Quick and Easy Comfort: Chicken Parm Spaghetti Bake

Well, it's officially cold.  In honor of winter coming early, I thought you might want something to warm you up!  And so I bring you PRIMAL chicken parmesan spaghetti bake!  Could you do this with regular spaghetti?  Probably.  Do you need to?  No way!  Eric and I both had two servings of this deliciousness, and the pasta was not missed :)

Also, this is a fairly quick and easy recipe since the majority of the cooking is done in the crock pot.  I did the prep on Sunday afternoon, the crock pot was on during work on Monday, and all I had to do was mix and pop it in the oven when I got home.  If that doesn't sell you on this, what will?!

So, here it is... enjoy!

Chicken Parm Spaghetti Bake

• 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 cups when shredded)
• 1 lb chicken breast
• 2 lbs chicken thighs
• 1 can tomato sauce (14.5 oz)
• 1 can diced tomato (14.5 oz)
• 1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzerella

 

Cut spaghetti squash in half and cook in oven at 350 until fork goes in easily... like in this blog post about shrimp scampi!  Set aside and let cool, then shred with a fork.  If not using until the next day put in Tupperware in the fridge.

In crock pot the morning of the meal, combine chicken, tomato items, balsamic vinegar, and the seasonings.  Do not add cheese, this is for later.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

When home, transfer crockpot chicken into large casserole dish, separating chicken into smaller pieces with wooden spoon.  If you are ambitious, you can saute some veggies to add in at this time.  If not, add the spaghetti squash, the cheddar and Parmesan cheese, and any other seasonings you might need to taste.  Combine them all and top with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 - 45 minutes until bubbling.  Then take out, and eat eat eat!

 

**this has been an R&E original

Comfort Food Season: Stuffed Acorn Squash with Balsamic Baked Pork

Well, the cold season is upon us.  Between the earlier sunset and chilly breezes whipping around the city lately, I've been cooking all the comfort food I can.  Of course, as usual I have a bunch of recipes to share and just not enough time to type them all up, but since I just made this one tonight and it was fresh on my mind I decided to share.

It took me about an hour total to make the entire meal, which included prep and cooking time... not too bad for something as warm and delicious as this!  It is fairly similar to a stuffed squash recipe I shared last year, but with a few alterations that actually results in an easier recipe and more delicious result.  This recipe, like the one last fall, is made with ground pork.  Yes, I am obsessed with it.  For some reason it seems to be my favorite comfort food meat.  Not sure why.  But you could easily substitute another ground meat for the pork.  Go ahead, get creative!

Well, here it is... I must say, I ate mine very quickly :)

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Balsamic Baked Pork

• 2 lbs ground pork
• 2 acorn squash
• 1 leek, diced
• 2 cups braising greens mixed with 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 clove minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup beef broth
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup mozzerella cheese
• 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

Halve and de-seed the squash, put in oven at 450 for about 10 minutes.  Cook until slightly soft, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile add leeks and garlic to a pan, cook for 2 minutes, then add greens, pork and spices.  When pork is only slightly pink turn off heat and add remaining ingredients.  Mix well and put aside.

Scoop out a little of the squash filling and save for another purpose (smoothies, hash browns, etc.)

Add pork filling plus 1-2 tbsp of juices from the pan drizzled over the meat.  Top with grated cheddar cheese and put 1 cm of water on the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake at 350 until cheese golden brown. Eat with a side of applesauce and enjoy!

Happy Fall... Mom's Real Apple Pie!

Okay.  I want to start by saying this is not primal.  It has wheat, and depending on how you choose to make it, maybe sugar.  Honestly, this is just one of those recipes I could not bring myself to change.  It was blasphemous to even think it.

You know pie crust?  Buttery, melty, delicious pie crust?  Yeah, that was the problem.  I don't care what non-wheat item you try to duplicate this pie crust with.  It will never.be.as.delicious.  You might lie to yourself and say it is, but it's not.

So.  If you are feeling all high and mighty and judgmental because this is not in my "lifestyle"... please, stop reading.  Like right now.  Just skip this post.  I never admitted to being perfect.  Even the guru himself admits to occassionally having a small "cheat."  In fact, he says if you are living 80/20 you are doing all right.  Now, am I 80/20 most of the time?  No.  I live 100%.  But there are times when you just have to have that pie.  This is one of those times.

Enough of that.  The recipe. READ THIS BEFORE MAKING PIE.

