Paleo Chicken Piccata

Paleo Chicken Piccata

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
     Trimmed of excess fat, tenderloins removed.  If the breasts are thick, I like to butterfly them so that they're thinner and cook more evenly.
About 1 cup almond meal
     (almond meal are just ground-up, skin on almonds. Almond flour can also be used, but I prefer the flavor of the meal.  To make, just put raw almonds into a food processor and grind as finely as possible.)
Salt and Pepper
Olive or coconut oil--enough to put a shallow layer in the bottom of a large skillet


For the sauce:
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 Tablespoons)
Salt
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (don't use a garlic press--it is too fine, and will cause the garlic to burn easily
1 1/2 Cups Chicken broth
1/2 lemon, ends trimmed, sliced thin
2 Tablespoons whipping cream or 1/2 and 1/2 (sorry, it's not completely dairy-free)
1 teaspoon *xanthan gum (can also use 1 teaspoon cornstarch)
2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
Ground black pepper

1. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts, then dredge in almond meal. When dredging, really push the meal into the chicken so that you get a good layer.







2. Heat oil in a large skillet. When oil is hot (shimmering but not smoking) place chicken breasts in the pan and cook on each side until golden brown. Be careful to check often as the almond meal browns quickly. If chicken is not quite done, or juices are not running clear yet, place the breasts in a 350 degree oven until cooked all the way through. (To bake breaded chicken, I like to lay the chicken on top of a cooling rack that is placed a baking sheet so that the bottom doesn't get soggy or stick to the pan)






3. Set chicken aside while you make the sauce




1.  Add the shallot and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the oil left in the skillet, return to medium-low heat, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the broth and lemon slices, scraping up the browned bits from the chicken.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the mixture measures 1 cup, about 5 minutes. 

2.  Pour any accumulated chicken juices into simmering sauce.  Whisk the milk and cornstarch together in a small bowl, or if using xanthan gum to thicken, add milk into sauce then lightly DUST the xanthan gum over the top of the sauce.  Try to sprinkle as finely as possible to lessen clumping.  (If it does clump up a little, don't worry about it.  It doesn't really have a flavor or texture)  Continue to simmer the sauce until it has thickened, about 1 minute.  Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice, capers, and parsley,and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.

Food Journal?

If you haven't been able to tell, I'm officially burned out on food journaling.  I basically eat the same thing all the time anyway, so I don't feel too badly about my laziness! 


The comments regarding my food journal have all been the same, and what I hear is, "ew, I could never eat like that, but kuddos to you!". It gets a chuckle out of me every time, because if I had read my own  food journal a few years ago, I would have said the same thing.  In fact, I probably would have called myself "fanatical" or "unbalanced".  Granted, if I didn't have food sensitivities, I wouldn't be nearly as strict.  I don't think I'm better than, or look down on those of you that eat bread with your deli ham.  I've found something that works for my body, and I look and feel better than I have in YEARS. 


Finding the path to your healthiest self is a journey not a sprint, and as you become more mindful about what you eat and how it affects you, you will discover what changes you need to make in order to be your personal best.  All of what God has designed you to be.  What I see over and over are people that are sick, tired, or injured, but who are not willing to give up the foods that are contributing to their maladies.  Food is a powerful drug, and can be either very good or very bad.  You just have to decide what is important to you.  Is feeling your best worth sacrificing grains, sugar, dairy, or whatever is making you sick?  Your answer may be no!  It may be totally worth it to you to feel less than your best, but free to consume the foods you love.  You may decide that it just takes to much thought, study, and preparation to dramatically change your eating habits.  To make dietary changes, you WILL feel like food consumes your life for a while.  But it's only for a relatively short period of time.  Eventually, you will find what works for you, and it will become effortless. I can promise that it's worth the work to live your life to it's fullest potential.


 Give it a shot:  Paleo, (no grains, no sugar, no dairy) for 30 days. 
After the 30 days, start to add those things back into your diet one at a time.  Note how they make you feel.  I promise that you will discover something about yourself that you didn't know!  If you eat a piece of bread, or cake, or ice cream, does your stomach hates you for it?  Bingo!  Food sensitivity you didn't know you had.  Our bodies can, in a way, build up immunities to the foods that we're sensitive or allergic to, but once they're removed for a period of time, and added back in...well, you'll know!  Bad stuff happens.  There are people who have been Celiac (gluten allergy) all their lives and never knew it.  By the time they discover what has caused their IBS or other symptoms for years, their intestines are severely damaged, and it takes years to heal.  Big time bummer.  Or perhaps you have an auto immune disease that could be completely reversed if you stop eating what your body can't process properly.  (Food was the cause of my Thyroid disease)
Ok, I'll quit rambling.  I could talk FOREVER about this, so if you have any questions or concerns, just ask.  Or perhaps you disagree with my nutritional advice.  I'd like to hear your side of the story!


Oh, btw, want to know if I had any results from my last 30 days being strict Paleo?
--Tossed a pair of shorts won't stay up anymore
--Put ON a pair of jeans I wore pre-childbirth ;)
--Went down 1 whole size. 
--Lost inches around my waist, hips and thighs
--Occasional tingling I get in my hands is gone.  Most likely a result of cutting the sugar.
WHOOP!!!

