from my kitchen to yours

Smoked Green Chile Chili

2013-04-29T22:43:00.004-07:00

I had grass-fed hot dogs on hand and wanted a quick side dish to make dinner into a hearty meal, so I threw together a pot of "Smoked Green Chile Chili" ... no recipe, no grocery shopping, just went with what I had on hand and it was yummy. The spice level is very low so my kiddos would enjoy it, but you can add some hot sauce for a nice kick.

Smoked Green Chile Chili

Ingredients
1lb. Ground Beef
2tbsp. olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 can red kidney beans
1 can white kidney beans
2 cans of Trader Joes Hatch Green Chiles
1 tsp dried oregeno
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
4 tsp chili powder
1 cup of water

Directions
Place olive oil in dutch oven, and heat on medium-high
Add ground beef and cook until browned
Add remaining ingredients and turn to low.
Simmer covered for 20-30 minutes stirring often.
Top with shredded cheese and green onions

Ham & Cabbage Soup

2013-02-26T14:11:00.002-08:00

I got cabbage in my Farm Fresh to you box this week, and I had a ham hock in the freezer. I wanted to throw those two items together, and when I came across this recipe from Paleo Diet Lifestyles, I knew exactly what I was making for dinner tonight!My house already smells yummy, and it's just from me making my own Ham Bone Broth as the start of my soup. Hope this recipe inspires you as well.
Cheers, From My Kitchen to Yours!

Ham & Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage
2 tbsp bacon grease or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
6 stalks of celery, chopped
1 leftover ham hock and extra meat or 1 lb cooked ham, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
12 cups water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large stock pot, pour 8-10 cups of water over your leftover ham hock and meat. Let simmer on Low heat for 6 hours, or in the crock pot while you are away at work.

About an hour before you are ready to eat, in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat melt the bacon grease. Sautee the onions and garlic in the bacon grease for 5 to 7 minutes, just until the onions are translucent and tender.

Add the cabbage, bell pepper, celery, carrots and ham and toss with the onions and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, frequently stirring to prevent anything from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add the vegetable mix to the broth and meat in the large stock pot. Allow the soup to come to a simmer and cook partially covered for 35 to 45 minutes. Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper, but taste the liquid before adding any salt, as the ham will most likely give off enough saltiness on its own.

Remove the bay leaves and serve.

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

2013-02-18T10:06:00.000-08:00

As we continue to live our paleo lifestyle, I've been working to perfect banana and coconut pancakes for my hubby. This morning it all came together and they were super tasty.

No surprise that the original recipe came from the very talented Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites. Her book Practical Paleo is a go-to recipe book for our family. I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to learn more about the benefits of Paleo living.

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

6 eggs
1 smashed over-ripe banana
1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée (I stocked up in November)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. maple syrup (up to 2 tbsp if you want them really sweet)
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tbsp finely shredded unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil

Melt 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, banana, pumpkin, vanilla, and maple syrup.
Sift dry ingredients (coconut flour, spices, and baking soda) into wet ingredients.
Stir in melted butter/coconut oil and coconut flakes

Grease your skillet with coconut oil on medium-heat and then ladle small amounts of batter onto the warm skillet. Once edges start to dry and the middle is bubbling, flip and cook for another minute.

We serve ours with a generous portion of butter on top.

Cheers,
From My Kitchen to Yours!

Mexican Pulled Turkey Wraps

2013-02-08T22:01:00.001-08:00

I roasted a 13 pound turkey and we had LOTS of leftovers, so I had to get creative. Brian and I don't like breast meat, so I usually "re-cook" it. Since we are on our "For the Love of Paleo" journey for February, I'm not using any pre-made sauces or fillers. I really wish I took a picture, this meal was SO good, we will be making it again soon! For those of you who eat corn, this would make a super yummy enchilada filling!

Mexican Pulled Turkey Wraps
1 large turkey breast (mine was previously cooked)
12oz jar of TJ's Verde Tomatillo Salsa
4oz can of TJ's Hatch Green Chillies
1 cup - turkey broth

1 head of romaine or bib lettuce
Guacamole
Diced bell pepper
Diced tomatoes
Chopped cilantro

Place turkey, salsa, green chillies, and broth in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours. After 2 hours I used two forks to shred tuhe turkey so it could really absorb the sauce. Lower crock pot to warm until ready to serve.

To serve: place lettuce on a plate, add Mexican Pulled Turkey with a slotted spoon, and top with guacamole, bell pepper, tomatoes and cilantro. Roll it up and enjoy.

I was drooling for a second serving. I hope you all enjoy it as well. Pictures will be posted next time we make these!

***This could be made with chicken, but you would need to use more meat to absorb the yummy sauce***

Cheers from My Kitchen to Yours!

