Chinese Chicken Salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

2 cups shredded leftover chicken, or pieces.
1 small napa cabbage (aka chinese cabbage)
soy sauce
2 T black bean sauce
1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce/paste
a few peanuts thrown in (I had chili-lime peanuts so it worked well)
sesame seeds
cilantro
sesame seed oil to saute chicken
green onions
garlic
ginger

Mince garlic and ginger (large clove of garlic and equal amount of ginger), saute in 1/2 tsp sesame oil. Add chicken and soy sauce (a couple tablespoons maybe?), then the other sauces, both of which are in the asian aisle. Mix it up. If you have other veg you want to add that needs to be cooked/softened, put it in.

When done with saute, add to thinly sliced napa cabbage, and mix in cilantro, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, and peanuts. Toss together in a large bowl.

I really loved this meal. DH seemed to like it too.

I also put in some spiralized gold beet, that I sauteed with the chicken, but that was just because I needed to use it up. It just took on the flavors of the dish.

Notes: The last two times I made this the flavor has been a little too strong/salty. I'm not sure which seasoning is overpowering it, so I may try a different recipe next time.

Paleo Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese frosting

http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2015/09/the-best-birthday-present-ever-a-sale/
Paleo Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese frosting

I am sad to say this was not so great. I made it for Clyde's birthday cake. I'm not sure what went wrong, but I would not make this again. I only used 8 oz of cream cheese, but it seriously needed to be blended with something else, like butter or cream. I really don't like it on its own, even if it does have maple syrup in it. The sweetness is too little to notice for me anyway. I used regular pitted dates for this too, not medjool (it doesn't call for medjool, I'm just recording what I did.) I think I'd try the elana's pantry recipe next if I want another carrot cake someday.

Paleo Lemon Cookies

http://empoweredsustenance.com/paleo-lemon-cookies/

I made these and they were good. It would have been even better if I'd bothered with the icing.

Grilled Thai Beef Skewers

Grilled Thai Beef Skewers from Nourish cookbook (by Rachael Bryant), p 49.

I made these in the oven and they were great. We didn't have any leftovers though, so it needs to be paired with a side dish. The thai curry recipe took a little bit of time to make, but I made a double recipe and can freeze it for later use.

Paleo Stroganoff

Paleo Stroganoff from Frugal paleo cookbook. https://books.google.com/books?id=DfyyAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT20&lpg=PT20&dq=stroganoff+%22frugal+paleo%22&source=bl&ots=VJ14agZg7K&sig=CTO4E4d0YCSxrawFFLZAJ7hRN4c&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cjqQVab8EITYoATVn4XwDQ&ved=0CFAQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=stroganoff%20%22frugal%20paleo%22&f=false

I really enjoyed this. I wish I'd written it down but I'll have to get it again from the library!

Paleo Apple Crisp [almost-AIP]

http://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/autoimmune-paleo-apple-crisp
Paleo Apple Crisp

This turned out really good. I used 1.5 lbs of green apples. I did not have the brand of coconut butter she specifies, but I did have Lets do organic Creamed Coconut which is coconut butter-like. The recipe worked well in my 2 qt casserole dish. I wanted to eat all the leftovers but I was sooo full I couldn't believe it. I think the coconut in it makes it more filling.

Update: I found out sucanat is not strict AIP legal. So the topping would be less crunchy with maple syrup sweetener I believe, but maybe the recipe is still worth another try.

Green Plantain Pancakes -egg free [AIP]

http://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/egg-free-green-plantain-pancakes-autoimmune-paleo
Green Plantain Pancakes

These made 8 pancakes, not quite enough for our family of four. I should do 1.5x or 2x recipe next time. I only had 3 T of gelatin instead of 4, and the pancakes seemed to work just fine. It did have the gooey middle mentioned in the recipe, but that didn't seem to bother anyone.

Paleo Pad Thai

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/05/08/paleo-pad-thai/
Paley Pad Thai

I adored this dinner. Love. I doubled the egg portion (and the thing mixed in it), and used 4 chicken thighs, and a whole sweet onion. I cooked them over 4/10 heat slowly over almost an hour. I had to put the lid on for the last 20 since they were still red next to bone. That made a nice texture to the chicken. Also, I baked spaghetti squash for 40 minutes on a small half, and 50 min. on the larger half (see this http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2008/09/30/eat-your-vegetables-spaghetti-squash/)

Also, I used peanut butter in the sauce. It was great, and there was more than enough for us all. I would add more snap peas next time. Use a 10 inch skillet for the eggs. A 12 inch was too big.

Green Plantain Pancakes

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2012/09/perfect-paleo-pancakes.html

I had some old green plantains that I'd put in the fridge at least 3 weeks back. They must have been a little riper than I thought, since these pancakes turned out sweeter than expected, but they were so fantastic. Now I know how to use up old plantains. This was barely enough for us (2 adults 1 little kids) with a vegetable and sausage patties on the side. They are light and fluffy, more so than other pancakes I make. They should be cooked at a little lower temp for longer time though, since the insides cook a little more slowly than regular pancakes.