1) I don't make my own crust because I've tried but no one makes it better than Pillsbury, and hey if you're already eating wheat why not make sure it's going to melt in your mouth?

2) Use McIntosh apples.  Nice soft ones that have been sitting around for a while and have a slight mush when you squeeze them.  SLIGHT MUSH, not rotten.

3) I made one small alteration.  You might say my mom will kill me but I had to, you know me.  So I switched the sugar for maple syrup.  It's just as sweet and it lets me feel a little less guilty for eating the "real" crust.  And Eric couldn't even tell!  But don't cut out the sweeter entirely.  It is necessary to get the apples to cook correctly.  Basic cell biology, don't believe me?  Try it without.

4) Lastly, it's amazingly easy.  I promise.  People always make pie making out to be this big scary thing, and sometimes it is, but this one is not.  The hardest part is peeling the apples and then "chunking" them.  Peeling means you use a knife and slowly work your way up the apple in a neat little curl, getting only skin and no apple.  Or, if you are like me it means going as quickly as possible and wasting precious apple and having your mom yell at you and eventually take over the job because you're not doing it right.  Chunking involves less yelling but more fear for slicing fingers.  I finally perfected it when I was forced to make my own pie, and it's not as scary as it sounds.

That's it!  I think you will like this one... just pop this in the oven and voila, instant fall!

Mom's Apple Pie

• 1/8 - 1/4 cup sugar OR 2 tbsp of maple syrup
• 6 - 8 cups "chunked" apples or 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1-2 tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425 and grease 9 inch pie plate.  Get the apples.  Make sure you have big apples, or if you don't then plan to use more like 18 because this time that's what I had to use.  The picture shows a "big" apple and then the small size I had this time just to give you an idea.

Start peeling.  See above for peeling tips.  I have never used a peeler, it just is wrong.  Use a paring knife.  Do it.
 
Once apples are peeled, you "chunk" them.  I like mushy apples inside my pie so I make small chunks.  If you want firm apples inside (gross), make them bigger.  Anyways, since your apples are very ripe (right? you listened?) just put your knife into the apple and carefully pull up  A little chunk should come off.  Continue until only the core remains.  After 6 cups of this you should have something like this (see why it demands patience?).  Again, my chunks are small because I like soft apple insides.

Please Note: This can be dangerous so use common sense.  No fingers or hand parts should be in your way.  In fact, if you dont know what I am talking about right now maybe you should put the knife down.  That's right.  Put it down and just cube your apples.  No chunking for you.


The hard part is over.  Now lightly toss the apples with the rest of the ingredients so they are evenly coated.  Then, press one of the pie crusts into the bottom of your pan and add the apple mixture on top.  Squish and juggle them a bit to make sure there is not a lot of space.  There should be a hill of apples.  If not, you need more.  Do as many as patience allows.  Otherwise your apples shrink and your crust deflates and you are left with a yummy but ugly pie.  Trust me, this happens to me every time because I am never patient enough to chunk enough apples to make a big enough hill.

        





Place the crust on top of your pile and fold the top crust over the outside of the bottom crust.  Then do what I did... your best attempt at "fluting" the edges and poking holes in the top.  I know it's not pretty, but really what does it matter when it tastes so good? (for the record, I did try to poke a smiley face once. not cool.)

Now you have an uncooked pie.  Cover the edges of the crust with tin foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes.  Put a COOKIE SHEET under the pie, otherwise you get drippings all over the oven.

After 30 minutes take the foil off and for the next 20 - 30 minutes after that take keep a close eye on it.  The pie is done when it is golden brown.

 YUM!  Enjoy :)

**this is an R&E (courtesy of mom) original!

It's Time: Minimally Modified Primal Pizzas

Yes, I've been gone for another three months.  I blame the whole getting married thing.  Oh, yeah, I got married!  But that's a story for another time.

THIS post contains recipes for the much requested primal pizza crusts I make.  No, they will not be fluffy or bread-like.  Yes, they will fulfill their role as a crust and hold your favorite toppings and even allow careful dipping into ranch dressing.  It will also leave you feeling much less bloated and gross AND lets you use all that eggplant, zucchini, or summer squash you have stockpiling from your crop-share.  Read your mind, didn't I?  So, since I have been MIA for so long I am going to get right to the point.  In order from our favorite to least (based on taste, ease of making, and crust abilities), here they are!

Ready?!  I am! 