Berry Banana Pops

2013-02-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

The kids have been asking for Popsicles since I bought these awesome Groovy Popsicle holders. I had some bananas and frozen berries, so I threw it all together. Make these anytime and enjoy a healthy dessert. I got all the ingredients at Trader Joe's, and the total cost to make 6 was under $3.00!!!

Paleo-Pops

4 very ripe bananas

1 bag of frozen mixed berries
1 - 14oz can TJ's Light Coconut Milk

Defrost berries at room temperature for about an hour

Add berries, bananas, and coconut milk to blender

Blend on liquify until creamy

Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze for 4-6 hours.

Enjoy!

Don't waste any leftovers (this makes close to a double recipe), we enjoyed it in a glass with a straw, a little smoothie afternoon snack.
My hubby enjoys the leftover smoothie in a frozen glass with a shot of light rum, and a dark rum floater on top.
Enjoy it anyway you'd like.

Cheers from my kitchen to yours!!!

Paleo-Lasagna

2012-11-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

I came across this great blog recipe on Pinterest, and if you know me, you know that I never follow a recipe more than once without making some of my own changes to it. So, I made the recipe a couple more times before I finally perfected a new favorite for our family. I have since made it three times, and it is a huge hit in our home. I hope all of you enjoy it just as much we do.
Cheers from my kitchen to yours!

Ingredient List:
3 large zucchini (cut into round slices with a mandolin)
2 cups of broccoli roughly chopped
1 eggs
8oz plain greek yogurt
4oz garlic and herb goat cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cups of chopped red onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ pounds of ground turkey
2 cups of Tomato Basil Sauce (reserve ¼ cup and set aside)
2 tsp Italian seasonings
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheeseInstructions to make the Broccoli Mixture:
Combine eggs, greek yogurt, and goat cheese in a medium size bowl and whisk until smooth
Add broccoli to the yogurt mixture until all incorporated
Set broccoli mixture aside, and let sit until you are ready to build your Paleosagna

Instructions to make the Meat Filling Mixture:
In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil on Medium High Heat
Add chopped onion to oil and let cook until soft, about 5 minutes
Add minced garlic and let sweat for 1-2 minutes
Add ground turkey and cook over medium high heat until meat turns white and is fully cooked
Add Tomato Basil Sauce and dried seasonings
Simmer meat sauce for 10-15 minutes

Preheat Oven to 350 and in an 8x8 pyrex build your Paleo-Lasagna as follows:
2tbsp. of sauce spread on the bottom of the glass pyrex
Line zucchini rounds in an 8x8 glass pyrex
Top zucchini rounds with ½ of the prepared meat sauce
Spoon all of the broccoli mixture on top of meat sauce
Add one more layer of zucchini rounds
Top with the remaining prepared meat sauce
Top with parmesan cheese
Top with mozzarella cheese
Bake on 350 for 30-45 minutes until lasagna is bubbly, and cheese is golden brown
Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving

Triple Berry Shortcake

2011-07-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

The recent 4th of July weekend inspired me to come up with my own version of strawberry shortcake. With the amazing berries available at our local fruit stand, I just had to make something special with them. Our family doesn't consume refined carbs, so this isn't your ordinary shortcake ... but it's delicious, and I promise you won't miss the whit flour and granulated sugar! I hope you have a fun summer bbq approaching and can try this new dessert out.
Cheers, from my kitchen to yours!

Triple Berry Shortcake
Serves 12

Shortcake:
2 cups almond flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
4 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325.
In a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, whisk wet ingredients together until well incorporated.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly until mixture is moist.
Place mixture into lined or well greased muffin pans.
Place in oven and bake on 325 for 20-22 minutes until slightly golden brown
Remove from oven and let cool

Triple Berries:
In a medium sized bowl, slice 2 cups of strawberries, 1 cup of blueberries, and 1 cup of raspberries. Mix well.

Homemade Whipped Cream:
1 pint of whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp sugar

Place above ingredients in a chilled bowl and mix until the whipping cream is stiff and forms peaks. Chill until ready to serve. Best if prepared within 2 hours of consumption.

Triple Berry Shortcake:
Slice muffins in half opened up in a bowl, top with triple berry mix and whipped cream.

Greek Quinoa Salad

2011-06-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

I am loving the hot weather, but who wants to eat a heavy meal when it's this hot outside? I thought a nice refreshing salad that is high in protien would be a fun post for today. You could easily make a meal off my Greek Quinoa Salad, or you could throw some burgers or sausage on the grill, and serve it as a yummy side to any summer meal!

