The Paleo Diet Cookbook: More than 150 recipes for Paleo Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Beverages (13 page)

BOOK: The Paleo Diet Cookbook: More than 150 recipes for Paleo Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Snacks, and Beverages
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Ground turkey breast is also quite lean and makes a great burger. Be inventive; brown ground turkey breast in olive oil and throw it into a Mexican salad along with some Peach Salsa with a Punch (page 188), or fold it into a romaine lettuce wrap along with homemade Omega 3 Mayonnaise (page 196) and diced red onions.
 
Paleo Chicken in a Pot
 
The bouquet garni in this recipe makes this French dish both aromatic and flavorful. Serve with your favorite Paleo side dish and salad to complete your meal. SERVES 4
1 whole chicken, 2-3 pounds, quartered
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large carrots
1 bunch celery
4 small spring onions
4 fresh sage leaves
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
 
 
 
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pepper chicken pieces thoroughly and set aside.
 
Pour olive oil into an ovenproof stockpot and heat over medium flame. Chop carrots, celery, and spring onions into 1-inch pieces. Sauté in olive oil for five minutes.
 
Add 1 quart of water. Place chicken in the pot. Using kitchen twine, tie together the sage leaves, rosemary, and bay leaf and place in the pot with the chicken. Cover and bake for one hour.
 
Remove the lid and turn oven setting to broil. Brown chicken for five minutes. Remove from oven and serve with broth and vegetables.
 
Homewood Chicken
 
Lean chicken breasts are the perfect Paleo choice to satisfy your protein requirements. Paired with fresh fruit, this meal is the Paleo version of comfort food. SERVES 4
4 chicken breasts, with bone and skin
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, washed and halved
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
4 fresh basil leaves for garnish
 
 
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken breasts thoroughly with freshly ground pepper.
 
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high flame. Place chicken in pan and sear each side for five minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
 
Drain excess fat from pan and return pan to burner, adding fennel, tomatoes, and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place chicken in pan and sprinkle with chopped basil.
 
Cover with foil and bake for thirty minutes. Change oven setting to broil. Remove foil and set under broiler for five minutes.
 
Remove from oven and tent with foil. After five minutes, garnish each chicken breast with fresh basil leaves.
 
Coconut-Cashew Chicken
 
Prepared with all-natural ingredients, the flavors of this simple dish will have your taste buds begging for more. Make a batch of curry ahead of time, and you can have this recipe whipped up in minutes. SERVES 4
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
with meat tenderizer tool
1 cup Coconut Curry (page 185)
¼ cup chopped roasted cashews
 
 
 
Combine chicken and curry and marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Remove from refrigerator thirty minutes before cooking.
 
Preheat oven to broil. Place chicken on wire rack and cook for twenty minutes, turning at the halfway point.
 
Remove from oven and scatter with cashews.
 
Roasted Trussed Chicken
 
Sometimes the simplest recipes with the fewest ingredients make the tastiest meals. This dish can be enjoyed as a main course or used as an addition to soup or salad. SERVES 4
1 whole chicken, 2-3 pounds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
 
 
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Set chicken on a wire roasting rack, breast side up. Place a 2-foot piece of kitchen twine under the body of the chicken, making sure to leave an even length on each side. Tuck the drumsticks tightly together to cover the open cavity at the bottom of the chicken and secure with the twine; tuck the wings under the legs and crisscross the twine to secure. Turn the bird to the side to tie tightly, then return it to breast facing up. Rub the olive oil and paprika over the breast, legs, and wings of the bird. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
 
Cook for one hour and fifteen minutes. Remove from oven, tent with foil, and set aside for ten minutes. Remove from wire roasting rack to carve.
 
Greek Chicken Breast Kebabs
 
Everyone loves a kebab. This easy-to-prepare and fun-to-eat dish makes a festive presentation and will impress your guests. Be sure to make plenty as there will be many requests for seconds. SERVES 4
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 6-ounce chicken cutlets, cut into 1-inch cubes
8 skewers, wooden or metal
 
 
 
If using wooden skewers, soak in water for one hour.
 
Combine lemon juice with oregano, oil, and garlic in a small jar and shake well. Pour over chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
 
Thread chicken onto skewers. Grill or broil at medium heat for twenty minutes, turning at the halfway point.
 