Zucchini or Eggplant Crust

• 1 lb (2-3 cups) grated zucchini/eggplant
• 1/3 cup parm cheese
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1-2 tbsp coconut flour (for moisture)
• 1 egg

Step one: take your grated veggie, salt it, and wrap it in some paper towels.  Repeat this twice over the course of a few hours for best results.  Not necessary, but makes the crust crispier.  The examples below are all of eggplant, but zucchini follows the same rules.

 When ready to make pizza, preheat oven 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients.  Add a light sprinkle of coconut flour if still super moist.

Lay parchment paper on a pre-oiled baking sheet.  Oil parchment paper as well.  using your hands, a fork, or spatula, carefully spread the ball of "dough" slowly outward, making it thin (no thicker than 1 cm).

When it looks similar to the picture above (this one is zucchini), put it in the oven for 15 minutes.  I should look like the below picture.  If not, put it back in until it does.

Then remove pan, flip crust, and 5ut it back in for another 5 minutes or until it looks like the below picture..

Take crust out, add toppings (pre cook any non-cured meat), cook at 350 until cheese is melted, and eat!

 

Before we go any further;

topping suggestions for ALL pizzas:

Pepperoni, chicken sausage, sauteed kale/peppers/onions, broccoli, bacon (!), mushrooms, pesto, garlic, mozzarella cheese, meatballs, buffalo chicken, buffalo chicken meatballs... the list could go on.

This next one is from this website, modified minimally.  Try as we might this one always ends slightly floppy.

Flax Seed Pizza Crust

• 1/2 cup flax meal
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs

Mix the flax meal and parmesan cheese in a medium bowl.  Add the eggs and stir until a dough is formed.  It will be sticky, like really really obnoxiously sticky.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes or so until it's easier to work with. Wet your hands with water to help keep the dough from sticking to them and press onto parchment papered cookie sheet about 1/3 inch thick in a circle.

You should get about a 10 inch circular crust out of it... if it's a lot smaller than that you are making it too thick.  Bake crust at 350 for 8 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.  Remove an add toppings.  For this one I made buffalo chicken meatballs and spinach!  Bake for another 15 minutes at 350.  Remove when cheese is melty and delicious (sorry, no picture of that part!).

Okay, this one has been in my files for a while, but for the life of me I cannot find any notes besides:

1) I made it and added a few modifications

2) It was the least favorite

3) The original recipe comes from The Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.

Then I tried to find the original and couldn't.  Good story, I know.  Anyways, try it for yourself, perhaps you will have better luck!

Almond Flour Pizza Crust

• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 

Mix ingredients well, using your hands to form a ball.  Again, it will be sticky.  Place the ball between two sheets of parchment paper and pat it out into a crust shape.  Place on a well sprayed pizza stone OR parchment lined baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown.

As with the others when it's ready remove, add toppings, and wait for melting goodness.

These isn't it, but still.  Yum.  Oh, and enjoy!

Back With Gifts... A Primal Double Chocolate Gift!

I'd like to apologize.  I've been absent for a while.  I'd offer up an excuse, but I think we all know life happens, and I promise it was not because I wasn't cooking!  In fact I have about 12 new recipes/meals to share, just not the pictures to go along with them... so keep an eye out because they will be coming.

I won't give you a long story to go with this recipe because you've been patient with my MIA status and I'd like to say thanks!  This is a dessert I have been waiting to share for a while.  Desserts don't come easily to me, mostly because I lack the patience and measuring skills to follow through to the end, but this one is Rachel-friendly and a real hit, even among the most anti-primal of my friends.  It is absolutely amazing how something so healthy can be so good... and the great thing about these cakes is that you can eat them unfrosted too.  Up to you, but these guys are easy, quick, and so delicious.

So, without further ramblings...

Double Chocolate Chip "Reese's" Cupcakes!
(makes 4)

Frosting Ingredients/Recipe

• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/8 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp maple syrup

Whip all ingredients with a hand blender until fluffy.  Refrigerate frosting until use... may need to whip again right before frosting cupcakes.

Cupcake Ingredients/Recipe

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
  
• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp coconut milk
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Remember, this recipe makes only 4, so if you need more than that don't forget to double!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl with vanilla, salt, baking soda, maple syrup, and blend until smooth.  Add coconut flour, and cocoa powder and continue to blend.  Add melted oil, and blend until smooth.  Stir in coconut milk, followed by the chocolate chips.

