from white flour so I tried another new recipe for the thickening which I love and will share it later in this post.  I thought about doing mashed potatoes for the top but I had potatoes in the filling so I stuck with pie crust on top.  I tried one freezing the crust on it and 4 without crust adding it later for the rest of the family.  Three of them liked the crust added later and one prefers it frozen it makes it doughier like the store bought kind.  The boys would prefer it with crust on the bottom also I guess I experiment with that another time.  So my menu started out as:  Monday: Spaghetti and Alfredo sauce for me,  Tuesday: Chili Verde Mexican Beef Stew (Got it from the Happy Cookers, LLC I can't re-post the recipe but you can sign up for her newsletter or she sells her cookbooks).  Wednesday: Chicken pot pies,  Thursday:  Chicken nuggets with Alfredo sauce and noodles. All I can say is I bit of more than I could chew I got real complicated and it took longer than expected, but we enjoyed all the meals and for the most part they are healthier.  I wouldn't change the menu just improve time management and put easier meals in between.  I started with the pot pies.

Chicken Pot Pies:

Took one family pack of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts 7 breasts, almost 5lbs.

Browned in frying pan with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Once Browned on both sides I added 2 cups chicken broth cooked for 15 min. more. cooled cut up into pieces for later.

Cut up two cups red potatoes with peeling on, 2 cups onion and 2 cups carrots.

browned onion in Olive Oil.

2 cups more broth (I use better than broth from Costco) on added the potatoes and carrots cooked for about 10 min still a little hard added the browned onions and chicken.  I then added some of my Alfredo sauce to thicken and add some flavor.  I froze five small aluminum casserole dishes with the cardboard tops aluminum down to freeze.  I did not put any tops or pie crust on at this time.  The first two I baked I put them in the oven at 350 oven covered with aluminum foil, baked on 400 for about an hour it was pretty warm so then I added a pie crust cut the size of the pan with three slits for venting.  Baked for another 20 min or till brown.  I used 2 of the crusts but had quite a bit left over so I cut in strips and added to one of the frozen pies.  We just cooked two more and I used one with and one without crust.  Baked same as the other two but the one with crust I just removed the foil and let it continue to bake with the one I put the crust on it need a little more time to be completely warm on the inside.


to finish the pot pies and for dinner that night I then made Alfredo sauce.  I had heard of Alfredo sauce made with cauliflower there are many recipes I choose one from the blog Veggie on a Penny.  http://www.veggieonapenny.com/creamy-cauliflower-sauce/.  I only changed it a little bit I did add 4 oz of Parmesan cheese that I grated my self I was told a doctor recommended that grated has fillers that you shouldn't have if watching your cholesterol.  I don't have a Vita mix but worked great in my blender.  I didn't have soy milk so I just added more water from the cauliflower.  I also added onion cooked in olive oil to the blender instead of the onion powder.

Ingredients

1. One head of cauliflower, cut into florets (5-6 cups, varies)
2. 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3. 3 Tbsp. olive oil
4. 1 tsp. dried basil
5. 1 tsp. onion powder (opt.)
6. 1 tsp. McKay's chicken style seasoning (opt.)
7. soymilk as needed (opt.)

Instructions

1. Cut head of cauliflower into florets. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Boil cauliflower florets until soft, about 10-15 minutes.
2. In a frying pan, sautee the garlic in the olive oil on low. Do not allow the garlic to turn brown as this produces a bitter flavor.
3. Put the cauliflower florets into the blender.
4. Add in 1/2 cup of the water from the cauliflower.
5. Add in the sauteed garlic and olive oil.
6. Sprinkle in all of the seasonings.
7. Blend all together. My VitaMix makes this job easy!
8. Add salt to taste.
9. Add soymilk as needed for the perfect creamy consistency.  

This literally took all day I then threw together a spaghetti sauce for dinner for the rest of the family.  


Broccoli Soup

A couple days later I steamed broccoli and sauteed mushrooms and onions added them to my Alfredo Sauce along with a cup of chicken broth and it was delicious.