Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry

The recipe I’d like to critique today is the Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry that I recently made and served with baked salmon and steamed sweet potatoes.

Ingredients
Ingredients

It was quite easy to make and tasty. It’s not always easy to find simple recipes that are also tasty, eh?

Ingredients

  • 1 lb asparagus
  • 1/2 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 shallot onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Lemon juice from 1 lemon

Directions

  1. Prepare your asparagus by cutting the “woody” bottom portion then rinsing them.
  2. Rinse the broccoli and cut the bottom so you only have the florets left to use.
  3. In a medium sized bowl, add the pepper, garam masala, salt and the ginger paste then combine it together.
  4. Add the broccoli and asparagus to this mixture then toss well to coat it with the mixture.
  5. In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the chopped shallot.
  6. Saute the shallot for a couple of minutes.
  7. Next add the veggies to the skillet and stir fry for 5 minutes on a medium high flame.
  8. Turn off the flame when the veggies are still crunchy.
  9. Add the lemon juice and toss everything again.

Whala! It’s done and that easy.

Garam Masala Paste
Garam Masala Paste

Only takes a little while for the stir fry to cook through.

Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry
Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry
Asparagus Broccoli Stirfry Meal
Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry with Salmon and Steamed Sweet Potatoes

 

 

Moroccan Lamb Kebab

This Moroccan Lamb Kebab recipe was one we had a couple of months ago but I thought it would be good to post it now since we’re so close to July 4th Independence Day in the U.S. and lots of people grill outdoors.

Moroccan Lamb Kebabs
Moroccan Lamb Kebabs

This is truly a simple recipe AND it tasted wonderful. I’m sure this recipe could be used if you had beef or chicken kebabs also.

Served with steamed broccoli, Cauliflower Tabouli and Tahini Sauce, you just can’t go wrong in serving this paleo trio together.

 

 

 

 

Moroccan Chicken Casserole

This Moroccan Chicken Casserole was good BUT it did take some time to make. Don’t put it on your “simple” recipes list.

We took a country drive and arrived home late in the afternoon. I thought I could squeeze this recipe in quickly for dinner but it took more time than I anticipated. So — just a word to the wise or is it just a word from the wise?  (smile)

Some of the steps you’ll need to take … cutting and grating the cauliflower. Yup — cauliflower. This is definitely a paleo recipe so the cauliflower base is unique.

Grated Cauliflower
Cut and grate the Cauliflower

Next you’ll be making the sauce that will eventually go over the grated cauliflower.

Make the Sauce
Make the Sauce

But first you’ll add your prepared chicken to it …

Add chicken to sauce
Add chicken to sauce

Lastly you’ll be pouring the sauce and covering your grated cauliflower, adding your sliced lemon and … it will look like this …

Moroccan Chicken Casserole
Moroccan Chicken Casserole

Ready to start? Here’s the recipe …

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower (I used 2/3 of it)
  • 2-3 pounds of chicken (I used skinless and boneless chicken)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, chopped fine
  • 2 tablespoons ginger root, chopped fine
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne (original recipe calls for 1/4 tsp but I didn’t want it to be too spicy)
  • 1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/2 cup minced cilantro
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 lemon (you’ll use the full lemon)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Chop the head of cauliflower into small pieces then add them to a food processor and grate it until it’s somewhat fine.
  3. Spread the grated cauliflower out in a 9×13 rectangular baking pan.
  4. Salt and pepper the chicken.
  5. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a deep pan over high heat.
  6. Add the chicken, browning it well, about 3-5 minutes a side.
  7. Remove the chicken from the hot pan and set it aside.
  8. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion, ginger, garlic and carrots.
  9. Cook everything through until the onions are soft.
  10. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and all the spices then stir well.
  11. Add the red pepper, can of tomatoes including the liquid, minced cilantro and salt.
  12. Return the chicken to the pot with the sauce in it and simmer for 5 minutes then remove everything from the heat.
  13. Pour the chicken mixture over the cauliflower so the cauliflower is completely covered by the sauce.
  14. Slice a lemon into thin slices and layer it on top of the casserole.
  15. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes.
  16. Remove the tin foil and cook for 25 minutes more.

That’s it! Whew! That’s enough. There’s a lot of measuring and chopping in this recipe. But it’s worth your trouble. Just make sure you have everything done ahead of time.

Now — enjoy! I served mine with steamed broccoli — a healthy and simple side dish.

Moroccan Chicken Casserole
Moroccan Chicken Casserole

 

Paleo Almond Green Beans

We don’t have green beans on a regular basis as on the paleo diet green beans are a “no-no” for some people but we decided to have some today with grilled beef ribs.

The recipe for this Paleo Almond Green Beans is very easy to follow and doesn’t have very many ingredients. It also tasted very good and didn’t taste like coconut milk although there was some in the sauce.

