Month: February 2017

Whole30 Friendly Chicken Piccata

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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This is really good. The more I cook trying to tweak for Whole30 style eating, the more I realize how so many unhealthy things aren’t really necessary for the same delicious meal. In some cases, of course, it just won’t work. But in MANY…there’s just no reason for the unhealthy crap!

In this case I looked around at how folks had been cooking Paleo-style chicken piccata and combined many aspects and ingredients to suit my tastes (and what I had in the house). Here’s what I came up with:

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken cutlets
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup (100 grams) almond flour
  • ghee
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ an onion
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 3 lemons, two juiced & one sliced
  • 2 tbsps capers
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Preparation:

  1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of ghee.
  2. Season chicken cutlets on each side with salt and pepper. Dip into the whisked eggs, and then dip in almond flour to coat.
  3. Cook the chicken in the skillet until browned on each side and cooked through.
  4. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside, covered with foil or put in the oven on 200°F to keep warm. Add a bit more ghee to the skillet and scrape browned bits well to deglaze the pan.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant and the onions are translucent.
  6. Pour in chicken stock and lemon juice. Turn the heat to high and let liquid reduce by half. Add remaining ingredients, and reduce heat to low.
  7. Add the chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over the top; I gave it a few minutes to re-heat and soak up the flavors. I served with steamed kale and the combo was delightful.

Note: If you like a smoother sauce, you can make this without onions and garlic. But. They really add SO much flavor. I have done it both ways and recommend adding them. Still, a smoother sauce is more familiar and traditional, and it’s still pretty darn good. If you AREN’T using onions, add a teaspoon of guar gum or arrowroot mixed with a bit of water towards the end and it will thicken the sauce right up.

Whole3o Beef Stew

~ tracyshar ~ 1 Comment

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Stews are so perfect this time of year. This stew is no exception. It can be done in a slow cooker, but really if you’re geeky like me and have the time, I recommend just stewing it old school slow and steady style. Also, you can easily double or triple this recipe if you want some leftovers to bring in to work (excellent idea).

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup almond flour
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 pound beef stewing meat, trimmed and cut into inch cubes
  • 5 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 4 ½ cups beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
  • 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • herbs to taste

Preparation:

  1. Combine the almond flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef and toss to coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef a few pieces at a time. Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch.
  2. Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
  3. Cover and cook until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Ladle among 4 bowls and serve.

Broiled Mussels with Herb Butter

~ tracyshar ~ Leave a comment

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So. These are obviously not on Whole30, but I feel pretty confident you could make them with ghee and almond flour and get an equally delicious result. I would maybe try to make it while the ghee was in a more solid state, maybe stick it in the fridge for an hour beforehand if it’s warm and more liquid-y. Anyway, you pretty much can’t go wrong if you have good mussels and herbs.

This recipe comes from the NY Times. Git the original here.

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup oregano leaves (this is just what I had fresh in my fridge, I think you could use many different types of herbs and have a whole other magical experience: the original recipe calls for parsley)
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons Pernod or pastis (optional. I left this out)
  • 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed
  • ⅓ cup bread crumbs 

Preparation:

  1. In a food processor, pulse together oregano, garlic, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Pulse in butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons Pernod, if using, until mixture is combined. Scrape into a bowl.
  2. In a soup pot with a tightfitting lid, combine mussels, 1/4 cup pastis, if using and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until mussels have opened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer mussels to a bowl until cool enough to handle; remove meat from the shells (reserving shells) and transfer to a bowl.
  3. Pry apart mussel shells and arrange half the shells on one or two large baking sheets; discard remaining shells. Place one mussel in each shell. Top each with a small spoonful of herb butter and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Heat broiler to high and arrange a rack 4 inches from the heat. Transfer tray to the oven and broil until bread crumbs are golden, 1 to 2 minutes.