Southwestern Grilled Chicken & Vegetables

I was not really in the mood to think about cooking tonight. I had a lot of other things on my mind today. However, this was really easy, delicious, and required little thought! I especially loved how the veggies turned out! Hope you enjoy! :-)

Recipe

4 chicken breasts, skinless & boneless

Rub ingredients: (combine all spices)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

red pepper flakes (add however much to your liking)

dash paprika

Veggies:

Yellow and green zucchini, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced thin

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic

1/4 C + chopped cilantro

splash chicken broth (organic, low sodium)

1 tsp olive oil

Generously rub spice ingredients over both sides of chicken breasts. Heat grill, or skillet, over medium-high heat, with some olive oil, and grill chicken breast for about 5-7 minutes on each side (until thoroughly cooked). Serve with side of southwestern-style veggies.

Saute garlic, onion, and peppers in olive oil. Add zucchini and a some chicken broth. Cover and cook until JUST tender (about 5 minutes). Toss with cilantro and serve with chicken breasts!

They both cook pretty quick, and they both cook at the same times! But this is an easy & tasty 30-minute meal. Chances are you already have most these paleo ingredients and the spices in your kitchen! :-)

Grilled Pork Chops With Apricot Glaze

Hope you had a great Tuesday! It was fun focusing on the split jerk today! I even managed to squeak out a small PR! Then, a little trip to Lululemons! (A day can NOT get much better than that!) And then...top it off with a nice dinner! But wait... I can't taste it!!! This darn head cold is trying to get the best of me! So I "think" dinner was yummy tonight, and post worthy. Even though I have lost some of my sense of taste, but the family gave me the big "thumbs up"! So... here you go... I hope you enjoy! :-)

Recipe:

8 smallish port loin chops, about 1 inch thick, trimmed of all visible fat

Spice rub:

1 T paprika

1 T garlic powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Apricot glaze:

about 1/2 C 100% apricot preserve (all fruit, no sugar)

2 T brandy

1 T dry mustard

Juice of 1 lemon.

Mix spice ingredients together, and generously rub on both sides of pork chops. Grill pork chops over medium high heat, until well browned, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Move chops to a baking dish. Heat glaze ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat, and set aside. Brush glaze ingredients, liberally, on both sides of pork chops and bake just until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees (about 8-10 more minutes).

We served this with a side salad and some sauteed spinach. Hope you enjoy this sweet treat! :-)

Kale with Caramelized Onions & Sun Dried Tomatoes

This recipe was recommended to me by Rachel Frankl of Santa Cruz CrossFit Central! I finally bought some kale and sun-dried tomatoes, and gave it a try. Oh wow... what a delicious side dish! So good, I think I'll be making it on a regular basis. I meant to toast some pine nuts to sprinkle on top, but I forgot! ... next time. Yum. :-)

Thank you Rachel!!!

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, ripped into large pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, sliced thin

1 6oz jar sun dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

Splash (about 1/8 C) chicken broth (low sodium) or water

2 T pine nuts, toasted

In a saute pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onions start to caramelize, add a little water or broth. Add kale. Cover and cook until kale cooks down (about 10 minutes). Add sun dried tomatoes, mix well. Top with toasted pine nuts and serve!

We enjoyed this with a peppered tri tip roast (post from 11/3/09) and sliced sweet potatoes.

Hope you enjoy!

Thanks again, Rachel.

P.S. I love getting new recipes to try!

Paleo Cocoa-Coconut Macaroons

We often talk about "CrossFit cookies" in the gym. Those short little painful wods we endure from time-to-time, usually after some heavy lifting or max effort! And well, they're good an' all... They get your heart rate up, make you sweat, and afterward you feel a little weak in the knees! But I'm going to prescribe a small dose of a different kind of cookie... a chocolate macaroon cookie! Every once-in-awhile! It does the spirit good!

Warning: they may just make you a little weak in the knees as well! ;-)

Ingredients:

3 C organic unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 C organic agave nectar

6 egg whites

1 T vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. celtic grey sea salt

6 tsp. unsweetened organic cocoa powder

2 T raw organic cocoa nibs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whip egg whites and sea salt together until egg whites form stiff peaks. Mix cocoa powder and cocoa nibs with coconut. Fold agave nectar, vanilla, and coconut chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Drop a spoonful-sized amount onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Pinch the top of the cookie, and bake for 12-15 minutes (until lightly browned on the tips). Serve and enjoy! :-)

Convenience Burgers

Tonight was a busy night! The kids really took up a lot of our time with reports, activities and computer use. And... I just didn't feel like cooking! Do you ever just have those days???

So... we enjoyed some conveniences of our modern times and Costco! We took out some frozen sirloin burgers, grilled them, sliced some veggies, and threw together a green salad. Quick and easy (and still Paleo)! I know it's not much of a post, but it was just one of those nights...Of course the kids thought it was just the best meal ever! Haha.