Ingredients
Ingredients

They were scrumptious to say the least. Maybe more so because we hadn’t had them in awhile.

Paleo Almond Green Beans
Paleo Almond Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 pound green beans, trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced (2 tablespoons) (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the almonds and cook until lightly browned.
  3. Remove the almonds from the pan and set aside temporarily.
  4. In the same pan, sauté the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili pepper
    flakes, and salt.
  5. Cook until the onion is soft and beginning to get a tad brown.
  6. Add the coconut milk to the pan and mix well, then add the green beans making
    sure everything is blended.
  7. Bring the pan to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook covered until the beans are tender to your liking.
  8. When the beans have reached your desired tenderness, remove the lid and let the
    sauce cook down until it thickens a bit.
  9. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the almonds, lime juice, and cilantro.
  10. Stir well and enjoy!

Simple, right? Most people don’t have coconut milk in their pantries but my mother buys me cans of it and sends them with me when I go to visit her. Don’t ask why as I can’t explain it either. (laughing)

Basic Spinach Quiche

Saturday mornings I like to have something to eat that’s simple so I don’t have to rush as I’m getting ready to go to church.

This paleo Spinach Quiche was quite simple to make although my husband (my taste tester for the recipes I try out) said it was a little bland. For me, it tasted fine just the way it was.

Quite honestly, I’m not sure why they called it a quiche as it doesn’t have a crust. So — shouldn’t it be a spinach frittata? The chef who wrote this recipe did state that one could add a paleo crust but he preferred it this way.

Basic Spinach Quiche
Basic Spinach Quiche

It is much simpler to make without a crust, that’s for sure. But if you want more flavor, add more herbs to it to “spice” it up.

Ingredients

  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups fresh spinach, chopped
  • ½ medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (however much you like)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and coconut milk together really well.
  3. As you continue to whisk, start adding in the other ingredients.
  4. Grease a 9” pie dish and pour everything into it.
  5. Bake the quiche for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through in the center. (Put a butter knife in the middle and if it comes out clean then it’s usually done.)

That’s it! Simple, right?

Special thanks to paleodietlifestyle.com for this simple recipe. The author has a cookbook they sell at their website. I haven’t purchased it but if any of you decide to, let me know how you like it.

 

Thai Green Curry

This vegetarian Thai Green Curry was adapted to be made paleo so the tofu was removed and replaced with chicken and the curry paste was not used. This was mainly because I don’t like spicy foods.

Thai Green Curry
Thai Green Curry

The recipe was a little bland because of the removal of the spice — so, I have no one to blame but myself for that.

There is a Vegetarian Thai Green Curry Paste that is listed with this recipe — so, if you’re adventurous, “they” say homemade curry paste is the best.

 

Fried Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

Can you fry chicken on a paleo diet?  Sure! Why not? This Paleo Fried Chicken recipe uses coconut oil to fry and almond flour and eggs as the coating (not including the spices).

Fried Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries
Fried Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries

This recipe was one our son made for us. He would make it and we would rate it.

Can’t go wrong with fried chicken, roasted broccoli and sweet potato fries. Yum!

 

Baked Sole

I was so glad I tried this Baked Sole recipe. The fish came out moist and delicious and it required very few ingredients. It’s also a paleo recipe and no substitutions had to be made.

Ingredients
Ingredients (minus the Sole)

The 1/4 cup of butter is melted then spread out in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Buttered Casserole Dish
Buttered Casserole Dish

The sole is then laid out on top of the butter and turned to make sure both sides are buttered.

Sole
Sole

The onion/lemon mixture is then added to the top of the sole, put in the oven and baked.

Onion-Lemon Mixture
Onion-Lemon Mixture

I served this “light” entree with a Winter Citrus Salad. Delicious!

Baked Sole with Winter Citrus Salad
Baked Sole with Winter Citrus Salad

Here’s the recipe for you …

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup of melted butter
  • 1 pound of sole
  • 1/4 cup of chopped green onion
  • 3 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. of fresh ground pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Mix chopped green onion, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Pour melted butter into a 9 by 13 inch rectangular metal pan.
  4. Add sole and flip to coat both sides with butter.
  5. Top with onion/lemon mixture.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes on bottom rack of oven.
  7. Move to top rack of oven and broil 2 minutes.

Special thanks to ThinandThinner for this recipe.

 

Apple Banana Cookies

Paleo cookies? Yep. These Apple Banana Cookies came out just okay simply because they were “floppy.” What do I mean by floppy? They weren’t firm enough and when I picked one up it felt like it might fall apart — very fragile.

Apple Banana Cookies
Apple Banana Cookies

When I make them next, I’m going to try adding one less egg so they aren’t as moist. We’ll see what happens then.

Not sure when baking will happen again though as I’m trying to keep my head above water doing yard work and cooking dinner in the afternoon.