Simply Norma

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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.

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).

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!