Cashew Milk

http://againstallgrain.com/2015/01/17/cashew-milk-recipe/
Cashew Milk

I've made this twice, and the first time the cashews were too grainy because I didn't blend enough. This time, I followed the directions in the Against All grain recipe and blended it for 30 seconds on low and then 90 seconds on high (speed 10). This resulted in a good blend with a lot less graininess. Also, I added 4 cups of water instead of 3 cups, as recommended here: http://www.blendtec.com/recipes/cashew-milk, and I like the consistency with 4 cups of water. I actually blended it with 3 cups and then once it was smooth, I added the rest and blended it a bit more. I added 2 tsp of honey as recommended.

Korean Beef Noodle Bowls

Korean Beef Noodle Bowls p 184 Against All Grain

This was a bit too watery. The zucchini didn't really dry out much or lose much water during the salting phase. I think it would be good with half zucchini half vermicelli noodles. David  liked it as is, but I thought there was too much zucchini. Also it is plenty spicy with only a light sprinkle of red pepper flakes. I probably put 1/8 or 1/4 tsp in in stead of 1 whole.

Banana Bread: Against All Grain

http://allfueledup.blogspot.com/2013/08/against-all-grains-banana-bread.html
This is from the Against All Grain cookbook.

In the above link it says in the comments how the bread can appear when undercooked. I think mine was undercooked, and it was quite wet, even though the toothpick came out dry. The middle looked a little under, but I trusted the toothpick. Next time, don't trust the toothpick! Let it go at least 50 minutes. Also, I may have put in a little less coconut flour than called for, and I know that can make a difference. Also I mixed it by hand, and so next time I will use a hand beater.

I think this recipe will turn out better next time. I subbed 1 T brown rice syrup for the 3 T honey and it was plenty sweet. It probably did not need any sweetener.

Creamy Chicken Soup

http://meatified.com/creamy-chicken-soup-aip/
Creamy Chicken Soup

I love this soup. I think it a great way to use up leftover cauliflower, which is what I had after making the Chicken Rice Casserole. I did add about 1/3 cup of coconut milk to make it even creamier. The bone broth I had was made mostly from chicken parts so it tasted very chickeny and yummy!

Chicken and Rice Casserole

 Chicken and Rice Casserole, from Meals Made Simple, p 140.

This was so fantastic. It did take me about an hour to do prep, but I can be much more efficient I'm sure. It is worth making frequently. Both kids liked it, and David and I loved it.

Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made the Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Primal Cravings.

I think I ruined the recipe, since I replaced the butter with palm shortening, and the sugar with sucanat. It did not mix up like it was supposed to, and I had to add twice the water it called for. They did cook up and look normal, but they had a strange flavor and I'm not sure if its the sucanat or the flours in the recipe. I think with my diary-free restrictions this is not the best recipe for me, since it is designed around using butter, which has a particular moisture content that does not compare to the replacements.

Cowboy Hashbrown Skillet

Cowboy Hashbrown Skillet from the Primal Cravings cookbook p 62.

I tried to make this in my enameled le creuset skillet but it always tends to burn things, so this was a little burnt too. However, I still enjoyed it a lot. David said he would rather it have potato than plantains. He likes plantains a lot, but he thought they weren't detectable in the dish because of the strong flavor of the chorizo. So I'll make this again with potatoes, but I'll need to squeeze them out since they are quite wet compared to plantains.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies St. Patricks Day style

http://againstallgrain.com/2013/03/15/cinnamon-oatmeal-raisin-cookies-st-patricks-day-style
Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies St. Patricks Day style

These turned out great. I used sweetened sunbutter I got from Trader Joes, so I left out the honey to compensate. Also only used 5 dates since they were hefty medjool ones. They were great! I made them in the morning and by dinner they were a very dark green. Success!

German Apple Pancakes Grain free

http://www.riddlelove.com/2014/11/grain-free-german-apple-pancakes-recipe.html

German Apple Pancakes Grain free

These did not turn out well. It was mostly soggy and didn't puff or anything. The apples on top were good, but everything else was soggy. Nobody liked it except Clyde (my 1 year old). I used "So Delicious Coconut Beverage" as the milk for it.

update: these are much better as cold leftovers. The soggyness is much less pronounced. I'm interested in finding a coconut flour muffin recipe that is good for snacks, (i.e. unsweetened or with 1 T only)

Vegan Cheesecake 1

http://minimalistbaker.com/7-ingredient-vegan-cheesecakes/
Vegan Cheesecake

I had just over a cup of cashews, so did not have quite enough. Also I did not have dates, so I added 3 T of brown rice syrup to the walnuts and that worked fine. Also, I used brown rice syrup instead of agave. And I used coconut cream instead of coconut milk. These were hard to pop out, and get soft very quickly.

This was good, but I think the coconut made it a little richer and softer than I prefer. The next time I make this it will be a coconut milk/cream free version.

Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

http://www.accesshollywood.com/grain-free-recipes-for-the-whole-family_article_98913
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta

This was really good. It is in the Meals Made Simple cookbook p. 166. The yellow squash has a lot of seeds in it, so I wasn't able to julienne as much as the spiral slicer would have done. I may buy one of those someday.