Chicken Pancakes with Cucumber Salad

The Reality and the Beauty Shot

Twice in the past few weeks I've tried recipes off the backs of packages. The first was "Authentic" Indian Curry. (Which turned out really well - but I can't top Angie's Indian food so I won't even try.) And the second was "Chicken Pancakes with Cucumber salad" from the back of Ayam's coconut mild powder. It was pretty close to paleo as-is, and looked pretty good.

The reason for the 2 very different pictures? Well, if you've ever tried, you know how tough it is to make anything usually flour based without flour, and food blog pictures are supposed to be pretty... but when your next idea flops in the artistic photographs department, ya still gotta eat~ and this tasted really, really good.... Another egg and some careful flipping saved the day, but I wanted to post the first attempt as a reminder that the whole point of eating this way is be healthier and the reasons we share these recipes is to show that you can eat healthy and have some darn good food in the process...even if it sometimes falls apart!

Cucumber Salad (good for this recipe, or as a side for anything Thai!)

2 Cucumbers

1 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 Tablespoon tamarind puree (recipe called for plum sauce)

1 Tablespoon lime juice

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Slice sideways in thin slices. (you'll end up with half-moons.) Mix with all remaining ingredients...adjusting as needed to taste. Set aside while you make the pancakes.

Chicken Pancakes (or scramble!)

400 grams leftover chicken, or turkey... finely chopped. I used a hand chopper and ended up with around 2 cups of diced meat.

1/3 cup coconut flour

1 cup coconut milk

1 heaping tablespoon chopped red chillis-- from a jar. (Know thy palate ~ adjust to taste.)

2 green onions, sliced uber thin

2 eggs

Mix all ingredients well... grease your fry pan and scoop out mix 1/3 cup at a time to form pancakes. You will be much more successful if you use a medium heat and WAIT at least 3-4 minutes before attempting to flip. Don't be shy with oil in the pan. (I used coconut oil of course, but you don't have to.) If you are in a hurry, lack patience, or have anger management issues--- go for the scramble! Which really means, try making pancakes but don't stress when you go to flip them and they completely fall apart... OR--jump right to my salvage step-- add another egg (or two,) adjust seasonings, take your time, and go for the pretty pancakes. Either way, serve the cucumber salad over or next to the pancakes... Enjoy!

Bacon-Veg Brekkie

I am always on the lookout for quick and easy breakfast dishes. I've never been a big fan of sweet breakfasts. I've never found eggs very filling. And so I had a habit of starting my day with hot grains. Since dropping grains from my diet, breakfast is my "challenge meal". I have plenty of inspiration for lunch and dinner meals, but I find my creativity pretty lacking at 5:00 AM. A typical weekday breakfast is fruit and nut butter, smoothie, or leftovers; something I can grab on my way out the door. On the weekends, I like to relax and share a hot breakfast with the family. This dish began as simply fried tomatoes and asparagus and has now evolved into this breakfast hit that everyone in my family loves.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 8 slices bacon, chopped (we prefer peppered bacon)
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• salt and pepper, to season

Directions:

1. Fry up bacon until nearly cooked.
2. Add veggies and continue frying until desired tenderness is reached.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Crunchy Radish Salad

This salad is so stinking easy and delicious, I can hardly believe it. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for this delicious creation as my nine-year old was in charge of salad the night this hit landed on our plates. We had just received some uber-fresh Alaskan radishes in our CSA produce box and both my girls were crinkling their noses up when I said the "R" word. I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of radishes either. The normally no-so-fresh ones available at our grocery store tend to be dry and bitter and not something I buy without a specific purpose. So when I opened up the box and saw a bunch of them staring up at me, I figured I better use them right away or they'd get pushed to the back of the fridge only to be discovered in a few weeks, when I could gladly call them bad and have an excuse to toss them. I washed them and tasted one... and had to call each member of my family into the kitchen and make them taste how good these were! Delicious!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch radishes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 granny smith apple, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2-3 T olive oil
• 1-2 T balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 T spicy coarse mustard (we used Tabasco brand)

Directions:

1. Mix olive oil, vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust, if necessary.
2. Add radishes and apple to salad bowl. Pour dressing over top and mix well.

Tip: You probably won't need all the dressing.

PB (Paleo-Butter) Cup Smoothie

"Two great tastes that taste great together"... Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is considered the finest creation by H.B. Reese, a former employee of Hershey's who branched out to start his own confection company. I have to agree. I'm not a huge fan of candy, but in my pre-paleo days, this is one sweet treat that would tempt me to indulge in crappy check-out stand candy. But... just because I'm not eating sugar (or peanuts) these days, doesn't mean I don't still crave those flavors. This smoothie is my answer to that craving. And my ultimate fallback "dessert" whenever my kids talk their dad into bringing some non-paleo treat into the house!

And for the record... if you  hear my girls talking about eating "Chocolate Ice Cream" for breakfast, please don't go calling children's services on me! I love giving them the royal treatment first thing in the morning with this healthy dish!

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 2-3 bananas, cut into 5 or 6 pieces each and frozen
• 1-2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk 
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2-3 T cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa)

Directions:

1. Add frozen bananas to the blender then top with almond butter and cocoa powder.
2. Add milk until it nearly covers the fruit. This makes a thick, but drinkable consistency. Use less for a thicker, ice cream like dessert.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour into cups. Drink immediately!

Smoothie Galore

Give me some frozen bananas, "milk", and fresh fruit and I will make you a smoothie that leaves you begging for more! I have always loved these cold, blended, fruity drinks, but even more so now that I've cut sugar out of my diet. In my house, we have smoothies several times a week. For breakfast, when we're running behind schedule. For lunch, on the weekend, when I don't feel like cooking. After dinner, for dessert, or any other time someone has a sweet tooth. I make them with more liquid and drink straight from the blender or make them super thick, top with nuts and seeds, and eat like gorgeous ice cream sundae. They take only minutes to make and are perfectly paleo!

Fresh Blackberry Smoothie. Is there anything better? 

Serves 4 (unless I don't feel like sharing)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 bananas, cut into 5 or 6 pieces each and frozen
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries (optional)
• 1-2 cups fresh fruit
• 1-2 cups unsweetened coconut milk or almond milk 
• 1/3 cup almond butter (optional, for protein)
• flax seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts (optional)

Tip: Frozen bananas give smoothies the smooth, creamy texture and makes smoothies icy cold without needing ice, which can water down the fruity taste. At the same time, bananas don't add a strong flavor, so I count on the fresh fruit to do that. The smoothie pictured above was made with a pint of fresh blackberries.

Directions:

1. Add frozen bananas to the blender then top with fresh fruit and almond butter, if using.
2. Add milk until it nearly covers the fruit. This makes a thick, but drinkable consistency. Use less for a thicker, ice cream like dessert.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour into cups. Top with seeds and nuts, if using. Drink immediately!