Cran-Balgar Roasted Chicken

We're kicking off a fresh start and new school year with a strict Whole30 challenge! The summer has been hectic but the girls and I are ready to get back on track with better eating habits. In addition to my commitment of providing "real" food meals in my home, I am getting back into the habit of posting our fab recipes online.

This dinner was a complete experiment that turned out phenomenal! Sunshine wanted me to make a sweet-and-spicy sauce for the roasted chicken I was preparing. I wouldn't exactly call this sweet and spicy, but the gravy was so rich and delicious that we were fighting over who got to lick the pan!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or wheat-free tamari/soy sauce)
• 1 T frozen cranberry juice concentrate (100% juice)
• 1 T hot chili sauce (paleo-friendly)
• 1 T coconut oil
• 12 chicken drumsticks
• 8 garlic cloves, skin-on
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 bag cabbage and carrot "coleslaw mix"

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix the balsamic, coconut aminos, cranberry juice, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
4. Sear chicken legs on all sides then add to the marinade sauce.
5. Fry whole garlic cloves until lightly browned.
6. Add the sliced onion and fry 3-5 minutes, until onions begin to brown.
7. Place chicken legs back into the dutch oven, over the onions and garlic.
8. Baste chicken with the remaining marinade.
9. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
10. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
11. Serve over cabbage. 

Massaman Beef Curry

Just when I thought I couldn't make a better curry...

In one of my earliest posts, I shared how to make a perfect Thai Coconut Curry, but I think I've actually out-curried myself. On this day, I tossed some meat and veggies into the slow cooker in the morning without really knowing what I was going to make for dinner. Coming home to a house filled with smells of a gingery-stew was lovely, but I just wasn't in the mood to eat it as-is. In 15-minutes, I whipped that "plain" stew into the best Massaman curry I've ever had!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds stew meat, cubed
• 1 onion, cut into eighths
• 2-3 carrots, cut into large chunks
• 1-2 turnips, cut into large chunks
• 1-2 inch piece of ginger, sliced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/2 tsp Berbere spice or cayenne (optional)
• 1 T coconut oil
• 2-4 T Massaman curry paste 
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tsp coconut aminos (or wheat-free tamari) 
• 1/4 cup cashews (optional)

Directions:

1. Add meat, onion, carrots, turnips, ginger, and beef broth to slow cooker. Sprinkle with Berbere spice or cayenne, if using.
2. Cook stew on low for 4-6 hours, or until meat is cooked through and tender.
3. Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add curry paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. The paste will become fragrant and may begin popping and sizzling.
5. Add about 1/3 can of coconut milk and mix well with the curry paste and oil. Fry for 5-10 minutes or until an oily sheen appears the coconut milks begins to separate.
6. Add the remaining 2/3 can of coconut milk along with the coconut aminos.
7. Add contents of slow cooker into the curry sauce, including the liquid. Cook 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
8. Taste and adjust. Too mild? Add more curry paste. Too bland? Add more coconut aminos. Too thick? Add a little water. Continue adjusting until you reach that taste of ultimate yumminess.
9. Serve immediately.

Note: The store bought Massaman curry paste tends to be much  more mild than the other pastes I buy. I usually have to double the amount of paste to get the level of flavor I like. I don't generally use fish sauce or lime juice in Massaman curry, but you can certainly add those ingredients instead of the coconut aminos if you like.

Naked Momos

I'm amazed that the smell and taste of a simple dumpling can so quickly transport me to my favorite part of the world. Lounging and people watching from a rooftop cafe in Thamel, having a late lunch after the long walk up to Swayambhunath, the monkey temple. Crowded into a tiny restaurant in Shigatse, unable to avoid the generous servings of yak butter tea. Warming up with a tall glass on chhaang on a cool evening along the Annapurna circuit.

Momos are little meat and veg dumplings found in abundance at restaurants in Nepal and Tibet. They are made with a variety of minced meat spiced up onion, garlic, ginger, and cilantro. They can be steamed or fried and usually contain a little cabbage and yak cheese. And they are always served with the most tasty of dipping sauces ranging from tomato based to soy based to super spicy chile based!

The first time I made momos, nearly fifteen years ago, I had just returned home from my first adventure to the Himalayas and I was excited to show off my new cuisine ideas to friends. Total disaster! Don't get me wrong. I made a great filling, but the homemade dumpling skins sucked (I never did cook well with flour... perhaps it was a sign). Over the years and especially after subsequent trips there, my cravings returned and I tried again and again. But always stumbling over those #$%& wrappers... until now!

Serves 4

Momo Ingredients:

• 1-2 green chilies, finely diced
• 2-3-inch piece ginger, grated
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 green onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 T coconut aminos
• 2 T oil (I prefer sesame or coconut)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2-2 pounds ground pork or turkey

Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tsp green chilies, finely diced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp fresh garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 1 T cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 T lemon juice

Directions:

1. Mix all dipping sauce ingredients in a glass bowl and let sit while you prepare the momos.
2. Mix all momo ingredients.
3. Form meat mixture into small discs or larger patties.
4. Heat some cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
5. Fry momos in batches, cooking 3-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
6. Serve over shredded cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers with dipping sauce.

Note: Frying an entire batch of small disc shaped momos seems to take forever. This is my favorite way to prepare momos, but since I'm usually short of time, I often opt for larger "momo patties" (fewer = quicker). A couple nights ago, I was in a particularly lazy mood when my momo craving occurred. The resulting "lazy mom momo" was received by my family just as well as any other form of momo and took about half the time! Instead of forming any shapes at all, I dumped the entire mixture into the pan and fried it up like I would taco meat. I normally prefer ground pork, but this was just as delicious with turkey!