Greek Quinoa Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
4 cups of cooked quinoa
1 bunch of roasted asparagus, diced
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1- 12oz jar of kalamata olives, chopped
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp. Fresh oregano, chopped
1- 6oz container of crumbled feta cheese

Dressing (whisk together):
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

Method:
Roast Asparagus on a cookie sheet on 350 for 12 minutes with olive
oil, salt, and pepper.
Put cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Add dressing and mix well.
Add the remaining ingredients to quinoa and stir well.
Add Salt and Pepper to taste
Chill for 3-24 hrs before serving

Crustless Asparagus & Green Chili Quiche

2011-06-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Our family does not eat refined carbohydrates, so I needed to create a quiche without the crust. We love asparagus and green chilies, so that's where my inspiration came from for this recipe. It's super easy to throw together, and I guarantee it will be a hit at any brunch you host. Based on the request of my best friend, here is today's recipe. Cheers!

Crustless Asparagus & Green Chili Quiche
Serves 8

Ingredients:
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups Half n Half
1 cup of diced asparagus
1 small red onion (diced)
1 sm can of diced green chilis (hot or mild)
2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional- add 1 cup of diced ham

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place 1tbsp of olive oil in a glass pie plate and rub on the dish until the dish is well coated.
In a large bowl, Blend eggs and half n half until fluffly
Add asparagus, onion, green chili, and cheese; stir with spoon until well blended

Place diced ham in the bottom of the pie plate.
Pour egg mixture into pie plate.
Place pie plate on a cookie sheet, and place in oven.
Bake on 350 for 55-65 minutes.

Try it out with spinach and mushrooms too!
Follow the recipe above, but switch out your ingredients for onion, spinach (2 cups uncooked), mushrooms (1 cup), and Swiss cheese. Roughly chop the fresh spinach, and saute onion, spinach, and mushrooms in a little olive oil for 5-10 minutes until all ingredients are soft. Drain, set aside, and let cool before adding it to the egg mixture.

Chicken and Sausage Stew with Polenta

2011-06-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

My Biz Noni was the first person who inspired me to cook. I remember standing on a chair in her kitchen adding ingredients she had chopped up for me to put in a pot of soup (which was really just a pot). She hosted Sunday family dinners at her house for many years, polenta and chicken stew was one of her favorite dishes to prepare. Being she was my inspiration for cooking, I've chosen the following recipe as my official first recipe blog entry.

Please enjoy this Italian classic, from my kitchen to yours!

Chicken and Sausage Stew with Polenta
Serves 4-6

2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves fresh garlic (chopped)
½ medium red onion (chopped)
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp dried basil
1 pound of chicken (diced)
3 Italian sausage links (cut into round slices)
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
2 large handfuls of spinach
1 zucchini (diced)
Optional: 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat
Add Garlic, cook 1 minute
Add Onion, parsley, and basil
Add Chicken and Sausage and continuously turn until browned (about 7-10 minutes)
Add canned tomatoes
Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes
10 minutes before serving: Add Spinach and Zucchini

Homemade Cheesy Polenta:
If you’ve never made polenta before, make sure you have a good wooden spoon and about 20 minutes to continuously stir. The creamiest polenta is constantly stirred while cooking.

I prefer the Bobs Red Mill Polenta, I follow the recipe on the package, with a slight tweak.
-- When the polenta starts to thicken (based on the packaging instructions), add about 1 cup of parmesean cheese and stir until thick and sticky.
-- Once your polenta is thickened, place it into a glass pyrex, and cover. Let set for 20 minutes before serving. This will give you nice squares of polenta that you can serve your stew over the top of.

Semi-Homemade Option:
For those of you not interested in making your own polenta, Trader Joe’s has a great one that’s prepackaged in the pasta section -- You can cut up the little round disks, place them on a plate and put the sauce right on top.

When serving, we love adding a nice soft piece of fontina cheese between the polenta and hot stew, it melts and becomes velvety and delicious.

Cinnamon Nut Granola

2011-06-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

This granola is yummy with milk, yogurt, and even sprinkled on homemade vanilla ice cream. It will make your home smell amazing, but I have to warn you it's slightly addicting.
(If you are a Gluten-Free household, simply use Gluten-Free oats.)

Ingredients:
1 cup 100% pure maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of vanilla
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground dried ginger
1 1/4 cup sliced raw almonds
1 tsp fresh ground sea salt
1 cup dried dates, cranberries or raisins (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Spread 2 tbsp of olive oil on a cookie sheet until well coated. You can also use a 9x12 baking dish instead of a cookie sheet.
Mix together maple syrup, vanilla and the olive oil.
Toss the dry ingredients, minus the dates/raisins/cranberries, together in a mixing bowl.
Add the maple syrup mixture to the oats mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until the raw granola is uniformly sticky.
Spread the oats mixture loosely on the cookie sheet in as thin of a layer as possible.
Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Check the oats after 30 minutes to see if they are done--a golden brown and strong aroma indicates it's ready.
If you are using the deeper baking dish, toss the mixture after15 minutes and bake for an extra 10-15 minutes, if needed.
Add the dried raisins or other fruit.
Cool the granola before serving.