Paleo Chicken Saltimbocca
 
Lean sliced turkey (in place of prosciutto and provolone) is the secret to keeping this classic Italian dish Paleo-friendly. The combination of two poultry staples is a marriage made in heaven. SERVES 4
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, pounded thin
with meat tenderizer tool
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh sage leaves
4 thin slices of natural, organic Roasted Turkey Breast
(page 90)
 
 
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken breasts thoroughly with black pepper and set aside.
 
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Place sage leaves in skillet and cook for thirty seconds on each side. Remove and drain on a paper towel.
 
Press one slice of turkey onto each chicken breast. Cook chicken breast for four minutes on turkey side, then turn with tongs and cook on other side.
 
Remove chicken from pan and place in baking dish. Press one sage leaf on top of each piece of cooked chicken. Bake for ten minutes.
 
Colorado Chicken
 
Using skin-on, bone-in chicken breast leads to moist and tender meat. Follow these simple steps to enjoy a flavorful treat. SERVES 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 bone-in, skin on chicken breasts
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 medium shallot, diced
1 small tomato, diced
2 cups Chicken Broth (page 193)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
 
 
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
 
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Sprinkle chicken breasts with black pepper and place in pan. Cover and cook for five minutes on each side.
 
Remove chicken and set aside. Place mushrooms in pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. Add shallots and continue stirring for two additional minutes.
 
Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Return chicken to pan, cover, and bake for twenty minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with tarragon and parsley.
 
Chicken Marsala
 
This family-favorite chicken dish will please young and old alike. The mellow flavors of mushrooms and Marsala wine combine to make this a moist and succulent dish. SERVES 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces each,
pounded with meat tenderizer tool
1 cup chopped assorted wild mushrooms
1 shallot, chopped
½ cup Marsala wine
½ cup Chicken Broth (page 193)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
 
 
 
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Add chicken breasts and cook ten minutes, turning at halfway point. Remove from pan and tent with foil.
 
Add mushrooms to pan and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in shallot and cook for one additional minute. Pour in wine and broth and bring to a boil.
 
Reduce heat and simmer over low flame for twenty minutes. Use a spatula to scrape browned bits from the surface of the pan and mix with liquid.
 
Place chicken back in skillet and cook for five minutes. Sprinkle with oregano.
 
Chicken Braised with Celery
 
You will enjoy this easy-to-prepare, delicious, and healthy treat. The addition of Paleo-friendly broth makes this a low-sodium meal for any time of day. SERVES 4
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
12 celery stalks, sliced in half lengthwise and widthwise
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
and widthwise
½ cup Chicken Broth (page 193)
½ cup dry white wine
 
 
 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium flame. Add chicken and cook, skin side down, for five minutes. Turn chicken over and continue cooking for five minutes. Remove from pan and tent with foil.
 
Add shallot to pan and cook for one minute. Add celery and carrots and cook without stirring for two minutes. Turn pieces to brown evenly and cook for two additional minutes.
 
Place chicken back in skillet, skin side down. Pour in broth and wine. Cook for twenty minutes, turning at halfway point.
 
Change oven setting to broil and bake chicken for three minutes to brown the skin. Remove from oven and cool for five minutes.
 
Paleo Turkey Burgers
 
This recipe is worth doubling to have extra on hand. Turkey burgers are perfect for a midday snack, crumbled up into an omelet for a bit of extra protein, or frozen for use later in the week. SERVES 6
2 pounds lean ground turkey breast
1 egg
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 medium beefsteak tomato, sliced
½ small red onion, sliced into four ¼-inch slices
1 small head Bibb or butter lettuce
 
 
 
Preheat oven to broil. Combine turkey with egg, oil, shallot, and garlic. Mix well and shape into six patties. Season with pepper and oregano.
 
Broil patties for five minutes on each side. Remove from oven and serve topped with tomato and onion. Place inside lettuce, and top with your favorite Paleo condiments (see chapter 11).
 
Paleo Turkey Fajitas
 
Fajitas have become a favorite food for many families. The Paleo-perfect ingredients in this recipe allow you to enjoy the flavors of Mexico in a healthy way. SERVES 4
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1½ pounds turkey cutlets, cut into ½-inch strips
1 small yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into ½-inch strips
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced
Holy Guacamole (page 190)
 
 
 
Combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the garlic, lime, chili powder, and cumin in a large bowl. Add turkey and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Remove from refrigerator thirty minutes before cooking.

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