Tag Archives: #cleaneating

Every. Single. Recipe. Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies – Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind

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OK!  Here we go! This post will take in 3 more recipes from Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind, bringing the count to 7/152!  good stuff here…Chocolate Chip Cookies that are grainfree, gluten free and delicious!cookies
Now, let me start off by saying I have ORDERED the FINE ground almond flour/meal that the author recommends, but I have not received it yet. SO.  I intend to do this a second time with the right grind…as the photo in the cookbook looks much fluffier and more “floury”…these look more like all of the other paleo cookies I have made with traditional almond flour.

cookie balls

Either way, these are quite good!  They actually have a much richer flavor due to Barajas’ signature “Browned Butter” used in this recipe and others.

Quick aside….this is what beautiful Browned Butter looks like….sorry, I cannot pass along the gorgeous aroma here….

browned butter

She also uses Maple sugar throughout the book and in this recipe…I could not get my hands on any locally so I went ahead and tried her method for “Maple Sugar” which is really cool!  It is like a little science experiment and very easy, I was so amazed at how it turned out!  Not difficult at all, although it does take time.  Definitely less expensive (by about half!) than store bought, and my local Whole Foods does not carry it.  You can order off Amazon, but I decided I would give it a whirl…here are the progress pics!

ms step 1 ms step 2 ms step 3 ms step 4So, pull on your baking stockings and try these!  Tasty, soft with a good bite to them, a nice treat to have on hand for sure!  But loved making the butter and the sugar best!  And now that I tackled those right off the bat I won’t be intimidated in making either one in her many other recipes that call for them!

Note:  I had 2 cookies.  My husband, who is not Paleo, ate all of the others.  ALL.  Yep.  Gone.

I think they will be fun to put with the ice cream for ice cream sandwiches, really nice texture and flavor for that.

So let me know if you try these out…especially if you use the right flour, fine ground Almond Flour…and if they look more like the photo in the book….cannot wait to post that picture!!!

Probably be the weekend before the next round of recipes come up….wish me luck and see you then!

Kristen

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Every. Single. Recipe. – Two-Fer! Spicy Chipotle Dishes from Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind! And a MAYO bonus!

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hot dishes
This is where the spicy delicious lives!!! Right here!

So clearly it did not take me long to figure out of the very few non-dessert type recipes, these two needed to be taken on as quickly as possible!

Chipotle Cole Slaw (page 86) and Chipotle Chicken Salad (page 102) are both big winners!  Not only do they big time deliver on that smoky, spicy goodness of Chipotle pepper deliciousness, but they are quick and easy recipes!  Both would be great for a crowd or kept on hand for quick lunches during the week!

slaw

The slaw is VERY spicy!  In fact, I may have to tone down the amount of pepper in my next batch, but what a great twist to cole slaw!  I added extra lime juice to help tame the heat…i think serving a few slices of fresh avocado along with it would be great!  (slaw is on the left in the pic above and also on the left).

The chicken salad is fantastic!  This is the spice I am always looking for in chicken!  I decided to serve with cold grapes and apple slices, because I wanted to see which would be better along with that heat, plus I love a little fruit in my chicken salad.  Grapes were the winner for me, although the apple was very good with it to…would even be nice with either one diced up and tossed in at the last minute!

chicken salad prep chicken salad

You will notice that dollop of mayo in the chicken salad prep pic above…this is the mayo from the book as well…(Easy Immersion Blender Mayonaise, page 78).  This is a nice mayo, more mustardy than my basic mayo (it’s on the blog as well).  Simple ingredients, simple process with the immersion blender.  My tip here?  When you use an immersion blender, it eliminates the need for the slow drizzle of the oil into the mayo.  Dump all your ingredients in, including the oil, and put the blender wand all the way in to the bottom of the jar and blend continuously until you have the consistency you want.  Easy!

mayo one mayo 2

So that’s it!  Three great recipes from Clean Eating with a Dirty Mind  (Vanessa Barajas) in one hit!  All three are simple and delicious!  You should definitely give these a try…

Let’s see…that puts my count at 4/152  (4 recipes completed out of 152)!  Every. Single. Recipe!

Let me know your thoughts, comments, questions…or if there is a recipe out of the book you want to see sooner rather than later!!

Keep cooking!

Every. Single. Recipe. – “Better Than Box Brownies” – First Crack

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Of course I would gravitate to chocolate brownies with a first crack at this book!  Page 110 has a lovely, simple but very rich recipe for brownies….Clean Eating With A Dirty Mind does not dissappoint here.brownies

Barajas uses this recipe as a base in several things throughout the book. A little deeper in she puts it in a skillet for a brownie sundae that I will be putting together when I make her ice cream, etc., however, seeing that my usual brownie pan was otherwise occupied, I went ahead and cooked the brownies in the skillet…which was a win! Because I greased the pan with Kerrygold Butter….and added a nice buttery tone to the edges of the brownies!
These are easy and delicious, definitely will be a repeat!
skillet brownies
Let me know if you give this one a try, and any ideas you have for it!
I think a sprinkle of cinnamon would be my twist on it…I am a sucker for cinnamon in chocolate. Eat up!

