Thai Curry Chicken

I may have died and gone to heaven! This is so incredibly good. Must make. Again and again and again.

Thai Curry Chicken

Ingredients (Serves 4 people):

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or fat of choice
• 1 small onion, chopped medium
• 2 tablespoons red or green Thai curry paste (whichever color you prefer)
• 2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 C chopped broccoli
• 1 C chopped zucchini
• 1 C chopped mushrooms
• 1 carrot, grated
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Cut the chicken into medium-sized chunks and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.

When the oil is shimmering, brown the chicken…

and transfer to a separate plate.

Add the onions to the saucepan and sauté until translucent.

Return the chicken and juices to the pot, and add the curry paste to taste.

If you don’t like spicy, just use 1 tablespoon.

Stir-fry until you can smell the rich aroma of toasted spices.Pour in the coconut milk…and toss in the veggies.

Raise the heat to high and bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Then, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the curry for 5 minutes or until the veggies are cooked through and the flavors meld. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Add the cilantro.

You can serve over rice or eat like a soup. Seriously so good! 

Vanilla Almond Snackaroos

This weekend we were in Anchorage and went to Natural Pantry to see what fun stuff they had there. It was all really fun. There was a lot of real food there which was nice but the prices were outrageous. Seriously outrageous. Regardless of that we did pick up a few things. My husband got okra chips which were very interesting. We also left the store with Banana Coconut Snakaroos by Laughing Giraffe Organics. We immediately fell in love with them. Such a good, whole food that was perfect for a snack. The only problem was the price. After some internet searching I put together a recipe and tried it out today. This one is minus the banana but I will put the banana in next time I make them. They turned out perfectly!

Vanilla Almond Snackaroos

3 C unsweetened coconut
1 C whole almonds
1/4 C coconut oil
1 C honey- Here is where I will add the banana next time. Maybe 1/2 C banana, 1/2 C honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp kosher salt

In a food processor add the almonds and process until it is almost a flour consistency. In a bowl combine all the ingredients mixing until it is well incorporated. Using a cookie scoop shape them into half balls and place on a cookie sheet.

At this point I just have them sitting on the counter to dry out. I tried baking a batch of them but the honey ran everywhere and they did not stay together. Just leaving them out on the counter seems to be working very well.

Paleo Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm not really ALL about the new Paleo diet that is taking the world by storm. I just don't agree with some of the things about it. For one I am totally not into raw meat like some Paleos are doing and I also think that whole grains are a beautiful thing if used in moderation. That being said, I have found some really good recipes on Paleo websites and have fallen in love with them. I am on day 16 without any refined sugars in my diet. All I am allowing myself for sweeteners is real fruits, honey and 100% maple syrup. I actually feel really, really good and have tossed around the idea of never going back to white sugars and all their offspring.

There are times like today when I just needed something sweet and so I decided to make this recipe that I came across. Unlike some other paleo cookies I have made these kept their shape and taste amazing!

Paleo Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 C almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/4 c coconut oil
2 T honey
4 T mini dark chocolate chips (preferably 62% or higher cacao)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine the flour, salt and soda. Add the egg, oil, and honey  until dough forms. Stir in the chips.
Scoop onto cookie sheets with a cookie scoop. I used one that was about a tablespoon.
Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Now this is important: Once you take them from the oven and transfer to a wire rack let them sit for about 15 minutes before eating them. Trust me!

Makes about 22 cookies depending on size

Peanut butter kissed cookies- healthified a little bit!

I have been wanting to experiment with coconut oil in place of shortening and butter. The first attempt was horrible. I tried to healthify my brownie recipe. I will never do that again!
These turned out much, much better. The Hersheys kisses were on sale after Easter for $.99 so I got some.

Peanut Butter Kissed Cookies
1/2 C coconut oil
3/4 C organic peanut butter
1/3 C organic sugar
1/3 C brown sugar
1 egg
2 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 C whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together the oil and peanut butter. Add the sugars and mix until smooth. Add the egg ad milk and combine. Put in the dry ingredients and mix well. Roll in to balls and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. They try to fall apart so roll gently. Once cooked press a kiss into the top and cool.