Place cupcake papers into cupcake pan and pour batter into each cup.  Bake at 350 for 25 - 35 minutes, until bounces back when pressed on top.  Remove from oven, allow to cool, frost, and enjoy.

Note: I recommend not frosting until you are ready to eat them, and even heating up the muffin just slightly before you frost.  So delicious with a glass of cold milk... I dare you to eat just one!

Drool.

**modified long ago from http://www.primalpalate.com/

The Mayans Were Wrong: 2013 and Ground Pork

Let me first say welcome to 2013!  We didn't die in a fiery inferno, tsunami, polar shift, or (my personal theory) zombie apocalypse.  That means I have no excuse for my lack of a December post, but I am still going to blame the Mayans.  It's their fault.  Sorry.

The new year marks R & E's official two year anniversary of living primal.  It's weird to see that number up there, because it seems so much longer than that, and in a good way.  Our bodies feel great, and even though we are getting close to the *gulp* triple decade mark, we are able to run/hike/climb/adventure faster, longer, and more enjoyably than ever before.  Of course we have our slips from time to time (holiday cookies), but overall it is no longer a chore to live the primal lifestyle; it's just want feels right.

I also cannot believe how far the primal (or paleo) community has come in just those two short years.  When we started, we relied heavily on Mark for most of our exercises, recipes, and advice.  Now there are hundreds of websites out there, and some of my own family members have started to join our ranks as well!  Needless to say, life is good, and the recipes are still being created, even if I have been a huge slacker getting them up.

In fact, I currently have about 20 recipes I want to post, it's just the control freak in me that won't let me simply throw them up.  I want them to be perfect for you, so many are still in the final tweak stage.  But, in light of new resolutions and habits, if you ever want more than what's posted here, feel free to ask!  I don't mind sharing :)

Now, to the point.  Ground pork.  It's delicious, and versatile.  I don't know why I spent the last 27 years of my life not even knowing it existed.  Ground pork is basically the same as ground beef (duh) but, for lack of a better work, is lighter.  Seriously, it is.  It almost melts in your mouth, which makes it ideal for things like chili.  I recommend you cook with ground pork yourself to see what your favorite way of eating it is, but here are two of my favorites.

First up is a great comfort food.  It takes some patience, but honestly isn't too time consuming once you get the hang of it.  Plus, nothing smells better than this baking in the oven.

Butternut Squash Stuffed with Apple Pork

• 1 large butternut squash (about 2 lbs)
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 lb ground pork (or beef)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced 
• 1 McIntosh apple, peeled and diced
• 1 stalk leek, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup + of shredded cheddar cheese
•  salt and pepper to taste

Cut squash in half the "hot dog" or long way and scrape out the seeds.  Place face down in a pyrex dish with 1/2 inch of water and cook for about 40 minutes on 425.

While squash is in oven, cook the bacon in a pan until crispy, set aside.  Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add all remaining ingredients except apples and balsamic to the pan and cook over medium heat.  Continue stirring until almost no pink left.  Add apples and balsamic and stir one more minute, then remove from heat.

 

 

 Remove the squash from the oven, when you can handle it scrape out some of the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch of squash.  Add scraped flesh to bowl with meat.  Crumble your bacon and add that to the bowl too.

  Mix well and then stuff your squash halves with the mixture, topping with shredded cheese.  Place back in oven, this time at 350.

Cook for about 20 minutes, until cheese is light brown.  Let cool for at least 5 minutes before digging in!

  **modified from http://fastpaleo.com

The next is a modification of an earlier chili post.  To be honest, I wasn't even going to share it I think it's the "same recipe"... but my mother has assured me that it isn't, and so here it is.  There are no pictures because this was a last minute addition.  You can thank Denise for it being here at all! :)

Pork (or not) Chili

(crock pot needed)

• 2 lbs ground pork
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pepper, chopped
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1 can (4 oz ) Trader Joe's fire roasted green chiles
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Trader Joe's fire roasted diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 tbsp flour or arrowroot powder (mix with cooked pork)
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper to taste

Heat pan on medium with a little olive oil, add the meat, cooking for about 5 minutes until most of the pink is gone.  Do not drain the fat.  Add arrowroot powder, all seasonings plus the can of green chiles.  Cook until almost no pink remains.

In crock pot mix remaining ingredients and add meat from pan.  Combine all and cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low.

And of course, enjoy! 

**this has been an R&E original**