Sometimes keeping frozen conveniences on hand like the sirloin patties, salmon burgers and shrimp can be a life savor! It makes it that much easier to maintain a lifestyle of healthful moderation when we have such busy lives. Cheers! :-)

Citrus Broiled Sirloin Steaks

Tonight was a case of, "cooking with whatever ingredients I could find in the cupboards"! I had some steaks that I thawed... but that was it! What to do, what to do!? This part is oh so fun and challenging. These are the nights when I keep my fingers crossed that I'll actually have something to post on the blog! I am very relieved and happy to report that not only did this recipe work out well... it was VERY delicious and really simple! A recipe keeper! Hope you give it a try. Enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:

2 T lime juice

1 tsp. onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. organic stone ground mustard

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4 boneless beef sirloin steaks (about 4 oz each)

1 C mushrooms, thinly sliced

Trim visible fat from steaks. In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Rub over both sides of steaks. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes. Broil steak for about 7 minutes (about 4-5 inches from heat). Turn steaks over, and top with mushrooms. Broil for another 7 minutes. That's it!

This was really delicious... wow ! We served our steaks with some sliced sweet potato, steamed asparagus and salad. Everyone enjoyed this tonight... (taste buds ranging anywhere from 11 years to 46 years). We highly recommend!!! :-)

Paleo Pineapple Chicken Bake

Spring is here! Fruit is in the stores! And... "Christine" has been tackled once again in the gym!

I hope you all suffered some great performances today, maybe even enjoyed a new PR, and then ultimately, I hope you came home and had an opportunity to replenish & recover with some good food!

I really liked this meal. It was a little sweet, a little spicy, and a lot satisfying! It would also be good if the chicken was cut up into bite-sized pieces and cooked as a stir fry! Have fun with it!

... Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half (very slightly pounded)

Sprinkle these spices over chicken breasts:

black pepper

ground ginger

ground coriander

paprika

ground cayenne pepper

1 T coconut oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C sliced sweet red pepper

1 stalk celery

1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped

20 oz. pineapple slices, (in their own juice), reserve a few pineapple rings for garnish, chop the rest, and save the juice!

Dash crushed red pepper (about 1/8 tsp.)

1/8 C macadamia nuts, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat coconut oil in skillet, and brown seasoned chicken breasts, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to baking dish. In the same skillet, saute onion, garlic and remaining vegetables. Add pineapple juice as needed. When vegetables are tender, add pineapple chunks, cilantro, and crushed red pepper. Mix well, and poor over chicken. Sprinkle crushed macadamia nuts on top and bake for about 10 minutes.

We served this with sauteed spinach (using coconut oil, sliced onion, garlic and red peppers). But I really think this would be great as a stir fry... maybe over some sauteed broccoli slaw?!

Hope you enjoy! :-)

Poached Salmon

This is Scott's favorite way to cook salmon. He's been making this for years ... and it was paleo all along! It always turns out wonderful. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe:

Salmon filet (cut into 4oz portions)

The following ingredients are approximates!

1 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T capers

1 tsp ground black pepper

pinch celtic grey sea salt (optional)

2 T lemon juice

2 T white wine

2 tsp. olive oil

We were able to get about 4-4oz. portions out of our filet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fish on their own individual piece of aluminum foil. drizzle a tad (maybe 1/2 tsp) olive oil over each piece of fish. Sprinkle with black pepper, sea salt (optional), shallots, and capers. Add a splash of lemon juice and white wine. (Some fresh parsley would be good, too). Seal up the fish tightly in it's own aluminum foil. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Serve with your choice of sides! Spinach or asparagus are usually our favorites with this dish. Tonight, it was steamed yellow squash.

Paleo Corned Beef & Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live..."

3-4 lb. corned beef brisket (I trimmed the thick layer of fat off the bottom)

water

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic

ground black pepper

water

Put corned beef, pepper, garlic, bay leaves in crock pot and pour just enough water to cover beef. Cook on low for 8 hours.

I did the cabbage a little different this year. I was gone all day, so instead of adding the cabbage and veggies to the crock pot, I just cooked them up separately when I got home... about 30 minutes before serving.

1 head cabbage, quartered

1 onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic

2 carrots, sliced

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 C corned beef juice from the crock pot!

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. Add carrots, and a splash of the broth. Add cabbage, remaining broth and cover. Cook until cabbage is done about 20 minutes.

Slice corned beef and serve over the cabbage! Sprinkle with a little more black pepper and celtic grey sea salt (optional). Hope you enjoy!

And here's another Irish blessing for you! (I just love St. Patty's Day). YES, I'm Irish, 100% (more or less).

Here's to you and yours

And to mine and ours.

And if mine and ours

Ever come across to you and yours,

I hope you and yours will do

As much for mine and ours

As mine and ours have done

For you and yours!

Simple Spiced Rubbed Pork Chops

I get asked a lot for simple, quick recipes! This is one of my family's favorites! It has minimal ingredients, is very low maintenance, but has such great flavor! Simple and satisfying!

I pan fried these pork chops in my 'trusty' (favorite) cast iron skillet, but I bet they would be great grilled, too. By the way.... if you try out any of my recipes and tweak them, improve them, modify them, etc. I would love to hear about it!

Recipe:

6 smallish pork chops, trimmed of all visible fat (about 1 inch thick)

2 T olive oil

Rub:

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. sea salt (optional)

~mix well!

Rub spiced ingredients into trimmed pork chops. And let sit for 10 minutes. Heat olive oil in skillet at medium-high heat. Brown pork chops for about 5 minutes on each side (internal temperature of 165). That's it! Grab a napkin an enjoy!

I served this with sliced sweet potatoes, and sauteed spinach (I made A LOT of spinach, to accompany the leftover pork chops... LUNCHES!)

Paleo meals truly DO NOT have to be difficult or time consuming to taste great!

Hope you enjoy! :-)