AIP Chicken Salad, Re-imagined

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aip chicken salad

Happy New Year Everyone!  Yes, I know it is February and I have been m-i-a for a while…busy busy and a slow falling off the wagon since last August…but a new year and new people in my life brings me back to center!

I’m involved in a little test run with AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) with my Naturopath, Dr. Hailey Heard, and some of her patients.  I do this very reluctantly.  I knew about the AIP and had the books, but I just did not even WANT to go that far.  But when you start running out of answers and solutions, you are forced to face what you might not like entirely.

Diagnosed years ago with Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroidism, I have been on Synthroid for years.  About three years ago I went paleo and despite falling off that wagon from time to time, it works really well for me.  I feel better.  I know what I am eating and where it comes from.  It’s all choices.  And most of the time I make good choices.

So after much griping and groaning, I jumped into the AIP group with both feet.  I am ten days in, and must say I feel good.  Not so sluggish.  My energy is up when it should be.  I am tired at the end of the day, as I should be.  I still crave “other foods” but that is diminishing.  I feel good about the things I am eating and I know this is a good path for now.

Latest news, we may be adding SiBO into the mix.  That will just turn my life upside down in the ways that it interracts with Hashi’s and my favorite foods.

But for now, sticking with the AIP.  Simply put, its a Whole 30 on steroids!  Strict Paleo.  Plus some other eliminations:  no grains. no sugars. no legumes. no nightshades. no nuts. no seeds.  It’s difficult wrapping your head around what you CAN eat….but it clicks one day.  And it’s actually very simple.

Re-Imagined Chicken Salad:

Here is what I threw on a plate, actually in seperate piles, but then decided to toss it all together and it was quite tasty!

  • roughly dice one chicken breast, prepared aip
  • slice one or two stalks of Hearts of Palm
  • dice 2 tender stalks of celery
  • dice 1/2 ripe avocado

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 or more lemon juice over all, salt and pepper to taste….toss everything on the plate together, gently….that is it!

I was eating some red grapes along with it, and think a handful of halved grapes would be very nice in it as well!

My Twist on Stuffed Peppers

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stuffed peppers 2

stuffed peppers 1

There is a great recipe that I have gone back to over and over for stuffed peppers in “Practical Paleo” by Diane Sanfilippo. It is basic and tasty and good for you! Easy to prepare ahead, even to have in the freezer.

I am always wanting an additional flavor punch. OK. I can’t help but tinker with recipes sometimes.

So with the addition of Chorizo for flavor punch, and spinach for extra veggies, and cumin and double the garlic? OH you just have to make this, it is so good!

Here’s what:

My Twist on Stuffed Peppers:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. While doing that, halve and remove seeds from 3-4 red bell peppers. Place these in a large pyrex dish, flesh side up, and roast for 20 minutes. Take them out and let them cool enough to handle….flip over and they are ready to stuff.

The Filling!
1 pound grassfed ground beef
1 pound organic chorizo (I use a veal chorizo)
begin browning these two ingredients in a large skillet.

As the meat browns, add:
1 onion, diced
8-10 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
1/4+ tsp red pepper flakes (depends or your heat pleasure!)

Keep moving it all around in the pan, browning the meat and onions as you go.
Add in 1/2 tsp or more dried basil and oregano
add 1/4 tsp cumin
Add in 1 can fire roasted diced organic tomatoes
Add in several handfuls of baby spinach (fresh). Up to 10 oz.

as the spinach wilts, turn off the heat….this part is done!
You can add in some fresh basil leaves at this point as well.

Fill your roasted peppers with the meat mixture, and any extra meat just tuck in around the peppers, someone will eat it!

Put back in the over at the same heat for another 15-20 minutes to heat through and let the flavors meld. (Especially tasty the next day!)

Because of the flavors involved, you can push this as mexican food or italian…maybe this is fusion? I don’t know. But it is a meal in itself. Or you can dice a little avocado on top! Or serve with a salad!

So dern good. You need to try this one!

A Lovely Plate

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again 2

Nothing complicated here, just clean, easy yum.

Fresh avocados with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dusting of coarse sea salt.
Thick cut no sugar all natural bacon, perfectly fried.
A small pile of fresh fruit, all organic.
And the raw crunchy salad I am so addicted to!

The fast way today:

In the bottom of the bowl, 2 TBSP of home made paleo mayo, 2 tsp honey, couple of splashes of raspberry balsalmic vinegar to taste….wisk wisk wisk.
Now add to the bowl a handful of bite size raw broccoli and of cauliflower. also a few dried cranberries. (I usually add radishes and pecans, but was in a hurry!).
Now toss everything together! The longer you have, keep tossing and the flavors build!

So dump the salad on your plate, your done!
Ready, set, delicious!

Refreshing light lunch – Paleo Chicken Salad

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chicken saladckn salad prep

My usual hurried run home for lunch found me with a few extra minutes, I actually got to eat it at home instead of packing it up to go!
A grapefruit was calling my name loudly…and I knew that would be in the mix, but I wanted to change up the chicken a bit, so I took the Poached Chicken I have been eating off of this week and diced it up to make a quick chicken salad today….really nice!