Coconut Porc Au Lait

My first go-around with the original recipe didn't turn out quite the way I desired.  But, after a few little tweaks, the second time was a success!

As you may guess, Porc au Lait is a french dish, and is translated "pork with milk".  It uses the traditional french method of braising, or slow roasting meat in a shallow liquid. And of course, the liquid becomes a rich, delicious sauce!  Traditional Porc au Lait calls for whole milk and butter for richness.  The beauty of my recipe is that it is dairy-free, but you get the desired richness and mouthfeel of a creamy sauce from the fat (good, healthy fat) in the coconut milk. I hope you and your family enjoys it as much as we did! 
Bon Appitite'! (As Julia Childs would say)

Coconut Porc au Lait

1-2 pork tenderloins (make sure to get one that doesn't have any seasonings or sauces, I like Hormel Naturals)

3 tbs olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 carrot, finely diced

1 garlic clove, finely diced

1 tsp coconut flour

1 can unsweetened coconut milk

1/3 C. Chicken stock 

1 bay leaf

1 t. basil

1 t. thyme

Salt and Pepper to taste (I used about
1/2 t. salt I think)

*Xanthan Gum (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven, season the pork liberally with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, carrot and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat, then add the coconut milk, broth, bay leaf, basil, and thyme. Bring to a boil, return the pork to the dutch oven and simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove the pork, and puree what's left in the pot. Serve sliced pork with sauce!

*Xanthan gum--This is a great thickening agent for sauces, and can be found at most grocery stores.  It's white  powder, and the brand found most easily is probably Bob's Red Mill.  When using it in a sauce, always sprinkle a very light dusting across the top of the liquid, then stir in.  If you don't just dust it over the top, it lumps up easily, and cannot be whisked out.  But, even if it happens to end up lumpy, it doesn't really have a flavor, so you'll be fine ;0)

Food Journal 5-11

Morning:
   3 slices turkey, almonds

Afternoon:
   leftover sausage and peppers from last night's omelet
1 cookie ;0( oops.

Evening:
   Bourbon Street!  Got burger topped with andouille sausage, swiss cheese and spicy mustard, no bun.  Side Caesar salad.  1/4 beer.

Almost Homemade Spaghetti

The other day, I picked up a Spaghetti sauce that I had not yet tried at Forward Foods in OKC, and can also be found at Epicurean's Pantry in Edmond.  This is it:

It was a chunky sauce that was full of tomatoes, whole cloves of garlic, and fresh basil leaves.  So delicious, and all I had to do was pour it into a pan!  Well, almost.  I added a little protein in the form of 3/4 pound PlumRich ground beef, 1/4 pound sausage, and 2 bacon rashers!!  The bacon was a new thought for me, and will now on be added to all of my tomato sauces.  I just cut it up into small pieces and browned it with the other meat.  It added an unexpected richness to the flavor of the sauce.

As you can see in the photo, the sauce was not served on pasta of course, but spaghetti squash.  It simulates the texture of pasta, but has a "squashy" flavor.  Yummo!  Another pasta alternative that my aunt has used is to use a vegetable peeler to slice up some zucchini squash, then saute' the slices in olive oil.  I have not yet tried this, but am anxious to do so.


To cook the Spaghetti Squash:


1.  Slice the thing in half.  (This is by far the hardest part!)  I use a sharp knife to cut it as much as possible, then finish it off by dropping it on the countertop a few times to pop it apart.
2.  Place both halves in the microwave for 10 minutes
3.  Put the slightly pre-cooked squash face up in a roasting pan filled with about 1" of water, and drizzle with olive oil.  Place in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until squash can be "shredded" with a fork.  It will pull apart into strands that look like spaghetti pasta.

Food Journal 5-11

Morning:
3 slices ham, macadamia nuts, coffee with cream

Afternoon:
leftover ribs (for the last time.  yea!) canned peaches, 100% juice.
wasabi almonds

Evening:
Spaghetti on spaghetti squash, broccoli (recipe to follow)

Note:  Probably didn't eat nearly enough today...just wasn't feelin' it!

Food Journal 5-10

Morning:
3 egg omelet with green peppers, onions, garlic, sausage, and ham

Afternoon:
leftover ribs, squash and carrots

Evening:
burger, no bun with mustard, onions, tomatoes, and guacamole.  Corn on the cob

Food Journal 5-9

Morning:
Strawberries and almonds

Afternoon:
Eggs and bacon, strawberries
Soy and Wasabi almonds

Evening:
Ribs, squash, zuchinni  (My in-laws have  been in town, and love to cook.  I haven't cooked since Friday!  I know, you're jealous.)

Food Journal 5-7

Morning:
   nothing.  boo.

Afternoon:
   3 slices ham, 1/4 cucumber, 1/4 apple
   soy and wasabi almonds.  the soy makes them non-paleo, I     suppose.
   Sonic Jr. Cheeseburger, no bun.
  
Evening:
   grilled chicken Caesar salad
   a Nor-Cal Margarita!!!!!! (2 shots tequila, 1/2 lime, topped off with seltzer water.  There is some complicated chemistry involved that causes blood sugar to rise and fall gradually.  so that makes them healthy, right? ;0)