Asian Lettuce Wrap

Time was ticking away. The girls were complaining of hunger pains, despite the jumbo, protein-filled breakfast they had eaten only a couple hours before. And in reality, I didn't have much time to cook something up and still call it lunch. I had been immersed in the Share a Primal Recipe thread  at Mark's Daily Apple where hundreds of mouth-watering, paleo recipes have been posted.

With a couple of Asian inspired recipes fresh in my mind (and a nearly empty fridge), here is what I cobbled together: a messy, but tasty lettuce wrap filled with sesame-cucumber salad, Asian noodle salad, and bacon!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• one serving of Sesame-Cucumber Salad (recipe below)
• one serving of Asian Noodle Salad (recipe below)
• 8 large, sturdy lettuce leaves
• 8 slices of bacon, fried

Directions:

1. Build wraps using the bacon and salads. Serve immediately!

Note: Other meat, such as roasted chicken could be easily substituted for the bacon.


Sesame-Cucumber Salad (inspired by Melissa at The Clothes Make the Girl)

Ingredients:

• 1 T tahini paste
• 1 T cashew butter, unsweetened
• 1 T coconut aminos
• 1 T rice vinegar, unsweetened
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 cucumber, sliced in thin strips by hand or with a  mandolin slicer

Directions:

1. Combine the tahini, cashew butter, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Mix until well blended.
2. Stir in the cucumber.

Asian Noodle Salad (inspired by Melissa at The Clothes Make the Girl)

Ingredients:

• 2 T coconut milk
• 1 T tahini paste
• 1 T cashew butter, unsweetened
• 1 T lime juice
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• 1/2 tsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 package kelp noodles, boiled for 10 minutes and drained
• 1 cup coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage

Directions:

1. Combine the coconut milk, tahini, cashew butter, lime juice, coconut aminos, garlic, and ginger. Mix until well blended. The sauce with thicken quickly, but thin out when combined with the noodles.
2. Stir in the noodles and cabbage.

Ginger Pork

This has always been one of my favorite dishes to order at the local Thai restaurant, two blocks from our house. I had a real craving for it during a period when we were trying to save money and without a second thought, I decided I could make it just as good (if not better) in my own kitchen. And I was right! The simple ingredients create such a tangy, yummy flavor. This is one meal where leftovers are scarce!

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 2 T sesame oil
• 4-5" piece of ginger, grated (watch your knuckles)
• 5-6 T coconut aminos
• 3/4 cup chicken broth (homemade is best!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 jalapeno pepper, quartered and seeded
• 1 1/4 pounds pork loin, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-2 T coconut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped into large pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into large pieces

Directions:

1. In a glass bowl, combine the sesame oil, grated ginger, coconut aminos, chicken broth, salt, and jalapeno.
2. Add the pork and marinade for at least 30 minutes.
3. In a pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat.
4. Fry the onion until it turns golden brown and begins to caramelize.
5. Add the red pepper and fry until it softens just a little.
6. Remove the onion and peppers from the pan and set aside.
7. Turn the heat to medium-high.
8. Scoop the pork into the hot pan, transferring as little liquid as possible.
9. Fry the pork until no longer pink.
10. Add the reserved liquid and simmer until it thickens.
11. Add the onion and peppers back into the pork mixture and simmer until the vegetables are heated.
12. Serve hot over roasted cauliflower or cauliflower rice.

Roasted Cauliflower: Break apart or chop one head of raw cauliflower into large bite-sized pieces. Spread thinly on a cookie sheet then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, flip and cook for another 10-20 minutes, or until browned. Serve immediately.

Cauliflower Rice: There are many ways to prepare Cauliflower Rice and this is my favorite. Finely chop or grate one head of raw cauliflower. Spread thinly on a cookie sheet then drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until browned. Stir halfway through to brown the cauliflower more evenly. Serve immediately or it tends to get a bit soft.

Note: In my original recipe, I used soy sauce instead of the coconut aminos. If you use soy sauce, reduce the amount to 3-4 T or it will taste too salty. Also, I love cauliflower rice, but I am not a fan of the mess it makes in my kitchen. Lately I have been opting for the lazy person's cauliflower rice aka roasted cauliflower. It tastes the same and is a cinch to clean up!

Cool Tahini "Pasta"

Once upon a time, long long ago...(Like, mid-90's!) I copied two recipes onto a legal pad from one of Angie's cookbooks... Recipe # 2 I have never made, but the first one, "Cool Tahini Pasta" is a different story! Its been awhile since I've made it... pasta-schmasta... but while visiting with Angie recently she was telling me about coconut aminos and kelp noodles. Coconut aminos are a great substitute for soy sauce, and kelp noodles sounded like a cross between glass noodles and mung bean sprouts. I get back to Perth excited to try them both... and nada! Add 2 more things to the list of "Items you can't find in Western Australia." So I ordered some, and they came today. Lots of ideas came to mind, but this recipe allowed me to try both, and it turned out so good it was almost gone before it got photographed.

Cool Tahini Pasta

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons water

3 T coconut aminos

1 Tablespoon tahini

1 cloved garlic, pressed or diced beyond teeny-tiny

1 & 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Mix all the above ingredients well. Add a 12oz bag of rinsed and drained kelp noodles.

Add:

2-3 small green onions, sliced thin

3 T fresh cilantro leaves

Stir and serve immediately. Serves 3 (If you let it set, the noodles loose their "pop." Which I personally like, but it still tastes good.)