Here’s what I did…

Paleo Chicken Salad:
1 cooked chicken breast, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1-2 radishes, diced
Handful of halved grapes
small handful of chopped pecans
salt and pepper
juice of 1/4 lemon
2-3 TBSP home made mayo (see previous post)

Mix all of the above gently and enjoy!
Of course there are a million variations, I was really wanting a little fresh parsely, but I was out!

Simple, beautiful, mayo

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mayoI was asked by a follower on instagram for this one…

I have been a big fan of mayo for as long as I can remember! My childhood consisted of mayo and bread sandwiches, mayo+white bread+american cheese (!), mayo+lettuce+white bread, and on and on… every day for most of my young life! As I grew up, I would eat it on crackers, veggies, you name it. I would pick mayo over butter any day of the week! And, I was a Hellmanns girl. None of that sweet Miracle Whip or Duke’s (although I learned to appreciate MW on a ham sandwich from time to time…).

I always heard how difficult mayo was to make and that home made was ultra delicious, but very tricky.

When I found paleo living, I saw so many bloggers and chefs making their own healthy mayo which had good healthy fats and amped up so many meals, but the recipes were complicated, often needing all ingredients brought to room temp, some were yolks only, some use the blender, some use the food processor, and often it was a game of chance if it would firm up or break.
I have probably tried a dozen different recipes, multiple times each, and was running a 50/50 chance as to whether the mayo would “make” or not!
I started seeing some people using immersion blenders, and that seemed to speed things up! (especially from the workout of using the old fashioned hand wisking method!….pant pant!)

My mother swears by the immersion blender….and I tried it, several times, cursing it every time, as i just didn’t have knack for it. And then I watched her do it and thought, really Kristen? You can do this…

Here is how you do it….

Use a mild flavored oil….I use a LIGHT olive oil that I find at whole foods (NOT extra virgin!)

Beautiful Paleo Mayo!

so….put all of these items in the immersion blender container or a tall narrow container:
1 cup light olive oil
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
dash of salt
up to 1 tsp dijon mustard
1 whole egg

put the blender in the cup all the way to the bottom and start whirring away…bring it up slowly, then slowly back down and up a couple of times until you see the consistency you like…less than a minute.

That’s it! SO simple! and so delicious! This will keep in your fridge about a week or a little longer, if it lasts that long!

Rosemary Fried Eggs – Guest Blog from my sister Tricia!

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tricia bfast

My very young oldest sister has tinkered with Paleo food for about a year, but has recently refocussed and hounding me for recipes! Well, now she is trying out some new stuff on her own!
She sent me a pic this morning of a delicious breakfast and I asked her to write a guest blog entry to go along with it….and she very quickly complied!
As she mentions below, she is working with Joshua Weissman’s The Slim Palate Paleo Cookbook…and everything is coming up delicious! You can find the cookbook in most bookstores and online at Amazon and BN. Joshua is a local, and a really impressive young man! Check out his blog at http://www.slimpalate.com and his facebook page, Slim Palate.

Take it away, Sis!…..

Well,
This is my first blog and I am doing it for my younger sister who inspires me every day with her healthy Paleo eating and her beautiful photos and recipes that entice me to eat healthier.

I went to a cookbook signing with her last week for Joshua Weissman’s new cookbook, The Slim Palate, Paleo Cookbook. He is a High School Senior and is quite amazing. His cookbook has beautiful photos and easy delicious recipes, that I am trying several times a week. My husband is even liking them!

This morning I tried his rosemary fried eggs with garlic-lemon spinach and it is wonderful. Just the right amount of citrus lemon flavor and the rosemary on the eggs are a nice touch. I added a little turkey sausage because I just finished a 30 minute cardio burn workout and needed some fuel fast!

I am marinading his Grilled citrus-mustard split chicken to cook tonight! I am using chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts though. Stay tuned for the outcome!

Kristen, how was that for my first blog ever?

Perfecto!!!!!  😉

 

Egg Foo Young-ish from NomNomPaleo

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eggfooyung

I am obsessed with “Food 4 Humans” by NomnomPaleo blogger, Michelle Tam.
She was the very first blogger I found when I first delved into Paleo. He recipes were simple and tasty and she is so real! I was so excited when her book came out! And it is one of the BEST cookbooks I have ever relied on! I make things from her book and website weekly…give her a try, you cannot go wrong!

The pic above is her interpretation of Egg Foo Young-ish.
My conclusion is they are really handy little omellettey things that travel well!
This morning I topped a couple with sausage, avacados and salsa…nom!

The link to her site and the recipe is:

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/5568966009/egg-foo-young-ish-spinach-egg-ham-coconut

(hope I did that write….this is my first link in a post…if i missed it, just go see her blog at http://www.nomnompaleo.com you will find all kinds of great things before you race out to buy her book!)

I also had the pleasure of meeting Michelle Tam when she came into Houston for a book signing a few weeks ago. She is a doll! So real…just a working mom who adores food and health!
By the way my all time favorite recipe of hers?
Mexican Pot de Creme.
Deeee VINE!
seriously. try it!