Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs

With the colder weather I have been spending a little more time in the kitchen.  Recipe number two today is Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs.  Made these for dinner last night and everyone came back for seconds.  Super moist and tasty.  Actually created this one on my own and I will definitely make it again.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
1-2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
Almond flour (start with 1 cup and add more if you run out of breading)
1-2 Tbpsns Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 onion sliced
Olive Oil
2 lemons 


Heat oil in skillet and add sliced onion.  Saute for a couple of minutes.   mix egg and almond milk and dip chicken in egg dip then drag through almond flour/lemon pepper mix. Lay on top of onions in skillet and salt to taste.  Brown both sides and then transfer Chicken and Onions to a baking dish, squeeze lemon juice generously over chicken and bake in oven at 375 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from oven and serve with the butternut squash recipe below.  Tasty!

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens

And the recipes keep coming! Thanks to some faithful paleo eaters I have been getting more good ideas. Melissa K tried this one the other night and I am a sucker for butternut squash so I can't wait to try it. This one comes from Everyday Paleo, a great site with lots of great recipes.

Skillet Butternut Squash and Greens
1 lb bacon, diced
1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 bunch chard, diced
1 zucchini, diced
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Using a potato peeler, peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you can get a bag of precut butternut squash at trader joes). Place in a large pan and cover with water. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until the squash is tender but not mushy (I recommend roasting in the oven for 20 min instead)
. While the squash is boiling, cook the diced bacon in a large skillet until browned. Drain the butternut squash and add to the cooked diced bacon along with the chard and zucchini. Saute for another couple of minutes until the chard is wilted. Drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve.

Paleo Lasagna

Lasagna was on the menu for the family Sunday dinner tonight and I thought I would try a paleo twist for my own portion, knowing full well that I would be the only one choosing the pan without noodles or cheese.  Happily, it was very good and I have plenty of left over to feast on tomorrow night.

Paleo Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 cooked spaghetti squash

1 eggplant, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

2-4 large portabella mushrooms sliced

2 cups of spicy spaghetti sauce (see recipe on previous post)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1/2 jar Trader Joes Artichoke Antipesto 

(parmesan cheese and mozzerella optional - couldnt help a little sprinkle on top)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray pan with pam and lay out eggplant and mushrooms in a single layer.  Salt & pepper and respray with pam. Roast for 15 minutes.  In lasagna pan cover the bottom with spaghetti squash.  Pour sauce evenly over squash.  Remove vegis from oven and layer over the sauce.  Top with a generous layer of leaf spinach.  Then spread the artichoke spread on top.  The ingredients in this spread are totally paleo so don't feel guilty pouring it on (even though the garlic may talk back to you tomorrow).  Sprinkle cheese on top if you are at peace with dairy. Bake for 20 minutes and serve. 

Spicy Spaghetti Squash

Tonights recipe is a two for one special, Spicy Spaghetti Squash and Paleo Lasagna.  My friend Bhairavi turned me on to this Spicy Spaghetti Sauce recipe a couple of months ago and the whole family loves it.  You can spice it up or down depending on how heavy you go with the red pepper flakes. I actually simmer the sauce all day long in the crockpot and served it up with spaghetti squash for me and noodles for the rest of the family.

Spicy Spaghetti Squash
     1 small spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, minced
• 12 ounces ground white meat turkey or lean ground beef
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place each squash half cut side down on a cookie sheet and bake uncovered for about 45 to 60 minutes or until a fork goes easily into the shell. Allow to cool and scoop out the strands of squash with a large spoon and set aside. (I microwave the squash according to the directions on the sticker)
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and scallions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the meat and cook for 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the capers, oregano, red pepper flakes and parsley; simmer for 5 minutes. If the squash has cooled too much, reheat it in the microwave, covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Top the squash with the sauce and serve. 

Avocado Chicken Salad

Posting again, had a great idea to use up the turkey leftovers. Of course since I got home late all the turkey was gone so I went back to the original plan - chicken.  I have this all made up for tomorrow nights meal and am planning on serving it on a bed of spinach

Avocado Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
4 cooked chicken breasts (I ripped apart a rotisserie chicken)
2 ripe avocados
1 stalk of celery
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1/4 cup avocado oil or mayo
2 tbspn lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Dice chicken and avocado into bite size pieces and chop celery into a very small dice.  Combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed but avocado still is somewhat chunky.  Either serve immediately or refrigerate for later.  Serve in a lettuce wrap, over spinach or naked.

Egg Nog Shake

Two posts in a week - can you believe it!  Ariel inspired me to concoct a paleo friendly eggnog shake, so, I here it goes.  Drinking it as I type and it is delish.  I have become a big fan of the whipped vanilla flavor BSN Dessert Protein powder, so you will see it in alot of my recipes.  Feel free to substitute with the vanilla protein powder of your choice.

Eggnog Shake

1 scoop whipped vanilla BSN Dessert Protein Powder
1 cup Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tbspn ground flaxseed meal
1 raw egg
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp rum extract
1 tbspn honey
4 ice cubes

Stir the protein powder and milk together before pouring in the blender.  Add flaxseed meal, egg (don't do this if you are aftraid of Salmonella - I have eaten enough cookie dough over the years that I feel like I am immune), nutmeg, rum extract, honey,  and ice cubes.  Blend and serve in a festive cup with christmas music playing in the background and a fire roaring in the fireplace!

Chicken and Vegi Artichoke Casserole

OK, I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of this one, because it was pretty and soooo tasty!  My daughter came home from college tonight so I decided I would stuff her full of all the vegis I am sure she has not been eating over the last three months.  This one takes a little prep work, but great casserole dish and even better if you cheat a little and add some cheese. 

Chicken and Vegi Artichoke Casserole

4 Chicken breasts cut in strips
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
1 egg
1/4 cup almond milk
1 eggplant
2 red, yellow, or orange peppers
broccoli
cauliflower
1 Jar Trader Joes Artichoke Antipasto Spread
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese (optional)

Cut eggplant in 1/4 inch circles, peppers in strips and broccoli and cauliflower in bite size pieces. Spray pan with pam and put vegis in oven to roast at 400 degrees.  In the meantime heat pan with a little olive oil and dip chicken in egg and milk mixture.  coat with almond flour and parmesan cheese mixture and pan fry until golden and mostly cooked through.  Remove vegis from oven and arrange layer of eggplant,broccoli, and cauliflower and spread half of jar of artichoke spread, arrange peppers on top then lay chicken in single layer on top.  Spread rest of artichoke spread on top of chicken and sprinkle asiago on top.  Bake for 15 more minutes and serve.  YUMMMMMM